Search

κ-carrageenases are members of the glycoside hydrolase family 16 (GH16) that hydrolyze sulfated galactans in red algae, known as κ-carrageenans. In this study, a novel κ-carrageenase gene from the marine bacterium Rhodopirellula sallentina SM41 (RsCgk) was discovered via the genome mining approach. There are currently no reports on κ-carrageenase from the Rhodopirellula genus, and RsCgk shares a low identity (less than 65%) with κ- carrageenase from other genera. The RsCgk was heterologously overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 and characterized for its enzymatic properties. RsCgk exhibited maximum activity at pH 7.0 and 40 °C, and 50% of its initial activity was retained after incubating at 30 °C for 2 h. More than 70% of its activity was maintained after incubation at pH 6.0–8.0 and 4 °C for 24 h. As a marine derived enzyme, RsCgk showed excellent salt tolerance, retaining full activity in 1.2 M NaCl, and the addition of NaCl greatly enhanced its thermal stability. Mass spectrometry analysis of the RsCgk hydrolysis products revealed that the enzyme had high degradation specificity and mainly produced κ-carrageenan disaccharide. Comparative molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the conformational changes of tunnel-forming loops under salt environments may cause the deactivation or stabilization of RsCgk. Our results demonstrated that RsCgk could be utilized as a potential tool enzyme for efficient production of κ-carrageenan oligosaccharides under high salt conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few methods and insufficient accuracy for growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) concentration detection. In this paper, we designed a twisted fiber cladding surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor, which can achieve a high precision detection of GDF11 concentration. The new structure of the fiber cladding SPR sensor was realized by coupling the light in the fiber core to the cladding through fiber thermal fusion twisting micromachining technology; a series of functionalized modifications were made to the sensor surface to obtain a fiber sensor capable of GDF11 specific recognition. The experimental results showed when GDF11 antigen concentration was 1 pg/mL–10 ng/mL, the sensor had a detection sensitivity of 2.518 nm/lgC, a detection limit of 0.34 pg/mL, and a good log-linear relationship. The sensor is expected to play a role in the rapid and accurate concentration detection of pathological study for growth differentiation factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important enzyme involved in the marine carbon cycle, alginate lyase has received extensive attention because of its excellent degradation ability on brown algae, which is widely utilized for alginate oligosaccharide preparation or bioethanol production. In comparison with endo-type alginate lyases (PL-5, PL-7, and PL-18 families), limited studies have focused on PL-17 family alginate lyases, especially for those with special characteristics. In this study, a novel PL-17 family alginate lyase, Aly23, was identified and cloned from the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora ASY5. Aly23 exhibited maximum activity at 35 °C and retained 48.93% of its highest activity at 4 °C, representing an excellent cold-adaptation property. Comparative molecular dynamics analysis was implemented to explore the structural basis for the cold-adaptation property of Aly23. Aly23 had a high substrate preference for poly β-D-mannuronate and exhibited both endolytic and exolytic activities; its hydrolysis reaction mainly produced monosaccharides, disaccharides, and trisaccharides. Furthermore, the enzymatic hydrolyzed oligosaccharides displayed good antioxidant activities to reduce ferric and scavenge radicals, such as hydroxyl, ABTS+, and DPPH. Our work demonstrated that Aly23 is a promising cold-adapted biocatalyst for the preparation of natural antioxidants from brown algae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some commonly used surfactants in cosmetic products raise concerns due to their skin-irritating effects and environmental contamination. Multifunctional, high-performance polymers are good alternatives to overcome these problems. In this study, agarose stearate (AS) with emulsifying, thickening, and gel properties was synthesized. Surfactant-free cosmetic formulations were successfully prepared from AS and carbomer940 (CBM940) mixed systems. The correlation of rheological parameter with skin feeling was determined to study the usability of the mixed systems in cosmetics. Based on rheological analysis, the surfactant-free cosmetic cream (SFC) stabilized by AS-carbomer940 showed shear-thinning behavior and strongly synergistic action. The SFC exhibited a gel-like behavior and had rheological properties similar to commercial cosmetic creams. Scanning electron microscope images proved that the AS-CBM940 network played an important role in SFC's stability. Oil content could reinforce the elastic characteristics of the AS-CBM940 matrix. The SFCs showed a good appearance and sensation during and after rubbing into skin. The knowledge gained from this study may be useful for designing surfactant-free cosmetic cream with rheological properties that can be tailored for particular commercial cosmetic applications. They may also be useful for producing medicine products with highly viscous or gel-like textures, such as some ointments and wound dressings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agarose is a natural seaweed polysaccharide and widely used in the medicine, food, and biological fields because of its high gel strength, non-toxicity, and electrical neutrality. The sulfate group is one of the main charged groups that affect the performance of agarose. In the present study, a simple, eco-friendly, and efficient method was explored for agarose preparation. After desulfation with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), the sulfate content of agar reached 0.21%. Together with gel strength, electroendosmosis, gelling and melting temperature, the indicators of desulfated agar met the standards of commercially available agarose. Notably, the desulfated agar can be used as an agarose gel electrophoresis medium to separate DNA molecules, and the separation effect is as good as that of commercially available agarose. Further, the H2O2 desulfation process was analyzed. The addition of a hydroxyl radical (HO•) scavenger remarkably decreased the H2O2 desulfation rate, indicating that HO• has a certain role in agar desulfation. Sulfate content detection indicated that sulfur was removed from agar molecules in the form of sulfate ions (SO42−) and metal sulfate. The band absence at 850 cm−1 indicated that the sulfate groups at C-4 of D-galactose in sulfated galactan were eliminated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a non-toxic chitosan-based carrier was constructed via genipin activation and applied for the immobilization of tannase. The immobilization carriers and immobilized tannase were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Activation conditions (genipin concentration, activation temperature, activation pH and activation time) and immobilizations conditions (enzyme amount, immobilization time, immobilization temperature, immobilization pH, and shaking speed) were optimized. The activity and activity recovery rate of the immobilized tannase prepared using optimal activation and immobilization conditions reached 29.2 U/g and 53.6%, respectively. The immobilized tannase exhibited better environmental adaptability and stability. The immobilized tannase retained 20.1% of the initial activity after 12 cycles and retained 81.12% of residual activity after 30 days storage. The catechins composition analysis of tea extract indicated that the concentration of non-ester-type catechins, EGC and EC, were increased by 1758% and 807% after enzymatic treatment. Biological activity studies of tea extract revealed that tea extract treated with the immobilized tannase possessed higher antioxidant activity, higher inhibitory effect on α-amylase, and lower inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase. Our results demonstrate that chitosan activated with genipin could be an effective non-toxic carrier for tannase immobilization and enhancing biological activities of tea extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tannase is widely used in tea beverage processing because of its ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of hydrolysable tannins or gallic acid esters and effectively improve the quality of tea extracts through enzymatic extraction. A new thermophilic tannase was cloned from Aspergillus niger FJ0118 and characterized. The tannase exhibited an optimal reaction temperature of 80 °C and retained 89.6% of the initial activity after incubation at 60 °C for 2 h. The enzymatic extraction of green tea at high temperature (70 °C) for a short time (40 min) was devised on the basis of the superior thermal stability of tannase. The enzymatic reaction significantly increased the total polyphenol content of green tea extract from 137 g·kg−1 to 291 g·kg−1. The enzymatic reaction effectively degraded the ester catechins into non-ester catechins compared with the water extraction method. Results suggested that the thermally stable tannase exhibited potential applications in the enzymatic extraction of green tea beverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alginate extracted from widely cultured brown seaweed can be hydrolyzed by alginate lyase to produce alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) with intriguing biological activities. Herein, a novel alginate lyase Aly1281 was cloned from marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonascarrageenovora ASY5 isolated from mangrove soil and found to belong to polysaccharide lyase family 7. Aly1281 exhibited maximum activity at pH 8.0 and 50 °C and have broad substrate specificity for polyguluronate and polymannuronate. Compared with other alginate lyases, Aly1281 exhibited high degradation specificity and mainly produced di-alginate oligosaccharides which displayed good antioxidant function to reduce ferric and scavenge radicals such as hydroxyl, ABTS+ and DPPH. Moreover, the catalytic activity and kinetic performance of Aly1281 were highly improved with the addition of salt, demonstrating a salt-activation property. A putative conformational structural feature of Aly1281 was found by MD simulation analysis for understanding the salt-activation effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new compounds, including a benzopyran ribonic glycoside, daldiniside A (1), two isocoumarin ribonic glycosides, daldinisides B (2) and C (3), and two alkaloids, 1-(3-indolyl)-2R,3-dihydroxypropan-1-one (4) and 3-ethyl-2, 5-pyrazinedipropanoic acid (5), along with five known compounds (6-10), were isolated from the EtOAc extract of the marine-associated fungus, Daldinia eschscholzii. Their structures were elucidated by extensive physicochemical and spectroscopic properties, besides comparison with literature data. The absolute configurations of compounds 1-3 were corroborated by chemical transformation, GC analysis and X-ray crystallographic analysis. Meanwhile, the absolute configuration of compound 4 and the planar structure of compound 6 were also determined based on the X-ray diffraction analysis. The cytotoxicity of compounds 1-10, antifungal and anti-HIV activities of compounds 1-5 and the in vitro assay for glucose consumption of compounds 1-3 were done in the anti-diabetic model, whereas none showed obvious activity.