Engineering of cellobiose phosphorylase for glycoside synthesis

Disaccharide phosphorylases are increasingly applied for glycoside synthesis, since they are very regiospecific and use cheap and easy to obtain donor substrates. A promising enzyme is cellobiose phosphorylase (CP), which was discovered more than 50 years ago. Many other bacterial CP enzymes have since then been characterized, cloned and applied for glycoside synthesis. However, the general application of wild-type CP for glycoside synthesis is hampered by its relatively narrow substrate specificity. Recently we have taken some successful efforts to broaden the substrate specificity of Cellulomonas uda CP by directed evolution and protein engineering. This review will give an overview of the obtained results and address the applicability of the engineered CP enzymes for glycoside synthesis. CP is the first example of an extensively engineered disaccharide phosphorylase, and may provide valuable information for protein engineering of other phosphorylase enzymes.     

Engineering of cellobiose phosphorylase for glycoside synthesis

Disaccharide phosphorylases are increasingly applied for glycoside synthesis, since they are very regiospecific and use cheap and easy to obtain donor substrates. A promising enzyme is cellobiose phosphorylase (CP), which was discovered more than 50 years ago. Many other bacterial CP enzymes have since then been characterized, cloned and applied for glycoside synthesis. However, the general application of wild-type CP for glycoside synthesis is hampered by its relatively narrow substrate specificity. Recently we have taken some successful efforts to broaden the substrate specificity of Cellulomonas uda CP by directed evolution and protein engineering. This review will give an overview of the obtained results and address the applicability of the engineered CP enzymes for glycoside synthesis. CP is the first example of an extensively engineered disaccharide phosphorylase, and may provide valuable information for protein engineering of other phosphorylase enzymes.     

Mechanistic differences among retaining disaccharide phosphorylases: insights from kinetic analysis of active site mutants of sucrose phosphorylase and alpha,alpha-trehalose phosphorylase

Sucrose phosphorylase utilizes a glycoside hydrolase-like double displacement mechanism to convert its disaccharide substrate and phosphate into alpha-d-glucose 1-phosphate and fructose. Site-directed mutagenesis was employed to characterize the proposed roles of Asp(196) and Glu(237) as catalytic nucleophile and acid-base, respectively, in the reaction of sucrose phosphorylase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides. The side chain of Asp(295) is suggested to facilitate the catalytic steps of glucosylation and deglucosylation of Asp(196) through a strong hydrogen bond (23 kJ/mol) with the 2-hydroxyl of the glucosyl oxocarbenium ion-like species believed to be formed in the transition states flanking the beta-glucosyl enzyme intermediate. An assortment of biochemical techniques used to examine the mechanism of alpha-retaining glucosyl transfer by Schizophyllum commune alpha,alpha-trehalose phosphorylase failed to provide evidence in support of a similar two-step catalytic reaction via a covalent intermediate. Mutagenesis studies suggested a putative active-site structure for this trehalose phosphorylase that is typical of retaining glycosyltransferases of fold family GT-B and markedly different from that of sucrose phosphorylase. While ambiguity remains regarding the chemical mechanism by which the trehalose phosphorylase functions, the two disaccharide phosphorylases have evolved strikingly different reaction coordinates to achieve catalytic efficiency and stereochemical control in their highly analogous substrate transformations.     

Inorganic phosphate self-sufficient whole-cell biocatalysts containing two co-expressed phosphorylases facilitate cellobiose production

Cellobiose, a natural disaccharide, attracts extensive attention as a potential functional food/feed additive. In this study, we present an inorganic phosphate (Pi) self-sufficient biotransformation system to produce cellobiose by co-expressing sucrose phosphorylase (SP) and cellobiose phosphorylase (CBP). The Bifidobacterium adolescentis SP (BASP) and Cellvibrio gilvus CBP (CGCBP) were co-expressed in Escherichia coli. Escherichia coli cells containing BASP and CGCBP were used as whole-cell catalysts to convert sucrose and glucose to cellobiose. The effects of reaction pH, temperature, Pi concentration, and substrate concentration were investigated. In the optimum biotransformation conditions, 800 mM cellobiose was produced from 1.0 M sucrose, 1.0 M glucose, and 50 mM Pi, within 12 hr. The by-product fructose and residual substrate (sucrose and glucose) were efficiently removed by treatment with yeast, to help purify the product cellobiose. The wider applicability of this Pi self-sufficiency strategy was demonstrated in the production of laminaribiose by co-expressing SP and laminaribiose phosphorylase. This study suggests that the Pi self-sufficiency strategy through co-expressing two phosphorylases has the advantage of great flexibility for enhanced production of cellobiose (or laminaribiose).     

A new method of synthesis of alkyl beta-glycosides using sucrose as sugar donor

Cellobiose phosphorylase from Clostridium thermocellum catalyzed the beta-anomer-selective synthesis of alkyl glucosides from cellobiose. Synthesis of alkyl beta-glucoside from inexpensive sucrose using cellobiose phosphorylase and sucrose phosphorylase from Pseudomonas saccharophilia was investigated. By combined use of these two phosphorylases, alkyl beta-glucoside was anomer-selectively synthesized from sucrose and alkyl alcohol.     

Structural dissection of the reaction mechanism of cellobiose phosphorylase

Cellobiose phosphorylase, a member of the glycoside hydrolase family 94, catalyses the reversible phosphorolysis of cellobiose into alpha-D-glucose 1-phosphate and D-glucose with inversion of the anomeric configuration. The substrate specificity and reaction mechanism of cellobiose phosphorylase from Cellvibrio gilvus have been investigated in detail. We have determined the crystal structure of the glucose-sulphate and glucose-phosphate complexes of this enzyme at a maximal resolution of 2.0 A (1 A=0.1 nm). The phosphate ion is strongly held through several hydrogen bonds, and the configuration appears to be suitable for direct nucleophilic attack to an anomeric centre. Structural features around the sugar-donor and sugar-acceptor sites were consistent with the results of extensive kinetic studies. When we compared this structure with that of homologous chitobiose phosphorylase, we identified key residues for substrate discrimination between glucose and N-acetylglucosamine in both the sugar-donor and sugar-acceptor sites. We found that the active site pocket of cellobiose phosphorylase was covered by an additional loop, indicating that some conformational change is required upon substrate binding. Information on the three-dimensional structure of cellobiose phosphorylase will facilitate engineering of this enzyme, the application of which to practical oligosaccharide synthesis has already been established.     

Sucrose phosphorylase: a powerful transglucosylation catalyst for synthesis of α-D-glucosides as industrial fine chemicals

Abstract

Sucrose phosphorylase is a bacterial transglucosidase that catalyzes conversion of sucrose and phosphate into α-D-glucose-1-phosphate and D-fructose. The enzyme utilizes a glycoside hydrolase-like double displacement mechanism that involves a catalytically competent β-glucosyl enzyme intermediate. In addition to reaction with phosphate, glucosylated sucrose phosphorylase can undergo hydrolysis to yield α-D-glucose or it can decompose via glucosyl transfer to a hydroxy group in suitable acceptor molecules, giving new α-D-glucosidic products. The glucosyl acceptor specificity of sucrose phosphorylase is reviewed, focusing on applications of the enzyme in glucoside synthesis. Polyhydroxylated compounds such as sugars and sugar alcohols are often glucosylated efficiently. Aryl alcohols and different carboxylic acids also serve as acceptors for enzymatic transglucosylation. The natural osmolyte 2-O-(α-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol (GG) was prepared by regioselective glucosylation of glycerol from sucrose using the phosphorylase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides. An industrial process for production of GG as active ingredient of cosmetic formulations has been recently developed. General advantages of sucrose phosphorylase as a transglucosylation catalyst lie in the use of sucrose as a high-energy glucosyl donor and the usually weak hydrolase activity of the enzyme towards substrate and product.     

Catalytic versatility of trehalase: Synthesis of α-d-glucopyranosyl α-d-xylopyranoside from β-d-glucosyl fluoride and α-d-xylose

Trehalase was previously shown (see ref. 5) to hydrolyze α-d-glucosyl fluoride, forming β-d-glucose, and to synthesize α,α-trehalose from β-d-glucosyl fluoride plus α-d-glucose. Present observations further define the enzyme's separate cosubstrate requirements in utilizing these nonglycosidic substrates. α-d-Glucopyranose and α-d-xylopyranose were found to be uniquely effective in enabling Trichoderma reesei trehalase to catalyze reactions with β-d-glucosyl fluoride. As little as 0.2mm added α-d-glucose (0.4mm α-d-xylose) substantially increased the rate of enzymically catalyzed release of fluoride from 25mm β-d-glucosyl fluoride at 0°. Digest of β-d-glucosyl fluoride plus α-d-xylose yielded the α,α-trehalose analog, α-d-glucopyranosyl α-d-xylopyranoside, as a transient (i.e., subsequently hydrolyzed) transfer-product. The need for an aldopyranose acceptor having an axial 1-OH group when β-d-glucosyl fluoride is the donor, and for water when α-d-glucosyl fluoride is the substrate, indicates that the catalytic groups of trehalose have the flexibility to catalyze different stereochemical reactions.     

Development and application of a screening assay for glycoside phosphorylases

Glycoside phosphorylases (GPs) are interesting enzymes for the glycosylation of chemical molecules. They require only a glycosyl phosphate as sugar donor and an acceptor molecule with a free hydroxyl group. Their narrow substrate specificity, however, limits the application of GPs for general glycoside synthesis. Although an enzyme’s substrate specificity can be altered and broadened by protein engineering and directed evolution, this requires a suitable screening assay. Such a screening assay has not yet been described for GPs. Here we report a screening procedure for GPs based on the measurement of released inorganic phosphate in the direction of glycoside synthesis. It appeared necessary to inhibit endogenous phosphatase activity in crude Escherichia coli cell extracts with molybdate, and inorganic phosphate was measured with a modified phosphomolybdate method. The screening system is general and can be used to screen GP enzyme libraries for novel donor and acceptor specificities. It was successfully applied to screen a residue E649 saturation mutagenesis library of Cellulomonas uda cellobiose phosphorylase (CP) for novel acceptor specificity. An E649C enzyme variant was found with novel acceptor specificity toward alkyl β-glucosides and phenyl β-glucoside. This is the first report of a CP enzyme variant with modified acceptor specificity.     

Enzymatic synthesis of amylose

Amylose is a linear polymer of α-1,4-linked glucose and is expected to be used in various industries as a functional biomaterial. However, pure amylose is currently not available for industrial purposes, since the separation of natural amylose from amylopectin is difficult. It is known that amylose has been synthesized using various enzymes. Glucan phosphorylase, together with its substrate, glucose-1-phosphate, is the most suitable system for the production of amylose since the molecular size of amylose can be controlled precisely. However, the problem with this system is that glucose-1-phosphate is too expensive for industrial purposes. This review summarizes our work on the enzymatic synthesis of essentially linear amylose, together with recent progress in the production of synthetic amylose using sucrose or cellobiose through the combined actions of phosphorylases.     

Hydrolysis of disaccharides over solid acid catalysts under green conditions

The hydrolysis of the three most important disaccharides: sucrose, maltose and cellobiose, has been comparatively studied in mild conditions (50-80°C) in water over several solid acid catalysts. Strong acidic resins (Amberlite A120 and A200), mixed oxides (silica-alumina and silica-zirconia), and niobium-containing solids (niobic acid, silica-niobia, and niobium phosphate) have been chosen as acid catalysts. The hydrolysis activity was studied in a continuous reactor with fixed catalytic bed working in total recirculation mode. Rate constants and activation parameters of the hydrolysis reactions have been obtained and discussed comparing the reactivity of the α-1,β-2-, α-1,4-, and β-1,4-glycosidic bonds of the employed disaccharides. The following order of reactivity was found: sucrose > maltose > cellobiose. The sulfonic acidic resins, as expected, gave complete sucrose conversion at 80°C and good conversions for cellobiose and maltose. Among the other catalysts, niobium phosphate provided the most interesting results toward the disaccharide hydrolysis, which are here presented for the first time. Relations between activity and surface acid properties are discussed.     

Construction of cellobiose phosphorylase variants with broadened acceptor specificity towards anomerically substituted glucosides

The general application of glycoside phosphorylases such as cellobiose phosphorylase (CP) for glycoside synthesis is hindered by their relatively narrow substrate specificity. We have previously reported on the creation of Cellulomonas uda CP enzyme variants with either modified donor or acceptor specificity. Remarkably, in this study it was found that the donor mutant also displays broadened acceptor specificity towards several β‐glucosides. Triple mutants containing donor (T508I/N667A) as well as acceptor mutations (E649C or E649G) also display a broader acceptor specificity than any of the parent enzymes. Moreover, further broadening of the acceptor specificity has been achieved by site‐saturation mutagenesis of residues near the active site entrance. The best enzyme variant contains the additional N156D and N163D mutations and is active towards various alkyl β‐glucosides, methyl α‐glucoside and cellobiose. In comparison with the wild‐type C. uda CP enzyme, which cannot accept anomerically substituted glucosides at all, the obtained increase in substrate specificity is significant. The described CP enzyme variants should be useful for the synthesis of cellobiosides and other glycosides with prebiotic and pharmaceutical properties. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107: 413–420. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Broadening the synthetic potential of disaccharide phosphorylases through enzyme engineering

In recent years, disaccharide phosphorylases have attracted increasing attention as promising biocatalysts for the production of glycosylated compounds. These enzymes make use of a glycosyl phosphate as donor substrate, which is much cheaper than the nucleotide-activated donors required by glycosyl transferases. Unfortunately, the number of available donor specificities is rather limited, and typically only allow the transfer of either a glucosyl or a galactosyl residue. In addition, most phosphorylases have a strong preference for carbohydrate acceptors, and can thus only be used for the synthesis of saccharide chains. The engineering of their substrate specificity thus is of significant value to broaden the range of products that can be obtained. Furthermore, the stability of some phosphorylases will also need to be improved to allow their commercial exploitation in a variety of industrial processes. In this review, several strategies for the engineering of these parameters are discussed and illustrated with some recent successes.     

Phosphorylase coupling as a tool to convert cellobiose into amylose

This work aims to establish the enzymatic process to produce amylose from cellobiose. Incubation of cellobiose with cellobiose phosphorylase and alpha-glucan phosphorylase in the presence of maltotetraose and a catalytic amount of inorganic phosphate at 45 degrees C for 16 h resulted in the production of linear alpha-1,4-glucan with a 19.3% (w/v, against cellobiose weight) yield. The yield was successfully improved (32.4%) when mutarotase and glucose oxidase were added to remove glucose in the reaction mixture. The weight-average molecular weight of the product was precisely controlled from 42 to 720 kDa by changing the initial molar ratio of cellobiose to maltotetraose. The combined use of two different phosphorylases should be a useful tool in converting beta-1,4-linked-polysaccharide into alpha-1,4-linked-polysaccharide.     

4,6-α-Glucanotransferase activity occurs more widespread in Lactobacillus strains and constitutes a separate GH70 subfamily

Family 70 glycoside hydrolase glucansucrase enzymes exclusively occur in lactic acid bacteria and synthesize a wide range of α-d-glucan (abbreviated as α-glucan) oligo- and polysaccharides. Of the 47 characterized GH70 enzymes, 46 use sucrose as glucose donor. A single GH70 enzyme was recently found to be inactive with sucrose and to utilize maltooligosaccharides [(1→4)-α-d-glucooligosaccharides] as glucose donor substrates for α-glucan synthesis, acting as a 4,6-α-glucanotransferase (4,6-αGT) enzyme. Here, we report the characterization of two further GH70 4,6-αGT enzymes, i.e., from Lactobacillus reuteri strains DSM 20016 and ML1, which use maltooligosaccharides as glucose donor. Both enzymes cleave α1→4 glycosidic linkages and add the released glucose moieties one by one to the non-reducing end of growing linear α-glucan chains via α1→6 glycosidic linkages (α1→4 to α1→6 transfer activity). In this way, they convert pure maltooligosaccharide substrates into linear α-glucan product mixtures with about 50% α1→6 glycosidic bonds (isomalto/maltooligosaccharides). These new α-glucan products may provide an exciting type of carbohydrate for the food industry. The results show that 4,6-αGTs occur more widespread in family GH70 and can be considered as a GH70 subfamily. Sequence analysis allowed identification of amino acid residues in acceptor substrate binding subsites +1 and +2, differing between GH70 GTF and 4,6-αGT enzymes.     

Synthesis of a spacer-linked derivative of heptopyranosyl(α1-3)heptopyranose expressed in lipooligosaccharide and lipopolysaccharide

Glycosylation of penta-O-acetyl heptopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate with the 3-OH acceptor, methyl 2-O-benzyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-7,8-dideoxy-α-D-manno-oct-7-enopyranoside, gave the desired α1-3-linked disaccharide in a 94% yield. The oct-enopyranoside moiety of the disaccharide was converted to the heptoside by oxidative cleavage with osmium tetroxide/NaIO(4) and subsequent reduction with NaBH(4). The resulting α1-3-linked heptose disaccharide was converted to a tricholoroacetaimidate derivative containing a benzoyl group at C-2. This donor was glycosylated with 2-(carbobenzoxyamino)-1-ethanol to give an α spacer-linked disaccharide derivative in a 90% yield. Zemplén deacylation of the derivative and subsequent hydrogenolysis gave a 2-aminoethyl glycoside of heptopyranosyl(α1-3)heptopyranose.     

Synthesis of Oligosaccharides by Growing Culture of Leuconostoc mesenteroides

With all glucobioses (eleven types) as acceptors, Leuconostoc mesenteroides (NRRL B-512) was grown on a sucrose medium. The trisaccharides produced were analyzed for their yields, and the trisaccharide structures were determined after separation on a column.

The yield of the tri- and higher-saccharides indicated that isomaltose (28%) was the most efficient acceptor and maltose (24%) was next. With the other eight glucobioses, oligosaccharides were obtained in 3~15% yield. Among these sugars, α,β-trehalose (15%) and β,β-trehalose (11%) were efficient acceptors next to maltose, but α,α-trehalose was inert.

In every case, except for cellobiose, α-glucosyl transfer occurred to the position 6 of non-reducing moiety of glucobiose.

The sugars produced contained five new trisaccharides which were isolated as pure compounds.     

Synthesis of 3-amino-3-deoxy-α-d-mannopyranosyl α-d-mannopyranoside by way of a regioselective Sn2 displacement in an unsymmetrical,disecondary ditriflate of a disaccharide

3-Amino-3-deoxy-α-d-mannopyranosyl α-d-mannopyranoside was synthesized from known 2-O-benzyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-α-d-altropyranosyl 3-O-benzyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-α-d-glucopyranoside, which is available in four steps from commercial α,α-trehalose. The 3,2′-ditriflate of the blocked disaccharide was first treated with sodium azide under phase-transfer conditions, which effected regioselective displacement of the 3-triflyloxy group, and subsequent reaction with sodium benzoate in N,N-dimethylformamide displaced the 2′-triflyloxy group. The blocked, 3-azido-2′-O-benzoyl derivative of α-d-mannopyranosyl α-d-mannopyranoside so obtained was conventionally debenzoylated and debenzylidenated, and subsequent, palladium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation with formic acid effected reduction of the azido group and cleavage of the benzyl protecting groups, to give the title disaccharide in 13% over-all yield.     

Small-molecule glucosylation by sucrose phosphorylase: structure-activity relationships for acceptor substrates revisited

Sucrose phosphorylase catalyzes the O-glucosylation of a wide range of acceptor substrates. Acceptors presenting a suitable 1,2-diol moiety are glucosylated exclusively at the secondary hydroxyl. Production of the naturally occurring compatible solute, 2-O-α-d-glucopyranosyl-sn-glycerol, from sucrose and glycerol is a notable industrial realization of the regio- and stereoselective biotransformation promoted by sucrose phosphorylase. The acceptor substrate specificity of sucrose phosphorylase was analyzed on the basis of recent high-resolution crystal structures of the enzyme. Interactions at the acceptor binding site, observed in the crystal (d-fructosyl) and suggested by results of docking experiments (glycerol), are used to rationalize experimentally determined efficiencies and regioselectivities of enzymatic glucosyl transfer.     

Structural insights into the substrate specificity and function of Escherichia coli K12 YgjK, a glucosidase belonging to the glycoside hydrolase family 63

Proteins belonging to the glycoside hydrolase family 63 (GH63) are found in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. Eukaryotic GH63 proteins are processing α-glucosidase I enzymes that hydrolyze an oligosaccharide precursor of eukaryotic N-linked glycoproteins. In contrast, the functions of the bacterial and archaeal GH63 proteins are unclear. Here we determined the crystal structure of a bacterial GH63 enzyme, Escherichia coli K12 YgjK, at 1.78 Å resolution and investigated some properties of the enzyme. YgjK consists of the N-domain and the A-domain, joined by a linker region. The N-domain is composed of 18 antiparallel β-strands and is classified as a super-β-sandwich. The A-domain contains 16 α-helices, 12 of which form an (α/α)₆-barrel; the remaining 4 α-helices are found in an extra structural unit that we designated as the A′-region. YgjK, a member of the glycoside hydrolase clan GH-G, shares structural similarity with glucoamylase (GH15) and chitobiose phosphorylase (GH65), both of which belong to clan GH-L. In crystal structures of YgjK in complex with glucose, mannose, and galactose, all of the glucose, mannose, and galactose units were located in the catalytic cleft. YgjK showed the highest activity for the α-1,3-glucosidic linkage of nigerose, but also hydrolyzed trehalose, kojibiose, and maltooligosaccharides from maltose to maltoheptaose, although the activities were low. These findings suggest that YgjK is a glucosidase with relaxed specificity for sugars.