Transcriptional Regulation of the Vanillate Utilization Genes (vanABK Operon) of Corynebacterium glutamicum by VanR,a PadR-Like Repressor

Corynebacterium glutamicum is able to utilize vanillate, the product of lignin degradation, as the sole carbon source. The vanillate utilization components are encoded by the vanABK operon. The vanA and vanB genes encode the subunits of vanillate O-demethylase, converting vanillate to protocatechuate, while VanK is the specific vanillate transporter. The vanABK operon is regulated by a PadR-type repressor, VanR. Heterologous gene expression and variations of the vanR open reading frame revealed that the functional VanR contains 192 residues (21 kDa) and forms a dimer, as analyzed by size exclusion chromatography. In vivo, ferulate, vanillin, and vanillate induced P_vanABK in C. glutamicum, while only vanillate induced the activity of P_vanABK in Escherichia coli lacking the ferulate catabolic system. Differential scanning fluorimetry verified that vanillate is the only effector of VanR. Interaction between the P_vanABK DNA fragment and the VanR protein had an equilibrium dissociation constant (K_D) of 15.1 ± 1.7 nM. The VanR-DNA complex had a dissociation rate constant (K_d) of (267 ± 23) × 10⁻⁶ s⁻¹, with a half-life of 43.5 ± 3.6 min. DNase I footprinting localized the VanR binding site at P_vanABK, extending from +9 to +45 on the coding strand. Deletion of the nucleotides +18 to +27 inside the VanR binding site rendered P_vanABK constitutive. Fusion of the T7 promoter and the wild-type VanR operator, as well as its shortened versions, indicated that the inverted repeat AACTAACTAA(N₄)TTAGGTATTT is the specific VanR binding site. It is proposed that the VanR-DNA complex contains two VanR dimers at the VanR operator.     

Structure of a GTP-dependent bacterial PEP-carboxykinase from Corynebacterium glutamicum

GTP-dependent phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK) is the key enzyme that controls the blood glucose level during fasting in higher animals. Here we report the first substrate-free structure of a GTP-dependent phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxykinase from a bacterium, Corynebacterium glutamicum (CgPCK). The protein crystallizes in space group P2₁ with four molecules per asymmetric unit. The 2.3 Å resolution structure was solved by molecular replacement using the human cytosolic PCK (hcPCK) structure (PDB ID: 1KHF) as the starting model. The four molecules in the asymmetric unit pack as two dimers, and is an artifact of crystal packing. However, the P-loop and the guanine binding loop of the substrate-free CgPCK structure have different conformations from the other published GTP-specific PCK structures, which all have bound substrates and/or metal ions. It appears that a change in the P-loop and guanine binding loop conformation is necessary for substrate binding in GTP-specific PCKs, as opposed to overall domain movement in ATP-specific PCKs.     

谷氨酸棒杆菌过氧化氢酶的异源表达、纯化以及酶学性质

过氧化氢酶能催化过氧化氢分解为水和氧气,在工业上有着较为广泛的应用。然而,纺织和造纸工业的特殊的高碱性环境,使得开发碱性过氧化氢酶有着重要的应用价值。利用大肠杆菌表达来自于谷氨酸棒杆菌的过氧化氢酶,对其表达条件进行了优化,并通过镍柱亲和层析的方法分离纯化重组蛋白,然后表征纯酶的酶学性质。最适表达条件为:诱导剂IPTG浓度0.2 mmol/L,诱导温度25℃,诱导时间11 h。过氧化氢酶比酶活达到55 266 U/mg,具有较高的催化活性。该酶具有相当宽泛的p H值适应范围,在p H 4.0–11.5范围内均具有较高的酶活性,并在p H 11.0条件下表现出最高的酶活性。将纯酶在p H 11.0的溶液中处理3 h时剩余酶活为93%,说明该酶在高碱条件下有良好的稳定性。该酶最适温度为30℃,在25–50℃热稳定性较好。其动力学参数Km为25.89mmol/L,Vmax为185.18mmol/(min?mg)。抑制剂十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)、尿素、Na N3、β-巯基乙醇、EDTA对酶活有不同程度的抑制作用。来源于谷氨酸棒杆菌的过氧化氢酶具有较高的催化效率、良好的碱耐受性,在工业生产中有较好...     

L-Tyrosine Production by Analog-resistant Mutants Derived from a Phenylalanine Auxotroph of Corynebacterium glutamicum

Mutants resistant to various phenylalanine- or tyrosine-analogs were isolated from a phenylalanine auxotroph of Corynebacterium glutamicum KY 10233 by treatment with N- methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrose guanidine (NTG) and screened for L-tyrosine production. A mutant, 98–Tx–71, which is resistant to 3-aminotyrosine, p-aminophenylalanine, p-fluoro-phenylalanine, and tyrosine hydroxamate was found to produce L-tyrosine at a concentration of 13.5 mg/ml in the cane molasses medium containing 10% of sugar calculated as glucose. A tyrosine-sensitive mutant, pr–20 which was derived from 98–Tx–71 produced L-tyrosine at a concentration of 17.6 mg/ml. L-Tyrosine formation in the strain pr–20 was found to be still inhibited by L-phenylalanine though it was not inhibited by L-tyrosine. The L-tyrosine formation in the mutant was repressed neither by L-phenylalanine nor by L-tyrosine.     

产丁二酸谷氨酸棒状杆菌基因缺失代谢工程菌株的构建

【目的】提高谷氨酸棒状杆菌(Corynebacterium glutamicum)ATCC13032厌氧条件下的丁二酸产量,并降低发酵产物中副产物的含量。【方法】以谷氨酸棒状杆菌(Corynebacterium glutamicum)ATCC13032为出发菌,首先敲除乳酸形成的关键酶乳酸脱氢酶基因(ldh),构建ldh缺失株谷氨酸棒状杆菌ATCC13032Δldh;然后以缺失株谷氨酸棒状杆菌ATCC13032Δldh为出发菌,敲除该菌的丙酮酸脱氢酶系的E1p酶基因(aceE),构建一株双缺失突变菌株谷氨酸棒状杆菌ATCC13032ΔldhΔaceE。【结果】与供试菌比较,谷氨酸棒状杆菌ATCC13032Δldh的丁二酸产量和转化率分别提高了94.9%和32%,并且主要的副产物乳酸产量由出发菌产量的63.5 g/L降低到很微量的程度。丙酮酸脱氢酶的失活并不能完全消除副产物乙酸的形成,但乙酸的产量较ATCC13032Δldh降低了37.9%,丁二酸的产量略有提高。【结论】该重组菌具有较强的丁二酸生产工业化潜力,并且该研究方法为微生物代谢育种提供参考。     

Isolation and characterization of IS 31831, a transposable element from Corynebacterium glutamicum

A transposable element from a coryneform bacterium, Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 31831 was isolated and characterized. The element IS 31831 is a 1453 bp insertion sequence with 24 bp imperfect terminal inverted repeats. It contains one open reading frame highly homologous at the amino acid level to the transposase of IS 1096 from Mycobacterium smeg-matis. Both IS 31831 and IS 1096 exhibit several common characteristics suggesting that they constitute a new family of insertion sequences. IS 31831 was isolated by taking advantage of the sucrose sensitivity of coryneform bacteria conferred by expression of the Bacillus subtilis sacB gene. An Escherichia coli/ Corynebacterium shuttle vector useful for the isolation of transposable elements from the coryneform group of bacteria was constructed.     

Enhancing Corynebacterium glutamicum robustness by over-expressing a gene,mshA, for mycothiol glycosyltransferase

Over-expression of the gene, mshA, coding for mycothiol glycosyl transferase improved the robustness of Corynebacterium glutamicum to various stresses. Intracellular mycothiol (MSH) content was increased by 114 % in WT(pXMJ19-mshA) compared to WT(pXMJ19). Survival rates increased by 44, 39, 90, 77, 131, 87, 52, 47, 57, 85 and 33 % as compared to WT(pXMJ19) under stress by H₂O₂ (40 mM), methylglyoxal (5.8 mM), erythromycin (0.08 mg ml^?1), streptomycin (0.005 mg ml^?1), Cd²⁺ (0.01 mM), Mn²⁺ (2 mM), formic acid (0.05 %), acetic acid (0.15 %), levulinic acid (0.25 %), furfural (7.2 mM), and ethanol (10 % v/v), respectively. Increased MSH content also decreased the concentration of reactive oxygen species in the presence of the above stresses. Our results may open a new avenue for enhancing robustness of industrial bacteria for production of commodity chemicals.     

Reduced folate supply as a key to enhanced L-serine production by Corynebacterium glutamicum

The amino acid L-serine is required for pharmaceutical purposes, and the availability of a sugar-based microbial process for its production is desirable. However, a number of intracellular utilization routes prevent overproduction of L-serine, with the essential serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) (glyA) probably occupying a key position. We found that constructs of Corynebacterium glutamicum strains where chromosomal glyA expression is dependent on Ptac and lacIQ are unstable, acquiring mutations in lacIQ, for instance. To overcome the inconvenient glyA expression control, we instead considered controlling SHMT activity by the availability of 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate (THF). The pabAB and pabC genes of THF synthesis were identified and deleted in C. glutamicum, and the resulting strains were shown to require folate or 4-aminobenzoate for growth. Whereas the C. glutamicum DeltasdaA strain (pserACB) accumulates only traces of L-serine, with the C. glutamicum DeltapabABCDeltasdaA strain (pserACB), L-serine accumulation and growth responded in a dose-dependent manner to an external folate supply. At 0.1 mM folate, 81 mM L-serine accumulated. In a 20-liter controlled fed-batch culture, a 345 mM L-serine accumulation was achieved. Thus, an efficient and highly competitive process for microbial l-serine production is available.     

Excretion of glutamate from Corynebacterium glutamicum triggered by amine surfactants.

Corynebacterium glutamicum is used for the industrial production of glutamate. Excretion of the amino acid may be induced by various means. We have analyzed the characteristics of glutamate excretion induced by two amine surfactants, dodecylammonium acetate (DA) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTA). Addition of these surfactants induced an immediate efflux of internal glutamate. It also induced a perturbation of the energetic parameters of the cell (decrease of delta mu H, decrease of the internal ATP concentration). The efflux was not the result of these perturbations: glutamate is taken up by the cells via an ATP-dependent unidirectional active transport system and no efflux took place as a consequence of an artificial decrease of the energetic parameters. In addition, amine surfactants also induced an excretion of other species, in particular potassium. We have tested the possibility that the effluxes result from a permeabilization of the lipid bilayer by analyzing the interactions between the surfactants and liposomes.     

Expression,purification, and crystallization of meso-diaminopimelate dehydrogenase from Corynebacterium glutamicum

The gene encoding the meso-diaminopimelate dehydrogenase (DAPDH) from Corynebacterium glutamicum was overexpressed and purified to homogeneity. Crystals of the binary DAPDH-NADP⁺ complex were obtained from solutions of polyethylene glycol 8000, 100 mM sodium cacodylate, pH 6.5, and 150–300 mM Mg(OAc)₂. The crystals diffract to 2.2 Å, belong to the orthorhombic space group P2₁, and contain two molecules per asymmetric unit. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.