Purification of viral neuraminidase from inclusion bodies produced by recombinant Escherichia coli.

Neuraminidase (NA) is one of the targets for the development of new antivirals against the influenza virus. The recombinant Escherichia coli cells, namely the strains BL21(DE3)pLysS and ArcticExpress(DE3) were used to produce the influenza virus neuraminidase. Although the different conditions of induction were tested, the accumulation of over-expressed NA in insoluble fraction occurred independently of these conditions. The level of over-expressed protein represents 26.15 % of the total cellular proteins. Therefore, the aim of these study was to design the procedure for isolation of recombinant neuraminidase from IBs and subsequently its solubilization and refolding to its native and active form. The highest purity of IBs (86 %) was achieved after repeatedly washing for at least five times with 2 M urea. The best solubilizing agent for releasing NA from IBs was the solution of 8 M urea at pH 8.0 with 94.8 ± 0.4 mg/L released proteins. The most appropriate buffer for refolding of solubilized NA was found to be 50 mM Tris-HCl at pH 7.5 (102 ± 24.2 mg proteins) and the addition of glycerol or arginine had no stimulating effect on protein recovery. The determination of non-glycosylated activity of refolded NA monomer (Km = 0.51 g/L; Vmax = 9.73 U/mg; kcat = 8.76 s-1) using fetuin as a substrate in the coupled enzyme reaction system was the highlight of this work. This procedure provides a way to produce active form of NA monomer by recombinant E. coli cells.

Characterization of the N-Terminal Catalytic Domain of Lytµ1/6, an Endolysin from Streptomyces aureofaciens Phage µ1/6.

Previous characterization of Lytµ1/6, an endolysin from Streptomyces aureofaciens phage µ1/6, suggested that the N-terminal domain is responsible for the catalytic activity of Lytµ1/6. Mutational analyses (deletions and site-directed mutagenesis) demonstrated that lytic activity of Lytµ1/6 relies on the N-terminal part of about 200 amino acid residues. Various C-terminally truncated versions of Lytµ1/6 failed to cause lysis, indicating the necessity of the CBD for full enzyme activity. Functional analysis of the point mutants suggested that the residues K27, H31, E109, H176, and D184 were essential for lytic activity of the µ1/6 endolysin. Further characterization of the purified Lytµ1/6 revealed that this endolysin is an N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase which seems to be unrelated to any of the known conserved catalytic domains of phage endolysins or bacterial autolysins.

Bacteriophage endolysin Lyt µ1/6: characterization of the C-terminal binding domain.

The gene product of orf50 from actinophage µ1/6 of Streptomyces aureofaciens is a putative endolysin, Lyt µ1/6. It has a two-domain modular structure, consisting of an N-terminal catalytic and a C-terminal cell wall binding domain (CBD). Comparative analysis of Streptomyces phage endolysins revealed that they all have a modular structure and contain functional C-terminal domains with conserved amino acids, probably associated with their binding function. A blast analysis of Lyt µ1/6 in conjunction with secondary and tertiary structure prediction disclosed the presence of a PG_binding_1 domain within the CBD. The sequence of the C-terminal domain of lyt µ1/6 and truncated forms of it were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The ability of these CBD variants fused to GFP to bind to the surface of S. aureofaciens NMU was shown by specific binding assays.

Analysis of the site-specific integration system of the Streptomyces aureofaciens phage µ1/6.

The bacteriophage µ1/6 integrates its DNA into the chromosome of tetracycline producing strains of Streptomyces aureofaciens by a site-specific recombination process. A bioinformatic analysis of the µ1/6 genome revealed that orf5 encodes a putative integrase, a basic protein of 416 amino acids. The µ1/6 integrase was found to belong to the integrase family of site-specific tyrosine recombinases. The phage attachment site (attP) was localized downstream of the int gene. The attachment junctions (attL and attR) were determined, allowing identification of the bacterial attachment site (attB). All attachment sites shared a 46-bp common core sequence within which a site-specific recombination occurs. This core sequence comprises the 3' end of a putative tRNA(Thr) gene (anticodon TGT) which is completely restored in attL after integration of the phage into the host genome. An integration vector containing µ1/6 int-attP region was inserted stably into the S. aureofaciens B96, S. lividans TK24, and S. coelicolor A3. The µ1/6 integrase was shown to be functional in vivo in heterologous Escherichia coli without any other factors encoded by Streptomyces. In vitro recombination assay using purified µ1/6 integrase demonstrated its ability to catalyze integrative recombination in the presence of a crude extract of E. coli cells.

Isolation, structure elucidation and biological activity of angucycline antibiotics from an epiphytic yew streptomycete.

In the course of study of epiphytic microorganisms occurring on the surface of roots of Taxus baccata L. a new strain Streptomyces sp. AC113 was isolated. According to 16S ribosomal DNA-based identification the new strain is 99% identical with Streptomyces flavidofuscus. This strain cultivated in an arginine glycerol medium produced three major metabolites identified as (-)-8-O -methyltetrangomycin (1), 8-O -methyltetrangulol (2) and 8-O -methyl-7-deoxo-7-hydroxytetrangomycin (3). The chemical structures of these angucyclines were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR as well as by mass spectrometry. Isolated angucycline metabolites showed significant antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus and Listeria mocytogenes. Cytotoxic activities of compounds 1, 2 and 3 against four cell lines (B16, HT-29 and non - tumor V79, L929) were evaluated. Compound 3 was the most potent anticancer agents with IC(50) 0.054 microg/ml against cell line B16.

The lysis system of the Streptomyces aureofaciens phage mu1/6.

Previously, two genes, designated as lyt and hol, were identified in the lysis module of phage mu1/6. They were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. An additional candidate holin gene, hol2, was found downstream from the hol gene based on one predicted transmembrane domain and a highly charged C-terminal sequence of the encoded protein. Expression of hol or hol2 in E. coli was shown to cause cell death. The concomitant expression of lambda endolysin (R) and mu1/6 holin resulted in cell lysis. Similarly, the coexpression of the endolysin and holin of phage mu1/6 led to lysis, apparently due to the ability of mu1/6 endolysin to hydrolyze the peptidoglycan layer of this bacterium. In contrast, the simultaneous expression of mu1/6 hol2 and the endolysin gene (lambdaR or mu1/6 lyt) did not cause detectable lysis of the host cells. Demonstration of the holin function in streptomycetes was achieved by providing for the release of mu1/6 endolysin to the periplasm and subsequent cleavage of the peptidoglycan, which strongly suggested that the holin produces lesions in the streptomycete membrane.

The unique glycoside hydrolase family 77 amylomaltase from Borrelia burgdorferi with only catalytic triad conserved.

Glycoside hydrolase family 77 (GH77) contains prokaryotic amylomaltases and plant-disproportionating enzymes (both possessing the 4-alpha-glucanotransferase activity; EC 2.4.1.25). Together with GH13 and GH70, it forms the clan GH-H, known as the alpha-amylase family. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the putative GH77 amylomaltase (MalQ) from the Lyme disease spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi genome (BB0166) contains several amino acid substitutions in the positions that are important and conserved in all GH77 amylomaltases. The most important mutation concerned the functionally important arginine positioned two residues before the catalytic nucleophile that is replaced by lysine in B. burgdorferi MalQ. Similar remarkable substitutions were found in two other putative GH77 amylomaltases from related borreliae. In order to confirm the exclusive sequence features and to verify the eventual enzymatic activity, the malQ gene from B. burgdorferi was amplified using PCR. A c. 1.5-kb amplified DNA fragment was sequenced, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the resulting recombinant protein was preliminarily characterized for its activity towards glucose (G1) and a series of malto-oligosaccharides (G2-G7). This study confirmed that the remarkable substitution of the arginine really exists and the GH77 MalQ protein from B. burgdorferi is a functional amylomaltase because it is able to hydrolyse the malto-oligosaccharides as well as to form their longer transglycosylation products.

An exodeoxyribonuclease from Streptomyces coelicolor: expression, purification and biochemical characterization.

Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) produces several intra and extracellular enzymes with deoxyribonuclease activities. The examined N-terminal amino acid sequence of one of extracellular DNAases (TVTSVNVNGLL) and database search on S. coelicolor genome showed a significant homology to the putative secreted exodeoxyribonuclease. The corresponding gene (exoSc) was amplified, cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity and characterized. Exonuclease recExoSc degraded chromosomal, linear dsDNA with 3'-overhang ends, linear ssDNA and did not digest linear dsDNA with blunt ends, supercoiled plasmid ds nor ssDNA. The substrate specificity of recExoSc was in the order of dsDNA>ssDNA>3'-dAMP. The purified recExoSc was not a metalloprotein and exhibited neither phosphodiesterase nor RNase activity. It acted as 3'-phosphomonoesterase only at 3'-dAMP as a substrate. The optimal temperature for its activity was 57 degrees C in Tris-HCl buffer at optimal pH=7.5 for either ssDNA or dsDNA substrates. It required a divalent cation (Mg(2+), Co(2+), Ca(2+)) and its activity was strongly inhibited in the presence of Zn(2+), Hg(2+), chelating agents or iodoacetate.

An extracellular endodeoxyribonuclease from Streptomyces aureofaciens.

Several extracellular DNases were detected after cultivation of Streptomyces aureofaciens B96 under submerged conditions. These DNases are nutritionally regulated and high content of amino acid nitrogen in cultivation medium repress their production. By varying cultivation conditions, there remained only two extracellular nuclease activities. The major one, extracellular endodeoxyribonuclease SaD I, was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, adsorption on Spheron, chromatography on Superose-12P followed by FPLC on MonoQ and final purification on HiTrapQ. The molecular weight of the purified SaD I determined by SDS-PAGE was 31 kDa. The DNase hydrolyses endonucleolytically both double-stranded and single-stranded circular and linear DNA. It does not cleave RNA and does not exhibit phosphodiesterase nor phosphomonoesterase activity. It requires a divalent cation (Zn2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Mg2+) and its activity optimum is at neutral pH (pH 7.2). The optimal temperature for DNA cleavage was 40 degrees C. Activity was strongly inhibited in the presence of phosphate, Hg2+, chelating agents or iodoacetate, but it was stimulated by addition of dimethyl sulphoxide.