(1→4)-α-d-Glucopyranosyltransfer-produkte aus cyclohexaamylose

Efficient synthesis of a long carbohydrate chain alkyl glycoside catalyzed by cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase)

Alkyl glycosides with long carbohydrate groups are surfactants with attractive properties but they are very difficult to synthesize. Here, a method for extension of the carbohydrate group of commercially available dodecyl-beta-d-maltoside (DDM) is presented. DDM was converted to dodecyl-beta-d-maltooctaoside (DDMO) in a single step by using a CGTase as catalyst and alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) as glycosyl donor. The coupling reaction is under kinetic control and the maximum yield depends on the selectivity of the enzyme. The Bacillus macerans CGTase favored the coupling reaction while the Thermoanaerobacter enzyme also catalyzed disproportionation reactions leading to a broader product range. A high ratio alpha-CD/DDM favored a high yield of DDMO and yields up to 80% were obtained using the B. macerans enzyme as catalyst.

Biodegradation of cyclodextrins in soil

Cyclodextrins, especially random methylated betaCD (RAMEB) and hydroxypropyl betaCD (HPbetaCD), are becoming common enhancing additives in the bioremediation of soils formerly contaminated by hydrocarbons and/or other poorly bioavailable organic pollutants. Therefore, their degradation in the soil, particularly the most persistent RAMEB, has been of great concern. Like oil contaminants, these additives should be biodegradable via an environmentally safe technology. Hence, in this paper, the biodegradability of eight different cyclodextrins (CDs) in four different soils was examined under various treatment conditions in laboratory and pilot scale field experiments. This paper is the first report on the potential biological fate of CDs studied under a large variety of environmental conditions and in different soil ecosystems. Data on the potential relationship between CD biodegradation and the biological removal of hydrocarbons in the CD-amended contaminated soils are also given. All CDs were found to be more or less biodegradable; even the most persistent RAMEB was depleted from soils under favourable conditions. In the field experiments, the depletion of RAMEB to about 40% of its initial level was observed for a period of 2 years in hydrocarbon-contaminated soils of high organic matter and cell concentration.

Enzymatic synthesis of low molecular weight amyloses with modified terminal groups

Low molecular weight amyloses with modified terminal groups were synthesized by cyclomaltohexaose (alpha-cyclodextrin) transfer using (1----4)-alpha-D-glucan: 4-alpha-D-(1----4)- alpha-D-glucopyranosyltransferase (cyclising) (EC 2.4.1.19) from Bacillus macerans. 4-Nitrophenyl alpha-malto-oligosaccharides d.p. 2-7 served as acceptors, and cyclomaltohexaose served as the donor. The reaction was optimized to obtain a majority of species of definite chain lengths in a range of d.p. 10-20, depending upon the chain length of the acceptor. The course of the coupling reactions, as well as the action of the enzyme in disproportionation, cyclisation, and hydrolysis of the products, were observed by h.p.l.c. analysis of the oligomer distributions. Using a 15-fold molar excess of cyclomaltohexaose and 0.5 units enzyme per mumol of acceptor at pH 5.2, the chromatograms revealed that the products of the coupling reaction were predominant during the first reaction period. By incubating the acceptors with the enzyme, but without the donor, the mechanism of disproportionation was elucidated as a transfer of malto-oligosaccharyl residues dependent upon the substrate chain length. The minimum chain length required for a direct cyclisation reaction was d.p. 7. The results were confirmed by separation and investigation of the products of hydrolysis and cyclisation, which were nonmodified alpha-malto-oligosaccharides and cyclomalto-oligosaccharides.

Directed enzymatic synthesis of linear and branched gluco-oligosaccharides, using cyclodextrin-glucanosyltransferase

Cyclodextrin-glucanosyltransferase, in a kinetically controlled reaction, transfers one maltohexaosyl residue from cyclomaltohexaose (alpha CD) to HO-4 of an acceptor to form a linear or a branched gluco-oligosaccharide. The primary transfer product can be isolated in yields up to 45% and in high purity, if the reaction is stopped at an early stage. With increasing time of incubation, secondary and tertiary transfer products are formed by stepwise addition of maltohexaosyl units. At equilibrium, a mixture with almost equal proportions of oligosaccharides is obtained. Glucose and malto-oligosaccharides of any chain length carrying a free 4-hydroxyl group and with HO-1 free or substituted, and regardless of the configuration at C-1, may serve as acceptors. Substrates with galacto or manno configuration were not utilised by the enzyme. The selectivity of the enzyme with respect to the site of chain elongation in branched acceptor molecules has been investigated. The technique described here may be applied to prepare linear gluco-oligosaccharides of any chain length of branched oligosaccharides of the amylopectin type.

On the role of histidine residues in cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase: chemical modification with diethyl pyrocarbonate

Ethoxyformylation with diethyl pyrocarbonate of approximately 1.5 His residues per molecule of enzyme reduced the cyclising activity of both the alpha-cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase from Klebsiella pneumoniae strain M 5 al and the beta-cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase from Bacillus circulans strain 8 by greater than 90%. Pre-incubation with substrate protected the enzymes from ethoxyformylation. Digestion of starch by the modified enzymes resulted in a delayed formation of cyclodextrins (cyclomalto-oligosaccharides, CDs), but a marked increase in the production of reducing saccharides. Similarly, coupling of alpha CD and maltose and successive disproportionation yielded mainly glucose and malto-oligosaccharides. The results are discussed in the context of the role of conserved His residues for binding of substrate and the transfer reactions.

Studies of the mechanism of the cyclisation reaction catalysed by the wildtype and a truncated alpha-cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase from Klebsiella pneumoniae strain M 5 al, and the beta-cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase from Bacillus circulans strain 8

The actions of the wildtype and a truncated alpha-cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase from Klebsiella pneumoniae strain M 5 al on malto-oligosaccharides showed no significant differences, and there was marked dependence of the kinetic parameters on the chain lengths of the substrate. The action of the beta-cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase from Bacillus circulans was less dependent on the chain length of the substrate, but Vmax of the initial cyclisation with the longer malto-oligosaccharides was only 28% of that determined for the enzyme of K. pneumoniae. The rate parameters suggested that the active site of each enzyme spans nine glucosyl residues, and that the catalytic sites are situated between subsites three and four for the K. pneumoniae enzymes and between subsites two and three for the B. circulans enzyme. The molecular binding affinities and the affinities of the 9th subsite were calculated from the rate parameters. The primary and tertiary structures of alpha-amylases and cyclodextrin glycosyltransferases are compared in the context of the reaction mechanism of the latter enzymes.

Cyclodextrin glycosyltransferases from Klebsiella pneumoniae M 5 al and Bacillus macerans: quantitative analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography of the (1 leads to 4)-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl transfer-products from some linear and cyclic substrates

The analysis of the (1 leads to 4)-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl transfer-products from some linear and cyclic substrates by quantitative h.p.l.c. illuminated the mode of action of the cyclodextrin glycosyltransferases [1 leads to 4)-alpha-D-glucan:[(1 leads to 4)-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl]transferase (cyclising), EC 2.4.1.19) from Klebsiella pneumoniae M 5 al and Bacillus macerans. D-Glucopyranosyl transfer, obligatory for maltose (poor substrate), was preferred for maltotriose (good substrate). The lengths of linear disproportionation-products increased with the lengths of the linear substrates. Cyclodextrins were produced from maltotriose and maltopentaose, but not from maltose. The cyclodextrins were substrates in the absence of acceptors. The cyclodextrin transformation started without the formation of detectable amounts of linear transfer-products. The cyclodextrin composition of long-term digests was nearly the same with all the cyclic substrates, cycloheptaamylose being the main cyclic compound. The linear carbohydrate was uniformly distributed from maltose up to at least maltononaose. The enzyme from Bacillus macerans was the least active, but long-term digests yielded results comparable to those obtained with the enzyme from Klebsiella pneumoniae M 5 al.

A bacterial glucoamylase degrading cyclodextrins. Partial purification and properties of the enzyme from a Flavobacterium species

A Flavobacterium species has been isolated which produces a cyclodextrin-degrading glucoamylase. The inducible, cell-bound enzyme was purified about 10-fold to 75% purity in 57% yield. The action of the enzyme was studied with the main cyclodextrins (cyclohexaamylose, cycloheptaamylose and cyclooctaamylose) and with the typical glucoamylase substrates, respectively. The final degradation product with all the substrates was glucose. Small amounts of maltose, which could be detected in the course of cyclodextrin degradation, were hydrolyzed at a lower rate. V for cyclohexaamylase was found to be about 14-15 mumol glucose min-1 (mg pure protein)-1, the Km for cyclohexaamylose was 0.142 mM. Apparently the enzyme preferred shorter alpha-D-glucopyranosyl chains. Besides maltose, amylopectin and glycogen proved to be very poor substrates. Some properties of the enzyme have been described.

[Kinetic studies of the (1 linked to 4)-alpha-D-glucopyranosyltransferase reaction catalyzed by cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase, particularly the cyclization with (1 linked to 4)-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl chains (average polymerization of 16) as substrate]

The transfer reactions, particularly the cyclization reaction, catalyzed by the cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase ((1 leads to 4)-alpha-D-glucan:[(1 leads to 4)-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl]-transferase (cyclizing), EC 2.4.1.19; CGT) from Klebsiella pneumoniae M 5 al were studied with (1 leads to 4)-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl chains (d.p. 16). The initial rate of the cyclization reaction with substrate concentrations from 1 up to 16 mM indicated a V of 6.2 kat . kg-1 of protein and a molar catalytical activity of 421.6 kat . mol-1 of enzyme. Km was found to be 1.03 mM. In addition to the cyclization, CGT simultaneously catalyzed a disproportionation of the substrate, yielding shorter maltooligosaccharides and (1 leads to 4)-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl chains which were significantly longer than the substrate itself. Cyclohepta- and cycloocta-amylose were accumulated in the course of longer incubation. They arose mainly from coupling reactions with the initially formed cyclohexaamylose and corresponding disproportionation of these transfer products. The extremely low formation rates of the higher cyclodextrins point to a "mistake" of the enzyme, when cyclizing to cyclohepta- and cyclooctaamylose.