Catalytic triad of intracellular poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) depolymerase (PhaZ1) in Ralstonia eutropha H16

The amino acid sequence of an intracellular poly[D(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) depolymerase (PhaZ1) from Ralstonia eutropha H16 was compared with the sequences of various proteins using the BLAST search. It showed a number of matches including with intracellular PHB depolymerases, conserved hypothetical proteins, and PHB synthases. From an alignment of these proteins, we constructed nine mutants: C87A, S118A, H120Q, C183A, C183S, D355A, D356A, C370A, and H388Q. The C183A, D355A, and H388Q mutants lost their activities, but C183S and the other mutants did not. C183, D355, and H388 in PhaZ1 were positioned similarly to the amino acids of the catalytic triad of PHB synthase. These results indicated that C183, D355, and H388 make up the catalytic triad of PhaZ1.     

Cloning and sequence analysis of poly(tetramethylene succinate) depolymerase from Acidovorax delafieldii strain BS-3

A gene encoding poly(tetramethylene succinate), PBS, depolymerase, pbsA, has been cloned from Acidovorax delafieldii strain BS-3 chromosomal DNA. The clone expressed in Escherichia coli showed the ability to degrade both PBS and poly[(tetramethylene succinate)-co-adipate] that are kinds of biodegradable plastics. PBS depolymerase was considered to be a kind of lipase, since it also degrades olive oil. It had no apparent hydrophobic-amino-acid-rich region which exists in other known plastic-degrading enzymes. From the result of amino acid homology search, PbsA was found to have some similarities with lipases of Streptomyces sp. and Mollaxella sp. In the motif surrounding the active site Ser residue (Gly-X1-Ser-X2-Gly), PbsA was revealed to have a Trp residue in the X1 position instead of His which is most likely found in other bacterial lipases.     

Characterization of two 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenases in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-degradable bacterium, Ralstonia pickettii T1

Two D-(-)-3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) dehydrogenases, BDH1 and BDH2, were isolated and purified from a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)-degradable bacterium, Ralstonia pickettii T1. BDH1 activity increased in R. pickettii T1 cells grown on several organic acids as a carbon source but not on 3HB, whereas BDH2 activity markedly increased in the same cells grown on 3HB or PHB. To examine their biochemical properties, bdh1 and bdh2 were cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and their purified products were characterized. The kinetic parameters indicate that BDH1 is more suitable for converting acetoacetate to 3HB than BDH2, whereas BDH2 is more efficient for the reverse reaction than BDH1. Thus, R. pickettii T1 contains two BDHs with different biochemical properties and physiological roles: BDH1 for cell growth on organic acids other than 3HB and BDH2 for cell growth on 3HB or PHB.     

耐热β-半乳糖苷酶基因在枯草芽孢杆菌中的克隆和表达

用PCR的方法从嗜热脂肪芽孢杆菌(Bacillus stearothermophilis ATCC8005)染色体DNA中扩增到耐热β- 半乳糖苷酶基因bgaB,装载到大肠-枯草穿梭质粒pZZ01中,并将其转化到枯草杆菌宿主WB600中进行表达。在1%的淀粉培养基上摇瓶培养,36h时酶活达到24U/mL,和大肠杆菌pET系统相当。同时产酶出现了2个增长时期,第1阶段在对数生长期,第2阶段在静止期,这和重叠启动子P43的性质是相吻合的。     

环氧基扩链剂对3-羟基丁酸和4-羟基丁酸共聚物的改性研究

将巴斯夫代号为ADR的系列扩链剂用于3-羟基丁酸和4-羟基丁酸共聚物[P(3HB-co-4HB)]纺丝成型,分析了ADR的扩链机理,考察了P(3HB-co-4HB)和P(3HB-co-4HB)/ADR共混体系的流动性、热性稳定性、结晶性和纤维的力学性能。研究发现,以ADR作为扩链剂可有效提高熔体强度,改善纤维的热稳定性,在155℃ ADR添加量为0.5%时,熔体具有最大的剪切强度、拉伸强度和最佳的耐热性。ADR对P(3HB-co-4HB)的结晶结构影响不大,但会导致结晶速度降低和最大结晶温度提高,加入ADR的P(3HB-co-4HB)纤维的力学性能有明显改善。     

Cloning and sequence analysis of a gene (aly PG) encoding poly(alpha-L-guluronate)lyase from Corynebacterium sp. strain ALY-1

The aly PG gene, coding for a poly alpha-l-guluronate lyase (PG lyase) of Corynebacterium strain ALY-1, was cloned and sequenced. The gene consists of 768 bp encoding a signal peptide of 32 amino acids and a mature protein of 224 amino acids. Two disulfide bond cross-linkages were found to be formed between Cys-4 and Cys-51 and between Cys-200 and Cys-206 in the native PG lyase molecule. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Corynebacterium sp. aly PG gene exhibited 29% homology toward that of the Klebsiella pneumoniae, subsp. aerogenes aly A gene, with two conserved regions (the amino acid sequences from Y-102 to M-110 and from Y-221 to Q-229).     

Cloning and heterologous expression of the Candida albicans gene PMI 1 encoding phosphomannose isomerase

Using a DNA fragment derived from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) structural gene as a probe against a random ordered array library of genomic DNA from the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans, we have cloned the C. albicans PMI 1 gene. This gene, which is unique in the C. albicans genome, can functionally complement PMI-deficient mutants of both S. cerevisiae and Escherichia coli. The DNA sequence of the PMI 1 gene predicts a protein with 64·1% identity to PMI from S. cerevisiae. Sequential gene disruption of PMI 1 produces a strain with an auxotrophic requirement for D-mannose. The heterologous expression of the PMI 1 gene at levels up to 45% of total cell protein in E. coli leads to partitioning of the enzyme between the soluble and particulate fractions. The protein produced in the soluble fraction is indistinguishable in kinetic properties from the material isolated from C. albicans cells. The nucleotide sequence data reported here will appear in the EMBL database under Accession Number X82024.     

吸水链霉菌valG基因的克隆与表达

为提高井冈霉素A的产量,本实验尝试构建吸水链霉菌的多拷贝基因菌株.根据吸水链霉菌（Streptomyces hygroscopicus subsp.jinggangensis）的糖基转移酶基因（valG）序列设计了1对引物.PCR扩增编码糖基转移酶（ValG）的1269 bp基因后,利用TA克隆构建克隆质粒pMD-19-valG.测序正确后经双酶切构建穿梭质粒pIJ8630-valG.再次测序验证后,经质粒DNA转化吸水链霉菌感受态细胞将pIJ8630-valG导入吸水链霉菌中.PCR检测证实重组菌构建成功.HPLC检测发酵产物,发现井冈霉素A的产量达到了1.17 mg/mL,比出发菌株提高了11.2％,valG基因得到表达,为进一步利用valG构建新的高产菌株奠定了基础.     

Cloning of the Penicillium minioluteum gene encoding dextranase and its expression in Pichia pastoris

The DEX gene encoding an extracellular dextranase was isolated from the genomic DNA library of Penicillium minioluteum by hybridization using the dextranase cDNA as a probe. Comparison of the gene and cDNA sequences revealed that the DEX gene does not contain introns. Amino acid sequences comparison of P. minioluteum dextranase with other reported dextranases reveals a significant homology (29% identity) with a dextranase from Arthrobacter sp. CB-8. The DEX gene fragment encoding a mature protein of 574 amino acids was expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris by using the SUC2 gene signal sequence from Saccharomyces cerevisiae under control of the alcohol oxidase-1 (AOX1) promoter. Over 3·2g/l of enzymatically active dextranase was secreted into the medium after induction by methanol. The yeast product was indistinguishable from the native enzyme in specific activity and the N-terminus of both proteins were identical.     

Cloning and secretive expression of the gene encoding the proteinaceous alpha-amylase inhibitor paim from Streptomyces corchorusii

A gene encoding the proteinaceous alpha-amylase inhibitor Paim was cloned and sequenced. Southern analysis and the amino acid sequence deduced from the cloned gene indicated that Paim isoforms were encoded in the same gene. When the gene was expressed in Escherichia coli and Streptomyces lividans, recombinant Paim inhibitors were produced in the periplasmic space and in the culture supernatant, respectively. The purified inhibitors had different N-terminal sequences from those of the authentic inhibitors.     

Regulating the molar fraction of 4-hydroxybutyrate in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-4-hydroxybutyrate) biosynthesis by Ralstonia eutropha using propionate as a stimulator

The regulation of the molar fraction of 4-hydroxybutyrate (4-HB) in the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-4HB)] biosynthesis by Ralstonia eutropha (formerly Alcaligenes eutrophus) was attempted by the supplemental addition of propionate. The molar fraction of 4-HB in P(3HB-4HB) was increased significantly from 12.3 to 51.8 mol% by the addition of a small amount of propionate along with gamma-butyrolactone commonly used as a precursor for the biosynthesis of P(3HB-4HB). The mechanism of regulation by propionate was investigated by measuring the variation of enzyme activities related to the biosynthesis of P(3HB-4HB) and the level of intermediate metabolite acetyl-CoA. PHB synthase activity was induced significantly by propionate, and the acetyl-CoA concentration also increased significantly due to the additional supply of propionate. The overflowing acetyl-CoA seems to cause an inhibitory effect on the ketolysis reaction catalysing the lysis of 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA to two molecules of acetyl-CoA; consequently, the 4-HB fraction available for polymerization increased. Accordingly, the molar fraction of 4-HB in P(3HB-4HB) biosynthesis seems to be regulated by both an increased 4-HB fraction and an activated PHB synthase due to the supplemental addition of propionate as a stimulator.     

Improvement of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] production in Corynebacterium glutamicum by codon optimization, point mutation and gene dosage of P(3HB) biosynthetic genes

In our previous study, a system for producing poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] was established by introducing a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biosynthetic gene operon (phaCAB Re) derived from Ralstonia eutropha into Corynebacterium glutamicum. In this study, two experimental strategies have been applied to improve P(3HB) production in recombinant C. glutamicum. One is a codon optimization of the N-terminal-coding region of the PHA synthase (PhaC Re) gene focusing on the codon usage preference for the translation system of C. glutamicum. The other is the replacement of wild-type phaC Re with a modified gene encoding a mutation of Gly4Asp (G4D), which enhanced the production of PhaC Re and P(3HB) in Escherichia coli. The introduction of these engineered PHA synthase genes into C. glutamicum enhanced the production of PhaC(Re) and P(3HB). Interestingly, we found that these gene modifications also caused increases in the concentration of the translation products of the genes encoding monomer-supplying enzymes, beta-ketothiolase (PhaA Re) and acetoacetyl-CoA reductase (PhaB Re). This finding prompted us to carry out a gene dosage of phaAB Re for a double plasmid system, and the highest production (52.5 wt%) of P(3HB) was finally achieved by combining the gene dosage of phaAB Re with codon optimization. The molecular weight of P(3HB) was also increased by approximately 2-fold, as was P(3HB) content. Microscopic observation revealed that the volume of the cells accumulating P(3HB) was increased by more than 4-fold compared with the non-P(3HB)-accumulating cells without filamentous morphologenesis observed in E. coli.     

Enzyme-catalyzed poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) synthesis from acetate with CoA recycling and NADPH regeneration in Vitro

We established a novel enzyme-catalyzed poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] synthesis system capable of recycling CoA on the basis of the P(3HB) biosynthetic pathway in Ralstonia eutropha. The system includes purified beta-ketothiolase (PhaA), NADPH-dependent acetoacetyl-CoA reductase (PhaB), PHA synthase (PhaC), acetyl-CoA synthetase (Acs) and glucose dehydrogenase (GDH). In this system, acetyl-CoA was synthesized from acetate and CoA by Acs and ATP, and then two molecules of acetyl-CoA were condensed by PhaA to synthesize acetoacetyl-CoA, which was converted to (R)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA (3HBCoA) by PhaB and NADPH. The 3HBCoA was polymerized by PhaC and converted to P(3HB). In this system, the CoA molecules that were released during the condensation and polymerization reactions catalyzed by PhaA and PhaC, respectively, were reused successfully for the synthesis of acetyl-CoA. In addition, NADPH, which was consumed in the reduction of acetoacetyl-CoA, was regenerated by the action of GDH. In this system, the yield of P(3HB) synthesized from acetate as the substrate was 5.6 mg in a 5-ml reaction mixture, and the weight-average molecular weight and polydispersity were 6.64 x 10(6) and 1.36, respectively. Furthermore, CoA was reused at least 26 times, and NADPH was also regenerated at least 26 times during 24 h of reaction.     

龙眼漆酶基因(DlLac)的克隆及表达分析

以‘石硖’龙眼为试材,采用RT-PCR结合RACE技术成功克隆一个龙眼漆酶基因全长c DNA序列,命名为Dl Lac,NCBI登录号为KY051551。Dl Lac基因序列全长1898 bp,编码576个氨基酸,NCBI比对结果显示其与荔枝漆酶氨基酸序列同源性最高,高达94%;进化树结果显示龙眼漆酶氨基酸序列与荔枝漆酶氨基酸序列具有高度同源性。氨基酸保守序列结果表明龙眼漆酶氨基酸序列含有漆酶的3个典型保守结构域,分别为:Cu-oxidase-3、Cu-oxidase和Cu-oxidase-2。结合龙眼果实在常温、低温贮藏条件下,果皮褐变与Dl Lac的表达关系,推测Dl Lac的上调表达可能对龙眼果皮褐变起促进作用。      

Cloning, sequence analysis, and expression in Escherichia coli of gene encoding N-Benzyl-3-pyrrolidinol dehydrogenase from Geotrichum capitatum

The gene encoding N-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinol dehydrogenase (DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank accession no. AB294179), a useful biocatalyst for producing (S)-N-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinol, was cloned from the genomic DNA of Geotrichum capitatum JCM 3908. The gene contained an open reading frame consisting of 1023 nucleotides corresponding to 340 amino acid residues. The subunit molecular weight was calculated to be 39,000. The predicted amino acid sequence did not have significant similarity to those of N-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinone reductases reported previously. From 30 mM N-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinone, (S)-N-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinol was obtained with a yield >99.9% and an enantiomeric excess >99.9% in 1-h and 2-h reactions without NADH addition by the resting cells of Escherichia coli HB 101 strains harboring the expression plasmids pSG-POBS and pSF-POBS that possess the glucose dehydrogenase gene and formate dehydrogenase gene as an NADH-reproducing system, respectively, besides the N-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinol dehydrogenase gene. N-Benzyl-3-pyrrolidinol dehydrogenase activity (0.56 U/mg) was observed in E. coli (pSG-POBS), which was 17-fold the specific activity observed in G. capitatum JCM 3908.     

Production and characterization of biodegradable terpolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) by Alcaligenes sp. A-04

The production of the terpolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate), P(3HB-co-3HV-co-4HB), by Alcaligenes sp. A-04 was investigated to determine the superior biodegradable polymer properties over those of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), P(3HB), and its copolymers. The highest terpolymer content of 68% (w/w) was produced by Alcaligenes sp. A-04 at 60 h by shake-flask cultivation. The terpolymer with 93 mol% 4HB mole fraction units was produced when the cultivation time was extended to 96 h. Moreover, it was found that Alcaligenes sp. A-04 could utilize 1,4-butanediol for the synthesis of 3HB and 4HB monomers as well as the sodium salt of 4-hydroxybutyrate. The terpolymer content was 30% (w/w) and the composition was P(33%3HB-co-16%3HV-co-51%4HB). Next, terpolymers with 4HB mole fraction units ranging from 50 to 90 mol% were produced by varying the medium composition and cultivation time. The thermal and mechanical properties of the resulting terpolymers were different from those of the copolymers with a similar mole fraction of monomer units. The terpolymer P(4%3HB-co-3%3HV-co-93%4HB) showed an elongation of 430%, a toughness of 33 MPa, and Young's modulus of 127 MPa similar to those of low-density polyethylene. The terpolymer P(11%3HB-co-34%3HV-co-55%4HB) showed Young's Modulus of 618 MPa similar to that of polypropylene.     

Enzymatic synthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) with CoA recycling using polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase and acyl-CoA synthetase

We succeeded in developing a novel method for in vitro poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3 HB-co-4 HB)] synthesis with CoA recycling using polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase and an acyl-CoA synthetase. Using this method, the monomer compositions in P(3 HB-co-4 HB)s could be controlled strictly by the ratios of the monomers in the reaction mixtures.     

Cloning, structural analysis and expression of the gene encoding aspartate aminotransferase from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Phormidium lapideum

The aspartate aminotransferase gene from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Phormidium lapideum was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The ORF of 1167 nucleotides encodes a protein of 388 amino acids having a molecular weight of 42,099. A molecular model of PIAspAT shows structural features similar to those of the Thermus thermophilus AspAT.