Cloning and expression of three ladA-type alkane monooxygenase genes from an extremely thermophilic alkane-degrading bacterium Geobacillus thermoleovorans B23

An extremely thermophilic bacterium, Geobacillus thermoleovorans B23, is capable of degrading a broad range of alkanes (with carbon chain lengths ranging between C11 and C32) at 70 °C. Whole-genome sequence analysis revealed that unlike most alkane-degrading bacteria, strain B23 does not possess an alkB-type alkane monooxygenase gene. Instead, it possesses a cluster of three ladA-type genes, ladAα_B23, ladAβ_B23, and ladB _B23, on its chromosome, whose protein products share significant amino acid sequence identities, 49.8, 34.4, and 22.7 %, respectively, with that of ladA alkane monooxygenase gene found on a plasmid of Geobacillus thermodetrificans NG 80-2. Each of the three genes, ladAα_B23, ladAβ_B23, and ladB _B23, was heterologously expressed individually in an alkB1 deletion mutant strain, Pseudomonas fluorescens KOB2Δ1. It was found that all three genes were functional in P. fluorescens KOB2Δ1, and partially restored alkane degradation activity. In this study, we suggest that G. thermoleovorans B23 utilizes multiple LadA-type alkane monooxygenases for the degradation of a broad range of alkanes.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of thermostable esterase and lipase from Geobacillus thermoleovorans YN isolated from desert soil in Egypt

Genes encoding an esterase (EstA) and lipase (LipA) from Geobacillus thermoleovorans YN, a strain isolated from Egyptian desert soil, were cloned and the respective proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and characterized. Whereas LipA was cloned directly by PCR amplification from genomic DNA, a genomic library composed of 3000 clones was screened on tributyrin agar plates to find EstA. An open reading frame of 744 bps encoding a polypeptide of 247 amino acid residues was identified as esterase due to its conserved GXSXG motif and its high similarity toward other carboxyl esterases. LipA (416 aa residues) is encoded by an ORF of 1251 bps and constitutes a pre-protein with a calculated molecular mass of 46 kDa including a signal sequence of 28 aa resulting in a mature lipase of 43 kDa. Both, LipA and EstA were sub-cloned and expressed under control of the temperature-inducible λ-promoter and purified by IMAC and gel filtration. The molecular mass of the purified EstA was 29 kDa. Both enzymes were most active at pH ∼9.5 and remarkably stable at pH 5 and 10.5. Temperature optima and stabilities (up to 70 °C) of both enzymes as well as their reaction kinetics and substrate spectra were determined.     

Isolation and characterization of a Geobacillus thermoleovorans strain from an ultra-deep South African gold mine

A thermophilic facultative bacterial isolate was recovered from 3.2km depth in a gold mine in South Africa. This isolate, designated GE-7, was cultivated from pH 8.0, 50 degrees C water from a dripping fracture near the top of an exploration tunnel. GE-7 grows optimally at 65 degrees C and pH 6.5 on a wide range of carbon substrates including cellobiose, hydrocarbons and lactate. In addition to O(2), GE-7 also utilizes nitrate as an electron acceptor. GE-7 is a long rod-shaped bacterium (4-6microm longx0.5microm wide) with terminal endospores and flagella. Phylogenetic analysis of GE-7 16S rDNA sequence revealed high sequence similarity with G. thermoleovorans DSM 5366(T) (99.6%), however, certain phenotypic characteristics of GE-7 were distinct from this and other previously described strains of G. thermoleovorans.     

Structure of an acetylating aldehyde dehydrogenase from the thermophilic ethanologen Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius

Acetylating aldehyde dehydrogenases (AcAldDH) catalyse the acetylation of Coenzyme‐A (CoA), or in reverse generate acetaldehyde from Acetyl‐CoA using NADH as a co‐factor. This article reports the expression, purification, enzyme assay, and X‐ray crystal structures of an AcAldDH from Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius (GtAcAldDH) to 2.1Å and in complex with CoA and NAD⁺ to 4.0Å. In the structure, the AcAldDH forms a close‐knit dimer, similar to that seen in other Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH) structures. In GtAcAldDH, these dimers associate via their N‐termini to form weakly interacting tetramers. This mode of tetrameric association is also seen in an unpublished AcAldDH deposited in the PDB, but is in contrast to all other ADH structures, (including the one other published AcAldDH found in a bacterial microcompartment), in which the dimers bury a large surface area including the C‐termini. This novel mode of association sequesters the active sites and potentially reactive acyl‐enzyme intermediates in the center of the tetramer. In other respects, the structure is very similar to the other AcAldDH, binding the cofactors in a corresponding fashion. This similarity enabled the identification of a shortened substrate cavity in G. thermoglucosidasius AcAldDH, explaining the limitations on the length of substrate accepted by the enzyme.     

Purification and characterization of hyperthermotolerant leucine aminopeptidase from Geobacillus thermoleovorans 47b

A thermophilic bacterium, which we designated as Geobacillus thermoleovorans 47b was isolated from a hot spring in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, Japan, on the basis of its ability to grow on bitter peptides as a sole carbon and nitrogen source. The cell-free extract from G. thermoleovorans 47b contained leucine aminopeptidase (LAP; EC 3.4.11.10), which was purified 164-fold to homogeneity in seven steps, using ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by the column chromatography using DEAE-Toyopearl, hydroxyapatite, MonoQ and Superdex 200 PC gel filtration, followed again by MonoQ and hydroxyapatite. The enzyme was a single polypeptide with a molecular mass of 42,977.2 Da, as determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization and time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and was found to be thermostable at 90°C for up to 1 h. Its optimal pH and temperature were observed to be 7.6–7.8 and 60°C, respectively, and it had high activity towards the substrates Leu-p-nitroanilide (p-NA)(100%), Arg-p-NA (56.3%) and LeuGlyGly (486%). The K_m and V_max values for Leu-p-NA and LeuGlyGly were 0.658 mM and 25.0 mM and 236.2 mol min^–1 mg^–1 protein and 1,149 mol min^–1 mg^–1 protein, respectively. The turnover rate (k_cat) and catalytic efficiency (k_cat/ K_m) for Leu-p-NA and LeuGlyGly were 10,179 s^–1 and 49,543 s^–1 and 15,470 mM^–1 s^–1 and 1981.7 mM^–1 s^–1, respectively. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by EDTA, 1,10-phenanthroline, dithiothreitol, -mercaptoethanol, iodoacetate and bestatin; and its apoenzyme was found to be reactivated by Co²⁺ .     

喜热噬油芽胞杆菌产生的生物乳化剂的组成与性质

由喜热噬油芽胞杆菌(Geobacillus thermoleovorans str 5366T)以正十六烷为碳源 55 ℃培养的发酵液中分离获得了一种生物乳化剂,经鉴定为糖-肽-脂复合物.该乳化剂中糖、肽、脂和烃的含量分别为29.4%、15.8%和35.8%.利用肽水解结合氨基酸分析、糖醇乙酰化结合GC-MS、脂肪酸甲脂化结合GC-MS等技术手段鉴定乳化剂中糖主要为D-甘露糖;主要氨基酸为谷氨酸、天冬氨酸、丙氨酸;构成脂的主要脂肪酸为十六烷酸、十八烯酸和十八烷酸.该菌及其代谢产生的乳化剂乳化性能良好,具有高温条件下应用的潜力.     

Purification and characterization of aldehyde dehydrogenase from human brain

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.3) has been purified from human brain; this constitutes the first purification to homogeneity from the brain of any mammalian species. Of the three isozymes purified two are mitochondrial in origin (Peak I and Peak II) and one is cytoplasmic (Peak III). By comparison of properties, the cytoplasmic Peak III enzyme could be identified as the same as the liver cytoplasmic E1 isozyme (N.J. Greenfield and R. Pietruszko (1977) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 483, 35-45). The Peak I and Peak II enzymes resemble the liver mitochondrial E2 isozyme, but both have properties that differ from those of the liver enzyme. The Peak I enzyme is extremely sensitive to disulfiram while the Peak II enzyme is totally insensitive; liver mitochondrial E2 isozyme is partially sensitive to disulfiram. The specific activity is 0.3 mumol/mg/min for the Peak I and 3.0 mumol/mg/min for the Peak II enzyme; the specific activity of the liver mitochondrial E2 isozyme is 1.6 mumol/min/mg under the same conditions. The Peak I enzyme is also inhibited by acetaldehyde at low concentrations, while the Peak II enzyme and the liver mitochondrial E2 isozyme are not inhibited under the same conditions. The precise relationship of brain Peak I and II enzymes to the liver E2 isozyme is not clear but it cannot be excluded at the present time that the two brain mitochondrial enzymes are brain specific.     

Subcellular localization of long-chain alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase in n-alkane-grown Candida tropicalis

Long-chain alcohol dehydrogenase and longchain aldehyde dehydrogenase were induced in the cells of Candida tropicalis grown on n-alkanes. Subcellular localization of these dehydrogenases, together with that of acyl-CoA synthetase and glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase, was studied in terms of the metabolism of fatty acids derived from n-alkane substrates. Both longchain alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases distributed in the fractions of microsomes, mitochondria and peroxisomes obtained from the alkane-grown cells of C. tropicalis. Acyl-CoA synthetase was also located in these three fractions. Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase was found in microsomes and mitochondria, in contrast to fatty acid -oxidation system localized exclusively in peroxisomes. Similar results of the enzyme localization were also obtained with C. lipolytica grown on n-alkanes. These results suggest strongly that microsomal and mitochondrial dehydrogenases provide long-chain fatty acids to be utilized for lipid synthesis, whereas those in peroxisomes supply fatty acids to be degraded via -oxidation to yield energy and cell constituents.     

大豆醛脱氢酶基因GmALDH3-1的克隆及在生殖器官中的表达

通过基因芯片技术,从大豆中鉴定了一个花优势表达基因,其在大豆花中的表达量为叶片中的85倍。通过生物信息学方法,拼接了该基因的全长序列,并通过RT-PCR克隆了该基因。BLAST检索分析表明该基因编码醛脱氢酶,命名为GmALDH3-1。GmALDH3-1包含一个1485 bp的开放阅读框,编码494个氨基酸残基。GmADLH3-1与白杨的醛脱氢酶PtALDH3相似性最高（氨基酸相似率83%,一致率为68%）,而与来自于人的ALDH3B的氨基酸一致率和相似率分别为39%和59%。系统发生分析表明GmALDH3-1与其它植物ALDH3亚家族成员位于一个分支,且与白杨PtALDH3和拟南芥AtALDH3F1亲缘关系最近。采用实时定量RT-PCR检测了GmALDH3-1基因在大豆叶、根和花中的表达,结果表明GmALDH3-1基因在花中高丰度表达,在根和叶中未检测到表达。运用基因芯片信息分析了GmALDH3-1在种子发育过程中的表达情况,结果表明GmALDH3-1在种子发育过程中的外表皮、内表皮、外胚珠和种脐中表达量较高。文章讨论了GmALDH3-1基因在大豆生殖器官发育中可能发挥的作用。     

Purification and characterization of aldehyde dehydrogenase from rat liver mitochondria

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide- and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-dependent dehydrogenase activities from rat liver mitochondria have been copurified to homogeneity using combined DEAE, Sepharose, and affinity chromatographic procedures. The enzyme has a native molecular weight of 240,000 and subunit molecular weight of 60,000. The enzyme is tetrameric consisting of four identical subunits as revealed by electrophoresis and terminal analyses. A partial summary of physical properties is provided. The amino acid composition by acid hydrolysis is reported. Specific activities for various NAD(P)+ analogs and alkanal substrates were compared. The action of the effectors chloral hydrate, disulfiram, diethylstilbestrol, and Mg2+ and K+ ions were also investigated.     

Initial characterization of aldehyde dehydrogenase from rat testis cytosol

Aldehyde dehydrogenase was purified 187-fold from cytosol of rat testis by chromatographic methods and gel filtration with a yield of about 50%. The enzyme exhibits absolute requirement for exogenous sulfhydryl compounds and strong dependence on temperature. Addition of 0.4mM Ca2 or Mg2 ions results in 50% inhibition. Optimally active at pH 8.5 and 50 degrees C, aldehyde dehydrogenase displays broad substrate specificity; saturation curves with acetaldehyde and propionaldehyde are non-hyperbolic, with Hill coefficients comprised between 0.8 and 0.7. Strong substrate inhibition can be observed with both aromatic and long-chain alyphatic aldehydes. According to mathematical models, Km decreases from 246 microM for acetaldehyde to 4 microM for capronaldehyde and Ki decreases from about 4mM for butyraldehyde to 0.2 mM for capronaldehyde.     

Salt-inducible betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase from sugar beet: cDNA cloning and expression

Members of the Chenopodiaceae, such as sugar beet and spinach, accumulate glycine betaine in response to salinity or drought stress. The last enzyme in the glycine betaine biosynthetic pathway is betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH). In sugar beet the activity of BADH was found to increase two- to four-fold in both leaves and roots as the NaCl level in the irrigation solution was raised from 0 to 500 mM. This increase in BADH activity was paralleled by an increase in level of translatable BADH mRNA. Several cDNAs encoding BADH were cloned from a gt10 libary representing poly(A)⁺ RNA from salinized leaves of sugar beet plants, by hybridization with a spinach BADH cDNA. Three nearly full-length cDNA clones were confirmed to encode BADH by their nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence identity to spinach BADH; these clones showed minor nucleotide sequence differences consistent with their being of two different BADH alleles. The clones averaged 1.7 kb and contained an open reading frame predicting a polypeptide of 500 amino acids with 83% identity to spinach BADH. RNA gel blot analysis of total RNA showed that salinization to 500 mM NaCl increased BADH mRNA levels four-fold in leaves and three-fold in the taproot. DNA gel blot analyses indicated the presence of at least two copies of BADH in the haploid sugar beet genome.     

芽胞杆菌(Bacillus sp.)YX-1耐有机溶剂葡萄糖脱氢酶的基因克隆与酶学性质

[目的] 从芽胞杆菌(Bacillus sp.)YX-1基因组中克隆出一种有机溶剂耐受型的葡萄糖脱氢酶基因,实现了该基因在大肠杆菌中的高效表达,研究了重组蛋白的酶学性质.[方法] 依据芽胞杆菌属中葡萄糖脱氢酶氨基酸序列的保守性,设计合理引物,钓取来源于Bacillus sp.YX-1的葡萄糖脱氢酶基因,构建诱导型表达载体pET28a-gdh,于大肠杆菌中进行表达.镍柱亲和层析法纯化重组蛋白,考察了重组蛋白的酶学性质.[结果] 葡萄糖脱氢酶基因全长为786 bp,编码261个氨基酸.酶学研究结果表明:该酶最适反应温度为45℃,最适pH值为8.0;具有良好的有机溶剂耐受性,于50％的辛烷、环己烷、癸烷中室温放置1h后,酶活仍能保持90％以上;具有较宽的底物谱,对多种糖均具有一定的催化活性,其中催化D-葡萄糖的活力最高,产生还原型辅酶因子;对辅酶NADH和NADPH具有相似的依赖性,对NAD+和NADP+的催化比活分别为8.37 U/mg和8.62 U/mg.[结论]利用生物信息学成功地挖掘出Bacillus sp.YX-1一种耐有机溶剂的葡萄糖脱氢酶,为氧化还原酶在有机相反应中的的辅酶再生循环提供了新型的生物催化剂.     

Identification and over-expression of a thermostable lipase from Geobacillus thermoleovorans Toshki in Escherichia coli

A newly isolated thermophilic strain producing thermostable lipase was identified based on 16S rRNA sequencing, where phylogenetic analysis revealed its closeness to Geobacillus thermoleovorans. Thermostable lipase from this bacterium was cloned using consensus degenerate PCR primers. For over-expression in Escherichia coli, the lipase gene was sub-cloned in pET 15b vector with a strong T7 promotor. Lipase activity was approximately 4.5-fold higher than in the wild-type strain. The lipase enzyme was thermostable at 60 degrees C and pH 8, whereas a 30% residual activity was retained when incubated for 1h at 100 degrees C. Optimum lipase expression was obtained in 2 x YT medium after 70min of induction by IPTG.     

Characterization of an aldehyde dehydrogenase from Euglena gracilis

The free-living protist Euglena gracilis showed an enhanced growth when cultured in the dark with high concentrations of ethanol as carbon source. In a medium containing glutamate/malate plus 1% ethanol, E. gracilis reached a density of 3 x 10(7) cells/ml after 100 h of culture, which was 5 times higher than that attained with glutamate/malate or ethanol separately. This observation suggested the involvement of a highly active aldehyde dehydrogenase in the metabolism of ethanol. Purification of the E. gracilis aldehyde dehydrogenase from the mitochondrial fraction by affinity chromatography yielded an enrichment of 34 times and recovery of 33% of the total mitochondrial activity. SDS-PAGE and molecular exclusion chromatography revealed a native tetrameric protein of 160 kDa. Kinetic analysis showed Km values of 5 and 50 microM for propionaldehyde and NAD(+), respectively, and a Vm value of 1,300 nmol (min x mg protein)(-1). NAD(+) and NADH stimulated the esterase activity of the purified aldehyde dehydrogenase. The present data indicated that the E. gracilis aldehyde dehydrogenase has kinetic and structural properties similar to those of human aldehyde dehydrogenases class 1 and 2.     

A highly stable manganese catalase from Geobacillus thermopakistaniensis: molecular cloning and characterization

Extremophiles - Catalases, heme or manganese, are efficient biocatalysts that split hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. We have cloned a manganese catalase from thermophilic bacterium,...     

Proline dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas fluorescens: Gene cloning, purification, characterization and homology modeling

The gene encoding proline dehydrogenase (ProDH) from Pseudomonas fluorescens was isolated using PCR amplification and cloned into pET23a expression vector. The expression of the recombinant target enzyme was induced by addition of IPTG. The produced His-fusion enzyme was purified and its kinetic properties were studied. The 3D structure modeling was also performed to identify key amino acids involved in FAD-binding and catalysis. The PCR product contained a 1033 bp open reading frame encoding 345 amino acid residue polypeptide chain. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a MW of 40 kDa, whereas the native enzyme exhibited a MW of 40 kDa suggesting a monomeric protein. The K _m and V _max values of the P. fluorescens ProDH were estimated to be 35 mM and 116 μmol/min, respectively. ProDH activity was stable at alkaline pH and the highest activity was observed at 30°C and pH 8.5. The modeling analysis of the three dimensional structure elucidated that Lys-173 and Asp-202, which were oriented near the hydroxyl group of the substrate, were essential residues for the ProDH activity. This study, to our knowledge, is the first data on the cloning and biochemical and structural properties of P. fluorescens ProDH.     

Purification and partial characterization of aldehyde dehydrogenase from human erythrocytes.

Human erythrocyte aldehyde dehydrogenase (aldehyde:NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.2.1.3) was purified to apparent homogeneity. The native enzyme has a molecular weight of about 210,000 as determined by gel filtration, and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of this enzyme yields a single protein and with a molecular weight of 51,500, suggesting that the native enzyme may be a tetramer. The enzyme has a relatively low Km for NAD (15 microM) and a high sensitivity to disulfiram. Disulfiram inhibits the enzyme activity rapidly and this inhibition is apparently of a non-competitive nature. In kinetic characteristic and sensitivity to disulfiram, erythrocyte aldehyde dehydrogenase closely resembles the cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase found in the liver of various species of mammalians.