Cloning, expression, partial characterization and structural modeling of a novel esterase from Pyrococcus furiosus

Dissecting the Effect of Temperature on Hyperthermophilic Pf2001 Esterase Dimerization by Molecular Dynamics

Pf2001 esterase (Pf2001) from Pyrococcus furiosus has hyperthermophilic properties and exerts a biocatalytic function in a dimeric state. Crystal structures revealed that the structural rearrangement of the cap domain is responsible for the Pf2001 dimer formation. However, the details of the cap domain remodeling and the effects of temperature on the dimerization process remain elusive at the molecular level, taking into account that experimental methods are difficult to capture the dynamic process of dimerization to some extent. Herein, four dimer models based on the monomeric crystal structure (PDB ID: 5G59) were constructed to investigate the conformational transition details and temperature effects in the dimerization by conventional molecular dynamics and accelerated molecular dynamics simulations. Our simulation results indicate that the monomer undergoes a conformational change into a "preparatory state" at high temperatures, which is more favorable for its transformation into a stable dimer. The subsequent free energy landscape analysis further identifies four intermediate states (from separated state to dimeric state) and discloses that a more accessible α-helix driven by stronger hydrophobic interactions induces a rearrangement of the cap domain, displaying a "tic-tac-toe" activation feature that is important for stabilizing the dimer interface and facilitating the formation of hydrophobic pockets. In addition, the electrostatic potential surface analysis illustrates that the weaker electrostatic repulsion (Lys and Arg) in the dimer interface at high temperatures is also a key factor for dimer stabilization. Altogether, our results can provide molecular-level insight into the dimer formation process of hyperthermophilic esterase and would be useful to understand the enzymatic specificity of α/β-hydrolase.

Reactivity of a Recombinant Esterase from Thermus thermophilus HB27 in Aqueous and Organic Media

The thermoalkalophilic membrane-associated esterase E34Tt from Thermus thermophilus HB27 was cloned and expressed in Kluyveromyces lactis (KLEST-3S esterase). The recombinant enzyme was tested as a biocatalyst in aqueous and organic media. It displayed a high thermal stability and was active in the presence of 10% (v/v) organic solvents and 1% (w/v) detergents. KLEST-3S hydrolysed triglycerides of various acyl chains, which is a rare characteristic among carboxylic ester hydrolases from extreme thermophiles, with maximum activity on tributyrin. It also displayed interfacial activation towards triacetin. KLEST-3S was also tested as a biocatalyst in organic media. The esterase provided high yields for the acetylation of alcohols. In addition, KLEST-3S catalyzed the stereoselective hydrolysis of (R,S)-ibuprofen methyl ester (87% ee). Our results indicate that KLEST-3S may be a robust and efficient biocatalyst for application in industrial bioconversions.

Structural Mechanism for the Temperature-Dependent Activation of the Hyperthermophilic Pf2001 Esterase

Lipases and esterases constitute a group of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis or synthesis of ester bonds. A major biotechnological interest corresponds to thermophilic esterases, due to their intrinsic stability at high temperatures. The Pf2001 esterase from Pyrococcus furiosus reaches its optimal activity between 70°C and 80°C. The crystal structure of the Pf2001 esterase shows two different conformations: monomer and dimer. The structures reveal important rearrangements in the "cap" subdomain between monomer and dimer, by the formation of an extensive intertwined helical interface. Moreover, the dimer interface is essential for the formation of the hydrophobic channel for substrate selectivity, as confirmed by mutagenesis and kinetic analysis. We also provide evidence for dimer formation at high temperatures, a process that correlates with its enzymatic activation. Thus, we propose a temperature-dependent activation mechanism of the Pf2001 esterase via dimerization that is necessary for the substrate channel formation in the active-site cleft.

Improving the thermostability and optimal temperature of a lipase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus by covalent immobilization

A recombinant thermostable lipase (Pf2001Δ60) from the hyperthermophilic Archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus (PFUL) was immobilized by hydrophobic interaction on octyl-agarose (octyl PFUL) and by covalent bond on aldehyde activated-agarose in the presence of DTT at pH = 7.0 (one-point covalent attachment) (glyoxyl-DTT PFUL) and on glyoxyl-agarose at pH 10.2 (multipoint covalent attachment) (glyoxyl PFUL). The enzyme's properties, such as optimal temperature and pH, thermostability, and selectivity, were improved by covalent immobilization. The highest enzyme stability at 70°C for 48 h incubation was achieved for glyoxyl PFUL (around 82% of residual activity), whereas glyoxyl-DTT PFUL maintained around 69% activity, followed by octyl PFUL (27% remaining activity). Immobilization on glyoxyl-agarose improved the optimal temperature to 90°C, while the optimal temperature of octyl PFUL was 70°C. Also, very significant changes in activity with different substrates were found. In general, the covalent bond derivatives were more active than octyl PFUL. The E value also depended substantially on the derivative and the conditions used. It was observed that the reaction of glyoxyl-DTT PFUL using methyl mandelate as a substrate at pH 7 presented the best results for enantioselectivity (E = 22) and enantiomeric excess (ee (%) = 91).

Biochemical characterization of a carboxylesterase from the archaeon Pyrobaculum sp. 1860 and a rational explanation of its substrate specificity and thermostability

In this work, genome mining was used to identify esterase/lipase genes in the archaeon Pyrobaculum sp. 1860. A gene was cloned and functionally expressed in Escherichia coli as His-tagged protein. The recombinant enzyme (rP186_1588) was verified by western blotting and peptide mass fingerprinting. Biochemical characterization revealed that rP186_1588 exhibited optimum activity at pH 9.0 and 80 °C towards p-nitrophenyl acetate (K(m): 0.35 mM, k(cat): 11.65 s⁻¹). Interestingly, the purified rP186_1588 exhibited high thermostability retaining 70% relative activity after incubation at 90 °C for 6 h. Circular dichroism results indicated that rP186_1588 showed slight structure alteration from 60 to 90 °C. Structural modeling showed P186_1588 possessed a typical α/β hydrolase's fold with the catalytic triad consisting of Ser97, Asp147 and His172, and was further confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. Comparative molecular simulations at different temperatures (300, 353, 373 and 473 K) revealed that its thermostability was associated with its conformational rigidity. The binding free energy analysis by MM-PBSA method revealed that the van der Waals interaction played a major role in p-NP ester binding for P186_1588. Our data provide insights into the molecular structures of this archaeal esterase, and may help to its further protein engineering for industrial applications.

Characterization of the Recombinant Thermostable Lipase (Pf2001) from Pyrococcus furiosus: Effects of Thioredoxin Fusion Tag and Triton X-100

In this work, the lipase from Pyrococcus furiosus encoded by ORF PF2001 was expressed with a fusion protein (thioredoxin) in Escherichia coli. The purified enzymes with the thioredoxin tag (TRX−PF2001Δ60) and without the thioredoxin tag (PF2001Δ60) were characterized, and various influences of Triton X-100 were determined. The optimal temperature for both enzymes was 80°C. Although the thioredoxin presence did not influence the optimum temperature, the TRX−PF2001Δ60 presented specific activity twice lower than the enzyme PF2001Δ60. The enzyme PF2001Δ60 was assayed using MUF-acetate, MUF-heptanoate, and MUF-palmitate. MUF-heptanoate was the preferred substrate of this enzyme. The chelators EDTA and EGTA increased the enzyme activity by 97 and 70%, respectively. The surfactant Triton X-100 reduced the enzyme activity by 50% and lowered the optimum temperature to 60°C. However, the thermostability of the enzyme PF2001Δ60 was enhanced with Triton X-100.

Immobilization and Characterization of a Recombinant Thermostable Lipase (Pf2001) from Pyrococcus furiosus on Supports with Different Degrees of Hydrophobicity

We studied the immobilization of a recombinant thermostable lipase (Pf2001Δ60) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus on supports with different degrees of hydrophobicity: butyl Sepabeads and octadecyl Sepabeads. The enzyme was strongly adsorbed in both supports. When it was adsorbed on these supports, the enzyme showed 140 and 237% hyperactivation, respectively. The assessment of storage stability showed that the octadecyl Sepabeads immobilized enzyme showed 100% of residual activity after 30 days of storage. However, the greatest stability at 70°C was obtained in butyl Sepabeads immobilized enzyme, which retained 77% activity after 1 hour incubation. The maximum activity of the immobilized preparations was obtained with the pH between 6 and 7, at 70°C. Thus, this study achieved a new extremophilic biocatalyst with greater stability, for use in several biotechnological processes.

Characterization of a novel thermostable esterase from Thermus scotoductus SA-01: evidence of a new family of lipolytic esterases

An esterase, designated EstTs1, was identified and characterized from a genomic library of Thermus scotoductus SA-01 (ATCC 700910). The library was screened in Escherichia coli for lipolytic activity on tributyrin agar plates. A 1.7-kb DNA fragment from a lipolytic positive clone was sequenced and two open reading frames (ORFs) were identified. A 774-bp ORF, designated EstTs1 with an estimated molecular mass of 28.6 kDa, and a 693-bp ORF, designated EstTs2 with an estimated molecular mass of 25.6 kDa, were identified. These two ORFs appear to form part of an operon. Sequence analysis showed that both proteins contained the G-X-S-X-G signature sequence motif present in most esterases and lipases. The deduced amino sequence of EstTs1 was found to display significant sequence identity with putative hydrolase proteins from both Thermus aquaticus Y51MC23 and Thermus thermophilus HB27. Similarly, EstTs2, also displayed significant homology to a second putative hydrolase protein present in the same two organisms. The cloning and characterization of these two ORFs from T. aquaticus Y51MC23 and T. thermophilus strain HB27 encoding putative hydrolase genes have not been reported. E. coli cells harbouring EstTs1 on a multicopy vector produced a clearing zone on tributyrin agar plates, whereas no enzymatic activity was observed for E. coli harbouring EstTs2 on a multicopy vector. EstTs1 displayed optimum activity at pH 7 and 80 degrees C with a half life of 48 h at 70 degrees C.

Carboxylic ester hydrolases from hyperthermophiles

Carboxylic ester hydrolyzing enzymes constitute a large group of enzymes that are able to catalyze the hydrolysis, synthesis or transesterification of an ester bond. They can be found in all three domains of life, including the group of hyperthermophilic bacteria and archaea. Esterases from the latter group often exhibit a high intrinsic stability, which makes them of interest them for various biotechnological applications. In this review, we aim to give an overview of all characterized carboxylic ester hydrolases from hyperthermophilic microorganisms and provide details on their substrate specificity, kinetics, optimal catalytic conditions, and stability. Approaches for the discovery of new carboxylic ester hydrolases are described. Special attention is given to the currently characterized hyperthermophilic enzymes with respect to their biochemical properties, 3D structure, and classification.