Thermostability of Bacillus subtilis neutral protease.

The thermostability of the B. subtilis neutral protease was studied under various conditions. At elevated temperatures the enzyme was inactivated as a result of autolysis. The rate of inactivation did not depend on the enzyme concentration and the enzyme was most stable near its pH optimum. The rate of inactivation was unaffected by the presence of a second protease during the incubation at high temperatures. The results indicate that the rate of thermal inactivation of the neutral protease is determined by the kinetics of local unfolding processes that precede autolysis rather than by the catalytic rate of the autodigestion reaction or an irreversible unfolding step.     

Directed Evolution of an Enantioselective Bacillus subtilis Lipase

Chiral compounds are of steadily increasing importance to the chemical industry, in particular for the production of pharmaceuticals. Where do these compounds come from? Apart from natural resources, two synthetic strategies are available: asymmetric chemical catalysis using transition metal catalysts and biocatalysis using enzymes. In the latter case, screening programs have identified a number of enzymes. However, their enantioselectivity is often not high enough for a desired reaction. This problem can be solved by applying directed evolution to create enantioselective enzymes as shown here for a lipase from Bacillus subtilis. The reaction studied was the asymmetric hydrolysis of meso-1,4-diacetoxy-2-cyclopentene with the formation of chiral alcohols which were detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Iterative cycles of random mutagenesis and screening allowed the identification of several variants with improved enantioselectivities. In parallel, we have started to use X-ray structural data to simulate the Bacillus subtilis lipase A-catalyzed substrate hydrolysis by using quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical calculations. This combined approach should finally enable us to devise more efficient strategies for the directed evolution of enantioselective enzymes.     

Directed Evolution of an Enantioselective Bacillus subtilis Lipase

Chiral compounds are of steadily increasing importance to the chemical industry, in particular for the production of pharmaceuticals. Where do these compounds come from? Apart from natural resources, two synthetic strategies are available: asymmetric chemical catalysis using transition metal catalysts and biocatalysis using enzymes. In the latter case, screening programs have identified a number of enzymes. However, their enantioselectivity is often not high enough for a desired reaction. This problem can be solved by applying directed evolution to create enantioselective enzymes as shown here for a lipase from Bacillus subtilis. The reaction studied was the asymmetric hydrolysis of meso-1,4-diacetoxy-Zcyclopentene with the formation of chiral alcohols which were detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Iterative cycles of random mutagenesis and screening allowed the identification of several variants with improved enantioselectivities. In parallel, we have started to use X-ray structural data to simulate the Bacillus subtilis lipase A-catalyzed substrate hydrolysis by using quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical calculations. This combined approach should finally enable us to devise more efficient strategies for the directed evolution of enantioselective enzymes.     

Stabilization of Bacillus subtilis Lipase A by increasing the residual packing

Introduction of well-packed residues to the interior of a protein structure could be considered as a stabilization strategy since the reduction of buried cavities might stabilize protein structure. In this study, the less-packed residues with no water-contact were selected as target sites for increasing residual packing. When Lipase A from Bacillus subtilis (179 amino acids) was used as a model system, 43 less-packed residues were initially considered by analyzing their residual packing value and residual exposure ratio. Among the 43 residues, small amino acids such as GLY and ALA were chosen as target sites. Packing increases of ALA to VAL and GLY to ALA were estimated, by molecular modeling, to give 0.5368∼0.7433 kcal mol^-1 stabilization. Mutants of Lipase A such as A38V, A75V, G80A, A105V A146V, and G172A were obtained via protein engineering. Thermostability assays revealed that A38V, G80A and G172V were the most stable mutants. This procedure for selecting the target residues for improved thermostability of Lipase A could be applied for improving the thermostability of other proteins and enzymes.     

Stabilization of Bacillus subtilis Lipase A by increasing the residual packing

Introduction of well-packed residues to the interior of a protein structure could be considered as a stabilization strategy since the reduction of buried cavities might stabilize protein structure. In this study, the less-packed residues with no water-contact were selected as target sites for increasing residual packing. When Lipase A from Bacillus subtilis (179 amino acids) was used as a model system, 43 less-packed residues were initially considered by analyzing their residual packing value and residual exposure ratio. Among the 43 residues, small amino acids such as GLY and ALA were chosen as target sites. Packing increases of ALA to VAL and GLY to ALA were estimated, by molecular modeling, to give 0.5368～0.7433?kcal mol^?1 stabilization. Mutants of Lipase A such as A38V, A75V, G80A, A105V A146V, and G172A were obtained via protein engineering. Thermostability assays revealed that A38V, G80A and G172V were the most stable mutants. This procedure for selecting the target residues for improved thermostability of Lipase A could be applied for improving the thermostability of other proteins and enzymes.     

Evolved Biofilm: Review on the Experimental Evolution Studies of Bacillus subtilis Pellicles

For several decades, laboratory evolution has served as a powerful method to manipulate microorganisms and to explore long-term dynamics in microbial populations. Next to canonical Escherichia coli planktonic cultures, experimental evolution has expanded into alternative cultivation methods and species, opening the doors to new research questions. Bacillus subtilis, the spore-forming and root-colonizing bacterium, can easily develop in the laboratory as a liquid–air interface colonizing pellicle biofilm. Here, we summarize recent findings derived from this tractable experimental model. Clonal pellicle biofilms of B. subtilis can rapidly undergo morphological and genetic diversification creating new ecological interactions, for example, exploitation by biofilm non-producers. Moreover, long-term exposure to such matrix non-producers can modulate cooperation in biofilms, leading to different phenotypic heterogeneity pattern of matrix production with larger subpopulation of “ON” cells. Alternatively, complementary variants of biofilm non-producers, each lacking a distinct matrix component, can engage in a genetic division of labor, resulting in superior biofilm productivity compared to the “generalist” wild type. Nevertheless, inter-genetic cooperation appears to be evanescent and rapidly vanquished by individual biofilm formation strategies altering the amount or the properties of the remaining matrix component. Finally, fast-evolving mobile genetic elements can unpredictably shift intra-species interactions in B. subtilis biofilms. Understanding evolution in clonal biofilm populations will facilitate future studies in complex multispecies biofilms that are more representative of nature.     

The Effect of Bacillus subtilis on In Vitro Growth and Pathogenicity of Erwinia amylovora

Five isolates of Bacillus subtilis were found to be antagonistic to 3 isolates of Erwinia amylovora in vitro on sucrose agar medium. However, B. subtilis or its culture filtrate did not exhibit any activity against E. amylovora in planta tests in the laboratory on immature green pear fruits or in a commercial pear orchard under natural growing conditions.     

Application of Rigidity Theory to the Thermostabilization of Lipase A from Bacillus subtilis

Protein thermostability is a crucial factor for biotechnological enzyme applications. Protein engineering studies aimed at improving thermostability have successfully applied both directed evolution and rational design. However, for rational approaches, the major challenge remains the prediction of mutation sites and optimal amino acid substitutions. Recently, we showed that such mutation sites can be identified as structural weak spots by rigidity theory-based thermal unfolding simulations of proteins. Here, we describe and validate a unique, ensemble-based, yet highly efficient strategy to predict optimal amino acid substitutions at structural weak spots for improving a protein’s thermostability. For this, we exploit the fact that in the majority of cases an increased structural rigidity of the folded state has been found as the cause for thermostability. When applied prospectively to lipase A from Bacillus subtilis, we achieved both a high success rate (25% over all experimentally tested mutations, which raises to 60% if small-to-large residue mutations and mutations in the active site are excluded) in predicting significantly thermostabilized lipase variants and a remarkably large increase in those variants’ thermostability (up to 6.6°C) based on single amino acid mutations. When considering negative controls in addition and evaluating the performance of our approach as a binary classifier, the accuracy is 63% and increases to 83% if small-to-large residue mutations and mutations in the active site are excluded. The gain in precision (predictive value for increased thermostability) over random classification is 1.6-fold (2.4-fold). Furthermore, an increase in thermostability predicted by our approach significantly points to increased experimental thermostability (p < 0.05). These results suggest that our strategy is a valuable complement to existing methods for rational protein design aimed at improving thermostability.     

少根根霉脂肪酶基因在枯草芽孢杆菌中的诱导表达

利用PCR技术从少根根霉基因组中扩增出脂肪酶成熟肽基因ral,并从枯草芽孢杆菌基因组中扩增出sacB基因的启动子-信号序列(SacB);通过搭桥PCR将SacB序列与ral基因融合,并将该基因表达盒连接到枯草杆菌分泌表达载体pGJ103中构建了脂肪酶基因的诱导表达载体pGJ103-SacB-ral。将重组载体转化至枯草芽孢杆菌后,少根根霉脂肪酶成熟肽基因在SacB启动子-信号序列的调控和蔗糖的诱导下获得表达,产物分泌至胞外。     

枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)碱性脂肪酶基因在毕赤酵母中的表达

将来自枯草芽孢杆菌的碱性脂肪酶基因经密码子优化,全基因合成后克隆到pPICZαA载体,构建了pPICZαA-bsl分泌型重组质粒,该重组质粒经限制性内切酶PmeI线性化后使用LiCl法转化到毕赤酵母X-33,经过筛选获得分泌表达碱性脂肪酶的重组毕赤酵母X-33/pPICZαA-bsl。摇瓶发酵液上清酶活最高可达4.78 U/mL,初步研究了该脂肪酶的酶学性质,其最适作用温度为40-60℃,最适pH9.0,且具有高度耐碱的特性。该重组脂肪酶对旧新闻纸具备较明显的脱墨能力。     

Mutations in the Bacillus subtilis Purine Repressor That Perturb PRPP Effector Function In Vitro and In Vivo

The Bacillus subtilis pur operon repressor (PurR) has a PRPP (5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate) binding motif at residues 199–211. Two PurR PRPP binding region mutations (D203A and D204A) were constructed, and the effects on binding of repressor to the pur operon control site in vitro and on regulation of pur operon expression in vivo were investigated. PRPP significantly inhibited the binding of wild-type but not mutant PurR to pur operon control site DNA. In strains with the D203A and D204A mutations, pur operon expression in vivo was super-repressed by addition of adenine to the growth medium. These results support the role of PRPP in modulating the regulatory function of PurR in vivo. YabJ, the product of the distal gene in the bicistronic purR operon, is also required for PurR function in vivo. Received: 5 January 2000 / Accepted: 9 February 2000     

Engineering of baker's yeasts, E. coli and Bacillus hosts for the production of Bacillus subtilis Lipase A

Lipases are versatile biocatalists showing multiple applications in a wide range of biotechnological processes. The gene lipA coding for Lipase A from Bacillus subtilis was isolated by PCR amplification, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Bacillus subtilis strains, using pBR322, YEplac112 and pUB110-derived vectors, respectively. Lipase activity analysis of the recombinant strains showed that the gene can be properly expressed in all hosts assayed, this being the first time a lipase from bacterial origin can be expressed in baker's S. cerevisiae strains. An important increase of lipase production was obtained in heterologous hosts with respect to that of parental strains, indicating that the described systems can represent a useful tool to enhance productivity of the enzyme for biotechnological applications, including the use of the lipase in bread making, or as a technological additive.     

The Biofilm Regulatory Network from Bacillus subtilis: A Structure-Function Analysis

Bacterial biofilms are notorious for their ability to protect bacteria from environmental challenges, most importantly the action of antibiotics. Bacillus subtilis is an extensively studied model organism used to understand the process of biofilm formation. A complex network of principal regulatory proteins including Spo0A, AbrB, AbbA, Abh, SinR, SinI, SlrR, and RemA, work in concert to transition B. subtilis from the free-swimming planktonic state to the biofilm state. In this review, we explore, connect, and summarize decades worth of structural and biochemical studies that have elucidated this protein signaling network. Since structure dictates function, unraveling aspects of protein molecular mechanisms will allow us to devise ways to exploit critical features of the biofilm regulatory pathway, such as possible therapeutic intervention. This review pools our current knowledge base of B. subtilis biofilm regulatory proteins and highlights potential therapeutic intervention points.     

响应面法优化枯草芽孢杆菌产脂肪酶的合成培养基

对枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)CICC20034利用合成培养基液体发酵产脂肪酶的条件进行了优化。首先采用单因子实验筛选出最适诱导剂为三丁酸甘油酯,氮源为尿素,碳源为葡萄糖,无机盐为MgSO4。在此基础上,利用Plackett-Burman设计对影响产酶因素的效应进行评价,筛选出具有显著效应的三丁酸甘油酯、尿素、KH2PO4和培养基起始pH值4个最显著的因素。用最陡爬坡路径逼近最大产酶区域后,利用响应面中心组合设计对显著因素进行优化,获得最适合成培养基组分为:葡萄糖8g/L,尿素8.57g/L,三丁酸甘油酯2.62%,KH2PO42.59g/L,MgSO4.7H2O0.5g/L,TritonX-1000.5g/L,pH9.47。优化后的B.subtilis CICC 20034胞外脂肪酶活力达0.483U/ml,比初始酶活力0.072U/ml提高了6.7倍。     

In Vitro Characterization of the Type I Toxin-Antitoxin System bsrE/SR5 from Bacillus subtilis

BsrE/SR5 is a new type I toxin/antitoxin system located on the prophage-like region P6 of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome. The bsrE gene encoding a 30-amino acid hydrophobic toxin and the antitoxin gene sr5 overlap at their 3′ ends by 112 bp. Overexpression of bsrE causes cell lysis on agar plates. Here, we present a detailed in vitro analysis of bsrE/SR5. The secondary structures of SR5, bsrE mRNA, and the SR5/bsrE RNA complex were determined. Apparent binding rate constants (k_app) of wild-type and mutated SR5 species with wild-type bsrE mRNA were calculated, and SR5 regions required for efficient inhibition of bsrE mRNA narrowed down. In vivo studies confirmed the in vitro data but indicated that a so far unknown RNA binding protein might exist in B. subtilis that can promote antitoxin/toxin RNA interaction. Using time course experiments, the binding pathway of SR5 and bsrE RNA was elucidated. A comparison with the previously well characterized type I TA system from the B. subtilis chromosome, bsrG/SR4, reveals similarities but also significant differences.