Expression and functional analysis of a hyperglycosylated glucoamylase in a parental host, Aspergillus awamori var. kawachi.

A modified glucoamylase gene (glaA) with an extra Thr- and Ser-rich Gp-I domain (T. Semimaru, M. Goto, K. Furukawa, and S. Hayashida, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61:2885-2890, 1995) was introduced into a mutant parental host, Aspergillus awamori var. kawachi, in which the original glaA gene had been completely deleted and replaced with the hygromycin phosphotransferase gene. The modified glaA was successfully expressed and secreted. The modified glucoamylase possessed higher digestibility of raw corn starch and higher stabilities in response to heat and extreme pH.     

Raw Starch-digestive Glucoamylase Productivity of Protease-less Mutant from Aspergillus awamori var. kawachi

Mutation experiments were performed to decrease the protease productivity of Aspergillus awamori var. kawachi using ultraviolet light and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. The selected mutant HF-15 showed reductions in protease productivity of 93%, 84% and 50% in solid wheat bran culture, shaking Medium B and wheat bran cultures, respectively, as compared with the parent. Protease-less mutant HF-15 failed to produce α-mannosidase, and N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase productivity decreased by 35%. Mutant HF-15 specifically produced a high amount of raw starch-adsorbable and raw starch-digestive glucoamylase similar to GA I under all tested cultural conditions. On the contrary, high protease-producing mutant HF-10 produced a glucoamylase with very limited adsorption and digestion capacity on raw corn starch, and lower hydrolysis toward gelatinized potato starch and glycogen that was similar to GA I'.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of the unfolding mechanism of the catalytic domain from Aspergillus awamori var. X100 glucoamylase

In this study, 200 ps molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to investigate the unfolding mechanism of the catalytic domain of glucoamylase from Aspergillus awamori var. X100. The unfolding of this domain was suggested to follow a putative hierarchical manner, in which the heavily O-glycosylated belt region from residues T440 to A471 acted as the initiation site, followed by the alpha-helix secondary structure destruction, and then the collapse of the catalytic center pocket. The O-glycosylated belt region surrounded the surface of the catalytic domain in its native state at low temperature, whereas it was extended and is more suitable to be classified as part of the subsequent linker domain at high temperatures due to its high flexibility. The inner set helices of the (alpha/alpha)(6)-barrel seemed to exhibit higher helical content than the outer set ones at all temperatures examined. The distances between the C(alpha) of the three Cys residue pairs fluctuated rapidly at higher temperatures, indicating that these disulfide bonds have little effect on the structural stabilization. The melting temperature, at which the residual total helicity of the catalytic domain is 50%, is much lower than the critical temperature, at which the catalytic center pocket has lost its structural integrity.     

Production and Characteristics of Raw Starch-Digesting Glucoamylase O from a Protease-Negative, Glycosidase-Negative Aspergillus awamori var. kawachi Mutant

[This corrects the article on p. 906 in vol. 45.].     

Improved adsorption to starch of a beta-galactosidase fusion protein containing the starch-binding domain from Aspergillus glucoamylase.

We have previously shown (Chen et al., 1991) that a beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) fusion protein (BSB133) containing 133 amino acids (aa) from the C-terminus of Aspergillus glucoamylase (GA) adsorbs strongly to starch compared to beta-gal, due to the presence of the GA starch-binding domain. We have now made deletions at the N-terminus of this 133-aa region to test the minimal size required for starch binding of beta-gal fusion proteins. Three fusion proteins (BSB119, BSB103, and BSB80) were genetically engineered, containing 119, 103, and 80 C-terminal aa from GA, respectively. The fusion proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Purified BSB119 adsorbed to native starch at least 2-fold more strongly than did BSB133 or fusion proteins with shorter tails. Adsorption isotherms generated over a wide range of initial concentrations indicated a 10-fold difference in the loading capacity of starch for BSB119 (36.5 mg of protein/g of starch) compared to beta-gal (3.7 mg of protein/g of starch). Adsorption constants calculated from the initial slopes of the isotherms indicated a nearly 30-fold difference in affinity to starch for BSB119 (Kad = 63 mL/g of starch) compared to beta-gal (Kad = 2.3 mL/g of starch). BSB119 in the presence of crude enzyme extracts also bound to starch with a high affinity compared to a beta-gal control. Potential applications of the starch-binding tail include enzyme immobilization to starch or recovery and purification of target proteins from crude extracts.     

Production and Characteristics of Raw Starch-Digesting Glucoamylase O from a Protease-Negative, Glycosidase-Negative Aspergillus awamori var. kawachi Mutant

Production of a raw starch-digesting glucoamylase O (GA O) by protease-negative, glycosidase-negative mutant strain HF-15 of Aspergillus awamori var. kawachi was undertaken under submerged culture conditions. The purified GA O was electrophoretically homogeneous and similar to the parent glucoamylase I (GA I) in the hydrolysis curves toward gelatinized potato starch, raw starch, and glycogen and in its thermostability and pH stability, but it was different in molecular weight and carbohydrate content (250,000 and 24.3% for GA O, 90,000 and ca. 7% for GA I, respectively). The chitin-bound GA O hydrolyzed raw starch but the chitin-bound GA I failed to digest raw starch because chitin was adsorbed at the raw starch affinity site of the GA I molecule. The removal of the raw starch affinity site of GA O with subtilisin led to the formation of a modified GA O (molecular weight, 170,000), which hydrolyzed glycogen 100%, similar to GA O and GA I, and was adsorbed onto chitin and fungal cell wall but not onto raw starch, Avicel, or chitosan. The modified GA I (molecular weight, 83,000) derived by treatment with substilisin hydrolyzed glycogen up to only 80% and failed to be adsorbed onto any of the above polysaccharides. The N-bromosuccinimide-oxidized GA O lost its activity toward gelatinized and raw starches, but the abilities to be adsorbed onto raw starch and chitin were preserved. It was thus suggested that both the raw starch affinity site essential for raw starch digestion and the chitin-binding site specific for the binding with chitin in the cell wall could be different from the active site, located in the three respective positions in the GA O molecule.     

Crystal structure of glucoamylase from Aspergillus awamori var. X100 to 2.2-A resolution.

The crystal structure of a catalytically active fragment of glucoamylase-I from Aspergillus awamori var. X100 has been determined to a resolution of 2.2 A. Twelve of its 13 alpha-helices are arranged into an "alpha/alpha-barrel." An inner core of six mutually parallel alpha-helices are connected to each other through a peripheral set of six alpha-helices. The peripheral helices are parallel to each other, but approximately antiparallel to the inner core of alpha-helices. The putative active site lies in the packing void of the inner set of helices. The last 30 residues of the enzyme comprise a separate domain containing 10 sites of O-glycosylation. Each instance of O-glycosylation involves a serine or threonine side chain linked to the alpha-anomer of a single mannosyl residue. The O-glycosylated domain is in an extended conformation, wrapping around the "waist" of the alpha/alpha-barrel. Two additional sites of N-glycosylation contribute well ordered glycosyl chains that lie in proximity to the belt of O-glycosylation. The model developed for glucoamylase is a rare and valuable structural example of a glycoprotein and an exo-acting amylolytic enzyme.     

Predicted unfolding order of the 13 alpha-helices in the catalytic domain of glucoamylase from Aspergillus awamori var. X100 by molecular dynamics simulations

The unfolding mechanism of the 13 alpha-helices in the catalytic domain of Aspergillus awamori var. X100 glucoamylase was investigated by 200 ps molecular dynamics simulations in explicit water with temperature jump technique. Rather than a simultaneous event, the unfolding of these 13 alpha-helices followed a random ordered mechanism as alpha8-->alpha1-->alpha11-->alpha7-->alpha10-->alpha3-->alpha12-->alpha13-->alpha4-->alpha5-->alpha9-->alpha6-->alpha2. No significant relationships were found between the unfolding order and the length and the hydrophobicity of the helix. alpha-Helix 8 located in the inner region of the catalytic domain was predicted to be the first helix to unfold, indicating that the destruction of the secondary structure motif was initiated from the inner region of the catalytic domain. The dynamic behavior of these alpha-helices induced by increased kinetic energy during the unfolding process is considered to be similar to the expansion and compression of a series of springs under the influence of mechanical stress.     

The starch-binding domain from glucoamylase disrupts the structure of starch

The full-length glucoamylase from Aspergillus niger, G1, consists of an N-terminal catalytic domain followed by a semi-rigid linker (which together constitute the G2 form) and a C-terminal starch-binding domain (SBD). G1 and G2 both liberate glucose from insoluble corn starch, although G2 has a rate 80 times slower than G1. Following pre-incubation of the starch with SBD, the activity of G1 is uniformly reduced with increasing concentrations of SBD because of competition for binding sites. However, increasing concentrations of SBD produce an initial increase in the catalytic rate of G2, followed by a decrease at higher SBD concentrations. The results show that SBD has two functions: it binds to the starch, but it also disrupts the surface, thereby enhancing the amylolytic rate.     

Carboxyl groups in the active center of glucoamylase from Aspergillus awamori

The values for the ionization constants of the catalytic groups of the active site of glucoamylase from Asp. awamori for the free enzyme and for the enzyme--substrate complex were calculated. The temperature dependence of the alkaline branch of the pH-dependence curve and the pH dependence in the presence of methanol were determined. The ionization enthalpy delta H = 1.5 +/- 0.3 kcal/mole, the ionization entropy delta S = 20.5 +/- 1.2 e. u. It was assumed that two carboxyl groups are involved in the catalytic act.     

A functional raw starch-binding domain of barley alpha-amylase expressed in Escherichia coli

The mature form of barley seed low-pI -amylase (BAA1) possesses a raw starch-binding site in addition to the catalytic site. A truncated cDNA encoding the C-terminal region (aa 281–414) and containing the proposed raw starch-binding domain (SBD) but lacking Trp278/Trp279, a previously proposed starch granule-binding site, was synthesized via PCR and expressed in Escherichia coli as an N-terminal His-Tag fusion protein. SBD was produced in the form of insoluble inclusion bodies that were extracted with urea and successfully refolded into a soluble form via dialysis. To determine binding, SBD was purified by affinity chromatography with cycloheptaamylose as ligand cross-linked to Sepharose. This work demonstrates that a SBD is located in the C-terminal region and retains sufficient function in the absence of the N-terminal, catalytic, and Trp278/279 regions.     

Thermodynamic effects of disulfide bond on thermal unfolding of the starch-binding domain of Aspergillus niger glucoamylase

The thermodynamic effects of the disulfide bond of the fragment protein of the starch-binding domain of Aspergillus niger glucoamylase was investigated by measuring the thermal unfolding of the wild-type protein and its two mutant forms, Cys3Gly/Cys98Gly and Cys3Ser/Cys98Ser. The circular dichroism spectra and the thermodynamic parameters of binding with beta-cyclodextrin at 25 degrees C suggested that the native structures of the three proteins are essentially the same. Differential scanning calorimetry of the thermal unfolding of the proteins showed that the unfolding temperature t1/2 of the two mutant proteins decreased by about 10 degrees C as compared to the wild-type protein at pH 7.0. At t1/2 of the wild-type protein (52.7 degrees C), the mutant proteins destabilized by about 10 kJ mol(-1) in terms of the Gibbs energy change. It was found that the mutant proteins were quite stabilized in terms of enthalpy, but that a higher entropy change overwhelmed the enthalpic effect, resulting in destabilization.     

Crystal structures of the starch-binding domain from Rhizopus oryzae glucoamylase reveal a polysaccharide-binding path

GA (glucoamylase) hydrolyses starch and polysaccharides to beta-D-glucose. RoGA (Rhizopus oryzae GA) consists of two functional domains, an N-terminal SBD (starch-binding domain) and a C-terminal catalytic domain, which are connected by an O-glycosylated linker. In the present study, the crystal structures of the SBD from RoGA (RoGACBM21) and the complexes with beta-cyclodextrin (SBD-betaCD) and maltoheptaose (SBD-G7) were determined. Two carbohydrate binding sites, I (Trp(47)) and II (Tyr(32)), were resolved and their binding was co-operative. Besides the hydrophobic interaction, two unique polyN loops comprising consecutive asparagine residues also participate in the sugar binding. A conformational change in Tyr(32) was observed between unliganded and liganded SBDs. To elucidate the mechanism of polysaccharide binding, a number of mutants were constructed and characterized by a quantitative binding isotherm and Scatchard analysis. A possible binding path for long-chain polysaccharides in RoGACBM21 was proposed.     

The glucoamylase multigene family in Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus: an overview

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used widely both as a model system for unraveling the biochemical, genetic, and molecular details of gene expression and the secretion process, and as a host for the production of heterologous proteins of biotechnological interest. The potential of starch as a renewable biological resource has stimulated research into amylolytic enzymes and the broadening of the substrate range of S. cerevisiae. The enzymatic hydrolysis of starch, consisting of linear (amylose) and branched glucose polymers (amylopectin), is catalyzed by alpha- and beta-amylases, glucoamylases, and debranching enzymes, e.g., pullulanases. Starch utilization in the yeast S. cerevisiae var. diastaticus depends on the expression of the three unlinked genes, STA1 (chr. IV), STA2 (chr. II), and STA3 (chr. XIV), each encoding one of the extracellular glycosylated glucoamylases isozymes GAI, GAII, or GAIII, respectively. The restriction endonuclease maps of STA1, STA2, and STA3 are identical. These genes are absent in S. cerevisiae, but a related gene, SGA1, encoding an intracellular, sporulation-specific glucoamylase (SGA), is present. SGA1 is homologous to the middle and 3' regions of the STA genes, but lacks a 5' sequence that encodes the domain for secretion of the extracellular glucoamylases. The STA genes are positively regulated by the presence of three GAM genes. In addition to positive regulation, the STA genes are regulated negatively at three levels. Whereas strains of S. diastaticus are capable of expressing the STA genes, most strains of S. cerevisiae contain STA10, whose presence represses the expression of the STA genes in an undefined manner. The STA genes are also repressed in diploid cells, presumably by the MATa/MAT alpha-encoded repressor. STA gene expression is reduced in liquid synthetic media, it is carbon catabolite repressed by glucose, and is inhibited in petite mutants.     

Production of multiple forms of glucoamylase in Aspergillus awamori

The biosynthesis of glucoamylases in Aspergillus awamori was studied by in vivo protein labelling and analysis of glucoamylase-specific mRNAs. Two types of glucoamylases with molecular weights of 100,000 and 82,000 were shown to be synthesized de novo. Deglycosylation of the 100,000 molecular weight glucoamylase type resulted in the formation of another glucoamylase form with molecular weight of about 94,000. De novo synthesis of two types of glucoamylases was further confirmed by the existence of two types of glucoamylase-specific mRNAs, as demonstrated by in vitro translation and Northern blot analysis studies.