A novel global transcriptional perturbation target identified by forward genetics reprograms Vibrio natriegens for improving recombinant protein production.

Vibrio natriegens is known to be the fastest-growing free-living bacterium with the potential to be a novel protein expression system other than Escherichia coli. Seven sampled genes of interest (GOIs) encoding biocatalyst enzymes, including Ochrobactrum anthropi-derived ω-transaminase (OATA), were strongly expressed in E. coli but weakly in V. natriegens using the pET expression system. In this study, we fused the C-terminal of OATA with green fluorescent protein (GFP) and obtained V. natriegens mutants that could increase both protein yield and enzyme activity of OATA as well as the other three GOIs by ultraviolet mutagenesis, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), and OATA colorimetric assay. Furthermore, next-generation sequencing and strain reconstruction revealed that the Y457 variants in the conserved site of endogenous RNA polymerase (RNAP) ß' subunit rpoC are responsible for the increase in recombinant protein yield. We speculated that the mutation of rpoC Y457 may reprogram V. natriegens's innate gene transcription, thereby increasing the copy number of pET plasmids and soluble protein yield of certain GOIs. The increase in GOI expression may partly be attributed to the increase in copy number. In conclusion, GOI-GFP fusion combined with FACS is a powerful tool of forward genetics that can be used to obtain a superior expression chassis. If more high-expression-related targets are found for more GOIs, it would make the construction of next-generation protein expression chassis more time-saving.

Improvement of whole-cell transamination with Saccharomyces cerevisiae using metabolic engineering and cell pre-adaptation.

BACKGROUND: Whole-cell biocatalysis based on metabolically active baker's yeast with engineered transamination activity can be used to generate molecules carrying a chiral amine moiety. A prerequisite is though to express efficient ω-transaminases and to reach sufficient intracellular precursor levels. RESULTS: Herein, the efficiency of three different ω-transaminases originating from Capsicum chinense, Chromobacterium violaceum, and Ochrobactrum anthropi was compared for whole-cell catalyzed kinetic resolution of racemic 1-phenylethylamine to (R)-1-phenylethylamine. The gene from the most promising candidate, C. violaceum ω-transaminase (CV-TA), was expressed in a strain lacking pyruvate decarboxylase activity, which thereby accumulate the co-substrate pyruvate during glucose assimilation. However, the conversion increased only slightly under the applied reaction conditions. In parallel, the effect of increasing the intracellular pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) level by omission of thiamine during cultivation was investigated. It was found that without thiamine, PLP supplementation was redundant to keep high in vivo transamination activity. Furthermore, higher reaction rates were achieved using a strain containing several copies of CV-TA gene, highlighting the necessity to also increase the intracellular transaminase level. At last, this strain was also investigated for asymmetric whole-cell bioconversion of acetophenone to (S)-1-phenylethylamine using L-alanine as amine donor. Although functionality could be demonstrated, the activity was extremely low indicating that the native co-product removal system was unable to drive the reaction towards the amine under the applied reaction conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, our results demonstrate that (R)-1-phenylethylamine with >99% ee can be obtained via kinetic resolution at concentrations above 25 mM racemic substrate with glucose as sole co-substrate when combining appropriate genetic and process engineering approaches. Furthermore, the engineered yeast strain with highest transaminase activity was also shown to be operational as whole-cell catalyst for the production of (S)-1-phenylethylamine via asymmetric transamination of acetophenone, albeit with very low conversion.

Active-Site Engineering of ω-Transaminase for Production of Unnatural Amino Acids Carrying a Side Chain Bulkier than an Ethyl Substituent.

ω-Transaminase (ω-TA) is a promising enzyme for use in the production of unnatural amino acids from keto acids using cheap amino donors such as isopropylamine. The small substrate-binding pocket of most ω-TAs permits entry of substituents no larger than an ethyl group, which presents a significant challenge to the preparation of structurally diverse unnatural amino acids. Here we report on the engineering of an (S)-selective ω-TA from Ochrobactrum anthropi (OATA) to reduce the steric constraint and thereby allow the small pocket to readily accept bulky substituents. On the basis of a docking model in which L-alanine was used as a ligand, nine active-site residues were selected for alanine scanning mutagenesis. Among the resulting variants, an L57A variant showed dramatic activity improvements in activity for α-keto acids and α-amino acids carrying substituents whose bulk is up to that of an n-butyl substituent (e.g., 48- and 56-fold increases in activity for 2-oxopentanoic acid and L-norvaline, respectively). An L57G mutation also relieved the steric constraint but did so much less than the L57A mutation did. In contrast, an L57V substitution failed to induce the improvements in activity for bulky substrates. Molecular modeling suggested that the alanine substitution of L57, located in a large pocket, induces an altered binding orientation of an α-carboxyl group and thereby provides more room to the small pocket. The synthetic utility of the L57A variant was demonstrated by carrying out the production of optically pure L- and D-norvaline (i.e., enantiomeric excess [ee]>99%) by asymmetric amination of 2-oxopantanoic acid and kinetic resolution of racemic norvaline, respectively.

In Silico Identification for α-Amino-ε-Caprolactam Racemases by Using Information on the Structure and Function Relationship.

In silico identification for enzymes having desired functions is attractive because there is a possibility that numerous desirable enzymes have been deposited in databases. In this study, α-amino-ε-caprolactam (ACL) racemases were searched from the NCBI protein database. Four hundred thirteen fold-type I pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes which are considered to contain sequences of ACL racemase were firstly obtained by submitting the sequence of ACL racemase from Achromobacter obae to the database. By identifying Lys241 as a key amino acid residue, 13 candidates for ACL racemase were selected. Then, putative ACL racemase genes were synthesized as codon-optimized sequences for expression in Escherichia coli. They were subcloned and expressed in E. coli BL21 and underwent His-tag purification. ACL and amino acid amide racemizing activities were detected among ten of the candidates. The locus tags Oant_4493, Smed_5339, and CSE45_2055 derived from Ochrobactrum anthropi ATCC49188, Sinorhizobium medicae WSM 419, and Citreicella sp. SE45, respectively, showed higher racemization activity against D- and L-ACLs rather than that of ACL racemase from A. obae. Our results demonstrate that the newly discovered ACL racemases were unique from ACL racemase from A. obae and might be useful for applications in dynamic kinetic resolution for D- or L-amino acid production.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a newly isolated pyrethroid-degrading esterase gene from a genomic library of Ochrobactrum anthropi YZ-1.

A novel pyrethroid-degrading esterase gene pytY was isolated from the genomic library of Ochrobactrum anthropi YZ-1. It possesses an open reading frame (ORF) of 897 bp. Blast search showed that its deduced amino acid sequence shares moderate identities (30% to 46%) with most homologous esterases. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that PytY is a member of the esterase VI family. pytY showed very low sequence similarity compared with reported pyrethroid-degrading genes. PytY was expressed, purified, and characterized. Enzyme assay revealed that PytY is a broad-spectrum degrading enzyme that can degrade various pyrethroids. It is a new pyrethroid-degrading gene and enriches genetic resource. Kinetic constants of Km and Vmax were 2.34 mmol·L(-1) and 56.33 nmol min(-1), respectively, with lambda-cyhalothrin as substrate. PytY displayed good degrading ability and stability over a broad range of temperature and pH. The optimal temperature and pH were of 35°C and 7.5. No cofactors were required for enzyme activity. The results highlighted the potential use of PytY in the elimination of pyrethroid residuals from contaminated environments.

ω-Transaminase from Ochrobactrum anthropi is devoid of substrate and product inhibitions.

ω-Transaminases display complicated inhibitions by ketone products and both enantiomers of amine substrates. Here, we report the first example of ω-transaminase devoid of such inhibitions. Owing to the lack of enzyme inhibitions, the ω-transaminase from Ochrobactrum anthropi enabled efficient kinetic resolution of α-methylbenzylamine (500 mM) even without product removal.

Functional annotation and three-dimensional structure of an incorrectly annotated dihydroorotase from cog3964 in the amidohydrolase superfamily.

The substrate specificities of two incorrectly annotated enzymes belonging to cog3964 from the amidohydrolase superfamily were determined. This group of enzymes are currently misannotated as either dihydroorotases or adenine deaminases. Atu3266 from Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 and Oant2987 from Ochrobactrum anthropi ATCC 49188 were found to catalyze the hydrolysis of acetyl-(R)-mandelate and similar esters with values of k(cat)/K(m) that exceed 10(5) M(-1) s(-1). These enzymes do not catalyze the deamination of adenine or the hydrolysis of dihydroorotate. Atu3266 was crystallized and the structure determined to a resolution of 2.62 Å. The protein folds as a distorted (ß/α)(8) barrel and binds two zincs in the active site. The substrate profile was determined via a combination of computational docking to the three-dimensional structure of Atu3266 and screening of a highly focused library of potential substrates. The initial weak hit was the hydrolysis of N-acetyl-D-serine (k(cat)/K(m) = 4 M(-1) s(-1)). This was followed by the progressive identification of acetyl-(R)-glycerate (k(cat)/K(m) = 4 × 10(2) M(-1) s(-1)), acetyl glycolate (k(cat)/K(m) = 1.3 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1)), and ultimately acetyl-(R)-mandelate (k(cat)/K(m) = 2.8 × 10(5) M(-1) s(-1)).

Molecular cloning, purification and biochemical characterization of a novel pyrethroid-hydrolyzing carboxylesterase gene from Ochrobactrum anthropi YZ-1.

Strain YZ-1 was isolated from activated sludge and identified as Ochrobactrum anthropi. This strain was capable of degrading pyrethroids pesticides, suggesting the presence of degrading enzymes. In the present study, a novel esterase gene pytZ was cloned from the genomic library of YZ-1 successfully. The pytZ contained an open reading frame of 606bp encoding a pyrethroid-hydrolyzing carboxylesterase. Deduced amino acid sequence showed moderate identities (39-59%) with most homologous carboxylesterase, except a putative carboxylesterase from O. anthropi ATCC 49188 with the highest identity of 85%. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that PytZ belonged to esterase VI family. The gene pytZ showed no any sequence similarity with reported pyrethroid-hydrolyzing genes and was a new pyrethroid-degrading gene. PytZ was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and purified using Ni-NTA Fast Start. PytZ was able to degrade various pyrethroids. The optimal temperature and pH were 35°C and 7.5. This enzyme was very stable over a wide range of temperature and pH. No cofactors were required for enzyme activity. Broad substrate specificity, high enzyme activity, and the favorable stability make the PytZ a potential candidate for the detoxification of pyrethroid residues in biotechnological application.

Group X aldehyde dehydrogenases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 degrade hydrazones.

Hydrazones are natural and synthetic compounds containing a C=N-N moiety. Here we found that the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 produced NAD(+)- or NADP(+)-dependent hydrazone dehydrogenase (HDH), which converts hydrazones to the corresponding hydrazides and acids rather than to the simple hydrolytic product aldehydes. Gene cloning indicated that the HDH is part of the group X aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) family, which is distributed among bacteria, although the physiological roles of the ALDH family remain unknown. The PAO1 strain upregulated HDH in the presence of the hydrazone adipic acid bis(ethylidene hydrazide) (AEH). Gene disruption of the HDH-encoding hdhA (PA4022) decreased growth rates in culture medium containing AEH as the sole carbon source, and this effect was more obvious in the double gene disruption of hdhA and its orthologous exaC (PA1984), indicating that these genes are responsible for hydrazone utilization. Recombinant proteins of group X ALDHs from Escherichia coli, Paracoccus denitrificans, and Ochrobactrum anthropi also acted as HDHs in that they produced HDH activity in the cells and degraded hydrazones. These findings indicated the physiological roles of group X ALDHs in bacteria and showed that they comprise a distinct ALDH subfamily.

Enzymatic properties of the glycine D-alanine [corrected] aminopeptidase of Aspergillus oryzae and its activity profiles in liquid-cultured mycelia and solid-state rice culture (rice koji).

The gdaA gene encoding S12 family glycine-D-alanine aminopeptidase (GdaA) was found in the industrial fungus Aspergillus oryzae. GdaA shares 43% amino acid sequence identity with the D-aminopeptidase of the Gram-negative bacterium Ochrobactrum anthropi. GdaA purified from an A. oryzae gdaA-overexpressing strain exhibited high D-stereospecificity and efficiently released N-terminal glycine and D-alanine of substrates in a highly specific manner. The optimum pH and temperature were 8 to 9 and 40°C, respectively. This enzyme was stable under alkaline conditions at pH 8 to 11 and relatively resistant to acidic conditions until pH 5.0. The chelating reagent EDTA, serine protease inhibitors such as AEBSF, benzamidine, TPCK, and TLCK, and the thiol enzyme inhibitor PCMB inhibited the enzyme. The aminopeptidase inhibitor bestatin did not affect the activity. GdaA was largely responsible for intracellular glycine and D-alanine aminopeptidase activities in A. oryzae during stationary-phase growth in liquid media. In addition, the activity increased in response to the depletion of nitrogen or carbon sources in the growth media, although the GdaA-independent glycine aminopeptidase activity highly increased simultaneously. Aminopeptidases of A. oryzae attract attention because the enzymatic release of a variety of amino acids and peptides is important for the enhancement of the palatability of fermented foods. GdaA activity was found in extracts of a solid-state rice culture of A. oryzae (rice koji), which is widely used as a starter culture for Japanese traditional fermented foods, and was largely responsible for the glycine and D-alanine aminopeptidase activity detected at a pH range of 6 to 9.

Molecular determinants for substrate selectivity of ω-transaminases.

ω-Transaminase (ω-TA) is an industrially important enzyme for production of chiral amines. About 20 (S)-specific ω-TAs known to date show remarkably similar substrate selectivity characterized by stringent steric constraint precluding entry of a substituent larger than an ethyl group in the small binding pocket (S) and dual recognition of an aromatic substituent as well as a carboxylate group in the large pocket (L). The strictly defined substrate selectivity of the available ω-TAs remains a limiting factor in the production of structurally diverse chiral amines. In this work, we cloned, purified, and characterized three new ω-TAs from Ochrobactrum anthropi, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Acetobacter pasteurianus that were identified by a BLASTP search using the previously studied ω-TA from Paracoccus denitrificans. All the new ω-TAs exhibited similar substrate specificity, which led us to explore whether the molecular determinants for the substrate specificity are conserved among the ω-TAs. To this end, key active site residues were identified by docking simulation using the X-ray structure of the ω-TA from Pseudomonas putida. We found that the dual recognition in the L pocket is ascribed to Tyr23, Phe88*, and Tyr152 for hydrophobic interaction and Arg414 for recognition of a carboxylate group. In addition, the docking simulation indicates that Trp60 and Ile262 form the S pocket where the substituent size up to an ethyl group turns out to be sterically allowed. The six key residues were found to be essentially conserved among nine ω-TA sequences, underlying the molecular basis for the high similarity in the substrate selectivity.

Improvement of glyphosate resistance through concurrent mutations in three amino acids of the Ochrobactrum 5-enopyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase.

A mutant of 5-enopyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase from Ochrobactrum anthropi was identified after four rounds of DNA shuffling and screening. Its ability to restore the growth of the mutant ER2799 cell on an M9 minimal medium containing 300 mM glyphosate led to its identification. The mutant had mutations in seven amino acids: E145G, N163H, N267S, P318R, M377V, M425T, and P438L. Among these mutations, N267S, P318R, and M425T have never been previously reported as important residues for glyphosate resistance. However, in the present study they were found by site-directed mutagenesis to collectively contribute to the improvement of glyphosate tolerance. Kinetic analyses of these three mutants demonstrated that the effectiveness of these three individual amino acid alterations on glyphosate tolerance was in the order P318R > M425T > N267S. The results of the kinetic analyses combined with a three-dimensional structure modeling of the location of P318R and M425T demonstrate that the lower hemisphere's upper surface is possibly another important region for glyphosate resistance. Furthermore, the transgenic Arabidopsis was obtained to confirm the potential of the mutant in developing glyphosate-resistant crops.

Environmental microbiota represents a natural reservoir for dissemination of clinically relevant metallo-beta-lactamases.

A total of 10 metallo-ß-lactamase-producing isolates of six different species, including Brevundimonas diminuta (n = 3), Rhizobium radiobacter (n = 2), Pseudomonas monteilii (n = 1), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 2), Ochrobactrum anthropi (n = 1), and Enterobacter ludwigii (n = 1), were detected in the sewage water of a hospital. The presence of bla(VIM-13) associated with a Tn1721-class 1 integron structure was detected in all but one of the isolates (E. ludwigii, which produced VIM-2), and in two of them (R. radiobacter), this structure was located on a plasmid, suggesting that environmental bacteria represent a reservoir for the dissemination of clinically relevant metallo-ß-lactamase genes.

New approaches to identification and activity estimation of glyphosate degradation enzymes.

We propose a new set of approaches, which allow identifying the primary enzymes of glyphosate (N-phosphonomethyl-glycine) attack, measuring their activities, and quantitative analysis of glyphosate degradation in vivo and in vitro. Using the developed approach we show that glyphosate degradation can follow different pathways depending on physiological characteristics of metabolizing strains: in Ochrobactrum anthropi GPK3 the initial cleavage reaction is catalyzed by glyphosate-oxidoreductase with the formation of aminomethylphosphonic acid and glyoxylate, whereas Achromobacter sp. MPS12 utilize C-P lyase, forming sarcosine. The proposed methodology has several advantages as compared to others described in the literature.

Isolation from Ochrobactrum anthropi of a novel class II 5-enopyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase with high tolerance to glyphosate.

Applying the genomic library construction process and colony screening, a novel aroA gene encoding 5-enopyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase from Ochrobactrum anthropi was identified, cloned, and overexpressed, and the enzyme was purified to homogeneity. Furthermore, site-directed mutagenesis was employed to assess the role of single amino acid residues in glyphosate resistance.

Beta-aminopeptidase-catalyzed biotransformations of beta(2)-dipeptides: kinetic resolution and enzymatic coupling.

We have previously shown that the beta-aminopeptidases BapA from Sphingosinicella xenopeptidilytica and DmpA from Ochrobactrum anthropi can catalyze reactions with non-natural beta(3)-peptides and beta(3)-amino acid amides. Here we report that these exceptional enzymes are also able to utilize synthetic dipeptides with N-terminal beta(2)-amino acid residues as substrates under aqueous conditions. The suitability of a beta(2)-peptide as a substrate for BapA or DmpA was strongly dependent on the size of the C(alpha) substituent of the N-terminal beta(2)-amino acid. BapA was shown to convert a diastereomeric mixture of the beta(2)-peptide H-beta(2)hPhe-beta(2)hAla-OH, but did not act on diastereomerically pure beta(2),beta(3)-dipeptides containing an N-terminal beta(2)-homoalanine. In contrast, DmpA was only active with the latter dipeptides as substrates. BapA-catalyzed transformation of the diastereomeric mixture of H-beta(2)hPhe-beta(2)hAla-OH proceeded along two highly S-enantioselective reaction routes, one leading to substrate hydrolysis and the other to the synthesis of coupling products. The synthetic route predominated even at neutral pH. A rise in pH of three log units shifted the synthesis-to-hydrolysis ratio (v(S)/v(H)) further towards peptide formation. Because the equilibrium of the reaction lies on the side of hydrolysis, prolonged incubation resulted in the cleavage of all peptides that carried an N-terminal beta-amino acid of S configuration. After completion of the enzymatic reaction, only the S enantiomer of beta(2)-homophenylalanine was detected (ee>99 % for H-(S)-beta(2)-hPhe-OH, E>500); this confirmed the high enantioselectivity of the reaction. Our findings suggest interesting new applications of the enzymes BapA and DmpA for the production of enantiopure beta(2)-amino acids and the enantioselective coupling of N-terminal beta(2)-amino acids to peptides.

Kinetic resolution of aliphatic beta-amino acid amides by beta-aminopeptidases.

The growing demand for enantiomerically pure beta-amino acids to be used in the pharmaceutical industry and as fine chemicals requires the development of new strategies for their synthesis. The beta-aminopeptidases BapA from Sphingosinicella xenopeptidilytica 3-2W4, BapA from Sphingosinicella microcystinivorans Y2, and DmpA from Ochrobactrum anthropi LMG7991 are hydrolases that possess the unique ability of cleaving N-terminal beta-amino acids from peptides and amides. Hydrolysis of racemic beta(3)-amino acid amides catalyzed by these enzymes displays enantioselectivity with a strong preference for substrates with the L-configuration and gives access to various aliphatic beta(3)-amino acids of high enantiopurity. This approach presents a new access to enantiopure beta(3)-amino acids under mild reaction conditions and complements chemical asymmetric synthesis strategies.

A conserved hydrogen-bond network stabilizes the structure of Beta class glutathione S-transferases.

We identified a network of hydrogen bonds that is conserved in the structures of bacterial Beta class glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). It is formed by three residues: a serine, a histidine and a glutamate, together with a water molecule that links the serine with the histidine. This network connects the first helix of the N-terminal glutaredoxin-like domain with the last helix of the C-terminal GST-specific all helical domain. Here we show that substitution of Ochrobactrum anthropi GST His15 and Glu198 with alanine greatly compromises the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme, even though none of these residues takes part to the enzyme active site. Thermal and chemical denaturation experiments point to a role for this network in global structure stabilization. Furthermore, we show that OaGST structure looses compactness at alkanine pHs and that this behavior may be ascribed to partial disruption of the H-bond network, pointing to an important role in zippering the N-terminal and C-terminal domains of the protein.

Identification and characterization of the chromium (VI) responding protein from a newly isolated Ochrobactrum anthropi CTS-325.

A Gram-negative, chromium(VI) tolerant and reductive strain CTS-325, isolated from a Chinese chromate plant, was identified as Ochrobactrum anthropi based on its biochemical properties and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. It was able to tolerate up to 10 mmol/L Cr(VI) and completely reduce 1 mmol/L Cr(VI) to Cr(III) within 48 h. When the strain CTS-325 was induced with Cr(VI), a protein increased significantly in the whole cell proteins. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis revealed that this protein was a superoxide dismutase (SOD) homology. The measured superoxide dismutase activity was 2694 U/mg after three steps of purification. The SOD catalyzes the dismutation of the superoxide anion (O2*-) into hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen. This protein is considered to be one of the most important anti-oxidative enzymes for O. anthropi as it allows the bacterium to survive high oxygen stress environments, such as the environment produced during the reduction process of Cr(VI).

Effect of glutaraldehyde treatment on stability of permeabilized Ochrobactrum anthropi SY509 in nitrate removal.

For practical application, the stability of permeabilized Ochrobactrum anthropi SY509 needs to be increased, as its half-life of enzymatic denitrification is only 90 days. As the cells become viable after permeabilization treatment, this can cause decreased activity in a long-term operation and induce breakage of the immobilization matrix. However, the organic solvent concentration causing zero cell viability was 50%, which is too high for industrial application. Thus, wholecell immobilization using glutaraldehyde was performed, and 0.1% (v/v) glutaraldehyde was determined as the optimum concentration to maintain activity and increase the half-life. It was also found that 0.1% (v/v) glutaraldehyde reacted with 41.9% of the total amine residues on the surface of the cells during the treatment. As a result, the half-life of the permeabilized cells was increased from 90 to 210 days by glutaraldehyde treatment after permeabilization, and no cell viability was detected.