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Development of a Real-Time Pectic Oligosaccharide-Detecting Biosensor Using the Rapid and Flexible Computational Identification of Non-Disruptive Conjugation Sites (CINC) Biosensor Design Platform. SENSORS 2022; 22:s22030948. [PMID: 35161692 PMCID: PMC8839585 DOI: 10.3390/s22030948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescently labeled, solute-binding proteins that change their fluorescent output in response to ligand binding are frequently used as biosensors for a wide range of applications. We have previously developed a "Computational Identification of Non-disruptive Conjugation sites" (CINC) approach, an in silico pipeline utilizing molecular dynamics simulations for the rapid design and construction of novel protein-fluorophore conjugate-type biosensors. Here, we report an improved in silico scoring algorithm for use in CINC and its use in the construction of an oligogalacturonide-detecting biosensor set. Using both 4,5-unsaturated and saturated oligogalacturonides, we demonstrate that signal transmission from the ligand-binding pocket of the starting protein scaffold to the CINC-selected reporter positions is effective for multiple different ligands. The utility of an oligogalacturonide-detecting biosensor is shown in Carbohydrate Active Enzyme (CAZyme) activity assays, where the biosensor is used to follow product release upon polygalacturonic acid (PGA) depolymerization in real time. The oligogalacturonide-detecting biosensor set represents a novel enabling tool integral to our rapidly expanding platform for biosensor-based carbohydrate detection, and moving forward, the CINC pipeline will continue to enable the rational design of biomolecular tools to detect additional chemically distinct oligosaccharides and other solutes.
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Babkova P, Dunajova Z, Chaloupkova R, Damborsky J, Bednar D, Marek M. Structures of hyperstable ancestral haloalkane dehalogenases show restricted conformational dynamics. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2020; 18:1497-1508. [PMID: 32637047 PMCID: PMC7327271 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2020.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Ancestral sequence reconstruction is a powerful method for inferring ancestors of modern enzymes and for studying structure-function relationships of enzymes. We have previously applied this approach to haloalkane dehalogenases (HLDs) from the subfamily HLD-II and obtained thermodynamically highly stabilized enzymes (ΔT m up to 24 °C), showing improved catalytic properties. Here we combined crystallographic structural analysis and computational molecular dynamics simulations to gain insight into the mechanisms by which ancestral HLDs became more robust enzymes with novel catalytic properties. Reconstructed ancestors exhibited similar structure topology as their descendants with the exception of a few loop deviations. Strikingly, molecular dynamics simulations revealed restricted conformational dynamics of ancestral enzymes, which prefer a single state, in contrast to modern enzymes adopting two different conformational states. The restricted dynamics can potentially be linked to their exceptional stabilization. The study provides molecular insights into protein stabilization due to ancestral sequence reconstruction, which is becoming a widely used approach for obtaining robust protein catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Babkova
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Bld. A13, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Dunajova
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Bld. A13, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Radka Chaloupkova
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Bld. A13, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiri Damborsky
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Bld. A13, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - David Bednar
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Bld. A13, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Marek
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Department of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Bld. A13, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
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3
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Kanungo A, Bag BP. Structural insights into the molecular mechanisms of pectinolytic enzymes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s42485-019-00027-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Jones DR, McLean R, Hobbs JK, Abbott DW. A surrogate structural platform informed by ancestral reconstruction and resurrection of a putative carbohydrate binding module hybrid illuminates the neofunctionalization of a pectate lyase. J Struct Biol 2019; 207:279-286. [PMID: 31200020 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Yersinia enterocolitica is a pectinolytic zoonotic foodborne pathogen, the genome of which contains pectin-binding proteins and several different classes of pectinases, including polysaccharide lyases (PLs) and an exopolygalacturonase. These proteins operate within a coordinated pathway to completely saccharify homogalacturonan (HG). Polysaccharide lyase family 2 (PL2) is divided into two major subfamilies that are broadly-associated with contrasting 'endolytic' (PL2A) or 'exolytic' (PL2B) activities on HG. In the Y. enterocolitica genome, the PL2A gene is adjacent to an independent carbohydrate binding module from family 32 (YeCBM32), which possesses a N-terminal secretion tag and is known to specifically bind HG. Independent CBMs are rare in nature and, most commonly, are fused to enzymes in order to potentiate catalysis. The unconventional gene architecture of YePL2A and YeCBM32, therefore, may represent an ancestral relic of a fission event that decoupled PL2A from its cognate CBM. To provide further insight into the evolution of this pectinolytic locus and the molecular basis of HG depolymerisation within Y. enterocolitica, we have resurrected a YePL2A-YeCBM32 chimera and demonstrated that the extant PL2A digests HG more efficiently. In addition, we have engineered a tryptophan from the active site of the exolytic YePL2B into YePL2A (YePL2A-K291W) and demonstrated, using X-ray crystallography of substrate complexes, that it is a structural determinant of exo-activity within the PL2 family. In this manner, surrogate structural platforms may assist in the study of phylogenetic relationships informed by extant and resurrected sequences, and can be used to overcome challenging structural problems within carbohydrate active enzyme families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darryl R Jones
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada
| | - Richard McLean
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada
| | - Joanne K Hobbs
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, PO Box 3055 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3P6, Canada
| | - D Wade Abbott
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada.
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Hobbs JK, Pluvinage B, Robb M, Smith SP, Boraston AB. Two complementary α-fucosidases from Streptococcus pneumoniae promote complete degradation of host-derived carbohydrate antigens. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:12670-12682. [PMID: 31266803 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.009368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
An important aspect of the interaction between the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae and its human host is its ability to harvest host glycans. The pneumococcus can degrade a variety of complex glycans, including N- and O-linked glycans, glycosaminoglycans, and carbohydrate antigens, an ability that is tightly linked to the virulence of S. pneumoniae Although S. pneumoniae is known to use a sophisticated enzyme machinery to attack the human glycome, how it copes with fucosylated glycans, which are primarily histo-blood group antigens, is largely unknown. Here, we identified two pneumococcal enzymes, SpGH29C and SpGH95C, that target α-(1→3/4) and α-(1→2) fucosidic linkages, respectively. X-ray crystallography studies combined with functional assays revealed that SpGH29C is specific for the LewisA and LewisX antigen motifs and that SpGH95C is specific for the H(O)-antigen motif. Together, these enzymes could defucosylate LewisY and LewisB antigens in a complementary fashion. In vitro reconstruction of glycan degradation cascades disclosed that the individual or combined activities of these enzymes expose the underlying glycan structure, promoting the complete deconstruction of a glycan that would otherwise be resistant to pneumococcal enzymes. These experiments expand our understanding of the extensive capacity of S. pneumoniae to process host glycans and the likely roles of α-fucosidases in this. Overall, given the importance of enzymes that initiate glycan breakdown in pneumococcal virulence, such as the neuraminidase NanA and the mannosidase SpGH92, we anticipate that the α-fucosidases identified here will be important factors in developing more refined models of the S. pneumoniae-host interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne K Hobbs
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Benjamin Pluvinage
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Melissa Robb
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Steven P Smith
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Alisdair B Boraston
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
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Jones DR, Thomas D, Alger N, Ghavidel A, Inglis GD, Abbott DW. SACCHARIS: an automated pipeline to streamline discovery of carbohydrate active enzyme activities within polyspecific families and de novo sequence datasets. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2018; 11:27. [PMID: 29441125 PMCID: PMC5798181 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-018-1027-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deposition of new genetic sequences in online databases is expanding at an unprecedented rate. As a result, sequence identification continues to outpace functional characterization of carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes). In this paradigm, the discovery of enzymes with novel functions is often hindered by high volumes of uncharacterized sequences particularly when the enzyme sequence belongs to a family that exhibits diverse functional specificities (i.e., polyspecificity). Therefore, to direct sequence-based discovery and characterization of new enzyme activities we have developed an automated in silico pipeline entitled: Sequence Analysis and Clustering of CarboHydrate Active enzymes for Rapid Informed prediction of Specificity (SACCHARIS). This pipeline streamlines the selection of uncharacterized sequences for discovery of new CAZyme or CBM specificity from families currently maintained on the CAZy website or within user-defined datasets. RESULTS SACCHARIS was used to generate a phylogenetic tree of a GH43, a CAZyme family with defined subfamily designations. This analysis confirmed that large datasets can be organized into sequence clusters of manageable sizes that possess related functions. Seeding this tree with a GH43 sequence from Bacteroides dorei DSM 17855 (BdGH43b, revealed it partitioned as a single sequence within the tree. This pattern was consistent with it possessing a unique enzyme activity for GH43 as BdGH43b is the first described α-glucanase described for this family. The capacity of SACCHARIS to extract and cluster characterized carbohydrate binding module sequences was demonstrated using family 6 CBMs (i.e., CBM6s). This CBM family displays a polyspecific ligand binding profile and contains many structurally determined members. Using SACCHARIS to identify a cluster of divergent sequences, a CBM6 sequence from a unique clade was demonstrated to bind yeast mannan, which represents the first description of an α-mannan binding CBM. Additionally, we have performed a CAZome analysis of an in-house sequenced bacterial genome and a comparative analysis of B. thetaiotaomicron VPI-5482 and B. thetaiotaomicron 7330, to demonstrate that SACCHARIS can generate "CAZome fingerprints", which differentiate between the saccharolytic potential of two related strains in silico. CONCLUSIONS Establishing sequence-function and sequence-structure relationships in polyspecific CAZyme families are promising approaches for streamlining enzyme discovery. SACCHARIS facilitates this process by embedding CAZyme and CBM family trees generated from biochemically to structurally characterized sequences, with protein sequences that have unknown functions. In addition, these trees can be integrated with user-defined datasets (e.g., genomics, metagenomics, and transcriptomics) to inform experimental characterization of new CAZymes or CBMs not currently curated, and for researchers to compare differential sequence patterns between entire CAZomes. In this light, SACCHARIS provides an in silico tool that can be tailored for enzyme bioprospecting in datasets of increasing complexity and for diverse applications in glycobiotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darryl R. Jones
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403-1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1 Canada
| | - Dallas Thomas
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403-1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1 Canada
| | - Nicholas Alger
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403-1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1 Canada
| | - Ata Ghavidel
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403-1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1 Canada
| | - G. Douglas Inglis
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403-1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1 Canada
| | - D. Wade Abbott
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 5403-1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4B1 Canada
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Abstract
The complex carbohydrates of terrestrial and marine biomass represent a rich nutrient source for free-living and mutualistic microbes alike. The enzymatic saccharification of these diverse substrates is of critical importance for fueling a variety of complex microbial communities, including marine, soil, ruminant, and monogastric microbiota. Consequently, highly specific carbohydrate-active enzymes, recognition proteins, and transporters are enriched in the genomes of certain species and are of critical importance in competitive environments. In Bacteroidetes bacteria, these systems are organized as polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs), which are strictly regulated, colocalized gene clusters that encode enzyme and protein ensembles required for the saccharification of complex carbohydrates. This review provides historical perspectives and summarizes key findings in the study of these systems, highlighting a critical shift from sequence-based PUL discovery to systems-based analyses combining reverse genetics, biochemistry, enzymology, and structural biology to precisely illuminate the molecular mechanisms underpinning PUL function. The ecological implications of dynamic PUL deployment by key species in the human gastrointestinal tract are explored, as well as the wider distribution of these systems in other gut, terrestrial, and marine environments.
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Exploring the past and the future of protein evolution with ancestral sequence reconstruction: the 'retro' approach to protein engineering. Biochem J 2017; 474:1-19. [PMID: 28008088 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20160507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
A central goal in molecular evolution is to understand the ways in which genes and proteins evolve in response to changing environments. In the absence of intact DNA from fossils, ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR) can be used to infer the evolutionary precursors of extant proteins. To date, ancestral proteins belonging to eubacteria, archaea, yeast and vertebrates have been inferred that have been hypothesized to date from between several million to over 3 billion years ago. ASR has yielded insights into the early history of life on Earth and the evolution of proteins and macromolecular complexes. Recently, however, ASR has developed from a tool for testing hypotheses about protein evolution to a useful means for designing novel proteins. The strength of this approach lies in the ability to infer ancestral sequences encoding proteins that have desirable properties compared with contemporary forms, particularly thermostability and broad substrate range, making them good starting points for laboratory evolution. Developments in technologies for DNA sequencing and synthesis and computational phylogenetic analysis have led to an escalation in the number of ancient proteins resurrected in the last decade and greatly facilitated the use of ASR in the burgeoning field of synthetic biology. However, the primary challenge of ASR remains in accurately inferring ancestral states, despite the uncertainty arising from evolutionary models, incomplete sequences and limited phylogenetic trees. This review will focus, firstly, on the use of ASR to uncover links between sequence and phenotype and, secondly, on the practical application of ASR in protein engineering.
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Jones DR, Uddin MS, Gruninger RJ, Pham TTM, Thomas D, Boraston AB, Briggs J, Pluvinage B, McAllister TA, Forster RJ, Tsang A, Selinger LB, Abbott DW. Discovery and characterization of family 39 glycoside hydrolases from rumen anaerobic fungi with polyspecific activity on rare arabinosyl substrates. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:12606-12620. [PMID: 28588026 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.789008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Revised: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzyme activities that improve digestion of recalcitrant plant cell wall polysaccharides may offer solutions for sustainable industries. To this end, anaerobic fungi in the rumen have been identified as a promising source of novel carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) that modify plant cell wall polysaccharides and other complex glycans. Many CAZymes share insufficient sequence identity to characterized proteins from other microbial ecosystems to infer their function; thus presenting challenges to their identification. In this study, four rumen fungal genes (nf2152, nf2215, nf2523, and pr2455) were identified that encode family 39 glycoside hydrolases (GH39s), and have conserved structural features with GH51s. Two recombinant proteins, NF2152 and NF2523, were characterized using a variety of biochemical and structural techniques, and were determined to have distinct catalytic activities. NF2152 releases a single product, β1,2-arabinobiose (Ara2) from sugar beet arabinan (SBA), and β1,2-Ara2 and α-1,2-galactoarabinose (Gal-Ara) from rye arabinoxylan (RAX). NF2523 exclusively releases α-1,2-Gal-Ara from RAX, which represents the first description of a galacto-(α-1,2)-arabinosidase. Both β-1,2-Ara2 and α-1,2-Gal-Ara are disaccharides not previously described within SBA and RAX. In this regard, the enzymes studied here may represent valuable new biocatalytic tools for investigating the structures of rare arabinosyl-containing glycans, and potentially for facilitating their modification in industrial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darryl R Jones
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada
| | - Muhammed Salah Uddin
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 6T5, Canada
| | - Robert J Gruninger
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada
| | - Thi Thanh My Pham
- Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Dallas Thomas
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada
| | - Alisdair B Boraston
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3P6, Canada
| | - Jonathan Briggs
- School of Biology, Ridley Building 2, Newcastle University, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin Pluvinage
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3P6, Canada
| | - Tim A McAllister
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada
| | - Robert J Forster
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada
| | - Adrian Tsang
- Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - L Brent Selinger
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 6T5, Canada
| | - D Wade Abbott
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4B1, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 6T5, Canada.
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An Improved Kinetic Assay for the Characterization of Metal-Dependent Pectate Lyases. Methods Mol Biol 2017. [PMID: 28417359 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6899-2_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Pectate lyases are a subset of polysaccharide lyases (PLs) that specifically utilize a metal dependent β-elimination mechanism to cleave glyosidic bonds in homogalacturonan (HG; α-D-1,4-galacturonic acid). Most commonly, PLs harness calcium for catalysis; however, some PL families (e.g., PL2 and PL22) display preferences for transitional metals. Deploying alternative metals during β-elimination is correlated with signature coordination pocket chemistry, and is reflective of the evolution, functional specialization, and cellular location of PL activity. Here we describe an optimized method for the analysis of metal-dependent polysaccharide lyases (PLs). We use an endolytic PL2 from Yersinia enterocolitica (YePL2A) as example to demonstrate how altering the catalytic metal within the reaction can modulate PL kinetics.
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Zhou Z, Liu Y, Chang Z, Wang H, Leier A, Marquez-Lago TT, Ma Y, Li J, Song J. Structure-based engineering of a pectate lyase with improved specific activity for ramie degumming. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2016; 101:2919-2929. [PMID: 28028551 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-016-7994-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2016] [Revised: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 11/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Biotechnological applications of microbial pectate lyases (Pels) in plant fiber processing are promising, eco-friendly substitutes for conventional chemical degumming processes. However, to potentiate the enzymes' use for industrial applications, resolving the molecular structure to elucidate catalytic mechanisms becomes necessary. In this manuscript, we report the high resolution (1.45 Å) crystal structure of pectate lyase (pelN) from Paenibacillus sp. 0602 in apo form. Through sequence alignment and structural superposition with other members of the polysaccharide lyase (PL) family 1 (PL1), we determined that pelN shares the characteristic right-handed β-helix and is structurally similar to other members of the PL1 family, while exhibiting key differences in terms of catalytic and substrate binding residues. Then, based on information from structure alignments with other PLs, we engineered a novel pelN. Our rational design yielded a pelN mutant with a temperature for enzymatic activity optimally shifted from 67.5 to 60 °C. Most importantly, this pelN mutant displayed both higher specific activity and ramie fiber degumming ability when compared with the wild-type enzyme. Altogether, our rational design method shows great potential for industrial applications. Moreover, we expect the reported high-resolution crystal structure to provide a solid foundation for future rational, structure-based engineering of genetically enhanced pelNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanping Zhou
- National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Enzymes and Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Yang Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Enzymes and Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Zhenying Chang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Enzymes and Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Huilin Wang
- Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - André Leier
- Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tatiana T Marquez-Lago
- Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yanhe Ma
- National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Enzymes and Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Jian Li
- Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Jiangning Song
- National Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Enzymes and Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin, 300308, China.
- Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia.
- Monash Centre for Data Science, Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia.
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KdgF, the missing link in the microbial metabolism of uronate sugars from pectin and alginate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:6188-93. [PMID: 27185956 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1524214113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Uronates are charged sugars that form the basis of two abundant sources of biomass-pectin and alginate-found in the cell walls of terrestrial plants and marine algae, respectively. These polysaccharides represent an important source of carbon to those organisms with the machinery to degrade them. The microbial pathways of pectin and alginate metabolism are well studied and essentially parallel; in both cases, unsaturated monouronates are produced and processed into the key metabolite 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate (KDG). The enzymes required to catalyze each step have been identified within pectinolytic and alginolytic microbes; yet the function of a small ORF, kdgF, which cooccurs with the genes for these enzymes, is unknown. Here we show that KdgF catalyzes the conversion of pectin- and alginate-derived 4,5-unsaturated monouronates to linear ketonized forms, a step in uronate metabolism that was previously thought to occur spontaneously. Using enzyme assays, NMR, mutagenesis, and deletion of kdgF, we show that KdgF proteins from both pectinolytic and alginolytic bacteria catalyze the ketonization of unsaturated monouronates and contribute to efficient production of KDG. We also report the X-ray crystal structures of two KdgF proteins and propose a mechanism for catalysis. The discovery of the function of KdgF fills a 50-y-old gap in the knowledge of uronate metabolism. Our findings have implications not only for the understanding of an important metabolic pathway, but also the role of pectinolysis in plant-pathogen virulence and the growing interest in the use of pectin and alginate as feedstocks for biofuel production.
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