Production of Dihomo-γ-Linolenic Acid by a Δ5-Desaturase-Defective Mutant of Mortierella alpina 1S-4

A mutant, which has low Δ5-desaturase activity, of an arachidonic acid-producing fungus, Mortierella alpina 1S-4, was shown to be a novel potent producer of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DHGA). On submerged culture under optimal conditions for 6 days at 28°C in a 10-liter fermentor, the mutant produced 3.2 g of DHGA per liter of culture broth (123 mg/g of dry mycelia), which accounted for 23.4% of the total mycelial fatty acids. Mycelial arachidonic acid amounted to only 19 mg/g of dry mycelia (0.5 g/liter of culture broth), which accounted for 3.7% of the total mycelial fatty acids. The other major mycelial fatty acids were palmitic acid (11.0%), stearic acid (12.8%), oleic acid (22.7%), linoleic acid (8.9%), γ-linolenic acid (6.5%), and lignoceric acid (7.8%). More than 97 mol% of the DHGA produced was found in the triglyceride fraction irrespective of the growth temperature employed (12 to 28°C).     

Microbial asymmetric hydrolysis of N-acetyl-1-methyl-3-phenylpropylamine to optically active 1-methyl-3-phenylpropylamine

Summary The asymmetric hydrolysis of N-acetyl-1-methyl-3-phenypropylamine (MPAc) by microorganisms was investigated. Various bacteria belonging to the genera Bacillus, Agrobacterium, Corynebacterium, Arthrobacter, Brevibacterium, Cellulomonas, Acinetobacter, Nocardia and Rhodococcus showed this hydrolysing activity and yielded (S)-1-methyl-3-phenylpropylamine (MPPA). Using washed cells of N. erythropolis IAM 1440, 15.1 mg/ml of (S)-MPPA was formed, with a 38.8% conversion yield and high stereoselectivity (97.9% enantiomeric excess), in an organic solvent-water diphase system. The same (S)-amine and (S)-1-phenylethylamine were also produced in good yields from the valeryl and isovaleryl derivatives of MPPA, and N-acetyl-1-phenylethylamine, respectively.     

Stereospecific Reduction of Ethyl 2′ -Ketopantothenate to Ethyl D-(+)-Pantothenate with Microbial Cells as a Catalyst

A novel enzymatic process for the synthesis of D-(+)-pantothenic acid through the asymmetric reduction of the 2′ -ketopantothenate ester is described. Candida macedoniensis AKU 4588 was found to convert ethyl 2′ -ketopantothenate (80 mg/ml) almost specifically to ethyl D-(+)-pantothenate (>98% enantiomeric excess), with a molar yield of 97.2%.     

l-Leucine 5-hydroxylase of Nostoc punctiforme is a novel type of Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase that is useful as a biocatalyst

l-Leucine 5-hydroxylase (LdoA) previously found in Nostoc punctiforme PCC 73102 is a novel type of Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase. LdoA catalyzed regio- and stereoselective hydroxylation of l-leucine and l-norleucine into (2S,4S)-5-hydroxyleucine and (2S)-5-hydroxynorleucine, respectively. Moreover, LdoA catalyzed sulfoxidation of l-methionine and l-ethionine in the same manner as previously described l-isoleucine 4-hydroxylase. Therefore LdoA should be a promising biocatalyst for effective production of industrially useful amino acids.     

Distribution and Formation of Acyl-CoA Synthetase in Microorganisms

The distribution of acyl-CoA synthetase was investigated among microorganisms. High enzyme activity was found in some strains in genera of Pseudomonas, Fusarium, Gibberella and Cylindrocarpon, and in many strains of basidiomycetes. There were two groups in respect to enzyme formation. The enzyme activities of Escherichia, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Citrobacter and Serratia were detected only when they were grown with fatty acids as the carbon source. On the other hand, the activities of many fungal strains and pseudomonads were easily detected regardless of the carbon source for growth.

Gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 showed that the enzymes of Escherichia coli and Gibberella fujikuroi were mostly present around the void volume of the column and retarded by the gel after treatment with Triton X-100. Pseudomonas aeruginosa produced two kinds of enzymes, one was eluted around the void volume of the column and the other retarded by the gel. This elution pattern did not change upon treatment with Triton X-100. Some catalytic properties of acyl-CoA synthetases from P. aeruginosa and G. fujikuroi were also described.     

Studies on the Metabolism of Pantothenic Acid in Microorganisms

The ability of the formation of coenzyme A from pantothenic acid and cysteine in the presence of AMP or ATP was searched in yeasts and bacteria. The result of screening showed that the activity was found in several yeasts and the bacteria belonging to the genera Sarcina, Corynebacterium and Brevibacterium. Particularly, Brevibacterium ammoniagenes IFO 12071 (ATCC 6871) accumulated a large amount of coenzyme A.

Isolation of the reaction products, which were synthesized by Brevibacterium ammoniagenes IFO 12071, were carried out. The isolates were identified as coenzyme A, dephosphocoenzyme A and phosphopantothenic acid.

The possibility for the formation of coenzyme A in a larger amount from pantothenic acid and cysteine was investigated with baker’s yeast under the condition coupled with ATP-generating system.

Effect of various factors affecting the accumulation of coenzyme A was investigated. Among them, glucose concentration and inorganic phosphorus concentration were the most important factors for its accumulation. Coenzyme A was not accumulated without the phosphorylation of AMP to ATP. Several cationic surfactants stimulated the accumulation of coenzyme A.

The amount of coenzyme A accumulated reached about 200 μg per ml of the reaction mixture under the suitable reaction conditions employed.     

Sarcosine Oxidase Involved in Creatinine Degradation in Alcaligenes denitrificans subsp. denitrificans J9 and Arthrobacter spp. J5 and J11

Three microorganisms that degrade creatinine and contain sarcosine oxidase were isolated from soil and identified to be Alcaligenes denitrificans subsp. denitrificans J9 and Arthrobacter spp. J5 and J11. The three soil isolates degraded creatinine only via creatine by inducibly formed creatinine amidohydrolase, creatine amidinohydrolase, and sarcosine oxidase when cultivated with creatinine as the main nitrogen source. Sarcosine dehydrogenase, creatinine deiminase, and N-carbamoylsarcosine amidohydrolase were not induced by creatinine. Other microorganisms that degrade creatinine all contain sarcosine dehydrogenase as the enzyme for sarcosine oxidation, so these isolates seem to be unique in having sarcosine oxidase involved in their processes of creatinine degradation. Sarcosine oxidase was purified from A. denitrificans subsp. denitrificans J9 and partially characterized.     

Identification of a novel bifunctional delta12/delta15 fatty acid desaturase from a basidiomycete, Coprinus cinereus TD#822-2

A new gene encoding a delta12 fatty acid desaturase-related protein was cloned from a multicellular basidiomycete Coprinus cinereus TD#822-2. The 1326 bp full-length gene, designated as Cop-odeA, codes for a putative protein of 442 amino acids with a MW of 49224. The Cop-odeA yeast transformant accumulated four new fatty acids identified as 9,12-hexadecadienoic acid, 9,12,15-hexadecatrienoic acid, linoleic acid, and alpha-linolenic acid, which comprised 8.8%, 1.0%, 29.0%, and 0.6% of the total fatty acids, respectively. The Cop-odeA protein was confirmed to be a novel bifunctional fatty acid desaturase with both high delta12 desaturase activity and unusual delta15 desaturase activity.     

MpFAE3, a beta-ketoacyl-CoA synthase gene in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha L., is preferentially involved in elongation of palmitic acid to stearic acid

Fatty acid chain elongation is a crucial step in the biosynthesis of long chain fatty acids. An essential reaction in the elongation process is condensation of malonyl-CoA with acyl-CoA, which is catalyzed by beta-ketoacyl-CoA synthase (KCS) in plants. We have isolated and characterized the MpFAE3 gene, one of the KCS gene family in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Transgenic M. polymorpha plants overexpressing MpFAE3 accumulate fatty acids 18:0, 20:0, and 22:0. In these plants, the amount of 16:0 is reduced to 50% of wild type. In a heterologous assay, transgenic methylotrophic yeast expressing the MpFAE3 gene accumulates fatty acid 18:0 and generates several longer fatty acids which are not detectable in the control, accompanied by a decrease of 16:0. These observations indicate that the MpFAE3 protein is preferentially involved in the elongation of 16:0 to 18:0 and also in the subsequent steps of 18:0 to 20:0 and 20:0 to 22:0 in M. polymorpha.     

Gene cloning and functional analysis of a second delta 6-fatty acid desaturase from an arachidonic acid-producing Mortierella fungus

We demonstrated that Mortierella alpina 1S-4 has two delta 6-desaturases, which are involved in the desaturation of linoleic acid to gamma-linolenic acid. For one of the two delta 6-desaturases, designated as delta 6I, gene cloning and its heterologous expression in a fungus, Aspergillus oryzae, has previously been reported. In addition, we indicated in this paper that there is an isozyme of the two delta 6-desaturases, designated as delta 6II, in M. alpina 1S-4. The predicted amino acid sequences of the Mortierella delta 6-desaturases were similar to those of ones from other organisms, i.e. borage and Caenorhabditis elegans, and had a cytochrome b5-like domain at the N-terminus, being different from the yeast delta 9-desaturase, which has the corresponding domain at the C-terminus. The full-length delta 6II cDNA was expressed in A. oryzae, resulting in the accumulation of gamma-linolenic acid (which was not detected in the control Aspergillus) up to 37% of the total fatty acids. The analysis of real-time quantitative PCR (RTQ-PCR) showed that the quantity of delta 6I RNA was 2.4-, 9-, and 17-fold higher than that of delta 6II RNA on 2, 3, and 4 days in M. alpina 1S-4, respectively. M. alpina 1S-4 is the first fungus to be confirmed to have two functional delta 6-desaturase genes.