• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.749-757
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• 2019

Nitrilase is a valuable hydrolase that catalyzes nitriles into carboxylic acid and ammonia. Its applications, however, are severely restricted by the harsh conditions of industrial reaction processes. To solve this problem, a nitrilase from Acidovorax facilis 72W was inserted into an Escherichia coli-Bacillus subtilis shuttle vector for spore surface display. Western blot, enzyme activity measurements and flow cytometric analysis results all indicated a successful spore surface display of the CotB-nit fusion protein. In addition, the optimal catalytic pH value and temperature of the displayed nitrilase were determined to be 7.0 and $50^{\circ}C$, respectively. Moreover, results of reusability tests revealed that 64% of the initial activity of the displayed nitrilase was still retained at the $10^{th}$ cycle. Furthermore, hydrolysis efficiency of upscale production of cyanocarboxylic acid was significantly higher in the displayed nitrilase-treated group than in the free group expressed by E. coli (pET-28a-nit). Generally, the display of A. facilis 72W nitrilase on the spore surface of Bacillus subtilis may be a useful method for immobilization of enzyme and consequent biocatalytic stabilization.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.179-190
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• 2019

Bacillus subtilis spore surface display (BSSD) technology is considered to be one of the most promising approaches for expressing heterologous proteins with high activity and stability. Currently, this technology is used for various purposes, such as the production of enzymes, oral vaccines, drugs and multimeric proteins, and the control of environmental pollution. This paper presents an overview of the latest developments in BSSD technology and its application in protein engineering. Finally, the major limitations of this technology and future directions for its research are discussed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.1267-1277
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• 2016

Currently, enzymatic synthesis of lactulose, a synthetic prebiotic disaccharide, is commonly performed with glycosyl hydrolases. In this work, a new type of lactulose-producing biocatalyst was developed by displaying β-galactosidase from Bacillus stearothermophilus IAM11001 (Bs-β-Gal) on the surface of Bacillus subtilis 168 spores. Localization of β-Gal on the spore surface as a fusion to CotX was verified by western blot analysis, immunofluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry. The optimum pH and temperature for the resulting spore-displayed β-Gal was 6.0 and 75℃, respectively. Under optimal conditions, it showed maximum activity of 0.42 U/mg spores (dry weight). Moreover, the spore-displayed CotX-β-Gal was employed as a whole cell biocatalyst to produce lactulose, yielding 8.8 g/l from 200 g/l lactose and 100 g/l fructose. Reusability tests showed that the spore-displayed CotX-β-Gal retained around 30.3% of its initial activity after eight successive conversion cycles. These results suggest that the CotX-mediated spore-displayed β-Gal may provide a promising strategy for lactulose production.