Enzymatic removal of cellulose from cotton/polyester fabric blends

The production of light-weight polyester fabrics from a polyester/cotton blended fabric, by means of the enzymatic removal of the cellulosic part of the material, was investigated. The removal of cotton from the blended fabric yielded more than 80% of insoluble microfibrillar material by the combined action of high beating effects and cellulase hydrolysis.Other major features of this enzymatic process for converting cotton fibers into microfibrillar material are bath ratio, enzyme dosage and treatment time

The evolution of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase product specificity

Cyclodextrin glucanotransferases (CGTases) have attracted major interest from industry due to their unique capacity of forming large quantities of cyclic α-(1,4)-linked oligosaccharides (cyclodextrins) from starch. CGTases produce a mixture of cyclodextrins from starch consisting of 6 (α), 7 (β) and 8 (γ) glucose units. In an effort to identify the structural factors contributing to the evolutionary diversification of product specificity amongst this group of enzymes, we selected nine CGTases from both mesophilic, thermophilic and hyperthermophilic organisms for comparative product analysis. These enzymes displayed considerable variation regarding thermostability, initial rates, percentage of substrate conversion and ratio of α-, β- and γ-cyclodextrins formed from starch. Sequence comparison of these CGTases revealed that specific incorporation and/or substitution of amino acids at the substrate binding sites, during the evolutionary progression of these enzymes, resulted in diversification of cyclodextrin product specificity

Engineering of cyclodextrin glucanotransferases and the impact for biotechnological applications

Cyclodextrin glucanotransferases (CGTases) are industrially important enzymes that produce cyclic α-(1,4)-linked oligosaccharides (cyclodextrins) from starch. Cyclodextrin glucanotransferases are also applied as catalysts in the synthesis of glycosylated molecules and can act as antistaling agents in the baking industry. To improve the performance of CGTases in these various applications, protein engineers are screening for CGTase variants with higher product yields, improved CD size specificity, etc. In this review, we focus on the strategies employed in obtaining CGTases with new or enhanced enzymatic capabilities by searching for new enzymes and improving existing enzymatic activities via protein engineering

Southern African continental margin: Dynamic processes of a transform margin

Dynamic processes at sheared margins associated with the formation of sedimentary basins and marginal ridges are poorly understood. The southern African margin provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the deep crustal structure of a transform margin and to characterize processes acting at these margins by studying the Agulhas-Falkland Fracture Zone, the Outeniqua Basin, and the Diaz Marginal Ridge. To do this, we present the results of the combined seismic land-sea experiments of the Agulhas-Karoo Geoscience Transect. Detailed velocity-depth models show crustal thicknesses varying from ∼42 km beneath the Cape Fold Belt to ∼28 km beneath the shelf. The Agulhas-Falkland Fracture Zone is embedded in a 50 km wide transitional zone between continental and oceanic crust. The oceanic crust farther south exhibits relatively low average crustal velocities (∼6.0 km/s), which can possibly be attributed to transform-ridge intersection processes and the thermal effects of the adjacent continental crust during its formation. Crustal stretching factors derived from the velocity-depth models imply that extension in the Outeniqua Basin acted on regional as well as more local scales. We highlight evidence for two episodes of crustal stretching. The first, with a stretching factor β of 1.6, is interpreted to have influenced the entire Outeniqua Basin. The stresses possibly originated from the beginning breakup between Africa and Antarctica (∼169–155 Ma). The second episode can be associated with a transtensional component of the shear motion along the Agulhas-Falkland Transform from ∼136 Ma. This episode caused additional crustal stretching with β = 1.3 and is established to only have affected the southern parts of the basin. Crustal velocities directly beneath the Outeniqua Basin are consistent with the interpretation of Cape Supergroup rocks underlying most parts of the basin and the Diaz Marginal Ridge. We propose that the formation of this ridge can be either attributed to a transpressional episode along the Agulhas-Falkland Transform or, more likely, to thermal uplift accompanying the passage of a spreading ridge to the south

Structures of mutants of cellulase CEL48F of <i>Clostridium cellulolyticum</i> in complex with long hemithio cellooligosaccharides give rise to a new view of the substrate pathway during processive action

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Determination of the Catalytic Base in Family 48 Glycosyl Hydrolases ▿

The catalytic base in family 48 glycosyl hydrolases has not been previously established experimentally. Based on structural and modeling data published to date, we used site-directed mutagenesis and azide rescue activity assays to show definitively that the catalytic base in Thermobifida fusca Cel48A is aspartic acid 225. Of the tested mutants, only Cel48A with the D225E mutation retained partial activity on soluble and insoluble substrates. In azide rescue experiments, only the D225G mutation, in the smallest residue tested, showed an increase in activity with added azide

Geophysical survey reveals tectonic structures in the Amundsen Sea embayment, West Antarctica

The Amundsen Sea embayment of West Antarctica is in a prominent location for a series of tectonic and magmatic events from Paleozoic to Cenozoic times. Seismic, magnetic and gravity data from the embayment and Pine Island Bay (PIB) reveal the crustal thickness and some tectonic features. The Moho is 24-22 km deep on the shelf. NE-SW trending magnetic and gravity anomalies and the thin crust indicate a former rift zone that was active during or in the run-up to breakup between Chatham Rise and West Antarctica before or at 90 Ma. NW-SE trending gravity and magnetic anomalies, following a prolongation of Peacock Sound, indicate the extensional southern boundary to the Bellingshausen Plate which was active between 79 and 61 Ma