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The expression of the recombinant wild-type NAD+- and mutant NADP+-dependent formate dehydrogenases (EC 1.2.1.2., FDH) from the methanol-utilizing bacterium Pseudomonas sp. 101 in Escherichia coli cells has been improved to produce active and soluble enzyme up to the level of 50% of total soluble proteins. The cultivation process for E. coli/pFDH8a and E. coli/pFDH8aNP cells was optimized and scaled up to a volume of 100 L. A downstream purification process has been developed to produce technical grade NAD+- and NADP+-specific formate dehydrogenases in pilot scale, utilizing extraction in aqueous two-phase systems., (Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

During recombinant Escherichia coli fermentation with high expression levels, inclusion bodies are often formed. Aqueous two-phase systems have been used in the presence of urea for the initial recovery steps. To investigate phase behavior of such systems we determined phase diagrams of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/sodium sulfate/urea/water and PEG/dextran T-500 (DEX)/urea/phosphate buffer/water at different concentrations of urea and different molecular weight of PEG. PEG/Na2SO4 aqueous two-phase systems could be obtained including up to 30% w/w urea at 25 degrees C and PEG/dextran T-500 up to 35% w/w urea. The binodial was displaced toward higher concentrations with increasing urea concentrations. The partition coefficient of urea was near unity. An unstable mutant of T4-lysozyme with an amino acid replacement in the core (V149T) was used to analyze the effect of phase components on the conformation of the enzyme. We showed that partitioning of tryptophan was not dependent on the concentration of urea in the phase system.

Expanded bed adsorption (EBA) is an integrated technology for the primary recovery of proteins from unclarified feedstock. A method is presented which allows a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the main mechanisms governing the interaction of biomass with fluidized resins. A pulse response technique was used to determine the adsorption of various cell types (yeast, Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, mammalian cells and yeast homogenate) to a range of commercially available matrices for EBA. Cells and cell debris were found to interact with the ligands of agarose based resins mainly by electrostatic forces. From the adsorbents investigated the anion exchange matrix showed the most severe interactions, while cation exchange and affinity adsorbents appeared to be less affected. Within the range of biologic systems under study E. coli cells had the lowest tendency of binding to all matrices while hybridoma cells attached to all the adsorbents except the protein A affinity matrix. The method presented may be employed for screening of suitable biomass/adsorbent combinations, which yield a robust and reliable initial capture step by expanded bed adsorption from unclarified feedstock.

The effect of nicotine and diphenylamine on astaxanthin biosynthesis in Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous was studied. The effects were analysed under standard and low temperature conditions. It was found that 10 mM-nicotine inhibits the cyclization of lycopene and de novo protein synthesis was not needed to reverse the inhibition. The oxidation of beta-carotene was irreversibly inhibited by 10 microM-diphenylamine while the dehydrogenation of phytoene was reversibly inhibited by 60 microM-diphenylamine. The simultaneous exposure to low temperature (4 degrees C) overcomes the inhibition of beta-carotene oxidation at low diphenylamine concentration.

SDS/gel capillary electrophoresis (SDS/gel CE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight MS (MALDI-TOF-MS) were employed to analyse changes in the culture broth during batch and continuous cultivation of hybridoma cells. The stability of IgG was analysed by SDS/gel CE and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). The results obtained by the new analytical procedures reflect the changes in the cultivation conditions very well, indicating that these tools can be used to follow animal cell culture processes. A new technique to collect fractions of very small volumes during the CZE separation is described, and the successful off-line coupling of CZE and MALDI-TOF-MS for the analysis of biotechnological processes is demonstrated.

dTDP-6-deoxy-4-keto-D-glucose (1), the common intermediate in the biosyntheses of the manifold deoxysugars, was synthesized on a gram-scale by the combination of sucrose synthase and dTDP-D-glucose 4,6-dehydratase in a fed batch, starting the reaction with dTDP. This process allowed a dTDP conversion with a 100% rate. An easy and efficient three-step purification with anion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration gave 1.1 g of 1 in an overall yield of 73%. This work realizes a first step for an economic access to activated deoxysugars.

The level of expression in Escherichia coli cells and different steps of purification of the recombinant NADP(+)-dependent formate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.2, FDH) from bacterium Pseudomonas sp.101 was analyzed by rapid SDS-Gel capillary electrophoresis (SDS-Gel CE) and compared with SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS PAGE). First standard proteins were separated in the short capillary and the calibration curve generated, then fractions taken during the fermentation and purification process were analysed. The main advantages of SDS-Gel CE are short analysis time, high sensitivity, the possibility to quantify proteins at different ultraviolet wavelength, and small injection volumes. The data for each step of the fermentation process and during the purification were controlled by spectrophotometric analysis of enzyme activity and protein concentration as well as standard SDS PAGE. The molecular mass of the purified FDH was determined as 44,078 Da by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry.

The application of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polymer capillary electrophoresis (CE) to the analysis of proteins of hybridoma cell culture supernatant is demonstrated. All steps of the developed analysis are shown and discussed. Following optimization of sample preparation and concentration, as well as of the mode of injection all main protein components were separated with high resolution and selectivity. Proteolytic degradation of IgG, due to microbial contamination, was observed on SDS-gel CE and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). The technique was applied to monitor the cell cultivation process and concentrations of main components are demonstrated. IgG was found to increase from initially 5 mg/L to 20 mg/L after 4 days and to > 130 mg/L after 14 days of cultivation. The techniques may be applied to other biotechnological processes for the production or purification of proteins.

Detergent based aqueous two-phase systems have several specific properties, e.g., extreme small density differences between the two liquid phases (0.003-0.005 g/cm(3)), low interfacial tensions (5-10 microN/m) and complex rheological behavior of the product containing detergent-rich phase, which make processing difficult. We describe the successful separation of these aqueous two-phase systems in the pilot scale (1-20 kg) in the presence and absence of microbial cells, either by settling under gravity or in centrifugal separators. The performance of self-desludging liquid-liquid separators and of a nozzle separator was analyzed in detail to judge large scale application. With a feed rate of 16 L/h, stable operation was possible in the desludging machine. Up to 56 L/h could be processed with very close control of the hydrodynamic balance. In a small nozzle separator, feed rates of 90 L/h could be realized, but the purity of the separated phases and the yield of the top phase was slightly lower than in the liquid-liquid separator. The presence of surface-active components in the feed may alter the separation characteristics of the phase systems significantly. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 55: 339-347, 1997.

The influence of matrix properties and operating conditions on the performance in fluidized-bed adsorption has been studied using Streamline diethyl-aminoethyl (DEAE), an ion exchange matrix based on quartz-weighted agarose, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein. Three different particle size fractions (120-160 microm, 120-300 microm, and 250-300 microm) were investigated. Dispersion in the liquid phase was reduced when particles with a wide size distribution were fluidized compared to narrow particle size distributions. When the mean particle diameter was reduced, the breakthrough capacities during frontal adsorption were enlarged due to a shorter diffusion path length within the matrix. At small particle diameters the effect of film mass transfer became more relevant to the adsorption performance in comparison to larger particles. Therefore matrices designed for fluidized-bed adsorption should have small particle diameter and increased mean particle density to ensure small diffusion path length in the particle and a high interstitial velocity to improve film mass transfer. Studies on the influence of sedimented matrix height on axial mixing showed an increased Bodenstein number with increasing bed length. Higher breakthrough capacities were also found for longer adsorbent beds due to reduced dispersion and improved fluid and particle side mass transfer. With increasing bed height the influence of flow rate on breakthrough capacity was reduced. For a settled bed height of 50 cm breakthrough capacities of 80% of the equilibrium capacity for flow rates varying from 3 to 9 cm/min could be achieved.

High capacity membrane adsorbents have been used as a stationary phase for the preparative chromatographic purification of human serum albumin. A two-step ion exchange fractionation scheme yields albumin with 98% purity from clarified, microfiltrated, and desalted human plasma. Experiments with laboratory and pilot scale membrane modules are compared to literature data obtained with conventional Fast Flow Sepharose in a similar purification protocol. Increased productivity in combination with excellent reproducibility and stability was found using the membrane adsorbents. Scale-up of the process based on standard microfiltration equipment was successful but resulted in reduced capacity and productivity due to deteriorated flow characteristics of the module. This was attributed to the effects of substantial axial dispersion in the pilot scale module. Methods to reduce this limitation were identified. The concept of membrane adsorption chromatography for the fast purification of proteins is illustrated and engineering aspects important for the process design are discussed.

The L-leucine dehydrogenase gene from Bacillus cereus (DSM 626) was cloned from a partial genomic library and sequenced. The open reading frame has 1101 bp and codes for a protein of 39.9 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of the LeuDH from B. cereus shares 70-80% identity with LeuDH's from the thermophilic strains B. stearothermophilus and Thermoactinomyces intermedius. The active protein was overexpressed in Escherichia coli to yield approximately 30% of the total soluble protein.

Capillary sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) electrophoresis is a powerful and sensitive method for the qualitative and quantitative microanalysis of molecular mass for biopolymers. Usually, a separation is carried out in the long part of the capillary (20-50 cm), before the detection window, with separation times of 15-50 min. The separation of model proteins and real fractions of cell culture broth in the short part (7 cm) of the capillary, behind the window, was investigated. The analysis time could be reduced to less than 5 min. A comparison with established separation techniques is presented. Different modes of injection (by pressure and electrokinetic) were considered. The proposed method can be used for on-line monitoring of biotechnological processes.

A novel expanded bed adsorbent carrying a recombinant protein A ligand was used for the isolation of monoclonal antibodies from cell containing hybridoma fermentation broth. The untreated effluent from a continuous hybridoma cultivation was applied to the stable expanded adsorbent (Streamline rProteinA), which proved to have a high capacity for the MAb studied (14 mg MAb per ml of adsorbent). A clarified and highly concentrated (up to 50 fold) eluate of high purity was obtained. A scale up of the MAb purification is demonstrated from lab scale (250 mg MAb per purification cycle) to a small pilot scale (2 g MAb per cycle). Low product concentration in the broth in combination with the high capacity of the adsorbent caused long sample application cycles (10-11 h). Experimental problems arising from these long cycle times are discussed with regard to a large scale application of the method.

A comparative study was carried out to investigate the influence of different mouse antibody subclasses on the chromatographic behaviour on thiophilic supports. Cell-free supernatants from different mouse-mouse hybridoma cultures in a standard medium were purified on thiophilic agarose and Fractogel EMD TA. The adsorption capacities and purification factors were monitored under optimised adsorption conditions. The different isotypes did not differ significantly regarding capacity of the thiophilic matrix, but the purity of the eluted antibody fractions was significantly lower for the IgG2a subclass compared to all other murine antibodies. A significant copurification of proteins from cell culture supernatant with antibodies of the IgG2a subclass indicated a restriction in the universal nature of thiophilic interaction.

The bulky tryptophan residue 392 located in the deep cleft leading to the active center of pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) from Zymomonas mobilis was changed to alanine which is found in the equivalent position of PDC from yeast. The mutation reduced the decarboxylase activity towards pyruvate by a factor of two (60-70 U/mg), whereas the Km (1.1 mM in Mes/KOH buffer) remains unchanged compared with the wild-type enzyme. The apparent Km for thiamine diphosphate (thiamin-P2) in the presence of 5 mM MgSO4 was increased by a factor of 10 (84 microM in Mes/KOH buffer) and the tetrameric mutant protein was less stable, as indicated by urea denaturation experiments. The mutation enhanced the carboligase activity of the enzyme towards benzaldehyde by a factor of four. The resulting alpha-hydroxyketone was identified as (R)-phenylacetylcarbinol.

A microbial peptide amidase was found in a limited screening and purified about 500-fold from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The native enzyme has a molecular mass of 38 kDa (gel filtration). The sequence of the first 16 amino acids was determined by Edman degradation. The isoelectric point was found to be around 5.8. The peptide amidase exhibited a pH optimum of 6.0 and a temperature optimum of about 39-45 degrees C. The enzyme is stable in 50 mM TRIS/HCl, pH 7.5, at 30 degrees C, and the residual activity was found to be above 90% after 1 week of incubation. The biocatalyst is not inhibited by potential inhibitors like Hg2+, EDTA, D-cycloserine or dithiothreitol and only weakly influenced by inhibitors of serine proteases. The peptide amidase deamidates selectively C-terminal amide groups in peptide amides without hydrolysing internal peptide bonds or amide functions in the side-chain of glutamine or asparagine. Unprotected amino acid amides are not hydrolysed. The enzyme is stereoselective with regard to L-enantiomers in the C-terminal position.

The performance of fluidized bed adsorption is strongly influenced by the hydrodynamics of the fluidization process. Especially axial mixing in the liquid and solid phase may lead to reduced capacity and resolution. In this article axial mixing in the liquid phase of a classified fluidized bed based on porous glass granules is presented. Axial mixing was analyzed by measurements of residence time distributions in a fluidized bed, showing a reduction of mixing at increased ratio of bed height to diameter as well as at increased linear velocity of the liquid stream. These results were transferred to two real adsorption systems on two different scales: In a bench scale (up to 15 mL of adsorbent) the purification of monoclonal antibodies from hybridoma supernatant was performed with a cation exchanger, in a larger scale (up to 750 mL of matrix) the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the same matrix was investigated. The results showed an increase of capacity at increased bed height-to-diameter ratio; with regard to linear velocity a broad range of only slightly changed capacity was found. A shift from dispersion controlled to diffusion controlled adsorption at intermediate linear velocity was proposed by isolating the effect of pore diffusion from the effect of dispersion.

The performance of a Graesser Raining Bucket Contactor in an extraction using aqueous two-phase systems was characterized by axial mixing coefficients and counter current mass transfer for whey protein purification. The influence of rotor speed, phase ratio and phase velocity on the salt phase axial mixing coefficients was determined applying a dispersion model to the residence time distribution experiments. When dissolving whey powder in the salt-rich phase of the system, alpha-lactalbumin was extracted to the polyethylene-glycol-rich phase, whereas beta-lactoglobulin predominantly remained in the bottom phase, making the process suitable for removal of the major allergen beta-lactoglobulin. The mass transfer in the phase system was determined from the steady state data of alpha-lactalbumin extraction. On the basis of a diffusion model, the efficiency of the counter current extraction under different process conditions was calculated from results of the mass transfer experiments.

In aqueous polyethylene glycol/dextran two-phase systems, the hydrophobicity, free volume, surface tension, and interfacial tension of the phases in equilibrium were measured as a function of pH and ionic strength. These parameters were found to change with pH, but the pattern and magnitude cannot explain the unusual partition of charged macromolecules, observed previously. The electrostatic potential difference was determined by a new experimental approach based on the measurement of the pH difference between the phases at equilibrium. In polyethylene glycol/dextran systems containing sodium chloride as ionized species, the electrostatic potential is not constant in the pH range 2 to 11. The partition behavior of charged macromolecules and its dependence on pH can be explained by the combined action of charge and phase potential. This conclusion was tested with poly-L-glutamate, which partitioned as predicted and in a pattern opposite to positively charged macro- molecules. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

To study the influence of charges on the partition of solutes in aqueous two-phase systems of polyethylene glycol and dextran, partition coefficients of dimethylaminoethyl-dextran, trimethylamino-dextran, and bis (alpha,omega)-amino-poly(ethylene glycol) were determined as a function of pH (range 2 to 12) and ionic strength. These polymers are derivatives of the phase forming components and carry ionizable groups that are charged or uncharged depending on the pH. Unexpectedly, the largest differences in the partition coefficients were found at high pH, where the modified polymers are uncharged. In addition, the partitioning of low-molecular-weight model compounds, ethylenediamine and iminodiacetic acid, as well as poly-L-lysine and poly(allylamine) was analyzed. A consistent pattern was observed in the partition of polyelectrolytes reflecting the influence of charge, but another property of aqueous phase systems unrelated to charge and changing with pH seems to be superimposed. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

To achive the coarse purification of a monoclonal antibody from whole hybridoma fermentation broth a fluidized bed cation exchange process was used. The procedure consisted of application of the crude sample and washing of the bed in a fluidized mode and elution in a fixed bed mode. A completely clarified eluate was obtained with purification factors between 4 and 8 and a concentration of the desired product (monoclonal antibody) by a factor of more than 3 was achived. Thus, a combination of the three early steps of the downstream process clarification, concentration and coarse purification was possible. Two different materials were tested: a commercially available agarose-based matrix (Stream-line-SP), and a self-derivatized material based on controlled-pore glass (Bioran). Initial experiments were performed to describe the fluidization of the glass material. Comparison with the agarose material showed several differences, the agarose matrix allowing liquid flow closer to plug flow than the glass material. Increased backmixing in the liquid phase was detected when fluidizing the glass adsorbent compared with the agarose-based matrix. Despite this fact, comparison of the two materials with respect to antibody binding and elution demonstrated a similar performance. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The application of thiophilic membranes for the purification of monoclonal antibodies from hybridoma culture media was studied. Affinity filtrations were performed with membrane stacks and also in a cross flow module with a spiral filtration channel. Purification factors up to five and concentration factors of about eight could be achieved. The flux behaviour was analysed and interpreted according to existing models of filtration. The results were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The binding capacity of the membranes differed considerably with the mode of operation. The main component responsible for membrane fouling was identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and amino acid sequence analysis as bovine serum albumin or its fragments.

The application of a chemiluminometric method for the on-line monitoring of a hybridoma cell culture is described. Enzyme sensors for glucose, lactate, glutamine, glutamate and ammonia, based on oxidase-catalysed reactions, were developed and connected to a flow-injection-analysis (f.i.a.) biosensor. H2O2 produced by the oxidase-catalysed enzyme reaction was detected by luminol chemiluminescence with a fibre-optic H2O2 biosensor. The system has been used to monitor animal cell cultures. A continuous hybridoma cell cultivation for the production of monoclonal antibodies is presented as an example. It was possible to monitor the bioprocess over a period of 15 days. A complete analysis of all five components could be performed within 42 min. The enzyme sensors were stable during the whole cultivation time without significant loss of activity. The computer-controlled biosensor f.i.a. works with good reliability. The precision for all five components ranged between 2.2 and 4.5%. It was possible to determine glutamine in one step using an anti-interference enzyme reactor. Endogenous glutamate was completely removed up to a level of 0.5 mM.

The denaturation and renaturation process of pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) from Zymomonas mobilis (ATCC 29191) has been investigated using guanidine hydrochloride and urea as denaturing agents. The quarternary structure of the homotetramer is strongly stabilized by the cofactors Mg2+ and thiamine diphosphate (TDP). The structural transitions were monitored by activity measurements, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism and gel-filtration chromatography. A three-step denaturation process, described as follows, is indicated by non-coincidental denaturation curves: (a) inactivation of the tetramer upon dissociation of cofactors (> 0.4 M guanidine hydrochloride, > 1 M urea); (b) dissociation of the tetramer into monomers (> 1 M guanidine hydrochloride, > 3 M urea); (c) complete unfolding of these (> 2.5 M guanidine hydrochloride, > 5 M urea). The refolding process initiated by rapid dilution of fully denatured protein in renaturation buffer involves the rapid reassociation of an inactive intermediate followed by the reconstitution of the active site.

The newly described carbonyl reductase from Rhodococcus erythropolis (RECR) accepts a broad range of substrates. Based on the kinetic constants of a variety of methyl and ethyl ketones a hypothetical model of the substrate-binding site is proposed. Whether a substrate of interest may be reduced by the RECR can be predicted from this model together with the kinetic data. A study of initial velocities and product inhibition is presented, which shows that the kinetics of the RECR follow a Theorell-Chance mechanism. The pro-R hydride of NADH is transferred by the enzyme to the re face of the carbonyl compounds yielding (S)-alcohols. The reduction of methyl 3-oxobutanoate and ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate catalyzed by the oxidoreductase lead to the corresponding hydroxy compounds with high enantiomeric purity [enantiomeric excess (e.e.) > or = 99%]. The synthesis of ethyl (2R,3S)-3-hydroxy-2-methylbutanoate was accomplished with high diastereoselectivity (diastereomeric excess = 95%) and enantioselectivity (e.e. > or = 95%).

UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase was purified from germinated barley (malt) using anion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography followed by preparative gel filtration. Gel filtration and SDS-PAGE revealed a molecular mass of 51 to 54 kDa for the monomeric protein. Microsequencing of the blotted protein by Edman degradation gave 20 N-terminal amino acids. UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from malt could be markedly stabilized by the addition of bovine serum albumin. The enzyme preparation is free of contaminating nucleoside triphosphatases (UTPases) and can be utilized for the enzymatic synthesis of activated sugars.

During growth on n-tetradecane a novel NADH-dependent carbonyl reductase is induced in the Gram-positive bacterium Rhodococcus erythropolis (Peters, P., Zelinski, T. and Kula, M.R. (1992) Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 38, 334-340). The enzyme has been purified to homogeneity using fractional pH precipitation, anion exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography. The isoelectric point of the oxidoreductase is 4.4. The apparent molecular mass of the native enzyme is 161 kDa, that of the subunits 40 kDa as determined by SDS gel electrophoresis. A tetrameric structure of the carbonyl reductase is consistent with these results. Important biochemical data concerning the application of the reductase are: a broad pH-optimum, temperature optimum at 40 degrees C and stability at room temperature for more than 5 days. The oxidoreductase accepted as substrate aliphatic and aromatic ketones, keto esters (esters of keto carboxylic acids) and halogenated carbonyl compounds and reduced them to the corresponding hydroxyl compounds with (S)-configuration with more than 98% enantiomeric excess. The NAD(+)-dependent oxidation of primary alcohols was not catalyzed by the carbonyl reductase, whereas secondary alcohols and hydroxy acid esters were oxidized to the corresponding carbonyl compounds at about 10-fold slower reaction rates compared to the reduction.

A novel enzyme, L-carnitine amidase, was purified about 140-fold from a newly screened microorganism (DSM 6320) to yield a homogeneous protein. The native enzyme has a molecular mass of 125 kDa (gel filtration) and consists of two identical subunits as determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Edman degradation. The pH optimum was found around pH 8.5. Out of 60 chemicals tested as substrates (amides of various aliphatic and aromatic acids, nitriles, amino acid amides and dipeptide amides) the amidase hydrolysed only L-carnitine amide. The Michaelis constant (Km) was found to be 11.6 mM, and the pure protein had a specific activity of 328 units/mg. Complex kinetics were observed with the racemic mixture of D,L-carnitine amide as starting material during enzymatic hydrolysis.

A rapid two-step procedure has been developed for the purification of Despro(2)-Val15-Leu17-aprotinin from the culture supernatant of a recombinant yeast by affinity and ion-exchange chromatography. DesPro(2)-Val15-Leu17-aprotinin was purified to homogeneity, as demonstrated by dodecylsulfate gel electrophoresis and analysis of the N-terminal amino acid sequence., ((c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

A novel oxidoreductase catalyzing the NADH-dependent reduction of a variety of carbonyl compounds, especially keto esters, was found in Candida parapsilosis DSM 70125. The enzyme was purified by fractional poly(ethylene glycol) precipitation, anion exchange, and affinity chromatography. The enzyme was enriched about 3100-fold and appeared to be homogeneous as judged by native and sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. The carbonyl reductase from C. parapsilosis is a dimeric enzyme with an apparent molecular mass of about 135 kDa. Important properties concerning the application of the enzyme are the relatively broad pH optimum between pH 6.5 and 9.0, temperature optimum between 36 and 42 degrees C, and good stability. Besides keto esters, the new enzyme reduces other aliphatic, aromatic, and cyclic ketones, as well as aldehydes and ketoacetals with high reaction rates. 4-Halo-3-hydroxybutanoates, which are promising chiral intermediates for the chemical synthesis of L-carnitine, alkaloids and pharmaceuticals, are now accessible by enzymatic reduction, as well as several phenyl-ethanol derivatives, which are important for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. The preparative applicability of the enzyme was demonstrated in a coupled enzyme system with regeneration of coenzyme. Methyl 3-oxobutanoate was converted into methyl (S)-(+)-3-hydroxybutanoate (98.5% ee), a versatile chiral building block for the synthesis of pheromones and different antibiotics.

We recently reported the isolation and some properties of an unusual enzyme called peptide amidase (Steinke, D. and Kula, M. R. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1990, 29, 1139-1140). Here we describe the partial purification of the enzyme from the flavedo of orange fruits and discuss results of a detailed study of the substrate range of the peptide amidase, which is extremely wide and useful for a C-terminal enzymatic deprotection in peptide synthesis under very mild conditions. The substrate spectrum includes protected or unprotected peptide amides and N-protected amino acid amides. The chain length of the substrate peptide amide, as well as the amino acid composition, including the C-terminal amino acid side chain, are of minor importance. The peptide amidase is stereoselective with regard to the C-terminal position, since only L-amino acid amides are accepted as substrates, with the exception of proline. Notably, side chain amides are not deamidated. The peptide amidase is free of any proteolytic activity, which would hydrolyze internal peptide bonds of substrate peptides. In the penultimate position D-amino acids are tolerated; peptide modifications toward the N-terminal region do not abolish the enzymatic deamidation at the C-terminus.

The unique character of the plant glucosyltransferase sucrose synthase, to catalyse in vitro the synthesis and cleavage of sucrose under appropriate conditions, can be exploited for the enzymatic synthesis of carbohydrates. The present paper describes the potential utilization of sucrose synthase from rice for the enzymatic synthesis of activated sugars and saccharides. In the cleavage reaction of sucrose, the nucleoside diphosphates can be used in the order UDP > TDP > ADP > CDP > GDP to obtain the corresponding activated glucoses. In batch reactions, > 90% conversion of UDP and TDP could be achieved. Substituting different di- and trisaccharides for sucrose in the cleavage reaction with UDP 2-deoxysucrose was the most promising substrate. Sucrose synthase was combined with UDP-galactose 4'-epimerase and beta 1-4 galactosyltransferase to synthesize N-acetyllactosamine with in situ regeneration of UDP-glucose. In the synthesis reaction of sucrose synthase, different donor (UDP-sugars) and acceptor substrates were investigated. UDP-N-acetylglucosamine and UDP-xylose could be used in combination with fructose as acceptor. D-Xylulose, D-tagatose, D-lyxose, D-psicose, L-sorbose, D-mannose, L-arabinose, 1,6 anhydroglucose, lactulose, raffinose and isomaltulose can serve as acceptors for UDP-glucose.

A microbial route was explored for the synthesis of 3-deoxy-D-erythro-hex-2-ulosonic acid 6-phosphate (2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate, KDPG). Two strains of bacteria, Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 F34 (DSM 529) and Escherichia coli DF 71 (CGSC 4880), lacking in KDPG-aldolase activity were tested for excretion of KDPG. Using pyruvate and gluconate as carbon sources, Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 F34 accumulated and excreted 3-deoxy-D-erythro-hexulosonic acid 6-phosphate into the culture broth, while the E. coli strain, using pyruvate and glucuronate, failed. KDPG was isolated from the culture supernatant of Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 F34 in 78% yield and 5 g scale with respect to the consumed gluconate.

Aqueous solutions of nonionic polyoxyethylene detergents form two liquid phases upon temperature increase above the cloud point. One of these phases is detergent-enriched and called the coacervate phase, whereas the other is detergent-depleted. Protein partitioning in such detergent-based aqueous two-phase systems was studied systematically and quantitatively, employing a series of similar polyoxyethylene detergents and proteins of varying hydrophobicity. Increasing the detergent alkyl chain length, temperature or salt concentration leads to an increase of detergent separating into the coacervate phase and a concomitant increase of protein. The positive correlation between protein hydrophobicity and partitioning into the coacervate phase confirms that protein-detergent interactions in such systems are primarily hydrophobic. These detergent-based systems can be applied to membrane proteins as well as water-soluble proteins which possess hydrophobic domains.

The purification of the hydroxynitrile lyase (EC 4.1.2.11, S-oxynitrilase) from Sorghum bicolor is compared using different strategies. A new procedure is presented, which exploits the affinity of S-oxynitrilase towards metal ions as a key step in purification. The metal ions are immobilized by chelators on different carrier materials, e.g. Sepharose beads, microporous membranes or poly(ethylene glycol). A systematic examination demonstrates the excellent potential of immobilized metal affinity chromatography as a preparative separation method.

The enzymatic reduction of N-Boc-4S-amino-3-oxo-5-phenylpentanoic acid methylester, the key intermediate in the stereoselective synthesis of a statinanalogue, was studied with Hansenula anomala and Hansenula silvicola. Using whole cells of H. anomala gives complete conversion and a diastereomeric excess of 88% of the desired 3S, 4S statinanalogue. The strain contains two NADPH-dependent oxidoreductases, that can be separated by ion exchange chromatography or gelfiltration, yielding the 3S, 4S or 3R, 4S stereoisomers, respectively, with > 99% diastereomeric excess (DE). In the crude extract the 3S, 4S oxidoreductase is very unstable and could be purified with << 1% yield only. In contrast, H. silvicola, which gave poor conversions using whole cells, exhibited about 80-fold higher specific activity in the crude extract than H. anomala. The NADPH-dependent oxidoreductase was purified 317-fold in 12% yield. A single enzyme of 54 kDa reduces the substrate with 97.4% DE. Besides the statinanalogue a wide range of other compounds could be reduced, most notably diones and chinones such as isatin or campherchinone. It was demonstrated that the enzymes often discussed for the reduction of beta-ketoesters with yeast e.g. L-3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.35), the beta-ketoreductase of the fatty acid synthase complex and also the 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.34) are separated during the purification steps from the oxidoreductase acting on N-Boc-4S-amino-3-oxo-5-phenylpentanoic acid methylester. The physiological role of the new enzyme is still unknown.

A new adsorbent for the selective binding of enzymes, in the form of microporous membranes carrying triazine dyes as pseudo-affinity ligand, has been implemented in the recovery of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from yeast. A detailed investigation of the process parameters has been performed. In the adsorption step, the contact time for binding G6PDH could be reduced down to 0.25 s without significant decrease of the capture efficiency. Hence, fast filtration allowed to isolate G6PDH from a dilute extract (1.6 mug G6PDH . mL(-1)), where the enzyme accounted for 1% of the proteins. The yield of the selective elution step using NADP was only 70% at best. It could be improved to near 100% by supplementing the eluent with ethylene glycol, without loss of selectivity. A Scale-up of the cross-section of the membrane by a factor of 40 allowed to purify 1140 U from 0.6 L extract from 1% to 57% purity with 82% yield, within 10 minutes. The case study presented here demonstrates the applicability of general-purpose membrane adsorbents for the purification of enzymes.

Pyruvate decarboxylase (E.C. 4.1.1.1), the key enzyme in the glycolytic pathway to ethanol, was isolated in gram amounts from Zymomonas mobilis for structural studies. The primary structure was determined by automated Edman degradation and compared with that deduced from the DNA sequence of the structural gene, previously published by two groups (A. D. Neale, R. K. Scopes, R. E. H. Wettenhall, and N. J. Hoogenraad, 1987, Nucleic Acids Res. 15, 1753-1761; M. Reynen, and H. Sahm, 1988, J. Bacteriol. 170, 3310-3313). The peptide data differ from the published DNA sequences, which also deviate from each other. Crystals diffracting to about 0.3 nm resolution have been obtained by the hanging drop vapor diffusion method. The space group was identified as P4(1)22 or its enantiomorphs containing presumably one tetramer per asymmetric unit.

A simple system is introduced to produce dipeptides continuously by enzyme catalyzed condensation of amino acid esters and amino acid amides. Synthesis of N-terminal free dipeptide-amides is achieved by means of carboxypeptidase Y. The peptide-amide is deamidated utilizing a newly isolated peptide-amide is deamidated utilizing a newly isolated peptide-amidase. Separation of substrates and products is accomplished by anion-exchange chromatography. Modeling of the reactions shows that the two reactions have to be carried out in a cascade of two reactors in order to prevent hydrolysis of the peptide by the carboxypeptidase. Continuous production of Kyotorphin (H-TyrArg-OH) with a space-time yield of 257 g/L.d shows the feasibility of this concept.

The application of an aqueous two-phase system is described for the extraction of DesPro(2)-Val15-Leu17-aprotinin from yeast culture supernatant, using native chymotrypsin as affinity ligand. The interaction is driven by hydrophobic forces and leads to the accumulation of the aprotinin-chymotrypsin complex in the salt-rich (bottom) phase of a polyethyleglycol/salt system. The complex may be dissociated at low pH values. The separation of the recombinant aprotinin and the protease required chromatographic processes, which proved difficult to interface with the affinity extraction.

A purification method for formate dehydrogenase from Candida boidinii has been designed by using a sequence of membrane-based adsorbents. The membranes carrying ion-exchange and dye ligands (Sartobind) are general-purpose adsorbents for proteins. The membranes were used in an on/off mode. A sequence of cation exchange, dye-ligand and anion exchange allows to purify the enzyme as judged by SDS-PAGE and assay of specific activity. The sequence of ligands and the buffer conditions were chosen in such a way that the fraction eluted from one membrane could be directly loaded on the next membrane. Thereby an integrated version of MDLC was realized with membrane-based adsorbents. The excellent scaleability from micro- to laboratory scale (factor 40) indicates that the method could afford a general approach to develop purification trains since the micro-scale allows for a rapid screening of adsorbent types and sequences.

An optimized coupled enzyme assay for UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (EC 2.7.7.9) using UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.22) is presented. This optimized assay was developed by a detailed investigation of the kinetics of the UDP-glucose dehydrogenase reaction. In addition the data provide a basis for the enzymatic synthesis of UDP-glucuronic acid. The results demonstrate that the two binding sites of the dehydrogenase differ since a different modulation of the enzyme activity and stability is observed after preincubation with UDP-glucose or NAD+ at various pH values. This is of general interest for the preparation of assay mixtures where UDP-glucose dehydrogenase is used as an auxiliary enzyme.

We report the partition coefficient, K(p') at the isoelectric point of lysozyme, chymotrypsinogen A, albumin, transferrin, and catalase in 64 different polyethylene(PEG)/ dextran(Dx)/water systems. We study the trends of the partition coefficient with protein type, polymer concentration, and polymer molecular weight. We find that the partition coefficient decreases with increasing tie line length for lysozyme, albumin, transferrin, and catalase for which K(p) is less than 1, but increases for chymotrysinogen for which K(p) is larger than 1. The effect of the tie line length on the partition coefficient is larger for the large proteins than for the small proteins. The partition coefficient decreases with increasing protein molecular weight except for lysozyme suggesting that lysozyme is present as a dimer or a trimer. The partition coefficient decreases with increasing PEG molecular weight, but the magnitude of the increase is larger for the smaller PEG molecular eights and tends to level of at high PEG molecular weight. The partition coefficient increases with increasing dextran (Dx) molecular weight for chymotrypsinogen but decreases for catalase. The partition coefficients of lysozyme, albumin, and transferrin increase with increasing Dx molecular weight from Dx 10(4) to Dx 1.1 x 10(5) and then slightly decrease from Dx 1.1 x 10(5) to Dx 5 x 10(5). The experimental results are analyzed using a statistical thermodynamics model. The experimental results are analyzed using a statistical thermodynamics model. The experiments suggest that protein partitioning at the isoelectric point in aqueous two-phase systems is strongly related to the size of the proteins and polymers. Finally, the impossibility of obtaining data completely independent of polymer concentration is emphasized.

The partitioning of proteins and other biomaterials between two aqueous phases containing polyethyleneglycol and dextran is a strong function of the molecular weight of the two polymers. Although both polymers are polydispersed (especially Dx) most theoretical treatments refer only to the average molecular weight (number or mass) and assume that the molecular weight distribution of each polymer is the same in both phases. In this work the molecular weight distribution of each polymer is the same in both phases. In this work the molecular weight distributions of four stock solutions of PEG (4000, 6000, 10,000 and 20,000) and four stock solutions of Dx (10,000, 40,000, 110,000 and 500,000) were measured using High Performance Gel Chromatography. The measurements were repeated on the phases formed by the polymer solutions after they were mixed and allowed to equilibrate. The molecular weight distribution of the Dx differed in the top and bottom phase; both differed from that of the stock solution. Although we believe that the molecular weight distribution for PEG also differs in the top and bottom phases, we were unable to determine this within the resolution of our instruments.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-oxirane was synthesized by reacting aminated monomethoxy-PEG 5000 (NH2-MPEG 5000) with butanediol diglycidyl ether and used to derivatize bovine serum albumin (BSA) and monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and porcine lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme 5, respectively. Determination of oxirane end groups revealed a very high number, which arise from the chain breaks of the polymer. Covalent coupling of PEG-oxirane to BSA resulted in 30-50 times higher partition coefficients under optimized conditions. The mAb investigated could be modified with PEG-oxirane while retaining its binding properties and could be used as an affinity ligand for selective extraction of Ag in immunoaffinity partitioning. However, a high degree of modification results in a lower binding constant of mAb anti-HRP and higher [mAb]/[Ag] concentration ratios in immunoaffinity partition experiments.

Carboxypeptidase c partially purified from orange leaves was studied as a catalyst for enzymatic peptide synthesis. Various N-protected ester- and nucleophile compounds were evaluated in order to determine the substrate specificity. For further characterization of the synthetic reaction, optimum pH and the influence of the N-terminal protecting group were studied. Kinetic investigations revealed considerable differences in Km and Vmax for the nucleophile when the N-terminal protecting group of the substrate was varied.