Trehalose synthase of Mycobacterium smegmatis: purification, cloning, expression, and properties of the enzyme.

Trehalose synthase (TreS) catalyzes the reversible interconversion of trehalose (glucosyl-alpha,alpha-1,1-glucose) and maltose (glucosyl-alpha1-4-glucose). TreS was purified from the cytosol of Mycobacterium smegmatis to give a single protein band on SDS gels with a molecular mass of approximately 68 kDa. However, active enzyme exhibited a molecular mass of approximately 390 kDa by gel filtration suggesting that TreS is a hexamer of six identical subunits. Based on amino acid compositions of several peptides, the treS gene was identified in the M. smegmatis genome sequence, and was cloned and expressed in active form in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein was synthesized with a (His)(6) tag at the amino terminus. The interconversion of trehalose and maltose by the purified TreS was studied at various concentrations of maltose or trehalose. At a maltose concentration of 0.5 mm, an equilibrium mixture containing equal amounts of trehalose and maltose (42-45% of each) was reached during an incubation of about 6 h, whereas at 2 mm maltose, it took about 22 h to reach the same equilibrium. However, when trehalose was the substrate at either 0.5 or 2 mm, only about 30% of the trehalose was converted to maltose in >or= 12 h, indicating that maltose is the preferred substrate. These incubations also produced up to 8-10% free glucose. The K(m) for maltose was approximately 10 mm, whereas for trehalose it was approximately 90 mm. While beta,beta-trehalose, isomaltose (alpha1,6-glucose disaccharide), kojibiose (alpha1,2) or cellobiose (beta1,4) were not substrates for TreS, nigerose (alpha1,3-glucose disaccharide) and alpha,beta-trehalose were utilized at 20 and 15%, respectively, as compared to maltose. The enzyme has a pH optimum of about 7 and is inhibited in a competitive manner by Tris buffer. [(3)H]Trehalose is converted to [(3)H]maltose even in the presence of a 100-fold or more excess of unlabeled maltose, and [(14)C]maltose produces [(14)C]trehalose in excess unlabeled trehalose, suggesting the possibility of separate binding sites for maltose and trehalose. The catalytic mechanism may involve scission of the incoming disaccharide and transfer of a glucose to an enzyme-bound glucose, as [(3)H]glucose incubated with TreS and either unlabeled maltose or trehalose results in formation of [(3)H]disaccharide. TreS also catalyzes production of a glucosamine disaccharide from maltose and glucosamine, suggesting that this enzyme may be valuable in carbohydrate synthetic chemistry.     

Mlc of Thermus thermophilus: a glucose-specific regulator for a glucose/mannose ABC transporter in the absence of the phosphotransferase system

We report the presence of Mlc in a thermophilic bacterium. Mlc is known as a global regulator of sugar metabolism in gram-negative enteric bacteria that is controlled by sequestration to a glucose-transporting EII(Glc) of the phosphotransferase system (PTS). Since thermophilic bacteria do not possess PTS, Mlc in Thermus thermophilus must be differently controlled. DNA sequence alignments between Mlc from T. thermophilus (Mlc(Tth)) and Mlc from E. coli (Mlc(Eco)) revealed that Mlc(Tth) conserved five residues of the glucose-binding motif of glucokinases. Here we show that Mlc(Tth) is not a glucokinase but is indeed able to bind glucose (K(D) = 20 microM), unlike Mlc(Eco). We found that mlc of T. thermophilus is the first gene within an operon encoding an ABC transporter for glucose and mannose, including a glucose/mannose-binding protein and two permeases. malK1, encoding the cognate ATP-hydrolyzing subunit, is located elsewhere on the chromosome. The system transports glucose at 70 degrees C with a K(m) of 0.15 microM and a V(max) of 4.22 nmol per min per ml at an optical density (OD) of 1. Mlc(Tth) negatively regulates itself and the entire glucose/mannose ABC transport system operon but not malK1, with glucose acting as an inducer. MalK1 is shared with the ABC transporter for trehalose, maltose, sucrose, and palatinose (TMSP). Mutants lacking malK1 do not transport either glucose or maltose. The TMSP transporter is also able to transport glucose with a K(m) of 1.4 microM and a V(max) of 7.6 nmol per min per ml at an OD of 1, but it does not transport mannose.     

Molecular and biochemical characterization of a fructose-6-phosphate-forming and ATP-dependent fructokinase of the hyperthermophilic archaeon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermococcus litoralis</Emphasis>

Close to an operon encoding an ABC transporter for maltose and trehalose, Thermococcus litoralis contains a gene whose encoded sequence showed similarity to sugar kinases. We cloned this gene, now called frk, and expressed it as a C-terminal His-tag version in Escherichia coli. We purified the recombinant protein, identified it as an ATP-dependent and fructose-6-phosphate-forming fructokinase (Frk) and determined its biochemical properties. At its optimal temperature of 80°C, the apparent K_m and V_max values of Frk were 2.3 mM and 730 U/mg protein for fructose at saturating ATP concentration, and 0.81 mM and 920 U/mg protein for ATP at saturating fructose concentration. The enzyme did not lose activity at 80°C for 4 h. Under denaturating conditions in SDS-PAGE, it exhibited a molecular mass of 35 kDa. Gel-filtration chromatography revealed a molecular mass of 58 kDa, indicating a dimer under nondenaturating, in vitro conditions.     

Enzymatic processes for the purification of trehalose

A dual‐enzyme process aiming at facilitating the purification of trehalose from maltose is reported in this study. Enzymatic conversion of maltose to trehalose usually leads to the presence of significant amount of glucose, by‐product of the reaction, and unreacted maltose. To facilitate the separation of trehalose from glucose and unreacted maltose, sequential conversion of maltose to glucose and glucose to gluconic acid under the catalysis of glucoamylase and glucose oxidase, respectively, is studied. This study focuses on the hydrolysis of maltose with immobilized glucoamylase on Eupergit® C and CM Sepharose. CM Sepharose exhibited a higher protein adsorption capacity, 49.35 ± 1.43 mg/g, and was thus selected as carrier for the immobilization of glucoamylase. The optimal reaction temperature and reaction pH of the immobilized glucoamylase for maltose hydrolysis were identified as 40°C and 4.0, respectively. Under such conditions, the unreacted maltose in the product stream of trehalose synthase‐catalyzed reaction was completely converted to glucose within 35 min, without detectable trehalose degradation. The conversion of maltose to glucose could be maintained at 0.92 even after 80 cycles in repeated‐batch operations. It was also demonstrated that glucose thus generated could be readily oxidized into gluconic acid, which can be easily separated from trehalose. We thus believe the proposed process of maltose hydrolysis with immobilized glucoamylase, in conjunction with trehalose synthase‐catalyzed isomerization and glucose oxidase‐catalyzed oxidation, is promising for the production and purification of trehalose on industrial scales. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2013     

Trehalose synthesis by sequential reactions of recombinant maltooligosyltrehalose synthase and maltooligosyltrehalose trehalohydrolase from Brevibacterium helvolum

A DNA fragment encoding two enzymes leading to trehalose biosynthesis, maltooligosyltrehalose synthase (BvMTS) and maltooligosyltrehalose trehalohydrolase (BvMTH), was cloned from the nonpathogenic bacterium Brevibacterium helvolum. The open reading frames for the two proteins are 2,331 and 1,770 bp long, respectively, and overlap by four nucleotides. Recombinant BvMTS, BvMTH, and fusion gene BvMTSH, constructed by insertion of an adenylate in the overlapping region, were expressed in Escherichia coli. Purified BvMTS protein catalyzed conversion of maltopentaose to maltotriosyltrehalose, which was further hydrolyzed by BvMTH protein to produce trehalose and maltotriose. The enzymes shortened maltooligosaccharides by two glucose units per cycle of sequential reactions and released trehalose. Maltotriose and maltose were not catalyzed further and thus remained in the reaction mixtures depending on whether the substrates had an odd or even number of glucose units. The bifunctional in-frame fusion enzyme, BvMTSH, catalyzed the sequential reactions more efficiently than an equimolar mixture of the two individual enzymes did, presumably due to a proximity effect on the catalytic sites of the enzymes. The recombinant enzymes produced trehalose from soluble starch, an abundant natural source for trehalose production. Addition of alpha-amylase to the enzyme reaction mixture dramatically increased trehalose production by partial hydrolysis of the starch to provide more reducing ends accessible to the BvMTS catalytic sites.     

Redundancy in periplasmic binding protein-dependent transport systems for trehalose,sucrose, and maltose in Sinorhizobium meliloti

We have identified a cluster of six genes involved in trehalose transport and utilization (thu) in Sinorhizobium meliloti. Four of these genes, thuE, -F, -G, and -K, were found to encode components of a binding protein-dependent trehalose/maltose/sucrose ABC transporter. Their deduced gene products comprise a trehalose/maltose-binding protein (ThuE), two integral membrane proteins (ThuF and ThuG), and an ATP-binding protein (ThuK). In addition, a putative regulatory protein (ThuR) was found divergently transcribed from the thuEFGK operon. When the thuE locus was inactivated by gene replacement, the resulting S. meliloti strain was impaired in its ability to grow on trehalose, and a significant retardation in growth was seen on maltose as well. The wild type and the thuE mutant were indistinguishable for growth on glucose and sucrose. This suggested a possible overlap in function of the thuEFGK operon with the aglEFGAK operon, which was identified as a binding protein-dependent ATP-binding transport system for sucrose, maltose, and trehalose. The K(m)s for trehalose transport were 8 +/- 1 nM and 55 +/- 5 nM in the uninduced and induced cultures, respectively. Transport and growth experiments using mutants impaired in either or both of these transport systems show that these systems form the major transport systems for trehalose, maltose, and sucrose. By using a thuE'-lacZ fusion, we show that thuE is induced only by trehalose and not by cellobiose, glucose, maltopentaose, maltose, mannitol, or sucrose, suggesting that the thuEFGK system is primarily targeted toward trehalose. The aglEFGAK operon, on the other hand, is induced primarily by sucrose and to a lesser extent by trehalose. Tests for root colonization, nodulation, and nitrogen fixation suggest that uptake of disaccharides can be critical for colonization of alfalfa roots but is not important for nodulation and nitrogen fixation per se.     

Trehalose Synthesis by Sequential Reactions of Recombinant Maltooligosyltrehalose Synthase and Maltooligosyltrehalose Trehalohydrolase from Brevibacterium helvolum

A DNA fragment encoding two enzymes leading to trehalose biosynthesis, maltooligosyltrehalose synthase (BvMTS) and maltooligosyltrehalose trehalohydrolase (BvMTH), was cloned from the nonpathogenic bacterium Brevibacterium helvolum. The open reading frames for the two proteins are 2,331 and 1,770 bp long, respectively, and overlap by four nucleotides. Recombinant BvMTS, BvMTH, and fusion gene BvMTSH, constructed by insertion of an adenylate in the overlapping region, were expressed in Escherichia coli. Purified BvMTS protein catalyzed conversion of maltopentaose to maltotriosyltrehalose, which was further hydrolyzed by BvMTH protein to produce trehalose and maltotriose. The enzymes shortened maltooligosaccharides by two glucose units per cycle of sequential reactions and released trehalose. Maltotriose and maltose were not catalyzed further and thus remained in the reaction mixtures depending on whether the substrates had an odd or even number of glucose units. The bifunctional in-frame fusion enzyme, BvMTSH, catalyzed the sequential reactions more efficiently than an equimolar mixture of the two individual enzymes did, presumably due to a proximity effect on the catalytic sites of the enzymes. The recombinant enzymes produced trehalose from soluble starch, an abundant natural source for trehalose production. Addition of α-amylase to the enzyme reaction mixture dramatically increased trehalose production by partial hydrolysis of the starch to provide more reducing ends accessible to the BvMTS catalytic sites.     

Trehalose transport in yeast cells.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae possesses a specific transporter for trehalose. Transport is low until after glucose exhaustion in stationary phase, and addition of glucose in stationary phase results in loss of transport, an event that is reversible when the glucose is removed. The effect of glucose is not competitive inhibition: the increase in trehalose transport in stationary phase requires a lag time after glucose is depleted; and recovery of transport after glucose inhibition requires protein synthesis. Finally, we provide evidence that the trehalose transporter is distinct from that for maltose.     

The Maltose Permease Encoded by the Mal61 Gene of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Exhibits Both Sequence and Structural Homology to Other Sugar Transporters

The MAL61 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes maltose permease, a protein required for the transport of maltose across the plasma membrane. Here we report the nucleotide sequence of the cloned MAL61 gene. A single 1842 bp open reading frame is present within this region encoding the 614 residue putative MAL61 protein. Hydropathy analysis suggests that the secondary structure consists of two blocks of six transmembrane domains separated by an approximately 71 residue intracellular region. The N-terminal and C-terminal domains of 100 and 67 residues in length, respectively, also appear to be intracellular. Significant sequence and structural homology is seen between the MAL61 protein and the Saccharomyces high-affinity glucose transporter encoded by the SNF3 gene, the Kluyveromyces lactis lactose permease encoded by the LAC12 gene, the human HepG2 glucose transporter and the Escherichia coli xylose and arabinose transporters encoded by the xylE and araE genes, indicating that all are members of a family of sugar transporters and are related either functionally or evolutionarily. A mechanism for glucose-induced inactivation of maltose transport activity is discussed.     

Induction of the lambda receptor is essential for effective uptake of trehalose in Escherichia coli.

Trehalose transport in Escherichia coli after growth at low osmolarity is mediated by enzyme IITre of the phosphotransferase system (W. Boos, U. Ehmann, H. Forkl, W. Klein, M. Rimmele, and P. Postma, J. Bacteriol. 172:3450-3461, 1990). The apparent Km (16 microM) of trehalose uptake is low. Since trehalose is a good source of carbon and the apparent affinity of the uptake system is high, it was surprising that the disaccharide trehalose [O-alpha-D-glucosyl(1-1)-alpha-D-glucoside] has no problems diffusing through the outer membrane at high enough rates to allow full growth, particularly at low substrate concentrations. Here we show that induction of the maltose regulon is required for efficient utilization of trehalose. malT mutants that lack expression of all maltose genes, as well as lamB mutants that lack only the lambda receptor (maltoporin), still grow on trehalose at the usual high (10 mM) trehalose concentrations in agar plates, but they exhibit the half-maximal rate of trehalose uptake at concentrations that are 50-fold higher than in the wild-type (malT+) strain. The maltose system is induced by trehalose to about 30% of the fully induced level reached when grown in the presence of maltose in a malT+ strain or when grown on glycerol in a maltose-constitutive strain [malT(Con)]. The 30% level of maximal expression is sufficient for maximal trehalose utilization, since there is no difference in the concentration of trehalose required for the half-maximal rate of uptake in trehalose-grown strains with the wild-type gene (malT+) or with strains constitutive for the maltose system [malT(Con)]. In contrast, when the expression of the lambda receptor is reduced to less than 20% of the maximal level, trehalose uptake becomes less efficient. Induction of the maltose system by trehalose requires metabolism of trehalose. Mutants lacking amylotrehalase, the key enzyme in trehalose utilization, accumulate trehalose but do not induce the maltose system.     

Overexpression and characterization of a thermostable trehalose synthase from Meiothermus ruber

A thermostable trehalose synthase (TreS) gene from Meiothermus ruber CBS-01 was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant TreS could utilize maltose to produce trehalose, and showed an optimum pH and temperature of 6.5 and 50°C, respectively. Kinetic analysis showed that the enzyme had a twofold higher catalytic efficiency (k _cat/K _m) for maltose than for trehalose, indicating maltose as the preferred substrate. The TreS also had a weak hydrolytic property with glucose as the byproduct, and glucose was a strong competitive inhibitor of the enzyme. The maximum production of trehalose by the enzyme reached 65% at 20°C. The most importantly the enzyme could maintain very high activity (above 90%) at pH 4.0–8.0 and 60°C 5 h. These results provided that the stable TreS was suitable for the industrial production of trehalose from maltose in a one-step reaction.     

Fructose-6-phosphate aldolase is a novel class I aldolase from Escherichia coli and is related to a novel group of bacterial transaldolases

We have cloned an open reading frame from the Escherichia coli K-12 chromosome that had been assumed earlier to be a transaldolase or a transaldolase-related protein, termed MipB. Here we show that instead a novel enzyme activity, fructose-6-phosphate aldolase, is encoded by this open reading frame, which is the first report of an enzyme that catalyzes an aldol cleavage of fructose 6-phosphate from any organism. We propose the name FSA (for fructose-six phosphate aldolase; gene name fsa). The recombinant protein was purified to apparent homogeneity by anion exchange and gel permeation chromatography with a yield of 40 mg of protein from 1 liter of culture. By using electrospray tandem mass spectroscopy, a molecular weight of 22,998 per subunit was determined. From gel filtration a size of 257,000 (+/- 20,000) was calculated. The enzyme most likely forms either a decamer or dodecamer of identical subunits. The purified enzyme displayed a V(max) of 7 units mg(-)1 of protein for fructose 6-phosphate cleavage (at 30 degrees C, pH 8.5 in 50 mm glycylglycine buffer). For the aldolization reaction a V(max) of 45 units mg(-)1 of protein was found; K(m) values for the substrates were 9 mm for fructose 6-phosphate, 35 mm for dihydroxyacetone, and 0.8 mm for glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. FSA did not utilize fructose, fructose 1-phosphate, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, or dihydroxyacetone phosphate. FSA is not inhibited by EDTA which points to a metal-independent mode of action. The lysine 85 residue is essential for its action as its exchange to arginine (K85R) resulted in complete loss of activity in line with the assumption that the reaction mechanism involves a Schiff base formation through this lysine residue (class I aldolase). Another fsa-related gene, talC of Escherichia coli, was shown to also encode fructose-6-phosphate aldolase activity and not a transaldolase as proposed earlier.     

Trehalose-6-phosphate hydrolase of Escherichia coli.

The disaccharide trehalose acts as an osmoprotectant as well as a carbon source in Escherichia coli. At high osmolarity of the growth medium, the cells synthesize large amounts of trehalose internally as an osmoprotectant. However, they can also degrade trehalose as the sole source of carbon under both high- and low-osmolarity growth conditions. The modes of trehalose utilization are different under the two conditions and have to be well regulated (W. Boos, U. Ehmann, H. Forkl, W. Klein, M. Rimmele, and P. Postma, J. Bacteriol. 172:3450-3461, 1990). At low osmolarity, trehalose is transported via a trehalose-specific enzyme II of the phosphotransferase system, encoded by treB. The trehalose-6-phosphate formed internally is hydrolyzed to glucose and glucose 6-phosphate by the key enzyme of the system, trehalose-6-phosphate hydrolase, encoded by treC. We have cloned treC, contained in an operon with treB as the promoter-proximal gene. We have overproduced and purified the treC gene product and identified it as a protein consisting of a single polypeptide with an apparent molecular weight of 62,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme hydrolyzes trehalose-6-phosphate with a Km of 6 mM and a Vmax of at least 5.5 mumol of trehalose-6-phosphate hydrolyzed per min per mg of protein. The enzyme also very effectively hydrolyzes p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside, but it does not recognize trehalose, sucrose, maltose, isomaltose, or maltodextrins. treC was sequenced and found to encode a polypeptide with a calculated molecular weight of 63,781. The amino acid sequence deduced from the DNA sequence shows homology (50% identity) with those of oligo-1,6-glucosidases (sucrase-isomaltases) of Bacillus spp. but not with those of other disaccharide phosphate hydrolases. This report corrects our previous view on the function of the treC gene product as an amylotrehalase, which was based on the analysis of the metabolic products of trehalose metabolism in whole cells.     

ATP-dependent 6-phosphofructokinase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima: characterization of an extremely thermophilic, allosterically regulated enzyme

The ATP-dependent 6-phosphofructokinase (ATP-PFK) of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritimawas purified 730-fold to homogeneity. The enzyme is a 140-kDa homotetramer composed of 34 kDa subunits. Kinetic constants were determined for all substrates in both reaction directions at pH 7 and at 75 degrees C. Rate dependence (forward reaction) on fructose 6-phosphate (F-6-P) showed sigmoidal kinetics with a half-maximal saturation constant ( S(0.5)) of 0.7 mM and a Hill coefficient of 2.2. The apparent K(m) for ATP was 0.2 mM and the apparent V(max) value was about 360 U/mg. The enzyme also catalyzed in vitro the reverse reaction with an apparent K(m) for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and ADP of 7.6 mM and 1.4 mM, respectively, and an apparent V(max) of about 13 U/mg. Divalent cations were required for maximal activity; Mg(2+), which was most effective, could partially be replaced by Mn(2+) and Fe(2+). Enzyme activity was allosterically regulated by classical effectors of ATP-PFKs of Eukarya and Bacteria; it was activated by ADP and inhibited by PEP. The enzyme had a temperature optimum of 93 degrees C and showed a significant thermostability up to 100 degrees C. Using the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the subunit, the pfk gene coding for ATP-PFK was identified and functionally overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant ATP-PFK had identical kinetic and allosteric properties as the native enzyme purified from T. maritima. The deduced amino acid sequence showed high sequence similarity to members of the PFK-A family. In accordance with its allosteric properties, ATP-PFK of T. maritima contained the conserved allosteric effector-binding sites for ADP and PEP.     

The high-affinity maltose/trehalose ABC transporter in the extremely thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB27 also recognizes sucrose and palatinose

We have studied the transport of trehalose and maltose in the thernophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB27, which grows optimally in the range of 70 to 75 degrees C. The K(m) values at 70 degrees C were 109 nM for trehalose and 114 nM for maltose; also, a high K(m) (424 nM) was found for the uptake of sucrose. Competition studies showed that a single transporter recognizes trehalose, maltose, and sucrose, while d-galactose, d-fucose, l-rhamnose, l-arabinose, and d-mannose were not competitive inhibitors. In the recently published genome of T. thermophilus HB27, two gene clusters designated malEFG1 (TTC1627 to -1629) and malEFG2 (TTC1288 to -1286) and two monocistronic genes designated malK1 (TTC0211) and malK2 (TTC0611) are annotated as trehalose/maltose and maltose/maltodextrin transport systems, respectively. To find out whether any of these systems is responsible for the transport of trehalose, the malE1 and malE2 genes, lacking the sequence encoding the signal peptides, were expressed in Escherichia coli. The binding activity of pure recombinant proteins was analyzed by equilibrium dialysis. MalE1 was able to bind maltose, trehalose, and sucrose but not glucose or maltotetraose (K(d) values of 103, 67, and 401 nM, respectively). Mutants with disruptions in either malF1 or malK1 were unable to grow on maltose, trehalose, sucrose, or palatinose, whereas mutants with disruption in malK2 or malF2 showed no growth defect on any of these sugars. Therefore, malEFG1 encodes the binding protein and the two transmembrane subunits of the trehalose/maltose/sucrose/palatinose ABC transporter, and malK1 encodes the ATP-binding subunit of this transporter. Despite the presence of an efficient transporter for trehalose, this compound was not used by HB27 for osmoprotection. MalE1 and MalE2 exhibited extremely high thermal stability: melting temperatures of 90 degrees C for MalE1 and 105 degrees C for MalE2 in the presence of 2.3 M guanidinium chloride. The latter protein did not bind any of the sugars examined and is not implicated in a maltose/maltodextrin transport system. This work demonstrates that malEFG1 and malK1 constitute the high-affinity ABC transport system of T. thermophilus HB27 for trehalose, maltose, sucrose, and palatinose.     

Cloning, expression and identification of a new trehalose synthase gene from Thermobifida fusca genome

Trehalose is a disaccharide with two glucose mole-cules linked in an α,α-1,1-glycosidic linkage. The onlyreducing group in each of its glucose molecules has beenused up for the formation of α,α-1,1-glycosidic linkage,therefore trehalose is a nonreducing disaccharide withhigh stability against the disruption caused by such factorsas temperature and extreme pH of environment [1]. Ithas been well established that many organisms will copewith external stress conditions by increasing the levelo…     

Cloning and expression of a trehalose synthase from Pseudomonas stutzeri CJ38 in Escherichia coli for the production of trehalose

A novel strain was isolated, Pseudomonas stutzeri CJ38, that enabled direct transformation of maltose to trehalose. In comparison with others reported to date, CJ38 provided a novel trehalose synthase (TSase) without any byproduct, including glucose. Activity analysis, using either maltose or trehalose as a substrate, showed a reversible reaction. There was also no detectable activity of related enzymes with liquid starch and maltooligosaccharides as substrates. Using a malPQ-negative host and MacConkey medium, the TSase gene was cloned in Escherichia coli from CJ38. The resulting sequence contained an open reading frame consisted of 689 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 76 kDa. A search for related sequences in various gene and protein data banks revealed a novel family of enzymes that was predicted putatively as a glycosidase or TSase family, with no biochemical evidence. The recombinant enzyme exhibited a high activity toward the substrate maltose, about 50-fold higher than the parent strain and resulted in a high conversion yield (72%) at a relatively high substrate concentration (20%). These results provided the possibility that the strain was effectively used as a potential biocatalyst for the production of trehalose from maltose in a one-step reaction.     

Maltose and maltodextrin utilization by Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus subtilis can utilize maltose and maltodextrins that are derived from polysaccharides, like starch or glycogen. In this work, we show that maltose is taken up by a member of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system and maltodextrins are taken up by a maltodextrin-specific ABC transporter. Uptake of maltose by the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system is mediated by maltose-specific enzyme IICB (MalP; synonym, GlvC), with an apparent K(m) of 5 microM and a V(max) of 91 nmol . min(-1) . (10(10) CFU)(-1). The maltodextrin-specific ABC transporter is composed of the maltodextrin binding protein MdxE (formerly YvdG), with affinities in the low micromolar range for maltodextrins, and the membrane-spanning components MdxF and MdxG (formerly YvdH and YvdI, respectively), as well as the energizing ATPase MsmX. Maltotriose transport occurs with an apparent K(m) of 1.4 microM and a V(max) of 4.7 nmol . min(-1) . (10(10) CFU)(-1).