Purification and characterization of a new family 45 endoglucanase, STCE1, from Staphylotrichum coccosporum and its overproduction in Humicola insolens.

In the detergent industry, fungal endoglucanases have been used to release microfibrils (defibrillation) from the surface of dyed cellulosic fabrics to enhance color brightness. Although endoglucanases for laundry use must have various properties, such as a neutral or alkaline optimum pH, resistance to anionic surfactants and oxidizing agents (main components in detergents), and high defibrillation activity, all-purpose endoglucanases have not been obtained yet. As a result of screening of endoglucanases, a new family 45 endoglucanase (family 45 glycoside hydrolase), designated STCE1, was obtained and purified to apparent homogeneity from the culture supernatant of Staphylotrichum coccosporum NBRC 31817. The molecular mass of STCE1 was 49 kDa. The optimum pH for the carboxymethyl cellulase activity of STCE1 was 6.0, and the optimum temperature was 60 degrees C. STCE1 was highly resistant to an anionic surfactant and an oxidizing agent. Furthermore, the defibrillation activities on dyed cotton and lyocell fabrics of STCE1 were higher than those of the other representative endoglucanases tested. These results indicate that STCE1 is an all-purpose enzyme for laundry use. A gene encoding STCE1, designated the stce1 gene, was cloned from S. coccosporum, and the complete sequence was determined. STCE1 consisted of three distinct domains: an N-terminal catalytic domain (family 45), a linker domain, and a C-terminal carbohydrate-binding module (family 1). The amino acid sequences of the catalytic domain of STCE1 were phylogenetically close to those of the family 45 endoglucanases EGL3, EGL4, and EGV from a Humicola sp. Hence, the stce1 gene was transferred into Humicola insolens and expressed. As a result, extremely high levels (0.90 mg protein per ml of culture supernatant, 27% of the total proteins) of the recombinant STCE1 were secreted as a mature form in the culture supernatant.

Molecular determinants of substrate recognition in thermostable alpha-glucosidases belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 13.

Bacillus stearothermophilus alpha-1,4-glucosidase (BS) is highly specific for alpha-1,4-glucosidic bonds of maltose, maltooligosaccharides and alpha-glucans. Bacillus thermoglucosdasius oligo-1,6-glucosidase (BT) can specifically hydrolyse alpha-1,6 bonds of isomaltose, isomaltooligosaccharides and alpha-limit dextrin. The two enzymes have high homology in primary structure and belong to glycoside hydrolase family 13, which contain four conservative regions (I, II, III and IV). The two enzymes are suggested to be very close in structure, even though there are strict differences in their substrate specificities. Molecular determinants of substrate recognition in these two enzymes were analysed by site-directed mutagenesis. Twenty BT-based mutants and three BS-based mutants were constructed and characterized. Double substitutions in BT of Val200 -->Ala in region II and Pro258 -->Asn in region III caused an appearance of maltase activity compared with BS, and a large reduction of isomaltase activity. The values of k(0)/K(m) (s(-1). mM(-1)) of the BT-mutant for maltose and isomaltose were 69.0 and 15.4, respectively. We conclude that the Val/Ala200 and Pro/Asn258 residues in the alpha-glucosidases may be largely responsible for substrate recognition, although the regions I and IV also exert a slight influence. Additionally, BT V200A and V200A/P258N possessed high hydrolase activity towards sucrose.

Amino acid regions of family 45 endoglucanases involved in cotton defibrillation and in resistance to anionic surfactants and oxidizing agents.

In the detergent industry, fungal endoglucanases are used to release microfibrils from the surfaces of dyed cellulosic fabrics to enhance color brightness. Family 45 endoglucanase (glycoside hydrolase family 45, GH45) EGL3 from Humicola grisea is more resistant to anionic surfactants and oxidizing agents than family 45 endoglucanase RCE1 from Rhizopus oryzae, while in the present study, a catalytic domain of RCE1 had higher defibrillation activity on dyed cotton fabrics than did that of EGL3. To identify the amino acid regions involved in these properties, we compared the characteristics of RCE1, EGL3, and three chimeric endoglucanases, in which each of the three regions of the catalytic domain of EGL3 was replaced by the corresponding region of the catalytic domain of RCE1. Amino acids in the N-terminal region were involved in resistance to anionic surfactants and oxidizing agents. Furthermore, amino acids in the region adjacent to the N-terminal region were involved in releasing microfibrils and in binding to dyed cotton fabrics, indicating that the binding of the amino acids in this region might be important in the release of microfibrils from dyed cotton fabrics.

Exploring amino acids responsible for the temperature profile of glycoside hydrolase family 45 endoglucanase EGL3 from Humicola grisea.

EGL3 and RCE1 are glycoside hydrolase family 45 endoglucanases isolated from Humicola grisea and Rhizopus oryzae respectively. The amino acid sequences of the two endoglucanases are homologous; on the other hand, the optimum temperature of EGL3 is higher than that of RCE1. In this study, four chimeric endoglucanases, named ER1, ER2, ER3 and ER4, in which one of four sequential amino acid regions of the EGL3 catalytic domain (CAD) was replaced by the corresponding RCE1 amino acids, were constructed to explore the region responsible for the EGL3 temperature profile. Then their temperature profiles were compared with that of the recombinant EGL3. Replacement of the N-terminal region of EGL3 with that of RCE1 caused the EGL3 temperature profile to shift to a lower temperature. These results suggest that the N-terminal amino acids of the EGL3 are responsible for the EGL3 temperature profile.

Specific characteristics of family 45 endoglucanases from Mucorales in the use of textiles and laundry.

We examined the characteristics of family 45 endoglucanases (glycoside hydrolases family 45; GH45) from Mucorales belonging to Zygomycota in the use of textiles and laundry. The defibrillation activities on lyocell fabric of family 45 endoglucanases from Mucorales, such as RCE1 and RCE2 from Rhizopus oryzae, MCE1 and MCE2 from Mucor circinelloides, and PCE1 from Phycomyces nitens, were much higher than those of the other family 45 endoglucanases. By contrast, family 45 endoglucanases from Mucorales were less resistant to anionic surfactant and oxidizing agent, main components in detergents, than the other family 45 endoglucanases. RCE1 consists of two distinct modules, a catalytic module and a carbohydrate-binding module family 1 (CBM1), and these common specific characteristics were considered to due to the catalytic module, but not to the CBM1.

Purification and characterization of a new endo-1,4-beta-D-glucanase from Beltraniella portoricensis.

A new endoglucanase, designated BCE1, produced by Beltraniella portoricensis, was purified from the culture supernatant. The N-terminal amino acid sequence suggests that BCE1 belongs to family 45 glycoside hydrolase (family 45 endoglucanase). The molecular mass of BCE1 was found to be 40 kDa by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The optimum pH for the carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) activity of BCE1 was 4.5, and the optimum temperature was 55 degrees C. Among family 45 endoglucanases, RCE1 and RCE2 from Rhizopus oryzae, PCE1 from Phycomyces nitens, and EGL3 and EGL4 from Humicola grisea, BCE1 was most resistant to anionic surfactant and oxidizing agent. These results indicate that BCE1 might prove to be a useful enzyme in the detergent industry.

Alternative splicing produces two endoglucanases with one or two carbohydrate-binding modules in Mucor circinelloides.

We previously cloned three endoglucanase genes, rce1, rce2, and rce3, that were isolated from Rhizopus oryzae as the first cellulase genes from a member of the subdivision Zygomycota. In this study, two cDNAs homologous to the rce1 gene, designated the mce1 and mce2 cDNAs, were cloned from Mucor circinelloides, a member of the subdivision Zygomycota. The mce1 cDNA encoded an endoglucanase (family 45 glycoside hydrolase) having one carbohydrate-binding module (CBM), designated MCE1, and the mce2 cDNA encoded the same endoglucanase having two tandem repeated CBMs, designated MCE2. The two cDNAs contained the same sequences but with a 147-bp insertion. The corresponding genomic mce gene consisted of four exons. The mce1 cDNA was created from exons 1, 3, and 4, and the mce2 cDNA was created from exons 1, 2, 3, and 4. These results indicate that the mce1 and mce2 cDNAs were created from one genomic mce gene by alternative splicing. MCE1 and MCE2, purified to apparent homogeneity from the culture supernatant of M. circinelloides, had molecular masses of 43 and 47 kDa, respectively. The carboxymethyl cellulase specific activity of MCE2 was almost the same as that of MCE1, whereas the Avicelase specific activity of MCE2 was two times higher than that of MCE1. Furthermore, MCE2, whose two tandem CBMs might be more effective for degradation of crystalline cellulose than one CBM, was secreted only at an early culture stage when crystalline cellulose was abundant.

Molecular cloning of a gene encoding endo-beta-D-1,4-glucanase PCE1 from Phycomyces nitens.

We previously cloned three endoglucanase genes, rce1, rce2, and rce3, from Rhizopus oryzae as the first cellulase genes from the subdivision Zygomycota. In this study, an endoglucanase gene, designated a pce1 gene, was cloned by plaque hybridization with the codon usage-optimized rce1 gene as a probe from Phycomyces nitens, a member of the subdivision Zygomycota. The pec1 gene had an open reading frame of 1,038 nucleotides encoding an endoglucanase (PCE1) of 346 amino acid residues. The amino acid sequence deduced from the pce1 gene consisted of a cellulose-binding domain (CBD) at the N terminus and of a catalytic domain belonging to family 45 glycoside hydrolase at the C terminus. PCE1 was purified to apparent homogeneity from the culture supernatant of P. nitens and the molecular mass was found to be 45 kDa. The optimum pH for the CMCase activity of PCE1 was 6.0, and the optimum temperature was 50 degrees C, the lowest among the family 45 endoglucanases.