A 'Split-Gene' Transketolase From the Hyper-Thermophilic Bacterium Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans: Structure and Biochemical Characterization.

A novel transketolase has been reconstituted from two separate polypeptide chains encoded by a 'split-gene' identified in the genome of the hyperthermophilic bacterium, Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans. The reconstituted active α2ß2 tetrameric enzyme has been biochemically characterized and its activity has been determined using a range of aldehydes including glycolaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde and cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde as the ketol acceptor and hydroxypyruvate as the donor. This reaction proceeds to near 100% completion due to the release of the product carbon dioxide and can be used for the synthesis of a range of sugars of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. This novel reconstituted transketolase is thermally stable with no loss of activity after incubation for 1 h at 70°C and is stable after 1 h incubation with 50% of the organic solvents methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, DMSO, acetonitrile and acetone. The X-ray structure of the holo reconstituted α2ß2 tetrameric transketolase has been determined to 1.4 Å resolution. In addition, the structure of an inactive tetrameric ß4 protein has been determined to 1.9 Å resolution. The structure of the active reconstituted α2ß2 enzyme has been compared to the structures of related enzymes; the E1 component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase, in an attempt to rationalize differences in structure and substrate specificity between these enzymes. This is the first example of a reconstituted 'split-gene' transketolase to be biochemically and structurally characterized allowing its potential for industrial biocatalysis to be evaluated.

Corrigendum: Thermostable Branched-Chain Amino Acid Transaminases From the Archaea Geoglobus acetivorans and Archaeoglobus fulgidus: Biochemical and Structural Characterization.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00007.].

Thermostable Branched-Chain Amino Acid Transaminases From the Archaea Geoglobus acetivorans and Archaeoglobus fulgidus: Biochemical and Structural Characterization.

Two new thermophilic branched chain amino acid transaminases have been identified within the genomes of different hyper-thermophilic archaea, Geoglobus acetivorans, and Archaeoglobus fulgidus. These enzymes belong to the class IV of transaminases as defined by their structural fold. The enzymes have been cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli and the recombinant enzymes have been characterized both biochemically and structurally. Both enzymes showed high thermostability with optimal temperature for activity at 80 and 85°C, respectively. They retain good activity after exposure to 50% of the organic solvents, ethanol, methanol, DMSO and acetonitrile. The enzymes show a low activity to (R)-methylbenzylamine but no activity to (S)-methylbenzylamine. Both enzymes have been crystallized and their structures solved in the internal aldimine form, to 1.9 Å resolution for the Geoglobus enzyme and 2.0 Å for the Archaeoglobus enzyme. Also the Geoglobus enzyme structure has been determined in complex with the amino acceptor α-ketoglutarate and the Archaeoglobus enzyme in complex with the inhibitor gabaculine. These two complexes have helped to determine the conformation of the enzymes during enzymatic turnover and have increased understanding of their substrate specificity. A comparison has been made with another (R) selective class IV transaminase from the fungus Nectria haematococca which was previously studied in complex with gabaculine. The subtle structural differences between these enzymes has provided insight regarding their different substrate specificities.

New Thermophilic α/ß Class Epoxide Hydrolases Found in Metagenomes From Hot Environments.

Two novel epoxide hydrolases (EHs), Sibe-EH and CH65-EH, were identified in the metagenomes of samples collected in hot springs in Russia and China, respectively. The two α/ß hydrolase superfamily fold enzymes were cloned, over-expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and characterized. The new EHs were active toward a broad range of substrates, and in particular, Sibe-EH was excellent in the desymmetrization of cis-2,3-epoxybutane producing the (2R,3R)-diol product with ee exceeding 99%. Interestingly these enzymes also hydrolyse (4R)-limonene-1,2-epoxide with Sibe-EH being specific for the trans isomer. The Sibe-EH is a monomer in solution whereas the CH65-EH is a dimer. Both enzymes showed high melting temperatures with the CH65-EH being the highest at 85°C retaining 80% of its initial activity after 3 h thermal treatment at 70°C making it the most thermal tolerant wild type epoxide hydrolase described. The Sibe-EH and CH65-EH have been crystallized and their structures determined to high resolution, 1.6 and 1.4 Å, respectively. The CH65-EH enzyme forms a dimer via its cap domains with different relative orientation of the monomers compared to previously described EHs. The entrance to the active site cavity is located in a different position in CH65-EH and Sibe-EH in relation to other known bacterial and mammalian EHs.

The oxygenating constituent of 3,6-diketocamphane monooxygenase from the CAM plasmid of Pseudomonas putida: the first crystal structure of a type II Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase. Corrigendum.

A statement is amended in the article by Isupov et al. [(2015). Acta Cryst. D71, 2344-2353].

Structural and biochemical characterisation of Archaeoglobus fulgidus esterase reveals a bound CoA molecule in the vicinity of the active site.

A new carboxyl esterase, AF-Est2, from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus has been cloned, over-expressed in Escherichia coli and biochemically and structurally characterized. The enzyme has high activity towards short- to medium-chain p-nitrophenyl carboxylic esters with optimal activity towards the valerate ester. The AF-Est2 has good solvent and pH stability and is very thermostable, showing no loss of activity after incubation for 30 min at 80 °C. The 1.4 Å resolution crystal structure of AF-Est2 reveals Coenzyme A (CoA) bound in the vicinity of the active site. Despite the presence of CoA bound to the AF-Est2 this enzyme has no CoA thioesterase activity. The pantetheine group of CoA partially obstructs the active site alcohol pocket suggesting that this ligand has a role in regulation of the enzyme activity. A comparison with closely related α/ß hydrolase fold enzyme structures shows that the AF-Est2 has unique structural features that allow CoA binding. A comparison of the structure of AF-Est2 with the human carboxyl esterase 1, which has CoA thioesterase activity, reveals that CoA is bound to different parts of the core domain in these two enzymes and approaches the active site from opposite directions.

Discovery and Characterization of a Thermostable and Highly Halotolerant GH5 Cellulase from an Icelandic Hot Spring Isolate.

With the ultimate goal of identifying robust cellulases for industrial biocatalytic conversions, we have isolated and characterized a new thermostable and very halotolerant GH5 cellulase. This new enzyme, termed CelDZ1, was identified by bioinformatic analysis from the genome of a polysaccharide-enrichment culture isolate, initiated from material collected from an Icelandic hot spring. Biochemical characterization of CelDZ1 revealed that it is a glycoside hydrolase with optimal activity at 70°C and pH 5.0 that exhibits good thermostability, high halotolerance at near-saturating salt concentrations, and resistance towards metal ions and other denaturing agents. X-ray crystallography of the new enzyme showed that CelDZ1 is the first reported cellulase structure that lacks the defined sugar-binding 2 subsite and revealed structural features which provide potential explanations of its biochemical characteristics.

The Structure of a Novel Thermophilic Esterase from the Planctomycetes Species, Thermogutta terrifontis Reveals an Open Active Site Due to a Minimal 'Cap' Domain.

A carboxyl esterase (TtEst2) has been identified in a novel thermophilic bacterium, Thermogutta terrifontis from the phylum Planctomycetes and has been cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme has been characterized biochemically and shown to have activity toward small p-nitrophenyl (pNP) carboxylic esters with optimal activity for pNP-acetate. The enzyme shows moderate thermostability retaining 75% activity after incubation for 30 min at 70°C. The crystal structures have been determined for the native TtEst2 and its complexes with the carboxylic acid products propionate, butyrate, and valerate. TtEst2 differs from most enzymes of the α/ß-hydrolase family 3 as it lacks the majority of the 'cap' domain and its active site cavity is exposed to the solvent. The bound ligands have allowed the identification of the carboxyl pocket in the enzyme active site. Comparison of TtEst2 with structurally related enzymes has given insight into how differences in their substrate preference can be rationalized based upon the properties of their active site pockets.

The oxygenating constituent of 3,6-diketocamphane monooxygenase from the CAM plasmid of Pseudomonas putida: the first crystal structure of a type II Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase.

The three-dimensional structures of the native enzyme and the FMN complex of the overexpressed form of the oxygenating component of the type II Baeyer-Villiger 3,6-diketocamphane monooxygenase have been determined to 1.9 Å resolution. The structure of this dimeric FMN-dependent enzyme, which is encoded on the large CAM plasmid of Pseudomonas putida, has been solved by a combination of multiple anomalous dispersion from a bromine crystal soak and molecular replacement using a bacterial luciferase model. The orientation of the isoalloxazine ring of the FMN cofactor in the active site of this TIM-barrel fold enzyme differs significantly from that previously observed in enzymes of the bacterial luciferase-like superfamily. The Ala77 residue is in a cis conformation and forms a ß-bulge at the C-terminus of ß-strand 3, which is a feature observed in many proteins of this superfamily.

Discovery and characterization of thermophilic limonene-1,2-epoxide hydrolases from hot spring metagenomic libraries.

The epoxide hydrolases (EHs) represent an attractive option for the synthesis of chiral epoxides and 1,2-diols which are valuable building blocks for the synthesis of several pharmaceutical compounds. A metagenomic approach has been used to identify two new members of the atypical EH limonene-1,2-epoxide hydrolase (LEH) family of enzymes. These two LEHs (Tomsk-LEH and CH55-LEH) show EH activities towards different epoxide substrates, differing in most cases from those previously identified for Rhodococcus erythropolis (Re-LEH) in terms of stereoselectivity. Tomsk-LEH and CH55-LEH, both from thermophilic sources, have higher optimal temperatures and apparent melting temperatures than Re-LEH. The new LEH enzymes have been crystallized and their structures solved to high resolution in the native form and in complex with the inhibitor valpromide for Tomsk-LEH and poly(ethylene glycol) for CH55-LEH. The structural analysis has provided insights into the LEH mechanism, substrate specificity and stereoselectivity of these new LEH enzymes, which has been supported by mutagenesis studies.

Structural studies of a thermophilic esterase from a new Planctomycetes species, Thermogutta terrifontis.

Thermogutta terrifontis esterase (TtEst), a carboxyl esterase identified in the novel thermophilic bacterium T. terrifontis from the phylum Planctomycetes, has been cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme has been characterized biochemically and shown to have activity towards small p-nitrophenyl (pNP) carboxylic esters, with optimal activity for pNP-propionate. The enzyme retained 95% activity after incubation for 1 h at 80 °C. The crystal structures of the native TtEst and its complexes with the substrate analogue D-malate and the product acetate have been determined to high resolution. The bound ligands have allowed the identification of the carboxyl and alcohol binding pockets in the enzyme active site. Comparison of TtEst with structurally related enzymes provides insight into how differences in their catalytic activity can be rationalized based upon the properties of the amino acid residues in their active site pockets. The mutant enzymes L37A and L251A have been constructed to extend the substrate range of TtEst towards the larger butyrate and valerate pNP-esters. These mutant enzymes have also shown a significant increase in activity towards acetate and propionate pNP esters. A crystal structure of the L37A mutant was determined with the butyrate product bound in the carboxyl pocket of the active site. The mutant structure shows an expansion of the pocket that binds the substrate carboxyl group, which is consistent with the observed increase in activity towards pNP-butyrate.

The structure of a tetrameric α-carbonic anhydrase from Thermovibrio ammonificans reveals a core formed around intermolecular disulfides that contribute to its thermostability.

Carbonic anhydrase enzymes catalyse the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate. A thermophilic Thermovibrio ammonificans α-carbonic anhydrase (TaCA) has been expressed in Escherichia coli and structurally and biochemically characterized. The crystal structure of TaCA has been determined in its native form and in two complexes with bound inhibitors. The tetrameric enzyme is stabilized by a unique core in the centre of the molecule formed by two intersubunit disulfides and a single lysine residue from each monomer that is involved in intersubunit ionic interactions. The structure of this core protects the intersubunit disulfides from reduction, whereas the conserved intrasubunit disulfides are not formed in the reducing environment of the E. coli host cytosol. When oxidized to mimic the environment of the periplasmic space, TaCA has increased thermostability, retaining 90% activity after incubation at 70°C for 1 h, making it a good candidate for industrial carbon-dioxide capture. The reduction of all TaCA cysteines resulted in dissociation of the tetrameric molecule into monomers with lower activity and reduced thermostability. Unlike other characterized α-carbonic anhydrases, TaCA does not display esterase activity towards p-nitrophenyl acetate, which appears to result from the increased rigidity of its protein scaffold.

Characterization of a phosphotriesterase-like lactonase from the hyperthermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Vulcanisaeta moutnovskia.

The phosphotriesterase-like lactonase (PLL) encoded by Vmut_2255 in the hyperthermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Vulcanisaeta moutnovskia (VmutPLL), represents the only hyperthermophilic PLL homologue identified so far in addition to the previously characterized thermophilic PLLs from Sulfolobus spp. The Vmut_2255 gene was cloned, heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli; the resultant protein purified and characterized as a 82kDa homodimer (36kDa subunits). The VmutPLL converted lactones and acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) with comparable activities. Towards organophosphates (OP) VmutPLL showed a promiscuous but significantly lower activity and only minor activity was observed with carboxylesters. The catalytic activity strictly depended on bivalent cations (Cd(2+)>Ni(2+)>Co(2+)>Mn(2+)>Zn(2+)). Furthermore, VmutPLL showed a pH optimum around 8.0, a temperature optimum of 80°C, and thermostability with a half-life of 26min at 90°C. In this work, the stereoselectivity of a PLL enzyme was investigated for the first time using enantiopure lactones. The VmutPLL showed a slight preference but not an exclusive specificity for the (R)-enantiomers of capro- and valerolactone. The high thermal stability as well as the broad substrate spectrum towards lactones, AHLs and OPs underlines the high biotechnological potential of VmutPLL.

The substrate specificity, enantioselectivity and structure of the (R)-selective amine : pyruvate transaminase from Nectria haematococca.

UNLABELLED: During the last decade the use of transaminases for the production of pharmaceutical and fine chemical intermediates has attracted a great deal of attention. Transaminases are versatile biocatalysts for the efficient production of amine intermediates and many have (S)-enantiospecificity. Transaminases with (R)-specificity are needed to expand the applications of these enzymes in biocatalysis. In this work we have identified a fungal putative (R)-specific transaminase from the Eurotiomycetes Nectria haematococca, cloned a synthetic version of this gene, demonstrated (R)-selective deamination of several substrates including (R)-α-methylbenzylamine, as well as production of (R)-amines, and determined its crystal structure. The crystal structures of the holoenzyme and the complex with an inhibitor gabaculine offer the first detailed insight into the structural basis for substrate specificity and enantioselectivity of the industrially important class of (R)-selective amine : pyruvate transaminases. DATABASE: The atomic coordinates and structure factors for the Nectria TAm in holoenzyme and gabaculine-bound forms have been deposited in the PDB as entries 4cmd and 4cmf respectively.

Biochemical and structural characterisation of a haloalkane dehalogenase from a marine Rhodobacteraceae.

A putative haloalkane dehalogenase has been identified in a marine Rhodobacteraceae and subsequently cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme has highest activity towards the substrates 1,6-dichlorohexane, 1-bromooctane, 1,3-dibromopropane and 1-bromohexane. The crystal structures of the enzyme in the native and product bound forms reveal a large hydrophobic active site cavity. A deeper substrate binding pocket defines the enzyme preference towards substrates with longer carbon chains. Arg136 at the bottom of the substrate pocket is positioned to bind the distal halogen group of extended di-halogenated substrates.

Characterisation of an L-haloacid dehalogenase from the marine psychrophile Psychromonas ingrahamii with potential industrial application.

The recombinant L-haloacid dehalogenase from the marine bacterium Psychromonas ingrahamii has been cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. It shows activity towards monobromoacetic (100 %), monochloroacetic acid (62 %), S-chloropropionic acid (42 %), S-bromopropionic acid (31 %), dichloroacetic acid (28 %) and 2-chlorobutyric acid (10 %), respectively. The L-haloacid dehalogenase has highest activity towards substrates with shorter carbon chain lengths (≤ C3), without preference towards a chlorine or bromine at the α-carbon position. Despite being isolated from a psychrophilic bacterium, the enzyme has mesophilic properties with an optimal temperature for activity of 45 °C. It retains above 70 % of its activity after being incubated at 65 °C for 90 min before being assayed at 25 °C. The enzyme is relatively stable in organic solvents as demonstrated by activity and thermal shift analysis. The V max and K m were calculated to be 0.6 µM min(-1) mg(-1) and 1.36 mM with monobromoacetic acid, respectively. This solvent-resistant and stable L-haloacid dehalogenase from P. ingrahamii has potential to be used as a biocatalyst in industrial processes.

Structural studies of Pseudomonas and Chromobacterium ω-aminotransferases provide insights into their differing substrate specificity.

The crystal structures and inhibitor complexes of two industrially important ω-aminotransferase enzymes from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Chromobacterium violaceum have been determined in order to understand the differences in their substrate specificity. The two enzymes share 30% sequence identity and use the same amino acceptor, pyruvate; however, the Pseudomonas enzyme shows activity towards the amino donor ß-alanine, whilst the Chromobacterium enzyme does not. Both enzymes show activity towards S-α-methylbenzylamine (MBA), with the Chromobacterium enzyme having a broader substrate range. The crystal structure of the P. aeruginosa enzyme has been solved in the holo form and with the inhibitor gabaculine bound. The C. violaceum enzyme has been solved in the apo and holo forms and with gabaculine bound. The structures of the holo forms of both enzymes are quite similar. There is little conformational difference observed between the inhibitor complex and the holoenzyme for the P. aeruginosa aminotransferase. In comparison, the crystal structure of the C. violaceum gabaculine complex shows significant structural rearrangements from the structures of both the apo and holo forms of the enzyme. It appears that the different rigidity of the protein scaffold contributes to the substrate specificity observed for the two ω-aminotransferases.

Marine Rhodobacteraceae L-haloacid dehalogenase contains a novel His/Glu dyad that could activate the catalytic water.

The putative L-haloacid dehalogenase gene (DehRhb) from a marine Rhodobacteraceae family was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The DehRhb protein was shown to be an L-haloacid dehalogenase with highest activity towards brominated substrates with short carbon chains (≤ C3). The optimal temperature for enzyme activity was 55 °C, and the Vmax and Km were 1.75 µm·min(-1) ·mg(-1) of protein and 6.72 mm, respectively, when using monobromoacetic acid as a substrate. DehRhb showed moderate thermal stability, with a melting temperature of 67 °C. The enzyme demonstrated high tolerance to solvents, as shown by thermal shift experiments and solvent incubation assays. The DehRhb protein was crystallized and structures of the native, reaction intermediate and substrate-bound forms were determined. The active site of DehRhb had significant differences from previously studied L-haloacid dehalogenases. The asparagine and arginine residues shown to be essential for catalytic activity in other L-haloacid dehalogenases are not present in DehRhb. The histidine residue which replaces the asparagine residue in DehRhb was coordinated by a conformationally strained glutamate residue that replaces a conserved glycine. The His/Glu dyad is positioned for deprotonation of the catalytic water which attacks the ester bond in the reaction intermediate. The catalytic water in DehRhb is shifted by ~ 1.5 Å from its position in other L-haloacid dehalogenases. A similar His/Glu or Asp dyad is known to activate the catalytic water in haloalkane dehalogenases. The DehRhb enzyme represents a novel member within the L-haloacid dehalogenase family and it has potential to be used as a commercial biocatalyst.

Crystal structure and substrate specificity of the thermophilic serine:pyruvate aminotransferase from Sulfolobus solfataricus.

The three-dimensional structure of the Sulfolobus solfataricus serine:pyruvate aminotransferase has been determined to 1.8 Šresolution. The structure of the protein is a homodimer that adopts the type I fold of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent aminotransferases. The structure revealed the PLP cofactor covalently bound in the active site to the active-site lysine in the internal aldimine form. The structure of the S. solfataricus enzyme was also determined with an amino form of the cofactor pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate bound in the active site and in complex with gabaculine, an aminotransferase inhibitor. These structures showed the changes in the enzyme active site during the course of the catalytic reaction. A comparison of the structure of the S. solfataricus enzyme with that of the closely related alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase has identified structural features that are proposed to be responsible for the differences in substrate specificity between the two enzymes. These results have been complemented by biochemical studies of the substrate specificity and thermostability of the S. solfataricus enzyme.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of omega-amino acid:pyruvate transaminase from Chromobacterium violaceum.

The enzyme omega-transaminase catalyses the conversion of chiral omega-amines to ketones. The recombinant enzyme from Chromobacterium violaceum has been purified to homogeneity. The enzyme was crystallized from PEG 4000 using the microbatch method. Data were collected to 1.7 A resolution from a crystal belonging to the triclinic space group P1, with unit-cell parameters a = 58.9, b = 61.9, c = 63.9 A, alpha = 71.9, beta = 87.0, gamma = 74.6 degrees . Data were also collected to 1.95 A from a second triclinic crystal form. The structure has been solved using the molecular-replacement method.