Structural and functional characterization of recombinant medaka fish alpha-amylase expressed in yeast Pichia pastoris

The medaka fish α-amylase was expressed and purified. The expression systems were constructed using methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris, and the recombinant proteins were secreted into the culture medium. Purified recombinant α-amylase exhibited starch hydrolysis activity. The optimal pH, denaturation temperature, and K_M and V_max values were determined; chloride ions were essential for enzyme activity. The purified protein was also crystallized and examined by X-ray crystallography. The structure has the (α/β)₈ barrel fold, as do other known α-amylases, and the overall structure is very similar to the structure of vertebrate (human and pig) α-amylases. A novel expression plasmid was developed. Using this plasmid, high-throughput construction of an expression system by homologous recombination in P. pastoris cells, previously reported for membrane proteins, was successfully applied to the secretory protein.     

Expression of α-amylases, carbohydrate metabolism, and autophagy in cultured rice cells is coordinately regulated by sugar nutrient

A rice suspension cell culture system has been established to study how sugar depletion regulates α-amylase expression, carbohydrate metabolism, and other physiological and cellular changes. It is shown here that a group of 44 kDa α-amylases are constitutively expressed whether or not the cells are starved of sucrose. However, expression of a new group of α-amylases of 46 kDa is dramatically induced when cells are starved of sucrose. Cellular sugar and starch were rapidly consumed and metabolic activity was decreased in the starved cells. Extensive autophagy also occurred in the starved cells, which caused an increase in vacuolar volume and degradation of cytoplasmic constituents including amyloplasts. Immunocytochemical studies revealed that α-amylases are localized in starch granules within amyloplasts, in cell walls, and in some of the vacuoles. The presence of putative signal sequences in the N-termini of nine rice α-amylases suggests hitherto unidentified pathways for import of α-amylases into amyloplasts. The studies show that differential α-amylase expression, carbohydrate metabolism, metabolic activity, and vacuolar autophagy are coordinately regulated by the sugar level in the medium. As the starved suspension cells exhibit some sugar-regulated characteristics of α-amylase expression in germinating rice embryos as well as physiological changes similar to those in senescing cells, this system represents an ideal tool for studying cellular, biochemical, and molecular biological aspects of α-amylase gene regulation, carbohydrate metabolism, senescence, and protein targeting in plants.     

Rice Bifunctional α-Amylase/Subtilisin Inhibitor: Cloning and Characterization of the Recombinant Inhibitor Expressed in Escherichia coli

The complete nucleotide sequences of the cDNA and its gene that encode a bifunctional α-amylase/subtilisin inhibitor of rice (Oryza sativa L.) (RASI) were analyzed. RASI cDNA (939 bp) encoded a 200-residue polypeptide with a molecular mass of 21,417 Da, including a signal peptide of 22 amino acids. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis showed that RASI is closely related to α-amylase/subtilisin inhibitors from barley and wheat. RASI was found to be expressed only in seeds, suggesting that it has a seed-specific function. A coding region of RASI cDNA without the signal peptide was introduced into Escherichia coli and was expressed as a His-tagged protein. Recombinant RASI was purified to homogeneity in a single step by Ni-chelating affinity column chromatography and characterized to elucidate the target enzyme. The recombinant inhibitor had strong inhibitory activity toward subtilisin, with an equimolar relationship, comparable with that of native RASI, and weak inhibitory activity toward some microbial α-amylases, but not toward animal or insect α-amylases. These results suggest that RASI might function in the defense of the seed against microorganisms.     

p75NTR-Fc融合蛋白在毕赤酵母中的表达、鉴定和活性分析

为在酵母细胞中表达出具有生物活性的p75NTR Fc融合蛋白 ,采用PCR方法分别扩增α因子 (α factor)和p75NTR Fc基因 ,经重叠PCR ,获得α factor p75NTR Fc基因 .DNA序列分析该融合基因后 ,插入pAO815载体并构建串联多拷贝表达载体pAO815 3α factor p75NTR Fc .重组质粒电转化酵母GS115细胞后摇瓶培养 ,1%甲醇诱导表达的融合蛋白经ProteinA亲和层析和SephadexG 10 0纯化 ,Western印迹、N末端测序进行蛋白质鉴定 ,ELISA及细胞培养进行生物活性分析 .SDS PAGE分析显示 ,表达产物以可溶性分子形式存在于培养上清中 ,诱导第 4d的表达量最高 ,占上清总蛋白 6 0 %以上 ,ProteinA纯化后有 2条蛋白带 ,免疫印迹分析这 2条蛋白带均能和抗p75及抗IgG抗体结合 ,N末端序列测定证实 1条为完整p75NTR Fc ,1条为其蛋白酶降解带 .ELISA等分析表明 ,p75NTR Fc能与NGF结合 ,p75NTR Fc能抑制NGF对PC12细胞的分化作用 .     

猪囊尾蚴疫苗候选基因TSO18在酵母中的高效表达

将猪带绦虫六钩蚴TSO18基因亚克隆至毕赤酵母分泌性表达载体pPIC9K,构建重组表达载体pPIC9K_TSO18,电转化毕赤酵母菌GS115,使重组表达载体与酵母染色体发生同源整合。采用G418抗性梯度法筛选得到多拷贝重组菌株,用甲醇进行诱导表达,并对表达产物进行SDS_PAGE和Western blot分析、脱糖基化分析、分子筛纯化和小鼠免疫接种等表明,目的蛋白得到了高效表达并进行了适度的糖基化,易于纯化且具有免疫活性。在5L发酵罐中目的蛋白表达量达到2.54mg/mL,为制备基因工程疫苗打下了坚实的基础。     

Purification and Some Properties of Acid-stable α-Amylases from Shochu koji (Aspergillus kawachii)

Aspergillus kawachii α-amylase [EC 3.2.1.1] I and II were purified from shochu koji extract by DEAE Bio-Gel A ion exchange chromatography, Sephacryl S-300 gel chromatography (pH 3.6), coamino dodecyl agarose column chromatography and Sephacryl S-200 gel chromatography. By gel chromatography on a Sephacryl S-300 column, the molecular weights of the purified α-amylase I and II were estimated to be 104,000 and 66,000, respectively. The isoelectric points of α-amylase I and II were 4.25 and 4.20, respectively. The optimal pH range of α-amylase I was 4.0 to 5.0, and the optimum pH of α-amylase II was 5.0. The optimum temperatures of both α-amylases were around 70°C at pH 5.0. Both α-amylases were stable from pH 2.5 to 6.0 and up to 55°C, retaining more than 90% of the original activities. Heavy metal ions such as Hg^{2 +} and Pb^{2 +} were potent inhibitors for both α-amylases.     

Contribution Ratios of amyA, amyB, amyC Genes to High-Level α-Amylase Expression in Aspergillus oryzae

Aspergillus oryzae strains express α-amylases abundantly, and the genome reference strain RIB40 has three α-amylase genes (amyA, amyB, and amyC). However, there is no information on the contribution ratios of individual α-amylase genes to total expression. In this study, we generated single, double, and triple disruptants of α-amylase genes by employing a strain (ΔligD) with high gene-targeting efficiency and pyrG marker recycling in A. oryzae. All the disruptants showed reduced activities of α-amylases, and the triple disruptant completely lost activity. Comparative analyses of the activities and mRNA amounts of the α-amylases suggest that the contribution of amyA to the α-amylase expression is smaller than those of amyB and amyC. The present study suggests that the ability to express a large amount of α-amylases in A. oryzae is attributed to gene duplication of genes such as amyB and amyC.     

Isolation and characterization of α-amylase inhibitor from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leucas aspera</Emphasis> (Willd) Link: α-amylase assay combined with FPLC chromatography for expedited identification

The aim of the present study was to isolate and characterize a proteinaceous α-amylase inhibitor from the whole plant extract of Leucas aspera (Willd) Link. The proteins were further purified by fast and reliable ion-exchange chromatography. A ~ 28 kDa protein from L. aspera inhibited the activity of fungal α-amylase by 90% at 80:1 (inhibitor:enzyme) ratio. The inhibition activity was examined in various α-amylases and its enhanced inhibition activity was witnessed. The activity of the inhibitor on α-amylase was stable and high at pH 6–7 and at temperatures of 30–50 °C. The high-resolution α-amylase inhibition assay/FPLC-MS-SPE platform allowed identification of 28 kDa protein with high purification fold as the α-amylase inhibitor in L. aspera and peptides were matched with highest score of alpha-amylase/trypsin inhibitor of Zea mays. In conclusion, results here obtained suggested that the primary metabolites (proteins) in L. aspera are mainly responsible for its versatile biological and pharmacological activities.     

The hyperthermophilic α-amylase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermococcus</Emphasis> sp. HJ21 does not require exogenous calcium for thermostability because of high-binding affinity to calcium

The hyperthermophilic α-amylase from Thermococcus sp. HJ21 does not require exogenous calcium ions for thermostability, and is a promising alternative to commercially available α-amylases to increase the efficiency of industrial processes like the liquefaction of starch. We analyzed the amino acid sequence of this α-amylase by sequence alignments and structural modeling, and found that this α-amylase closely resembles the α-amylase from Pyrococcus woesei. The gene of this α-amylase was cloned in Escherichia coli and the recombinant α-amylase was overexpressed and purified with a combined renaturation-purification procedure. We confirmed thermostability and exogenous calcium ion independency of the recombinant α-amylase and further investigated the mechanism of the independency using biochemical approaches. The results suggested that the α-amylase has a high calcium ion binding affinity that traps a calcium ion that would not dissociate at high temperatures, providing a direct explanation as to why the addition of calcium ions is not required for thermostability. Understanding of the mechanism offers a strong base on which to further engineer properties of this α-amylase for better potential applications in industrial processes.     

重组人GALNT3-sol蛋白在毕赤酵母中的高效表达和活性鉴定

目的:为了获得有催化活性的人乙酰半乳糖胺转移酶3(GALNT3),构建了GALNT3可溶性区域(GALNT3-sol)的真核分泌表达载体,在巴斯德毕赤酵母中表达并纯化GALNT3-sol蛋白,体外检测其转糖基活性。方法:以构建好的pET15b/GALNT3-sol为模板进行PCR,扩增编码人GALNT3-sol的cDNA片段(1 755 bp),将其克隆至真核表达载体pPIC9K,载体线性化后采用电击法转化毕赤酵母GS115。通过MD平板和G418平板筛选出阳性高拷贝重组菌株。阳性菌株经过甲醇诱导表达人GALNT3-sol重组蛋白,表达上清进行Ni-NAT分离纯化。分别采用SDS-PAGE和Western blot鉴定纯化的重组蛋白,并使用HPLC和MALDI-TOF/MS分析其转糖基化反应的活性。结果:成功构建了能够分泌表达GALNT3-sol的毕赤酵母菌株。阳性表达菌株在BMMY培养基(pH 6.0)中20℃培养,经0.5%甲醇诱导表达96 h,摇瓶表达量可达5mg/L。SDS-PAGE和Western blot结果显示表达重组蛋白为糖基化形式。活性检测显示表达的重组蛋白具有转糖基活性。结论:成功获得可以高效分泌表达具有活性的人GALNT3-sol蛋白的毕赤酵母菌株,为进一步研究人GALNT3的性质及其应用提供了基础。     

Different expression systems for production of recombinant proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has become an attractive cell factory for production of commodity and speciality chemicals and proteins, such as industrial enzymes and pharmaceutical proteins. Here we evaluate most important expression factors for recombinant protein secretion: we chose two different proteins (insulin precursor (IP) and α-amylase), two different expression vectors (POTud plasmid and CPOTud plasmid) and two kinds of leader sequences (the glycosylated alpha factor leader and a synthetic leader with no glycosylation sites). We used IP and α-amylase as representatives of a simple protein and a multi-domain protein, as well as a non-glycosylated protein and a glycosylated protein, respectively. The genes coding for the two recombinant proteins were fused independently with two different leader sequences and were expressed using two different plasmid systems, resulting in eight different strains that were evaluated by batch fermentations. The secretion level (μmol/L) of IP was found to be higher than that of α-amylase for all expression systems and we also found larger variation in IP production for the different vectors. We also found that there is a change in protein production kinetics during the diauxic shift, that is, the IP was produced at higher rate during the glucose uptake phase, whereas amylase was produced at a higher rate in the ethanol uptake phase. For comparison, we also refer to data from another study, (Tyo et al. submitted) in which we used the p426GPD plasmid (standard vector using URA3 as marker gene and pGPD1 as expression promoter). For the IP there is more than 10-fold higher protein production with the CPOTud vector compared with the standard URA3-based vector, and this vector system therefore represent a valuable resource for future studies and optimization of recombinant protein production in yeast.     

具有蛋白酶及解旋酶活性的HCV-NS3重组蛋白的纯化及活性分析

为深入探讨HCV-NS3蛋白的酶动力学性质,制备了具有蛋白酶及解旋酶活性的HCVNS3重组蛋白。利用PCR扩增HCV非结构基因NS3,插入pPIC9,测序分析。携带NS3基因的重组质粒(pPIC9-NS3)转化毕氏酵母菌菌株GS115,甲醇诱导表达NS3蛋白。重组蛋白首先采用Hitrap chelating柱进行亲和分离,之后使用Mono S HR柱进一步纯化。对纯化后的NS3重组蛋白的酶活性进行分析,结果表明,获得的重组蛋白分别具有蛋白酶及解旋酶活性。本研究为深入探讨NS3编码酶的功能和开发抗病毒药物创造条件。     

Studies on extracellular and intracellular purified amylases from a thermophilic Bacillus stearothermophilus

Extracellular and intracellular amylases have been purified from a thermophilic Bacillus stearothermophilus and further studies have been made with the purified enzyme. The molecular weights for extra- and intracellular α- and β-amylases were found to be 47 000, 58 000, 39 000 and 67 000, respectively. α-Amylase (1,4-α-d-glucan glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.1) and glucoamylase (1,4-α-d-glucan glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.3) were glycoproteins, whereas β-amylase (1,4-α-d-glucan maltohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.2) had little or no carbohydrate moiety. Extracellular FI (α-amylase), FIII (glucoamylase), FIV and FV (α-amylase) had carbohydrate moieties of 14.4, 27.0, 11.0 and 12.5%, respectively, whereas intracellular amylases FI (α-amylase), FII (β-amylase) and FIII (α-amylase) contained 15.2, 0.8 and 13.4% carbohydrate, respectively. The amino acid profile of the amylase protein digest showed a total number of 16 amino acids with aspartic acid showing the highest value followed by glutamic acid and leucine plus isoleucine. Compared to other thermostable amylases, proline and histidine contents were low. Both α- and β- amylase had the - SH group at their active site, which was essential for enzyme activity. EDTA and parachloromercuribenzoate exhibited dose dependent non-competitive inhibition of enzyme activity indicating the involvement of a divalent cation and the - SH group for activity.     

猪IL-18在毕赤酵母中的表达及活性分析

采用PCR方法从pGEM-IL-18重组质粒中扩增出IL-18基因并构建真核融合表达载体pPIC9K-IL-18,电激法转化入毕赤酵母GS115,采用G418抗性梯度法筛选得到多拷贝重组菌株,甲醇诱导表达,应用SDS-PAGE分析重组蛋白的表达情况,并将表达蛋白用凝胶层析柱纯化后,用MTT法检测其生物学活性。实验结果表明重组的GS115酵母菌株可表达分泌pIL-18,其表达在72h时达高峰,分泌量可达160mg/L,纯化的重组pIL-18蛋白具有显著的促进淋巴细胞增殖的活性,说明本试验已在毕赤酵母中在国内首次成功表达了具有生物学活性的pIL-18。     

Sul folobus sol fataticus P2嗜热嗜酸α-淀粉酶在大肠杆菌和毕赤酵母中的表达

通过PCR方法从Sulfolobus solfataticus P2中扩增到2．6kb的α-淀粉酶基因（SS01172）,将其分别克隆到表达载体pET32a（＋）和pPICZaA,并在E．coliRosetta和Pichia pastoris GS115中进行表达。结果表明α-淀粉酶基因在Rosetta中得到了高效表达,酶活为143．466U／mL;而在GS115中表达量稍低,发酵液酶活力为98．102U／mL。     

Purification and characterization of a novel α-amylase from a newly isolated Bacillus methylotrophicus strain P11-2

An aerobic bacterial strain P11-2 with high amylolytic activity was isolated from soil sample collected from wheat field of Jiyuan, China. The strain was identified as Bacillus methylotrophicus by morphological and physiological characteristics as well as by analysis of the gene encoding the 16S rRNA. The α-amylase was purified to homogeneity by a combination of 80% (NH₄)₂SO₄ precipitation, DEAE FF anion exchange, and superdex 75 10/300 GL gel filtration chromatography. The purified α-amylase exhibited specific activity of 330.7 U/mg protein that corresponds to 13.1 fold purification. The relative molecular mass of the α-amylase was 44.0 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The optimal pH and temperature for enzyme activity were 7.0 and 70 °C, respectively. The α-amylase activity was stimulated by Mg²⁺, Ba²⁺, Al³⁺ and dl-dithiothreitol (DTT), however, Ca²⁺ almost had no activation or inhibition on the α-amylase. After 4 h of reaction toward soluble starch, the end products were glucose, maltose and maltotriose. The 10 residues of the N-terminal sequence of the purified α-amylase were SVKNGQILHA, which showed no homology to other reported α-amylases from Bacillus strain.     

Modified α-amylase activity among insecticide-resistant and -susceptible strains of the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais

Fitness cost is usually associated with insecticide resistance and may be mitigated by increased energy accumulation and mobilization. Preliminary evidence in the maize weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) suggested possible involvement of amylases in such phenomenon. Therefore, α-amylases were purified from an insecticide-susceptible and two insecticide-resistant strains (one with fitness cost [resistant cost strain], and the other without it [resistant no-cost strain]). The main α-amylase of each strain was purified by glycogen precipitation and ion-exchange chromatography (≥70-fold purification, ≤19% yield). Single α-amylase bands with the same molecular mass (53.7 kDa) were revealed for each insect strain. Higher activity was obtained at 35-40 °C and at pH 5.0-7.0 for all of the strains. The α-amylase from the resistant no-cost strain exhibited higher activity towards starch and lower inhibition by acarbose and wheat amylase inhibitors. Opposite results were observed for the α-amylase from the resistant cost strain. Although the α-amylase from the resistant cost strain exhibited higher affinity to starch (i.e., lower K_m), its V_max-value was the lowest among the strains, particularly the resistant no-cost strain. Such results provide support for the hypothesis that enhanced α-amylase activity may be playing a major role in mitigating fitness costs associated with insecticide resistance.     

重组人骨保护素片段OPG179与人血清白蛋白在毕赤酵母中的融合表达

目的:在毕赤酵母中融合表达人骨保护素(OPG)片段OPG179与人血清白蛋白(HSA).方法:通过RT-PCR扩增获得OPG179基因,构建表达质粒pHILD2-rhOPG179-HSA,转化至毕赤酵母菌中进行表达、纯化,对分泌表达产物进行SDS-PAGE及Western印迹检测.结果:酶切鉴定与测序结果显示重组表达质...