Structure-Based Site-Directed Mutagenesis of Hydroxynitrile Lyase from Cyanogenic Millipede, Oxidus gracilis for Hydrocyanation and Henry Reactions.

Hydroxynitrile lyase (HNL) from the cyanogenic millipede Oxidus gracillis (OgraHNL) is a crucial enzyme in the cyanogenesis pathway. Here, the crystal structures of OgraHNL complexed with sulfate, benzaldehyde (BA), (R)-mandelonitrile ((R)-Man), (R)-2-chloromandelonitrile ((R)-2-Cl-Man), and acetone cyanohydrin (ACN) were solved at 1.6, 1.7, 2.3, 2.1, and 2.0 Šresolutions, respectively. The structure of OgraHNL revealed that it belonged to the lipocalin superfamily. Based on this structure, positive variants were designed to further improve the catalytic activity and enantioselectivity of the enzyme for asymmetric hydrocyanation and Henry reactions.

X-ray-induced mutation of Bacillus sp. MR10 for manno-oligosaccharides production from copra meal.

The present study demonstrates the effectiveness of X-ray radiation in strain improvement for defective lipase production by Bacillus sp. MR10 for further application in the fermentative production of manno-oligosaccharides (MOS) from agricultural by-product, defatted copra meal (DCM). The mutants obtained were screened based on their defective lipase activity together with their ß-mannanase production performance. Among 10 selected mutants, the strain M7 was the highest promising mutant regarding the smallest lipase activity (0.05 U/ml) and the retained ß-mannanase activity similar to the parental strain (22 U/ml) were detected. The mutant M7 effectively hydrolyzed DCM to MOS with low-degree of polymerization (DP) oligomers including mannotriose (M3), mannotetraose (M4), and mannopentose (M5) as the main products. Although the pattern of DCM hydrolysis products of mutant M7 was distinctly different from wild type, the biochemical and catalytic properties of purified ß-mannanase of mutant were similar to those of wild type. Both purified ß-mannanases with apparent molecular mass of 38 kDa displayed optimal activity at pH 5-7 and 45-55°C. Co2+ and Hg2+ nearly completely inhibited activities of both enzymes, whereas Ba2+, Fe3+, and 2-mercaptoethanol obviously activated enzyme activities. Both enzymes showed high specificity for locust bean gum, konjac mannan, DCM, and guar gum. Thus, the mutant M7 has a potential for commercial production of high-quality MOS from low-cost DCM for further application in the feed industry.

Diversity of lactic acid bacteria from Miang, a traditional fermented tea leaf in northern Thailand and their tannin-tolerant ability in tea extract.

The microbiota of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in thirty-five samples of Miang, a traditional fermented tea leaf product, collected from twenty-two different regions of eight provinces in upper northern Thailand was revealed through the culture-dependent technique. A total of 311 presumptive LAB strains were isolated and subjected to clustering analysis based on repetitive genomic element-PCR (rep-PCR) fingerprinting profiles. The majority of the strains belonged to the Lactobacillus genera with an overwhelming predominance of the Lb. plantarum group. Further studies of species-specific PCR showed that 201 of 252 isolates in the Lb. plantarum group were Lb. plantarum which were thus considered as the predominant LAB in Miang, while the other 51 isolates belonged to Lb. pentosus. In contrast to Lb. plantarum, there is a lack of information on the tannase gene and the tea tannin-tolerant ability of Lb. pentosus. Of the 51 Lb. pentosus isolates, 33 were found to harbor the genes encoding tannase and shared 93-99% amino acid identity with tannase obtained from Lb. pentosus ATCC 8041T. Among 33 tannase gene-positive isolates, 23 isolates exhibited high tannin- tolerant capabilities when cultivated on de Man Rogosa and Sharpe agar-containing bromocresol purple (0.02 g/L, MRS-BCP) supplemented with 20% (v/v) crude tea extract, which corresponded to 2.5% (w/v) tannins. These Lb. pentosus isolates with high tannin-tolerant capacity are expected to be the high potential strains for functional tannase production involved in Miang fermentation as they will bring about certain benefits and could be used to improve the fermentation of tea products.

Distribution of tannin-'tolerant yeasts isolated from Miang, a traditional fermented tea leaf (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) in northern Thailand.

Miang is a fermented food product prepared from the tea leaves of Camellia sinensis var. assamica, and is traditionally produced in mountainous areas of northern Thailand. Although Miang has a long history and reveals deep-rooted cultural involvement with local people in northern Thailand, little is known regarding its microbial diversity. Yeasts were isolated from 47 Miang samples collected from 28 sampling sites, including eight provinces in upper northern Thailand. A hundred and seven yeast isolates were recovered and identified within 14 species based on the comparison of the D1/D2 sequence of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene. Candida ethanolica was determined to be the dominant species that was frequently found in Miang together with minor resident yeast species. All yeast isolates demonstrated their tannin-tolerant capability when cultivated on yeast malt agar (YMA) containing 50g/l tannin, but nine isolates displayed clear zones forming around their colonies, e.g., Debaryomyces hansenii, Cyberlindnera rhodanensis, and Sporidiobolus ruineniae. The results obtained from a visual reading method of tannase revealed that all yeast isolates were positive for methyl gallate, indicating that they possess tannase activity. It is assumed that a tannin-tolerant ability is one of the most important factors for developing a yeast community in Miang. This research study is the first report to describe tannin-tolerant yeasts and yeast communities in traditionally fermented tea leaves.

Enhanced production of histamine dehydrogenase by Natrinema gari BCC 24369 in a non-sterile condition.

The production of histamine dehydrogenase (HADH) by Natrinema gari BCC 24369, a halophilic archeaon isolated from fish sauce, was optimized and scaled up under a non-sterile condition. Through statistical design by Plackett-Burman design (PBD), casamino acid, NaCl, MgSO4·7H2O and FeCl2·4H2O were identified as the significant medium compositions influencing HADH production. Central composite design (CCD) was employed to identify the optimal values of individual composition yielding the maximum HADH production. The analysis indicated that the optimal medium was composed of 15 g/l casamino acid, 75 g/l MgSO4·7H2O, 273 g/l NaCl, 2.5 mg/l FeCl2·4H2O, 10 g/l yeast extract, 5 g/l sodium glutamate and 5 g/l KCl. Based on the one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) method, the optimum initial pH of the culture medium and the incubation temperature for HADH production were 7.5 and 37 °C, respectively. The production of HADH under optimal conditions was 2.2-fold higher than that under un-optimized conditions. Owing to the halophilic nature of Nnm. gari BCC 24369, a more economical and eco-friendlier HADH production was developed under a completely non-sterile condition. In a 16-l batch cultivation of Nnm. gari BCC 24369, HADH productivity under a non-sterile condition (858 ± 12 U/g cell biomass) was comparable to that under a sterile condition (878 ± 15 U/g cell biomass). These results demonstrate the feasibility and simplicity of HADH production using Nnm. gari BCC 24369 under a non-sterile condition without compromising enzyme yield and any changes in Km value.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of histamine dehydrogenase from Natrinema gari BCC 24369.

Histamine dehydrogenase (HADH) catalyzes the oxidative deamination of histamine, resulting in the production of imidazole acetaldehyde and an ammonium ion. The enzyme isolated from the newly identified halophilic archaeon Natrinema gari BCC 24369 is significantly different from the previously described protein from Nocardioides simplex. This newly identified HADH comprises three subunits with molecular weights of 49.0, 24.7 and 23.9 kDa, respectively, and is optimally active under high-salt conditions (3.5-5 M NaCl). As a step in the exploration of the unique properties of the protein, the HADH heterotrimer was purified and crystallized. Crystals were obtained using the sitting-drop vapor-diffusion method from a solution composed of 0.2 M calcium chloride dihydrate, 0.1 M HEPES pH 7.5, 28% PEG 400. Diffraction data were collected at -173°C to a resolution limit of 2.4 Šon the Southeast Regional Collaborative Access Team (SER-CAT) beamline 22-ID at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. The crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a=211.9, b=58.6, c=135.4 Å, ß=103.0°. The estimated Matthews coefficient is 3.21 Å3 Da(-1), corresponding to 61.7% solvent content.

Application of thermophilic enzymes and water jet system to cassava pulp.

Co-production of fermentable sugars and nanofibrillated cellulose from cassava pulp was achieved by the combination of thermophilic enzymes (endoglucanase, ß-glucosidase, and α-amylase) and a new atomization system (Star Burst System; SBS), which employs opposing water jets. The SBS represents a key technology for providing cellulose nanofibers and improving the enzymatic saccharification of cassava pulp. Depending on the enzymes used, the production of glucose from cassava pulp treated with the SBS was 1.2- to 2.5-fold higher than that from pulp not treated with the SBS. Nanofibrillated cellulose with the gel-like property in suspension was produced (yield was over 90%) by α-amylase treatment, which completely released trapped starch granules from the fibrous cell wall structure of cassava pulp pretreated with the SBS. The SBS provides an environmentally low-impact pretreatment system for processing biomass material into value-added products.