Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Wenzhu Guo, Jianhua Yang, Tianchen Huang, Dandan Liu, Qian Liu, Jingen Li, Wenliang Sun, Xingji Wang, Leilei Zhu, Chaoguang Tian
Summary: This study identified key enzymes involved in the starch saccharification process, including glucoamylase, alpha-amylase, and acid alpha-amylase, out of 29 glycoside hydrolases from the 6-day fermentation products of A. niger O1. Synergistic effects were observed among the components of glucoamylases cocktail, with an increase in alpha-amylase leading to improved efficiency of starch saccharification. Overexpression of acid alpha-amylase in strain O1 resulted in an increase in total glucoamylase activity.
BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Si Qin, Minqi Zhou, Zifeng Wang, Pengfei Li, Shihai Huang, Jianzong Meng
Summary: This study investigated the effects of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on Aspergillus niger, a source of enzymes, on spore germination and the production of lipase and glucoamylase. The results showed that specific PEF parameters could promote spore germination rate and enzyme activities. Input energy density had a gradual impact on spore germination and enzyme activities, but electric field strength was more decisive.
INNOVATIVE FOOD SCIENCE & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mark Arentshorst, Prajeesh Kooloth Valappil, Laszlo Mozsik, Tonny J. G. Regensburg-Tuink, Sjoerd J. Seekles, Gwen Tjallinks, Marco W. Fraaije, Jaap Visser, Arthur F. J. Ram
Summary: To improve protein production in Aspergillus niger, researchers used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing to construct strains with up to 10 glucoamylase landing sites (GLSs) in predetermined locations. Each GLS contains the promoter and terminator region of the highly expressed glucoamylase gene (glaA). By introducing unique DNA sequences and designing Cas9-compatible single guide RNAs, targeted integration of a gene of interest can be achieved at specific GLSs.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tan Phat Chau, Laura Bulgariu, Mythili Saravanan, R. Rajkumar, Arunachalam Chinnathambi, Saleh H. Salmen, G. K. Jhanani
Summary: This research investigates the potential of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus tubigenesis in bioremediation of tannery effluent. The fungal biomass immobilized on corncob and coir material demonstrated significant multi-pollutant adsorption potential. The study also showed reduced toxicity and improved seed germination of Oriza sativa seeds. Further field investigation is needed to assess the feasibility of this strategy.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Wenzhu Guo, Dandan Liu, Jingen Li, Wenliang Sun, Tao Sun, Xingji Wang, Kefen Wang, Qian Liu, Chaoguang Tian
Summary: The transglycosylation activity of enzymes during starch hydrolysis is a key concern in the starch-hydrolysis industry. In this study, two key alpha-glucosidases responsible for producing non-fermentable sugars were identified, and overexpression of a specific domain significantly increased glucoamylase activity while reducing transglycosylation activity and product formation. These findings have important implications for reducing costs and adding value to starch biorefinery products.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jie Qi, Xianzun Xiao, Liming Ouyang, Chenghan Yang, Yingping Zhuang, Lixin Zhang
Summary: This study suggests that glucoamylase production in A. niger can be significantly enhanced by overexpressing genes fadE and fadA involved in the fatty acid degradation pathway. Harnessing intracellular fatty acids may be a strategy to improve enzyme production in the cell factory of Aspergillus niger.
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Dandan Liu, Qian Liu, Wenzhu Guo, Yin Liu, Min Wu, Yongli Zhang, Jingen Li, Wenliang Sun, Xingji Wang, Qun He, Chaoguang Tian
Summary: In this study, efficient transformation tools were developed for A. niger N1 and O1, and a marker-free CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system was successfully constructed. Nine mutants were generated using these tools. These genetic tools provide an important reference for manipulating tough working industrial fungi.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Yucong Zou, Xiaofeng Li, Xuan Xin, Haixia Xu, Lan Mo, Yigang Yu, Guanglei Zhao
Summary: A new Aspergillus niger whole-cell catalyst was cultured for the hydrolysis of hesperidin to produce hesperetin-7-O-glucoside and hesperetin. The choice of inducers affected the catalytic activity and product composition of the cells. Transcriptome analysis revealed different gene expressions in response to different inducers. Several genes related to enzyme activities were identified. qRT-PCR analysis confirmed the reliability of the transcriptome sequencing results.
FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuma Sato, Takahide Shimada, Shigeki Mori, Yuhsuke Yasutake, Susumu Fukatsu, Hiroyuki Furuta, Masatoshi Ishida
Summary: Researchers have synthesized a previously unknown butadiyne-linked BODIPY dimer, using the ethynyl-substituted pyrrolyl-BODIPY precursor prepared by gold-catalyzed C-H alkynylation. The dimer showed a characteristic broad absorption band in the near-infrared (NIR) region due to the pi-extended structure of the BODIPY chromophore. Upon photoexcitation, varied fluorescent responses were observed, which originated from the conformational changes in the rigid dimer. Therefore, the BODIPY dimer could be a potential NIR fluorescence material for probing distinct viscous environments in biological tissues.
JOURNAL OF PORPHYRINS AND PHTHALOCYANINES
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Claude Lambre, Jose Manuel Barat Baviera, Claudia Bolognesi, Pier Sandro Cocconcelli, Riccardo Crebelli, David Michael Gott, Konrad Grob, Evgenia Lampi, Marcel Mengelers, Alicja Mortensen, Gilles Riviere, Inger-Lise Steffensen, Christina Tlustos, Henk Van Loveren, Laurence Vernis, Holger Zorn, Lieve Herman, Yrjo Roos, Jaime Aguilera, Magdalena Andryszkiewicz, Daniele Cavanna, Ana Criado, Elsa Nielsen, Karin Norby, Giulio di Piazza, Silvia Peluso, Yi Liu, Andrew Chesson
Summary: This article describes a food enzyme produced by Aspergillus niger strain NZYM-BO and its use in various food manufacturing processes. The enzyme was found to be safe under the intended conditions of use, but there is a potential similarity to a respiratory allergen.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Iain M. Hay, Maria Shamin, Eve R. Caroe, Ahmed S. A. Mohanned, Dmitri I. Svergun, Cy M. Jeffries, Stephen C. Graham, Hayley J. Sharpe, Janet E. Deane
Summary: Type IIB receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases mediate cell adhesion and signaling through their extracellular and cytoplasmic domains, respectively. The crystal structure of PTPRK has revealed an intermembrane adhesion mode consistent with other family members. Comparison with PTPRM structure suggests that conformational differences between the domains may contribute to homophilic specificity. Analysis of the full-length PTPRM and PTPRK proteins using small-angle X-ray scattering reveals rigid extended conformations and one residue difference at the interaction interface that affects dimer formation.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Goksin Liu, Erhan Ekmen, Farzaneh Jalalypour, Haydyn D. T. Mertens, Cy M. Jeffries, Dmitri Svergun, Ali Rana Atilgan, Canan Atilgan, Zehra Sayers
Summary: This study combines molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements to investigate the range of conformations and populations of a pH/ionic strength (IS) sensitive protein. The protein studied is the periplasmic ferric binding protein A (FbpA) involved in iron capture from higher organisms by bacteria. The study reveals the detectable changes in conformational distribution of FbpA under different conditions, but detection of conformational changes due to point mutation D52A and changes in ionic strength has been challenging.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yu Wang, Yazhen Wu, Stefan Jarl Christensen, Stefan Janecek, Yuxiang Bai, Marie Sofie Moller, Birte Svensson
Summary: In this study, a thermophilic 4-alpha-glucanotransferase was engineered by fusing starch binding domains (SBDs) to enhance its affinity for starch, leading to increased activity and stability.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mette E. Ronne, Mikkel Madsen, Tobias Tandrup, Casper Wilkens, Birte Svensson
Summary: Alginates, consumed by humans, are polysaccharides found in abundance in the marine environment. Recent research has provided insights at the molecular level into the degradation and metabolism of alginates by human gut microbiota. Some studies have characterized the enzymes involved in alginate degradation, while others have investigated the beneficial impact of alginates on gut microbiota in animal models. Alginates are depolymerized by alginate lyases, which are encoded by genes organized in polysaccharide utilization loci.
ESSAYS IN BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gabriela Guedez, Gabriele Loers, Cy M. Jeffries, Sandra Kozak, Rob Meijers, Dmitri I. Svergun, Melitta Schachner, Christian Loew
Summary: The cell adhesion molecule L1 plays crucial roles in neural development, regeneration, synaptic plasticity, and tumor cell migration. L1 is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily and consists of Ig-like domains and fibronectin type III homologous repeats. The second Ig-like domain is involved in cell binding, and the fibronectin type III homologous repeats contribute to signal transduction.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Ruifen Li, Morten Frendo Ebbesen, Zachary J. Glover, Tanja Christine Jaeger, Tijs A. M. Rovers, Birte Svensson, Jonathan R. Brewer, Adam Cohen Simonsen, Richard Ipsen, Anni Bygvra Hougaard
Summary: Super-resolution microscopy combined with quantitative image analysis and rheology was used to study acidified milk gels with different types of whey protein ingredients. The study showed that nano-particulated whey protein and whey protein concentrate were able to self-aggregate and attach to casein assemblies by inter-chain crosslinking. Micro-particulated whey protein did not interact with other proteins and scattered particles were visible in the mixed gels. The system containing only endogenous proteins showed the highest spatial colocalization of casein and whey protein fluorescence emission.
FOOD HYDROCOLLOIDS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Yu Wang, Yu Tian, Yuyue Zhong, Mohammad Amer Suleiman, Georges Feller, Peter Westh, Andreas Blennow, Marie Sofie Moller, Birte Svensson
Summary: The degradation of starch granules by the psychrophilic a-amylase AHA from Antarctic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAB23 was enhanced by fusion with a starch-binding domain (SBD) from either Aspergillus niger glucoamylase (SBDGA) or Arabidopsis thaliana glucan, water dikinase 3 (SBDGWD3) through a decapeptide linker. The AHA-SBD fusion enzymes exhibited up to 3 times higher activity than AHA wild-type depending on the type of starch and its botanical source. The density of enzyme attack-sites and binding-sites on the starch granules was increased up to 5- and 7-fold, respectively, by the SBD-fusion.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Signe Schram Zinck, Stefan Jarl Christensen, Ole Bandsholm Sorensen, Birte Svensson, Anne S. Meyer
Summary: In this study, the efficiency of commonly used inactivation methods, such as multistep washing and pH adjustment, in inactivating a-amylases in the presence of raw potato starch were evaluated. An effective approach using sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) for irreversible a-amylase inactivation was demonstrated. Treatment at extreme pH followed by a neutral pH resulted in significant starch hydrolysis, and inactivation by multistep washing followed by gelatinization gave significant starch degradation compared to samples inactivated with NaOCl before the wash.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yu Tian, Yu Wang, Yuyue Zhong, Marie Sofie Moller, Peter Westh, Birte Svensson, Andreas Blennow
Summary: Enzymatic hydrolysis of starch granules is fundamental for understanding starch degradation in plant cells, utilizing starch as an energy resource in foods, and developing efficient saccharification processes. However, the kinetics of hydrolysis for solid substrates like starch granules are slower and more complex. The multifaceted nature of the substrate surface and its changing properties during hydrolysis pose challenges for analysis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Malene Bech Vester-Christensen, Jesper Holck, Martin Rejzek, Lea Perrin, Morten Tovborg, Birte Svensson, Robert A. Field, Marie Sofie Moller
Summary: A study found that the enzyme HvLD from barley showed a preference for pNP maltoside as both acceptor and donor, and exhibited excellent activity when pullulan or its fragment was used as the donor. In addition, HvLD could use a-maltosyl fluoride as a donor and maltose as the best acceptor. The findings provide insights for the production of glycoconjugate compounds with novel glycosylation patterns using natural donors.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jinxing Zhai, Xiaoxiao Li, Birte Svensson, Zhengyu Jin, Yuxiang Bai
Summary: In this study, rice flour (RF) with higher protein content was prepared using a granular starch hydrolyzing enzyme (GSHE). The hydrolytic mechanism of RF and rice starch (RS) was established through characterization of particle size, morphology, crystallinity, and molecular structures. Processability of RF was evaluated through thermal, pasting, and rheological properties. The GSHE treatment resulted in sequential hydrolysis of crystalline and amorphous areas on the starch granule surface, leading to changes in amylose content and protein content in RF. However, the processability of RF was properly maintained.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Masakazu Fukuda, Melissa A. Graewert, Cy M. Jeffries, Dmitri I. Svergun, Tadao Yamazaki, Akiko Koga, Yuji Yamanaka
Summary: This study investigates the acidic variants of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) using a refolding approach. The results showed that these acidic variants are conformational variants with minor and localized conformational changes.
ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Jie Zang, Felix Peters, Yves Cambet, Eugenia Cifuentes-Pagano, Munira Mohamed Shishay Hissabu, Christopher M. Dustin, Lars Henrik Svensson, Martin Mariboe Olesen, Mathias Feldt Lomholt Poulsen, Stig Jacobsen, Pernille Sonderby Tuelung, Dilip Narayanan, Annette Eva Langkilde, Michael Gajhede, Patrick J. Pagano, Vincent Jaquet, Frederik Vilhardt, Anders Bach
Summary: In this study, we optimized and explored bivalent small-molecule drugs targeting the NOX2 subunit p47phox and identified compounds with high binding affinities and cellular activities, demonstrating the potential of p47phox as an effective small-molecule target. This has important implications for the research and development of therapeutic drugs for related diseases.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stefano Da Vela, Giovanni Saudino, Francesca Lucarelli, Lucia Banci, Dmitri I. Svergun, Simone Ciofi-Baffoni
Summary: In humans, the biosynthesis and trafficking of mitochondrial [4Fe-4S]2+ clusters is a highly coordinated process that requires a complex protein machinery. Two [2Fe-2S]2+ clusters are converted into a [4Fe-4S]2+ cluster on an ISCA1-ISCA2 complex. NFU1 is the accessory protein that first receives the [4Fe-4S]2+ cluster from the ISCA1-ISCA2 complex.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Yu Wang, Yu Tian, Yuyue Zhong, Mohammad Amer Suleiman, Georges Feller, Peter Westh, Andreas Blennow, Marie Sofie Moller, Birte Svensson
Summary: Degradation of starch granules can be increased by fusing the psychrophilic a-amylase AHA from Antarctic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAB23 with starch-binding domains (SBD) from either Aspergillus niger glucoamylase (SBDGA) or Arabidopsis thaliana glucan, water dikinase 3 (SBDGWD3). The fusion enzymes showed higher activity than the wild-type AHA, depending on the starch type and source. The increased density of enzyme attack-sites and binding-sites on the starch granules was measured using an interfacial catalysis approach.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)