土壤宏基因组文库来源酯酶的鉴定与表征

【目的】利用宏基因组学技术挖掘土壤微生物来源的新型酯酶。【方法】构建土壤微生物宏基因组文库,利用三丁酸甘油酯平板法对所构建的文库进行筛选,并对阳性克隆中鉴定出的酯酶基因进行异源表达和生物化学特性分析。【结果】通过筛选文库中的12万个克隆,获得了一个阳性克隆,对克隆中的DNA片段进行序列分析,发现了一个可能的酯酶基因,通过研究其表达产物,确定其最适pH为9.0,最适反应温度为56°C,在90°C下仍可保持20%的酶活性;能专一性水解短链脂类,对长链脂类无水解作用;对一定浓度范围内的有机试剂如二甲基亚砜、甲醇、乙醇有较好的耐受性,尤其当二甲基亚砜含量为10%(体积比)时,相对酶活可提高44%。【结论】不依赖于微生物可培养性的宏基因组学技术可以发现新的活性酶,本研究获得的对高温、有机试剂有较好耐受性的酯酶ESTYN1具有在工业生产中应用的潜力。     

Isolation and biochemical characterization of two lipases from a metagenomic library of China Holstein cow rumen

Two novel lipase genes RlipE1 and RlipE2 which encoded 361- and 265-amino acid peptides, respectively, were recovered from a metagenomic library of the rumen microbiota of Chinese Holstein cows. A BLAST search revealed a high similarity (90%) between RlipE2 and a carboxylesterase from Thermosinus carboxydivorans Nor1, while there was a low similarity (below 50%) between RlipE1 and other lipases. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that RlipE2 clustered with the lipolytic enzymes from family V while RlipE1 clustered with six other putative bacterial lipases which might constitute a new subfamily. The recombinant lipases were thermally unstable and retained 60% activity over a pH range of 6.5-8.5. Substrate specificity assay indicated that both enzymes had higher hydrolytic activity toward laurate (C₁₂), palmitate (C₁₆) and stearate (C₁₈). The novel phylogenetic affiliation and high specificity of both enzymes for long-chain fatty acid make them interesting targets for manipulation of rumen lipid metabolism.     

Identification and characterization of a novel cold-adapted esterase from a metagenomic library of mountain soil

A novel lipolytic enzyme was isolated from a metagenomic library after demonstration of lipolytic activity on an LB agar plate containing 1% (w/v) tributyrin. A novel esterase gene (estIM1), encoding a lipolytic enzyme (EstIM1), was cloned using a shotgun method from a pFosEstIM1 clone of the metagenomic library, and the enzyme was characterized. The estIM1 gene had an open reading frame (ORF) of 936 base pairs and encoded a protein of 311 amino acids with a molecular mass 34 kDa and a pI value of 4.32. The deduced amino acid sequence was 62% identical to that of an esterase from an uncultured bacterium (ABQ11271). The amino acid sequence indicated that EstIM1 was a member of the family IV of lipolytic enzymes, all of which contain a GDSAG motif shared with similar enzymes of lactic acid microorganisms. EstIM1 was active over a temperature range of 1–50°C, at alkaline pH. The activation energy for hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl propionate was 1.04 kcal/mol, within a temperature range of 1–40°C. The activity of EstIM1 was about 60% of maximal even at 1°C, suggesting that EstIM1 is efficiently cold-adapted. Further characterization of this cold-adapted enzyme indicated that the esterase may be very valuable in industrial applications.     

瘤胃微生物元基因组来源的新的组成型启动子获取

【目的】自极端环境来源的微生物的基因组中筛选新型的可用于合成生物学底盘细胞设计的启动子元件。【方法】本研究以含有绿色荧光蛋白结构基因和核糖体结合位点的探针型质粒pUC18-GFP为载体,通过构建瘤胃微生物元基因组质粒文库,从文库中快速高效筛选具有启动子功能的DNA片段。并且通过基于神经网络的启动子预测分析,获得可能的启动子区域。以绿色荧光蛋白和施氏假单胞菌Pseudomonas stutzeri来源的麦芽四糖淀粉酶作为报告基因验证所获得的新启动子片段的功能。【结果】我们从约3750个转化子中筛选到22条具有组成型启动子功能的DNA片段。这些片段与NCBI数据库中已报道的基因序列同源性较低,启动效率高低不等。我们通过启动子预测和亚克隆的方法获得两条全新的启动子片段RFa1p2 (76 bp)和RFb4p (547 bp)。此新的组成型启动子可以在不添加任何诱导剂的情况下启动异源蛋白在大肠杆菌基因工程菌中高效表达。     

Screening and characterization of a novel esterase from a metagenomic library

Metagenomes from various environmental soils were screened using alpha-naphthyl acetate and Fast Blue RR for a novel ester-hydrolyzing enzyme on Escherichia coli. Stepwise fragmentations and subcloning of the initial insert DNA (30-40 kb) using restriction enzymes selected to exclude already known esterases with subsequent screenings resulted in a positive clone with a 2.5-kb DNA fragment. The cloned sequence included an open reading frame consisting of 1089 bp, designated as est25, encoding a protein of 363 amino acids with a molecular mass of about 38.3 kDa. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed only moderate identity (< or = 48%) to the known esterases/lipases in the databases containing the conserved sequence motifs of esterases/lipases, such as HGGG (residues 124-127), GxSxG (residues 199-203), and the putative catalytic triad composed of Ser201, Asp303, and His333. Est25 was functionally overexpressed in a soluble form in E. coli with optimal activity at pH 7.0 and 25 degrees C. The purified Est25 exhibited hydrolyzing activity toward p-nitrophenyl (NP)-fatty acyl esters with short-length acyl chains (< or = C6) with the highest activity toward p-NP-acetate (Km=1.0 mM and Vmax = 63.7 U/mg), but not with chain lengths > or = C8, demonstrating that Est25 is an esterase originated most likely from a mesophilic microorganism in soils. Est25 efficiently hydrolyzed (R,S)-ketoprofen ethyl ester with Km of 16.4 mM and Vmax of 59.1 U/mg with slight enantioselectivity toward (R)-ketoprofen ethyl ester. This study demonstrates that functional screening combined with the sequential uses of restriction enzymes to exclude already known enzymes is a useful approach for isolating novel enzymes from a metagenome.     

Isolation and characterization of a thermostable esterase from a metagenomic library

A novel esterase gene was isolated by functional screening of a metagenomic library prepared from an activated sludge sample. The gene (est-XG2) consists of 1,506 bp with GC content of 74.8 %, and encodes a protein of 501 amino acids with a molecular mass of 53 kDa. Sequence alignment revealed that Est-XG2 shows a maximum amino acid identity (47 %) with the carboxylesterase from Thermaerobacter marianensis DSM 12885 (YP_004101478). The catalytic triad of Est-XG2 was predicted to be Ser₁₉₂-Glu₃₁₃-His₄₁₂ with Ser₁₉₂ in a conserved pentapeptide (GXSXG), and further confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. Phylogenetic analysis suggested Est-XG2 belongs to the bacterial lipase/esterase family VII. The recombinant Est-XG2, expressed and purified from Escherichia coli, preferred to hydrolyze short and medium length p-nitrophenyl esters with the best substrate being p-nitrophenyl acetate (K _m and k _cat of 0.33 mM and 36.21 s^?1, respectively). The purified enzyme also had the ability to cleave sterically hindered esters of tertiary alcohols. Biochemical characterization of Est-XG2 revealed that it is a thermophilic esterase that exhibits optimum activity at pH 8.5 and 70 °C. Est-XG2 had moderate tolerance to organic solvents and surfactants. The unique properties of Est-XG2, high thermostability and stability in the presence of organic solvents, may render it a potential candidate for industrial applications.     

Screening and characterization of a cellulase gene from the gut microflora of abalone using metagenomic library

A metagenomic fosmid library was constructed using genomic DNA isolated from abalone intestine. Screening of a library of 3,840 clones revealed a 36 kb insert of a cellulase positive clone (pAMHElO). A shotgun clone library was constructed using the positive clone (pAMHElO) and further screening of 3,840 shotgun clones with an approximately 5 kb insert size using a Congo red overlay revealed only one cellulase positive clone (pAMHL9). The pAMHL9 consisted of a 5,293-bp DNA sequence and three open reading frames (ORFs). Among the three ORFs, cellulase activity was only shown in the recombinant protein (CelAMll) coded by ORF3, which showed 100% identity with outer membrane protein A from Vibrio alginolyticus 12G01, but no significant sequence homology to known cellulases. The expressed protein (CelAMll) has a molecular weight of approximately 37 kDa and the highest CMC hydrolysis activity was observed at pH 7.0 and 37°C. The carboxymethyl cellulase activity was determined by zymogram active staining and different degraded product profiles for CelAMll were obtained when cellotetraose and cellopentaose were used as the substrates, while no substrate hydrolysis was observed on oligosaccharides such as cellobiose and cellotriose.     

Isolation of a novel gene encoding a 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol degrading enzyme from a cow rumen metagenomic library

3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) is a major metabolite of the insecticide chlorpyrifos and is hazardous to human and animal health. A gene encoding a TCP degrading enzyme was cloned from a metagenomic library prepared from cow rumen. The gene (tcp3A) is 2.5 kb in length, encoding a protein (Tcp3A) of 599 amino acid residues. Tcp3A has a potential signal sequence, as well as a putative ATP/GTP binding site, and a likely amidation site. The molecular weight of the enzyme is 62 kDa by SDS–PAGE. Comparison of Tcp3A with the NCBI database using BLASTP revealed homology to amidohydrolase proteins. Recombinant Escherichia coli harboring the tcp3A gene could utilize TCP as the sole source of carbon. TLC and HPLC revealed that TCP was degraded by recombinant E. coli harboring tcp3A. This is the first report of a gene encoding a TCP degrading enzyme.     

Identification and characterization of a novel salt‐tolerant esterase from a Tibetan glacier metagenomic library

A salt‐tolerant esterase, designated H9Est, was identified from a metagenomic library of the Karuola glacier. H9Est gene comprised 1071 bp and encoded a polypeptide of 357 amino acids with a molecular mass of 40 kDa. Sequence analysis revealed that H9Est belonged to the family IV of bacterial lypolitic enzyme. H9Est was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and the purified enzyme showed hydrolytic activity towards p‐nitrophenyl esters with carbon chain from 2 to 8. The optimal esterase activity was at 40°C and pH 8.0 and the enzyme retained its activity towards some miscible organic solvents such as polyethylene glycol. A three‐dimensional model of H9Est revealed that S200, D294, and H324 formed the H9Est catalytic triad. Circular Dichroism spectra and molecular dynamic simulation indicated that the esterase had a wide denaturation temperature range and flexible loops that would be beneficial for H9Est performance at low temperatures while retaining heat‐resistant features. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:890–899, 2015     

Screening and characterization of a novel fibrinolytic metalloprotease from a metagenomic library

A metagenomic library was constructed using total genomic DNA extracted from the mud in the west coast of Korea and was used together with a fosmid vector, pCC1FOS in order to uncover novel gene sources. One clone from approximately 30,000 recombinant Escherichia coli clones was identified that showed proteolytic activity. The gene for the proteolytic enzyme was subcloned into pUC19 and sequenced, and a database search for homologies revealed it to be a zinc-dependent metalloprotease. The cloned gene included the intact coding gene for a novel metalloproteinase and its own promoter. It comprised an open reading frame of 1,080 base pairs, which encodes a protein of 39,490 Da consisting of 359 amino acid residues. A His-Glu-X-X-His sequence, which is a conserved sequence in the active site of zinc-dependent metalloproteases, was found in the deduced amino acid sequence of the gene, suggesting that the enzyme is a zinc-dependent metalloprotease. The purified enzyme showed optimal activity at 50°C for 1 h and pH 7.0. The enzyme activity was inhibited by metal-chelating reagents, such as EDTA, EGTA and 1,10-phenanthroline. The enzyme hydrolyzed azocasein as well as fibrin. Thus, the enzyme could be useful as a therapeutic agent to treat thrombosis. The sequence reported in this paper has been deposited in the GenBank database (Accession number: EF100137).     

牦牛瘤胃元基因组文库中木聚糖酶基因的分析

【目的】了解牦牛瘤胃微生物木聚糖酶多样性及其降解特征,为木聚糖降解提供新的基因资源。【方法】根据对已构建的瘤胃微生物元基因组细菌人工染色体(BAC)克隆文库高通量测序结果的注释,筛选其中编码木聚糖酶的基因并进行多样性分析;对其中一个木聚糖酶基因及其连锁的木糖苷酶基因进行克隆表达和酶学性质表征,分析其协同作用。【结果】共筛选到14个木聚糖酶基因,均编码GH10家族木聚糖酶,其氨基酸序列之间的相似性为20.5%-91.3%;其中7个木聚糖酶基因所在的不同的DNA片段(contig)上存在木糖苷酶基因,编码的木糖苷酶属于GH43或GH3糖苷水解酶家族。将其中一对连锁的木聚糖酶(Xyn32)和木糖苷酶基因(Xyl33)分别克隆、表达和纯化。纯化后的木聚糖酶比活为1.98 IU/mg,但不具有阿魏酸酯酶活性;木糖苷酶比活为0.07 U/mg,且具有α-阿拉伯呋喃糖苷酶活性。体外实验证明,木糖苷酶Xyl33对与之连锁的木聚糖酶Xyn32的木聚糖降解具有协同作用。     

Cloning and enzymatic characterization of a xylanase gene from a soil-derived metagenomic library with an efficient approach

Screening interesting biocatalysts directly from soil samples is a more convenient and applicable approach than conventional cultivation-dependent ones. In our present work, a soil-derived metagenomic library containing 24,000 transformants was constructed with an efficient strategy for cloning xylanase genes. A gene encoding the enzyme (XynH) able to hydrolyze xylan was obtained. Similarity analysis revealed that this enzyme is a new member in the family 10 of xylanases. The molecular mass of XynH purified from Escherichia coli was estimated to be 39 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis. It was found to display the maximal activity at lower temperature, under weakly alkaline conditions, different from most of xylanases. The K _m and V_max values of XynH with birchwood xylan as substrate are 7.5 mg/ml and 190 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹, respectively. It is greatly interesting to note that the activity of XynH was not reduced significantly by Mn²⁺, Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, Ag⁺, and Cu²⁺, even at the concentration of 5 mM, which strongly inhibits most of the other xylanases studied previously. Yong Hu and Guimin Zhang contributed equally to this work.     

Isolation and characterization of a novel glycosyl hydrolase family 74 (GH74) cellulase from the black goat rumen metagenomic library

This study aimed to isolate and characterize a novel cellulolytic enzyme from black goat rumen by using a culture-independent approach. A metagenomic fosmid library was constructed from black goat rumen contents and screened for a novel cellulase. The KG37 gene encoding a protein of 858 amino acid residues (92.7 kDa) was isolated. The deduced protein contained a glycosyl hydrolase family 74 (GH74) domain and showed 77% sequence identity to two endo-1,4-β-glucanases from Fibrobacter succinogenes. The novel GH74 cellulase gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and its protein product was functionally characterized. The recombinant GH74 cellulase showed a broad substrate spectrum. The enzyme exhibited its optimum activity at pH 5.0 and temperature range of 20–50 °C. The enzyme was thermally stable at pH 5.0 and at a temperature of 20–40 °C. The novel GH74 cellulase can be practically exploited to convert lignocellulosic biomass to value-added products in various industrial applications in future.     

Isolation and characterization of a new alkali-thermostable lipase cloned from a metagenomic library

The construction of a cosmid library from the biomass produced in an enriched Sequencing Fed-Batch Reactor allowed the isolation of a new lipase by functional screening. The open reading frame of 928 bp encoded a polypeptide of 308 amino acids with a molecular mass of 32.6 kDa. The amino acid sequence analysis revealed the presence of the conserved pentapeptide GXSXG essential for lipase activity. Alignment with known sequences of proteins showed no more than 52% identity with different lipases, confirming the discovery of a novel gene sequence. The lipase was cloned and expressed in Streptomyces lividans and further purified by a combination of hydrophobic interaction and size-exclusion chromatography. Spectrophotometric assays with different p-nitrophenyl esters demonstrated a preference for long-length acyl chains, especially p-nitrophenylmyristate (C14). Moreover, the enzyme presented an optimal activity at 60°C and at alkaline pH of 10.5.     

源于红树林土壤宏基因组文库的新型磷脂酶A1基因的筛选、克隆表达及酶学性质

【目的】利用宏基因组学的方法从红树林土壤中筛选新型酯水解酶类。【方法】构建红树林土壤宏基因组文库,采用以三丁酸甘油酯为底物的功能筛选方法,对筛选出的阳性克隆进行系统发育树分析,实现新型磷脂酶A1基因的原核表达,研究重组酶的酶学性质。【结果】筛选到一个新的磷脂酶A1编码基因phop1413 (GenBank登录号KF767097),测序表明其全长1 413 bp,可编码470个氨基酸残基,表达蛋白约51.7 kD,表达量高达220 mg/L,NCBI中Blast比对及系统进化树分析显示该蛋白属于磷脂酶类的fAMILY Ⅵ家族;酶学性质分析表明,该重组酶的最适反应底物为对硝基苯酚己酸酯,比酶活为124 U/mg;最适反应温度为54 °C,最适pH 7.8;50 °C热处理1.5 h剩余相对酶活为44%,表现出很好的热稳定性。【结论】通过构建宏基因组文库利用功能筛选方法获得一个新型磷脂酶A1基因;研究中获得的新型磷脂酶A1性质较好,可用于植物油酶法脱胶。     

Molecular cloning and characterization of a new cold-active esterase from a deep-sea metagenomic library

A clone which conferred lipolytic activity at low temperature was identified from a fosmid library constructed from a South China Sea marine sediment sample. The gene responsible, estF, consisted of 1,080 bp that encoded 359 amino acid residues, with a typical N-terminal signal peptide of 28 amino acid residues. A phylogenetic analysis of amino acid sequence with other lipolytic enzymes revealed that EstF and seven closely related putative lipolytic enzymes comprised a unique clade in the phylogenetic tree. Moreover, these hypothetic esterases showed unique conservative sites in the amino acid sequence. The recombinant EstF was overexpressed and purified, and its biochemical properties were partially characterized. The optimal substrate for EstF to hydrolyze among a panel of p-nitrophenyl esters (C2 to C16) was p-nitrophenyl butyrate (C4), with a K _m of 0.46 mM. Activity quickly decreased with substrates containing an acyl chain length longer than 10 carbons. We found that EstF was active in the temperature range of 0–60°C, showed the best activity at 50°C, but was unstable at 60°C. It exhibited a high level of activity in the pH range of 7.0–10.0 showing the highest activity at pH 9.0.     

Isolation and characterization of a novel cyanophycin synthetase from a deep-sea sediment metagenomic library

Cyanophycin is non-ribosomally synthesized protein-like copolymer. Synthesis of cyanophycin is catalyzed by cyanophycin synthetase (CphA). In this study, a novel cyanophycin synthetase CphA49 belonging to NOR5 clade of Gammaproteobacteria was identified with primer-based screening from a deep-sea sediment metagenomic library. The cphA49 gene contained an open reading frame of 2,637 bp and encoded a protein with a predicted molecular mass of 100 kDa. A recombinant CphA49 was obtained by the functional expression of cphA49 in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The biochemical properties of the purified CphA49 were determined. The optimum pH and temperature of the recombinant CphA49 were 9.0 and 40 °C, respectively. The enzyme was stable at temperatures below 40 °C. The recombinant CphA49 exhibited strict primer dependency and broad substrate specificities. Cyanophycin catalyzed by CphA49 exhibited homogenous molecular mass. The amino acid composition of cyanophycin was determined and constitutes arginine, aspartic acid, and lysine.     

Isolation and characterization of a family VII esterase derived from alluvial soil metagenomic library

A novel esterase gene, estDL30, was isolated from an alluvial metagenomic library using function-driven screening. estDL30 consisted of 1,524 nucleotides and encoded a 507-amino acid protein. Sequence analysis revealed that EstDL30 is similar to many type B carboxylesterases, containing a G-E-S-A-G pentapeptide with a catalytic Ser residue. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that EstDL30 belongs to the family VII lipases, together with esterases from Bacillus subtilis (P37967), Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) (CAA22794), and Arthrobacter oxydans (Q01470). Purified EstDL30 showed its highest catalytic efficiency toward p-nitrophenyl butyrate, with a k _cat of 2293 s⁻¹ and k _cat/K _m of 176.4 s⁻¹mM⁻¹; however, little activity was detected when the acyl chain length exceeded C₈. Biochemical characterization of EstDL30 revealed that it is an alkaline esterase that possesses maximal activity at pH 8 and 40° C. The effects of denaturants and divalent cations were also investigated. EstDL30 tolerated well the presence of methanol and Tween 20. Its activity was strongly inhibited by 1 mM Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺, but stimulated by Fe²⁺. The unique properties of EstDL30, its high activity under alkaline conditions and stability in the presence of organic solvents, may render it applicable to organic synthesis.