Expression and export of aRuminococcus albuscellulase inButyrivibrio fibrisolvensthrough the use of an alternative gene promoter and signal sequence

Ruminococcal cellulase (Ruminococcus albus F-40 endoglucanase EgI) was successfully expressed in Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens OB156C, using the erm promoter from pAMβ1. A newly identified signal peptide coding region of xynA from B. fibrisolvens 49 allowed efficient translocation of the foreign EgI into the extracellular fraction. First, B. fibrisolvens xynA with or without its own putative signal peptide (XynA SP) coding region was cloned into a shuttle vector to transform B. fibrisolvens OB156C. Both plasmids caused a 2- to 2.4-fold increase in xylanase activity. The transformant expressing XynA with the signal peptide showed a significantly higher proportion of activity in the extracellular fraction than the transformant with XynA lacking the signal peptide (75% vs. 19%), demonstrating the significance of XynA SP in the translocation of the expressed enzyme. Second, using the XynA SP coding region, secretion of EgI was attempted in B. fibrisolvens. Since the signal peptide of R. albus EgI did not function in B. fibrisolvens, it was replaced with the XynA SP. A high activity variant of EgI containing the XynA SP was transcribed using the erm promoter, resulting in a 27-fold increase in endoglucanase activity, most of which (>93%) was in the extracellular fraction of the B. fibrisolvens transformant. EgI without the XynA SP was scarcely detected in the extracellular fraction (<10%).Key words: Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Ruminococcus albus, cellulase, gene promoter, signal peptide.

Fabin, a novel calcyon-like and glucanase-like protein with mitogenic, antifungal and translation-inhibitory activities from broad beans

A protein with an N-terminal sequence displaying similarities to N-terminal sequences of human calcyon and barley endo-1,4-glucanase, and to C-terminal sequences of human translation initiation factor 4 gamma and yeast superkiller viralicidic activity, was isolated from the broad bean Vicia faba. The protein, termed fabin, has a molecular mass of 34 kDa in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Antifungal activity of the protein was observed against several fungal species including Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum and Mycosphaerella arachidicola. Fabin inhibits HIV-1 reverse transcriptase with an IC50 of 34 microM and translation in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate with an IC50 of 2.4 microM. At a concentration of about 1.5 microM fabin is able to elicit a 9-fold increase in the mitogenic response of murine splenocytes.

Regulation of the cellulosomal CelS (cel48A) gene of Clostridium thermocellum is growth rate dependent

Clostridium thermocellum produces an extracellular multienzyme complex, termed cellulosome, that allows efficient solubilization of crystalline cellulose. One of the major enzymes in this complex is the CelS (Cel48A) exoglucanase. The regulation of CelS at the protein and transcriptional levels was studied using batch and continuous cultures. The results of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analyses indicated that the amount of CelS in the supernatant fluids of cellobiose-grown cultures is lower than that of cellulose-grown cultures. The transcriptional level of celS mRNA was determined quantitatively by RNase protection assays with batch and continuous cultures under carbon and nitrogen limitation. The amount of celS mRNA transcripts per cell was about 180 for cells grown under carbon limitation at growth rates of 0.04 to 0.21 h(-1) and 80 and 30 transcripts per cell for batch cultures at growth rates of 0.23 and 0.35 h(-1), respectively. Under nitrogen limitation, the corresponding levels were 110, 40, and 30 transcripts/cell for growth rates of 0.07, 0.11, and 0.14 h(-1), respectively. Two major transcriptional start sites were detected at positions -140 and -145 bp, upstream of the translational start site of the celS gene. The potential promoters exhibited homology to known sigma factors (i.e., sigma(A) and sigma(B)) of Bacillus subtilis. The relative activity of the two promoters remained constant under the conditions studied and was in agreement with the results of the RNase protection assay, in which the observed transcriptional activity was inversely proportional to the growth rate.

Oxidation of 4-bromophenol by the recombinant fused protein cellulose-binding domain-horseradish peroxidase immobilized on cellulose

A fused protein consisting of cellulose-binding domain (CBD) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. Refolded recombinant CBD-HRP (95% recovery yield) was bound to microcrystalline cellulose and applied for the oxidation of a model toxic phenol, 4-bromophenol (BP). Oxidation of BP by CBD-HRP resulted in the formation of dimers to pentamers as evidenced by mass spectrometry analysis. When immobilized, the vast majority of the oxidation products adsorbed to the cellulose matrix. CBD-HRP (0.75 pyrogallol units) bound to 0.1 g cellulose was packed in a column, connected to an HPLC pump and monitoring system, and column performance and capacity were studied under various operating conditions. When performance was studied as a function of BP loading rate at a constant H(2)O(2) loading rate of 1500 nmol/min, V(app) (max) and K(m) (app) were calculated to be 5.29 +/- 0.46 micromol mL min and 644.9 +/- 114.3 microM, respectively. Immobilized CBD-HRP exhibited enhanced stability to H(2)O(2) and oxidized considerably more BP than free CBD-HRP. Inclusion of gelatin, which suppresses product-dependent inactivation, further increased the amount of BP oxidation. These findings may have potential impact in terms of enzyme supply in high-rate treatment of wastewater contaminated with toxic phenols, since the susceptibility of peroxidases to both H(2)O(2) - and product-dependent inactivation demands continuous supply of fresh enzyme.

Effects of inactivation and constitutive expression of the unfolded- protein response pathway on protein production in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

One strategy to obtain better yields of secreted proteins has been overexpression of single endoplasmic reticulum-resident foldases or chaperones. We report here that manipulation of the unfolded-protein response (UPR) pathway regulator, HAC1, affects production of both native and foreign proteins in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The effects of HAC1 deletion and overexpression on the production of a native protein, invertase, and two foreign proteins, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens alpha-amylase and Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase EGI, were studied. Disruption of HAC1 caused decreases in the secretion of both alpha-amylase (70 to 75% reduction) and EGI (40 to 50% reduction) compared to the secretion by the parental strain. Constitutive overexpression of HAC1 caused a 70% increase in alpha-amylase secretion but had no effect on EGI secretion. The invertase levels were twofold higher in the strain overexpressing HAC1. Also, the effect of the active form of T. reesei hac1 was tested in S. cerevisiae. hac1 expression caused a 2.4-fold increase in the secretion of alpha-amylase in S. cerevisiae and also slight increases in invertase and total protein production. Overexpression of both S. cerevisiae HAC1 and T. reesei hac1 caused an increase in the expression of the known UPR target gene KAR2 at early time points during cultivation.

Use of a fluorescence labelled, carbohydrate-binding module from Phanerochaete chrysosporium Cel7D for studying wood cell wall ultrastructure

The alpha-amino group of the carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) from Phanerochaete chrysosporium cellulase Cel7D was covalently labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate. The fluorescein-labelled CBM was characterised regarding substrate binding, showing specificity only to cellulose and not to mannan and xylan. Conjugation of fluorescein isothiocyanate to CBM did not affect its binding to cellulose. The labelled CBM was successfully used as a probe for detecting cellulose in lignocellulose material such as never dried spruce and birch wood as well as pulp fibres.

ABBREVIATIONS

Bmax, maximum binding capacity; BMCC, bacterial microcrystalline cellulose; CBH, cellobiohydrolase; CBM, carbohydrate-binding module; CBM-FITC, carbohydrate-binding module labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate; CBM1, carbohydrate-binding module of family 1; FITC, fluorescein isothiocyanate; KD, dissociation constant; RP-HPLC, reversed phase HPLC; S1-S3, Secondary cell wall layers 1-3.

Efficient isolation of genes differentially expressed on cellulose by suppression subtractive hybridization in Agaricus bisporus

The production of cellulases on minimal medium in the edible mushroom Agaricus bisporus is regulated by the carbon source: induced by cellulose and repressed by glucose. In order to isolate cellulose-growth specific sequences, a cDNA library from A. bisporus using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was constructed. Northern blot analysis indicated that a high level of enrichment was achieved; 183 clones were isolated. A preliminary screen with cellulose-specific genes of A. bisporus (cel1, cel2, cel3 and cel4) using Southern hybridization resulted in 28 clones to be cel3, and 5 clones were cel2. The remaining 144 clones were sequenced. Partial sequences of the following genes were found: a beta-glucosidase homologue of the blvk gene of Kluyveromyces marxianus; a cellulase homologue of an endoglucanase (avicellase III) of Aspergillus aculeatus, four different xylanases homologue of the xyn genes of different fungi, and one hexose transporter homologue to the hxtA gene of Aspergillus parasiticus. The apparent full-length of two hydrophobins homologue to the abh3 gene of A. bisporus and one histone homologue to the h2a gene of Aspergillus niger were also found. The remaining sequences did not have homology to any known genes.

A mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway modulates the expression of two cellulase genes in Cochliobolus heterostrophus during plant infection

Conserved eukaryotic signaling elements play an important role in the development of fungal pathogens on their hosts. Chk1, a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), functions in virulence, mating, and sporulation of the maize leaf pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus. Suppression subtractive hybridization was used to identify fungal genes whose expression on the host plant is affected in chk1 deletion mutants. Two of the genes isolated in this screen were predicted to encode cellulolytic enzymes: a cellobiohydrolase, CBH7, and an endoglucanase, EG6. Expression of EG6 and CBH7 was followed by the fusion of their upstream regulatory regions to the coding sequence of the green fluorescent protein. Induction of both genes began at the onset of invasive growth and reached its maximal extent during leaf necrosis. Furthermore, EG6 was induced preferentially within necrotic lesions. Disruption of MAPK CHK1 resulted in a delay in the penetration of hyphae into the leaf and a concomitant delay in the induction of expression of both cellulase genes. In saprophytic culture, the absence of Chk1 resulted in a marked delay in the induction of CBH7 expression by crystalline cellulose. EG6 was expressed at a basal level in culture, and this expression was found to depend strictly on Chk1. Thus, the Chk1 MAPK signaling pathway is involved in the regulation of two cellulase-encoding genes and is necessary for their timely induction by environmental signals.

Transcription of Clostridium cellulovorans cellulosomal cellulase and hemicellulase genes

Transcription of the cellulosomal cellulase/hemicellulase genes of Clostridium cellulovorans has been investigated by Northern blot, reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), primer extension, and S1 nuclease analysis. Northern hybridizations revealed that the cellulosomal cbpA gene cluster is transcribed as polycistronic mRNAs of 8 and 12 kb. The 8-kb mRNA coded for cbpA and exgS, and the 12-kb mRNA coded for cbpA, exgS, engH, and engK. The sizes of the mRNAs were about 3 kb for engE, 1.8 kb for manA, 2.7 kb for xynA, and 4 kb for pelA, indicating monocistronic transcription of these genes. Primer extension and S1 nuclease analysis of C. cellulovorans RNA showed that the transcriptional start sites of cbpA, engE, manA, and hbpA were located 233, 97, 64, and 61 bp upstream from the first nucleotide of each of the respective translation initiation codons. Alignment of the cbpA, engE, manA, and hbpA promoter regions provided evidence for highly conserved sequences that exhibited strong similarity to the sigma(A) consensus promoter sequences of gram-positive bacteria.

The non-catalytic amino acid Asp446 is essential for enzyme activity of the modular endocellulase Cel9 from Myxobacter sp. AL-1

The modular endocellulase Cel9 of the bicistronic operon cel9-cel48 of Myxobacter sp. AL-1 shares not only amino acid sequence similarity but also biochemical properties similar to those of Thermobifida fusca endo/exocellulase E4. Amino acid alignments of a T. fusca E4 cellulase subfamily of family 9 cellulases revealed that Asp(446) of Myxobacter sp. AL-1 Cel9, a putatively noncatalytic residue, is highly conserved in one of the catalytic domains of this subfamily. Directed mutagenesis of residue aspartate (Asp(446)) to alanine generated a Cel9 mutant that lost more than 99% of its activity, suggesting that Asp(446) plays an essential structural role in Cel9 during cellulose degradation. Owing to its high degree of conservation and essential role, we propose that Asp(446) of Myxobacter sp. AL-1 Cel9 is a good landmark that distinguishes members of the E4 subfamily of family 9 cellulases.

Construction and characterisation of O139 cholera vaccine candidates

The hemagglutinin/protease (HA/P) seems to be an attractive locus for the insertion of heterologous tags in live cholera vaccine strains. A deltaCTXphi spontaneous mutant derived from a pathogenic strain of O139 Vibrio cholerae was sequentially manipulated to obtain hapA Colon, two colons celA derivatives which were later improved in their environmental safety by means of a thyA mutation. All the strains here obtained showed similar phenotypes in traits known to be remarkable for live cholera vaccines irrespective of their motility phenotypes, although the hapA mutants had a 10-fold decrease in their colonisation capacity compared with their parental strains in the infant mouse cholera model. However, the subsequent thyA mutation did not affect their colonisation properties in the same model. These preliminary results pave the way for further clinical assays to confirm the possibilities of these vaccine prototypes as safe and effective tools for the prevention of O139 cholera.

Molecular cloning of endo-beta-D-1,4-glucanase genes, rce1, rce2, and rce3, from Rhizopus oryzae

Three endoglucanase genes, designated the rce1, rce2, and rce3 genes, were isolated from Rhizopus oryzae as the first cellulase genes from the subdivision ZYGOMYCOTA: All the amino acid sequences deduced from the rce1, rce2, and rce3 genes consisted of three distinct domains: cellulose binding domains, linker domains, and catalytic domains belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 45. The rce3 gene had two tandem repeated sequences of cellulose binding domains, while rce1 and rce2 had only one. rce1, rce2, and rce3 had various lengths of linker sequences.

The role of PopCel1 and PopCel2 in poplar leaf growth and cellulose biosynthesis

Poplar calli transcribed two cellulase (endo-1,4-beta-glucanase) genes, PopCel1 and PopCel2, whose mRNAs were differentially located in the growing leaves of poplar during cell wall synthesis. Histochemical and RT-PCR analyses of promoter-GUS fusion gene activities in transgenic poplar demonstrated that PopCel1 promoter-derived GUS activity was localized in the petiole and leaf veins, whereas PopCel2 was confined to mesophyll cells and disappeared from the tip during the development of leaves. Autoradiography of the leaf showed that the radioactivity of [14C]sucrose incorporated into cellulose corresponded to the combination of the sucrose-induced tissue-specific patterns of PopCel1 and PopCel2. Interestingly, 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile (DCB) not only inhibited the incorporation of the radioactivity into cellulose, but also repressed the induction of both cellulase genes. Suppression of cellulases by expression of PopCel1 antisense cDNA or co-suppression of PopCel1 mRNA by overexpression of PopCel1 sense cDNA reduced leaf growth. Therefore, we came to the conclusion that PopCel1 and PopCel2 probably function to promote leaf growth in poplar by the endohydrolysis of 1,4-beta-glucan.

Solubilization of cellulosomal cellulases by fusion with cellulose-binding domain of noncellulosomal cellulase engd from Clostridium cellulovorans

Clostridium cellulovorans produces a cellulase complex (cellulosome) as well as noncellulosomal cellulases. In this study, we determined a factor that affected the solubility of the cellulosomal cellulase EngB and the noncellulosomal EngD when they were expressed in Escherichia coli. The catalytic domains of EngB and EngD formed inclusion bodies when expressed in E. coli. On the other hand, both catalytic domains containing the C-terminal cellulose-binding domain (CBD) of EngD were expressed in soluble form. Fusion with the CBD of EngD also helped increased the solubility of cellulosomal cellulase EngL upon expression in E. coli. These results indicate that the CBD of EngD plays an important role in the soluble expression of the catalytic domains of EngB, EngL, and EngD. The possible mechanisms of solubilization by fusion of the catalytic domain with the CBD from EngD are discussed.

[Expression of a thermostable bacterial cellulase in transgenic tobacco plants]

The bacterial gene of the thermostable endo-beta-1,4-glucanase (cellulase) was shown to retain its activity and substrate specificity when expressed in transgenic tobacco plants. The leader peptide of the carrot extensin was efficient in transferring the bacterial enzyme into the apoplast. The expression of the bacterial cellulase gene leads to changes in the plant tissue morphology. In the transgenic plant lines, regeneration of primary shoots from callus occurred at the three to five times higher cytokinin (6-BAP) concentration than in control plants. The transgenic plants that expressed the bacterial gene exhibited increased business and altered leaf shape. The transgenic plants developed can be used as models for studying the cellulases role and function in plants.

Expression and import of an active cellulase from a thermophilic bacterium into the chloroplast both in vitro and in vivo

A bacterial thermostable cellulase, the endo-1,4-beta-D-glucanase E1 from Acidothermus cellulolyticus, was imported into chloroplasts, and an active enzyme was recovered both in vitro and in vivo. Precursor fusion proteins were synthesized with E1 or its catalytic domain, CD, fused to the transit peptide of ferredoxin or ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase activase for stromal targeting. A spacer region of 1, 5 or 15 amino acids was included carboxy to the transit peptide. The efficiency of import and processing by the stromal processing peptidase depended on the nature of the transit peptide and the passenger protein, and increased with the length of the spacer between them. Besides finding E1 or CD in the stroma, protein was arrested in the envelope during import showing that structural features of E1 and CD, along with their proximity to the transit peptide, influence translocation. The cellulose binding domain and/or serine/proline/threoline-rich linker of E1 may impede efficient import. Significantly, most precursors for E1 and CD synthesized by in vitro translation possessed endoglucanse activity that was temperature-dependent, and required the residues AGGGY at the N-terminus of E1 and CD. Furthermore, activity was detected upon import into chloroplasts. Based on the in vitro analyses, five precursor fusion proteins were selected to determine if E1 and CD would be successfully targeted to chloroplasts in vivo. In transgenic tobacco plants, E1 and CD accumulated in both the stromal and membrane fractions and, importantly, chloroplast extracts showed endoglucanase activity.

Synergistic effects of cellulosomal xylanase and cellulases from Clostridium cellulovorans on plant cell wall degradation

Plant cell walls are comprised of cellulose and hemicellulose and other polymers that are intertwined, and this complex structure presents a barrier to degradation by pure cellulases or hemicellulases. In this study, we determined the synergistic effects on corn cell wall degradation by the action of cellulosomal xylanase XynA and cellulosomal cellulases from Clostridium cellulovorans. XynA minicellulosomes and cellulase minicellulosomes were found to degrade corn cell walls synergistically but not purified substrates such as xylan and crystalline cellulose. The mixture of XynA and cellulases at a molar ratio of 1:2 showed the highest synergistic effect of 1.6 on corn cell wall degradation. The amounts both of xylooligosaccharides and cellooligosaccharides liberated from corn cell walls were increased by the synergistic action of XynA and cellulases. Although synergistic effects on corn cell wall degradation were found in simultaneous reactions with XynA and cellulases, no synergistic effects were observed in sequential reactions. The possible mechanism of synergism between XynA and cellulases is discussed.

Enhancement of growth by expression of poplar cellulase in Arabidopsis thaliana

To study the role of cellulose and cellulase in plant growth, we expressed poplar cellulase (PaPopCel1) constitutively in Arabidopsis thaliana. Expression increased the size of the rosettes due to increased cell size. The change in growth was accompanied by changes in biomechanical properties due to cell wall structure indicative of decrease in xyloglucan cross-linked with cellulose microfibrils by chemical analysis and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. The result supports the concept that the paracrystalline sites of cellulose microfibrils are attacked by poplar cellulase to loosen xyloglucan intercalation and this irreversible wall modification promotes the enlargement of plant cells.

Molecular cloning, transcriptional, and expression analysis of the first cellulase gene (cbh2), encoding cellobiohydrolase II, from the moderately thermophilic fungus Talaromyces emersonii and structure prediction of the gene product

A gene (cbh2) encoding cellobiohydrolase II was isolated from the fungus Talaromyces emersonii by rapid amplification of cDNA ends techniques and the equivalent genomic sequence was subsequently cloned. This represents the first report of a key component of the cellulase regulon from this organism. DNA sequencing revealed that cbh2 has an open reading frame of 1377 bp, which encodes a putative polypeptide of 459 amino acids, and is interrupted by seven introns. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed that cbh2 has a modular structure with a predicted molecular mass of 47 kDa and consisting of a fungal type carbohydrate binding module separated from a catalytic domain by a proline/serine/threonine rich linker region. The deduced protein is homologous to fungal cellobiohydrolases in Family 6A of the glycosyl hydrolases. Profiles of cbh2 expression in T. emersonii investigated by Northern blot analysis revealed that expression is regulated at the transcriptional level. Expression of the T. emersonii cbh2 gene is induced by cellulose, xylan, xylose, and gentiobiose and clearly repressed by glucose. Putative regulatory element consensus sequences have been identified in the upstream regulatory sequence of the cbh2 gene including the catabolite repressor element and the activator of cellulase expression (Ace) binding sites. High sequence identity (67%) between the catalytic domain of Cel 6A from Trichoderma reesei and the T. emersonii cbh2 gene product allowed structure prediction for the 3D model of the T. emersonii catalytic domain to be a variant of the classical TIM alpha/beta fold.

Production by Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 of CelG, a cellulosomal glycoside hydrolase belonging to family 9

The genome sequence of Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824, a noncellulolytic solvent-producing strain, predicts the production of various proteins with domains typical for cellulosomal subunits. Most of the genes coding for these proteins are grouped in a cluster similar to that found in cellulolytic clostridial species, such as Clostridium cellulovorans. CAC0916, one of the open reading frames present in the putative cellulosome gene cluster, codes for CelG, a putative endoglucanase belonging to family 9, and it was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The overproduced CelG protein was purified by making use of its high affinity for cellulose and was characterized. The biochemical properties of the purified CelG were comparable to those of other known enzymes belonging to the same family. Expression of CelG by C. acetobutylicum grown on different substrates was studied by Western blotting by using antibodies raised against the purified E. coli-produced protein. Whereas the antibodies cross-reacted with CelG-like proteins secreted by cellobiose- or cellulose-grown C. cellulovorans cultures, CelG was not detectable in extracellular medium from C. acetobutylicum grown on cellobiose or glucose. However, notably, when lichenan-grown cultures were used, several bands corresponding to CelG or CelG-like proteins were present, and there was significantly increased extracellular endoglucanase activity.

Purification and cDNA cloning of a cellulase from abalone Haliotis discus hannai

A cellulase [endo-beta-1,4-D-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.4)] was isolated from the hepatopancreas of abalone Haliotis discus hannai by successive chromatographies on TOYOPEARL CM-650M, hydroxyapatite and Sephacryl S-200 HR. The molecular mass of the cellulase was estimated to be 66 000 Da by SDS/PAGE, thus the enzyme was named HdEG66. The hydrolytic activity of HdEG66 toward carboxymethylcellulose showed optimal temperature and pH at 38 degrees C and 6.3, respectively. cDNAs encoding HdEG66 were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction from an abalone hepatopancreas cDNA library with primers synthesized on the basis of partial amino-acid sequences of HdEG66. By overlapping the nucleotide sequences of the cDNAs, a sequence of 1898 bp in total was determined. The coding region of 1785 bp located at nucleotide position 56-1840 gave an amino-acid sequence of 594 residues including the initiation methionine. The N-terminal region of 14 residues in the deduced sequence was regarded as the signal peptide as it was absent in HdEG66 protein and showed high similarity to the consensus sequence for signal peptides of eukaryote secretory proteins. Thus, matured HdEG66 was thought to consist of 579 residues. The C-terminal region of 453 residues in HdEG66, i.e. approximately the C-terminal three quarters of the protein, showed 42-44% identity to the catalytic domains of glycoside hydrolase family 9 (GHF9)-cellulases from arthropods and Thermomonospora fusca. While the N-terminal first quarter of HdEG66 showed 27% identity to the carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) of a Cellulomonas fimi cellulase, CenA. Thus, the HdEG66 was regarded as the GHF9-cellulase possessing a family II CBM in the N-terminal region. By genomic PCR using specific primers to the 3'-terminal coding sequences of HdEG66-cDNA, a DNA of 2186 bp including three introns was amplified. This strongly suggests that the origin of HdEG66 is not from symbiotic bacteria but abalone itself.

Ethylene is required for both the initiation and progression of softening in pear (Pyrus communis L.) fruit

In order to investigate the physiological role of ethylene in the initiation and subsequent progression of softening, pear fruit were treated with propylene, an analogue of ethylene or 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), a gaseous inhibitor of ethylene action at the preclimacteric or ripening stages. The propylene treatment at the pre-ripe stage stimulated ethylene production and flesh softening while the 1-MCP treatment at the same stage markedly retarded the initiation of the ripening-related events. Moreover, 1-MCP treatment after the initiation of ripening markedly suppressed the subsequent flesh softening and ethylene production. These results clearly indicate that ethylene is not merely a by-product, but plays a crucial role in both the initiation and maintenance of regulating the softening process during ripening. The observations also suggest that ethylene in ripening is regulated entirely in an autocatalytic manner. The mRNA accumulation of pear polygalacturonases (PG) genes, PC-PG1 and PC-PG2, was in parallel with the pattern of fruit softening in both propylene and 1-MCP treatments. However, the expression pattern of pear endo-1,4-beta-D-glucanases (EGase) genes, PC-EG1 and PC-EG2, was not affected in both treatments. The results suggest that ethylene is required for PGs expression even in the late ripening stage, but not for EGases.

Role of endo-1,4-beta-glucanases from neisseria sicca SB in synergistic degradation of cellulose acetate

An enzyme hydrolyzing beta-1,4 bonds in cellulose acetate was purified 10.5-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity from a culture supernatant of Neisseria sicca SB, which assimilate cellulose acetate as the sole carbon and energy source. The enzyme was an endo-1,4-beta-glucanase, to judge from the substrate specificity and hydrolysis products of cellooligosaccharides, we named it endo-1,4-beta-glucanase I (EG I). Its molecular mass was 50 kDa, 9 kDa larger than EG II from this strain, and its isoelectric point was 5.0. Results of N-terminal and inner-peptide sequences of both enzymes, and a similarity search, suggested that EG I contained a carbohydrate-binding module at the N-terminus and that EG II lacked this module. The pH and temperature optima of EG I were 5.0-6.0 and 45 degrees C. It hydrolyzed water-soluble cellulose acetate (degree of substitution, 0.88) and carboxymethyl cellulose. The Km and Vmax for these compounds were 0.296% and 1.29 micromol min(-1) mg(-1), and 0.448% and 13.6 micromol min(-1) mg(-1), respectively. Both glucanases and cellulose acetate esterase from this strain degraded water-insoluble cellulose acetate synergistically.

Computational and experimental studies of the catalytic mechanism of Thermobifida fusca cellulase Cel6A (E2)

Mutagenesis experiments suggest that Asp79 in cellulase Cel6A (E2) from Thermobifida fusca has a catalytic role, in spite of the fact that this residue is more than 13 A from the scissile bond in models of the enzyme-substrate complex built upon the crystal structure of the protein. This suggests that there is a substantial conformational shift in the protein upon substrate binding. Molecular mechanics simulations were used to investigate possible alternate conformations of the protein bound to a tetrasaccharide substrate, primarily involving shifts of the loop containing Asp79, and to model the role of water in the active site complex for both the native conformation and alternative low-energy conformations. Several alternative conformations of reasonable energy have been identified, including one in which the overall energy of the enzyme-substrate complex in solution is lower than that of the conformation in the crystal structure. This conformation was found to be stable in molecular dynamics simulations with a cellotetraose substrate and water. In simulations of the substrate complexed with the native protein conformation, the sugar ring in the -1 binding site was observed to make a spontaneous transition from the (4)C(1) conformation to a twist-boat conformer, consistent with generally accepted glycosidase mechanisms. Also, from these simulations Tyr73 and Arg78 were found to have important roles in the active site. Based on the results of these various MD simulations, a new catalytic mechanism is proposed. Using this mechanism, predictions about the effects of changes in Arg78 were made which were confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis.

Two new cellulosome components encoded downstream of celI in the genome of Clostridium thermocellum: the non-processive endoglucanase CelN and the possibly structural protein CseP

Clostridium thermocellum produces a great number of extracellular cellulases which are free or cellulosome-bound. The nucleotide sequence of a gene cluster containing the genes celI, celN and cseP was determined from C. thermocellum strain F7. Gene products Cel9I and Cel9N are structurally related enzymes having a glycosyl hydrolase family 9 and a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM3c), but show characteristic differences: Cel9I is a non-cellulosomal protein with an additional CBM (CBM3b), whereas Cel9N contains a cellulosomal dockerin module and no additional CBM. Although Cel9I is a processive endoglucanase, Cel9N is non-processive. Both enzymes hydrolyse phosphoric acid swollen cellulose, but the products of hydrolysis are different. The CseP protein encoded in the gene cluster is the first component attached to the cellulosomal scaffoldin for which no catalytic activity could be detected. It was shown to be present in the cellulosome. Its sequence is homologous to the spore-coat assembly protein CotH of Bacillus subtilis, suggesting a structural role of CseP in the cellulosome.