Oxidation reactions catalyzed by vanadium chloroperoxidase from Curvularia inaequalis

Vanadium haloperoxidases have been reported to mediate the oxidation of halides to hypohalous acid and the sulfoxidation of organic sulfides to the corresponding sulfoxides in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. However, traditional heme peroxidase substrates were reported not to be oxidized by vanadium haloperoxidases. Surprisingly, we have now found that the recombinant vanadium chloroperoxidase from the fungus Curvularia inaequalis catalyzes the oxidation of 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), a classical chromogenic heme peroxidase substrate. The enzyme mediates the oxidation of ABTS in the presence of hydrogen peroxide with a turnover frequency of 11 s(-1) at its pH optimum of 4.0. The Km of the recombinant enzyme for ABTS was observed to be approximately 35 microM at this pH value. In addition, the bleaching of an industrial sulfonated azo dye, Chicago Sky Blue 6B, catalyzed by the recombinant vanadium chloroperoxidase in the presence of hydrogen peroxide is reported.     

Cloning and expression of peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminyl)asparagine amidase F in Escherichia coli

The peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminyl) asparagine amidase F (PNGase F) gene from Flavobacterium meningosepticum was cloned into a high copy number Escherichia coli plasmid. Levels of PNGase F activity produced in cultures of the recombinant strain were up to 100-fold higher than those obtained in cultures of F. meningosepticum. The complete PNGase F gene sequence was determined. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of pre-PNGase F to the N-terminal sequence of the native mature enzyme indicates that the protein is synthesized with a 40-amino acid signal sequence that is removed during secretion in F. meningosepticum. The recombinant PNGase F produced in E. coli is a mixture of products comprised predominantly of two proteins with molecular masses of 36.3 and 36.6 kDa. These proteins have a higher apparent molecular mass than the 34.7-kDa native enzyme. N-terminal amino acid sequencing demonstrated that these higher molecular mass products result from cleavage of the pre-PNGase F in E. coli upstream of the native N terminus. The PNGase F gene was engineered to encode a preenzyme that was processed in E. coli to give an N terminus identical to that of the native enzyme. Purified preparations of this form of recombinant PNGase F were shown to be suitable for glycoprotein analyses since they possess no detectable endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase F, exoglycosidase, or protease activity.     

Involvement of <Emphasis Type="Italic">soxRS</Emphasis> Regulon in Response of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> to Oxidative Stress Induced by Hydrogen Peroxide

The effect of hydrogen peroxide on the activity of soxRS and oxyR regulon enzymes in different strains of Escherichia coli has been studied. Treatment of bacteria with 20 μM H₂O₂ caused an increase in catalase and peroxidase activities (oxyR regulon) in all strains investigated. It is shown for the first time that oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide causes in some E. coli strains a small increase in activity of superoxide dismutase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (soxRS regulon). This effect is cancelled by chloramphenicol, an inhibitor of protein synthesis in prokaryotes. The increase in soxRS regulon enzyme activities was not found in the strain lacking the soxR gene. These results provide evidence for the involvement of the soxRS regulon in the adaptive response of E. coli to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide. __________ Translated from Biokhimiya, Vol. 70, No. 11, 2005, pp. 1506–1513. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2005 by Semchyshyn, Bagnyukova, Lushchak.     

Biocatalytic properties of recombinant tobacco peroxidase in chemiluminescent reaction

The wild-type anionic tobacco peroxidase and its Glu141Phe mutant have been expressed in Escherichia coli, and reactivated to yield active enzymes. A Glu141Phe substitution was made with the tobacco anionic peroxidase (TOP) to mimic neutral plant peroxidases, such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Both recombinant forms of tobacco peroxidase show extremely high activity in luminol oxidation with hydrogen peroxide, and thus, preserve the unique property of the native tobacco peroxidase, a superior chemiluminescent reagent. The chemiluminescent signal intensity for both recombinant forms of TOP is orders of magnitude higher than that for wild-type recombinant HRP. The substitution slightly increases TOP activity and stability in the reaction course, but has almost no effect on the optimal parameters of the reaction (pH, luminol and hydrogen peroxide concentrations) and calibration plot. Comparison of substrate specificity profiles for recombinant TOP and HRP demonstrates that Glu141 has no principal effect on the enzyme activity. It is not the presence of the negative charge at the haem edge, but the high redox potential of TOP Compounds I and II that provides high activity towards aromatic amines and aminophenols, and luminol in particular.     

Cloning, overproduction and characterization of cytochrome c peroxidase from the purple phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus.

The bacterial cytochrome c peroxidase (BCCP) from Rhodobacter capsulatus was purified as a recombinant protein from an Escherichia coli clone over-expressing the BCCP structural gene. BCCP from Rb. capsulatus oxidizes the Rhodobacter cytochrome c2 and reduces hydrogen peroxide, probably functioning as a detoxification mechanism. The enzyme binds two haem c groups covalently. The gene encoding BCCP from Rb. capsulatus was cloned through the construction of a 7-kb subgenomic clone. In comparison with the protein sequence, the sequence deduced from the gene has a 21-amino-acid N-terminal extension with the characteristics of a signal peptide. The purified recombinant enzyme showed the same physico-chemical properties as the native enzyme. Spectrophotometric titration established the presence of a high-potential (Em=+270 mV) and a low-potential haem (between -190 mV and -310 mV) as found in other BCCPs. The enzyme was isolated in the fully oxidized but inactive form. It binds calcium tightly and EGTA treatment of the enzyme was necessary to show calcium activation of the mixed valence enzyme. This activation is associated with the formation of a high-spin state at the low-potential haem. BCCP oxidizes horse ferrocytochrome c better than the native electron donor, cytochrome c2; the catalytic activities ('turnover number') are 85 800 min(-1) and 63 600 min(-1), respectively. These activities are the highest ever found for a BCCP.     

Biocatalytic properties of recombinant tobacco peroxidase in chemiluminescent reaction

The wild-type anionic tobacco peroxidase and its Glu141Phe mutant have been expressed in Escherichia coli, and reactivated to yield active enzymes. A Glu141Phe substitution was made with the tobacco anionic peroxidase (TOP) to mimic neutral plant peroxidases, such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Both recombinant forms of tobacco peroxidase show extremely high activity in luminol oxidation with hydrogen peroxide, and thus, preserve the unique property of the native tobacco peroxidase, a superior chemiluminescent reagent. The chemiluminescent signal intensity for both recombinant forms of TOP is orders of magnitude higher than that for wild-type recombinant HRP. The substitution slightly increases TOP activity and stability in the reaction course, but has almost no effect on the optimal parameters of the reaction (pH, luminol and hydrogen peroxide concentrations) and calibration plot. Comparison of substrate specificity profiles for recombinant TOP and HRP demonstrates that Glu141 has no principal effect on the enzyme activity. It is not the presence of the negative charge at the haem edge, but the high redox potential of TOP Compounds I and II that provides high activity towards aromatic amines and aminophenols, and luminol in particular.     

Cloning and expression of the Escherichia coli glgC gene from a mutant containing an ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase with altered allosteric properties.

A mutant strain of Escherichia coli K-12, designated 618, accumulates glycogen at a faster rate than wild-type strain 356. The mutation affects the ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase regulatory properties (N. Creuzat-Sigal, M. Latil-Damotte, J. Cattaneo, and J. Puig, p. 647-680, in R. Piras and H. G. Pontis, ed., Biochemistry of the Glycocide Linkage, 1972). The enzyme is less dependent on the activator, fructose 1,6 bis-phosphate for activity and is less sensitive to inhibition by the inhibitor, 5'-AMP. The structural gene, glgC, for this allosteric mutant enzyme was cloned into the bacterial plasmid pBR322 by inserting the chromosomal DNA at the PstI site. The glycogen biosynthetic genes were selected by cotransformation of the neighboring asd gene into an E. coli mutant also defective in branching enzyme (glgB) activity. Two recombinant plasmids, pEBL1 and pEBL3, that had PstI chromosomal DNA inserts containing glgC and glgB were isolated. Branching enzyme and ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase activities were increased 240- and 40-fold, respectively, in the asd glgB mutant, E. coli K-12 6281. The E. coli K-12 618 mutant glgC gene product was characterized after transformation of an E. coli B ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase mutant with the recombinant plasmid pEBL3. The kinetic properties of the cloned ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase were similar to those of the E. coli K-12 618 enzyme. The inserted DNA in pEBL1 was arranged in opposite orientation to that in pEBL3.     

Catalytic pathways of Euphorbia characias peroxidase reacting with hydrogen peroxide

The reaction of Euphorbia characias latex peroxidase (ELP) with hydrogen peroxide as the sole substrate was studied by conventional and stopped-flow spectrophotometry. The reaction mechanism occurs via three distinct pathways. In the first (pathway I), ELP shows catalase-like activity: H2O2 oxidizes the native enzyme to compound I and subsequently acts as a reducing substrate, again converting compound I to the resting ferric enzyme. In the presence of an excess of hydrogen peroxide, compound I is still formed and further reacts in two other pathways. In pathway II, compound I initiates a series of cyclic reactions leading to the formation of compound II and compound III, and then returns to the native resting state. In pathway III, the enzyme is inactivated and compound I is converted into a bleached inactive species; this reaction proceeds faster in samples illuminated with bright white light, demonstrating that at least one of the intermediates is photosensitive. Calcium ions decrease the rate of pathway I and accelerate the rate of pathways II and III. Moreover, in the presence of calcium the inactive stable verdohemochrome P670 species accumulates. Thus, Ca2+ ions seem to be the key for all catalytic pathways of Euphorbia peroxidase.     

Catalytic properties of tryptophanless recombinant horseradish peroxidase

Heme-containing plant peroxidases (EC 1.11.1.7) contain a highly conserved single tryptophan residue. Its replacement with Phe in recombinant horseradish peroxidase (rHRP) increased the stability of the mutant enzyme in acid media. The kinetic properties of native, wild-type, and W117F mutant recombinant horseradish peroxidase in the reactions of ammonium 2, 2;-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS), guaiacol, and o-phenylenediamine oxidation are very similar. However, significant changes in the reaction rate constant characteristic for the monomolecular rate-limiting step ascribed either to product dissociation from its complex with the enzyme or electron transfer from the substrate to the active site within the Michaelis complex were observed. The data indirectly indicate the participation of the single Trp residue in oxidation of ABTS and guaiacol and possible differences in kinetic mechanisms for oxidation of ABTS, guaiacol, and o-phenylenediamine.     

Functional Overexpression and Purification of a Codon Optimized Synthetic Glucarpidase (Carboxypeptidase G2) in Escherichia coli

Glucarpidase (former name: carboxypeptidase G2, or CPG2) is a bacterial enzyme that is widely used in detoxification of the cytotoxic drug, methotrexate, and in Antibody Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy for cancer treatment. The glucarpidase gene of Pseudomonas sp. strain RS-16 was previously cloned in E coli, but expresses at a level that is approximately 100-fold lower than in the native strain. In this study, a synthetic gene coding for glucarpidase was codon-optimised and synthesized for maximum expression in E. coli using the vector pET28a. Our work indicated that the enzyme was expressed to ~60% of the total host protein and that purification of the recombinant His-tagged protein could be achieved in a single step by Ni²⁺ charged column chromatography. The synthetic recombinant glucarpidase expressed within this system was biologically active and zinc dependant. Our study showed that Mg²⁺ as well as Mn²⁺ ions inhibit the activity of the recombinant enzyme.     

Cloning and sequence analysis of the Escherichia coli metH gene encoding cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase and isolation of a tryptic fragment containing the cobalamin-binding domain

A gene encoding cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase (EC 2.1.1.13) has been isolated from a plasmid library of Escherichia coli K-12 DNA by complementation to methionine prototrophy in an E. coli strain lacking both cobalamin-dependent and -independent methionine synthase activities (RK4536:metE, metHH). Maxicell expression of a series of plasmids containing deletions in the metH structural gene was employed to map the position and orientation of the gene on the cloned DNA fragment. A 6.3-kilobase EcoRI-SalI fragment containing the gene was cloned into the sequencing vector pGEM3B for double-stranded DNA sequencing; the MetH coding region consists of 3372 nucleotides. The enzyme was purified from an overproducing strain of E. coli harboring the recombinant plasmid, in which the level of methionine synthase was elevated 30- to 40-fold over wild-type E. coli. Recombinant enzyme is a protein of 123,640 molecular weight and has a turnover number of 1,450 min-1 in the standard assay. These values are to be compared with previously reported values of 133,000 for the molecular weight and 1,240-1,560 min-1 for the turnover number of the homogenous enzyme purified from a wild-type strain of E. coli B (Frasca, V., Banerjee, R. V., Dunham, W. R., Sands, R. H., and Matthews, R. G. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 8458-8465). Limited proteolysis of the native enzyme with trypsin resulted in loss of enzyme activity but retention of bound cobalamin on a peptide fragment of 28,000 molecular weight. This fragment has been shown to extend from residue 643 to residue 900 of the 1124-residue deduced amino acid sequence.     

Conformational Differences between Native and Recombinant Horseradish Peroxidase Revealed by Tritium Planigraphy

Significant conformational differences between native and recombinant horseradish peroxidase have been shown by tritium planigraphy, which includes a method of thermal activation of tritium followed by amino acid analysis of the protein preparation. Comparison of radioactivity distribution among the amino acid residues with the theoretical (calculated) accessibility shows that the recombinant enzyme is characterized by high hydrophobicity and compactness of folding. The protective role of oligosaccharides in native enzyme has been confirmed. An unexpected result of the study is a finding on high accessibility of a catalytic histidine residue in solution. An effect of low dose (3 Gy) of irradiation on the accessibility of amino acid residues has been unequivocally demonstrated. The data can be interpreted as swelling of the compact folding and increase in the surface hydrophilicity of the recombinant enzyme. In the case of native enzyme, irradiation does not cause remarkable changes in the accessibility of amino acid residues indicating the possible extensive radical modification of the native enzyme in the life-course of the cell. The catalytic histidine is an exception. It becomes inaccessible after the enzyme irradiation, while its accessibility in the recombinant enzyme increases. An additional observation of a 5-fold decrease in the rate constant towards hydrogen peroxide points to the destructive effect of irradiation on the hydrogen bond network in the distal domain of the native enzyme molecule and partial collapse of the active site pocket.     

Cloning of the pullulanase gene and overproduction of pullulanase in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella aerogenes.

The pullulanase gene (pul) of Klebsiella aerogenes was cloned into a pBR322 vector in Escherichia coli. Deletion analysis of the recombinant plasmid showed that the pul coding sequence, probably with the regulator gene, was located entirely within a 4.2-kilobase segment derived from the chromosomal DNA of K. aerogenes. E. coli cells carrying the recombinant plasmids produced about three- to sevenfold more pullulanase than did the wild-type strain of K. aerogenes W70. When the cloned cells of E. coli were grown with pullulan or maltose, most pullulanase was produced intracellularly, whereas K. aerogenes produced pullulanase extracellularly. Transfer of the plasmid containing the pul gene into K. aerogenes W70 resulted in about a 20- to 40-fold increase in total production of pullulanase, and the intracellular enzyme level was about 100- to 150-fold higher than that of the parent strain W70. The high level of pullulanase activity in K. aerogenes cells carrying the recombinant plasmid was maintained for at least 2 weeks.     

Cloning of the pullulanase gene and overproduction of pullulanase in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella aerogenes

The pullulanase gene (pul) of Klebsiella aerogenes was cloned into a pBR322 vector in Escherichia coli. Deletion analysis of the recombinant plasmid showed that the pul coding sequence, probably with the regulator gene, was located entirely within a 4.2-kilobase segment derived from the chromosomal DNA of K. aerogenes. E. coli cells carrying the recombinant plasmids produced about three- to sevenfold more pullulanase than did the wild-type strain of K. aerogenes W70. When the cloned cells of E. coli were grown with pullulan or maltose, most pullulanase was produced intracellularly, whereas K. aerogenes produced pullulanase extracellularly. Transfer of the plasmid containing the pul gene into K. aerogenes W70 resulted in about a 20- to 40-fold increase in total production of pullulanase, and the intracellular enzyme level was about 100- to 150-fold higher than that of the parent strain W70. The high level of pullulanase activity in K. aerogenes cells carrying the recombinant plasmid was maintained for at least 2 weeks.     

Purification and properties of a glutathione peroxidase from Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) liver

A glutathione peroxidase (GPX) protein was purified approximately 1000-fold from Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) liver to a final specific activity of 256 micromol NADPH oxidised min(-1) mg(-1) protein. Gel filtration chromatography and denaturing protein gel electrophoresis of the purified preparation indicated that the protein has a native molecular mass of 85 kDa and is most likely a homotetramer with subunits of approximately 24 kDa. The Km values of the purified enzyme for hydrogen peroxide, cumene hydroperoxide, t-butyl hydroperoxide and glutathione were 12, 90, 90 and 5900 microM, respectively. The Km values for cumene hydroperoxide and t-butyl hydroperoxide were approximately 8-fold greater than the Km value for hydrogen peroxide. Thus, the SBT liver GPX has a considerably greater affinity for hydrogen peroxide than for the other two substrates. The pH optimum of the purified enzyme was pH 8.0. Immunoblotting experiments with polyclonal antibodies, raised against a recombinant human GPX, provided further evidence that the purified SBT enzyme is a genuine GPX.     

Kinetic study of the effects of calcium ions on cationic artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) peroxidase: calcium binding, steady-state kinetics and reactions with hydrogen peroxide

The apparent catalytic constant (k(cat)) of artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) peroxidase (AKPC) with 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) increased 130-fold in the presence of calcium ions (Ca2+) but the affinity (K(m)) of the enzyme for ABTS was 500 times lower than for Ca2+-free AKPC. AKPC is known to exhibit an equilibrium between 6-aquo hexa-coordinate and penta-coordinate forms of the haem iron that is modulated by Ca2+ and affects compound I formation. Measurements of the Ca2+ dissociation constant (K(D)) were complicated by the water-association/dissociation equilibrium yielding a global value more than 1000 times too high. The value for the Ca2+ binding step alone has now been determined to be K(D) approximately 10 nM. AKPC-Ca2+ was more resistant to inactivation by hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and exhibited increased catalase activity. An analysis of the complex H(2)O(2) concentration dependent kinetics of Ca2+-free AKPC is presented.     

Reduction of carboxylic acids by Nocardia aldehyde oxidoreductase requires a phosphopantetheinylated enzyme

Aldehyde oxidoreductase (carboxylic acid reductase (Car)) catalyzes the magnesium-, ATP-, and NADPH-dependent reduction of carboxylic acids to their corresponding aldehydes. Heterologous expression of the car gene in Escherichia coli afforded purified recombinant enzyme with a specific activity nearly 50-fold lower than that of purified native Nocardia sp. enzyme. The 5-fold increase in specific activity obtained by incubating purified recombinant Car with CoA and Nocardia cell-free extracts indicated that post-translational phosphopantetheinylation of Car is required for maximum enzyme activity. Nocardia phosphopantetheine transferase (PPTase) expressed in E. coli was isolated and characterized. When incubated with [(3)H]acetyl-CoA and Nocardia PPTase, the labeled acetylphosphopantetheine moiety was incorporated into recombinant Car. Coexpression of Nocardia Car and PPTase in E. coli gave a reductase with nearly 20-fold higher specific activity. Site-directed mutagenesis in which Ser(689) was replaced with Ala resulted in an inactive Car mutant. The results show that Car expressed in Escherichia coli is an apoenzyme that is converted to a holoenzyme by post-translational modification via phosphopantetheinylation. Doubly recombinant resting E. coli cells efficiently reduce vanillic acid to vanillin.     

Cloning, expression, and nucleotide sequence of glgC gene from an allosteric mutant of Escherichia coli B.

The Escherichia coli B mutant strain CL1136 accumulates glycogen at a 3.4- to 4-fold greater rate than the parent E. coli B strain and contains an ADPglucose synthetase with altered kinetic and allosteric properties. The enzyme from CL1136 is less dependent on the allosteric activator, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, for activity and less sensitive to inhibition by AMP than the parent strain enzyme. The structural gene, glgC, for the allosteric mutant enzyme was selected by colony hybridization and cloned into the bacterial plasmid pBR322 by insertion of the chromosomal DNA at the PstI site. One recombinant plasmid, designated pKG3, was isolated from the genomic library of CL1136 containing glgC. The cloned ADPglucose synthetase from the mutant CL1136 was expressed and characterized with respect to kinetic and allosteric properties and found to be identical to the enzyme purified from the CL1136 strain. The mutant glgC was then subcloned into pUC118/119 for dideoxy sequencing of both strands. The mutant glgC sequence was found to differ from the wild-type at the deduced amino acid residue 67 where a single point mutation resulted in a change from arginine to cysteine.     

Increased thermostability and phenol removal efficiency by chemical modified horseradish peroxidase

Horseradish peroxidase was modified by phthalic anhydride and glucosamine hydrochloride. The thermostabilities and removal efficiencies of phenolics by native and modified HRP were assayed. The chemical modification of horseradish peroxidase increased their thermostability (about 10- and 9-fold, respectively) and in turn also increased the removal efficiency of phenolics. The quantitative relationships between removal efficiency of phenol and reaction conditions were also investigated using modified enzyme. The optimum pH for phenol removal is 9.0 for both native and modified forms of the enzyme. Both modified enzyme could suffer from higher temperature than native enzyme in phenol removal reaction. The optimum molar ratio of hydrogen peroxide to phenol was 2.0. The phthalic anhydride modified enzyme required lower dose of enzyme than native horseradish peroxidase to obtain the same removal efficiency. Both modified horseradish peroxidase show greater affinity and specificity of phenol.     

Production of D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine by N-carbamoyl-D-amino acid amidohydrolase-overproducing Escherichia coli strains.

The N-carbamoyl-D-amino acid amidohydrolase (D-carbamoylase) gene from Agrobacterium radiobacter NRRL B11291 has been successfully cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Subcloning of the D-carbamoylase gene into different types of vectors and backgrounds of E. coli strains showed that the optimal expression level of D-carbamoylase was achieved in a ColE1-derived plasmid with a 150-fold increase in specific enzyme activity compared to that in a pSC101-derived plasmid. In addition, the recombinant plasmids were very stable in the E. coli strain ATCC11303 but not in JCL1258 tested here. Employing the recombinant E. coli strain DH5alpha/pAH61 for D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine production showed that the cell was capable of transforming N-carbamoyl-D-hydroxylphenylglycine to D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine with a molar conversion yield of 100% and a production rate of 1.9 g/(L h). In comparison with A. radiobacter NRRL B11291, this productivity approximates a 55-fold increase in D-hydroxyphenylglycine production. This result suggests the potential application of recombinant E. coli strains for the transformation reaction.