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Digestion of crystalline cellulose substrates by the clostridium thermocellum cellulosome: structural and morphological aspects.

ABSTRACT: The action of cellulosomes from Clostridium thermocellum on model cellulose microfibrils from Acetobacter xylinum and cellulose microcrystals from Valonia ventricosa was investigated. The biodegradation of these substrates was followed by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis, as a function of the extent of degradation. The cellulosomes were very effective in catalysing the complete digestion of bacterial cellulose, but the total degradation of Valonia microcrystals was achieved more slowly. Ultrastructural observations during the digestion process suggested that the rapid degradation of bacterial cellulose was the result of a very efficient synergistic action of the various enzymic components that are attached to the scaffolding protein of the cellulosomes. The degraded Valonia sample assumed various shapes, ranging from thinned-down microcrystals to crystals where one end was pointed and the other intact. This complexity may be correlated with the multi-enzyme content of the cellulosomes and possibly to a diversity of the cellulosome composition within a given batch. Another aspect of the digestion of model celluloses by cellulosomes is the relative invariability of their crystallinity, together with their Ialpha/Ibeta composition throughout the degradation process. Comparison of the action of cellulosomes with that of fungal enzymes indicated that the degradation of cellulose crystals by cellulosomes occurred with only limited levels of processivity, in contrast with the observations reported for fungal enzymes. The findings were consistent with a mechanism whereby initial attack by a cellulosome of an individual cellulose crystal results in its 'commitment' towards complete degradation.

SUBMITTER: Boisset C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1220317 | biostudies-other | 1999 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:The family IV cellulose-binding domain of Clostridium thermocellum CelK (CBD(CelK)) was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. It binds to acid-swollen cellulose (ASC) and bacterial microcrystalline cellulose (BMCC) with capacities of 16.03 and 3.95 micromol/g of cellulose and relative affinities (K(r)) of 2.33 and 9.87 liters/g, respectively. The CBD(CelK) is the first representative of family IV CBDs to exhibit an affinity for BMCC. The CBD(CelK) also binds to the soluble polysaccharides lichenin, glucomannan, and barley beta-glucan, which are substrates for CelK. It does not bind to xylan, galactomannan, and carboxymethyl cellulose. The CBD(CelK) contains 1 mol of calcium per mol. The CBD(CelK) has three thiol groups and one disulfide, reduction of which results in total loss of cellulose-binding ability. To reveal amino acid residues important for biological function of the domain and to investigate the role of calcium in the CBD(CelK) four highly conserved aromatic residues (Trp(56), Trp(94), Tyr(111), and Tyr(136)) and Asp(192) were mutated into alanines, giving the mutants W56A, W94A, Y111A, Y136A, and D192A. In addition 14 N-terminal amino acids were deleted, giving the CBD-N(CelK). The CBD-N(CelK) and D192A retained binding parameters close to that of the intact CBD(CelK), W56A and W94A totally lost the ability to bind to cellulose, Y136A bound to both ASC and BMCC but with significantly reduced binding capacity and K(r) and Y111A bound weakly to ASC and did not bind to BMCC. Mutations of the aromatic residues in the CBD(CelK) led to structural changes revealed by studying solubility, circular-dichroism spectra, dimer formation, and aggregation. Calcium content was drastically decreased in D192A. The results suggest that Asp192 is in the calcium-binding site of the CBD(CelK) and that calcium does not affect binding to cellulose. The 14 amino acids from the N terminus of the CBD(CelK) are not important for binding. Tyr136, corresponding to Cellulomonas fimi CenC CBD(N1) Y85, located near the binding cleft, might be involved in the formation of the binding surface, while Y111, W56A, and W94A are essential for the binding process by keeping the CBD(CelK) correctly folded.

Project description:Background: The ability of Clostridium thermocellum ATCC 27405 wild-type strain to hydrolyze cellulose and ferment the degradation products directly to ethanol and other metabolic byproducts makes it an attractive candidate for consolidated bioprocessing of cellulosic biomass to biofuels. In this study, whole-genome microarrays were used to investigate the expression of C. thermocellum mRNA during growth on crystalline cellulose in controlled replicate batch fermentations. Results: A time-series analysis of gene expression revealed changes in transcript levels of ~40% of genes (~1300 out of 3198 ORFs encoded in the genome) during transition from early-exponential to late-stationary phase. K-means clustering of genes with statistically significant changes in transcript levels identified six distinct clusters of temporal expression. Broadly, genes involved in energy production, translation, glycolysis and amino acid, nucleotide and coenzyme metabolism displayed a decreasing trend in gene expression as cells entered stationary phase. In comparison, genes involved in cell structure and motility, chemotaxis, signal transduction and transcription showed an increasing trend in gene expression. Hierarchical clustering of cellulosome-related genes highlighted temporal changes in composition of this multi-enzyme complex during batch growth on crystalline cellulose, with increased expression of several genes encoding hydrolytic enzymes involved in degradation of non-cellulosic substrates in stationary phase. Conclusions: Overall, the results suggest that under low substrate availability, growth slows due to decreased metabolic potential and C. thermocellum alters its gene expression to (i) modulate the composition of cellulosomes that are released into the environment with an increased proportion of enzymes than can efficiently degrade plant polysaccharides other than cellulose, (ii) enhance signal transduction and chemotaxis mechanisms perhaps to sense the oligo-saccharide hydrolysis products, and nutrient gradients generated through the action of cell-free cellulosomes and, (iii) increase cellular motility for potentially orienting the cells’ movement towards positive environmental signals leading to nutrient sources. Such a coordinated cellular strategy would increase its chances of survival in natural ecosystems where feast and famine conditions are frequently encountered.

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Digestion of crystalline cellulose substrates by the clostridium thermocellum cellulosome: structural and morphological aspects.

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