1
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De PS, Theilmann J, Raguin A. A detailed sensitivity analysis identifies the key factors influencing the enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2024; 23:1005-1015. [PMID: 38420218 PMCID: PMC10900831 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2024.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Corn stover is the most abundant form of crop residue that can serve as a source of lignocellulosic biomass in biorefinery approaches, for instance for the production of bioethanol. In such biorefinery processes, the constituent polysaccharide biopolymers are typically broken down into simple monomeric sugars by enzymatic saccharification, for further downstream fermentation into bioethanol. However, the recalcitrance of this material to enzymatic saccharification invokes the need for innovative pre-treatment methods to increase sugar conversion yield. Here, we focus on experimental glucose conversion time-courses for corn stover lignocellulose that has been pre-treated with different acid-catalysed processes and intensities. We identify the key parameters that determine enzymatic saccharification dynamics by performing a Sobol's sensitivity analysis on the comparison between the simulation results from our complex stochastic biophysical model, and the experimental data that we accurately reproduce. We find that the parameters relating to cellulose crystallinity and those associated with the cellobiohydrolase activity are predominantly driving the enzymatic saccharification dynamics. We confirm our computational results using mathematical calculations for a purely cellulosic substrate. On the one hand, having identified that only five parameters drastically influence the saccharification dynamics allows us to reduce the dimensionality of the parameter space (from nineteen to five parameters), which we expect will significantly speed up our fitting algorithm for comparison of experimental and simulated saccharification time-courses. On the other hand, these parameters directly highlight key targets for experimental endeavours in the optimisation of pre-treatment and saccharification conditions. Finally, this systematic and two-fold theoretical study, based on both mathematical and computational approaches, provides experimentalists with key insights that will support them in rationalising their complex experimental results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Partho Sakha De
- Institute for Computational Cell Biology, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, Düsseldorf, 40225, NRW, Germany
- Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC), c/o Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, 52425, NRW, Germany
| | - Jasmin Theilmann
- Institute for Computational Cell Biology, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, Düsseldorf, 40225, NRW, Germany
| | - Adélaïde Raguin
- Institute for Computational Cell Biology, Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, Düsseldorf, 40225, NRW, Germany
- Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC), c/o Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, 52425, NRW, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Universitätsstr. 1, Düsseldorf, 40225, NRW, Germany
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2
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Chen G, Wang ZX, Yang Y, Li Y, Zhang T, Ouyang S, Zhang L, Chen Y, Ruan X, Miao M. Elucidation of the mechanism underlying the sequential catalysis of inulin by fructotransferase. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 277:134446. [PMID: 39098696 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.134446] [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: 05/17/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Glycoside hydrolase family 91 (GH91) inulin fructotransferase (IFTases) enables biotransformation of fructans into sugar substitutes for dietary intervention in metabolic syndrome. However, the catalytic mechanism underlying the sequential biodegradation of inulin remains unelusive during the biotranformation of fructans. Herein we present the crystal structures of IFTase from Arthrobacter aurescens SK 8.001 in apo form and in complexes with kestose, nystose, or fructosyl nystose, respectively. Two kinds of conserved noncatalytic binding regions are first identified for IFTase-inulin interactions. The conserved interactions of substrates were revealed in the catalytic center that only contained a catalytic residue E205. A switching scaffold was comprised of D194 and Q217 in the catalytic channel, which served as the catalytic transition stabilizer through side chain displacement in the cycling of substrate sliding in/out the catalytic pocket. Such features in GH91 contribute to the catalytic model for consecutive cutting of substrate chain as well as product release in IFTase, and thus might be extended to other exo-active enzymes with an enclosed bottom of catalytic pocket. The study expands the current general catalytic principle in enzyme-substrate complexes and shed light on the rational design of IFTase for fructan biotransformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; College of Food and Health, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forest University, Hangzhou 311300, China
| | - Zhao-Xi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Innate Immune Biology of Fujian Province, Provincial University Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Response and Metabolic Regulation, Biomedical Research Center of South China, Key Laboratory of OptoElectronic Science and Technology for Medicine of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Yuqi Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Yungao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Songying Ouyang
- Key Laboratory of Innate Immune Biology of Fujian Province, Provincial University Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Response and Metabolic Regulation, Biomedical Research Center of South China, Key Laboratory of OptoElectronic Science and Technology for Medicine of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China.
| | - Yang Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Science for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China.
| | - Xinglin Ruan
- Department of Neurology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, 29 Xinquan Road Gulou District, Fuzhou 350001, China.
| | - Ming Miao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
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3
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Yupanqui-Mendoza SL, Arantes V. An enzymatic hydrolysis-based platform technology for the efficient high-yield production of cellulose nanospheres. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 278:134602. [PMID: 39127282 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.134602] [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: 05/23/2024] [Revised: 08/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
This study evaluates the feasibility of using enzymatic technology to produce novel nanostructures of cellulose nanomaterials, specifically cellulose nanospheres (CNS), through enzymatic hydrolysis with endoglucanase and xylanase of pre-treated cellulose fibers. A statistical experimental design facilitated a comprehensive understanding of the process parameters, which enabled high yields of up to 82.7 %, while maintaining a uniform diameter of 54 nm and slightly improved crystallinity and thermal stability. Atomic force microscopy analyses revealed a distinct CNS formation mechanism, where initial fragmentation of rod-like nanoparticles and subsequent self-assembly of shorter rod-shaped nanoparticles led to CNS formation. Additionally, adjustments in process parameters allowed precise control over the CNS diameter, ranging from 20 to 100 nm, highlighting the potential for customization in high-performance applications. Furthermore, this study demonstrates how the process framework, originally developed for cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) production, was successfully adapted and optimized for CNS production, ensuring scalability and efficiency. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the versatility and efficiency of the enzyme-based platform for producing high-quality CNS, providing valuable insights into energy consumption for large-scale economic and environmental assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Luis Yupanqui-Mendoza
- Laboratory of Applied Bionanotechnology, Department of Biotechnology, Engineering School of Lorena, University of São Paulo, Lorena, SP 12602-810, Brazil
| | - Valdeir Arantes
- Laboratory of Applied Bionanotechnology, Department of Biotechnology, Engineering School of Lorena, University of São Paulo, Lorena, SP 12602-810, Brazil.
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4
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Elnagdy NA, Ragab TIM, Fadel MA, Abou-Zeid MA, Esawy MA. Bioethanol Production from Characterized Pre-treated Sugarcane Trash and Jatropha Agrowastes. J Biotechnol 2024; 386:28-41. [PMID: 38461861 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2024.02.015] [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: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Low production costs and a potential feedstock supply make lignocellulosic ethanol (bioethanol) an important source of advanced biofuels. The physical and chemical preparation of this kind of lignocellulosic feedstock led to a high ethanol yield. In order to increase the yield of fermentable sugars, pretreatment is an essential process step that alters the lignocellulosic structure and improves its accessibility for the expensive hydrolytic enzymes. In this context, the chemical composition of sugarcane trash (dry leaves, green leaves, and tops) and jatropha (shell and seed cake) was determined to be mainly cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide were applied in an attempt to facilitate the solubilization of lignin and hemicelluloses in five agrowastes. The extraction of hydrogen peroxide was much better than that of sodium hydroxide. A comparative study was done using SEM, EDXA, and FTIR to evaluate the difference between the two methods. The pretreated wastes were subjected to saccharification by commercial cellulases (30 IU/g substrate). The obtained glucose was fortified with nutrients and fermented statically by Saccharomyces cerevisiae F-307 for bioethanol production. The results revealed the bioethanol yields were 325.4, 310.8, 282.9, 302.4 and 264.0 mg ethanol/g treated agrowastes from green leaves of sugarcane, jatropha deolied seed cake, tops sugarcane, dry leaves of sugarcane, and jatropha shell, respectively. This study emphasizes the value of lignocellulosic agricultural waste as a resource for the production of biofuels as well as the significance of the extraction process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naglaa A Elnagdy
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Egypt
| | - Tamer I M Ragab
- Chemistry of Natural and Microbial Products Department, Pharmaceutical Industries and Drug Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo 12622, Egypt.
| | - Mohamed A Fadel
- Microbial Chemistry Department, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza 12622, Egypt
| | - Mohamed A Abou-Zeid
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Egypt; Faculty of Science, Galala University, Egypt
| | - Mona A Esawy
- Chemistry of Natural and Microbial Products Department, Pharmaceutical Industries and Drug Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo 12622, Egypt
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5
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Nong D, Haviland ZK, Zexer N, Pfaff SA, Cosgrove DJ, Tien M, Anderson CT, Hancock WO. Single-molecule tracking reveals dual front door/back door inhibition of Cel7A cellulase by its product cellobiose. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2322567121. [PMID: 38648472 PMCID: PMC11067010 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2322567121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Degrading cellulose is a key step in the processing of lignocellulosic biomass into bioethanol. Cellobiose, the disaccharide product of cellulose degradation, has been shown to inhibit cellulase activity, but the mechanisms underlying product inhibition are not clear. We combined single-molecule imaging and biochemical investigations with the goal of revealing the mechanism by which cellobiose inhibits the activity of Trichoderma reesei Cel7A, a well-characterized exo-cellulase. We find that cellobiose slows the processive velocity of Cel7A and shortens the distance moved per encounter; effects that can be explained by cellobiose binding to the product release site of the enzyme. Cellobiose also strongly inhibits the binding of Cel7A to immobilized cellulose, with a Ki of 2.1 mM. The isolated catalytic domain (CD) of Cel7A was also inhibited to a similar degree by cellobiose, and binding of an isolated carbohydrate-binding module to cellulose was not inhibited by cellobiose, suggesting that cellobiose acts on the CD alone. Finally, cellopentaose inhibited Cel7A binding at micromolar concentrations without affecting the enzyme's velocity of movement along cellulose. Together, these results suggest that cellobiose inhibits Cel7A activity both by binding to the "back door" product release site to slow activity and to the "front door" substrate-binding tunnel to inhibit interaction with cellulose. These findings point to strategies for engineering cellulases to reduce product inhibition and enhance cellulose degradation, supporting the growth of a sustainable bioeconomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daguan Nong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - Zachary K. Haviland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - Nerya Zexer
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - Sarah A. Pfaff
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Plant Biology, Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - Daniel J. Cosgrove
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - Ming Tien
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - Charles T. Anderson
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
| | - William O. Hancock
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
- Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA16802
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6
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Brunecky R, Knott BC, Subramanian V, Linger JG, Beckham GT, Amore A, Taylor LE, Vander Wall TA, Lunin VV, Zheng F, Garrido M, Schuster L, Fulk EM, Farmer S, Himmel ME, Decker SR. Engineering of glycoside hydrolase family 7 cellobiohydrolases directed by natural diversity screening. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105749. [PMID: 38354778 PMCID: PMC10943489 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.105749] [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: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein engineering and screening of processive fungal cellobiohydrolases (CBHs) remain challenging due to limited expression hosts, synergy-dependency, and recalcitrant substrates. In particular, glycoside hydrolase family 7 (GH7) CBHs are critically important for the bioeconomy and typically difficult to engineer. Here, we target the discovery of highly active natural GH7 CBHs and engineering of variants with improved activity. Using experimentally assayed activities of genome mined CBHs, we applied sequence and structural alignments to top performers to identify key point mutations linked to improved activity. From ∼1500 known GH7 sequences, an evolutionarily diverse subset of 57 GH7 CBH genes was expressed in Trichoderma reesei and screened using a multiplexed activity screening assay. Ten catalytically enhanced natural variants were identified, produced, purified, and tested for efficacy using industrially relevant conditions and substrates. Three key amino acids in CBHs with performance comparable or superior to Penicillium funiculosum Cel7A were identified and combinatorially engineered into P. funiculosum cel7a, expressed in T. reesei, and assayed on lignocellulosic biomass. The top performer generated using this combined approach of natural diversity genome mining, experimental assays, and computational modeling produced a 41% increase in conversion extent over native P. funiculosum Cel7A, a 55% increase over the current industrial standard T. reesei Cel7A, and 10% improvement over Aspergillus oryzae Cel7C, the best natural GH7 CBH previously identified in our laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Brunecky
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Brandon C Knott
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Venkataramanan Subramanian
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Jeffrey G Linger
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Gregg T Beckham
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Antonella Amore
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Larry E Taylor
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Todd A Vander Wall
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Vladimir V Lunin
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Fei Zheng
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Mercedes Garrido
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Logan Schuster
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Emily M Fulk
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Samuel Farmer
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Michael E Himmel
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA.
| | - Stephen R Decker
- Bioenergy Science and Technology Directorate, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA.
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7
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Lazzeri G, Jung H, Bolhuis PG, Covino R. Molecular Free Energies, Rates, and Mechanisms from Data-Efficient Path Sampling Simulations. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:9060-9076. [PMID: 37988412 PMCID: PMC10753783 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Molecular dynamics is a powerful tool for studying the thermodynamics and kinetics of complex molecular events. However, these simulations can rarely sample the required time scales in practice. Transition path sampling overcomes this limitation by collecting unbiased trajectories and capturing the relevant events. Moreover, the integration of machine learning can boost the sampling while simultaneously learning a quantitative representation of the mechanism. Still, the resulting trajectories are by construction non-Boltzmann-distributed, preventing the calculation of free energies and rates. We developed an algorithm to approximate the equilibrium path ensemble from machine-learning-guided path sampling data. At the same time, our algorithm provides efficient sampling, mechanism, free energy, and rates of rare molecular events at a very moderate computational cost. We tested the method on the folding of the mini-protein chignolin. Our algorithm is straightforward and data-efficient, opening the door to applications in many challenging molecular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmarco Lazzeri
- Frankfurt
Institute for Advanced Studies, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
- Goethe
University Frankfurt, Frankfurt
am Main, 60438, Germany
| | - Hendrik Jung
- Goethe
University Frankfurt, Frankfurt
am Main, 60438, Germany
- Department
of Theoretical Biophysics, Max Planck Institute
of Biophysics, Frankfurt
am Main, 60438, Germany
| | - Peter G. Bolhuis
- Van’t
Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University
of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1090GD, The Netherlands
| | - Roberto Covino
- Frankfurt
Institute for Advanced Studies, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
- Goethe
University Frankfurt, Frankfurt
am Main, 60438, Germany
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8
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De PS, Glass T, Stein M, Spitzlei T, Raguin A. PREDIG: Web application to model and predict the enzymatic saccharification of plant cell wall. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:5463-5475. [PMID: 38022701 PMCID: PMC10663758 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.09.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Enzymatic digestion of lignocellulosic plant biomass is a key step in bio-refinery approaches for the production of biofuels and other valuable chemicals. However, the recalcitrance of this material in conjunction with its variability and heterogeneity strongly hampers the economic viability and profitability of biofuel production. To complement both academic and industrial experimental research in the field, we designed an advanced web application that encapsulates our in-house developed complex biophysical model of enzymatic plant cell wall degradation. PREDIG (https://predig.cs.hhu.de/) is a user-friendly, free, and fully open-source web application that allows the user to perform in silico experiments. Specifically, it uses a Gillespie algorithm to run stochastic simulations of the enzymatic saccharification of a lignocellulose microfibril, at the mesoscale, in three dimensions. Such simulations can for instance be used to test the action of distinct enzyme cocktails on the substrate. Additionally, PREDIG can fit the model parameters to uploaded experimental time-course data, thereby returning values that are intrinsically difficult to measure experimentally. This gives the user the possibility to learn which factors quantitatively explain the recalcitrance to saccharification of their specific biomass material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Partho Sakha De
- Institute for Computational Cell Biology, Computer Science department, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany
- Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC), c/o Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, 52425, Germany
| | - Torben Glass
- Institute for Computational Cell Biology, Computer Science department, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany
- Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC), c/o Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, 52425, Germany
| | - Merle Stein
- Institute for Computational Cell Biology, Computer Science department, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany
| | - Thomas Spitzlei
- Institute for Computational Cell Biology, Computer Science department, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany
| | - Adélaïde Raguin
- Institute for Computational Cell Biology, Computer Science department, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany
- Bioeconomy Science Center (BioSC), c/o Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, 52425, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany
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9
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Naleem N, Abreu CRA, Warmuz K, Tong M, Kirmizialtin S, Tuckerman ME. An exploration of machine learning models for the determination of reaction coordinates associated with conformational transitions. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:034102. [PMID: 37458344 DOI: 10.1063/5.0147597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Determining collective variables (CVs) for conformational transitions is crucial to understanding their dynamics and targeting them in enhanced sampling simulations. Often, CVs are proposed based on intuition or prior knowledge of a system. However, the problem of systematically determining a proper reaction coordinate (RC) for a specific process in terms of a set of putative CVs can be achieved using committor analysis (CA). Identifying essential degrees of freedom that govern such transitions using CA remains elusive because of the high dimensionality of the conformational space. Various schemes exist to leverage the power of machine learning (ML) to extract an RC from CA. Here, we extend these studies and compare the ability of 17 different ML schemes to identify accurate RCs associated with conformational transitions. We tested these methods on an alanine dipeptide in vacuum and on a sarcosine dipeptoid in an implicit solvent. Our comparison revealed that the light gradient boosting machine method outperforms other methods. In order to extract key features from the models, we employed Shapley Additive exPlanations analysis and compared its interpretation with the "feature importance" approach. For the alanine dipeptide, our methodology identifies ϕ and θ dihedrals as essential degrees of freedom in the C7ax to C7eq transition. For the sarcosine dipeptoid system, the dihedrals ψ and ω are the most important for the cisαD to transαD transition. We further argue that analysis of the full dynamical pathway, and not just endpoint states, is essential for identifying key degrees of freedom governing transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawavi Naleem
- Chemistry Program, Science Division, New York University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Charlles R A Abreu
- Chemical Engineering Department, Escola de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-909 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Krzysztof Warmuz
- Computer Science Program, Science Division, New York University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Muchen Tong
- Department of Chemistry, New York University (NYU), New York, New York 10003, USA
| | - Serdal Kirmizialtin
- Chemistry Program, Science Division, New York University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Department of Chemistry, New York University (NYU), New York, New York 10003, USA
- Center for Smart Engineering Materials, New York University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - Mark E Tuckerman
- Department of Chemistry, New York University (NYU), New York, New York 10003, USA
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, New York 10012, USA
- NYU-ECNU Center for Computational Chemistry at NYU Shanghai, 3663 Zhongshan Rd. North, Shanghai 200062, China
- Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry at New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA
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10
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The interplay between lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases and glycoside hydrolases. Essays Biochem 2023; 67:551-559. [PMID: 36876880 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20220156] [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: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
In nature, enzymatic degradation of recalcitrant polysaccharides such as chitin and cellulose takes place by a synergistic interaction between glycoside hydrolases (GHs) and lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs). The two different families of carbohydrate-active enzymes use two different mechanisms when breaking glycosidic bonds between sugar moieties. GHs employ a hydrolytic activity and LPMOs are oxidative. Consequently, the topologies of the active sites differ dramatically. GHs have tunnels or clefts lined with a sheet of aromatic amino acid residues accommodating single polymer chains being threaded into the active site. LPMOs are adapted to bind to the flat crystalline surfaces of chitin and cellulose. It is believed that the LPMO oxidative mechanism provides new chain ends that the GHs can attach to and degrade, often in a processive manner. Indeed, there are many reports of synergies as well as rate enhancements when LPMOs are applied in concert with GHs. Still, these enhancements vary in magnitude with respect to the nature of the GH and the LPMO. Moreover, impediment of GH catalysis is also observed. In the present review, we discuss central works where the interplay between LPMOs and GHs has been studied and comment on future challenges to be addressed to fully use the potential of this interplay to improve enzymatic polysaccharide degradation.
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11
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Chaudhari YB, Várnai A, Sørlie M, Horn SJ, Eijsink VGH. Engineering cellulases for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass. Protein Eng Des Sel 2023; 36:gzad002. [PMID: 36892404 PMCID: PMC10394125 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzad002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable source of energy, chemicals and materials. Many applications of this resource require the depolymerization of one or more of its polymeric constituents. Efficient enzymatic depolymerization of cellulose to glucose by cellulases and accessory enzymes such as lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases is a prerequisite for economically viable exploitation of this biomass. Microbes produce a remarkably diverse range of cellulases, which consist of glycoside hydrolase (GH) catalytic domains and, although not in all cases, substrate-binding carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs). As enzymes are a considerable cost factor, there is great interest in finding or engineering improved and robust cellulases, with higher activity and stability, easy expression, and minimal product inhibition. This review addresses relevant engineering targets for cellulases, discusses a few notable cellulase engineering studies of the past decades and provides an overview of recent work in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yogesh B Chaudhari
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Food Science, NMBU-Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Anikó Várnai
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Food Science, NMBU-Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Morten Sørlie
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Food Science, NMBU-Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Svein J Horn
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Food Science, NMBU-Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Vincent G H Eijsink
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Food Science, NMBU-Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
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12
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Haataja T, Gado JE, Nutt A, Anderson NT, Nilsson M, Momeni MH, Isaksson R, Väljamäe P, Johansson G, Payne CM, Ståhlberg J. Enzyme kinetics by GH7 cellobiohydrolases on chromogenic substrates is dictated by non-productive binding: insights from crystal structures and MD simulation. FEBS J 2023; 290:379-399. [PMID: 35997626 PMCID: PMC10087753 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Cellobiohydrolases (CBHs) in the glycoside hydrolase family 7 (GH7) (EC3.2.1.176) are the major cellulose degrading enzymes both in industrial settings and in the context of carbon cycling in nature. Small carbohydrate conjugates such as p-nitrophenyl-β-d-cellobioside (pNPC), p-nitrophenyl-β-d-lactoside (pNPL) and methylumbelliferyl-β-d-cellobioside have commonly been used in colorimetric and fluorometric assays for analysing activity of these enzymes. Despite the similar nature of these compounds the kinetics of their enzymatic hydrolysis vary greatly between the different compounds as well as among different enzymes within the GH7 family. Through enzyme kinetics, crystallographic structure determination, molecular dynamics simulations, and fluorometric binding studies using the closely related compound o-nitrophenyl-β-d-cellobioside (oNPC), in this work we examine the different hydrolysis characteristics of these compounds on two model enzymes of this class, TrCel7A from Trichoderma reesei and PcCel7D from Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Protein crystal structures of the E212Q mutant of TrCel7A with pNPC and pNPL, and the wildtype TrCel7A with oNPC, reveal that non-productive binding at the product site is the dominating binding mode for these compounds. Enzyme kinetics results suggest the strength of non-productive binding is a key determinant for the activity characteristics on these substrates, with PcCel7D consistently showing higher turnover rates (kcat ) than TrCel7A, but higher Michaelis-Menten (KM ) constants as well. Furthermore, oNPC turned out to be useful as an active-site probe for fluorometric determination of the dissociation constant for cellobiose on TrCel7A but could not be utilized for the same purpose on PcCel7D, likely due to strong binding to an unknown site outside the active site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Topi Haataja
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Japheth E Gado
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.,Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, USA
| | - Anu Nutt
- Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University, Sweden.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Nolan T Anderson
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Mikael Nilsson
- Institute of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Majid Haddad Momeni
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Roland Isaksson
- Institute of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Priit Väljamäe
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | | | - Christina M Payne
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Jerry Ståhlberg
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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13
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Abstract
This Perspective reviews the use of Transition Path Sampling methods to study enzymatically catalyzed chemical reactions. First applied by our group to an enzymatic reaction over 15 years ago, the method has uncovered basic principles in enzymatic catalysis such as the protein promoting vibration, and it has also helped harmonize such ideas as electrostatic preorganization with dynamic views of enzyme function. It is now being used to help uncover principles of protein design necessary to artificial enzyme creation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven D Schwartz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
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14
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Zajki-Zechmeister K, Eibinger M, Nidetzky B. Enzyme Synergy in Transient Clusters of Endo- and Exocellulase Enables a Multilayer Mode of Processive Depolymerization of Cellulose. ACS Catal 2022; 12:10984-10994. [PMID: 36082050 PMCID: PMC9442579 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.2c02377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Biological degradation of cellulosic materials relies on the molecular-mechanistic principle that internally chain-cleaving endocellulases work synergistically with chain end-cleaving exocellulases in polysaccharide chain depolymerization. How endo-exo synergy becomes effective in the deconstruction of a solid substrate that presents cellulose chains assembled into crystalline material is an open question of the mechanism, with immediate implications on the bioconversion efficiency of cellulases. Here, based on single-molecule evidence from real-time atomic force microscopy, we discover that endo- and exocellulases engage in the formation of transient clusters of typically three to four enzymes at the cellulose surface. The clusters form specifically at regular domains of crystalline cellulose microfibrils that feature molecular defects in the polysaccharide chain organization. The dynamics of cluster formation correlates with substrate degradation through a multilayer-processive mode of chain depolymerization, overall leading to the directed ablation of single microfibrils from the cellulose surface. Each multilayer-processive step involves the spatiotemporally coordinated and mechanistically concerted activity of the endo- and exocellulases in close proximity. Mechanistically, the cooperativity with the endocellulase enables the exocellulase to pass through its processive cycles ∼100-fold faster than when acting alone. Our results suggest an advanced paradigm of efficient multienzymatic degradation of structurally organized polymer materials by endo-exo synergetic chain depolymerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisztina Zajki-Zechmeister
- Institute
of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 10-12/1, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Manuel Eibinger
- Institute
of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 10-12/1, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Bernd Nidetzky
- Institute
of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 10-12/1, 8010 Graz, Austria
- Austrian
Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Petersgasse 14, 8010 Graz, Austria
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15
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Abstract
Glycoscience assembles all the scientific disciplines involved in studying various molecules and macromolecules containing carbohydrates and complex glycans. Such an ensemble involves one of the most extensive sets of molecules in quantity and occurrence since they occur in all microorganisms and higher organisms. Once the compositions and sequences of these molecules are established, the determination of their three-dimensional structural and dynamical features is a step toward understanding the molecular basis underlying their properties and functions. The range of the relevant computational methods capable of addressing such issues is anchored by the specificity of stereoelectronic effects from quantum chemistry to mesoscale modeling throughout molecular dynamics and mechanics and coarse-grained and docking calculations. The Review leads the reader through the detailed presentations of the applications of computational modeling. The illustrations cover carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions, glycolipids, and N- and O-linked glycans, emphasizing their role in SARS-CoV-2. The presentation continues with the structure of polysaccharides in solution and solid-state and lipopolysaccharides in membranes. The full range of protein-carbohydrate interactions is presented, as exemplified by carbohydrate-active enzymes, transporters, lectins, antibodies, and glycosaminoglycan binding proteins. A final section features a list of 150 tools and databases to help address the many issues of structural glycobioinformatics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serge Perez
- Centre de Recherche sur les Macromolecules Vegetales, University of Grenoble-Alpes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Grenoble F-38041, France
| | - Olga Makshakova
- FRC Kazan Scientific Center of Russian Academy of Sciences, Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Kazan 420111, Russia
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16
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Li W. Time-Lagged Flux in the Transition Path Ensemble: Flux Maximization and Relation to Transition Path Theory. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:3797-3810. [PMID: 35670470 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c02221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The transition path ensemble is of special interest in reaction coordinate identification as it consists of reactive trajectories that start from the reactant state and end in the product one. As a theoretical framework for describing the transition path ensemble, the transition path theory has been introduced more than 10 years ago, and so far, its applications have only been illustrated in several low-dimensional systems. Given the transition path ensemble, expressions for calculating flux, current (a vector field), and principal curves are derived here in the space of collective variables from the transition path theory, and they are applicable to time series obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of high-dimensional systems, i.e., the position coordinates as a function of time in the transition path ensemble. The connection of the transition path theory is made to a density-weighted average flux, a quantity proposed in a previous work to appraise the relevance of a coordinate to the reaction coordinate [Li, W. J. Chem. Phys. 2022, 156, 054117]. Most importantly, as an extension of the existing quantities, time-lagged quantities such as flux and current are also proposed. The main insights and objects provided by these time-lagged quantities are illustrated in the application to the alanine peptide in vacuum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjin Li
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
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17
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Li P, Shi M, Wang X, Xu D. QM/MM investigation of the catalytic mechanism of processive endoglucanase Cel9G from Clostridium cellulovorans. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:11919-11930. [PMID: 35514276 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp00593j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Carbohydrate degradation catalyzed by glucoside hydrolases (GHs) is a major mechanism in biomass conversion. GH family 9 endoglucanase (Cel9G) from Clostridium cellulovorans, a typical multimodular enzyme, contains a catalytic domain closely linked to a family 3c carbohydrate-binding module (CBM3c). Unlike the conventional behavior proposed for other carbohydrate-binding modules, CBM3c has a direct impact on catalytic activity. In this work, extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed to clarify the functional role of CBM3c. Furthermore, the detailed catalytic mechanism of Cel9G was investigated at the atomistic level using the combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) method. Based on these simulations, owing to the rigidity of the peptide linker, CBM3c may affect the enzymatic activity via direct interactions with alpha helix 4 of GH9, especially with the K123 and H125 residues. In addition, using cellohexaose as a substrate, the QM/MM MD simulations confirmed that this enzyme can cleave the β-1,4-glycosidic linkage via an inverting mechanism. An oxocarbenium ion-like transition state was located with a barrier height of 19.6 kcal mol-1. Furthermore, the G(-1) pyranose unit preferentially adopted a distorted 1S5/4H5 conformer in the enzyme-substrate complex. For the cleavage of the glycosidic bond, we were able to identify a plausible route (1S5/4H5 → [4H5/4E]# → 4C1) from the reactant to the product at the G(-1) site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Penghui Li
- College of Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610064, P. R. China.
| | - Mingsong Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, P. R. China
| | - Xin Wang
- College of Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610064, P. R. China.
| | - Dingguo Xu
- College of Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610064, P. R. China.
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18
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Cheng Q, DeYonker NJ. A Case Study of the Glycoside Hydrolase Enzyme Mechanism Using an Automated QM-Cluster Model Building Toolkit. Front Chem 2022; 10:854318. [PMID: 35402371 PMCID: PMC8987026 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.854318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycoside hydrolase enzymes are important for hydrolyzing the β-1,4 glycosidic bond in polysaccharides for deconstruction of carbohydrates. The two-step retaining reaction mechanism of Glycoside Hydrolase Family 7 (GH7) was explored with different sized QM-cluster models built by the Residue Interaction Network ResidUe Selector (RINRUS) software using both the wild-type protein and its E217Q mutant. The first step is the glycosylation, in which the acidic residue 217 donates a proton to the glycosidic oxygen leading to bond cleavage. In the subsequent deglycosylation step, one water molecule migrates into the active site and attacks the anomeric carbon. Residue interaction-based QM-cluster models lead to reliable structural and energetic results for proposed glycoside hydrolase mechanisms. The free energies of activation for glycosylation in the largest QM-cluster models were predicted to be 19.5 and 31.4 kcal mol−1 for the wild-type protein and its E217Q mutant, which agree with experimental trends that mutation of the acidic residue Glu217 to Gln will slow down the reaction; and are higher in free energy than the deglycosylation transition states (13.8 and 25.5 kcal mol−1 for the wild-type protein and its mutant, respectively). For the mutated protein, glycosylation led to a low-energy product. This thermodynamic sink may correspond to the intermediate state which was isolated in the X-ray crystal structure. Hence, the glycosylation is validated to be the rate-limiting step in both the wild-type and mutated enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyi Cheng
- *Correspondence: Qianyi Cheng, ; Nathan John DeYonker,
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19
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Li W. Optimizing reaction coordinate by flux maximization in the transition path ensemble. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:054117. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0079390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Wenjin Li
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
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20
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Behle E, Raguin A. Stochastic model of lignocellulosic material saccharification. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009262. [PMID: 34516546 PMCID: PMC8460048 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The processing of agricultural wastes towards extraction of renewable resources is recently being considered as a promising alternative to conventional biofuel production. The degradation of agricultural residues is a complex chemical process that is currently time intensive and costly. Various pre-treatment methods are being investigated to determine the subsequent modification of the material and the main obstacles in increasing the enzymatic saccharification. In this study, we present a computational model that complements the experimental approaches. We decipher how the three-dimensional structure of the substrate impacts the saccharification dynamics. We model a cell wall microfibril composed of cellulose and surrounded by hemicellulose and lignin, with various relative abundances and arrangements. This substrate is subjected to digestion by different cocktails of well characterized enzymes. The saccharification dynamics is simulated in silico using a stochastic procedure based on a Gillespie algorithm. As we additionally implement a fitting procedure that optimizes the parameters of the simulation runs, we are able to reproduce experimental saccharification time courses for corn stover. Our model highlights the synergistic action of enzymes, and confirms the linear decrease of sugar conversion when either lignin content or crystallinity of the substrate increases. Importantly, we show that considering the crystallinity of cellulose in addition to the substrate composition is essential to interpret experimental saccharification data. Finally, our findings support the hypothesis of xylan being partially crystalline. Leftover wastes generated by agriculture, such as inedible leaves and stalks of plants, represent an abundant and unexploited raw material that contains energy in the form of sugar polymers. Their breakdown and processing into bio-ethanol is recently being considered as a promising candidate for renewable fuel production. However, it is still poorly understood, how the microscopic structure and composition of plant waste materials impact their enzymatic digestion. Various experimental pre-processing methods are currently being tested to determine their effect on the material composition and structure, and the sugar conversion. In this study, we present a computational model to complement such experimental approaches. We simulate a microscopic plant fragment typically found in plant waste materials, whose structure and composition can be tailored. This fragment is then subjected to enzymatic digestion, whose dynamics is tracked in silico. The model reproduces experimentally observed time courses for plant fragments of known composition. It additionally provides new hypotheses for interpreting complex experimental results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Behle
- Department of Biology, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Institute of Quantitative and Theoretical Biology, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Adélaïde Raguin
- Department of Biology, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Institute of Quantitative and Theoretical Biology, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- * E-mail:
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21
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Jerves C, Neves RPP, Ramos MJ, da Silva S, Fernandes PA. Reaction Mechanism of the PET Degrading Enzyme PETase Studied with DFT/MM Molecular Dynamics Simulations. ACS Catal 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.1c03700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carola Jerves
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Cuenca, Av. 12 de Abril y Av. Loja, Cuenca 010202, Ecuador
| | - Rui P. P. Neves
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria J. Ramos
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Saulo da Silva
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Cuenca, Av. 12 de Abril y Av. Loja, Cuenca 010202, Ecuador
| | - Pedro A. Fernandes
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências da, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
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22
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Gado JE, Harrison BE, Sandgren M, Ståhlberg J, Beckham GT, Payne CM. Machine learning reveals sequence-function relationships in family 7 glycoside hydrolases. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:100931. [PMID: 34216620 PMCID: PMC8329511 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Family 7 glycoside hydrolases (GH7) are among the principal enzymes for cellulose degradation in nature and industrially. These enzymes are often bimodular, including a catalytic domain and carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) attached via a flexible linker, and exhibit an active site that binds cello-oligomers of up to ten glucosyl moieties. GH7 cellulases consist of two major subtypes: cellobiohydrolases (CBH) and endoglucanases (EG). Despite the critical importance of GH7 enzymes, there remain gaps in our understanding of how GH7 sequence and structure relate to function. Here, we employed machine learning to gain data-driven insights into relationships between sequence, structure, and function across the GH7 family. Machine-learning models, trained only on the number of residues in the active-site loops as features, were able to discriminate GH7 CBHs and EGs with up to 99% accuracy, demonstrating that the lengths of loops A4, B2, B3, and B4 strongly correlate with functional subtype across the GH7 family. Classification rules were derived such that specific residues at 42 different sequence positions each predicted the functional subtype with accuracies surpassing 87%. A random forest model trained on residues at 19 positions in the catalytic domain predicted the presence of a CBM with 89.5% accuracy. Our machine learning results recapitulate, as top-performing features, a substantial number of the sequence positions determined by previous experimental studies to play vital roles in GH7 activity. We surmise that the yet-to-be-explored sequence positions among the top-performing features also contribute to GH7 functional variation and may be exploited to understand and manipulate function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Japheth E Gado
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Brent E Harrison
- Department of Computer Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Mats Sandgren
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jerry Ståhlberg
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gregg T Beckham
- Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Christina M Payne
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
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23
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Kari J, Molina GA, Schaller KS, Schiano-di-Cola C, Christensen SJ, Badino SF, Sørensen TH, Røjel NS, Keller MB, Sørensen NR, Kolaczkowski B, Olsen JP, Krogh KBRM, Jensen K, Cavaleiro AM, Peters GHJ, Spodsberg N, Borch K, Westh P. Physical constraints and functional plasticity of cellulases. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3847. [PMID: 34158485 PMCID: PMC8219668 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24075-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzyme reactions, both in Nature and technical applications, commonly occur at the interface of immiscible phases. Nevertheless, stringent descriptions of interfacial enzyme catalysis remain sparse, and this is partly due to a shortage of coherent experimental data to guide and assess such work. In this work, we produced and kinetically characterized 83 cellulases, which revealed a conspicuous linear free energy relationship (LFER) between the substrate binding strength and the activation barrier. The scaling occurred despite the investigated enzymes being structurally and mechanistically diverse. We suggest that the scaling reflects basic physical restrictions of the hydrolytic process and that evolutionary selection has condensed cellulase phenotypes near the line. One consequence of the LFER is that the activity of a cellulase can be estimated from its substrate binding strength, irrespectively of structural and mechanistic details, and this appears promising for in silico selection and design within this industrially important group of enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeppe Kari
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Gustavo A Molina
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Kay S Schaller
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Corinna Schiano-di-Cola
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Stefan J Christensen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Silke F Badino
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Nanna S Røjel
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Malene B Keller
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Nanna Rolsted Sørensen
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Bartlomiej Kolaczkowski
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | - Günther H J Peters
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | | | - Peter Westh
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
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24
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Mendoza F, Masgrau L. Computational modeling of carbohydrate processing enzymes reactions. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2021; 61:203-213. [PMID: 33812143 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Carbohydrate processing enzymes are of biocatalytic interest. Glycoside hydrolases and the recently discovered lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase for their use in biomass degradation to obtain biofuels or valued chemical entities. Glycosyltransferases or engineered glycosidases and phosphorylases for the synthesis of carbohydrates and glycosylated products. Quantum mechanics-molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods are highly contributing to establish their different chemical reaction mechanisms. Other computational methods are also used to study enzyme conformational changes, ligand pathways, and processivity, e.g. for processive glycosidases like cellobiohydrolases. There is still a long road to travel to fully understand the role of conformational dynamics in enzyme activity and also to disclose the variety of reaction mechanisms these enzymes employ. Additionally, computational tools for enzyme engineering are beginning to be applied to evaluate substrate specificity or aid in the design of new biocatalysts with increased thermostability or tailored activity, a growing field where molecular modeling is finding its way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Mendoza
- Departamento de Ciencias Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andres Bello, Sede Concepción, Talcahuano, 4260000, Chile
| | - Laura Masgrau
- Departament de Química, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Institut de Biotecnología i de Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain; Zymvol Biomodeling, Carrer Roc Boronat, 117, 08018, Barcelona, Spain.
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25
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Paper Ageing: The Effect of Paper Chemical Composition on Hydrolysis and Oxidation. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:polym13071029. [PMID: 33810293 PMCID: PMC8036582 DOI: 10.3390/polym13071029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The degradation of cellulose is an important factor influencing its mechanical, optical, physical, and chemical properties and, hence, the lifetime of paper in libraries and archival collections. Regardless of the complexity of the paper material, the main chemical pathways for its degradation are hydrolysis and oxidation. This study presents an overview of the analytical techniques employed in the evaluation of the hydrolysis and oxidation processes; these techniques include size-exclusion chromatography, Fourier-transform infrared and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. This paper aims to determine the extent to which these instrumental methods are useful for studying the aforementioned processes and for which lignin contents. It also highlights how atmospheric humidity could affect the cellulose structure in paper containing lignin. It was found that humidity causes significant changes in the cellulose chain lengths and that a high lignin content in paper could suppress some cellulose degradation pathways. This knowledge can be applied to developing strategies and selective chemical treatments preventing the consequences of paper ageing.
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Pereira CS, Silveira RL, Skaf MS. QM/MM Simulations of Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Cellulose: Probing the Viability of an Endocyclic Mechanism for an Inverting Cellulase. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:1902-1912. [PMID: 33760586 PMCID: PMC8154253 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c01380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
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Glycoside hydrolases
(GH) cleave carbohydrate glycosidic bonds
and play pivotal roles in living organisms and in many industrial
processes. Unlike acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of carbohydrates in solution,
which can occur either via cyclic or acyclic oxocarbenium-like transition
states, it is widely accepted that GH-catalyzed hydrolysis proceeds
via a general acid mechanism involving a cyclic oxocarbenium-like
transition state with protonation of the glycosidic oxygen. The GH45
subfamily C inverting endoglucanase from Phanerochaete chrysosporium (PcCel45A) defies the classical inverting mechanism as its crystal
structure conspicuously lacks a general Asp or Glu base residue. Instead,
PcCel45A has an Asn residue, a notoriously weak base in solution,
as one of its catalytic residues at position 92. Moreover, unlike
other inverting GHs, the relative position of the catalytic residues
in PcCel45A impairs the proton abstraction from the nucleophilic water
that attacks the anomeric carbon, a key step in the classical mechanism.
Here, we investigate the viability of an endocyclic mechanism for
PcCel45A using hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM)
simulations, with the QM region treated with the self-consistent-charge
density-functional tight-binding level of theory. In this mechanism,
an acyclic oxocarbenium-like transition state is stabilized leading
to the opening of the glucopyranose ring and formation of an unstable
acyclic hemiacetal that can be readily decomposed into hydrolysis
product. In silico characterization of the Michaelis
complex shows that PcCel45A significantly restrains the sugar ring
to the 4C1 chair conformation at the −1
subsite of the substrate binding cleft, in contrast to the classical
exocyclic mechanism in which ring puckering is critical. We also show
that PcCel45A provides an environment where the catalytic Asn92 residue
in its standard amide form participates in a cooperative hydrogen
bond network resulting in its increased nucleophilicity due to an
increased negative charge on the oxygen atom. Our results for PcCel45A
suggest that carbohydrate hydrolysis catalyzed by GHs may take an
alternative route from the classical mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline S Pereira
- Institute of Chemistry and Center for Computing in Engineering and Sciences, University of Campinas-Unicamp, Campinas 13084-862, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo L Silveira
- Institute of Chemistry and Center for Computing in Engineering and Sciences, University of Campinas-Unicamp, Campinas 13084-862, Sao Paulo, Brazil.,Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Munir S Skaf
- Institute of Chemistry and Center for Computing in Engineering and Sciences, University of Campinas-Unicamp, Campinas 13084-862, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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Bolhuis PG, Swenson DWH. Transition Path Sampling as Markov Chain Monte Carlo of Trajectories: Recent Algorithms, Software, Applications, and Future Outlook. ADVANCED THEORY AND SIMULATIONS 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/adts.202000237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter G. Bolhuis
- Amsterdam Center for Multiscale Modeling van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences University of Amsterdam PO Box 94157 1090 GD Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - David W. H. Swenson
- Centre Blaise Pascal Ecole Normale Superieure 46, allée d'Italie 69364 Lyon Cedex 07 France
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Silveira RL, Knott BC, Pereira CS, Crowley MF, Skaf MS, Beckham GT. Transition Path Sampling Study of the Feruloyl Esterase Mechanism. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:2018-2030. [PMID: 33616402 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c09725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Serine hydrolases cleave peptide and ester bonds and are ubiquitous in nature, with applications in biotechnology, in materials, and as drug targets. The serine hydrolase two-step mechanism employs a serine-histidine-aspartate/glutamate catalytic triad, where the histidine residue acts as a base to activate poor nucleophiles (a serine residue or a water molecule) and as an acid to allow the dissociation of poor leaving groups. This mechanism has been the subject of debate regarding how histidine shuttles the proton from the nucleophile to the leaving group. To elucidate the reaction mechanism of serine hydrolases, we employ quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics-based transition path sampling to obtain the reaction coordinate using the Aspergillus niger feruloyl esterase A (AnFaeA) as a model enzyme. The optimal reaction coordinates include terms involving nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl carbon and proton transfer to, and dissociation of, the leaving group. During the reaction, the histidine residue undergoes a reorientation on the time scale of hundreds of femtoseconds that supports the "moving histidine" mechanism, thus calling into question the "ring flip" mechanism. We find a concerted mechanism, where the transition state coincides with the tetrahedral intermediate with the histidine residue pointed between the nucleophile and the leaving group. Moreover, motions of the catalytic aspartate toward the histidine occur concertedly with proton abstraction by the catalytic histidine and help stabilize the transition state, thus partially explaining how serine hydrolases enable poor nucleophiles to attack the substrate carbonyl carbon. Rate calculations indicate that the second step (deacylation) is rate-determining, with a calculated rate constant of 66 s-1. Overall, these results reveal the pivotal role of active-site dynamics in the catalytic mechanism of AnFaeA, which is likely similar in other serine hydrolases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo L Silveira
- Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States.,Institute of Chemistry and Center for Computing in Engineering and Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Sao Paulo 13084-862, Brazil.,Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-909, Brazil
| | - Brandon C Knott
- Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Caroline S Pereira
- Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States.,Institute of Chemistry and Center for Computing in Engineering and Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Sao Paulo 13084-862, Brazil
| | - Michael F Crowley
- Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Munir S Skaf
- Institute of Chemistry and Center for Computing in Engineering and Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Sao Paulo 13084-862, Brazil
| | - Gregg T Beckham
- Renewable Resources and Enabling Sciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
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29
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Chundawat SPS, Nemmaru B, Hackl M, Brady SK, Hilton MA, Johnson MM, Chang S, Lang MJ, Huh H, Lee SH, Yarbrough JM, López CA, Gnanakaran S. Molecular origins of reduced activity and binding commitment of processive cellulases and associated carbohydrate-binding proteins to cellulose III. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100431. [PMID: 33610545 PMCID: PMC8010709 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficient enzymatic saccharification of cellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars can enable production of bioproducts like ethanol. Native crystalline cellulose, or cellulose I, is inefficiently processed via enzymatic hydrolysis but can be converted into the structurally distinct cellulose III allomorph that is processed via cellulase cocktails derived from Trichoderma reesei up to 20-fold faster. However, characterization of individual cellulases from T. reesei, like the processive exocellulase Cel7A, shows reduced binding and activity at low enzyme loadings toward cellulose III. To clarify this discrepancy, we monitored the single-molecule initial binding commitment and subsequent processive motility of Cel7A enzymes and associated carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) on cellulose using optical tweezers force spectroscopy. We confirmed a 48% lower initial binding commitment and 32% slower processive motility of Cel7A on cellulose III, which we hypothesized derives from reduced binding affinity of the Cel7A binding domain CBM1. Classical CBM–cellulose pull-down assays, depending on the adsorption model fitted, predicted between 1.2- and 7-fold reduction in CBM1 binding affinity for cellulose III. Force spectroscopy measurements of CBM1–cellulose interactions, along with molecular dynamics simulations, indicated that previous interpretations of classical binding assay results using multisite adsorption models may have complicated analysis, and instead suggest simpler single-site models should be used. These findings were corroborated by binding analysis of other type-A CBMs (CBM2a, CBM3a, CBM5, CBM10, and CBM64) on both cellulose allomorphs. Finally, we discuss how complementary analytical tools are critical to gain insight into the complex mechanisms of insoluble polysaccharides hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes and associated carbohydrate-binding proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shishir P S Chundawat
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA.
| | - Bhargava Nemmaru
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Markus Hackl
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Sonia K Brady
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Mark A Hilton
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Madeline M Johnson
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Sungrok Chang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Matthew J Lang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Hyun Huh
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Sang-Hyuk Lee
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - John M Yarbrough
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Lab, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Cesar A López
- Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
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30
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Schaller KS, Kari J, Molina GA, Tidemand KD, Borch K, Peters GHJ, Westh P. Computing Cellulase Kinetics with a Two-Domain Linear Interaction Energy Approach. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:1547-1555. [PMID: 33490814 PMCID: PMC7818601 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c05361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
While heterogeneous enzyme reactions play an essential role in both nature and green industries, computational predictions of their catalytic properties remain scarce. Recent experimental work demonstrated the applicability of the Sabatier principle for heterogeneous biocatalysis. This provides a simple relationship between binding strength and the catalytic rate and potentially opens a new way for inexpensive computational determination of kinetic parameters. However, broader implementation of this approach will require fast and reliable prediction of binding free energies of complex two-phase systems, and computational procedures for this are still elusive. Here, we propose a new framework for the assessment of the binding strengths of multidomain proteins, in general, and interfacial enzymes, in particular, based on an extended linear interaction energy (LIE) method. This two-domain LIE (2D-LIE) approach was successfully applied to predict binding and activation free energies of a diverse set of cellulases and resulted in robust models with high accuracy. Overall, our method provides a fast computational screening tool for cellulases that have not been experimentally characterized, and we posit that it may also be applicable to other heterogeneously acting biocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kay S. Schaller
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical
University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- Department
of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Jeppe Kari
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical
University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Gustavo A. Molina
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical
University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Kim Borch
- Novozymes
A/S, Biologiens Vej 2, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Günther H. J. Peters
- Department
of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Peter Westh
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical
University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
- . Phone: +45 45 25 26 41
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31
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Nemmaru B, Ramirez N, Farino CJ, Yarbrough JM, Kravchenko N, Chundawat SPS. Reduced type-A carbohydrate-binding module interactions to cellulose I leads to improved endocellulase activity. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 118:1141-1151. [PMID: 33245142 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Dissociation of nonproductively bound cellulolytic enzymes from cellulose is hypothesized to be a key rate-limiting factor impeding cost-effective biomass conversion to fermentable sugars. However, the role of carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) in enabling nonproductive enzyme binding is not well understood. Here, we examine the subtle interplay of CBM binding and cellulose hydrolysis activity for three models type-A CBMs (Families 1, 3a, and 64) tethered to multifunctional endoglucanase (CelE) on two distinct cellulose allomorphs (i.e., cellulose I and III). We generated a small library of mutant CBMs with varying cellulose affinity, as determined by equilibrium binding assays, followed by monitoring cellulose hydrolysis activity of CelE-CBM fusion constructs. Finally, kinetic binding assays using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation were employed to measure CBM adsorption and desorption rate constants k on and k off , respectively, towards nanocrystalline cellulose derived from both allomorphs. Overall, our results indicate that reduced CBM equilibrium binding affinity towards cellulose I alone, resulting from increased desorption rates ( k off ) and reduced effective adsorption rates ( nk on ), is correlated to overall improved endocellulase activity. Future studies could employ similar approaches to unravel the role of CBMs in nonproductive enzyme binding and develop improved cellulolytic enzymes for industrial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicholas Ramirez
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Cindy J Farino
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - John M Yarbrough
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Nicholas Kravchenko
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Shishir P S Chundawat
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
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32
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Durham EK, Sastry SK. Moderate Electric Field Treatment Enhances Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Cellulose at Below-Optimal Temperatures. Enzyme Microb Technol 2020; 142:109678. [PMID: 33220866 DOI: 10.1016/j.enzmictec.2020.109678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Saccharification of cellulosic biomass for the fermentation of transportation fuels faces several challenges. Cellulose is highly stable, and even with enzymatic assistance, decomposition of cellulose is slow. Additionally, the enzymes are expensive and sensitive to thermal and mechanical inactivation. In this work, we studied the effects of moderate electric field (MEF, in the range from 1 to 1000 V per cm) treatments on the effectiveness of enzymatic saccharification. MEF treatments were applied to determine their effects on enzyme activity. We considered the effects of field strength, frequency, application regime and temperature. It was found that the enzyme responded to alterations in the frequency of the waveform, with 50 to 60 Hz maximizing the effects of the field, although the effects of field strength and application regime were more significant. It was found that the electric field could have a positive, negative, or negligible effect depending on the field strength. Most notably, when MEF treatments were applied over a range of temperatures, it was found that MEF treatment significantly improved enzyme activity at lower temperatures, leading to the observation that MEF treatment imitates a temperature increase. Calculations simulating the electrophoretic motion of the enzymes verified that the magnitude of motion associated with the MEF treatments was qualitatively similar to the change in molecular motion associated with temperature increases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Durham
- Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University, 590 Woody Hayes Drive, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
| | - Sudhir K Sastry
- Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University, 590 Woody Hayes Drive, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
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33
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Characterization and engineering of a two-enzyme system for plastics depolymerization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:25476-25485. [PMID: 32989159 PMCID: PMC7568301 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2006753117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Deconstruction of recalcitrant polymers, such as cellulose or chitin, is accomplished in nature by synergistic enzyme cocktails that evolved over millions of years. In these systems, soluble dimeric or oligomeric intermediates are typically released via interfacial biocatalysis, and additional enzymes often process the soluble intermediates into monomers for microbial uptake. The recent discovery of a two-enzyme system for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) deconstruction, which employs one enzyme to convert the polymer into soluble intermediates and another enzyme to produce the constituent PET monomers (MHETase), suggests that nature may be evolving similar deconstruction strategies for synthetic plastics. This study on the characterization of the MHETase enzyme and synergy of the two-enzyme PET depolymerization system may inform enzyme cocktail-based strategies for plastics upcycling. Plastics pollution represents a global environmental crisis. In response, microbes are evolving the capacity to utilize synthetic polymers as carbon and energy sources. Recently, Ideonella sakaiensis was reported to secrete a two-enzyme system to deconstruct polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to its constituent monomers. Specifically, the I. sakaiensis PETase depolymerizes PET, liberating soluble products, including mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (MHET), which is cleaved to terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol by MHETase. Here, we report a 1.6 Å resolution MHETase structure, illustrating that the MHETase core domain is similar to PETase, capped by a lid domain. Simulations of the catalytic itinerary predict that MHETase follows the canonical two-step serine hydrolase mechanism. Bioinformatics analysis suggests that MHETase evolved from ferulic acid esterases, and two homologous enzymes are shown to exhibit MHET turnover. Analysis of the two homologous enzymes and the MHETase S131G mutant demonstrates the importance of this residue for accommodation of MHET in the active site. We also demonstrate that the MHETase lid is crucial for hydrolysis of MHET and, furthermore, that MHETase does not turnover mono(2-hydroxyethyl)-furanoate or mono(2-hydroxyethyl)-isophthalate. A highly synergistic relationship between PETase and MHETase was observed for the conversion of amorphous PET film to monomers across all nonzero MHETase concentrations tested. Finally, we compare the performance of MHETase:PETase chimeric proteins of varying linker lengths, which all exhibit improved PET and MHET turnover relative to the free enzymes. Together, these results offer insights into the two-enzyme PET depolymerization system and will inform future efforts in the biological deconstruction and upcycling of mixed plastics.
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Østby H, Hansen LD, Horn SJ, Eijsink VGH, Várnai A. Enzymatic processing of lignocellulosic biomass: principles, recent advances and perspectives. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 47:623-657. [PMID: 32840713 PMCID: PMC7658087 DOI: 10.1007/s10295-020-02301-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Efficient saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass requires concerted development of a pretreatment method, an enzyme cocktail and an enzymatic process, all of which are adapted to the feedstock. Recent years have shown great progress in most aspects of the overall process. In particular, increased insights into the contributions of a wide variety of cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic enzymes have improved the enzymatic processing step and brought down costs. Here, we review major pretreatment technologies and different enzyme process setups and present an in-depth discussion of the various enzyme types that are currently in use. We pay ample attention to the role of the recently discovered lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs), which have led to renewed interest in the role of redox enzyme systems in lignocellulose processing. Better understanding of the interplay between the various enzyme types, as they may occur in a commercial enzyme cocktail, is likely key to further process improvements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Østby
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Aas, Norway
| | - Line Degn Hansen
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Aas, Norway
| | - Svein J Horn
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Aas, Norway
| | - Vincent G H Eijsink
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Aas, Norway
| | - Anikó Várnai
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Aas, Norway.
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35
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Leitold C, Mundy CJ, Baer MD, Schenter GK, Peters B. Solvent reaction coordinate for an SN2 reaction. J Chem Phys 2020; 153:024103. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0002766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christian Leitold
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Christopher J. Mundy
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - Marcel D. Baer
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - Gregory K. Schenter
- Physical Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA
| | - Baron Peters
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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36
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Paul TK, Taraphder S. Coordination Dynamics of Zinc Triggers the Rate Determining Proton Transfer in Human Carbonic Anhydrase II. Chemphyschem 2020; 21:1455-1473. [DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202000177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tanmoy Kumar Paul
- Department of Chemistry Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur 721302 India
| | - Srabani Taraphder
- Department of Chemistry Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur 721302 India
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37
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Bharadwaj VS, Knott BC, Ståhlberg J, Beckham GT, Crowley MF. The hydrolysis mechanism of a GH45 cellulase and its potential relation to lytic transglycosylase and expansin function. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:4477-4487. [PMID: 32054684 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.011406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Family 45 glycoside hydrolases (GH45) are endoglucanases that are integral to cellulolytic secretomes, and their ability to break down cellulose has been successfully exploited in textile and detergent industries. In addition to their industrial relevance, understanding the molecular mechanism of GH45-catalyzed hydrolysis is of fundamental importance because of their structural similarity to cell wall-modifying enzymes such as bacterial lytic transglycosylases (LTs) and expansins present in bacteria, plants, and fungi. Our understanding of the catalytic itinerary of GH45s has been incomplete because a crystal structure with substrate spanning the -1 to +1 subsites is currently lacking. Here we constructed and validated a putative Michaelis complex in silico and used it to elucidate the hydrolytic mechanism in a GH45, Cel45A from the fungus Humicola insolens, via unbiased simulation approaches. These molecular simulations revealed that the solvent-exposed active-site architecture results in lack of coordination for the hydroxymethyl group of the substrate at the -1 subsite. This lack of coordination imparted mobility to the hydroxymethyl group and enabled a crucial hydrogen bond with the catalytic acid during and after the reaction. This suggests the possibility of a nonhydrolytic reaction mechanism when the catalytic base aspartic acid is missing, as is the case in some LTs (murein transglycosylase A) and expansins. We calculated reaction free energies and demonstrate the thermodynamic feasibility of the hydrolytic and nonhydrolytic reaction mechanisms. Our results provide molecular insights into the hydrolysis mechanism in HiCel45A, with possible implications for elucidating the elusive catalytic mechanism in LTs and expansins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek S Bharadwaj
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401
| | - Brandon C Knott
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401
| | - Jerry Ståhlberg
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P. O. Box 7015, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gregg T Beckham
- National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401
| | - Michael F Crowley
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401
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Røjel N, Kari J, Sørensen TH, Badino SF, Morth JP, Schaller K, Cavaleiro AM, Borch K, Westh P. Substrate binding in the processive cellulase Cel7A: Transition state of complexation and roles of conserved tryptophan residues. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:1454-1463. [PMID: 31848226 PMCID: PMC7008363 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.011420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellobiohydrolases effectively degrade cellulose and are of biotechnological interest because they can convert lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars. Here, we implemented a fluorescence-based method for real-time measurements of complexation and decomplexation of the processive cellulase Cel7A and its insoluble substrate, cellulose. The method enabled detailed kinetic and thermodynamic analyses of ligand binding in a heterogeneous system. We studied WT Cel7A and several variants in which one or two of four highly conserved Trp residues in the binding tunnel had been replaced with Ala. WT Cel7A had on/off-rate constants of 1 × 105 m-1 s-1 and 5 × 10-3 s-1, respectively, reflecting the slow dynamics of a solid, polymeric ligand. Especially the off-rate constant was many orders of magnitude lower than typical values for small, soluble ligands. Binding rate and strength both were typically lower for the Trp variants, but effects of the substitutions were moderate and sometimes negligible. Hence, we propose that lowering the activation barrier for complexation is not a major driving force for the high conservation of the Trp residues. Using so-called Φ-factor analysis, we analyzed the kinetic and thermodynamic results for the variants. The results of this analysis suggested a transition state for complexation and decomplexation in which the reducing end of the ligand is close to the tunnel entrance (near Trp-40), whereas the rest of the binding tunnel is empty. We propose that this structure defines the highest free-energy barrier of the overall catalytic cycle and hence governs the turnover rate of this industrially important enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanna Røjel
- Institut for Naturvidenskab og Miljo, Roskilde University, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Jeppe Kari
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Silke F Badino
- Institut for Naturvidenskab og Miljo, Roskilde University, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - J Preben Morth
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Kay Schaller
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Kim Borch
- Novozymes A/S, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby Denmark
| | - Peter Westh
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
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Molecular recognition in the product site of cellobiohydrolase Cel7A regulates processive step length. Biochem J 2020; 477:99-110. [PMID: 31816027 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20190770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cellobiohydrolase Cel7A is an industrial important enzyme that breaks down cellulose by a complex processive mechanism. The enzyme threads the reducing end of a cellulose strand into its tunnel-shaped catalytic domain and progresses along the strand while sequentially releasing the disaccharide cellobiose. While some molecular details of this intricate process have emerged, general structure-function relationships for Cel7A remain poorly elucidated. One interesting aspect is the occurrence of particularly strong ligand interactions in the product binding site. In this work, we analyze these interactions in Cel7A from Trichoderma reesei with special emphasis on the Arg251 and Arg394 residues. We made extensive biochemical characterization of enzymes that were mutated in these two positions and showed that the arginine residues contributed strongly to product binding. Specifically, ∼50% of the total standard free energy of product binding could be ascribed to four hydrogen bonds to Arg251 and Arg394, which had previously been identified in crystal structures. Mutation of either Arg251 or Arg394 lowered production inhibition of Cel7A, but at the same time altered the enzyme product profile and resulted in ∼50% reduction in both processivity and hydrolytic activity. The position of the two arginine residues closely matches the two-fold screw axis symmetry of the substrate, and this energetically favors the productive enzyme-substrate complex. Our results indicate that the strong and specific ligand interactions of Arg251 and Arg394 provide a simple proofreading system that controls the step length during consecutive hydrolysis and minimizes dead time associated with transient, non-productive complexes.
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40
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Selective pressure on an interfacial enzyme: Functional roles of a highly conserved asparagine residue in a cellulase. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2020; 1868:140359. [PMID: 31911207 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2019.140359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Kołaczkowski BM, Schaller KS, Sørensen TH, Peters GHJ, Jensen K, Krogh KBRM, Westh P. Removal of N-linked glycans in cellobiohydrolase Cel7A from Trichoderma reesei reveals higher activity and binding affinity on crystalline cellulose. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2020; 13:136. [PMID: 32782472 PMCID: PMC7412794 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-020-01779-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cellobiohydrolase from glycoside hydrolase family 7 is a major component of commercial enzymatic mixtures for lignocellulosic biomass degradation. For many years, Trichoderma reesei Cel7A (TrCel7A) has served as a model to understand structure-function relationships of processive cellobiohydrolases. The architecture of TrCel7A includes an N-glycosylated catalytic domain, which is connected to a carbohydrate-binding module through a flexible, O-glycosylated linker. Depending on the fungal expression host, glycosylation can vary not only in glycoforms, but also in site occupancy, leading to a complex pattern of glycans, which can affect the enzyme's stability and kinetics. RESULTS Two expression hosts, Aspergillus oryzae and Trichoderma reesei, were utilized to successfully express wild-types TrCel7A (WT Ao and WT Tr ) and the triple N-glycosylation site deficient mutants TrCel7A N45Q, N270Q, N384Q (ΔN-glyc Ao and ΔN-glyc Tr ). Also, we expressed single N-glycosylation site deficient mutants TrCel7A (N45Q Ao , N270Q Ao , N384Q Ao ). The TrCel7A enzymes were studied by steady-state kinetics under both substrate- and enzyme-saturating conditions using different cellulosic substrates. The Michaelis constant (K M ) was consistently found to be lowered for the variants with reduced N-glycosylation content, and for the triple deficient mutants, it was less than half of the WTs' value on some substrates. The ability of the enzyme to combine productively with sites on the cellulose surface followed a similar pattern on all tested substrates. Thus, site density (number of sites per gram cellulose) was 30-60% higher for the single deficient variants compared to the WT, and about twofold larger for the triple deficient enzyme. Molecular dynamic simulation of the N-glycan mutants TrCel7A revealed higher number of contacts between CD and cellulose crystal upon removal of glycans at position N45 and N384. CONCLUSIONS The kinetic changes of TrCel7A imposed by removal of N-linked glycans reflected modifications of substrate accessibility. The presence of N-glycans with extended structures increased K M and decreased attack site density of TrCel7A likely due to steric hindrance effect and distance between the enzyme and the cellulose surface, preventing the enzyme from achieving optimal conformation. This knowledge could be applied to modify enzyme glycosylation to engineer enzyme with higher activity on the insoluble substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kay S. Schaller
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Building 224, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Günther H. J. Peters
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Kenneth Jensen
- Novozymes A/S, Biologiens Vej 2, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Peter Westh
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Building 224, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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42
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Khan SA, Vandervelden CA, Scott SL, Peters B. Grafting metal complexes onto amorphous supports: from elementary steps to catalyst site populationsviakernel regression. REACT CHEM ENG 2020. [DOI: 10.1039/c9re00357f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
We use transition state theory, kernel regression, and population balance modeling techniques to model the grafting of metal complexes onto amorphous catalyst supports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salman A. Khan
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- University of California
- Santa Barbara
- USA
| | | | - Susannah L. Scott
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- University of California
- Santa Barbara
- USA
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
| | - Baron Peters
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Urbana
- USA
- Department of Chemistry
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43
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Mudinoor AR, Goodwin PM, Rao RU, Karuna N, Hitomi A, Nill J, Jeoh T. Interfacial molecular interactions of cellobiohydrolase Cel7A and its variants on cellulose. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2020; 13:10. [PMID: 31988662 PMCID: PMC6969433 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-020-1649-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Molecular-scale mechanisms of the enzymatic breakdown of cellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars are still poorly understood, with a need for independent measurements of enzyme kinetic parameters. We measured binding times of cellobiohydrolase Trichoderma reesei Cel7A (Cel7A) on celluloses using wild-type Cel7A (WTintact), the catalytically deficient mutant Cel7A E212Q (E212Qintact) and their proteolytically isolated catalytic domains (CD) (WTcore and E212Qcore, respectively). The binding time distributions were obtained from time-resolved, super-resolution images of fluorescently labeled enzymes on cellulose obtained with total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS Binding of WTintact and E212Qintact on the recalcitrant algal cellulose (AC) showed two bound populations: ~ 85% bound with shorter residence times of < 15 s while ~ 15% were effectively immobilized. The similarity between binding times of the WT and E212Q suggests that the single point mutation in the enzyme active site does not affect the thermodynamics of binding of this enzyme. The isolated catalytic domains, WTcore and E212Qcore, exhibited three binding populations on AC: ~ 75% bound with short residence times of ~ 15 s (similar to the intact enzymes), ~ 20% bound for < 100 s and ~ 5% that were effectively immobilized. CONCLUSIONS Cel7A binding to cellulose is driven by the interactions between the catalytic domain and cellulose. The cellulose-binding module (CBM) and linker increase the affinity of Cel7A to cellulose likely by facilitating recognition and complexation at the substrate interface. The increased affinity of Cel7A to cellulose by the CBM and linker comes at the cost of increasing the population of immobilized enzyme on cellulose. The residence time (or inversely the dissociation rates) of Cel7A on cellulose is not catalysis limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshata R. Mudinoor
- Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Peter M. Goodwin
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA
| | - Raghavendra U. Rao
- Gracenote, Inc., 2000 Powell Street, Suite 1500, Emeryville, CA 94608 USA
| | - Nardrapee Karuna
- Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616 USA
- Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Technology, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom, 73000 Thailand
| | - Alex Hitomi
- Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Jennifer Nill
- Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616 USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Tina Jeoh
- Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616 USA
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44
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Røjel N, Kari J, Sørensen TH, Borch K, Westh P. pH profiles of cellulases depend on the substrate and architecture of the binding region. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 117:382-391. [PMID: 31631319 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the pH effect of cellulolytic enzymes is of great technological importance. In this study, we have examined the influence of pH on activity and stability for central cellulases (Cel7A, Cel7B, Cel6A from Trichoderma reesei, and Cel7A from Rasamsonia emersonii). We systematically changed pH from 2 to 7, temperature from 20°C to 70°C, and used both soluble (4-nitrophenyl β- d-lactopyranoside [pNPL]) and insoluble (Avicel) substrates at different concentrations. Collective interpretation of these data provided new insights. An unusual tolerance to acidic conditions was observed for both investigated Cel7As, but only on real insoluble cellulose. In contrast, pH profiles on pNPL were bell-shaped with a strong loss of activity both above and below the optimal pH for all four enzymes. On a practical level, these observations call for the caution of the common practice of using soluble substrates for the general characterization of pH effects on cellulase activity. Kinetic modeling of the experimental data suggested that the nucleophile of Cel7A experiences a strong downward shift in pKa upon complexation with an insoluble substrate. This shift was less pronounced for Cel7B, Cel6A, and for Cel7A acting on the soluble substrate, and we hypothesize that these differences are related to the accessibility of water to the binding region of the Michaelis complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanna Røjel
- Department of Science and Environment (INM), Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark.,Present address: Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Building 224, DK-2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Jeppe Kari
- Department of Science and Environment (INM), Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark.,Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | | | - Peter Westh
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
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45
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Basit A, Tajwar R, Sadaf S, Zhang Y, Akhtar MW. Improvement in activity of cellulase Cel12A of Thermotoga neapolitana by error prone PCR. J Biotechnol 2019; 306:118-124. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2019.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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46
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Coines J, Raich L, Rovira C. Modeling catalytic reaction mechanisms in glycoside hydrolases. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2019; 53:183-191. [PMID: 31731209 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Modeling catalysis in carbohydrate-active enzymes is a daunting challenge because of the high flexibility and diversity of both enzymes and carbohydrates. Glycoside hydrolases (GHs) are an illustrative example, where conformational changes and subtle interactions have been shown to be critical for catalysis. GHs have pivotal roles in industry (e.g. biofuel or detergent production) and biomedicine (e.g. targets for cancer and diabetes), and thus, a huge effort is devoted to unveil their molecular mechanisms. Besides experimental techniques, computational methods have served to provide an in-depth understanding of GH mechanisms, capturing complex reaction coordinates and the conformational itineraries that substrates follow during the whole catalytic pathway, providing a framework that ultimately may assist the engineering of these enzymes and the design of new inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan Coines
- Departament de Química Inorgànica I Orgànica (secció de Química Orgànica) and Institut de Química Teòrica I Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Martí I Franquès 1 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lluís Raich
- Departament de Química Inorgànica I Orgànica (secció de Química Orgànica) and Institut de Química Teòrica I Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Martí I Franquès 1 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carme Rovira
- Departament de Química Inorgànica I Orgànica (secció de Química Orgànica) and Institut de Química Teòrica I Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Martí I Franquès 1 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avançats (ICREA) Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
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47
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Abstract
Cellulase enzymes deconstruct recalcitrant cellulose into soluble sugars, making them a biocatalyst of biotechnological interest for use in the nascent lignocellulosic bioeconomy. Cellobiohydrolases (CBHs) are cellulases capable of liberating many sugar molecules in a processive manner without dissociating from the substrate. Within the complete processive cycle of CBHs, dissociation from the cellulose substrate is rate limiting, but the molecular mechanism of this step is unknown. Here, we present a direct comparison of potential molecular mechanisms for dissociation via Hamiltonian replica exchange molecular dynamics of the model fungal CBH, Trichoderma reesei Cel7A. Computational rate estimates indicate that stepwise cellulose dethreading from the binding tunnel is 4 orders of magnitude faster than a clamshell mechanism, in which the substrate-enclosing loops open and release the substrate without reversing. We also present the crystal structure of a disulfide variant that covalently links substrate-enclosing loops on either side of the substrate-binding tunnel, which constitutes a CBH that can only dissociate via stepwise dethreading. Biochemical measurements indicate that this variant has a dissociation rate constant essentially equivalent to the wild type, implying that dethreading is likely the predominant mechanism for dissociation.
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48
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Yang Y, Liu Y, Ning L, Wang L, Mu Y, Li W. Binding Process and Free Energy Characteristics of Cellulose Chain into the Catalytic Domain of Cellobiohydrolase TrCel7A. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:8853-8860. [PMID: 31557037 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b05023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
It was observed in experiments that the catalytic domain (CD) of Trichoderma reesei Cel7A (TrCel7A) hydrolyzes crystalline cellulose in a processive manner, but the underlying binding mechanism is still unknown. Here, through replica-exchange molecular dynamics simulations, we find that the loading and sucking-in process of the cellulose chain into CD is entropy-driven and enthalpy-unfavorable, which firmly relate to the desolvation of the binding channel of CD. During the loading process, hydrophobic interactions play a dominant role because several aromatic residues have been identified to guide the cellulose chain processing. At the active site, a transition from enthalpy- to entropy-driven is detected for the driving force. Such a finding reveals the indispensability of the catalytic reaction of the glycosidic bond to provide the energy to drive the movements of the cellulose chain. Our study reveals the interaction pictures between the cellulose chain and TrCel7A at the atomic level, which helps better understand the catalytic mechanism of TrCel7A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanmei Yang
- College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Functionalized Probes for Chemical Imaging in Universities of Shandong, Key Laboratory of Molecular and Nano Probes, Ministry of Education , Shandong Normal University , Jinan 250014 , China
| | | | - Lulu Ning
- School of Biological Sciences , Nanyang Technological University , 637551 Singapore
| | | | - Yuguang Mu
- School of Biological Sciences , Nanyang Technological University , 637551 Singapore
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49
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Kari J, Christensen SJ, Andersen M, Baiget SS, Borch K, Westh P. A practical approach to steady-state kinetic analysis of cellulases acting on their natural insoluble substrate. Anal Biochem 2019; 586:113411. [PMID: 31520594 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2019.113411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Measurement of steady-state rates (vSS) is straightforward in standard enzymology with soluble substrate, and it has been instrumental for comparative biochemical analyses within this area. For insoluble substrate, however, experimental values of vss remain controversial, and this has strongly limited the amount and quality of comparative analyses for cellulases and other enzymes that act on the surface of an insoluble substrate. In the current work, we have measured progress curves over a wide range of conditions for two cellulases, TrCel6A and TrCel7A from Trichoderma reesei, acting on their natural, insoluble substrate, cellulose. Based on this, we consider practical compromises for the determination of experimental vSS values, and propose a basic protocol that provides representative reaction rates and is experimentally simple so that larger groups of enzymes and conditions can be readily assayed with standard laboratory equipment. We surmise that the suggested experimental approach can be useful in comparative biochemical studies of cellulases; an area that remains poorly developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeppe Kari
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 224, DK-2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Stefan Jarl Christensen
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej, Build. 28.C, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Morten Andersen
- Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej, Build. 28.C, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Kim Borch
- Novozymes A/S, Krogshøjvej 36, DK-2880, Bagsværd, Denmark
| | - Peter Westh
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 224, DK-2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
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50
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Zong Z, Li Q, Hong Z, Fu H, Cai W, Chipot C, Jiang H, Zhang D, Chen S, Shao X. Lysine Mutation of the Claw-Arm-Like Loop Accelerates Catalysis by Cellobiohydrolases. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:14451-14459. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b08477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyou Zong
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
| | - Qiyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
| | - Zhangyong Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
| | - Haohao Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
| | - Wensheng Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
| | - Christophe Chipot
- Laboratoire International Associé CNRS and University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign, LPCT, UMR 7019 Universiteé de Lorraine CNRS, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy F-54500, France
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Huifeng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Key Laboratory for Industrial Biological Systems and Bioprocessing Engineering, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, P. R. China
| | - Dongyuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Key Laboratory for Industrial Biological Systems and Bioprocessing Engineering, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, P. R. China
| | - Shulin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Key Laboratory for Industrial Biological Systems and Bioprocessing Engineering, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin 300308, P. R. China
| | - Xueguang Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition, Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
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