Xylitol production is increased by expression of codon-optimized Neurospora crassa xylose reductase gene in Candida tropicalis

Xylose reductase (XR) is the first enzyme in d-xylose metabolism, catalyzing the reduction of d-xylose to xylitol. Formation of XR in the yeast Candida tropicalis is significantly repressed in cells grown on medium that contains glucose as carbon and energy source, because of the repressive effect of glucose. This is one reason why glucose is not a suitable co-substrate for cell growth in industrial xylitol production. XR from the ascomycete Neurospora crassa (NcXR) has high catalytic efficiency; however, NcXR is not expressed in C. tropicalis because of difference in codon usage between the two species. In this study, NcXR codons were changed to those preferred in C. tropicalis. This codon-optimized NcXR gene (termed NXRG) was placed under control of a constitutive glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) promoter derived from C. tropicalis, and integrated into the genome of xylitol dehydrogenase gene (XYL2)-disrupted C. tropicalis. High expression level of NXRG was confirmed by determining XR activity in cells grown on glucose medium. The resulting recombinant strain, LNG2, showed high XR activity (2.86 U (mg of protein)−1), whereas parent strain BSXDH-3 showed no activity. In xylitol fermentation using glucose as a co-substrate with xylose, LNG2 showed xylitol production rate 1.44 g L−1 h−1 and xylitol yield of 96% at 44 h, which were 73 and 62%, respectively, higher than corresponding values for BSXDH-3 (rate 0.83 g L−1 h−1; yield 59%)

Production of Xylitol from d-Xylose by a Xylitol Dehydrogenase Gene-Disrupted Mutant of Candida tropicalis

Xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) is one of the key enzymes in d-xylose metabolism, catalyzing the oxidation of xylitol to d-xylulose. Two copies of the XYL2 gene encoding XDH in the diploid yeast Candida tropicalis were sequentially disrupted using the Ura-blasting method. The XYL2-disrupted mutant, BSXDH-3, did not grow on a minimal medium containing d-xylose as a sole carbon source. An enzyme assay experiment indicated that BSXDH-3 lost apparently all XDH activity. Xylitol production by BSXDH-3 was evaluated using a xylitol fermentation medium with glucose as a cosubstrate. As glucose was found to be an insufficient cosubstrate, various carbon sources were screened for efficient cofactor regeneration, and glycerol was found to be the best cosubstrate. BSXDH-3 produced xylitol with a volumetric productivity of 3.23 g liter(−1) h(−1), a specific productivity of 0.76 g g(−1) h(−1), and a xylitol yield of 98%. This is the first report of gene disruption of C. tropicalis for enhancing the efficiency of xylitol production

Inhibitory effects of triphlorethol-A on MMP-1 induced by oxidative stress in human keratinocytes via ERK and AP-1 inhibition

Oxidative stress is known to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells, which subsequently induce the synthesis of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and an aging phenomenon. The protective effects of triphlorethol-A, derived from Ecklonia cava, were investigated against hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-induced damage using human skin keratinocytes. Data showed that triphlorethol-A inhibited ROS formation, induced catalase expression, inhibited DNA damage, and increased cell viability in keratinocytes. Triphlorethol-A treatment significantly reduced MMP-1 expression and production, compared to H(2)O(2)-treated cells. In addition, triphlorethol-A abrogated the activation of extracellular signal regulated protein kinase (ERK), which originates upstream of MMP-1 expression, and was induced by H(2)O(2) treatment. Moreover, triphlorethol-A inhibited DNA binding activity of activator protein-1 (AP-1), a downstream transcription factor of ERK. Data indicate that the antioxidative properties of triphlorethol-A involve the inhibition of MMP-1 via ERK and AP-1 inhibition

Analysis of Outcomes in Ischemic vs Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation A Report From the GARFIELD-AF Registry

IMPORTANCE Congestive heart failure (CHF) is commonly associated with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF), and their combination may affect treatment strategies and outcomes

Erratum to: Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition) (Autophagy, 12, 1, 1-222, 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356

non present