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Chu SKS, Narang K, Siegel JB. Protein stability prediction by fine-tuning a protein language model on a mega-scale dataset. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1012248. [PMID: 39038042 PMCID: PMC11293664 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein stability plays a crucial role in a variety of applications, such as food processing, therapeutics, and the identification of pathogenic mutations. Engineering campaigns commonly seek to improve protein stability, and there is a strong interest in streamlining these processes to enable rapid optimization of highly stabilized proteins with fewer iterations. In this work, we explore utilizing a mega-scale dataset to develop a protein language model optimized for stability prediction. ESMtherm is trained on the folding stability of 528k natural and de novo sequences derived from 461 protein domains and can accommodate deletions, insertions, and multiple-point mutations. We show that a protein language model can be fine-tuned to predict folding stability. ESMtherm performs reasonably on small protein domains and generalizes to sequences distal from the training set. Lastly, we discuss our model's limitations compared to other state-of-the-art methods in generalizing to larger protein scaffolds. Our results highlight the need for large-scale stability measurements on a diverse dataset that mirrors the distribution of sequence lengths commonly observed in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon K. S. Chu
- Biophysics Graduate Program, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Kush Narang
- College of Biological Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Justin B. Siegel
- Genome Center, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
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2
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Vardar-Yel N, Tütüncü HE, Sürmeli Y. Lipases for targeted industrial applications, focusing on the development of biotechnologically significant aspects: A comprehensive review of recent trends in protein engineering. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 273:132853. [PMID: 38838897 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Lipases are remarkable biocatalysts, adept at catalyzing the breakdown of diverse compounds into glycerol, fatty acids, and mono- and di-glycerides via hydrolysis. Beyond this, they facilitate esterification, transesterification, alcoholysis, acidolysis, and more, making them versatile in industrial applications. In industrial processes, lipases that exhibit high stability are favored as they can withstand harsh conditions. However, most native lipases are unable to endure adverse conditions, making them unsuitable for industrial use. Protein engineering proves to be a potent technology in the development of lipases that can function effectively under challenging conditions and fulfill criteria for various industrial processes. This review concentrated on new trends in protein engineering to enhance the diversity of lipase genes and employed in silico methods for predicting and comprehensively analyzing target mutations in lipases. Additionally, key molecular factors associated with industrial characteristics of lipases, including thermostability, solvent tolerance, catalytic activity, and substrate preference have been elucidated. The present review delved into how industrial traits can be enhanced through directed evolution (epPCR, gene shuffling), rational design (FRESCO, ASR), combined engineering strategies (i.e. CAST, ISM, and FRISM) as protein engineering methodologies in contexts of biodiesel production, food processing, and applications of detergent, pharmaceutics, and plastic degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurcan Vardar-Yel
- Department of Medical Laboratory Techniques, Altınbaş University, 34145 İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Havva Esra Tütüncü
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Malatya Turgut Özal University, 44210 Malatya, Turkey
| | - Yusuf Sürmeli
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University, 59030 Tekirdağ, Turkey.
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3
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Hait S, Kundu S. Revisiting structural organization of proteins at high temperature from a network perspective. Comput Biol Chem 2024; 108:107978. [PMID: 37956471 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2023.107978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Interactions between distantly placed amino acids in the primary chain (long-range) play a very crucial role in the formation and stabilization of the tertiary structure of a protein, while interactions between closely placed amino acids in the primary chain (short-range) mostly stabilize the secondary structures. Every protein needs to maintain marginal stability in order to perform its physiological functions in its native environment. The requirements for this stability in mesophilic and thermophilic proteins are different. Thermophilic proteins need to form more interactions as well as more stable interactions to survive in the extreme environment, they live in. Here, we aim to find out how the interacting amino acids in three-dimensional space are positioned in the primary chains in thermophilic and mesophilic. How does this arrangement help thermophiles to maintain their structural integrity at high temperatures? Working on a dataset of 1560 orthologous pairs we perceive that thermophiles are not only enriched with long-range interactions, they feature bigger connected clusters and higher network densities compared to their mesophilic orthologs, at higher interaction strengths between the amino acids. Moreover, we have observed the enrichment of different types of interactions at different secondary structural regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suman Hait
- Department of Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, 92, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road, Kolkata 700009, India.
| | - Sudip Kundu
- Department of Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, 92, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road, Kolkata 700009, India.
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4
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Behera S, Balasubramanian S. Lipase A from Bacillus subtilis: Substrate Binding, Conformational Dynamics, and Signatures of a Lid. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:7545-7556. [PMID: 37989487 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c01681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Protein-ligand binding studies are crucial for understanding the molecular basis of biological processes and for further advancing industrial biocatalysis and drug discovery. Using computational modeling and molecular dynamics simulations, we investigated the binding of a butyrate ester substrate to the lipase A (LipA) enzyme of Bacillus subtilis. Besides obtaining a close agreement of the binding free energy with the experimental value, the study reveals a remarkable reorganization of the catalytic triad upon substrate binding, leading to increased essential hydrogen bond populations. The investigation shows the distortion of the oxyanion hole in both the substrate-bound and unbound states of LipA and highlights the strengthening of the same in the tetrahedral intermediate complex. Principal component analysis of the unbound ensemble reveals the dominant motion in LipA to be the movement of Loop-1 (Tyr129-Arg142) between two states that cover and uncover the active site, mirroring that of a lid prevalent in several lipases. This lid-like motion of Loop-1 is also supported by its tendency to spontaneously open up at an oil-water interface. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the impact of substrate binding on the structure, flexibility, and conformational dynamics of the LipA enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudarshan Behera
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560 064, India
| | - Sundaram Balasubramanian
- Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560 064, India
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5
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Notin P, Kollasch AW, Ritter D, van Niekerk L, Paul S, Spinner H, Rollins N, Shaw A, Weitzman R, Frazer J, Dias M, Franceschi D, Orenbuch R, Gal Y, Marks DS. ProteinGym: Large-Scale Benchmarks for Protein Design and Fitness Prediction. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.07.570727. [PMID: 38106144 PMCID: PMC10723403 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.07.570727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Predicting the effects of mutations in proteins is critical to many applications, from understanding genetic disease to designing novel proteins that can address our most pressing challenges in climate, agriculture and healthcare. Despite a surge in machine learning-based protein models to tackle these questions, an assessment of their respective benefits is challenging due to the use of distinct, often contrived, experimental datasets, and the variable performance of models across different protein families. Addressing these challenges requires scale. To that end we introduce ProteinGym, a large-scale and holistic set of benchmarks specifically designed for protein fitness prediction and design. It encompasses both a broad collection of over 250 standardized deep mutational scanning assays, spanning millions of mutated sequences, as well as curated clinical datasets providing high-quality expert annotations about mutation effects. We devise a robust evaluation framework that combines metrics for both fitness prediction and design, factors in known limitations of the underlying experimental methods, and covers both zero-shot and supervised settings. We report the performance of a diverse set of over 70 high-performing models from various subfields (eg., alignment-based, inverse folding) into a unified benchmark suite. We open source the corresponding codebase, datasets, MSAs, structures, model predictions and develop a user-friendly website that facilitates data access and analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Ada Shaw
- Applied Mathematics, Harvard University
| | | | | | - Mafalda Dias
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
| | | | | | - Yarin Gal
- Computer Science, University of Oxford
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6
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Wang G. Thermal Ring-Based Heat Switches in Hyperthermophilic Class II Bacterial Fructose Aldolase. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:24624-24634. [PMID: 37457467 PMCID: PMC10339327 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c03001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Both thermophilic and hyperthermophilic enzymes in bacterial and archaeal species are activated above a specific temperature threshold but inactivated at another higher temperature. However, the underlying structural basis for these two heat switches is still unresolved. Here, graph theory was used to test if the temperature-dependent noncovalent interactions and metal bridges as identified in a series of crystal structures of the class II bacterial fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase homodimer or homotetramer with or without natural substrates and products bound could form systematic fluidic grid-like mesh networks with topological grids as thermal rings to regulate their structural thermostability and functional thermoactivity. The results indicated that the second biggest grid in the Thermus aquaticus fructose 1,6-diphosphate aldolase dimer may control the specific temperature threshold to release the swapping flexible active sites at the dimeric interface for heat-evoked activation. Meanwhile, the third biggest grid may serve as a necessary structural motif against heat inactivation. Finally, the smallest grid may act as a stiff thermostable anchor. Its dissociation at the maximal melting temperature threshold may stop the catalytic activity. Taken as a whole, this computational study may render the structural motifs for the optimal growth temperature and the extreme heat stability of hyperthermophiles.
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7
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Rodríguez-Núñez K, López-Gallego F, Martínez R, Bernal C. Immobilized biocatalyst engineering: Biocatalytic tool to obtain attractive enzymes for industry. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 242:125075. [PMID: 37230450 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Biocatalysis can improve current bioprocesses by identifying or improving enzymes that withstand harsh and unnatural operating conditions. Immobilized Biocatalyst Engineering (IBE) is a novel strategy integrating protein engineering and enzyme immobilization as a single workflow. Using IBE, it is possible to obtain immobilized biocatalysts whose soluble performance would not be selected. In this work, Bacillus subtilis lipase A (BSLA) variants obtained through IBE were characterized as soluble and immobilized biocatalysts, and how the interactions with the support affect their structure and catalytic performance were analyzed using intrinsic protein fluorescence. Variant P5G3 (Asn89Asp, Gln121Arg) showed a 2.6-fold increased residual activity after incubation at 76 °C compared to immobilized wild-type (wt) BSLA. On the other hand, variant P6C2 (Val149Ile) showed 4.4 times higher activity after incubation in 75 % isopropyl alcohol (36 °C) compared to Wt_BSLA. Furthermore, we studied the advancement of the IBE platform by performing synthesis and immobilizing the BSLA variants using a cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) approach. The observed differences in immobilization performance, high temperature, and solvent resistance between the in vivo-produced variants and Wt_BSLA were confirmed for the in vitro synthesized enzymes. These results open the door for designing strategies integrating IBE and CFPS to generate and screen improved immobilized enzymes from genetic diversity libraries. Furthermore, it was confirmed that IBE is a platform that can be used to obtain improved biocatalysts, especially those with an unremarkable performance as soluble biocatalysts, which wouldn't be selected for immobilization and further development for specific applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Rodríguez-Núñez
- Laboratorio de Tecnología de Enzimas para Bioprocesos, Departamento de Ingeniería en Alimentos, Universidad de La Serena, Av. Raúl Bitrán 1305, 1720010 La Serena, Chile.
| | - Fernando López-Gallego
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE) - Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA) Paséo Miramón, 194, Donostia-San Sebastián 20014, Spain; KERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Maria Diaz de Haro 3, Bilbao, 48013, Spain
| | - Ronny Martínez
- Laboratorio de Tecnología de Enzimas para Bioprocesos, Departamento de Ingeniería en Alimentos, Universidad de La Serena, Av. Raúl Bitrán 1305, 1720010 La Serena, Chile
| | - Claudia Bernal
- Laboratorio de Tecnología de Enzimas para Bioprocesos, Departamento de Ingeniería en Alimentos, Universidad de La Serena, Av. Raúl Bitrán 1305, 1720010 La Serena, Chile; Departamento de Química, Universidad de La Serena, Benavente 980, 1720010 La Serena, Chile
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8
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Marasco R, Fusi M, Coscolín C, Barozzi A, Almendral D, Bargiela R, Nutschel CGN, Pfleger C, Dittrich J, Gohlke H, Matesanz R, Sanchez-Carrillo S, Mapelli F, Chernikova TN, Golyshin PN, Ferrer M, Daffonchio D. Enzyme adaptation to habitat thermal legacy shapes the thermal plasticity of marine microbiomes. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1045. [PMID: 36828822 PMCID: PMC9958047 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36610-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial communities respond to temperature with physiological adaptation and compositional turnover. Whether thermal selection of enzymes explains marine microbiome plasticity in response to temperature remains unresolved. By quantifying the thermal behaviour of seven functionally-independent enzyme classes (esterase, extradiol dioxygenase, phosphatase, beta-galactosidase, nuclease, transaminase, and aldo-keto reductase) in native proteomes of marine sediment microbiomes from the Irish Sea to the southern Red Sea, we record a significant effect of the mean annual temperature (MAT) on enzyme response in all cases. Activity and stability profiles of 228 esterases and 5 extradiol dioxygenases from sediment and seawater across 70 locations worldwide validate this thermal pattern. Modelling the esterase phase transition temperature as a measure of structural flexibility confirms the observed relationship with MAT. Furthermore, when considering temperature variability in sites with non-significantly different MATs, the broadest range of enzyme thermal behaviour and the highest growth plasticity of the enriched heterotrophic bacteria occur in samples with the widest annual thermal variability. These results indicate that temperature-driven enzyme selection shapes microbiome thermal plasticity and that thermal variability finely tunes such processes and should be considered alongside MAT in forecasting microbial community thermal response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona Marasco
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), Red Sea Research Centre (RSRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marco Fusi
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), Red Sea Research Centre (RSRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Centre for Conservation and Restoration Science, Edinburgh Napier University Sighthill Campus, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Alan Barozzi
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), Red Sea Research Centre (RSRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - David Almendral
- Instituto de Catalisis y Petroleoquimica (ICP), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Bargiela
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, UK
| | | | - Christopher Pfleger
- Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jonas Dittrich
- Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC) and Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Ruth Matesanz
- Spectroscopy Laboratory, Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas Margarita Salas (CIB), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sergio Sanchez-Carrillo
- Instituto de Catalisis y Petroleoquimica (ICP), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBM), CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francesca Mapelli
- Department of Food Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Tatyana N Chernikova
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, UK
| | - Peter N Golyshin
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, UK
| | - Manuel Ferrer
- Instituto de Catalisis y Petroleoquimica (ICP), CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Daniele Daffonchio
- Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), Red Sea Research Centre (RSRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
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9
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Heimsch KC, Gertzen CGW, Schuh AK, Nietzel T, Rahlfs S, Przyborski JM, Gohlke H, Schwarzländer M, Becker K, Fritz-Wolf K. Structure and Function of Redox-Sensitive Superfolder Green Fluorescent Protein Variant. Antioxid Redox Signal 2022; 37:1-18. [PMID: 35072524 PMCID: PMC9293687 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2021.0234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Aims: Genetically encoded green fluorescent protein (GFP)-based redox biosensors are widely used to monitor specific and dynamic redox processes in living cells. Over the last few years, various biosensors for a variety of applications were engineered and enhanced to match the organism and cellular environments, which should be investigated. In this context, the unicellular intraerythrocytic parasite Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, represents a challenge, as the small size of the organism results in weak fluorescence signals that complicate precise measurements, especially for cell compartment-specific observations. To address this, we have functionally and structurally characterized an enhanced redox biosensor superfolder roGFP2 (sfroGFP2). Results: SfroGFP2 retains roGFP2-like behavior, yet with improved fluorescence intensity (FI) in cellulo. SfroGFP2-based redox biosensors are pH insensitive in a physiological pH range and show midpoint potentials comparable with roGFP2-based redox biosensors. Using crystallography and rigidity theory, we identified the superfolding mutations as being responsible for improved structural stability of the biosensor in a redox-sensitive environment, thus explaining the improved FI in cellulo. Innovation: This work provides insight into the structure and function of GFP-based redox biosensors. It describes an improved redox biosensor (sfroGFP2) suitable for measuring oxidizing effects within small cells where applicability of other redox sensor variants is limited. Conclusion: Improved structural stability of sfroGFP2 gives rise to increased FI in cellulo. Fusion to hGrx1 (human glutaredoxin-1) provides the hitherto most suitable biosensor for measuring oxidizing effects in Plasmodium. This sensor is of major interest for studying glutathione redox changes in small cells, as well as subcellular compartments in general. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 37, 1-18.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim C Heimsch
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Christoph G W Gertzen
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Center for Structural Studies (CSS), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Anna Katharina Schuh
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Thomas Nietzel
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Stefan Rahlfs
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Jude M Przyborski
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.,John von Neumann Institute of Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), and Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Markus Schwarzländer
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Katja Becker
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Karin Fritz-Wolf
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Research Center, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.,Max-Planck Institute of Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany
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10
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El Harrar T, Davari MD, Jaeger KE, Schwaneberg U, Gohlke H. Critical assessment of structure-based approaches to improve protein resistance in aqueous ionic liquids by enzyme-wide saturation mutagenesis. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:399-409. [PMID: 35070165 PMCID: PMC8752993 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ionic liquids (IL) and aqueous ionic liquids (aIL) are attractive (co-)solvents for green industrial processes involving biocatalysts, but often reduce enzyme activity. Experimental and computational methods are applied to predict favorable substitution sites and, most often, subsequent site-directed surface charge modifications are introduced to enhance enzyme resistance towards aIL. However, almost no studies evaluate the prediction precision with random mutagenesis or the application of simple data-driven filtering processes. Here, we systematically and rigorously evaluated the performance of 22 previously described structure-based approaches to increase enzyme resistance to aIL based on an experimental complete site-saturation mutagenesis library of Bacillus subtilis Lipase A (BsLipA) screened against four aIL. We show that, surprisingly, most of the approaches yield low gain-in-precision (GiP) values, particularly for predicting relevant positions: 14 approaches perform worse than random mutagenesis. Encouragingly, exploiting experimental information on the thermostability of BsLipA or structural weak spots of BsLipA predicted by rigidity theory yields GiP = 3.03 and 2.39 for relevant variants and GiP = 1.61 and 1.41 for relevant positions. Combining five simple-to-compute physicochemical and evolutionary properties substantially increases the precision of predicting relevant variants and positions, yielding GiP = 3.35 and 1.29. Finally, combining these properties with predictions of structural weak spots identified by rigidity theory additionally improves GiP for relevant variants up to 4-fold to ∼10 and sustains or increases GiP for relevant positions, resulting in a prediction precision of ∼90% compared to ∼9% in random mutagenesis. This combination should be applicable to other enzyme systems for guiding protein engineering approaches towards improved aIL resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till El Harrar
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- John-von-Neumann-Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), and Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Mehdi D. Davari
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, 06120 Halle, Germany
| | - Karl-Erich Jaeger
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Ulrich Schwaneberg
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials e.V., 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- John-von-Neumann-Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), and Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Corresponding author at: John-von-Neumann-Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), and Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Str., 52428 Jülich, Germany.
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11
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Becker D, Bharatam PV, Gohlke H. F/G Region Rigidity is Inversely Correlated to Substrate Promiscuity of Human CYP Isoforms Involved in Metabolism. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:4023-4030. [PMID: 34370479 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Of 57 human cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, 12 metabolize 90% of xenobiotics. To our knowledge, no study has addressed the relation between enzyme dynamics and substrate promiscuity for more than three CYPs. Here, we show by constraint dilution simulations with the Constraint Network Analysis for the 12 isoforms that structural rigidity of the F/G region is significantly inversely correlated to the enzymes' substrate promiscuity. This highlights the functional importance of structural dynamics of the substrate tunnel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Becker
- Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Prasad V Bharatam
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Sector 67, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Mohali 160062, Punjab, India
| | - Holger Gohlke
- Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.,John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), and Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
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12
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El Harrar T, Frieg B, Davari MD, Jaeger KE, Schwaneberg U, Gohlke H. Aqueous ionic liquids redistribute local enzyme stability via long-range perturbation pathways. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:4248-4264. [PMID: 34429845 PMCID: PMC8355836 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Ionic liquids (IL) and aqueous ionic liquids (aIL) are attractive (co-)solvents for biocatalysis due to their unique properties. On the other hand, the incubation of enzymes in IL or aIL often reduces enzyme activity. Recent studies proposed various aIL-induced effects to explain the reduction, classified as direct effects, e.g., local dehydration or competitive inhibition, and indirect effects, e.g., structural perturbations or disturbed catalytic site integrity. However, the molecular origin of indirect effects has largely remained elusive. Here we show by multi-μs long molecular dynamics simulations, free energy computations, and rigidity analyses that aIL favorably interact with specific residues of Bacillus subtilis Lipase A (BsLipA) and modify the local structural stability of this model enzyme by inducing long-range perturbations of noncovalent interactions. The perturbations percolate over neighboring residues and eventually affect the catalytic site and the buried protein core. Validation against a complete experimental site saturation mutagenesis library of BsLipA (3620 variants) reveals that the residues of the perturbation pathways are distinguished sequence positions where substitutions highly likely yield significantly improved residual activity. Our results demonstrate that identifying these perturbation pathways and specific IL ion-residue interactions there effectively predicts focused variant libraries with improved aIL tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till El Harrar
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- John-von-Neumann-Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), and Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Benedikt Frieg
- John-von-Neumann-Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), and Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Mehdi D. Davari
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Karl-Erich Jaeger
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Ulrich Schwaneberg
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials e.V., 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- John-von-Neumann-Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), and Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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13
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Pramanik S, Semenova MV, M Rozhkova A, Zorov IN, Korotkova O, Sinitsyn AP, Davari MD. An engineered cellobiohydrolase I for sustainable degradation of lignocellulosic biomass. Biotechnol Bioeng 2021; 118:4014-4027. [PMID: 34196389 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
This study provides computational-assisted engineering of the cellobiohydrolase I (CBH-I) from Penicillium verruculosum with simultaneous enhanced thermostability and tolerance in ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvent, and concentrated seawater without affecting its wild-type activity. Engineered triple variant CBH-I R1 (A65R-G415R-S181F) showed 2.48-fold higher thermostability in terms of relative activity at 65°C after 1 h of incubation when compared with CBH-I wild type. CBH-I R1 exhibited 1.87-fold, 1.36-fold, and 1.57-fold higher specific activities compared with CBH-I wild type in [Bmim]Cl (50 g/L), [Ch]Cl (50 g/L), and two-fold concentrated seawater, respectively. In the multicellulases mixture, CBH-I R1 showed higher hydrolytic efficiency to hydrolyze aspen wood compared with CBH-I wild type in the buffer, [Bmim]Cl (50 g/L), and two-fold concentrated seawater, respectively. Structural analysis revealed a molecular basis for the higher stability of the CBH-I structure in which A65R and G415R substitutions form salt bridges (D64 … R65, E411 … R415) and S181F forms π-π interaction (Y155 … F181), leading to stabilize surface-exposed flexible α-helixes and loop in the multidomain β-jelly roll fold structure, respectively. In conclusion, the variant CBH-I R1 could enable efficient lignocellulosic biomass degradation as a cost-effective alternative for the sustainable production of biofuels and value-added chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subrata Pramanik
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Margarita V Semenova
- Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology", Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Aleksandra M Rozhkova
- Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology", Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ivan N Zorov
- Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology", Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Department of Chemistry, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga Korotkova
- Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology", Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Arkady P Sinitsyn
- Federal Research Centre "Fundamentals of Biotechnology", Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Department of Chemistry, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Mehdi D Davari
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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14
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Cui H, Eltoukhy L, Zhang L, Markel U, Jaeger K, Davari MD, Schwaneberg U. Less Unfavorable Salt Bridges on the Enzyme Surface Result in More Organic Cosolvent Resistance. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:11448-11456. [PMID: 33687787 PMCID: PMC8252522 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202101642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Biocatalysis for the synthesis of fine chemicals is highly attractive but usually requires organic (co-)solvents (OSs). However, native enzymes often have low activity and resistance in OSs and at elevated temperatures. Herein, we report a smart salt bridge design strategy for simultaneously improving OS resistance and thermostability of the model enzyme, Bacillus subtilits Lipase A (BSLA). We combined comprehensive experimental studies of 3450 BSLA variants and molecular dynamics simulations of 36 systems. Iterative recombination of four beneficial substitutions yielded superior resistant variants with up to 7.6-fold (D64K/D144K) improved resistance toward three OSs while exhibiting significant thermostability (thermal resistance up to 137-fold, and half-life up to 3.3-fold). Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that locally refined flexibility and strengthened hydration jointly govern the highly increased resistance in OSs and at 50-100 °C. The salt bridge redesign provides protein engineers with a powerful and likely general approach to design OSs- and/or thermal-resistant lipases and other α/β-hydrolases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyang Cui
- Institute of BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityWorringer Weg 352074AachenGermany
- DWI Leibniz-Institute for Interactive MaterialsForckenbeckstrasse 5052074AachenGermany
| | - Lobna Eltoukhy
- Institute of BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityWorringer Weg 352074AachenGermany
| | - Lingling Zhang
- Institute of BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityWorringer Weg 352074AachenGermany
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial BiotechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesWest 7th Avenue 32, Tianjin Airport Economic Area300308TianjinChina
| | - Ulrich Markel
- Institute of BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityWorringer Weg 352074AachenGermany
| | - Karl‐Erich Jaeger
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme TechnologyHeinrich Heine University DüsseldorfWilhelm Johnen Strasse52426JülichGermany
- Institute of Bio-and Geosciences IBG 1: BiotechnologyForschungszentrum Jülich GmbHWilhelm Johnen Strasse52426JülichGermany
| | - Mehdi D. Davari
- Institute of BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityWorringer Weg 352074AachenGermany
| | - Ulrich Schwaneberg
- Institute of BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityWorringer Weg 352074AachenGermany
- DWI Leibniz-Institute for Interactive MaterialsForckenbeckstrasse 5052074AachenGermany
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15
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Cui H, Eltoukhy L, Zhang L, Markel U, Jaeger K, Davari MD, Schwaneberg U. Less Unfavorable Salt Bridges on the Enzyme Surface Result in More Organic Cosolvent Resistance. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202101642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Haiyang Cui
- Institute of Biotechnology RWTH Aachen University Worringer Weg 3 52074 Aachen Germany
- DWI Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials Forckenbeckstrasse 50 52074 Aachen Germany
| | - Lobna Eltoukhy
- Institute of Biotechnology RWTH Aachen University Worringer Weg 3 52074 Aachen Germany
| | - Lingling Zhang
- Institute of Biotechnology RWTH Aachen University Worringer Weg 3 52074 Aachen Germany
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology Chinese Academy of Sciences West 7th Avenue 32, Tianjin Airport Economic Area 300308 Tianjin China
| | - Ulrich Markel
- Institute of Biotechnology RWTH Aachen University Worringer Weg 3 52074 Aachen Germany
| | - Karl‐Erich Jaeger
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf Wilhelm Johnen Strasse 52426 Jülich Germany
- Institute of Bio-and Geosciences IBG 1: Biotechnology Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Wilhelm Johnen Strasse 52426 Jülich Germany
| | - Mehdi D. Davari
- Institute of Biotechnology RWTH Aachen University Worringer Weg 3 52074 Aachen Germany
| | - Ulrich Schwaneberg
- Institute of Biotechnology RWTH Aachen University Worringer Weg 3 52074 Aachen Germany
- DWI Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials Forckenbeckstrasse 50 52074 Aachen Germany
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16
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Nutschel C, Coscolín C, David B, Mulnaes D, Ferrer M, Jaeger KE, Gohlke H. Promiscuous Esterases Counterintuitively Are Less Flexible than Specific Ones. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:2383-2395. [PMID: 33949194 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Understanding mechanisms of promiscuity is increasingly important from a fundamental and application point of view. As to enzyme structural dynamics, more promiscuous enzymes generally have been recognized to also be more flexible. However, examples for the opposite received much less attention. Here, we exploit comprehensive experimental information on the substrate promiscuity of 147 esterases tested against 96 esters together with computationally efficient rigidity analyses to understand the molecular origin of the observed promiscuity range. Unexpectedly, our data reveal that promiscuous esterases are significantly less flexible than specific ones, are significantly more thermostable, and have a significantly increased specific activity. These results may be reconciled with a model according to which structural flexibility in the case of specific esterases serves for conformational proofreading. Our results signify that an esterase sequence space can be screened by rigidity analyses for promiscuous esterases as starting points for further exploration in biotechnology and synthetic chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Nutschel
- John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), and Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Cristina Coscolín
- Institute of Catalysis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Benoit David
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Daniel Mulnaes
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Manuel Ferrer
- Institute of Catalysis, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Karl-Erich Jaeger
- Institute of Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 52425 Jülich, Germany.,Institute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), and Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-4: Bioinformatics), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany.,Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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17
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Contreras F, Nutschel C, Beust L, Davari MD, Gohlke H, Schwaneberg U. Can constraint network analysis guide the identification phase of KnowVolution? A case study on improved thermostability of an endo-β-glucanase. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 19:743-751. [PMID: 33552446 PMCID: PMC7822948 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.12.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellulases are industrially important enzymes, e.g., in the production of bioethanol, in pulp and paper industry, feedstock, and textile. Thermostability is often a prerequisite for high process stability and improving thermostability without affecting specific activities at lower temperatures is challenging and often time-consuming. Protein engineering strategies that combine experimental and computational are emerging in order to reduce experimental screening efforts and speed up enzyme engineering campaigns. Constraint Network Analysis (CNA) is a promising computational method that identifies beneficial positions in enzymes to improve thermostability. In this study, we compare CNA and directed evolution in the identification of beneficial positions in order to evaluate the potential of CNA in protein engineering campaigns (e.g., in the identification phase of KnowVolution). We engineered the industrially relevant endoglucanase EGLII from Penicillium verruculosum towards increased thermostability. From the CNA approach, six variants were obtained with an up to 2-fold improvement in thermostability. The overall experimental burden was reduced to 40% utilizing the CNA method in comparison to directed evolution. On a variant level, the success rate was similar for both strategies, with 0.27% and 0.18% improved variants in the epPCR and CNA-guided library, respectively. In essence, CNA is an effective method for identification of positions that improve thermostability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisca Contreras
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 3, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Christina Nutschel
- John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) and Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Laura Beust
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 3, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Mehdi D. Davari
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 3, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Holger Gohlke
- John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) and Institute of Biological Information Processing (IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ulrich Schwaneberg
- Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 3, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- DWI-Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstraße 50, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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18
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Martínez R, Bernal C, Álvarez R, Concha C, Araya F, Cabrera R, Dhoke GV, Davari MD. Deletion and Randomization of Structurally Variable Regions in B. subtilis Lipase A (BSLA) Alter Its Stability and Hydrolytic Performance Against Long Chain Fatty Acid Esters. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21061990. [PMID: 32183336 PMCID: PMC7139672 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21061990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The continuous search for novel enzyme backbones and the engineering of already well studied enzymes for biotechnological applications has become an increasing challenge, especially by the increasing potential diversity space provided by directed enzyme evolution approaches and the demands of experimental data generated by rational design of enzymes. In this work, we propose a semi-rational mutational strategy focused on introducing diversity in structurally variable regions in enzymes. The identified sequences are subjected to a progressive deletion of two amino acids and the joining residues are subjected to saturation mutagenesis using NNK degenerate codons. This strategy offers a novel library diversity approach while simultaneously decreasing enzyme size in the variable regions. In this way, we intend to identify and reduce variable regions found in enzymes, probably resulting from neutral drift evolution, and simultaneously studying the functional effect of said regions. This strategy was applied to Bacillus. subtilis lipase A (BSLA), by selecting and deleting six variable enzyme regions (named regions 1 to 6) by the deletion of two amino acids and additionally randomizing the joining amino acid residues. After screening, no active variants were found in libraries 1% and 4%, 15% active variants were found in libraries 2% and 3%, and 25% for libraries 5 and 6 (n = 3000 per library, activity detected using tributyrin agar plates). Active variants were assessed for activity in microtiter plate assay (pNP-butyrate), thermal stability, substrate preference (pNP-butyrate, -palmitate), and compared to wildtype BSLA. From these analyses, variant P5F3 (F41L-ΔW42-ΔD43-K44P), from library 3 was identified, showing increased activity towards longer chain p-nitrophenyl fatty acid esters, when compared to BSLA. This study allowed to propose the targeted region 3 (positions 40-46) as a potential modulator for substrate specificity (fatty acid chain length) in BSLA, which can be further studied to increase its substrate spectrum and selectivity. Additionally, this variant showed a decreased thermal resistance but interestingly, higher isopropanol and Triton X-100 resistance. This deletion-randomization strategy could help to expand and explore sequence diversity, even in already well studied and characterized enzyme backbones such as BSLA. In addition, this strategy can contribute to investigate and identify important non-conserved regions in classic and novel enzymes, as well as generating novel biocatalysts with increased performance in specific processes, such as enzyme immobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronny Martínez
- Departamento de Ingeniería en Alimentos, Instituto de Investigación Multidisciplinaria en Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad de La Serena, Av. Raúl Bitrán 1305, La Serena 1720010, Chile; (C.B.); (R.Á.); (C.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +56-51-2334661; Fax: +56-51-2204446
| | - Claudia Bernal
- Departamento de Ingeniería en Alimentos, Instituto de Investigación Multidisciplinaria en Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad de La Serena, Av. Raúl Bitrán 1305, La Serena 1720010, Chile; (C.B.); (R.Á.); (C.C.)
| | - Rodrigo Álvarez
- Departamento de Ingeniería en Alimentos, Instituto de Investigación Multidisciplinaria en Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad de La Serena, Av. Raúl Bitrán 1305, La Serena 1720010, Chile; (C.B.); (R.Á.); (C.C.)
- Escuela de Tecnología Médica, Facultad de Salud, Sede La Serena, Universidad Santo Tomás, La Serena 1710172, Chile
| | - Christopher Concha
- Departamento de Ingeniería en Alimentos, Instituto de Investigación Multidisciplinaria en Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad de La Serena, Av. Raúl Bitrán 1305, La Serena 1720010, Chile; (C.B.); (R.Á.); (C.C.)
| | - Fernando Araya
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800003, Chile; (F.A.); (R.C.)
| | - Ricardo Cabrera
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 7800003, Chile; (F.A.); (R.C.)
| | - Gaurao V. Dhoke
- Lehrstuhl für Biotechnologie, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 3, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (G.V.D.); (M.D.D.)
| | - Mehdi D. Davari
- Lehrstuhl für Biotechnologie, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 3, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (G.V.D.); (M.D.D.)
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