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Aim: Aspergillus niger is well established for secreting α-glucosidase having transglycosylation activity, which is used as processing aid for synthesis of isomaltooligosaccharides. The present study focuses on identification and characterization of a non-niger Aspergillus isolate and its gene conferring strong transglycosylation activity., Methods and Results: The soil isolate was identified as Aspergillus neoniger belonging to Aspergillus section Nigri using ITS (internal transcribed spacer) and β-tubulin analysis. The sequence analysis of gene responsible for α-glucosidase synthesis revealed significant nucleotide variations when compared to other Aspergillus species. Molecular docking studies using the homology model revealed the presence of threonine at 694 subsite position instead of asparagine as in case of A. niger's α-glucosidase. The enzyme was purified to several fold using DEAE Sepharose-CL6B column and on SDS-PAGE analysis, it was found to be 145 kDa. MS/MS analysis of the purified enzyme validated the presence of threonine at 694 position. Commercial α-glucosidase (Transglucosidase L 'Amano') derived from A. niger and the α-glucosidase from isolate were compared for transglycosylation activity using constant test conditions. α-glucosidase from the isolate produced 27·4% higher panose when compared to that of commercial enzyme. Moreover, the rate of secondary hydrolysis of panose is much lower in case of the isolate's enzyme., Conclusions: Fungal isolate A. neoniger was characterized, and its gene conferring α-glucosidase activity was established for strong transglycosylation activity having higher panose yields., Significance and Impact of the Study: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to establish a variant of α-glucosidase having strong transglycosylation activity from A. neoniger strain. We have demonstrated that this enzyme when used as processing aid could improve panose significantly, which is a potential prebiotic. Also, the sequence analysis established in our studies could provide pointers for directed evolution of this enzyme to further improve transglycosylation activity., (© 2020 The Society for Applied Microbiology.)

A gene conferring α-glucosidase (AG) with high transglycosylation activity from Aspergillus neoniger (a non-niger strain belonging to section Nigri) was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris. As the cDNA construction retained intronic portions due to alternative splicing, the exonic portions of the gene were stitched using restriction digestion and overlap extension PCR. Pre-determined open-loop exponential feeding strategies were evaluated for methanol dosage to improve the recombinant enzyme synthesis during high-cell density cultivation in 5 L bioreactor. Specific growth rate of 0.1 h -1 resulted in the highest enzyme activity of 182.3 mU/mL in the supernatant, whereas the activity of 3.8 U/g dry cell weight was obtained in the cell pellet. There was negligible enzyme activity in the cell lysate, indicating that approximately 80 % accumulation of total enzyme is in the periplasm. Later, this unreleased fraction was extracted to 90 % yield using 25 mM cysteine. The enzyme was purified and validated using western blot analysis and MS/MS profile. The SDS PAGE analysis revealed three bands corresponding to 80, 38, and 33 kDa indicating the multimeric nature of the enzyme. Thus, obtained enzyme was utilized in synthesis of a potential prebiotic molecule, isomaltooligosaccharides (IMOs), which can be used as a sweetener and bulk filler in the food industry. This is the first report to demonstrate challenges in cloning and expression of transglycosylating α-glucosidase from Aspergillus neoniger., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The high cost of orphan drugs limits their access by many patients, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Many orphan drugs are off-patent without alternative generic or biosimilar versions available. Production of these drugs at the point-of-care, when feasible, could be a cost-effective alternative., Methods: The financial feasibility of this approach was estimated by setting up a small-scale production of recombinant human acid alpha-glucosidase (rhGAA). The commercial version of rhGAA is Myozyme™, and Lumizyme™ in the United States, which is used to treat Pompe disease. The rhGAA was produced in CHO-K1 mammalian cells and purified using multiple purification steps to obtain a protein profile comparable to Myozyme™., Results: The established small-scale production of rhGAA was used to obtain a realistic cost estimation for the magistral production of this biological drug. The treatment cost of rhGAA using bedside production was estimated at $3,484/gram, which is 71% lower than the commercial price of Myozyme ™., Conclusion: This study shows that bedside production might be a cost-effective approach to increase the access of patients to particular life-saving drugs., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

α-Glucosidase, Agl2, from Xanthomonas campestris was successfully overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) cells and purified with Ni columns. The enzyme exhibits glycosylation abilities towards a wide range of phenolic substrates, including phenol, vanillin, and ethyl vanillin, with maltose as the glycosyl donor. The catalytic properties of the purified enzyme were further investigated. It was observed that the synthesized glycosides started to degrade with prolonged catalytic time, giving an "n"-shaped kinetic profile. To understand such catalytic behavior, the Agl2-catalyzed glycosylation process was investigated kinetically. Based on the obtained parameters, it was concluded that although the substrate conversions are thermodynamically restricted in a batch system, the glycosylation efficiency can be kinetically controlled by the glycosylation/hydrolysis selectivity. Glucose was produced by both glycosylation and hydrolysis, significantly impacting the glycosylation efficiency. This study provides a mechanistic understanding of the α-glucosidase-catalyzed glycosylation process in a water-based system. The developed kinetic model was successful in explaining and analyzing the catalytic process. It is suggested that when α-glucosidase is employed for glycosylation in a water-enriched environment, the catalytic efficiency is mainly impacted by the enzyme's glycosylation/hydrolysis selectivity and glucose content in the catalytic environment.

Morus species, commonly known as mulberry, is widely distributed in China. The mulberry tree is a high-value plant in agriculture. Morus australis is one of the major Morus species growing in Northern China. However, the biological properties of the main constituents of M. australis roots were not well studied. In the present study, through extensive chromatographic and spectral analysis, 12 phenolic compounds were isolated and identified from the M. australis roots. Compounds 1, 2, 8, 9 and 12 were isolated from M. australis roots for the first time. Antitumor activities of these polyphenols were studied on the A549 cell line. Compounds 1, 5 and 6 exhibited cytotoxicity on A549 cells and induced apoptosis in A549 cells via the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. They also mediated inhibition of autophagic flux contributed cell death via the PI3k/Akt/mTOR pathway. In order to explore more potential bioactivities of these isolates, α-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase inhibitory activities were studied, and the results demonstrated that the inhibitory activity of these polyphenols on enzymes was not defined by their basic structural skeletons, but by the substituted position.

Glycosylhydrolases of various origins were used to produce fucose-containing disaccharides with prebiotic potential using different donor substrates and L-fucose as the acceptor substrate. Eight different disaccharides were synthesized as follows: three β-D-galactosyl-L-fucosides with glycosidase CloneZyme Gly-001-02 using D-lactose as a donor substrate, two with a structure similar to prebiotics; one β-D-galactosyl-L-fucose with β-D-galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae using D-lactose as a substrate donor; and four α-D-glucosyl-L-fucosides with α-D-glucosidase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae using D-maltose as a donor substrate. All disaccharides were purified and hydrolyzed. In all cases, an L-fucose moiety was present, and it was confirmed for β-D-galactosyl-L-fucose by mass spectrometry. High concentrations of L-fucose as the acceptor substrate enhanced the synthesis of the oligosaccharides in all cases. The three enzymes were able to synthesize fucose-containing disaccharides when L-fucose was used as the acceptor substrate, and the highest yield was 20% using β-D-galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae.

Ten new (1-10) and ten known (11-20) diterpenoids involving ent-atisane, ent-seco-atisane, ent-kaurane and ent-seco-kaurane types were isolated from Sapium insigne under the guidance of LCMS-IT-TOF analyses. Their structures were characterized by extensive spectroscopic analyses (HRESIMS, UV, IR, 1D and 2D NMR). A putative biosynthetic pathway was proposed for ent-seco-atisane diterpenoids. Their inhibitory activities on α-glucosidase in vitro were tested for the first time. Compound 4 showed moderate inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase with an IC 50 value of 0.34 mM via a noncompetitive inhibition mechanism (K i  = 0.27 mM). The preliminary structure-activity relationships of the ent-atisane diterpenoids inhibiting α-glucosidase were discussed., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In search of better α-glucosidase inhibitors, a series of novel hetarylcoumarins (3a-3j) were designed and synthesized through a facile multicomponent route where p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) was explored as an efficient catalyst. These new scaffolds were further evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibition potentials. All the derivatives exhibited good to excellent results which were comparable or even better than of standard drug acarbose. Of these compounds, a dihalogenated compound 3f was found to be the most effective one with IC 50 : 2.53±0.002µM. Molecular docking has predicted the plausible binding interactions of compounds 3f, 3g and 3j with α-glucosidase., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, the gene encoding α-glucosidase from Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum JCM1217 (BLAG) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The amino acid sequence alignment demonstrated that BLAG belongs to glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 13. The optimal temperature for enzyme activity was 75°C; about 80% of the catalytic activity was lost at 50°C, which is very unusual for enzymes from the Bifidobacterium genus. In the presence of 5mM of Co 2+ and Ca 2+ , enzyme activity was reduced to 47% and 48%, respectively. Furthermore, BLAG lost catalytic activity following the addition of 5mM of Fe 2+ ion. The BLAG enzyme was able to hydrolyze α-1,2, α-1,3, α-1,4, and α-1,6 glycosidic O-linkages and liberated glucose from the non-reducing end of substrates. The kinetic study revealed that among the maltooligosaccharides, BLAG showed the highest k cat /K m value to maltotriose (G3), and had relatively low k cat /K m values on long-chain maltooligosaccharides. This is the first report describing the production of a thermophilic α-glucosidase from the Bifidobacterium genus., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Lysosomal storage diseases are a group of inherited metabolic disorders. Patients are treated with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), in which the replacement enzymes are required to carry terminal mannose or mannose 6-phosphate residues to allow efficient uptake into target cells and tissues. N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-I (GnTI) mediates N-glycosylation in the cis cisternae of the Golgi apparatus by adding N-acetylglucosamine to the exposed terminal mannose residue of core N-glycan structures for further processing. Mutant rice lacking GnTI produces only high mannosylated glycoproteins. In this study, we introduced a gene encoding recombinant human acid α-glucosidase (rhGAA), which is used in ERT for Pompe disease, into gnt1 rice callus by particle bombardment. Integration of the target gene into the genome of the gnt1 rice line and its mRNA expression were confirmed by PCR and Northern blot, respectively. Western blot analysis was performed to confirm secretion of the target proteins into the culture media. Using an indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, we determined the maximum expression of rhGAA to be approximately 45mg/L, 13days after induction. To assay the enzymatic activity and determine the N-glycan profile of rhGAA, we purified the protein using a 6×histidine tag. The in vitro α-glucosidase activity of rhGAA from gnt1 rice callus (gnt1-GAA) was 3.092U/mg, similar to the activity of the Chinese hamster ovary cell-derived GAA (3.154U/mg). N-glycan analysis revealed the presence of high-mannose N-glycans on gnt1-GAA. In addition, the production of high-mannose GAA using gnt1 rice calli as an expression host was characterized, which may aid the future development of therapeutic enzymes for the treatment of Pompe disease., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Recombinant human Acid Alpha Glucosidase (GAA) is the therapeutic enzyme used for the treatment of Pompe disease, a rare genetic disorder characterized by GAA deficiency in the cell lysosomes (Raben et al., Curr Mol Med. 2002; 2:145-166). The manufacturing process for GAA can be challenging, in part due to protease degradation. The overall goal of this study was to understand the effects of GAA overexpression on cell lysosomal phenotype and host cell protein (HCP) release, and any resultant consequences for protease levels and ease of manufacture. To do this we first generated a human recombinant GAA producing stable CHO cell line and designed the capture chromatographic step anion exchange (IEX). We then collected images of cell lysosomes via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and compared the resulting data with that from a null CHO cell line. TEM imaging revealed 72% of all lysosomes in the GAA cell line were engorged indicating extensive cell stress; by comparison only 8% of lysosomes in the null CHO had a similar phenotype. Furthermore, comparison of the HCP profile among cell lines (GAA, mAb, and Null) capture eluates, showed that while most HCPs released were common across them, some were unique to the GAA producer, implying that cell stress caused by overexpression of GAA has a molecule specific effect on HCP release. Protease analysis via zymograms showed an overall reduction in proteolytic activity after the capture step but also revealed the presence of co-eluting proteases at approximately 80 KDa, which MS analysis putatively identified as dipeptidyl peptidase 3 and prolyl endopeptidase. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:666-676, 2017., (© 2017 The Authors Biotechnology Progress published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers.)

Pompe disease is a fatal genetic muscle disorder caused by a deficiency of acid α-glucosidase (GAA), a glycogen-degrading lysosomal enzyme. In this study, the human GAA cDNA gene was synthesized from human placenta cells and cloned into a plant expression vector under the control of the rice α-amylase 3D (RAmy3D) promoter. The plant expression vector was introduced into rice calli (Oryza sativa L. cv. Dongjin) mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Genomic DNA PCR and Northern blot analysis were used to determine the integration and mRNA expression of the hGAA gene in the putative transgenic rice cells. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis showed that the glycosylated precursor recombinant hGAA had a molecular mass of 110kDa due to the presence of seven N-glycosylation sites. The accumulation of hGAA protein in the culture medium was approximately 37mg/L after 11 days of culturing in a sugar depletion medium. The His tagged-hGAA protein was purified using an Ni-NTA column and confirmed as the precursor form of hGAA without the signal peptide encoded by the cDNA on the N-terminal amino acid sequence. The acid alpha-glucosidase activity of hGAA produced in transgenic rice cells gave results similar to those of the enzyme produced by CHO cells., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objectives: To express and characterize a putative α-glucosidase, Pagl, from Pseudoalteromonas sp. K8 obtained via genome mining approach., Results: Pagl was expressed and purified to homogeneity, with a molecular mass of 60 kDa. It was optimally active at pH 8.5 and 30 °C, and showed cold-adapted activity. Pagl exhibited specific activity towards substrates with α-1,4-linkage, with the highest specific activity of 19.4 U/mg for maltose, followed by pNPαG and maltodextrins, suggesting that Pagl belongs to the type II α-glucosidase. Interestingly, the activity of Pagl is significantly enhanced (2.7 times) in the presence of 200 mM glucose., Conclusion: The unique catalytic properties of Pagl make it an attractive candidate for several industrial applications.

Six α-monoglucosyl derivatives of ginsenoside Rg1 (G-Rg1) were synthesized by transglycosylation reaction of rice seed α-glucosidase in the reaction mixture containing maltose as a glucosyl donor and G-Rg1 as an acceptor. Their chemical structures were identified by spectroscopic analysis, and the effects of reaction time, pH, and glycosyl donors on transglycosylation reaction were investigated. The results showed that rice seed α-glucosidase transfers α-glucosyl group from maltose to G-Rg1 by forming either α-1,3 (α-nigerosyl)-, α-1,4 (α-maltosyl)-, or α-1,6 (α-isomaltosyl)-glucosidic linkages in β-glucose moieties linked at the C6- and C20-position of protopanaxatriol (PPT)-type aglycone. The optimum pH range for the transglycosylation reaction was between 5.0 and 6.0. Rice seed α-glucosidase acted on maltose, soluble starch, and PNP α-D-glucopyranoside as glycosyl donors, but not on glucose, sucrose, or trehalose. These α-monoglucosyl derivatives of G-Rg1 were easily hydrolyzed to G-Rg1 by rat small intestinal and liver α-glucosidase in vitro.

Marine glycoside hydrolases hold enormous potential due to their habitat-related characteristics such as salt tolerance, barophilicity, and cold tolerance. We purified an α-glucosidase (PYG) from the midgut gland of the Japanese scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) and found that this enzyme has unique characteristics. The use of acarbose affinity chromatography during the purification was particularly effective, increasing the specific activity 570-fold. PYG is an interesting chloride ion-dependent enzyme. Chloride ion causes distinctive changes in its enzymatic properties, increasing its hydrolysis rate, changing the pH profile of its enzyme activity, shifting the range of its pH stability to the alkaline region, and raising its optimal temperature from 37 to 55 °C. Furthermore, chloride ion altered PYG's substrate specificity. PYG exhibited the highest Vmax/Km value toward maltooctaose in the absence of chloride ion and toward maltotriose in the presence of chloride ion.

Salivary α-glucosidases (MalI) have been much less characterized when compared with midgut α-glucosidases, which have been studied in depth. Few studies have been reported on the partial characterization of MalI, but no clear function has been ascribed. The aim of this study is to purify and characterize the recombinant Culex quinquefasciatus (CQ) α-glucosidase expressed in Pichia pastoris. The cDNA encoding mature Cx. quinquefasciatus α-glucosidase gene with polyhistidine tag (rCQMalIHis) was successfully cloned into the expression vector, pPICZαB, designated as pPICZαB/CQMalIHis. The activity of recombinant rCQMalIHis expressed in P. pastoris could be detected at 3.75U/ml, under optimal culture conditions. The purified rCQMalIHis showed a single band of molecular weight of approximately 92kDa on SDS-PAGE. After Endoglycosidase H digestion, a single band at 69kDa was found on SDS-PAGE analysis, suggesting that rCQMalIHis is a glycoprotein. Additionally, tryptic digestion and LC-MALDI MS/MS analysis suggested that the 69kDa band corresponds to the Cx. quinquefasciatus α-glucosidase. Thus, rCQMalIHis is a glycoprotein. The rCQMalIHis exhibited optimum pH and temperature at 5.5 and 35°C, respectively. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of the purified rCQMalIHis for maltotriose is higher than those for sucrose, maltotetraose, maltose and p-nitrophenyl-α-glucoside, indicating that the enzyme prefers maltotriose. Additionally, the rCQMalIHis is significantly inhibited by d-gluconic acid δ-lactone, but not by Mg(2+), Ca(2+) and EDTA. The rCQMalIHis is strongly inhibited by acarbose with IC50 67.8±5.6nM, but weakly inhibited by glucose with IC50 115.9±7.3mM., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To characterize a novel α-glucosidase from the thermophilic fungus Malbranchea cinnamomea., Results: The enzyme was purified to homogeneity with purification fold of 40 and a recovery of 7.2 %. It was a monomer with molecular mass of 65.7 kDa on SDS-PAGE. It was optimally active at pH 6 and 50 °C (measured over 10 min) and exhibited a wide range of substrate specificity with the highest specific activity of 47.4 U mg(-1) for p-nitrophenyl α-D-glucopyranoside (pNPGlu) followed by isomaltose, panose and sucrose, suggesting that the enzyme belongs to the type I α-glucosidases. The K m values of the α-glucosidase for pNPGlu and isomaltose were 1.1 and 19.3 mM, respectively., Conclusion: Because of its unique properties, the α-glucosidase may have a potential in several industrial applications.

The administration of protein-based pharmaceuticals can cause the in vivo formation of antidrug antibodies (ADAs), which may reduce the efficacy of the therapy by binding to the protein drug. An accurate determination of the total and ADA-bound concentrations of the drug gives information on the extent of this immune response and its consequences and may help develop improved therapeutic regimens. We present an absolute quantitative method to differentiate between total, free, and ADA-bound drug for recombinant human alpha acid glucosidase (rhGAA) in plasma from patients suffering from Pompe's disease. LC-MS/MS quantification of a signature peptide after trypsin digestion of plasma samples before and after an extraction of the total IgG content of plasma with protein G coated beads was used to determine the total and the ADA-bound fractions of rhGAA in samples from Pompe patients after enzyme infusion. The methods for total and ADA-bound rhGAA allow quantitation of the drug in the range of 0.5 to 500 μg/mL using 20 μL of plasma and met the regular bioanalytical validation requirements, both in the absence and presence of high levels of anti-rhGAA antibodies. This demonstrates that the ADA-bound rhGAA fraction can be accurately and precisely determined and is not influenced by sample dilution, repeated freezing and thawing, or extended benchtop or frozen storage. In samples from a patient with a reduced response to therapy due to ADAs, high ADA-bound concentrations of rhGAA were found, while in the samples from a patient lacking ADAs, no significant ADA-bound concentrations were found. Since protein G captures the complete IgG content of plasma, including all antidrug antibodies, the described extraction approach is universally applicable for the quantification of ADA-bound concentrations of all non-IgG-based biopharmaceuticals.

α-Glucosidases are ubiquitous enzymes that hydrolyze the α-glucosidic linkage at the non-reducing end of substrates. In this study, we characterized an α-glucosidase (BspAG31A) belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 31 from Bacillus sp. AHU 2001. Recombinant BspAG31A, produced in Escherichia coli, had high hydrolytic activity toward maltooligosaccharides, kojibiose, nigerose, and neotrehalose. This is the first report of an α-glucosidase with high activity toward neotrehalose. The transglucosylation products, nigerose, kojibiose, isomaltose, and neotrehalose, were generated from 440 mm maltose. Substitution of Tyr268, situated on the β → α loop 1 of BspAG31A, with Trp increased hydrolytic activity toward isomaltose. This mutation reduced the hydrolytic activity toward maltooligosaccharides more than toward kojibiose, nigerose, and neotrehalose. Analysis of the Y173A mutant of BspAG31A showed that Tyr173, situated on the N-terminal domain loop, is associated with the formation of subsite +2. In Y173A, the kcat/Km for maltooligosaccharides slightly decreased with an increasing degree of polymerization compared with wild type. Among the amino acid residues surrounding the substrate binding site, Val543 and Glu545 of BspAG31A were different from the corresponding residues of Bacillus thermoamyloliquefaciens α-glucosidase II, which has higher activity toward isomaltose than BspAG31A. The E545G mutation slightly enhanced isomaltase activity without a large reduction of hydrolytic activities toward other substrates. V543A showed 1.8-3.5-fold higher hydrolytic activities toward all substrates other than neotrehalose compared with wild type, although its preference for isomaltose was unchanged., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. and Société française de biochimie et biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.)

1-N-Carboxamide 1-azafagomines and 5-epi-1-azafagomines were obtained from 1-azafagomine and 5-epi-1-azafagomine. The hydroxyl groups and the N-2 pyridazine position were protected prior to reaction with different isocyanates to form ureas. Protective groups were removed leading to the target compounds in 18-23% global yields. Final compounds were tested towards α- and β-glucosidases., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Stereospermum colais (family Bignoniaceae) is a well-known pharmacologically potent medicinal plant reported in traditional systems of medicine. Phytochemical investigation of the roots of S. colais resulted in the isolation of seven compounds, and the metabolites were screened for its α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition and anti-glycation property. The compounds identified were β-sitosterol (1), 2-(4'-hydroxyphenyl) ethyl undecanoate (2), 2-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl pentadecanoate (3), 5α-ergosta-7,22-dien-3β-ol (4), ursolic acid (5), lapachol (6), and pinoresinol (7). Ursolic acid, lapachol, and pinoresinol possessed IC50 values of 119.01, 130.29, and 125.62 nM, respectively, compared to standard ascorbic acid with an IC50 value of 201.01 nM. The other compounds failed to show the activity. Results of the current study showcased the possible exploration of this medicinal plant for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in line with the development of phytopharmaceutical industry.

A new method is presented for synthesizing arbutin glycosides using α-glucosidase (AglA) from Thermoplasma acidophilum and its glycosynthase mutant. An α-glycosynthase was constructed by substituting the catalytic nucleophile with the non-nucleophile glycine. Enzyme activity was then recovered using an external nucleophile. The transglycosylation reaction of AglA using maltose as a donor and arbutin as an acceptor produced arbutin coupled with a glucose moiety. The products were isolated and further analysed using preparative recycling HPLC. Arbutin glycosides linked to C-3, C-4, and C-6 were identified using NMR. The transglycosylation products of AglA were used as substrates for the enzyme reaction, which were hydrolyzed back again and reduced final yields. The glycosynthase mutant produced one main arbutin glycoside linked to C-4 with a yield of 38 % without further observed hydrolysis.

Amylase production and biochemical characterization of the crude enzyme preparation from Pseudomonas stutzeri AS22 were evaluated. The highest α-amylase production was achieved after 24 hours of incubation in a culture medium containing 10 g/L potato starch and 5 g/L yeast extract, with initial pH 8.0 at 30°C under continuous agitation at 200 rpm. The optimum temperature and pH for the crude α -amylase activity were 60°C and 8.0, respectively. The effect of different salts was evaluated and it was found that both α -amylase production and activity were Ca(2+)-dependent. The amylolytic preparation was found to catalyze exceptionally the formation of very high levels of maltotetraose from starch (98%, w/w) in the complete absence of glucose since the initial stages of starch hydrolysis (15 min) and hence would have a potential application in the manufacturing of maltotetraose syrups.

α-1,4-Glucan lyases [glycoside hydrolase family (GH) 31] catalyze an elimination reaction to form 1,5-anhydro-d-fructose (AF), while GH31 α-glucosidases normally catalyze a hydrolytic reaction. We determined that a small amount of AF was produced by GH31 Aspergillus niger α-glucosidase from maltooligosaccharides by elimination reaction, likely via an oxocarbenium ion intermediate.

Two new phenolics, a 3-substituted coumarin, 7,8-dihydroxy-3-carboxymethylcoumarin-5-carboxylic acid, and a hydrolyzable tannin, namely punicatannin C, together with 10 known phenolics, were isolated from the flowers of pomegranate (Punica granatum). Their structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses including HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR data. All the isolates were evaluated for in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activities., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Previously, we isolated two α-amylase isozymes, HdAmy58 and HdAmy82, from the digestive fluid of the Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai (Kumagai et al., 2013, Comp. Biochem. Physiol., B 164, 80-88). These enzymes degraded starch producing maltooligosaccharides but not glucose. However, the digestive fluid itself could produce glucose from starch, indicating that the digestive fluid contains α-glucosidase-like enzymes together with the α-amylases. Thus, in the present study, we isolated this α-glucosidase-like enzyme from the digestive fluid and characterized it to some extent. Isolation of this enzyme was carried out by ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by conventional column chromatographies and FPLC. The purified enzyme showed an apparent molecular mass of 97kDa on SDS-PAGE, and optimal temperature and pH of 45°C and 3.8-5.5, respectively. This enzyme could degrade various sizes of maltooligosaccharides into glucose and released glucose from starch producing no appreciable intermediate oligosaccharides. We concluded that this enzyme is an α-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.20) exolitically acting on polymer substrate and named HdAgl. HdAgl efficiently degraded maltose but hardly degraded p-nitrophenyl α-D-glucopyranoside (α-pNPG) and isomaltose. This enzyme was regarded as a maltase-like α-glucosidase that preferably degrades maltose but scarcely aryl glucosides. When starch was used as a substrate, HdAgl converted approximately 40% (w/w) of the starch to glucose. If an abalone α-amlylase HdAmy58 was added to the reaction mixture, the glucose yield increased to 60% (w/w). These results suggested that both HdAgl and HdAmy58 play important roles for the production of glucose from dietary starch in the digestive fluid. The amino-acid sequence of 887 residues for HdAgl was deduced by the cDNA method. This sequence showed 41-46% amino-acid identities to those of mammalian and avian α-glucosidases belonging to glycoside-hydrolase-family31., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mutualistic associations shape the evolution in different organism groups. The association between the leaf-cutter ant Atta sexdens and the basidiomycete fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus has enabled them to degrade starch from plant material generating glucose, which is a major food source for both mutualists. Starch degradation is promoted by enzymes contained in the fecal fluid that ants deposit on the fungus culture in cut leaves inside the nests. To understand the dynamics of starch degradation in ant nests, we purified and characterized starch degrading enzymes from the ant fecal fluid and from laboratory cultures of L. gongylophorus and found that the ants intestine positively selects fungal α-amylase and a maltase likely produced by the ants, as a negative selection is imposed to fungal maltase and ant α-amylases. Selected enzymes are more resistant to catabolic repression by glucose and proposed to structure a metabolic pathway in which the fungal α-amylase initiates starch catalysis to generate byproducts which are sequentially degraded by the maltase to produce glucose. The pathway is responsible for effective degradation of starch and proposed to represent a major evolutionary innovation enabling efficient starch assimilation from plant material by leaf-cutters., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

For Podospora anserina, several studies of cellulolytic enzymes have been established, but characteristics of amylolytic enzymes are not well understood. When P. anserina grew in starch as carbon source, it accumulated glucose, nigerose, and maltose in the culture supernatant. At the same time, the fungus secreted α-glucosidase (PAG). PAG was purified from the culture supernatant, and was found to convert soluble starch to nigerose and maltose. The recombinant enzyme with C-terminal His-tag (rPAG) was produced with Pichia pastoris. Most rPAG produced under standard conditions lost its affinity for nickel-chelating resin, but the affinity was improved by the use of a buffered medium (pH 8.0) supplemented with casamino acid and a reduction of the cultivation time. rPAG suffered limited proteolysis at the same site as the original PAG. A site-directed mutagenesis study indicated that proteolysis had no effect on enzyme characteristics. A kinetic study indicated that the PAG possessed significant transglycosylation activity.

Microorganisms in the human gut outnumber human cells by a factor of 10. These microbes have been shown to have relevance to the human immune, nutrition and metabolic systems. A dominant symbiont of this environment is Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron which is characterized as being involved in degrading non-digestible plant polysaccharides. This organism's genome is highly enriched in genes predicted to be involved in the hydrolysis of various glycans. Presented here is a comparative functional analysis of two α-glucosidases (designated BT_0339 and BT_3299), Family 31 Glycoside Hydrolases from B. thetaiotaomicron. The purpose of this research is to explore the contributions these enzymes may have to human nutrition and specifically starch digestion. Expression of both α-glucosidases in pET-29a expression vector resulted in high levels of expressed protein in the soluble fraction. Two-step purification allowed for the isolation of the enzymes of interest in significant yield and fractions were observed to be homogenous. Both enzymes demonstrated activity on maltose, isomaltose and malto-oligosaccharide substrates and low level of activity on lactose and sucrose. Enzymatic kinetics revealed these enzymes both preferentially cleave the α1-6 linkage in comparison to the expected α1-4 and specifically favor maltose-derived substrates of longer length. The flexible hydrolytic capabilities of BT_0339 and BT_3299 reveal the ability of this bacterium to maintain its dominant position in its environment by utilizing an array of substrates. Specifically, these enzymes demonstrate an important aspect of this organism's contribution to starch digestion in the distal gut and the overall energy intake of humans., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The N-linked glycosylation is a ubiquitous protein modification in eukaryotic cells. During the N-linked glycan synthesis, the precursor Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2) is processed by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) glucosidases I, II and α1,2-mannosidase, before transporting to the Golgi complex for further structure modifications. In fungi of medical relevance, as Candida albicans and Aspergillus, it is well known that ER glycosidases are important for cell fitness, cell wall organization, virulence, and interaction with the immune system. Despite this, little is known about these enzymes in Sporothrix schenckii, the causative agent of human sporotrichosis. This limited knowledge is due in part to the lack of a genome sequence of this organism. In this work we used degenerate primers and inverse PCR approaches to isolate the open reading frame of S. schenckii ROT2, the encoding gene for α subunit of ER glucosidase II. This S. schenckii gene complemented a Saccharomyces cerevisiae rot2Δ mutant; however, when expressed in a C. albicans rot2Δ mutant, S. schenckii Rot2 partially increased the levels of α-glucosidase activity, but failed to restore the N-linked glycosylation defect associated to the mutation. To our knowledge, this is the first report where a gene involved in protein N-linked glycosylation is isolated from S. schenckii., (Copyright © 2012 The British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The early steps of glycoprotein biosynthesis involve processing of the N-glycan core by endoplasmic reticulum α-glucosidases I and II which sequentially trim the outermost α1,2-linked and the two more internal α1,3-linked glucose units, respectively. We have demonstrated the presence of some components of the enzymic machinery required for glycoprotein synthesis in Sporothrix schenckii, the etiological agent of human and animal sporotrichosis. However, information on this process is still very limited. Here, a distribution analysis of α-glucosidase revealed that 38 and 50% of total enzyme activity were present in a soluble and in a mixed membrane fraction, respectively. From the latter, the enzyme was solubilized, purified to apparent homogeneity and biochemically characterized. Analysis of the enzyme by denaturing electrophoresis and size exclusion chromatography revealed molecular masses of 75.4 and 152.7 kDa, respectively, suggesting a homodimeric structure. Purified α-glucosidase cleaved the fluorogenic substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl-α-D: -glucopyranoside with high affinity as judged from K(m) and V(max) values of 0.3 μM and 250 nmol of MU/min/mg protein, respectively. Analysis of linkage specificity using a number of glucose α-disaccharides as substrates demonstrated a clear preference of the enzyme for nigerose, an α1,3-linked disaccharide, over other substrates such as kojibiose (α1,2), trehalose (α1,1) and isomaltose (α1,6). Use of selective inhibitors of processing α-glucosidases such as 1-deoxynojirimycin, castanospermine and australine provided further evidence of the possible type of α-glucosidase. Accordingly, 1-deoxynojirimycin, a more specific inhibitor of α-glucosidase II than I, was a stronger inhibitor of hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferyl-α-D: -glucopyranoside and nigerose than castanospermine, a preferential inhibitor of α-glucosidase I. Inhibition of hydrolysis of kojibiose and maltose by 1-deoxynojirimycin and castanoespermine was significantly lower than that of nigerose. Taken together, these properties are consistent with a type II-like α-glucosidase probably involved in N-glycan processing. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such an activity in a truly dimorphic fungus.

Highly branched α-glucan molecules exhibit low digestibility for α-amylase and glucoamylase, and abundant in α-(1→3)-, α-(1→6)-glucosidic linkages and α-(1→6)-linked branch points where another glucosyl chain is initiated through an α-(1→3)-linkage. From a culture supernatant of Paenibacillus sp. PP710, we purified α-glucosidase (AGL) and α-amylase (AMY), which were involved in the production of highly branched α-glucan from maltodextrin. AGL catalyzed the transglucosylation reaction of a glucosyl residue to a nonreducing-end glucosyl residue by α-1,6-, α-1,4-, and α-1,3-linkages. AMY catalyzed the hydrolysis of the α-1,4-linkage and the intermolecular or intramolecular transfer of maltooligosaccharide like cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase). It also catalyzed the transfer of an α-1,4-glucosyl chain to a C3- or C4-hydroxyl group in the α-1,4- or α-1,6-linked nonreducing-end residue or the α-1,6-linked residue located in the other chains. Hence AMY was regarded as a novel enzyme. We think that the mechanism of formation of highly branched α-glucan from maltodextrin is as follows: α-1,6- and α-1,3-linked residues are generated by the transglucosylation of AGL at the nonreducing ends of glucosyl chains. Then AMY catalyzes the transfer of α-1,4-chains to C3- or C4-hydroxyl groups in the α-1,4- or α-1,6-linked residues generated by AGL. Thus the concerted reactions of both AGL and AMY are necessary to produce the highly branched α-glucan from maltodextrin.

Two different α-glucosidase-producing thermophilic E134 strains were isolated from a hot spring in Kozakli, Turkey. Based on the phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic evidence, the strain was proposed to be a species of G. toebii. Its thermostable exo-α-1,4-glucosidases also were characterized and compared, which were purified from the intracellular and extracellular fractions with estimated molecular weights of 65 and 45 kDa. The intracellular and extracellular α-glucosidases showed optimal activity at 65 °C, pH 7.0, and at 70 °C, pH 6.8, with 3.65 and 0.83 K(m) values for the pNPG substrate, respectively. Both enzymes remained active over temperature and pH ranges of 35-70 °C and 4.5-11.0. They retained 82 and 84% of their activities when incubated at 60 °C for 5 h. Their relative activities were 45-75% and 45-60% at pH 4.5 and 11.0 values for 15 h at 35 °C. They could hydrolyse the α-1,3 and α-1,4 bonds on substrates in addition to a high transglycosylation activity, although the intracellular enzyme had more affinity to the substrates both in hydrolysis and transglycosylation reactions. Furthermore, although sodium dodecyl sulfate behaved as an activator for both of them at 60 °C, urea and ethanol only increased the activity of the extracellular α-glucosidase. By this study, G. toebii E134 strain was introduced, which might have a potential in biotechnological processes when the conformational stability of its enzymes to heat, pH and denaturants were considered., (Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Eukaryotic N-glycoprotein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum begins with the catalytic action of processing α-glucosidase I (αGlu). αGlu trims the terminal glucose from nascent glycoproteins in an inverting-mechanism glycoside hydrolysis reaction. αGlu has been studied in terms of kinetic parameters and potential key residues; however, the active site is unknown. A structural model would yield important insights into the reaction mechanism. A model would also be useful in developing specific therapeutics, as αGlu is a viable drug target against viruses with glycosylated envelope proteins. However, due to lack of a high-yielding overexpression and purification scheme, no eukaryotic structural model of αGlu has been determined. To address this issue, we overexpressed the Saccharomyces cerevisiae soluble αGlu, Cwht1p, in the host Pichia pastoris. It was purified in a simple two-step protocol, with a final yield of 4.2mg Cwht1p per liter of growth culture. To test catalytic activity, we developed a modified synthesis of a tetrasaccharide substrate, Glc(3)ManOMe. Cwht1p with Glc(3)ManOMe shows a K(m) of 1.26 mM. Cwht1p crystals were grown and subjected to X-ray irradiation, giving a complete diffraction dataset to 2.04 Å resolution. Work is ongoing to obtain phases so that we may further understand this fundamental member of the N-glycosylation pathway through the discovery of its molecular structure., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The in vivo and in vitro effects of 4,5-diphenylimidazole-2-thione (1), 4,5-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol (2) and 5-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol (3) on α-glucosidase and α-amylase were investigated. The in vivo inhibition has been found to be dose-dependent and to occur at a value less than LD50. The in vitro treatment of the enzymes by 4,5-diphenylimidazole-2-thione exhibited a reversible inhibition of the non-competitive type with Ki value of 3.5 and 6.5×10(-5) M for α-glucosidase and α-amylase, respectively. 4,5-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione showed a reversible inhibition of the competitive and non-competitive types, with Ki value of 10(-5) M magnitude, for α-glucosidase and α-amylase. On the other hand, 5-(o-hydroxyphenyl)-4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione did not display an inhibitory effect towards α-amylase but showed a potent inhibition of the competitive type for hepatic α-glucosidase with 10(-5) M magnitude of Ki value., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose of Work: To explore a novel glycolipid, we performed biochemical reactions using a recombinant α-glucosidase from Geobacillus sp. which shows excellent transglycosylation reaction to hydroxyl groups in a variety of compounds. Two different glycolipids (GL-1 and GL-2) were prepared from ricinoleic acid using a recombinant α-glucosidase from Geobacillus sp. The molecular structure of GL-1 was confirmed as 12-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-9-hexadecenoic acid by 1D and 2D NMR analyses. According to MALDI-TOF/MS, GL-1 and GL-2 showed single major peaks at m/z 483.82 and 645.97, respectively. The peaks corresponded to the [M + Na](+) ions of the glycolipids. GL-2 was estimated as 12-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(4'-O-α-glucopyranosyl)-9-hexadecenoic acid. Light polarization microscopy revealed that GL-2 easily formed self-assembled vesicles in aqueous solution.

An intracellular α-glucosidase with high transglycosylation activity was purified from a mutant strain of Aspergillus niger M-1 by sequential chromatography using a DEAE-cellulose 52 column, a DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B column, and a Sephadex G-100 column. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was determined to be 116 kD with no subunits and a pI of 5.23. Maximal α-glucosidase activity occurred at pH 6.0 and 50°C. The N-terminal amino acid sequences were identified as N-SVPGTEYVV-. The presence of Ca(2+) enhanced the enzyme activity by 20%, while the α-glucosidase activity was strongly inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoate, N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride, monochloroacetic acid, and 2-mercaptoethanol. In addition, Ag(+), n-bromosuccinimide, and acetylacetone inhibited enzyme activity by 70%, 50%, and 22%, respectively. K(m) values of 4.32 m mol L(-1) and V(max) of 3.10 × 10(-2) mol L(-1) min(-1) were found for methyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (α-MG). Maltose was identified as the preferred substrate. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis indicated that the oligosaccharide products contained 10.54% of isomaltose, 8.08% of panose, and 9.29% of isomaltotriose, and the amount of glucose, maltose, maltotriose, and maltotetrose was dropped from 22.21% to 15.80% using the purified enzyme in the solution of 25% maltose and 3% glucose. This intracellular α-glucosidase has potential applications in the synthesis of sugar derivatives and the investigation of associated mechanisms.

The human intestine harbors a large number of microbes forming a complex microbial community that greatly affects the physiology and pathology of the host. In the human gut microbiome, the enrichment in certain protein gene families appears to be widespread. They include enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism such as glucoside hydrolases of dietary polysaccharides and glycoconjugates. We report the crystal structures (wild type, 2 mutants, and a mutant/substrate complex) and the enzymatic activity of a recombinant α-glucosidase from human gut bacterium Ruminococcus obeum. The first ever protein structures from this bacterium reveal a structural homologue to human intestinal maltase-glucoamylase with a highly conserved catalytic domain and reduced auxiliary domains. The α-glucosidase, a member of GH31 family, shows substrate preference for α(1-6) over α(1-4) glycosidic linkages and produces glucose from isomaltose as well as maltose. The preference can be switched by a single mutation at its active site, suggestive of widespread adaptation to utilization of a variety of polysaccharides by intestinal micro-organisms as energy resources.

Treatment of Aspergillus niveus with 30 μg tunicamycin/ml did not interfere with α-glucosidase production, secretion, or its catalytic properties. Fully- and under-glycosylated forms of the enzyme had similar molecular masses, ~56 kDa. Moreover, the absence of N-glycans did not affect either pH optimum (6.0) or temperature optimum (65°C). The K(m) and V(max) values of under- and fully-glycosylated forms of α-glucosidase were similar when assessed for hydrolysis of starch (~0.6 mg/ml, ~350 μmol glucose per min per ml), maltose (~0.54 μmol, ~330 μmol glucose per min per ml) and p-nitrophenyl-α-D: -glucopyranoside (~0.54 μmol, ~8.28 μmol p-nitrophenol per min per ml). However, the under-glycosylated form was sensitive to high temperatures probably because, in addition to stabilizing the protein conformation, glycosylation may also prevent unfolded or partially folded proteins from aggregating. Binding assays clearly showed that the under-glycosylated protein did not bind to concanavalin A but has conserve its jacalin-binding property, suggesting that only O-glycans might be intact on the tunicamycin treated form of the enzyme.

Protein glycosylation is one of the most common post-translational modifications present in the eukaryotic cell. The N-linked glycosylation is a biosynthetic pathway where an oligosaccharide is added to asparagine residues within the endoplasmic reticulum. Upon addition of the N-linked glycan to nascent proteins, alpha-glucosidase I removes the outermost alpha1,2-glucose unit from the N-linked core Glc(3)Man(9)GlcNAc(2). We have previously demonstrated that the endoplasmic reticulum α-glucosidase I is required for normal cell wall composition, and virulence of the human pathogen Candida albicans. In spite of the importance of this enzyme for normal cell biology, little is known about its structure and the amino acids participating in enzyme catalysis. Here, a DNA fragment corresponding to the 3'-end fragment of C. albicans CWH41, the encoding gene for α-glucosidase I, was expressed in a bacterial system and the recombinant peptide showed alpha-glucosidase activity, despite lacking 419 amino acids from the N-terminal end. The biochemical characterisation of the recombinant enzyme showed that presence of hydroxyl groups at carbons 3 and 6, and orientation of hydroxyl moiety at C-2 are important for glucose recognition. Additionally, results suggest that cysteine rather than histidine residues are involved in the catalysis by the recombinant enzyme.

An alpha-glucosidase enzyme produced by the fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus CBMAI 756 was purified by ultra filtration, ammonium sulphate precipitation, and chromatography using Q Sepharose, Sephacryl S-200, and Superose 12 columns. The apparent molecular mass of the enzyme was 83 kDa as determined in gel electrophoresis. Maximum activity was observed at pH 4.5 at 70 degrees C. Enzyme showed stability stable in the pH range of 3.0-9.0 and lost 40% of its initial activity at the temperatures of 40, 50, and 60 degrees C. In the presence of ions Na(+), Ba(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Mg(2+), Mn(2+), Al(3+), Zn(2+), Ca(2+) this enzyme maintained 90-105% of its maximum activity and was inhibited by Cr(3+), Ag(+), and Hg(2+). The enzyme showed a transglycosylation property, by the release of oligosaccharides after 3 h of incubation with maltose, and specificity for short maltooligosaccharides and alpha-PNPG. The K(m) measured for the alpha-glucosidase was 0.07 microM, with a V(max) of 318.0 micromol/min/mg.

The EtOAc extract of the roots of Glycyrrhiza uralensis exhibited alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Bioassay-guided fractionation resulted in the isolation of an active prenylflavonoid, glycyrrhisoflavone. Its structure was elucidated by NMR and MS analyses. A simple method to prepare glycyrrhisoflavone from the 95% EtOH extract of the roots of G. uralensis was developed by combination of Diaion HP-20 column chromatography (CC), silica gel CC, and preparative HPLC. An HPLC-PDA method was developed for quantitative determination of glycyrrhisoflavone in the roots of G. uralensis. The sample was extracted with MeOH and analyzed using a reversed-phase column with isocratic elution with CH3CN-H2O (0.06% trifluoroacetic acid) (42:58) at a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min, a column temperature of 40 degrees C, and a detection wavelength of 260 nm. The method allowed the determination of glycyrrhisoflavone in the concentration range of 5-500 microg/mL. The relative standard deviation values of the precision and repeatability were 0.3% and 2.0%, respectively. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.5 microg/mL and 5 microg/mL, respectively. The relative recovery rate was 100.2 +/- 1.8%. Based on the validation results, the HPLC determination method was found to be precise, accurate, and time conservative. This method was applied successfully to nine different root samples of G. uralensis. The amounts of glycyrrhisoflavone in these samples were 15-93 mg/100 g of dried powdered plant material.

The Lesser Mulberry Pyralid, Glyphodes pyloalis, is an important pest of mulberry. This pest feeds on mulberry leaves, and causes some problems for the silk industries in the north of Iran. The study of digestive enzymes is highly imperative to identify and apply new pest management technologies. Glucosidases have an important role in the final stages of carbohydrate digestion. Some enzymatic properties of alpha- and beta-glucosidases from midgut and salivary glands of G. pyloalis larvae were determined. The activities of alpha- and beta-glucosidase in the midgut and salivary glands of 5th instar larvae were obtained as 0.195, 1.07, 0.194 and 0.072 micromol(-1) min(-1) mg protein(-1), respectively. Activity of alpha- and beta-glucosidase from whole body of larval stages was also determined. Data showed that the highest activity of alpha- and beta-glucosidase was observed in the 5th larval stage, 0.168 and 0.645 micromol(-1) min(-1) mg protein(-1), respectively and the lowest activity in the 2nd larval stage, 0.042 and 0.164 micromol(-1) min(-1) mg protein(-1), respectively. Results showed that the optimal pH for alpha- and beta-glucosidase activity in midgut and salivary glands were 7.5, 5.5, 8-9 and 8-9 respectively. Also, the optimal temperature for alpha- and beta-glucosidase activity in the midgut was obtained as 45 degrees C. The addition of CaCl(2) (40 mM) decreased midgut beta-glucosidase activity whereas alpha-glucosidase activity was significantly increased at this concentration. The alpha-glucosidase activity, in contrast to beta-glucosidase, was enhanced with increasing in concentration of EDTA. Urea (4 mM) and SDS (8 mM) significantly decreased digestive beta-glucosidase activity. Characterization studies of insect glucosidases are not only of interest for comparative investigations, but also understanding of their function is essential when developing methods of insect control such as the use of enzyme inhibitors and transgenic plants to control insect pest., (Copyright 2009 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.)

A novel thermostable alpha-glucosidase (TtGluA) from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4 was successfully expressed in E. coli and characterized. The TtgluA gene contained 2253 bp, which encodes 750 amino acids. The native TtGluA was a trimer with monomer molecular mass of 89 kDa shown by SDS-PAGE. The purified recombinant enzyme showed hydrolytic activity on maltooligosaccharides, pnitrophenyl-alpha-D-glucopyranide, and dextrin with an exo-type cleavage manner. TtGluA showed preference for short-chain maltooligosaccharides and the highest specific activity for maltose of 3.26 units/mg. Maximal activity was observed at 60 degrees C and pH 5.5. The half-life was 2 h at 60 degrees C. The enzyme showed good tolerance to urea and SDS but was inhibited by Tris. When maltose with the concentration over 50 mM was used as substrate, TtGluA was also capable of catalyzing transglycosylation to produce alpha-1,4-linked maltotriose and alpha-1,6-linked isomaltooligosaccharides. More importantly, TtGluA showed exclusive regiospecificity with high yield to produce alpha-1,6-linked isomaltooligosaccharides when the reaction time extended to more than 10 h.

An extracellular a-glucosidase produced by Aspergillus niveus was purified using DEAE-Fractogel ion-exchange chromatography and Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration. The purified protein migrated as a single band in 5% PAGE and 10% SDS-PAGE. The enzyme presented 29% of glycosylation, an isoelectric point of 6.8 and a molecular weight of 56 and 52 kDa as estimated by SDS-PAGE and Bio-Sil-Sec-400 gel filtration column, respectively. The enzyme showed typical alpha-glucosidase activity, hydrolyzing p-nitrophenyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside and presented an optimum temperature and pH of 65 degrees C and 6.0, respectively. In the absence of substrate the purified alpha-glucosidase was stable for 60 min at 60 degrees C, presenting t(50) of 90 min at 65 degrees C. Hydrolysis of polysaccharide substrates by alpha-glucosidase decreased in the order of glycogen, amylose, starch and amylopectin. Among malto-oligosaccharides the enzyme preferentially hydrolyzed malto-oligosaccharide (G10), maltopentaose, maltotetraose, maltotriose and maltose. Isomaltose, trehalose and beta-ciclodextrin were poor substrates, and sucrose and alpha-ciclodextrin were not hydrolyzed. After 2 h incubation, the products of starch hydrolysis measured by HPLC and thin layer chromatography showed only glucose. Mass spectrometry of tryptic peptides revealed peptide sequences similar to glucan 1,4-alpha-glucosidases from Aspergillus fumigatus, and Hypocrea jecorina. Analysis of the circular dichroism spectrum predicted an a-helical content of 31% and a beta-sheet content of 16%, which is in agreement with values derived from analysis of the crystal structure of the H. jecorina enzyme.

A highly divergent route to a variety of quinolizidine alkaloids is described. The enantiomeric precursors and utilized for the synthesis of these alkaloids were constructed stereospecifically from the PET cyclization of the corresponding acetylene tethered alpha-trimethylsilyl amine moieties and , respectively, both of which were synthesised from D-ribose. The polyhydroxy quinolizidine alkaloid was found to be a selective inhibitor of alpha-galactosidase with Ki 83.9 microM. The amine analogs , and are found to be selective and potent inhibitors of alpha-glucosidase with Ki 28, 120 and 140 microM, respectively.

Inhibitors of alpha glucosidases prevent the trimming of oligosaccharides on certain nascent glycoproteins, including the hepatitis B virus MHBs envelope glycoprotein. MHBs proteins with untrimmed oligosaccharides do not interact with calnexin, increasing protein misfolding and subsequent degradation by proteasomes. As peptides loaded onto newly synthesized MHC class I complexes are predominantly derived from proteasomes, the possibility that glucosidase inhibition could increase presentation by MHC class I was determined. Using either a model epitope, or a natural MHBs epitope, it was demonstrated that glucosidase inhibitors enhanced presentation by MHC class I and promoted activation of antigen-specific CTLs, suggesting a pharmacologic approach to immune modulation.

Two alpha-glucosidase-encoding genes (agl1 and agl2) from Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003 were identified and characterized. Based on their similarity to characterized carbohydrate hydrolases, the Agl1 and Agl2 enzymes are both assigned to a subgroup of the glycosyl hydrolase family 13, the alpha-1,6-glucosidases (EC 3.2.1.10). Recombinant Agl1 and Agl2 into which a His(12) sequence was incorporated (Agl1(His) and Agl2(His), respectively) exhibited hydrolytic activity towards panose, isomaltose, isomaltotriose, and four sucrose isomers--palatinose, trehalulose, turanose, and maltulose--while also degrading trehalose and, to a lesser extent, nigerose. The preferred substrates for both enzymes were panose, isomaltose, and trehalulose. Furthermore, the pH and temperature optima for both enzymes were determined, showing that Agl1(His) exhibits higher thermo and pH optima than Agl2(His). The two purified alpha-1,6-glucosidases were also shown to have transglycosylation activity, synthesizing oligosaccharides from palatinose, trehalulose, trehalose, panose, and isomaltotriose.

Objective: To compare alpha-glycosidase inhibitor microamount screening models which are established by two different resources alpha-glycosidase to screen the Chinese herbal medicines which have great alpha-glycosidase inhibition., Methods: Comparing the activities of two different resources alpha-glycosidase with glucose oxidase method, then establishing optimal reaction conditions. Extracting the water soluble compositions of Chinese gallnut, paeoniae radix, Glycyrrhiza, rhubarb, fructus by boiling ,then using the alpha-glycosidase inhibition model to check and compare their alpha-glycosidase inhibitions., Results: Five Chinese herbal medicines all had alpha-glycosidase inhibition, and the greatest was Chinese gallnut., Conclusion: The activities of two resources alpha-glycosidase are certainly different, but they do not have significant influence on findings of screening alpha-glycosidase inhibitors in vitro. Water soluble compositions of five Chinese herbal medicines have alpha-glycosidase inhibition.

Cyclic maltosyl-maltose [CMM, cyclo-[-->6)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->6)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->]], a novel cyclic tetrasaccharide, has a unique structure. Its four glucose residues are joined by alternate alpha-1,4 and alpha-1,6 linkages. CMM is synthesized from starch by the action of 6-alpha-maltosyltransferase from Arthrobacter globiformis M6. Recently, we determined the mechanism of extracellular synthesis of CMM, but the degrading pathway of the saccharide remains unknown. Hence we tried to identify the enzymes involved in the degradation of CMM to glucose from the cell-free extract of the strain, and identified CMM hydrolase (CMMase) and alpha-glucosidase as the responsible enzymes. The molecular mass of CMMase was determined to be 48.6 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and 136 kDa by gel filtration column chromatography. The optimal pH and temperature for CMMase activity were 6.5 and 30 degrees C. The enzyme remained stable from pH 5.5 to 8.0 and up to 25 degrees C. CMMase hydrolyzed CMM to maltose via maltosyl-maltose as intermediates, but it did not hydrolyze CMM to glucose, suggesting that it is a novel hydrolase that hydrolyzes the alpha-1,6-linkage of CMM. The molecular mass of alpha-glucosidase was determined to be 60.1 kDa by SDS-PAGE and 69.5 kDa by gel filtration column chromatography. The optimal pH and temperature for alpha-glucosidase activity were 7.0 and 35 degrees C. The enzyme remained stable from pH 7.0 to 9.5 and up to 35 degrees C. alpha-Glucosidase degraded maltosyl-maltose to glucose via panose and maltose as intermediates, but it did not degrade CMM. Furthermore, when CMMase and alpha-glucosidase existed simultaneously in a reaction mixture containing CMM, glucose was detected as the final product. It was found that CMM was degraded to glucose by the synergistic action of CMMase and alpha-glucosidase.