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Journal of Microbiology (Seoul, Korea) Sep 2020Phosphate sugar isomerases, catalyzing the isomerization between ketopentose/ketohexose phosphate and aldopentose/aldohexose phosphate, play an important role in... (Review)
Review
Phosphate sugar isomerases, catalyzing the isomerization between ketopentose/ketohexose phosphate and aldopentose/aldohexose phosphate, play an important role in microbial sugar metabolism. They are present in a wide range of microorganisms. They have attracted increasing research interest because of their broad substrate specificity and great potential in the enzymatic production of various rare sugars. Here, the enzymatic properties of various phosphate sugar isomerases are reviewed in terms of their substrate specificities and their applications in the production of valuable rare sugars because of their functions such as low-calorie sweeteners, bulking agents, and pharmaceutical precursor. Specifically, we focused on the industrial applications of D-ribose-5-phosphate isomerase and D-mannose-6-phosphate isomerase to produce D-allose and L-ribose, respectively.
Topics: Aldose-Ketose Isomerases; Bacteria; Glucose; Hexoses; Mannose-6-Phosphate Isomerase; Pentoses; Ribose; Substrate Specificity; Sweetening Agents
PubMed: 32583284
DOI: 10.1007/s12275-020-0226-x -
Plant & Cell Physiology Dec 2021Growth, development, structure as well as dynamic adaptations and remodeling processes in plants are largely controlled by properties of their cell walls. These... (Review)
Review
Growth, development, structure as well as dynamic adaptations and remodeling processes in plants are largely controlled by properties of their cell walls. These intricate wall structures are mostly made up of different sugars connected through specific glycosidic linkages but also contain many glycosylated proteins. A key plant sugar that is present throughout the plantae, even before the divergence of the land plant lineage, but is not found in animals, is l-arabinose (l-Ara). Here, we summarize and discuss the processes and proteins involved in l-Ara de novo synthesis, l-Ara interconversion, and the assembly and recycling of l-Ara-containing cell wall polymers and proteins. We also discuss the biological function of l-Ara in a context-focused manner, mainly addressing cell wall-related functions that are conferred by the basic physical properties of arabinose-containing polymers/compounds. In this article we explore these processes with the goal of directing future research efforts to the many exciting yet unanswered questions in this research area.
Topics: Arabinose; Cell Wall; Plants
PubMed: 34129041
DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcab087 -
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology May 2023One of the critical steps of the biotechnological production of xylitol from lignocellulosic biomass is the deconstruction of the plant cell wall. This step is crucial... (Review)
Review
One of the critical steps of the biotechnological production of xylitol from lignocellulosic biomass is the deconstruction of the plant cell wall. This step is crucial to the bioprocess once the solubilization of xylose from hemicellulose is allowed, which can be easily converted to xylitol by pentose-assimilating yeasts in a microaerobic environment. However, lignocellulosic toxic compounds formed/released during plant cell wall pretreatment, such as aliphatic acids, furans, and phenolic compounds, inhibit xylitol production during fermentation, reducing the fermentative performance of yeasts and impairing the bioprocess productivity. Although the toxicity of lignocellulosic inhibitors is one of the biggest bottlenecks of the biotechnological production of xylitol, most of the studies focus on how much xylitol production is inhibited but not how and where cells are affected. Understanding this mechanism is important in order to develop strategies to overcome lignocellulosic inhibitor toxicity. In this mini-review, we addressed how these inhibitors affect both yeast physiology and metabolism and consequently xylose-to-xylitol bioconversion. In addition, this work also addresses about cellular adaptation, one of the most relevant strategies to overcome lignocellulosic inhibitors toxicity, once it allows the development of robust and tolerant strains, contributing to the improvement of the microbial performance against hemicellulosic hydrolysates toxicity. KEY POINTS: • Impact of lignocellulosic inhibitors on the xylitol production by yeasts • Physiological and metabolic alterations provoked by lignocellulosic inhibitors • Cell adaptation as an efficient strategy to improve yeast's robustness.
Topics: Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Xylitol; Xylose; Lignin; Fermentation
PubMed: 37039848
DOI: 10.1007/s00253-023-12495-3 -
The New Phytologist Oct 2022The Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle is arguably the most important pathway on earth, capturing CO from the atmosphere and converting it into organic molecules,... (Review)
Review
The Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle is arguably the most important pathway on earth, capturing CO from the atmosphere and converting it into organic molecules, providing the basis for life on our planet. This cycle has been intensively studied over the 50 yr since it was elucidated, and it is highly conserved across nature, from cyanobacteria to the largest of our land plants. Eight out of the 11 enzymes in this cycle catalyse the regeneration of ribulose-1-5 bisphosphate (RuBP), the CO acceptor molecule. The potential to manipulate RuBP regeneration to improve photosynthesis has been demonstrated in a number of plant species, and the development of new technologies, such as omics and synthetic biology provides exciting future opportunities to improve photosynthesis and increase crop yields.
Topics: Carbon Dioxide; Cyanobacteria; Pentoses; Photosynthesis; Plants; Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase
PubMed: 35860861
DOI: 10.1111/nph.18394 -
Food Research International (Ottawa,... Jul 2021Presently, because of the extraordinary roles and potential applications, rare sugars turn into a focus point for countless researchers in the field of carbohydrates.... (Review)
Review
Presently, because of the extraordinary roles and potential applications, rare sugars turn into a focus point for countless researchers in the field of carbohydrates. l-ribose and l-ribulose are rare sugars and isomers of each other. This aldo and ketopentose are expensive but can be utilized as an antecedent for the manufacturing of various rare sugars and l-nucleoside analogue. The bioconversion approach turns into an excellent alternative method to l-ribulose and l-ribose production, as compared to the complex and lengthy chemical methods. The basic purpose of this research was to describe the importance of rare sugars in various fields and their easy production by using enzymatic methods. l-Ribose isomerase (L-RI) is an enzyme discovered by Tsuyoshi Shimonishi and Ken Izumori in 1996 from Acinetobacter sp. strain DL-28. L-RI structure was cupin-type-β-barrel shaped with a catalytic site between two β-sheets surrounded by metal ions. The crystal structures of the L-RI showed that it contains a homotetramer structure. Current review have concentrated on the sources, characteristics, applications, conclusions and future prospects including the potentials of l-ribose isomerase for the commercial production of l-ribose and l-ribulose. The MmL-RIse and CrL-RIse have the potential to produce the l-ribulose up to 32% and 31%, respectively. The CrL-RIse is highly stable as compared to other L-RIs. The results explained that the L-RIs have great potential in the production of rare sugars especially, l-ribose and l-ribulose, while the immobilization technique can enhance its functionality and properties. The present study precises the applications of L-RIs acquired from various sources for l-ribose and l-ribulose production.
Topics: Aldose-Ketose Isomerases; Pentoses; Ribose
PubMed: 34112412
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110409 -
Chemical Reviews Oct 2022Fluorinated carbohydrates have found many applications in the glycosciences. Typically, these contain fluorination at a single position. There are not many applications... (Review)
Review
Fluorinated carbohydrates have found many applications in the glycosciences. Typically, these contain fluorination at a single position. There are not many applications involving polyfluorinated carbohydrates, here defined as monosaccharides in which more than one carbon has at least one fluorine substituent directly attached to it, with the notable exception of their use as mechanism-based inhibitors. The increasing attention to carbohydrate physical properties, especially around lipophilicity, has resulted in a surge of interest for this class of compounds. This review covers the considerable body of work toward the synthesis of polyfluorinated hexoses, pentoses, ketosugars, and aminosugars including sialic acids and nucleosides. An overview of the current state of the art of their glycosidation is also provided.
Topics: Fluorine; Carbohydrates; Hexoses; Pentoses; Monosaccharides; Nucleosides; Sialic Acids; Carbon
PubMed: 35613331
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00086 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2020In the last three decades, oligonucleotides have been extensively investigated as probes, molecular ligands and even catalysts within therapeutic and diagnostic... (Review)
Review
In the last three decades, oligonucleotides have been extensively investigated as probes, molecular ligands and even catalysts within therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The narrow chemical repertoire of natural nucleic acids, however, imposes restrictions on the functional scope of oligonucleotides. Initial efforts to overcome this deficiency in chemical diversity included conservative modifications to the sugar-phosphate backbone or the pendant base groups and resulted in enhanced in vivo performance. More importantly, later work involving other modifications led to the realization of new functional characteristics beyond initial intended therapeutic and diagnostic prospects. These results have inspired the exploration of increasingly exotic chemistries highly divergent from the canonical nucleic acid chemical structure that possess unnatural physiochemical properties. In this review, the authors highlight recent developments in modified oligonucleotides and the thrust towards designing novel nucleic acid-based ligands and catalysts with specifically engineered functions inaccessible to natural oligonucleotides.
Topics: Animals; Aptamers, Nucleotide; Base Pairing; Carbohydrates; Catalysis; Enzymes; Gene Editing; Humans; Ligands; Nucleic Acids; Oligonucleotides; Oligonucleotides, Antisense; Pentoses
PubMed: 33066073
DOI: 10.3390/molecules25204659 -
Microbial Cell Factories Aug 2023R. toruloides is an oleaginous yeast, with diverse metabolic capacities and high tolerance for inhibitory compounds abundant in plant biomass hydrolysates. While R....
R. toruloides is an oleaginous yeast, with diverse metabolic capacities and high tolerance for inhibitory compounds abundant in plant biomass hydrolysates. While R. toruloides grows on several pentose sugars and alcohols, further engineering of the native pathway is required for efficient conversion of biomass-derived sugars to higher value bioproducts. A previous high-throughput study inferred that R. toruloides possesses a non-canonical L-arabinose and D-xylose metabolism proceeding through D-arabitol and D-ribulose. In this study, we present a combination of genetic and metabolite data that refine and extend that model. Chiral separations definitively illustrate that D-arabitol is the enantiomer that accumulates under pentose metabolism. Deletion of putative D-arabitol-2-dehydrogenase (RTO4_9990) results in > 75% conversion of D-xylose to D-arabitol, and is growth-complemented on pentoses by heterologous xylulose kinase expression. Deletion of putative D-ribulose kinase (RTO4_14368) arrests all growth on any pentose tested. Analysis of several pentose dehydrogenase mutants elucidates a complex pathway with multiple enzymes mediating multiple different reactions in differing combinations, from which we also inferred a putative L-ribulose utilization pathway. Our results suggest that we have identified enzymes responsible for the majority of pathway flux, with additional unknown enzymes providing accessory activity at multiple steps. Further biochemical characterization of the enzymes described here will enable a more complete and quantitative understanding of R. toruloides pentose metabolism. These findings add to a growing understanding of the diversity and complexity of microbial pentose metabolism.
Topics: Xylose; Arabinose; Pentoses
PubMed: 37537595
DOI: 10.1186/s12934-023-02126-x -
Microbiology Spectrum Oct 2022Maintaining the health of seafarers is a difficult task during long-term voyages. Little is known about the corresponding changes in the gut microbiome-host interaction....
Maintaining the health of seafarers is a difficult task during long-term voyages. Little is known about the corresponding changes in the gut microbiome-host interaction. This study recruited 30 seafarers undertaking a 6-month voyage and analyzed their gut microbiota using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Fecal untargeted metabolomics analysis was performed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Significant changes in the composition of the gut microbiota and an increased ratio of / at the end (day 180) of the 6-month voyage, relative to the start (day 0), were observed. At the genus level, the abundances of and were significantly increased, while the abundance of was decreased. Predicted microbial functional analysis revealed significant decreases in folate biosynthesis and biotin metabolism. Furthermore, 20 differential metabolites within six differentially enriched human metabolic pathways (including arginine biosynthesis, lysine degradation, phenylalanine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, and glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism) were identified by comparing the fecal metabolites at day 0 and day 180. Spearman correlation analysis revealed close relationships between the 14 differential microbiota members and the six differential fecal metabolites that might affect specific human metabolic pathways. This study adopted a multi-omics approach and provides potential targets for maintaining the health of seafarers during long-term voyages. These findings are worthy of more in-depth exploration in future studies. Maintaining the health of seafarers undertaking long-term voyages is a difficult task. Apart from the alterations in the gut microbiome and fecal metabolites after a long-term voyage, our study also revealed that 20 differential metabolites within six differentially enriched human metabolic pathways are worthy of attention. Moreover, we found close relationships between the 14 differential microbiota members and the six differential fecal metabolites that might impact specific human metabolic pathways. Accordingly, preventative measures, such as adjusting the gut microbiota by decreasing potential pathobionts or increasing potential probiotics as well as offsetting the decrease in B vitamins and beneficial metabolites (e.g., d-glucuronic acid and citrulline) via dietary adjustment or nutritional supplements, might improve the health of seafarers during long-term sea voyages. These findings provide valuable clues about gut microbiome-host interactions and propose potential targets for maintaining the health of seafarers engaged in long-term sea voyages.
Topics: Humans; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Vitamin B Complex; Citrulline; Biotin; Lysine; Metabolomics; Feces; Pentoses; Glucuronates; Glycine; Glucuronic Acid; Serine; Phenylalanine; Sphingolipids; Threonine; Arginine; Folic Acid
PubMed: 36197290
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01899-22 -
Chemical Reviews Oct 2016Biomass has been long exploited as an anthropogenic energy source; however, the 21st century challenges of energy security and climate change are driving resurgence in... (Review)
Review
Biomass has been long exploited as an anthropogenic energy source; however, the 21st century challenges of energy security and climate change are driving resurgence in its utilization both as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels and as a sustainable carbon feedstock for chemicals production. Deconstruction of cellulose and hemicellulose carbohydrate polymers into their constituent C and C sugars, and subsequent heterogeneously catalyzed transformations, offer the promise of unlocking diverse oxygenates such as furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, and gluconic acid as biorefinery platform chemicals. Here, we review recent advances in the design and development of catalysts and processes for C-C sugar reforming into chemical intermediates and products, and highlight the challenges of aqueous phase operation and catalyst evaluation, in addition to process considerations such as solvent and reactor selection.
Topics: Acids; Alkalies; Catalysis; Furaldehyde; Gluconates; Hexoses; Isomerism; Oxidation-Reduction; Pentoses; Sugar Alcohols
PubMed: 27680093
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00311