Purification,characterization, gene cloning and nucleotide sequencing of D-stereospecific amino acid amidase from soil bacterium: Delftia acidovorans

The D-amino acid amidase-producing bacterium was isolated from soil samples using an enrichment culture technique in medium broth containing D-phenylalanine amide as a sole source of nitrogen. The strain exhibiting the strongest activity was identified as Delftia acidovorans strain 16. This strain produced intracellular D-amino acid amidase constitutively. The enzyme was purified about 380-fold to homogeneity and its molecular mass was estimated to be about 50 kDa, on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme was active preferentially toward D-amino acid amides rather than their L-counterparts. It exhibited strong amino acid amidase activity toward aromatic amino acid amides including D-phenylalanine amide, D-tryptophan amide and D-tyrosine amide, yet it was not specifically active toward low-molecular-weight D-amino acid amides such as D-alanine amide, L-alanine amide and L-serine amide. Moreover, it was not specifically active toward oligopeptides. The enzyme showed maximum activity at 40°C and pH 8.5 and appeared to be very stable, with 92.5% remaining activity after the reaction was performed at 45°C for 30 min. However, it was mostly inactivated in the presence of phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride or Cd²⁺, Ag⁺, Zn²⁺, Hg²⁺ and As³⁺ . The NH₂ terminal and internal amino acid sequences of the enzyme were determined; and the gene was cloned and sequenced. The enzyme gene damA encodes a 466-amino-acid protein (molecular mass 49,860.46 Da); and the deduced amino acid sequence exhibits homology to the D-amino acid amidase from Variovorax paradoxus (67.9% identity), the amidotransferase A subunit from Burkholderia fungorum (50% identity) and other enantioselective amidases.

     

A new D-stereospecific amino acid amidase from Ochrobactrum anthropi

A new D-stereospecific amino acid amidase has been partially purified from Ochrobactrum anthropi SCRC SV3, which had been isolated and selected from soil. The Mr of the enzyme was estimated to be about 38,000, and its isoelectric point was 5.3. The enzyme catalyzes the stereospecific hydrolysis of D-amino acid amide to yield D-amino acid and ammonia. The major substrates included D-phenylalanine amide, D-tyrosine amide, D-tryptophan amide, D-leucine amide, and D-alanine amide.     

S-stereoselective piperazine-2-tert-butylcarboxamide hydrolase from Pseudomonas azotoformans IAM 1603 is a novel L-amino acid amidase.

An amidase acting on (R,S)-piperazine-2-tert-butylcarboxamide was purified from Pseudomonas azotoformans IAM 1603 and characterized. The enzyme acted S-stereoselectively on (R,S)-piperazine-2-tert-butylcarboxamide to yield (S)-piperazine-2-carboxylic acid. N-terminal and internal amino acid sequences of the enzyme were determined. The gene encoding the S-stereoselective piperazine-2-tert-butylcarboxamide amidase was cloned from the chromosomal DNA of the strain and sequenced. Analysis of 2.1 kb of genomic DNA revealed the presence of two ORFs, one of which (laaA) encodes the amidase. This enzyme, LaaA is composed of 310 amino acid residues (molecular mass 34 514 Da), and the deduced amino acid sequence exhibits significant similarity to hypothetical and functionally characterized proline iminopeptidases from several bacteria. The laaA gene modified in the nucleotide sequence upstream from its start codon was overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The activity of the recombinant LaaA enzyme in cell-free extracts of E. coli was 13.1 units.mg(-1) with l-prolinamide as substrate. This enzyme was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by ammonium sulfate fractionation and two column chromatography steps. On gel-filtration chromatography, the enzyme appeared to be a monomer with a molecular mass of 32 kDa. It had maximal activity at 45 degrees C and pH 9.0, and was completely inactivated in the presence of phenylhydrazine, Zn2+, Ag+, Cd2+ or Hg2+. LaaA had hydrolyzing activity toward L-amino acid amides such as L-prolinamide, L-proline-p-nitroanilide, L-alaninamide and L-methioninamide, but did not act on the peptide substrates for the proline iminopeptidases despite their sequence similarity to LaaA. The enzyme also acted S-stereoselectively on (R,S)-piperidine-2-carboxamide, (R,S)-piperazine-2-carboxamide and (R,S)-piperazine-2-tert-butylcarboxamide. Based on its specificity towards L-amino acid amides, the enzyme was named L-amino acid amidase. E. coli transformants overexpressing the laaA gene could be used for the S-stereoselective hydrolysis of (R,S)-piperazine-2-tert-butylcarboxamide.     

Characterization of a thermostable D-stereospecific alanine amidase from Brevibacillus borstelensis BCS-1

A gene encoding a new thermostable D-stereospecific alanine amidase from the thermophile Brevibacillus borstelensis BCS-1 was cloned and sequenced. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 199 kDa after gel filtration chromatography and about 30 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicating that the enzyme could be composed of a hexamer with identical subunits. The purified enzyme exhibited strong amidase activity towards D-amino acid-containing aromatic, aliphatic, and branched amino acid amides yet exhibited no enzyme activity towards L-amino acid amides, D-amino acid-containing peptides, and NH(2)-terminally protected amino acid amides. The optimum temperature and pH for the enzyme activity were 85 degrees C and 9.0, respectively. The enzyme remained stable within a broad pH range from 7.0 to 10.0. The enzyme was inhibited by dithiothreitol, 2-mercaptoethanol, and EDTA yet was strongly activated by Co(2+) and Mn(2+). The k(cat)/K(m) for D-alaninamide was measured as 544.4 +/- 5.5 mM(-1) min(-1) at 50 degrees C with 1 mM Co(2+).     

A novel R-stereoselective amidase from Pseudomonas sp. MCI3434 acting on piperazine-2-tert-butylcarboxamide.

A novel amidase acting on (R,S)-piperazine-2-tert-butylcarboxamide was purified from Pseudomonas sp. MCI3434 and characterized. The enzyme acted R-stereoselectively on (R,S)-piperazine-2-tert-butylcarboxamide to yield (R)-piperazine-2-carboxylic acid, and was tentatively named R-amidase. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme showed high sequence identity with that deduced from a gene named PA3598 encoding a hypothetical hydrolase in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. The gene encoding R-amidase was cloned from the genomic DNA of Pseudomonas sp. MCI3434 and sequenced. Analysis of 1332 bp of the genomic DNA revealed the presence of one open reading frame (ramA) which encodes the R-amidase. This enzyme, RamA, is composed of 274 amino acid residues (molecular mass, 30 128 Da), and the deduced amino acid sequence exhibits homology to a carbon-nitrogen hydrolase protein (PP3846) from Pseudomonas putida strain KT2440 (72.6% identity) and PA3598 protein from P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 (65.6% identity) and may be classified into a new subfamily in the carbon-nitrogen hydrolase family consisting of aliphatic amidase, beta-ureidopropionase, carbamylase, nitrilase, and so on. The amount of R-amidase in the supernatant of the sonicated cell-free extract of an Escherichia coli transformant overexpressing the ramA gene was about 30 000 times higher than that of Pseudomonas sp. MCI3434. The intact cells of the E. coli transformant could be used for the R-stereoselective hydrolysis of racemic piperazine-2-tert-butylcarboxamide. The recombinant enzyme was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from cell-free extract of the E. coli transformant overexpressing the ramA gene. On gel-filtration chromatography, the enzyme appeared to be a monomer. It had maximal activity at 45 degrees C and pH 8.0, and was completely inactivated in the presence of p-chloromercuribenzoate, N-ethylmaleimide, Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Ag+, Cd2+, Hg2+, or Pb2+. RamA had hydrolyzing activity toward the carboxamide compounds, in which amino or imino group is connected to beta- or gamma-carbon, such as beta-alaninamide, (R)-piperazine-2-carboxamide (R)-piperidine-3-carboxamide, D-glutaminamide and (R)-piperazine-2-tert-butylcarboxamide. The enzyme, however, did not act on the other amide substrates for the aliphatic amidase despite its sequence similarity to RamA.     

L-selective amidase with extremely broad substrate specificity from Ochrobactrum anthropi NCIMB 40321

An industrially attractive L-specific amidase was purified to homogeneity from Ochrobactrum anthropi NCIMB 40321 wild-type cells. The purified amidase displayed maximum initial activity between pH 6 and 8.5 and was fully stable for at least 1 h up to 60 degrees C. The purified enzyme was strongly inhibited by the metal-chelating compounds EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline. The activity of the EDTA-treated enzyme could be restored by the addition of Zn2+ (to 80%), Mn2+ (to 400%), and Mg2+ (to 560%). Serine and cysteine protease inhibitors did not influence the purified amidase. This enzyme displayed activity toward a broad range of substrates consisting of alpha-hydrogen- and (bulky) alpha,alpha-disubstituted alpha-amino acid amides, alpha-hydroxy acid amides, and alpha-N-hydroxyamino acid amides. In all cases, only the L-enantiomer was hydrolyzed, resulting in E values of more than 150. Simple aliphatic amides, beta-amino and beta-hydroxy acid amides, and dipeptides were not converted. The gene encoding this L-amidase was cloned via reverse genetics. It encodes a polypeptide of 314 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 33,870. Since the native enzyme has a molecular mass of about 66 kDa, it most likely has a homodimeric structure. The deduced amino acid sequence showed homology to a few other stereoselective amidases and the acetamidase/formamidase family of proteins (Pfam FmdA_AmdA). Subcloning of the gene in expression vector pTrc99A enabled efficient heterologous expression in Escherichia coli. Altogether, this amidase has a unique set of properties for application in the fine-chemicals industry.     

Purification and Characterization of an l-Amino Amidase from Mycobacterium neoaurum ATCC 25795

An l-amino amidase from Mycobacterium neoaurum ATCC 25795 responsible for the enantioselective resolution of dl-alpha-methyl valine amide was purified and characterized. The purification procedure included ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration, and anion-exchange chromatography, which resulted in a homogeneous preparation of the enzyme with a native molecular mass of 136 kDa and a subunit molecular mass of 40 kDa. The purified enzyme displayed the highest activity at 50 degrees C and at pH 8.0 and 9.5. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by the metal-chelating agent 1,10-phenanthroline, the disulfide-reducing agent dithiothreitol, and the cysteine proteinase inhibitor iodoacetamide. The purified amino amidase showed a unique l-enantioselective activity towards a broad range of both alpha-H- and alpha-alkyl-substituted amino acid amides, with the highest activity towards the cyclic amino acid amide dl-proline amide. No activity was measured with dl-mandelic acid amide nor with the dipeptide l-phenylalanine-l-leucine. The highest catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m) ratio) was measured with dl-alpha-allyl alanine amide, dl-alpha-methyl phenylalanine amide, and dl-alpha-methyl leucine amide.     

A novel amidase (half-amidase) for half-amide hydrolysis involved in the bacterial metabolism of cyclic imides

A novel amidase involved in bacterial cyclic imide metabolism was purified from Blastobacter sp. strain A17p-4. The enzyme physiologically functions in the second step of cyclic imide degradation, i.e., the hydrolysis of monoamidated dicarboxylates (half-amides) to dicarboxylates and ammonia. Enzyme production was enhanced by cyclic imides such as succinimide and glutarimide but not by amide compounds which are conventional substrates and inducers of known amidases. The purified amidase showed high catalytic efficiency toward half-amides such as succinamic acid (K(m) = 6.2 mM; k(cat) = 5.76 s(-1)) and glutaramic acid (K(m) = 2.8 mM; k(cat) = 2.23 s(-1)). However, the substrates of known amidases such as short-chain (C(2) to C(4)) aliphatic amides, long-chain (above C(16)) aliphatic amides, amino acid amides, aliphatic diamides, alpha-keto acid amides, N-carbamoyl amino acids, and aliphatic ureides were not substrates for the enzyme. Based on its high specificity toward half-amides, the enzyme was named half-amidase. This half-amidase exists as a monomer with an M(r) of 48,000 and was strongly inhibited by heavy metal ions and sulfhydryl reagents.     

Purification, cloning, and primary structure of a new enantiomer-selective amidase from a Rhodococcus strain: structural evidence for a conserved genetic coupling with nitrile hydratase

A new enantiomer-selective amidase active on several 2-aryl propionamides was identified and purified from a newly isolated Rhodococcus strain. The characterized amidase is an apparent homodimer, each molecule of which has an Mr of 48,554; it has a specific activity of 16.5 mumol of S(+)-2-phenylpropionic acid formed per min per mg of enzyme from the racemic amide under our conditions. An oligonucleotide probe was deduced from limited peptide information and was used to clone the corresponding gene, named amdA. As expected, significant homologies were found between the amino acid sequences of the enantiomer-selective amidase of Rhodococcus sp., the corresponding enzyme from Brevibacterium sp. strain R312, and several known amidases, thus confirming the existence of a structural class of amidase enzymes. Genes probably coding for the two subunits of a nitrile hydratase, albeit in an inverse order, were found 39 bp downstream of amdA, suggesting that such a genetic organization might be conserved in different microorganisms. Although we failed to express an active Rhodococcus amidase in Escherichia coli, even in conditions allowing the expression of an active R312 enzyme, the high-level expression of the active recombinant enzyme could be demonstrated in Brevibacterium lactofermentum by using a pSR1-derived shuttle vector.     

Purification and properties of an amidase from Rhodococcus erythropolis MP50 which enantioselectively hydrolyzes 2-arylpropionamides.

An enantioselective amidase from Rhodococcus erythropolis MP50 was purified to homogeneity. The enzyme has a molecular weight of about 480,000 and is composed of identical subunits with molecular weights of about 61,000. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence was significantly different from previously published sequences of bacterial amidases. The purified amidase hydrolyzed a wide range of aliphatic and aromatic amides, The highest enzyme activities were found with amides carrying hydrophobic residues, such as pentyl or naphthoyl. The purified enzyme converted racemic 2-phenylpropionamide, naproxen amide [2-(6-methoxy-2-naphthyl) propionamide], and ketoprofen amide [2-(3'-benzoylphenyl)propionamide] to the corresponding S-acids with an enantiomeric excess of >99% and an almost 50% conversion of the racemic amides. The enzyme also hydrolyzed different alpha-amino amides but without significant enantioselectivity.     

Purification, cloning, and primary structure of an enantiomer-selective amidase from Brevibacterium sp. strain R312: structural evidence for genetic coupling with nitrile hydratase.

An enantiomer-selective amidase active on several 2-aryl and 2-aryloxy propionamides was identified and purified from Brevibacterium sp. strain R312. Oligonucleotide probes were designed from limited peptide sequence information and were used to clone the corresponding gene, named amdA. Highly significant homologies were found at the amino acid level between the deduced sequence of the enantiomer-selective amidase and the sequences of known amidases such as indoleacetamide hydrolases from Pseudomonas syringae and Agrobacterium tumefaciens and acetamidase from Aspergillus nidulans. Moreover, amdA is found in the same orientation and only 73 bp upstream from the gene coding for nitrile hydratase, strongly suggesting that both genes are part of the same operon. Our results also showed that Rhodococcus sp. strain N-774 and Brevibacterium sp. strain R312 are probably identical, or at least very similar, microorganisms. The characterized amidase is an apparent homodimer of Mr 2 x 54,671 which exhibited under our conditions a specific activity of about 13 to 17 mumol of 2-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)propionic R acid formed per min per mg of enzyme from the racemic amide. Large amounts of an active recombinant enzyme could be produced in Escherichia coli at 30 degrees C under the control of an E. coli promoter and ribosome-binding site.     

R-stereoselective amidase from Rhodococcus erythropolis No. 7 acting on 4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyramide

Ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate is an intermediate for the synthesis of Atorvastatin, a chiral drug used for hypercholesterolemia. A Rhodococcus erythropolis strain (No. 7) able to convert 4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyronitrile into 4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyric acid has recently been isolated from soil. This activity has been regarded as having been caused by the successive actions of the nitrile hydratase and amidase. In this instance, the corresponding amidase gene was cloned from the R. erythropolis strain and expressed in Escherichia coli cells. A soluble active form of amidase enzyme was obtained at 18 degrees . The Ni column-purified recombinant amidase was found to have a specific activity of 3.89 U/mg toward the substrate isobutyramide. The amidase was found to exhibit a higher degree of activity when used with midchain substrates than with short-chain ones. Put differently, amongst the various amides tested, isobutyramide and butyramide were found to be hydrolyzed the most rapidly. In addition to amidase activity, the enzyme was found to exhibit acyltransferase activity when hydroxyl amine was present. This dual activity has also been observed in other enzymes belonging to the same amidase group (E.C. 3.5.1.4). Moreover, the purified enzyme was proven to be able to enantioselectively hydrolyze 4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyramide into the corresponding acid. The e.e. value was measured to be 52% when the conversion yield was 57%. Although this e.e. value is low for direct commercial use, molecular evolution could eventually result in this amidase being used as a biocatalyst for the production of ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate.     

Purification and characterization of a newly screened microbial peptide amidase

A microbial peptide amidase was found in a limited screening and purified about 500-fold from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The native enzyme has a molecular mass of 38 kDa (gel filtration). The sequence of the first 16 amino acids was determined by Edman degradation. The isoelectric point was found to be around 5.8. The peptide amidase exhibited a pH optimum of 6.0 and a temperature optimum of about 39–45°C. The enzyme is stable in 50 mM TRIS/HCl, pH 7.5, at 30°C, and the residual activity was found to be above 90% after 1 week of incubation. The biocatalyst is not inhibited by potential inhibitors like Hg²⁺, EDTA, d-cycloserine or dithiothreitol and only weakly influenced by inhibitors of serine proteases. The peptide amidase deamidates selectively C-terminal amide groups in peptide amides without hydrolysing internal peptide bonds or amide functions in the side-chain of glutamine or asparagine. Unprotected amino acid amides are not hydrolysed. The enzyme is stereoselective with regard to l-enantiomers in the C-terminal position.     

Ferrous and ferric ions-based high-throughput screening strategy for nitrile hydratase and amidase

Rapid and direct screening of nitrile-converting enzymes is of great importance in the development of industrial biocatalytic process for pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. In this paper, a combination of ferrous and ferric ions was used to establish a novel colorimetric screening method for nitrile hydratase and amidase with α-amino nitriles and α-amino amides as substrates, respectively. Ferrous and ferric ions reacted sequentially with the cyanide dissociated spontaneously from α-amino nitrile solution, forming a characteristic deep blue precipitate. They were also sensitive to weak basicity due to the presence of amino amide, resulting in a yellow precipitate. When amino amide was further hydrolyzed to amino acid, it gave a light yellow solution. Mechanisms of color changes were further proposed. Using this method, two isolates with nitrile hydratase activity towards 2-amino-2,3-dimethyl butyronitrile, one strain capable of hydrating 2-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl phosphiny) butyronitrile and another microbe exhibiting amidase activity against 2-amino-4-methylsulfanyl butyrlamide were obtained from soil samples and culture collections of our laboratory. Versatility of this method enabled it the first direct and inexpensive high-throughput screening system for both nitrile hydratase and amidase.     

Crystal structure and functional characterization of a D-stereospecific amino acid amidase from Ochrobactrum anthropi SV3, a new member of the penicillin-recognizing proteins

D-amino acid amidase (DAA) from Ochrobactrum anthropi SV3, which catalyzes the stereospecific hydrolysis of D-amino acid amides to yield the D-amino acid and ammonia, has attracted increasing attention as a catalyst for the stereospecific production of D-amino acids. In order to clarify the structure-function relationships of DAA, the crystal structures of native DAA, and of the D-phenylalanine/DAA complex, were determined at 2.1 and at 2.4 A resolution, respectively. Both crystals contain six subunits (A-F) in the asymmetric unit. The fold of DAA is similar to that of the penicillin-recognizing proteins, especially D-alanyl-D-alanine-carboxypeptidase from Streptomyces R61, and class C beta-lactamase from Enterobacter cloacae strain GC1. The catalytic residues of DAA and the nucleophilic water molecule for deacylation were assigned based on these structures. DAA has a flexible Omega-loop, similar to class C beta-lactamase. DAA forms a pseudo acyl-enzyme intermediate between Ser60 O(gamma) and the carbonyl moiety of d-phenylalanine in subunits A, B, C, D, and E, but not in subunit F. The difference between subunit F and the other subunits (A, B, C, D and E) might be attributed to the order/disorder structure of the Omega-loop: the structure of this loop cannot assigned in subunit F. Deacylation of subunit F may be facilitated by the relative movement of deprotonated His307 toward Tyr149. His307 N(epsilon2) extracts the proton from Tyr149 O(eta), then Tyr149 O(eta) attacks a nucleophilic water molecule as a general base. Gln214 on the Omega-loop is essential for forming a network of water molecules that contains the nucleophilic water needed for deacylation. Although peptidase activity is found in almost all penicillin-recognizing proteins, DAA lacks peptidase activity. The lack of transpeptidase and carboxypeptidase activities may be attributed to steric hindrance of the substrate-binding pocket by a loop comprised of residues 278-290 and the Omega-loop.     

A new type of aminoacyltransferase from Saccharothrix sp. AS-2 favorable for the synthesis of D-amino acid-containing peptides

A unique enzyme with some properties favorable for the synthesis of D-amino acid-containing peptides has been purified from the culture broth of Saccharothrix sp. AS-2. The purification steps included ammonium sulfate fractionation, chromatographies on CM-Toyopearl 650M and ProtEx Butyl, and sucrose density-gradient isoelectric focusing. The enzyme, consisting of four subunits of 56 kDa, showed its maximum transfer activity at around pH 8.2 and 35 degrees C, and had an isoelectric point of 5.8. The enzyme yielded homooligomers from methyl esters of D-Asp(OMe), D-Met, D-Phe, D-Trp, D-Tyr, and L-Glu(OMe), but showed no hydrolytic activity toward any of the D- or L-amino acid methyl esters tested. The homooligomers were not formed from the corresponding free amino acids. The reaction of Ac-D-Phe-OMe with DL-Ala-NH(2), DL-Leu-NH(2), DL-Phe-NH(2), or DL-Trp-NH(2) was effectively catalyzed by the enzyme, both the DD- and DL-stereoisomers of the expected N-acetyldipeptide being yielded. The resulting dipeptides remained unhydrolyzed even after 48 h incubation. Also, it showed no detectable hydrolytic activity toward casein, diastereomers of diAla, diMet, and diPhe, D-/L-amino acid amides, or D-/L-amino acid p-nitroanilides, indicating that the enzyme had no peptidase activity leading to secondary hydrolysis of the growing peptide. The enzyme activity was strongly depressed by phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride, but not by penicillin G or ampicillin, suggesting that the protein is a serine enzyme lacking penicillin-binding ability. These observations lead us to the conclusion that the enzyme from Saccharothrix sp. AS-2 characterized in this study is a new type of aminoacyltransferase with an amino acid ester as the acyl donor, and has potential utility as a catalyst for the synthesis of D-amino acid-containing peptides.     

A Novel Amidase (Half-Amidase) for Half-Amide Hydrolysis Involved in the Bacterial Metabolism of Cyclic Imides

A novel amidase involved in bacterial cyclic imide metabolism was purified from Blastobacter sp. strain A17p-4. The enzyme physiologically functions in the second step of cyclic imide degradation, i.e., the hydrolysis of monoamidated dicarboxylates (half-amides) to dicarboxylates and ammonia. Enzyme production was enhanced by cyclic imides such as succinimide and glutarimide but not by amide compounds which are conventional substrates and inducers of known amidases. The purified amidase showed high catalytic efficiency toward half-amides such as succinamic acid (K_m = 6.2 mM; k_cat = 5.76 s⁻¹) and glutaramic acid (K_m = 2.8 mM; k_cat = 2.23 s⁻¹). However, the substrates of known amidases such as short-chain (C₂ to C₄) aliphatic amides, long-chain (above C₁₆) aliphatic amides, amino acid amides, aliphatic diamides, α-keto acid amides, N-carbamoyl amino acids, and aliphatic ureides were not substrates for the enzyme. Based on its high specificity toward half-amides, the enzyme was named half-amidase. This half-amidase exists as a monomer with an M_r of 48,000 and was strongly inhibited by heavy metal ions and sulfhydryl reagents.     

Cloning and heterologous expression of an enantioselective amidase from Rhodococcus erythropolis strain MP50

The gene for an enantioselective amidase was cloned from Rhodococcus erythropolis MP50, which utilizes various aromatic nitriles via a nitrile hydratase/amidase system as nitrogen sources. The gene encoded a protein of 525 amino acids which corresponded to a protein with a molecular mass of 55.5 kDa. The deduced complete amino acid sequence showed homology to other enantioselective amidases from different bacterial genera. The nucleotide sequence approximately 2.5 kb upstream and downstream of the amidase gene was determined, but no indications for a structural coupling of the amidase gene with the genes for a nitrile hydratase were found. The amidase gene was carried by an approximately 40-kb circular plasmid in R. erythropolis MP50. The amidase was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and shown to hydrolyze 2-phenylpropionamide, alpha-chlorophenylacetamide, and alpha-methoxyphenylacetamide with high enantioselectivity; mandeloamide and 2-methyl-3-phenylpropionamide were also converted, but only with reduced enantioselectivity. The recombinant E. coli strain which synthesized the amidase gene was shown to grow with organic amides as nitrogen sources. A comparison of the amidase activities observed with whole cells or cell extracts of the recombinant E. coli strain suggested that the transport of the amides into the cells becomes the rate-limiting step for amide hydrolysis in recombinant E. coli strains.     

Purification and properties of an enantioselective and thermoactive amidase from the thermophilic actinomycete <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudonocardia thermophila</Emphasis>

A constitutively expressed thermoactive amidase from the thermophilic actinomycete Pseudonocardia thermophila was purified to homogeneity by applying hydrophobic interaction, anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography, giving a yield of 26% and a specific activity of 19.5 units mg^–1. The purified enzyme has an estimated molecular mass of 108 kDa and an isoelectric point of 4.2. The amidase is active at a broad pH range (pH 4–9) and temperature range (40–80°C) and has a half-life of 1.2 h at 70°C. Inhibition of enzyme activity was observed in the presence of metal ions, such as Co²⁺, Hg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and thiol reagents. The amidase has a broad substrate spectrum, including aliphatic, aromatic and amino acid amides. The presence of a double bond or a methyl group near the carboxamide group of aliphatic and amino acid amides enhances the enzymatic activity. Among aromatic amides with substitutions at the o-, m-, or p-position, the p-substituted amides are the preferred substrates. The highest acyl transferase activity was detected with hexanoamide, isobutyramide and propionamide. The K_m values for propionamide, methacrylamide, benzamide and 2-phenylpropionamide are 7.4, 9.2, 4.9 and 0.9 mM, respectively. The amidase is highly S-stereoselective for 2-phenylpropionamide; and the racemic amide was converted to the corresponding S-acid with an enantiomeric excess of >95% at 50% conversion of the substrate. In contrast, the d,l-tryptophanamide and d,l-methioninamide were converted to the corresponding d,l-acids at the same rate. This thermostable enzyme represents the first reported amidase from a thermophilic actinomycete.     

A novel aryl acylamidase from Nocardia farcinica hydrolyses polyamide

An alkali stable polyamidase was isolated from a new strain of Nocardia farcinica. The enzyme consists of four subunits with a total molecular weight of 190 kDa. The polyamidase cleaved amide and ester bonds of water insoluble model substrates like adipic acid bishexylamide and bis(benzoyloxyethyl)terephthalate and hydrolyzed different soluble amides to the corresponding acid. Treatment of polyamide 6 with this amidase led to an increased hydrophilicity based on rising height and tensiometry measurements and evidence of surface hydrolysis of polyamide 6 is shown. In addition to amidase activity, the enzyme showed activity on p-nitrophenylbutyrate. On hexanoamide the amidase exhibited a K(m) value of 5.5 mM compared to 0.07 mM for p-nitroacetanilide. The polyamidase belongs to the amidase signature family and is closely related to aryl acylamidases from different strains/species of Nocardia and to the 6-aminohexanoate-cyclic dimer hydrolase (EI) from Arthrobacter sp. KI72.