Abstract:Brewer’s yeast is crucial in beer fermentation, mainly beer flavor diversity and stability. Beer flavor stability is one of the most influential beer quality aspects, and screening or breeding brewer’s yeast with enhanced anti-staling capacity will be an effective solution. In recent decades, with the progress of genetic engineering and detailed description of brewer’s yeast genome, great efforts have been made to improve brewer’s yeast. This review highlights recent advances in classical and genetic engineering improvement of yeasts to produce more antioxidant compounds or less beer aging substances and precursors. Therein, improvement targets, evaluation methods and development strategies of anti-staling brewer’s yeast are also discussed. Furthermore, hotspot and future trend of anti-staling yeast strain development are also proposed.

Abstract:Lycopene plays a crucial role in the biosynthesis pathway of 2-methyl-derythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) and mevalonic acid (MVA). It is a representative product of isoprenoid family, and a typical product of multi-enzyme catalytic reaction in organism. In this paper, we first introduced the general regulation methods in multi-enzyme synthesis reaction, including the construction of multi gene co-expression plasmid, gene order regulation, promoter and ribosome binding site regulation, gene knockout and replacement, aiming at the optimization strategies of multi-enzyme catalytic reaction in lycopene synthesis pathway. Meanwhile, we introduced several new regulation methods in multi-enzyme reaction, including multi-fragment assembly technology, artificial scaffold self-assembly methods and so on. At last, we summarized the application of these multi-enzyme regulation methods in lycopene synthesis. These methods provide a great inspiration and research foundation for the construction of lycopene-producing strains with high yield.

Abstract:Laccases are enzymes belonging to the group of multi-copper oxidases. These enzymes are widely distributed in insects, plants, fungi and bacteria. In general, laccases can oxidize an exceptionally high number of substrates, so they have broad applications in textile, pulp, food and the degradation of lignin. However, low yield, low activity and thermo-instability of laccase in nature limit the application of laccase. High efficient heterologous expression of the protein is an effective way for solving this problem. Here, we summarize the research advances of heterologous expression of eukaryote-origin laccases. We focus on the overexpression of eukaryote-origin laccases using different expression system and the method for improving the production yield and enzyme activity in yeast cells. Information provided in this review would be helpful for researchers in the field.

Abstract:β-carotene is an important natural plant pigment and has various physiological functions in organisms. With the proposition of systematic biology and progress in carotenoids biosynthesis since the 1960s, metabolic engineering has played a significant role in enhancing carotenoid production. In this review, we present β-carotene’s traditional production methods and metabolic engineering strategies for constructing β-carotene-producing strains. Meanwhile, main problems and corresponding solutions to improve β-carotene yield of engineered strains were further analyzed, for further efficient microbial production of β-carotene.

Abstract:Gene expression technology has made great progress with the continuous developments and researches of molecular biology. Though many systems to produce recombinant proteins have been studied, none of them is available so far to satisfy the needs completely. With the increasing demands of bioactive peptides and protein drugs, expression quantity and correct posttranslational folding and modifications are also needed under the circumstance which can make proteins more close to native conformation and higher activity and stability. Based on our previous work, we summarized the factors affecting the folding and modifications of recombinant proteins correctly from five aspects, including expression system and hosts, secretory expression, coexpression, fusion expression, and the culture conditions, as well as improvement strategies.

Abstract:The secondary metabolites, phenazine products, produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa can mediate the electrons transfer in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). How increase the total electricity production in MFCs by improving the characteristics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of research hot spots and problems. In this study, P. aeruginosa strain SJTD-1 and its knockout mutant strain SJTD-1 (ΔmvaT) were used to construct MFCs, and the discharge processes of the two MFCs were analyzed to determine the key factors to electricity yields. Results indicated that not only phenazine but also the viable cells in the fermentation broth were essential for the discharge of MFCs. The mutant strain SJTD-1 (ΔmvaT) could produce more phenazine products and continue discharging over 160 hours in MFCs, more than that of the wild-type SJTD-1 strain (90 hours discharging time). The total electricity generated by SJTD-1 (ΔmvaT) strain could achieve 2.32 J in the fermentation process, much higher than the total 1.30 J electricity of the wild-type SJTD-1 strain. Further cell growth analysis showed that the mutant strain SJTD-1 (ΔmvaT) could keep a longer stationary period, survive much longer in MFCs and therefore, discharge more electron than those of the wild-type SJTD-1 strain. Therefore, the cell survival elongation of P. aeruginosa in MFCs could enhance its discharging time and improve the overall energy yield. This work could give a clue to improve the characteristics of MFCs using genetic engineering strain, and could promote related application studies on MFCs.

Abstract:Laccase is a widely-used environment-friendly copper-containing oxidase found in many plants, insects and fungi. Recently, more and more laccases are also found in bacteria. Myxobacteria are an important bacteria resource. However, myxobacteria are much more difficult to isolate and purify than other bacteria. We used bioinformatic approach to screen myxobacteria proteomes available in NCBI. Based on conserved sequences of 4 copper binding sites in multicopper oxidase, 30 potential laccase sequences were obtained. Among them, 9 genes were synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Seven proteins showed laccase activity when tested with traditional laccase substrates. One protein, named rSC-2, was chosen for further research because it exhibited the highest activity towards 2,6-dimethyl phenol (DMP). The molecular weight of rSC-2 was 57 kDa. Its specific activity to DMP was 0.27 U/mg. The optimal temperature and the optimal pH were 60 ℃ and 7.0, respectively. About 50% of the original activity was retained after incubation at 60 ℃ and pH 7.0?8.0 for 1 h. Metals showed different effects on rSC-2. rSC-2 activity was enhanced by several metalsat concentration of 1 mmol/L, such as Ca2+ and Mn2+. With a higher concentration of 5 mmol/L, the activity of rSC-2 was apparently inhibited. This is the first report of bioin for matics screening myxo bacteria laccasesin combination with expression in E. coli.

Abstract:Silver nanoparticles were prepared by chemical reduction. Fusarium graminearum was used as the test strain. To study the inhibition of F. graminearum by silver nanoparticles, we studied the activities of protective enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), and the contents of osmotic adjustment substances soluble protein, soluble sugar and malonaldehyde (MDA) in F. graminearum. Silver nanoparticles inhibited F. graminearum and the inhibitory effect was increased with the concentration of silver nanoparticles. The inhibition rate of 10 μg/mL silver nanoparticles was more than 90% and EC50 was 0.59 μg/mL. When the treating time prolonged (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 h), the activity of SOD, CAT and POD increased firstly and then declined. SOD, POD and CAT reached the maximum at 4 hours, and decreased to minimum at 10 hours. Silver nanoparticles also increased the MDA content and reduced the soluble sugar and protein contents in pathogens. These results indicated that cell integrity was destroyed in the presence of silver. This may be one of the inhibiting mechanisms of silver nanoparticles on the growth of F. graminearum.

Abstract:The inhibitory effect of NACOS on dyslipidemia and potential molecular mechanisms by in vitro and in vivo experiments were investigated. For in vitro study, four experimental groups were designed by using HepG2 cells, including the control group, palmitic acid (PA) treatment alone group, NACOS treatment alone group and NACOS + PA treatment group. For in vivo study, male C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups (n=5) at random including the normal control group (NCD), high fat diet (HFD) group, NACOS treatment alone group, NACOS+HFD group, which were treated for 20 weeks. The used methods in this study were as follows: the observation of lipid droplet deposition in HepG2 cells by oil red O staining, the detection of mRNA levels of lipid metabolism-related regulators and inflammatory cytokine by RT-PCR method, the monitoring of MAPKs and PI3K/Akt pathway activation by Western blotting method. The in vitro study shows that, NACOS had no toxicity on the viability of HepG2 cells at 25–100 μg/mL and significantly reduced the deposition of lipid droplet. Also, based on both in vitro and in vivo investigation, NACOS evidently down-regulated the expression of lipid metabolism-related regulators (PGC1α, Cox5b, Mcad) and inflammatory cytokine (IL-1β) at mRNA level (P<0.05 or 0.01), and suppressed the activation of p38, ERK1/2 and Akt in HepG2 cells and lever tissues from HFD-fed mice (P<0.05 or 0.01). Based on the above, NACOS may inhibit the oxidation of liver mitochondrial fatty acid and the lipid biosynthesis, block the inflammatory responses and prevent the HepG2 cells and C57BL/6 mice from lipidemia.

Abstract:To construct recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid vector of human IL-34 gene, and to study the effects of IL-34 expressed by human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) on THP-1 cells. Full-length IL-34 encoding sequence was amplified by PCR. And this fragment was cloned into the plasmid pIRES2-EGFP. Western blotting and ELISA were used to analyze the expression of IL-34 in hBM-MSCs. THP-1 cells were cultured with hBM-MSCs medium containing IL-34 protein. Real-time PCR detected the effects of IL-34 on the expression of IL-10 and TNFα in THP-1 cells. Restrictive enzyme analysis and sequencing demonstrated that IL-34 eukaryotic expression vector was successfully constructed. IL-34 protein expressed by hBM-MSCs could promote IL-10 and TNFα expression in THP-1 cells. Those results show that IL-34 expressed by hBM-MSCs has regulating effect on THP-1 cells.

Abstract:To develop a new recombinant hepatitis E vaccine, we used Hansenula polymorpha expression system to express recombinant hepatitis E virus-like particles (HEV VLPs), to construct a recombinant engineered strain HP/HEV2.3. The fermentation conditions and purification process were studied next. The first working seed lots were fermented in liquid culture, and the fermentation products were collected, then crushed, clarified, purified by ultrafiltration, silica gel adsorbed and desorbed, concentrated by ultrafiltration, purified by liquid chromatography and sterilized by filtration. The purity reached 99% with a yield of 33%. Electron microscopy analysis revealed that both the purified recombinant HEV VLPs from HP/HEV2.3 and natural hepatitis E virus particles appear identical of being 32 nm. The resulting DNA sequence obtained from VLPs is identical to the published HEV sequence. The SDS-PAGE analysis has revealed that the protein molecular weight of the HEV VLPs is 56 kDa, and the expression product HEV VLPs were accumulated up to 26% of total cellular protein. The expression level is 1.0 g/L. Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results of the protein and ED50 of the vaccine showed that the HEV VLPs have good antigenicity and immunogenicity. In summary, the recombinant HEV VLPs from Hansenula polymorpha can be used in the manufacture of a new genetically engineered vaccine against hepatitis E.

Abstract:In order to promote the growth of chondrocyte ATDC-5 in collagen type II-hyaluronic acid-chondroitin sulfate composite scaffolds constructed previously in vitro, the sustained-releasing chitosan microspheres loading TGF-β1 were prepared by emulsification and cross-linking. In addition, ATDC-5 was inoculated into the scaffolds incorporating the chitosan microspheres with TGF-β1. Results show that the morphology of microsphere was round and uniform, mean diameter was about 100 nm, absorption rate was up to 983.7%±4.38%.When the microsphere was incubated under the condition of 107 U/L lysozyme, the degradation rate was only 51.0%±1.8% on day 28. Moreover, to compare the effect of TGF-β1, the growth of ATDC-5 in different scaffolds was observed by MTT assay and fluorescence staining test. According to the cumulative release curve, TGF-β1 was released quickly at initial 24 h, then gradually decelerated, finally reached the plateau after 120 h. MTT assay and fluorescence staining test demonstrated that the scaffolds were suitable for ATDC-5 growth and proliferation, as well as, suggested that the sustained-releasing chitosan microspheres loading TGF-β1 could significantly promote the growth of ATDC-5.

Abstract:To improve collagen production by recombinant Pichia pastoris, we applied Placket-Burman and Box-Behnken design to optimize the fermentation medium. Through Placket-Burman design, three variables in the medium (concentration of yeast extract, peptone and glycerol) were selected for having significant effect on cell dry weight. Through Box-Behnken design regression coefficients analysis, a secondary degree polynomial equation was established, and the optimum levels of the three variables were yeast extract 1.13%, peptone 1.61% and glycerol 0.86%. During the growth period, an average cell dry weight of 4.41 g/L was obtained after 12 h fermentation, increased by 26%. Through high density fermentation, the production of recombinant human collagen (Ⅲ) was up to 4.71 g/L in 22 L fermentor. The recombinant human collagen (Ⅲ) exhibited good results to repair acetic acid induced gastric ulcer in rats.

Abstract:Adaboost algorithm with improved K-nearest neighbor classifiers is proposed to predict protein subcellular locations. Improved K-nearest neighbor classifier uses three sequence feature vectors including amino acid composition, two dipeptide and pseudo amino acid composition of protein sequence. K-nearest neighbor uses Blast in classification stage. The overall success rates by the jackknife test on two data sets of CH317 and Gram1253 are 92.4% and 93.1%. Adaboost algorithm with the novel K-nearest neighbor improved by Blast is an effective method for predicting subcellular locations of proteins.

Abstract:Bacillus subtilis is Gram-positive aerobic bacterium and widely used as a heterologous protein expression host because of its safety and high protein secretion property. However, comparing to Escherichia coli, the low transformation efficiency limits the application of B. subtilis as a host cell for directed evolution of heterologous enzymes. Therefore, we optimized, the competent cell preparation conditions for conventional plasmid, including the alteration of the medium, the concentration of inducer, the plasmid type, and other parameters. Compared with the original LB medium, YN medium improved the transformation efficiency by about 4 folds. The transformation efficiency enhanced by about 2 folds under induction with 1.5% xylose for 2 h. In addition, with plasmids prepared from E. coli GM272 strain the transformation efficiency increased by about 3 folds. Combining all these findings, the transformation efficiency of pDG1730 plasmid under the optimized conditions could reach 106 CFU/μg, which was 2 orders of magnitude higher than that the original. Our findings provide references for directed evolution of enzymes and metabolic engineering in Bacillus subtilis.