Crystallographic Analysis of Counterion Effects on Subtilisin Enzymatic Action in Acetonitrile

Counterbalance of Stability and Activity Observed for Thermostable Transaminase from Thermobaculum terrenum in the Presence of Organic Solvents

Pyridoxal-5’-phosphate-dependent transaminases catalyze stereoselective amination of organic compounds and are highly important for industrial applications. Catalysis by transaminases often requires organic solvents to increase the solubility of reactants. However, natural transaminases are prone to inactivation in the presence of water-miscible organic solvents. Here, we present the solvent tolerant thermostable transaminase from Thermobaculum terrenum (TaTT) that catalyzes transamination between L-leucine and alpha-ketoglutarate with an optimum at 75 °C and increases the activity ~1.8-fold upon addition of 15% dimethyl sulfoxide or 15% methanol at high but suboptimal temperature, 50 °C. The enhancement of the activity correlates with a decrease in the thermal denaturation midpoint temperature. The blue-shift of tryptophan fluorescence suggested that solvent molecules penetrate the hydration shell of the enzyme. Analysis of hydrogen bonds in the TaTT dimer revealed a high number of salt bridges and surface hydrogen bonds formed by backbone atoms. The latter are sensitive to the presence of organic solvents; they rearrange, conferring the relaxation of some constraints inherent to a thermostable enzyme at low temperatures. Our data support the idea that the counterbalance of stability and activity is crucial for the catalysis under given conditions; the obtained results may be useful for fine-tuning biocatalyst efficiency.

Crystallographic Investigation of Imidazolium Ionic Liquid Effects on Enzyme Structure

We present the first crystallographic insight into the interactions of an ionic liquid (IL) with an enzyme, which has widespread implications for stabilizing enzymes in IL media for biocatalysis. Structures of Bacillus subtilis lipase A (lipA) and an IL-stable variant (QM-lipA) were obtained in the presence of increasing concentrations of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM][Cl]). These studies revealed that the [BMIM] cation interacts with surface residues through hydrophobic and cation-π interactions. Of specific interest was the disruption of internal stacking interactions of aromatic side chains by [BMIM], which provides structural evidence for the mechanism of enzyme denaturation by ILs. The interaction of [BMIM] and Cl ions with lipA was reduced by the stabilizing mutations Y49E and G158E in QM-lipA. Ultimately, these findings present the molecular basis for stabilizing enzymes from IL-induced inactivation, as well as the selection of ILs that are less denaturing.

Structure of a highly acidic β-lactamase from the moderate halophile Chromohalobacter sp. 560 and the discovery of a Cs(+)-selective binding site

Environmentally friendly absorbents are needed for Sr(2+) and Cs(+), as the removal of the radioactive Sr(2+) and Cs(+) that has leaked from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant is one of the most important problems in Japan. Halophilic proteins are known to have many acidic residues on their surface that can provide specific binding sites for metal ions such as Cs(+) or Sr(2+). The crystal structure of a halophilic β-lactamase from Chromohalobacter sp. 560 (HaBLA) was determined to resolutions of between 1.8 and 2.9 Å in space group P31 using X-ray crystallography. Moreover, the locations of bound Sr(2+) and Cs(+) ions were identified by anomalous X-ray diffraction. The location of one Cs(+)-specific binding site was identified in HaBLA even in the presence of a ninefold molar excess of Na(+) (90 mM Na(+)/10 mM Cs(+)). From an activity assay using isothermal titration calorimetry, the bound Sr(2+) and Cs(+) ions do not significantly affect the enzymatic function of HaBLA. The observation of a selective and high-affinity Cs(+)-binding site provides important information that is useful for the design of artificial Cs(+)-binding sites that may be useful in the bioremediation of radioactive isotopes.

Extensive counter-ion interactions seen at the surface of subtilisin in an aqueous medium

The extent of counter-ion interaction within subtilisin in aqueous medium has been investigated using CsCl soak and anomalous diffraction, revealing that in aqueous salt solutions ions can bind at defined points around the protein surface.

The putative propeptide of MycP1 in mycobacterial type VII secretion system does not inhibit protease activity but improves protein stability

Mycosin-1 protease (MycP1) is a serine protease anchored to the inner membrane of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and is essential in virulence factor secretion through the ESX-1 type VII secretion system (T7SS). Bacterial physiology studies demonstrated that MycP1 plays a dual role in the regulation of ESX-1 secretion and virulence, primarily through cleavage of its secretion substrate EspB. MycP1 contains a putative N-terminal inhibitory propeptide and a catalytic triad of Asp-His-Ser, classic hallmarks of a subtilase family serine protease. The MycP1 propeptide was previously reported to be initially inactive and activated after prolonged incubation. In this study, we have determined crystal structures of MycP1 with (MycP1²⁴⁻⁴²²) and without (MycP1⁶³⁻⁴²²) the propeptide, and conducted EspB cleavage assays using the two proteins. Very high structural similarity was observed in the two crystal structures. Interestingly, protease assays demonstrated positive EspB cleavage for both proteins, indicating that the putative propeptide does not inhibit protease activity. Molecular dynamic simulations showed higher rigidity in regions guarding the entrance to the catalytic site in MycP1²⁴⁻⁴²² than in MycP1⁶³⁻⁴²², suggesting that the putative propeptide might contribute to the conformational stability of the active site cleft and surrounding regions.