Controlling the substrate selectivity of deacetoxycephalosporin/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase

Deacetoxycephalosporin/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase (DAOC/DACS) is an iron(II) and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenase involved in the biosynthesis of cephalosporin C in Cephalosporium acremonium. It catalyzes two oxidative reactions, oxidative ring-expansion of penicillin N to deacetoxycephalosporin C, and hydroxylation of the latter to give deacetylcephalosporin C. The enzyme is closely related to deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase (DAOCS) and DACS from Streptomyces clavuligerus, which selectively catalyze ring-expansion or hydroxylation reactions, respectively. In this study, structural models based on DAOCS coupled with site-directed mutagenesis were used to identify residues within DAOC/DACS that are responsible for controlling substrate and reaction selectivity. The M306I mutation abolished hydroxylation of deacetylcephalosporin C, whereas the W82A mutant reduced ring-expansion of penicillin G (an "unnatural" substrate). Truncation of the C terminus of DAOC/DACS to residue 310 (Delta310 mutant) enhanced ring-expansion of penicillin G by approximately 2-fold. A double mutant, Delta310/M306I, selectively catalyzed the ring-expansion reaction and had similar kinetic parameters to the wild-type DAOC/DACS. The Delta310/N305L/M306I triple mutant selectively catalyzed ring-expansion of penicillin G and had improved kinetic parameters (K(m) = 2.00 +/- 0.47 compared with 6.02 +/- 0.97 mm for the wild-type enzyme). This work demonstrates that a single amino acid residue side chain within the DAOC/DACS active site can control whether the enzyme catalyzes ring-expansion, hydroxylation, or both reactions. The catalytic efficiency of mutant enzymes can be improved by combining active site mutations with other modifications including C-terminal truncation and modification of Asn-305.     

Purification and properties of deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase from recombinant Escherichia coli and its comparison with the native enzyme purified from Streptomyces clavuligerus

A putatively rate-limiting synthase (expandase) of Streptomyces clavuligerus was stabilized in vitro and purified 46-fold from cell-free extracts; a major enriched protein with a Mr of 35,000 was further purified by electrophoretic elution. Based on a 22-residue amino-terminal sequence of the protein, the synthase gene of S. clavuligerus was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli (Kovacevic, S., Weigel, B.J., Tobin, M.B., Ingolia, T.D., and Miller, J. R. (1989) J. Bacteriol. 171, 754-760). The synthase protein was detected mainly from granules of recombinant E. coli. The recombinant synthase was solubilized from the granules by urea, and for the first time a highly active synthase was purified to near homogeneity. The synthase was a monomer with a Mr of 34,600 and exhibited two isoelectric points of 6.1 and 5.3. Its catalytic activity required alpha-ketoglutarate, Fe2+, and O2, was stimulated by dithiothreitol or ascorbate but not by ATP, and was optimal at pH 7.0 in 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid buffer and at 36 degrees C. The Fe2+ requirement was specific, and at least one sulfhydryl group in the purified enzyme was apparently essential for the ring expansion. The Km values of the enzyme for penicillin N and alpha-ketoglutarate were 29 and 18 microM, respectively, and the Ka for Fe2+ was 8 microM. The recombinant synthase was indistinguishable from the native synthase of S. clavuligerus by those biochemical properties. In addition to the enzymic ring expansion of penicillin N to deacetoxycephalosporin C, the recombinant synthase catalyzed a novel hydroxylation of 3-exomethylenecephalosporin C to deacetylcephalosporin C.     

Purification and initial characterization of deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase from Streptomyces clavuligerus

Deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase, the penicillin N ring expansion enzyme from Streptomyces clavuligerus, was purified to near homogeneity, as judged by sodium dodecyl sulphate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The synthase was monofunctional and could be completely separated from deacetoxycephalosporin C hydroxylase activity early in the purification sequence. Synthase specific activity was increased 97-fold over crude cell-free extracts, and the purified enzyme appeared to be a monomer with a molecular weight of 36,000 and a Km for the penicillin N substrate of 50 microM. Deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase activity required alpha-ketoglutarate, Fe2+, and oxygen and was specifically stimulated by ascorbate and dithiothreitol. The enzyme was sensitive to thiol-specific inhibitors, the most effective of which was N-ethylmaleimide.     

Oxygen derepresses deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase and increases the conversion of penicillin N to cephamycin C in Streptomyces clavuligerus.

When dissolved oxygen (DO) was maintained at saturation level during batch fermentations of Streptomyces clavuligerus (NRRL 3585), the accumulation of the intermediate penicillin N was lowered while formation of the end product cephamycin C was increased relative to fermentations without DO control. The specific activity of the penicillin ring-expansion enzyme deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase (DAOCS) was increased 2.3-fold under oxygen saturated conditions, whereas the penicillin ring-cyclizing enzyme isopenicillin N synthase (IPNS) showed only a 1.3-fold increase. Thus oxygen derepression of DAOCS appears to be an important regulatory mechanism in the conversion of penicillin N to cephamycin C in S. clavuligerus. IPNS, an early acting enzyme in cephamycin C biosynthesis, and DAOCS, which acts late in the pathway, both disappeared from cell extracts at 60 h, just prior to cessation of cephamycin production.     

Cloning, characterization, and expression in Escherichia coli of the Streptomyces clavuligerus gene encoding deacetoxycephalosporin C synthetase.

Biosynthesis of cephalosporin antibiotics involves an expansion of the five-membered thiazolidine ring of penicillin N to the six-membered dihydrothiazine ring of deacetoxycephalosporin C by a deacetoxycephalosporin C synthetase (DAOCS) enzyme activity. Hydroxylation of deacetoxycephalosporin C to form deacetylcephalosporin C by a deacetylcephalosporin C synthetase (DACS) activity is the next step in biosynthesis of cephalosporins. In Cephalosporium acremonium, both of these catalytic activities are exhibited by a bifunctional enzyme, DAOCS-DACS, encoded by a single gene, cefEF. In Streptomyces clavuligerus, separable enzymes, DAOCS (expandase) and DACS (hydroxylase), catalyze these respective reactions. We have cloned, sequenced, and expressed in E. coli an S. clavuligerus gene, designated cefE, which encodes DAOCS but not DACS. The deduced amino acid sequence of DAOCS from S. clavuligerus (calculated Mr of 34,519) shows marked similarity (approximately 57%) to the deduced sequence of DAOCS-DACS from C. acremonium; however, the latter sequence is longer by 21 amino acid residues.     

C-terminus mutations of Acremonium chrysogenum deacetoxy/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase with improved activity toward penicillin analogs

Deacetoxy/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase (acDAOC/DACS) from Acremonium chrysogenum is a bifunctional enzyme that catalyzes both the ring-expansion of penicillin N to deacetoxycephalosporin C (DAOC) and the hydroxylation of the latter to deacetylcephalosporin C (DAC). Three residues N305, R307 and R308 located in close proximity to the C-terminus of acDAOC/DACS were each mutated to leucine. The N305L and R308L mutant acDAOC/DACSs showed significant improvement in their ability to convert penicillin analogs. R308 was identified for the first time as a critical residue for DAOC/DACS activity. Kinetic analyses of purified R308L enzyme indicated its improved catalytic efficiency is due to combined improvements of K(m) and k(cat). Comparative modeling of acDAOC/DACS supports the involvement of R308 in the formation of substrate-binding pocket.     

Saturation mutagenesis of Acremonium chrysogenum deacetoxy/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase R308 site confirms its role in controlling substrate specificity

Deacetoxy/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase (acDAOC/DACS) from Acremonium chrysogenum is a bifunctional enzyme that catalyzes both the ring-expansion of penicillin N to deacetoxycephalosporin C and the hydroxylation of the latter to deacetylcephalosporin C. The R308 residue located in close proximity to the C-terminus of acDAOC/DACS was mutated to the other 19 amino acids. In the resulting mutant pool, R308L, R308I, R308T and R308V showed significant improvement in their ability to convert penicillin analogs, thus confirming the role of R308 in controlling substrate selectivity, the four amino acids all possess short aliphatic sidechains that may improve hydrophobic interactions with the substrates. The mutant R308I showed the highest reactivity for penicillin G, with 3-fold increase in k_cat/K_m ratio and 7-fold increase in relative activity.     

A complete library of amino acid alterations at N304 in Streptomyces clavuligerus deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase elucidates the basis for enhanced penicillin analogue conversion

N304 of Streptomyces clavuligerus deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase was mutagenized to alter its catalytic ability. Given that N304A, N304K, N304L, and N304R mutant enzymes exhibited significant improvements in penicillin analogue conversions, we advocate that replacement of N304 with residues with aliphatic or basic side chains is preferable for engineering of a hypercatalytic enzyme.     

Purification and initial characterization of an enzyme with deacetoxycephalosporin C synthetase and hydroxylase activities.

Deacetoxycephalosporin C synthetase (expandase) from Cephalosporium acremonium (Acremonium chrysogenum) was purified to near homogeneity as judged by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The enzyme (Mr about 40,000) exhibited a pH optimum around 7.5. It required 2-oxoglutarate (Km 0.04 mM), Fe2+ and O2 as cofactors, and ascorbate and dithiothreitol were necessary for maximum activity. It was stable for over 4 weeks at -70 degrees C in the presence of 1 mM-dithiothreitol. Activity was inhibited by the thiol-quenching reagent N-ethylmaleimide, the metal-ion-chelating reagent bathophenanthroline, and NH4HCO3. The highly purified enzyme also showed deacetoxycephalosporin C hydroxylase (deacetylcephalosporin C synthetase) activity, indicating that both expandase and hydroxylase activities are properties of a single protein. These activities could not be separated by ion-exchange, dye-ligand, gel-filtration or hydrophobic chromatography. A beta-sulphoxide and a 3 beta-methylene hydroxy analogue of penicillin N were synthesized to test as potential intermediates in the ring-expansion reaction, Neither compound was a substrate for the enzyme. A synthetic analogue in which the 3 beta-methyl group and the 2-hydrogen atom of penicillin N were replaced by a cyclopropane ring was not a substrate but was a reversible inhibitor of the enzyme.     

The hydroxylation of phenylalanine and tyrosine by tyrosine hydroxylase from cultured pheochromocytoma cells.

Pheochromocytoma tyrosine hydroxylase was reported to have unusual catalytic properties, which might be unique to the tumor enzyme (Dix, T. A., Kuhn, D. M., and Benkovic, S. J. (1987) Biochemistry 24, 3354-3361). Two such properties, namely the apparent inability to hydroxylate phenylalanine and an unprecedented reactivity with hydrogen peroxide were investigated further in the present study. Tyrosine hydroxylase was purified to apparent homogeneity from cultured pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. The purified tumor enzyme was entirely dependent on tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) for the hydroxylation of tyrosine to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and hydrogen peroxide could not substitute for the natural cofactor. Indeed, in the presence of BH4, increasing concentrations of hydrogen peroxide completely inhibited enzyme activity. The PC12 hydroxylase exhibited typical kinetics of tyrosine hydroxylation exhibited typical kinetics of tyrosine hydroxylation, both as a function of tyrosine (S0.5 Tyr = 15 microM) and BH4 (apparent Km BH4 = 210 microM). In addition, the enzyme catalyzed the hydroxylation of substantial amounts of phenylalanine to tyrosine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (apparent Km Phe = 100 microM). Phenylalanine did not inhibit the enzyme in the concentrations tested, whereas tyrosine showed typical substrate inhibition at concentrations greater than or equal to 50 microM. At higher substrate concentrations, the rate of phenylalanine hydroxylation was equal to or exceeded that of tyrosine. Essentially identical results were obtained with purified tyrosine hydroxylase from pheochromocytoma PC18 cells. The data suggest that the tumor enzyme has the same substrate specificity and sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide as tyrosine hydroxylase from other tissues.     

Extracellular production of biologically active deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase from Streptomyces clavuligerus in Pichia pastoris.

We have successfully expressed and observed secretion of the Streptomyces clavuligerus deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase (DAOCS) using the Pichia pastoris expression system. Two clones having multiple copies of the expression cassette were selected and used for protein-expression analysis. SDS-PAGE showed efficient expression and secretion of the bacterial recombinant DAOCS. The highest yield (120 microg/mL) was obtained when expression was induced with 2% methanol. Free and immobilized protein were assayed for biological activity and found to expand penicillin N (its natural substrate) and penicillin G to deacetoxycephalosporin C (DAOC) and deacetoxycephalosporin G (DAOG), respectively.     

A spectrophotometric assay for deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase

A continuous direct spectrophotometric assay for deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase was developed, based on the absorption at 260 nm characteristic of the dihydrothiazine moiety of cephalosporins. Km values of 0.18 mM for penicillin N and 0.16 mM for alpha-ketoglutarate were determined. A coupled assay using succinate thiokinase, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase showed that succinate was a product of both deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase and hydroxylase reactions. The expandase reaction exhibited a 1:1.06 stoichiometry for deacetoxycephalosporin C and succinate.     

Copurification and characterization of deacetoxycephalosporin C synthetase/hydroxylase from Cephalosporium acremonium.

Deacetoxycephalosporin C synthetase (expandase), which catalyzes ring expansion of penicillin N to deacetoxycephalosporin C (DAOC), has been stabilized in vitro and purified to near homogeneity from the industrially important fungus Cephalosporium acremonium. Throughout the purification, the expandase activity remained physically associated with and in a constant ratio of 7:1 to DAOC hydroxylase activity. The latter activity mediates hydroxylation of DAOC to deacetylcephalosporin C (DAC). The copurified expandase/hydroxylase appeared to be monomeric, with a molecular weight of 41,000 +/- 2,000 and an isoelectric point of 6.3 +/- 0.3. Both catalytic activities required alpha-ketoglutarate, Fe2+, and O2 and were stimulated by ascorbate, dithiothreitol, and ATP. The Fe2+ requirement was specific, and sulfhydryl groups in the purified protein were apparently essential for both ring expansion and hydroxylation. The kinetics and stoichiometry of DAOC/DAC formation from the expandase/hydroxylase-catalyzed reactions suggested that ring expansion of penicillin N preceded hydroxylation of DAOC.     

Remarkable aliphatic hydroxylation by the diiron enzyme toluene 4-monooxygenase in reactions with radical or cation diagnostic probes norcarane, 1,1-dimethylcyclopropane, and 1,1-diethylcyclopropane

Toluene 4-monooxygenase (T4MO) catalyzes the hydroxylation of toluene to yield 96% p-cresol. This diiron enzyme complex was used to oxidize norcarane (bicyclo[4.1.0]heptane), 1,1-dimethylcyclopropane, and 1,1-diethylcyclopropane, substrate analogues that can undergo diagnostic reactions upon the production of transient radical or cationic intermediates. Norcarane closely matches the shape and volume of the natural substrate toluene. Reaction of isoforms of the hydroxylase component of T4MO (T4moH) with different regiospecificities for toluene hydroxylation (k(cat) approximately 1.9-2.3 s(-)(1) and coupling efficiency approximately 81-96%) revealed similar catalytic parameters for norcarane oxidation (k(cat) approximately 0.3-0.5 s(-)(1) and coupling efficiency approximately 72%). The products included variable amounts of the un-rearranged isomeric norcaranols and cyclohex-2-enyl methanol, a product attributed to rearrangement of a radical oxidation intermediate. A ring-expansion product derived from the norcaranyl C-2 cation, cyclohept-3-enol, was not produced by either the natural enzyme or any of the T4moH isoforms tested. Comparative studies of 1,1-dimethylcyclopropane and 1,1-diethylcyclopropane, diagnostic substrates with differences in size and with approximately 50-fold slower k(cat) values, gave products consistent with both radical rearrangement and cation ring expansion. Examination of the isotopic enrichment of the incorporated O-atoms for all products revealed high-fidelity incorporation of an O-atom from O(2) in the un-rearranged and radical-rearranged products, while the O-atom found in the cation ring-expansion products was predominantly obtained by reaction with H(2)O. The results show a divergence of radical and cation pathways for T4moH-mediated hydroxylation that can be dissected by diagnostic substrate probe rearrangements and by changes in the source of oxygen used for substrate oxygenation.     

Directed evolution and rational approaches to improving <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces clavuligerus</Emphasis> deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase for cephalosporin production

It is approximately 60 years since the discovery of cephalosporin C in Cephalosporium acremonium. Streptomycetes have since been found to produce the structurally related cephamycin C. Studies on the biosynthetic pathways of these two compounds revealed a common pathway including a step governed by deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase which catalyses the ring-expansion of penicillin N to deacetoxycephalosporin C. Because of the therapeutic importance of cephalosporins, this enzyme has been extensively studied for its ability to produce these antibiotics. Although, on the basis of earlier studies, its substrate specificity was believed to be extremely narrow, relentless efforts in optimizing the in-vitro enzyme assay conditions showed that it is able to convert a wide range of penicillin substrates differing in their side chains. It is a member of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase protein family, which requires the iron(II) ion as a co-factor and 2-oxoglutarate and molecular oxygen as co-substrates. It has highly conserved HXDX _n H and RXS motifs to bind the co-factor and co-substrate, respectively. With advances in technology, the genes encoding this enzyme from various sources have been cloned and heterologously expressed for comparative analyses and mutagenesis studies. A high level of recombinant protein expression has also enabled crystallization of this enzyme for structure determination. This review will summarize some of the earlier biochemical characterization and describe the mechanistic action of this enzyme revealed by recent structural studies. This review will also discuss some of the approaches used to identify the amino acid residues involved in binding the penicillin substrate and to modify its substrate preference for possible industrial application.     

Intracellular localization of posttranslational modifications in the synthesis of hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins. Peptidyl proline hydroxylation in maize roots

The enzyme prolyl hydroxylase which is responsible for the hydroxylation of peptidyl proline has been investigated in extracts of maize roots. The optimum conditions under which this enzyme can be assayed have been determined using both a colorometric and a radiochemical assay. The enzyme has certain features in common with vertebrate prolyl hydroxylase (pH optimum, requirement for ferrous ion, inhibition by tricine and phosphate buffers, stimulation by bovine serum albumin) but prefers poly-L-proline to collagenous substrates. Centrifugation studies shows that the enzyme is mainly membrane-bound and is primarily localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, although the presence of small amounts in the Golgi apparatus cannot be ruled out.Abbreviations EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - ER endoplasmic reticulum - GApp Golgi apparatus     

Deoxysarpagine hydroxylase--a novel enzyme closing a short side pathway of alkaloid biosynthesis in Rauvolfia

Microsomal preparations from cell suspension cultures of the Indian plant Rauvolfia serpentina catalyze the hydroxylation of deoxysarpagine under formation of sarpagine. The newly discovered enzyme is dependent on NADPH and oxygen. It can be inhibited by typical cytochrome P450 inhibitors such as cytochrome c, ketoconazole, metyrapone, tetcyclacis and carbon monoxide. The CO-effect is reversible with light (450 nm). The data indicate that deoxysarpagine hydroxylase is a novel cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase. A pH optimum of 8.0 and a temperature optimum of 35 degrees C were determined. K(m) values were 25 microM for NADPH and 7.4 microM for deoxysarpagine. Deoxysarpagine hydroxylase activity was stable in presence of 20% sucrose at -25 degrees C for >3 months. The analysis of presence of the hydroxylase in nine cell cultures of seven different families indicates a very limited taxonomic distribution of this enzyme.     

Cosubstrate binding site of Pseudomonas sp. AK1 gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase. Interactions with structural analogs of alpha-ketoglutarate

Forty-one aromatic and aliphatic analogs of alpha-ketoglutarate were studied kinetically for their interaction with the alpha-ketoglutarate binding site of gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase obtained from Pseudomonas sp. AK1. Together, the compounds represent structural permutations probing the contribution of: 1) the C5 carboxyl group of alpha-ketoglutarate (domain I); 2) the C1-C2 keto acid moiety of alpha-ketoglutarate (domain II); 3) the distance between domains I and II; and 4) the spatial relationship of the two domains required for optimal interaction with the cosubstrate binding site. All compounds were competitive inhibitors for alpha-ketoglutarate (Km 0.018 mM). Functionally, two subsites of the cosubstrate binding site were evident: subsite I for polar interaction with the C5 carboxyl group, and subsite II, comprising of two distinct cis-oriented coordination sites of the catalytic ferrous ion which interact with the C1-C2 keto acid moiety. The most efficient inhibitors were pyridine 2,4-dicarboxylate (Ki 0.0002 mM) and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (Ki 0.0006 mM). Both compounds contain a carboxyl group and a chelating moiety corresponding to domains I and II of alpha-ketoglutarate, respectively. The fixed orientation of these groups in both analogs was used to assess intersubsite distance and spatial relationship required for optimal interaction with the cosubstrate binding site. Binding at subsite I and chelation at subsite II were indispensible for effective competitive inhibition. The distance between these two domains also helped determine whether attachment at the cosubstrate binding site would be catalytically productive. This was emphasized by the failure of either oxaloacetate or alpha-ketoadipinate to promote hydroxylation. Optimal interdomain distance, however, was not sufficient for cosubstrate utilization, as pyridine 2,4-dicarboxylate, with an interdomain distance identical to alpha-ketoglutarate in its staggered conformation, did not sustain hydroxylation. In the overall, these studies suggest that alpha-ketoglutarate utilization occurs in a ligand reaction at the active site ferrous ion of gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase. This is of particular interest since the delineated stereochemical mode of oxidative decarboxylation could generate the reactive oxo-iron species that was shown experimentally to promote gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylation by an abstraction-recombination mechanism (Blanchard, J. S., and Englard, S. (1983) Biochemistry 22, 5922-5928; Englard, S., Blanchard, J. S., and Midelfort, C. F. (1985) Biochemistry 24, 1110-1116).     

Site-directed mutagenesis of the active site serine290 in flavanone 3beta-hydroxylase from Petunia hybrida.

Flavanone 3beta-hydroxylase (FHT) catalyzes a pivotal reaction in the formation of flavonoids, catechins, proanthocyanidins and anthocyanidins. In the presence of oxygen and ferrous ions the enzyme couples the oxidative decarboxylation of 2-oxoglutarate, releasing carbon dioxide and succinate, with the oxidation of flavanones to produce dihydroflavonols. The hydroxylase had been cloned from Petunia hybrida and expressed in Escherichia coli, and a rapid isolation method for the highly active, recombinant enzyme had been developed. Sequence alignments of the Petunia hydroxylase with various hydroxylating 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases revealed few conserved amino acids, including a strictly conserved serine residue (Ser290). This serine was mutated to threonine, alanine or valine, which represent amino acids found at the corresponding sequence position in other 2-oxoglutarate-dependent enzymes. The mutant enzymes were expressed in E. coli and purified to homogeneity. The catalytic activities of [Thr290]FHT and [Ala290]FHT were still significant, albeit greatly reduced to 20 and 8%, respectively, in comparison to the wild-type enzyme, whereas the activity of [Val290]FHT was negligible (about 1%). Kinetic analyses of purified wild-type and mutant enzymes revealed the functional significance of Ser290 for 2-oxoglutarate-binding. The spatial configurations of the related Fe(II)-dependent isopenicillin N and deacetoxycephalosporin C synthases have been reported recently and provide the lead structures for the conformation of other dioxygenases. Circular dichroism spectroscopy was employed to compare the conformation of pure flavanone 3beta-hydroxylase with that of isopenicillin N synthase. A double minimum in the far ultraviolet region at 222 nm and 208-210 nm and a maximum at 191-193 nm which are characteristic for alpha-helical regions were observed, and the spectra of the two dioxygenases fully matched revealing their close structural relationship. Furthermore, the spectrum remained unchanged after addition of either ferrous ions, 2-oxoglutarate or both of these cofactors, ruling out a significant conformational change of the enzyme on cofactor-binding.     

Deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase isozymes exhibit diverse catalytic activity and substrate specificity

The biosynthesis of cephalosporins involving a thiozolidine ring expansion is catalyzed by deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase (DAOCS). In this study, three DAOCS isozymes were cloned and expressed as active enzymes together with Streptomyces jumonjinensis DAOCS that was newly isolated and partially characterized. The enzymes showed excellent substrate conversion for penicillin G, phenethicillin, ampicillin and carbenicillin, but they were less effective in the ring expansion of penicillin V, amoxicillin and metampicillin. Streptomyces clavuligerus DAOCS was the most active among the recombinant enzymes. The results also showed that truncation of 20 amino acids at the C-terminus of the Acremonium chrysogenum deacetoxy/deacetylcephalosporin C synthase polypeptide did not affect penicillin ring expansion.