Cloning, expression and characterization of L-cysteine desulfhydrase gene from Pseudomonas sp. TS1138

L-cysteine desulfhydrase (CD) plays an important role in L-cysteine decomposition. To identify the CD gene in Pseudomonas sp. TS1138 and investigate its effect on the L-cysteine biosynthetic pathway, the CD gene was cloned from Pseudomonas sp. TS1138 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The nucleotide sequence of CD gene was determined to be 1,215 bp, and its homology with other sequences encoding CD was analyzed. Then the CD gene was subcloned into pET-21a(+) vector and expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) by isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) inducement. The recombinant CD was purified by Ni-NTA His-Bind resin, and its activity was identified by the CD activity staining. The enzymatic properties of the recombinant CD were characterized and its critical role involved in the L-cysteine biosynthetic pathway was also discussed. __________ Translated from Microbiology, 2006, 33(4): 21–26 [译自: 微生物学通报]     

假单胞菌生物合成L-半胱氨酸途径中脱巯基酶的研究

通过PCR方法扩增得到假单胞菌TS1138L-半胱氨酸脱巯基酶基因（cd）,将其克隆至pBlueseript SKII载体,测定了含有L-半胱氨酸脱巯基酶基因的1．2kbDNA片段序列,并与其它菌株的脱巯基酶基因进行了同源性比较;同时,将其克隆至表达载体pET-21a（＋）,IPTG诱导表达,表达产物经Ni-NTA柱亲合层析后,得到纯化的重组蛋白。利用脱巯基酶的活性染色方法对重组表达的L-半胱氨酸脱巯基酶进行了鉴定,并探讨了L-半胱氨酸脱巯基酶的酶学性质,以及在生物转化合成L-半胱氨酸途径中的关键作用。     

Cloning, expression, and identification of genes involved in the conversion of DL-2-amino-Delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid to L-cysteine via S-carbamyl-L-cysteine pathway in Pseudomonas sp. TS1138

Two novel genes (tsB, tsC) involved in the conversion of DL-2-amino-Delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (DL-ATC) to L-cysteine through S-carbamyl-L-cysteine (L-SCC) pathway were cloned from the genomic DNA library of Pseudomonas sp. TS1138. The recombinant proteins of these two genes were expressed in Escherichia coli BL21, and their enzymatic activity assays were performed in vitro. It was found that the tsB gene encoded an L-ATC hydrolase, which catalyzed the conversion of L-ATC to L-SCC, while the tsC gene encoded an L-SCC amidohydrolase, which showed the catalytic ability to convert L-SCC to L-cysteine. These results suggest that tsB and tsC play important roles in the L-SCC pathway and L-cysteine biosynthesis in Pseudomonas sp. TS1138, and that they have potential applications in the industrial production of L-cysteine.     

酶法转化DL-ATC合成L-半胱氨酸的酶促反应条件研究

目的:考察酶源保存方式、酶促反应时间、底物pH值、底物浓度、酶浓度、金属离子等因素对酶活力的影响。方法:以假单胞菌(Pseudomonassp.)TS1138为供试菌株,采用酸式茚三酮法测定L-半胱氨酸含量,研究了酶法转化DL-ATC合成L-半胱氨酸的酶促反应条件。结果:TS1138菌株中L-半胱氨酸脱巯基酶具有较高的活性,而且Mg2 、Mn2 、Fe2 、Zn2 、Cu2 等5种金属离子对DL-ATC水解酶酶系有不同程度的抑制,其中Cu2 对该酶系的抑制作用很大。结论:确定了TS1138菌株酶法转化DL-ATC合成L-半胱氨酸的最适酶促反应条件,为酶促反应动力学的研究奠定了基础。     

One-step elimination of L-cysteine desulfhydrase from crude enzyme extracts of Pseudomonas sp. TS1138 using an immunomagnetic affinity matrix improves the enzymatic production of L-cysteine

In this study, a high efficiency immunomagnetic affinity matrix was developed to eliminate L-cysteine desulfhydrase (CD), which decomposes L-cysteine, in crude enzyme extracts from Pseudomonas sp. TS1138. After cloning and expression in Escherichia coli, recombinant CD was purified to raise polyclonal antibodies from mice. The anti-CD antibody was cross-linked to staphylococcal protein A-magnetic cellulose microspheres (MCMS) with dimethyl pimelimidate (DMP). The natural CD was eliminated from the crude enzyme extracts by treatment with the cross-linked antibody-protein A-MCMS, resulting in a high level of L-cysteine production. The conversion rate of DL-2-amino-Delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (DL-ATC) to L-cysteine increased significantly from 61.9 to 96.2%. The cross-linked antibody-protein A-MCMS showed its durability after repetitive use, maintaining a constant binding capacity for CD during five cycles. This study may lead to a convenient and cost-efficient method to produce L-cysteine by enzymatic conversions.     

恶臭假单胞菌TS1138转化生产L-胱氨酸的工艺研究

对以DL-2-氨基-?2-噻唑啉-4-羧酸(DL-2-amino-?2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid, DL-ATC)为底物原料, 经微生物酶法催化合成L-半胱氨酸, 并进一步氧化和分离纯化产物L-胱氨酸的生产工艺和条件进行了研究。建立了以恶臭假单胞菌TS1138 (Pseudomonas putida TS1138)全细胞为酶源, 反复多次催化底物合成L-半胱氨酸, 并以2.0%二甲基亚砜(DMSO)为氧化剂氧化生成L-胱氨酸, 进而通过001×7型阳离子交换树脂纯化胱氨酸的新工艺。采用高效液相色谱法考察该方法L-胱氨酸的总收率可以达到78.55%, 纯度为99.12%。该方法简单高效, 解决了酶稳定性差不能重复使用, 而固定化酶方法繁琐成本高的问题, 为我国L-半胱氨酸和L-胱氨酸的生产开辟一条新途径。     

恶臭假单胞菌TS1138转化生产L-胱氨酸的工艺研究

对以DL-2-氨基-△2-噻唑啉-4-羧酸(DL-2-amino-△2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid,DL-ATC)为底物原料,经微生物酶法催化合成L-半胱氨酸,并进一步氧化和分离纯化产物L-胱氨酸的生产工艺和条件进行了研究.建立了以恶臭假单胞菌TS1138(Pseudomonas putida TS1138)全细胞为酶源,反复多次催化底物合成L-半胱氨酸,并以2.0%二甲基亚砜(DMSO)为氧化剂氧化生成L-胱氨酸,进而通过001×7型阳离子交换树脂纯化胱氨酸的新工艺.采用高效液相色谱法考察该方法L-胱氨酸的总收率可以达到78.55%,纯度为99.12%.该方法简单高效,解决了酶稳定性差不能重复使用,而固定化酶方法繁琐成本高的问题,为我国L-半胱氨酸和L-胱氨酸的生产开辟一条新途径.     

Enzymatic synthesis oF L-tryptophan from D,L-2-amino-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid and indole by Pseudomonas sp. TS1138 L-2-amino-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid hydrolase, S-carbamyl-L-cysteine amidohydrolase, and Escherichia coli L-tryptophanase

L-Tryptophan (L-Trp) is an essential amino acid. It is widely used in medical, health and food products, so a low-cost supply is needed. There are 4 methods for L-Trp production: chemical synthesis, extraction, enzymatic synthesis, and fermentation. In this study, we produced a recombinant bacterial strain pET-tnaA of Escherichia coli which has the L-tryptophanase gene. Using the pET-tnaA E. coli and the strain TS1138 of Pseudomonas sp., a one-pot enzymatic synthesis of L-Trp was developed. Pseudomonas sp. TS1138 was added to a solution of D,L-2-amino-delta2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (DL-ATC) to convert it to L-cysteine (L-Cys). After concentration, E. coli BL21 (DE 3) cells including plasmid pET-tnaA, indole, and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate were added. At the optimum conditions, the conversion rates of DL-ATC and L-Cys were 95.4% and 92.1%, respectively. After purifying using macroporous resin S8 and NKA-II, 10.32 g of L-Trp of 98.3% purity was obtained. This study established methods for one-pot enzymatic synthesis and separation of L-Trp. This method of producing L-Trp is more environmentally sound than methods using chemical synthesis, and it lays the foundations for industrial production of L-Trp from DL-ATC and indole.     

Enzymatic synthesis of L-tryptophan from D,L-2-amino-Δ2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid and indole by Pseudomonas sp. TS1138 L-2-amino-Δ2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid hydrolase, S-carbamyl-L-cysteine amidohydrolase and Escherichia coli L-tryptophanase

L-Tryptophan (L-Trp) is an essential amino acid. It is widely used in medical, health and food products, so a low-cost supply is needed. There are 4 methods for L-Trp production: chemical synthesis, extraction, enzymatic synthesis, and fermentation. In this study, we produced a recombinant bacterial strain pET-tnaA of Escherichia coli which has the L-tryptophanase gene. Using the pET-tnaA E. coli and the strain TS1138 of Pseudomonas sp., a one-pot enzymatic synthesis of L-Trp was developed. Pseudomonas sp. TS1138 was added to a solution of D,L-2-amino-Δ2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (DL-ATC) to convert it to L-cysteine (L-Cys). After concentration, E. coli BL21 (DE 3) cells including plasmid pET-tnaA, indole, and pyridoxal 5’-phosphate were added. At the optimum conditions, the conversion rates of DL-ATC and L-Cys were 95.4% and 92.1%, respectively. After purifying using macroporous resin S8 and NKA-II, 10.32 g of L-Trp of 98.3% purity was obtained. This study established methods for one-pot enzymatic synthesis and separation of L-Trp. This method of producing L-Trp is more environmentally sound than methods using chemical synthesis, and it lays the foundations for industrial production of L-Trp from dl-ATC and indole.     

Characterization of the gene encoding serine acetyltransferase, a regulated enzyme of cysteine biosynthesis from the protist parasites Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar. Regulation and possible function of the cysteine biosynthetic pathway in Entamoeba.

The enteric protist parasites Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar possess a cysteine biosynthetic pathway, unlike their mammalian host, and are capable of de novo production of L-cysteine. We cloned and characterized cDNAs that encode the regulated enzyme serine acetyltransferase (SAT) in this pathway from these amoebae by genetic complementation of a cysteine-auxotrophic Escherichia coli strain with the amoebic cDNA libraries. The deduced amino acid sequences of the amoebic SATs exhibited, within the most conserved region, 36-52% identities with the bacterial and plant SATs. The amoebic SATs contain a unique insertion of eight amino acids, also found in the corresponding region of a plasmid-encoded SAT from Synechococcus sp., which showed the highest overall identities to the amoebic SATs. Phylogenetic reconstruction also revealed a close kinship of the amoebic SATs with cyanobacterial SATs. Biochemical characterization of the recombinant E. histolytica SAT revealed several enzymatic features that distinguished the amoebic enzyme from the bacterial and plant enzymes: 1) inhibition by L-cysteine in a competitive manner with L-serine; 2) inhibition by L-cystine; and 3) no association with cysteine synthase. Genetically engineered amoeba strains that overproduced cysteine synthase and SAT were created. The cysteine synthase-overproducing amoebae had a higher level of cysteine synthase activity and total thiol content and revealed increased resistance to hydrogen peroxide. These results indicate that the cysteine biosynthetic pathway plays an important role in antioxidative defense of these enteric parasites.     

Enhanced L-cysteine production by overexpressing potential L-cysteine exporter genes in an L-cysteine-producing recombinant strain of Corynebacterium glutamicum

ABSTRACT

We identified L-cysteine exporter candidates of Corynebacterium glutamicum and investigated the effect of overexpression of the potential L-cysteine exporter genes on L-cysteine production in a recombinant strain of C. glutamicum. Overexpression of NCgl2566 and NCgl0580 resulted in enhanced L-cysteine production in an L-cysteine-producing recombinant strain of C. glutamicum.     

甲基营养菌 Methylobacterium sp MB200 中crtI基因的克隆及表达

八氢番茄红素脱氢酶( CrtI)催化八氢番茄红素经过4次脱氢合成番茄红素,或者经过3次脱氢合成链孢红素,在类胡萝卜素的生物合成中发挥重要的作用.以甲基营养菌Methylobacterium sp MB200为原始菌株,首先采用转座子突变技术构建部分突变体库共11552株,筛选得到33株颜色发生变化的目的突变体,随后利用分子克隆技术从目的突变体中获得crtI基因的完整ORF,长为1539 bp,编码512个氨基酸.与来自M.populi BJ001、M.chloromethanicum CM4和M.extorquens AM1的crtI一致性均为93％.将crtI与载体pCM80连接得到重组质粒pCM80-crtI,导入原始菌株中得到重组菌MB200/pCM80-crtI.测定原始菌株与重组菌株的CrtI酶活,结果发现,重组菌株CrtI的酶活与原始菌株相比约提高了40％.实验结果为完善甲基营养菌中类胡萝卜素的生物合成代谢途径提供了理论参考.     

Effect of drug transporter genes on cysteine export and overproduction in Escherichia coli

L-cysteine is an important amino acid in terms of its industrial applications. We previously found a marked production of L-cysteine from glucose in recombinant Escherichia coli cells expressing an altered cysE gene encoding feedback inhibition-insensitive serine acetyltransferase. Also, a lower level of cysteine desulfhydrase (CD) activity, which is involved in L-cysteine degradation, increased L-cysteine productivity in E. coli. The use of an L-cysteine efflux system could be promising for breeding L-cysteine overproducers. In addition to YdeD and YfiK, which have been reported previously as L-cysteine exporter proteins in E. coli, we analyzed the effects of 33 putative drug transporter genes in E. coli on L-cysteine export and overproduction. Overexpression of the acrD, acrEF, bcr, cusA, emrAB, emrKY, ybjYZ, and yojIH genes reversed the growth inhibition of tnaA (the major CD gene)-disrupted E. coli cells by L-cysteine. We also found that overexpression of these eight genes reduces intracellular L-cysteine levels after cultivation in the presence of L-cysteine. Amino acid transport assays showed that Bcr overexpression conferring bicyclomycin and tetracycline resistance specifically promotes L-cysteine export driven by energy derived from the proton gradient. When a tnaA-disrupted E. coli strain expressing the altered cysE gene was transformed with a plasmid carrying the bcr gene, the transformant exhibited more L-cysteine production than cells carrying the vector only. A reporter gene assay suggested that the bcr gene is constitutively expressed at a substantial level. These results indicate that the multidrug transporter Bcr in the major facilitator family is involved in L-cysteine export and overproduction in genetically engineered E. coli cells.     

Genes from Pseudomonas sp. strain BS involved in the conversion of L-2-amino-Delta(2)-thiazolin-4-carbonic acid to L-cysteine

DL-2-amino-Delta(2)-thiazolin-4-carbonic acid (DL-ATC) is a substrate for cysteine synthesis in some bacteria, and this bioconversion has been utilized for cysteine production in industry. We cloned a DNA fragment containing the genes involved in the conversion of L-ATC to L-cysteine from Pseudomonas sp. strain BS. The introduction of this DNA fragment into Escherichia coli cells enabled them to convert L-ATC to cysteine via N-carbamyl-L-cysteine (L-NCC) as an intermediate. The smallest recombinant plasmid, designated pTK10, contained a 2.6-kb insert DNA fragment that has L-cysteine synthetic activity. The nucleotide sequence of the insert DNA revealed that two open reading frames (ORFs) encoding proteins with molecular masses of 19.5 and 44.7 kDa were involved in the L-cysteine synthesis from DL-ATC. These ORFs were designated atcB and atcC, respectively, and their gene products were identified by overproduction of proteins encoded in each ORF and by the maxicell method. The functions of these gene products were examined using extracts of E. coli cells carrying deletion derivatives of pTK10. The results indicate that atcB and atcC are involved in the conversion of L-ATC to L-NCC and the conversion of L-NCC to cysteine, respectively. atcB was first identified as a gene encoding an enzyme that catalyzes thiazolin ring opening. AtcC is highly homologous with L-N-carbamoylases. Since both enzymes can only catalyze the L-specific conversion from L-ATC to L-NCC or L-NCC to L-cysteine, it is thought that atcB and atcC encode L-ATC hydrolase and N-carbamyl-L-cysteine amidohydrolase, respectively.     

Enhancement of thioredoxin/glutaredoxin-mediated L-cysteine synthesis from S-sulfocysteine increases L-cysteine production in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli has two L-cysteine biosynthetic pathways; one is synthesized from O-acetyl L-serine (OAS) and sulfate by L-cysteine synthase (CysK), and another is produced via S-sulfocysteine (SSC) from OAS and thiosulfate by SSC synthase (CysM). SSC is converted into L-cysteine and sulfite by an uncharacterized reaction. As thioredoxins (Trx1 and Trx2) and glutaredoxins (Grx1, Grx2, Grx3, Grx4, and NrdH) are known as reductases of peptidyl disulfides, overexpression of such reductases might be a good way for improving L-cysteine production to accelerate the reduction of SSC in E. coli. RESULTS: Because the redox enzymes can reduce the disulfide that forms on proteins, wefirst tested whether these enzymes catalyze the reduction of SSC to L-cysteine. All His-tagged recombinant enzymes, except for Grx4, efficiently convert SSC into L-cysteine in vitro. Overexpression of Grx1 and NrdH enhanced a 15-40% increase in the E. coli L-cysteine production. On the other hand, disruption of the cysM gene cancelled the effect caused by the overexpression of Grx1 and NrdH, suggesting that its improvement was due to the efficient reduction of SSC under the fermentative conditions. Moreover, L-cysteine production in knockout mutants of the sulfite reductase genes (cysI and cysJ) and the L-cysteine synthase gene (cysK) each decreased to about 50% of that in the wild-type strain. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in L-cysteine production between wild-type strain and gene deletion mutant of the upstream pathway of sulfite (cysC or cysH). These results indicate that sulfite generated from the SSC reduction is available as the sulfur source to produce additional L-cysteine molecule. It was finally found that in the E. coli L-cysteine producer that co-overexpress glutaredoxin (NrdH), sulfite reductase (CysI), and L-cysteine synthase (CysK), there was the highest amount of L-cysteine produced per cell . CONCLUSIONS: In this work, we showed that Grx1 and NrdH reduce SSC to L-cysteine, and the generated sulfite is then utilized as the sulfur source to produce additional L-cysteine molecule through the sulfate pathway in E. coli. We also found that co-overexpression of NrdH, CysI, and CysK increases L-cysteine production. Our results propose that the enhancement of thioredoxin/glutaredoxin-mediated L-cysteine synthesis from SSC is a novel method for improvement of L-cysteine production.     

Cloning,Expression, and Identification of Genes Involved in the Conversion of DL-2-Amino-Δ2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic Acid to L-Cysteine via S-Carbamyl-L-cysteine Pathway in Pseudomonas sp. TS1138

Two novel genes (tsB, tsC) involved in the conversion of DL-2-amino-Δ²-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (DL-ATC) to L-cysteine through S-carbamyl-L-cysteine (L-SCC) pathway were cloned from the genomic DNA library of Pseudomonas sp. TS1138. The recombinant proteins of these two genes were expressed in Escherichia coli BL21, and their enzymatic activity assays were performed in vitro. It was found that the tsB gene encoded an L-ATC hydrolase, which catalyzed the conversion of L-ATC to L-SCC, while the tsC gene encoded an L-SCC amidohydrolase, which showed the catalytic ability to convert L-SCC to L-cysteine. These results suggest that tsB and tsC play important roles in the L-SCC pathway and L-cysteine biosynthesis in Pseudomonas sp. TS1138, and that they have potential applications in the industrial production of L-cysteine.     

香菇基因组中L-半胱氨酸亚砜裂解酶同源蛋白的生物信息学分析

L-半胱氨酸亚砜裂解酶（L-cysteine sulfoxide lyase,C-S lyase）是香菇中含硫风味物质生物合成途径的关键酶之一。本文基于6个不同香菇菌株的全基因组测序数据,挖掘了24个潜在的香菇L-半胱氨酸亚砜裂解酶（Lentinula edodes C-S lyase,Lecsl）同源基因,对其编码蛋白的生理生化特性、信号肽、跨膜结构域、转录活性、分子进化、保守基序和蛋白三级结构等方面进行了分析。结果发现,这24个香菇Lecsl同源蛋白含有相同的蛋白结构域（IPR015424和IPR000192）,都属于L-半胱氨酸脱巯基酶家族（PTHR43092:SF2）,都不含信号肽和跨膜结构,但它们的蛋白稳定性有所不同。对24个Lecsl同源蛋白进行聚类分析发现,其中的11个组成了新的进化分支,这一分支的Lecsl同源蛋白在香菇的菌丝体或子实体中有转录活性,且含有蒜酶和L-半胱氨酸脱硫酶的保守基序19,推测这一分支的Lecsl同源蛋白在香菇中具有催化产生含硫风味物质和内源性甲醛的活性。进一步分析发现,这一分支又分为两个亚支,其中一支包含已发现的Lecsl/LE01_CSL1,并且在香菇的菌丝体和子实体阶段都有转录活性;另一个亚支上的C-S lyase同源蛋白仅在菌丝体中有转录活性,推测这两个亚支的L-半胱氨酸亚砜裂解酶分别在香菇生长发育的不同阶段发挥催化作用。通过三维结构的解析,阐明了Lecsl中保守基序19亦是使蒜酶产生催化活性的关键结构域,并且利用分子动力学模拟的方法,预测保守基序19中的Asn3、Gln5和Ser6是香菇C-S lyase产生催化活性的关键氨基酸残基。     

Biosynthesis of a natural polyketide-isoprenoid hybrid compound, furaquinocin A: identification and heterologous expression of the gene cluster

Furaquinocin (FQ) A, produced by Streptomyces sp. strain KO-3988, is a natural polyketide-isoprenoid hybrid compound that exhibits a potent antitumor activity. As a first step toward understanding the biosynthetic machinery of this unique and pharmaceutically useful compound, we have cloned an FQ A biosynthetic gene cluster by taking advantage of the fact that an isoprenoid biosynthetic gene cluster generally exists in flanking regions of the mevalonate (MV) pathway gene cluster in actinomycetes. Interestingly, Streptomyces sp. strain KO-3988 was the first example of a microorganism equipped with two distinct mevalonate pathway gene clusters. We were able to localize a 25-kb DNA region that harbored FQ A biosynthetic genes (fur genes) in both the upstream and downstream regions of one of the MV pathway gene clusters (MV2) by using heterologous expression in Streptomyces lividans TK23. This was the first example of a gene cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of a polyketide-isoprenoid hybrid compound. We have also confirmed that four genes responsible for viguiepinol [3-hydroxypimara-9(11),15-diene] biosynthesis exist in the upstream region of the other MV pathway gene cluster (MV1), which had previously been cloned from strain KO-3988. This was the first example of prokaryotic enzymes with these biosynthetic functions. By phylogenetic analysis, these two MV pathway clusters were identified as probably being independently distributed in strain KO-3988 (orthologs), rather than one cluster being generated by the duplication of the other cluster (paralogs).