Cellobiose dehydrogenase

Exploring class III cellobiose dehydrogenase: sequence analysis and optimized recombinant expression

BACKGROUND

Cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) is an extracellular fungal oxidoreductase with multiple functions in plant biomass degradation. Its primary function as an auxiliary enzyme of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) facilitates the efficient depolymerization of cellulose, hemicelluloses and other carbohydrate-based polymers. The synergistic action of CDH and LPMO that supports biomass-degrading hydrolases holds significant promise to harness renewable resources for the production of biofuels, chemicals, and modified materials in an environmentally sustainable manner. While previous phylogenetic analyses have identified four distinct classes of CDHs, only class I and II have been biochemically characterized so far.

RESULTS

Following a comprehensive database search aimed at identifying CDH sequences belonging to the so far uncharacterized class III for subsequent expression and biochemical characterization, we have curated an extensive compilation of putative CDH amino acid sequences. A sequence similarity network analysis was used to cluster them into the four distinct CDH classes. A total of 1237 sequences encoding putative class III CDHs were extracted from the network and used for phylogenetic analyses. The obtained phylogenetic tree was used to guide the selection of 11 cdhIII genes for recombinant expression in Komagataella phaffii. A small-scale expression screening procedure identified a promising cdhIII gene originating from the plant pathogen Fusarium solani (FsCDH), which was selected for expression optimization by signal peptide shuffling and subsequent production in a 5-L bioreactor. The purified FsCDH exhibits a UV-Vis spectrum and enzymatic activity similar to other characterized CDH classes.

CONCLUSION

The successful production and functional characterization of FsCDH proved that class III CDHs are catalytical active enzymes resembling the key properties of class I and class II CDHs. A detailed biochemical characterization based on the established expression and purification strategy can provide new insights into the evolutionary process shaping CDHs and leading to their differentiation into the four distinct classes. The findings have the potential to broaden our understanding of the biocatalytic application of CDH and LPMO for the oxidative depolymerization of polysaccharides.

Discovery of a Novel Cellobiose Dehydrogenase from Cellulomonas palmilytica EW123 and Its Sugar Acids Production

Cellobiose dehydrogenases (CDHs) are a group of enzymes belonging to the hemoflavoenzyme group, which are mostly found in fungi. They play an important role in the production of acid sugar. In this research, CDH annotated from the actinobacterium Cellulomonas palmilytica EW123 (CpCDH) was cloned and characterized. The CpCDH exhibited a domain architecture resembling class-I CDH found in Basidiomycota. The cytochrome c and flavin-containing dehydrogenase domains in CpCDH showed an extra-long evolutionary distance compared to fungal CDH. The amino acid sequence of CpCDH revealed conservative catalytic amino acids and a distinct flavin adenine dinucleotide region specific to CDH, setting it apart from closely related sequences. The physicochemical properties of CpCDH displayed optimal pH conditions similar to those of CDHs but differed in terms of optimal temperature. The CpCDH displayed excellent enzymatic activity at low temperatures (below 30°C), unlike other CDHs. Moreover, CpCDH showed the highest substrate specificity for disaccharides such as cellobiose and lactose, which contain a glucose molecule at the non-reducing end. The catalytic efficiency of CpCDH for cellobiose and lactose were 2.05 x 105 and 9.06 x 104 (M-1 s-1), respectively. The result from the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra confirmed the presence of cellobionic and lactobionic acids as the oxidative products of CpCDH. This study establishes CpCDH as a novel and attractive bacterial CDH, representing the first report of its kind in the Cellulomonas genus.

Amino Acid Residues Controlling Domain Interaction and Interdomain Electron Transfer in Cellobiose Dehydrogenase

The function of cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) in biosensors, biofuel cells, and as a physiological redox partner of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) is based on its role as an electron donor. Before donating electrons to LPMO or electrodes, an interdomain electron transfer from the catalytic FAD-containing dehydrogenase domain to the electron shuttling cytochrome domain of CDH is required. This study investigates the role of two crucial amino acids located at the dehydrogenase domain on domain interaction and interdomain electron transfer by structure-based engineering. The electron transfer kinetics of wild-type Myriococcum thermophilum CDH and its variants M309A, R698S, and M309A/R698S were analyzed by stopped-flow spectrophotometry and structural effects were studied by small-angle X-ray scattering. The data show that R698 is essential to pull the cytochrome domain close to the dehydrogenase domain and orient the heme propionate group towards the FAD, while M309 is an integral part of the electron transfer pathway - its mutation reducing the interdomain electron transfer 10-fold. Structural models and molecular dynamics simulations pinpoint the action of these two residues on the domain interaction and interdomain electron transfer.

Resolving domain positions of cellobiose dehydrogenase by small angle X-ray scattering

The interdomain electron transfer (IET) between the catalytic flavodehydrogenase domain and the electron-transferring cytochrome domain of cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) plays an essential role in biocatalysis, biosensors and biofuel cells, as well as in its natural function as an auxiliary enzyme of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase. We investigated the mobility of the cytochrome and dehydrogenase domains of CDH, which is hypothesised to limit IET in solution by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). CDH from Myriococcum thermophilum (syn. Crassicarpon hotsonii, syn. Thermothelomyces myriococcoides) was probed by SAXS to study the CDH mobility at different pH and in the presence of divalent cations. By comparison of the experimental SAXS data, using pair-distance distribution functions and Kratky plots, we show an increase in CDH mobility at higher pH, indicating alterations of domain mobility. To further visualise CDH movement in solution, we performed SAXS-based multistate modelling. Glycan structures present on CDH partially masked the resulting SAXS shapes, we diminished these effects by deglycosylation and studied the effect of glycoforms by modelling. The modelling shows that with increasing pH, the cytochrome domain adopts a more flexible state with significant separation from the dehydrogenase domain. On the contrary, the presence of calcium ions decreases the mobility of the cytochrome domain. Experimental SAXS data, multistate modelling and previously reported kinetic data show how pH and divalent ions impact the closed state necessary for the IET governed by the movement of the CDH cytochrome domain.

Chitosan as a Promising Support of a CDH Activity Preservation System for Biomedical and Industrial Applications

Cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) is an extracellular hemoflavoprotein catalyzing the oxidation reaction of β-1,4-glycosidic-bonded sugars (lactose or cellobiose), which results in the formation of aldobionic acids and hydrogen peroxide as a byproduct. The biotechnological application of CDH requires the immobilization of the enzyme on a suitable support. As a carrier of natural origin used for CDH immobilization, chitosan seems to increase the catalytic potential of the enzyme, especially for applications as packaging in the food industry and as a dressing material in medical applications. The present study aimed to immobilize the enzyme on chitosan beads and determine the physicochemical and biological properties of immobilized CDHs obtained from different fungal sources. The chitosan beads with immobilized CDHs were characterized in terms of their FTIR spectra or SEM microstructure. The most effective method of immobilization in the proposed modification was the covalent bonding of enzyme molecules using glutaraldehyde, resulting in efficiencies ranging from 28 to 99%. Very promising results, compared to free CDH, were obtained in the case of antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic properties. Summarizing the obtained data, chitosan seems to be a valuable material for the development of innovative and effective immobilization systems for biomedical applications or food packaging, preserving the unique properties of CDH.

Sugar oxidoreductases and LPMOs - two sides of the same polysaccharide degradation story?

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) catalyze the oxidative cleavage of glycosidic bonds in recalcitrant polysaccharides such as chitin and cellulose and their discovery has revolutionized our understanding of enzymatic biomass conversion. The discovery of LPMOs raises interesting new questions regarding the roles of other oxidoreductases and abiotic redox processes in biomass conversion. LPMOs need reducing power and an oxygen co-substrate and biomass degrading ecosystems contain a multitude of redox enzymes that affect the availability of both. For example, biomass degrading fungi produce multiple sugar oxidoreductases whose biological functions so far have remained somewhat enigmatic. It is now conceivable that these redox enzymes, in particular H2O2-producing sugar oxidases, could play a role in fueling and controlling LPMO reactions. Here, we shortly review contemporary issues in the LPMO field, paying particular attention to the possible roles of sugar oxidoreductases.

Phylogeny and Structure of Fatty Acid Photodecarboxylases and Glucose-Methanol-Choline Oxidoreductases

Glucose-methanol-choline (GMC) oxidoreductases are a large and diverse family of flavin-binding enzymes found in all kingdoms of life. Recently, a new related family of proteins has been discovered in algae named fatty acid photodecarboxylases (FAPs). These enzymes use the energy of light to convert fatty acids to the corresponding Cn-1 alkanes or alkenes, and hold great potential for biotechnological application. In this work, we aimed at uncovering the natural diversity of FAPs and their relations with other GMC oxidoreductases. We reviewed the available GMC structures, assembled a large dataset of GMC sequences, and found that one active site amino acid, a histidine, is extremely well conserved among the GMC proteins but not among FAPs, where it is replaced with alanine. Using this criterion, we found several new potential FAP genes, both in genomic and metagenomic databases, and showed that related bacterial, archaeal and fungal genes are unlikely to be FAPs. We also identified several uncharacterized clusters of GMC-like proteins as well as subfamilies of proteins that lack the conserved histidine but are not FAPs. Finally, the analysis of the collected dataset of potential photodecarboxylase sequences revealed the key active site residues that are strictly conserved, whereas other residues in the vicinity of the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor and in the fatty acid-binding pocket are more variable. The identified variants may have different FAP activity and selectivity and consequently may prove useful for new biotechnological applications, thereby fostering the transition from a fossil carbon-based economy to a bio-economy by enabling the sustainable production of hydrocarbon fuels.