Development of a Cold-Adapted Pseudoalteromonas Expression System for the Pseudoalteromonas Proteins Intractable for the Escherichia coli System

Although the Escherichia coli expression system is the most commonly used expression system, some proteins are still difficult to be expressed by this system, such as proteins with high thermolability and enzymes that cannot mature by autoprocessing. Therefore, it is necessary to develop alternative expression systems. In this study, a cold-adapted Pseudoalteromonas expression system was developed. A shuttle vector was constructed, and a conjugational transfer system between E. coli and psychrophilic strain Pseudoalteromonas sp. SM20429 was established. Based on the shuttle vector, three reporter vectors were constructed to compare the strength of the cloned promoters at low temperature. The promoter of xylanase gene from Pseudoalteromonas sp. BSi20429 was chosen due to its high activity at 10–15°C. An expression vector pEV containing the chosen promoter, multiple cloning sites and a His tag was constructed for protein expression and purification. With pEV as expression vector and SM20429 as the host, a cold-adapted protease, pseudoalterin, which cannot be maturely expressed in E. coli, was successfully expressed as an active extracellular enzyme when induced by 2% oat spelt xylan at 15°C for 48 h. Recombinant pseudoalterin purified from the culture by Ni affinity chromatography had identical N-terminal sequence, similar molecular mass and substrate specificity as the native pseudoalterin. In addition, another two cold-adapted enzymes were also successfully expressed by this system. Our results indicate that this cold-adapted Pseudoalteromonas expression system will provide an alternative choice for protein expression, especially for the Pseudoalteromonas proteins intractable for the E. coli system.     

A cold-adapted esterase from psychrotrophic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudoalteromas</Emphasis> sp. strain 643A

A psychrotrophic bacterium producing a cold-adapted esterase upon growth at low temperatures was isolated from the alimentary tract of Antarctic krill Euphasia superba Dana, and classified as Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain 643A. A genomic DNA library of strain 643A was introduced into Escherichia coli TOP10F', and screening on tributyrin-containing agar plates led to the isolation of esterase gene. The esterase gene (estA, 621 bp) encoded a protein (EstA) of 207 amino acid residues with molecular mass of 23,036 Da. Analysis of the amino acid sequence of EstA suggests that it is a member of the GDSL-lipolytic enzymes family. The purification and characterization of native EstA esterase were performed. The enzyme displayed 20-50% of maximum activity at 0-20 degrees C. The optimal temperature for EstA was 35 degrees C. EstA was stable between pH 9 and 11.5. The enzyme showed activity for esters of short- to medium-chain (C(4) and C(10)) fatty acids, and exhibited no activity for long-chain fatty acid esters like that of palmitate and stearate. EstA was strongly inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 2-mercaptoethanol, dithiothreitol and glutathione. Addition of selected divalent ions e.g. Mg(2+), Co(2+) and Cu(2+) led to the reduction of enzymatic activity and the enzyme was slightly activated ( approximately 30%) by Ca(2+) ions.     

Cloning and Characterization of Extracellular Metal Protease Gene of the Algicidal Marine Bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. Strain A28

The gene (empI) encoding an extracellular metal protease was isolated from a Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain A28 DNA library. The recombinant EmpI protein was expressed in E. coli and purified. Paper-disk assays showed that the purified protease had potent algicidal activity. A skim milk-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis protease assay showed that the 38-kDa band of protease activity, which co-migrated with purified EmpI and was sensitive to 1,10-phenathroline, was detected in the extracellular supernatant of A28.     

Cloning, expression and characterization of a new agarase-encoding gene from marine Pseudoalteromonas sp.

Τhe β-agarase gene agaA, cloned from a marine bacterium, Pseudoalteromonas sp. CY24, consists of 1,359 nucleotides encoding 453 amino acids in a sequence corresponding to a catalytic domain of glycosyl hydrolase family 16 (GH16) and a carbohydrate-binding module type 13 (CBM13). The recombinant enzyme is an endo-type agarase that hydrolyzes β-1,4-linkages of agarose, yielding neoagarotetraose and neoagarohexaose as the predominant products. In two cleavage patterns, AgaA digested the smallest substrate, neoagarooctaose, into neoagarobiose, neoagarotetraose and neoagarohexaose. Site directed mutation was performed to investigate the differences between AgaA and AgaD of Vibrio sp. PO-303, identifying residues V₁₀₉VTS₁₁₂ as playing a key role in the enzyme reaction.     

Extremely thermostable esterases from the thermoacidophilic euryarchaeon Picrophilus torridus

Two genes encoding esterases EstA and EstB of Picrophilus torridus were identified by the means of genome analysis and were subsequently cloned in Escherichia coli. PTO 0988, which is encoding EstA, consists of 579 bp, whereas PTO 1141, encoding EstB, is composed of 696 bp, corresponding to 192 aa and 231 aa, respectively. Sequence comparison revealed that both biocatalysts have low sequence identities (14 and 16%) compared to previously characterized enzymes. Detailed analysis suggests that EstA and EstB are the first esterases from thermoacidophiles not classified as members of the HSL family. Furthermore, the subunits with an apparent molecular mass of 22 and 27 kDa of the homotrimeric EstA and EstB, respectively, represent the smallest esterase subunits from thermophilic microorganisms reported to date. The recombinant esterases were purified by Ni²⁺ affinity chromatography, and the activity of the purified esterases was measured over a wide pH (pH 4.5–8.5) and temperature range (10–90°C). Highest activity of the esterases was measured at 70°C (EstA) and 55°C (EstB) with short pNP-esters as preferred substrates. In addition, esters of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs naproxen, ketoprofen, and ibuprofen are hydrolyzed by both EstA and EstB. Extreme thermostability was measured for both enzymes at temperatures as high as 90°C. The determined half-life (t _1/2) at 90°C was 21 and 10 h for EstA and EstB, respectively. Remarkable preservation of esterase activity in the presence of detergents, urea, and commonly used organic solvents complete the exceptional phenotype of EstA and EstB.     

Molecular analysis of the gene encoding a cold-adapted halophilic subtilase from deep-sea psychrotolerant bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. SM9913: cloning, expression, characterization and function analysis of the C-terminal PPC domains

Only a few cold-adapted halophilic proteases have been reported. Here, the gene mcp03 encoding a cold-adapted halophilic protease MCP-03 was cloned from deep-sea psychrotolerant bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. SM9913, which contains a 2,130-bp ORF encoding a novel subtilase precursor. The recombinant MCP-03, expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 and purified from fermented broth, is a multi-domain protein with a catalytic domain and two PPC domains. Compared to mesophilic subtilisin Carlsberg, MCP-03 had characteristics of a typical cold-adapted enzyme (e.g., higher activity at low temperatures, lower optimum temperature and higher thermolability). MCP-03 also exhibited good halophilic ability with maximal activity at 3 M NaCl/KCl and good stability in 3 M NaCl. Deletion mutagenesis showed that the C-terminal PPC domains were unnecessary for enzyme secretion but had an inhibitory effect on MCP-03 catalytic efficiency and were essential for keeping MCP-03 thermostable. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. X.-L. Chen and B.-Q. Yan contributed equally to this work.     

Proteomic studies highlight outer‐membrane proteins related to biofilm development in the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. D41

Bacterial biofilm development is conditioned by complex processes involving bacterial attachment to surfaces, growth, mobility, and exoproduct production. The marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain D41 is able to attach strongly onto a wide variety of substrates, which promotes subsequent biofilm development. Study of the outer‐membrane and total soluble proteomes showed ten spots with significant intensity variations when this bacterium was grown in biofilm compared to planktonic cultures. MS/MS de novo sequencing analysis allowed the identification of four outer‐membrane proteins of particular interest since they were strongly induced in biofilms. These proteins are homologous to a TonB‐dependent receptor (TBDR), to the OmpW and OmpA porins, and to a type IV pilus biogenesis protein (PilF). Gene expression assays by quantitative RT‐PCR showed that the four corresponding genes were upregulated during biofilm development on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutants unable to produce any of the OmpW, OmpA, and PilF homologues yielded biofilms with lower biovolumes and altered architectures, confirming the involvement of these proteins in the biofilm formation process. Our results indicate that Pseudoalteromonas sp. D41 shares biofilm formation mechanisms with human pathogenic bacteria, but also relies on TBDR, which might be more specific to the marine environment.     

A novel esterase from a psychrotrophic bacterium, Acinetobacter sp. strain no. 6, that belongs to the amidase signature family

A novel esterase that belongs to the amidase signature family was found in a psychrotrophic bacterium, Acinetobacter sp. strain no. 6, isolated from Siberian soil. The gene coding for the esterase, named EstA8, was cloned, and an open reading frame of 1488 bp corresponding to 496 amino acid residues was identified. EstA8 showed 30% sequence identity with 6-aminohexanoate-cyclic-dimer hydrolases from Pseudomonas sp. strain NK87 and Flavobacterium sp. strain K172, which degrade a by-product of the nylon-6 industry. EstA8 was overproduced in Escherichia coli JM109 under the control of the lac promoter of pUC118 and purified. Consistent with the fact that the source microorganism is cold-adapted, the enzyme was unstable at moderate temperatures. It lost 75% of its original activity by incubation at 40 °C for 30 min. Despite its structural similarity to 6-aminohexanoate-cyclic-dimer hydrolase, 6-aminohexanoate cyclic dimer did not serve as the substrate. EstA8 is a member of the amidase signature family, but its esterase activity toward p-nitrophenyl esters, such as p-nitrophenyl acetate, was much higher than its amidase activity toward p-nitroanilides, such as p-nitroacetanilide.     

Exceptional thermal stability and organic solvent tolerance of an esterase expressed from a thermophilic host

A protein expression system recently developed for the thermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus islandicus was employed to produce recombinant protein for EstA, a thermophilic esterase encoded in the same organism. Large amounts of protein were readily obtained by an affinity protein purification, giving SisEstA. Upon Escherichia coli expression, only the thioredoxin-tagged EstA recombinant protein was soluble. The fusion protein was then purified, and removing the protein tag yielded EcSisEstA. Both forms of the thermophilic EstA enzyme were characterized. We found that SisEstA formed dimer exclusively in solution, whereas EcSisEstA appeared solely as monomer. The former exhibited a stronger resistance to organic solvents than the latter in general, having a much higher temperature optimum (90°C vs. 65°C). More strikingly, SisEstA exhibited a half-life that was more than 32-fold longer than that of EcSisEstA at 90°C. This indicated that thermophilic enzymes yielded from homologous expression should be better biocatalysts than those obtained from mesophilic expression.     

Signs of biofilm formation in the genome of Labrenzia sp. PO1

Labrenzia sp. are important components of marine ecology which play a key role in biochemical cycling. In this study, we isolated the Labrenzia sp. PO1 strain capable of forming biofilm, from the A. sanguinea culture. Growth analysis revealed that strain reached a logarithmic growth period at 24 hours. The whole genome of 6.21813 Mb of Labrezia sp. PO1 was sequenced and assembled into 15 scaffolds and 16 contigs, each with minimum and maximum lengths of 644 and 1,744,114 Mb. A total of 3,566 genes were classified into five pathways and 31 pathway groups. Of them, 521 genes encoded biofilm formation proteins, quorum sensing (QS) proteins, and ABC transporters. Gene Ontology annotation identified 49,272 genes that were involved in biological processes (33,425 genes), cellular components (7,031genes), and molecular function (7,816 genes). We recognised genes involved in bacterial quorum sensing, attachment, motility, and chemotaxis to investigate bacteria's ability to interact with the diatom phycosphere. As revealed by KEGG pathway analysis, several genes encoding ABC transporters exhibited a significant role during the growth and development of Labrenzia sp. PO1, indicating that ABC transporters may be involved in signalling pathways that enhance growth and biofilm formation.     

The extraordinary thermal stability of EstA from S. islandicus is independent of post translational modifications

Enzymes from thermophilic and hyper‐thermophilic organisms have an intrinsic high stability. Understanding the mechanisms behind their high stability will be important knowledge for the engineering of novel enzymes with high stability. Lysine methylation of proteins is prevalent in Sulfolobus, a genus of hyperthermophilic and acidophilic archaea. Both unspecific and temperature dependent lysine methylations are seen, but the significance of this post‐translational modification has not been investigated. Here, we test the effect of eliminating in vivo lysine methylation on the stability of an esterase (EstA). The enzyme was purified from the native host S. islandicus as well as expressed as a recombinant protein in E. coli, a mesophilic host that does not code for any machinery for in vivo lysine methylation. We find that lysine mono methylation indeed has a positive effect on the stability of EstA, but the effect is small. The effect of the lysine methylation on protein stability is secondary to that of protein expression in E. coli, as the E. coli recombinant enzyme is compromised both on stability and activity. We conclude that these differences are not attributed to any covalent difference between the protein expressed in hyperthermophilic versus mesophilic hosts.     

Use of Pseudomonas putida EstA as an Anchoring Motif for Display of a Periplasmic Enzyme on the Surface of Escherichia coli

The functional expression of proteins on the surface of bacteria has proven important for numerous biotechnological applications. In this report, we investigated the N-terminal fusion display of the periplasmic enzyme β-lactamase (Bla) on the surface of Escherichia coli by using the translocator domain of the Pseudomonas putida outer membrane esterase (EstA), which is a member of the lipolytic autotransporter enzymes. To find out the transport function of a C-terminal domain of EstA, we generated a set of Bla-EstA fusion proteins containing N-terminally truncated derivatives of the EstA C-terminal domain. The surface exposure of the Bla moiety was verified by whole-cell immunoblots, protease accessibility, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The investigation of growth kinetics and host cell viability showed that the presence of the EstA translocator domain in the outer membrane neither inhibits cell growth nor affects cell viability. Furthermore, the surface-exposed Bla moiety was shown to be enzymatically active. These results demonstrate for the first time that the translocator domain of a lipolytic autotransporter enzyme is an effective anchoring motif for the functional display of heterologous passenger protein on the surface of E. coli. This investigation also provides a possible topological model of the EstA translocator domain, which might serve as a basis for the construction of fusion proteins containing heterologous passenger domains.     

Cell Surface Expression of Bacterial Esterase A by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Its Enhancement by Constitutive Activation of the Cellular Unfolded Protein Response

Yeast cell surface display is a powerful tool for expression and immobilization of biocatalytically active proteins on a unicellular eukaryote. Here bacterial carboxylesterase EstA from Burkholderia gladioli was covalently anchored into the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by in-frame fusion to the endogenous yeast proteins Kre1p, Cwp2p, and Flo1p. When p-nitrophenyl acetate was used as a substrate, the esterase specific activities of yeast expressing the protein fusions were 103 mU mg⁻¹ protein for Kre1/EstA/Cwp2p and 72 mU mg⁻¹ protein for Kre1/EstA/Flo1p. In vivo cell wall targeting was confirmed by esterase solubilization after laminarinase treatment and immunofluorescence microscopy. EstA expression resulted in cell wall-associated esterase activities of 2.72 U mg⁻¹ protein for Kre1/EstA/Cwp2p and 1.27 U mg⁻¹ protein for Kre1/EstA/Flo1p. Furthermore, esterase display on the yeast cell surface enabled the cells to effectively grow on the esterase-dependent carbon source glycerol triacetate (Triacetin). In the case of Kre1/EstA/Flo1p, in vivo maturation within the yeast secretory pathway and final incorporation into the wall were further enhanced when there was constitutive activation of the unfolded protein response pathway. Our results demonstrate that esterase cell surface display in yeast, which, as shown here, is remarkably more effective than EstA surface display in Escherichia coli, can be further optimized by activating the protein folding machinery in the eukaryotic secretion pathway.     

Cloning of genes encoding heterotetrameric sarcosine oxidase from Arthrobacter sp.

Summary An isolate of Arthrobacter sp. produced the sarcosine oxidase which was purified to homogeneity. SDS-PAGE indicated that the enzyme was composed of four dissimilar subunits with molecular weights of 106, 43, 24, and 15 kDa. The genes encoding the four subunits of sarcosine oxidase were isolated and expressed in E. coli.     

Molecular cloning,over expression and characterization of thermoalkalophilic esterases isolated from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Geobacillus</Emphasis> sp.

Due to potential use for variety of biotechnological applications, genes encoding thermoalkalophilic esterase from three different Geobacillus strains isolated from thermal environmental samples in Balçova (Agamemnon) geothermal site were cloned and respective proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli (E.coli) and characterized in detail. Three esterases (Est1, Est2, Est3) were cloned directly by PCR amplification using consensus degenerate primers from genomic DNA of the strains Est1, Est2 and Est3 which were from mud, reinjection water and uncontrolled thermal leak, respectively. The genes contained an open reading frame (ORF) consisting of 741 bp for Est1 and Est2, which encoded 246 amino acids and ORF of Est3 was 729 bp encoded 242 amino acids. The esterase genes were expressed in E. coli and purified using His-Select HF nickel affinity gel. The molecular mass of the recombinant enzyme for each esterase was approximately 27.5 kDa. The three esterases showed high specific activity toward short chain p-NP esters. Recombinant Est1, Est2, Est3 have exhibited similar activity and the highest esterase activity of 1,100 U/mg with p-nitrophenyl acetate (pNPC₂) as substrate was observed with Est1. All three esterase were most active around 65°C and pH 9.5–10.0. The effect of organic solvents, several metal ions, inhibitors and detergents on enzyme activity for purified Est1, Est2, Est3 were determined separately and compared.     

Metalloid Reducing Bacteria Isolated from Deep Ocean Hydrothermal Vents of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, Pseudoalteromonas telluritireducens sp. nov. and Pseudoalteromonas spiralis sp. nov

Five strains of Gram-negative, rod, curved rod and spiral-shaped bacteria were isolated from the vicinity of deep ocean hydrothermal vents along the Main Endeavour Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the Pacific Ocean. All strains showed remarkable resistance to high levels of toxic metalloid oxyanions, and were capable of reducing the oxyanions tellurite and selenite to their less toxic elemental forms. Phylogenetic analysis of four strains identified these isolates as close relatives of the genus Pseudoalteromonas within the class Gammaproteobacteria. Pseudoalteromonas agarivorans was the closest relative of strains Te-1-1 and Se-1-2-red^T, with, respectively, 99.5 and 99.8% 16S rDNA sequence similarity. Strain Te-2-2^T was most closely related to Pseudoalteromonas paragorgicola, with 99.8% 16S rDNA sequence similarity. The DNA G+C base composition was 39.6 to 41.8 mol%, in agreement with other members of the genus Pseudoalteromonas. However, the isolates showed important morphological and physiological differences from previously described species of this genus, with one group forming rod-shaped bacteria typical of Pseudoalteromonas and the other forming vibrioid- to spiral-shaped cells. Based on these differences, and on phylogenetic data, we propose the creation of the new species Pseudoalteromonas telluritireducens sp. nov., with strain Se-1-2-red^T (DSMZ=16098^T=VKM B-2382^T) as the type strain, and Pseudoalteromonas spiralis sp. nov., with strain Te-2-2^T (DSMZ=16099^T=VKM B-2383^T) as the type strain. The EMBL accession numbers for the 16S rDNA sequences are: Te-1-1, AJ314843; Te-2-2^T, AJ314842; Se-1-2-or, AJ314844; Se-1-2-red^T, AJ314845.     

Thermostable Tyrosine Phenol-Lyase ofSymbiobacteriumsp. SC-1: Gene Cloning, Sequence Determination, and Overproduction inEscherichia coli

During the screening for tyrosine phenol-lyase-producing thermophiles, we isolated an obligatory symbiotic thermophile,Symbiobacteriumsp. SC-1, which grew only in coculture withBacillussp. SK-1. A gene encoding thermostable tyrosine phenol-lyase (TPL) was cloned from the genomic DNA of theSymbiobacteriumsp. SC-1 and the nucleotide sequence of the TPL structural gene was determined. The gene consists of 1374 base pairs encoding a polypeptide of 458 amino acid residues; the molecular mass of the enzyme subunit is estimated to be 52,196 Da. The structural gene of TPL was amplified by PCR, blunt-ended, and ligated into theNcoI–HindIII site of plasmid pTrc99A to construct an expression vector for the overproduction of the thermostable TPL. The level of thermostable TPL production was about 15% of the total soluble proteins ofEscherichia coliextract. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity from theE. coliextract with an overall yield of 48%.     

一株从红藻中分离出的产芳基硫酸酯酶的海单胞菌FW-1的全基因组测序及结果分析

【目的】海单胞菌Marinomonas sp. FW-1是1株经验证可以获得高活性芳基硫酸酯酶的菌株。为深入研究FW-1菌株产芳基硫酸酯酶机制,进一步筛选高活性的芳基硫酸酯酶基因片段,有必要解析FW-1菌株的全基因组序列信息。【方法】本研究采用高通量测序技术对FW-1进行全基因组测序,使用相关软件对测序数据进行基因组装、基因预测与功能注释、COG聚类分析等。结合异源表达的方法对其不同基因片段所产生的芳基硫酸酯酶活性进行分析。【结果】全基因组测序结果表明该基因组大小为3964876 bp,GC含量为44.03%,编码3590个蛋白基因,含有78个tRNA和25个rRNA操纵子。从全基因组测序结果中找到22个可能具有芳基硫酸酯酶活性的基因,对其中4个进一步异源表达后发现FW-1中至少含有的3个具有芳基硫酸酯酶活性的基因,其均含有芳基硫酸酯酶的特异性氨基酸基团C-X-P-X-R基团。【结论】本研究首次报道了1株含有多个芳基硫酸酯酶基因序列的菌株FW-1的全基因组序列,分析了基因组的基本特征,为芳基硫酸酯酶的进一步应用提供了思路。     

Cloning and expression of the chloroplast-encoded rbcL and rbcS genes from the marine diatom Cylindrotheca sp. strain N1

Both the rbcL and rbcS genes, encoding the large and small subunits, respectively, of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, have been found to be encoded by chloroplast DNA in the marine diatom Cylindrotheca sp. N1. The rbcS gene in this diatom was found to be adjacent to the rbcL gene by a combination of: (i) Southern-blotting analyses, using heterologous probes; (ii) examination of recombinant proteins synthesized in Escherichia coli, directed by cloned rbcL/rbcS genes; and (iii) synthesis of enzymatically active heterologous Rubisco protein in vivo by recombinant DNA procedures using large subunits of Anacystis nidulans and small subunits of Cylindrotheca sp. N1. It appears that two copies of rbcL and rbcS genes are encoded by the chloroplast DNA of this diatom.