A single amino acid substitution converts gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase to a class IV cephalosporin acylase (glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase)

The aspartyl residue at position 433 of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase of Escherichia coli K-12 was replaced by an asparaginyl residue. This substitution enabled gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase to deacylate glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid, producing 7-aminocephalosporanic acid, which is a starting material for the synthesis of semisynthetic cephalosporins.     

Improvement of the glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase activity of a bacterial gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase

7-Aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) is an important material in the production of semisynthetic cephalosporins, which are the best-selling antibiotics worldwide. 7-ACA is produced from cephalosporin C via glutaryl-7-ACA (GL-7-ACA) by a bioconversion process using d-amino acid oxidase and cephalosporin acylase (or GL-7-ACA acylase). Previous studies demonstrated that a single amino acid substitution, D433N, provided GL-7-ACA acylase activity for gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) of Escherichia coli K-12. In this study, based on its three-dimensional structure, residues involved in substrate recognition of E. coli GGT were rationally mutagenized, and effective mutations were then combined. A novel screening method, activity staining followed by a GL-7-ACA acylase assay with whole cells, was developed, and it enabled us to obtain mutant enzymes with enhanced GL-7-ACA acylase activity. The best mutant enzyme for catalytic efficiency, with a k(cat)/K(m) value for GL-7-ACA almost 50-fold higher than that of the D433N enzyme, has three amino acid substitutions: D433N, Y444A, and G484A. We also suggest that GGT from Bacillus subtilis 168 can be another source of GL-7-ACA acylase for industrial applications.     

Isolation and characterization of soil strains producing glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase

A search was undertaken to screen microorganisms that produce an enzyme capable of deacylating glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid to 7-aminocephalosporanic acid in soil samples. The screening was carried out by preparing enrichment cultures containing glutaryl-7ACA and cephalosporin C as selective carbon sources. A non-β-lactam model compound, glutaryl-p-nitroanilide, was synthesized as a substrate suitable for the rapid screening of microorganisms isolated from the enrichment cultures. Two isolates exhibiting acylase activity, designated BY7.4 and BY8.1, were identified as strains ofPseudomonas species.Pseudomonas BY8.1 showed higher acylase activity toward Gl-7ACA thanPseudomonas BY7.4. Environmental conditions for the optimal acylase activity ofPseudomonas BY8.1 were shown to be pH 9 and 30°C.     

Optimization of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase expression in E. coli

A recombinant glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase (GLA) from Pseudomonas N176 has been over-expressed in BL21(DE3)pLysS Escherichia coli cells. By alternating screenings of medium components and simplified factorial experimental designs, an improved microbial process was set up at shake-flask level (and then scaled up to 2L-fermentors) giving a 80- and 120-fold increase in specific and volumetric enzyme productivity, respectively. Under the best expression conditions, 1380 U/g cell and 16,100 U/L of GLA were produced versus the 18 U/g cell and the 140 U/L obtained in the initial standard conditions. Osmotic stress caused by the addition of NaCl, low cell growth rate linked to high biomass yield in the properly-designed rich medium, optimization of the time and the amount of inducer’s addition and decrease of temperature during recombinant protein production, represent the factors concurring to achieve the reported expression level. Notably, this expression level is significantly higher than any previously described production of GLAs. High volumetric production, cost reduction and the simple one-step chromatographic purification of the His-tagged recombinant enzyme, makes this GLA an economic tool to be used in the 7-ACA industrial production.     

Biochemical characterization of a glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase from Pseudomonas strain BL072.

Pseudomonas strain BL072 produces an acylase enzyme active in hydrolyzing glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid to 7-aminocephalosporanic acid. This acylase was purified by column chromatography and gel electrophoresis. The native acylase was composed of two subunits of approximately 65 and 24 kDa, though some heterogeneity was seen in both the native acylase and its small subunit. The isoelectric point of the acylase is approximately 8.5, and it has Km of 1.6 mM for glutaryl desacetoxy aminocephalosporanic acid. The acylase hydrolyzes the desacetoxy and desacetyl derivatives of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid at rates similar to that of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid. Cephalosporin C was hydrolyzed at a reduced rate. The pH optimum was found to be 8.0, and an activation energy of 9 kcal/mol (ca. 38 kJ/mol) was observed. The acylase has transacylase activity 10 times that of its hydrolytic activity. Eupergit C-immobilized acylase had a half-life of greater than 400 h.     

Screening and characterization of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase from Pseudomonas sp.

Summary Three screening methods were used to isolate GL-7-ACA acylase-producing strains. Three positive isolates were identified with Pseudomonas nitroreducens CCRC 11041 possessing the highest activity, against GL-7-ACA and GL-7-ADCA. No activity was detected when Ceph C or succinyl-7-ACA was used as substrate; glutaric acid was found to be inhibitory. CCRC 11041 could produce maximal GL-7-ACA acylase activity when cultivated on meat extract medium II. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 5.0 and a temperature optimum of 42°C.     

Enhancement of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase activity of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase of Bacillus subtilis

Semisynthetic cephalosporins, the best-selling antibiotics worldwide, are derived from 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA). Currently, in the pharmaceutical industrie, 7-ACA is mainly produced from cephalosporin C by sequential application of D -amino acid oxidase and cephalosporin acylase. Here we study the potential of industrially amenable enzyme γ-glutamyltranspeptidase from Bacillus subtilis for 7-ACA production, since the wild-type γ-glutamyltranspeptidase of B. subtilis has inherent glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase activity with a k_cat value of 0.0485 s^-1. Its activity has been enhanced by site directed and random mutagenesis. The k_cat/K_m value was increased to 3.41 s^-1 mM^-1 for a E423Y/E442Q/D445N mutant enzyme and the kcat value was increased to 0.508 s^-1 for a D445G mutant enzyme. Consequently, the catalytic efficiency and the turnover rate were improved up to about 1000-fold and 10-fold, compared with the wildtype γ-glutamyltranspeptidase of B. subtilis.     

Construction and application of fusion proteins of d-amino acid oxidase and glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase for direct bioconversion of cephalosporin C to 7-aminocephalosporanic acid

Two fusion proteins of D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) and glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase (GLA) were designed to simplify the bioconversion process of cephalosporin C to 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA), which is conventionally produced in a two-step enzymatic process. Two recombinant plasmids, pET-DLA and pET-ALD, were constructed to express fusion proteins of DAAO-linker-GLA (DLA) and GLA-linker-DAAO (ALD), respectively. When the recombinant plasmids were expressed in E. coli, the fusion protein DLA was not correctly folded and only DAAO activity could be detected. ALD, however, possessed activities of both DAAO and GLA, which directly catalyze the conversion of cephalosporin C into 7-ACA.     

Crystallization and preliminary X-Ray diffraction analysis of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase from Pseudomonas sp. GK16

Glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanicacid acylase from Pseudomonas sp. GK16 produces glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid, a key intermediate for the synthesis of cephem antibiotics. Sequence alignment suggests that the enzyme may belong to the N-terminal nucleophile hydrolase superfamily including penicillin G acylase. The enzyme is an (alphabeta)(2) heterotetramer of two nonidentical subunits. These subunits are derived from a nascent precursor polypeptide that is cleaved proteolytically through a two-step autocatalytic process upon folding. The enzyme has been crystallized using the vapor diffusion method. A bipyramidal crystal form was obtained from a solution containing polyethylene glycol (MW 3350) and calcium chloride. Complete diffraction data sets have been collected up to 2.8 A resolution. The crystal is tetragonal with the space group P4(1)2(1)2 or P4(3)2(1)2 and the unit cell parameters are a = b = 73.5 A, c = 380.3 A. Considerations of the possible values of V(m) account for the presence of a tetramer in the asymmetric unit.     

J1 acylase, a glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase from Bacillus laterosporus J1, is a member of the alpha/beta-hydrolase fold superfamily

J1 acylase, a glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase (GCA) isolated from Bacillus laterosporus J1, has been conventionally grouped as the only member of class V GCA, although its amino acid sequence shares less than 10% identity with members of other classes of GCA. Instead, it shows higher sequence similarities with Rhodococcus sp. strain MB1 cocaine esterase (RhCocE) and Acetobacter turbidans alpha-amino acid ester hydrolase (AtAEH), members of the alpha/beta-hydrolase fold superfamily. Homology modeling and secondary structure prediction indicate that the N-terminal region of J1 acylase has an alpha/beta-hydrolase folding pattern. The catalytic triads in RhCocE and AtAEH were identified in J1 acylase as S125, D264 and H309. Mutations to alanine at these positions were found to completely inactivate the enzyme. These results suggest that J1 acylase is a member of the alpha/beta-hydrolase fold superfamily with a serine-histidine-aspartate catalytic triad.     

Purification and immobilization of recombinant variants of Brevundimonas diminuta glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase expressed in Escherichia coli cells

Cyclotides are naturally occurring mini-proteins that have a diverse range of therapeutically useful biological activities. Although a choice of approaches is available for cyclotides synthesis; most studies have involved the use of peptides extracted from plants. In order to facilitate the screening for structure-activity studies or to exploit them in drug development, a convenient and reliable route for the biosynthesis of cyclotides is of vital importance.

Callus, suspension cultures and hydroponic plants of Oldenlandia affinis were established and have been evaluated for effective cyclotides production processes. The specific accumulation of kalata B1 was affected by cell differentiation as well as agitation; highest accumulation of 2.7 mg g⁻¹ dry weight was detected in agitated hydroponic plant cultures resulting in a productivity of 1.4 mg kalata B1 l⁻¹ day⁻¹.     

Isolation and characterization of a novel soil strain, Pseudomonas cepacia BY21, with glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase activity

A search was undertaken to screen microorganisms in soil which produce an enzyme capable of deacylating glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid (glutaryl-7-ACA) to 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA). To facilitate screening, a model substrate, glutaryl-p-nitroanilide, and a 7-ACA sensitive strain, Enterobacter taylorae BY312, were used as a color indicator and bioassay, respectively. An isolate, Pseudomonas cepacia BY21, was found to produce glutaryl-7-ACA acylase, of which the activity was optimal at pH 8.0 and 45°C.     

Crystal structures of glutaryl 7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase: insight into autoproteolytic activation

Glutaryl 7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase (GCA, EC 3.5.1.11) is a member of N-terminal nucleophile (Ntn) hydrolases. The native enzyme is an (alpha beta)(2) heterotetramer originated from an enzymatically inactive precursor of a single polypeptide. The activation of precursor GCA consists of primary and secondary autoproteolytic cleavages, generating a terminal residue with both a nucleophile and a base and releasing a nine amino acid spacer peptide. We have determined the crystal structures of the recombinant selenomethionyl native and S170A mutant precursor from Pseudomonas sp. strain GK16. Precursor activation is likely triggered by conformational constraints within the spacer peptide, probably inducing a peptide flip. Autoproteolytic site solvent molecules, which have been trapped in a hydrophobic environment by the spacer peptide, may play a role as a general base for nucleophilic attack. The activation results in building up a catalytic triad composed of Ser170/His192/Glu624. However, the triad is not linked to the usual hydroxyl but the free alpha-amino group of the N-terminal serine residue of the native GCA. Mutagenesis and structural data support the notion that the stabilization of a transient hydroxazolidine ring during autoproteolysis would be critical during the N --> O acyl shift. The autoproteolytic activation mechanism for GCA is described.     

A probable aculeacin A acylase from the Ralstonia solanacearum GMI1000 is N-acyl-homoserine lactone acylase with quorum-quenching activity

Background

Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) strains of serotype O1:K1:H7/NM are frequently implicated in neonatal meningitis, urinary tract infections and septicemia in humans. They are also commonly isolated from colibacillosis in poultry. Studies to determine the similarities of ExPEC from different origins have indicated that avian strains potentially have zoonotic properties.

Results

A total of 59 ExPEC O1:K1:H7/NM isolates (21 from avian colibacillosis, 15 from human meningitis, and 23 from human urinary tract infection and septicemia) originated from four countries were characterized by phylogenetic PCR grouping, Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST), Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and genotyping based on several genes known for their association with ExPEC or avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) virulence. APEC and human ExPEC isolates differed significantly in their assignments to phylogenetic groups, being phylogroup B2 more prevalent among APEC than among human ExPEC (95% vs. 53%, P = 0.001), whereas phylogroup D was almost exclusively associated with human ExPEC (47% vs. 5%, P = 0.0000). Seven virulence genes showed significant differences, being fimAv _MT78 and sat genes linked to human isolates, while papGII, tsh, iron, cvaC and iss were significantly associated to APEC. By MLST, 39 of 40 ExPEC belonging to phylogroup B2, and 17 of 19 belonging to phylogroup D exhibited the Sequence Types (STs) ST95 and ST59, respectively. Additionally, two novel STs (ST1013 and ST1006) were established. Considering strains sharing the same ST, phylogenetic group, virulence genotype and PFGE cluster to belong to the same subclone, five subclones were detected; one of those grouped six strains of human and animal origin from two countries.

Conclusion

Present results reveal that the clonal group B2 O1:K1:H7/NM ST95, detected in strains of animal and human origin, recovered from different dates and geographic sources, provides evidence that some APEC isolates may act as potential pathogens for humans and, consequently, poultry as a foodborne source, suggesting no host specificity for this type of isolates. A novel and important finding has been the detection of the clonal group D O1:K1:H7/NM ST59 almost exclusively in humans, carrying pathogenic genes linked to the phylogenetic group D. This finding would suggest D O1:K1:H7/NM ST59 as a host specific pathotype for humans.     

Characterization of an industrial biocatalyst: immobilized glutaryl-7-ACA acylase

A batch of the immobilized industrial biocatalyst glutaryl-7-ACA acylase (GA), one of the two enzymes involved in the biotransformation of cephalosporin C (CefC) into 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA), was characterized. K(m) value for glutaryl-7-ACA was 5 mM. Enzyme activity was found to be optimal at pH between 7 and 9.5 and to increase with temperature and in buffered solutions. To avoid product degradation, optimal reaction conditions were obtained working at 25 degrees C using a 50-mM phosphate buffer, pH 8.0. Immobilized GA showed good stability at pH value below 9 and at temperature up to 30 degrees C. The inactivation of immobilized GA in the presence of different amounts of H(2)O(2), a side product that might be present in the plant-scale industrial solutions of glutaryl-7-ACA, was also investigated, but the deactivation rates were negligible at H(2)O(2) concentration that might be reached under operative conditions. Finally, biocatalyst performance in the complete two-step enzymatic conversion process from CefC to 7-ACA was determined on a laboratory scale. Following the complete conversion of a 75 mM solution of CefC into glutaryl-7-ACA catalyzed by an immobilized D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO), immobilized GA was used for the transformation of this intermediate into the final product 7-ACA. This reaction was repeated for 42 cycles. An estimation of the residual activity of the biocatalyst showed that 50% inactivation of immobilized GA was reached after approximately 300 cycles, corresponding to an enzyme consumption of 0.4 kU per kg of isolated 7-ACA.     

High-level expression of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase from Pseudomonas diminuta NK703 in Escherichia coli by combined optimization strategies

In this work, a glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase (GLA) coding gene was cloned from Pseudomonas diminuta NK703 which was screened from oilfield. The concerted effects of the expression system, inducing condition and culture medium on the expression of NK703 GLA in E. coli were firstly investigated. The best combination was the recombinant E. coli strain of pET-28a + GLA/BL21(DE3) with 2.0% (w/v) lactose inducing in YT medium at 25 °C. Then, by optimizing the components of culture medium, a synthetic medium with dextrin and a feeding medium with glycerol as the carbon sources were developed to further enhance the GLA yield and improve the GLA solubility. In the end, the NK703 GLA activity increased about 50-fold, reached 14,470 ± 465 U/L, and the GLA productivity and the proportion of soluble GLA to the total soluble protein attained 206.0 ± 9.033 U L⁻¹ h⁻¹ and 60.13%, respectively. Scaling up the GLA production in 3.7 L fermenter under the optimized conditions identified in shake flask, the GLA activity also reached 12,406 ± 521 U/L, which was the highest report at fermenter level.     

Cloning and co-expression of D-amino acid oxidase and glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase genes in Escherichia coli

To convert cephalosporin C to 7-aminocephalosporin (7-ACA), a D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) gene from Trigonopsis variabilis and a glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase (GL-7-ACA acylase) gene from Pseudomonas were cloned and expressed in recombinant Escherichia coli. For DAAO recombinant strain BL21(DE3)/pET-DAAO, a high DAAO activity of 250 U ml⁻¹ was obtained by a fed-batch culture. A GL-7-ACA acylase gene, in which the signal peptide sequence was deleted, was also successfully expressed in a recombinant E. coli BL21(DE3)/pET-ACY with a high expression level of 3000 U l⁻¹. A novel recombinant strain, BL21(DE3)/pET-DA, harboring both genes of DAAO and GL-7-ACA acylase, was further constructed, and a rather high DAAO activity of 140 U ml⁻¹ and GL-7-ACA acylase activity of 950 U l⁻¹ were simultaneously obtained. This recombinant strain, in which two genes are co-expressed, made it possible to catalyze cephalosporin C into 7-ACA directly.     

Simultaneous expression of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase gene and lysis genes of phage λ in a recombinant E. coli

Glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase (GLA), recommended for use in the form of immobilized-enzyme, is one of the two key enzymes in the two-step synthesis of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid. For simplifying the process of cell disruption and immobilization, the lysis genes of phage λ (S⁻RRz) with the S amber mutation were designed to introduce into the over-expression system of GLA. A novel recombinant strain, E. coli TB1/pMKC-AS, simultaneously containing the maltose binding protein gene (malE), the lysis genes (S⁻RRz) and the target GLA gene (Acy) in a same operon, was successfully constructed. Under neutral pH conditions, cell growth and GLA activity of TB1/pMKC-AS was not affected by the presence of the lysis genes, however, autolysis phenomenon was observed under weak alkaline conditions. Through pH control and fed-batch culture, the GLA activity of TB1/pMKC-AS reached as high as 6810 U/L with 24.8 g/L dry cell density (OD₆₀₀ = 67.9) in a 5 L fermentor. In contrast to the cells of E. coli TB1/pMKC-Acy without the lysis genes, the mild EDTA/Tris buffer (pH 8.0) can cause the lysis of the cells of TB1/pMKC-AS containing the lysis genes. Correspondingly, a mild pH 9.0/42 °C incubation method was developed for conveniently degrading the recombinant cells of TB1/pMKC-AS, based on the expression of the lysis genes. Further experiments showed that the cell lysate after the mild incubation disruption can be directly immobilized by 10% polyacrylamide to make the immobilized enzymes. In comparison with the immobilized GLA from TB1/pMKC-Acy, the immobilized cell lysate of TB1/pMKC-AS has the similar characteristics of catalysis stability, implying a great potential for industrial application of the lysis genes-assisted cell disruption.     

Cloning and high expression of glutaryl 7-aminocephalosporanic acid acylase gene from Pseudomonas diminuta

The gene coding for the glutaryl 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (GL 7-ACA) acylase from Pseudomonas diminuta KAC-1 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The acylase gene was composed of 2160 base pairs and encoded a polypeptide of 720 amino acid residues. The E. coli BL21 carrying pET2, the plasmid construct for high expression of GL 7-ACA acylase gene, produced this enzyme at approx. 30% of the total proteins with 3.2 units activity mg protein^–1. Growth at temperature below 31 °C and deletion of signal peptide increased the processing of precursor acylase to active enzyme in the recombinant E. coli cells.     

Affinity labeled glutaryl-7-amino cephalosporanic acid acylase C130 can hydrolyze the inhibitor during crystallization

7Beta-bromoacetyl amino cephalosporanic acid (BA-7-ACA), an analog of glutaryl-7-amino cephalosporanic acid (GL-7-ACA), can inhibit and specifically alkylate GL-7-ACA acylase (C130) from Pseudomonas sp.130, forming a carbon-carbon bond between BA-7-ACA and the C-2 on indole ring of Trp-beta4 residue of C130. Here we reported that BA-7-ACA labeled C130 (BA-C130) could self-catalyze the hydrolysis of BA-7-ACA during crystallization process. The hydrolysis was confirmed to be a reaction analogous to the one of GL-7-ACA by comparative matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) spectrometry analysis. BA-C130 was inactive at room temperature, but in the process of crystallization at 18 degrees C it catalyzed the hydrolysis of BA-7-ACA, and thus made the latter become a substrate. Meanwhile, in crystals, 7-ACA was released but the acetic acid still bound with Trp-beta4, and as a result, the enzyme remained to be inactive. These results demonstrated that Trp-beta4 in the alphabetabetaalpha motif was critical and sensitive for the activity of C130 and also suggested that there was a conformational change induced by deacylation during the process of crystallization.