Mutant Escherichia coli penicillin acylase with enhanced stability at alkaline pH

Increased stability at alkaline pH should be a valuable attribute for the utilization of penicillin acylase in bioreactors employed to convert penicillins into 6-aminopenicillanic acid, a precursor of semisynthetic penicillins. In these systems, base is added for pH control, which results in local alkaline conditions that promote enzyme inactivation. Hydrolysis and synthesis reactions are also pH dependent. Here, we report work in which the gene coding for Escherichia coli penicillin acylase was subjected to oligonucleotide-directed random mutagenesis at regions coding for amino acids predicted to be at the surface of the enzyme. The resulting mutant library, cloned in E. coli, was screened by a filter paper assay of the colonies for the presence of penicillin acylase activity with enhanced stability at alkaline pH. Characterization of one of the selected clones revealed the presence of a mutation, Trp431-Arg, which would presumably alter the surface charge of the protein. In vitro experiments demonstrated a near twofold increase in the half-life of the mutant enzyme when stored at pH 8.5 as compared with the wild-type enzyme, with a comparable specific activity at several pH values. In general, the mutant displayed increased stability toward the basic side in the pH-stability profile. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Enhanced production of penicillin G acylase from a recombinant Escherichia coli

Penicillin G acylase (pac) gene was cloned into a stable asd ⁺ vector (pYA292) and expressed in Escherichia coli. This recombinant strain produced 1000 units penicillin G acylase g^–1 cell dry wt, which is 23-fold more than that produced by parental Escherichia coli ATCC11105. This enzyme was purified to 16 units mg^–1 protein by a novel two-step process.     

Separation and purification of penicillin acylase from Escherichia coli using AOT reverse micelles

Summary The extraction of penicillin acylase by reverse micellar solutions of a surfactant was studied. A 50 mM solution of dioctyl sodium sulphosuccinate in isooctane extracted 46% of the enzyme activity in a crude periplasmic extract of induced cells of E. coli ATCC 9637. The increase in the specific activity of the final enzyme preparation, after stripping of the organic phase at pH 7.5, in the presence of 1 M KCl, was 8 - fold.Abbreviations PA penicillin acylase (penicillin amidohydrolase EC 3.5.1.11) - AOT Aerosol OT (dioctyl sodium sulphosuccinate) - NIPAB 6-nitro-3-(phenylacetamido)-benzoic acid - NABA 6-nitro-3-aminobenzoic acid - BSA bovine serum albumin - SDS sodium dodecylsulphate     

Permeabilization of Escherichia coli cells for enhanced penicillin acylase activity

Summary Escherichia coli cells with penicillin acylase activity were permeabilized with aqueous solutions of the cationic detergent N-cetyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), at pH 8.0 and the activity was found to have almost doubled. The concentration of CTAB, the time and temperature of treatment were optimised for maximum enzyme activity and were found to be 0.2%, 20 min and 5°C respectively. Subsequently, the cell bound activity was retained for a longer period by chemical cross-linking with 0.1% glutaraldehyde.     

粪产碱杆菌青霉素G酰化酶的分离提取

比较研究了几种破碎大肠杆菌细胞的方法,如渗透压法、超声波法、玻珠震碎法、玻珠研磨法、有机溶剂法、冻融法以及盐酸胍/EDTA法等,以确定出一种简单、快速、高效的破碎重组大肠杆菌细胞的方法获得粪产碱杆菌青霉素G酰化酶(AfPGA)用于后续试验。结果表明玻珠震碎法、超声波法和渗透压法是较优的细胞破碎方法,活力回收率分别为99.7%、78.4%、60.7%,其他方法均低于22%。而比活力以渗透压法为最高,达到4.40 U/mg。     

An improved method to clone penicillin acylase genes: Cloning and expression in Escherichia coli of penicillin G acylase from Kluyvera citrophila

A simple and versatile procedure to clone penicillin acylase genes has been developed. It involves the construction of a plasmid library in a host presenting an amino acid auxotrophy. Recombinant clones carrying the acylase gene were selected on a minimal medium containing instead of the required amino acid its phenylacetyl derivative. Penicillin acylase genes from Escherichia coli ATCC 11105 and Kluyvera citrophila ATCC 21285 have been cloned in E. coli using this technique. The restriction map of the region containing the E. coli penicillin acylase gene was found to be similar to that described by H. Mayer et al. (in: Plasmids of Medical, Environmental and Commercial Importance (Timmis, K.M. and Paler, A., eds.), pp. 459–470, Elsevier, Amsterdam 1979). K. citrophila acylase gene was located within a 3.0 kb Hind III-PvuI fragment. Some differences were observed between the partial restriction maps of both genes. In addition, the production of those clones carrying the E. coli acylase was more sensitive to the growth temperature than that of the clones containing the K. citrophila gene. Bacteria harbouring plasmids containing the K. citrophila acylase sequence were able to produce about 30 fold more enzyme than the parental strain. A 60 000 dalton polypeptide corresponding to the K. citrophila acylase has been detected in a maxicell system. The industrial applications of the procedure are discussed.     

Efficient two-step chromatographic purification of penicillin acylase from clarified Escherichia coli ultrasonic homogenate

A two-step chromatographic purification procedure from clarified Escherichia coli ultrasonic homogenate was evaluated. The capture step included immobilized metal affinity chromatography with Cu²⁺ as metal ion. Two elution methods were performed: 1 M NH₄Cl and 0.01 M imidazole. Respectively, we obtained a different purification fold (16.5 to 3.15) and a similar result for the recovery of activity (90–99%). The best elution method was chosen for the procedure. The second step, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, gave a 3.8-fold purification with 77.7% of activity. The total procedure gave a 66-fold purification in relation to the initial crude extract with 70% for the recovery of activity and was performed without any conditioning step and at the same pH value.     

Expression, purification and crystallization of penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli ATCC 11105

The penicillin acylase gene (pac) from Escherichia coli ATCC 11105 was cloned into pUC 9 and the resulting vector (pUPA-9), when transformed into E. coli strain 5K, allowed the constitutive overproduction of mature penicillin acylase when grown at 28 degrees C. The enzyme was purified from the periplasmic fraction of E. coli pUPA-9 by hydrophobic interaction chromatography and anion exchange. Crystals of penicillin acylase were grown in batch using polyethylene glycol 8000 as a precipitant. The crystals (space group P1) diffracted to beyond 2.3 A.     

雷氏普罗威登斯菌青霉素G酰化酶基因在大肠杆菌中的克隆与表达

利用PCR和分子克隆技术从雷氏普罗威登斯菌（Prouidencia rettgeri)(ATCC29944)的基因组DNA中获得一个青霉素G酰化酶（penicillinGacylase,PGA)基因并将其装入表达质粒pET24a。携带有重组质粒pETPGA的Escherichia coli基因工程菌BL21（DE3）/pETPGA实现了PGA的高效表达,对发酵条件的研究表明基因工程菌在24℃,添加5g/L甘油条件下以1.0mmol/LIPTG诱导1.5h酶活力即达到993.4U/L,比野生菌酶活力（15U/L）提高了66倍。     

Immobilization of permeabilized Escherichia coli cells with penicillin acylase activity.

Escherichia coli cells with penicillin acylase activity were sequentially treated at pH 7.8 with aqueous solutions of N-cetyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide and glutaraldehyde and then immobilized within porous polyacrylamide beads. The immobilized whole cells showed enhanced hydrolysis rates in the conversion of benzylpenicillin to 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) compared to untreated cells immobilized and used under identical conditions. The immobilized system showed no apparent loss in enzyme activity when used repeatedly over 90 cycles for 6-APA production from 4% benzylpenicillin.     

Factors affecting the synthesis of penicillins by the immobilized penicillin acylase from Escherichia coli

The effect of pH, temperature, reactant concentration, and reaction time has been investigated for the synthesis of N-benzhydryl-N′-acetamidopiperazyl-6-penicillanic acid and N-benzyl-N′-acetamidopiperazyl-6-penicillanic acid from 6-aminopenicillanic acid by the immobilized penicillin acylase from Escherichia coli. The synthesis of penicillins from carboxylic acids proceeds most rapidly at pH 5; with ethyl ester derivatives of carboxylic acids the pH optimum is higher (6–7). The most rapid synthesis of penicillins was obtained with ethyl ester derivatives of carboxylic acids. The optimum temperatures were 25–35°C.     

Studies on the isolation of penicillin acylase from Escherichia coli by aqueous two-phase partitioning

A method of enzyme release and aqueous two-phase extraction is described for the separation of penicillin acylase from Escherichia coli cells. Butyl acetate, 12% (v/v), treatment combined with freeze-thawing gives up to 70% enzyme release. For polyethylene glycol (PEG) + phosphate two-phase extraction systems the enzyme purity and yield were rather low. Modified PEG, including PEG-ampicillin, PEG-aniline, PEG-phosphate, and PEG-trimethylamine, were synthesized and used in aqueous two-phase systems; PEG-trimethylamine is the most satisfactory. A system containing 12% (w/w) PEG4000, 8% (w/w) of which is PEG-trimethylamine, with 0.7M potasium phosphate at pH 7.2, resulted in the enzyme selective partition being greatly enhanced by charge directed effects. Possible mechanisms for the separation process are discussed. (c) 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cloning and expression of penicillin acylase genes from overproducing strains of Escherichia coli and Bacillus megaterium

Summary Penicillin acylase genes from Escherichia coli 194, of an overproducing mutant (194-3) of this strain, and of a similar overproducing mutant of Bacillus megaterium UN1 were cloned in E. coli DH1 on the plasmid vector pACYC184. The sizes of chromosomal DNA fragments essential for penicillin acylase production were found by Tn1000 mutagenesis and in vitro deletions to be between 2.2 and 2.5 kb in the case of both E. coli genes and between 2.3 and 2.7 kb in the case of the mutant Bacillus gene. Restriction mapping indicated substantial sequence differences between the E. coli and B. megaterium penicillin acylase genes. Enzyme production in E. coli recombinants from both overproducing mutants was found to be constitutive and higher than in the original strains. The Bacillus penicillin acylase was produced intracellularly in E. coli recombinants, which is in contrast to the normal extracellular production of this enzyme in B. megaterium. Recombinant plasmids containing penicillin acylase genes from either source were found to be unstable in the absence of selection pressure for retention of the vector.     

Leakage of recombinant penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli by adding chloroform under fermentation conditions

A simple method was developed to release periplasmic penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) during the fermentation process. More than 80% of the total penicillin G acylase was released into the broth when 3% (v/v) chloroform was added at 3 h after induction. The activity of extracellular penicillin G acylase reached 20699 U/l. This method was efficient and would facilitate further investigation of penicillin G acylase for industrial applications.     

Isolation and mapping of a mutant penicillin G acylase with altered substrate specificity from Escherichia coli

Summary Penicillin G acylase of Escherichia coli ATCC 11105 catalyzes hydrolysis as wellas synthesis of penicillin G. In this work a recombinant penicillin G acylase genewas mutagenized in vivo. A mutant with altered penicillin G acylase was selectedby its ability to grow with phthalyl-L-leucine as sole source of leucine. Themutant enzyme obtained was deficient in hydrolyzing penicillin G. A mutation ofGly359 to aspartic acid was mapped first by construction of chimeric pac genescomposed of wild type and mutant DNA, followed by nucleotide sequencing.