Exploration of GH94 Sequence Space for Enzyme Discovery Reveals a Novel Glucosylgalactose Phosphorylase Specificity

The substantial increase in DNA sequencing efforts has led to a rapid expansion of available sequences in glycoside hydrolase families. The ever-increasing sequence space presents considerable opportunities for the search for enzymes with novel functionalities. In this work, the sequence-function space of glycoside hydrolase family 94 (GH94) was explored in detail, using a combined approach of phylogenetic analysis and sequence similarity networks. The identification and experimental screening of unknown clusters led to the discovery of an enzyme from the soil bacterium Paenibacillus polymyxa that acts as a 4-O-β-d -glucosyl-d -galactose phosphorylase (GGalP), a specificity that has not been reported to date. Detailed characterization of GGalP revealed that its kinetic parameters were consistent with those of other known phosphorylases. Furthermore, the enzyme could be used for production of the rare disaccharides 4-O-β-d -glucosyl-d -galactose and 4-O-β-d -glucosyl-l -arabinose. Our current work highlights the power of rational sequence space exploration in the search for novel enzyme specificities, as well as the potential of phosphorylases for rare disaccharide synthesis.     

Properties and applications of β‐glycosidase from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron that specifically hydrolyses isoflavone glycosides

To modify the glycan part of glycosides, the gene encoding β‐glycosidase was cloned from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron VPI‐5482. The cloned gene, bt_1780, was expressed in Escherichia coli MC1061 and the expressed enzyme was purified using Ni‐NTA affinity chromatography. The purified enzyme, BTBG, showed optimal activity at 50 °C and pH 5.5. Interestingly, this enzyme did not have any hydrolysing activity on ordinary β‐linkage–containing substrates such as xylobiose, lactose and cello‐oligosaccharide, but specifically hydrolysed isoflavone glycosides such as daidzin, genistin and glycitin. Compared to a commercial beta glucosidase, BTBG selectively hydrolysed isoflavone glycosides in soybean extract mixture solution. These results suggest that BTBG may be a specialized enzyme for the hydrolysis of glycosides and that the substrate specificity of BTBG is applicable for the bioconversion of isoflavone glycosides in the food industry.     

Xyloglucan Oligosaccharides Hydrolysis by Exo-Acting Glycoside Hydrolases from Hyperthermophilic Microorganism Saccharolobus solfataricus

In the field of biocatalysis and the development of a bio-based economy, hemicellulases have attracted great interest for various applications in industrial processes. However, the study of the catalytic activity of the lignocellulose-degrading enzymes needs to be improved to achieve the efficient hydrolysis of plant biomasses. In this framework, hemicellulases from hyperthermophilic archaea show interesting features as biocatalysts and provide many advantages in industrial applications thanks to their stability in the harsh conditions encountered during the pretreatment process. However, the hemicellulases from archaea are less studied compared to their bacterial counterpart, and the activity of most of them has been barely tested on natural substrates. Here, we investigated the hydrolysis of xyloglucan oligosaccharides from two different plants by using, both synergistically and individually, three glycoside hydrolases from Saccharolobus solfataricus: a GH1 β-gluco-/β-galactosidase, a α-fucosidase belonging to GH29, and a α-xylosidase from GH31. The results showed that the three enzymes were able to release monosaccharides from xyloglucan oligosaccharides after incubation at 65 °C. The concerted actions of β-gluco-/β-galactosidase and the α-xylosidase on both xyloglucan oligosaccharides have been observed, while the α-fucosidase was capable of releasing all α-linked fucose units from xyloglucan from apple pomace, representing the first GH29 enzyme belonging to subfamily A that is active on xyloglucan.     

UPLC/Q-TOF MS/MS负离子模式下环氧烷型环烯醚萜苷的结构表征

利用四极杆飞行时间串联质谱(Q-TOF MS/MS)研究4个环氧烷型环烯醚萜苷同系组分(胡黄连苷Ⅰ、胡黄连苷Ⅱ、胡麻属苷、梓醇)的质谱裂解行为。在大气压化学电离源负离子(APCI~-)模式下,该类同系组分主要的裂解途径除了常见的母环上取代基的断裂,如中性丢失H_2O、CO_2和葡萄糖基等,生成~(1,6)F~-、~(1,4)F~-等特征碎片离子;另外还存在葡萄糖基环的断裂,生成~(0,4)A_1~-、~(1,4)A_1~-及~(2,4)A_1~-等碎片离子。通过对上述环氧烷型同系组分的质谱裂解行为进行归纳总结,依据其裂解规律,利用UPLC/Q-TOF MS/MS对胡黄连提取物中的环烯醚萜苷类化合物进行表征,共初步鉴定出10个环烯醚萜苷,其中包括8个环氧烷型环烯醚萜苷(胡黄连苷Ⅰ、胡黄连苷Ⅱ、胡黄连苷Ⅲ、胡黄连苷Ⅳ、黄金树苷、梓苷、婆婆纳苷和Piscroside B)和2个环戊烷型环烯醚萜(Boschnaloside和Mussaenosidic acid)。该方法有助于推动胡黄连在物质基础表征、质量控制和临床应用上的开发和利用。     

HPLC法测定蓝花喜盐鸢尾中一种新的异黄酮糖苷

建立简单、快速的HPLC法测定蓝花喜盐鸢尾中一种全新异黄酮糖苷——鸢尾甲黄素B 4'-O-β-D-葡萄糖苷。采用HPLC法,Agilent 1260HC-C18(4.6 mm×250 mm,5μm)色谱柱,流动相为甲醇-1%冰醋酸梯度洗脱,流速为0.9 m L/min,检测波长为268 nm,柱温为25℃。结果表明,该异黄酮糖苷在17.2~172μg/m L浓度内线性关系良好,相关系数为0.999 4;回收率为99.78%(RSD=0.76%)。该检测方法准确灵敏,适用于蓝花喜盐鸢尾中鸢尾甲黄素B 4'-O-β-D-葡萄糖苷的测定。     

C_(10)~C_(14)烷基糖苷的合成及其作为乳化剂的应用

采用直接法合成了碳链长度为C10~C14的烷基糖苷(APG),用红外光谱对产品结构进行了表征,研究了烷基糖苷浓度及碳链长度对产品表、界面性质的影响。结果表明:随烷基糖苷浓度增大,水溶液表面张力、柴油-水界面张力降逐渐降低,而起泡性、泡沫稳定性逐渐增强。烷基糖苷碳链越长,临界胶束浓度(cmc)值越低;水溶液表面张力、柴油-水界面张力越低,起泡性、泡沫稳定性越强。基于烷基糖苷良好的表、界面性质,将其作为乳化剂制备成乳液,并与常见非离子表面活性剂OP-10制备的乳液进行了对比。烷基糖苷乳化性随浓度增大、碳链长度增长而增强;乳液微观形态表明不同碳链烷基糖苷形成乳状液稳定性、液滴均一性、填充性均优于OP-10稳定的乳液;稳定时间对乳液微观形态影响不大。所合成烷基糖苷中性能最优的为C14APG。     

The Effects of Marine Carbohydrates and Glycosylated Compounds on Human Health

Marine organisms have been recognized as a valuable source of bioactive compounds with industrial and nutraceutical potential. Recently, marine-derived carbohydrates, including polysaccharides and low molecular weight glycosylated oligosaccharides, have attracted much attention because of their numerous health benefits. Moreover, several studies have reported that marine carbohydrates exhibit various biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-infection, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic effects. The present review discusses the potential industrial applications of bioactive marine carbohydrates for health maintenance and disease prevention. Furthermore, the use of marine carbohydrates in food, cosmetics, agriculture, and environmental protection is discussed.     

Analysis of Transglucosylation Products of Aspergillus niger α-Glucosidase that Catalyzes the Formation of α-1,2- and α-1,3-Linked Oligosaccharides

According to whole-genome sequencing, Aspergillus niger produces multiple enzymes of glycoside hydrolases (GH) 31. Here we focus on a GH31 α-glucosidase, AgdB, from A. niger . AgdB has also previously been reported as being expressed in the yeast species, Pichia pastoris ; while the recombinant enzyme (rAgdB) has been shown to catalyze tranglycosylation via a complex mechanism. We constructed an expression system for A. niger AgdB using Aspergillus nidulans . To better elucidate the complicated mechanism employed by AgdB for transglucosylation, we also established a method to quantify glucosidic linkages in the transglucosylation products using 2D NMR spectroscopy. Results from the enzyme activity analysis indicated that the optimum temperature was 65 °C and optimum pH range was 6.0–7.0. Further, the NMR results showed that when maltose or maltopentaose served as the substrate, α-1,2-, α-1,3-, and small amount of α-1,1-β-linked oligosaccharides are present throughout the transglucosylation products of AgdB. These results suggest that AgdB is an α-glucosidase that serves as a transglucosylase capable of effectively producing oligosaccharides with α-1,2-, α-1,3-glucosidic linkages.