Studies on the substrate specificity of Taka-amylase A. XII. Investigation of the active site of Taka-amylase A by examining the properties of p-phenylazobenzoyl Taka-amylase A.

1. When p-phenylazobenzoyl Taka-amylase A (PhAB-TAA) was incubated at pH 6.5 with hydroxylamine for 3 hr at 20degrees, some of the p-phenylazobenzoyl residues that had been introduced into Taka-amylase A (TAA) [1, 4-alpha-D-glucan glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.1, Aspergillus oryzae] were liberated as a hydroxamic acid, and the activity pattern of PhAB-TAA changed to that of intact TAA. This result suggested that the p-phenylazobenzoyl residues liberated had been bound to the tyrosyl residue located near the active site in the enzyme. 2. The transferase action of TAA or PhAB-TAA was studied using phenyl alpha-maltoside as a substrate and maltotritol as an acceptor. Unlike intact TAA, PhAB-TAA was not able to transfer the maltose residue to maltotritol, and this suggested that the p-phenylazobenzoyl residue was located near one of the aglycone-binding subsites, causing steric hindrance.     

Studies on the substrate specificity of Taka-amylase A1. XIV. Preparation of 6-deoxy-6-halogenomaltotrioses and their hydrolysis by Taka-amylase A.

1. O-6-Deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-D-glucopyranose, O-6-chloro-6-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-D-glucopyranose, O-6-bromo-6-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-D-glucopyranose, and O-6-deoxy-6-iodo-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-D-glucopyranose were prepared, taking advantage of the substrate specificities of Taka-amylase A and glucoamylase, and the action of Taka-amylase A on these substrates was investigated. 2. The Michaelis constant Km and the molecular activity ko were determined at 37 degrees C and pH 5.2 using the modified maltotrioses. The values of Km and ko decreased upon modification of maltotriose and those of ko/Km were in agreement with the comparative initial rates for the corresponding derivatives of phenyl alpha-maltoside at low substrate concentrations. This result suggested that a subsite of the enzyme may have a specific interaction with halogen atoms in the substrate. 3. All halogenomaltotrioses examined showed substrate inhibition at high substrate concentrations.     

Studies on the substrate specificity of Taka-amylase A. XIII. Preparation of 6-deoxy-6-iodomaltooligosaccharides and their inhibitory action against Taka-amylase A1.

O-alpha-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-O-6-deoxy-6-iodo-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-D-glucopyranose (6'-MT), O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-6-deoxy-6-iodo-D-glucopyranose (6-M), and O-6-deoxy-6-iodo-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 leads to 4)-D-glucopyranose (6'-M) were prepared and their inhibitory action against Taka-amylase A [EC 3.2.1.1, alpha-1, 4-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase, Aspergillus oryzae] was investigated. The inhibitor constants of 6'-MT and 6'-M were 10 mM and 54 mM, respectively, and both inhibitors showed mixed-type inhibition. 6-M scarcely inhibited the enzyme action.     

Structure of a major oligosaccharide of Taka-amylase A.

The structures of a major oligosaccharide of Taka-amylase A, shown below, is proposed based on the results of chemical (methylation and acetolysis) and enzymatic (digestions with exo and endo-glycosidases) analyses. This structure is an amendment of that proposed by Yamaguchi et al. (1971) (J. Biochem. 70, 587-594), in which one more mannose residue is attached (Formula: see text) through an alpha 1,2 linkage to the mannose residue which is alpha 1,3-linked to the intermost mannose residue.     

Site-directed mutagenesis of catalytic active-site residues of Taka-amylase A.

The cDNA encoding Taka-amylase A (EC.3.2.1.1, TAA) was isolated to identify functional amino acid residues of TAA by protein engineering. The putative catalytic active-site residues and the substrate binding residue of TAA were altered by site-directed mutagenesis: aspartic acid-206, glutamic acid-230, aspartic acid-297, and lysine-209 were replaced with asparagine or glutamic acid, glutamine or aspartic acid, asparagine or glutamic acid, and phenylalanine or arginine, respectively. Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain YPH 250 was transformed with the expression plasmids containing the altered cDNA of the TAA gene. All the transformants with an expression vector containing the altered cDNA produced mutant TAAs that cross-reacted with the TAA antibody. The mutant TAA with alteration of Asp206, Glu230, or Asp297 in the putative catalytic site had no alpha-amylase activity, while that with alteration of Lys209 in the putative binding site to Arg or Phe had reduced activity.     

Kinetic study on chemical modification of Taka-amylase A. II. Ethoxycarbonylation of histidine residues

The modification of Taka-amylase A (TAA) [EC 3.2.1.1] of Aspergillus oryzae by diethylpyrocarbonate (DEP) was carried out at 25 degrees C and at pH 5.8 (0.1 M acetate buffer). Two out of the six histidine residues were modified with 4.6 mM DEP, and two or three histidine residues were modified with 23 mM DEP. In both cases, one of them was protected from modification by the presence of 15% maltose. The results suggest that two or three out of the six histidine residues are exposed on the surface of the TAA molecule, and one of them exists near the maltose binding site. Ethoxycarbonylation of histidine residues of TAA caused loss of the amylase activity and activation of the hydrolysis of phenyl alpha-maltoside (phi alpha M). The kinetic parameters of the modified TAA for several substrates and analogs were determined at 25 degrees C and at pH 5.3 (0.08 M acetate buffer). From the results, it was found that this alteration of the enzyme activity by the modification was not due to a change in Km value but to a change in k0 value. Thus, some of the histidine residues in TAA are suggested to play an important role in the enzyme catalytic function.     

Structure and possible catalytic residues of Taka-amylase A

A complete molecular model of Taka-amylase A consisting of 478 amino acid residues was built with the aid of amino acid sequence data. Some typical structural features of the molecule are described. A model fitting of an amylose chain in the catalytic site of the enzyme showed a possible productive binding mode between substrate and enzyme. On the basis of the difference Fourier analysis and the model fitting study, glutamic acid (Glu230) and aspartic acid (Asp297), which are located at the bottom of the cleft, were concluded to be the catalytic residues, serving as the general acid and base, respectively.     

Isolation of Taka-amylase A Peptides Required for Substrate Binding

An α-amylase from Aspergillus oryzae, Taka-amylase A (TAA), was cleaved into peptide fragments by an acid protease. Inactivation of TAA was greatly retarded by the addition of α-cyclodextrin or Ca²⁺. TAA peptide fragments were separated into two groups having no and high affinity to the substrate, soluble starch. This separation was done by the forced affinity chromatography method by a column of epichlorohydrin cross-linked soluble starch gel. Three peptides were isolated from the high-affinity fragments, purified by the ODS-120T column, and their amino acids were sequenced. Peptides I, II, and III originated from α2-helix, α3-helix, and β2-sheet, respectively, and all of these were located in the (β/α)₈ barrel of the main domain of TAA molecule. A stereo graphic view showed that Peptides I–III were at the cleft near the catalytic site. Occurrence of a Trp residue in all three peptides strongly suggested that Trp was very important in the binding of TAA to the substrate, soluble starch.     

Low resolution crystal structures of Taka-amylase A and its complexes with inhibitors.

The molecular structure of Taka-amylase A, an alpha-amylase from Aspergillus oryzae, has been studied at 6 A resolution by X-ray diffraction analysis. The electron density map showed a non-crystallographic three-fold screw arrangement of the molecules in the crystal. The molecule is an ellipsoid with approximate dimensions of 80 x 45 x 35 A and contains a hollow which may correspond to the active center. The inhibitor molecules bind to Taka-amylase A at four different sites, one of which is located in the hollow of the enzyme. The probable position of a thiol group is discussed in connection with heavy atom binding.