Cathepsin L is an immune-related protein in Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai)--Purification and characterization.

Cathepsin L, an immune-related protein, was purified from the hepatopancreas of Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) by ammonium sulfate precipitation and column chromatographies of SP-Sepharose and Sephacryl S-200 HR. Purified cathepsin L appeared as two bands with molecular masses of 28.0 and 28.5 kDa (namely cathepsin La and Lb) on SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions, suggesting that it is a glycoprotein. Peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) analysis revealed that peptide fragments of 95 amino acid residues was high similarity to cathepsin L of pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata). The optimal temperature and pH of cathepsin L were 35 °C and pH 5.5. Cathepsin L was particularly inhibited by cysteine proteinase inhibitors of E-64 and leupeptin, while it was activated by metalloproteinase inhibitors EDTA and EGTA. The full-length cathepsin L cDNA was further cloned from the hepatopancreas by rapid PCR amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The open reading frame of the enzyme was 981 bp, encoding 327 amino acid residues, with a conserved catalytic triad (Cys134, His273 and Asn293), a potential N-glycosylation site and conserved ERFNIN, GNYD, and GCGG motifs, which are characteristics of cathepsin L. Western blot and proteinase activity analysis revealed that the expression and enzyme activity of cathepsin L were significantly up-regulated in hepatopancreas at 8 h following Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection, demonstrating that cathepsin L is involved in the innate immune system of abalone. Our present study for the first time reported the purification, characterization, molecular cloning, and tissue expression of cathepsin L in abalone.

Purification, characterization, cDNA cloning and in vitro expression of a serine proteinase from the intestinal tract of sea cucumber (Stichopus japonicus) with collagen degradation activity.

Sea cucumber (Stichopus japonicus) autolysis during transportation and processing is a major problem and the specific proteinases responsible for autolysis have not yet been identified. In the present study, a 34 kDa serine proteinase (SP) was isolated to high purity from sea cucumber intestinal tract by a series of column chromatographies. Peptide mass fingerprinting revealed that six peptide fragments were identical to a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 preproprotein from sea cucumber A. japonicus. The enzyme hydrolyzed gelatin effectively at pH 6.0-9.0 and 35-40 °C, and the enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by SP inhibitors. Sea cucumber collagen was hydrolyzed significantly by purified SP at 37 °C and more gradually at 4 °C, suggesting that SP may be involved in autolysis. In addition, the SP gene that codes for 377 amino acid residues was cloned into an E. coli expression vector and expressed in vitro. A polyclonal antibody against rSP was prepared and found to react specifically against both rSP and endogenous SP, which may prove useful for future studies on the physiological functions of SP.

Expression and characterization of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) matrix metalloproteinase-2 and its activity against type I collagen.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play essential roles in the metabolism of animal collagen while few reports are available for MMPs in aquatic animals. In this study, we report the complete sequence of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) gene from common carp (Cyprinus carpio) skeletal muscle. The full-length cDNA of MMP-2 was 2792bp which contains an open reading frame of 1974bp, corresponding to a protein of 657 amino acid residues. Based on the structural feature of MMP-2, the gene of the catalytic domain containing 351 amino acid residues was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. SDS-PAGE showed that the truncated recombinant MMP-2 (trMMP-2) with molecular mass of approximately 38kDa was in the form of inclusion body. The trMMP-2 was further purified by immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography. After renaturation, similar to native MMP-2, the trMMP-2 exhibited high hydrolyzing activity toward gelatin as appeared on gelatin zymography and optimal activity was at pH 8.0 and 40°C. The activity of the trMMP-2 was completely suppressed by metalloproteinase inhibitors, including EDTA, EGTA and 1,10-phenanthroline while other proteinase inhibitors did not show any inhibitory effect. Divalent metal ion Ca(2+) was necessary for the gelatinolytic activity, suggesting it is a calcium-dependent metalloproteinase. Moreover, the trMMP-2 effectively hydrolyzed native type I collagen at 37°C and even at 4°C, implying its potential application value as a collagenase for preparation of biologically active oligopeptides.

cDNA cloning of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase from crucian carp (Carassius carassius) and expression of the active region as myofibril-bound serine proteinase inhibitor in Escherichia coli.

Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) (EC 5.3.1.9) can act as a myofibril-bound serine proteinase (MBSP) inhibitor (MBSPI) in fish. In order to better understand the biological information of the GPI and its functional domain for inhibiting MBSP, the cDNA of GPI was cloned from crucian carp (Carassius carassius) with RT-PCR, nested-PCR and 3'-RACE. The result of sequencing showed that the GPI cDNA had an open reading frame of 1662bp encoding 553 amino acid residues. After constructing and comparing the three-dimensional structures of GPI and MBSP, the middle fragment of crucian carp GPI (GPI-M) was predicted as a functional domain for inhibiting MBSP. Then the crucian carp GPI-M gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) showed that the recombinant GPI-M (rGPI-M) with molecular mass of approximately 21kDa in the form of inclusion bodies. The rGPI-M was obtained at an electrophoresis level purity of approximately 95% after denaturation and dialysis renaturation.

Secretory expression and characterization of the recombinant myofibril-bound serine proteinase of crucian carp (Carassius auratus) in Pichia pastoris.

The myofibril-bound serine proteinase (MBSP) is effective in the degradation of myofibrillar proteins, including myosin heavy chain (MHC), α-actinin, actin, and tropomyosin and was thus regarded as an important proteinase responsible for the metabolism of fish muscle in vivo. In order to better understand the characteristic differences between native MBSP and recombinant MBSP (rMBSP) and to obtain large quantity of MBSP for its application in protein science study, the crucian carp MBSP gene was cloned (669 bp) and expressed in Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris). The recombinant P. pastoris strain was cultured in shake flasks, and 66.85 mg rMBSP/L in the fermentation supernatant was obtained. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) showed a main protein band with molecular weight of approximately 36 kDa. Substrate specificity analysis revealed that the rMBSP specifically cleaved substrates at the carboxyl side of lysine residue which differed from native MBSP that cleaved substrates at the carboxyl side of arginine and lysine residues. The optimum temperature and optimum pH range of the rMBSP were 55 °C and pH7.5, respectively. Furthermore, similar to native MBSP, the rMBSP also revealed high thermostability and pH stability and is effective in degradation of myofibrillar proteins from the skeletal muscle of crucian carp.

Cloning, expression in Escherichia coli, and purification of soluble recombinant duck interleukin-2.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a vital cytokine secreted by activated T lymphocytes, and plays an important role in the regulation of cellular and immunity of animals. In this study, a gene encoding duck IL-2 was cloned and the soluble recombinant duck IL-2 (rDuIL-2) was expressed in Escherichia coli via fusion with glutathione S-transferase (GST). The results indicated that the GST-rDuIL-2 fusion protein expressed in E. coli Origami (DE3) was confirmed to be of about 40 kDa molecular mass by SDS-PAGE and western blotting. In order to produce soluble rDuIL-2 in a low-cost, nontoxic and high-level expression process, lactose was used as a substitute for Isopropyl-ß-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) to induce the above recombinant strain Origami (pGEX-DuIL-2). By optimizing the expression conditions, the production of soluble GST-rDuIL-2 fusion protein was about 29% of total cellular soluble proteins, which was similar with IPTG used as inducer. The soluble GST-rDuIL-2 fusion protein was purified by one-step affinity chromatography, and GST was removed by thrombin. Then rDuIL-2 was purified by a second affinity chromatography. As a result, the 95% pure rduIL-2 was obtained, and the yield of rDuIL-2 was about 10.6 mg/l bacterial culture. The bioactivity of rduIL-2 was determined by lymphocyte proliferation assay in vitro. Our study provided a feasible and convenient approach to produce soluble and biologically active rDuIL-2, which would be used as an immunoadjuvants for enhancing vaccine efficacy.

Pepsinogens and pepsins from Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus).

Three pepsinogens (PG1, PG2, PG3) were highly purified from the stomach of Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus) by ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-Sephacel anion exchange column chromatography and Sephacryl S-200 gel-filtration. Two dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) analysis revealed that the molecular masses of the three PGs were 35, 37, and 34kDa, and their isoelectric points were 5.3, 5.1, and 4.7, respectively. Zymography analysis showed that the three pepsinogens had different mobilities and enzymatic activities under native conditions. Pepsinogens converted into their active form pepsins under pH 2.0 by one-step pathway or stepwise pathway. All three pepsins were completely inhibited by pepstatin A, a typical aspartic proteinase inhibitor. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of the three pepsinogens were determined to the 30th, 30th and 28th amino acid residue and those of their corresponding active form pepsins were also determined to the 19th, 18th and 20th amino acid residue, respectively. All amino acid sequences of Japanese seabass PGs revealed high identities to reported fish and mammalian pepsinogens. The effective digestion of fish and shrimp muscular proteins by pepsins indicated their physiological function in the degradation of food proteins.

Secretory expression and purification of the recombinant duck interleukin-2 in Pichia pastoris.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a vital cytokine secreted by activated T lymphocytes, and plays an important role in the regulation of cellular functions and immunity of animals. In this study, the recombinant duck IL-2 (rduIL-2) was secretory expressed in Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris). The recombinant P. pastoris strain was cultured in shake flasks and then scaled up in a 5.0-l bioreactor. The result showed that the maximal fresh-cell-weight of 594.1 g/l and the maximal OD600 of 408 were achieved in the bioreactor. The rduIL-2 was purified by two steps of purification procedures, and approximately 311 mg of rduIL-2/L fermentation supernatant was obtained. SDS-PAGE showed that the purified rduIL-2 constituted a homogeneous band of ~16 kDa or ~14 kDa corresponding to the glycosylated or non-glycosylated duIL-2 protein in size, respectively. The bioactivity of rduIL-2 was determined by lymphocyte proliferation assay. The result indicated that the rduIL-2 greatly promoted the proliferation of ConA-stimulated lymphocytes in vitro. The P. pastoris expression system described here could provide promising, inexpensive, and large-scale production of the rduIL-2, which lays the foundation for development of novel immunoadjuvants to enhance both the immunity of ducks against various infectious pathogens and vaccine efficacy.

Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase is an endogenous inhibitor to myofibril-bound serine proteinase of crucian carp (Carassius auratus).

Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) was purified to homogeneity from the skeletal muscle of crucian carp ( Carassius auratus ) by ammonium sulfate fractionation, column chromatographies of Q-Sepharose, SP-Sepharose, and Superdex 200 with a yield of 8.0%, and purification folds of 468. The molecular mass of GPI was 120 kDa as estimated by gel filtration, while on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), two subunits (55 and 65 kDa) were identified, suggesting that it is a heterodimer. Interestingly, GPI revealed specific inhibitory activity toward a myofibril-bound serine proteinase (MBSP) from crucian carp, while no inhibitory activity was identified toward other serine proteinases, such as white croaker MBSP and crucian carp trypsin. Kinetic analysis showed that GPI is a competitive inhibitor toward MBSP, and the K(i) was 0.32 microM. Our present results indicated that the multifunctional protein GPI is an endogenous inhibitor to MBSP and may play a significant role in the regulation of muscular protein metabolism in vivo.

Decolorization of azo dyes by Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Rhodobacter sphaeroides AS1.1737 decolorized more than 90% of several azo dyes (200 mg dyes l(-1)) in 24 h. The optimal culture conditions were: anaerobic illumination (1990 1x), peptone as carbon source, temperature 35-40 degrees C and pH 7-8. Intracellular crude enzyme from this strain had azoreductase activity, optimized temperature as 45-50 degrees C, and decolorization kinetics which were consistent with a ping-pong mechanism.

United membrane biological reactor in the treatment of wastewater.

The united membrane biological reactor( UMBR) was studied for the treatment of some simulate and municipal wastewater. The removal efficiency for COD and turbidity are greater than 80% and 99% respectively. Effluent COD is less than 100 mg/L while turbidity less than 5. The removal of LAS in bath wastewater is greater than 70%. In treatment of dinning-hall wastewater, removal of fatty oil is greater than 90%, and its concentration in effluent is less than 5 mg/L. The match of biological reactor and the membrane separation component were calculated. The stable performance of wastewater treatment can be maintained by the optimization of operation conditions and the cleanout of membranes.

Construction of a genetically engineered microorganism for CO2 fixation using a Rhodopseudomonas/Escherichia coli shuttle vector.

The CO2 fixation ability of Rhodopseudomonas palustris DH was enhanced by introducing the recombinant plasmid pMG-CBBM containing the form II ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) gene (cbbM) isolated from Rps. palustris NO. 7. Sequencing of a 3.0-kb PstI fragment containing the cbbM gene revealed an open reading frame encoding 461 amino acids, homologous to known cbbM genes, with a ribosome binding site upstream of cbbM and a terminator downstream of cbbM, without promoter. pMG-CBBM, a Rhodopseudomonas/Escherichia coli shuttle expression plasmid, was derived from the Rhodopseudomonas/E. coli shuttle cloning vector pMG105, by inserting the promoter of the pckA gene and the cbbM gene into its multiple cloning site. Plasmid pMG-CBBM was transformed into Rps. palustris DH by electroporation, and was stably maintained when transformants were grown either photoheterotrophically or photolithoautotrophically in the absence of antibiotics. This is the first report of an expression plasmid containing a Rps. palustris-specific promoter that allows stable expression of a foreign gene in the absence of antibiotic selection.