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Herman RA, Ayepa E, Zhang WX, Li ZN, Zhu X, Ackah M, Yuan SS, You S, Wang J. Molecular modification and biotechnological applications of microbial aspartic proteases. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2024; 44:388-413. [PMID: 36842994 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2023.2171850] [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: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/28/2023]
Abstract
The growing preference for incorporating microbial aspartic proteases in industries is due to their high catalytic function and high degree of substrate selectivity. These properties, however, are attributable to molecular alterations in their structure and a variety of other characteristics. Molecular tools, functional genomics, and genome editing technologies coupled with other biotechnological approaches have aided in improving the potential of industrially important microbial proteases by addressing some of their major limitations, such as: low catalytic efficiency, low conversion rates, low thermostability, and less enzyme yield. However, the native folding within their full domain is dependent on a surrounding structure which challenges their functionality in substrate conversion, mainly due to their mutual interactions in the context of complex systems. Hence, manipulating their structure and controlling their expression systems could potentially produce enzymes with high selectivity and catalytic functions. The proteins produced by microbial aspartic proteases are industrially capable and far-reaching in regulating certain harmful distinctive industrial processes and the benefits of being eco-friendly. This review provides: an update on current trends and gaps in microbial protease biotechnology, exploring the relevant recombinant strategies and molecular technologies widely used in expression platforms for engineering microbial aspartic proteases, as well as their potential industrial and biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Ansah Herman
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, P.R. China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, P. R. China
| | - Ellen Ayepa
- Oil Palm Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Kusi, Ghana
| | - Wen-Xin Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, P.R. China
| | - Zong-Nan Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, P.R. China
| | - Xuan Zhu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, P.R. China
| | - Michael Ackah
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, P.R. China
| | - Shuang-Shuang Yuan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, P.R. China
| | - Shuai You
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, P.R. China
| | - Jun Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, P.R. China
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Yersinia pestis Plasminogen Activator. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10111554. [PMID: 33202679 PMCID: PMC7696990 DOI: 10.3390/biom10111554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pestis causes plague, a fatal flea-borne anthropozoonosis, which can progress to aerosol-transmitted pneumonia. Y. pestis overcomes the innate immunity of its host thanks to many pathogenicity factors, including plasminogen activator, Pla. This factor is a broad-spectrum outer membrane protease also acting as adhesin and invasin. Y. pestis uses Pla adhesion and proteolytic capacity to manipulate the fibrinolytic cascade and immune system to produce bacteremia necessary for pathogen transmission via fleabite or aerosols. Because of microevolution, Y. pestis invasiveness has increased significantly after a single amino-acid substitution (I259T) in Pla of one of the oldest Y. pestis phylogenetic groups. This mutation caused a better ability to activate plasminogen. In paradox with its fibrinolytic activity, Pla cleaves and inactivates the tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), a key inhibitor of the coagulation cascade. This function in the plague remains enigmatic. Pla (or pla) had been used as a specific marker of Y. pestis, but its solitary detection is no longer valid as this gene is present in other species of Enterobacteriaceae. Though recovering hosts generate anti-Pla antibodies, Pla is not a good subunit vaccine. However, its deletion increases the safety of attenuated Y. pestis strains, providing a means to generate a safe live plague vaccine.
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Grassmann AA, Kremer FS, Dos Santos JC, Souza JD, Pinto LDS, McBride AJA. Discovery of Novel Leptospirosis Vaccine Candidates Using Reverse and Structural Vaccinology. Front Immunol 2017; 8:463. [PMID: 28496441 PMCID: PMC5406399 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptospira spp. are diderm (two membranes) bacteria that infect mammals causing leptospirosis, a public health problem with global implications. Thousands of people die every year due to leptospirosis, especially in developing countries with tropical climates. Prophylaxis is difficult due to multiple factors, including the large number of asymptomatic hosts that transmit the bacteria, poor sanitation, increasing numbers of slum dwellers, and the lack of an effective vaccine. Several leptospiral recombinant antigens were evaluated as a replacement for the inactivated (bacterin) vaccine; however, success has been limited. A prospective vaccine candidate is likely to be a surface-related protein that can stimulate the host immune response to clear leptospires from blood and organs. In this study, a comprehensive bioinformatics approach based on reverse and structural vaccinology was applied toward the discovery of novel leptospiral vaccine candidates. The Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni strain L1-130 genome was mined in silico for the enhanced identification of conserved β-barrel (βb) transmembrane proteins and outer membrane (OM) lipoproteins. Orthologs of the prospective vaccine candidates were screened in the genomes of 20 additional Leptospira spp. Three-dimensional structural models, with a high degree of confidence, were created for each of the surface-exposed proteins. Major histocompatibility complex II (MHC-II) epitopes were identified, and their locations were mapped on the structural models. A total of 18 βb transmembrane proteins and 8 OM lipoproteins were identified. These proteins were conserved among the pathogenic Leptospira spp. and were predicted to have epitopes for several variants of MHC-II receptors. A structural and functional analysis of the sequence of these surface proteins demonstrated that most βb transmembrane proteins seem to be TonB-dependent receptors associated with transportation. Other proteins identified included, e.g., TolC efflux pump proteins, a BamA-like OM component of the βb transmembrane protein assembly machinery, and the LptD-like LPS assembly protein. The structural mapping of the immunodominant epitopes identified the location of conserved, surface-exposed, immunogenic regions for each vaccine candidate. The proteins identified in this study are currently being evaluated for experimental evidence for their involvement in virulence, disease pathogenesis, and physiology, in addition to vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Alex Grassmann
- Biotechnology Unit, Technological Development Center, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Frederico Schmitt Kremer
- Biotechnology Unit, Technological Development Center, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Júlia Cougo Dos Santos
- Biotechnology Unit, Technological Development Center, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Dias Souza
- Biotechnology Unit, Technological Development Center, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Luciano da Silva Pinto
- Biotechnology Unit, Technological Development Center, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Alan John Alexander McBride
- Biotechnology Unit, Technological Development Center, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.,Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ministry of Health, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
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Evseeva VV, Platonov ME, Kopylov PK, Dentovskaya SV, Anisimov AP. PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR OF YERSINIA PESTIS. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.15789/2220-7619-2015-1-27-36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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