Production of l -Phenylalanine from trans -Cinnamic Acid with Rhodotorula glutinis Containing l -Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase Activity

The solvent-tolerant Pseudomonas putida S12 as host for the production of cinnamic acid from glucose

A Pseudomonas putida S12 strain was constructed that efficiently produced the fine chemical cinnamic acid from glucose or glycerol via the central metabolite phenylalanine. The gene encoding phenylalanine ammonia lyase from the yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides was introduced. Phenylalanine availability was the main bottleneck in cinnamic acid production, which could not be overcome by the overexpressing enzymes of the phenylalanine biosynthesis pathway. A successful approach in abolishing this limitation was the generation of a bank of random mutants and selection on the toxic phenylalanine anti-metabolite m-fluoro-phenylalanine. Following high-throughput screening, a mutant strain was obtained that, under optimised culture conditions, accumulated over 5 mM of cinnamic acid with a yield (Cmol%) of 6.7%.

Structural basis for the entrance into the phenylpropanoid metabolism catalyzed by phenylalanine ammonia-lyase

Because of its key role in secondary phenylpropanoid metabolism, Phe ammonia-lyase is one of the most extensively studied plant enzymes. To provide a basis for detailed structure-function studies, the enzyme from parsley (Petroselinum crispum) was crystallized, and the structure was elucidated at 1.7-A resolution. It contains the unusual electrophilic 4-methylidene-imidazole-5-one group, which is derived from a tripeptide segment in two autocatalytic dehydration reactions. The enzyme resembles His ammonia-lyase from the general His degradation pathway but contains 207 additional residues, mainly in an N-terminal extension rigidifying a domain interface and in an inserted alpha-helical domain restricting the access to the active center. Presumably, Phe ammonia-lyase developed from His ammonia-lyase when fungi and plants diverged from the other kingdoms. A pathway of the catalyzed reaction is proposed in agreement with established biochemical data. The inactivation of the enzyme by a nucleophile is described in detail.

Reconstitution of the entry point of plant phenylpropanoid metabolism in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae): implications for control of metabolic flux into the phenylpropanoid pathway

Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H), and the C4H redox partner cytochrome p450 reductase (CPR) are important in allocating significant amounts of carbon from phenylalanine into phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in plants. It has been proposed that multienzyme complexes (MECs) containing PAL and C4H are functionally important at this entry point into phenylpropanoid metabolism. To evaluate the MEC model, two poplar PAL isoforms presumed to be involved in either flavonoid (PAL2) or in lignin biosynthesis (PAL4) were independently expressed together with C4H and CPR in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, creating two yeast strains expressing either PAL2, C4H and CPR or PAL4, C4H and CPR. When [(3)H]Phe was fed, the majority of metabolized [(3)H]Phe was incorporated into p-[(3)H]coumarate, and Phe metabolism was highly reduced by inhibiting C4H activity. PAL alone expressers metabolized very little phenylalanine into cinnamic acid. To test for intermediate channeling between PAL and C4H, we fed [(3)H]Phe and [(14)C]cinnamate simultaneously to the triple expressers, but found no evidence for channeling of the endogenously synthesized [(3)H]cinnamate into p-coumarate. Therefore, efficient carbon flux from Phe to p-coumarate via reactions catalyzed by PAL and C4H does not appear to require channeling through a MEC in yeast, and instead biochemical coupling of PAL and C4H is sufficient to drive carbon flux into the phenylpropanoid pathway. This may be the primary mechanism by which carbon allocation into phenylpropanoid metabolism is controlled in plants.

Methylidene-imidazolone: a novel electrophile for substrate activation

The recent three-dimensional structure of histidine ammonia-lyase revealed that the enzyme contains a 3,5-dihydro-5-methylidene-4H-imidazol-4-one (MIO) ring, which forms autocatalytically from an Ala-Ser143-Gly triad. This novel prosthetic group, which is also present in phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, activates substrates by electrophilic interaction. Modern analytical methods, theoretical calculations and molecular biology tools have given further insight into the mode of action of MIO.

Novel photoreactive cinnamic acid analogues to elucidate phenylalanine ammonia-lyase

4-[3-(Trifluoromethyl) diazirinyl] cinnamic acid derivatives were synthesized to elucidate properties of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL). 2-Methoxy and 2-biotinylated alkoxy compounds have inhibitory activity on the formation of phenylalanine from cinnamic acid. Specific photolabeling of the enzyme was detected using biotinylated derivatives without the use of radioisotopes. The results indicated that the 4-[3-(trifluoromethyl) diazirinyl] skeleton will be a suitable photoreactive compound to elucidate regulation of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis.

A novel ortho-dehalogenation reaction of 2-chlorocinnamic acid catalyzed by the pink yeast Rhodotorula rubra Y-1529

In the present study, a resting cells suspension of Rhodotorula rubra Y-1529 was shown to have the capacity to perform an ortho-dehalogenation reaction on 2-chlorocinnamic acid. The results from the biodegradation of U-[14C]benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, 3-chlorocinnamic acid and 4-chlorocinnamic acid suggest that the first step of the ortho-dehalogenation reaction occurred during the oxidation of the unsaturated C3 side chain of 2-chlorocinnamic acid to 2-chlorobenzoic acid. None of the 2-chlorobenzoic acid was found in the biodegradation system, suggesting that this step was a highly regulated step. After the side-chain oxidation reaction, the hydroxylation of the benzene ring was determined to be at the para-position first, followed by the meta-position. The occurrence of 3:4-position ring fission reactions and the production of the final product, CO2, was proven by the biodegradation of U-[14C] benzoic acid. This oxidative dehalogenation reaction catalyzed by R. rubra was found to be regiospecific for 2-chlorocinnamic acid; the chloride ion was probably removed after the ring fission reaction. A pathway of the ortho-dehalogenation reaction of 2-chlorocinnamic acid catalyzed by R. rubra was proposed based on these data.

Structural and catalytic properties of the four phenylalanine ammonia-lyase isoenzymes from parsley (Petroselinum crispum Nym.)

Near-full-length cDNAs for the four phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) isoenzymes in parsley (Petroselium crispum Nym.) were cloned and the complete amino acid sequences deduced. Fusion proteins with glutathione S-transferase were expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and cleaved. All of the resulting phenylalanine ammonia-lyase proteins, as well as the fusion proteins, were catalytically active. The turnover number of one selected isoenzyme, PAL-1, was estimated to be around 22 s-1 for each active site. In contrast to a certain degree of differential expression in various parts of parsley plants, the four phenylalanine ammonia-lyase isoenzymes exhibited very similar apparent Km values for L-phenylalanine (15-24.5 microM) as well as identical temperature (58 degrees C) and pH (8.5) optima. All of them were competitively inhibited by (E)-cinnamate with similar efficiency (Ki values: 9.1-21.5 microM), lacked cooperative behaviour, and accepted L-tyrosine as a substrate with low affinity (Km values: 2.6-7.8 mM). These results suggest that the occurrence of multiple gene copies has a function other than encoding isoenzymes with different enzyme kinetic properties.

Immobilization of aminoacylase in polyethyleneimine stabilized calcium alginate beads for L-phenylalanine production

Aminoacylase I (E.C.3.5.1.14) was immobilized by entrapment in calcium alginate beads coated with polyethyleneimine for the production of L-phenylalanine by the hydrolysis of a racemic mixture of N-acetyl-DL-phenylalanine. The operational stability in terms of batch operation and continuous reaction in packed-bed bioreactor were studied. Kinetic constants, Km and Vmax values of free and immobilized enzymes were studied. Polyethyleneimine treatment was found to enhance the operational stability of the enzyme though its activity was substantially reduced. When polyethyleneimine-coated calcium alginate beads were packed into packed bed bioreactor, it was stable for at least 25 days under continuous operation without appreciable loss of activity.

Strain Improvement of Rhodotorula graminis for Production of a Novel l -Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase

l -Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL; EC 4.3.1.5) from Rhodotorula rubra has been used in the commercial manufacture of l -phenylalanine from trans -cinnamic acid. In this study, R. graminis PAL was investigated. Mutant strain GX6000 was isolated after ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis of wild-type R. graminis GX5007 by selecting for resistance to phenylpropiolic acid, an analog of trans -cinnamic acid. Mutant strain GX6000 produced inducible PAL at levels four- to fivefold higher than had wild-type R. graminis. Furthermore, this strain had several other physiological traits that make it more commercially useful than R. rubra. For example, during fermentation, the PAL half-life was three- to fivefold longer, PAL specific activity was six to seven times higher, and PAL synthesis was significantly less inhibited by temperatures above 30°C. Induction of PAL in strain GX6000 appeared to be less tightly regulated; l -leucine acted synergistically with l -phenylalanine, the physiological inducer, to increase the PAL specific activity and titer to 165 U/g (dry weight) and 3,000 U/liter, respectively, a 40% increase over the effect of l -phenylalanine alone. Strain GX6000 PAL showed significantly greater stability in bioreactors for the synthesis of l -phenylalanine, a finding that is consistent with the stability properties observed during fermentation.

Complete nucleotide sequence of the Rhodosporidium toruloides gene coding for phenylalanine ammonia-lyase

The complete nucleotide sequence of the Rhodosporidium toruloides gene coding for the enzyme phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) has been determined. The primary structure of PAL was deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the two cDNA clones, pPAL1 and pPAL2, which covered the entire amino acid-coding sequence. Comparison of cDNA and genomic sequences of pal revealed the presence of six introns. The nucleotide sequences of these introns were compared to those from other fungi. The primary amino acid sequence of the enzyme exhibits only 30.8% identity with the determined primary sequence of PAL from Phaseolus vulgaris. Upstream from the structural gene there is a stretch of C + T-rich DNA similar to that found upstream from a number of Neurospora and Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes. In the case of S. cerevisiae, these C + T-rich sequences are thought to be involved in the transcription of highly expressed genes.

Production of l -Phenylalanine from Starch by Analog-Resistant Mutants of Bacillus polymyxa

p -Fluorophenylalanine-resistant mutants of starch-degrading Bacillus polymyxa ATCC 842, generated by ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis followed by incubation with caffeine, overproduced small amounts of l -phenylalanine ( l -phe) from starch. A β-2-thienylalanine-resistant mutant (BT R -7) derived from p -fluorophenylalanine mutant (C-4000 FP R -4) and resistant to both p -fluorophenylalanine and β-2-thienylalanine produced 0.5 g of l -phe and 0.15 g of l -tyrosine per liter from 10 g of starch per liter when growing in a minimal medium. trans -Cinnamic acid (CA) was also excreted by both mutants, indicating the possibility of l -phenylalanine ammonia-lyase-induced deamination of l -phe to CA. The amount of l -phe-derived CA detected in BT R -7 was less compared with mutant C-4000 FP R -4. CA production was induced in the parent only when l -phe was used as a sole nitrogen source. Time of CA production in the two mutants could be delayed by addition of other nitrogen sources, an indication of possible l -phenylalanine ammonia-lyase inhibition or repression. The presence of l -phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in B. polymyxa mutant C-4000 FP R -4 was confirmed by assays of cell-free extracts from cells grown in starch minimal medium containing l -phe as the sole nitrogen source. Preliminary studies of the regulation of deoxy- d -arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase and prephenate dehydratase in the wild-type strain showed that deoxy- d -arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase was subject to feedback inhibition by l -phe, l -tyrosine, and l -tryptophan. Inhibition by each amino acid was to a similar extent singly or in combination at a 0.5 mM level of each amino acid. Prephenate dehydratase was feedback inhibited by l -phe, but not by l -tyrosine or l -tryptophan or both. In the double analog-resistant mutant BT R -7, deoxy- d -arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase had specific activity similar to that in the wild type, and the enzyme was still subject to feedback inhibition. However, prephenate dehydratase had increased specific activity and it was also insensitive to feedback inhibition by l -phe. The overproduction of aromatic amino acids by BT R -7 was thought to be due, at least in part, to deregulation of feedback inhibition of prephenate dehydratase. Chorismate mutase was not subject to feedback inhibition in the wild type and was unaffected in the mutant.

In vivo synthesis of histidine by a cloned histidine ammonia-lyase in Escherichia coli

Histidine ammonia-lyase catalyzes the first step in histidine catabolism, the deamination of histidine to urocanate and ammonia. In vitro experiments have shown that histidine ammonia-lyase also can catalyze the reverse (amination) reaction, histidine synthesis, relatively efficiently under extreme reaction conditions (4 M NH4OH, pH 10). An Escherichia coli hisB deletion strain was transformed with a pBR322 derivative plasmid (pCB101) containing the entire Klebsiella aerogenes histidine utilization (hut) operon to determine whether the catabolic histidine ammonia-lyase could function biosynthetically in vivo to satisfy the histidine auxotrophy. Although the initial construct did not grow on media containing urocanate and ammonia as a source of histidine, spontaneous mutants possessing this ability were isolated. Four mutants characterized grew at doubling times of 4 h compared with 1 h when histidine was present, suggesting that histidine synthesis, although unequivocally present, remained growth limiting. Each mutant contained a plasmid-encoded mutation which eliminated urocanase activity, the second enzyme in the Hut catabolic pathway. This genetic block led to the accumulation of high intracellular levels of urocanate, which was subsequently converted to histidine via histidine ammonia-lyase, thus satisfying the histidine auxotrophic requirement.

Molecular cloning of the phenylalanine ammonia lyase gene from Rhodosporidium toruloides in Escherichia coli K-12

A genomic library of Rhodosporidium toruloides DNA was constructed in bacteriophage lambda 1059. Recombinant phage containing phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) gene sequences were identified by using 32P-labeled cDNA to partially purified PAL mRNA. The PAL gene was subcloned on an 8.5-kilobase PstI DNA restriction fragment into pUC8 to generate the recombinant plasmid pHG2. A restriction map of the PAL gene, together with its flanking regions, was constructed. Northern hybridization analysis of R. toruloides RNA with a restriction fragment encoding part of the PAL gene indicates that PAL mRNA is 2.5 kilobases in length. A single-stranded DNA hybridization probe was constructed and used to quantitate PAL mRNA levels in R. toruloides grown under different physiological conditions. PAL mRNA levels paralleled changes in functional PAL mRNA and antigen. These data are consistent with control of PAL expression being at the level of transcription.

Regulation of phenylalanine biosynthesis in Rhodotorula glutinis

The phenylalanine biosynthetic pathway in the yeast Rhodotorula glutinis was examined, and the following results were obtained. (i) 3-Deoxy-D-arabinoheptulosonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase in crude extracts was partially inhibited by tyrosine, tryptophan, or phenylalanine. In the presence of all three aromatic amino acids an additive pattern of enzyme inhibition was observed, suggesting the existence of three differentially regulated species of DAHP synthase. Two distinctly regulated isozymes inhibited by tyrosine or tryptophan and designated DAHP synthase-Tyr and DAHP synthase-Trp, respectively, were resolved by DEAE-Sephacel chromatography, along with a third labile activity inhibited by phenylalanine tentatively identified as DAHP synthase-Phe. The tyrosine and tryptophan isozymes were relatively stable and were inhibited 80 and 90% by 50 microM of the respective amino acids. DAHP synthase-Phe, however, proved to be an extremely labile activity, thereby preventing any detailed regulatory studies on the partially purified enzyme. (ii) Two species of chorismate mutase, designated CMI and CMII, were resolved in the same chromatographic step. The activity of CMI was inhibited by tyrosine and stimulated by tryptophan, whereas CMII appeared to be unregulated. (iii) Single species of prephenate dehydratase and phenylpyruvate aminotransferase were observed. Interestingly, the branch-point enzyme prephenate dehydratase was not inhibited by phenylalanine or affected by tyrosine, tryptophan, or both. (iv) The only site for control of phenylalanine biosynthesis appeared to be DAHP synthase-Phe. This is apparently sufficient since a spontaneous mutant, designated FP9, resistant to the growth-inhibitory phenylalanine analog p-fluorophenylalanine contained a feedback-resistant DAHP synthase-Phe and cross-fed a phenylalanine auxotroph of Bacillus subtilis.