Aqueous micellar two-phase system composed of hyamine-type hydrophobically modified ethylene oxide and application for cytochrome P450 BM-3 separation

The hydrophobically modified ethylene oxide polymer, HM-EO, was modified with an alkyl halide to prepare a hyamine-type HM-EO, named N-Me-HM-EO, which could be used for forming N-Me-HM-EO/buffer aqueous micellar two-phase system. The critical micelle concentration of N-Me-HM-EO solution and the phase diagrams of N-Me-HM-EO/buffer systems were determined. By using this novel aqueous micellar two-phase system, the separation of cytochrome P450 BM-3 from cell extract was explored. The partitioning behavior of P450 BM-3 in N-Me-HM-EO/buffer systems was measured. The influences of some factors such as total proteins concentration, pH, temperature and salt concentration, on the partitioning coefficients of P450 BM-3 were investigated. Since the micellar aggregates in the N-Me-HM-EO enriched phase were positively charged, it was possible to conduct the proteins with different charges to top or bottom phases by adjusting pH and salt concentration in the system. A separation scheme consisting of two consecutive aqueous two-phase extraction steps was proposed: the first extraction with N-Me-HM-EO/buffer system at pH 8.0, and the second extraction in the same system at pH 6.0. The recovery of P450 BM-3 was 73.3% with the purification factor of 2.5. The results indicated that the aqueous micellar two-phase system composed of hyamine modified polysoap has a promising application for selective separation of biomolecules depending on the enhanced electrostatic interactions between micelles and proteins.     

乳糖诱导剂促进P450 BM-3在大肠杆菌中可溶性表达的研究

P450 BM-3是一种具有工业化应用潜力的单加氧酶,可催化饱和脂肪酸羟基化。为提高其在大肠杆菌宿主中的可溶性表达水平,采用乳糖作为诱导剂对P450 BM-3的诱导表达条件进行研究。结果发现：在大肠杆菌的OD600达到0.7~1.5时,添加2.0 g/L的乳糖、30℃诱导10 h可获得最佳诱导效果。与IP TG的诱导效果对比发现：采用乳糖作诱导剂时,菌体生物量提高1.09倍,目标蛋白量提升2.13倍,蛋白包涵体的比例则降低至10%。研究结果表明：乳糖可显著提升P450 BM-3在大肠杆菌中的重组表达水平,并且能够促进p450 BM-3的可溶性表达。     

Association of cytochromes P450 with their reductases: opposite sign of the electrostatic interactions in P450BM-3 as compared with the microsomal 2B4 system

The role of electrostatic interactions in the association of P450s with their nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate- (NADPH) dependent flavoprotein reductases was studied by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The fluorescent probe 7-(ethylamino)-3-(4'-maleimidylphenyl)-4-methylcoumarin maleimide (coumarylphenylmaleimide, CPM) was introduced into the flavoprotein molecule at a 1:1 molar ratio. The interaction of P450 2B4 and NADPH-P450 reductase (CPR) from rabbit liver microsomes was compared with that of the isolated heme domain (BMP) and the flavoprotein domain (BMR) of P450BM-3. The cross-pairs of the components were also studied. Increasing ionic strength (0.05-0.5 M) was shown to result in the dissociation of the CPR-P450 2B4 complex with the dissociation constant increasing from 0.01 to 0.09 microM. This behavior is consistent with the assumption that charge pairing between CPR and P450 2B4 is involved in their association. In contrast, the electrostatic component of the interaction of the partners in P450BM-3 was shown to have an opposite sign. The isolated BMP and BMR domains have very low affinity for each other and the dissociation constant of their complex decreases from 8 to 3 microM with increasing ionic strength (0.05-0.5 M). Importantly, the BMP-CPR and P450 2B4-BMR "mixed", heterogeneous pairs behave similarly to the pairs of BMP and P450 2B4 with their native electron donors. Therefore, the observed difference in the interaction mechanisms between these two systems is determined mainly by the different structure of the heme proteins rather than their flavoprotein counterparts. P450BM-3 is extremely efficient and highly coupled, with the reductase and the P450 domains tethered to one another. Therefore, in contrast to P450 2B4-CPR binding, very tight binding between the P450BM-3 redox partners would be of no value in the synchronization of complex formation during catalytic turnover.     

Metabolism of polychlorinated dibenzo-<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-dioxins by cytochrome P450 BM-3 and its mutant

The metabolism of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins by cytochrome P450 BM-3 from Bacillus megaterium and a mutant enzyme of it (AL₄V; Ala74Gly, Phe87Val, Leu188Gln triple mutant) was examined. Both purified enzymes metabolized 1-monochloro-, 2,3-dichloro-, and 2,3,7-trichloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin, but not 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-p-dioxin. The mutant AL ₄V had 2–12 times higher activity than the wild-type P450 BM-3 towards polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins. The products were hydroxylated at an unsubstituted position and/or showing migration of the chloride and were less toxic derivatives with lower than 10% toxicity of the original compounds.Revisions requested 26 August 2004; Revisions received 15 October 2004     

Cytochrome P450BM-3 reduces aldehydes to alcohols through a direct hydride transfer

Cytochrome P450BM-3 catalyzed the reduction of lipophilic aldehydes to alcohols efficiently. A k(cat) of ～25 min(-1) was obtained for the reduction of methoxy benzaldehyde with wild type P450BM-3 protein which was higher than in the isolated reductase domain (BMR) alone and increased in specific P450-domain variants. The reduction was caused by a direct hydride transfer from preferentially R-NADP(2)H to the carbonyl moiety of the substrate. Weak substrate-P450-binding of the aldehyde, turnover with the reductase domain alone, a deuterium incorporation in the product from NADP(2)H but not D(2)O, and no inhibition by imidazole suggests the reductase domain of P450BM-3 as the potential catalytic site. However, increased aldehyde reduction by P450 domain variants (P450BM-3 F87A T268A) may involve allosteric or redox mechanistic interactions between heme and reductase domains. This is a novel reduction of aldehydes by P450BM-3 involving a direct hydride transfer and could have implications for the metabolism of endogenous substrates or xenobiotics.     

The numerous effector functions of Nef.

P450BM-3, a catalytically self-sufficient, soluble bacterial P450, contains on the same polypeptide a heme domain and a reductase domain. P450BM-3 catalyzes the oxidation of short- and long-chain, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The three-dimensional structure of the heme domain both in the absence and in the presence of fatty acid substrates has been determined; however, the fatty acid in the substrate-bound form is not adequately close to the heme iron to permit a prediction regarding the stereoselectivity of oxidation. In the case of long-chain fatty acids, the products can also serve as substrate and be metabolized several times. In the current study, we have determined the absolute configuration of the three primary products of palmitic acid hydroxylation (15-, 14-, and 13-OH palmitic acid). While the 15- and 14-hydroxy compounds are produced in a highly stereoselective manner (98% R, 2% S), the 13-hydroxy is a mixture of 72% R and 28% S. We have also examined the binding of these three hydroxy acids to P450BM-3 and shown that only two of them (14-OH and 13-OH palmitic acid) can bind to and be further metabolized by P450BM-3. The results indicate that in contrast to the flexibility of palmitoleic acid bound to the oxidized enzyme, palmitic acid is rigidly bound in the active site during catalytic turnover.     

A continuous spectrophotometric assay for P450 BM-3, a fatty acid hydroxylating enzyme, and its mutant F87A

Cytochrome P450 BM-3 from Bacillus megaterium catalyzes the subterminal hydroxylation of medium- and long-chain fatty acids at the positions omega-1, omega-2, and omega-3. A rapid and continuous spectrophotometric activity assay for cytochrome P450 BM-3 based on the conversion of p-nitrophenoxycarboxylic acids (pNCA) to omega-oxycarboxylic acids and the chromophore p-nitrophenolate was developed. In contrast to the commonly used activity assays for this enzyme, relying on the consumption of oxygen or NADPH or the use of 14C-labeled carboxylic acids, the pNCA assay can even be used with crude extracts of the recombinant enzyme from lysed Escherichia coli cells. The kinetics of p-nitrophenolate formation are directly measured at a wavelength of 410 nm using a spectrophotometer or microtiter plate reader. Sensitivity of the assay is greatly enhanced if p-nitrophenoxydodecanoic or p-nitrophenoxypentadecanoic acid are used with the F87A mutant instead of the wild-type P450 BM-3 enzyme.     

Hydroxylation activity of P450 BM-3 mutant F87V towards aromatic compounds and its application to the synthesis of hydroquinone derivatives from phenolic compounds

Cytochrome P450 BM-3 from Bacillus megaterium is a fatty acid hydroxylase exhibiting selectivity for long-chain substrates (12–20 carbons). Replacement of Phe87 in P450 BM-3 by Val (F87V) greatly increased its activity towards a variety of aromatic and phenolic compounds. The apparent initial reaction rates of F87V as to benzothiophene, indan, 2,6-dichlorophenol, and 2-(benzyloxy)phenol were 227, 204, 129, and 385 nmol min^–1 nmol^–1 P450, which are 220-, 66-, 99-, and 963-fold those of the wild type, respectively. These results indicate that Phe87 plays a critical role in the control of the substrate specificity of P450 BM-3. Furthermore, F87V catalyzed regioselective hydroxylation at the para position of various phenolic compounds. In particular, F87V showed high activity as to the hydroxylation of 2-(benzyloxy)phenol to 2-(benzyloxy)hydroquinone. With F87V as the catalyst, 0.71 mg ml^–1 2-(benzyloxy)hydroquinone was produced from 1.0 mg ml^–1 2-(benzyloxy)phenol in 4 h, with a molar yield of 66%.     

P450BM-3: reduction by NADPH and sodium dithionite.

Microsomal P450s catalyze the monooxygenation of a large variety of hydrophobic compounds, including drugs, steroids, carcinogens, and fatty acids. The interaction of microsomal P450s with their electron transfer partner, NADPH-P450 reductase, during the transfer of electrons from NADPH to P450, for oxygen activation, may be important in regulating this enzyme system. Highly purified Bacillus megaterium P450BM-3 is catalytically self-sufficient and contains both the reductase and P450 domains on a single polypeptide chain of approximately 120,000 Da. The two domains of P450BM-3 appear to be analogous in their function and homologous in their sequence to the microsomal P450 system components. FAD, FMN, and heme residues are present in equimolar amounts in purified P450BM-3 and, therefore, this protein could potentially accept five electron equivalents per mole of enzyme during a reductive titration. The titration of P450BM-3 with sodium dithionite under a carbon monoxide atmosphere was complete with the addition of the expected five electron equivalents. The intermediate spectra indicate that the heme iron is reduced first, followed by the flavin residues. Titration of the protein with the physiological reductant, NADPH, also required approximately five electron equivalents when the reaction was performed under an atmosphere of carbon monoxide. Under an atmosphere of argon and in the absence of carbon monoxide, one of the flavin groups was reduced prior to the reduction of the heme group. The titration behavior of P450BM-3 with NADPH was surprising because no spectral changes characteristic of flavin semiquinone intermediates were observed. The results of the titration with NADPH can only be explained if (a) there was "rapid" intermolecular electron transfer between P450BM-3 molecules, (b) there is no kinetic barrier to the reduction of P450 by the one-electron-reduced form of the reductase, and (c) the "air-stable semiquinone" form of the reductase does not accumulate in this complex multidomain enzyme.     

Laboratory evolution of cytochrome p450 BM-3 monooxygenase for organic cosolvents

Cytochrome p450 BM-3 (EC 1.14.14.1) catalyzes the hydroxylation and/or epoxidation of a broad range of substrates, including alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, fatty acids, amides, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and heterocycles. For many of these notoriously water-insoluble compounds, p450 BM-3's K(m) values are in the millimolar range. Polar organic cosolvents are therefore added to increase substrate solubility and achieve high catalytic efficiency. Using p450 BM-3 as a catalyst for these important transformations requires that we improve its ability to tolerate the cosolvents. By directed evolution, we improved the activity of p450 BM-3 in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and tetrahydrofuran (THF), achieving increases in specific activity up to 10-fold in 2% (v/v) THF and 6-fold in 25% (v/v) DMSO. The engineered p450 BM-3's are also significantly more resistant to acetone, acetonitrile, dimethylformamide, and ethanol as cosolvents in the reaction.     

Interactions of substrates at the surface of P450s can greatly enhance substrate potency

Cytochrome P450s are a superfamily of heme containing enzymes that use molecular oxygen and electrons from reduced nicotinamide cofactors to monooxygenate organic substrates. The fatty acid hydroxylase P450BM-3 has been particularly widely studied due to its stability, high activity, similarity to mammalian P450s, and presence of a cytochrome P450 reductase domain that allows the enzyme to directly receive electrons from NADPH without a requirement for additional redox proteins. We previously characterized the substrate N-palmitoylglycine, which found extensive use in studies of P450BM-3 due to its high affinity, high turnover number, and increased solubility as compared to fatty acid substrates. Here, we report that even higher affinity substrates can be designed by acylation of other amino acids, resulting in P450BM-3 substrates with dissociation constants below 100 nM. N-Palmitoyl-l-leucine and N-palmitoyl-l-methionine were found to have the highest affinity, with dissociation constants of less than 8 nM and turnover numbers similar to palmitic acid and N-palmitoylglycine. The interactions of the amino acid side chains with a hydrophobic pocket near R47, as revealed by our crystal structure determination of N-palmitoyl-l-methionine bound to the heme domain of P450BM-3, appears to be responsible for increasing the affinity of substrates. The side chain of R47, previously shown to be important in interactions with negatively charged substrates, does not interact strongly with N-palmitoyl-l-methionine and is found positioned at the enzyme-solvent interface. These are the tightest binding substrates for P450BM-3 reported to date, and the affinity likely approaches the maximum attainable affinity for the binding of substrates of this size to P450BM-3.     

Sensitive assay for laboratory evolution of hydroxylases toward aromatic and heterocyclic compounds

Powerful directed evolution methods have been developed for tailoring proteins to our needs in industrial applications. Here, the authors report a medium-throughput assay system designed for screening mutant libraries of oxygenases capable of inserting a hydroxyl group into a C-H bond of aromatic or O-heterocyclic compounds and for exploring the substrate profile of oxygenases. The assay system is based on 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP), a colorimetric phenol detection reagent. By using 2 detection wavelengths (509 nm and 600 nm), the authors achieved a linear response from 50 to 800 microM phenol and standard deviations below 11% in 96-well plate assays. The monooxygenase P450 BM-3 and its F87A mutant were used as a model system for medium-throughput assay development, identification of novel substrates (e.g., phenoxytoluene, phenylallyether, and coumarone), and discovery of P450 BM-3 F87A mutants with 8-fold improvement in 3-phenoxytoluene hydroxylation activity. This activity increase was achieved by screening a saturation mutagenesis library of amino acid position Y51 using the 4-AAP protocol in the 96-well format.     

Active site topologies of bacterial cytochromes P450101 (P450cam), P450108 (P450terp), and P450102 (P450BM-3). In situ rearrangement of their phenyl-iron complexes.

The reactions of cytochromes P450101 (P450cam), P450108 (P450terp), and P450102 (P450BM-3) with phenyldiazene result in the formation of phenyl-iron complexes with absorption maxima at 474-478 nm. Treatment of the cytochrome P450 complexes with K3Fe(CN)6 decreases the 474-478 nm absorbance and shifts the phenyl group from the iron to the porphyrin nitrogens. Acidification and extraction of the prosthetic group from each of the ferricyanide-treated enzymes yields a different mixture of the four possible N-phenylprotoporphyrin IX regioisomers. The ratios of the regioisomers with the phenyl ring on pyrrole rings B, A, C, and D (in order of elution from the high performance liquid chromatography column) are, respectively: cytochrome P450cam, 0:0:1:4; P450terp, 0:0:0:1; and P450BM-3, 2:10:2:1. The isomer ratio for recombinant cytochrome P450BM-3 without the cytochrome P450 reductase domain (2:9:2:1) shows that the reductase domain does not detectably perturb the active site topology of cytochrome P450BM-3. Potassium ions modulate the intensity of the spectrum of the phenyl-iron complex of cytochrome P450cam, but do not alter the N-phenyl isomer ratio. Computer graphics analysis of the crystal structure of the cytochrome P450cam phenyl-iron complex indicates that the active site of cytochrome P450cam is open above pyrrole ring D and, to a small extent, pyrrole ring C, in complete agreement with the observed N-phenylprotoporphyrin IX regioisomer pattern. The regioisomer ratios indicate that the active site of cytochrome P450terp is only open above pyrrole ring D, whereas that of cytochrome P450BM-3 is open to some extent above all the pyrrole rings but particularly above pyrrole ring A. The bacterial enzymes thus have topologies distinct from each other and from those of the mammalian enzymes so far investigated, which have active sites that are open to a comparable extent above pyrrole rings A and D.     

Occurrence of a barbiturate-inducible catalytically self-sufficient 119,000 dalton cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase in bacilli

In a recent publication (Narhi, L.O. and Fulco, A.J.[1986] J. Biol. Chem. 261, 7160-7169) we described the characterization of a catalytically self-sufficient 119,000 Dalton cytochrome P-450 fatty acid monooxygenase (P-450BM-3) induced by barbiturates in Bacillus megaterium ATCC 14581. We have now examined cell-free preparations from 12 distinct strains of B. megaterium and from one or two strains each of B. alvei, B. brevis, B. cereus, B. licheniformis, B. macerans, B. pumilis and B. subtilis for the presence of this inducible enzyme. Using Western blot analyses in combination with assays for fatty acid hydroxylase activity and cytochrome P-450, we were able to show that 11 of the 12 B. megaterium strains contained not only a strongly pentobarbital-inducible fatty acid monooxygenase identical to or polymorphic with P-450BM-3 but also significant levels of two smaller P-450 cytochromes that were the same as or similar to cytochromes P-450BM-1 and P-450BM-2 originally found in ATCC 14581. Unlike the 119,000 Dalton P-450, however, the two smaller P-450s were generally easily detectable in cultures grown to stationary phase in the absence of barbiturates and, with some exceptions, were not strongly induced by pentobarbital. None of the non-megaterium species of Bacillus tested exhibited significant levels of either fatty acid monooxygenase activity or cytochrome P-450. The one strain of B. megaterium that lacked inducible P-450BM-3 was also negative for BM-1 and BM-2. However, this strain (ATCC 13368) did contain a small but significant level of another P-450 cytochrome that others have identified as the oxygenase component of a steroid 15-beta-hydroxylase system. Our evidence suggests that the BM series of P-450 cytochromes is encoded by chromosomal (rather than by plasmid) DNA.     

Residue size at position 87 of cytochrome P450 BM-3 determines its stereoselectivity in propylbenzene and 3-chlorostyrene oxidation.

We report here oxidation of propylbenzene and 3-chlorostyrene by wild-type cytochrome P450 BM-3 with high turnover (479 nmol 1-phenyl-1-propanol/min/nmol P450 and 300 nmol 3-chlorostyrene oxide/min/nmol P450). Furthermore, the residue size at position 87 of P450 BM-3 was found to play critical roles in determining stereoselectivity in oxidation of propylbenzene and 3-chlorostyrene. Replacement of Phe87 with Val, Ala and Gly resulted in decreases in optical purity of produced (R)-(+)-1-phenyl-1-propanol from 90.0 to 37.4, 26.0 and -15.6% e.e., respectively, and in increases in those of produced (R)-(+)-3-chlorostyrene oxide from -61.0 to -38.0, 67.0 and 94.6% e.e., respectively.     

Use of kinetic isotope effects to delineate the role of phenylalanine 87 in P450(BM-3)

The substrate oxidation rates of P450(BM-3) are unparalleled in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily of enzymes. Furthermore, the bacterial enzyme, originating from Bacillus megaterium, has been used repeatedly as a model to study the metabolism of mammalian P450s. A specific example is presented where studying P450(BM-3) substrate dynamics can define important enzyme-substrate characteristics, which may be useful in modeling omega-hydroxylation seen in mammalian P450s. In addition, if the reactive species responsible for metabolism can be controlled to produce specific products this enzyme could be a useful biocatalyst. Based on crystal structures and the fact that the P450(BM-3) F87A mutant produces a large isotope in contrast to the native enzyme, we propose that phenylalanine 87 is responsible for hindering substrate access to the active oxygen species for nonnative substrates. Using kinetic isotopes and two aromatic substrates, p-xylene and 4,4'-dimethylbiphenyl, the role phenylalanine 87 plays in active-site dynamics is characterized. The intrinsic KIE is 7.3 +/- 2 for wtP450(BM-3) metabolism of p-xylene. In addition, stoichiometry differences were measured with the native and mutant enzyme and 4,4'-dimethylbiphenyl. The results show a more highly coupled substrate/NADPH ratio in the mutant than in the wtP450(BM-3).     

Engineering cytochrome P450 BM-3 for oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Cytochrome P450 BM-3, a self-sufficient P450 enzyme from Bacillus megaterium that catalyzes the subterminal hydroxylation of long-chain fatty acids, has been engineered into a catalyst for the oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The activities of a triplet mutant (A74G/F87V/L188Q) towards naphthalene, fluorene, acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, and 9-methylanthracene were 160, 53, 109, 287, and 22/min, respectively. Compared with the activities of the wild type towards these polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, those of the mutant were improved by up to 4 orders of magnitude. The coupling efficiencies of the mutant towards naphthalene, fluorene, acenaphthene, acenaphthylene, and 9-methylanthracene were 11, 26, 5.4, 15, and 3.2%, respectively, which were also improved several to hundreds fold. The high activities of the mutant towards polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons indicate the potential of engineering P450 BM-3 for the biodegradation of these compounds in the environment.     

催化吲哚生成靛蓝的细胞色素P450BM-3 定向进化研究

以催化吲哚产生的靛蓝在 630 nm 处具有特殊的吸收峰为高通量筛选指标,将来源于 Bacillus megaterium 的细胞色素 P450BM-3 单加氧酶的基因序列用易错聚合酶链式反应进行定向进化,通过多轮突变,在原有的能产靛蓝的高活力突变酶的基础上成功获得了三个高于亲本酶的突变酶,突变酶的酶活分别是亲本酶的 6.6 倍 (hml001) , 9.6 倍 (hml002) 和 5.3 倍 (hml003) ,并对突变酶的动力学参数进行了分析 . 突变酶 DNA 测序的结果表明, hml001 含有一个有义氨基酸置换 I39V , hml002 含有三个有义氨基酸置换 D168N , A225V , K440N , hml003 含有一个有义氨基酸置换 E435D ,这些突变位点有些远离底物结合部位,有些位于底物结合部位 .     

Directed evolution of cytochrome P450 for sterol epoxidation

16,17-Epoxysterol plays an important role in pharmaceutical steroid synthesis. To investigate the potential application of cytochrome P450 for epoxysterol synthesis, an approach to the epoxidation of 16,17-epoxysterol, based on directed evolution of cytochrome P450 BM-3, was developed. This comprised random gene mutagenesis for optimizing the activity of P450 BM-3 for epoxidation of hydrophobic sterol, followed by the 7-ethoxycoumarin de-ethylation assay for general enzyme activity detection and the modified picric acid assay for epoxidation activity screening. By the two-step screening, one mutant from 792 clones showed specific substrate activity of converting progesterone to 16,17-epoxysterol, which validated the possibility to evolve the cytochrome P450 for the synthesis of steroidal epoxides.