Potent angiogenic inhibition effects of deacetylated chitohexaose separated from chitooligosaccharides and its mechanism of action in vitro.

This study was performed to demonstrate the effects of deacetylated chitohexaose (hexamer) separated from a chitooligosaccharide (COS) mixture on tumor angiogenesis and its mechanism of action. Five fractions from dimer to hexamer were separated by a linear gradient solution of HCl on a cation-exchange resin. Then HCl was removed from the fractions by a charcoal column. The purity of the five fractions was analyzed by HPLC and the molecular masses were analyzed by MALDI-TOFMS. The hexamer expressed an inhibitory influence on CAM angiogenesis in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations of 6.25-50microg/egg. On further investigation, we found that the hexamer had no toxic effect on normal ECV304 cells, but could inhibit the proliferation and migration of tumor-induced ECV304 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The mechanism was demonstrated through the detection of mRNA expression of VEGF, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, and uPA by RT-PCR, which showed that the hexamer down-regulated the VEGF and uPA mRNA expressions in ECV304 cells, but up-regulated the TIMP-1 mRNA expression.

Subunit composition of a large xylanolytic complex (xylanosome) from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86.

A xylanolytic complex (xylanosome) was isolated from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86 grown on corncob xylan. The isolated xylanosome exhibited a high molecular mass of approximately 3.8 x 10(7) Da (weight average) using size exclusion chromatography/multi-angle laser light scattering (SEC/MALLS), and was composed of at least 8 subunits with a mass range from 12 to 60 kDa. When a SDS-polyacrylamide gel zymogram was examined, the subunits of 47, 35, 32, and 23 kDa were found to have xylanase activity, while the 30-kDa subunit had CMCase activity. According to N-terminal sequence analyses, the 47- and 23-kDa subunits were found to be identical to the two reported xylanases, namely FXYN and GXYN, of S. olivaceoviridis E-86. Both the 35- and 32-kDa subunits were found to be truncated forms of the intact FXYN xylanase that possibly resulted from the degradation by proteases. The 15-kDa subunit consisted solely the xylan-binding domain of the FXYN xylanase. The purified xylanosome appeared to bind partially to xylan and poorly to Avicel.

Variation of xylanosomal subunit composition of Streptomyces olivaceoviridis by nitrogen sources.

Besides affecting the xylanases production, different nitrogen sources present in the media also caused changes in the xylanosomal subunit composition of Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86. Four xylanosome fractions, purified from the culture supernatant of S. olivaceoviridis E-86 grown on different nitrogen sources, exhibited high specificity towards different xylans and were composed of different subunits. Thus, S. olivaceoviridis E-86 regulates the expression of xylanase activity and varies the xylanosome composition according to the nitrogen sources possibly through the action of the secreted proteases.

Transglycosylation reaction of xylanase B from the hyperthermophilic Thermotoga maritima with the ability of synthesis of tertiary alkyl beta-D-xylobiosides and xylosides.

The recombinant xylanase B (XynB) of Thermotoga maritima MSB8 was characterized and was found to cleave p-nitrophenyl beta-D-xyloside via the transglycosylation reaction in the previous study. XynB was activated in the presence of alcohols, and XynB activity was increased by iso-propanol (2M) to 2.1-fold. This type of activation was investigated and was shown to be due to the transglycosylation activity with p-nitrophenyl beta-D-xylobioside being converted to alkyl beta-D-xylobiosides in the presence of XynB and alcohols. Through the transglycosylation reaction, alkyl beta-xylosides and xylobiosides were simultaneously produced in the presence of xylan and alcohols. Primary alcohols were found to be the best acceptors. The highest yields of alkyl beta-xylosides and xylobiosides were 33% and 50% of the total sugar, respectively. XynB showed a great ability to transfer xylose and xylobiose to secondary alcohol acceptors, and was unique for being able to synthesize the tertiary alkyl beta-xylosides and xylobiosides with high yields of 18.2% and 11.6% of the total sugar, respectively. This is the first report of a xylanase with the ability to synthesize tertiary alkyl beta-xylosides and xylobiosides. The specificity of the beta-linkage was confirmed by the proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR). Thus, XynB of T. maritima appears to be an ideal enzyme for the synthesis of useful alkyl beta-xylosides and xylobiosides.

Rational affinity purification of native Streptomyces family 10 xylanase.

Xylanase SoXyn10A from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86 comprises a family 10 catalytic module linked to a family 13 carbohydrate-binding module (SoCBM13). The SoCBM13 has a beta-trefoil structure, with binding sites in each subdomain (alpha, beta and gamma). Subdomain alpha, but not subdomains beta and gamma, binds tightly to lactose. It was, therefore, thought that immobilized lactose could be used for the affinity purification of SoXyn10A. Lactosyl-Sepharose was prepared and tested as an affinity matrix. SoXyn10A produced from the cloned xyn10A gene by Escherichia coli, and native SoXyn10A in culture supernatants from S. olivaceoviridis, were purified to homogeneity in a single step by affinity chromatography using this matrix. This simple purification of SoXyn10A makes the enzyme an attractive candidate for applications requiring xylanase. The CBM also has the potential for use as an affinity tag for the purification of other proteins.

Structure and function of a family 10 beta-xylanase chimera of Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86 FXYN and Cellulomonas fimi Cex.

The catalytic domain of xylanases belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 10 (GH10) can be divided into 22 modules (M1 to M22; Sato, Y., Niimura, Y., Yura, K., and Go, M. (1999) Gene (Amst.) 238, 93-101). Inspection of the crystal structure of a GH10 xylanase from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86 (SoXyn10A) revealed that the catalytic domain of GH10 xylanases can be dissected into two parts, an N-terminal larger region and C-terminal smaller region, by the substrate binding cleft, corresponding to the module border between M14 and M15. It has been suggested that the topology of the substrate binding clefts of GH10 xylanases are not conserved (Charnock, S. J., Spurway, T. D., Xie, H., Beylot, M. H., Virden, R., Warren, R. A. J., Hazlewood, G. P., and Gilbert, H. J. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 32187-32199). To facilitate a greater understanding of the structure-function relationship of the substrate binding cleft of GH10 xylanases, a chimeric xylanase between SoXyn10A and Xyn10A from Cellulomonas fimi (CfXyn10A) was constructed, and the topology of the hybrid substrate binding cleft established. At the three-dimensional level, SoXyn10A and CfXyn10A appear to possess 5 subsites, with the amino acid residues comprising subsites -3 to +1 being well conserved, although the +2 subsites are quite different. Biochemical analyses of the chimeric enzyme along with SoXyn10A and CfXyn10A indicated that differences in the structure of subsite +2 influence bond cleavage frequencies and the catalytic efficiency of xylooligosaccharide hydrolysis. The hybrid enzyme constructed in this study displays fascinating biochemistry, with an interesting combination of properties from the parent enzymes, resulting in a low production of xylose.

A novel, ultra-large xylanolytic complex (xylanosome) secreted by Streptomyces olivaceoviridis.

The production of a novel, very large xylanolytic complex (xylanosome) by Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86 is reported. The molecular weight was approx. 1200 kDa as determined by native gradient gel electrophoresis. Corncob xylan was the best inducer of xylanosome formation. The xylanosome was produced when the organism was grown for 5 d between pH 4.5-6 and at 27.5 to 35 degrees C.

Crystal structures of decorated xylooligosaccharides bound to a family 10 xylanase from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86.

The family 10 xylanase from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86 (SoXyn10A) consists of a GH10 catalytic domain, which is joined by a Gly/Pro-rich linker to a family 13 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM13) that interacts with xylan. To understand how GH10 xylanases and CBM13 recognize decorated xylans, the crystal structure of SoXyn10A was determined in complex with alpha-l-arabinofuranosyl- and 4-O-methyl-alpha-d-glucuronosyl-xylooligosaccharides. The bound sugars were observed in the subsites of the catalytic cleft and also in subdomains alpha and gamma of CBM13. The data reveal that the binding mode of the oligosaccharides in the active site of the catalytic domain is entirely consistent with the substrate specificity and, in conjunction with the accompanying paper, demonstrate that the accommodation of the side chains in decorated xylans is conserved in GH10 xylanases of SoXyn10A against arabinoglucuronoxylan. CBM13 was shown to bind xylose or xylooligosaccharides reversibly by using nonsymmetric sugars as the ligands. The independent multiple sites in CBM13 may increase the probability of substrate binding.

Purification and characterization of alpha-galactosidase from sunflower seeds.

From 100 g sunflower seeds, 1.2 mg purified alpha-galactosidase was obtained with an overall yield of 51%. The alpha-galactosidase acted on both terminal alpha-galactosyl residues and side-chain alpha-galactosyl residues of the galactomanno-oligosaccharides and galactomannans. The cDNA coding for sunflower alpha-galactosidase was cloned and the deduced amino acid sequence revealed that the mature enzyme consisted of 363 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 40,263. Seven cysteine residues were found but no putative N-glycosylation sites were present in the sequence. The deduced amino acid sequences of mature enzyme and alpha-galactosidases from coffee, guar and Mortierella vinacea alpha-galactosidase II showed over 81%, 77%, and 47% homology, respectively. These enzymes are classified into the third group in which the enzyme has no insertion sequence and a broad specificity on galactomanno-oligosaccharides compared to the other groups.

alpha-Galactosidase from cultured rice (Oryza sativa L. var. Nipponbare) cells.

The alpha-galactosidase from rice cell suspension cultures was purified to homogeneity by different techniques including affinity chromatography using N-epsilon-aminocaproyl-alpha-D-galactopyranosylamine as the ligand. From 11 l of culture filtrate, 28.7 mg of purified enzyme was obtained with an overall yield of 51.9%. The cDNA coding for the alpha-galactosidase was cloned and sequenced. The enzyme was found to contain 417 amino acid residues composed of a 55 amino acid signal sequence and 362 amino acid mature alpha-galactosidase; the molecular weight of the mature enzyme was thus calculated to be 39,950. Seven cysteine residues were also found but no putative N-glycosylation sites were present. The observed homology between the deduced amino acid sequences of the mature enzyme and alpha-galactosidases from coffee (Coffea arabica), guar (Cyamopsis tetragonolooba), and Mortierella vinacea alpha-galactosidase II were over 73, 72, and 45%, respectively. The enzyme displayed maximum activity at 45 degrees C when p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-galactopyranoside was used as substrate. The rice alpha-galactosidase and Mortierella vinacea alpha-galactosidase II acted on both the terminal alpha-galactosyl residue and the side-chain alpha-galactosyl residue of the galactomanno-oligosaccharides.

Preparation of (1-->4)-beta-D-xylooligosaccharides from an acid hydrolysate of cotton-seed xylan: suitability of cotton-seed xylan as a starting material for the preparation of (1-->4)-beta-D-xylooligosaccharides.

Cotton-seed residual cake, which is a byproduct of the process of oil extraction from the seed, was delignified with sodium hypochlorite (1% available chlorine). Xylan was then prepared from the delignified wet material by alkali extraction with 15% sodium hydroxide. The cotton-seed xylan contained 64.7% xylose and 9.4% uronic acid. The xylan was hydrolyzed with 0.125 M sulfuric acid at 90 degrees C for 15 min. The resultant hydrolysis products were separated by gel-permeation chromatography on BioGel P-4 and Toyopearl HW-40F columns connected in series, with water as an eluate. Xylose and xylooligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization ranging from DP 2 to 15 were separated under such conditions, and each xylooligosaccharide-containing peak fraction afforded a single band on fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis. These results suggest that cotton-seed xylan is suitable for the preparation of xylose and xylooligosaccharides.

Crystal structures of the sugar complexes of Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86 xylanase: sugar binding structure of the family 13 carbohydrate binding module.

The family 10 xylanase from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86 contains a (beta/alpha)(8)-barrel as a catalytic domain, a family 13 carbohydrate binding module (CBM) as a xylan binding domain (XBD) and a Gly/Pro-rich linker between them. The crystal structure of this enzyme showed that XBD has three similar subdomains, as indicated by the presence of a triple-repeated sequence, forming a galactose binding lectin fold similar to that found in the ricin toxin B-chain. Comparison with the structure of ricin/lactose complex suggests three potential sugar binding sites in XBD. In order to understand how XBD binds to the xylan chain, we analyzed the sugar-complex structure by the soaking experiment method using the xylooligosaccharides and other sugars. In the catalytic cleft, bound sugars were observed in the xylobiose and xylotriose complex structures. In the XBD, bound sugars were identified in subdomains alpha and gamma in all of the complexes with xylose, xylobiose, xylotriose, glucose, galactose and lactose. XBD binds xylose or xylooligosaccharides at the same sugar binding sites as in the case of the ricin/lactose complex but its binding manner for xylose and xylooligosaccharides is different from the galactose binding mode in ricin, even though XBD binds galactose in the same manner as in the ricin/galactose complex. These different binding modes are utilized efficiently and differently to bind the long substrate to xylanase and ricin-type lectin. XBD can bind any xylose in the xylan backbone, whereas ricin-type lectin recognizes the terminal galactose to sandwich the large sugar chain, even though the two domains have the same family 13 CBM structure. Family 13 CBM has rather loose and broad sugar specificities and is used by some kinds of proteins to bind their target sugars. In such enzyme, XBD binds xylan, and the catalytic domain may assume a flexible position with respect to the XBD/xylan complex, inasmuch as the linker region is unstructured.

Plant growth-promoting oligosaccharides produced from tomato waste.

Tomato juice waste was hydrolyzed with acid. Tomato juice waste (500 g; wet weight) was heated with 0.5 N HCl (2.5 l) at 70 degrees C for 4 h. After neutralization, the growth-promoting extracts (300 g; dry weight) in the plants were produced from the tomato waste. The acid extract significantly promoted the growth of cockscomb (Celosia argentea L.) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) seedlings. We have recognized potent plant growth-promoting substances in the acid extract from tomato waste. The most effective components in the active fraction were almost all oligogalacturonic acids (DP 6-12). This paper is the first report that plant growth-promoting oligosaccharides can be directly produced from tomato juice waste. It is possible that the substances from the tomato waste can become useful plant growth regulators in the agriculture field in the future.