On‐the‐Spot Immobilization of Quantum Dots,Graphene Oxide,and Proteins via Hydrophobins

Class I hydrophobin Vmh2, a peculiar surface active and versatile fungal protein, is known to self‐assemble into chemically stable amphiphilic films, to be able to change wettability of surfaces, and to strongly adsorb other proteins. Herein, a fast, highly homogeneous and efficient glass functionalization by spontaneous self‐assembling of Vmh2 at liquid–solid interfaces is achieved (in 2 min). The Vmh2‐coated glass slides are proven to immobilize not only proteins but also nanomaterials such as graphene oxide (GO) and quantum dots (QDs). As models, bovine serum albumin labeled with Alexa 555 fluorophore, anti‐immunoglobulin G antibodies, and cadmium telluride QDs are patterned in a microarray fashion in order to demonstrate functionality, reproducibility, and versatility of the proposed substrate. Additionally, a GO layer is effectively and homogeneously self‐assembled onto the studied functionalized surface. This approach offers a quick and simple alternative to immobilize nanomaterials and proteins, which is appealing for new bioanalytical and nanobioenabled applications.     

Induction of Gushing with Recombinant Class II Hydrophobin FcHyd5p from Fusarium culmorum and the Impact of Hop Compounds on its Gushing Potential

Malt‐induced gushing is a problem that has been known for many years. Mechanisms and inducing agents are still not fully understood and identified. Hydrophobins produced by various filamentous fungi are currently under discussion as biological gushing‐inducing compounds. In the current study the class II hydrophobin FcHyd5p, from the cereal pathogen Fusarium culmorum, was employed in beer and other carbonated beverages for gushing experiments and the influence of hop compounds on gushing potential was examined. It was demonstrated that this protein strongly induces gushing in various carbonated beverages, including beer. It was further demonstrated that the resulting gushing volume is susceptible to certain hop compounds and can be decreased significantly by the addition of these substances.     

Soluble Expression and Efficient Purification of Recombinant Class I Hydrophobin DewA

Hydrophobins are small proteins (<20 kDa) with an amphipathic tertiary structure that are secreted by various filamentous fungi. Their amphipathic properties provide surfactant-like activity, leading to the formation of robust amphipathic layers at hydrophilic–hydrophobic interfaces, which make them useful for a wide variety of industrial fields spanning protein immobilization to surface functionalization. However, the industrial use of recombinant hydrophobins has been hampered due to low yield from inclusion bodies owing to the complicated process, including an auxiliary refolding step. Herein, we report the soluble expression of a recombinant class I hydrophobin DewA originating from Aspergillus nidulans, and its efficient purification from recombinant Escherichia coli. Soluble expression of the recombinant hydrophobin DewA was achieved by a tagging strategy using a systematically designed expression tag (ramp tag) that was fused to the N-terminus of DewA lacking the innate signal sequence. Highly expressed recombinant hydrophobin DewA in a soluble form was efficiently purified by a modified aqueous two-phase separation technique using isopropyl alcohol. Our approach for expression and purification of the recombinant hydrophobin DewA in E. coli shed light on the industrial production of hydrophobins from prokaryotic hosts.     

融合疏水蛋白在银耳中的异源表达

为改善疏水蛋白的性质,充分利用疏水蛋白和银耳的可食性优势,将平菇疏水蛋白基因hyd与去除终止密码子的hyd拼接,形成融合疏水蛋白H-H,并构建其表达载体pEGH-H-H。通过电击法将pEGH-H-H导入到根癌农杆菌EHA105中,并转化到银耳芽孢。转化子经潮霉素抗性筛选,PCR检测后,随机挑取10个转化子进行Southern blot,筛选获得高拷贝且能稳定遗传的转化子。实时荧光定量PCR分析显示5号转化子的疏水蛋白相对表达量是野生型的11.4倍。最后提取5号转化子中的融合疏水蛋白,经SDS-PAGE检测,证明融合疏水蛋白在银耳中成功异源表达。起泡性和乳化性实验表明,转化子融合疏水蛋白较平菇疏水蛋白有一定的提升。     

瑞氏木霉疏水蛋白HFBI的分离纯化

通过对瑞氏木霉(Trichodermareesei)疏水蛋白HFBI的一系列抽提纯化,确定了瑞氏木霉疏水蛋白的抽提纯化工艺。比较几种疏水蛋白粗提方法,选用了1%的SDS进行抽提,KCl沉淀后,经过Berol532双水相萃取得到粗提品;通过SephadexG-25、Q-Sepharose的纯化后,样品中疏水蛋白HFBI占总蛋白含量的98%以上,总回收率可达62·42%。     

Comparative Study of Structural Changes of Polylactide and Poly(ethylene terephthalate) in the Presence of Trichoderma viride

Plastic pollution is one of the crucial global challenges nowadays, and biodegradation is a promising approach to manage plastic waste in an environment-friendly and cost-effective way. In this study we identified the strain of fungus Trichoderma viride GZ1, which was characterized by particularly high pectinolytic activity. Using differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy techniques, and viscosity measurements we showed that three-month incubation of polylactide and polyethylene terephthalate in the presence of the fungus lead to significant changes of the surface of polylactide. Further, to gain insight into molecular mechanisms underneath the biodegradation process, western blot hybridization was used to show that in the presence of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in laboratory conditions the fungus produced hydrophobin proteins. The mycelium adhered to the plastic surface, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, possibly due to the presence of hydrophobins. Further, using atomic force microscopy we demonstrated for the first time the formation of hydrophobin film on the surface of aliphatic polylactide (PLA) and PET by T. viride GZ1. This is the first stage of research that will be continued under environmental conditions, potentially leading to a practical application.     

平菇疏水蛋白Po.hyd基因RNAi载体构建及转化

为研究平菇疏水蛋白基因Po.hyd的功能,首次构建了Po.hyd的RNAi载体,并通过根癌农杆菌介导获得了平菇转化子。通过聚合酶链式反应（polymerase chain reaction,PCR）扩增Po.hyd序列,利用Golden Gate克隆法构建了干扰载体p1302-GG-ihyd,将其导入根癌农杆菌GV3101中,并在乙酰丁香酮的诱导下完成根癌农杆菌对平菇幼嫩菌丝的介导转化。转化子经PCR检测、荧光显微镜观察、实时定量荧光PCR技术（real-time PCR）以及Southern杂交等技术进行验证。结果显示,本研究最终获得1 株可稳定遗传的平菇转化子,该转化子具有潮霉素抗性,且在荧光显微镜下可检测到绿色荧光信号,Po.hyd基因的表达量为野生型的43%,干扰载体T-DNA片段以单拷贝的形式整合在转化子基因组内。     

Hydrophobin as a Nanolayer Primer That Enables the Fluorinated Coating of Poorly Reactive Polymer Surfaces

A new and simple method is presented to fluorinate the surfaces of poorly reactive hydrophobic polymers in a more environmentally friendly way using the protein hydrophobin (HFBII) as a nanosized primer layer. In particular, HFBII, via electrostatic interactions, enables the otherwise inefficient binding of a phosphate‐terminated perfluoropolyether onto polystyrene, polypropylene, and low‐density polyethylene surfaces. The binding between HFBII and the perfluoropolyether depends significantly on the environmental pH, reaching the maximum stability at pH 4. Upon treatment, the polymeric surfaces mostly retain their hydrophobic character but also acquire remarkable oil repellency, which is not observed in the absence of the protein primer. The functionalization proceeds rapidly and spontaneously at room temperature in aqueous solutions without requiring energy‐intensive procedures, such as plasma or irradiation treatments.     

In vitro studies on the main beer protein Z4 of Hordeum vulgare concerning heat stability,protease inhibition and gushing

Protein Z4, the most abundant form of serpin protein Z of Hordeum vulgare, is one of the major constituents of beer foam and inhibits the activity of serine proteases. The possible influence of protein Z4 on malt proteases, which impact malt quality, is of interest for brewers. In addition, the persistence of Z4 in the brewing process and the ensuing presence of Z4 in beer matters to brewers because of its impact on foam. In order to analyse the influence of Z4 on protease inhibition and beer gushing, Pichia pastoris cells were heterologously transformed with the Z4 coding gene and the protein was recovered from the supernatant of a transformant's liquid culture. Agar diffusion assays showed that the recombinant Z4 protein had an inhibitory effect on proteases present in barley malt. Heat denaturation of the protein impaired protease inhibition and revealed degradation of the structure of Z4. The effect of Z4 on hydrophobin‐induced gushing was analysed by addition of the protein to beers pre‐treated with the class 2 hydrophobin FcHyd5p. Results demonstrated that addition of protein Z4 to gushing beer reduces the overflow volume considerably. Heat treatment again had a negative impact on the gushing reduction capacity of Z4. Copyright © 2014 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling