Enantioselective dehydrogenation of β-hydroxysilanes by horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase with a novel in-situ NAD+ regeneration system

Dehydrogenation of 2-trimethylsilyl-1-propanol (1) was carried out with horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH, EC 1.1.1.1). It was found that the hydrogenation of 1 proceeded enantioselectively with only HLADH and a catalytic amount of NAD⁺ due to in-situ NAD⁺ regeneration based on a specific property of -carbonylsilanes. That is, (+)-1 was enantioselectively dehydrogenated by HLADH to 2-trimethylsilyl-1-propanal, which was spontaneously degraded by addition of water into trimethylsilanol and n-propanal. Then, NAD⁺ was regenerated through HLADH-catalyzed reduction of n-propanal to n-propanol. On the other hand, dehydrogenation of the carbon analogue of 1 was negligible with a catalytic amount of NAD⁺, indicating that the in-situ NAD⁺ regeneration was not available without the specific property of organosilicon compounds. Other primary -hydroxysilanes having different substituents on the chiral center or on the silicon atom were also found to serve as substrates in enantioselective dehydrogenation by HLADH with this novel NAD⁺ regeneration system. Chiral recognition of HLADH toward primary alcohols is also discussed.     

Kinetic resolution of organosilicon compounds by stereoselective dehydrogenation with horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase

Streoselective dehydrogenation of three isomers of trimethylsilypropanol was carried out with horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH, EC 1.1.1.1.) and optically active organosilicon compounds were obtained in a water-organic solvent two-layer system with coenzyme regeneration. Furthermore, we examined the effects of the silicon atom on stereoselectivity of HLADH compared to the corresponding carbon compounds. Substitution of the silicon atom for the carbon atom was found to improve the stereoselectivity of HLADH. For example, the optical purity of the remaining 1-trimethylsilyl-2-propanol was higher than 99% enantiomeric excess (ee) at 50% conversion, whereas that of the carbon analogue was 84% ee. This phenomenon was probably ascribable to the bulkiness of the organosilicon compounds derived from their longer Si-C bond. Kinetic analysis in an aqueous monolayer system demonstrated that the specific properties of the silicon atom greatly affected the reactivity of these substrate compounds.Correspondence to: A. Tanaka     

Enantioselective Bioconversion of Non-Natural Compounds

Enantioselective bioconversion of organosilicon compounds was successfully carried out with hydrolases and a dehydrogenase. Substituents on silicon atom were found to affect the efficiency of the reactions. In many cases, the characteristics of silicon atom reflected the reactivity.     

Bioconversion of organosilicon compounds by horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase: the role of the silicon atom in enzymatic reactions

Summary Bioconversion of three organosilicon compounds of different chain length between the silicon atom and the hydroxyl group (Me₃Si(CH₂)_nOH, n = 1–3) by horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH, EC 1.1.1.1.) was studied. Furthermore, the effect of the silicon atom on the HLADH-catalysed reaction was examined in comparison with the corresponding carbon compounds. HLADH could catalyse the dehydrogenation of trimethylsilyeethanol (n = 2) and trimethylsilylpropanol (n = 3). Trimethylsilylethanol was a better substrate than both its carbon analogue, 3,3-dimethylbutanol, and ethanol. The improved activity of HLADH on trimethylsilylethanol could be accounted for by a higher affinity toward HLADH and a lower activation energy of the reaction by HLADH than those of the carbon counterpart. These are derived from physical properties of the silicon atom, that is, the lower electronegativity and the bigger radius than those of the carbon atom. In contrast, HLADH showed no activity on trimethylsilylmethanol (n = 1), whereas it catalysed the dehydrogenation of the carbon analogue, 2,2-dimethylpropanol, fairly well. The reason for the inactivity of HLADH in the case of trimethylsilylmethanol based on the electric effect of the silicon atom is also discussed. Offsprint requests to: A. Tanaka     

Donor-acceptor substituted disilanes with surprising nonlinear optical effects

The synthesis and characterization of a new class of organosilicon compounds with high transparency and nonlinear optical properties are presented. For silicon ended molecules, Si acts mostly as a donor. The presence of a neighbouring silicon does not significantly modify the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). One Si atom in the middle of a conjugated chain breaks the ICT so that the overall charge transfer may be decomposed into the vectorial sum of each moiety's contribution. Two neighbouring Si-atoms allow more ICT but saturating at a much lower state of interaction between the side groups if compared to a C-C bond. This is the case because hyperconjugation is built up from orbitals instead of ones. Above a certain saturation threshold it deletes the electronic exchange between the two sides which is reflected in a decrease of ₀.     

Distribution of Fucoidan Hydrolases and Some Glycosidases among Marine Invertebrates

Thirty-three species of marine invertebrates from the Sea of Japan were analyzed for contents of fucoidan hydrolases and some glycosidases. Fucoidan hydrolase activity was assessed by examining the effect of animal tissue extracts on fucoidans from the two brown seaweeds Laminaria cichorioides and Fucus evanescens, which have different structural characteristics. The activity of glycosidases (-glucosidase, -galactosidase, -fucosidase, and -mannosidase) was determined using p-nitrophenyl derivatives of sugars as substrates. It was found that glycosidases and fucoidan hydrolases of different specificities are fairly widely distributed among marine invertebrates. Mollusks and some species of echinoderms and arthropods showed the highest enzymatic activity. This research will enable us to choose organisms for the separation and study of fucoidan hydrolases and glycosidases, which may be useful in determining the structure of fucoidans.     

Properties of an intracellular β-glucosidase purified from the cellobiose-fermenting yeast Candida wickerhamii

An intracellular -glucosidase was isolated from the cellobiose-fermenting yeast, Candida wickerhamii. Production of the enzyme was stimulated under aerobic growth, with the highest level of production in a medium containing cellobiose as a carbohydrate source. The molecular mass of the purified protein was approximately 94 kDa. It appeared to exist as a dimeric structure with a native molecular mass of about 180 kDa. The optimal pH ranged from 6.0 to 6.5 with p-nitrophenyl -d-glucopyranoside (NpGlc) as a substrate. The optimal temperature for short-term (15-min) assays was 35°C, while temperature-stability analysis revealed that the enzyme was labile at temperatures of 28° C and above. Using NpGlc as a substrate, the enzyme was estimated to have a K _m of 0.28 mM and a V _max of 525 mol product min^–1 mg protein^–1. Similar to the extracellular -glucosidase produced by C. wickerhamii, this enzyme resisted end-product inhibition by glucose, retaining 58% of its activity at 100 mM glucose. The activity of the enzyme was highest against aryl -1,4-glucosides. However, p-nitrophenyl xylopyranoside, lactose, cellobiose, and trehalose also served as substrates for the purified protein. Activity of the enzyme was stimulated by long-chain n-alkanols and inhibited by ethanol, 2-propanol, and 2-butanol. The amino acid sequence, obtained by Edman degradation analysis, suggests that this -glucosidase is related to the family-3 glycosyl hydrolases.     

(R)-oxynitrilase-catalysed synthesis of chiral silicon-containing aliphatic (R)-ketone-cyanohydrins

Optically active 2-trimethylsilyl-2-hydroxyl-ethylcyanide was prepared by enzymatic enantioselective transcyanation of acetyltrimethylsilane with acetone cyanohydrin in a biphasic system at 35°C and pH 5. (R)-Oxynitrilase from apple seed meal was the best among all the enzymes explored and diisopropyl ether was the most suitable organic phase. Acetyltrimethylsilane was a better substrate of the enzyme than its carbon analogue. The substrate conversion and product enantiomeric excess of 2-trimethylsilyl-2-hydroxyl-ethylcyanide were >99% and >99%, respectively.     

Enantioselective resolution of 3-phenylthio-2-propanol with Humicola lanuginosa lipase

The acetylation of 3-phenylthio-2-propanol (168 mg) was performed with vinyl acetate (1 ml) using different lipases from 15°C to 51°C. As a result, the (R)-enantiomer was selectively acetylated and the (S)-enantiomer was non-reactive in all the cases. An appropriate choice of conditions can be made to isolate both (R)-alcohol (ee 99%, 36 h, conversion 46%, sub/enz: 1/2) and (S)-alcohol (ee 93%, 38 h, conversion 46%, THF, sub/enz: 1 l^–1) using Humicola lanuginosalipase (Lipolase). Increasing the amount of enzyme increased the ee.     

Stereoselective esterification of halogen-containing carboxylic acids by lipase in organic solvent: effects of alcohol chain length

Summary Optical resolution of racemic carboxylic acids containing a halogen atom was attempted with stereoselective esterificatiob by Celite-adsorbed hydrolases in organic solvents. As lipase OF 360 from Candida cylindracea was found to stereoselectively esterify 2-(4-chlorophenoxy)propanoic acid, the (R)-enantiomer (d-isomer) of which is an important herbicide, the effects of alcohol chain length on stereoselectivity as well as reaction rate were investigated. The results revealed that the alcohol chain length markedly affected the stereoselective esterification of 2-(4-chlorophenoxy)propanoic acid: longer-chain alcohols, such as tetradecanol, served as excellent substrates for optical resolution of the acid, although the reaction rate was moderate. Offprint requests to: A. Tanaka     

Comparison of the kinetic properties,inhibition and labelling of the phosphate translocators from maize and spinach mesophyll chloroplasts

The kinetic properties of the phosphate translocator from maize (Zea mays L.) mesophyll chloroplasts have been determined. We have used a double silicone-oil-layer centrifugation system in order to obtain true initial uptake rates in forward-reaction experiments. In addition, it was possible to perform back-exchange experiments and to study the effects of illumination and of preloading the chloroplasts with different substrates on transport. It is shown that the phosphate translocator from mesophyll chloroplasts of maize, a C₄ plant, transports inorganic phosphate and phosphorylated C₃ compounds in which the phosphate group is linked to the C₃ atom (e.g. 3-phosphoglycerate and triose phosphate). The affinities of the transported metabolites towards the translocator protein are about one order of magnitude higher than in mesophyll chloroplasts from the C₃ plant, spinach. In contrast to the phosphate translocator from C₃-mesophyll chloroplasts, that of C₄-mesophyll chloroplasts catalyzes in addition the transport of C₃ compounds where the phosphate group is attached to the C₂ atom (e.g. 2-phosphoglycerate, phosphoenolpyruvate). The phosphate translocator from both chloroplast types is strongly inhibited by pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PLP), 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid and 4,4-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2-disulfonic acid (DIDS). In the case of the spinach translocator protein these inhibitors were shown to react with the same amino-acid residue at the substrate binding site, and one molecule of either DIDS or PLP is obviously required per substrate binding site for the inactivation of the translocation process. In the functionally active dimeric translocator protein only one substrate-binding site appears to be accessible at a particular time, indicating that the site might be exposed to each side of the membrane in turn. Using [³H]-H₂DIDS for the labelling of maize mesophyll envelopes the radioactivity was found to be associated with two polypeptides of about 29 and 30 kDa. Since Western-blot analysis showed that only the 30 kDa polypeptide reacted with an antiserum directed against the spinach phosphate translocator protein it is suggested that this polypeptide presumably represents the phosphate translocator from maize mesophyll chloroplasts.Abbreviations DIDS 4,4-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2-disulfonic acid - PEP phosphoenolpyruvate - 2-,3-PGA 2-,3-phosphoglycerate - PLP pyridoxal-5-phosphate - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - TNBS 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid - triose P triose phosphate This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

Mapping of the spectral density function of a Cα−Hα bond vector from NMR relaxation rates of a 13C-labelled α-carbon in motilin

Summary The peptide hormone motilin was synthesised with a ¹³C-enriched -carbon in the leucine at position 10. In aqueous solution, six different relaxation rates were measured for the ¹³C–H fragment as a function of temperature and with and without the addition of 30% (v/v) of the cosolvent d ₂-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFP). The relaxation rates were analysed employing the spectral density mapping technique introduced by Peng and Wagner [(1992) J. Magn. Reson., 98, 308–322] and using the model-free approach by Lipari and Szabo [(1982) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 104, 4546–4570]. The fit to various models of dynamics was also considered. Different procedures to evaluate the overall rotational correlation time were compared. A single exponential time correlation function was found to give a good fit to the measured spectral densities only for motilin in 30% (v/v) HFP at low temperatures, whereas at high temperatures in this solvent, and in D₂O at all temperatures, none of the considered models gave an acceptable fit. A new empirical spectral density function was tested and found to accurately fit the experimental spectral density mapping points. The application of spectral density mapping based on NMR relaxation data for specific ¹³C–¹H vector is shown to be a highly useful method to study biomolecular dynamics. Advantages are high sensitivity, high precision and uniform sampling of the spectral density function over the frequency range.Abbreviations CD circular dichroism - NOE nuclear Overhauser enhancement - NOESY two-dimensional NOE spectroscopy - INEPT insensitive nuclei enhanced by polarisation transfer - DANTE delays alternating with nutations for tailored excitation - WALTZ-16 wideband, alternating phase, low-power technique for zero residual splitting - FID Free induction decay - ppm parts per million - TSPA 3-trimethylsilyl-(3,3,2,2-d)-propionic acid - HFP d ₂-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol - CPMG Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill - TFD time-resolved fluorescence depolarisation - CSA chemical shift anisotropy Partly presented at the symposium Dynamics and Function of Biomolecules, Szeged, Hungary, July 31–August 2, 1993.     

Application of material and energy balances in the interpretation of intermediate product build-up in batch growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on n-hexadecane

Summary This work is concerned with the application of material and energy balances in an attempt to understand the phenomenon of product build-up when Pseudomonas aeruginosa is grown on n-hexadecane in a batch fermentor. It is shown that the organism accumulates a polyactide, called poly-B-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) during early stages of growth and metabolizes it at later stages of growth. This explains the low carbon and available electron balances which have been observed.Nomenclature d Moles of carbon dioxide per quantity of organic substrate containing one g atom carbon, g mole/g atom carbon - m _e Rate of organic substrate consumption for maintenance, g equiv. of available electrons/g equiv. of available electrons in biomass (h) - Specific rate of evolution of carbon dioxide, g moles/g dry wt (h) - Specific rate of oxygen consumption, g mole/g dry wt (h) - s Organic substrate concentration, g/liter - t Time (h) - x Biomass concentration, g/liter - y _c Biomass carbon yield (fraction of organic substrate carbon in biomass), dimensionless - _b Reductance degree of biomass, equivalents of available electrons per g atom carbon - _s Reductance degree of substrate, equivalents of available electrons per g atom carbon - Fraction of energy in organic substrate which is evolved as heat, dimensionless - Fraction of energy in organic substrate which is coverted to biomass or biomass energetic yield, dimensionless - Specific growth rate, h^-1 - _b Weight fraction carbon in biomass, dimensionless - _s Weight fraction carbon in substrate, dimensionless     

Catalytic analysis of a recombinant D-hydantoinase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens

The d-hydantoinase gene of a wild strain of Agrobacterium tumefaciens BQL9 had 99.78% nucleotide sequence identity with other available Agrobacterium genes. The resulting amino acid sequence showed two important substitutions affecting two -helixes in the secondary structure of the protein. The union of Mn²⁺ to the protein was essential for activating the enzyme and was independent of the temperature. d-Hydantoinase only was inactivated in the presence of 70 mM EDTA and at over 40 °C. The enzyme showed both hydantoinase and pyrimidinase activities, but only with the d-enantiomers of the substrates. Activity was greater for substrates with apolar groups in the number 5 carbon atom of the hydantoin. The native structure of the N-terminal end of this d-hydantoinase proved to be indispensable to its enzymatic activity.     

A new method to determine the aw range in which immobilized lipases display optimum activity in organic media

Summary We describe a qualitative method to predict the pre-equilibration a_w, system value in which, covalent immobilized lipase B from Candida antarctica to sepharose and silica, displayed best synthetic activity. The methodology is based in the analysis of the water adsorption isotherms of the biocatalyst in air and in the organic solvent. The biocatalyst is active at pre-equilibration a_w values higher than the divergence point between both isotherms. In addition, native and immobilized lipase display highest activity if the biocatalyst is pre-equilibrated at a_w=P point. For preparative purposes, the validity of the method was proved in the esterification of racemic 2-(4-isobutyl phenyl) propionic acid with 1-propanol in isooctane at long reaction time.     

A family 51 α-l-arabinofuranosidase from Penicillium purpurogenum: purification, properties and amino acid sequence

The soft rot fungus Penicillium purpurogenum secretes a wide variety of xylanolytic enzymes to the medium, among them three α-l-arabinofuranosidases. This work refers to arabinofuranosidase 2 (ABF 2). This enzyme was purified to homogeneity and characterized; it is a glycosylated monomer with a molecular weight of 70 000 and an isoelectric point of 5.3. When assayed with p-nitrophenyl α-l-arabinofuranoside (pNPAra) the enzyme followed Michaelis–Menten kinetics with a K_M of 0.098 mm. The optimum pH is 5 and the optimal temperature 60 °C. ABF 2 showed weak activity on natural polymeric substrates, such as sugar beet arabinan, debranched arabinan, and arabinoxylan. These results, together with its low K_M (pNPAra) and its activity towards short arabinooligosaccharides, suggest that the enzyme belongs to the exo α-l-arabinosyl hydrolases not active on polymers. The abf2 gene and its cDNA were sequenced, and the gene was found to possess seven introns. The mature protein is 618 amino acids long with a calculated molecular weight of 67 212. Amino acid sequence alignments show that the enzyme belongs to family 51 of the glycosyl hydrolases, although it differs in some properties from other enzymes of this family.     

底物中的硅原子对酶反应的影响

在酶工程学的研究史上,人们一方面不断地研制开发新的酶种;一方面利用固定化、酶分子改造和修饰等技术来提高酶的活性和稳定性;另一方面,则不断地开拓酶的新用途。酶催化非天然化合物的生物合成和转化（正是这一方面研究的新进展）。由于有机硅化合物在有机合成,尤其...     

O-Glycosidically linked oligosaccharides from peptidorhamnomannans ofSporothrix schenckii

-Elimination of peptidorhamnomannans purified from yeast-like and mycelial phases ofSporothrix schenckii released neutral and acidic reduced oligosaccharides that were O linked to serine and/or threonine. Man-(1–2)Man-ol, Rha(1–3)Man(1–2)Man-ol, Rha(1–4)GlcA(1–2)Man(1–2)Man-ol, and Rha(1–4)[Rha(1–2)] GlcA(1–2)Man(1–2)Man-ol were characterized based on methylation analysis, proton magnetic resonance and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry.Abbreviations FAB fast atom bombardment - GLC gas liquid chromatography - GlcA d-glucopyranosyluronic acid - Man d-mannopyranose - Man-ol d-mannitol - MS mass spectrometry - NMR nuclear magnetic resonance - Rha l-rhamnopyranose     

Purification, properties, and immunological characterization of GalT-3 (UDP-galactose: GM2 ganglioside, β1-3 galactosyltransferase) from embryonic chicken brain

A 1-3 galactosyltransferase (GalT-3; UDP-Gal; GM2 1-3galactosyltransferase) was purified over 5100-fold from 19-day-old embryonic chicken brain homogenate employing detergent solubilization, -lactalbumin Sepharose, Q-Sepharose, UDP-hexanolamine Sepharose, and GalNAc1-4Gal-Synsorb column chromatography. The purified enzyme was resolved into two bands on reducing gels with apparent molecular weights of 62 kDa and 65 kDa, respectively. GalT-3 activity was also localized in the same regions by activity gel analysis and sucrose-density gradient centrifugation of a detergent-solubilized extract of 19-day-old embryonic chicken brain. Purified GalT-3 exhibited apparentK _mS of 33 µm, 22 µm and 14.4mM with respect to the substrates GM2, UDP-galactose, and MnCl₂, respectively. Substrate specificity studies with the purified enzyme and a variety of glycosphingolipids, glycoproteins, and synthetic substrates revealed that the enzyme was highly specific only for the glycosphingolipid acceptors, GM2 and GgOse3Cer (asialo-GM2). Ovine-asialo-agalacto submaxillary mucin inhibited the transfer of galactose to GM2 but did not act as an acceptor in the range of concentrations tested. Polyclonal antibodies raised against purified GalT-3 inhibited GalT-3 activityin vitro and Western-immunoblot analysis of purified GalT-3 showed immunopositive bands at 62 and 65 kDa.Abbreviations CNS central nervous system - GM1 monosialotetraosylganglioside, Gal1-3GalNAc1-4(NeuAc2-3)Gal1-4Glc1-1Cer - GM2 monosialotriaosylganglioside, GalNAc1-4(NeuAc2-3)Gal1-4Glc1-1Cer - DSS detergent solubilized supernatant - ECB embryonic chicken brain - TBS Tris-buffered saline     

Acid hydrolases in the perinuclear secretion granules of the rat preputial gland. A light and electron microscope study

Synopsis Four acid hydrolases in the secretory cells and the sebum of the preputial sebaceous gland of the rat were incestigated cytochemically. A strong -glucuronidase activity was found to occur in the matrix of the perinuclear secretion granules, whereas the granule crystalloids were unreactive. The distribution of acid phosphatase at the light microscope level was similar, though the intensity of the reaction was lower and the number of positive granules smaller. By electron microscopy, the final reaction product of acid phosphatase occurred in patches at the periphery of the granule matrix, as well as in the vesicles adjoining the Golgi stacks, from which the perinuclear granules seemed to arise. In the sebum, the two hydrolases occurred in the background material between the unstained crystalloid masses. There was noN-acetyl--glucosaminidase or aryl sulphatase activity in the gland. The perinuclear granules appear to be secretory lysosomes which, after discharge from the disaggregating cell, release their acid hydrolases into the sebum.