Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yudai Higuchi, Naofumi Kamimura, Hiroki Takenami, Yusei Kikuiri, Chieko Yasuta, Kenta Tanatani, Toru Shobuda, Yuichiro Otsuka, Masaya Nakamura, Tomonori Sonoki, Eiji Masai
Summary: The acvABCDEF genes were identified as specifically induced genes during the growth of Sphingobium sp. strain SYK-6 cells with acetovanillone, and these genes were essential for SYK-6 growth on acetovanillone and acetosyringone. The study also demonstrated the potential of using these genes for the production of cis,cis-muconic acid from acetovanillone.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Chenggu Cai, Zhaoxian Xu, Jie Li, Huarong Zhou, Mingjie Jin
Summary: In this study, coculture systems were developed to convert low-molecular-weight lignin fragments into cis, cis-muconate and gallate. The developed coculture systems showed potential in converting lignin-derived dimers to target compounds, which are beneficial for lignin valorization and can provide references for the valorization of other bio-resources.
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stacy N. Uchendu, Angelika Rafalowski, Dylan L. Schick, Erin F. Cohn, Bakar A. Hassan, Erika A. Taylor
Summary: This study identified various compounds in the lignin degradation pathway that can modulate the activity of enzymes through competitive and non-competitive inhibition. Molecular docking revealed a potential allosteric pocket that could be crucial for designing organisms to utilize lignin effectively for biomass conversion.
PROCESS BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eugene Kuatsjah, Anson C. K. Chan, Rui Katahira, Stefan J. Haugen, Gregg T. Beckham, Michael E. P. Murphy, Lindsay D. Eltis
Summary: This study identifies LSD2, LSD3, and LSD4 as enzymes with high specificity in the catabolism of dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (DCA). Among them, LSD4 exhibits tenfold greater specificity towards DCA-S compared to lignostilbene. The X-ray crystal structures of LSD4 provide insights into its catalytic mechanism and substrate specificity, expanding our understanding of LSD function and substrate specificity.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Marco N. Allemann, Gerald N. Presley, James G. Elkins, Joshua K. Michener
Summary: A novel bacterial isolate, B1D3A(T), was obtained from river sediment and demonstrated the ability to utilize lignin-derived carbon sources. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that B1D3A(T) belongs to the genus Sphingobium. The strain showed significant differences compared to other Sphingobium strains and represents a new species, named Sphingobium lignivorans sp. nov.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mason Chin, Sang Mi Suh, Zhen Fang, Eric L. Hegg, Tianning Diao
Summary: Lignin, a complex polymer in biomass, can be depolymerized into phenylpropanoid monomers using reverse biosynthesis, which can be further utilized in the production of fragrances, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Qiongxiang Yan, Hua Huang, Xinshuai Zhang
Summary: This study elucidates the chemical steps of the ergothioneine sulfonate catabolic pathway and demonstrates its full pathway reconstitution. Additionally, it reveals the presence of the ergothioneine sulfonate pathway in various bacterial species.
Article
Ecology
Yang Yu, Peng Wang, Hai-Yan Cao, Zhao-Jie Teng, Yanping Zhu, Min Wang, Andrew McMinn, Yin Chen, Hua Xiang, Yu-Zhong Zhang, Xiu-Lan Chen, Yu-Qiang Zhang
Summary: A novel catabolic pathway for D-Glu was identified in marine bacteria and halophilic archaea, which helps to better understand the catabolism and recycling of D-Glu in these ecosystems. This study reveals the existence of two novel enzymes and a transcriptional regulator that play crucial roles in D-Glu catabolism. The findings highlight the importance of D-Glu as an overlooked pool of organic matter in global oceans.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Leixin Ye, Saisai Wang, Jiao Zheng, Lei Chen, Lan Shen, Ye Kuang, Yuqiong Wang, Yan Peng, Changhua Hu, Linqi Wang, Xiuyun Tian, Guojian Liao
Summary: N-Acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is not only the building block of chitin but also an important signaling molecule in fungi. The catabolic pathway of GlcNAc plays a vital role in fungal biological processes. In this study, a gene cluster essential for GlcNAc utilization in Cryptococcus deneoformans, a basidiomycetous pathogen, was identified and characterized, and a novel GlcNAc kinase was discovered. These findings provide important insights into basidiomycete GlcNAc catabolism.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Libor Vitek
Summary: The liver has evolved defense systems to protect against harmful stimuli, including antioxidant substances and enzymes, anti-inflammatory tools, enzymatic biotransformation systems, and metabolic pathways. Recent research indicates the significant role of the heme catabolic pathway in regulating the pathogenesis of liver and other diseases.
ANTIOXIDANTS & REDOX SIGNALING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zohre Kurt, Yi Qu, Jim C. Spain
Summary: A Rhodococcus sp. strain JS360 capable of biodegrading 4-nitroaniline (4NA) was isolated and its catabolic pathway was established. Enzyme assays and respirometry revealed that 4NA degradation involved monooxygenase-catalyzed reactions followed by ring cleavage. Sequencing and annotation of the genome identified candidate monooxygenases, which were cloned and expressed in E.coli. The heterologously expressed monooxygenases transformed 4NA to 4-aminophenol (4AP) and 4AP to 4-aminoresorcinol (4AR), revealing a novel pathway for nitroanilines and defining two monooxygenase mechanisms involved in the biodegradation of similar compounds.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Anna J. Hooppaw, Jenna C. McGuffey, Gisela Di Venanzio, Juan C. Ortiz-Marquez, Brent S. Weber, Tasia Joy Lightly, Tim van Opijnen, Nichollas E. Scott, Silvia T. Cardona, Mario F. Feldman
Summary: This study describes a mechanism of stress signaling in Acinetobacter baumannii mediated by the metabolite phenylacetic acid (PAA). Disrupting PAA catabolism interfered with A. baumannii's ability to adapt to stress, leading to decreased antibiotic tolerance and hydrogen peroxide resistance. Investigating this stress response could lead to the development of novel therapeutics targeting multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter infections.
Article
Microbiology
Guangli Wang, Xiang Li, Jiaxin Zheng, Xuedong Li, Lingling Bai, Wenlong Yue, Jiang Li
Summary: This study identified the diazinon-degrading bacterium Sphingobium sp. DI-6 and proposed a novel microbial biodegradation pathway for diazinon. The research provides potentially useful information for the bioremediation of diazinon-contaminated environments.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Tao Yao, Kai Feng, Meng Xie, Jaime Barros, Timothy J. Tschaplinski, Gerald A. Tuskan, Wellington Muchero, Jin-Gui Chen
Summary: This review summarizes recent progress in defining the lignin biosynthetic pathway in land plants, including the functions of key structural genes and transcription factors across plant taxa, as well as the evolutionary processes and potential applications of lignin biosynthesis.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Angelika Rafalowski, Bakar A. Hassan, Kate Lou, Minh Chau Nguyen, Erika A. Taylor
Summary: This study investigated the importance of position 103a at the dimer interface of LigAB through experimental and computational simulations. The results revealed a preference for nonpolar/aromatic amino acids at this position to maintain the integrity of the heterodimer. Understanding the dimerization of LigAB provides insights for uncharacterized multimeric proteins and considerations for engineering proteins that can efficiently degrade lignin.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Gyanendra Sharma, Yui Kato, Ayumi Hachisu, Kojiro Ishibashi, Kazuaki Ninomiya, Kenji Takahashi, Eishu Hirata, Kosuke Kuroda
Summary: OE(2)imC(3)C is a unique solvent with distinctive properties and functions, but the expensive and sometimes out-of-production reagent used for synthesis hinders industrialization. This study successfully synthesized OE(2)imC(3)C using general and low-cost reagents while maintaining its properties and functions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Shi Hu, Naofumi Kamimura, Shingo Sakamoto, Soichiro Nagano, Naoki Takata, Sarah Liu, Geert Goeminne, Ruben Vanholme, Mikiko Uesugi, Masanobu Yamamoto, Shojiro Hishiyama, Hoon Kim, Wout Boerjan, John Ralph, Eiji Masai, Nobutaka Mitsuda, Shinya Kajita
Summary: Manipulating cytosolic shikimate recycling can alter the monomeric composition of lignin and enhance enzymatic saccharification in plants.
Article
Polymer Science
Naoki Wada, Tetsuo Fujie, Ren Sasaki, Tokuo Matsushima, Kenji Takahashi
Summary: Cellulose nanofibers are potential reinforcing fibers for environmentally friendly materials, and in this study, a simple method was developed to prepare cellulose acetate composites reinforced by nanofibrillated bacterial cellulose. The key to this method was the use of a water/organic mixed solvent to maintain good dispersion of the bacterial cellulose and dissolution of cellulose acetate, ultimately improving the dispersibility and mechanical strength of the composite film.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Naofumi Kamimura, Shingo Watanabe, Keisuke Sugimoto, Miki Senda, Takuma Araki, Hong Yang Yu, Shojiro Hishiyama, Shinya Kajita, Toshiya Senda, Eiji Masai
Summary: A novel bacterial DBR, named PlDBR, was discovered in this study. It can reduce the C alpha-CS double bond in lignin precursors and has broader substrate specificity than AtDBR. Structural and mutation analyses indicated that Tyr51 and Try252 are critical residues for the catalytic activity of PlDBR, while Tyr81 of AtDBR may cause substrate inhibition. Replacing Tyr81 of AtDBR can significantly enhance CALD-reducing activity.
Article
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Stephanie C. Hernandez, Romain Milotskyi, Shohei Takagi, Elisabeth R. D. Ito, Shiori Suzuki, Naoki Wada, Kenji Takahashi
Summary: Cellulose mixed esters (CMEs) with tunable properties are difficult to produce due to the insolubility of cellulose. A rapid and scalable production method of CMEs was demonstrated using a twin-screw extruder as a flow reactor. By using a co-solvent system and continuous extrusion, cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) was obtained within minutes with high conversion rates.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shiori Suzuki, Kenji Takahashi
Summary: Ionic liquids (ILs) are the only media capable of homogeneous organocatalytic reactions of lignocellulosic biomass. This review summarizes recent achievements in organocatalytic approaches for converting lignocellulose into polymer materials based on our established principles of IL design. The methods involve mild chemical modification of cellulose and lignin, with high conversions, selectivity, and atom economy. Similar reactions and fractionation processes are used for lignocellulose, and a highly productive reaction system is developed using a twin-screw extruder specific to IL media.
Article
Polymer Science
Akina Yoshizawa, Chie Maruyama, Samuel Budi Wardhana Kusuma, Naoki Wada, Kosuke Kuroda, Daisuke Hirose, Kenji Takahashi
Summary: In this study, aryloxy ILs were prepared as non-carboxylate-type and basic ILs to prevent the introduction of an acyl group from the IL onto the hydroxy group of cellulose during esterification. The optimized Emim2OPy IL and mixed solvent system achieved rapid cellulose esterification within 30 minutes with an excellent degree of substitution, without any undesired substituent introduction.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Yuichiro Otsuka, Takuma Araki, Yuzo Suzuki, Masaya Nakamura, Naofumi Kamimura, Eiji Masai
Summary: This study aimed to design a fermentation process for producing 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDC) from vanillic acid, which could be applied to industrial production. Metabolomic analysis revealed that a high primary metabolic activity within cells was required to improve production efficiency. The resulting optimized process yielded the highest reported PDC titer and productivity: 99.9 g/L and 1.69 g/L/h, respectively.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shiori Suzuki, Yosuke Hamano, Naoki Wada, Kenji Takahashi
Summary: Lignocellulosic agricultural waste is converted into valuable thermoplastics using an ionic liquid. The mechanical properties of the resulting plastic are enhanced, making it a sustainable source of biomass-based plastics.
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Romain Milotskyi, Ryo Serizawa, Kaoru Yanagisawa, Gyanendra Sharma, Elisabeth Rada Desideria Ito, Tetsuo Fujie, Naoki Wada, Kenji Takahashi
Summary: In this study, the poor chemical compatibility between cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and bio-based polymeric matrices was improved by cross-linking the residual hydroxyl groups of cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) and the hydroxyl groups on the surface of CNF using a bio-derived polyisocyanurate. When a certain amount of cross-linking agent was added, the resulting composite material exhibited significantly improved tensile and flexural strength compared to neat CAB.
JOURNAL OF COMPOSITES SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Satoshi Katsuhara, Naoki Sunagawa, Kiyohiko Igarashi, Yutaka Takeuchi, Kenji Takahashi, Takuya Yamamoto, Feng Li, Kenji Tajima, Takuya Isono, Toshifumi Satoh
Summary: This study synthesized cellulose acetate-based TPEs with different degrees of substitution (DS) and investigated the impact of DS on their structure and properties. The results showed that decreasing DS led to the formation of a more ordered microphase-separated structure, improved toughness, suppressed stress relaxation, and enhanced biodegradability potential. This work demonstrates the potential of cellulose acetate-based TPEs as next-generation sustainable materials.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Koichi Yoshioka, Hoon Kim, Fachuang Lu, Nette De Ridder, Ruben Vanholme, Shinya Kajita, Wout Boerjan, John Ralph
Summary: A previously overlooked benzofuran moiety was discovered in lignin, revealing its potential mechanistic role in lignification.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Laszlo Szabo, Romain Milotskyi, Gyanendra Sharma, Kenji Takahashi
Summary: The introduction of ionic liquids about 20 years ago revolutionized the shaping of cellulose into functional materials. Compared to existing technologies, ionic liquids provide a more environmentally friendly and adjustable platform for cellulose processing, due to their non-volatile nature and high thermal and chemical stability. Over the past few decades, there have been significant developments in materials based on ionic liquid/cellulose processing systems, with various emerging applications in coatings, filtration membranes, enzyme immobilization, energy storage, etc.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Romain Milotskyi, Gyanendra Sharma, Tetsuo Fujie, Daisuke Hirose, Naoki Wada, Kenji Takahashi
Summary: More energy efficient and greener processes are needed in chemical engineering. Reactive extrusion is a new innovation targeting cleaner and more sustainable processes. This study examined the solubility of microcrystalline cellulose, developed a new method of measuring residence time distribution inside the extruder, performed transesterification of cellulose, and evaluated the effect of cellulose concentration on the properties of cellulose laurate films.
REACTION CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Ye Cheng, Keiichi Kuboyama, Shuichi Akasaka, Takuma Araki, Eiji Masai, Masaya Nakamura, Tsuyoshi Michinobu
Summary: In this study, novel PDC-based polyurethanes were synthesized using transformed bacteria to produce 2-Pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDC) on a large scale. By adopting the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of delta-valerolactone (delta-VL) and the reaction with MDI, biomass-based polyurethanes with tunable thermal stability and crystallization temperatures were successfully obtained. Furthermore, it was found that PDC-based polyurethanes exhibit strong adhesion to certain metals.
