| 1. |
- Dimarogona, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Structural and functional studies of a Fusarium oxysporum cutinase with polyethylene terephthalate modification potential
- 2015
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Ingår i: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - General Subjects. - : Elsevier BV. - 0304-4165 .- 1872-8006. ; 1850:11, s. 2308-2317
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundCutinases are serine hydrolases that degrade cutin, a polyester of fatty acids that is the main component of plant cuticle. These biocatalysts have recently attracted increased biotechnological interest due to their potential to modify and degrade polyethylene terephthalate (PET), as well as other synthetic polymers.MethodsA cutinase from the mesophilic fungus Fusarium oxysporum, named FoCut5a, was expressed either in the cytoplasm or periplasm of Escherichia coli BL21. Its X-ray structure was determined to 1.9 Å resolution using molecular replacement. The activity of the recombinant enzyme was tested on a variety of synthetic esters and polyester analogues.ResultsThe highest production of recombinant FoCut5a was achieved using periplasmic expression at 16οC. Its crystal structure is highly similar to previously determined Fusarium solani cutinase structure. However, a more detailed comparison of the surface properties and amino acid interactions revealed differences with potential impact on the biochemical properties of the two enzymes. FoCut5a showed maximum activity at 40οC and pH 8.0, while it was active on three p-nitrophenyl synthetic esters of aliphatic acids (C2, C4, C12), with the highest catalytic efficiency for the hydrolysis of the butyl ester. The recombinant cutinase was also found capable of hydrolyzing PET model substrates and synthetic polymers.ConclusionsThe first reported expression and crystal structure determination of a functional cutinase from the mesophilic fungus F. oxysporum with potential application in surface modification of PET synthetic polymers.General significanceFoCut5a could be used as a biocatalyst in industrial applications for the environmentally-friendly treatment of synthetic polymers.
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| 2. |
- El-Gamal, Rehab, et al.
(författare)
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The use of chitosan in protecting wooden artifacts from damage by mold fungi
- 2016
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Ingår i: Electronic Journal of Biotechnology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0717-3458. ; 24, s. 70-78
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundMany buildings in Egypt e.g. museums, mosques and churches, do not possess controlled environments for minimizing the risks of damage of wooden artifacts due to the growth of fungi. Fungal damage usually appears as change in wood color, appearance of stains, and sometimes deformation of wooden surfaces. In this study we focused on the effect that some fungi exert on the properties of wooden artifacts and evaluated the effectiveness of different concentrations of chitosan on their protection against damage by mold fungi.ResultsSamples were collected from different monuments and environments, and fungi growing on them were isolated and identified. The isolated Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus flavus and A. niger strains were used for the infestation of new pitch pine samples. The results revealed that the lightness of samples infected with any of the tested fungi decreased with increasing incubation times. XRD analysis showed that the crystallinity of incubated samples treated individually with the different concentrations of chitosan was lower than the crystallinity of infected samples. The crystallinity index measured by the first and the second method decreased after the first and second months but increased after the third and fourth months. This may due to the reducing of amorphous part by enzymes or acids produced by fungi in wooden samples.ConclusionsThe growth of fungi on the treated wood samples decreased with increasing the concentration of chitosan. Hence, it was demonstrated that chitosan prevented fungal growth, and its use could be recommended for the protection of archaeological wooden artifacts.
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| 3. |
- Kanelli, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Surface modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers by a cutinase from Fusarium oxysporum
- 2015
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Ingår i: Process Biochemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 1359-5113 .- 1873-3298. ; 50:11, s. 1885-1892
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Synthetic polyester fabrics occupy a great part of the textile industry production satisfying variable ordinary needs. Nonetheless, their high hydrophobicity constitutes an important weakness that impedes process manufacture, as well as permeability and evaporation of sweat when used in clothing industry. The enzymatic treatment of these materials is a modern and eco-friendly procedure that aims at the increase of the hydrophilicity through superficial modification. In this study, the enzymatic surface hydrolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabric is succeeded using a recombinant cutinase from Fusarium oxysporum. The effect of various parameters is studied for the enzymatic modification of PET, such as temperature, pH, enzyme loading and reaction time. The optimal parameters are found to be 40 °C, pH 8, and 1.92 mg enzyme loading per gram of fabric. The controlled enzymatic hydrolysis of PET textile is further confirmed and characterized using various spectroscopic and analytical methods, including Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) in the Attenuated Total Reflectance mode (ATR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Tensile test and dyeability analyses were also employed achieving a K/S increase up to 150%, confirming the successful surface modification without degrading the quality of the starting material.
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| 4. |
- Mandic, Mina, et al.
(författare)
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Identification and Characterization of New Laccase Biocatalysts from Pseudomonas Species Suitable for Degradation of Synthetic Textile Dyes
- 2019
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Ingår i: Catalysts. - : MDPI. - 2073-4344. ; 9:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Laccases are multicopper-oxidases with variety of biotechnological applications. While predominantly used, fungal laccases have limitations such as narrow pH and temperature range and their production via heterologous protein expression is more complex due to posttranslational modifications. In comparison, bacterial enzymes, including laccases, usually possess higher thermal and pH stability, and are more suitable for expression and genetic manipulations in bacterial expression hosts. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify, recombinantly express, and characterize novel laccases from Pseudomonas spp. A combination of approaches including DNA sequence analysis, N-terminal protein sequencing, and genome sequencing data analysis for laccase amplification, cloning, and overexpression have been used. Four active recombinant laccases were obtained, one each from P. putida KT2440 and P. putida CA-3, and two from P. putida F6. The new laccases exhibited broad temperature and pH range and high thermal stability, as well as the potential to degrade selection of synthetic textile dyes. The best performing laccase was CopA from P. putida F6 which degraded five out of seven tested dyes, including Amido Black 10B, Brom Cresol Purple, Evans Blue, Reactive Black 5, and Remazol Brilliant Blue. This work highlighted species of Pseudomonas genus as still being good sources of biocatalytically relevant enzymes.
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| 5. |
- Nikolaivits, Efstratios, et al.
(författare)
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Degradation Mechanism of 2,4-Dichlorophenol by Fungi Isolated from Marine Invertebrates
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI. - 1661-6596 .- 1422-0067. ; 21:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant categorized as a priority pollutant by the United States (US) Environmental Protection Agency, posing adverse health effects on humans and wildlife. Bioremediation is proposed as an eco-friendly, cost-effective alternative to traditional physicochemical remediation techniques. In the present study, fungal strains were isolated from marine invertebrates and tested for their ability to biotransform 2,4-DCP at a concentration of 1 mM. The most competent strains were studied further for the expression of catechol dioxygenase activities and the produced metabolites. One strain, identified as Tritirachium sp., expressed high levels of extracellular catechol 1,2-dioxygenase activity. The same strain also produced a dechlorinated cleavage product of the starting compound, indicating the assimilation of the xenobiotic by the fungus. This work also enriches the knowledge about the mechanisms employed by marine-derived fungi in order to defend themselves against chlorinated xenobiotics.
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| 6. |
- Nikolaivits, Efstratios, et al.
(författare)
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Versatile fungal polyphenol oxidase with chlorophenol bioremediation potential : Characterization and protein engineering
- 2018
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 84:23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) have been mostly associated with the undesirable post-harvest browning in fruits and vegetables and with implications in human melanogenesis. Nonetheless, they are considered useful biocatalysts in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The aim of the present work was to characterize a novel PPO and explore its potential as a bioremediation agent. A gene encoding an extracellular tyrosinase-like enzyme was amplified from the genome of Thermothelomyces thermophila and expressed in Pichia pastoris. The recombinant enzyme (TtPPO) was purified and biochemically characterized. Its production reached 40 mg/L and it appeared to be a glycosylated and N-terminally processed protein. TtPPO showed broad substrate specificity as it could oxidize 28/30 compounds tested, including polyphenols, substituted phenols, catechols and methoxyphenols. Its optimum temperature was 65 °C with a half-life of 18.3 h at 50 °C, while its optimum pH was 7.5. The homology model of TtPPO was constructed and site-directed mutagenesis was performed in order to increase its activity on mono- and di-chlorophenols (CPs). TtPPO variant G292N/Y296V had a 5.3-fold increased activity on 3,5-diCP compared to wild-type.Importance A novel fungal PPO was heterologously expressed and biochemically characterized. Construction of single and double mutants led to the generation of variants with altered specificity against CPs. Through this work, knowledge is gained regarding the effect of mutations on the substrate specificity of PPOs. This work also demonstrates that more potent biocatalysts for the bioremediation of harmful CPs can be developed by applying site-directed mutagenesis.
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| 7. |
- Zerva, Anastasia, et al.
(författare)
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Recent advances on key enzymatic activities for the utilisation of lignocellulosic biomass
- 2021
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Ingår i: Bioresource Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0960-8524 .- 1873-2976. ; 342
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The field of enzymatic degradation of lignocellulose is actively growing and the recent updates of the last few years indicate that there is still much to learn. The growing number of protein sequences with unknown function in microbial genomes indicates that there is still much to learn on the mechanisms of lignocellulose degradation. In this review, a summary of the progress in the field is presented, including recent discoveries on the nature of the structural polysaccharides, new technologies for the discovery and functional annotation of gene sequences including omics technologies, and the novel lignocellulose-acting enzymes described. Novel enzymatic activities and enzyme families as well as on accessory enzymes and their synergistic relationships regarding biomass breakdown are described. Moreover, it is shown that all the valuable knowledge of the enzymatic decomposition of plant biomass polymers can be employed towards the decomposition and upgrading of synthetic polymers, such as plastics.
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