Deciphering the biosynthetic codes for the potent anti-SARS-CoV cyclodepsipeptide valinomycin in Streptomyces tsusimaensis ATCC 15141

Valinomycin was recently reported to be the most potent agent against severe acute respiratory-syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in infected Vero E6 cells. Aimed at generating analogues by metabolic engineering, the valinomycin biosynthetic gene cluster has been cloned from Streptomyces tsusimaensis ATCC 15141. Targeted disruption of a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene abolishes valinomycin production, which confirms its predicted nonribosomal-peptide origin. Sequence analysis of the NRPS system reveals four distinctive modules, two of which contain unusual domain organizations that are presumably involved in the generation of biosynthetic precursors D-alpha-hydroxyisovaleric acid and L-lactic acid. The respective adenylation domains in these two modules contain novel substrate-specificity-conferring codes that might specify for a class of hydroxyl acids for the biosynthesis of the depsipeptide natural products.     

稳定同位素~(15)N标记螺旋藻的生物合成

15N-螺旋藻是一种重要的同位素示踪剂,应用于生命科学、药物代谢、病理代谢等研究中。由于15N原料十分昂贵,15N-螺旋藻只能由室内小规模生物培养而获得。本工作就室内培养螺旋藻的温度、光照强度、pH等条件进行了探索。结果显示,室温25℃、连续光照、光照强度3 000~4 000 lux、初始pH9.0是室内培养15N-螺旋藻的适宜条件。采用正交设计进行配方优化,优选出培养15N-螺旋藻配方。在优化条件下培养15N-螺旋藻,15N的原料成本投入大幅降低,产品丰度98%。     

产共轭亚油酸瑞士乳杆菌L7固定化条件的研究

对瑞士乳杆菌(Lactobacillus helveticus) L7发酵生产c9,t11-CLA的固定化条件进行研究。应用响应面法对细菌固定化的条件进行优化,得到的优化条件为：海藻酸钠质量浓度1.78g/100mL、氯化钙质量浓度3.13g/100mL、固定化时间60.30min,利用在此条件下制备所得的固定化胶珠发酵,c9,t11-CLA的产量达到561μg/mL。固定化细胞重复利用5次后活力没有明显变化,c9,t11-CLA产量保持在549μg/mL。电镜观察发现,固定化胶珠表面及内部为错综复杂的网状通道结构,能够很好的满足物质的传递。结果表明菌体细胞经海藻酸钠固定,可以有效提高菌体的重复利用率,从而降低c9,t11-CLA的生产成本。     

Keto acid decarboxylase and keto acid dehydrogenase activity detected during the biosynthesis of flavor compound 3-methylbutanal by the nondairy adjunct culture Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis F9

3-Methylbutanal is one of the primary substances that contribute to the nutty flavor in cheese. Lactococcus strains have been shown to have higher aminotransferase and α-keto acid decarboxylase activities compared with other microbes, indicating that they might form a higher amount of 3-methylbutanal by decarboxylation. Several dairy lactococcal strains have been successfully applied as adjunct cultures to increase the 3-methylbutanal content of cheese. Moreover, compared with dairy cultures, the nondairy lactococci are generally metabolically more diverse with more active AA-converting enzymes. Therefore, it might be appropriate to use nondairy lactococcal strains as adjunct cultures to enrich the 3-methylbutanal content of cheese. This study thereby aimed to select a nondairy Lactococcus strain that is highly productive of 3-methylbutanal, identify its biosynthetic pathway, and apply it to cheese manufacture. Twenty wild nondairy lactococci isolated from 5 kinds of Chinese traditional fermented products were identified using 16S rRNA sequence analysis and were found to belong to Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis. The nondairy strains were then screened in vitro for their production of 3-methylbutanal and whether they met the criteria to become an adjunct culture for cheese. The L. lactis ssp. lactis F9, isolated from sour bamboo shoot, was selected because of its higher 3-methylbutanal production, suitable autolysis rate, and lower acid production. The enzymes involved in the catabolic pathway of leucine were then evaluated. Both α-keto acid decarboxylase (6.96 μmol/g per minute) and α-keto acid dehydrogenase (30.06 μmol/g per minute) activities were detected in nondairy L. lactis F9. Cheddar cheeses made with different F9 levels were ripened at 13°C and analyzed after 90 d by a combination of instrumental and sensory methods. The results showed that adding nondairy L. lactis F9 significantly increased 3-methylbutanal content and enhanced the nutty flavor of the cheese without impairing its textural properties. Thus, nondairy L. lactis F9 efficiently enhanced the biosynthesis of 3-methylbutanal in vitro and in manufactured cheese.     

环脂肽的研究进展

脂肽主要通过微生物的非核糖体合成酶途径合成。由于其具有广谱抗菌活性、生物表面活性剂活性、低毒、可生物降解等多种生物学功能而引起人们广泛的关注。环脂肽是由非极性的脂肪酸链结合极性的氨基酸肽链部分构成,其中,氨基酸肽链自身成环或与部分脂肪酸链结合成环。从环脂肽的结构、生物合成机制、合成调控、发酵方式、产量优化策略及利用废弃物生产脂肽等方面综述其研究进展。     

生物合成己二酸的代谢工程研究进展

己二酸是一种重要的大宗化学品,主要用于合成尼龙和聚氨酯泡沫塑料,市场需求巨大,其高效生物合成至今还未实现。本文概括了酿酒酵母中构建和优化新的己二酸合成途径研究进展。首先,通过体内及体外活性测试,对催化每一步反应的酶进行筛选,构建初步的代谢途径。利用组学分析诊断和定位生物合成途径的瓶颈。对于途径中的限速酶采用蛋白质工程手段进行改造。其次,利用合成生物学和代谢工程手段优化代谢途径。优化手段具体包括:通过模块化优化,平衡各个基因之间的表达;利用蛋白支架,构建酶反应的流水线,减少中间产物的扩散,提高反应效率;通过RNA干扰技术抑制竞争代谢途径的流量,提高目标代谢途径的通量。最后,利用CRISPR/Cas9及全局转录机器工程(gTME)等最新技术进行基因组编辑、重排转录网络,最终获得己二酸的高产菌株及适用于高效生产其他芳香族化合物的底盘酵母菌株。     

Preliminary study on preparation of E.coli cell-free system for protein expression

In the new era of “Omics”, the traditional techniques of protein expression in vivo can not come up with the exponential increase of genetic information. The cellfree protein synthesis system provides a new strategy of protein expression with advantages of rapid, convenient and high-throughput expression. The preparation of cell extracts, the optimization of substrate concentrations and the energy regeneration system are the key factors for the successful construction of cell-free protein expression system. In this work, the cell extract was prepared from RNase I- defective strain E. coli A19. The cell growth phase, the pressure for cell disruption and the storage condition of cell extracts were optimized. Meanwhile, the optimal substrate concentrations and the energy regeneration system were selected. Under the optimized conditions, the green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene was expressed in the E. coli cell-free system with high expression level (Ca. 154 μg/mL) which was 29 times higher than the expression level before optimization. __________ Translated from Journal of Zhejiang University (Engineering Science), 2007, 41(5): 843–847 [译自: 浙江大学学报(工学版)]     

CYP51: A Major Drug Target in the Cytochrome P450 Superfamily

The cytochrome P540 (CYP) superfamily currently includes about 9000 proteins forming more than 800 families. The enzymes catalyze monooxygenation of a vast array of compounds and play essentially two roles. They provide biodefense (detoxification of xenobiotics, antibiotic production) and participate in biosynthesis of important endogenous molecules, particularly steroids. Based on these two roles, sterol 14/*alpha*/-demethylases (CYP51) belong to the second group of P450s. The CYP51 family, however, is very special as its members preserve strict functional conservation in enzyme activity in all biological kingdoms. At amino acid identity across the kingdoms as low as 25-30%, they all catalyze essentially the same three-step reaction of oxidative removal of the 14/*alpha*/-methyl group from the lanostane frame. This reaction is the required step in sterol biosynthesis of pathogenic microbes. We have shown that specific inhibition of protozoan CYP51 can potentially provide treatment for human trypanosomiases. Three sets of CYP51 inhibitors tested in vitro and in trypanosomal cells in this study include azoles [best results being 50% cell growth inhibition at <1 and at 1.3 muM for Trypanosoma cruzi (TC) and Trypanosoma brucei (TB), respectively], non-azole compounds (50% TC cell growth inhibition at 5 microM) and substrate analogs of the 14/*alpha*/-demethylase reaction. 32-Methylene cyclopropyl lanost-7-enol exhibited selectivity toward TC with 50% cell growth inhibition at 3 microM.     

An ACP structural switch: conformational differences between the apo and holo forms of the actinorhodin polyketide synthase acyl carrier protein

The actinorhodin (act) synthase acyl carrier protein (ACP) from Streptomyces coelicolor plays a central role in polyketide biosynthesis. Polyketide intermediates are bound to the free sulfhydryl group of a phosphopantetheine arm that is covalently linked to a conserved serine residue in the holo form of the ACP. The solution NMR structures of both the apo and holo forms of the ACP are reported, which represents the first high resolution comparison of these two forms of an ACP. Ensembles of twenty apo and holo structures were calculated and yielded atomic root mean square deviations of well-ordered backbone atoms to the average coordinates of 0.37 and 0.42 A, respectively. Three restraints defining the protein to the phosphopantetheine interface were identified. Comparison of the apo and holo forms revealed previously undetected conformational changes. Helix III moved towards helix II (contraction of the ACP), and Leu43 on helix II subtly switched from being solvent exposed to forming intramolecular interactions with the newly added phosphopantetheine side chain. Tryptophan fluorescence and S. coelicolor fatty acid synthase (FAS) holo-synthase (ACPS) assays indicated that apo-ACP has a twofold higher affinity (K(d) of 1.1 muM) than holo-ACP (K(d) of 2.1 muM) for ACPS. Site-directed mutagenesis of Leu43 and Asp62 revealed that both mutations affect binding, but have differential affects on modification by ACPS. Leu43 mutations in particular strongly modulate binding affinity for ACPS. Comparison of apo- and holo-ACP structures with known models of the Bacillus subtilis FAS ACP-holo-acyl carrier protein synthase (ACPS) complex suggests that conformational modulation of helix II and III between apo- and holo-ACP could play a role in dissociation of the ACP-ACPS complex.