• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.625-632
• /
• 2019

The unified saccharification and fermentation (USF) system was developed for direct production of ethanol from agarose. This system contains an enzymatic saccharification process that uses three types of agarases and a fermentation process by recombinant yeast. The $pGMF{\alpha}-HGN$ plasmid harboring AGAH71 and AGAG1 genes encoding ${\beta}-agarase$ and the NABH558 gene encoding neoagarobiose hydrolase was constructed and transformed into the Saccharomyces cerevisiae 2805 strain. Three secretory agarases were produced by introducing an S. cerevisiae signal sequence, and they efficiently degraded agarose to galactose, 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose (AHG), neoagarobiose, and neoagarohexose. To directly produce ethanol from agarose, the S. cerevisiae $2805/pGMF{\alpha}-HGN$ strain was cultivated into YP-containing agarose medium at $40^{\circ}C$ for 48 h (for saccharification) and then $30^{\circ}C$ for 72 h (for fermentation). During the united cultivation process for 120 h, a maximum of 1.97 g/l ethanol from 10 g/l agarose was produced. This is the first report on a single process containing enzymatic saccharification and fermentation for direct production of ethanol without chemical liquefaction (pretreatment) of agarose.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.32-37
• /
• 2020

We improved on a unified saccharification and fermentation (USF) system for the direct production of ethanol from agarose by increasing total agarase activity. The pGMFα-NGH plasmid harboring the NABH558 gene encoding neoagarobiose hydrolase and the AGAG1 and AGAH71 genes encoding β-agarase was constructed and used to transform Saccharomyces cerevisiae 2805. NABH558 gene transcription level was increased and total agarase activity was increased by 25 to 40% by placing the NABH558 gene expression cassette upstream of the other gene expression cassettes. In the 2805/pGMFα-NGH transformant, three secretory agarases were produced that efficiently degraded agarose to galactose, 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose (AHG), neoagarobiose, and neoagarohexaose. During the united cultivation process, a maximum of 2.36 g/l ethanol from 10 g/l agarose was produced over 120 h.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.356-365
• /
• 2021

Recently, we sequenced the entire genome of a freshwater agar-degrading bacterium Cellvibrio sp. KY-GH-1 (KCTC13629BP) to explore genetic information encoding agarases that hydrolyze agarose into monomers 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose (L-AHG) and D-galactose. The KY-GH-1 strain appeared to possess nine β-agarase genes and two α-neoagarobiose hydrolase (α-NABH) genes in a 77-kb agarase gene cluster. Based on these genetic information, the KY-GH-1 strain-caused agarose degradation into L-AHG and D-galactose was predicted to be initiated by both endolytic GH16 and GH86 β-agarases to generate NAOS (NA4/NA6/NA8), and further processed by exolytic GH50 β-agarases to generate NA2, and then terminated by GH117 α-NABHs which degrade NA2 into L-AHG and D-galactose. More recently, by employing E. coli expression system with pET-30a vector we obtained three recombinant His-tagged GH50 family β-agarases (GH50A, GH50B, and GH50C) derived from Cellvibrio sp. KY-GH-1 to compare their enzymatic properties. GH50A β-agarase turned out to have the highest exolytic β-agarase activity among the three GH50 isozymes, catalyzing efficient NA2 production from the substrate (agarose, NAOS or AOS). Additionally, we determined that GH117A α-NABH, but not GH117B α-NABH, could potently degrade NA2 into L-AHG and D-galactose. Sequentially, we examined the enzymatic characteristics of GH50A β-agarase and GH117A α-NABH, and assessed their efficiency for NA2 production from agarose and for production of L-AHG and D-galactose from NA2, respectively. In this review, we describe the benefits of recombinant GH50A β-agarase and GH117A α-NABH originated from Cellvibrio sp. KY-GH-1, which may be useful for the enzymatic hydrolysis of agarose for mass production of L-AHG and D-galactose.