Synthesis of b(1 ? 3) and b(1 ? 6) galactooligosaccharides from lactose and whey using a recombinant b-galactosidase from Pantoea anthophila

BACKGROUND: Milk whey, a byproduct of the dairy industry has a negative environmental impact, can be used as a raw material for added-value compounds such as galactooligosaccharides (GOS) synthesis by bgalactosidases. RESULTS: B-gal42 from Pantoea anthophila strain isolated from tejuino belonging to the glycosyl hydrolase family GH42, was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and used for GOS synthesis from lactose or milk whey. Crude cell-free enzyme extracts exhibited high stability; they were employed for GOS synthesis reactions. In reactions with 400 g/L lactose, the maximum GOS yield was 40% (w/w) measured by HPAEC-PAD, corresponding to 86% of conversion. This enzyme had a strong predilection to form GOS with b(1 ? 6) and b (1 ? 3) galactosyl linkages. Comparing GOS synthesis between milk whey and pure lactose, both of them at 300 g/L, these two substrates gave rise to a yield of 38% (60% of lactose conversion) with the same product profile determined by HPAEC-PAD. CONCLUSIONS: B-gal42 can be used on whey (a cheap lactose source) to produce added value products such as galactooligosaccharides.

Modeling of lactose enzymatic hydrolysis using Monte Carlo method

Background: Mathematical modeling is useful in the analysis, prediction, and optimization of an enzymatic process. Unlike the conventional modeling methods, Monte Carlo method has special advantages in providing representations of the molecule's spatial distribution. However, thus far, Monte Carlo modeling of enzymatic system is namely based on unimolecular basis, not suitable for practical applications. In this research, Monte Carlo modeling is performed for enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose for the purpose of real-time applications. Results: The enzyme hydrolysis of lactose, which is conformed to Michaelis­Menten kinetics, is modeled using the Monte Carlo modeling method, and the simulation results prove that the model predicts the reaction kinetics very well. Conclusions: Monte Carlo modeling method can be used to model enzymatic reactions in a simple way for real-time applications.

Biochemical characterization of three Aspergillus niger ß-galactosidases

Background: ß-Galactosidases catalyze both hydrolytic and transgalactosylation reactions and therefore have many applications in food, medical, and biotechnological fields. Aspergillus niger has been a main source of ß-galactosidase, but the properties of this enzyme are incompletely studied. Results: Three new ß-galactosidases belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 35 from A. niger F0215 were cloned, expressed, and biochemically characterized. In addition to the known activity of LacA encoded by lacA, three putative ß-galactosidases, designated as LacB, LacC, and LacE encoded by the genes lacB, lacC, and lacE, respectively, were successfully cloned, sequenced, and expressed and secreted by Pichia pastoris. These three proteins and LacA have N-terminal signal sequences and are therefore predicted to be extracellular enzymes. They have the typical structure of fungal ß-galactosidases with defined hydrolytic and transgalactosylation activities on lactose. However, their activity properties differed. In particular, LacB and lacE displayed maximum hydrolytic activity at pH 4­5 and 50°C, while LacC exhibited maximum activity at pH 3.5 and 60°C. All ß-galactosidases performed transgalactosylation activity optimally in an acidic environment. Conclusions: Three new ß-galactosidases belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 35 from A. niger F0215 were cloned and biochemically characterized. In addition to the known LacA, A. niger has at least three ß-galactosidase family members with remarkably different biochemical properties.

Conserved genes and pathways in primary human fibroblast strains undergoing replicative and radiation induced senescence

BACKGROUND: Cellular senescence is induced either internally, for example by replication exhaustion and cell division, or externally, for example by irradiation. In both cases, cellular damages accumulate which, if not successfully repaired, can result in senescence induction. Recently, we determined the transcriptional changes combined with the transition into replicative senescence in primary human fibroblast strains. Here, by γ-irradiation we induced premature cellular senescence in the fibroblast cell strains (HFF and MRC-5) and determined the corresponding transcriptional changes by high-throughput RNA sequencing. RESULTS: Comparing the transcriptomes, we found a high degree of similarity in differential gene expression in replicative as well as in irradiation induced senescence for both cell strains suggesting, in each cell strain, a common cellular response to error accumulation. On the functional pathway level, "Cell cycle" was the only pathway commonly down-regulated in replicative and irradiation-induced senescence in both fibroblast strains, confirming the tight link between DNA repair and cell cycle regulation. However, "DNA repair" and "replication" pathways were down-regulated more strongly in fibroblasts undergoing replicative exhaustion. We also retrieved genes and pathways in each of the cell strains specific for irradiation induced senescence. CONCLUSION: We found the pathways associated with "DNA repair" and "replication" less stringently regulated in irradiation induced compared to replicative senescence. The strong regulation of these pathways in replicative senescence highlights the importance of replication errors for its induction.

Effect of ATP and 2-oxoglutarate on the in vitro interaction between the NifA GAF domain and the GlnB protein of Azospirillum brasilense

Azospirillum brasilense is a diazotroph that associates with important agricultural crops and thus has potential to be a nitrogen biofertilizer. The A. brasilense transcription regulator NifA, which seems to be constitutively expressed, activates the transcription of nitrogen fixation genes. It has been suggested that the nitrogen status-signaling protein GlnB regulates NifA activity by direct interaction with the NifA N-terminal GAF domain, preventing the inhibitory effect of this domain under conditions of nitrogen fixation. In the present study, we show that an N-terminal truncated form of NifA no longer required GlnB for activity and lost regulation by ammonium. On the other hand, in trans co-expression of the N-terminal GAF domain inhibited the N-truncated protein in response to fixed nitrogen levels. We also used pull-down assays to show in vitro interaction between the purified N-terminal GAF domain of NifA and the GlnB protein. The results showed that A. brasilense GlnB interacts directly with the NifA N-terminal domain and this interaction is dependent on the presence of ATP and 2-oxoglutarate.

Gamma-tocotrienol modulation of senescence-associated gene expression prevents cellular aging in human diploid fibroblasts

OBJECTIVE: Human diploid fibroblasts undergo a limited number of cellular divisions in culture and progressively reach a state of irreversible growth arrest, a process termed cellular aging. The beneficial effects of vitamin E in aging have been established, but studies to determine the mechanisms of these effects are ongoing. This study determined the molecular mechanism of γ-tocotrienol, a vitamin E homolog, in the prevention of cellular aging in human diploid fibroblasts using the expression of senescence-associated genes. METHODS: Primary cultures of young, pre-senescent, and senescent fibroblast cells were incubated with γ-tocotrienol for 24 h. The expression levels of ELN, COL1A1, MMP1, CCND1, RB1, and IL6 genes were determined using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cell cycle profiles were determined using a FACSCalibur Flow Cytometer. RESULTS: The cell cycle was arrested in the G0/G1 phase, and the percentage of cells in S phase decreased with senescence. CCND1, RB1, MMP1, and IL6 were upregulated in senescent fibroblasts. A similar upregulation was not observed in young cells. Incubation with γ-tocotrienol decreased CCND1 and RB1 expression in senescent fibroblasts, decreased cell populations in the G0/G1 phase and increased cell populations in the G2/M phase. γ-Tocotrienol treatment also upregulated ELN and COL1A1 and downregulated MMP1 and IL6 expression in young and senescent fibroblasts. CONCLUSION: γ-Tocotrienol prevented cellular aging in human diploid fibroblasts, which was indicated by the modulation of the cell cycle profile and senescence-associated gene expression.

Whey upgrading by enzyme biocatalysis

Whey is a co-product of processes for the production of cheese and casein that retains most of the lactose content in milk. World production of whey is estimated around 200 million tons per year with an increase rate of about 2 percent/per year. Milk production is seasonal, so surplus whey is unavoidable. Traditionally, whey producers have considered it as a nuisance and strategies of whey handling have been mostly oriented to their more convenient disposal. This vision has been steadily evolving because of the upgrading potential of whey major components (lactose and whey proteins), but also because of more stringent regulations of waste disposal. Only the big cheese manufacturing companies are in the position of implementing technologies for their recovery and upgrading, so there is a major challenge in incorporating medium and small size producers to a platform of whey utilization, conciliating industrial interest with environmental protection within the framework of sustainable development. Within this context, among the many technological options for whey upgrading, transformation of whey components by enzyme biocatalysis appears as prominent. In fact, enzymes are green catalysts that can perform a myriad of transformation reactions under mild conditions and with strict specificity, so reducing production costs and environmental burden. This review pretends to highlight the impact of biocatalysis within a platform of whey upgrading. Technological options are shortly reviewed and then an in-depth and critical appraisal of enzyme technologies for whey upgrading is presented, with a special focus on newly developed enzymatic processes of organic synthesis, where the added value is high, being then a powerful driving force for industrial implementation.

Transient high-level expression of ß-galactosidase after transfection of fibroblasts from GM1 gangliosidosis patients with plasmid DNA

GM1 gangliosidosis is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by the deficiency of lysosomal acid hydrolase ß-galactosidase (ß-Gal). It is one of the most frequent lysosomal storage disorders in Brazil, with an estimated frequency of 1:17,000. The enzyme is secreted and can be captured by deficient cells and targeted to the lysosomes. There is no effective treatment for GM1 gangliosidosis. To determine the efficiency of an expression vector for correcting the genetic defect of GM1 gangliosidosis, we tested transfer of the ß-Gal gene (Glb1) to fibroblasts in culture using liposomes. ß-Gal cDNA was cloned into the expression vectors pSCTOP and pREP9. Transfection was performed using 4 µL lipofectamine 2000 and 1.5-2.0 µg DNA. Cells (2 x 10(5)/well) were harvested 24 h, 48 h, and 7 days after transfection. Enzyme specific activity was measured in cell lysate and supernatant by fluorometric assay. Twenty-four hours after transfection, treated cells showed a higher enzyme specific activity (pREP9-ß-Gal: 621.5 ± 323.0, pSCTOP-ß-Gal: 714.5 ± 349.5, pREP9-ß-Gal + pSCTOP-ß-Gal: 1859.0 ± 182.4, and pREP9-ß-Gal + pTRACER: 979.5 ± 254.9 nmol·h-1·mg-1 protein) compared to untreated cells (18.0 ± 3.1 for cell and 32.2 ± 22.2 nmol·h-1·mg-1 protein for supernatant). However, cells maintained in culture for 7 days showed values similar to those of untreated patients. In the present study, we were able to transfect primary patients' skin fibroblasts in culture using a non-viral vector which overexpresses the ß-Gal gene for 24 h. This is the first attempt to correct fibroblasts from patients with GM1 gangliosidosis by gene therapy using a non-viral vector.

Optimal salt concentration of vehicle for plasmid DNA enhances gene transfer mediated by electroporation

In vivo electroporation has emerged as a leading technology for developing nonviral gene therapies, and the various technical parameters governing electroporation efficiency have been optimized by both theoretical and experimental analysis. However, most electroporation parameters focused on the electric conditions and the preferred vehicle for plasmid DNA injections has been normal saline. We hypothesized that salts in vehicle for plasmid DNA must affect the efficiency of DNA transfer because cations would alter ionic atmosphere, ionic strength, and conductivity of their medium. Here, we show that half saline (71 mM) is an optimal vehicle for in vivo electroporation of naked DNA in skeletal muscle. With various salt concentrations, two reporter genes, luciferase and beta-galactosidase were injected intramuscularly under our optimal electric condition (125 V/cm, 4 pulses x 2 times, 50 ms, 1 Hz). Exact salt concentrations of DNA vehicle were measured by the inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) and the conductivity change in the tissue induced by the salt in the medium was measured by Low-Frequency (LF) Impedance Analyzer. Luciferase expression in-creased as cation concentration of vehicle dec-reased and this result can be visualized by X-Gal staining. However, at lower salt concentration, transfection efficiency was diminished because the hypoosmotic stress and electrical injury by low conductivity induced myofiber damage. At optimal salt concentration (71 mM), we observed a 3-fold average increase in luciferase expression in comparison with the normal saline condition (p < 0.01). These results provide a valuable experimental parameter for in vivo gene therapy mediated by electroporation.

Optimal salt concentration of vehicle for plasmid DNA enhances gene transfer mediated by electroporation

In vivo electroporation has emerged as a leading technology for developing nonviral gene therapies, and the various technical parameters governing electroporation efficiency have been optimized by both theoretical and experimental analysis. However, most electroporation parameters focused on the electric conditions and the preferred vehicle for plasmid DNA injections has been normal saline. We hypothesized that salts in vehicle for plasmid DNA must affect the efficiency of DNA transfer because cations would alter ionic atmosphere, ionic strength, and conductivity of their medium. Here, we show that half saline (71 mM) is an optimal vehicle for in vivo electroporation of naked DNA in skeletal muscle. With various salt concentrations, two reporter genes, luciferase and beta-galactosidase were injected intramuscularly under our optimal electric condition (125 V/cm, 4 pulses x 2 times, 50 ms, 1 Hz). Exact salt concentrations of DNA vehicle were measured by the inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) and the conductivity change in the tissue induced by the salt in the medium was measured by Low-Frequency (LF) Impedance Analyzer. Luciferase expression in-creased as cation concentration of vehicle dec-reased and this result can be visualized by X-Gal staining. However, at lower salt concentration, transfection efficiency was diminished because the hypoosmotic stress and electrical injury by low conductivity induced myofiber damage. At optimal salt concentration (71 mM), we observed a 3-fold average increase in luciferase expression in comparison with the normal saline condition (p < 0.01). These results provide a valuable experimental parameter for in vivo gene therapy mediated by electroporation.

A biolistic process for in vitro gene transfer into chicken embryos

Chicken embryos kept in culture medium were bombarded using a high helium gas pressure biolistic device. To optimize the factors that affect transformation efficiency, the lacZ gene under control of the human cytomegalovirus immediate early enhancer/promoter was used as a reporter gene. There was an inverse relationship between survival rate and transformation efficiency. The best conditions obtained for high embryo survival and high transformation efficiency were achieved with 800 psi helium gas pressure, 500 mmHg vacuum, gold particles, an 8 cm DNA-coated microparticle flying distance to the embryo and embryo placement 0.5 cm from the center of the particle dispersion cone. Under these conditions, transformation efficiency was 100 percent, survival rate 25 percent and the number of expression units in the embryo body cells ranged from 100 to 1,000. Expression of green fluorescent protein was also detected in embryos bombarded under optimal conditions. Based on the results obtained, the biolistic process can be considered an efficient method for the transformation of chicken embryos and therefore can be used as a model system to study transient gene expression and tissue-specific promoters

Age related effects of organochlorine insecticide lindane on intestinal brush border membrane in rats.

The effect of oral administration of lindane (gamma-HCH) has been studied on the intestine in 10-day, 20-day and 100-day old rats. In 10 day-old suckling pups exposed to lindane, there was a significant decrease in the activities of sucrase (29%), lactase (20%) and that of alkaline phosphatase (24%) compared to control. Sialic acid content of the brush borders was significantly decreased (29%) in 10-day old as well as in 20- and 100-day old rats (20 and 25% respectively), while fucose content of the membranes was significantly enhanced in all the age groups upon pesticide treatment. Among the brush border lipids, cholesterol content was significantly increased in all the age groups studied, the maximum increase of 35% being observed in 10-day-old rats. Membrane phospholipids were also increased in 20- and 100-day old animals (22% each) on lindane exposure. The present studies indicated that brush border membranes of suckling rat intestine were more susceptible to pesticide induced changes compared to older animals.

The Agamma-195 (C->G) mutation in hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin is not associated with activation of a reporter gene in vitro

Hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin is an uncommon, benign disorder in which the expression of gamma-globin genes persists into adult life. Several point mutations have been associated with the increased gamma-globin gene promoter activity. We evaluated the -195 (C->G) mutation by a functional in vitro assay based on the luciferase reporter gene system. The results indicated that the increased promoter activity observed in vivo could not be reproduced in vitro under the conditions employed, suggesting that other factors may be involved in the overexpression of the gamma-globin gene containing the -195 (C->G) mutation. Furthermore, this is the first time that the -195 (C->G) mutation of the Agamma-globin gene has been evaluated by in vitro gene expression

Some biochemical changes in heme synthesis in iron deficiency.

Some enzymes and intermediates of heme synthesis were determined in blood and urine of 26 women with severe iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Erythrocyte free protoporphyrin was almost doubled and delta-aminolevulinate dehydrase significantly raised. But urinary excretion of delta-aminolevulinic acid and reticulocyte ferrochelatase were significantly reduced in iron deficiency anemia. Hence these could serve as useful indices of iron deficiency and consequent anemia.

Effect of alcohol dependence on the levels of duodenal disaccharidases in human subjects.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to detect the duodenal enzyme activity in patients of alcohol dependence and to compare with non-alcoholic patients of non-ulcer dyspepsia. METHODS: Disaccharidases (lactase, sucrase, maltase) were estimated in 20 non alcoholic patients of non-ulcer dyspepsia and 20 alcoholics admitted to the drug de-addiction and treatment centre of PGIMER, Chandigarh, India. RESULTS: No significant influence of alcohol on enzyme levels in patients of alcohol dependence when compared to patients of non-ulcer dyspepsia was observed. However, a significant decrease in lactase level was noted in patients consuming more than 125 gm/day of alcohol. CONCLUSION: Amount of consumption of alcohol showed decrease in lactase enzyme, but not in maltase and sucrase. There was no effect of duration of alcohol consumption on dissacharidases in the two groups.

Properties of a new fungal ß-Galactosidase with potential application in the dairy industry

ß-Galactosidase or ß-D-galactohydrolase (EC.3.2.1.23) is an important enzyme industrially used for the hydrolysis of lactose from milk and milk whey for several applications. Lately, the importance of this enzyme was enhanced by its galactosyltransferase activity, which is responsible for the synthesis of transgalctosylated oligosaccharides (TOS) that act as functional foods, with several beneficial effects on consumers. Penicillium simplicissimum, a strain isolated from soil, when grown in semi-solid medium showed good productivity of ß-galactosidase with galactosyltransferase activity. The optimum pH for hydrolysis was in 4.0-4.6 range and the optimum pH for galactosyltransferase activity was in the 6.0-7.0 range. The optimum temperature for hydrolysis and transferase activity was 55-60§C and 50§C, respectively, and the enzyme showed high thermostability for the hydrolytic activity. The enzyme showed a potential for several industrial applications such as removal of 67 (per cent) of the lactose from milk and 84 (per cent) of the lactose from milk whey when incubated at their original pH (4.5 and 6.34, respectively) under optimum temperature conditions. When incubated with a 40 (per cent) lactose solution in 150 mM McIlvaine buffer, pH 4.5, at 55§C the enzyme converted 86.5 (per cent) of the lactose to its component monosaccharides. When incubated with a 60 (per cent) lactose solution in the same buffer but at pH 6.5 and 50§C, the enzyme can synthetize up to 30.5 (per cent) TOS, with 39.5 (per cent) lactose and 30 (per cent) monosaccharides remaining in the preparation.

Actividad lactásica en niños con enfermedad diarreica por Giardia Lambia / The Beta-galactosidase performance in children with diarrheal disease due to Giardia lamblia

Se realizó un estudio prospectivo, de corte transversal y analítico, con el propósito de establecer posibles diferencias en el comportamiento de la actividad lactásica en niños menores de 2 años con enfermedad diarreica por Giardia lamblia tratados en el Servicio de Diarreas del Hospital Pediátrico Docente "Dr Angel A. Aballi", en el período de diciembre de 1994 a noviembre de 1995. Se determinaron los niveles de la actividad enzimática según diferentes categorías de variables de caracterización del niño, y que tal actividad tiene un comportamiento diferencial asociado con la edad, estado nutricional y grado de atrofia de la mucosa

Regulation of fibronectin gene expression by cyclic AMP and phorbol myristate acetate in HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma cells

We studied the regulation of fibronectin (FN) gene expression by cAMP and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) in HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma cells. Dibutyryl cAMP increased FN synthesis and mRNA levels, while PMA inhibited the cAMP-induced FN synthesis. In transient transfection assays, cAMP increased FN promoter activity, while PMA paradoxically enhanced the cAMP-induced promoter activity. Stable transfection experiments, however, showed that neither cAMP or PMA alone nor together affected FN promoter activity. These results suggest that PMA antagonizes the cAMP-induced FN gene expression and that both the action of cAMP and the inhibition of its action by PMA may occur at the posttranscriptional level in HT-1080 cells.

Absorçäo de lactose e tolerância a diferentes tipos de iogurtes em adultos com hipolactasia / Lactose absorption and tolerance to different types of yogurts in adults with hypolactasia

É sabido que a lactose é melhor absorvida sob forma de iogurte que de leite, por indivíduos hipolactásicos e que este fenômeno se deve à presença de atividade de beta-galactosidase nos iogurtes, que difere segundo as características dos produtos. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a absorçao e a tolerância à lactose de alguns iogurtes utilizados em nosso meio. Foram estudados 12 adultos portadores de hipolactasia tipo adulto. Após a confirmaçao diagnóstica, os voluntários foram submetidos a três testes com ingestao de leite e dois tipos de iogurte com diferentes níveis de beta-galactosidase. Esta atividade foi determinada em cada amostra utilizada. A absorçao da lactose foi calculada pela medida do H2 eliminado no ar expirado e a tolerância avaliada por um escore de sintomas referidos pelos participantes. As medianas do incremento de H2 foram de 20 ppm para o leite, 1O.5 para o iogurte X e 5.5 para o iogurte Y. A área sob a curva apresentou mediana de 96O ppm/min no teste com leite, 42Oppm/min com o iogurte X e 27Oppm/min com o iogurte Y. Estes dois dados apresentaram diferenças estatisticamente significativas quando se comparou o leite com cada iogurte e nao significativas comparando-se os dois iogurtes entre si. Os escores de sintomas também foram significantemente diferentes entre o leite e os dois iogurtes e semelhantes entre os iogurtes. Nao se observou associaçao estatisticamente significante entre absorçao e tolerância. No entanto, a maioria dos intolerantes nao absorveu o açúcar. Estes dados indicam que a lactose dos iogurtes foi melhor absorvida e melhor tolerada que a do leite, o que vem sugerir que nossos produtos se assemelham à maioria daqueles da literatura, no que se refere à sua capacidade desdobradora de lactose "in vivo". Apesar das diferenças, medidas "in vitro", entre as atividades de beta-galactosidase, nao houve diferenças significativas de absorçao e tolerância entre os dois iogurtes.