Homology modeling of the structure of tobacco acetohydroxy acid synthase and examination of the active site by site-directed mutagenesis

Identification and characterization of an autolysin gene, atlA, from Streptococcus criceti

AtlA of Streptococcus mutans is a major autolysin and belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 25 with cellosyl of Streptomyces coelicolor. The autolysin gene (atlA) encoding AtlA was identified from S. criceti. AtlA of S. criceti comprises the signal sequence in the N-terminus, the putative cell-wall-binding domain in the middle, and the catalytic domain in the C-terminus. Homology modeling analysis of the catalytic domain of AtlA showed the resemblance of the spatial arrangement of five amino acids around the predicted catalytic cavity to that of cellosyl. Recombinant AtlA and its four point mutants, D655A, D747A, W831A, and D849A, were evaluated on zymogram of S. criceti cells. Lytic activity was destroyed in the mutants D655A and D747A and diminished in the mutants W831A and D849A. These results suggest that Asp655 and Asp747 residues are critical for lytic activity and Trp831 and Asp849 residues are also associated with enzymatic activity.

Construction of efficient and effective transformation vectors for palmitoyl-acyl carrier protein thioesterase gene silencing in oil palm

Palm oil obtained from E. guineensis Jacq. Tenera is known to have about 44% of palmitic acid (C16:0). Palmitoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Thioesterase (PATE) is one of the key enzymes involved in plastidial fatty acid biosynthesis; and it determines the level of the C16:0 assimilation in oilseeds. This enzyme's activity in oil palm is responsible for high (> 44 % in E. guineensis Jacq. Tenera and 25 % in E. oleifera) content of C16:0 in its oil. By post-transcriptional PATE gene silencing, C16:0 content can be minimized for nutritional value improvement of the palm oil. The objective of this study was the construction of novel transformation vectors for PATE gene silencing. Six different transformation vectors targeted against PATE gene were constructed using 619 bp long PATE gene (5' region) fragment (from GenBank AF507115). In one set of three transformation vectors, PATE gene fragment was fused with CaMV 35S promoter in antisense, intron-spliced inverted repeat (ISIR), and inverted repeat (IR) orientations to generate antisense mRNA and hair-pin RNAs (hpRNA). In another set of three transformation vectors with same design, CaMV 35S was replaced with Oil palm mesocarp tissue-specific promoter (MSP). The expression cassette of antisense, ISIR, and IR of PATE gene fragments were constructed in primary cloning vector, pHANNIBAL or its derivative/s. Finally, all 6 expression cassettes were sub-cloned into pCAMBIA 1301 which contains the Hygromycinr and the GUS reporter genes for transformant selection and transformation detection respectively. The results of the RE analyses of the constructs and sequence analyses of PATE and MSP shows and confirms the orientation, size and locations of all the components from constructs. We hypothesize that 4 (pISIRPATE-PC, pIRPATE-PC, pMISIRPATE-PC and pMIRPATE-PC) out of 6 transformation vectors constructed in this study will be efficient and effective in palmitoyl-ACP thioesterase gene silencing in oil palm.

ABBREVIATIONS

antiPATE - Antisense Palmitoyl-acyl carrier protein thioesterase, BCV - Binary cloning vector, cDNA - Complementary deoxyribonucleic acid, hpRNA - hair-pin RNA, ihpRNA - intron containing hair-pin RNA, IR - inverted repeat, ISIR - intron-spliced inverted repeat, MCS - Multiple cloning site, MSP - Oil palm mesocarp tissue-specific promoter, nt - Nucleotide/s, PATE - Palmitoyl-acyl carrier protein thioesterase, PCR - Polymerase chain reaction, PCV - Primary cloning vector, pDNA - Plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid, PTGS - Post-transcriptional gene silencing, RE - Restriction enzyme.

Structural and functional evaluation of three well-conserved serine residues in tobacco acetohydroxyacid synthase

The first step in the common pathway for the biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) is catalyzed by acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS). The roles of three well-conserved serine residues (S167, S506, and S539) in tobacco AHAS were determined using site-directed mutagenesis. The mutations S167F and S506F were found to be inactive and abolished the binding affinity for cofactor FAD. The Far-UV CD spectrum of the inactive mutants was similar to that of wild-type enzyme, indicating no major conformational changes in the secondary structure. However, the active mutants, S167R, S506A, S506R, S539A, S539F and S539R, showed lower specific activities. Further, a homology model of tobacco AHAS was generated based on the crystal structure of yeast AHAS. In the model, the S167 and S506 residues were identified near the FAD binding site, while the S539 residue was found to near the ThDP binding site. The S539 mutants, S539A and S539R, showed strong resistance to three classes of herbicides, NC-311 (a sulfonylurea), Cadre (an imidazolinone), and TP (a triazolopyrimidine). In contrast, the active S167 and S506 mutants did not show any significant resistance to the herbicides, with the exception of S506R, which showed strong resistance to all herbicides. Thus, our results suggest that the S167 and S506 residues are essential for catalytic activity by playing a role in the FAD binding site. The S539 residue was found to be near the ThDP with an essential role in the catalytic activity and specific mutants of this residue (S539A and S539R) showed strong herbicide resistance as well.

Cloning and characterization of phosphoglucose isomerase from Sphingomonas chungbukensis DJ77

Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) is involved in synthesizing extracellular polysaccharide (EPS). The gene encoding PGI in Sphingomonas chungbukensis DJ77 was cloned and expressed in E. coli, and the protein was characterized. The pgi gene from DJ77 is 1,503 nucleotides long with 62% GC content and the deduced amino acid sequence shows strong homology with PGIs from other sources. The molecular masses of PGI subunit and native form were estimated to be 50 kDa and 97 kDa, respectively. Four potentially important residues (H361, R245, E330 and K472) were identified by homology modeling. The mutations, H361A, R245A, E330A, R245K and E330D resulted in decrease in Vmax by hundreds fold, however no significant change in Km was observed. These data suggest that the three residues (H361, R245Aand E330) are likely located in the active site and the size as well as the spatial position of side chains of R245 and E330 are crucial for catalysis.

Acetohydroxyacid synthase and its role in the biosynthetic pathway for branched-chain amino acids

The branched-chain amino acids are synthesized by plants, fungi and microorganisms, but not by animals. Therefore, the enzymes of this pathway are potential target sites for the development of antifungal agents, antimicrobials and herbicides. Most research has focused upon the first enzyme in this biosynthetic pathway, acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) largely because it is the target site for many commercial herbicides. In this review we provide a brief overview of the important properties of each enzyme within the pathway and a detailed summary of the most recent AHAS research, against the perspective of work that has been carried out over the past 50 years.

Mechanisms of acetohydroxyacid synthases

Acetohydroxyacid synthases are thiamin diphosphate- (ThDP-) dependent biosynthetic enzymes found in all autotrophic organisms. Over the past 4-5 years, their mechanisms have been clarified and illuminated by protein crystallography, engineered mutagenesis and detailed single-step kinetic analysis. Pairs of catalytic subunits form an intimate dimer containing two active sites, each of which lies across a dimer interface and involves both monomers. The ThDP adducts of pyruvate, acetaldehyde and the product acetohydroxyacids can be detected quantitatively after rapid quenching. Determination of the distribution of intermediates by NMR then makes it possible to calculate individual forward unimolecular rate constants. The enzyme is the target of several herbicides and structures of inhibitor-enzyme complexes explain the herbicide-enzyme interaction.

Roles of three well-conserved arginine residues in mediating the catalytic activity of tobacco acetohydroxy acid synthase

Acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS, EC 2.2.1.6; also known as acetolactate synthase, ALS) catalyzes the first common step in the biosynthesis of valine, leucine, and isoleucine in plants and microorganisms. AHAS is the target of several classes of herbicides. In the present study, the role of three well-conserved arginine residues (R141, R372, and R376) in tobacco AHAS was determined by site-directed mutagenesis. The mutated enzymes, referred to as R141A, R141F, and R376F, were inactive and unable to bind to the cofactor, FAD. The inactive mutants had the same secondary structure as that of the wild type. The mutants R141K, R372F, and R376K exhibited much lower specific activities than the wild type, and moderate resistance to herbicides such as Londax, Cadre, and/or TP. The mutation R141K showed a strong reduction in activation efficiency by ThDP, while the mutations R372K and R376K showed a strong reductions in activation efficiency by FAD in comparison to the wild type enzyme. Taking into account the data presented here and the homology model constructed previously [Le et al. (2004) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 317, 930-938], it is suggested that the three amino acid residues studied (R141, R372, and R376) are located essentially at the enzyme active site, and, furthermore, that residues R372 and R376 are possibly responsible for the binding of the enzyme to FAD.

Two consecutive aspartic acid residues conferring herbicide resistance in tobacco acetohydroxy acid synthase

Acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) catalyzes the first common step in the biosynthesis pathway of the branch chain amino acids in plants and microorganisms. A great deal of interest has been focused on AHAS since it was identified as the target of several classes of potent herbicides. In an effort to produce a mutant usable in the development of an herbicide-resistant transgenic plant, two consecutive aspartic acid residues, which are very likely positioned next to the enzyme-bound herbicide sulfonylurea as the homologous residues in AHAS from yeast, were selected for this study. Four single-point mutants and two double mutants were constructed, and designated D374A, D374E, D375A, D375E, D374A/D375A, and D374E/D375E. All mutants were active, but the D374A mutant exhibited substrate inhibition at high concentrations. The D374E mutant also evidenced a profound reduction with regard to catalytic efficiency. The mutation of D375A increased the K(m) value for pyruvate nearly 10-fold. In contrast, the D375E mutant reduced this value by more than 3-fold. The double mutants exhibited synergistic reduction in catalytic efficiencies. All mutants constructed in this study proved to be strongly resistant to the herbicide sulfonylurea Londax. The double mutants and the mutants with the D375 residue were also strongly cross-resistant to the herbicide triazolopyrimidine TP. However, only the D374A mutant proved to be strongly resistant to imidazolinone Cadre. The data presented here indicate that the two residues, D374 and D375, are located at a common binding site for the herbicides sulfonylurea and triazolopyrimidine. D375E may be a valuable mutant for the development of herbicide-resistant transgenic plants.