The Role of Heparan Sulfate in CCL26-Induced Eosinophil Chemotaxis

Proinflammatory chemokine ligand 26 (CCL26, eotaxin-3) mediates transendothelial cell migration of eosinophils by binding and activating the G-protein-coupled (GPC) chemokine receptor 3 on the surface of eosinophilic cells. Here we have investigated the role of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) as potential co-receptors in the process of CCL26-induced eosinophil chemotaxis. For this purpose, we have first identified the GAG-binding site of CCL26 by a site-directed mutagenesis approach in the form of an alanine screening. A panel of GAG-binding-deficient mutants has been designed, generated, and analyzed with respect to their binding affinities to heparan sulphate (HS) by isothermal fluorescence titration studies. This showed that basic amino acids in the α-helical part of CCL26 are strongly involved in GAG-binding. In chemotaxis experiments, we found that decreased GAG-binding affinity correlated with decreased chemotactic activity, which indicates an involvement of GAGs in eosinophil migration. This was further proven by the negative impact of heparinase III treatment and, independently, by the incubation of eosinophils with an anti heparan sulfate antibody. We finally investigated eosinophils’ proteoglycan (PG) expression patterns by real-time PCR, which revealed the highest expression level for serglycin. Including an anti-serglycin antibody in CCL26-induced eosinophil migration experiments reduced the chemotaxis of these immune cells, thereby proving the dependence of eosinophil mobilization on the proteoglycan serglycin.     

Generalized Approach towards Secretion-Based Protein Production via Neutralization of Secretion-Preventing Cationic Substrate Residues

Many heterologous proteins can be secreted by bacterial ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, provided that they are fused with the C-terminal signal sequence, but some proteins are not secretable even though they carry the right signal sequence. The invention of a method to secrete these non-secretable proteins would be valuable both for understanding the secretory physiology of ABC transporters and for industrial applications. Herein, we postulate that cationic “supercharged” regions within the target substrate protein block the secretion by ABC transporters. We also suggest that the secretion of such substrate proteins can be rescued by neutralizing those cationic supercharged regions via structure-preserving point mutageneses. Surface-protruding, non-structural cationic amino acids within the cationic supercharged regions were replaced by anionic or neutral hydrophilic amino acids, reducing the cationic charge density. The examples of rescued secretions we provide include the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, glutathione-S-transferase, streptavidin, lipase, tyrosinase, cutinase, growth factors, etc. In summary, our study provides a method to predict the secretability and a tool to rescue the secretion by correcting the secretion-blocking regions, making a significant step in understanding the physiological properties of ABC transporter-dependent protein secretion and laying the foundation for the development of a secretion-based protein-producing platform.     

T-DNA在丝状真菌中的插入突变及其应用前景

利用根癌农杆菌介导的转化系统已经在酵母菌和多个属种的丝状真菌成功建立起相应的T—DNA插入突变体系,使之有可能成为真菌生理学、生物化学以及发育生物学相关理论研究的潜在工具．综述了丝状真菌质粒DNA转化和T—DNA转化的差别、T—DNA插入突变的主要特点和优点、T—DNA转化丝状真菌的方法以及T—DNA已转化的丝状真菌种类,并对T—DNA插入突变在丝状真菌中的应用前景进行了分析．     

Sustained photobiological hydrogen production in the presence of N2 by nitrogenase mutants of the heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Anabaena

Heterocyst-forming cells of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 ΔHup, lacking an uptake hydrogenase, photobiologically produce H₂ by nitrogenase. Under N₂-rich atmosphere, the nitrogenase activity declines in a rather short time due to the sufficiency of combined nitrogen. From the parental ΔHup strain, site-directed double-crossover variants, dc-Q193S and dc-R284H, were created with amino acid substitutions presumed to be located in the vicinity of the FeMo-cofactor of nitrogenase. Unlike the case for the ΔHup strain, H₂ production activities of the variants were not decreased by the presence of high concentrations of N₂ and they continuously produced H₂ over 21 days with occasional headspace gas replacement. This property of N₂ insensitivity is a potentially useful strategy for reducing the cost of the culture gas in future practical applications of sustainable biofuel production. This Anabaena strain has only the Mo-containing nitrogenase which reduces acetylene to ethylene, but the dc-Q193S variant also produced ethane at low but measurable rates along with greater rates of ethylene production.     

Mutations Closer to the Active Site Improve the Promiscuous Aldolase Activity of 4‐Oxalocrotonate Tautomerase More Effectively than Distant Mutations

The enzyme 4‐oxalocrotonate tautomerase (4‐OT), which catalyzes enol–keto tautomerization as part of a degradative pathway for aromatic hydrocarbons, promiscuously catalyzes various carbon–carbon bond‐forming reactions. These include the aldol condensation of acetaldehyde with benzaldehyde to yield cinnamaldehyde. Here, we demonstrate that 4‐OT can be engineered into a more efficient aldolase for this condensation reaction, with a >5000‐fold improvement in catalytic efficiency (k_cat/K_m) and a >10⁷‐fold change in reaction specificity, by exploring small libraries in which only “hotspots” are varied. The hotspots were identified by systematic mutagenesis (covering each residue), followed by a screen for single mutations that give a strong improvement in the desired aldolase activity. All beneficial mutations were near the active site of 4‐OT, thus underpinning the notion that new catalytic activities of a promiscuous enzyme are more effectively enhanced by mutations close to the active site.     

Genomic and metabolomic analysis of Bacillus licheniformis with enhanced poly-γ-glutamic acid production through atmospheric and room temperature plasma mutagenesis

Poly-γ-glutamic acid is an extracellular polymeric substance with various applications owing to its valuable properties of biodegradability, flocculating activity, water solubility, and nontoxicity. However, the ability of natural strains to produce poly-γ-glutamic acid is low. Atmospheric and room temperature plasma was applied in this study to conduct mutation breeding of Bacillus licheniformis CGMCC 2876, and a mutant strain M32 with an 11% increase in poly-γ-glutamic acid was obtained. Genome resequencing analysis identified 7 nonsynonymous mutations of ppsC encoding lipopeptide synthetase associated with poly-γ-glutamic acid metabolic pathways. From molecular docking, more binding sites and higher binding energy were speculated between the mutated plipastatin synthase subunit C and glutamate, which might contribute to the higher poly-γ-glutamic acid production. Moreover, the metabolic mechanism analysis revealed that the upregulated amino acids of M32 provided substrates for glutamate and promoted the conversion between L- and D-glutamate acids. In addition, the glycolytic pathway is enhanced, leading to a better capacity for using glucose. The maximum poly-γ-glutamic acid yield of 14.08 g·L^–1 was finally reached with 30 g·L^–1 glutamate.     

角质酶产生菌Thermobifida fusca WSH03-11诱变及高产突变株发酵条件优化

以Thermobifida fusca WSH03-11为出发菌株,经硫酸二乙酯诱变,获得一株遗传稳定性好的高产角质酶的突变菌株(酶活由2.3 U/mL提高为8.9 U/mL)。确定了以乙酸钠为碳源,并在2.5 L发酵罐中研究了不同pH值对突变株角质酶分批发酵的影响。根据不同pH值下发酵过程中细胞比生长速率及产物比生长速率的变化,确定了分阶段控制pH值的策略,即在发酵前20 h控制pH值7.3、20 h后控制pH值7.6,这种条件下角质酶活达到19.8 U/mL,比采用单一pH值7.0、7.3、7.6、7.9下的最大值分别提高了125%,64%,37%,47%。     

New WS9326A Derivatives and One New Annimycin Derivative with Antimalarial Activity are Produced by Streptomyces asterosporus DSM 41452 and Its Mutant

In this study, we report that Streptomyces asterosporus DSM 41452 is a producer of new molecules related to the nonribosomal cyclodepsipeptide WS9326A and the polyketide annimycin. S. asterosporus DSM 41452 is shown to produce six cyclodepsipeptides and peptides, WS9326A to G. Notably, the compounds WS9326F and WS9326G have not been described before. The genome of S. asterosporus DSM 41452 was sequenced, and a putative WS9326A gene cluster was identified. Gene‐deletion experiments confirmed that this cluster was responsible for the biosynthesis of WS9326A to G. Additionally, a gene‐deletion experiment demonstrated that sas16 encoding a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase was involved in the synthesis of the novel (E)‐2,3‐dehydrotyrosine residue found in WS9326A and its derivatives. An insertion mutation within the putative annimycin gene cluster led to the production of a new annimycin derivative, annimycin B, which exhibited modest inhibitory activity against Plasmodium falciparum.     

常压室温等离子体生物诱变育种及其应用研究进展

大气压射频辉光放电（RF APGD）等离子体具有大气压下操作不需要真空系统、气体温度低、活性粒子浓度高、放电均匀性好、可控性强等特点,能够与各类生物分子发生作用,在生物技术中的应用受到广泛的关注。本研究团队将RF APGD等离子体射流引入生物诱变育种领域,对其物理特性及其与生物大分子和整细胞的作用机制进行了系统研究,并将其开发成新一代高效诱变育种仪,命名为常压室温等离子体（ARTP）诱变育种仪。实践证明,ARTP诱变育种仪具有对操作者安全、环境友好、操作简便、突变快速、突变率高、获得的突变体性状稳定等特点,目前已成功应用于包括细菌、放线菌、真菌、酵母、微藻等在内的四十余种微生物的诱变育种。本文将对ARTP生物育种技术的最新研究进展进行综述,以期ARTP快速生物突变技术在生物进化研究及工业生物菌种改造上发挥重要作用。