Structural properties of the truncated and wild types of Taka-amylase: A molecular dynamics simulation and docking study

In this work, structures of the native (Amyl-C) and truncated Taka amylase were compared by molecular modeling methods. Using in silico enzyme engineering approach, 50 (Amyl-S1) and 100 (Amyl-S2) amino acids were eliminated from Amyl-C to produce the truncated forms. Analysis of the tertiary structures showed that three essential domains of the enzyme including super secondary structure (αβ)₈, the barrel region, and the large cleft remained native in Amyl-S1 and Amyl-S2. Secondary structures of Met112-Val118, Gly202-His211, Gln230-Asp233, Phe292-Asp297 residues in Amyl-C, Amyl-S1, and Amyl-S2 remained unchanged. These domains are necessary for catalytic function of alpha-amylase superfamily. Flexibility analysis of the three forms was examined and it is obtained that by truncation, the flexibility of the C-terminal domain was increased. This shows that C-terminal domain is essential for the stability of the structure which is in agreement with experimental observations. However, Glu156, Gln 162, Gly234, Val 245, Asn260, Ser264, Asp 297 of Amyl-C had higher flexibility than those in truncated enzymes. Maltotriose, maltotetraose, maltopentaose, maltohexaose and maltoheptaose as five substrates were docked to the three enzyme forms. Binding affinity of maltoheptaose was higher in Amyl-C and Amyl-S1and lower in Amyl-S2 than that of maltotriose. In all forms the substrates were associated with three residues of the catalytic triad.     

The elm leaf beetle α-amylase and its activity relationship with insect feeding

The elm leaf beetle, Xanthogalerucella luteola (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is the most serious pest of elm trees. This pest causes severe damage to elm trees during its growth stages and as a result, in the middle of summer, leaves become skeletised and start to fall down. In this work, biochemical characterisation of digestive α-amylase of this insect and its relationship with insect feeding was investigated. The insect gut was isolated and its α-amylase was extracted and starch (1%) was used as a substrate for the enzyme. Results showed that the enzyme’s optimum temperature and pH was 35?°C and 5.5, respectively. Some ions such as NaCl decreased the enzyme activity whilst MgCl₂ and CaCl₂ increased the enzyme activity. Gut content electrophoresis showed that only one α-amylase is active in this insect species. There was a correlation between the amount of leaf eaten by the insect and the amount of the enzyme activity.     

Simple Affinity Purification Method for Raw Starch-adsorbable and -digesting Amylases with a Raw Starch Column

A simple purification procedure for raw starch-adsorbable and -digesting amylases (RSAs) was devised. The method depended on an affinity column, which was prepared by mixing raw corn starch and Hyflo Super-Cel. RSAs were specifically adsorbed on the matrix, and eluted with a buffer containing 1% β-cyclodextrin. This column could be used to purify RSAs from Streptomyces thermo-cyaneoviolaceus and a recombinant strain of E. coli.     

Molecular characterization of a bean α-amylase inhibitor that inhibits the α-amylase of the Mexican bean weevil Zabrotes subfasciatus

Cultivated varieties of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) contain an α-amylase inhibitor (αAI-1) that inhibits porcine pancreatic α-amylase (PPA; EC 3.2.1.1) and the amylases of certain seed weevils, but not that of the Mexican bean weevil, Zabrotes subfasciatus. A variant of αAI-1, called αAI-2, is found in certain arcelin-containing wild accessions of the common bean. The variant αAI-2 inhibits Z. subfasciatus α-amylase (ZSA), but not PPA. We purified αAI-2 and studied its interaction with ZSA. The formation of the αAI-2-ZSA complex is time-dependent and occurs maximally at pH 5.0 or below. When a previously isolated cDNA assumed to encode αAI-2 was expressed in transgenic tobacco seeds, the seeds contained inhibitory activity toward ZSA but not toward PPA, confirming that the cDNA encodes αAI-2. The inhibitors αAI-1 and αAI-2 share 78% sequence identity at the amino acid level and they differ in an important region that is part of the site where the enzyme binds the inhibitor. The swap of a tripeptide in this region was not sufficient to change the specificity of the two inhibitors towards their respective enzymes. The three-dimensional structure of the αAI-1/PPA complex has just been solved and we recently obtained the derived amino acid sequence of ZSA. This additional information allows us to discuss the results described here in the framework of the amino acid residues of both proteins involved in the formation of the enzyme-inhibitor complex and to pinpoint the amino acids responsible for the specificity of the interaction. Received: 14 April 1997 / Accepted: 10 May 1997     

Compartmentalization of proteinases and amylases in Nauphoeta cinerea midgut.

Compartmentalization of proteinases, amylases, and pH in the midgut of Nauphoeta cinerea Oliv. (Blattoptera:Blaberidae) was studied in order to understand the organization of protein and starch digestion. Total proteolytic activity measured with azocasein was maximal at pH 11.5 both in anterior (AM) and posterior (PM) halves of the midgut, but the bulk of activity (67%) was found in PM. Total AM and PM preparations were fractionated on a Sephadex G-50 column and further analysed by means of activity electrophoresis and specific inhibitors and activators. The major activity in PM was classified as an unusual SH-dependent proteinase with M(r) 24,000 and pH optimum with synthetic substrate BApNA at 10.0. The enzyme was 43-fold activated in the presence of 1 mM DTT, insensitive to synthetic inhibitors of serine (PMSF, TLCK, TPCK) and cysteine (IAA, E-64) proteinases, strongly inhibited by STI, and displayed four active bands on zymograms. In PM, activities of trypsin-like, chymotrypsin-like, subtilisin-like, and cysteine proteinases were observed. Aspartic and metalloproteinases were not detected. In AM, activity of unusual SH-dependent proteinase also dominated and activity of chymotrypsin-like proteinase was observed, but their levels were much lower than in PM. Distribution of amylase activity, exhibiting an optimum at pH 6.0, was quite the opposite. The major part of it (67%) was located in AM. Treatment of amylase preparation with proteinases from AM and PM reduced amylase activity twofold. pH of the midgut contents was 6.0-7.2 in AM, 6.4-7.6 in the first and 8.8-9.3 in the second halves of PM. Thus, pH in AM is in good agreement with the optimal pH of amylase, located in this compartment, but the activity of proteinases, including the ability to degrade amylase, in such an environment is low. Active proteolysis takes place in the second half of PM, where pH of the gut is close to the optimal pH of proteinases.     

Enzymes of starch metabolism in leaves and berries of Vitis vinifera

Leaves of Vitis vinifera L., cv. Cabernet Sauvignon contained 2.0 mg of starch per g fresh weight, whereas young green berries and maturing grape berries contained less than 0.03 mg of starch, despite the presence of abundant substrates (reducing sugars and sucrose) in berries for starch synthesis. the activities of several enzymes likely to be involved in starch synthesis were determined in extracts of berries and leaves. Fractionation procedures resulted in final recoverable ADPglucose-starch glucosyltransferase activity which was 2–3 times the activity measured in crude extracts of leaves. Compared to leaves, berries contained low activities of ADPglucose-starch glucosyltransferase and ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase. These enzymes increased only 2- to 3-fold from young to maturing berries. ADPglucose-starch glucosyltransferase activity in the absence of added primer was found in leaf extracts but not in berry extracts. The activities of UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, phosphorylase and amylase were comparable in both leaves and berries and increased 6- to 7-fold during berry development. The low activities of ADPglucose-starch glucosyltransferase and ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase probably account for the paucity of starch in grape berries.     

金针菇淀粉酶家族基因鉴定及其表达特性分析

本研究对金针菇淀粉酶家族基因进行了信息分析,并选用金针菇双核菌株H1123作为实验材料,分析了菌丝生长过程中淀粉酶活性和淀粉酶基因表达特性之间的关系。结果表明,金针菇淀粉酶家族包含6个α淀粉酶和1个γ淀粉酶。7个淀粉酶基因的表达量均在菌丝接种后第10天出现峰值,并与胞外淀粉酶活性呈同步变化,说明基质中淀粉的分解和利用是淀粉酶家族各成员之间相互协调的结果。其中α-Amy-1、α-Amy-4、α-Amy-5的上调幅度最大,为淀粉降解和代谢过程的主效基因。值得注意的是胞内淀粉酶基因α-Amy-1在第10天时达到约90倍的上调表达水平。我们推测：金针菇胞外淀粉酶将淀粉分解为小分子单糖的同时,其胞内淀粉酶也参与了这些糖类的吸收和运输过程。     

Cloning and Sequencing of an Original Gene Encoding a Maltogenic Amylase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus</Emphasis> sp. US149 Strain and Characterization of the Recombinant Activity

A gene encoding maltogenic amylase from acidic Bacillus sp. US149 (maUS149) was cloned, sequenced and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame (ORF) of 1749 bp encoding a protein of 582 residues. The alignment of deduced amino acid sequence revealed a relatively low homology with the already reported maltogenic amylases. In fact, its highest identity, of only 60%, was found with the maltogenic amylase of Thermus sp. IM6501. The recombinant enzyme (MAUS149) was found to be intracellular and was purified to homogeneity from the cell crude extract with a yield of 23%. According to PAGE analysis, under reducing and non-reducing conditions, the recombinant enzyme has an apparent molecular weight of 135 kDa and is composed of two identical subunits of 67.5 kDa each. The maximum activity was obtained at 40°C and pH 6.5. MAUS149 could be classified as a maltogenic amylase since it produces mainly maltose from starch, maltose and glucose from β-cyclodextrin, and panose from pullulan.