Sucrose phosphorylase: a powerful transglucosylation catalyst for synthesis of α-D-glucosides as industrial fine chemicals

Abstract

Sucrose phosphorylase is a bacterial transglucosidase that catalyzes conversion of sucrose and phosphate into α-D-glucose-1-phosphate and D-fructose. The enzyme utilizes a glycoside hydrolase-like double displacement mechanism that involves a catalytically competent β-glucosyl enzyme intermediate. In addition to reaction with phosphate, glucosylated sucrose phosphorylase can undergo hydrolysis to yield α-D-glucose or it can decompose via glucosyl transfer to a hydroxy group in suitable acceptor molecules, giving new α-D-glucosidic products. The glucosyl acceptor specificity of sucrose phosphorylase is reviewed, focusing on applications of the enzyme in glucoside synthesis. Polyhydroxylated compounds such as sugars and sugar alcohols are often glucosylated efficiently. Aryl alcohols and different carboxylic acids also serve as acceptors for enzymatic transglucosylation. The natural osmolyte 2-O-(α-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol (GG) was prepared by regioselective glucosylation of glycerol from sucrose using the phosphorylase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides. An industrial process for production of GG as active ingredient of cosmetic formulations has been recently developed. General advantages of sucrose phosphorylase as a transglucosylation catalyst lie in the use of sucrose as a high-energy glucosyl donor and the usually weak hydrolase activity of the enzyme towards substrate and product.     

Regioselective O-glucosylation by sucrose phosphorylase: a promising route for functional diversification of a range of 1,2-propanediols

1,2-Propanediol and 3-aryloxy/alkyloxy derivatives thereof are bulk commodities produced directly from glycerol. Glycosylation is a promising route for their functional diversification into useful fine chemicals. Regioselective glucosylation of the secondary hydroxyl in different 1,2-propanediols was achieved by a sucrose phosphorylase-catalyzed transfer reaction where sucrose is the substrate and 2-O-α-d-glucopyranosyl products are exclusively obtained. Systematic investigation for optimization of the biocatalytic synthesis included prevention of sucrose hydrolysis, which occurs in the process as a side reaction of the phosphorylase. In addition to ‘nonproductive’ depletion of donor substrate, the hydrolysis also resulted in formation of maltose and kojibiose (up to 45%) due to secondary enzymatic glucosylation of the glucose thus produced. Using 3-ethoxy-1,2-propanediol as the acceptor substrate (1.0 M), the desired transfer product was obtained in about 65% yield when employing a moderate (1.5-fold) excess of sucrose donor. Loss of the glucosyl substrate to ‘glucobiose’ by-products was minimal (<7.5%) under these conditions. The reactivity of other acceptors decreased in the order, 3-methoxy-1,2-propanediol > 1,2-propanediol > 3-allyloxy-1,2-propanediol > 3-(o-methoxyphenoxy)-1,2-propanediol > 3-tert-butoxy-1,2-propanediol. Glucosylated 1,2-propanediols were not detectably hydrolyzed by sucrose phosphorylase so that their synthesis by transglucosylation occurred simply under quasi-equilibrium reaction conditions.     

Structural Basis for Reversible Phosphorolysis and Hydrolysis Reactions of 2-O-α-Glucosylglycerol Phosphorylase

2-O-α-Glucosylglycerol phosphorylase (GGP) from Bacillus selenitireducens catalyzes both the reversible phosphorolysis of 2-O-α-glucosylglycerol (GG) and the hydrolysis of β-d-glucose 1-phosphate (βGlc1P). GGP belongs to the glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 65 and can efficiently and specifically produce GG. However, its structural basis has remained unclear. In this study, the crystal structures of GGP complexed with glucose and the glucose analog isofagomine and glycerol were determined. Subsite −1 of GGP is similar to those of other GH65 enzymes, maltose phosphorylase and kojibiose phosphorylase, whereas subsite +1 is largely different and is well designed for GG recognition. An automated docking analysis was performed to complement these crystal structures, βGlc1P being docked at an appropriate position. To investigate the importance of residues at subsite +1 in the bifunctionality of GGP, we constructed mutants at these residues. Y327F and K587A did not show detectable activities for either reverse phosphorolysis or βGlc1P hydrolysis. Y572F also showed significantly reduced activities for both of these reactions. In contrast, W381F showed significantly reduced reverse phosphorolytic activity but retained βGlc1P hydrolysis. The mode of substrate recognition and the reaction mechanisms of GGP were proposed based on these analyses. Specifically, an extensive hydrogen bond network formed by Tyr-327, Tyr-572, Lys-587, and water molecules contributes to fixing the acceptor molecule in both reverse phosphorolysis (glycerol) and βGlc1P hydrolysis (water) for a glycosyl transfer reaction. This study will contribute to the development of a large scale production system of GG by facilitating the rational engineering of GGP.     

Glucosylation of acetic acid by sucrose phosphorylase

Transglucosylation from sucrose to acetic acid by sucrose phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.7) was studied. 1-O-Acetyl-alpha-D-glucopyranose was isolated as the main product of the enzyme reaction. We also compared the pH-dependence of transglycosylation catalyzed by sucrose phosphorylase toward carboxyl and hydroxyl groups. With hydroquinone as an acceptor molecule, the transfer ratio of glucose residue was higher at neutral pH. This pH-activity profile was similar to that of the phosphorolysis of sucrose by sucrose phosphorylase, but with acetic acid as an acceptor molecule, the transfer ratio of glucose residue was higher at low pH. These findings suggest that the undissociated carboxyl group is essential to the acceptor molecule for the transglycosylation reaction of sucrose phosphorylase. In a sensory test, the sour taste of acetic acid was markedly reduced by glucosylation. The threshold value of the sour taste of acetic acid glucosides was approximately 100 times greater than that of acetic acid.     

On the donor substrate dependence of group-transfer reactions by hydrolytic enzymes: Insight from kinetic analysis of sucrose phosphorylase-catalyzed transglycosylation

Chemical group-transfer reactions by hydrolytic enzymes have considerable importance in biocatalytic synthesis and are exploited broadly in commercial-scale chemical production. Mechanistically, these reactions have in common the involvement of a covalent enzyme intermediate which is formed upon enzyme reaction with the donor substrate and is subsequently intercepted by a suitable acceptor. Here, we studied the glycosylation of glycerol from sucrose by sucrose phosphorylase (SucP) to clarify a peculiar, yet generally important characteristic of this reaction: partitioning between glycosylation of glycerol and hydrolysis depends on the type and the concentration of the donor substrate used (here: sucrose, α-d -glucose 1-phosphate (G1P)). We develop a kinetic framework to analyze the effect and provide evidence that, when G1P is used as donor substrate, hydrolysis occurs not only from the β-glucosyl-enzyme intermediate (E-Glc), but additionally from a noncovalent complex of E-Glc and substrate which unlike E-Glc is unreactive to glycerol. Depending on the relative rates of hydrolysis of free and substrate-bound E-Glc, inhibition (Leuconostoc mesenteroides SucP) or apparent activation (Bifidobacterium adolescentis SucP) is observed at high donor substrate concentration. At a G1P concentration that excludes the substrate-bound E-Glc, the transfer/hydrolysis ratio changes to a value consistent with reaction exclusively through E-Glc, independent of the donor substrate used. Collectively, these results give explanation for a kinetic behavior of SucP not previously accounted for, provide essential basis for design and optimization of the synthetic reaction, and establish a theoretical framework for the analysis of kinetically analogous group-transfer reactions by hydrolytic enzymes.     

Cloning of the sucrose phosphorylase gene from Leuconostoc mesenteroides and its overexpression using a ‘sleeper’ bacteriophage vector

The sucrose phosphorylase gene was cloned from Leuconostoc mesenteroides ATCC 12291 and was overexpressed in Escherichia coli using a ‘Sleeper’ bacteriophage vector. A recombinant phage slp-spl-1, which had four copies of the sucrose phosphorylase gene, was lysogenized into E. coli 1100. After heat induction, this lysogen produced 55.7 units per ml culture of sucrose phosphorylase, i.e. 80-times higher than that in L. mesenteroides. As the amount of this recombinant enzyme was over 30% of the soluble protein in the cell, E. coli 1100 (slp-spl-1) succeeded in overcoming problems such as, inhibited enzymes, in the case of L. mesenteroides. Thus it is possible to achieve an industrial-scale production of sucrose phosphorylase. The complete nucleotide sequence showed that it coded for a 490-amino acid protein of M_T 55,749. Homology between the deduced amino acid sequences for the L. mesenteroides sucrose phosphorylase gene and Streptococcus mutans gtfA, sucrose phosphorylase gene, was 68%.     

Influence of Carbon Source on Nitrate Removal by Nitrate-Tolerant Klebsiella oxytoca CECT 4460 in Batch and Chemostat Cultures

The nitrate-tolerant organism Klebsiella oxytoca CECT 4460 tolerates nitrate at concentrations up to 1 M and is used to treat wastewater with high nitrate loads in industrial wastewater treatment plants. We studied the influence of the C source (glycerol or sucrose or both) on the growth rate and the efficiency of nitrate removal under laboratory conditions. With sucrose as the sole C source the maximum specific growth rate was 0.3 h⁻¹, whereas with glycerol it was 0.45 h⁻¹. In batch cultures K. oxytoca cells grown on sucrose or glycerol were able to immediately use sucrose as a sole C source, suggesting that sucrose uptake and metabolism were constitutive. In contrast, glycerol uptake occurred preferentially in glycerol-grown cells. Independent of the preculture conditions, when sucrose and glycerol were added simultaneously to batch cultures, the sucrose was used first, and once the supply of sucrose was exhausted, the glycerol was consumed. Utilization of nitrate as an N source occurred without nitrite or ammonium accumulation when glycerol was used, but nitrite accumulated when sucrose was used. In chemostat cultures K. oxytoca CECT 4460 efficiently removed nitrate without accumulation of nitrate or ammonium when sucrose, glycerol, or mixtures of these two C sources were used. The growth yields and the efficiencies of C and N utilization were determined at different growth rates in chemostat cultures. Regardless of the C source, yield carbon (Y_C) ranged between 1.3 and 1.0 g (dry weight) per g of sucrose C or glycerol C consumed. Regardless of the specific growth rate and the C source, yield nitrogen (Y_N) ranged from 17.2 to 12.5 g (dry weight) per g of nitrate N consumed. In contrast to batch cultures, in continuous cultures glycerol and sucrose were utilized simultaneously, although the specific rate of sucrose consumption was higher than the specific rate of glycerol consumption. In continuous cultures double-nutrient-limited growth appeared with respect to the C/N ratio of the feed medium and the dilution rate, so that for a C/N ratio between 10 and 30 and a growth rate of 0.1 h⁻¹ the process led to simultaneous and efficient removal of the C and N sources used. At a growth rate of 0.2 h⁻¹ the zone of double limitation was between 8 and 11. This suggests that the regimen of double limitation is influenced by the C/N ratio and the growth rate. The results of these experiments were validated by pulse assays.     

Transglucosylation potential of six sucrose phosphorylases toward different classes of acceptors

In this study, the transglucosylation potential of six sucrose phosphorylase (SP) enzymes has been compared using eighty putative acceptors from different structural classes. To increase the solubility of hydrophobic acceptors, the addition of various co-solvents was first evaluated. All enzymes were found to retain at least 50% of their activity in 25% dimethylsulfoxide, with the enzymes from Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Streptococcus mutans being the most stable. Screening of the enzymes’ specificity then revealed that the vast majority of acceptors are transglucosylated very slowly by SP, at a rate that is comparable to the contaminating hydrolytic reaction. The enzyme from S. mutans displayed the narrowest acceptor specificity and the one from Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B1355 the broadest. However, high activity could only be detected on l-sorbose and l-arabinose, besides the native acceptors d-fructose and phosphate. Improving the affinity for alternative acceptors by means of enzyme engineering will, therefore, be a major challenge for the commercial exploitation of the transglucosylation potential of sucrose phosphorylase.     

The quest for a thermostable sucrose phosphorylase reveals sucrose 6′-phosphate phosphorylase as a novel specificity

Sucrose phosphorylase is a promising biocatalyst for the glycosylation of a wide range of compounds, but its industrial application has been hampered by the low thermostability of known representatives. Hence, in this study, the putative sucrose phosphorylase from the thermophile Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum was recombinantly expressed and fully characterised. The enzyme showed significant activity on sucrose (optimum at 55 °C), and with a melting temperature of 79 °C and a half-life of 60 h at the industrially relevant temperature of 60 °C, it is far more stable than known sucrose phosphorylases. Substrate screening and detailed kinetic characterisation revealed however a preference for sucrose 6′-phosphate over sucrose. The enzyme can thus be considered as a sucrose 6′-phosphate phosphorylase, a specificity not yet reported to date. Homology modelling and mutagenesis pointed out particular residues (Arg134 and His344) accounting for the difference in specificity. Moreover, phylogenetic and sequence analysis suggest that glycoside hydrolase 13 subfamily 18 might harbour even more specificities. In addition, the second gene residing in the same operon as sucrose 6′-phosphate phosphorylase was identified as well, and found to be a phosphofructokinase. The concerted action of both these enzymes implies a new pathway for the breakdown of sucrose, in which the reaction products end up at different stages of the glycolysis.     

Enzymes involved in starch synthesis in the developing mung bean seed

The levels of free sugars, starch and enzymes involved in starch metabolism—sucrose synthetase, UDP and ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase, phosphorylase and starch synthetase—were assayed during seed development of three cultivars of mung bean (Vigna radiata). Free sugars and starch increased with increasing seed weight. Changes in levels of sucrose synthetase, UDP- and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases, and phosphorylase were paralleled by changes in starch accumulation. After the maximum activity levels of these enzymes had been reached, maximum activities of soluble starch synthetase and starch granule-bound starch synthetase occurred. There were high activities of sucrose synthetase and phosphorylase at maximum rates of starch accumulation. Thus, starch could be synthesized via the ADP glucose pathway in mung bean seeds. However, phosphorylase may account for the starch accumulation in the early stages of mung bean seed development.     

蔗糖磷酸化酶及其在糖基化反应中的应用

糖基化反应能有效改善化合物的水溶性、稳定性、生物利用度等性质,利用糖苷水解酶类和糖基转移酶类对生物活性化合物进行糖基化修饰已成为研究热点。相比于糖基转移酶类,糖苷水解酶类在大规模催化中具有来源丰富、成本低的优势。其中,蔗糖磷酸化酶因其卓越的糖基化活性和广泛的底物特异性,在化工领域受到人们的广泛关注。文中综述了蔗糖磷酸化酶的结构与催化特性,概述了蔗糖磷酸化酶的定向改造,同时系统性地总结了蔗糖磷酸化酶在糖基化反应中的应用及与其他酶的联合应用。并且,基于蔗糖磷酸化酶的研究现状,结合笔者研究团队的多年工作经验,探讨了该课题的未来发展方向。     

Effects of commonly used cryoprotectants on glycogen phosphorylase activity and structure

The effects of a number of cryoprotectants on the kinetic and structural properties of glycogen phosphorylase b have been investigated. Kinetic studies showed that glycerol, one of the most commonly used cryoprotectants in X-ray crystallographic studies, is a competitive inhibitor with respect to substrate glucose-1-P with an apparent Ki value of 3.8% (v/v). Cryogenic experiments, with the enzyme, have shown that glycerol binds at the catalytic site and competes with glucose analogues that bind at the catalytic site, thus preventing the formation of complexes. This necessitated a change in the conditions for cryoprotection in crystallographic binding experiments with glycogen phosphorylase. It was found that 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (MPD), polyethylene glycols (PEGs) of various molecular weights, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) activated glycogen phosphorylase b to different extents, by stabilizing its most active conformation, while sucrose acted as a noncompetitive inhibitor and ethylene glycol as an uncompetitive inhibitor with respect to glucose-1-P. A parallel experimental investigation by X-ray crystallography showed that, at 100 K, both MPD and DMSO do not bind at the catalytic site, do not induce any significant conformational change on the enzyme molecule, and hence, are more suitable cryoprotectants than glycerol for binding studies with glycogen phosphorylase.     

Interplay of catalytic subsite residues in the positioning of α-d-glucose 1-phosphate in sucrose phosphorylase

Kinetic and molecular docking studies were performed to characterize the binding of α-d-glucose 1-phosphate (αGlc 1-P) at the catalytic subsite of a family GH-13 sucrose phosphorylase (from L. mesenteroides) in wild-type and mutated form. The best-fit binding mode of αGlc 1-P dianion had the phosphate group placed anti relative to the glucosyl moiety (adopting a relaxed ⁴C₁ chair conformation) and was stabilized mainly by hydrogen bonds from residues of the enzyme?s catalytic triad (Asp¹⁹⁶, Glu²³⁷ and Asp²⁹⁵) and from Arg¹³⁷. Additional feature of the αGlc 1-P docking pose was an intramolecular hydrogen bond (2.7 Å) between the glucosyl C2-hydroxyl and the phosphate oxygen. An inactive phosphonate analog of αGlc 1-P did not show binding to sucrose phosphorylase in different experimental assays (saturation transfer difference NMR, steady-state reversible inhibition), consistent with evidence from molecular docking study that also suggested a completely different and strongly disfavored binding mode of the analog as compared to αGlc 1-P. Molecular docking results also support kinetic data in showing that mutation of Phe⁵², a key residue at the catalytic subsite involved in transition state stabilization, had little effect on the ground-state binding of αGlc 1-P by the phosphorylase. However, when combined with a second mutation involving one of the catalytic triad residues, the mutation of Phe⁵² by Ala caused complete (F52A_D196A; F52A_E237A) or very large (F52A_D295A) disruption of the proposed productive binding mode of αGlc 1-P with consequent effects on the enzyme activity. Effects of positioning of αGlc 1-P for efficient glucosyl transfer from phosphate to the catalytic nucleophile of the enzyme (Asp¹⁹⁶) are suggested. High similarity between the αGlc 1-P conformers bound to sucrose phosphorylase (modeled) and the structurally and mechanistically unrelated maltodextrin phosphorylase (experimental) is revealed.     

Inorganic phosphate self-sufficient whole-cell biocatalysts containing two co-expressed phosphorylases facilitate cellobiose production

Cellobiose, a natural disaccharide, attracts extensive attention as a potential functional food/feed additive. In this study, we present an inorganic phosphate (Pi) self-sufficient biotransformation system to produce cellobiose by co-expressing sucrose phosphorylase (SP) and cellobiose phosphorylase (CBP). The Bifidobacterium adolescentis SP (BASP) and Cellvibrio gilvus CBP (CGCBP) were co-expressed in Escherichia coli. Escherichia coli cells containing BASP and CGCBP were used as whole-cell catalysts to convert sucrose and glucose to cellobiose. The effects of reaction pH, temperature, Pi concentration, and substrate concentration were investigated. In the optimum biotransformation conditions, 800 mM cellobiose was produced from 1.0 M sucrose, 1.0 M glucose, and 50 mM Pi, within 12 hr. The by-product fructose and residual substrate (sucrose and glucose) were efficiently removed by treatment with yeast, to help purify the product cellobiose. The wider applicability of this Pi self-sufficiency strategy was demonstrated in the production of laminaribiose by co-expressing SP and laminaribiose phosphorylase. This study suggests that the Pi self-sufficiency strategy through co-expressing two phosphorylases has the advantage of great flexibility for enhanced production of cellobiose (or laminaribiose).     

Synthesis of an α-kojibiosyl substituted glycerol teichoic acid hexamer

In this paper the synthesis of an Enterococcus Faecalis teichoic acid (TA) hexamer is presented. The key kojibiosyl-glycerol phosphoramidite building block was obtained by condensation of thioglucose donors, provided with various protecting groups at the C2 hydroxyl function with an orthogonally protected glycerol acceptor. After selective deprotection, the resulting 1,2-cis-linked pseudodisaccharide acceptor was coupled to an α-directing thioglucose donor, giving the corresponding pseudotrisaccharide, which is then transformed to a phosphoramidite synthon. The kojibiosyl-glycerol phosphoramidite in combination with a glycerolphosphoramidite, an aminohexylphosphoramidite and dibenzylglycerol were coupled to a fully protected glycerol TA hexamer, using chemistry that can be amended for future automated synthesis. Global deprotection afforded the target hexamer kojibiosyl-glycerol containing TA (1).     

Purification and properties of glycogen phosphorylase a from the muscle of the blue crab, Callinectes danae

Blue crab muscle (Callinectes danae) glycogen phosphorylase a was purified by adsorption of a crude extract on a starch column, elution with a dilute glycogen solution, selective precipitation with ammonium sulfate, dialysis against a solution containing ammonium sulfate and ethylenediaminetetraacetate, followed by centrifugation and chromatography on Sephadex G-25 (sp act 64.5 IU, recovery of 53.8%, and a purification factor of 189). The lyophilized preparation is stable for several months. Disc electrophoresis of the purified phosphorylase yields two protein bands, both with enzymatic activity of the a form. One of the protein bands represents about 10% of the total amount of protein present in the two bands. The molecular weight of the enzyme is 176,000 as determined by ultracentrifugation in a sucrose density gradient and 180,000 as determined by discontinuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight found by disc electrophoresis corresponds to the main protein band. Crab muscle phosphorylase a is not associated under electrophoretic conditions in which rabbit muscle phosphorylase a shows association behavior. Subunit studies by continuous SDS-gel electrophoresis suggest that crab muscle phosphorylase a possesses only one subunit. Pyridoxal-5′-phosphate is a cofactor of the enzyme.     

Actions of glycogen synthase and prosphorylase of rabbit-skeletal muscle on modified glycogens

The high reactivities exhibited by rabbit-muscle synthase and phosphorylase for unmodified glycogen-acceptors decrease progressively, presumably because of a large increase in apparent K_m as the glycogen molecule is converted into its component maltosaccharide chains by the debranching enzyme, isoamylase. Elongation of the outer chains of glycogen acceptor also results in decreased reactivities of the two transglucosylases and this is shown, for phosphorylase acting in the direction of glucan synthesis, to be caused by a decrease in the V_max of the reaction. A partial restoration of the degradative reactivity of phosphorylase by a limited alpha-amylolysis of the long outer-chains of modified glycogen suggests a role of cytoplasmic alpha-amylase in mammalian glycogen metabolism.     

Lysis of Bacillus subtilis Cells by Glycerol and Sucrose Esters of Fatty Acids

The lytic action of glycerol and sucrose esters of fatty acids with different carbon chain lengths on the exponentially growing cells of Bacillus subtilis 168 was investigated. Of each series of esters, glycerol dodecanoate and sucrose hexadecanoate were the most active. Lysis at 1 h after the addition of 0.1 mM glycerol dodecanoate or 20 μg of sucrose hexadecanoate per ml was 81 or 79%, respectively, as evaluated by the reduction in optical density. During this treatment a great loss of viability occurred that preceded lysis. The results that were obtained suggest that autolysis is induced by these esters. The esters caused morphological changes in the cells, but a seeming adaptation of the cells to esters was seen.     

Crystal structure of sucrose phosphorylase from Bifidobacterium adolescentis

Around 80 enzymes are implicated in the generic starch and sucrose pathways. One of these enzymes is sucrose phosphorylase, which reversibly catalyzes the conversion of sucrose and orthophosphate to d-Fructose and alpha-d-glucose 1-phosphate. Here, we present the crystal structure of sucrose phosphorylase from Bifidobacterium adolescentis (BiSP) refined at 1.77 A resolution. It represents the first 3D structure of a sucrose phosphorylase and is the first structure of a phosphate-dependent enzyme from the glycoside hydrolase family 13. The structure of BiSP is composed of the four domains A, B, B', and C. Domain A comprises the (beta/alpha)(8)-barrel common to family 13. The catalytic active-site residues (Asp192 and Glu232) are located at the tips of beta-sheets 4 and 5 in the (beta/alpha)(8)-barrel, as required for family 13 members. The topology of the B' domain disfavors oligosaccharide binding and reduces the size of the substrate access channel compared to other family 13 members, underlining the role of this domain in modulating the function of these enzymes. It is remarkable that the fold of the C domain is not observed in any other known hydrolases of family 13. BiSP was found as a homodimer in the crystal, and a dimer contact surface area of 960 A(2) per monomer was calculated. The majority of the interactions are confined to the two B domains, but interactions between the loop 8 regions of the two barrels are also observed. This results in a large cavity in the dimer, including the entrance to the two active sites.