Cloning and Expression in Escherichia coli of 2-Hydroxypropylphosphonic Acid Epoxidase from the Fosfomycin-producing Organism,Pseudomonas syringae PB-5123

The fosfomycin resistance gene, fosC, has been cloned from the fosfomycin-producing organism, Pseudomonas syringae PB-5123. Sequence analysis upstream of this gene found a new ORF showing significant homology to 2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid epoxidase from fosfomycin-producing Streptomyces wedmorensis. The purified recombinant protein of this ORF converted 2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid to fosfomycin. This result clearly showed the ORF to encode 2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid epoxidase in PB-5123.     

Biochemical and spectroscopic studies on (S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid epoxidase: a novel mononuclear non-heme iron enzyme

The last step of the biosynthesis of fosfomycin, a clinically useful antibiotic, is the conversion of (S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid (HPP) to fosfomycin. Since the ring oxygen in fosfomycin has been shown in earlier feeding experiments to be derived from the hydroxyl group of HPP, this oxirane formation reaction is effectively a dehydrogenation process. To study this unique C-O bond formation step, we have overexpressed and purified the desired HPP epoxidase. Results reported herein provided initial biochemical evidence revealing that HPP epoxidase is an iron-dependent enzyme and that both NAD(P)H and a flavin or flavoprotein reductase are required for its activity. The 2 K EPR spectrum of oxidized iron-reconstituted fosfomycin epoxidase reveals resonances typical of S = (5)/(2) Fe(III) centers in at least two environments. Addition of HPP causes a redistribution with the appearance of at least two additional species, showing that the iron environment is perturbed. Exposure of this sample to NO elicits no changes, showing that the iron is nearly all in the Fe(III) state. However, addition of NO to the Fe(II) reconstituted enzyme that has not been exposed to O(2) yields an intense EPR spectrum typical of an S = (3)/(2) Fe(II)-NO complex. This complex is also heterogeneous, but addition of substrate converts it to a single, homogeneous S = (3)/(2) species with a new EPR spectrum, suggesting that substrate binds to or near the iron, thereby organizing the center. The fact that NO binds to the ferrous center suggests O(2) can also bind at this site as part of the catalytic cycle. Using purified epoxidase and (18)O isotopic labeled HPP, the retention of the hydroxyl oxygen of HPP in fosfomycin was demonstrated. While ether ring formation as a result of dehydrogenation of a secondary alcohol has precedence in the literature, these catalyses require alpha-ketoglutarate for activity. In contrast, HPP epoxidase is alpha-ketoglutarate independent. Thus, the cyclization of HPP to fosfomycin clearly represents an intriguing conversion beyond the scope entailed by common biological epoxidation and C-O bond formation.     

Purification and characterization of the epoxidase catalyzing the formation of fosfomycin from Pseudomonas syringae

The final step in the biosynthesis of fosfomycin in Streptomyces wedmorensis is catalyzed by ( S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid (HPP) epoxidase ( Sw-HppE). A homologous enzyme from Pseudomonas syringae whose encoding gene ( orf3) shares a relatively low degree of sequence homology with the corresponding Sw-HppE gene has recently been isolated. This purified P. syringae protein was determined to catalyze the epoxidation of ( S)-HPP to fosfomycin and the oxidation of ( R)-HPP to 2-oxopropylphosphonic acid under the same conditions as Sw-HppE. Therefore, this protein is indeed a true HPP epoxidase and is termed Ps-HppE. Like Sw-HppE, Ps-HppE was determined to be post-translationally modified by the hydroxylation of a putative active site tyrosine (Tyr95). Analysis of the Fe(II) center by EPR spectroscopy using NO as a spin probe and molecular oxygen surrogate reveals that Ps-HppE's metal center is similar, but not identical, to that of Sw-HppE. The identity of the rate-determining step for the ( S)-HPP and ( R)-HPP reactions was determined by measuring primary deuterium kinetic effects, and the outcome of these results was correlated with density functional theory calculations. Interestingly, the reaction using the nonphysiological substrate ( R)-HPP was 1.9 times faster than that with ( S)-HPP for both Ps-HppE and Sw-HppE. This is likely due to the difference in bond dissociation energy of the abstracted hydrogen atom for each respective reaction. Thus, despite the low level of amino acid sequence identity, Ps-HppE is a close mimic of Sw-HppE, representing a second example of a non-heme iron-dependent enzyme capable of catalyzing dehydrogenation of a secondary alcohol to form a new C-O bond.     

On the conversion of structural analogues of (S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid to epoxides by the final enzyme of fosfomycin biosynthesis in S. fradiae

2-Hydroxyethyl- and (S)-2-hydroxybutylphosphonic acid were prepared, starting in the latter case from (S)-2-aminobutyric acid. They were fed to cultures of Streptomyces fradiae producing fosfomycin. Only the latter (150 microg/mL of medium) was converted to the ethyl analogue of fosfomycin, isolated as 2-amino-1-hydroxybutylphosphonic acid (3%) in admixture with 2-amino-1-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid (97%) derived from fosfomycin.     

Determination of the substrate binding mode to the active site iron of (S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid epoxidase using 17O-enriched substrates and substrate analogues

(S)-2-Hydroxypropylphosphonic acid epoxidase (HppE) is an O2-dependent, nonheme Fe(II)-containing oxidase that converts (S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid ((S)-HPP) to the regio- and enantiomerically specific epoxide, fosfomycin. Use of (R)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid ((R)-HPP) yields the 2-keto-adduct rather than the epoxide. Here we report the chemical synthesis of a range of HPP analogues designed to probe the basis for this specificity. In past studies, NO has been used as an O2 surrogate to provide an EPR probe of the Fe(II) environment. These studies suggest that O2 binds to the iron, and substrates bind in a single orientation that strongly perturbs the iron environment. Recently, the X-ray crystal structure showed direct binding of the substrate to the iron, but both monodentate (via the phosphonate) and chelated (via the hydroxyl and phosphonate) orientations were observed. In the current study, hyperfine broadening of the homogeneous S = 3/2 EPR spectrum of the HppE-NO-HPP complex was observed when either the hydroxyl or the phosphonate group of HPP was enriched with 17O (I = 5/2). These results indicate that both functional groups of HPP bind to Fe(II) ion at the same time as NO, suggesting that the chelated substrate binding mode dominates in solution. (R)- and (S)-analogue compounds that maintained the core structure of HPP but added bulky terminal groups were turned over to give products analogous to those from (R)- and (S)-HPP, respectively. In contrast, substrate analogues lacking either the phosphonate or hydroxyl group were not turned over. Elongation of the carbon chain between the hydroxyl and phosphonate allowed binding to the iron in a variety of orientations to give keto and diol products at positions determined by the hydroxyl substituent, but no stable epoxide was formed. These studies show the importance of the Fe(II)-substrate chelate structure to active antibiotic formation. This fixed orientation may align the substrate next to the iron-bound activated oxygen species thought to mediate hydrogen atom abstraction from the nearest substrate carbon.     

白念珠菌角鲨烯环氧化酶基因开放读框的克隆及其在大肠杆菌中的表达*

根据白念珠菌角鲨烯环氧化酶基因的开放读框中编码1MSSVKY6的序列和编码492NEIVR496的序列分别设计上、下游引物,以白念珠菌ATCC11006的基因组DNA为模板进行PCR扩增;将PCR产物克隆并做序列分析后,在大肠杆菌中进行表达。结果表明PCR获得大小约为1.5kb的产物,测序分析表明克隆的产物大小为1491bp,正是白念珠菌角鲨烯环氧化酶基因的开放读框,表达得到约为80kDa大小的蛋白,与理论计算一致。本研究为开展特比萘芬与其作用靶酶关系的研究奠定了基础。     

Microbial production of antibiotic fosfomycin by a stereoselective epoxidation and its formation mechanism

Fifteen strains of aerobic bacteria and two actinomycetous strains were isolated from various soil samples, using cis-propenylphosphonic acid as the sole source of carbon. Taxonomic studies showed that these belonged to the Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Flavobacterium, Aeromonas, Corynebacterium and Streptomyces genera. Most of these strains produced the antibiotic fosfomycin [(-)-(1R, 2S)-1,2-epoxypropylphosphonic acid] from cis-propenylphosphonic acid by stereoselective epoxidation. Under the culture conditions tested, the production of fosfomycin reached a level of 2.0 mg/ml and 0.75 mg/ml by F. esteroaromaticum IFO 3751 and P. putida IK-8 respectively. Purified fosfomycin was an active stereoisomer and its optical purity was a little higher than that of the synthetic compound. Although the stereoespecificity of each enzyme participating in the epoxidation reaction has not yet been clarified, the epoxide formation proceeded through a bromohydrin intermediate produced by bromoperoxidase, finally yielding fosfomycin by the action of halohydrin epoxidase.     

Posttranslational modification of hepatic cytochrome P-450. Phosphorylation of phenobarbital-inducible P-450 forms PB-4 (IIB1) and PB-5 (IIB2) in isolated rat hepatocytes and in vivo

Phosphorylation of hepatic cytochrome P-450 was studied in isolated hepatocytes incubated in the presence of agents known to stimulate protein kinase activity. Incubation of hepatocytes isolated from phenobarbital-induced adult male rats with [32P]orthophosphate in the presence of N6,O2'-dibutyryl-cAMP (diBtcAMP) or glucagon resulted in the phosphorylation of microsomal proteins that are immunoprecipitable by polyclonal antibodies raised to the phenobarbital-inducible P-450 form PB-4 (P-450 gene IIB1). Little or no phosphorylation of these proteins was observed in the absence of diBtcAMP or glucagon or in the presence of activators of Ca2+-dependent protein kinases. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that these 32P-labeled microsomal proteins consist of a mixture of P-450 PB-4 and the closely related P-450 PB-5 (gene IIB2), both of which exhibited heterogeneity in the isoelectric focusing dimension. Phosphorylation of both P-450 forms was markedly enhanced by diBtcAMP at concentrations as low as 5 microM. In contrast, little or no phosphorylation of P-450 forms reactive with antibodies to P-450 PB-1 (gene IIC6), P-450 2c (gene IIC11), or P-450 PB-2a (gene IIIA1) was detected in the isolated hepatocytes under these incubation conditions. Phosphoamino acid analysis of the 32P-labeled P-450 PB-4 + PB-5 immunoprecipitate revealed that these P-450s are phosphorylated on serine in the isolated hepatocytes. Peptide mapping indicated that the site of phosphorylation in hepatocytes is indistinguishable from the site utilized by cAMP-dependent protein kinase in vitro, which was previously identified as serine-128 for the related rabbit protein P-450 LM2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A phosphonate-induced gene which promotes Penicillium-mediated bioconversion of cis-propenylphosphonic acid to fosfomycin

Penicillium decumbens is able to epoxidize cis-propenylphosphonic acid (cPA) to produce the antibiotic fosfomycin [FOM; also referred to as phosphonomycin and (-)-cis-1,2-epoxypropylphosphonic acid], a bioconversion of considerable commercial significance. We sought to improve the efficiency of the process by overexpression of the genes involved. A conventional approach of isolating the presumed epoxidase and its corresponding gene was not possible since cPA epoxidation could not be achieved with protein extracts. As an alternative approach, proteins induced by cPA were detected by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The observation that a 31-kDa protein (EpoA) was both cPA induced and overaccumulated in a strain which more efficiently converted cPA suggested that it might take part in the bioconversion. EpoA was purified, its amino acid sequence was partially determined, and the corresponding gene was isolated from cosmid and cDNA libraries with oligonucleotide probes. The DNA sequence for this gene (epoA) contained two introns and an open reading frame encoding a peptide of 277 amino acids having some similarity to oxygenases. When the gene was subcloned into P. decumbens, a fourfold increase in epoxidation activity was achieved. epoA-disruption mutants which were obtained by homologous recombination could not convert cPA to FOM. To investigate the regulation of the epoA promoter, the bialaphos resistance gene (bar, encoding phosphinothricin acetyltransferase) was used to replace the epoA-coding region. In P. decumbens, expression of the bar reporter gene was induced by cPA, FOM, and phosphorous acid but not by phosphoric acid.     

Site-directed mutagenesis and spectroscopic studies of the iron-binding site of (S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid epoxidase

(S)-2-Hydroxylpropanylphosphonic acid epoxidase (HppE) is a novel type of mononuclear non-heme iron-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the O2 coupled, oxidative epoxide ring closure of HPP to form fosfomycin, which is a clinically useful antibiotic. Sequence alignment of the only two known HppE sequences led to the speculation that the conserved residues His138, Glu142, and His180 are the metal binding ligands of the Streptomyces wedmorensis enzyme. Substitution of these residues with alanine resulted in significant reduction of metal binding affinity, as indicated by EPR analysis of the enzyme-Fe(II)-substrate-nitrosyl complex and the spectral properties of the Cu(II)-reconstituted mutant proteins. The catalytic activities for both epoxidation and self-hydroxylation were also either eliminated or diminished in proportion to the iron content in these mutants. The complete loss of enzymatic activity for the E142A and H180A mutants in vivo and in vitro is consistent with the postulated roles of the altered residues in metal binding. The H138A mutant is also inactive in vivo, but in vitro it retains 27% of the active site iron and nearly 20% of the wild-type activity. Thus, it cannot be unequivocally stated whether H138 is an iron ligand or simply facilitates iron binding due to proximity. The results reported herein provide initial evidence implicating an unusual histidine/carboxylate iron ligation in HppE. By analogy with other well-characterized enzymes from the 2-His-1-carboxylate family, this type of iron core is consistent with a mechanism in which both oxygen and HPP bind to the iron as a first step in the in the conversion of HPP to fosfomycin.     

Identification of a novel UDP-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-acetylglucosamine enolpyruvyl transferase (MurA) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vibrio fischeri</Emphasis> that confers high fosfomycin resistance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis>

MurA [UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-NAG) enolpyruvyl transferase] is a key enzyme involved in bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis and a target for the antimicrobial agent fosfomycin, a structural analog of the MurA substrate phosphoenol pyruvate. In this study, we identified, cloned and sequenced a novel murA gene from an environmental isolate of Vibrio fischeri that is naturally resistant to fosfomycin. The fosfomycin resistance gene was isolated from a genomic DNA library of V. fischeri. An antimicrobial agent hypersensitive strain of Escherichia coli harboring murA from V. fischeri exhibited a high fosfomycin resistance phenotype, with minimum inhibitory concentration of 3,000 μg/ml. The cloned murA gene was 1,269 bp long encoding a 422 amino acid polypeptide with an estimated pI of 5.0. The deduced amino acid sequence of the putative protein was identified as UDP-NAG enolpyruvyl transferase by homology comparison. The MurA protein with an estimated molecular weight of 44.7 kDa was expressed in E. coli and purified by affinity chromatography. MurA of V. fischeri will be a useful target to identify potential inhibitors of fosfomycin resistance in pharmacological studies.     

Identification of the bphA4 gene encoding ferredoxin reductase involved in biphenyl and polychlorinated biphenyl degradation in Pseudomonas sp. strain KKS102.

The nucleotide sequence of the downstream region of the bph operon from Pseudomonas sp. strain KKS102 was determined. Two open reading frames (ORF1 and ORF2) were found in this region, and the deduced amino acid sequence of ORF2 showed homology with the sequences of four ferredoxin reductases of dioxygenase systems. When this region was inserted just upstream of the bph operon, which does not contain a gene encoding ferredoxin reductase, biphenyl dioxygenase activity was detected. The 24- and 44-kDa polypeptides predicted from the two open reading frames were identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Crude extract which contained the products of ORF2 and bphA1A2A3 showed cytochrome c reduction activity. These data clearly suggest that ORF2 encodes ferredoxin reductase. The deduced amino acid sequence of ORF1 does not show significant homology with the sequences of any other proteins in the SWISS-PROT data bank, and the function of ORF1 is unknown.     

Sequence analysis of a gene cluster involved in metabolism of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid by Burkholderia cepacia AC1100.

Burkholderia cepacia AC1100 utilizes 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) as a sole source of carbon and energy. PT88 is a chromosomal deletion mutant of B. cepacia AC1100 and is unable to grow on 2,4,5-T. The nucleotide sequence of a 5.5-kb chromosomal fragment from B. cepacia AC1100 which complemented PT88 for growth on 2,4,5-T was determined. The sequence revealed the presence of six open reading frames, designated ORF1 to ORF6. Five polypeptides were produced when this DNA region was under control of the T7 promoter in Escherichia coli; however, no polypeptide was produced from the fourth open reading frame, ORF4. Homology searches of protein sequence databases were performed to determine if the proteins involved in 2,4,5-T metabolism were similar to other biodegradative enzymes. In addition, complementation studies were used to determine which genes were essential for the metabolism of 2,4,5-T. The first gene of the cluster, ORF1, encoded a 37-kDa polypeptide which was essential for complementation of PT88 and showed significant homology to putative trans-chlorodienelactone isomerases. The next gene, ORF2, was necessary for complementation and encoded a 47-kDa protein which showed homology to glutathione reductases. ORF3 was not essential for complementation; however, both the 23-kDa protein encoded by ORF3 and the predicted amino acid sequence of ORF4 showed homology to glutathione S-transferases. ORF5, which encoded an 11-kDa polypeptide, was essential for growth on 2,4,5-T, but the amino acid sequence did not show homology to those of any known proteins. The last gene of the cluster, ORF6, was necessary for complementation of PT88, and the 32-kDa protein encoded by this gene showed homology to catechol and chlorocatechol-1,2-dioxygenases.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of the gene encoding squalene epoxidase in Panax notoginseng.

Squalene epoxidase (SE) is one of the rate-limiting enzymes in the triterpene saponins biosynthetic pathway. Panax notoginseng, one of the famous medicinal plants in China, produces bioactive triterpene saponins. Here we report the P. notoginseng SE, which was cloned from the root of P. notoginseng by PCR. The nucleotide sequence of the ORF (GenBank accession no. DQ386734) contains 1611 nucleotides and encodes 537 amino acid residues with molecular weight of 59.14 kDa and pI of 8.81. The gene has 98% identity with P. ginseng but different identities with other SE families. P. notoginseng SE has a FAD function domain, NAD(P)-binding Rossmann-fold domains, hydrophobicity and 4 transmembrane helices. This SE may be a microsomal membrane-associated enzyme. Real time quantitative PCR shows that the cDNA has different expression pattern and is highly expressed in root, especially in 3-year-old root.     

Androgen hydroxylation catalysed by a cell line (SD1) that stably expresses rat hepatic cytochrome P-450 PB-4 (IIB1).

Androgen hydroxylation catalysed by Chinese hamster fibroblast SD1 cells, which stably express cytochrome P-450 form PB-4, the rat P450IIB1 gene product, was assessed and compared to that catalysed by purified cytochrome P-450 PB-4 isolated from rat liver. SD1 cell homogenates catalysed the NADPH-dependent hydroxylation of androstenedione and testosterone with a regioselectivity very similar to that purified by P-450 PB-4 (16 beta-hydroxylation/16 alpha-hydroxylation = 6.0-6.8 for androstenedione; 16 beta/16 alpha = 0.9 for testosterone). Homogenates prepared from the parental cell line V79, which does not express detectable levels of P-450 PB-4 or any other cytochrome P-450, exhibited no androgen 16 beta- or 16 alpha-hydroxylase activity. The hydroxylase activities catalysed by the SD1 cell homogenate were selectively and quantitatively inhibited (greater than 90%) by a monoclonal antibody to P-450 PB-4 at a level of antibody (40 pmol of antibody binding sites/mg of SD1 homogenate) that closely corresponds to the P-450 PB-4 content of the cells (48 pmol of PB-4/mg of SD1 homogenate). Fractionation of cell homogenates into cytosol and microsomes revealed that the P-450 PB-4-mediated activities are associated with the membrane fraction. Although the P-450 PB-4-specific content of the SD1 microsomes was 15% of that present in phenobarbital-induced rat liver microsomes, the P-450 PB-4-dependent androstenedione 16 beta-hydroxylase activity of the SD1 membrane fraction was only 2-3% of that present in the liver microsomes. This activity could be stimulated several-fold, however, by supplementation of SD1 microsomes with purified rat NADPH P-450 reductase. These studies establish that a single P-450 gene product (IIB1) can account for the hydroxylation of androgen substrates at multiple sites, and suggest that SD1 cells can be used to assess the catalytic specificity of P-450 PB-4 with other substrates as well.     

荧光假单胞菌TM5-2中D-型氨基酸脱氢酶的鉴定和表达

从荧光假单胞菌TM5-2中得到一个含丙氨酸消旋酶基因的DNA片段(8.8kb),相邻的一个开读框(ORF)与甘氨酸/D-型氨基酸氧化酶基因相似。该ORF经过克隆、表达,并没有检测到甘氨酸/D-型氨基酸氧化酶的活性,推导而得的氨基酸序列与D-型氨基酸脱氢酶序列比较发现,ORF含有D-型氨基酸脱氢酶的所有重要的保守序列。经TTC培养基鉴定,其具有D-型氨基酸脱氢酶的活性,并对一系列D-型氨基酸有作用,最佳作用底物是D-组氨酸。     

A yeast nuclear gene, MRS1, involved in mitochondrial RNA splicing: nucleotide sequence and mutational analysis of two overlapping open reading frames on opposite strands.

We have cloned a 1.6-kb fragment of yeast nuclear DNA, which complements pet- mutant MK3 (mrs1). This mutant was shown to be defective in mitochondrial RNA splicing: the excision of intron 3 from the mitochondrial COB pre-RNA is blocked. The DNA sequence of the nuclear DNA fragment revealed two open reading frames (ORF1 with 1092 bp; ORF2 with 735 bp) on opposite strands, which overlap by 656 bp. As shown by in vitro mutagenesis, ORF1, but not ORF2, is responsible for complementation of the splice defect. Hence, ORF1 represents the nuclear MRS1 gene. Disruption of the gene (both ORFs) in the chromosomal DNA of the respiratory competent yeast strain DBY747 (long form COB gene) leads to a stable pet- phenotype and to the accumulation of the same mitochondrial RNA precursors as in strain MK3. The amino acid sequence of the putative ORF1 product does not exhibit any homology with other known proteins, except for a small region of homology with the gene product of another nuclear yeast gene involved in mitochondrial RNA splicing, CBP2. The function of the MRS1 (ORF1) gene in mitochondrial RNA splicing and the significance of the overlapping ORFs in this gene are discussed.     

猪Ⅱ型圆环病毒ORF1基因克隆及在E.coli中的表达

猪圆环病毒(porcinecircovirus ,PCV)属圆环病毒科(Circoviridae) ,为单股负链DNA病毒,以滚环方式进行复制,是目前已知的最小的动物病毒之一.PCV有2种基因型即PCV 1和PCV 2 ,两者细胞培养均不引起病变.前者广泛存在于猪源肾细胞中,但并不引起感染猪发病,其基因组为1 75 9bp ;后者首先由Allan等[1 ] 从患断奶猪多系统衰弱综合症(postweaningmultisystemicwastingsyndrome ,PMWS)的猪群中分离到,被证明为PMWS的重要病原.PCV 2主要侵害感染猪的免疫系统[2 ] ,从而诱发猪体的免疫抑制.PCV 2常和呼吸与繁殖障碍综合征病毒(PRRSV)…