The Core of Allosteric Motion in Thermus caldophilus l-Lactate Dehydrogenase

For Thermus caldophilus l-lactate dehydrogenase (TcLDH), fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) reduced the pyruvate S_0.5 value 10³-fold and increased the V_max value 4-fold at 30 °C and pH 7.0, indicating that TcLDH has a much more T state-sided allosteric equilibrium than Thermus thermophilus l-lactate dehydrogenase, which has only two amino acid replacements, A154G and H179Y. The inactive (T) and active (R) state structures of TcLDH were determined at 1.8 and 2.0 Å resolution, respectively. The structures indicated that two mobile regions, MR1 (positions 172–185) and MR2 (positions 211–221), form a compact core for allosteric motion, and His¹⁷⁹ of MR1 forms constitutive hydrogen bonds with MR2. The Q4(R) mutation, which comprises the L67E, H68D, E178K, and A235R replacements, increased V_max 4-fold but reduced pyruvate S_0.5 only 5-fold in the reaction without FBP. In contrast, the P2 mutation, comprising the R173Q and R216L replacements, did not markedly increase V_max, but 10²-reduced pyruvate S_0.5, and additively increased the FBP-independent activity of the Q4(R) enzyme. The two types of mutation consistently increased the thermal stability of the enzyme. The MR1-MR2 area is a positively charged cluster, and its center approaches another positively charged cluster (N domain cluster) across the Q-axis subunit interface by 5 Å, when the enzyme undergoes the T to R transition. Structural and kinetic analyses thus revealed the simple and unique allosteric machinery of TcLDH, where the MR1-MR2 area pivotally moves during the allosteric motion and mediates the allosteric equilibrium through electrostatic repulsion within the protein molecule.     

An unusual fructose 1,6-bisphosphate-activated lactate dehydrogenase from the ascidian Pyura stolonifera

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was purified from the siphon muscle of the intertidal ascidian Pyura stolonifera. The enzyme is unique among chordate LDHs but resembles some bacterial and platyhelminth LDHs in being activated by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP). Concentrations of FBP in the range 5μM to 0.5 mM increase V_max of the pyruvate reductase reaction by 130% to 210%, and decrease K_m pyruvate 5 to 11 fold and K_m NADH 2.5 to 5 fold. The enzyme is also activated by inorganic phosphate, but requires a 50 fold higher concentration to attain the maximum activation achieved by 0.5 mM FBP. Of a range of metabolites tested, including other glycolytic sugar phosphates, only FBP and inorganic phosphate activated the enzyme. FBP activation was not observed with 16 representative vertebrate LDH homotetramers, but did occur to a limited extent with LDH from an echinoderm. LDH was the only pyruvate reductase enzyme detected in P. stolonifera siphon muscle, and its activity was much greater than that of phosphorylase or phosphofructokinase. The LDH reaction is utilized by P. Stolonifera during prolonged siphon closure on exposure to air when lactate, but not succinate, accumulates in the siphon muscle. While the ascidian enzyme provides the first example of a FBP activated LDH from a chordate, it remains to be determined if this unusual property has any role in metabolic regulation.     

Lactate formation in Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus is regulated by the energy carriers pyrophosphate and ATP

Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus displays superior H₂ yields on a wide range of carbon sources provided that lactate formation is avoided. Nevertheless, a low lactate flux is initiated as the growth rate declined in the transition to the stationary phase, which coincides with a drastic decrease in the glucose consumption and acetate production fluxes. In addition, the decrease in growth rate was accompanied by a sudden increase and then decrease in NADH levels. The V′_MAX of the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) doubled when the cells entered the stationary phase. Kinetic analysis revealed that at the metabolic level LDH activity is regulated through (i) competitive inhibition by pyrophosphate (PPi, k_i=1.7 mM) and NAD (k_i=0.43 mM) and (ii) allosteric activation by FBP (300%), ATP (160%) and ADP (140%). From these data a MWC-based model was derived. Simulations with this model could explain the observed lactate shift by displaying how the sensitivity of LDH activity to NADH/NAD ratio varied with different PP_i concentrations. Moreover, the activation of LDH by ATP indicates that C. saccharolyticus uses LDH as a means to adjusts its flux of ATP and NADH production. To our knowledge, this is the first time PPi is observed as an effector of LDH.     

Cloning and Nucleotide Sequencing of l-Lactate Dehydrogenase Gene from Streptococcus thermophilus M-192

The gene encoding l-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was cloned from an industrial dairy strain of Streptococcus thermophilus M-192 using a synthetic oligonucleotide probe based on the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The enzyme was deduced to have 328 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 35,428 and found to have high sequence similarity to LDHs from other lactic acid bacteria (89.0% to Streptococcus mutans, 76.3% to Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, 67% to Lactobacillus casei, and 60% to Lactobacillus plantarum). The gene contained a promoter-like sequence similar to the Escherichia coli promoter consensus, and expression of the S. thermophilus LDH gene was observed in E. coli cells.     

In Situ Determination of the Intracellular pH of Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus plantarum during Pressure Treatment

Hydrostatic pressure may affect the intracellular pH of microorganisms by (i) enhancing the dissociation of weak organic acids and (ii) increasing the permeability of the cytoplasmic membrane and inactivation of enzymes required for pH homeostasis. The internal pHs of Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus plantarum during and after pressure treatment at 200 and 300 MPa and at pH values ranging from 4.0 to 6.5 were determined. Pressure treatment at 200 MPa for up to 20 min did not reduce the viability of either strain at pH 6.5. Pressure treatment at pH 6.5 and 300 MPa reduced viable cell counts of Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus plantarum by 5 log after 20 and 120 min, respectively. Pressure inactivation was faster at pH 5 or 4. At ambient pressure, both strains maintained a transmembrane pH gradient of 1 pH unit at neutral pH and about 2 pH units at pH 4.0. During pressure treatment at 200 and 300 MPa, the internal pH of L. lactis was decreased to the value of the extracellular pH during compression. The same result was observed during treatment of Lactobacillus plantarum at 300 MPa. Lactobacillus plantarum was unable to restore the internal pH after a compression-decompression cycle at 300 MPa and pH 6.5. Lactococcus lactis lost the ability to restore its internal pH after 20 and 4 min of pressure treatment at 200 and 300 MPa, respectively. As a consequence, pressure-mediated stress reactions and cell death may be considered secondary effects promoted by pH and other environmental conditions.     

Streptococcal 5′-Nucleotidase A (S5nA), a Novel Streptococcus pyogenes Virulence Factor That Facilitates Immune Evasion

Streptococcus pyogenes is an important human pathogen that causes a wide range of diseases. Using bioinformatics analysis of the complete S. pyogenes strain SF370 genome, we have identified a novel S. pyogenes virulence factor, which we termed streptococcal 5′-nucleotidase A (S5nA). A recombinant form of S5nA hydrolyzed AMP and ADP, but not ATP, to generate the immunomodulatory molecule adenosine. Michaelis-Menten kinetics revealed a K_m of 169 μm and a V_max of 7550 nmol/mg/min for the substrate AMP. Furthermore, recombinant S5nA acted synergistically with S. pyogenes nuclease A to generate macrophage-toxic deoxyadenosine from DNA. The enzyme showed optimal activity between pH 5 and pH 6.5 and between 37 and 47 °C. Like other 5′-nucleotidases, S5nA requires divalent cations and was active in the presence of Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, or Mn²⁺. However, Zn²⁺ inhibited the enzymatic activity. Structural modeling combined with mutational analysis revealed a highly conserved catalytic dyad as well as conserved substrate and cation-binding sites. Recombinant S5nA significantly increased the survival of the non-pathogenic bacterium Lactococcus lactis during a human whole blood killing assay in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting a role as an S. pyogenes virulence factor. In conclusion, we have identified a novel S. pyogenes enzyme with 5′-nucleotidase activity and immune evasion properties.     

Development of lactic acid bacteria during early stages of fermentation in fish silage

Summary The development of various lactic acid bacteria during the early stages of fermentation (1–6 days after ensiling) in fish silage was studied. The first type of organisms that grew fastest was the oval cocci (most of them resembledLeuconostoc mesenteroides andStreptococcus lactis) followed by round cocci (mostlyS. faecalis). The number of oval cocci increased rapidly one day after ensiling and then decreased after 2–3 days. The round cocci increased first after 2–3 days and then decreased slowly after 4–5 days. Lactobacilli began to increase in number (more than 10¹⁰ per g silage) first after 6 days. Thus the pH in the silage was mainly lowered by the action of streptococci. Also in MRS medium the pH was more rapidly lowered byS. faecalis than byLactobacillus plantarum and other rods.     

Interrelations between pH and temperature for the catalytic rate of the M4 lsozyme of lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.27) from goldfish (Carassius auratus L.).

A kinetic study of the rate of pyruvate reduction by goldfish LDH-M₄ (the homotetrameric form of lactate dehydrogenase which predominates in skeletal muscle) provided an analysis of the effects of pH and temperature on v (reaction velocity) and estimates of how temperature might affect catalysis in vivo, where the physiological pH regulation imposes a temperature coefficient of ?0.015 to ?0.020 pH unit/ °C. Consistent with published data for other LDHs, (i) V (maximum reaction velocity) was pH insensitive over a physiological pH range, (ii) the K_m for pyruvate, K_P, was sensitive to both pH and temperature, and (iii) the K_m for NADH and the dissociation constant for NADH were both sensitive to temperature, but not to pH. V approximately doubled with each 10 °C (E_a = 11.7 kcal/mol). The effects of pH and temperature on K_P were consistent with two enthalpic contributions, an ionization enthalpy (ΔH_i^°) of 7.2 kcal/mol (probably a histidine imidazole), and an enthalpy (ΔH_SO) of 5.8 kcal/mol for the combination of pyruvate with the nonionized (pH ? pK′) LDH-NADH complex. When the pH was varied according to the physiological temperature coefficient, v was more sensitive to temperature than for conditions of constant pH, the usual design of kinetic experiments. This effect was due to the decreased temperature sensitivity of K_P caused by partial concellation of the ΔH_i^° effect by the pH regulation: $\text{d}\text{pH}\text{dT}\text{?}\text{d}\text{p}\text{K′}\text{dT}$. At constant pH, on the other hand, K_P increased strongly with temperature and had the effect of offsetting (especially at higher pH values) the large increases in V. It was suggested that the magnitudes of ΔH_i^° and ΔH_SO might have been important in the evolution of LDHs and other enzymes of cold-blooded animals.     

Dietary Enterococcus faecalis LAB31 Improves Growth Performance,Reduces Diarrhea,and Increases Fecal Lactobacillus Number of Weaned Piglets

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been shown to enhance performance of weaned piglets. However, few studies have reported the addition of LAB Enterococcus faecalis as alternatives to growth promoting antibiotics for weaned piglets. This study evaluated the effects of dietary E. faecalis LAB31 on the growth performance, diarrhea incidence, blood parameters, fecal bacterial and Lactobacillus communities in weaned piglets. A total of 360 piglets weaned at 26 ± 2 days of age were randomly allotted to 5 groups (20 pens, with 4 pens for each group) for a trial of 28 days: group N (negative control, without antibiotics or probiotics); group P (Neomycin sulfate, 100 mg/kg feed); groups L, M and H (supplemented with E. faecalis LAB31 0.5×10⁹, 1.0×10⁹, and 2.5×10⁹ CFU/kg feed, respectively). Average daily gain and feed conversion efficiency were found to be higher in group H than in group N, and showed significant differences between group H and group P (P₀ < 0.05). Furthermore, groups H and P had a lower diarrhea index than the other three groups (P₀ < 0.05). Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that the application of probiotics to the diet changed the bacterial community, with a higher bacterial diversity in group M than in the other four groups. Real-time PCR revealed that the relative number of Lactobacillus increased by addition of probiotics, and was higher in group H than in group N (P₀ < 0.05). However, group-specific PCR-DGGE showed no obvious difference among the five groups in Lactobacillus composition and diversity. Therefore, the dietary addition of E. faecalis LAB31 can improve growth performance, reduce diarrhea, and increase the relative number of Lactobacillus in feces of weaned piglets.     

Identification and probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria from camel milk

In the present study, a total of 80 presumed lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from camel milk. Selected LAB were identified as Lactococcus lactis (cam 12), Enterococcus lactis (cam 14) and Lactobacillus plantarum (cam 15) and their potential were tested by tolerance & de-conjugation of bile salts, antimicrobial activity, surface hydrophobicity and adhesion potential) along with this of probiotics were evaluated for curd formation and assessed for sensory properties and syneresis. Selected LABs showed antimicrobial activity against wide range of pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus and Escherchiaia. coli). LAB (cam 12, cam 14 and cam15) were highly sceptible to chloramphenicol, vancomycin, and tetracyclin. In vitro adhesion studies with Caco-2 cells demonstrated strong adhesion activity with hydrophobicity (99%) was observed. Acute oral toxicity of E. lactis and L. plantarum showed non-toxic, non-virulent and safe for industrial application. The study provides potential LAB which may act as a substitute of functional food, synthetic feed and industrial curd formulation with in the shortest span (240 min at 28–32 °C).     

Metabolic Engineering of Mannitol Production in Lactococcus lactis: Influence of Overexpression of Mannitol 1-Phosphate Dehydrogenase in Different Genetic Backgrounds

To obtain a mannitol-producing Lactococcus lactis strain, the mannitol 1-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (mtlD) from Lactobacillus plantarum was overexpressed in a wild-type strain, a lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)-deficient strain, and a strain with reduced phosphofructokinase activity. High-performance liquid chromatography and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis revealed that small amounts (<1%) of mannitol were formed by growing cells of mtlD-overexpressing LDH-deficient and phosphofructokinase-reduced strains, whereas resting cells of the LDH-deficient transformant converted 25% of glucose into mannitol. Moreover, the formed mannitol was not reutilized upon glucose depletion. Of the metabolic-engineering strategies investigated in this work, mtlD-overexpressing LDH-deficient L. lactis seemed to be the most promising strain for mannitol production.     

Inhibition of Rhizopus lactate dehydrogenase by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate

The closely related fungi Rhizopus oryzae and Rhizopus delemar are often used for the production of lactic and fumaric acid, respectively. These organisms differ primarily by their ability to regenerate NAD through alternative fermentative routes. R. oryzae contains an NAD-dependent l-lactate dehydrogenase enzyme, RO-LdhA, that is primarily responsible for production of lactic acid, while both organisms contain another enzyme, LdhB that is thought to be involved in lactic acid production only under certain growth conditions. We have characterized LdhB from both R. oryzae and R. delemar, respectively referred to as RO-LdhB and RD-LdhB in this study, and have determined that RO-LdhB is significantly more effective than RD-LdhB with regard to k_cat/K_m with reductive LDH activity. Only negligible oxidative LDH activity could be measured with both enzymes; however, the presence of an amino terminal fusion with a small ubiquitin-related modifier, SUMO, increased the oxidative activity per μmol protein by more than 100-fold, while having little effect on the reductive LDH activity. We also determined that RO-LdhA, RO-LdhB, and RD-LdhB were all significantly inhibited in a non-competitive manner by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) with K_i values of 1.2, 3.2, and 28.8 mM. Intracellular concentrations of FBP were tested with fermentative conditions to demonstrate that this metabolic intermediate does accumulate to levels that would likely cause inhibition of the R. oryzae LDH. Possible reasons for the significant K_i differences between the nearly identical LdhB proteins are discussed.     

Synthesis of γ-Aminobutyric Acid by Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from a Variety of Italian Cheeses

The concentrations of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in 22 Italian cheese varieties that differ in several technological traits markedly varied from 0.26 to 391 mg kg⁻¹. Presumptive lactic acid bacteria were isolated from each cheese variety (total of 440 isolates) and screened for the capacity to synthesize GABA. Only 61 isolates showed this activity and were identified by partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Twelve species were found. Lactobacillus paracasei PF6, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus PR1, Lactococcus lactis PU1, Lactobacillus plantarum C48, and Lactobacillus brevis PM17 were the best GABA-producing strains during fermentation of reconstituted skimmed milk. Except for L. plantarum C48, all these strains were isolated from cheeses with the highest concentrations of GABA. A core fragment of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) DNA was isolated from L. paracasei PF6, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus PR1, L. lactis PU1, and L. plantarum C48 by using primers based on two highly conserved regions of GAD. A PCR product of ca. 540 bp was found for all the strains. The amino acid sequences deduced from nucleotide sequence analysis showed 98, 99, 90, and 85% identity to GadB of L. plantarum WCFS1 for L. paracasei PF6, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus PR1, L. lactis PU1, and L. plantarum C48, respectively. Except for L. lactis PU1, the three lactobacillus strains survived and synthesized GABA under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The findings of this study provide a potential basis for exploiting selected cheese-related lactobacilli to develop health-promoting dairy products enriched in GABA.     

Protein expression vector and secretion signal peptide optimization to drive the production, secretion, and functional expression of the bacteriocin enterocin A in lactic acid bacteria

Replacement of the leader sequence (LS) of the bacteriocin enterocin A (LS_entA) by the signal peptides (SP) of the protein Usp45 (SP_usp45), and the bacteriocins enterocin P (SP_entP), and hiracin JM79 (SP_hirJM79) permits the production, secretion, and functional expression of EntA by different lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Chimeric genes encoding the SP_usp45, the SP_entP, and the SP_hirJM79 fused to mature EntA plus the EntA immunity genes (entA + entiA) were cloned into the expression vectors pNZ8048 and pMSP3545, under control of the inducible P_nisA promoter, and in pMG36c, under control of the constitutive P₃₂ promoter. The amount, antimicrobial activity, and specific antimicrobial activity of the EntA produced by the recombinant Lactococcus lactis, Enterococcus faecium, E. faecalis, Lactobacillus sakei and Pediococcus acidilactici hosts varied depending on the signal peptide, the expression vector, and the host strain. However, the antimicrobial activity and the specific antimicrobial activity of the EntA produced by most of the LAB transformants was lower than expected from their production. The supernatants of the recombinant L. lactis NZ9000 (pNZUAI) and L. lactis NZ9000 (pNZHAI), overproducers of EntA, showed a 1.2- to 5.1-fold higher antimicrobial activity than that of the natural producer E. faecium T136 against different Listeria spp.     

pH Homeostasis and Citric Acid Utilization: Differences Between Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Lactococcus lactis

This study presents the effects of citric acid and extracellular pH (pH_e) on the intracellular pH (pH_i) of wild-type and citrate negative variants (cit⁻) Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides (Ln. mesenteroides M) and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis bv. diacetylactis (L. lactis LD). A recent method using a pH-sensitive fluorescent indicator carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (cFSE) was adapted to measure the pH_i of these two lactic acid bacteria in resting cells. Energized cells with 10 mM lactose of Ln. mesenteroides M and L. lactis LD modified their pH gradient (ΔpH) in the same manner; when the pH_e was decreased from 7 to 4, the pH_i decreased from 7 to about 5. The adjunction of 10 mM citric acid had no effect on the pH_i of wild-type and cit(−) variant of L. lactis LD, nor on the pH_i of Ln. mesenteroides cit(−) variant. Nevertheless, in Ln. mesenteroides M wild-type, citric acid utilization increased the pH_i, which was maintained at about 6.5–7.0 when the pH_e was decreased from 7 to 4. It could be concluded that citric acid allows the maintenance of pH homeostasis in Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Received: 7 March 1997 / Accepted: 14 April 1997     

Growth of Streptococcus faecalis var. liquefaciens on Plants

The proliferation of Streptococcus faecalis var. liquefaciens on two varieties of beans, and on corn, rye, and cabbage was investigated. Comparisons were made with growth patterns on these same plants exhibited by S. lactis and Lactobacillus plantarum. The ability of each of the bacteria to multiply and to spread to new plant parts as they developed from seed was studied under several environmental conditions. Plants were grown aseptically in glass culture and in sterilized and non-sterilized soil in the greenhouse. Quantitative estimations of increase in bacterial numbers were made. S. faecalis established commensal growth on each of five plants, although selectivity was noted for some plant parts. The organism increased in numbers on the plants equally as well as did the control bacteria, both alone, and in competition with the control bacteria and the microflora of the soil.     

Regulation of C3-enzymes in facultative phototrophic bacteria

Pyruvate kinase (EC2.7.1.40) from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides was purified 40-fold by precipitation with protamine sulfate and ammonium sulfate followed by gelfiltration. The preparations obtained from cells grown with different carbon sources or cultural conditions differ with respect to specific activity but not with respect to molecular weight (250000 dalton) or regulatory properties. The phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-saturation curve of the enzyme is sigmoidal with Hill coefficients varying from n _H =1.8 (pH 9.2) to 2.7 (pH 6.0). The enzyme is activated by adenosinemonophosphate (AMP) and the sugarmonophosphates ribose-5-phosphate (R-5-P), glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P), and-to a lesser extent-fructose-6-phosphate (F-6-P). Fructose-1.6-bisphosphate (FDP) has no measurable effect. Inhibitors of the enzyme are adenosintriphosphate (ATP), inorganic phosphate (P _i ) and the dicarboxylic acids succinate and fumarate. Kinetic analysis reveals that the sugar-phosphates and the dicarboxylic acids act as true allosteric ligands, wheras the effects of AMP, ATP, and P _i cannot be interpreted solely in terms of allosteric interactions. Cold-treatment of the enzyme leads to a rapid loss of activity, but does not change the regulatory properties of the enzyme. Analysis of the kinetics of cold-inactivation and its reversal at 30°C, together with studies on the gelfiltration behaviour of the native and the cold-treated enzyme make it likely that the cold-induced loss of activity is due to a dissociation of the enzyme.