Enzymatic transformation of cephalosporin C to 7-amino-cephalosporanic acid. Part II: Single-step procedure using a coimmobilized enzyme system

The enzymatic transformation of cephalosporin C to 7-amino-cephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) using coimmobilized -aminoacid oxidase (DAAO) and 7-β-(4-carboxybutanamido)cephalosporanic acid acylase (Gl-7-ACA acylase) is reported. The results from the coimmobilization of the two enzymes on different carriers and at different ratios of enzyme activities are described. When an inhibitor of catalase activity, such as NaN₃ or H₂O₂, is present, the conversion rate to 7-ACA is higher, but more by-products are obtained. An optimum ratio of 60:1 between the enzymatic activities of DAAO and Gl-7-ACA acylase in the coimmobilized sample at 0.21 Ug⁻¹ Gl-7-ACA acylase activity was determined. The results of using coimmobilized enzymes and of using a mixture of separately immobilized enzymes in the same process are compared.     

Characterization of an industrial biocatalyst: immobilized glutaryl-7-ACA acylase

A batch of the immobilized industrial biocatalyst glutaryl-7-ACA acylase (GA), one of the two enzymes involved in the biotransformation of cephalosporin C (CefC) into 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA), was characterized. K(m) value for glutaryl-7-ACA was 5 mM. Enzyme activity was found to be optimal at pH between 7 and 9.5 and to increase with temperature and in buffered solutions. To avoid product degradation, optimal reaction conditions were obtained working at 25 degrees C using a 50-mM phosphate buffer, pH 8.0. Immobilized GA showed good stability at pH value below 9 and at temperature up to 30 degrees C. The inactivation of immobilized GA in the presence of different amounts of H(2)O(2), a side product that might be present in the plant-scale industrial solutions of glutaryl-7-ACA, was also investigated, but the deactivation rates were negligible at H(2)O(2) concentration that might be reached under operative conditions. Finally, biocatalyst performance in the complete two-step enzymatic conversion process from CefC to 7-ACA was determined on a laboratory scale. Following the complete conversion of a 75 mM solution of CefC into glutaryl-7-ACA catalyzed by an immobilized D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO), immobilized GA was used for the transformation of this intermediate into the final product 7-ACA. This reaction was repeated for 42 cycles. An estimation of the residual activity of the biocatalyst showed that 50% inactivation of immobilized GA was reached after approximately 300 cycles, corresponding to an enzyme consumption of 0.4 kU per kg of isolated 7-ACA.     

Enzymatic modifications of cephalosporins by cephalosporin acylase and other enzymes

Semisynthetic cephalosporins are important antibacterials in clinical practice. Semisynthetic cephalosporins are manufactured by derivatizing 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) and its desacetylated form. Microbial enzymes such as D-amino acid oxidase, glutaryl-7-ACA acylase and cephalosporin esterase are being used as biocatalysts for the conversion of cephalosporin C (CEPH-C) to 7-ACA and its desacetylated derivatives. Recent developments in the field of enzymatic modifications of cephalosporin with special emphasis on group of enzymes called as cephalosporin acylase is discussed in this review. Aspects related to screening methods, isolation and purification, immobilization, molecular cloning, gene structure and expression and protein engineering of cephalosporin acylases have been covered. Topics pertaining to enzymatic modifications of cephalosporin by D-amino acid oxidase, cephalosporin methoxylase and beta-lactamase are also covered.     

Enzymatic Modifications of Cephalosporins by Cephalosporin Acylase and Other Enzymes

ABSTRACT

Semisynthetic cephalosporins are important antibacterials in clinical practice. Semisynthetic cephalosporins are manufactured by derivatizing 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) and its desacetylated form. Microbial enzymes such as D-amino acid oxidase, glutaryl-7-ACA acylase and cephalosporin esterase are being used as biocatalysts for the conversion of cephalosporin C (CEPH-C) to 7-ACA and its desacetylated derivatives. Recent developments in the field of enzymatic modifications of cephalosporin with special emphasis on group of enzymes called as cephalosporin acylase is discussed in this review. Aspects related to screening methods, isolation and purification, immobilization, molecular cloning, gene structure and expression and protein engineering of cephalosporin acylases have been covered. Topics pertaining to enzymatic modifications of cephalosporin by D-amino acid oxidase, cephalosporin methoxylase and β -lactamase are also covered.     

Comparative characterization of new glutaryl 7-ACA and cephalosporin C acylases

We performed a comparative characterization of three new cephalosporin acylases which were prepared from E. coli recombinant strains and found originally from Pseudomonas sp. A14, Bacillus laterosporus J1 and Pseudomonas diminuta N176. Both A14 and N176 acylases consisted of two non-identical subunits (α, β) whose molecular weights were 28,000 (α), 61,000 (β) and 26,000 (α), 58,000 (β), respectively, whereas J1 acylase consisted of a single peptide with molecular weight of 70,000. The maximum specific activities of A14, J1 and N176 acylases for glutaryl 7-ACA were 7.1, 5.3 and 100 units/mg, respectively, and that of N176 acylase for cephalosporin C was 3.1 units/mg. The K_m values of glutaryl 7-ACA for A14, J1 and N176 acylases were 2.1, 3.2 and 2.6 mM, respectively, and that of cephalosporin C for N176 acylase was 4.8 mM. A14, J1 and N176 acylases exhibited differential activities for cephalosporins having an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid in the acyl side chain and only N176 acylase showed an activity for cephalosporin C. N176 acylase as well as A14 acylase also showed a weak activity for a cephalosporin derivative having a heterocyclic carboxylic acid in the side chain. A14, J1 and N176 acylases catalyzed the reverse reaction to synthesize glutaryl 7-ACA from 7-ACA and glutaric acid, although the rate of the synthesis was 10 to 10⁵ fold slower than that of hydrolysis. The activities of the cephalosporin acylases were considerably inhibited by the reaction products, 7-ACA and glutaric acid. The types of the inhibition by 7-ACA and glutaric acid were both competitive. A14, J1 and N176 acylases were thermostable, their residual activities exceeding more than 90% after treatment at 50°C for 1 h at their optimal pHs.     

2-Nitro-5-(6-bromohexanoylamino)benzoic acid test paper method for detecting microorganisms capable of producing cephalosporin acylases.

A novel method for detecting microorganisms capable of producing cephalosporin C (CPC) acylase and/or 7-(4-carboxybutanamido)cephalosporanic acid (GL-7-ACA) acylase has been developed. The method is based on the degradation of 2-nitro-5-(6-bromohexanoylamino)benzoic acid (NBHAB), a chromogenic substrate, into yellow 2-nitro-5-aminobenzoic acid by the action of the CPC acylase or the GL-7-ACA acylase. This method is very sensitive and quite specific, and has been successfully applied to screen the acylases from a variety of bacteria. A large number of colonies isolated on a plate surface from more than 67 samples and several known bacteria were tested by the NBHAB paper. Five NBHAB-positive strains and isolates were obtained. They were further examined by the reaction of their bacterial cells upon CPC and GL-7-ACA, respectively, and by thin-layer chromatography in order to distinguish the CPC acylase from the GL-7-ACA acylase.     

Construction and application of fusion proteins of d-amino acid oxidase and glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase for direct bioconversion of cephalosporin C to 7-aminocephalosporanic acid

Two fusion proteins of D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) and glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase (GLA) were designed to simplify the bioconversion process of cephalosporin C to 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA), which is conventionally produced in a two-step enzymatic process. Two recombinant plasmids, pET-DLA and pET-ALD, were constructed to express fusion proteins of DAAO-linker-GLA (DLA) and GLA-linker-DAAO (ALD), respectively. When the recombinant plasmids were expressed in E. coli, the fusion protein DLA was not correctly folded and only DAAO activity could be detected. ALD, however, possessed activities of both DAAO and GLA, which directly catalyze the conversion of cephalosporin C into 7-ACA.     

The 2.0 A crystal structure of cephalosporin acylase

BACKGROUND: Semisynthetic cephalosporins are primarily synthesized from 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA), which is usually obtained by chemical deacylation of cephalosporin C (CPC). The chemical production of 7-ACA includes, however, several expensive steps and requires thorough treatment of chemical wastes. Therefore, an enzymatic conversion of CPC to 7-ACA by cephalosporin acylase is of great interest. The biggest obstacle preventing this in industrial production is that cephalosporin acylase uses glutaryl-7ACA as a primary substrate and has low substrate specificity for CPC. RESULTS: We have solved the first crystal structure of a cephalosporin acylase from Pseudomonas diminuta at 2.0 A resolution. The overall structure looks like a bowl with two "knobs" consisting of helix- and strand-rich regions, respectively. The active site is mostly formed by the distinctive structural motif of the N-terminal (Ntn) hydrolase superfamily. Superposition of the 61 residue active-site pocket onto that of penicillin G acylase shows an rmsd in Calpha positions of 1.38 A. This indicates structural similarity in the active site between these two enzymes, but their overall structures are elsewhere quite different. CONCLUSION: The substrate binding pocket of the P. diminuta cephalosporin acylase provides detailed insight into the ten key residues responsible for the specificity of the cephalosporin C side chain in four classes of cephalosporin acylases, and it thereby forms a basis for the design of an enzyme with an improved conversion rate of CPC to 7-ACA. The structure also provides structural evidence that four of the five different classes of cephalosporin acylases can be grouped into one family of the Ntn hydrolase superfamily.     

Enzymatic transformation of cephalosporin C to 7-amino-cephalosporanic acid. Part I: Cultivation of Pseudomonas syringae and partial purification and immobilization of 7-β-(4-carboxybutanamido) cephalosporanic acid acylase

The enzymatic transformation of 7-β-(4-carboxybutanamido)cephalosporanic acid (Gl-7-ACA) to 7-amino-cephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) is reported. The optimum conditions for cultivation of the producer strain Pseudomonas syringae, as well as the procedures for isolation, purification, and immobilization of the enzyme Gl-7-ACA acylase, are described. It is shown that when glutaraldehyde is used for immobilization of this enzyme, the yield of immobilization is low. After six hydrolyses of Gl-7-ACA to 7-ACA, the immobilized enzyme activity loss is less than 10%.     

GL-7ACA酰化酶表达检测系统的建立

戊二酰－7－氨基头孢烷酸（GL－7ACA）酰化酶能够催化GL－7ACA分解生成7－ACA,后者是工业半合成生产头孢类抗菌素所需的重要前体。为了准确地检测GL－7ACA酰化酶及其突变体的表达,本研究通过构建一系列质粒载体,建立了两个简便有效地测定GL－7ACA酰化酶基因acy表达量的系统,从而可对酶的比活力进行定量。我们将两个报告基因,即儿茶酚双加氧酶基因（xylE)和β－半乳糖苷酶基因（lacZ)分别置于acy基因的下游,使之与acy基因共用一个启动子,进行串联表达,各自构成一个多顺反子系统。实验证明,基因融合后的儿茶酚双加氧酶或β－半乳糖苷酶的活力可以间接反映acy的表达量。     

Characteristic of immobilized cephalosporin C acylase and its application in one-step enzymatic conversion of cephalosporin C to 7-aminocephalosporanic acid

Cephalosporin C (CPC) acylase is an enzyme which hydrolyzes CPC to 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) directly, and therefore has great potential in industrial application. In this study, the CPC acylase from a recombinant Escherichia coli was purified to high purity by immobilized metal affinity chromatography, and the CPC acylase was covalently attached to three kinds of epoxy supports, BB-2, ES-V-1 and LX-1000EP. The immobilized CPC acylase with LX-1000EP as the support shows the highest activity (81 U g⁻¹) suggesting its potential in industrial 7-ACA production. The activity of immobilized enzyme was found to be optimal at pH between 8.5 and 9.5 and to increase with temperature elevation until 55 °C. Immobilized CPC acylase showed good stability at pH between 8.0 and 9.5 and at temperature up to 40 °C. To avoid product degradation, the production of 7-ACA utilizing immobilized enzyme was carried out at 25 °C, pH 8.5 in a designed reactor. Under optimal reaction conditions, a very high 7-ACA yield of 96.7% was obtained within 60 min. In the results of repeated batch production of 7-ACA, 50% activity of the initial cycle was maintained after being recycled 24 times and the average conversion rate of CPC reached 98%.     

Improvement of the glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase activity of a bacterial gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase

7-Aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) is an important material in the production of semisynthetic cephalosporins, which are the best-selling antibiotics worldwide. 7-ACA is produced from cephalosporin C via glutaryl-7-ACA (GL-7-ACA) by a bioconversion process using d-amino acid oxidase and cephalosporin acylase (or GL-7-ACA acylase). Previous studies demonstrated that a single amino acid substitution, D433N, provided GL-7-ACA acylase activity for gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) of Escherichia coli K-12. In this study, based on its three-dimensional structure, residues involved in substrate recognition of E. coli GGT were rationally mutagenized, and effective mutations were then combined. A novel screening method, activity staining followed by a GL-7-ACA acylase assay with whole cells, was developed, and it enabled us to obtain mutant enzymes with enhanced GL-7-ACA acylase activity. The best mutant enzyme for catalytic efficiency, with a k(cat)/K(m) value for GL-7-ACA almost 50-fold higher than that of the D433N enzyme, has three amino acid substitutions: D433N, Y444A, and G484A. We also suggest that GGT from Bacillus subtilis 168 can be another source of GL-7-ACA acylase for industrial applications.     

Optimisation of enzymatic synthesis of cefaclor with in situ product removal and continuous acyl donor feeding

Enzymatic synthesis of cefaclor by penicillin acylase (PA) was carried out under kinetic control with in situ product removal (ISPR). We present a continuous acyl donor feeding strategy for enzymatic reactions. Using this strategy, the conversion of the antibiotic nucleus was improved from 65 to 91%, and the hydrolysis of phenylglycine methyl ester (PGME) was decreased. Side product (phenylglycine) production was less than half of that in the control batch. The ratio of synthesis to hydrolysis (S/H) in the process was kept stable for longer and at a higher level than in the control. This is a practical method for enzymatic synthesis of cefaclor.     

Cephalosporin C acylase: dream and(/or) reality

Cephalosporins currently constitute the most widely prescribed class of antibiotics and are used to treat diseases caused by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Cephalosporins contain a 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) nucleus which is derived from cephalosporin C (CephC). The 7-ACA nucleus is not sufficiently potent for clinical use; however, a series of highly effective antibiotic agents could be produced by modifying the side chains linked to the 7-ACA nucleus. The industrial production of higher-generation semi-synthetic cephalosporins starts from 7-ACA, which is obtained by deacylation of the naturally occurring antibiotic CephC. CephC can be converted to 7-ACA either chemically or enzymatically using d-amino acid oxidase and glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase. Both these methods show limitation, including the production of toxic waste products (chemical process) and the expense (the enzymatic one). In order to circumvent these problems, attempts have been undertaken to design a single-step means of enzymatically converting CephC to 7-ACA in the course of the past 10 years. The most suitable approach is represented by engineering the activity of a known glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase such that it will bind and deacylate CephC more preferentially over glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid. Here, we describe the state of the art in the production of an effective and specific CephC acylase.     

Deacylation activity of cephalosporin acylase to cephalosporin C is improved by changing the side-chain conformations of active-site residues

Semisynthetic cephalosporins are primarily synthesized from 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA), mainly by environmentally toxic chemical deacylation of cephalosporin C (CPC). Thus, the enzymatic conversion of CPC to 7-ACA by cephalosporin acylase (CA) would be very interesting. However, CAs use glutaryl-7-ACA (GL-7-ACA) as a primary substrate and the enzymes have low turnover rates for CPC. The active-site residues of a CA were mutagenized to various residues to increase the deacylation activity of CPC, based on the active-site conformation of the CA structure. The aim was to generate sterically favored conformation of the active-site to accommodate the D-alpha-aminoadipyl moiety of CPC, the side-chain moiety that corresponds to the glutaryl moiety of GL-7-ACA. A triple mutant of the CA, Q50betaM/Y149alphaK/F177betaG, showed the greatest improvement of deacylation activity to CPC up to 790% of the wild-type. Our current study is an efficient method for improving the deacylation activity to CPC by employing the structure-based repetitive saturation mutagenesis.     

Optimisation of enzymatic synthesis of cefaclor with in situ product removal and continuous acyl donor feeding

Enzymatic synthesis of cefaclor by penicillin acylase (PA) was carried out under kinetic control with in situ product removal (ISPR). We present a continuous acyl donor feeding strategy for enzymatic reactions. Using this strategy, the conversion of the antibiotic nucleus was improved from 65 to 91%, and the hydrolysis of phenylglycine methyl ester (PGME) was decreased. Side product (phenylglycine) production was less than half of that in the control batch. The ratio of synthesis to hydrolysis (S/H) in the process was kept stable for longer and at a higher level than in the control. This is a practical method for enzymatic synthesis of cefaclor.     

Enzymatic dipeptide synthesis by surfactant-coated alpha-chymotrypsin complexes in supercritical carbon dioxide

Enzymatic dipeptide synthesis by surfactant-coated alpha-chymotrypsin complexes was performed in supercritical CO(2) and liquid CO(2) at 308.2 and 333.2 K at pressures of 6.1 and 10.1 MPa. The enzymatic activity of coated alpha-chymotrypsin complexes for dipeptides synthesis at 10.1 MPa in supercritical CO(2) (SC-CO(2)) was higher than that in a liquid CO(2) and ethyl acetate solution at 6.1 MPa. The behavior of alpha-chymotrypsin in SC-CO(2) was similar to that in liquid ethyl acetate. And increasing the pressure and temperature increased the maximum conversion and the enzymatic reaction rate in SC-CO(2). Furthermore, the control of the water content in the reaction media had a dominant effect on the enzymatic activity. The maximum conversion for the dipeptide synthesis by the surfactant-coated alpha-chymotrypsin was obtained at 4% water content. The alpha-chymotrypsin complexes exhibited a higher enzymatic activity than native alpha-chymotrypsin in SC-CO(2). The nonionic surfactants l-glutamic acid dialkyl ester ribitol amide and sorbitan monostearate were more favored than the anionic surfactant sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate.     

Thermal and Operational Characteristics of Glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid Acylase Immobilized on Silica Gel Modified by Epoxide Silanization

Summary In this study, an investigation was performed into the thermal and operational characteristics of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid (GL-7-ACA) acylase (EC 3.5.1.-) immobilized on silica gel that had been modified by epoxide silanization. The pH values for the optimum activity of free and immobilized GL-7-ACA acylase were almost the same. However, the pH-dependent activity profile for the immobilized GL-7-ACA acylase is considerably expanded. Both free and immobilized enzymes generally had the highest activity at 50 °C. In thermodynamic studies, it was found that immobilization using epoxide silanization made GL-7-ACA acylase thermodynamically stable. In the results of repeated batch production of 7-ACA, 89.0 and 83.5% of the 7-ACA produced at the initial cycle were maintained after 20 times of recycle at 25 °C and 30 °C, respectively. Hence it was suggested that mass production of 7-ACA at 25 °C using immobilized GL-7-ACA acylase by epoxide silanization would be possible on a large scale.     

The role of alpha-amino group of the N-terminal serine of beta subunit for enzyme catalysis and autoproteolytic activation of glutaryl 7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase

Glutaryl 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (GL-7-ACA) acylase of Pseudomonas sp. strain GK16 catalyzes the cleavage of the amide bond in the GL-7-ACA side chain to produce glutaric acid and 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA). The active enzyme is an (alphabeta)(2) heterotetramer of two non-identical subunits that are cleaved autoproteolytically from an enzymatically inactive precursor polypeptide. In this study, we prepared and characterized a chemically modified enzyme, and also examined an effect of the modification on enzyme catalysis and autocatalytic processing of the enzyme precursor. We found that treatment of the enzyme with cyanate ion led to a significant loss of the enzyme activity. Structural and functional analyses of the modified enzyme showed that carbamylation of the free alpha-amino group of the N-terminal Ser-199 of the beta subunit resulted in the loss of the enzyme activity. The pH dependence of the kinetic parameters indicates that a single ionizing group is involved in enzyme catalysis with pK(a) = 6.0, which could be attributed to the alpha-amino group of the N-terminal Ser-199. The carbamylation also inhibited the secondary processing of the enzyme precursor, suggesting a possible role of the alpha-amino group for the reaction. Mutagenesis of the invariant N-terminal residue Ser-199 confirmed the key function of its side chain hydroxyl group in both enzyme catalysis and autoproteolytic activation. Partial activity and correct processing of a mutant S199T were in agreement with the general mechanism of N-terminal nucleophile hydrolases. Our results indicate that GL-7-ACA acylase utilizes as a nucleophile Ser-199 in both enzyme activity and autocatalytic processing and most importantly its own alpha-amino group of the Ser-199 as a general base catalyst for the activation of the hydroxyl group both in enzyme catalysis and in the secondary cleavage of the enzyme precursor. All of the data also imply that GL-7-ACA acylase is a member of a novel class of N-terminal nucleophile hydrolases that have a single catalytic center for enzyme catalysis.     

产GL-7-ACA酰化酶重组菌的构建及高表达研究

戊二酰基-7-氨基头孢烷酸(GL-7-ACA)酰化酶是7-氨基头孢烷酸(7-ACA)两步酶法生产中的关键酶。成功构建组成型表达的产GL-7-ACA酰化酶重组大肠杆菌JM105/pMKC-ACY,并对其高表达条件进行了研究,得到了组成简单、廉价的国产培养基配方及操作简便、易于实现工业化的发酵工艺。在优化条件下,上罐补料高密度发酵的酶活高达6668.9U/L,是优化前的12.4倍,产率最高可达275.5U/(L.h),达到了工业生产的要求。