The importance of an extra loop in the B-domain of an α-amylase from B. stearothermophilus US100

Improving thermostability of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens alpha-amylase by multipoint mutations

The medium-temperature alpha-amylase of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is widely used in the food and washing process. Enhancing the thermostability of alpha-amylases and investigating the mechanism of stability are important for enzyme industry development. The optimal temperature and pH of the wild-type BAA and mutant MuBAA (D28E/V118A/S187D/K370 N) were all 60 °C and 6.0, respectively. The mutant MuBAA showed better thermostability at 50 °C and 60 °C, with a specific activity of 206.61 U/mg, which was 99.1% greater than that of the wild-type. By analyzing predicted structures, the improving thermostability of the mutant MuBAA was mainly related to enhanced stabilization of a loop region in domain B via more calcium-binding sites and intramolecular interactions around Asp187. Furthermore, additional intramolecular interactions around sites 28 and 370 in domain A were also beneficial for improving thermostability. Additionally, the decrease of steric hindrance at the active cavity increased the specific activity of the mutant MuBAA. Improving the thermostability of BAA has theoretical reference values for the modification of alpha-amylases.

Crystal structure of a raw-starch-degrading bacterial α-amylase belonging to subfamily 37 of the glycoside hydrolase family GH13

Subfamily 37 of the glycoside hydrolase family GH13 was recently established on the basis of the discovery of a novel α-amylase, designated AmyP, from a marine metagenomic library. AmyP exhibits raw-starch-degrading activity and consists of an N-terminal catalytic domain and a C-terminal starch-binding domain. To understand this newest subfamily, we determined the crystal structure of the catalytic domain of AmyP, named AmyP_ΔSBD, complexed with maltose, and the crystal structure of the E221Q mutant AmyP_ΔSBD complexed with maltotriose. Glu221 is one of the three conserved catalytic residues, and AmyP is inactivated by the E221Q mutation. Domain B of AmyP_ΔSBD forms a loop that protrudes from domain A, stabilizes the conformation of the active site and increases the thermostability of the enzyme. A new calcium ion is situated adjacent to the -3 subsite binding loop and may be responsible for the increased thermostability of the enzyme after the addition of calcium. Moreover, Tyr36 participates in both stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions with the sugar motif at subsite -3. This work provides the first insights into the structure of α-amylases belonging to subfamily 37 of GH13 and may contribute to the rational design of α-amylase mutants with enhanced performance in biotechnological applications.

Marine Microbiological Enzymes: Studies with Multiple Strategies and Prospects

Marine microorganisms produce a series of promising enzymes that have been widely used or are potentially valuable for our daily life. Both classic and newly developed biochemistry technologies have been broadly used to study marine and terrestrial microbiological enzymes. In this brief review, we provide a research update and prospects regarding regulatory mechanisms and related strategies of acyl-homoserine lactones (AHL) lactonase, which is an important but largely unexplored enzyme. We also detail the status and catalytic mechanism of the main types of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes that broadly exist among marine microorganisms but have been poorly explored. In order to facilitate understanding, the regulatory and synthetic biology strategies of terrestrial microorganisms are also mentioned in comparison. We anticipate that this review will provide an outline of multiple strategies for promising marine microbial enzymes and open new avenues for the exploration, engineering and application of various enzymes.

Improving the thermostability and enhancing the Ca(2+) binding of the maltohexaose-forming α-amylase from Bacillus stearothermophilus

The thermostability of the maltohexaose-forming α-amylase from Bacillus stearothermophilus (AmyMH) without added Ca(2+) was improved through structure-based rational design in this study. Through comparison of a homologous model structure of AmyMH with the crystal structure of the thermostable α-amylase from Bacillus licheniformis, Ser242, which located at the beginning of fourth α-helix of the central (β/α)8 barrel was selected for mutation to improve thermostability. In addition, an amide-containing side chain (Asn193) and a loop in domain B (ΔIG mutation), which have been proven to be important for thermostability in corresponding position of other α-amylases, were also investigated. Five mutants carrying the mutations ΔIG, N193F, S242A, ΔIG/N193F, and ΔIG/N193F/S242A were generated and their proteins characterized. The most thermostable mutant protein, ΔIG/N193F/S242A, exhibited a 26-fold improvement in half-life at 95°C compared to the wild-type enzyme without added Ca(2+). Mutant ΔIG/N193F/S242A also exhibited substantially better activity and stability in the presence of the chelator EDTA, demonstrating enhanced Ca(2+) binding. These results suggest that mutant ΔIG/N193F/S242A has potential for use in the industrial liquefaction of starch.

Rational mutagenesis of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase at the calcium binding regions for enhancement of thermostability

Studies related to the engineering of calcium binding sites of CGTase are limited. The calcium binding regions that are known for thermostability function were subjected to site-directed mutagenesis in this study. The starting gene-protein is a variant of CGTase Bacillus sp. G1, reported earlier and denoted as “parent CGTase” herein. Four CGTase variants (S182G, S182E, N132R and N28R) were constructed. The two variants with a mutation at residue 182, located adjacent to the Ca-I site and the active site cleft, possessed an enhanced thermostability characteristic. The activity half-life of variant S182G at 60 °C was increased to 94 min, while the parent CGTase was only 22 min. This improvement may be attributed to the formation of a shorter α-helix and the alleviation of unfavorable steric strains by glycine at the corresponding region. For the variant S182E, an extra ionic interaction at the A/B domain interface increased the half-life to 31 min, yet it reduced CGTase activity. The introduction of an ionic interaction at the Ca-I site via the mutation N132R disrupted CGTase catalytic activity. Conversely, the variant N28R, which has an additional ionic interaction at the Ca-II site, displayed increased cyclization activity. However, thermostability was not affected.

Toward the smallest active subdomain of a TIM-barrel fold: insights from a truncated α-amylase

AmyTM is a truncated mutant of the α-amylase of Bacillus stearothermophilus US100. It has been derived from the wild type amylase gene via a reading frame shift, following a tandem duplication of the mutant primer, associated to an Adenine base deletion. AmyTM was composed of 720 nucleotides encoding 240 amino acid residues out of 549 of the wild type. The AmyTM protein was devoided of the three catalytic residues but still retains catalytic activity. It is Ca-independent maltotetraose producing amylase, optimally active at pH 6 and 60°C, under monomeric or multimeric forms. AmyTM is the smallest functional truncated TIM barrel. It contains the βαβα unit as the minimal subdomain associated to an enzymatic function. The enzymatic activity can, until now, be attributed to the presence of the whole domain B, in the structure of AmyTM. This mutant revealed, for the first time, the regeneration of a catalytic site after its abolition. This fact may be considered as the restoration of a primitive active site, which was lost in the course of evolution toward more stable domains.

Optimization of alpha-amylase production for the green synthesis of gold nanoparticles

Biocompatible gold nanoparticles have received considerable attention in recent years because of their promising applications in bioimaging, biosensors, biolabels, and biomedicine. The generation of gold nanoparticles using extra-cellular alpha-amylase for the reduction of AuCl(4) with the retention of enzymatic activity in the complex is being reported. The enhanced synthesis of particles has been brought about by optimizing the medium components for alpha-amylase. Response surface methodology and central composite rotary design (CCRD) were employed to optimize a fermentation medium for the production of alpha-amylase by Bacillus licheniformis at pH 8. The three variables involved in the study of alpha-amylase were fructose, peptone and soya meal. Only fructose had a significant effect on alpha-amylase production. The most optimum medium (medB) containing (%) fructose: 3, peptone: 1, soya meal: 2, resulted in a amylase activity of 201.381 U/ml which is same as that of the central level. The least optimum (medA) and most optimum (medB) media were compared for the synthesis of particles indicated by difference in color formation. Spectrophotometric analysis revealed that the particles exhibited a peak at 582 nm and the A(582) for the Med B was 8-fold greater than that of the Med A. The TEM analysis revealed that the particle size ranged from 10 to 50 nm.

A novel thermostable, acidophilic alpha-amylase from a new thermophilic "Bacillus sp. Ferdowsicous" isolated from Ferdows hot mineral spring in Iran: Purification and biochemical characterization

This paper describes the purification and characterization of a novel acidophile alpha-amylase from newly isolated Bacillus sp. Ferdowsicous. The enzyme displayed a molecular weight of 53 kDa and it was stable over a range of pH from 3.5 to 7 with an optimum around 4.5. The optimum temperature for activity was found to be around 70 degrees C and the enzyme remained active to more than 75% up to 75 degrees C for 45 min. The enzyme activity was decreased by Zn(2+)and EDTA but inhibited by Hg(2+), whereas the activity was increased by approximately 15% by Ba(2+) and Fe(2+). Na(+), Mg(2+), K(+), Ca(2+), PMSF, Triton X-100 and beta-mercaptoethanol had any considerable effect on its activity. The enzyme activity on the amylose as substrate was 1.98 times greater than amylopectin. Partial N-terminal sequencing demonstrated no significant similarity with other known alpha-amylases, indicating that the presented enzyme was new. Considering its promising properties, this enzyme can find potential applications in the food industry as well as in laundry detergents.