Improving trehalose synthase activity by adding the C-terminal domain of trehalose synthase from Thermus thermophilus

Structural and Mutational Analyses of Trehalose Synthase from Deinococcus radiodurans Reveal the Interconversion of Maltose-Trehalose Mechanism

Trehalose synthase (TreS) catalyzes the reversible interconversion of maltose to trehalose, playing a vital role in trehalose production. Understanding the catalytic mechanism of TreS is crucial for optimizing the enzyme activity and enhancing its suitability for industrial applications. Here, we report the crystal structures of both the wild type and the E324D mutant of Deinococcus radiodurans trehalose synthase in complex with the trehalose analogue, validoxylamine A. By employing structure-guided mutagenesis, we identified N253, E320, and E324 as crucial residues within the +1 subsite for isomerase activity. Based on these complex structures, we propose the catalytic mechanism underlying the reversible interconversion of maltose to trehalose. These findings significantly advance our comprehension of the reaction mechanism of TreS.

Trehalose synthases from the subfamily GH13_16 involved in α-glucan biosynthesis - a focus on their maltokinase domain

The subfamily GH13_16 trehalose synthase (TreS) converts maltose to trehalose and vice versa. Typically, it consists of three domains, but it may contain a C-terminal extension exhibiting clear sequence features of a maltokinase (MaK). The present in silico study was focused on collection of naturally fused TreS-MaKs and their subsequent detailed bioinformatics analysis. Hence a set of total 3354 unique sequences was compared consisting of 1900 single TreSs, 1426 fused TreS-MaKs and 28 single MaKs. Fused TreS-MaKs were divided into five groups, namely with a standard MaK, with mutations in the maltose-binding site, of the catalytic nucleophile, of the general acid/base and of both catalytic residues. Sequence logos bearing the best conserved sequence regions were prepared for both TreSs and MaKs in an effort to find unique sequence features. In addition, linkers connecting the TreS and MaK parts in the fused enzymes were analysed. This analysis revealed that MaKs in fused enzymes have an extended N-terminal regions compared to single MaKs. Finally, the evolutionary relationships were demonstrated by phylogenetic trees of TreS parts from single TreSs and fused TreS-MaKs from the same organism as well as of single TreSs existing in multiple isoforms in the same organism.

Fast Immobilization of Human Carbonic Anhydrase II on Ni-Based Metal-Organic Framework Nanorods with High Catalytic Performance

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) has received considerable attention for its ability to capture carbon dioxide efficiently. This study reports a simple strategy for immobilizing recombinant carbonic anhydrase II from human (hCA II) on Ni-based MOFs (Ni-BTC) nanorods, which was readily achieved in a one-pot immobilization of His-tagged hCA II (His-hCA II). Consequently, His-hCA II from cell lysate could obtain an activity recovery of 99% under optimal conditions. After storing for 10 days, the immobilized His-hCA II maintained 40% activity while the free enzyme lost 91% activity. Furthermore, during the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetic acid, immobilized His-hCA II exhibited excellent reusability and still retained more than 65% of the original activity after eight cycles. In addition, we also found that Ni-BTC had no fixation effect on proteins without histidine-tag. These results show that the Ni-BTC MOFs have a great potential with high efficiency for and specific binding of immobilized enzymes.

Thermostable enzyme-immobilized magnetic responsive Ni-based metal–organic framework nanorods as recyclable biocatalysts for efficient biosynthesis of S-adenosylmethionine

A novel magnetic responsive Ni-based metal–organic framework material was developed to efficiently separate and immobilize thermal enzymes with high catalytic performance.

Improvement of Trehalose Production by Immobilized Trehalose Synthase from Thermus thermophilus HB27

Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide with a wide range of applications in the fields of food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. In this study, trehalose synthase derived from Thermus thermophilus HB27 (TtTreS) was immobilized on silicalite-1-based material for trehalose production. The activity and the stability of TtTreS against pH and temperature were significantly improved by immobilization. Enzyme immobilization also led to a lower concentration of byproduct glucose, which reduces byproduct inhibition of TtTreS. The immobilized TtTreS still retained 81% of its initial trehalose yield after 22 cycles of enzymatic reactions. The immobilized TtTreS exhibited high operational stability and remarkable reusability, indicating that it is promising for industrial applications.

Biotechnical production of trehalose through the trehalose synthase pathway: current status and future prospects

Trehalose (α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 1)-α-D-glucopyranoside) is a non-reducing disaccharide composed of two glucose molecules linked by an α,α-1,1-glycosidic bond. It possesses physicochemical properties, which account for its biological roles in a variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms and invertebrates. Intensive studies of trehalose gradually uncovered its functions, and its applications in foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals have increased every year. Currently, trehalose is industrially produced by the two-enzyme method, which was first developed in 1995 using maltooligosyltrehalose synthase (EC 5.4.99.15) and subsequently using maltooligosyltrehalose trehalohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.141), with starch as the substrate. This biotechnical method has lowered the price of trehalose and expanded its applications. However, when trehalose synthase (EC 5.4.99.16) was later discovered, this method for trehalose production using maltose as the substrate soon became a popular topic because of its simplicity and potential in industrial production. Since then, many trehalose synthases have been studied. This review summarizes the sources and characteristics of reported trehalose synthases, and the most recent advances on structural analysis of trehalose synthase, catalytic mechanism, molecular modification, and usage in industrial production processes.

In-Situ Biocatalytic Production of Trehalose with Autoinduction Expression of Trehalose Synthase

We developed an in-situ biocatalytic process that couples autoinduction expression of trehalose synthase (TreS) and whole-cell catalysis for trehalose production. With lactose as the autoinducer, the activity of recombinant TreS in recombinant Escherichia coli was optimized through a visualization method, which resulted in a maximum value of 12 033 ± 730 U/mL in pH-stat fed-batch fermentation mode. Meanwhile, the permeability of the autoinduced E. coli increased significantly, which makes it possible to be directly used as a whole-cell biocatalyst for trehalose production, whereby the byproduct glucose can also act as an extra carbon source. In this case, the final yield of trehalose was improved to 90.5 ± 5.7% and remained as high as 83.2 ± 5.0% at the 10th batch, which is the highest value achieved using recombinant TreS. Finally, an integrated strategy for trehalose production was established, and its advantages compared to the traditional mode have been summarized.