乙内酰脲酶及其在氨基酸手性合成中的应用

乙内酰脲水解酶、氨甲酰化酶和乙内酰脲消旋酶构成的酶系能够以5-取代乙内酰脲类化合物为原料合成天然和非天然D-或L-氨基酸,用于各种手性氧基酸的生产。近来的研究重点在分离新酶或提高原酶的活性,包括定向突变、三维结构解析与结构功能关系研究、酶固定化、蛋白融合和构建完整细胞生物催化剂等。     

Over-production of hydantoinase and N-carbamoylamino acid amidohydrolase enzymes by regulatory mutants of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

While the hydantoin-hydrolysing enzymes from Agrobacterium strains are used as biocatalysts in the commercial production of D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine, they are now mostly produced in heterologous hosts such as Escherichia coli. This is due to the fact that the activity of these enzymes in the native strains is tightly regulated by growth conditions. Hydantoinase and N-carbamoylamino acid amidohydrolase (NCAAH) activities are induced when cells are grown in the presence of hydantoin or an hydantoin analogue, and in complete medium, enzyme activity can be detected only in early stationary growth phase. In this study, the ability of Agrobacterium tumefaciens RU-OR cells to produce active enzymes was found to be dependent upon the choice of nitrogen source and the presence of inducer, 2-thiouracil, in the growth medium. Growth with (NH4)2SO4 as the nitrogen source repressed the production of both enzymes (nitrogen repression) and also resulted in a rapid, but reversible loss of hydantoinase activity in induced cells (ammonia shock). Mutant strains with inducer-independent production of the enzymes and/or altered response to nitrogen control were isolated. Of greatest importance for industrial application was strain RU-ORPN1F9, in which hydantoinase and NCAAH enzyme activity was inducer-independent and no longer sensitive to nitrogen repression or ammonia shock. Such mutants offer the potential for native enzyme production levels equivalent to those achieved by current heterologous expression systems.     

Hydantoinases and related enzymes as biocatalysts for the synthesis of unnatural chiral amino acids

A cascade of hydantoinase, N-carbamoylase and hydantoinracemase can be used for the production of natural and unnatural chiral D- and L-amino acids from chemically synthesized hydantoin derivatives. Potentially, 100% conversion and 100% optically pure amino acids can be obtained at the same time if racemic substrates are used. Recent research activities concentrate on newly isolated or improved enzymes and include directed evolution techniques, structure elucidation, studies of fusion proteins and the use of specially designed whole cell biocatalysts.     

Immobilization of the hydantoin cleaving enzymes from Arthrobacter aurescens DSM 3747.

The immobilization procedure of the two industrially important hydantoin cleaving enzymes--hydantoinase and L-N-carbamoylase from Arthrobacter aurescens DSM 3747--was optimized. Using different methods (carbodiimide, epoxy activated carriers) it was possible to immobilize the crude hydantoinase from A. aurescens DSM 3747 to supports containing primary amino groups with a yield of up to 60%. Immobilization on more hydrophobic supports such as Eupergit C and C 250 L resulted in lower yields of activity, whereas the total protein coupled remained constant. All attempts to immobilize the crude L-N-carbamoylase resulted in only low activity yields. Therefore, the enzyme was highly purified and used in immobilization experiments. The pure enzyme could easily be obtained in large amounts by cultivation of a recombinant Escherichia coli strain following a three step purification protocol consisting of cell disruption, chromatography on Streamline diethylaminoethyl and Mono Q. The immobilization of the L-N-carbamoylase was optimized with respect to the coupling yield by varying the coupling method as well as the concentrations of protein, carrier and carbodiimide. Using 60 mM of water-soluble carbodiimide, nearly 100% of the enzyme activity and protein could be immobilized to EAH Sepharose 4B.     

Overexpression and characterization of hydantoin racemase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58

Hydantoin racemase enzyme together with a stereoselective hydantoinase and a stereospecific D-carbamoylase guarantee the total conversion from D,L-5-monosubstituted hydantoins with a low velocity of racemization to optically pure D-amino acids. In this work we have cloned and expressed the hydantoin racemase gene from two strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, C58 and LBA4404, in Escherichia coli BL21. The recombinant protein was purified in a one-step procedure by using immobilized cobalt affinity chromatography and showed an apparent molecular mass of 32,000 Da in SDS-gel electrophoresis. Size exclusion chromatography analysis determined a molecular mass of about 100,000 Da, suggesting that the native enzyme is a tetramer. The optimal conditions for hydantoin racemase activity were pH 7.5 and 55 degrees C with L-5-ethylhydantoin as substrate. Enzyme activity was slightly affected by the addition of Ni(2+) and Co(2+) and strongly inhibited by Cu(2+) and Hg(2+). No effect on enzyme activity was detected with Mn(2+), EDTA, or DTT. Kinetic studies showed the preference of the enzyme for hydantoins with short rather than long aliphatic side chains or hydantoins with aromatic rings.     

D,L-Hydantoinase activity of an Ochrobactrum anthropi strain

AIMS: A microorganism with the ability to release methionine from D,L-(2-methylthioethyl) hydantoin (strain 245) was isolated from soil. The aim of this study was the identification of the strain and the adjustment of the conditions of growth and of the enzymatic reaction, in order to achieve high specific activities of bioconversion of the hydantoin. METHODS AND RESULTS: Strain 245 was identified as Ochrobactrum anthropi. The strain grew at alkaline pH (up to 10.0) and its hydantoinase activity was found to be inducible by the substrate D,L-(2-methylthioethyl) hydantoin. The enzyme is also alkalostable, with a pH optimum of 9.0. Under these conditions, hydantoinase activity was significantly enhanced and its half life prolonged when 200 mmol l-1 ammonium and phosphate were added. The addition of Ca2+, Na+, Cu2+, Co2+, Mg2+, Zn2+ or Fe3+ (0.5 mmol l-1) to the reaction mixture increased the hydantoinase activity of strain 245 up to tenfold after 24 h of incubation, compared with unamended controls. CONCLUSION: The adequate adjustment of some environmental parameters (pH, addition of inducer, presence of ammonium, phosphate, heavy metals and other ions) can considerably increase the D, L-hydantoinase activity of strain 245. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The findings reported here set up the initial conditions for a further application of strain 245 in the production of methionine from hydantoine.     

Burkholderia piCkettii中D-乙内酰脲酶基因(dha)的克隆、测序及表达

对一株能转化D,L－对羟基苯乙内酰脲为D－对羟基苯甘氨酸的菌株MMR003进行了细菌分类学鉴定,该菌为皮氏伯克霍尔德氏菌（Burkholderia pickettii)。实验通过Southern杂交,部分文库构建和筛选,并经一系列亚克隆分析,获得一长度为1374bp的完整开放阅读框,编码458个氨基酸的D－乙内酰脲酶基因。用该基因序列构建的高表达质粒xXZPH2转化E.coliBL21(DE3),经IPTG诱导后,检测到D－乙内酰脲酶活性。该基因编码的氨基酸序列经Blast同源比较分析与放射形土壤杆菌NRRL B11291所产相应酶有85％的同源性。以D,L－对羟基苯乙内酰脲为底物测得的表达酶的活力为0.66u/mL,比相同条件下所测出发菌株MMR003的酶活提高了2倍。     

微生物乙内酰脲酶及其研究进展

乙内酰脲酶是广泛分布在微生物中的一类可降解乙内酰脲酶类化合物的酶系 ,包括乙内酰脲水解酶、N-氨甲酰氨基酸水解酶及乙内酰脲消旋酶。微生物的乙内酰脲酶在结构与组成、立体选择性、底物专一性、反应条件和作用机制等方面有所不同 ,在各种 L-及 D-型氨基酸的酶法生产中具有良好的应用前景。本文对乙内酰脲酶研究及应用的一般情况作了概述 ,并讨论了有关乙内酰脲酶研究的主要研究进展     

Binding studies of hydantoin racemase from Sinorhizobium meliloti by calorimetric and fluorescence analysis

Hydantoin racemase enzyme together with a stereoselective hydantoinase and a stereospecific d-carbamoylase guarantee the total conversion from d,l-5-monosubstituted hydantoins with a low velocity of racemization, to optically pure d-amino acids. Hydantoin racemase from Sinorhizobium meliloti was expressed in Escherichia coli. Calorimetric and fluorescence experiments were then carried out to obtain the thermodynamic binding parameters, deltaG, deltaH and DeltaS for the inhibitors L- and D-5-methylthioethyl-hydantoin. The number of active sites is four per enzyme molecule (one per monomer), and the binding of the inhibitor is entropically and enthalpically favoured under the experimental conditions studied. In order to obtain information about amino acids involved in the active site, four different mutants were developed in which cysteines 76 and 181 were mutated to Alanine and Serine. Their behaviour shows that these cysteines are essential for enzyme activity, but only cysteine 76 affects the binding to these inhibitors.     

Cloning and characterization of genes from Agrobacterium sp. IP I-671 involved in hydantoin degradation

Cloning and sequencing of a 7.1 kb DNA fragment from Agrobacterium sp IP I-671 revealed seven open reading frames (ORFs) encoding D-hydantoinase, D-carbamoylase and putative hydantoin racemase, D-amino acid oxidase and NAD(P)H-flavin oxidoreductase. Two incomplete ORFs flanking the hydantoin utilization genes showed similarities to genes involved in transposition. Expression of the D-hydantoinase and D-carbamoylase gene in Escherichia coli gave mainly inactive protein concentrated in inclusion bodies, whereas homologous expression on an RSF1010 derivative increased hydantoinase and D-carbamoylase activity 2.5-fold and 10-fold, respectively, in this strain. Inactivation of the D-carbamoylase gene in Agrobacterium sp IP I-671 led to a complete loss of detectable carbamoylase activity whereas the low hydantoinase activity remaining after inactivation of the D-hydantoinase gene indicated the presence of a second hydantoinase-encoding gene. Two plasmids of 80 kb and 190 kb in size were identified by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and the cloned hydantoin utilization genes were found to be localized on the 190 kb plasmid.     

Hydantoin racemase from Arthrobacter aurescens DSM 3747: heterologous expression, purification and characterization

In Arthrobacter aurescens DSM 3747 three enzymes are involved in the complete conversion of slowly racemizing 5'-monosubstituted D,L-hydantoins to L-amino acids, a stereoselective hydantoinase, a stereospecific L-N-carbamoylase and a hydantoin racemase. The gene encoding the hydantoin racemase, designated hyuA, was identified upstream of the previously described L-N-carbamoylase gene in the plasmid pAW16 containing genomic DNA of A. aurescens. The gene hyuA which encodes a polypeptide of 25.1 kDa, was expressed in Escherichia coli and the recombinant protein purified to homogeneity and further characterized. The optimal condition for racemase activity were pH 8.5 and 55 degrees C with L-5-benzylhydantoin as substrate. The enzyme was completely inhibited by HgCL2 and iodoacetamide and stimulated by addition of dithiothreitol. No effect on enzyme activity was seen with EDTA. The enzyme showed preference for hydantoins with arylalkyl side chains. Kinetic studies revealed substrate inhibition towards the aliphatic substrate L-5-methylthioethylhydantoin. Enzymatic racemization of D-5-indolylmethylenehydantoin in D2O and NMR analysis showed that the hydrogen at the chiral center of the hydantoin is exchanged against solvent deuterium during the racemization.     

Direct detection of the hydantoinase activity on solid agar plates and electrophoretic acrylamide gels

A rapid and simple method to detect hydantoinase-producing microorganisms was developed using a selective agar plate containing 1% hydantoin and 0.005% Phenol Red in the typical Luria-Bertani medium. Conversion of hydan-toin to hydantoic acid decreases the pH and the agar turns bright yellow. The method was used to isolate hydantoinase-producing E. coli transformants in the cloning of hydantoinase gene and screening of the hydantoinase-producing microorganisms from soils. Detection of hydantoinase activity after PAGE also used the same method.     

Thermostable hydantoinase from a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Methanococcus jannaschii

A hyperthermophilic hydantoinase from Methanococcus jannaschii with an optimum growth at 85°C was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The recombinant hydantoinase was purified by affinity and anion-exchange chromatography and determined to be homotetrameric protein by gel filtration chromatography. The best substrate for the hydantoinase was D,L-5-hydroxyhydantoin, which has the specific activity of 183.4 U/mg. The optimum pH and temperature for the hydantoinase activity was 8.0 and 80°C, respectively. The half-life of the hydantoinase was measured to be 100 min at 90°C in the buffer containing 500 mM KCl. Manganese ions were the most effective for the hydantoinase activity. Stereospecificity was determined to be L-specific for the 5-hydroxymethylhydantoin and 5-methylhydantoin by chiral TLC. The activity yields as well as the operational stabilities of the thermostable M. jannaschii hydantoinase could be significantly improved by immobilization method.     

节杆菌乙内酰脲水解酶与GST蛋白融合表达及纯化

目的：构建节杆菌BT801乙内酰脲水解酶（HyuH）与GST融合表达载体,利用大肠杆菌表达GST-HyuH融合蛋白并纯化。方法：将节杆菌HyuH基因插入载体pGEX-KG构建重组表达质粒pGEX-KG-HyuH;SDS-PAGE检查GST-HyuH的表达;利用薄层层析检查融合蛋白的HyuH活性;最后利用谷胱甘肽-Sepharose 4B树脂纯化融合蛋白GST-HyuH。结果：SDS-PAGE表明重组菌在相对分子质量77×103处有特异的蛋白表达条带,且重组菌可以水解5-苯基乙内酰脲,纯化得到了有HyuH活性的纯度较高的GST-HyuH融合蛋白。结论：得到了有HyuH活性的GST-HyuH,为进一步研究HyuH的修饰奠定了基础。     

节杆菌BT801 N-氨甲酰氨基酸水解酶基因的克隆与表达

通过PCR从质粒pUC18 16 9中扩增得到N 氨甲酰氨基酸水解酶基因 (hyuC) ,置于原核表达载体pQE6 0的T5启动子下游构成表达质粒pQE6 0 hyuC ,并在大肠杆菌M15中实现了该基因的高表达。SDS PAGE检测表达产物 ,在相对分子量 44kD处有一表达带 ,经薄层扫描分析目的蛋白占全菌蛋白的 40 % ,主要以可溶性形式存在。酶活性分析结果表明 ,工程菌M15 pQE6 0 hyuC的N 氨甲酰氨基酸水解酶的比活分别比原始菌株ArthrobacterBT80 1和亚克隆DH5α pUC18 16 9提高了 5 2倍和 72倍。在节杆菌BT80 1和大肠杆菌DH5α pUC18 16 9的反应体系中加入等量菌体的工程菌M15 pQE6 0 hyuC ,可使乙内酰脲酶总比活分别提高 8 1倍和 3 0倍。     

乙内酰脲水解酶基因在大肠杆菌中的克隆表达

节杆菌BT801的乙内酰脲酶系能够水解5-苄基乙内酰脲生成L-苯丙氨酸,其中乙内酰脲水解酶负责乙内酰脲的水解开环。乙内酰脲水解酶的表达对于乙内酰脲酶的催化机制研究及氨基酸的生物不对称合成都具有重要意义。通过PCR技术扩增得到乙内酰脲水解酶基因(hyuH),置于表达载体pT221的,17启动子下游,将构建的重组质粒引入大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)。SDS-PAGE分析在相对分子量50kD处有一较强的表达带,经薄层扫描分析目的蛋白占全菌蛋白的40％,主要以可溶性形式存在,活性分析表明表达产物具有天然的酶活性。     

Catalytic and structural function of zinc for the hydantoinase from Arthrobacter aurescens DSM 3745

Metal dependency of the hydantoin amidohydrolase (hydantoinase) from Arthrobacter aurescens DSM 3745 has been analyzed based on kinetic studies of metal/chelator-caused enzyme inactivation, denaturation and reactivation, accompanied by the identification of specific metal binding ligands. The enzyme can be inactivated by metal chelating agents and—apart from the loss of its activity—completely dissociates into its subunits. Enzyme activity can be restored from recollected monomers by the addition of cobalt, manganese or zinc-ions, whereas nickel and magnesia remain ineffective. Subjection of the hydantoinase to metal analysis reveals a content of 10 mol zinc per mol enzyme. Zinc plays an essential role not only for the catalytic activity but also for the stabilization of the active quarternary structure of the hydantoinase. Histidine-specific chemical modification of the enzyme causes a complete loss of the catalytic activity and reveals histidine residues as putative zinc binding ligands. Both, the metal/chelator-caused enzyme inactivation as well as the metal-caused enzyme reactivation, can be reduced in the presence of the substrate. Therefore, it is very likely that at least one metal-ion acts specifically near or at the active site of the enzyme.     

Arthrobacter K1108乙内酰脲酶反应条件和立体选择性研究

研究了Arthrobacter K1108乙内酰脲酶的反应条件,结果表明,K1108乙内酰脲酶的最适反应温度为55℃,最适pH为7.0,Co^2 和Fe^2 对该酶有激活作用,而Ca^2 有严重抑制作用。K1108乙内酰脲酶的底物专一性较强,其最适底物为5－苄基乙内酰脲,5－苯基乙内酰脲和5－吲哚甲基乙内酰脲均不能作为其有效底物。对K1108乙内酰脲酶立体反应机制研究结果表明,其乙内酰脲水解酶不具立体选择性,决定产物立体构型的酶是N－氨甲酰氨基酸水解酶。     

Production of D-amino acids from D,L-5-substituted hydantoins by an Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain and isolation of a mutant with inducer-independent expression of hydantoin-hydrolysing activity

Conversion of D,L-p-hydroxyphenylhydantoin to D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine by Agrobacterium tumefaciens RU-OR involved a racemase, an hydantoinase and an unusual D-selective N-carbamylamino acid amidohydrolase which was active at alkaline pH and was not inhibited by N-carbamyl-L-amino acids. Enzyme activity was induced by growth in media containing 2-thiouracil. A mutant strain (RU-ORL5) was isolated, which expressed both the hydantoinase and N-carbamylamino acid amidohydrolase enzymes in the absence of inducer. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998