Preparation and characterization of an active lysozyme derivative: Kyn 62-lysozyme.

A novel method for the preparation of Kyn 62-lysozyme, in which tryptophan 62 is replaced by kynurenine, is reported. Hen egg-white lysozyme was ozonized in aqueous solution to yield one N'-formylkynurenine residue and deformylated with hydrochloric acid in frozen solution at -10 degrees C. Crude Kyn 62-lysozyme was purified by affinity and Bio Rex 70 chromatography successively. Kyn 62-lysozyme retains affinity for chitin and is essentially an active enzyme with a slightly weakened but distinct catalytic activity. After this modification, the enzyme activity was changed differently depending on the kind of substrate. At the individual optimum pH's, lytic activity was largely retained (80% active), but the catalytic efficiency for hydrolyzing glycol chitin was relatively low (30% active). Lysis of M. lysodeikticus cell suspensions was optimally catalyzed by Kyn 62-lysozyme at pH 6.2 and at 0.088 ionic strength. These values are lower by 1.3 pH unit and 0.04 ionic strength, respectively, than those of intact lysozyme. The optimum pH and ionic strength for the hydrolysis of neutral substrates were scarcely affected. These results suggest the significance of electrostatic interaction in the lysis of lysozyme. Relatively limited loss of activity induced by modification of the 62nd residue, which is thought to participate directly in the binding of the substrate at subsite C, is discussed on the basis of the similarity of side chain structure in tryptophan and kynurenine.     

Lytic enzyme produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa concomitantly with bacteriophage PS17. Purification, characterization, and comparison with PR1-lysozyme

A bacteriolytic enzyme was found to be produced, concomitantly with the progeny phage, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa P14 infected with phage PS17. The enzyme, named PS17-lysozyme, was purified by acrinol treatment, two cycles of Amberlite CG-50 chromatography, and SP-Sephadex C-50 chromatography. Homogeneity of the preparation was demonstrated by three electrophoretic techniques. PS17-lysozyme behaved like a basic protein (pI, 9-10) consisting of a single polypeptide chain (molecular weight, 24,500) and showed the substrate specificity as hen egg-white lysozyme. The enzyme exhibited much higher specific activity than the egg-white enzyme when assayed with chloroform-killed P. aeruginosa P14 as a substrate. These characteristics, as well as the amino acid composition, were very similar to those of PR1-lysozyme; a bacteriolytic enzyme produced in mitomycin C-induced P. aeruginosa P15 concomitantly with a phage-tail-like bacteriocin, pyocin R1 (Ochi et al. (1978) J. Biochem. 83, 727-736). However, the behavior of these two lysozymes from P. aeruginosa in Amberlite CG-50 chromatography and some other properties indicated that they were not identical, though they were similar. The results are in accord with the view that pyocin R1 may be a defective form of a bacteriophage closely related to but not identical with phage PS17.     

Site-specific 13C-labeling of Trp 62 in hen egg-white lysozyme: preparation and 13C-NMR titration of [delta 1-13C]Trp 62-lysozyme.

The indole C-2(delta 1) carbon of Trp 62 in hen egg-white lysozyme was selectively labeled with 13C through a series of reactions involving N'-formylkynurenine 62-lysozyme with K13CN, NaBH4-reduction, and acid-catalyzed dehydration. [delta 1-13C]Trp 62-lysozyme in which Trp 62 is labeled with 90% 13C has the same chemical and enzymatic properties as the native protein. The reverted lysozyme gave a single 13C-NMR signal at 125 ppm. pH-titration of the 13C signal indicated a transition at pH 3.9 for the free enzyme. In the presence of (GlcNAc)3, the resonance signals were shifted 0.5-1 ppm upfield, and the transitions in the titration curve were observed at pH 3.9 and 6.5. Asp 52 and Glu 35 were assigned to the groups with pKas of 3.9 and 6.5, respectively. In [2-13C]AHT 62-lysozyme, which has 3-(2-amino-3-hydroxy-3H-[2-13C]indol-3-yl)alanine (AHT) at position 62, AHT 62 behaved quite differently from Trp 62 on pH-titration of the 13C-label. These results suggest that a conformational change around Trp 62 is induced upon ionization of the catalytic residue and that the structural flexibility of the side chain of this aromatic residue in the substrate binding site is closely related to the function of lysozyme.     

Effect of chemical modifications of tryptophan residues on the folding of reduced hen egg-white lysozyme

The effects of chemical modifications of Trp62 and Trp108 on the folding of hen egg-white lysozyme from the reduced form were investigated by means of the sulfhydryl-disulfide interchange reaction at pH 8 and 40 degrees C. The folding of reduced lysozyme was monitored by following the recovery of the original activity. Under the conditions employed, the apparent first-order rate constant for the folding of reduced lysozyme was not changed by the modifications of both Trp62 and Trp108 and the folding was completed within 30 min. However, the extent of the correct folding was changed by the modification of Trp62 but not by that of Trp108. Native and oxindolealanine108 lysozymes recovered 80 and 81% of their original activities after 30-min refolding, respectively, but Trp62-modified lysozymes recovered their activities to a lesser extent than native and oxindolealanine108 lysozymes. The recovered activities of Trp62-modified lysozymes after 30-min refolding were 63% for oxindolealanine62 lysozyme, 65% for delta 1-carboxamidomethylthiotryptophan62 lysozyme, and 52% for delta 1-carboxymethylthiotryptophan62 lysozyme. These results suggest that Trp62 is important for preventing the misfolding of reduced lysozyme, but that neither Trp62 nor Trp108 is involved in the rate-determining step (the slowest step) in the folding pathway. A decrease in the hydrophobic nature of Trp62 seems to increase the misfolding and thus to decrease the extent of the correct folding of reduced lysozyme. A mechanism for the involvement of Trp62 in the folding pathway of reduced lysozyme is proposed.     

Point mutation of alanine (31) to valine prohibits the folding of reduced lysozyme by sulfhydryl-disulfide interchange

In the preceding paper in this issue, we described the overproduction of one mutant chicken lysozyme in Escherichia coli. Since this lysozyme contained two amino acid substitutions (Ala31----Val and Asn106----Ser) in addition to an extra methionine residue at the NH2-terminus, the substituted amino acid residues were converted back to the original ones by means of oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis and in vitro recombination. Thus, four kinds of chicken lysozyme [Met-1Val31Ser106-, Met-1Ser106-, Met-1Val31- and Met-1 (wild type)] were expressed in E. coli. From the results of folding experiments of the reduced lysozymes by sulfhydryl-disulfide interchange at pH 8.0 and 38 degrees C, followed by the specific activity measurements of the folded enzymes, the following conclusions can be drawn: (i) an extra methionine residue at the NH2-terminus reduces the folding rate but does not affect the lysozyme activity of the folded enzyme; (ii) the substitution of Asn106 by Ser decreases the activity to 58% of that of intact native lysozyme without changing the folding rate; and (iii) the substitution of Ala31 Val prohibits the correct folding of lysozyme. Since the wild type enzyme (Met-1-lysozyme) was activated in vitro without loss of specific activity, the systems described in this study (mutagenesis, overproduction, purification and folding of inactive mutant lysozymes) may be useful in the study of folding pathways, expression of biological activity and stability of lysozyme.     

Mutation of active site residues in synthetic T4-lysozyme gene and their effect on lytic activity

The active site amino acids (Glu11 and Asp20) in T4-lysozyme have been mutated to their isosteric residues Gln or Asn and/or acidic residues such as Glu----Asp or Asp----Glu by the oligonucleotide-replacement method. Out of eight mutants so generated the mutant T4-lysozyme obtained from pTLY.Asp11 retains maximum amount of activity (approximately 16%), pTLY.Asn20 the least (0.9%) whereas pTLY.Gln11 lost completely. A systematic study of the active and inactive mutants thus generated supports the important role of Glu11 and Asp20 in T4-lysozyme activity as predicted in earlier studies.     

Expression,purification, and characterization of an unstable lysozyme mutant in Pichia pastoris

To investigate the expression and purification of an unstable heterologous protein in Pichia pastoris, the cDNA of H5-lysozyme, a hen egg lysozyme mutant with a hydrophobic pentapeptide (Phe-Phe-Val-Ala-Pro) fused to the carboxyl terminus, was integrated into the genome of P. pastoris. It was found that medium composition, induction time, and fermenter type were important factors for the expression of H5-lysozyme. Substantially active H5-lysozyme was secreted by induction with methanol when the prepro-sequence of alpha-factor was used as secretion signal sequence. The amount secreted was 422-fold greater than that observed with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Recombinant H5-lysozyme was recovered and purified by cation-exchange chromatography directly from fermentation broth. The mutant lysozyme showed bactericidal activity against Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative bacteria.     

State of binding subsites in Asp 101-modified lysozymes

The environments of the binding subsites in Asp 101-modified lysozyme, in which glucosamine or ethanolamine is covalently bound to the carboxyl group of Asp 101, were investigated by chemical modification and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Trp 62 in each of the native and the modified lysozymes was nitrophenylsulfenylated. The yield of the nitrophenylsulfenylated derivative from the lysozyme modified with glucosamine at Asp 101 (GlcN-lysozyme) was considerably lower than those from native lysozyme and from the lysozyme modified with ethanolamine at Asp 101 (EtN-lysozyme). These results suggest that Trp 62 in GlcN-lysozyme is less susceptible to nitrophenylsulfenylation. Kinetic analyses of the [Trp 62 and Asp 101]-doubly modified lysozymes indicated that the nitrophenylsulfenylation of Trp 62 in the native lysozyme, EtN-lysozyme, or GlcN-lysozyme decreased the sugar residue affinity at subsite C while increasing the binding free energy change by 2.7 kcal/mol, 1.5 kcal/mol, or 0.1 kcal/mol, respectively. Although the profile of tryptophan indole NH resonances in the 1H-NMR spectrum for EtN-lysozyme was not different from that for the native lysozyme, the indole NH resonance of Trp 62 in GlcN-lysozyme was apparently perturbed in comparison with that of native lysozyme. These results suggest that the environment of subsite C in GlcN-lysozyme is considerably different from those in native lysozyme and EtN-lysozyme. The glucosamine residue attached to Asp 101 may contact the sugar residue binding site of the lysozyme, affecting the environment of subsite C.     

Effect of the structure of the denatured state of lysozyme on the aggregation reaction at the early stages of folding from the reduced form

We previously demonstrated that the hydrophobic clusters present in hen lysozyme under denaturing conditions were disrupted by the mutation of Trp62 to Gly (W62G). In order to examine the effects of the structure of the denatured state of W62G lysozyme on folding, we analyzed the early events in the folding of reduced W62G lysozyme in detail. From the exchange measurements of disulfide bonds using the variants containing a pair of cysteine residues (1SS), it was found that the formation of disulfide bond in the W62G1SS lysozyme was not accompanied by a prominent interaction between amino acid residues, indicating that the disruption of the hydrophobic core led to the random folding at the early stages in the process of folding of the reduced lysozyme. On the other hand, analyses of the oxidative-renaturation of reduced W62G lysozymes, as well as measurements of the extent of aggregation of the reduced and carboxy amido methylated W62G lysozyme, indicated that the formation of an aggregate is more prominent in the reduced W62G lysozyme than in the reduced wild-type lysozyme. Moreover, a lag phase was detected in the oxidative-renaturation of reduced W62G lysozyme, as based on observations of the recovery of activity. The simulation of the folding process indicated that intermediates were present at the early stages in the folding of the reduced W62G lysozyme. These results suggest that the presence of the intermediates was derived from the random folding at the early stages in the folding process of reduced W62G lysozyme due to the disruption of the structure of the denatured state. Folding thus appears to have been kinetically delayed by these processes, which then led to the significant aggregation of reduced lysozyme. Moreover, from the analysis of amyloid aggregation of the reduced lysozymes, it was suggested that the disruption of the residual structure in denatured state by W62G mutation deterred the formation of the amyloid fibrils of lysozyme.     

Observation of a possible pause mutant in the total synthesis of T4 lysozyme

A DNA of 495 bp coding for T4-lysozyme was chemically synthesized and cloned in Escherichia coli. On DNA sequence analysis, clones pTLY.10 and pTLY.9 were identified to contain identical and complete T4-lysozyme coding sequences except that pTLY.9 had an additional 23 bp inverted repeat DNA at the 3'-end of the coding sequence. On expression and purification under similar conditions, T4-lysozymes from these two clones showed different degrees of retention time on HPLC as well as in the rate of enzymatic reaction. We speculate that this difference could be due to the generation of a pause mutant of T4-lysozyme in pTLY.9 under the influence of 3'-inverted repeat DNA that alters the rate of protein synthesis.     

Oxidation of lysozyme by iodine: identification and properties of an oxindolyl ester intermediate: evidence for participation of glutamic acid 35 in catalysis

The first product formed in the iodine oxidation of tryptophan 108 of lysozyme has a transition temperature more than 20 deg. C higher than that of native and oxindolealanine 108-lysozyme. Irreversible rapid conversion to the oxindole follows unfolding. The spectrum of the oxidized residue of the intermediate resembles that of tryptophan. The iodine oxidation of tryptophan 108 is faster than that of N-acetyltryptophan ethyl ester. These and other aspects of the lysozyme-iodine reaction are explained by the formation, possibly concerted with oxidation, of the oxindolyl ester of glutamic acid 35. The data accord with results of high-resolution crystallographic analysis (Beddell &; Blake, 1970). Ester 108-lysozyme binds substrate like the native enzyme but retains less than 0.1% of the native activity. These results and the crystallographic data demonstrate catalytic function for glutamic acid 35. Oxindolealanine 108-lysozyme binds substrate only weakly. Introduction of an ester crosslink adds more than 6 kcal to the stability of lysozyme.     

The circular dichroism of lysozyme.

The circular dichroism spectra of hen egg white lysozyme, and of lysozyme derivatives in which tryptophan residues 62 or 108, or both, are selectively oxidized, have been measured as a function of pH over the range of 200 to 310 nm. Neither Trp-62 nor Trp-108 is principally responsible for the positive rotational strength in the 280 to 300 nm region. The spectrum in the 200 to 230 nm region is nearly the same in the native protein and in the derivatives, and is little affected by binding of saccharide. These results are used to reinterpret the circular dichroism spectra of the lysozymes and alpha-lactalbumins.     

Bacteriolytic enzyme induced from pyocinogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Purification and characterization of PR1-lysozyme.

A bacteriolytic enzyme, PR1-lysozyme, has been purified from the lysate of mitomycin C-induced pyocinogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa, by acrinol treatment, Amberlite CG-50 chromatography, ammonium sulfate fractionation, Sephadex G-100 gel filtration and two cycles of SP-Sephadex C-50 chromatography. Homogeneity of the preparation was demonstrated by three electrophoretic techniques. PR1-lysozyme is a basic protein (pI, 9.4) and consists of a single polypeptide chain having a molecular weight of 24,000. The amino acid composition of the protein was analyzed, and no cystein residue was found among more than 210 amino acid residues. The optimum pH for enzymatic activity was 6.4 and the enzyme exhibited about 50 to 70 times greater specific activity than hen egg-white lysozyme when assayed with chloroform-killed P. aeruginosa as a substrate. By analyzing the products of enzymatic action on purified peptidoglycan of P. aeruginosa, the enzyme was identified as an N-acetylmuramidase, i.e., the same classification as hen-egg-white lysozyme. PR1-lysozyme did not show any activity towards intact cells of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria tested. However, the enzyme was able to lyse chloroform-killed gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.     

Fungal endophytes in potato roots studied by traditional isolation and cultivation-independent DNA-based methods

The composition and relative abundance of endophytic fungi in roots of field-grown transgenic T4-lysozyme producing potatoes and the parental line were assessed by classical isolation from root segments and cultivation-independent techniques to test the hypothesis that endophytic fungi are affected by T4-lysozyme. Fungi were isolated from the majority of root segments of both lines and at least 63 morphological groups were obtained with Verticillium dahliae, Cylindrocarpon destructans, Colletotrichum coccodes and Plectosporium tabacinum as the most frequently isolated species. Dominant bands in the fungal fingerprints obtained by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of 18S rRNA gene fragments amplified from total community DNA corresponded to the electrophoretic mobility of the 18S rRNA gene fragments of the three most abundant fungal isolates, V. dahliae, C. destructans and Col. coccodes, but not to P. tabacinum. The assignment of the bands to these isolates was confirmed for V. dahliae and Col. coccodes by sequencing of clones. Verticillium dahliae was the most abundant endophytic fungus in the roots of healthy potato plants. Differences in the relative abundance of endophytic fungi colonizing the roots of T4-lysozyme producing potatoes and the parental line could be detected by both methods.     

Crystal structure of T4-lysozyme generated from synthetic coding DNA expressed in Escherichia coli

The polypeptide produced by expressing a chemically synthesized gene coding for the amino-acid sequence of T4-lysozyme has been crystallized and subjected to X-ray diffraction. The crystal structure has been refined to a standard R-factor of 0.191 for data between 8 and 2 A resolution. The refined model is essentially the same as the well-known structure of wild-type T4-lysozyme determined previously by Matthews et al. (1987). Some small changes in the C-terminal region, which is important in maintaining the folded structure, have been noted. In addition to confirming that the synthetic gene product is very close to the wild type, this structure provides a benchmark for protein engineering experiments on the folding and the catalytic activity of this molecule by the method of gene synthesis.     

Segmental Motion of Subsite C of Hen Egg-White Lysozyme: Fluorescence Depolarization Studies of Kyn62-Lysozyme as an Active Analogue

The dynamical properties of subsite C of hen egg-white lysozyme were investigated using Kyn62-lysozyme as an active analogue. Time-resolved fluorescence depolarization studies showed that the segmental motion of kynurenine which was important in subsite C was described with two components of which the rotational correlation times were ?₁ = 150 ps and ?₂ = 1.4 ns, respectively. Although these two segmental motions retained 90% of motional freedom, the slower motion was completely restricted and the degree of freedom was lost to 40% during the interaction with oligomers of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine.     

Calcium-binding and structural stability of echidna and canine milk lysozymes.

For echidna and canine milk lysozymes, which were presumed to be the calcium-binding lysozymes by their amino acid sequences, we have quantitated their calcium-binding strength and examined their guanidine unfolding profiles. The calcium-binding constants of echidna and canine lysozymes were determined to be 8.6 x 10(6) M(-1) and 8.9 x 10(6) M(-1) in 0.1 M KCl at pH 7.1 and 20 C, respectively. The unfolding of decalcified canine lysozyme proceeds in the same manner as that of alpha-lactalbumin, through a stable molten globule intermediate. However, neither calcium-bound nor decalcified echidna lysozyme shows a stable molten globule intermediate. This unfolding profile of echidna lysozyme is identical to that of conventional lysozymes and pigeon egg-white lysozyme, avian calcium-binding lysozyme. This result supports the suggestion of Prager and Jolles (Prager EM, Jolles P. 1996. Animal lysozymes c and g: An overview. In: Jolles P, ed. Lysozymes: Model enzymes in biochemistry and biology. Basel-Boston-Berlin: Birkhauzer Verlag. pp 9-31) that the lineage of avian and echidna calcium-binding lysozymes and that of eutherian calcium-binding lysozymes diverged separately from that of conventional lysozymes.     

Lysozymes in insects: what role do they play in nitrogen metabolism?

Abstract. Lysozymes are widely distributed in many organisms as one of the components of defence mechanisms. In herbivores, when nitrogen is not contained in sufficient amounts in the diet, bacteria lysed by stomach lysozymes are used as sources of nitrogen. In ruminants, lysozymes function as digestive enzymes in the true stomach. A convergence of amino acid sequence has been shown between the stomach lysozymes of different ruminants, and similar lysozymes have recently been reported in the gut or salivary gland of insects. In this mini review, the enzymatic and ecological functions of lysozymes in insects, particularly in termites, are introduced, together with future studies that are needed in this field.     

Induction of bacteriolytic enzyme from pyocinogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its enzymatic properties.

Mitomycin C induced a pyocinogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa P15 to produce a bacteriolytic enzyme, PR1-lysozyme, together with pyocin R1. No significant accumulation of the enzyme was observed inside the induced cells. The enzyme was partially purified by acrinol treatment and Amberlie CG-50 column chromatography. The mode of action of the enzyme on the host bacterial cells as well as on Micrococcus lysodeikticus cells or peptidoglycan isolated from Salmonella typhimurium, was compared with that of hen egg-white lysozyme or phage lambda-lysozyme. It is suggested that PR1-lysozyme should be classified as a glycosidase, rather than an amidase or an endopeptidase.