Occurrence of cis- and trans-3-hydroxy-L-proline in acid hydrolyzate of telomycin

Hydroxyproline in animal metabolism, nutrition, and cell signaling

trans-4-Hydroxy-L-proline is highly abundant in collagen (accounting for about one-third of body proteins in humans and other animals). This imino acid (loosely called amino acid) and its minor analogue trans-3-hydroxy-L-proline in their ratio of approximately 100:1 are formed from the post-translational hydroxylation of proteins (primarily collagen and, to a much lesser extent, non-collagen proteins). Besides their structural and physiological significance in the connective tissue, both trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline and trans-3-hydroxy-L-proline can scavenge reactive oxygen species and have both structural and physiological significance in animals. The formation of trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline residues in protein kinases B and DYRK1A, eukaryotic elongation factor 2 activity, and hypoxia-inducible transcription factor plays an important role in regulating their phosphorylation and catalytic activation as well as cell signaling in animal cells. These biochemical events contribute to the modulation of cell metabolism, growth, development, responses to nutritional and physiological changes (e.g., dietary protein intake and hypoxia), and survival. Milk, meat, skin hydrolysates, and blood, as well as whole-body collagen degradation provide a large amount of trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline. In animals, most (nearly 90%) of the collagen-derived trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline is catabolized to glycine via the trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline oxidase pathway, and trans-3-hydroxy-L-proline is degraded via the trans-3-hydroxy-L-proline dehydratase pathway to ornithine and glutamate, thereby conserving dietary and endogenously synthesized proline and arginine. Supplementing trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline or its small peptides to plant-based diets can alleviate oxidative stress, while increasing collagen synthesis and accretion in the body. New knowledge of hydroxyproline biochemistry and nutrition aids in improving the growth, health and well-being of humans and other animals.

Characterization of novel 2-oxoglutarate dependent dioxygenases converting L-proline to cis-4-hydroxy-l-proline

Hydroxyprolines are valuable chiral building blocks for organic synthesis of pharmaceuticals. Several microorganisms producing L-proline trans-4- and cis-3-hydroxylase were discovered and these enzymes were applied to the industrial production of trans-4- and cis-3-hydroxy-L-proline, respectively. Meanwhile, other hydroxyproline isomers, cis-4- and trans-3-hydroxy-L-proline, were not easily available because the corresponding hydroxylase have not been discovered. Herein we report novel L-proline cis-4-hydroxylases converting free L-proline to cis-4-hydroxy-L-proline. Two genes encoding uncharacterized proteins from Mesorhizobium loti and Sinorhizobium meliloti were cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli, respectively. The functions of purified proteins were investigated in detail, and consequently we detected L-proline cis-4-hydroxylase activity in both proteins. Likewise L-proline trans-4-, cis-3-hydroxylase and prolyl hydroxylase, these enzymes belonged to a 2-oxoglutarate dependent dioxygenase family and required a non-heme ferrous ion. Although their reaction mechanisms were similar to other hydroxylases, the amino acid sequence homology was not observed (less than 40%).

FixJ-regulated genes evolved through promoter duplication in Sinorhizobium meliloti

The FixLJ two-component system ofSinorhizobium melilotiis a global regulator, turning on nitrogen-fixation genes in microaerobiosis. Up to now,nifAandfixKwere the only genes known to be directly regulated by FixJ. We used a genomic SELEX approach in order to isolate new FixJ targets in the genome. This led to the identification of 22 FixJ binding sites, including the known sites in thefixK1andfixK2promoters. FixJ binding sites are unevenly distributed among the three replicons constituting theS. melilotigenome: a majority are carried either by pSymA or by a short chromosomal region of non-chromosomal origin. Thus FixJ binding sites appear to be preferentially associated with the pSymA replicon, which carries thefixJgene. Functional analysis of FixJ targets led to the discovery of two new FixJ-regulated genes,smc03253andproB2. This FixJ-dependent regulation appears to be mediated by a duplication of the wholefixKpromoter region, including the beginning of thefixKgene. Similar duplications were previously reported for thenifHpromoter. By systematic comparison of all promoter regions we found 17 such duplications throughout the genome, indicating that promoter duplication is a common mechanism for the evolution of regulatory pathways inS. meliloti.

Synthesis of mono- and di-hydroxylated prolines and 2-hydroxymethylpyrrolidines from non-carbohydrate precursors

Natural and synthetic imino sugars are biologically important as glycosidase inhibitors. This review includes selected syntheses of 3-hydroxyproline, 4-hydroxyproline, 3,4-dihydroxyproline, 2-hydroxymethyl-3-hydroxypyrrolidine and 2-hydroxymethyl-pyrrolidine-3,4-diol, which exhibit glycosidase inhibitory and various other biological activities.

Microbial proline 4-hydroxylase screening and gene cloning

Microbial proline 4-hydroxylases, which hydroxylate free L-proline to trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline, were screened in order to establish an industrial system for biotransformation of L-proline to trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline. Enzyme activities were detected in eight strains, including strains of Dactylosporangium spp. and Amycolatopsis spp. The Dactylosporangium sp. strain RH1 enzyme was partially purified 3,300-fold and was estimated to be a monomer polypeptide with an apparent molecular mass of 31 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Degenerate primers based on the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 31-kDa polypeptide were synthesized in order to amplify the corresponding 71-bp DNA fragment. A 5.5-kbp DNA fragment was isolated by using the 71-bp fragment labeled with digoxigenin as a probe for a genomic library of Dactylosporangium sp. strain RH1 constructed in Escherichia coli. One of the open reading frames found in the cloned DNA, which encoded a 272-amino-acid polypeptide (molecular mass, 29, 715 daltons), was thought to be a proline 4-hydroxylase gene. The gene was expressed in E. coli as a fused protein with the N-terminal 34 amino acids of the beta-galactosidase alpha-fragment. The E. coli recombinant exhibited proline 4-hydroxylase activity that was 13. 6-fold higher than the activity in the original strain, Dactylosporangium sp. strain RH1. No homology was detected with other 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases when databases were searched; however, the histidine motif conserved in 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases was found in the gene.

Detection of Novel Proline 3-Hydroxylase Activities in Streptomyces and Bacillus spp. by Regio- and Stereospecific Hydroxylation of l-Proline

During the screening of microbial proline hydroxylases, novel proline 3-hydroxylase activities, which hydroxylate free l-proline to free cis-3-hydroxy-l-proline, were detected in whole cells of Streptomyces sp. strain TH1 and Bacillus sp. strains TH2 and TH3 from 3,000 strains isolated from soil. The reaction product was purified from a reaction mixture of Streptomyces sp. strain TH1, and its chemical structure was identified as cis-3-hydroxy-l-proline by instrumental analyses. Proline 3-hydroxylase activity was also detected in Streptomyces canus ATCC 12647 which produces the 3-hydroxyproline-containing peptide antibiotic telomycin. Bacillus sp. strains TH2 and TH3 were found to accumulate cis-3-hydroxy-l-proline in culture media at 426 and 352 (mu)M, respectively. It was suggested that hydroxylation occurred in a highly regio- and stereospecific manner at position 3 of l-proline because no hydroxylation product other than cis-3-hydroxy-l-proline was observed. Proline 3-hydroxylases of these strains were first characterized on crude enzyme preparations. Since 2-oxoglutarate and ferrous ion were required for hydroxylation of l-proline, these 3-hydroxylases were thought to belong to a family of 2-oxoglutarate-related dioxygenases. The reaction was inhibited by Co(sup2+), Zn(sup2+), and Cu(sup2+). l-Ascorbic acid accelerated the reaction. The optimum pH and temperature were 7.5 and 35(deg)C, respectively.

Gas chromatography of amino acids

This review summarizes all papers that have appeared on the gas chromatography of amino acids (including the iodoamino acids) and their enantiomers in the period 1956-mid-1974. It has been found that the methods used for analysis of amino acids can be divided into three classes: (1) degradative procedures and techniques for converting the amino acid into another chemical compound; (2) procedures based on esterification of the carboxyl group and derivatization of the a-amino and other reactive groups in at least two steps; and (3) procedures based on a simultaneous derivatization of the carboxyl and a-amino groups in one reaction medium. For the treatment of the amino acid or its alkyl ester, three approaches can be distinguished for the two latter cases, i.e., acylation, alkylation (including silylation) and condensation. Of the procedures used for the resolution of optical antipodes, two methods are discussed, namely analysis of diastereoisomers on optically inactive stationary phases and separation of enantiomers on optically active stationary phases.