1. |
- Betts, Natalie S., et al.
(author)
-
Identification and spatio-temporal expression analysis of barley genes that encode putative modular xylanolytic enzymes
- 2021
-
In: Plant Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9452 .- 1873-2259. ; 308
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Arabinoxylans are cell wall polysaccharides whose re-modelling and degradation during plant development are mediated by several classes of xylanolytic enzymes. Here, we present the identification and new annotation of twelve putative (1,4)-13-xylanase and six 13-xylosidase genes, and their spatio-temporal expression patterns during vegetative and reproductive growth of barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. Navigator). The encoded xylanase proteins are all predicted to contain a conserved carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) and a catalytic glycoside hydrolase (GH) 10 domain. Additional domains in some xylanases define three discrete phylogenetic clades: one clade contains proteins with an additional N-terminal signal sequence, while another clade contains proteins with multiple CBMs. Homology modelling revealed that all fifteen xylanases likely contain a third domain, a 13-sandwich folded from two non-contiguous sequence segments that bracket the catalytic GH domain, which may explain why the full length protein is required for correct folding of the active enzyme. Similarly, predicted xylosidase proteins share a highly conserved domain structure, each with an N-terminal signal peptide, a split GH 3 domain, and a C-terminal fibronectin-like domain. Several genes appear to be ubiquitously expressed during barley growth and development, while four newly annotated xylanase and xylosidase genes are expressed at extremely high levels, which may be of broader interest for industrial applications where cell wall degradation is necessary.
|
|
2. |
- Corbin, Kendall R., et al.
(author)
-
Grape marc as a source of carbohydrates for bioethanol : Chemical composition, pre-treatment and saccharification.
- 2015
-
In: Bioresource Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0960-8524 .- 1873-2976. ; 193, s. 76-83
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Global grape production could generate up to 13 Mt/yr of wasted biomass. The compositions of Cabernet Sauvignon (red marc) and Sauvignon Blanc (white marc) were analyzed with a view to using marc as raw material for biofuel production. On a dry weight basis, 31-54% w/w of the grape marc consisted of carbohydrate, of which 47-80% was soluble in aqueous media. Ethanol insoluble residues consisted mainly of polyphenols, pectic polysaccharides, heteroxylans and cellulose. Acid and thermal pre-treatments were investigated for their effects on subsequent cellulose saccharification. A 0.5M sulfuric acid pre-treatment yielded a 10% increase in the amount of liberated glucose after enzymatic saccharification. The theoretical amount of bioethanol that could be produced by fermentation of grape marc was up to 400 L/t. However, bioethanol from only soluble carbohydrates could yield 270 L/t, leaving a polyphenol enriched fraction that may be used in animal feed or as fertilizer.
|
|
3. |
- Dimitroff, George, et al.
(author)
-
(1,3;1,4)-beta-Glucan Biosynthesis by the CSLF6 Enzyme : Position and Flexibility of Catalytic Residues Influence Product Fine Structure
- 2016
-
In: Biochemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0006-2960 .- 1520-4995. ; 55:13, s. 2054-2061
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cellulose synthase-like F6 (CslF6) genes encode polysaccharide synthases responsible for (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucan biosynthesis in cereal grains. However, it is not clear how both (1,3)- and (1,4) -linkages are incorporated into a single polysaccharide chain and how the frequency and arrangement of the two linkage types that define the fine structure of the polysaccharide are controlled. Through transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, two CSLF6 orthologs from different cereal species were shown to mediate the synthesis of (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucans with very different fine structures. Chimeric cDNA constructs with interchanged sections of the barley and sorghum CslF6 genes were developed to identify regions of the synthase enzyme responsible for these differences. A single amino acid residue upstream of the TED motif in the catalytic region was shown to dramatically change the fine structure of the polysaccharide produced. The structural basis of this effect can be rationalized by reference to a homology model of the enzyme and appears to be related to the position and flexibility of the TED motif in the active site of the enzyme. The region and amino acid residue identified provide opportunities to manipulate the solubility of (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucan in grains and vegetative tissues of the grasses and, in particular, to enhance the solubility of dietary fibers that are beneficial to human health.
|
|
4. |
- Hrmova, Maria, et al.
(author)
-
Enzymes in 3D: Synthesis, remodelling, and hydrolysis of cell wall (1,3;1,4)-β-glucans
- 2024
-
In: Scientific Journal of Silesian University of Technology. Series Transport. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0209-3324 .- 2450-1549. ; 194:1, s. 33-50
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent breakthroughs in structural biology have provided valuable new insights into enzymes involved in plant cell wall metabolism. More specifically, the molecular mechanism of synthesis of (1,3;1,4)-β-glucans, which are widespread in cell walls of commercially important cereals and grasses, has been the topic of debate and intense research activity for decades. However, an inability to purify these integral membrane enzymes or apply transgenic approaches without interpretative problems associated with pleiotropic effects has presented barriers to attempts to define their synthetic mechanisms. Following the demonstration that some members of the CslF sub-family of GT2 family enzymes mediate (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan synthesis, the expression of the corresponding genes in a heterologous system that is free of background complications has now been achieved. Biochemical analyses of the (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan synthesized in vitro, combined with 3-dimensional (3D) cryogenic-electron microscopy and AlphaFold protein structure predictions, have demonstrated how a single CslF6 enzyme, without exogenous primers, can incorporate both (1,3)- and (1,4)-β-linkages into the nascent polysaccharide chain. Similarly, 3D structures of xyloglucan endo-transglycosylases and (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan endo- and exohydrolases have allowed the mechanisms of (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan modification and degradation to be defined. X-ray crystallography and multi-scale modeling of a broad specificity GH3 β-glucan exohydrolase recently revealed a previously unknown and remarkable molecular mechanism with reactant trajectories through which a polysaccharide exohydrolase can act with a processive action pattern. The availability of high-quality protein 3D structural predictions should prove invaluable for defining structures, dynamics, and functions of other enzymes involved in plant cell wall metabolism in the immediate future.
|
|
5. |
- Hrmova, Maria, et al.
(author)
-
Substrate specificity and catalytic mechanism of a xyloglucan xyloglucosyl transferase HvXET6 from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)
- 2009
-
In: The FEBS Journal. - : Wiley. - 1742-464X .- 1742-4658. ; 276:2, s. 437-456
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A family 16 glycoside hydrolase, xyloglucan xyloglucosyl transferase (EC 2.4.1.207), also known as xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET), and designated isoenzyme HvXET6, was purified approximately 400-fold from extracts of young barley seedlings. The complete amino acid sequence of HvXET6 was deduced from the nucleotide sequence of a near full-length cDNA, in combination with tryptic peptide mapping. An additional five to six isoforms or post-translationally modified XET enzymes were detected in crude seedling extracts of barley. The HvXET6 isoenzyme was expressed in Pichia pastoris, characterized and compared with the previously purified native HvXET5 isoform. Barley HvXET6 has a similar apparent molecular mass of 33-35 kDa to the previously purified HvXET5 isoenzyme, but the two isoenzymes differ in their isoelectric points, pH optima, kinetic properties and substrate specificities. The HvXET6 isoenzyme catalyses transfer reactions between xyloglucans and soluble cellulosic substrates, using oligo-xyloglucosides as acceptors, but at rates that are significantly different from those observed for HvXET5. No hydrolytic activity could be detected with either isoenzyme. Comparisons of the reaction rates using xyloglucan or hydroxyethyl cellulose as donors and a series of cellodextrins as acceptors indicated that the acceptor site of HvXET can accommodate five glucosyl residues. Molecular modelling supported this conclusion and further confirmed the ability of the enzyme's active site to accommodate xyloglucan and cellulosic substrates. The two HvXETs followed a ping-pong (Bi, Bi) rather than a sequential reaction mechanism.
|
|
6. |
- Hsieh, Yves S. Y., et al.
(author)
-
Genetics, Transcriptional Profiles, and Catalytic Properties of the UDP-Arabinose Mutase Family from Barley
- 2016
-
In: Biochemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0006-2960 .- 1520-4995. ; 55:2, s. 322-334
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Four members of the UDP-Ara mutase (UAM) gene family from barley have been isolated and characterized, and their map positions on chromosomes 2H, 3H, and 4H have been defined. When the genes are expressed in Escherichia coli, the corresponding HvUAM1, HvUAM2, and HvUAM3 proteins exhibit UAM activity, and the kinetic properties of the enzymes have been determined, including K-m, K-cat, and catalytic efficiencies. However, the expressed HvUAM4 protein shows no mutase activity against UDP-Ara or against a broad range of other nucleotide sugars and related molecules. The enzymic data indicate therefore that the HvUAM4 protein may not be a mutase. However, the HvUAM4 gene is transcribed at high levels in all the barley tissues examined, and its transcript abundance is correlated with transcript levels for other genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis. The UDP-L-Arap -> UDP-L-Araf reaction, which is essential for the generation of the UDP-Araf substrate for arabinoxylan, arabinogalactan protein, and pectic polysaccharide biosynthesis, is thermodynamically unfavorable and has an equilibrium constant of 0.02. Nevertheless, the incorporation of Araf residues into nascent polysaccharides clearly occurs at biologically appropriate rates. The characterization of the HvUAM genes opens the way for the manipulation of both the amounts and fine structures of heteroxylans in cereals, grasses, and other crop plants, with a view toward enhancing their value in human health and nutrition, and in renewable biofuel production.
|
|
7. |
- Kaewthai, Nomchit, et al.
(author)
-
Heterologous expression of diverse barley XTH genes in the yeast Pichia pastoris
- 2010
-
In: PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY. - : Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology. - 1342-4580 .- 1347-6114. ; 27:3, s. 251-258
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Heterologous expression of plant genes, particularly those encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes such as glycoside hydrolases and glycosyl transferases, continues to be a major hurdle in the functional analysis of plant proteomes. Presently, there are few convenient systems for the production of recombinant plant enzymes in active form and at adequate levels for biochemical and structural characterization. The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is an attractive expression host due to its ease of manipulation and its capacity to perform post-translational protein modifications, such as N-glycosylation [Daly and Hearn (2005) J Mol Recognit 18: 119-138]. Here, we demonstrate the utility of the P. pastoris SMD1168H/pPICZ-alpha C system for the expression of a range of xyloglucan endo-transglycosylase/hydrolase (XTH) cDNAs from barley (Hordeum vulgare). Although stable transformants were readily obtained by positive selection for vector-induced antibiotic resistance for all of the nine constructs tested, only five isoforms were secreted as soluble proteins into the culture medium, four in active form. Furthermore, production levels of these five isoforms were found to be variable, depending on the transformant, which further underscores the necessity of screening multiple clones for expression of active enzyme. Failure to express certain XTH isoforms in P. pastoris could not be correlated with any conserved gene or protein sequence properties, and this precluded using rational sequence engineering to enhance heterologous expression of the cDNAs. Thus, while significant advances are reported here, systems for the heterologous production of plant proteins require further development.
|
|
8. |
- Marcotuli, Ilaria, et al.
(author)
-
Non-Starch Polysaccharides in Durum Wheat : A Review
- 2020
-
In: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-6596 .- 1422-0067. ; 21:8, s. 2933-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Durum wheat is one of most important cereal crops that serves as a staple dietary component for humans and domestic animals. It provides antioxidants, proteins, minerals and dietary fibre, which have beneficial properties for humans, especially as related to the health of gut microbiota. Dietary fibre is defined as carbohydrate polymers that are non-digestible in the small intestine. However, this dietary component can be digested by microorganisms in the large intestine and imparts physiological benefits at daily intake levels of 30–35 g. Dietary fibre in cereal grains largely comprises cell wall polymers and includes insoluble (cellulose, part of the hemicellulose component and lignin) and soluble (arabinoxylans and (1,3;1,4)-β-glucans) fibre. More specifically, certain components provide immunomodulatory and cholesterol lowering activity, faecal bulking effects, enhanced absorption of certain minerals, prebiotic effects and, through these effects, reduce the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer. Thus, dietary fibre is attracting increasing interest from cereal processors, producers and consumers. Compared with other components of the durum wheat grain, fibre components have not been studied extensively. Here, we have summarised the current status of knowledge on the genetic control of arabinoxylan and (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan synthesis and accumulation in durum wheat grain. Indeed, the recent results obtained in durum wheat open the way for the improvement of these important cereal quality parameters.
|
|
9. |
- Purushotham, Pallinti, et al.
(author)
-
Mechanism of mixed-linkage glucan biosynthesis by barley cellulose synthase–like CslF6 (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan synthase
- 2022
-
In: Science Advances. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 2375-2548. ; 8:45
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mixed-linkage (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucans, which are widely distributed in cell walls of the grasses, are linear glucose polymers containing predominantly (1,4)-beta-linked glucosyl units interspersed with single (1,3)-beta-linked glucosyl units. Their distribution in cereal grains and unique structures are important determinants of dietary fibers that are beneficial to human health. We demonstrate that the barley cellulose synthase-like CslF6 enzyme is sufficient to synthesize a high-molecular weight (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucan in vitro. Biochemical and cryo-electron microscopy analyses suggest that CslF6 functions as a monomer. A conserved "switch motif" at the entrance of the enzyme's transmembrane channel is critical to generate (1,3)-linkages. There, a single-point mutation markedly reduces (1,3)-linkage formation, resulting in the synthesis of cellulosic polysaccharides. Our results suggest that CslF6 monitors the orientation of the nascent polysaccharide's second or third glucosyl unit. Register-dependent interactions with these glucosyl residues reposition the polymer's terminal glucosyl unit to form either a (1,3)- or (1,4)-beta-linkage.
|
|
10. |
- Roberts, Alison W., et al.
(author)
-
Functional Characterization of a Glycosyltransferase from the Moss Physcomitrella patens Involved in the Biosynthesis of a Novel Cell Wall Arabinoglucan
- 2018
-
In: The Plant Cell. - : American Society of Plant Biologists. - 1040-4651 .- 1532-298X. ; 30:6, s. 1293-1308
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mixed-linkage (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan (MLG), an abundant cell wall polysaccharide in the Poaceae, has been detected in ascomycetes, algae, and seedless vascular plants, but not in eudicots. Although MLG has not been reported in bryophytes, a predicted glycosyltransferase from the moss Physcomitrella patens (Pp3c12_24670) is similar to a bona fide ascomycete MLG synthase. We tested whether Pp3c12_24670 encodes an MLG synthase by expressing it in wild tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) and testing for release of diagnostic oligosaccharides from the cell walls by either lichenase or (1,4)-β-glucan endohydrolase. Lichenase, an MLG-specific endohydrolase, showed no activity against cell walls from transformed N. benthamiana, but (1,4)-β-glucan endohydrolase released oligosaccharides that were distinct from oligosaccharides released from MLG by this enzyme. Further analysis revealed that these oligosaccharides were derived from a novel unbranched, unsubstituted arabinoglucan (AGlc) polysaccharide. We identified sequences similar to the P. patens AGlc synthase from algae, bryophytes, lycophytes, and monilophytes, raising the possibility that other early divergent plants synthesize AGlc. Similarity of P. patens AGlc synthase to MLG synthases from ascomycetes, but not those from Poaceae, suggests that AGlc and MLG have a common evolutionary history that includes loss in seed plants, followed by a more recent independent origin of MLG within the monocots.
|
|