• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.552-559
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• 2008

Ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate is an intermediate for the synthesis of Atorvastatin, a chiral drug used for hypercholesterolemia. A Rhodococcus erythropolisstrain (No.7) able to convert 4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyronitrile into 4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyric acid has recently been isolated from soil. This activity has been regarded as having been caused by the successive actions of the nitrile hydratase and amidase. In this instance, the corresponding amidase gene was cloned from the R. erythropolis strain and expressed in Escherichia coli cells. A soluble active form of amidase enzyme was obtained at $18^{\circ}C$. The Ni column-purified recombinant amidase was found to have a specific activity of 3.89 U/mg toward the substrate isobutyramide. The amidase was found to exhibit a higher degree of activity when used with mid-chain substrates than with short-chain ones. Put differently, amongst the various amides tested, isobutyramide and butyramide were found to be hydrolyzed the most rapidly. In addition to amidase activity, the enzyme was found to exhibit acyltransferase activity when hydroxyl amine was present. This dual activity has also been observed in other enzymes belonging to the same amidase group (E.C. 3.5.1.4). Moreover, the purified enzyme was proven to be able to enantioselectively hydrolyze 4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyramide into the corresponding acid. The e.e. value was measured to be 52% when the conversion yield was 57%. Although this e.e. value is low for direct commercial use, molecular evolution could eventually result in this amidase being used as a biocatalyst for the production of ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.445-448
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• 2008

Candida antarctica lipase B (CalB) is an efficient biocatalyst for many organic synthesis reactions. To make full use of CalB, we need effective expression system. Previously recombinant CalB was successfully expressed in the methylotropic yeast Pichia pastoris. In addition, we succeed in the functional expression of CalB in the Escherichia coli cytoplasm. This CalB expression system in E.coli has many considerable advantages in comparison with other expression systems and enables high-throughput screening of gene libraries as those derived from directed evolution experiments. To optimize E.coli system, we investigate comparing between OrigamiB (DE3) and BL21 (DE3) and observing effect of IPTG amount.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1108-1113
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• 2015

Cadaverine (1,5-diaminopentane) is an important industrial chemical with a wide range of applications. Although there have been many efforts to produce cadaverine through fermentation, there are not many reports of the direct cadaverine production from lysine using biotransformation. Whole-cell reactions were examined using a recombinant Escherichia coli strain overexpressing the E. coli MG1655 cadA gene, and various parameters were investigated for the whole-cell bioconversion of lysine to cadaverine. A high concentration of lysine resulted in the synthesis of pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) and it was found to be a critical control factor for the biotransformation of lysine to cadaverine. When 0.025 mM PLP and 1.75 M lysine in 500 mM sodium acetate buffer (pH6) were used, consumption of 91% lysine and conversion of about 80% lysine to cadaverine were successfully achieved.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1850-1858
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• 2018

Glucosamine (GlcN) is widely used in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries. Currently, GlcN is mainly produced by traditional multistep chemical synthesis and acid hydrolysis, which can cause severe environmental pollution, require a long prodution period but a lower yield. The aim of this work was to develop a whole-cell biocatalytic process for the environment-friendly synthesis of glucosamine (GlcN) from N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). We constructed a recombinant Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis strains as efficient whole-cell biocatalysts via expression of diacetylchitobiose deacetylase ($Dac_{ph}$) from Pyrococcus furiosus. Although both strains were biocatalytically active, the performance of B. subtilis was better. To enhance GlcN production, optimal reaction conditions were found: B. subtilis whole-cell biocatalyst 18.6 g/l, temperature $40^{\circ}C$, pH 7.5, GlcNAc concentration 50 g/l and reaction time 3 h. Under the above conditions, the maximal titer of GlcN was 35.3 g/l, the molar conversion ratio was 86.8% in 3-L bioreactor. This paper shows an efficient biotransformation process for the biotechnological production of GlcN in B. subtilis that is more environmentally friendly than the traditional multistep chemical synthesis approach. The biocatalytic process described here has the advantage of less environmental pollution and thus has great potential for large-scale production of GlcN in an environment-friendly manner.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.562-567
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• 2001

Aspergillus niger LK harboring the enantioselective epoxide hydrolase (EHase) activity was isolated, and enantioselectivity of EHase was tested for various racemic aromatic epoxides. The gene encoding epoxide hydrolase was cloned from cDNA library generated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction of the isolated total mRNA. Sequence analysis showed that the cloned gene encodes 398 amino acids with a deduced molecular mass of 44.5 kDa. Database comparison of the amino acid sequence reveals that it is similar to fungal EHase, whereas the sequence identity with bacterial EHase is very low. Recombinant expression of the cloned EHase in Escherichia coli BL21 yielded an active EHases, which can offer a potential biocatalyst for the production of chiral epoxides.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.1067-1076
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• 2016

The gene encoding lipase (Lip98) from Aeromicrobium sp. SCSIO 25071 was cloned and functionally expressed in Escherichia coli. Lip98 amino acid sequence shares the highest (49%) identity to Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 lipase and contains a novel motif (GHSEG), which is different from other clusters in the lipase superfamily. The recombinant lipase was purified to homogeneity with Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. Lip98 showed an apparent molecular mass of 30 kDa on SDS gel. The optimal temperature and pH value for enzymatic activity were recorded at 30℃ and 7.5, respectively. Lip98 exhibited high activity at low temperatures with 35% maximum activity at 0℃ and good stability at temperatures below 35℃. Its calculated activation energy was 4.12 kcal/mol at the low temperature range of 15-30℃. Its activity was slightly affected by some metal ions such as K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Na⁺. The activity of Lip98 was increased by various organic solvents such as DMSO, ethanol, acetone, and hexane with the concentration of 30% (v/v) and retained more than 30% residual activity in neat organic solvent. The unique characteristics of Lip98 imply that it is a promising candidate for industrial application as a nonaqueous biocatalyst and food additive.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.1455-1464
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• 2021

Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide in increasing demand for applications in food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. Single-step trehalose production by trehalose synthase (TreS) using maltose as a starting material is a promising alternative process for industrial application due to its simplicity and cost advantage. Pseudomonas monteilii TBRC 1196 was identified using the developed screening method as a potent strain for TreS production. The TreS gene from P. monteilii TBRC 1196 was first cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Purified recombinant trehalose synthase (PmTreS) had a molecular weight of 76 kDa and showed optimal pH and temperature at 9.0 and 40℃, respectively. The enzyme exhibited >90% residual activity under mesophilic condition under a broad pH range of 7-10 for 6 h. Maximum trehalose yield by PmTreS was 68.1% with low yield of glucose (4%) as a byproduct under optimal conditions, equivalent to productivity of 4.5 g/l/h using enzyme loading of 2 mg/g substrate and high concentration maltose solution (100 g/l) in a lab-scale bioreactor. The enzyme represents a potent biocatalyst for energy-saving trehalose production with potential for inhibiting microbial contamination by alkaline condition.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.133-142
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• 2022

The increased production and consumption of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based products over the past several decades has resulted in the discharge of countless tons of PET waste into the marine environment. PET microparticles resulting from the physical erosion of general PET wastes end up in the ocean and pose a threat to the marine biosphere and human health, necessitating the development of new technologies for recycling and upcycling. Notably, enzyme-mediated PET degradation is an appealing option due to its eco-friendly and energy-saving characteristics. PETase, a PET-hydrolyzing enzyme originating from Ideonella sakaiensis, is one of the most thoroughly researched biological catalysts. However, the industrial application of PETase-mediated PET recycling is limited due to the low stability and poor reusability of the enzyme. Here we developed the whole-cell catalyst (WCC) in which functional PETase is attached to the outer membrane of Escherichia coli. Immunoassays are used to identify the surface-expressed PETase, and we demonstrated that the WCC degraded PET microparticles most efficiently at 30℃ and pH 9 without agitation. Furthermore, the WCC increased the PET-degrading activity in a concentration-dependent manner, surpassing the limited activity of soluble PETase above 100 nM. Finally, we demonstrated that the WCC could be recycled up to three times.