Phe161 and Arg166 variants of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase. Implications for NADPH recognition and structural stability.
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Phe161 and Arg166 of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase from Pseudomonas fluorescens belong to a newly discovered sequence motif in flavoprotein hydroxylases with a putative dual function in FAD and NADPH binding [1]. To study their role in more detail, Phe161 and Arg166 were selectively changed by site-directed mutagenesis. F161A and F161G are catalytically competent enzymes having a rather poor affinity for NADPH. The catalytic properties of R166K are similar to those of the native enzyme. R166S and R166E show impaired NADPH binding and R166E has lost the ability to bind FAD. The crystal structure of substrate complexed F161A at 2.2 A is indistinguishable from the native enzyme, except for small changes at the site of mutation. The crystal structure of substrate complexed R166S at 2.0 A revealed that Arg166 is important for providing an intimate contact between the FAD binding domain and a long excursion of the substrate binding domain. It is proposed that this interaction is essential for structural stability and for the recognition of the pyrophosphate moiety of NADPH. (+info)
Properties and regulation of human spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells.
(2/5593)
Spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) appears to be the rate-limiting enzyme of polyamine catabolism, yet studies of its regulation have been limited by the low amounts of SSAT in uninduced cells. A system for studying SSAT was established by stably transfecting Chinese hamster ovary cells with a construct where SSAT cDNA was under control of the cytomegalovirus promoter. Thirteen of 44 clones expressed significantly increased SSAT activity (650-1900 compared with 24 pmol/min/mg protein in control cells). SSAT activity was directly proportional to SSAT protein, which turned over very rapidly (t(1)/(2) of 29 min) and was degraded through the ubiquitin/proteasomal pathway. The increased SSAT activity caused perturbations in polyamine homeostasis and led to a reduction in the rate of growth under clonal conditions. N1,N12-bis(ethyl)spermine greatly increased SSAT activity in controls and SSAT transfected clones (to about 10 and 60 nmol/min/mg protein, respectively). N1, N12-Bis(ethyl)spermine caused an increase in the SSAT half-life and a slight increase in SSAT mRNA, but these changes were insufficient to account for the increase in SSAT protein suggesting that translational regulation of SSAT must also occur. (+info)
Stabilization from autoproteolysis and kinetic characterization of the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 proteinase.
(3/5593)
We have developed a system for expression and purification of wild-type human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) proteinase to attain sufficient quantities for structural, kinetic, and biophysical investigations. However, similar to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) proteinase, HTLV-1 proteinase also undergoes autoproteolysis rapidly upon renaturation to produce two products. The site of this autoproteolytic cleavage was mapped, and a resistant HTLV-1 proteinase construct (L40I) as well as another construct, wherein the two cysteine residues were exchanged to alanines, were expressed and purified. Oligopeptide substrates representing the naturally occurring cleavage sites in HTLV-1 were good substrates of the HTLV-1 proteinase. The kinetic parameters kcat and Km were nearly identical for all the three enzymes. Although three of four peptides representing HTLV-1 proteinase cleavage sites were fairly good substrates of HIV-1 proteinase, only two of nine peptides representing HIV-1 proteinase cleavage sites were hydrolyzed by the HTLV-1 proteinase, suggesting substantial differences in the specificity of the two enzymes. The large difference in the specificity of the two enzymes was also demonstrated by inhibition studies. Of the several inhibitors of HIV-1 or other retroviral proteinases that were tested on HTLV-1 proteinase, only two inhibit the enzyme with a Ki lower than 100 nM. (+info)
Low temperature cycled PCR protocol for Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I in the presence of proline.
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A method for performing cycled PCR at low temperatures, using the thermolabile Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I, is reported. Application of proline as a buffer additive in the range of 3.0-5.5 M remarkably increases the thermal stability of the polymerase and decreases the denaturation temperature of DNAtemplate. This method might be applicable to a broad spectrum of thermolabile DNA polymerases in cycled PCR and other methods of DNA amplification. (+info)
Metal-catalyzed oxidation of phenylalanine-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli: inactivation and destabilization by oxidation of active-site cysteines.
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The in vitro instability of the phenylalanine-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase [DAHPS(Phe)] from Escherichia coli has been found to be due to a metal-catalyzed oxidation mechanism. DAHPS(Phe) is one of three differentially feedback-regulated isoforms of the enzyme which catalyzes the first step of aromatic biosynthesis, the formation of DAHP from phosphoenolpyruvate and D-erythrose-4-phosphate. The activity of the apoenzyme decayed exponentially, with a half-life of about 1 day at room temperature, and the heterotetramer slowly dissociated to the monomeric state. The enzyme was stabilized by the presence of phosphoenolpyruvate or EDTA, indicating that in the absence of substrate, a trace metal(s) was the inactivating agent. Cu2+ and Fe2+, but none of the other divalent metals that activate the enzyme, greatly accelerated the rate of inactivation and subunit dissociation. Both anaerobiosis and the addition of catalase significantly reduced Cu2+-catalyzed inactivation. In the spontaneously inactivated enzyme, there was a net loss of two of the seven thiols per subunit; this value increased with increasing concentrations of added Cu2+. Dithiothreitol completely restored the enzymatic activity and the two lost thiols in the spontaneously inactivated enzyme but was only partially effective in reactivation of the Cu2+-inactivated enzyme. Mutant enzymes with conservative replacements at either of the two active-site cysteines, Cys61 or Cys328, were insensitive to the metal attack. Peptide mapping of the Cu2+-inactivated enzyme revealed a disulfide linkage between these two cysteine residues. All results indicate that DAHPS(Phe) is a metal-catalyzed oxidation system wherein bound substrate protects active-site residues from oxidative attack catalyzed by bound redox metal cofactor. A mechanism of inactivation of DAHPS is proposed that features a metal redox cycle that requires the sequential oxidation of its two active-site cysteines. (+info)
Molecular cloning, sequencing, and expression of a novel multidomain mannanase gene from Thermoanaerobacterium polysaccharolyticum.
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The manA gene of Thermoanaerobacterium polysaccharolyticum was cloned in Escherichia coli. The open reading frame of manA is composed of 3,291 bases and codes for a preprotein of 1,097 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 119,627 Da. The start codon is preceded by a strong putative ribosome binding site (TAAGGCGGTG) and a putative -35 (TTCGC) and -10 (TAAAAT) promoter sequence. The ManA of T. polysaccharolyticum is a modular protein. Sequence comparison and biochemical analyses demonstrate the presence of an N-terminal leader peptide, and three other domains in the following order: a putative mannanase-cellulase catalytic domain, cellulose binding domains 1 (CBD1) and CBD2, and a surface-layer-like protein region (SLH-1, SLH-2, and SLH-3). The CBD domains show no sequence homology to any cellulose binding domain yet reported, hence suggesting a novel CBD. The duplicated CBDs, which lack a disulfide bridge, exhibit 69% identity, and their deletion resulted in both failure to bind to cellulose and an apparent loss of carboxymethyl cellulase and mannanase activities. At the C-terminal region of the gene are three repeats of 59, 67, and 56 amino acids which are homologous to conserved sequences found in the S-layer-associated regions within the xylanases and cellulases of thermophilic members of the Bacillus-Clostridium cluster. The ManA of T. polysaccharolyticum, besides being an extremely active enzyme, is the only mannanase gene cloned which shows this domain structure. (+info)
A cold-active glucanase from the ruminal bacterium Fibrobacter succinogenes S85.
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We previously characterized two endoglucanases, CelG and EGD, from the mesophilic ruminal anaerobe Fibrobacter succinogenes S85. Further comparative experiments have shown that CelG is a cold-active enzyme whose catalytic properties are superior to those of several other intensively studied cold-active enzymes. It has a lower temperature optimum, of 25 degrees C, and retains about 70% of its maximum activity at 0 degrees C, while EGD has a temperature optimum of 35 degrees C and retains only about 18% of its maximal activity at 0 degrees C. When assayed at 4 degrees C, CelG exhibits a 33-fold-higher kcat value and a 73-fold-higher physiological efficiency (kcat/Km) than EGD. CelG has a low thermal stability, as indicated by the effect of temperature on its activity and secondary structure. The presence of small amino acids around the putative catalytic residues may add to the flexibility of the enzyme, thereby increasing its activity at cold temperatures. Its activity is modulated by sodium chloride, with an increase of over 1.8-fold at an ionic strength of 0.03. Possible explanations for the presence of a cold-active enzyme in a mesophile are that cold-active enzymes are more broadly distributed than previously expected, that lateral transfer of the gene from a psychrophile occurred, or that F. succinogenes originated from the marine environment. (+info)
Purification and characterization of a novel peroxidase from Geotrichum candidum dec 1 involved in decolorization of dyes.
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A peroxidase (DyP) involved in the decolorization of dyes and produced by the fungus strain Geotrichum candidum Dec 1 was purified. DyP, a glycoprotein, is glycosylated with N-acetylglucosamine and mannose (17%) and has a molecular mass of 60 kDa and an isoelectric point (pI) of 3.8. The absorption spectrum of DyP exhibited a Soret band at 406 nm corresponding to a hemoprotein, and its Na2S2O4-reduced form revealed a peak at 556 nm that indicates the presence of a protoheme as its prosthetic group. Nine of the 21 types of dyes that were decolorized by Dec 1 cells were decolorized by DyP; in particular, anthraquinone dyes were highly decolorized. DyP also oxidized 2,6-dimethoxyphenol and guaiacol but not veratryl alcohol. The optimal temperature for DyP activity was 30 degrees C, and DyP activity was stable even after incubation at 50 degrees C for 11 h. (+info)