This paper reports on a novel ␤-xylosidase from the hemicellulolytic fungus Talaromyces amestolkiae. The expression of this enzyme, called BxTW1, could be induced by beechwood xylan and was purified as a glycoprotein from culture supernatants. We characterized the gene encoding this enzyme as an intronless gene belonging to the glycoside hydrolase gene family 3 (GH3). BxTW1 exhibited transxylosylation activity in a regioselective way. This feature would allow the synthesis of oligosaccharides or other compounds not available from natural sources, such as alkyl glycosides displaying antimicrobial or surfactant properties. Regioselective transxylosylation, an uncommon combination, makes the synthesis reproducible, which is desirable for its potential industrial application. BxTW1 showed high pH stability and Cu 2؉ tolerance. The enzyme displayed a pI of 7.6, a molecular mass around 200 kDa in its active dimeric form, and K m and V max values of 0.17 mM and 52.0 U/mg, respectively, using commercial p-nitrophenyl-␤-D-xylopyranoside as the substrate. The catalytic efficiencies for the hydrolysis of xylooligosaccharides were remarkably high, making it suitable for different applications in food and bioenergy industries. P lant biomass represents the most abundant renewable energy resource available on earth. It is composed mainly of cellulose and hemicellulose, two polysaccharides that constitute the raw material for the so-called second-generation (2G) bioethanol industry. The production of this biofuel has received special attention in recent years because it is based on the use of nonfood sources of cellulosic biomass (1). It has been pointed out that energy crops should be restricted to metal-contaminated soils in order to avoid cultivation competition against the food industry (2, 3).In order to make the production of this biofuel economically viable, many modifications have been introduced into the industrial process in recent years. Among them, the strategy of combining enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose with ethanol fermentation in a single process known as simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) is a significant step forward, but reduced production costs and improved yields are still necessary (1). Most studies have been using agricultural wastes as raw materials, usually after a physicochemical pretreatment to disrupt the lignocellulose structure to enhance cellulose and hemicellulose accessibility. Nevertheless, the industrial procedure currently used to produce 2G ethanol consists of fermenting glucose, which is enzymatically released from cellulose by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a biocatalyst (4). To increase process yields, hemicellulose hydrolysis and pentose fermentation are extremely relevant. Within this heterogeneous group of polysaccharides, xylans are most abundant in hardwoods and grass. They are composed of a backbone of ␤-1,4-linked D-xylopyranosyl units highly substituted with arabinofuranose, glucose, glucuronic or methyl-glucuronic acid, and acetyl side groups. The enz...

Background The interest for finding novel β-glucosidases that can improve the yields to produce second-generation (2G) biofuels is still very high. One of the most desired features for these enzymes is glucose tolerance, which enables their optimal activity under high-glucose concentrations. Besides, there is an additional focus of attention on finding novel enzymatic alternatives for glycoside synthesis, for which a mutated version of glycosidases, named glycosynthases, has gained much interest in recent years. Results In this work, a glucotolerant β-glucosidase (BGL-1) from the ascomycete fungus Talaromyces amestolkiae has been heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris, purified, and characterized. The enzyme showed good efficiency on p-nitrophenyl glucopyranoside (pNPG) (Km= 3.36 ± 0.7 mM, kcat= 898.31 s−1), but its activity on cellooligosaccharides, the natural substrates of these enzymes, was much lower, which could limit its exploitation in lignocellulose degradation applications. Interestingly, when examining the substrate specificity of BGL-1, it showed to be more active on sophorose, the β-1,2 disaccharide of glucose, than on cellobiose. Besides, the transglycosylation profile of BGL-1 was examined, and, for expanding its synthetic capacities, it was converted into a glycosynthase. The mutant enzyme, named BGL-1-E521G, was able to use α-d-glucosyl-fluoride as donor in glycosylation reactions, and synthesized glucosylated derivatives of different pNP-sugars in a regioselective manner, as well as of some phenolic compounds of industrial interest, such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Conclusions In this work, we report the characterization of a novel glucotolerant 1,2-β-glucosidase, which also has a considerable activity on 1,4-β-glucosyl bonds, that has been cloned in P. pastoris, produced, purified and characterized. In addition, the enzyme was converted into an efficient glycosynthase, able to transfer glucose molecules to a diversity of acceptors for obtaining compounds of interest. The remarkable capacities of BGL-1 and its glycosynthase mutant, both in hydrolysis and synthesis, suggest that it could be an interesting tool for biotechnological applications.

The synthesis of customized glycoconjugates constitutes a major goal for biocatalysis. To this end, engineered glycosidases have received great attention and, among them, thioglycoligases have proved useful to connect carbohydrates to non-sugar acceptors. However, hitherto the scope of these biocatalysts was considered limited to strong nucleophilic acceptors. Based on the particularities of the GH3 glycosidase family active site, we hypothesized that converting a suitable member into a thioglycoligase could boost the acceptor range. Herein we show the engineering of an acidophilic fungal β-xylosidase into a thioglycoligase with broad acceptor promiscuity. The mutant enzyme displays the ability to form O-, N-, S- and Se- glycosides together with sugar esters and phosphoesters with conversion yields from moderate to high. Analyses also indicate that the pKa of the target compound was the main factor to determine its suitability as glycosylation acceptor. These results expand on the glycoconjugate portfolio attainable through biocatalysis.

BackgroundGlycosides are compounds displaying crucial biological roles and plenty of applications. Traditionally, these molecules have been chemically obtained, but its efficient production is limited by the lack of regio- and stereo-selectivity of the chemical synthesis. As an interesting alternative, glycosidases are able to catalyze the formation of glycosides in a process considered green and highly selective. In this study, we report the expression and characterization of a fungal β-xylosidase in Pichia pastoris. The transglycosylation potential of the enzyme was evaluated and its applicability in the synthesis of a selective anti-proliferative compound demonstrated.ResultsThe β-xylosidase BxTW1 from the ascomycete fungus Talaromyces amestolkiae was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. The yeast secreted 8 U/mL of β-xylosidase that was purified by a single step of cation-exchange chromatography. rBxTW1 in its active form is an N-glycosylated dimer of about 200 kDa. The enzyme was biochemically characterized displaying a K m and k cat against p-nitrophenyl-β-d-xylopyranoside of 0.20 mM and 69.3 s−1 respectively, and its maximal activity was achieved at pH 3 and 60 °C. The glycan component of rBxTW1 was also analyzed in order to interpret the observed loss of stability and maximum velocity when compared with the native enzyme. A rapid screening of aglycone specificity was performed, revealing a remarkable high number of potential transxylosylation acceptors for rBxTW1. Based on this analysis, the enzyme was successfully tested in the synthesis of 2-(6-hydroxynaphthyl) β-d-xylopyranoside, a well-known selective anti-proliferative compound, enzymatically obtained for the first time. The application of response surface methodology, following a Box-Behnken design, enhanced this production by eightfold, fitting the reaction conditions into a multiparametric model. The naphthyl derivative was purified and its identity confirmed by NMR.ConclusionsA β-xylosidase from T. amestolkiae was produced in P. pastoris and purified. The final yields were much higher than those attained for the native protein, although some loss of stability and maximum velocity was observed. rBxTW1 displayed remarkable acceptor versatility in transxylosylation, catalyzing the synthesis of a selective antiproliferative compound, 2-(6-hydroxynaphthyl) β-d-xylopyranoside. These results evidence the interest of rBxTW1 for transxylosylation of relevant products with biotechnological interest.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12934-016-0568-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Long‐chain multiantenna N‐glycans are extremely complex molecules. Their inherent flexibility and the presence of repetitions of monosaccharide units in similar chemical environments hamper their full characterization by X‐ray diffraction or standard NMR methods. Herein, the successful conformational and interaction analysis of a sialylated tetradecasaccharide N‐glycan presenting two LacNAc repetitions at each arm is presented. This glycan has been identified as the receptor of the hemagglutinin protein of pathogenic influenza viruses. To accomplish this study, a N‐glycan conjugated with a lanthanide binding tag has been synthesized, enabling analysis of the system by paramagnetic NMR. Under paramagnetic conditions, the NMR signals of each sugar unit in the glycan have been determined. Furthermore, a detailed binding epitope of the tetradecasaccharide N‐glycan in the presence of HK/68 hemagglutinin is described.

Background Transglycosylation represents one of the most promising approaches for obtaining novel glycosides, and plant phenols and polyphenols are emerging as one of the best targets for creating new molecules with enhanced capacities. These compounds can be found in diet and exhibit a wide range of bioactivities, such as antioxidant, antihypertensive, antitumor, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory, and the eco-friendly synthesis of glycosides from these molecules can be a suitable alternative for increasing their health benefits. Results Transglycosylation experiments were carried out using different GH3 β-glucosidases from the fungus Talaromyces amestolkiae . After a first screening with a wide variety of potential transglycosylation acceptors, mono-glucosylated derivatives of hydroxytyrosol, vanillin alcohol, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, and hydroquinone were detected. The reaction products were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography, high-pressure liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry. Hydroxytyrosol and vanillyl alcohol were selected as the best options for transglycosylation optimization, with a final conversion yield of 13.8 and 19% of hydroxytyrosol and vanillin glucosides, respectively. NMR analysis confirmed the structures of these compounds. The evaluation of the biological effect of these glucosides using models of breast cancer cells, showed an enhancement in the anti-proliferative capacity of the vanillin derivative, and an improved safety profile of both glucosides. Conclusions GH3 β-glucosidases from T. amestolkiae expressed in P. pastoris were able to transglycosylate a wide variety of acceptors. Between them, phenolic molecules like hydroxytyrosol, vanillin alcohol, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, and hydroquinone were the most suitable for its interesting biological properties. The glycosides of hydroxytyrosol and vanillin were tested, and they improved the biological activities of the original aglycons on breast cancer cells. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12934-019-1147-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Benzyl 3‐deoxy‐4‐S‐(β‐D‐galactopyranosyl)‐4‐thio‐β‐D‐threo‐pentopyranoside (3) is a potent inhibitor of the β‐galactosidase from Escherichia coli synthesized in our laboratory. The 2′,3′,4′,6′‐tetra‐O‐acetyl derivative of this thiodisaccharide was oxidized with m‐chloroperoxybenzoic acid to give a 2:1 diastereomeric mixture of sulfoxides 2S and 2R. The absolute configurations of their sulfur stereocenters were determined by using NMR techniques and by taking into account the anisotropic effects of the S=O group in the major conformers. O‐Deacetylation of 2S and 2R afforded the free thiodisaccharide S‐oxides 4S and 4R, which were evaluated as inhibitors of the above‐mentioned enzyme. The kinetic studies showed that 4S and 4R are competitive inhibitors of the enzyme with Ki values of 0.19 and 0.45 mM, respectively. Further enzymatic reactions demonstrated that 4S is also a substrate of the β‐galactosidase, as it was diastereoselectively hydrolyzed, with 4R remaining unchanged under the same conditions.

Background Currently, industrial societies are seeking for green alternatives to conventional chemical synthesis. This demand has merged with the efforts to convert lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products. In this context, xylan, as one of main components of lignocellulose, has emerged as a raw material with high potential for advancing towards a sustainable economy. Results In this study, the recombinant endoxylanase rXynM from the ascomycete Talaromyces amestolkiae has been heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris and used as one of the catalysts of an enzyme cascade developed to synthesize the antiproliferative 2-(6-hydroxynaphthyl) β-d-xylopyranoside, by transglycosylation of 2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene. The approach combines the use of two fungal xylanolytic enzymes, rXynM and the β-xylosidase rBxTW1 from the same fungus, with the cost-effective substrate xylan. The reaction conditions for the cascade were optimized by a Central Composite Design. Maximal productions of 0.59 and 0.38 g/L were reached using beechwood xylan and birchwood xylan, respectively. For comparison, xylans from other sources were tested in the same reaction, suggesting that a specific optimization is required for each xylan variety. The results obtained using this enzyme cascade and xylan were similar or better to those previously reported for a single catalyst and xylobiose, an expensive sugar donor. Conclusions Beechwood and birchwood xylan, two polysaccharides easily available from biomass, were used in a novel enzyme cascade to synthetize an antiproliferative agent. The approach represents a green alternative to the conventional chemical synthesis of 2-(6-hydroxynaphthyl) β-d-xylopyranoside using a cost-effective substrate. The work highlights the role of xylan as a raw material for producing value-added products and the potential of fungal xylanolytic enzymes in the biomass conversion.