工业应用导向的蛋白质结构与功能研究进展

在蛋白质工程、绿色生物制造以及合成生物学等研究领域中,对重要催化反应的重塑和合成路径的优化搭建,都依赖于对相关蛋白质结构与功能的深入了解。合成生物技术近年来的飞速发展对关键菌种及生物催化过程中的蛋白质的性能提出了更高要求,相关研究的关键是获得大批量、高纯度目的蛋白,并进行快速、准确的构效关系研究。中国科学院天津工业生物技术研究所建所10年来,在工业蛋白质领域进行了多年的积累,成功搭建成了蛋白质结构生物学平台;并在植物天然产物合成相关萜类合成酶、白色污染降解的聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯(polyethylene terephthalate, PET)塑料降解酶以及生物质转化利用相关酶等方面获得了一些进展,通过对这些蛋白进行结构和功能的研究,为许多研究工作提供了理论依据。蛋白质结构功能研究相关技术的不断发展,将加速合成生物学的学术和工业应用研究,推动我国生物制造领域的科技创新升级。     

提高蛋白质生物活性与稳定性的研究进展

综述了蛋白质结构改造与提高生物活性及稳定性的研究进展,通过定点突变和基因克隆的方法,可以对自然界存在的酶进行改造,使之变成适合于工业生产的新酶。在工业生产中除了对所使用的酶有较高的活性和稳定性要求外,对产品也有一定要求,提高蛋白质的活性和稳定性是工业生产中的重要课题。     

Furin／kexin蛋白质前体加工酶抑制剂的理性再设计

许多重的生物过程,如酶原激活、肽激素合成、病毒蛋白加工和受体成熟,均须蛋白质前体加工酶的剪切处理。因此,蛋白质前体加工酶可能是一种新药开发的对象,综合利用同源模建技术和序列的进化踪迹分析手段,研究了蛋白质前体加工酶furin/kexin与水蛭抑制剂(eglinC）突变体的相互作用模式,阐释furin/kexin各个亚类的底物/抑制剂特异性的共性和差异性的序列结构基础。在此基础上,利用界面再设计策略（核心算法为异型自洽系综最优化）进行了furin/kexin抑制剂的理性再设计,分别以模建的水蛭抑制剂-furin,水蛭 素-kex2复合物结构为模板,对水蛭 抑制剂P1,P2和P4位置进行设计,计算结果显示这三个位置均是偏好碱性残基,与已有的实验结论一致,另外针对furin/kexin各亚类在S′端有较多的特异性残基位置这一特点,对抑制剂P′端的残基位置实施改造,设计furin和kex2的特异性更高的抑制剂,对于furin,设计得到的最好突变体是P2′Glu-P3′Asp-P4′Arg;而对于kex2,最好的突变体是P2′Arg-P3′Arg-P4′Glu。结构分析显示furin和kex2与相应的水蛭 抑制剂突变体形成石油同的相互作用模式,这里我们给出了综合利用同源模建技术,序列的进化踪迹分析和理性再设计进行酶-抑制剂相互作用研究及抑制剂改造的方案;同时提供了合理的理论设计方案。为进一步的实验设计提供理性的指导。     

工业蛋白质构效关系的计算生物学解析

工业催化用酶已经成为现代生物制造技术的核心"芯片"。不断设计和研发新型高效的酶催化剂是发展工业生物技术的关键。工业催化剂创新设计的科学基础是对酶与底物的相互作用、结构与功能关系及其调控机制的深入剖析。随着生物信息学和智能计算技术的发展,可以通过计算的方法解析酶的催化反应机理,进而对其结构的特定区域进行理性重构,实现酶催化性能的定向设计与改造,促进其工业应用。聚焦工业酶结构-功能关系解析的计算模拟和理性设计,已成为工业酶高效创制改造不可或缺的关键技术。本文就各种计算方法和设计策略以及未来发展趋势进行简要介绍和讨论。     

工业生物催化技术

以蛋白质酶的工程应用为核心的工业生物催化技术,被认为是生物技术继生物医药和转基因植物之后的第三次浪潮。它的发展与应用将对人类的工业化学过程带来根本的变革。工业生物催化的兴起与以下的两个关键技术因素有密切的关系：(1)蛋白质定向进化技术的出现,(2)基因组学和蛋白质组学的发展。探讨了工业生物催化技术的现状和发展趋势,并对我国如何发展该领域的基础和应用研究提出一些见解。     

理性设计提高蛋白质热稳定性的研究进展

通过理性设计提高蛋白质的热稳定性一直是当今计算生物学及蛋白质工程领域中的一个研究热点。与传统的定向进化的方法相比,该方法具有目的性强、效率高的优点,对扩大蛋白质的应用范围与探究蛋白质结构和功能的关系均具有重要意义。本文详细介绍了影响蛋白质热稳定性的因素,以及一些常用的通过理性设计来提高蛋白质的热稳定性的策略。由于影响蛋白质热稳定性的因素众多,并且众多因素之间还具有千丝万缕的联系,到目前为止研究人员还没有提出一个公认的适合于所有蛋白质的理性设计的策略,这也是现代计算生物学家及蛋白质工程学家们努力研究的一个重要方向。     

合成生物学中蛋白质计算预测设计的应用与发展

合成生物学以"工程化"为核心指导思想,自下而上开发生物技术来解决人类社会面临的重大挑战.蛋白质作为生命活动的直接执行者和合成生物学中关键的底层元件,对其定量认识和工程改造的能力直接影响合成生物学的上层建筑.通过蛋白质计算设计技术可实现功能空间跳跃,为合成生物学提供全新元件,使序列-结构-功能的研究从"格物致知"转化为"...     

老黄酶OYE家族的蛋白质工程的研究进展 *

老黄酶OYE家族酶是一类广泛分布的能够催化烯烃化合物不对称还原的酶类,其能够用于多种手性化合物的制备.分析了OYE家族酶的系统分类及催化反应类型,针对目前该类酶在应用过程中出现的稳定性差,活性低及底物特异性强等问题,综述了蛋白质工程方法对该类酶进行改造的研究进展,为深入研究该家族酶的催化机制及进一步改造提供参考,同时为进一步拓展OYE酶的工业化应用奠定基础.     

头孢菌素C乙酰化酶的半理性改造及7-ACA的生物合成

CPC乙酰化酶是一步酶法制备7-ACA的关键酶,针对它的研究具有重大的经济价值。为了获得对CPC具有更高催化活性的CPC乙酰化酶,以Pseudomonas sp SE 83来源的Ⅲ型CPC乙酰化酶CA Ⅲ为亲本,借助分子对接的手段确定了它与CPC结合的关键氨基酸残基,并确定将这些关键氨基酸残基突变为侧链基团更小的氨基酸残基,对CA Ⅲ的编码基因利用多点定点突变试剂盒完成定点突变后借助p ET32a质粒在E.coli BL21(DE3)中实现了可溶性表达,获得了对CPC催化活性更高的重组突变体reCA Ⅲ~M,其比酶活为26.7 IU/mg,较原酶提高了3.44倍。此外,初步研究了利用reCA Ⅲ~M进行一步酶法生产7-ACA的工艺,40 IU/g CPC的加酶量、25℃的条件下反应12 h,CPC的转化率和7-ACA的得率分别可达96.3%和63.4%,表明该酶具有良好的应用前景。CPC乙酰化酶的分子改造上取得的较为理想的结果,为该酶进一步的分子改造及应用奠定了坚实的基础,也为其它酶的分子改造提供了可资借鉴的经验。     

“蛋白质工程”一节教学设计

在"蛋白质工程"一节教学中,以《普通高中生物学课程标准(2017年版)》为依据,采用"科学-技术-社会"的教学策略,由胰岛素的工业合成引入话题,通过资料分析和小组讨论等方式,引导学生形成"蛋白质工程是基因工程的延伸"的核心概念,提高基于已有知识和新信息解决实际问题的能力,关注基因工程在药物生产中的实际应用,认同基因工程和蛋白质工程等生物技术的应用价值和发展前景。     

A computational method for design of connected catalytic networks in proteins

Computational design of new active sites has generally proceeded by geometrically defining interactions between the reaction transition state(s) and surrounding side‐chain functional groups which maximize transition‐state stabilization, and then searching for sites in protein scaffolds where the specified side‐chain–transition‐state interactions can be realized. A limitation of this approach is that the interactions between the side chains themselves are not constrained. An extensive connected hydrogen bond network involving the catalytic residues was observed in a designed retroaldolase following directed evolution. Such connected networks could increase catalytic activity by preorganizing active site residues in catalytically competent orientations, and enabling concerted interactions between side chains during catalysis, for example, proton shuffling. We developed a method for designing active sites in which the catalytic side chains, in addition to making interactions with the transition state, are also involved in extensive hydrogen bond networks. Because of the added constraint of hydrogen‐bond connectivity between the catalytic side chains, to find solutions, a wider range of interactions between these side chains and the transition state must be considered. Our new method starts from a ChemDraw‐like two‐dimensional representation of the transition state with hydrogen‐bond donors, acceptors, and covalent interaction sites indicated, and all placements of side‐chain functional groups that make the indicated interactions with the transition state, and are fully connected in a single hydrogen‐bond network are systematically enumerated. The RosettaMatch method can then be used to identify realizations of these fully‐connected active sites in protein scaffolds. The method generates many fully‐connected active site solutions for a set of model reactions that are promising starting points for the design of fully‐preorganized enzyme catalysts.     

Robust design and optimization of retroaldol enzymes

Enzyme catalysts of a retroaldol reaction have been generated by computational design using a motif that combines a lysine in a nonpolar environment with water-mediated stabilization of the carbinolamine hydroxyl and β-hydroxyl groups. Here, we show that the design process is robust and repeatable, with 33 new active designs constructed on 13 different protein scaffold backbones. The initial activities are not high but are increased through site-directed mutagenesis and laboratory evolution. Mutational data highlight areas for improvement in design. Different designed catalysts give different borohydride-reduced reaction intermediates, suggesting a distribution of properties of the designed enzymes that may be further explored and exploited.     

Recent advances in structure-based enzyme engineering for functional reconstruction

Structural information can help engineer enzymes. Usually, specific amino acids in particular regions are targeted for functional reconstruction to enhance the catalytic performance, including activity, stereoselectivity, and thermostability. Appropriate selection of target sites is the key to structure-based design, which requires elucidation of the structure–function relationships. Here, we summarize the mutations of residues in different specific regions, including active center, access tunnels, and flexible loops, on fine-tuning the catalytic performance of enzymes, and discuss the effects of altering the local structural environment on the functions. In addition, we keep up with the recent progress of structure-based approaches for enzyme engineering, aiming to provide some guidance on how to take advantage of the structural information.     

Rational design of thiolase substrate specificity for metabolic engineering applications

Metabolic engineering efforts require enzymes that are both highly active and specific toward the synthesis of a desired output product to be commercially feasible. The 3‐hydroxyacid (3HA) pathway, also known as the reverse β‐oxidation or coenzyme‐A‐dependent chain‐elongation pathway, can allow for the synthesis of dozens of useful compounds of various chain lengths and functionalities. However, this pathway suffers from byproduct formation, which lowers the yields of the desired longer chain products, as well as increases downstream separation costs. The thiolase enzyme catalyzes the first reaction in this pathway, and its substrate specificity at each of its two catalytic steps sets the chain length and composition of the chemical scaffold upon which the other downstream enzymes act. However, there have been few attempts reported in the literature to rationally engineer thiolase substrate specificity. In this study, we present a model‐guided, rational design study of ordered substrate binding applied to two biosynthetic thiolases, with the goal of increasing the ratio of C6/C4 products formed by the 3HA pathway, 3‐hydroxy‐hexanoic acid and 3‐hydroxybutyric acid. We identify thiolase mutants that result in nearly 10‐fold increases in C6/C4 selectivity. Our findings can extend to other pathways that employ the thiolase for chain elongation, as well as expand our knowledge of sequence–structure–function relationship for this important class of enzymes.     

醇脱氢酶金属离子绑定位点的可替换性

金属酶通过其极性氨基酸残基侧链所形成的共价键去锚定金属离子,目前鲜有报道替换金属绑定位点本身是否影响原有酶催化性能.以来源于Thermoanaerobacter brockii的锌离子依赖型醇脱氢酶TbSADH为研究对象,对其绑定锌离子的3个氨基酸残基位点Cys37、His59及Asp150进行序列保守性分析并构建突变...     

融合酶的设计和应用研究进展

酶的分子改造和重新设计是解决酶催化工业应用瓶颈的重要途径。基于融合蛋白设计的融合酶技术是分子酶工程的一个研究热点,已逐渐应用于多功能酶和酶靠近效应的构建与控制研究中,显示出重要的理论和应用研究价值。文中对近年来融合酶的分子设计策略和应用研究的进展进行了综述。首先介绍了融合酶的概念和特点,并对最近研究中出现的融合酶构建策略进行了归纳总结,重点阐述了不同种类连接肽对融合酶的影响及其可能机理。同时,对目前融合酶的应用研究进行了归纳和讨论。最后,结合本实验室的研究,指出了融合酶领域的关键问题并对其发展方向进行了探讨和展望。     

新基因起源：从自然进化到人工设计

生命体系历经40多亿年的自然进化,创造了无数丰富多彩的功能基因,保障了生命体系的传承与繁荣。然而生命体系的自然进化历程极其缓慢,新的功能基因产生需要数百万年时间,无法满足快速发展的工业生产需求。利用合成生物学技术,研究人员可以依据已知的酶催化机理和蛋白质结构进行全新的基因设计与合成,按照工业生产需求快速创造全新的蛋白质催化剂,实现各种自然界生物无法催化的生物化学反应。尽管新基因设计技术展现了激动人心的应用前景,但是目前该技术还存在设计成功率不高、酶催化活性较低、合成成本较高等科技挑战。未来随着合成生物学技术的快速发展,设计、改造、合成和筛选等技术将融合为一体,为新基因设计与创建带来全新的发展机遇。     

Biocatalysts: application and engineering for industrial purposes

Enzymes are widely applied in various industrial applications and processes, including the food and beverage, animal feed, textile, detergent and medical industries. Enzymes screened from natural origins are often engineered before entering the market place because their native forms do not meet the requirements for industrial application. Protein engineering is concerned with the design and construction of novel enzymes with tailored functional properties, including stability, catalytic activity, reaction product inhibition and substrate specificity. Two broad approaches have been used for enzyme engineering, namely, rational design and directed evolution. The powerful and revolutionary techniques so far developed for protein engineering provide excellent opportunities for the design of industrial enzymes with specific properties and production of high-value products at lower production costs. The present review seeks to highlight the major fields of enzyme application and to provide an updated overview on previous protein engineering studies wherein natural enzymes were modified to meet the operational conditions required for industrial application.     

A phosphate-binding subsite in bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A can be converted into a very efficient catalytic site

A general acid-base catalytic mechanism is responsible for the cleavage of the phosphodiester bonds of the RNA by ribonuclease A (RNase A). The main active site is formed by the amino acid residues His12, His119, and Lys41, and the process follows an endonucleolytic pattern that depends on the existence of a noncatalytic phosphate-binding subsite adjacent, on the 3'-side, to the active site; in this region the phosphate group of the substrate establishes electrostatic interactions through the side chains of Lys7 and Arg10. We have obtained, by means of site-directed mutagenesis, RNase A variants with His residues both at positions 7 and 10. These mutations have been introduced with the aim of transforming a noncatalytic binding subsite into a putative new catalytic active site. The RNase activity of these variants was determined by the zymogram technique and steady-state kinetic parameters were obtained by spectrophotometric methods. The variants showed a catalytic efficiency in the same order of magnitude as the wild-type enzyme. However, we have demonstrated in these variants important effects on the substrate's cleavage pattern. The quadruple mutant K7H/R10H/H12K/H119Q shows a clear increase of the exonucleolytic activity; in this case the original native active site has been suppressed, and, as consequence, its activity can only be associated to the new active site. In addition, the mutant K7H/R10H, with two putative active sites, also shows an increase in the exonucleolytic preference with respect to the wild type, a fact that may be correlated with the contribution of the new active site.