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Biomedical subjects

Yinbo Qu

Publications and source records attributed to Yinbo Qu.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

High efficient degradation of dyes with lignin peroxidase coupled with glucose oxidase.

The H(2)O(2) supply strategy was one of crucial factors for high efficient degradation of pollutants with lignin peroxidase (LiP). In this paper, an attempt was made to couple a H(2)O(2) producing enzymatic reaction to the LiP catalyzed oxidation of dyes. H(2)O(2) needed was generated by glucose oxidase (GOD) and its substrate glucose. The generation rate of H(2)O(2) could be easily controlled by adjusting the pH of the degradation system and the amount of GOD added. Due to the controlled release of H(2)O(2), a sustainable constant activity of LiP was observed. The inhibition of LiP by high level H(2)O(2) supplied externally by a single addition at the beginning of the experiments could be avoided. Degradation of three dyes (xylene cyanol, fuchsine and rhodamine B) with LiP coupled with GOD indicated that the present H(2)O(2) supply strategy was very effective for improvement of the efficiency of the decolourization of dyes.

Benzenesulfonates↗

Application of enzymes in producing bleached pulp from wheat straw.

Crude enzymes produced by different strains were used in the production of bleached wheat straw pulp. Pre-treatment with enzymes from Penicillium A10 and Aspergillus L22 at a xylanase dosage of 4 IU/g prior to pulping decreased pulp kappa number by 6.29% and 12.07% respectively as compared to the control. High cellulase activity in crude enzymes has a negative influence on pulping. Xylanase pre-bleaching reduced chlorine charge by 20-30%, or increased final brightness by approximately 4-5% ISO, and improved the pulp strength properties. Xylanase could substitute for alkali extraction in CEH sequence, and be used for treating chemical-bleached pulp, which resulted in higher strength properties for bleached pulp. Modification of bleached pulp with enzymes of 3 IU/g (on xylanase) increased pulp brightness and breaking length by 3-6% ISO and 160-790 m respectively, and decreased post color number and beating degree of pulp by 29-36% and 2.5-5.5 degrees SR respectively, as compared to the original pulp.

Agriculture↗

Catalytic activity of lignin peroxidase and partition of veratryl alcohol in AOT/isooctane/toluene/water reverse micelles.

The activity of lignin peroxidase (LiP) and the partition of its optimum substrate veratryl alcohol (VA) in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT)/isooctane/toluene/water reverse micelles were studied in this paper to understand the microheterogeneous effect of the medium on the catalytic properties of LiP hosted in the reverse micelle. Results showed that LiP from Phanerochaete chrysosporium could express its activity in the reverse micelles, but its activity depended, to a great extent, on the composition of the reverse micelles. Optimum activity occurred at a molar ratio of water to AOT (omega0) of 11, a pH value of 3.6, and a volume ratio of isooctane to toluene of 7-9. Under optimum conditions, the half-life of LiP was circa 12 h. The dependence of LiP activity on the volume fraction of water in the medium (theta), at a constant omega0 value of 11, indicated that VA was mainly solubilized in the pseudophase of the reverse micelle. Based on the pseudobiphasic model and the corresponding kinetic method, a linear line can be obtained in a plot of apparent Michaelis constant of VA vs theta, and the partition coefficient of VA between the pseudophase and the organic solvent phase was determined to be 35.8, which was higher than that (22.3) between bulk water and the corresponding mixed organic solvent. H2O2 inhibited LiP at concentrations higher than 80 microM; this concentration value seems to be different from that in aqueous solution (about 3 mM). The differences mentioned above should be ascribed to the microheterogeneity and the interface of the AOT reverse micelle.

Benzyl Alcohols↗

Directed evolution for engineering pH profile of endoglucanase III from Trichoderma reesei.

The potential of cellulase has been revealed not only in biomass conversion but also in various industrial processes, including food, textiles, laundry, pulp, and paper. Due to the need for alkali-tolerant cellulase with high specific activity at alkaline pH, for example, for application in detergent industry an error-prone PCR approach was employed for enhancing the alkali-tolerant ability of endoglucanase III (EG III) from Trichoderma reesei by error-prone PCR. One mutant (N321T) which exhibited an optimal activity at pH 5.4, corresponded to a basic shift of 0.6 pH unit compared to the wild-type enzyme, was selected and characterized. In addition, two site-directed mutations, N321D and N321H, were designed to study the role of residue at position 321. As expected, the N321D mutation changed enzyme's optimal activity to pH 4.0, resulting in a large decrease in the specific activity. However, the N321H mutated enzyme was active over a broader pH range compared to the wild type, with no much change in the specific activity. These properties suggest that the residue at position 321 is important amino acid residue in determining the pH activity profile of the EG III from T. reesei.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Alkaline peroxide mechanical pulping of wheat straw with enzyme treatment.

Alkaline peroxide mechanical pulping (APMP) of wheat straw with enzyme treatment was studied. Instead of direct enzyme pretreatment on wheat straw, an alternative treatment method was used, in which coarse pulps from refiner defibrated wheat straw rather than wheat straw were pretreated with a crude enzyme containing mainly xylanase, then impregnated with alkaline H2O2 solution and further refined. The optimum conditions of enzyme treatment were xylanase dosage of 10-15 IU/g of oven-dried wheat straw, 90 min, 50-60 degrees C, pulp consistency of 5-10%, and initial pH of 5.0, and those for chemical impregnation were 6% NaOH, 70-80 degrees C, 60-90 min, and 4 to 5% H2O2. Enzyme treatment improved pulpability of wheat straw by the APMP process, and final pulp quality such as brightness, breaking length, and burst index of pulp. Pulp from the APMP process with enzyme treatment could be bleached to a brightness of 70.5% ISO by two-stage H2O2 bleaching sequence with only 4% H2O2, and breaking length of the bleach pulp reached 4470 m

Alkalies↗

The roles of veratryl alcohol and nonionic surfactant in the oxidation of phenolic compounds by lignin peroxidase.

Veratryl alcohol (VA) at higher concentration stimulated the lignin peroxidase (LiP)-catalyzed oxidation of phenolic compounds remarkably. This novel phenomenon was due to its competition with the phenols for the active site of the enzyme and to the high reactivity of the formed cation radical of VA (VA+*) which resulted in an additional oxidation of the phenols. The influence of the nonionic surfactant Tween 80 on the VA-enhanced LiP-catalyzed oxidation of phenols depended on its concentration. At lower concentration it had a small synergetic effect but at higher concentration it decreased the initial rate. Studies of the capillary electrophoretic behavior of LiP in the presence of Tween 80 showed that this effect was caused by the surfactant aggregation on LiP which, at higher surfactant concentrations, might impede the access of VA to its binding site on LiP and, consequently, the VA+* formation.

Benzyl Alcohols↗

Kinetics of the H2O2-dependent ligninase-catalyzed oxidation of veratryl alcohol in the presence of cationic surfactant studied by spectrophotometric technique.

The kinetics of ligninase-catalyzed oxidation of veratryl alcohol (VA) by H(2)O(2) in the aqueous medium containing cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) has been investigated using spectrophotometric technique. Steady-state kinetic studies at different concentrations of CTAB indicate that the reaction follows a ping pong mechanism and the mechanism always holds but the kinetic parameters vary with CTAB concentrations. CTAB is a weak inhibitor for ligninase; it lowers the maximum initial velocity. CTAB also causes the Michaelis constant of H(2)O(2) to decrease dramatically and that of VA to increase markedly. Based on the changes in kinetic parameters of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction at different CTAB concentrations (lower than, near to and larger than its critical micelle concentration) and the effects of the CTAB monomer and the micelles on the spectra of VA and its corresponding aldehyde, a conclusion could be made that modification of the enzymatic protein by the surfactant monomer should be responsible for the above-mentioned results.

Benzyl Alcohols↗

[Study on xylose fermentation by Neurospora crassa].

The influence of oxygen limitation and medium initial pH on xylose fermentation by Neurospora crassa AS 3.1602 was investigated. N. crassa AS 3.1602 has high ability of xylose fermentation producing ethanol and xylitol. Oxygen limitation has big influence on ethanol and xylitol production. The maximum conversion rate of ethanol was 63.2% obtained under semi-aerobic conditions. The maximum conversion rate of xylitol was 31.8% obtained under micro-aerobic conditions. Xylitol accumulation is behind the accumulation of ethanol. The optimal pH is 5.0 for ethanol fermentation, and 4.0 for xylitol fermentation, respectively. Xylose fermentation is greatly inhibited at high pH. The yields of ethanol and xylitol are greatly influenced by the initial concentration of xylose. The addition of glucose inhibits both the xylose utilization and the ethanol and xylitol production.

Culture Media↗

[Isolation of a bacterium producing epoxide hydrolase with high enantioselectivity and optimization of fermentation conditions].

A bacterial strain 463# producing epoxide hydrolase was isolated from oil-contaminated soils. It showed high enantioselectivity towards styrene oxide, and also towards glycidates, such as ethyl phenyl glycidate and ethyl benzyl glycidate. The strain was identified as Bacillus sp. The fermentation conditions for this strain were optimized. With 1% glucose as carbon source, 1% (NH4)2SO4 and 0.5% beef extract as nitrogen source, Bacillus sp. 463 grew well and showed high epoxide hydrolase activity. In addition, 2-10 mmol/L styrene oxide could promote the production of epoxide hydrolase.

Bacillus↗

Comparative genomic analysis of dha regulon and related genes for anaerobic glycerol metabolism in bacteria.

The dihydroxyacetone (dha) regulon of bacteria encodes genes for the anaerobic metabolism of glycerol. In this work, genomic data are used to analyze and compare the dha regulon and related genes in different organisms in silico with respect to gene organization, sequence similarity, and possible functions. Database searches showed that among the organisms, the genomes of which have been sequenced so far, only two, i.e., Klebsiella pneumoniae MGH 78578 and Clostridium perfringens contain a complete dha regulon bearing all known enzymes. The components and their organization in the dha regulon of these two organisms differ considerably from each other and also from the previously partially sequenced dha regulons in Citrobacter freundii, Clostridium pasteurianum, and Clostridium butyricum. Unlike all of the other organisms, genes for the oxidative and reductive pathways of anaerobic glycerol metabolism in C. perfringens are located in two separate organization units on the chromosome. Comparisons of deduced protein sequences of genes with similar functions showed that the dha regulon components in K. pneumoniae and C. freundii have high similarities (80-95%) but lower similarities to those of the Clostridium species (30-80%). Interestingly, the protein sequence similarities among the dha genes of the Clostridium species are in many cases even lower than those between the Clostridium species and K. pneumoniae or C. freundii, suggesting two different types of dha regulon in the Clostridium species studied. The in silico reconstruction and comparison of dha regulons revealed several new genes in the microorganisms studied. In particular, a novel dha kinase that is phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent is identified and experimentally confirmed for K. pneumoniae in addition to the known ATP-dependent dha kinase. This finding gives new insights into the regulation of glycerol metabolism in K. pneumoniae and explains some hitherto not well understood experimental observations.

Amino Acid Sequence↗