Thermostable malate synthase of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Streptomyces thermovulgaris</Emphasis>

The gene, encoding malate synthase (MS), aceB, was cloned from the thermophilic bacterium Streptomyces thermovulgaris by homology-based PCR. The 1,626-bp cloned fragment encodes a protein consisting of 541 amino acids. S. thermovulgaris malate synthase (stMS) gene was over-expressed in Escherichia coli using a glutathione-S transferase (GST) fusion vector (pGEX-6P-1), purified by affinity chromatography, and subsequently cleaved from its GST fusion partner. The purified stMS was characterized and compared to a mesophilic malate synthase (scMS) from Streptomyces coelicolor. stMS exhibited higher temperature optima (40–60 °C) than those of scMS (28–37 °C). It was more thermostable and very resistant to the chemical denaturant urea. Amino acid sequence comparison of stMS with four mesophilic streptomycete MSs indicated that they share 70.9–91.4% amino acid identities, with stMS possessing slightly more charged residues (~31%) than its mesophilic counterparts (~28–29%). Seven charged residues (E85, R187, R209, H239, H364, R382 and K520) that were unique to stMS may be selectively and strategically placed to support its peculiar characteristics.     

A novel <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-aspartate dehydrogenase from the mesophilic bacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas aeruginosa</Emphasis> PAO1: molecular characterization and application for <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-aspartate production

l-aspartate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.21; l-AspDH) is a rare member of amino acid dehydrogenase superfamily and so far, two thermophilic enzymes have been reported. In our study, an ORF PA3505 encoding for a putative l-AspDH in the mesophilic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 was identified, cloned, and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The homogeneously purified enzyme (PaeAspDH) was a dimeric protein with a molecular mass of about 28 kDa exhibiting a very high specific activity for l-aspartate (l-Asp) and oxaloacetate (OAA) of 127 and 147 U mg⁻¹, respectively. The enzyme was capable of utilizing both nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) as coenzyme. PaeAspDH showed a T _m value of 48°C for 20 min that was improved to approximately 60°C by the addition of 0.4 M NaCl or 30% glycerol. The apparent K _m values for OAA, NADH, and ammonia were 2.12, 0.045, and 10.1 mM, respectively; comparable results were observed with NADPH. The l-Asp production system B consisting of PaeAspDH, Bacillus subtilis malate dehydrogenase and E. coli fumarase, achieved a high level of l-Asp production (625 mM) from fumarate in fed-batch process with a molar conversion yield of 89.4%. Furthermore, the fermentative production system C released 33 mM of l-Asp after 50 h by using succinate as carbon source. This study represented an extensive characterization of the mesophilic AspDH and its potential applicability for efficient and attractive production of l-Asp. Our novel production systems are also hopeful for developing the new processes for other compounds production.     

Properties and primary structure of a thermostable l-malate dehydrogenase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus

A thermostable l-malate dehydrogenase from the hyperthermophilic sulfate-reducing archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus was isolated and characterized, and its gene was cloned and sequenced. The enzyme is a homodimer with a molecular mass of 70 kDa and catalyzes preferentially the reduction of oxaloacetic acid with NADH. A. fulgidus l-malate dehydrogenase was stable for 5 h at 90° C, and the half-life at 101° C was 80 min. Thus, A. fulgidus l-malate dehydrogenase is the most thermostable l-malate dehydrogenase characterized to date. Addition of K₂HPO₄ (1 M) increased the thermal stability by 40%. The primary structure shows a high similarity to l-lactate dehydrogenase from Thermotoga maritima and gram-positive bacteria, and to l-malate dehydrogenase from the archaeon Haloarcula marismortui and other l-lactate-dehydrogenase-like l-malate dehydrogenases. Received: 20 November 1997 / Accepted: 28 February 1997     

Biochemical and structural studies of a l-haloacid dehalogenase from the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus tokodaii

Haloacid dehalogenases have potential applications in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industry as well as in the remediation of contaminated land. The l-2-haloacid dehalogenase from the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus tokodaii has been cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli and successfully purified to homogeneity. Here we report the structure of the recombinant dehalogenase solved by molecular replacement in two different crystal forms. The enzyme is a homodimer with each monomer being composed of a core-domain of a β-sheet bundle surrounded by α-helices and an α-helical sub-domain. This fold is similar to previously solved mesophilic l-haloacid dehalogenase structures. The monoclinic crystal form contains a putative inhibitor l-lactate in the active site. The enzyme displays haloacid dehalogenase activity towards carboxylic acids with the halide attached at the C2 position with the highest activity towards chloropropionic acid. The enzyme is thermostable with maximum activity at 60°C and a half-life of over 1 h at 70°C. The enzyme is relatively stable to solvents with 25% activity lost when incubated for 1 h in 20% v/v DMSO.     

Enzymatic transglycosylation of natural and modified nucleosides by immobilized thermostable nucleoside phosphorylases from Geobacillus stearothermophilus

Natural and modified purine nucleosides have been synthesized using the recombinant thermostable enzymes purine nucleoside phosphorylase II (E. C. 2.4.2.1) and pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase (E. C. 2.4.2.2) from Geobacillus stearothermophilus B-2194. The enzymes were produced in recombinant E. coli strains and covalently immobilized on aminopropylsilochrom AP-CPG-170 after heating the cell lysates and the removal of coagulated thermolabile proteins. The resulting preparations of thermostable nucleoside phosphorylases retained a high activity after 20 reuses in nucleoside transglycosylation reactions at 70–75°C with a yield of the target products as high as 96%. Owing to the high catalytic activity, thermal stability, the ease of application, and the possibility of repeated use, the immobilized preparations of thermostable nucleoside phosphorylases are suitable for the production of pharmacologically important natural and modified nucleosides.     

Enhancement of the thermostability and hydrolytic activity of GH10 xylanase by module shuffling between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cellulomonas fimi</Emphasis> Cex and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermomonospora alba</Emphasis> XylA

Two family GH10 xylanases with different thermostability, the Cex (optimum temperature 40°C) from Cellulomonas fimi and the XylA (optimum temperature 80°C) from Thermomonospora alba, were used to construct a chimeric xylanase by module shuffling for investigating the structural determinants responsible for the difference. The parent genes were shuffled by crossovers at selected module borders using self-priming Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)s. The shuffled construct, designated as CXC-X4,5, was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was confirmed. The chimera CXC-X4,5 showed activity against 4-O-methyl-d-glucurono-d-xylan–Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBB-xylan) and over-expressed as His-tag fusion proteins. The homogeneous chimeric protein CXC-X4,5 showed significantly improved thermal profiles (optimum temperature 65°C) compared to those of one of the parents, Cex. This was apparently due to the influence of amino acids in the modules M4 and M5 inherited from thermophilic XylA. Measured K _m and k _cat values for the substrate p-nitrophenyl-β-d-cellobioside (PNP-G2) were closer to those of the other parent, Cex; however the K _m and k _cat values for the substrate p-nitrophenyl-β-d-xylobioside (PNP-X2) were between two parental xylanases. The ability of the chimeric enzyme to produce reducing sugar from xylan was enhanced in comparison with the parental enzymes. These results indicated that the amino acid residues in the modules M4 and M5 of XylA play an important role in determining enzyme characteristics such as thermal stability, and xylanases with improved properties can be prepared by manipulating this segment.     

Production of L-leucine aminopeptidase by selected Streptomyces isolates

Aims: To screen various Streptomyces cultures producing l ‐leucine aminopeptidase (LAP). Methods and Results: Twenty‐one Streptomyces strains were screened for LAP production. The best three producers were found to be Streptomyces mobaraensis NRRL B‐3729, Streptomyces gedanensis IFO 13427, and Streptomyces platensis NRRL 2364. pH optima of the three enzymes were in the range of 8·0–8·5 and the temperature optima varied between 50 and 65°C. LAP of S. mobaraensis was stable at 60°C and pH 8·5 for 60 min. Metal ion salts, CoCl₂.6H₂O and ZnSO₄.7H₂O in 0·7 mmol l^?1 concentration enhanced the relative enzyme activity in all three enzymes. Molecular mass of LAP of S. mobaraensis was found to be approx. 37 kDa. Conclusions: Streptomyces mobaraensis NRRL B‐3729, S. gedanensis IFO 13427, and S. platensis NRRL 2364 were found to be good producers of extracellular LAP. The approx. 37 kDa enzyme of S. mobaraensis is considerably thermostable. Significance and Impact of the Study: A good number of Streptomyces were screened and the ability of the aminopeptidases to release a particular N‐terminal amino acid along with its good thermal stability makes them interesting for controlling the degree of hydrolysis and flavour development for a wide range of substrate.     

Improving the thermostability of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-carbamyl-<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">d</Emphasis>-amino acid amidohydrolase by error-prone PCR

To facilitate the easier production of d-amino acids using N-carbamyl-d-amino acid amidohydrolase (DCase) in an immobilized form, we improved the enzymatic thermostability of highly soluble DCase-M3 of Ralstonia pickettii using directed mutagenesis. Six novel mutation sites were identified in this study, apart from several thermostability-related amino acid sites reported previously. The most thermostable mutant, in which the 12th amino acid had been changed from glutamine to leucine, showed a 7 °C increase in thermostability. Comparative characterization of the parental and mutant DCases showed that although there was a slight reduction in the oxidative stability of the mutants, their kinetic properties and high solubility were not affected. The mutated enzymes are expected to be applied to the development of a fully enzymatic process for the industrial production of d-amino acids.     

Specific amino acids responsible for the cold adaptedness of Micrococcus antarcticus β-glucosidase BglU

Psychrophilic enzymes display efficient activity at moderate or low temperatures (4–25 °C) and are therefore of great interest in biotechnological industries. We previously examined the crystal structure of BglU, a psychrophilic β-glucosidase from the bacterium Micrococcus antarcticus, at 2.2 Å resolution. In structural comparison and sequence alignment with mesophilic (BglB) and thermophilic (GlyTn) counterpart enzymes, BglU showed much lower contents of Pro residue and of charged amino acids (particularly positively charged) on the accessible surface area. In the present study, we investigated the roles of specific amino acid residues in the cold adaptedness of BglU. Mutagenesis assays showed that the mutations G261R and Q448P increased optimal temperature (from 25 to 40–45 °C) at the expense of low-temperature activity, but had no notable effects on maximal activity or heat lability. Mutations A368P, T383P, and A389E significantly increased optimal temperature (from 25 to 35–40 °C) and maximal activity (~1.5-fold relative to BglU). Thermostability of A368P and A389E increased slightly at 30 °C. Mutations K163P, N228P, and H301A greatly reduced enzymatic activity—almost completely in the case of H301A. Low contents of Pro, Arg, and Glu are important factors contributing to BglU’s psychrophilic properties. Our findings will be useful in structure-based engineering of psychrophilic enzymes and in production of mutants suitable for a variety of industrial processes (e.g., food production, sewage treatment) at cold or moderate temperatures.

     

Partial purification and characterization of thermostable esterase from the hyperthermophilic archaeonSulfolobus solfataricus

A thermostable esterase from the hyperthemophilic archaeonSulfolobus solfataricus was partially purified 590-fold with 16.2% recovery. The partially purified esterase had a specific activity of 29.5μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹ when the enzyme activity was determined usingp-nitrophenyl butyrate as a substrate. The apparent molecular weight was about 100 kDa, while the optimum temperature and pH for esterase were 75°C and 8.0, respectively. The enzyme showed high thermal stability and solvent tolerance in comparison to its mesophilic counterpart. The enzyme also showed chiral resolution activity for (S)-ibuprofen, indicating thatS. solfataricus esterase can be used for the production of commercially important chiral drugs.     

Using temperature and time criteria to control the effectiveness of continuous thermal sanitation of piggery effluent in terms of set microbial indicators

Aim: To determine the minimal conditions (temperature–time), necessary to achieve set sanitation targets for selected microbial indicators during the continuous thermal treatment of pig slurry. Methods and Results: The effectiveness of thermal treatment between 55 and 96°C was studied using Escherichia coli, enterococci, sulfite‐reducing Clostridia (SRC), mesophilic culturable bacteria (MCB), F+‐specific and somatic phages. Identification of SRC and MCB was performed using 16S rRNA gene analysis. Ten minutes at 70°C or 1 h at 60°C was sufficient to reduce the vegetative bacteria by 4–5 log₁₀, but it had little effect on somatic phages nor on spore formers, dominated by Clostridium sp. At 96°C, somatic phages were still detected, but there was a reduction of 3·1 log₁₀ for SRC and of 1·4 log₁₀ for MCB. At 96°C, Clostridium botulinum was identified among the thermotolerant MCB. Conclusion: Only those hygienic risks relating to mesophilic vegetative bacteria can be totally eliminated from pig slurry treated at 60°C (60 min) or 70°C (<10 min). Significance and Impact of the Study: Hygiene standards based on the removal of the indicators E. coli and enterococci can easily be met by treatment as low as 60°C (enabling, a low‐cost treatment using heat recovery). However, even at 96°C, certain pathogens may persist.     

A novel thermostable and organic solvent-tolerant lipase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthomonas oryzae</Emphasis> pv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">oryzae</Emphasis> YB103: screening,purification and characterization

Thermostable lipases offer major biotechnological advantages over mesophilic lipases. In this study, an intracellular thermostable and organic solvent-tolerant lipase-producing strain YB103 was isolated from soil samples and identified taxonomically as Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. The lipase from X. oryzae pv. oryzae YB103 (LipXO) was purified 101.1-fold to homogeneity with a specific activity of 373.9 U/mg. The purified lipase showed excellent thermostability, exhibiting 51.1 % of its residual activity after incubation for 3 days at 70 °C. The enzyme showed optimal activity at 70 °C, suggesting it is a thermostable lipase. LipXO retained 75.1–154.1 % of its original activity after incubation in 20 % (v/v) hydrophobic organic solvents at 70 °C for 24 h. Furthermore, LipXO displayed excellent stereoselectivity (e.e._p >99 %) toward (S)-1-phenethyl alcohol in n-hexane. These unique properties of LipXO make it promising as a biocatalyst for industrial processes.     

Isolation and characterisation of lactic acid bacterium for effective fermentation of cellobiose into optically pure homo <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-(+)-lactic acid

Effective utilisation of cellulosic biomasses for economical lactic acid production requires a microorganism with potential ability to utilise efficiently its major components, glucose and cellobiose. Amongst 631 strains isolated from different environmental samples, strain QU 25 produced high yields of l-(+)-lactic acid of high optical purity from cellobiose. The QU 25 strain was identified as Enterococcus mundtii based on its sugar fermentation pattern and 16S rDNA sequence. The production of lactate by fermentation was optimised for the E. mundtii QU25 strain. The optimal pH and temperature for batch culturing were found to be 7.0°C and 43°C, respectively. E. mundtii QU 25 was able to metabolise a mixture of glucose and cellobiose simultaneously without apparent carbon catabolite repression. Moreover, under the optimised culture conditions, production of optically pure l-lactic acid (99.9%) increased with increasing cellobiose concentrations. This indicates that E. mundtii QU 25 is a potential candidate for effective lactic acid production from cellulosic hydrolysate materials.     

Comparison of Two C-P Bond-forming Enzymes Involved in the Biosynthesis of Bialaphos

An Escherichia coli hygromycin B phosphotransferase (HPH) and its thermostabilized mutant protein, HPH5, containing five amino acid substitutions, D20G, A118V, S225P, Q226L, and T246A (Nakamura et al., J. Biosci. Bioeng., 100, 158–163 (2005)), obtained by an in vivo directed evolution procedure in Thermus thermophilus, were produced and purified from E. coli recombinants, and enzymatic comparisons were performed. The optimum temperatures for enzyme activity were 50 and 55 °C for HPH and HPH5 respectively, but the thermal stability of the enzyme activity and the temperature for protein denaturation of HPH5 increased, from 36 and 37.2 °C of HPH to 53 and 58.8 °C respectively. Specific activities and steady-state kinetics measured at 25 °C showed only slight differences between the two enzymes. From these results we concluded that HPH5 was thermostabilized at the protein level, and that the mutations introduced did not affect its enzyme activity, at least under the assay conditions.     

Enzymatic production of <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-amino acids from the corresponding <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">dl</Emphasis>-5-substituted hydantoins by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus fordii</Emphasis> MH602

Bacillus fordii MH602 was newly screened from soil at 45 °C and exhibited high activities of hydantoinase and carbamoylase, efficiently yielding l-amino acids including phenylalanine, phenylglycine and tryptophan with the bioconversion yield of 60–100% from the corresponding dl-5-substituted hydantoins. Hydantoinase activity was found to be cell-associated and inducible. The optimal inducer was dl-5-methylhydantoin with concentration of 0.014 mol L⁻¹ and added to the fermentation medium in the exponential phase of growth. In the production of optically pure amino acids from dl-5-benylhydantoin, the optimal temperature and pH of this reaction were 45–50 °C and 7.5 respectively. The hydantoinase was non-stereoselective, while carmbamoylase was l-selective. The hydantoinase activity was not subject to substrate inhibition, or product inhibition by ammonia. In addition, The activities of both enzymes from crude extract of the strain were thermostable; the hydantoinase and carbamoylase retained about 90% and 60% activity after 6 h at 50 °C, respectively. Since reaction at higher temperature is advantageous for enhancement of solubility and for racemization of dl-5-substituted hydantoins, the relative paucity of l-selective hydantoinase systems, together with the high level of hydantoinase and carbamoylase activity and unusual substrate selectivity of the strain MH602, suggest that it has significant potential applications.     

Preliminary characterization of a thermostable DNA polymerase I from a mesophilic Bacillus sphaericus strain C3-41

A thermostable DNA polymerase I from a mesophilic Bacillus sphaericus strain C3-41 was characterized in this study. The polI was cloned, sequenced and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The expressed 110 kDa fusion protein of PolI was stable at 70°C for 1 h. Compared with DNA polymerase I of E. coli (TaKaRa), the relative polymerase activity of this PolI was 3.33 ± 0.1 RFU μl⁻¹ at 37°C using fluorescent quantitative analysis. It showed higher polymerase activity than E. coli PolI at higher temperature, with a relative activity of 3.75 ± 0.1 RFU μl⁻¹ at 70°C. The polI sequence analysis and the protein structure prediction indicated that this protein had a high similarly to other PolI from thermophilic micro-organisms. This information is of importance for future study for evolution of the house-keeping gene polI in entomopathogenic bacterium B. sphaericus.     

Enhancing thermostability of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> phytase AppA2 by error-prone PCR

Phytases are used to improve phosphorus nutrition of food animals and reduce their phosphorus excretion to the environment. Due to favorable properties, Escherichia coli AppA2 phytase is of particular interest for biotechnological applications. Directed evolution was applied in the present study to improve AppA2 phytase thermostability for lowering its heat inactivation during feed pelleting (60–80°C). After a mutant library of AppA2 was generated by error-prone polymerase chain reaction, variants were expressed initially in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for screening and then in Pichia pastoris for characterizing thermostability. Compared with the wild-type enzyme, two variants (K46E and K65E/K97M/S209G) showed over 20% improvement in thermostability (80°C for 10 min), and 6–7°C increases in melting temperatures (T _m). Structural predictions suggest that substitutions of K46E and K65E might introduce additional hydrogen bonds with adjacent residues, improving the enzyme thermostability by stabilizing local interactions. Overall catalytic efficiency (k _cat / K _m) of K46E and K65E/K97M/S209G was improved by 56% and 152% than that of wild type at pH 3.5, respectively. Thus, the catalytic efficiency of these enzymes was not inversely related to their thermostability.     

Purification and characterization of fumarase from the syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacterium strain MPOB

Fumarase from the syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacterium strain MPOB was purified 130-fold under anoxic conditions. The native enzyme had an apparent molecular mass of 114 kDa and was composed of two subunits of 60 kDa. The enzyme exhibited maximum activity at pH 8.5 and approximately 54° C. The K _m values for fumarate and l-malate were 0.25 mM and 2.38 mM, respectively. Fumarase was inactivated by oxygen, but the activity could be restored by addition of Fe²⁺ and β-mercaptoethanol under anoxic conditions. EPR spectroscopy of the purified enzyme revealed the presence of a [3Fe-4S] cluster. Under reducing conditions, only a trace amount of a [4Fe-4S] cluster was detected. Addition of fumarate resulted in a significant increase of this [4Fe-4S] signal. The N-terminal amino acid sequence showed similarity to the sequences of fumarase A and B of Escherichia coli (56%) and fumarase A of Salmonella typhimurium (63%). Received: 15 September 1995 / Accepted: 13 November 1995     

Directed evolution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces lividans</Emphasis> xylanase B toward enhanced thermal and alkaline pH stability

The thermal and alkaline pH stability of Streptomyces lividans xylanase B was improved greatly by random mutagenesis using DNA shuffling. Positive clones with improved thermal stability in an alkaline buffer were screened on a solid agar plate containing RBB-xylan (blue). Three rounds of directed evolution resulted in the best mutant enzyme 3SlxB6 with a significantly improved stability. The recombinant enzyme exhibited significant thermostability at 70°C for 360 min, while the wild-type lost 50% of its activity after only 3 min. In addition, mutant enzyme 3SlxB6 shows increased stability to treatment with pH 9.0 alkaline buffer. The K _m value of 3SlxB6 was estimated to be similar to that of wild-type enzyme; however k _cat was slightly decreased, leading to a slightly reduced value of k _cat/K _m, compared with wild-type enzyme. DNA sequence analysis revealed that eight amino acid residues were changed in 3SlxB6 and substitutions included V3A, T6S, S23A, Q24P, M31L, S33P, G65A, and N93S. The stabilizing effects of each amino acid residue were investigated by incorporating mutations individually into wild-type enzyme. Our results suggest that DNA shuffling is an effective approach for simultaneous improvement of thermal and alkaline pH stability of Streptomyces lividans xylanase B even without structural information.     

Thermostability of acid phosphatase inSelinum vaginatum Clarke andAcer caesium Wall. grown at low and high altitudes

Acid phosphatase isolated from low altitude grown plants of two high altitude plant species,Selinum vaginatum Clarke andAcer caesium Wall, displayed higher thermostability than that from plants of the same species grown at high altitude. The isozyme composition, however, remained unchanged inSelinum vaginatum. InA. caesium, one of four isozymes, was thermolabile in the samples from high altitude and was lost after 10 min heating of the extracts at 60 °c. In the samples from low altitude, this isozyme was not detected and a band with slightly lower Rf value was present which was thermostable. The described changes in the thermal properties of acid phosphatase reflect an adaptive step towards high temperature acclimation at low altitude.