Enhancement in the catalytic efficiency of D-amino acid oxidase from Glutamicibacter protophormiae by multiple amino acid substitutions.

D-Amino acid oxidase (DAAO) is an imperative oxidoreductase that oxidizes D-amino acids to corresponding keto acids, producing ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. Previously, based on the sequence alignment of DAAO from Glutamicibacter protophormiae (GpDAAO-1) and (GpDAAO-2), 4 residues (E115, N119, T256, T286) at the surface regions of GpDAAO-2, were subjected to site-directed mutagenesis and achieved 4 single-point mutants with enhanced catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) compared to parental GpDAAO-2. In the present study, to further enhance the catalytic efficiency of GpDAAO-2, a total of 11 (6 double, 4 triple, and 1 quadruple-point) mutants were prepared by the different combinations of 4 single-point mutants. All mutants and wild types were overexpressed, purified and enzymatically characterized. A triple-point mutant E115A/N119D/T286A exhibited the most significant improvement in catalytic efficiency as compared to wild-type GpDAAO-1 and GpDAAO-2. Structural modeling analysis elucidated that residue Y213 in loop region C209-Y219 might act as the active-site lid for controlling substrate access, the residue K256 substituted by threonine (K256T) might change the hydrogen bonding interaction between residue Y213 and the surrounding residues, and switch the conformation of the active-site lid from the closed state to the open state, resulting in the enhancement in substrate accessibility and catalytic efficiency.

Structural features and kinetic characterization of alanine racemase from Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4.

Alanine racemase (Alr) is a pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent (PLP) enzyme that catalyzes a reversible racemization between the enantiomers of alanine. d-Alanine is an indispensable constituent in the biosynthesis of bacterial cell-wall peptidoglycan, and its inhibition is lethal to prokaryotes, which makes it an attractive target for designing antibacterial drugs. In this study, the molecular structure of alanine racemase from Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4 (DadXOF4) was determined by X-ray crystallography to a resolution of 1.8 Å. The comparison of DadXOF4 with alanine racemases from other bacteria demonstrated a conserved overall fold. Enzyme kinetics analysis showed that the conserved residues at the substrate entryway and the salt bridge at the dimer interface are critical for enzyme activity. These structural and biochemical findings provide a template for future structure-based drug-development efforts targeting alanine racemases.

A conserved residue of l-alanine dehydrogenase from Bacillus pseudofirmus, Lys-73, participates in the catalytic reaction through hydrogen bonding.

A multiple protein sequence alignment of l-alanine dehydrogenases from different bacterial species revealed that five highly conserved amino acid residues Arg-15, Lys-73, Lys-75, His-96 and Asp-269 are potential catalytic residues of l-alanine dehydrogenase from Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4. In this study, recombinant OF4Ald and its mutants of five conserved residues were constructed, expressed in Escherichia coli, purified by His6-tag affinity column and gel filtration chromatography, structure homology modeling, and characterized. The purified protein OF4Ald displayed high specificity to l-alanine (15Umg-1) with an optimal temperature and pH of 40°C and 10.5, respectively. Enzymatic assay and activity staining in native gels showed that mutations at four conserved residue Arg-15, Lys-75, His-96 and Asp-269 (except residue Lys-73) resulted in a complete loss in enzymatic activity, which signified that these predicted active sites are indispensable for OF4Ald activity. In contrast, the mutant K73A resulted in 6-fold improvement in kcat/Km towards l-alanine as compared to the wild type protein. Further research of the residue Lys-73 substituted by various amino acids and structural modeling revealed that residue Lys-73 might be involved in the catalytic reaction of the enzyme by influencing the enzyme-substrate binding through the hydrogen-bonding interaction with conserved residue Lys-75.

Crystal Structure of a Thermostable Alanine Racemase from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4 Reveals the Role of Gln360 in Substrate Selection.

Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) dependent alanine racemase catalyzes racemization of L-Ala to D-Ala, a key component of the peptidoglycan network in bacterial cell wall. It has been extensively studied as an important antimicrobial drug target due to its restriction in eukaryotes. However, many marketed alanine racemase inhibitors also act on eukaryotic PLP-dependent enzymes and cause side effects. A thermostable alanine racemase (AlrTt) from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4 contains an evolutionarily non-conserved residue Gln360 in inner layer of the substrate entryway, which is supposed to be a key determinant in substrate specificity. Here we determined the crystal structure of AlrTt in complex with L-Ala at 2.7 Å resolution, and investigated the role of Gln360 by saturation mutagenesis and kinetic analysis. Compared to typical bacterial alanine racemase, presence of Gln360 and conformational changes of active site residues disrupted the hydrogen bonding interactions necessary for proper PLP immobilization, and decreased both the substrate affinity and turnover number of AlrTt. However, it could be complemented by introduction of hydrophobic amino acids at Gln360, through steric blocking and interactions with a hydrophobic patch near active site pocket. These observations explained the low racemase activity of AlrTt, revealed the essential role of Gln360 in substrate selection, and its preference for hydrophobic amino acids especially Tyr in bacterial alanine racemization. Our work will contribute new insights into the alanine racemization mechanism for antimicrobial drug development.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray study of alanine dehydrogenase from Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4.

Alanine dehydrogenase (OF4Ald) from the alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4 was expressed and purified with a His6 tag in a form suitable for X-ray crystallographic analysis. Crystals were grown by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 289 K using a solution consisting of 0.1 M Tris-HCl pH 8.0, 0.2 M LiSO4, 22%(w/v) PEG 3350. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 2.8 Šresolution. The crystal belonged to the triclinic space group P1, with unit-cell parameters a = 88.04, b = 105.59, c = 120.53 Å, α = 88.37, ß = 78.77, γ = 82.65°.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray study of a thermostable alanine racemase from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4.

Alanine racemase (Alr(MB4)), a dimeric PLP-dependent thermostable enzyme from the anaerobic eubacterium Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis MB4, was expressed and purified with a His(6) tag in a form suitable for X-ray crystallographic analysis. Crystals were grown by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 289 K using a solution consisting of 0.1 M bis-tris pH 7.0, 22%(w/v) polyethylene glycol 4000. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 2.6 Å resolution. The crystal belonged to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with two protein molecules in an asymmetric unit.

[Identification of the catalytic residues of mannanase from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the catalytic residues of mannanase AaManA from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius. METHODS: Based on the sequence alignment by ClustalX and ESPript and the structure information of GH -53 family, the possible catalytic residues were selected and mutated by overlap extension PCR. The protein of wild type and mutant were expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) and ordinal purified by Ni - NTA affinity chromatography, gel - filtrate chromatography and ion - exchange chromatography. The purified protein was analyzed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and the dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) methods for enzyme assay. RESULTS: Seven mutants, E151A, E159A, E231A, C150A, E151Q, E231Q and double mutation E151Q&E231Q were successful constructed. Mutant E159A showed similar activities with wild type, and C150A mutation resulted in only a 3 -fold reduction in the activities, but mutations E151A, E231A, E151Q, E231Q and E151Q&E231Q resulted in sharp decreases or loss in the activities, indicating that Glu151 and Glu231 play critical roles in AaManA activity. Furthermore, the presence of Glu151 at the C terminus of beta4 and Glu231 at the C terminus of beta7 was entirely consistent with the positions of the acid/base catalyst and the nucleophile catalyst of a GH - A enzyme, respectively. CONCLUSION: By combining the results of TLC and enzyme assay of those mutants and the structural comparisons, it was confirmed that Glu151 and Glu231 fulfilled the roles of an acid/base catalyst and nucleophile catalyst in AaManA, respectively.