Biocatalytic nerve agent detoxification in fire fighting foams

Current events across the globe necessitate rapid technological advances to combat the epidemic of nerve agent chemical weapons. Biocatalysis has emerged as a viable tool in the detoxification of organophosphorus neurotoxins, such as the chemical weapons VX and sarin. Efficient detoxification of contaminated equipment, machinery, and soils are of principal concern. This study describes the incorporation of a biocatalyst (organophosphorus hydrolase, E.C. 3.1.8.1) into conventional formulations of fire fighting foam. The capacity of fire fighting foams to decrease volatilization of contained contaminants, increase surface wettability, and control the rate of enzyme delivery to large areas makes them useful vehicles for enzyme application at surfaces. The performance of enzyme containing foams has been shown to be not only reproducible but also predictable. An empirical model provides reasonable estimations for the amounts of achievable surface decontamination as a function of the important parameters of the system. Theoretical modeling illustrates that the enzyme-containing foam is capable of extracting agent from the surface and is catalytically active at the foam-surface interface and throughout the foam itself. Biocatalytic foam has proven to be an effective, "environmentally friendly" means of surface and soil decontamination.

Modification of near active site residues in organophosphorus hydrolase reduces metal stoichiometry and alters substrate specificity

Organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH, EC 8.1.3.1) is a dimeric, bacterial enzyme that detoxifies many organophosphorus neurotoxins by hydrolyzing a variety of phosphonate bonds. The histidinyl residues at amino acid positions 254 and 257 are located near the bimetallic active site present in each monomer. It has been proposed that these residues influence catalysis by interacting with active site residues and the substrate in the binding pocket. We replaced the histidine at position 254 with arginine (H254R) and the one at position 257 with leucine (H257L) independently to form the single-site-modified enzymes. The double modification was also constructed to incorporate both changes (H254R/H257L). Although native OPH has two metals at each active site (four per dimer), all three of these altered enzymes possessed only two metals per dimer while retaining considerable enzymatic activity for the preferred phosphotriester (P-O bond) substrate, paraoxon (5-100% kcat). The three altered enzymes achieved a 2-30-fold increase in substrate specificity (kcat/Km) for demeton S (P-S bond), an analogue for the chemical warfare agent VX. In contrast, the substrate specificity for diisopropyl fluorophosphonate (P-F bond) was substantially decreased for each of these enzymes. In addition, H257L and H254R/H257L showed an 11- and 18-fold increase, respectively, in specificity for NPPMP, the analogue for the chemical warfare agent soman. These results demonstrate the ability to significantly enhance the specificity of OPH for various substrates by site-specific modifications, and it is suggested that changes in metal requirements may affect these improved catalytic characteristics by enhancing structural flexibility and improving access of larger substrates to the active site, while simultaneously decreasing the catalytic efficiency for smaller substrates.

Inhibitors directed towards the binuclear metal center of phosphotriesterase

The potential roles in binding and catalysis for the binuclear metal center found within bacterial phosphotriesterase were evaluated by characterization of the inhibitory properties of 26 substrate and product mimetics. Phosphonates bearing monofluoro, difluoro, or hydroxyl substituents at the methylene position were found to be noncompetitive inhibitors with Ki values ranging from 0.6-9 mM versus the substrate paraoxon. Phosphoramidates did not significantly inhibit the enzyme. Diethyl phosphate and diethyl dithiophosphate inhibited the Cd-substituted enzyme with Ki values of 10 and 130 microM, respectively. The most effective inhibitor for either the cadmium or zinc substituted enzyme was found to be diethyl thiomethylphosphonate. The competitive inhibition constants for this compound were found to be 60 nM and 2.8 microM for the cadmium- and zinc-substituted enzyme, respectively. The tight binding is attributed to chelation of both metal ions simultaneously.

A single amino acid substitution, Gly117His, confers phosphotriesterase (organophosphorus acid anhydride hydrolase) activity on human butyrylcholinesterase

The G117H mutant of human butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Substitution of Gly 117 with His to make the G117H mutant endowed butyrylcholinesterase with the ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of organophosphate esters. G117H was still able to hydrolyze butyrylthiocholine, benzoylcholine, and o-nitrophenyl butyrate, but in addition it had acquired the ability to hydrolyze the antiglaucoma drug echothiophate and the pesticide paraoxon. Wild-type butyrylcholinesterase was irreversibly inhibited by echothiophate and paraoxon, but G117H regained 100% activity within 2-3 min following reaction with these compounds. On a polyacrylamide gel, the same bands that stained for activity with butyrylthiocholine also stained for activity with echothiophate. G117H is the only enzyme known that hydrolyzes echothiophate. Diethoxyphosphorylated G117H aged with a half-time of 5.5 h, a rate 600 times slower than the rate of hydrolysis. Echothiophate and paraoxon were hydrolyzed with the same kcat of 0.75 min-1. This calculates to a rate acceleration of 100,000-fold for hydrolysis of echothiophate and paraoxon by the G117H mutant compared to the nonenzymatic rate.

Raman spectroscopic study of conjugates of butyrylcholinesterase with organophosphates

Raman spectra of human butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE; E.C. 3.1.1.8) were analyzed in the native state and after conjugation with organophosphates (soman, DFP and paraoxon). The secondary structure of the native BuChE in Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.5), determined from analysis of the amide I polypeptide vibration band, indicates 47% alpha-helices, 26% beta-sheets, 16% turns and 12% undefined structure. We obtained the same values for paraoxon-phosphorylated BuChE, but 39% helical structure, 31% beta-sheets, 17% turns and 13% undefined structure for 'aged' DFP-BuChE conjugates and 36% helical structure, 34% beta-sheets, 20% turns and 10% undefined structure for 'aged' soman-BuChE conjugates. The approximately 10% decrease of alpha-helical structure observed upon phosphorylation by DFP and phosphonylation by soman, probably corresponds to the 'aging' process, which does not take place in the case of paraoxon. Considerable differences have been observed between native, paraoxon inhibited and 'aged' BuChE in aromatic ring vibrations, suggesting that the dealkylation of organophosphate conjugates modifies the environment or the interactions of aromatic amino-acid residues. In the aliphatic side chains an increase of the number of gauche configurations has been observed in 'aged' DFP-BuChE and soman-BuChE.

A partition coefficient determination method for nonvolatile chemicals in biological tissues

Partition or distribution coefficients are critical elements in efforts designed to describe the uptake, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion of organic chemicals in biological systems. In order to estimate the partition coefficients needed to describe the biological distribution of low-volatility compounds, an experimental method was developed to measure partitioning of nonvolatile compounds into biological tissues. Blood, fat, muscle, liver, and skin were individually incubated in a saline solution containing the chemical of interest. Each sample was centrifuged and 2.0 ml of the supernatant was removed and placed into a prewashed, low binding 10,000 MW cutoff Millipore filter cell. Each cell was fitted with a magnetic stirrer and 32 psi nitrogen was applied to the closed cell. The filtrate was collected, extracted, and analyzed for the chemical of interest. The chemicals evaluated were parathion, lindane (hexachlorocyclohexane), paraoxon, perchloroethylene, trichloroacetic acid, and dichloroacetic acid. These chemicals were chosen to develop this method because their vapor pressures range from 9 x 10(6) to 14.2 mm Hg at 20 degrees C. For the one volatile chemical evaluated, perchloroethylene, the method provided partition coefficient results that were in good agreement with values obtained using the vial equilibration method. The nonvolatile partition coefficient method described in this paper demonstrates an approach for evaluation of chemicals with diverse chemical structure and solubility properties.

Degradation of pesticides in a continuous-flow two-phase microemulsion reactor

Biocatalytic processes in reversed micelles are limited by the need for continuous reactors in which reaction and separation are feasible. In this paper, we report the design and testing of a continuous-flow centrifugal bioreactor for the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of the common pesticide paraoxon in reverse micelles of Tween 85. In this system, organophosphorus hydrolase catalyzes hydrolysis of the pesticide in an organic-organic two-phase system. The enzyme is retained in one of the phases by encapsulation in reversed micelles, while the other phase is under a continuous flow. This liquid-liquid plug-flow reactor does not leach enzyme because the enzyme is not soluble in the flowing organic phase that contains the paraoxon.

Refined crystal structures of "aged" and "non-aged" organophosphoryl conjugates of gamma-chymotrypsin

"Aged" organophosphoryl conjugates of serine hydrolases differ from the corresponding "non-aged" conjugates in their striking resistance to nucleophilic reactivation. The refined X-ray structures of "aged" and "non-aged" organophosphoryl conjugates of gamma-chymotrypsin were compared in order to understand the molecular basis for this resistance of "aged" conjugates. "Aged" and "non-aged" crystalline organophosphoryl-gamma-chymotrypsin conjugates were obtained by prolonged soaking of native gamma-chymotrypsin crystals with appropriate organophosphates. Thus, a representative "non-aged" conjugate, diethylphosphoryl-gamma-chymotrypsin, was obtained by soaking native crystals with paraoxon (diethyl-p-nitrophenyl phosphate), and a closely related "aged" conjugate, monoisopropyl-gamma-chymotrypsin, was obtained by soaking with diisopropylphosphorofluoridate. In both crystalline conjugates, the refined structures clearly reveal a high occupancy of the active site by the appropriate organophosphoryl moiety within covalent bonding distance of Ser195 O gamma. Whereas in the "non-aged" conjugate both ethyl groups can be visualized clearly, in the putative "aged" conjugate, as expected, only one isopropyl group is present. There is virtually no difference between the "aged" and "non-aged" conjugates either with respect to the conformation of the polypeptide backbone as a whole or with respect to the positioning of the side-chains within the active site. In the "aged" conjugate, however, close proximity (2.6 A) of the negatively charged phosphate oxygen atom of the dealkylated organophosphoryl group to His57 N epsilon 2 indicates the presence of a salt bridge between these two moieties. In contrast, in the "non-aged" conjugate the DEP moiety retains its two alkyl groups; thus, lacking a negative oxygen atom, it does not enter into such a charge-charge interaction and its nearest oxygen atom is 3.6 A away from His57 N epsilon 2. It is suggested that steric constraints imposed by the salt bridge in the "aged" conjugate lie at the basis of its resistance to reactivation.

Detoxification of organophosphate pesticides using a nylon based immobilized phosphotriesterase from Pseudomonas diminuta

A partially purified phophotriesterase was successfully immobilized onto nylon 6 and 66 membranes, nylon 11 powder, and nylon tubing. Up to 9000 U of enzyme activity was immobilized onto 2000 cm2 of a nylon 6 membrane where 1 U is the amount of enzyme necessary to catalyze the hydrolysis of 1.0 mumol of paraoxon/min at 25 degrees C. The nylon 66 membrane-bound phosphotriesterase was characterized kinetically where the apparent Km value for the immobilized enzyme was 0.35 mM. This is 5-6 times higher than that observed for the soluble enzyme. However, nylon immobilization limited the maximum rate of paraoxon hydrolysis to less than 10% of the value measured for the soluble enzyme. The addition of the cosolvent, methanol, resulted in an increase in the apparent Km value for paraoxon hydrolysis but concentrations up to 40% had no negative effect on the catalytic effectiveness with the soluble or immobilized phosphotriesterase. Based on the kinetic analysis, methanol appears to be a competitive inhibitor for both forms of enzyme. The nylon powder immobilized enzyme was shown to be stable for at least 20 mo. The immobilization of the phosphotriesterase onto nylon provides a practical method for the detoxification of organophosphate pesticides.