• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.1054-1063
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• 2022

Trehalose is a non-conventional sugar with potent applications in the food, healthcare and biopharma industries. In this study, trehalose was synthesized from maltose using whole-cell Pseudomonas monteilii TBRC 1196 producing trehalose synthase (TreS) as the biocatalyst. The reaction condition was optimized using 1% Triton X-100 permeabilized cells. According to our central composite design (CCD) experiment, the optimal process was achieved at 35℃ and pH 8.0 for 24 h, resulting in the maximum trehalose yield of 51.60 g/g after 12 h using an initial cell loading of 94 g/l. Scale-up production in a lab-scale bioreactor led to the final trehalose concentration of 51.91 g/l with a yield of 51.60 g/g and productivity of 4.37 g/l/h together with 8.24 g/l glucose as a byproduct. A one-pot process integrating trehalose production and byproduct bioremoval showed 53.35% trehalose yield from 107.4 g/l after 15 h by permeabilized P. moteilii cells. The residual maltose and glucose were subsequently removed by Saccharomyces cerevisiae TBRC 12153, resulting in trehalose recovery of 99.23% with 24.85 g/l ethanol obtained as a co-product. The present work provides an integrated alternative process for trehalose production from maltose syrup in bio-industry.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.1278-1284
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• 2016

Rhizopus chinensis cells immobilized on loofah (Luffa cylindrica) sponges were used to produce biodiesel via the transesterification of soybean oil. In whole-cell immobilization, loofah sponge is considered to be a superior alternative to conventional biomass carriers because of its biodegradable and renewable properties. During cell cultivation, Rhizopus chinensis mycelia can spontaneously and firmly adhere to the surface of loofah sponge particles. The optimal conditions for processing 9.65 g soybean oil at 40℃ and 180 rpm using a 3:1 methanol-to-oil molar ratio were found to be 8% cell addition and 3-10% water content (depending on the oil's weight). Under optimal conditions, an over 90% methyl ester yield was achieved after the first reaction batch. The operational stability of immobilized Rhizopus chinensis cells was assayed utilizing a 1:1 methanol-to-oil molar ratio, thus resulting in a 16.5-fold increase in half-life when compared with immobilized cells of the widely studied Rhizopus oryzae. These results suggest that transesterification of vegetable oil using Rhizopus chinensis whole cells immobilized onto loofah sponge is an effective approach for biodiesel production.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.946-951
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• 2008

The opd gene, encoding organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) from Flavobacterium sp. capable of degrading a wide range of organophosphate pesticides, was surface- and intracellular-expressed in Synechococcus PCC7942, a prime example of photoautotrophic cyanobacteria. OPH was displayed on the cyanobacterial cell surface using the truncated ice nucleation protein as an anchoring motif. A minor fraction of OPH was displayed onto the outermost surface of cyanobacterial cells, as verified by immunostaining visualized under confocal laser scanning microscopy and OPH activity analysis; however, a substantial fraction of OPH was buried in the cell wall, as demonstrated by proteinase K and lysozyme treatments. The cyanobacterial outer membrane acts as a substrate (paraoxon) diffusion barrier affecting whole-cell biodegradation efficiency. After freeze-thaw treatment, permeabilized whole cells with intracellular-expressed OPH exhibited 14-fold higher bioconversion efficiency ($V_{max}/K_m$) than that of cells with surface-expressed OPH. As cyanobacteria have simple growth requirements and are inexpensive to maintain, expression of OPH in cyanobacteria may lead to the development of a low-cost and low-maintenance biocatalyst that is useful for detoxification of organophosphate pesticides.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.569-571
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• 2011

Reduction of 3-chloro-4-fluoropropiophenone by Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a whole cell biocatalyst was optimized. Effects of glucose, S. cerevisiae and 3-chloro-4-fluoropropiophenone concentrations on conversion of reduction reaction was investigated. Optimum concentrations of glucose, S. cerevisiae and 3-chloro-4-fluoropropiophenone were 100, 40 and 20 g/L, respectively. At optimum condition, 100% of conversion was achieved in 12 hours of reaction.

• 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.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.530-537
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• 2006

Recently isolated, Pseudomonas putida SN1 grows on styrene as its sole carbon and energy source through successive oxidation of styrene by styrene monooxygenase (SMO), styrene oxide isomerase (SOI), and phenylacetaldehyde dehydrogenase. For the production of (S)-styrene oxide, two knockout mutants of SN1 were constructed, one lacking SOI and another lacking both SMO and SOI. These mutants were developed into whole-cell biocatalysts by transformation with a multicopy plasmid vector containing SMO genes (styAB) of the SN1. Neither of these self-cloned recombinants could grow on styrene, but both converted styrene into an enantiopure (S)-styrene oxide (e.e. > 99%). Whole-cell SMO activity was higher in the recombinant constructed from the SOI-deleted mutant (130 U/g cdw) than in the other one (35 U/g cdw). However, the SMO activity of the former was about the same as that of the SOI-deleted SN1 possessing a single copy of the styAB gene that was used as host. This indicates that the copy number of styAB genes is not rate-limiting on SMO catalysis by whole-cell SN1.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.451-455
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• 2005

In this study, whole cells and a crude enzyme of Candida peltata were applied to an electrochemical bioreactor, in order to induce an increment of the reduction of xylose to xylitol. Neutral red was utilized as an electron mediator in the whole cell reactor, and a graphite-Mn(IV) electrode was used as a catalyst in the enzyme reactor in order to induce the electrochemical reduction of $NAD^+$ to NADH. The efficiency with which xylose was converted to xylitol in the electrochemical bioreactor was five times higher than that in the conventional bioreactor, when whole cells were employed as a biocatalyst. Meanwhile, the xylose to xylitol reduction efficiency in the enzyme reactor using the graphite-Mn (IV) electrode and $NAD^+$ was twice as high as that observed in the conventional bioreactor which utilized NADH as a reducing power. In order to use the graphite-Mn(IV) electrode as a catalyst for the reduction of $NAD^+$ to NADH, a bioelectrocatalyst was engineered, namely, oxidoreductase (e.g. xylose reductase). $NAD^+$ can function in this biotransformation procedure without any electron mediator or a second oxidoreductase for $NAD^+/NADH$ recycling

• 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.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.507-513
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• 2017

Bacillus subtilis spores can be used for protein display to engineer protein properties. This method overcomes viability and protein-folding concerns associated with traditional protein display methods. Spores remain viable under extreme conditions and the genotype/phenotype connection remains intact. In addition, the natural sporulation process eliminates protein-folding concerns that are coupled to the target protein traveling through cell membranes. Furthermore, ATP-dependent chaperones are present to assist in protein folding. CotA was optimized as a whole-cell biocatalyst immobilized in an inert matrix of the spore. In general, proteins that are immobilized have advantages in biocatalysis. For example, the protein can be easily removed from the reaction and it is more stable. The aim is to improve the pH stability using spore display. The maximum activity of CotA is between pH 4 and 5 for the substrate ABTS (ABTS = diammonium 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate). However, the activity dramatically decreases at pH 4. The activity is not significantly altered at pH 5. A library of approximately 3,000 clones was screened. A E498G variant was identified to have a half-life of inactivation ($t_{1/2}$) at pH 4 that was 24.8 times greater compared with wt-CotA. In a previous investigation, a CotA library was screened for organic solvent resistance and a T480A mutant was found. Consequently, T480A/E498G-CotA was constructed and the $t_{1/2}$ was 62.1 times greater than wt-CotA. Finally, E498G-CotA and T480A/E498G-CotA yielded 3.7- and 5.3-fold more product than did wt-CotA after recycling the biocatalyst seven times over 42 h.

• 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.