4-Chlorophenol biodegradation facilitator composed of recombinant multi-biocatalysts immobilized onto montmorillonite.

A biodegradation facilitator which catalyzes the initial steps of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) oxidation was prepared by immobilizing multiple enzymes (monooxygenase, CphC-I and dioxygenase, CphA-I) onto a natural inorganic support. The enzymes were obtained via overexpression and purification after cloning the corresponding genes (cphC-I and cphA-I) from Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus A6. Then, the recombinant CphC-I was immobilized onto fulvic acid-activated montmorillonite. The immobilization yield was 60%, and the high enzyme activity (82.6%) was retained after immobilization. Kinetic analysis indicated that the Michaelis-Menten model parameters for the immobilized CphC-I were similar to those for the free enzyme. The enzyme stability was markedly enhanced after immobilization. The immobilized enzyme exhibited a high level of activity even after repetitive use (84.7%) and powdering (65.8%). 4-CP was sequentially oxidized by a multiple enzyme complex, comprising the immobilized CphC-I and CphA-I, via the hydroquinone pathway: oxidative transformation of 4-CP to hydroxyquinol followed by ring fission of hydroxyquinol.

Identification of the upstream 4-chlorophenol biodegradation pathway using a recombinant monooxygenase from Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus A6.

This study aimed to clarify the initial 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) biodegradation pathway promoted by a two-component flavin-diffusible monooxygenase (TC-FDM) consisting of CphC-I and CphB contained in Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus A6 and the decomposition function of CphC-I. The TC-FDM genes were cloned from A. chlorophenolicus A6, and the corresponding enzymes were overexpressed. Since CphB was expressed in an insoluble form, Fre, a flavin reductase obtained from Escherichia coli, was used. These enzymes were purified using Ni2+-NTA resin. It was confirmed that TC-FDM catalyzes the oxidation of 4-CP and the sequential conversion of 4-CP to benzoquinone (BQN)→hydroquinone (HQN)→HQL. This indicated that CphC-I exhibits substrate specificity for 4-CP, BQN, and HQN. The activity of CphC-I for 4-CP was 63.22U/mg-protein, and the Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters were vmax=0.21mM/min, KM=0.19mM, and kcat/KM=0.04mM-1min-1. These results would be useful for the development of a novel biochemical treatment technology for 4-CP and phenolic hydrocarbons.

Production of electrically-conductive nanoscale filaments by sulfate-reducing bacteria in the microbial fuel cell.

This study reports that the obligate anaerobic microorganism, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, a predominant sulfate-reducing bacterium (SRB) in soils and sediments, can produce nanoscale bacterial appendages for extracellular electron transfer. These nanofilaments were electrically-conductive (5.81S·m(-1)) and allowed SRBs to directly colonize the surface of insoluble or solid electron acceptors. Thus, the direct extracellular electron transfer to the insoluble electrode in the microbial fuel cell (MFC) was possible without inorganic electron-shuttling mediators. The production of nanofilaments was stimulated when only insoluble electron acceptors were available for cellular respiration. These results suggest that when availability of a soluble electron acceptor for SRBs (SO4(2-)) is limited, D. desulfuricans initiates the production of conductive nanofilaments as an alternative strategy to transfer electrons to insoluble electron acceptors. The findings of this study contribute to understanding of the role of SRBs in the biotransformation of various substances in soils and sediments and in the MFC.

Enzymatic degradation of aromatic hydrocarbon intermediates using a recombinant dioxygenase immobilized onto surfactant-activated carbon nanotube.

This study examined the enzymatic decomposition of aromatic hydrocarbon intermediates (catechol, 4-chlorocatechol, and 3-methylcatechol) using a dioxygenase immobilized onto single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT). The surfaces of SWCNTs were activated with surfactants. The dioxygenase was obtained by recombinant technique: the corresponding gene was cloned from Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus A6, and the enzyme was overexpressed and purified subsequently. The enzyme immobilization yield was 62%, and the high level of enzyme activity was preserved (60-79%) after enzyme immobilization. Kinetic analyses showed that the substrate utilization rates and the catalytic efficiencies of the immobilized enzyme for all substrates (target aromatic hydrocarbon intermediates) tested were similar to those of the free enzyme, indicating that the loss of enzyme activity was minimal during enzyme immobilization. The immobilized enzyme was more stable than the free enzyme against abrupt changes in pH, temperature, and ionic strength. Moreover, it retained high enzyme activity even after repetitive use.