Microalgal lipid production using the hydrolysates of rice straw pretreated with gamma irradiation and alkali solution.

BACKGROUND: Lignocellulosic biomass has long been recognized as a potential sustainable source of sugars for biofuels. However, many physicochemical structural and compositional factors inhibit the enzymatic digestibility of the lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, efficient pretreatment method of rice straw (RS) was developed and the RS hydrolysate was applied in the cultivation of microalgae for lipid production. RESULTS: Gamma ray irradiation (GRI) and alkali solution were used for the pretreatment, and saccharification was carried out with lignocellulolytic enzymes. When RS was pretreated by combined GRI and alkali method, the glucose and xylose saccharification yield after enzymatic hydrolysis increased up to 91.65 and 98.84 %, respectively. The enzymatic hydrolysate from the RS pretreated with the combined method was used to cultivate Chlorella protothecoides for lipid production. The maximum concentrations of biomass and fatty acid methyl ester of cells were 6.51 and 2.95 g/L, respectively. The lipid content of C. protothecoides from RS hydrolysate was comparable to that from glucose, and the lipid composition was similar between different carbon sources. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the combined pretreatment with gamma irradiation was highly effective in preparing hydrolysate, and the rice straw hydrolysate could be used as an alternative carbon source for microalgal lipid production for biofuel.

Direct utilization of purple sweet potato by sake yeasts to produce an anthocyanin-rich alcoholic beverage.

OBJECTIVE: To produce an alcoholic beverage containing anthocyanins that can act as antioxidants and have anticarcinogenic activities and antihypertensive effects. RESULTS: High starch-assimilating sake yeast strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae co-expressing the glucoamylase and α-amylase genes from Debaryomyces occidentalis using the double rDNA-integration system was developed. The new strain grew substantially using 5 % (w/v) purple sweet potato flour as the sole carbon source. Its cell yield reached 14.5 mg ml(-1) after 3 days. This value was 2.4-fold higher than that of the parental wild-type strain. It produced 12 % (v/v) ethanol from 20 % (w/v) purple sweet potato flour and consumed 98 % of the starch content in purple sweet potato flour after 5 days of fermentation. CONCLUSION: We have produced a health-promoting alcoholic beverage abundant in anthocyanins from purple sweet potato.

Construction of dextrin and isomaltose-assimilating brewer's yeasts for production of low-carbohydrate beer.

Most Saccharomyces spp. cannot degrade or ferment dextrin, which is the second most abundant carbohydrate in wort for commercial beer production. Dextrin-degrading brewer's bottom and top yeasts expressing the glucoamylase gene (GAM1) from Debaryomyces occidentalis were developed to produce low-carbohydrate (calorie) beers. GAM1 was constitutively expressed in brewer's yeasts using a rDNA-integration system that contained yeast CUP1 gene coding for copper resistance as a selective marker. The recombinants secreted active glucoamylase, displaying both α-1,4- and α-1,6-debranching activities, that degraded dextrin and isomaltose and consequently grew using them as sole carbon source. One of the recombinant strains expressing GAM1 hydrolyzed 96 % of 2 % (w/v) dextrin and 98 % of 2 % (w/v) isomaltose within 5 days of growth. Growth, substrate assimilation, and enzyme activity of these strains were characterized.

Raw starch fermentation to ethanol by an industrial distiller's yeast strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing glucoamylase and α-amylase genes.

Industrial strains of a polyploid, distiller's Saccharomyces cerevisiae that produces glucoamylase and α-amylase was used for the direct fermentation of raw starch to ethanol. Strains contained either Aspergillus awamori glucoamylase gene (GA1), Debaryomyces occidentalis glucoamylase gene (GAM1) or D. occidentalis α-amylase gene (AMY), singly or in combination, integrated into their chromosomes. The strain expressing both GA1 and AMY generated 10.3% (v/v) ethanol (80.9 g l(-1)) from 20% (w/v) raw corn starch after 6 days of fermentation, and decreased the raw starch content to 21% of the initial concentration.

Enhancement of xylitol production by attenuation of intracellular xylitol dehydrogenase activity in Candida tropicalis.

To construct Candida tropicalis strains that produce a high yield of xylitol with no requirement for co-substrates, we engineered the yeast with an attenuated xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) and then assessed the efficiency of xylitol production The mutants, strains XDH-5 (with only one copy of the XDH gene), and ARSdR-16 (with a mutated XDH gene) showed 70 and 40% of wild type (WT) XDH activity, respectively. Conversions of xylose to xylitol by WT, XDH-5, and ARSdR-16 were 62, 64, and 75%, respectively, with productivities of 0.52, 0.54, and 0.62 g l(-1) h(-1), respectively. The ARSdR-16 mutant strain produced xylitol with high yield and high productivity in a simple process that required no co-substrates, such as glycerol. This strain represents a promising alternative for efficient and cost-effective xylitol production.

Construction of a direct starch-fermenting industrial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae producing glucoamylase, alpha-amylase and debranching enzyme.

To develop a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that produces ethanol directly from starch, two integrative vectors were constructed to allow the simultaneous multiple integration of the Aspergillus awamori glucoamylase gene (GA1) and the Debaryomyces occidentalis alpha-amylase gene (AMY) and glucoamylase with debranching activity gene (GAM1) into the chromosomes of an industrial strain of S. cerevisiae. The GA1 and AMY genes were constitutively expressed under the ADC1 promoter in S. cerevisiae using the double delta-integration system. The GAM1 gene was constitutively expressed under the corresponding promoter using the double 18S rDNA-integration system. The recombinant industrial strain secreting biologically active alpha-amylase, glucoamylase and debranching enzyme was able to ferment starch to ethanol in a single step. The new strain produced 8% (v/v) ethanol (62.8 g l(-1)) from 20% (w/v) soluble starch after 2 days, fermentation.

Simultaneous degradation of phytic acid and starch by an industrial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae producing phytase and alpha-amylase.

Phytase liberates inorganic phosphate from phytic acid (myo-inositol hexakisphosphate) which is the major phosphate reserve in plant-derived foods and feeds. An industrial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing the Debaryomyces castellii phytase gene (phytDc) and D. occidentalis alpha-amylase gene (AMY) was developed. The phytDc and AMY genes were constitutively expressed under the ADC1 promoter in S. cerevisiae by using the delta-integration system, which contains DNA derived exclusively from yeast. The recombinant industrial strain secreted both phytase and alpha-amylase for the efficient degradation of phytic acid and starch as main components of plant seeds. This new strain hydrolyzed 90% of 0.5% (w/v) sodium phytate within 5 days of growth and utilized 100% of 2% (w/v) starch within 48 h simultaneously.

Efficient one-step starch utilization by industrial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing the glucoamylase and alpha-amylase genes from Debaryomyces occidentalis.

Amylolytic industrial polyploid strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ATCC 4126, ATCC 9763 and ATCC 24858) expressing a glucoamylase gene (GAM1) or an alpha-amylase gene (AMY) from Debaryomyces occidentalis were developed. The glucoamylase activity of S. cerevisiae ATCC 9763 expressing the GAM1 gene was 3.7-times higher than that of D. occidentalis. On the other hand, alpha-amylase activity in the corresponding strain expressing the D. occidentalis AMY gene increased 10-times relative to D. occidentalis. These two recombinant yeast strains expressing the GAM1 gene and AMY gene, respectively were cultured simultaneously to produce both glucoamylase and alpha-amylase for efficient one-step utilization of starch. Growth, substrate utilization and enzyme activity of these strains are described.

Platelet-activating factor induces matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression through Ca(2+)- or PI3K-dependent signaling pathway in a human vascular endothelial cell line.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) augments angiogenesis by promoting the synthesis of a variety of angiogenic factors, via the nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB activation. Recently, we reported that PAF upregulates MMP-9 expression in a NF-kappaB-dependent manner. In this study, we investigated the signaling pathway involved in PAF-induced MMP-9 expression in ECV304 cells. Our current data indicate that the Ca(2+)- or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent signaling pathway is necessary for PAF-induced MMP-9 expression. Furthermore, PAF-induced NF-kappaB activation was blocked by selective inhibitors of Ca(2+), PI3K, or extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Our results suggest that PAF-induced MMP-9 expression, in a NF-kappaB-dependent manner, is regulated by Ca(2+), PI3K and ERK signaling pathways.

Construction of an amylolytic industrial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing the Schwanniomyces occidentalis alpha-amylase gene.

The gene encoding Schwanniomyces occidentalis alpha-amylase (AMY) was introduced into the chromosomal delta sequences of an industrial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To obtain a strain suitable for commercial use, an delta-integrative cassette devoid of bacterial DNA sequences was constructed that contains the AMY gene and aureobasidin A resistance gene (AUR1-C) as the selection marker. The AMY gene was expressed under the control of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene promoter (ADC1p). The alpha-amylase activity of Sacc. cerevisiae transformed with this integrative cassette was 6 times higher than that of Sch. occidentalis. The transformants (integrants) were mitotically stable after 100 generations in nonselective medium.