Identification of the active site serine in pancreatic cholesterol esterase by chemical modification and site-specific mutagenesis

Chemical modification and site-specific mutagenesis approaches were used in this study to identify the active site serine residue of pancreatic cholesterol esterase. In the first approach, purified porcine pancreatic cholesterol esterase was covalently modified by incubation with [3H]diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP). The radiolabeled cholesterol esterase was digested with CNBr, and the peptides were separated by high performance liquid chromatography. A single 3H-containing peptide was obtained for sequence determination. The results revealed the binding of DFP to a serine residue within the serine esterase homologous domain of the protein. Furthermore, the DFP-labeled serine was shown to correspond to serine residue 194 of rat cholesterol esterase (Kissel, J. A., Fontaine, R. N., Turck, C. W., Brockman, H. L., and Hui, D. Y. (1989) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1006, 227-236). The codon for serine 194 in rat cholesterol esterase cDNA was then mutagenized to ACT or GCT to yield mutagenized cholesterol esterase with either threonine or alanine, instead of serine, at position 194. Expression of the mutagenized cDNA in COS-1 cells demonstrated that substitution of serine 194 with threonine or alanine abolished enzyme activity in hydrolyzing the water-soluble substrate, p-nitrophenyl butyrate, and the lipid substrates cholesteryl [14C]oleate and [14C] lysophosphatidylcholine. These studies definitively identified serine 194 in the catalytic site of pancreatic cholesterol esterase.     

EstB-mediated hydrolysis of the siderophore triacetylfusarinine C optimizes iron uptake of Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillus fumigatus excretes the fusarinine-type siderophore desferri-triacetylfusarinine C (DF-TafC) to mobilize iron. DF-TafC is a cyclic peptide consisting of three N(5)-cis-anhydromevalonyl-N(5)-hydroxy-N(2)-acetyl-l-ornithine residues linked by ester bonds; these linkages are in contrast to peptide linkages found for ferrichrome-type siderophores. Subsequent to the binding of iron and uptake, triacetylfusarinine C (TafC) is hydrolyzed, the cleavage products are excreted, and the iron is transferred to the metabolism or to the intracellular siderophore desferri-ferricrocin (DF-FC) for iron storage. Here we report the identification and characterization of the TafC esterase EstB, the first eukaryotic siderophore-degrading enzyme to be characterized at the molecular level. The encoding gene, estB, was found to be located in an iron-regulated gene cluster, indicating a role in iron metabolism. Deletion of estB in A. fumigatus eliminated TafC esterase activity of cellular extracts and caused increased intracellular accumulation of TafC and TafC hydrolysis products in vivo. Escherichia coli-expressed EstB displayed specific TafC esterase activity but did not hydrolyze fusarinine C, which has the same core structure as TafC but lacks three N(2)-acetyl residues. Localization of EstB via enhanced green fluorescent protein tagging suggested that TafC hydrolysis takes place in the cytoplasm. EstB abrogation reduced the intracellular transfer rate of iron from TafC to DF-FC and delayed iron sensing. Furthermore, EstB deficiency caused a decreased radial growth rate under iron-depleted but not iron-replete conditions. Taken together, these data suggest that EstB-mediated TafC hydrolysis optimizes but is not essential for TafC-mediated iron uptake in A. fumigatus.     

Derivatives of CAP having no solvent-accessible cysteine residues, or having a unique solvent-accessible cysteine residue at amino acid 2 of the helix-turn-helix motif.

The Escherichia coli catabolite gene activator protein (CAP) is a helix-turn-helix motif sequence-specific DNA binding protein. CAP contains a unique solvent-accessible cysteine residue at amino acid 10 of the helix-turn-helix motif. In published work, we have constructed a prototype semi-synthetic site-specific DNA cleavage agent from CAP by use of cysteine-specific chemical modification to incorporate a nucleolytic chelator-metal complex at amino acid 10 of the helix-turn-helix motif [Ebright, R., Ebright, Y., Pendergrast, P.S. and Gunasekera, A., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 2882-2886 (1990)]. Construction of second-generation semi-synthetic site-specific DNA cleavage agents from CAP requires the construction of derivatives of CAP having unique solvent-accessible cysteine residues at sites within CAP other than amino acid 10 of the helix-turn-helix motif. In the present work, we have constructed and characterized two derivatives of CAP having no solvent-accessible cysteine residues: [Ser178]CAP and [Leu178]CAP. In addition, in the present work, we have constructed and characterized one derivative of CAP having a unique solvent-accessible cysteine residue at amino acid 2 of the helix-turn-helix motif: [Cys170;Ser178]CAP.     

Cloning and identification of a new group esterase (Est5S) from noncultured rumen bacterium

The gene encoding an esterase enzyme was cloned from a metagenomic library of cow rumen bacteria. The esterase gene (est5S) was 1,026 bp in length, encoding a protein of 366 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 40,168 Da. The molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated to be 40,000 Da. The Est5S protein contains the Gly-X-Ser-X-Gly motif found in most bacterial and eukaryotic serine hydrolases. However, the Asp or Glu necessary for the catalytic triad [Ser-Asp-(Glu)-His] was not present, indicating Est5S represents a novel member of the GHSQG family of esterolytic enzymes. BlastP in the NCBI database analysis of Est5S revealed homology to hypothetical proteins and it had no homology to previous known lipases and esterases. Est5S was optimally active at pH 7.0 and 40 degrees C. Among the p-nitrophenyl acylesters tested, high enzymatic activities were observed on the short-chain p-nitrophenyl acylesters, such as p-nitrophenyl acetate, etc. The conserved serine residue (Ser190) was shown to be important for Est5S activity. The primers that amplified the est5S gene did not show any relative band with 49 species of culturable rumen bacteria. This implies that a new group esterase gene, est5S, may have come from a noncultured cow rumen bacterium.     

EstB from Burkholderia gladioli: a novel esterase with a beta-lactamase fold reveals steric factors to discriminate between esterolytic and beta-lactam cleaving activity

Esterases form a diverse class of enzymes of largely unknown physiological role. Because many drugs and pesticides carry ester functions, the hydrolysis of such compounds forms at least one potential biological function. Carboxylesterases catalyze the hydrolysis of short chain aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic ester compounds. Esterases, D-alanyl-D-alanine-peptidases (DD-peptidases) and beta-lactamases can be grouped into two distinct classes of hydrolases with different folds and topologically unrelated catalytic residues, the one class comprising of esterases, the other one of beta-lactamases and DD-peptidases. The chemical reactivities of esters and beta-lactams towards hydrolysis are quite similar, which raises the question of which factors prevent esterases from displaying beta-lactamase activity and vice versa. Here we describe the crystal structure of EstB, an esterase isolated from Burkholderia gladioli. It shows the protein to belong to a novel class of esterases with homology to Penicillin binding proteins, notably DD-peptidase and class C beta-lactamases. Site-directed mutagenesis and the crystal structure of the complex with diisopropyl-fluorophosphate suggest Ser75 within the "beta-lactamase" Ser-x-x-Lys motif to act as catalytic nucleophile. Despite its structural homology to beta-lactamases, EstB shows no beta-lactamase activity. Although the nature and arrangement of active-site residues is very similar between EstB and homologous beta-lactamases, there are considerable differences in the shape of the active site tunnel. Modeling studies suggest steric factors to account for the enzyme's selectivity for ester hydrolysis versus beta-lactam cleavage.     

马铃薯转化酶抑制子St-inh cDNA克隆及在大肠杆菌中的表达和功能测定

用RT-PCR结合5’RACE方法从马铃薯(Solanum tuberosum L.)栽培种JH块茎中克隆了转化酶抑制子St-inh 全长cDNA。序列分析表明,St-inh 基因编码区全长663bp,编码221个氨基酸。将含St-inh 基因cDNA 的DNA 片段克隆到pET28a(+)上,转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)后成功实现了表达。基因表达产物与马铃薯栽培品种(系)E1、JH 试管块茎以及番茄果实的转化酶提取物共孵育结果显示,转化酶活性分别下降了34.3%、21%和33.8%,说明St-inh 的翻译产物具有转化酶抑制子功能。BLAST 基因序列分析表明,St-inh 与Kunitz-type C 类基因序列同源性达95%以上,T-COF-FEE 氨基酸序列对比分析显示,该基因编码的蛋白质具有典型的Kunitz-type 结构域[L,I,V,M]-X-D-X-[E,D,N,T,Y]-[D,G]-[R,K,H,D,E,N,Q]-X-[L,I,V,M]-X(5)-Y-X-[L,I,V,M],因此,Sit-inh 基因可能为Kunitz-type 家族成员。     

Active sites of beta-lactamases. The chromosomal beta-lactamases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli.

An acyl-enzyme was isolated from certain chromosomal beta-lactamases and a penicillin. The penicillin was cloxacillin which, although it is a substrate for these enzymes, has such a low kcat. that it functions as an inhibitor. The enzymes were from the mutant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 18 S that produces the beta-lactamase constitutively [Flett, Curtis & Richmond (1976) J. Bacteriol. 127, 1585-1586; Berks, Redhead & Abraham (1982) J. Gen. Microbiol., in the press] and from Escherichia coli K-12 (the ampC beta-lactamase) [Boman, Nordström & Normak (1974) Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 235, 569-586]. The acyl-enzymes have been degraded to determine the residue labelled, and the sequence around it. The residue labelled is serine. The sequences around the labelled serine in these two beta-lactamases are exceedingly similar. However, the sequences are quite different from those around the active site serine in the beta-lactamases previously studied. There is thus more than one class of serine beta-lactamases.     

Structural similarity of D-aminopeptidase to carboxypeptidase DD and beta-lactamases.

The gene for D-aminopeptidase (dap) has been isolated from the bacterium Ochrobactrum anthropi SCRC C1-38 [Asano, Y., Nakazawa, A., Kato, Y., & Kondo, K. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 14233-14239] and its nucleotide sequence determined. An expression plasmid pC138DP (4.5 kb) was constructed by placing the gene downstream of the lac promoter of pUC19. The amount of the enzyme in the cell-free extract of Escherichia coli JM109/pC138DP was elevated to 288,000 units/L of culture, which is about 3600-fold over that of O. anthropi SCRC C1-38. The enzyme comprised about 30% of the total extractable cellular protein. The gene consisted of an open reading frame of 1560 nucleotides which specifies a protein of Mr 57,257. The deduced amino acid sequence of the enzyme showed that it is related to carboxypeptidase DD, beta-lactamases, and penicillin-binding proteins. Seven mutants of the enzyme were generated by site-specific mutagenesis to explore the roles of the residues of interest, around the sequence Ser61-Xaa-Xaa-Lys64, where Xaa is any amino acid, since the identical sequences also appear in the penicillin-recognizing peptide hydrolases with Ser at the active sites. The mutant enzymes expressed in E. coli were purified to homogeneity and kinetically characterized. Replacements of the site at Ser61 and Lys64 yielded mutants showing significantly reduced Vmax values, while most of the Km values remained unchanged. Changes at Cys60, which is adjacent to the likely active center Ser61, to Ser and Gly resulted in the production of enzyme less sensitive to PCMB, with almost unaltered Vmax/Km values. The enzyme appears to be a serine peptidase rather than a thiol one. The inhibition by PCMB in the wild-type enzyme may have been caused by a formation of a mercaptide bond between Cys 60 and PCMB. Considering that D-aminopeptidase, carboxypeptidase DD (a penicillin-binding protein), and beta-lactamase have a common feature in recognizing peptides containing D-amino acid and that the former two catalyze transpeptidation reactions with substrates containing D-alanyl-D-alanine moieties, we propose that the enzyme is a new member of the "penicillin-recognizing enzymes". We showed that the enzyme is actually inhibited by beta-lactam compounds, such as 6-APA, 7-ACA, benzylpenicillin, and ampicillin, although they are not the substrate for the enzyme. The relationship between the primary structures and the reactions catalyzed by D-aminopeptidase and other serine hydrolases beta-lactamases and carboxypeptidase DD is discussed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Amino acid sequence of the serine active-site region of the medium-chain S-acyl fatty acid synthetase thioester hydrolase from rat mammary gland

Medium-chain S-acyl fatty acid synthetase thioester hydrolase (thioesterase II), a discrete monomeric enzyme of 29 kDa, regulates the product specificity of the de novo lipogenic systems in certain specialized mammalian and avian tissues, such as mammary and uropygial glands. The amino acid sequence of a 57-residue region containing the active site of the rat mammary gland enzyme has been established by a combination of amino acid and cDNA sequencing. Thioesterase II was radiolabeled with the serine esterase inhibitor [1,3-14C]diisopropyl-fluorophosphate and digested sequentially with cyanogen bromide, Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease and trypsin. A radiolabeled tryptic peptide was isolated and sequenced by automated Edman degradation and the location of the active-site residue established. The amino acid sequence was confirmed by sequencing an overlapping, unlabeled peptide, obtained by V8 digestion of the whole enzyme, and by dideoxynucleotide sequencing of a thioesterase II cDNA clone isolated from a lambda gt11 expression library. The active center contains the motif Gly-Xaa-Ser-Xaa-Gly, characteristic of the serine esterase family of enzymes. A seven-residue region around the essential serine of the rat mammary thioesterase II, Phe-Gly-Met-Ser-Phe-Gly-Ser, is completely homologous with a region of the mallard uropygial thioesterase, recently analyzed by cDNA sequencing, indicating that this is likely to be the active site of the avian enzyme. Overall homology between the mammalian and avian enzymes for the 57-amino-acid residue region is 47% and suggests that the two enzymes may share a common evolutionary origin.     

Structural insights into the substrate specificity of two esterases from the thermophilic Rhizomucor miehei

Two hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) family esterases (RmEstA and RmEstB) from the thermophilic fungus Rhizomucor miehei, exhibiting distinct substrate specificity, have been recently reported to show great potential in industrial applications. In this study, the crystal structures of RmEstA and RmEstB were determined at 2.15 Å and 2.43 Å resolutions, respectively. The structures of RmEstA and RmEstB showed two distinctive domains, a catalytic domain and a cap domain, with the classical α/β-hydrolase fold. Catalytic triads consisting of residues Ser161, Asp262, and His292 in RmEstA, and Ser164, Asp261, and His291 in RmEstB were found in the respective canonical positions. Structural comparison of RmEstA and RmEstB revealed that their distinct substrate specificity might be attributed to their different substrate-binding pockets. The aromatic amino acids Phe222 and Trp92, located in the center of the substrate-binding pocket of RmEstB, blocked this pocket, thus narrowing its catalytic range for substrates (C2–C8). Two mutants (F222A and W92F in RmEstB) showing higher catalytic activity toward long-chain substrates further confirmed the hypothesized interference. This is the first report of HSL family esterase structures from filamentous fungi.jlr The information on structure-function relationships could open important avenues of exploration for further industrial applications of esterases.     

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) type V receptor has a TGF-beta-stimulated serine/threonine-specific autophosphorylation activity.

The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) type V receptor, a newly identified high molecular weight TGF-beta receptor (M(r) approximately 400,000) has been purified from bovine liver plasma membranes (O'Grady, P., Kuo, M.-D., Baldassare, J. J., Huang, S. S., and Huang, J. S. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 8583-8589). The purified TGF-beta type V receptor underwent autophosphorylation at serine residues when incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP in the presence of 0.1% beta-mercaptoethanol and 2.5 mM MnCl2. This phosphorylation was stimulated by preincubation with TGF-beta. The preferred exogenous substrate for the Ser/Thr-specific phosphorylation activity of the type V receptor was found to be bovine casein. The TGF-beta type V receptor could be affinity-labeled with 5'-p-[adenine-8-14C]fluorosulfonylbenzoyl adenosine. Polylysine appeared to stimulate the autophosphorylation of the TGF-beta type receptor in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP and the incorporation of 5'-p-[adenine-8-14C]fluorosulfonylbenzoyl adenosine into the TGF-beta type V receptor. The amino acid sequence analysis of the peptide fragments produced by cyanogen bromide cleavage of the purified TGF-beta type V receptor revealed that a peptide, namely CNBr-19, contained an amino acid sequence which shows homology to the putative ATP binding site of the receptors for activin, the Caenorhabditis elegans daf-1 gene product, and TGF-beta type II receptor (Lin, H. Y., Wang, Y.-F., Ng-Eaton, E., Weinberg, R. A., and Lodish, H. F. (1992) Cell 68, 775-785). These results suggest that the TGF-beta type V receptor is a Ser/Thr-specific protein kinase and belongs to the new class of membrane receptors associated with a Ser/Thr-specific protein kinase activity.     

The Serratia marcescens bioH gene encodes an esterase

The 3.9 kb chromosomal DNA was cloned from Serratia marcescens Sr41, which confers on Escherichia coli cells a phenotype of clear halo formation on tributyrin agar plates. Three complete open reading frames (ORFs) were identified in the inserted DNA, and one ORF was demonstrated to encode a 28 kDa protein of 255 amino acids related to esterase activity. Interestingly, the ORF was 70% identical to a product of the E. coli bioH gene, which lies at a locus separated from the bioABFCD operon and acts in the early steps of the biotin synthetic pathway before pimeloyl-CoA synthesis. This gene complemented a bioH-deficient mutation of E. coli. From the sequence analysis, BioH is presumed to be a serine hydrolase, which belongs to the alpha/beta hydrolase-fold family comprising a wide variety of hydrolases including esterases. A catalytic triad composed of a nucleophilic residue (Ser80), an acidic residue (Asp206), and histidine (His234) was conserved in BioH, and the nucleophilic residue Ser, a catalytic center, was situated in the consensus sequence of G-X-S-X-G-G, a nucleophile elbow. Although the enzymatic function of BioH is not yet elucidated, the bioH gene products from S. marcescens and E. coli show esterase activity, which may imply the hydrolysis of a precursor leading to pimeloyl-CoA ester. The esterase activity of BioH and its CoA binding activity recently reported agree with a current hypothesis of pimeloyl-CoA ester synthesis from CoA and acylester derivatives including an acyl-carrier protein.     

Modulation of the effects of mutations in the basic region of the OmpA signal peptide by the mature portion of the protein

Oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis was used to study the structure-function relationship of the positively charged amino terminus of the Escherichia coli outer membrane protein OmpA signal peptide. Mutations were isolated which reduced the overall charge of the amino-terminal region from +2 (wild type) to +1, 0, and -1, as well as one mutation from Thr to Ser at position 4. DNA encoding the wild type and mutant OmpA signal peptides was then fused in-frame to DNA encoding the mature regions of Staphylococcus aureus nuclease A and TEM beta-lactamase. In the case of both the beta-lactamase and nuclease fusions, normal processing was no longer observed when the charge at the amino terminus was reduced to zero or made negative. Differences between the two hybrid proteins were observed in the case of the Thr to Ser mutation. As expected, this mutation had no effect on the beta-lactamase hybrid; however, the processing rate of the nuclease hybrid protein was reduced to nearly one-half. Furthermore, this effect was essentially reversed when a Lys residue at position 3 was deleted. A model is presented which explains the differing effects of a signal peptide mutation on the secretion of different hybrid proteins based on kinetic differences in the translocation of the nuclease and beta-lactamase proteins.     

Tyrosine residue 300 is important for activity and stability of branching enzyme from Escherichia coli

Branching enzyme belongs to the alpha-amylase family, which includes enzymes that catalyze hydrolysis or transglycosylation at alpha-(1,4)- or alpha-(1,6)-glucosidic linkages. In the alpha-amylase family, four highly conserved regions are proposed to make up the active site. From amino acid sequence analysis a tyrosine residue is completely conserved in the alpha-amylase family. In Escherichia coli branching enzyme, this residue (Y300) is located prior to the conserved region 1. Site-directed mutagenesis of the Y300 residue in E. coli branching enzyme was used in order to study its possible function in branching enzymes. Replacement of Y300 with Ala, Asp, Leu, Ser, and Trp resulted in mutant enzymes with less than 1% of wild-type activity. A Y300F substitution retained 25% of wild-type activity. Kinetic analysis of Y300F showed no effect on the Km value. The heat stability of Y300F was analyzed, and this was lowered significantly compared to that of the wild-type enzyme. Y300F also showed lower relative activity at elevated temperatures compared to wild-type. Thus, these results show that Tyr residue 300 in E. coli branching enzyme is important for activity and thermostability of the enzyme.     

A single residue mutation of 5-enoylpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase in Pseudomonas stutzeri enhances resistance to the herbicide glyphosate

A novel class II 5-enoylpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) was identified from Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501 by complementation of an Escherichia coli auxotrophic aroA mutant. The single amino acid substitution of serine (Ser) for asparagine (Asn)-130 of the A1501 EPSPS enhanced resistance to 200 mM glyphosate. The mutated EPSPS had a 2.5-fold increase for IC(50) [glyphosate] value, a 2-fold increase for K (i) [glyphosate] value, but a K (m) [PEP] value similar to that of wild type. The effect of the single residue mutation on glyphosate resistance was also analyzed using a computer-based three-dimensional model.     

Extremely thermostable esterases from the thermoacidophilic euryarchaeon Picrophilus torridus

Two genes encoding esterases EstA and EstB of Picrophilus torridus were identified by the means of genome analysis and were subsequently cloned in Escherichia coli. PTO 0988, which is encoding EstA, consists of 579 bp, whereas PTO 1141, encoding EstB, is composed of 696 bp, corresponding to 192 aa and 231 aa, respectively. Sequence comparison revealed that both biocatalysts have low sequence identities (14 and 16%) compared to previously characterized enzymes. Detailed analysis suggests that EstA and EstB are the first esterases from thermoacidophiles not classified as members of the HSL family. Furthermore, the subunits with an apparent molecular mass of 22 and 27 kDa of the homotrimeric EstA and EstB, respectively, represent the smallest esterase subunits from thermophilic microorganisms reported to date. The recombinant esterases were purified by Ni²⁺ affinity chromatography, and the activity of the purified esterases was measured over a wide pH (pH 4.5–8.5) and temperature range (10–90°C). Highest activity of the esterases was measured at 70°C (EstA) and 55°C (EstB) with short pNP-esters as preferred substrates. In addition, esters of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs naproxen, ketoprofen, and ibuprofen are hydrolyzed by both EstA and EstB. Extreme thermostability was measured for both enzymes at temperatures as high as 90°C. The determined half-life (t _1/2) at 90°C was 21 and 10 h for EstA and EstB, respectively. Remarkable preservation of esterase activity in the presence of detergents, urea, and commonly used organic solvents complete the exceptional phenotype of EstA and EstB.     

Altering substrate specificity of phosphatidylcholine-preferring phospholipase C of Bacillus cereus by random mutagenesis of the headgroup binding site

PLC(Bc) is a 28.5 kDa monomeric enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bond of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylserine to provide a diacylglycerol and the corresponding phosphorylated headgroup. Because single replacements of Glu4, Tyr56, and Phe66 in the headgroup binding pocket led to changes in substrate specificity [Martin et al. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 3410-3415], a combinatorial library of approximately 6000 maltose binding protein-PLC(Bc) fusion protein mutants containing random permutations of these three residues was generated to identify PLC(Bc) mutants with altered specificity profiles and high catalytic activities. Members of this library were screened for hydrolytic activity toward the water soluble substrates C6PC, C6PE, and C6PS using a novel protocol that was conducted in a 96-well format and featured the in situ cleavage of the fusion protein to release the mutant PLC(Bc)s. Ten mutant enzymes that exhibited significant preferences toward C6PE or C6PS were selected and analyzed by steady-state kinetics to determine their specificity constants, k(cat)/K(M). The C6PS selective clones E4G, E4Q/Y56T/F66Y, and E4K/Y56V exhibited higher specificity constants toward C6PS than wt, whereas Y56T, F66Y, and Y56T/F66Y were C6PE selective and had comparable or higher specificity constants than wt for C6PE. The corresponding wt residues were singly reinserted back into the E4Q/Y56T/F66Y and E4K/Y56V mutants via site-directed mutagenesis, and the E4Q/F66Y mutant thus obtained exhibited a 10-fold higher specificity constant toward C6PS than wt, a value significantly higher than other PLC(Bc) mutants. On the basis of available data, an aromatic residue at position 66 appears important for significant catalytic activity toward all three substrates, especially C6PC and C6PE. The charge of residue 4 also appears to be a determinant of enzyme specificity as a negatively charged residue at this position endows the enzyme with C6PC and C6PE preference, whereas a polar neutral or positively charged residue results in C6PS selectivity. Replacing Tyr56 with Val, Ala, Thr, or Ser greatly reduces activity toward C6PC. Thus, the substrate specificity of PLC(Bc) can be modulated by varying three of the amino acid residues that constitute the headgroup binding pocket, and it is now apparent that this enzyme is not evolutionarily optimized to hydrolyze phospholipids with ethanolamine or serine headgroups.     

A mutant form of human protein farnesyltransferase exhibits increased resistance to farnesyltransferase inhibitors.

Protein farnesyltransferase (FTase) is a key enzyme responsible for the lipid modification of a large and important number of proteins including Ras. Recent demonstrations that inhibitors of this enzyme block the growth of a variety of human tumors point to the importance of this enzyme in human tumor formation. In this paper, we report that a mutant form of human FTase, Y361L, exhibits increased resistance to farnesyltransferase inhibitors, particularly a tricyclic compound, SCH56582, which is a competitive inhibitor of FTase with respect to the CAAX (where C is cysteine, A is an aliphatic amino acid, and X is the C-terminal residue that is preferentially serine, cysteine, methionine, glutamine or alanine) substrates. The Y361L mutant maintains FTase activity toward substrates ending with CIIS. However, the mutant also exhibits an increased affinity for peptides terminating with CIIL, a motif that is recognized by geranylgeranyltransferase I (GGTase I). The Y361L mutant also demonstrates activity with Ha-Ras and Cdc42Hs proteins, substrates of FTase and GGTase I, respectively. In addition, the Y361L mutant shows a marked sensitivity to a zinc chelator HPH-5 suggesting that the mutant has altered zinc coordination. These results demonstrate that a single amino acid change at a residue at the active site can lead to the generation of a mutant resistant to FTase inhibitors. Such a mutant may be valuable for the study of the effects of FTase inhibitors on tumor cells.     

Molecular analysis of an esterase-encoding gene from a lipolytic psychrotrophic pseudomonad.

An esterase gene (estA) from a lipolytic psychotroph (Pseudomonas sp. LS107d2), was cloned in Escherichia coli and its nucleotide sequence was determined, revealing an ORF encoding a polypeptide of 389 amino acid residues, with a molecular mass of 42276 Da. Labelling of plasmid-encoded proteins with [35S]methionine, using the maxicell procedure, gave a single polypeptide of molecular mass 42 kDa, consistent with that calculated from the ORF. Colonies of E. coli cells containing estA produced a clear halo when grown on solid media containing tributyrin; no clearance was produced when cells were grown on media containing triolein. Extracts of cells containing estA also hydrolysed water-soluble nitrophenol esters, but were unable to cleave water-insoluble substrates. The preference for water-soluble substrates indicates that the gene product is an esterase.