Enantioselectivity of haloalkane dehalogenase LinB on the degradation of 1,2-dichloropropane: A QM/MM study

Transient binding sites at the surface of haloalkane dehalogenase LinB as locations for fine-tuning enzymatic activity

The haloalkane dehalogenase LinB is a well-known enzyme that contains buried active site and is used for many modelling studies. Using classical molecular dynamics simulations of enzymes and substrates, we searched for transient binding sites on the surface of the LinB protein by calculating maps of enzyme-ligand interactions that were then transformed into sparse matrices. All residues considered as functionally important for enzyme performance (e.g., tunnel entrances) were excluded from the analysis to concentrate rather on non-obvious surface residues. From a set of 130 surface residues, twenty-six were proposed as a promising improvement of enzyme performance. Eventually, based on rational selection and filtering out the potentially unstable mutants, a small library of ten mutants was proposed to validate the possibility of fine-tuning the LinB protein. Nearly half of the predicted mutant structures showed improved activity towards the selected substrates, which demonstrates that the proposed approach could be applied to identify non-obvious yet beneficial mutations for enzyme performance especially when obvious locations have already been explored.

Effect of silica nanoparticles on cell membrane fluidity: The role of temperature and membrane composition

The increasing production and application of silica nanoparticles (SiO₂ NPs) raise public concern regarding their environmental and health risks. The fluidity of the cell membrane is essential for supporting membrane proteins and regulating membrane transport. Changes in membrane fluidity inevitably influence the physiological activities of cells and even cause biological effects. In this study, the effect of SiO₂ NPs on membrane fluidity was studied at 25 °C and 37 °C, and the role of membrane components in SiO₂ NP-membrane interactions was investigated using giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs) isolated from RBL-2H3 cells. SiO₂ NPs cause a more serious membrane fluidity decrease at 37 °C than at 25 °C, which is revealed by the shift of Laurdan fluorescence emission and further quantified via forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments. In addition, after the removal of 75 % cholesterol from the membrane, SiO₂ NPs caused a greater extent of membrane gelation. These results indicate that SiO₂ NPs prefer to interact with membranes that are more dynamic and less densely packed. Moreover, fluorescent experiments confirmed that the existence of phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) and phosphoinositide (PI) can mitigate NP-induced membrane gelation. Molecular dynamics simulation further demonstrated that SiO₂ NPs form hydrogen bonds with the terminal of PE or PI but with the -PO₄^-- group in the middle of phosphatidylcholine (PC). The bonding that occurs in the terminal gives less restriction of phospholipid movement and a weaker effect on membrane fluidity. This research provides both evidence and mechanisms of SiO₂ NP-induced membrane fluidity changes, which are helpful for understanding cell membrane damage and the biological effects of NPs.

Microbial debromination of hexabromocyclododecanes

Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), a new sort of brominated flame retardants (BFRs), are globally prevalent and recalcitrant toxic environmental pollutants. HBCDs have been found in many environmental media and even in the human body, leading to serious health concerns. HBCDs are biodegradable in the environment. By now, dozens of bacteria have been discovered with the ability to transform HBCDs. Microbial debromination of HBCDs is via HBr-elimination, HBr-dihaloelimination, and hydrolytic debromination. Biotic transformation of HBCDs yields many hydroxylated and lower brominated compounds which lack assessment of ecological toxicity. Bioremediation of HBCD pollution has only been applied in the laboratory. Here, we review the current knowledge about microbial debromination of HBCDs, aiming to promote the bioremediation applied in HBCD contaminated sites. KEY POINTS: • Microbial debromination of HBCDs is via hydrolytic debromination, HBr-elimination, and HBr-dihaloelimination. • Newly occurred halogenated contaminants such as HBCDs hitch the degradation pathway tamed by previously discharged anthropogenic organohalides. • Strategy that combines bioaugmentation with phytoremediation for bioremediation of HBCD pollution is promising.

The impact of tunnel mutations on enzymatic catalysis depends on the tunnel-substrate complementarity and the rate-limiting step

Transport of ligands between bulk solvent and the buried active sites is a critical event in the catalytic cycle of many enzymes. The rational design of transport pathways is far from trivial due to the lack of knowledge about the effect of mutations on ligand transport. The main and an auxiliary tunnel of haloalkane dehalogenase LinB have been previously engineered for improved dehalogenation of 1,2-dibromoethane (DBE). The first chemical step of DBE conversion was enhanced by L177W mutation in the main tunnel, but the rate-limiting product release was slowed down because the mutation blocked the main access tunnel and hindered protein dynamics. Three additional mutations W140A + F143L + I211L opened-up the auxiliary tunnel and enhanced the product release, making this four-point variant the most efficient catalyst with DBE. Here we study the impact of these mutations on the catalysis of bulky aromatic substrates, 4-(bromomethyl)-6,7-dimethoxycoumarin (COU) and 8-chloromethyl-4,4'-difluoro-3,5-dimethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BDP). The rate-limiting step of DBE conversion is the product release, whereas the catalysis of COU and BDP is limited by the chemical step. The catalysis of COU is mainly impaired by the mutation L177W, whereas the conversion of BDP is affected primarily by the mutations W140A + F143L + I211L. The combined computational and kinetic analyses explain the differences in activities between the enzyme-substrate pairs. The effect of tunnel mutations on catalysis depends on the rate-limiting step, the complementarity of the tunnels with the substrates and is clearly specific for each enzyme-substrate pair.

Potential of esterase DmtH in transforming plastic additive dimethyl terephthalate to less toxic mono-methyl terephthalate

Dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) is a primary ingredient widely used in the manufacture of polyesters and industrial plastics; its environmental fate is of concern due to its global use. Microorganisms play key roles in the dissipation of DMT from the environment; however, the enzymes responsible for the initial transformation of DMT and the possible altered toxicity due to this biotransformation have not been extensively studied. To reduce DMT toxicity, we identified the esterase gene dmtH involved in the initial transformation of DMT from the AOPP herbicide-transforming strain Sphingobium sp. C3. DmtH shows 24-41% identity with α/β-hydrolases and belongs to subfamily V of bacterial esterases. The purified recombinant DmtH was capable of transforming DMT to mono-methyl terephthalate (MMT) and potentially transforming other p-phthalic acid esters, including diallyl terephthalate (DAT) and diethyl terephthalate (DET). Using C. elegans as an assay model, we observed the severe toxicity of DMT in inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, decreasing locomotion behavior, reducing lifespan, altering molecular basis for oxidative stress, and inducing mitochondrial stress. In contrast, exposure to MMT did not cause obvious toxicity, induce oxidative stress, and activate mitochondrial stress in nematodes. Our study highlights the usefulness of Sphingobium sp. C3 and its esterase DmtH in transforming p-phthalic acid esters and reducing the toxicity of DMT to organisms.

A Novel Mini Protein Design of Haloalkane Dehalogenase

The application of native enzymes may not be economical owing to the stability factor. A smaller protein molecule may be less susceptible to external stresses. Haloalkane dehalogenases (HLDs) that act on toxic haloalkanes may be incorporated as bioreceptors to detect haloalkane contaminants. Therefore, this study aims to develop mini proteins of HLD as an alternative bioreceptor which was able to withstand extreme conditions. Initially, the mini proteins were designed through computer modeling. Based on the results, five designed mini proteins were deemed to be viable stable mini proteins. They were then validated through experimental study. The smallest mini protein (model 5) was chosen for subsequent analysis as it was expressed in soluble form. No dehalogenase activity was detected, thus the specific binding interaction of between 1,3-dibromopropane with mini protein was investigated using isothermal titration calorimetry. Higher binding affinity between 1,3-dibromopropane and mini protein was obtained than the native. Thermal stability study with circular dichroism had proven that the mini protein possessed two times higher T_m value at 83.73 °C than the native at 43.97 °C. In conclusion, a stable mini protein was successfully designed and may be used as bioreceptors in the haloalkane sensor that is suitable for industrial application.

Computational evidence for the degradation mechanism of haloalkane dehalogenase LinB and mutants of Leu248 to 1-chlorobutane

The catalytic degradation ability of the haloalkane dehalogenase LinB toward 1-chlorobutane (1-CB) was studied using a combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach. Two major processes are involved in the LinB-catalyzed removal of halogens: dechlorination and hydrolyzation. The present study confirmed the experimentally proposed reaction path at the molecular level. Moreover, based on nucleophilic substitution mechanism (SN2 reaction), dechlorination was found to be the rate-determining step of the entire reaction process. In this study, the Boltzmann-weighted average barrier for dechlorination was determined to be 17.0 kcal mol-1, which is fairly close to the experimental value (17.4 kcal mol-1). The state of His107 and the influence of Leu248 on the dechlorination process were also explored. In addition, an intriguing phenomenon was discovered: the potential energy barrier decreased by 7.5 kcal mol-1 when the Leu248 residue was mutated into Phe248. This discovery might be of great help to design new mutant enzymes or novel biocatalysts.

Dehalogenases: From Improved Performance to Potential Microbial Dehalogenation Applications

The variety of halogenated substances and their derivatives widely used as pesticides, herbicides and other industrial products is of great concern due to the hazardous nature of these compounds owing to their toxicity, and persistent environmental pollution. Therefore, from the viewpoint of environmental technology, the need for environmentally relevant enzymes involved in biodegradation of these pollutants has received a great boost. One result of this great deal of attention has been the identification of environmentally relevant bacteria that produce hydrolytic dehalogenases—key enzymes which are considered cost-effective and eco-friendly in the removal and detoxification of these pollutants. These group of enzymes catalyzing the cleavage of the carbon-halogen bond of organohalogen compounds have potential applications in the chemical industry and bioremediation. The dehalogenases make use of fundamentally different strategies with a common mechanism to cleave carbon-halogen bonds whereby, an active-site carboxylate group attacks the substrate C atom bound to the halogen atom to form an ester intermediate and a halide ion with subsequent hydrolysis of the intermediate. Structurally, these dehalogenases have been characterized and shown to use substitution mechanisms that proceed via a covalent aspartyl intermediate. More so, the widest dehalogenation spectrum of electron acceptors tested with bacterial strains which could dehalogenate recalcitrant organohalides has further proven the versatility of bacterial dehalogenators to be considered when determining the fate of halogenated organics at contaminated sites. In this review, the general features of most widely studied bacterial dehalogenases, their structural properties, basis of the degradation of organohalides and their derivatives and how they have been improved for various applications is discussed.

Synthesis, characterization and antifungal efficacy of chitosan derivatives with triple quaternary ammonium groups

A novel type of water soluble chitosan derivatives (TQCSPX) were synthesized including 3-aminopyridine (TQCSP1) and 3-Amino-4-methylpyridine (TQCSP2). The theoretical structures of TQCSPX were calculated by Gaussian 09 and confirmed by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, elemental analysis and XRD. The antifungal properties of TQCSPX against Phytophthora capsici (P. capsici), Rhizoctonia solani (R. solani), Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum) and Fusarium solani (F. solani) were evaluated at concentrations ranging from 0.2mg/mL to 0.8mg/mL. Antifungal results indicated that the derivatives have significantly enhanced antifungal activity after quaternized compared with the original chitosan (CS). Moreover, TQCSP1 inhibited the growth of P. capsici with inhibitory indices of 91.94% at 0.8mg/mL. The experimental results demonstrated that the increasing number of the positive charge would improve the antifungal efficiency of chitosan, which may provide a novel direction for the development of fungicides.