The present disclosure concerns a recombinant yeast host cell exhibiting higher stability and, in some embodiments, higher fermentation performance. The recombinant yeast host cell stability has a limited ability to express an hydrolase during its propagation phase. In return, this limits the cleavage of a yeast cellular component during or after propagation which may be detrimental to the stability and/or fermentation performances. The recombinant yeast host cell expresses a heterologous hydrolase under the control of a heterologous promoter (for limiting the expression of the heterologous hydrolase during propagation and favoring the expression of the heterologous hydrolase during fermentation).

Compositions and methods to treat biofilms are disclosed based on the discovery of the role of the disaccharide trehalose in microbial biofilm development. In various embodiments to treat body-borne biofilms systemically and locally, the method includes administering trehalase, the enzyme which degrades trehalose, in combination with other saccharidases for an exposition time sufficient to adequately degrade the biofilm gel matrix at the site of the biofilm. The method also includes administering a combination of other enzymes such as proteolytic, fibrinolytic, and lipolytic enzymes to break down proteins and lipids present in the biofilm, and administering antimicrobials for the specific type(s) of infectious pathogen(s) underlying the biofilm. Additionally, methods are disclosed to address degradation of biofilms on medical device surfaces and biofilms present in industrial settings.

The present invention provides process for treating crop kernels, comprising the steps of a) soaking kernels in water to produce soaked kernels; b) grinding the soaked kernels; c) treating the soaked kernels in the presence of an effective amount of a feruloyl esterase, wherein step c) is performed before, during or after step b).

The present invention is directed to a yeast strain, or strains, secreting a full suite, or any subset of that full suite, of enzymes to hydrolyze corn starch, corn fiber, lignocellulose, (including enzymes that hydrolyze linkages in cellulose, hemicellulose, and between lignin and carbohydrates) and to utilize pentose sugars (xylose and arabinose). The invention is also directed to the set of proteins that are well expressed in yeast for each category of enzymatic activity. The resulting strain, or strains can be used to hydrolyze starch and cellulose simultaneously. The resulting strain, or strains can be also metabolically engineered to produce less glycerol and uptake acetate. The resulting strain, or strains can also be used to produce ethanol from granular starch without liquefaction. The resulting strain, or strains, can be further used to reduce the amount of external enzyme needed to hydrolyze a biomass feedstock during an Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) process, or to increase the yield of ethanol during SSF at current saccharolytic enzyme loadings. In addition, multiple enzymes of the present invention can be co-expressed in cells of the invention to provide synergistic digestive action on biomass feedstock. In some aspects, host cells expressing different heterologous saccharolytic enzymes can also be co-cultured together and used to produce ethanol from biomass feedstock.

Disclosed herein are the identification, cloning, and optimizing the lytic activity of one or more novel Bacillus lysin proteins, a method of selecting a lysin agent for use in molecular diagnostic testing that includes analyzing genome databases for Bacillus anthracis and near neighbors, selecting candidate genes encoding potential lytic enzymes based on conserved amino acid motifs as determined in peptidoglycan hydrolases, cloning the candidate genes in expression vector, isolating proteins thereof, and testing for lytic activity against Bacillus anthracis, and selecting an optimum gene of the candidate genes for optimizing lysis conditions.

The invention relates to recombinant microorganisms and methods for producing mogroside compounds and mogroside precursors.

Cleaning compositions comprising endo-β-1,3-glucanase enzyme and cleaning adjunct. Methods of treating surfaces including fabrics by contacting the surface with an aqueous was liquor having the cleaning composition therein. The compositions and methods are particularly for cleaning cotton fabrics. The compositions and methods are particularly for removal of soils containing callose, curdlan, pachyman, scleroglucan or schizophyllan. The compositions and methods are particularly for improving whiteness of a fabric, improved soil removal from a fabric, for malodour removal from a fabric, for anti-wrinkle benefits and/or for improved drying of a fabric.

The present invention provides new compositions and methods for preventing and treating pathogen infection. In particular, the present invention provides compounds having an anchoring domain that anchors the compound to the surface of a target cell, and a therapeutic domain that can act extracellularly to prevent infection of a target cell by a pathogen, such as a virus. The present invention also comprises therapeutic compositions having sialidase activity, including protein-based compounds having sialidase catalytic domains. Compounds of the invention can be used for treating or preventing pathogen infection, and for treating and reducing allergic and inflammatory responses. The invention also provides compositions and methods for enhancing transduction of target cells by recombinant viruses. Such compositions and methods can be used in gene therapy.

The disclosure provides thermostable enzymes isolated from Caldicellulosiruptor bescii and fragments thereof useful for the degradation of cellulose and/or hemicellulose, including thermostable cellulases and hemicellulases. The disclosure further provides nucleic acids encoding the thermostable enzymes of the disclosure. The disclosure also provides methods for the conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose into fermentable sugars using thermostable enzymes of the disclosure. The disclosure also provides enzyme cocktails containing multiple enzymes disclosed herein. The enzymes can be used to release sugars present in cellulose or hemicellulose for subsequent fermentation to produce value-added products.

The present invention discloses isolated polynucleotide encoding enzymes, derived from the fungus Macrophomina phaseolina (“M. phaseolina”), responsible for degrading pectin, and it comprises and/or consists of nucleotide sequences set forth in SEQ ID Nos. 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41, 44, 47, 50, 53, 56, 59, 62, 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 43, 46, 49, 52, 55, 58 and 61, or the complement of such sequences. The present invention also relates to isolated polypeptide encoded by the polynucleotide sequences set forth in SEQ ID Nos. 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, 42, 45, 48, 51, 54, 57, 60 and 63; a recombinant gene construct comprising the polynucleotide; a transformant and a transgenic fungus comprising the recombinant gene construct, with or having enhanced production of pectin degrading enzyme. The polypeptide of the invention can be used for, amongst other things, manufactured fruit juice, textile products, pulp and paper, coffee, tea and oil extraction and pectic waste water treatment.