RESUMO
While the hydantoin-hydrolysing enzymes from Agrobacterium strains are used as biocatalysts in the commercial production of D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine, they are now mostly produced in heterologous hosts such as Escherichia coli. This is due to the fact that the activity of these enzymes in the native strains is tightly regulated by growth conditions. Hydantoinase and N-carbamoylamino acid amidohydrolase (NCAAH) activities are induced when cells are grown in the presence of hydantoin or an hydantoin analogue, and in complete medium, enzyme activity can be detected only in early stationary growth phase. In this study, the ability of Agrobacterium tumefaciens RU-OR cells to produce active enzymes was found to be dependent upon the choice of nitrogen source and the presence of inducer, 2-thiouracil, in the growth medium. Growth with (NH4)2SO4 as the nitrogen source repressed the production of both enzymes (nitrogen repression) and also resulted in a rapid, but reversible loss of hydantoinase activity in induced cells (ammonia shock). Mutant strains with inducer-independent production of the enzymes and/or altered response to nitrogen control were isolated. Of greatest importance for industrial application was strain RU-ORPN1F9, in which hydantoinase and NCAAH enzyme activity was inducer-independent and no longer sensitive to nitrogen repression or ammonia shock. Such mutants offer the potential for native enzyme production levels equivalent to those achieved by current heterologous expression systems.
