甲醛氧化途径关键酶重组蛋白的生化特性及固定化酶吸收甲醛效果研究

甲醛脱氢酶(formaldehyde dehydrogenase,ADH)与甲酸脱氢酶(formate dehydrogenase,FDH)是甲醛氧化途径的两个关键酶.恶臭假单胞菌(Pseudomonas putida)的PADH是一种不依赖谷胱甘肽可以把游离甲醛直接氧化为甲酸的脱氢酶,博伊丁假丝酵母菌(Candida boidinii)的FDH在有NAD+存在时可以把甲酸氧化为二氧化碳.以基因组DNA为模板用PCR方法,从P.putida中扩增出PADH基因的编码区(padh),从C.boidinii中扩增出FDH的编码区(fdh),然后亚克隆到pET-28a(+)中分别构建这两个基因的原核表达载体pET-28a-padh和pET-28a-fdh,转化大肠杆菌,利用IPTG诱导重组蛋白PADH和FDH的表达.通过优化条件使重组蛋白的表达量占菌体总蛋白的70%以上,通过亲和层析法纯化出可溶性PADH和FDH重组蛋白.对重组蛋白的生化特性分析结果表明:PADH在最适反应温度50℃的活性为1.95 U/mg;FDH在最适反应温度40℃的活性为0.376 U/mg.所表达的重组蛋白与之前报道过的相比,具有更好的热稳定性和更广的温度适应范围.将PADH、FDH两个重组蛋白及辅因子NAD+固定到聚丙烯酰胺载体基质上,对固定化酶甲醛吸收效果的初步分析结果显示固定化酶对空气中的甲醛有一定的吸收效果,说明这两种酶被固定后具有开发成治理甲醛污染环保产品的潜力.     

Regulation of the formate dehydrogenase gene, FDH1, in the methylotrophic yeast Candida boidinii and growth characteristics of an FDH1-disrupted strain on methanol, methylamine, and choline.

The structural gene (FDH1) coding for NAD(+)-dependent formate dehydrogenase (FDH) was cloned from a genomic library of Candida boidinii, and the FDH1 gene was disrupted in the C. boidinii genome (fdh1 delta) by one-step gene disruption. In a batch culture experiment, although the fdh1 delta strain was still able to grow on methanol, its growth was greatly inhibited and a toxic level of formate was detected in the medium. In a methanol-limited chemostat culture at a low dilution rate (0.03 to 0.05 h[-1]), formate was not detected in the culture medium of the fdh1 delta strain; however, the fdh1 delta strain showed only one-fourth of the growth yield of the wild-type strain. Expression of FDH1 was found to be induced by choline or methylamine (used as a nitrogen source), as well as by methanol (used as a carbon source). Induction of FDH1 was not repressed in the presence of glucose when cells were grown on methylamine, choline, or formate, and expression of FDH1 was shown to be regulated at the mRNA level. Growth on methylamine or choline as a nitrogen source in a batch culture was compared between the wild type and the fdh1 delta mutant. Although the growth of the fdh1 delta mutant was impaired and the level of formate was higher in the fdh1 delta mutant than in the wild-type strain, the growth defect caused by FDH1 gene disruption was small and less severe than that caused by growth on methanol. As judged from these results, the main physiological role of FDH with all of the FDH1-inducing growth substrates seems to be detoxification of formate, and during growth on methanol, FDH seems to contribute significantly to the energy yield.     

Enzymatic synthesis of chiral intermediates for Omapatrilat, an antihypertensive drug

Biocatalytic processes were used to prepare chiral intermediates required for the synthesis of Omapatrilat 1 by three different routes. The synthesis and enzymatic conversion of 2-keto-6-hydroxyhexanoic acid 3 to L-6-hydroxynorleucine 2 was demonstrated by reductive amination using beef liver glutamate dehydrogenase. To avoid the lengthy chemical synthesis of the ketoacid 3, a second route was developed to prepare the ketoacid by treatment of racemic 6-hydroxy norleucine [readily available from hydrolysis of 5-(4-hydroxybutyl) hydantoin 4] with D-amino acid oxidase from porcine kidney or Trigonopsis variabilis followed by reductive amination to convert the mixture completely to L-6-hydroxynorleucine in 98% yield and 99% enantiomeric excess (e.e.). The enzymatic synthesis of (S)-2-amino-5-(1,3-dioxolan-2-yl)-pentanoic acid (allysine ethylene acetal, 5) was demonstrated using phenylalanine dehydrogenase (PDH) from T. intermedius. Phenylalanine dehydrogenase was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris. Using PDH from E. coli or P. pastoris, the enzymatic process was scale-up to prepare kg quantity of allysine ethylene acetal 5. The reaction yields of >94% and e.e. of >98% were obtained for allysine ethylene acetal 5. An enzymatic process was developed for the synthesis of [4S-(4a,7a,10ab)]1-octahydro-5-oxo-4 [[(phenylmethoxy)carbonyl]amino]-7H-pyrido-[2,1-b] [1,3]thiazepine-7-carboxylic acid [BMS-199541-01]. The enzymatic oxidation of the epsilon-amino group of lysine in the dipeptide dimer N(2)-[N[[(phenyl-methoxy)carbonyl] L-homocysteinyl] L-lysine)-1,1-disulphide [BMS-201391-01] to produce BMS-199541-01 using a novel L-lysine epsilon-aminotransferase (LAT) from Sphingomonas paucimobilis SC 16113 was demonstrated. This enzyme was overexpressed in E. coli and a process was developed using the recombinant enzyme.     

三酶级联催化L-苏氨酸生产L-2-氨基丁酸

L-2-氨基丁酸(L-ABA)是一种重要的化工原材料和手性医药中间体,为了实现L-ABA的高效生产,本研究在大肠杆菌EscherichiacoliBL21(DE3)中分别表达大肠杆菌来源的苏氨酸脱氨酶(Threonine deaminase,TD)、苏云金芽孢杆菌来源的亮氨酸脱氢酶(Leucine dehydrogenase,LDH)和博伊丁假丝酵母来源的甲酸脱氢酶(Formatedehydrogenase,FDH),构建体外级联酶催化反应实现L-苏氨酸向L-ABA的转化,体系中TD、LDH和FDH添加最适比例为1∶1∶0.2。为了简化生产工艺,将3种酶在一株菌E. coli 3FT+L中共表达并实现上述配比,在30 L发酵罐中用E. coli 3FT+L全细胞转化12 h,L-ABA的产量为68.5 g/L,底物L-苏氨酸的摩尔转化率达到99.0%。该工艺路线绿色高效,为未来大规模生产L-ABA提供借鉴。     

Effect of different levels of NADH availability on metabolic fluxes of Escherichia coli chemostat cultures in defined medium

Escherichia coli overexpressing a NAD(+)-dependent formate dehydrogenase (FDH) from Candida boidinii was grown in chemostat culture on various carbon sources at 0.05 h(-1) dilution rate, under anaerobic conditions using defined medium and compared to a control without the heterologous FDH pathway. Metabolic fluxes, NADH/NAD(+) ratios and NAD(H/(+)) levels were determined under a range of intracellular NADH availability. The effect of NADH manipulation on the distribution of metabolic fluxes in E. coli was assessed under steady-state conditions. The heterologous FDH pathway converts 1 mol of formate into 1 mol of NADH and carbon dioxide, in contrast with the native FDH where no cofactor involvement is present. Previously, we found that this NADH regeneration system doubled the maximum yield of NADH from 2 to 4 mol NADH/mol glucose consumed and reached 4.6 mol NADH/mol of substrate when sorbitol was used as a carbon source in a complex medium. In the current study, it was found that higher NADH yields and NADH/NAD(+) ratios were achieved with our in vivo NADH regeneration system compared to a control lacking the new FDH pathway in the three carbon sources (glucose, gluconate and sorbitol) examined suggesting a more reduced intracellular environment. The total NAD(H/(+)) amounts were very similar for all the combinations studied. It was also found that the ethanol to acetate ratio increased with increased NADH availability. This ratio increased from 1.05 for the control strain in glucose to 9.45 for the strain expressing the heterologous NAD(+)-dependent FDH in sorbitol.     

Phosphorylation of formate dehydrogenase in potato tuber mitochondria

Two highly phosphorylated proteins were detected after two-dimensional (blue native/SDS-PAGE) gel electrophoretic separation of the matrix fraction isolated from potato tuber mitochondria. These two phosphoproteins were identified by mass spectrometry as formate dehydrogenase (FDH) and the E1alpha-subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH). Isoelectric focusing/SDS-PAGE two-dimensional gels separated FDH and PDH and resolved several different phosphorylated forms of FDH. By using combinations of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, several phosphorylation sites were identified for the first time in FDH and PDH. FDH was phosphorylated on Thr76 and Thr333, whereas PDH was phosphorylated on Ser294. Both Thr76 and Thr333 in FDH were accessible to protein kinases, as demonstrated by protein structure homology modeling. The extent of phosphorylation of both FDH and PDH was strongly decreased by NAD+, formate, and pyruvate, indicating that reversible phosphorylation of FDH and PDHs was regulated in a similar fashion. At low oxygen concentrations inside the intact potato tubers, FDH activity was strongly increased relative to cytochrome c oxidase activity pointing to a possible involvement of FDH in hypoxic metabolism. Computational sequence analysis indicated that a conserved local sequence motif of pyruvate formate-lyase is found in the Arabidopsis thaliana genome, and this enzyme might be the source of formate for FDH in plants.     

Synthesis of optically active amino acids from alpha-keto acids with Escherichia coli cells expressing heterologous genes.

We describe a simple method for enzymatic synthesis of L and D amino acids from alpha-keto acids with Escherichia coli cells which express heterologous genes. L-amino acids were produced with thermostable L-amino acid dehydrogenase and formate dehydrogenase (FDH) from alpha-keto acids and ammonium formate with only an intracellular pool of NAD+ for the regeneration of NADH. We constructed plasmids containing, in addition to the FDH gene, the genes for amino acid dehydrogenases, including i.e., leucine dehydrogenase, alanine dehydrogenase, and phenylalanine dehydrogenase. L-Leucine, L-valine, L-norvaline, L-methionine, L-phenylalanine, and L-tyrosine were synthesized with the recombinant E. coli cells with high chemical yields (> 80%) and high optical yields (up to 100% enantiomeric excess). Stereospecific conversion of various alpha-keto acids to D amino acids was also examined with recombinant E. coli cells containing a plasmid coding for the four heterologous genes of the thermostable enzymes D-amino acid aminotransferase, alanine racemase, L-alanine dehydrogenase, and FDH. Optically pure D enantiomers of glutamate and leucine were obtained.     

Characterization of recombinant Aspergillus fumigatus mannitol-1-phosphate 5-dehydrogenase and its application for the stereoselective synthesis of protio and deuterio forms of D-mannitol 1-phosphate

A putative long-chain mannitol-1-phosphate 5-dehydrogenase from Aspergillus fumigatus (AfM1PDH) was overexpressed in Escherichia coli to a level of about 50% of total intracellular protein. The purified recombinant protein was a approximately 40-kDa monomer in solution and displayed the predicted enzymatic function, catalyzing NAD(H)-dependent interconversion of d-mannitol 1-phosphate and d-fructose 6-phosphate with a specific reductase activity of 170 U/mg at pH 7.1 and 25 degrees C. NADP(H) showed a marginal activity. Hydrogen transfer from formate to d-fructose 6-phosphate, mediated by NAD(H) and catalyzed by a coupled enzyme system of purified Candida boidinii formate dehydrogenase and AfM1PDH, was used for the preparative synthesis of d-mannitol 1-phosphate or, by applying an analogous procedure using deuterio formate, the 5-[2H] derivative thereof. Following the precipitation of d-mannitol 1-phosphate as barium salt, pure product (>95% by HPLC and NMR) was obtained in isolated yields of about 90%, based on 200 mM of d-fructose 6-phosphate employed in the reaction. In situ proton NMR studies of enzymatic oxidation of d-5-[2H]-mannitol 1-phosphate demonstrated that AfM1PDH was stereospecific for transferring the deuterium to NAD+, producing (4S)-[2H]-NADH. Comparison of maximum initial rates for NAD+-dependent oxidation of protio and deuterio forms of D-mannitol 1-phosphate at pH 7.1 and 25 degrees C revealed a primary kinetic isotope effect of 2.9+/-0.2, suggesting that the hydride transfer was strongly rate-determining for the overall enzymatic reaction under these conditions.     

Biotransformation of D-methionine into L-methionine in the cascade of four enzymes

D-Methionine was converted to L-methionine in a reaction system where four enzymes were used. D-amino acid oxidase (D-AAO) from Arthrobacter protophormiae was used for the complete conversion of D-methionine to 2-oxo-4-methylthiobutyric acid. Catalase was added to prevent 2-oxo-4-methylthiobutyric acid decarboxylation. In the second reaction step, L-phenylalanine dehydrogenase (L-PheDH) from Rhodococcus sp. was used to convert 2- oxo-4-methylthiobutyric acid to L-methionine, and formate dehydrogenase (FDH) from Candida boidinii was added for NADH regeneration. Enzyme kinetics of all enzymes was analyzed in detail. Mathematical models for separate reactions steps, as well as for the complete system were developed and validated in the batch reactor experiments. Complete conversion of D-methionine to L-methionine was achieved. Considering that both enzymes act on different substrates, such a system could be easily employed for the synthesis of other amino acids from D-isomer, as well as from the racemate of a certain amino acid (DL-amino acid).     

Stabilization of NAD-dependent formate dehydrogenase from Candida boidinii by site-directed mutagenesis of cysteine residues.

The gene of the NAD-dependent formate dehydrogenase (FDH) from the yeast Candida boidinii was cloned by PCR using genomic DNA as a template. Expression of the gene in Escherichia coli yielded functional FDH with about 20% of the soluble cell protein. To confirm the hypothesis of a thiol-coupled inactivation process, both cysteine residues in the primary structure of the enzyme have been exchanged by site-directed mutagenesis using a homology model based on the 3D structure of FDH from Pseudomonas sp. 101 and from related dehydrogenases. Compared to the wt enzyme, most of the mutants were significantly more stable towards oxidative stress in the presence of Cu(II) ions, whereas the temperature optima and kinetic constants of the enzymatic reaction are not significantly altered by the mutations. Determination of the Tm values revealed that the stability at temperatures above 50 degrees C is optimal for the native and the recombinant wt enzyme (Tm 57 degrees C), whereas the Tm values of the mutant enzymes vary in the range 44-52 degrees C. Best results in initial tests concerning the application of the enzyme for regeneration of NADH in biotransformation of trimethyl pyruvate to Ltert leucine were obtained with two mutants, FDHC23S and FDHC23S/C262A, which are significantly more stable than the wt enzyme.     

Production of active bovine cathepsin C (dipeptidyl aminopeptidase I) in the methylotrophic yeast Candida boidinii

The heterologous production of active bovine cathepsin C (CTC; dipeptidyl aminopeptidase I) was investigated. Attempts to express CTC in Escherichia coli were hampered by formation of inclusion bodies that were partially degraded. To overcome this impediment, secretion of recombinant CTC was attempted in the methylotrophic yeast Candida boidinii. A DNA fragment encoding bovine procathepsin C was synthesized based on preferred codon usage in C. boidinii and placed downstream of the C. boidinii proteinase A signal sequence resulting in secretion of active CTC into the culture medium. The gene was expressed under the control of the methanol-inducible formate dehydrogenase gene promoter. Production levels were significantly improved by using a protease-deficient strain, changing medium composition, and by lowering the temperature of induction. When the recombinant C. boidinii was grown for 90 h in a jar-fermenter, active CTC was secreted with a yield of up to approximately 12 mg/l.     

Deactivation of formate dehydrogenase (FDH) in solution and at gas-liquid interfaces

Enzymes, increasingly important in the synthesis of fine chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates, are often insufficiently stable under reacting conditions. We have investigated the stability, in homogeneous aqueous solution and at gas-liquid interfaces, of formate dehydrogenase (FDH), important for cofactor regeneration, from Candida boidinii and overexpressed in E. coli. When exposed to mechanical stress, residual activity, [E](t)/[E](0), and residual protein were found to scale proportionally with gas-liquid surface area in the bubble column, verifying a surface-driven process, and with time and total throughput in a gear pump, but did not seem to be influenced much by shear in a Couette viscometer. All FDH variants are deactivated by chaotropes but not kosmotropes: the first-order deactivation constant k(d) correlates well with the Jones-Dole coefficient B but not well with the surface tension increment deltasigma of various concentrated ammonium salt solutions. This finding might provide guidance for focusing the search for quantitative theories of Hofmeister effects.     

Characterization of the NAD+ binding site of Candida boidinii formate dehydrogenase by affinity labelling and site-directed mutagenesis.

The 2',3'-dialdehyde derivative of ADP (oADP) has been shown to be an affinity label for the NAD+ binding site of recombinant Candida boidinii formate dehydrogenase (FDH). Inactivation of FDH by oADP at pH 7.6 followed biphasic pseudo first-order saturation kinetics. The rate of inactivation exhibited a nonlinear dependence on the concentration of oADP, which can be described by reversible binding of reagent to the enzyme (Kd = 0.46 mM for the fast phase, 0.45 mM for the slow phase) prior to the irreversible reaction, with maximum rate constants of 0.012 and 0.007 min-1 for the fast and slow phases, respectively. Inactivation of formate dehydrogenase by oADP resulted in the formation of an enzyme-oADP product, a process that was reversed after dialysis or after treatment with 2-mercaptoethanol (> 90% reactivation). The reactivation of the enzyme by 2-mercaptoethanol was prevented if the enzyme-oADP complex was previously reduced by NaBH4, suggesting that the reaction product was a stable Schiff's base. Protection from inactivation was afforded by nucleotides (NAD+, NADH and ADP) demonstrating the specificity of the reaction. When the enzyme was completely inactivated, approximately 1 mol of [14C]oADP per mol of subunit was incorporated. Cleavage of [14C]oADP-modified enzyme with trypsin and subsequent separation of peptides by RP-HPLC gave only one radioactive peak. Amino-acid sequencing of the radioactive tryptic peptide revealed the target site of oADP reaction to be Lys360. These results indicate that oADP inactivates FDH by specific reaction at the nucleotide binding site, with negative cooperativity between subunits accounting for the appearance of two phases of inactivation. Molecular modelling studies were used to create a model of C. boidinii FDH, based on the known structure of the Pseudomonas enzyme, using the MODELLER 4 program. The model confirmed that Lys360 is positioned at the NAD+-binding site. Site-directed mutagenesis was used in dissecting the structure and functional role of Lys360. The mutant Lys360-->Ala enzyme exhibited unchanged kcat and Km values for formate but showed reduced affinity for NAD+. The molecular model was used to help interpret these biochemical data concerning the Lys360-->Ala enzyme. The data are discussed in terms of engineering coenzyme specificity.     

Biotransformation of R-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyric acid by D-lactate dehydrogenase and Candida boidinii cells containing formate dehydrogenase coimmobilized in a fibrous bed bioreactor

R-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyric acid (R-HPBA) is an important intermediate in the manufacture of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. In this work, a recombinant D-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was used to transform 2-oxo-4-phenylbutyric acid (OPBA) to R-HPBA, with concomitant oxidation of beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) to NAD(+). The cofactor NADH was regenerated by formate dehydrogenase (FDH) present in whole cells of Candida boidinii, which were pre-treated with toluene to make them permeable. The whole cells used in the process were more stable and easier to prepare as compared with the isolated FDH from the cells. Kinetic study showed that the reaction rate was dependent on the concentration of cofactor, NAD(+), and that both R-HPBA and OPBA inhibited the reaction. A novel method for co-immobilization of whole cells and LDH enzyme on cotton cloth was developed using polyethyleneimine (PEI), which induced the formation of PEI-enzyme-cell aggregates and their adsorption onto cotton cloth, leading to multilayer co-immobilization of cells and enzyme with high loading (0.5 g cell and 8 mg LDH per gram of cotton cloth) and activity yield ( > 95%). A fibrous bed bioreactor with co-immobilized cells and enzyme on the cotton cloth was then evaluated for R-HPBA production in fed-batch and repeated batch modes, which gave relatively stable reactor productivity of 9 g/L . h and product yield of 0.95 mol/mol OPBA when the concentrations of OPBA and R-HPBA were less than 10 g/L.     

Accumulation of pyruvate by changing the redox status in Escherichia coli

Pyruvate was produced from glucose by Escherichia coli BW25113 that contained formate dehydrogenase (FDH) from Mycobacterium vaccae. In aerobic shake-flask culture (K (L) a?=?4.9?min(-1)), the recombinant strain produced 6.7?g pyruvate?l(-1) after 24?h with 4?g sodium formate?l(-1) and a yield of 0.34?g pyruvate?g?glucose(-1). These values were higher than those of the original strain (0.2?g?l(-1) pyruvate and 0.02?g pyruvate?g?glucose(-1)). Based on the reaction mechanism of FDH, the introduction of FDH into E. coli enhances the accumulation of pyruvate by the regeneration of NADH from NAD(+) since NAD(+) is a shared cosubstrate with the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, which decarboxylates pyruvate to acetyl-CoA and CO(2). The oxygenation level was enough high to inactivate lactate dehydrogenase, which was of benefit to pyruvate accumulation without lactate as a by-product.     

The effect of increasing NADH availability on the redistribution of metabolic fluxes in Escherichia coli chemostat cultures

It is generally known that cofactors play a major role in the production of different fermentation products. This paper is part of a systematic study that investigates the potential of cofactor manipulations as a new tool for metabolic engineering. The NADH/NAD+ cofactor pair plays a major role in microbial catabolism, in which a carbon source, such as glucose, is oxidized using NAD+ and producing reducing equivalents in the form of NADH. It is crucially important for continued cell growth that NADH be oxidized to NAD+ and a redox balance be achieved. Under aerobic growth, oxygen is used as the final electron acceptor. While under anaerobic growth, and in the absence of an alternate oxidizing agent, the regeneration of NAD+ is achieved through fermentation by using NADH to reduce metabolic intermediates. Therefore, an increase in the availability of NADH is expected to have an effect on the metabolic distribution. We have previously investigated a genetic means of increasing the availability of intracellular NADH in vivo by regenerating NADH through the heterologous expression of an NAD(+)-dependent formate dehydrogenase and have demonstrated that this manipulation provoked a significant change in the final metabolite concentration pattern both anaerobically and aerobically (Berríos-Rivera et al., 2002, Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli: increase of NADH availability by overexpressing an NAD(+)-dependent formate dehydrogenase, Metabolic Eng. 4, 217-229). The current work explores further the effect of substituting the native cofactor-independent formate dehydrogenase (FDH) by an NAD(+)-dependent FDH from Candida boidinii on the NAD(H/+) levels, NADH/NAD+ ratio, metabolic fluxes and carbon-mole yields in Escherichia coli under anaerobic chemostat conditions. Overexpression of the NAD(+)-dependent FDH provoked a significant redistribution of both metabolic fluxes and carbon-mole yields. Under anaerobic chemostat conditions, NADH availability increased from 2 to 3 mol NADH/mol glucose consumed and the production of more reduced metabolites was favored, as evidenced by a dramatic increase in the ethanol to acetate ratio and a decrease in the flux to lactate. It was also found that the NADH/NAD+ ratio should not be used as a sole indicator of the oxidation state of the cell. Instead, the metabolic distribution, like the Et/Ac ratio, should also be considered because the turnover of NADH can be fast in an effort to achieve a redox balance.     

Improving the purification of NAD+-dependent formate dehydrogenase from Candida methylica

The Candida methylica (cm) recombinant wild type formate dehydrogenase (FDH) gene has been cloned into the pQE-2 TAGZyme expression vector and the 6xHis-tagged FDH gene has been overexpressed in JM105 cells to purify the FDH protein more efficiently, by the use of exopeptidases, TAGZyme Purification System, which has allowed the complete removal of the small N-terminal His-tag. After the purification procedure, 1.2 mg/mL cmFDH protein of >95% purity was obtained. The kinetic parameters of cmFDH have been determined by observing the oxidation of the nicotinamide coenzyme at 340 nm. The results have also been compared to the yield of standard vs. affinity purification of FDH.     

Thermostable phenylalanine dehydrogenase of Thermoactinomyces intermedius: cloning, expression, and sequencing of its gene

The gene encoding the thermostable phenylalanine dehydrogenase [EC 1.4.1.-] of a thermophile, Thermoactinomyces intermedius, was cloned and its complete DNA sequence was determined. The phenylalanine dehydrogenase gene (pdh) consists of 1,098 nucleotides and encodes 366 amino acid residues corresponding to the subunit (Mr 41,000) of the hexameric enzyme. The amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the pdh gene of T. intermedius was 56.0 and 42.1% homologous to those of the phenylalanine dehydrogenases of Bacillus sphaericus and Sporosarcina ureae, respectively. It shows 47.5% homology to that of the thermostable leucine dehydrogenase from B. stearothermophilus. The pdh gene was highly expressed in E. coli JM109, the amount of phenylalanine dehydrogenase produced amounting up to about 8.3% of that of the total soluble protein. We purified the enzyme to homogeneity from transformant cells in a day, with a 58% recovery.     

A single mutation in the NAD-specific formate dehydrogenase from Candida methylica allows the enzyme to use NADP

An homology model of Candida methylica formate dehydrogenase (cmFDH) was constructed based on the Pseudomonas sp. 101 formate dehydrogenase (psFDH) structure. An aspartic acid residue in the model was predicted to interact with the adenine ribose of the NAD cofactor, in common with many NAD-dependent oxoreductases. Replacement of this aspartic acid residue by serine in cmFDH removed the absolute requirement for NAD over NADP shown by the wild type enzyme. Taken with similar results shown by d- and l-lactate dehydrogenases, this suggests that an aspartic acid in this position is a major determinant of coenzyme specificity in NAD/NADP-dependent dehydrogenases.     

Experimental design for the identification of macrokinetic models and model discrimination

An experimental design method for the identification of macrokinetic models was developed applying an extended D-optimal design criterion. The D-optimal design criterion was modified to consider variable measurement variances as well as multivariate macrokinetic models. The macrokinetics of formate dehydrogenase (FDH) production with Candida boidinii were thus identified within 10 steady state experiments in a labscale continuous stirred tank reactor (10 model parameters). Closed loop control (nutristat) was applied to set-up the operating states suggested by this experimental design method. After each set of steady state experiments the quality of macrokinetic parameters was characterized statistically. For model discrimination a parameter discrimination algorithm based on entropy formulations was adapted. Again a multivariate criterion considering variable measurement variances was developed. This discrimination algorithm was applied to discriminate the macrokinetic model of FDH production with Candida boidinii out of 10 different macrokinetic approaches. An unequivocal discrimination result could be obtained calculating model specific probabilities. These were compared with commonly used sum of squares values. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 56: 564-576, 1997.