A novel L-serine deaminase activity in Escherichia coli K-12.

We demonstrate here that Escherichia coli K-12 synthesizes two different L-serine deaminases (L-SD) catalyzing the nonoxidative deamination of L-serine to pyruvate, one coded for by the previously described sdaA gene and a second, hitherto undescribed enzyme which we call L-SD2. A strain carrying a null mutation in sdaA made no detectable L-SD in minimal medium, but had activity in Luria broth. We describe a mutation, sdaX, which affects the regulation of L-SD2 and permits its expression in minimal medium, and an insertion mutation, sdaB, which abolishes L-SD2 activity completely. Both mutations lie near 60.5 min on the E. coli genetic map. The two L-SD enzymes have similar enzyme parameters, and both require posttranslational activation.     

In vitro and in vivo activation of L-serine deaminase in Escherichia coli K-12.

Escherichia coli L-serine deaminase (L-SD) in crude extracts made in glycylglycine could be activated by incubation with iron sulfate and dithiothreitol. This activation could also be demonstrated in vitro in two mutants which were physiologically deficient in L-SD activity in vivo. This suggests that these mutants were deficient not in L-SD but in an enzyme(s) activating L-SD. The suggestion is made that production of a functional L-SD in vivo requires activation of the structural gene product by an enzyme or enzymes that reduce the protein to an active form.     

A mutation in Escherichia coli K-12 results in a requirement for thiamine and a decrease in L-serine deaminase activity

Mutants of Escherichia coli K-12 deficient in L-serine deaminase (L-SD) activity have been isolated. These strains required thiamine and grew normally when it was provided. The decrease in L-SD activity caused no obvious metabolic deficiency. A study of revertants and transductants showed that a single mutation was responsible for the thiamine requirement and for the decrease in L-SD activity.     

The iron-sulfur cluster in the L-serine dehydratase TdcG from Escherichia coli is required for enzyme activity

The anaerobically inducible L-serine dehydratase, TdcG, from Escherichia coli was characterized. Based on UV-visible spectroscopy, iron and labile sulfide analyses, the homodimeric enzyme is proposed to have two oxygen-labile [4Fe-4S]2+ clusters. Anaerobically isolated dimeric TdcG had a kcat of 544 s(-1) and an apparent KM for L-serine of 4.8 mM. L-threonine did not act as a substrate for the enzyme. Exposure of the active enzyme to air resulted in disappearance of the broad absorption band at 400-420 nm, indicating a loss of the [4Fe-4S]2+ cluster. A concomitant loss of dehydratase activity was demonstrated, indicating that integrity of the [4Fe-4S]2+ cluster is essential for enzyme activity.     

谷氨酸棒杆菌SYPS-062 L-丝氨酸脱水酶活性分析及其基因敲除对L-丝氨酸积累的影响

以谷氨酸棒杆菌(Corynebacterium glutamicum) SYPS-062基因组DNA为模板,扩增得到L-丝氨酸脱水酶(L-SerDH)的编码基因sdaA。将其克隆到表达载体pET-28a(+),并在E.coli BL21(DE3)中诱导表达,对纯化的L-SerDH进行了酶活测定,并与来自C.glutamicum ATCC13032的重组L-SerDH进行了比较,结果显示,两种不同菌株来源的重组L-SerDH降解L-丝氨酸的酶比活力差异并不显著。在此基础上敲除菌株SYPS-062 的sdaA基因,探讨该基因对C.glutamicum SYPS-062生长及产酸的影响。通过构建自杀型重组质粒pK18mobsacB-△sdaA,电击转入C.glutamicum SYPS-062中,以同源重组的方式获得了sdaA基因缺失突变株,并用PCR方法对突变株C.glutamicum SYPS-062△sdaA进行了验证。与出发菌株相比,突变菌株生长缓慢,单位菌体L-丝氨酸的产量(Y_P/X)提高了15.13%。     

Nucleotide sequence encoding the flavoprotein and iron-sulfur protein subunits of the Bacillus subtilis PY79 succinate dehydrogenase complex.

The nucleotide sequence of a 2.7-kilobase segment of DNA containing the sdhA and sdhB genes encoding the flavoprotein (Fp, sdhA) and iron-sulfur protein (Ip, sdhB) subunits of the succinate dehydrogenase of Bacillus subtilis was determined. This sequence extends the previously reported sequence encoding the cytochrome b558 subunit (sdhC) and completes the sequence of the sdh operon, sdhCAB. The predicted molecular weights for the Fp and Ip subunits, 65,186 (585 amino acids) and 28,285 (252 amino acids), agreed with the values determined independently for the labeled Fp and Ip antigens, although it appeared that the B. subtilis Fp was not functional after expression of the sdhA gene in Escherichia coli. Both subunits closely resembled the corresponding Fp and Ip subunits of the succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and fumarate reductase of E. coli in size, composition, and amino acid sequence. The sequence homologies further indicated that the B. subtilis SDH subunits are equally related to the SDH and fumarate reductase subunits of E. coli but are less closely related than are the corresponding pairs of E. coli subunits. The regions of highest sequence conservation were identifiable as the catalytically significant flavin adenine dinucleotide-binding sites and cysteine clusters of the iron-sulfur centers.     

L-serine dehydratase from Arthrobacter globiformis.

1. L-Serine dehydratase (EC 4.2.1.13) was purified 970-fold from glycine-grown Arthrobacter globiformis to a final specific activity of 660micronmol of pyruvate formed/min per mg of protein. 2. The enzyme is specific for L-serine; D-serine, L-threonine and L-cysteine are not attacked. 3. The time-course of pyruvate formation by the purified enzyme, in common with enzyme in crude extracts and throughout the purification, is non-linear. The reaction rate increases progressively for several minutes before becoming constant. The enzyme is activated by preincubation with L-serine and a linear time-course is then obtained. 4. The substrate-saturation curve for L-serine is sigmoid. The value of [S]0.5 varies with protein concentration, from 6.5mM at 23microng/ml to 20mM at 0.23microng/ml. The Hill coefficient remains constant at 2.9.5 The enzyme shows a non-specific requirement for a univalent or bivalent cation. Half-maximal activity is produced by 1.0mM-MgCl2 or by 22.5mM-KCl. 6. L-Cysteine and D-serine act as competitive inhibitors of L-serine dehydratase, with Ki values of 1.2 and 4.9mM respectively. L-Cysteine, at higher concentrations, also causes a slowly developing irreversible inhibition of the enzyme. 7. Inhibition by HgCl2 (5micronM)can be partially reversed in its initial phase by 1mM-L-cysteine, but after 10 min it becomes irreversible. 8. In contrast with the situation in all cell-free preparations, toluene-treated cells of A. globiformis form pyruvate from L-serine at a constant rate from the initiation of the reaction, show a hyperbolic substrate-saturation curve with an apparent Km of 7mM and do not require a cation for activity.     

The iron-sulfur-cluster-containing L-serine dehydratase from Peptostreptococcus asaccharolyticus. Stereochemistry of the deamination of L-threonine.

The stereochemistry of the deamination of L-threonine to 2-oxobutyrate, catalyzed by purified L-serine dehydratase of Peptostreptococcus asaccharolyticus, was elucidated. For this purpose the enzyme reaction was carried out with unlabelled L-threonine in 2H2O and in 3HOH, as well as with L-[3-3H]threonine in unlabelled water. Isotopically labelled 2-oxobutyrate thus formed was directly reduced in a coupled reaction with L- or D-lactate dehydrogenase and NADH. The (2R)- or (2S)-2-hydroxybutyrate species obtained were then subjected to configurational analyses of their labelled methylene group. The results from 1H-NMR spectroscopy and, after degradation of 2-hydroxybutyrate to propionate, the transcarboxylase assay consistently indicated that the deamination of L-threonine catalyzed by L-serine dehydratase of P. asaccharolyticus proceeds with inversion and retention in a 2:1 ratio. This partial racemization is the first ever to be observed for a reaction catalyzed by serine dehydratase, therefore confirming the distinction of the L-serine dehydratase of P. asaccharolyticus as an iron-sulfur protein from those dehydratases dependent on pyridoxal phosphate. For the latter enzymes exclusively, retention has been reported.     

Construction of Escherichia coli strains producing L-serine from glucose

L-Serine is usually produced from glycine. We have genetically engineered Escherichia coli to produce L-serine from glucose intracellularly. D-3-Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PGDH, EC 1.1.1.95) in E. coli catalyzes the first committed step in L-serine formation but is inhibited by L-serine. To overcome this feedback inhibition, both the His(344) and Asn(346) residues of PGDH were converted to alanine and the mutated PGDH (PGDH(dr)) became insensitive to L-serine. However, overexpression of PGDH(dr) gave no significant increase of L-serine accumulation but, when L-serine deaminase genes (sdaA, sdaB and tdcG) were deleted, serine accumulated: (1) deletion of sdaA gave up to 0.03 mmol L-serine/g; (2) deletion of both sdaA and sdaB accumulated L-serine up to 0.09 mmol/g; and (3) deletion of sdaA, sdaB and tdcG gave up to 0.13 mmol L-serine/g cell dry wt.     

L-serine deaminating enzymes in Escherichia coli crude extracts

(a) The measured L-serine deaminating activity of a crude bacterial extract may originate from L-serine deaminase, from biosynthetic L-threonine deaminase, or from degradative L-serine deaminase. Nevertheless, the contribution of the individual enzymes can be determined.(b) About a half of the L-serine deaminating activity of wild type E. coli bacteria, grown in synthetic minimal medium, originates from L-serine deaminase and about half from biosynthetic L-threonine deaminase.(c) Ninety percent of L-serine deaminating activity of wild type E. coli bacteria, grown in yeast extract-tryptone medium, originates from L-serine deaminase, and the remainging ten percent from the degradative L-threonine deaminase.(d) Conditions have been established in which threonine deaminases are eliminated and the activity of L-serine deaminase alone could be measured, even in crude extracts.     

Mechanism of L-serine oxidation in Entamoeba histolytica.

1. The enzymatic mechanism of oxygen uptake elicited by L-serine in axenically cultivated trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica was investigated. 2. Of 22 amino acids examined, only L-serine stimulated oxygen consumption by intact and disrupted amoebae. 3. Pyruvate, a product of serine metabolism, also stimulated oxygen consumption in the amoebae. 4. Characterization of the oxygen uptake elicited by both L-serine and pyruvate, and analysis of the products of L-serine metabolism indicate that the amino acid is first converted to pyruvate. 5. L-Serine dehydratase, which catalyzes the deamination of serine to pyruvate, was detected primarily in the soluble fraction of the amoebae. D-Serine potently inhibited the enzyme, as well as oxygen uptake in the presence of L-serine but not in the presence of pyruvate. 6. The pyruvate formed is oxidized, at least in part, by a novel pyruvate oxidase involving the uptake of molecular oxygen.     

Metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for L-serine production

Although L-serine proceeds in just three steps from the glycolytic intermediate 3-phosphoglycerate, and as much as 8% of the carbon assimilated from glucose is directed via L-serine formation, previous attempts to obtain a strain producing L-serine from glucose have not been successful. We functionally identified the genes serC and serB from Corynebacterium glutamicum, coding for phosphoserine aminotransferase and phosphoserine phosphatase, respectively. The overexpression of these genes, together with the third biosynthetic serA gene, serA(delta197), encoding an L-serine-insensitive 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase, yielded only traces of L-serine, as did the overexpression of these genes in a strain with the L-serine dehydratase gene sdaA deleted. However, reduced expression of the serine hydroxymethyltransferase gene glyA, in combination with the overexpression of serA(delta197), serC, and serB, resulted in a transient accumulation of up to 16 mM L-serine in the culture medium. When sdaA was also deleted, the resulting strain, C. glutamicum delta sdaA::pK18mobglyA'(pEC-T18mob2serA(delta197)CB), accumulated up to 86 mM L-serine with a maximal specific productivity of 1.2 mmol h(-1) g (dry weight)(-1). This illustrates a high rate of L-serine formation and also utilization in the C. glutamicum wild type. Therefore, metabolic engineering of L-serine production from glucose can be achieved only by addressing the apparent key position of this amino acid in the central metabolism.     

Purification and properties of an iron-sulfur-containing and pyridoxal-phosphate-independent L-serine dehydratase from Peptostreptococcus asaccharolyticus

L-Serine dehydratase with a specific activity of 15 nkat/mg protein was present in the anaerobic eubacterium Peptostreptococcus asaccharolyticus grown either on L-glutamate or L-serine. The enzyme was highly specific for L-serine with the lowest Km = 0.8 mM ever reported for an L-serine dehydratase. L-Threonine (Km = 22 mM) was the only other substrate. V/Km for L-serine was 500 times higher than that for L-threonine. L-Cysteine was the best inhibitor (Ki = 0.3 mM, competitive towards L-serine). The enzyme was purified 400-fold to homogeneity under anaerobic conditions (specific activity 6 mukat/mg). PAGE in the presence of SDS revealed two subunits with similar intensities (alpha, 30 kDa; beta, 25 kDa). The molecular mass of the native enzyme was estimated as 200 +/- 20 kDa (gel filtration) and 180 kDa (gradient PAGE). In the absence of oxygen the enzyme was moderately stable even in the presence of sodium borohydride or phenylhydrazine (5 mM each). However, by exposure to air the activity was lost, especially when the latter agent was added. The enzyme was reactivated by ferrous ion under anaerobic conditions. The inability of several nucleophilic agents to inactivate the enzyme indicated the absence of pyridoxal phosphate. This was confirmed by a microbiological determination of pyridoxal phosphate. However, the enzyme contained 3.8 +/- 0.2 mol Fe and 5.6 +/- 0.3 mol inorganic sulfur/mol heterodimer (55 kDa) indicating the presence of an [Fe-S] center. The enzyme was successfully applied to measure L-serine concentrations in bacterial media and in human sera.     

A D-serine dehydratase acting also on L-serine from Klebsiella pneumoniae.

D-Serine dehydratase [EC 4.2.1.14] was purified from a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae 140-fold from crude extract with a yield of 5%. This enzyme catalyzed formation of pyruvate and ammonia not only from D-serine but also from L-serine, and also catalyzed the formation of alpha-ketobutyrate and ammonia from D-threonine. Km values for D-serine, L-serine, and D-threonine were 2.8 mM, 20 mM, and 3.6 mM, respectively. Km for pyridoxal 5'-phosphate was 2.5 micron. The molecular weight was estimated to be 46,000 by Sephadex G-150 gel filtration and 40,000 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This enzyme was inducible by D-serine. Induction by casamino acids appeared to depend on the presence of D-serine.     

Increase of L-serine dehydratase activity under gluconeogenic conditions in adult-rat hepatocytes cultured on collagen gel/nylon mesh.

Hormonal regulation of L-serine dehydratase [L-serine hydro-lyase (deaminating), EC 4.2.1.13] was studied in primary cultures of adult-rat hepatocytes. The hepatocytes were isolated by collagenase perfusion and maintained in culture on collagen-gel/nylon-mesh substrata. L-Serine dehydratase activity was measured with [14C]threonine as substrate. The enzyme activity in hepatocytes of normal adult rats was low and declined rapidly in culture in L-15 medium containing 0.1 micro M-insulin and even more in the presence of glucose. L-Serine dehydratase activity in hepatocytes of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes was initially 20-fold higher than that of normal rats, but fell rapidly to a low value by 4 days in culture. Hormonal regulation of the enzyme activity was manifested by treatment of the cultured hepatocytes with insulin (0.1 micro M), glucagon (0.3 micro M), dexamethasone (10 micro M) and combinations of these hormones. Either glucagon or dexamethasone in the absence of insulin enhanced the activity of L-serine dehydratase, but failed to do so in the presence of insulin. Treatment with both hormones resulted in a 2-3-fold increase in enzyme activity in culture on days 3 and 4. Under conditions in which the enzyme activity was enhanced, glucose production by the cultured hepatocytes was concomitantly increased. Glucose production resulted in part from gluconeogenesis from pyruvate and not entirely from glycogenolysis. The gluconeogenic conditions of culture resulted in a decrease in cellular lipids in the cultured hepatocytes, as evidenced by ultrastructural studies.     

Cometabolism of a nongrowth substrate: L-serine utilization by Corynebacterium glutamicum

Despite its key position in central metabolism, L-serine does not support the growth of Corynebacterium glutamicum. Nevertheless, during growth on glucose, L-serine is consumed at rates up to 19.4 +/- 4.0 nmol min(-1) (mg [dry weight])(-1), resulting in the complete consumption of 100 mM L-serine in the presence of 100 mM glucose and an increased growth yield of about 20%. Use of 13C-labeled L-serine and analysis of cellularly derived metabolites by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that the carbon skeleton of L-serine is mainly converted to pyruvate-derived metabolites such as L-alanine. The sdaA gene was identified in the genome of C. glutamicum, and overexpression of sdaA resulted in (i) functional L-serine dehydratase (L-SerDH) activity, and therefore conversion of L-serine to pyruvate, and (ii) growth of the recombinant strain on L-serine as the single substrate. In contrast, deletion of sdaA decreased the L-serine cometabolism rate with glucose by 47% but still resulted in degradation of L-serine to pyruvate. Cystathionine beta-lyase was additionally found to convert L-serine to pyruvate, and the respective metC gene was induced 2.4-fold under high internal L-serine concentrations. Upon sdaA overexpression, the growth rate on glucose is reduced 36% from that of the wild type, illustrating that even with glucose as a single substrate, intracellular L-serine conversion to pyruvate might occur, although probably the weak affinity of L-SerDH (apparent Km, 11 mM) prevents substantial L-serine degradation.     

Nucleotide sequence of the gene for cytochrome b558 of the Bacillus subtilis succinate dehydrogenase complex.

The nucleotide sequence was determined for the first part of the Bacillus subtilis sdh operon. An open reading frame corresponding to the structural gene, sdhA, for cytochrome b558 was identified. The predicted molecular weight of the cytochrome (excluding the N-terminal methionine) is 22,770. It is a very hydrophobic protein with five probable membrane-spanning segments. There is little homology between the B. subtilis cytochrome b558 and cytochrome b of mitochondrial complex III from different organisms or between cytochrome b558 and the hydrophobic sdhC and sdhD peptides of the Escherichia coli sdh operon. About 30 bases downstream of the sdhA stop codon, a new open reading frame starts. The nucleotide sequence predicts the presence of a typical flavin-binding peptide which identifies this reading frame as part of the sdhB gene. Seven bases upstream of the sdhA initiation codon ATG there is a typical B. subtilis ribosome binding site (free energy of interaction, -63 kJ), and further upstream, tentative sigma 55 and sigma 32 promoter sequences were found. The upstream region also contains two 12-base-long direct repeats; their significance is unknown.     

Gene cloning,purification, and characterization of 2,3-diaminopropionate ammonia-lyase from Escherichia coli

2,3-Diaminopropionate ammonia-lyase (DAPAL), which catalyzes alpha,beta-elimination of 2,3-diaminopropionate regardless of its stereochemistry, was purified from Salmonella typhimurium. We cloned the Escherichia coli ygeX gene encoding a putative DAPAL and purified the gene product to homogeneity. The protein obtained contained pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and was composed of two identical subunits with a calculated molecular weight of 43,327. It catalyzed the alpha,beta-elimination of both D- and L-2,3-diaminopropionate. The results confirmed that ygeX encoded DAPAL. The enzyme acted on D-serine, but its catalytic efficiency was only 0.5% that with D-2,3-diaminopropionate. The enzymologic properties of E. coli DAPAL resembled those of Salmonella DAPAL, except that L-serine, D-and L-beta-Cl-alanine were inert as substrates of the enzyme from E. coli. DAPAL had significant sequence similarity with the catalytic domain of L-threonine dehydratase, which is a member of the fold-type II group of pyridoxal phosphate enzymes, together with D-serine dehydratase and mammalian serine racemase.     

甲基营养菌Methylobacterium sp.MB200中与L-丝氨酸耐受性相关基因的克隆与分析

甲基营养菌MB200,能利用非C-C键低碳化合物生长并合成L-丝氨酸,对L-丝氨酸耐受浓度低,提高其在静息细胞反应系统中对L-丝氨酸的耐受能力可更好的提高L-丝氨酸的产量.利用质粒转座子pTnMod-RKm'构建了甲基营养菌MB200的突变体库,往培养基中添加20 mg/mL L-丝氨酸对突变体库中的突变体进行平板筛选...