Cloning and expression of Methylovorus mays No. 9 gene encoding gamma-glutamylmethylamide synthetase: an enzyme usable in theanine formation by coupling with the alcoholic fermentation system of baker's yeast

Gamma-glutamylmethylamide synthetase (GMAS), found in an obligate methylotroph, Methylovorus mays No. 9, can form theanine from glutamic acid and ethylamine in a mixture in which yeast sugar fermentation is coupled for ATP regeneration. The internal and N-terminal amino acid sequences of GMAS had certain similarities to putative glutamine synthetase type III (GS III) of Methylobacillus flagellatus KT. From the M. mays No. 9 genomic DNA library, a clone containing a 6.5-kbp insertional DNA fragment was selected by the PCR screening technique with oligonucleotide primers specific for the GMAS gene. The fragment had an open reading frame of the GMAS gene encoding a protein of 444 amino acids (molecular mass, 49 kDa). The deduced amino acid sequence showed significant identity with that of Met. flagellatus KT GS III (78%). The isolated gene was ligated into an expression vector (pET21a) and expressed in Escherichia coli AD494 (DE3). Enzyme productivity in the expression system was about 23-fold higher than that in M. mays No. 9. Recombinant GMAS had the same properties as intrinsic GMAS, and it formed theanine by coupling the reaction with the ATP-regeneration system of yeast sugar fermentation.     

Theanine production by coupled fermentation with energy transfer using gamma-glutamylmethylamide synthetase of Methylovorus mays No. 9

Gamma-glutamylmetylamide synthetase (GMAS) of Methylovorus mays No. 9, produced by Eschericia coli AD494 (DE3) harboring pET21aGM, formed theanine from glutamic acid and ethylamine with coupling of the reaction with sugar fermentation of baker's yeast cells as an ATP-regeneration system. Theanine formation was stimulated by the addition of Mn(2+) to the reaction mixture, whereas Mg(2+) was less effective. Increases to a certain level in the concentrations of GMAS and the substrates in the mixture were effective in increasing theanine formation, but high concentrations of ethylamine (900 mM or more) inhibited yeast sugar fermentation, and eventually decreased theanine formation. The inhibitory effect of ethylamine was restored by increasing the concentration of potassium phosphate buffer in the mixture. Approximately 600 mM (110 mg/ml) theanine was formed in 48 h in an improved reaction mixture containing 600 mM sodium glutamate, 600 mM ethylamine.HCl, 300 mM glucose, 200 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), 30 mM MgCl(2), 5 mM MnCl(2), 5 mM AMP, 30 units/ml of GMAS, and 40 mg/ml of yeast cells. The yield of theanine was 100% on the substrates (glutamic acid and ethylamine) and also on the energy source (glucose consumed).     

Discovery and Characterization of a 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Oxidase from Methylovorus sp. Strain MP688

In the search for useful and renewable chemical building blocks, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) has emerged as a very promising candidate, as it can be prepared from sugars. HMF can be oxidized to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), which is used as a substitute for petroleum-based terephthalate in polymer production. On the basis of a recently identified bacterial degradation pathway for HMF, candidate genes responsible for selective HMF oxidation have been identified. Heterologous expression of a protein from Methylovorus sp. strain MP688 in Escherichia coli and subsequent enzyme characterization showed that the respective gene indeed encodes an efficient HMF oxidase (HMFO). HMFO is a flavin adenine dinucleotide-containing oxidase and belongs to the glucose-methanol-choline-type flavoprotein oxidase family. Intriguingly, the activity of HMFO is not restricted to HMF, as it is active with a wide range of aromatic primary alcohols and aldehydes. The enzyme was shown to be relatively thermostable and active over a broad pH range. This makes HMFO a promising oxidative biocatalyst that can be used for the production of FDCA from HMF, a reaction involving both alcohol and aldehyde oxidations.     

甲基营养菌MP688萄糖脱氢酶基因分离鉴定及性质研究

目的：鉴定甲基营养菌MP688中的葡萄糖脱氢酶基因。方法：对甲基营养菌MP688基因组序列进行比对和分析,找到与已知细菌葡萄糖脱氢酶同源性最高的基因序列mpq_2164,且该基因所编码蛋白经分析具有跨膜结构域。设计51物扩增mpq_2164和缺失跨膜区域序列的s-mpq_2164,将PCR产物克隆到表达载雄pET-15b上,在大肠杆菌BL21中完成异源重组表达,然后通过组氨酸标签镍柱亲和层析纯化,采用DCIP法测定葡萄糖脱氢酶的活力。结果：分离了甲基营养菌MP688中的葡糖糖脱氢酶基因,并实现了s-mpq_2164的高效异源重组表达;MPQ2164的氯基酸序列与已知的葡萄糖脱氢酶相似性很低,但酶活测定结果表明S-MPQ-2164具有很高的葡糖糖脱氢酶活性。结论：MPQ_2164是-个依赖于吡咯喹啉醌的葡萄糖脱氢酶,去掉跨膜结构域有利于该蛋白的异源嘉{大,     

甲基营养菌MP688甲醇脱氢酶基因mpq1818的敲除及功能研究

目的:研究甲醇脱氢酶基因mpq1818在甲基营养菌MP688生长代谢中的作用。方法:利用同源重组原理构建中间为庆大霉素抗性基因Gmr、两侧mpq1818基因上下游序列同源的敲除载体pAK0-up-Gmr-down,接合转移导入MP688,通过庆大霉素抗性和组合PCR方法筛选基因敲除菌,并检测其生长、甲醇脱氢酶活性、甲醇利用及吡咯喹啉醌(PQQ)生物合成能力等方面的差异。结果:抗性和PCR验证显示mpq1818缺失株构建成功;与野生菌相比,缺失株的甲醇脱氢酶活力及利用甲醇的能力降低,而且菌株的生长和PQQ产量也有显著下降。结论:基因mpq1818的缺失影响菌株前期生长与PQQ合成。     

Methylovorus mays sp. nov.: A new species of aerobic, obligately methylotrophic bacteria associated with plants

A bacterial strain utilizing methanol as the sole source of carbon and energy was isolated from the maize phyllosphere. Cells are nonpigmented gram-negative motile rods that do not form spores or prosthecae and reproduce by binary fission. The strain does not require vitamins or supplementary growth factors. It is obligately aerobic and urease-, oxidase-, and catalase-positive. The optimum growth temperature is 35–40°C; the optimum pH is 7.0–7.5. The doubling time is 2 h. The bacterium implements the ribulose monophosphate pathway and possesses NAD⁺-dependent 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and enzymes of the glutamate cycle. α-Ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle (isocitrate lyase and malate synthase) are absent. Fatty acids are dominated by palmitic (C_16:0) and palmitoleic (C_16:1) acids. The major phospholipids are phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidylcholine. Cardiolipin is present in minor amounts. The dominant ubiquinone is Q₈ The bacterial genome contains genes controlling the synthesis and secretion of cytokinins. The G+C content of DNA is 57.2 mol %, as determined from the DNA thermal denaturation temperature T_m. The bacterium shows low DNA homology (<10%) with restricted facultative methylotrophic bacteria of the genusMethylophilus (M. methylotrophus NCIMB 10515^T andM. leisingerii VKM B-2013¹) and with the obligate methylotrophic bacterium (Methylobacillus glycogenes ATCC 29475^T). DNA homology with the type representative of the genusMethylovorus, M. glucosetrophus VKM B-1745^T, is high (58%). The new isolate was classified as a new species,Methylovorus mays sp. nov.     

Characterization of a pollen-specific cDNA clone from Zea mays and its expression.

A pollen-specific cDNA clone, Zmc13, has been isolated from a cDNA library constructed to poly(A) RNA from mature maize pollen. The cDNA as shown by primer extension analysis is a full-length copy of the mRNA. The cDNA has been sequenced and is 929 nucleotides in length plus a 47-nucleotide poly(A) tail. Putative polyadenylation signals are identifiable in the 3'-nontranslated region. The mRNA codes for a predicted polypeptide containing 170 amino acid residues and with a molecular mass of 18.3 kilodaltons. The hydropathy profile suggests a possible signal sequence on the amino terminus. A comparison of the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence with sequences in data banks has not shown homology to known molecules. In situ hybridizations using RNA probes show that the mRNA is located in the cytoplasm of the vegetative cell of the pollen grain and after germination is distributed throughout the pollen tube cytoplasm.     

Characterization of human muscle myosins with respect to the light chains.

Isolated myosins from human predominantly fast and slow muscles, human neonatal and foetal muscle were examined for light chain composition by one- and two-dimensional electrophoresis. The LC1F, LC2F and LC3F light chains were identical with their counterparts from rabbit fast myosin. Human LC1S was identified by correlative criteria as a single component having a molecular weight slightly lower than, but an electric charge similar to, that of rabbit LC1Sb. Consequently, human LC1S appears to be much less heterogeneous relative to LC1F than is the case with other mammalian species. A high immunological cross-reactivity was likewise observed, with antibody specific to rabbit LC1F, between the isolated myosins from several human mixed muscles and rabbit fast myosin, though reactivity was highest with foetal myosin (having a pure-fast-light-chain pattern).     

Characterization and utilization of methyltransferase for apramycin production in Streptoalloteichus tenebrarius

A structurally unique aminoglycoside produced in Streptoalloteichus tenebrarius, Apramycin is used in veterinary medicine or the treatment of Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Pasteurella multocida infections. Although apramycin was discovered nearly 50 years ago, many biosynthetic steps of apramycin remain unknown. In this study, we identified a HemK family methyltransferase, AprI, to be the 7’-N-methyltransferase in apramycin biosynthetic pathway. Biochemical experiments showed that AprI converted demethyl-aprosamine to aprosamine. Through gene disruption of aprI, we identified a new aminoglycoside antibiotic demethyl-apramycin as the main product in aprI disruption strain. The demethyl-apramycin is an impurity in apramycin product. In addition to demethyl-apramycin, carbamyltobramycin is another major impurity. However, unlike demethyl-apramycin, tobramycin is biosynthesized by an independent biosynthetic pathway in S. tenebrarius. The titer and rate of apramycin were improved by overexpression of the aprI and disruption of the tobM2, which is a crucial gene for tobramycin biosynthesis. The titer of apramycin increased from 2227 ± 320 mg/L to 2331 ± 210 mg/L, while the titer of product impurity demethyl-apramycin decreased from 196 ± 36 mg/L to 51 ± 9 mg/L. Moreover, the carbamyltobramycin titer of the wild-type strain was 607 ± 111 mg/L and that of the engineering strain was null. The rate of apramycin increased from 68% to 87% and that of demethyl-apramycin decreased from 1.17% to 0.34%.     

Characterization of the apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme: no similarity to the proposed mechanism of RNA editing in kinetoplastid protozoa.

Intestinal apolipoprotein B mRNA is edited at nucleotide 6666 by a C to U transition resulting in a translational stop codon. The enzymatic properties of the editing activity were characterised in vitro using rat enterocyte cytosolic extract. The editing activity has no nucleotide or ion cofactor requirement. It shows substrate saturation with an apparent Km for the RNA substrate of 2.2 nM. The editing enzyme requires no lag period prior to catalysis, and does not assemble into a higher order complex on the RNA substrate. In crude cytosolic extract editing activity is completely abolished by treatment with micrococcal nuclease or RNAse A. Partially purified editing enzyme is no longer sensitive to nucleases, but is inhibited in a dose dependent manner by nuclease inactivated crude extract. The buoyant density of partially purified editing enzyme is 1.3 g/ml, that of pure protein. Therefore, the apolipoprotein B mRNA editing activity consists of a well defined enzyme with no RNA component. The nuclease sensitivity in crude cytosolic extract is explained by the generation of inhibitors for the editing enzyme. The editing of apo B mRNA has little similarity to complex mRNA processing events such as splicing and unlike editing in kinetoplastid protozoa does not utilise guide RNAs.     

Characterization of an alkaline protease from Bacillus sp. no. AH-101

Summary The Bacillus sp. no. AH-101 alkaline protease showed higher hydrolysing activity against insoluble fibrous natural proteins such as elastin and keratin in comparison with subtilisins and Proteinase K. The optimum pH of the enzyme toward elastin and keratin was pH 10.5 and pH 11.0–12.0 respectively. The specific activity toward elastin and keratin was 10 600 units/mg protein and 3970 units/mg protein, respectively. The enzymatic activity was not inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoic acid and iodoacetic acid. Carbobenzoxy-glycyl-glycyl-L-phenylalanyl chloromethyl ketone completely inhibited the caseinolytic activity, but 36% elastolytic activity remained. No inhibitory effect on caseinolytic and elastolytic activity was shown by tosyl-L-phenylalanyl-chloromethyl ketone, tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone, carbobenzoxy-L-phenylalanyl chloromethyl ketone, and elastatinal. The amino acid composition and amino terminal sequence of the enzyme were determined. The no. AH-101 alkaline protease was compared with subtilisin BPN', subtilisin Carlsberg, no. 221, and Ya-B alkaline proteases. Extensive sequence homology existed among these enzymes. Offprint requests to: H. Takami     

Characterization of pullulan-hydrolysing enzyme from an alkalopsychrotrophic Micrococcus sp.

Summary A pullulan-hydrolysing enzyme of Micrococcus sp. 207 was purified to an electrophoretically homogenous state by chromatography on DEAE-Toyopearl, -cyclodextrin-Sepharose and Asahipak GS-520P. The purified enzyme was free of -amylase activity. The molecular weight of the enzyme as estimated by SDS-PAGE was 120,000 and the pI value as determined by isoelectric focusing was 4.9. The enzyme was most active at pH 8.0 and 50°C. The enzyme was activated by the addition of CaCl₂, but its thermoresistance increased after removing free Ca²⁺ ions. The enzyme could hydrolyse the -1,6-linkages of amylopectins, glycogens and pullulan and the K _m value for pullulan was about 0.018%. Pullulan at concentrations above 0.012% inhibited the enzyme activity and the activity was competitively inhibited by cyclodextrins. Offprint requests to: K. Horikoshi     

Acyl-peptide hydrolase from rat liver. Characterization of enzyme reaction

Acyl-peptide hydrolase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of an N-terminally acetylated peptide to release an N-acetylamino acid, was isolated from rat liver and found to be N-terminally blocked. The kinetics of the hydrolysis of acetyl (Ac)-Ala-Ala, Ac-Ala-Ala-Ala, acetylalanine p-nitroanilide, and acetylalanine beta-naphthylamide were investigated. The Km values were between 1 and 9 mM, and the Vmax values were between 100 and 500 nmol/min/micrograms of enzyme. The enzyme activity toward acetylalanine p-nitroanilide and acetylalanine beta-naphthylamide was activated by the presence of Cl- and SCN- at concentrations between 0.1 and 0.5 M. By contrast, the activity toward Ac-Ala-Ala and Ac-Ala-Ala-Ala was inhibited by these anions. Among a series of divalent cations, Zn2+ was demonstrated to be the most potent inhibitor. The enzyme was inactivated by the addition of diisopropyl fluorophosphate, diethyl pyrocarbonate. Woodward's Reagent K, and glycine methyl ester/carbodiimide. Titration by diisopropyl fluorophosphate showed 0.7 mol of active serine/mol of enzyme subunit, which was confirmed by the incorporation of [3H]diisopropyl fluorophosphate into the enzyme. Acetylalanine chloromethyl ketone inactivated the enzyme following pseudo-first order kinetics; and Ac-Ala, a competitive inhibitor, protected the enzyme from this inactivation. Acyl-peptide hydrolase appears to be a serine protease utilizing a charge relay system involving serine, histidine, and, probably, a carboxyl group(s). Two series of acetyl dipeptides, acetylamino acid p-nitroanilides and acetylamino acid beta-naphthylamides, were prepared in order to determine enzyme specificity. The enzyme preferentially removed Ac-Ala, Ac-Met, and Ac-Ser, the most common acetylated N-terminal residues (Persson, B., Flinta, C., von Heijne, G., and J?rnvall, H. (1985) Eur. J. Biochem. 152, 523-527). The enzyme was shown to be useful for deblocking peptides (e.g. alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and acetyl-renin substrate), and the crude enzyme/substrate mixtures were amenable to direct protein sequence analysis.     

Characterization of cellulolytic enzyme complexes obtained from mutants of Trichoderma reesei with enhanced cellulase production

Summary The cellulolytic enzyme complexes secreted by the fungus Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 and its mutants M 5, M 6, MHC 15, and MHC 22 were characterized by determining their specific filter-paper (FP)-, carboxymethylcellulase (C_x)-and -glucosidase (G)-activities. They were characterised further by measuring their C_x and G profiles after separation on an isoelectrofocusing column over the pH range 3–10. While the overall FP-activity was roughly equal in all preparations, the specific -glucosidase activity was highest in mutants MHC 15 and MHC 22 which are distingiushed morphologically from the parent strain, QM 9414, by a higher degree of branching of their hyphae. Two peaks of -glucosidase activity were detected by isoelectric focusing in preparations from QM 9414 and M 6, none in the enzyme from the mutant M 5 while 3 and 4 peaks respectively were found in preparations from morphological mutants MHC 15 and MHC 22. The higher -glucosidase activity in these last two preparations was also reflected in the higher glucose to cellobiose ratio in the initial stages of cellulose hydrolysis by the individual enzyme preparations.     

Rat testis lipoxygenase-like enzyme. Characterization of products from linoleic acid.

The linoleate oxidation products of the affinity chromatography-purified lipoxygenase-like enzyme isolated from rat testes microsomes were characterized. Three types of reaction products separated by thin-layer chromatography were generally present: polar byproducts (A and B) and hydroperoxides. The methyl hydroxystearates obtained from the enzymically produced hydroperoxides were analysed by gas-liquid chromatography and showed a ratio of 67% 13-hydroxy isomer to 33% 9-hydroxy isomer. The major polar byproduct was analysed by infrared spectra, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry (of the toluene-p-sulphonyl derivative) and its structure was established as 13-hydroxy-12-oxo-octadec-cis-9-enoic acid. The possibility of the existence of a linoleate hydroperoxide isomerase in the affinity-purified preparation is discussed.