Biotechnological production of D‐ or L‐amino acids from 5‐monosubstituted hydantoins

Screening of novel microbial enzymes for the production of biologically and chemically useful compounds

Enzymes have been generally accepted as superior catalysts in organic synthesis. Micro-organisms in particular have been regarded as treasure sources of useful enzymes. The synthetic technology using microbial enzymes or micro-organisms themselves is called microbial transformation. In designing a microbial transformation process, one of the most important points is to find a suitable enzyme for the reaction of interest. Various kinds of novel enzymes for specific transformations have been discovered in micro-organisms and their potential characteristics revealed. This article reviews our current results on the discovery of novel enzymes for the production of biologically and chemically useful compounds, and emphasizes the importance of screening enzymes in a diverse microbial world.

Purification and characterization of N-carbamoyl-L-amino acid amidohydrolase with broad substrate specificity from Alcaligenes xylosoxidans

N-Carbamoyl-L-amino acid amidohydrolase was purified to homogeneity for the first time from Alcaligenes xylosoxidans. The enzyme showed high affinity toward N-carbamoyl-L-amino acids with long-chain aliphatic or aromatic substituents, and hydrolyzed those with short-chain substituents quite well. The enzyme hydrolyzed N-formyl- and N-acetylamino acids quickly and very slowly, respectively. The enzyme did not hydrolyze beta-ureidopropionate and ureidosuccinate. The relative molecular mass of the native enzyme was about 135,000 and the enzyme consisted of two identical polypeptide chains. The enzyme activity was significantly inhibited by sulfhydryl reagents and required the following divalent metal ions: Mn2+, Ni2+ and Co2+.

N-carbamoyl-D-amino acid amidohydrolase from Comamonas sp. E222c purification and characterization

N-Carbamoyl-D-amino acid amidohydrolase was purified 119-fold, with 36% overall recovery from a cell-free extract of Comamonas sp. E222c. The purified enzyme was homogeneous as judged by SDS/PAGE. The relative molecular mass of the native enzyme was 120,000 and that of the subunit was 40,000. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed various N-carbamoyl-D-amino acids to D-amino acids, ammonia and carbon dioxide. N-Carbamoyl-D-amino acids having hydrophobic groups served as good substrates for the enzyme. The Km and Vmax values for N-carbamoyl-D-phenylalanine were 19.7 mM and 13.1 units/mg, respectively, and those for N-carbamoyl-D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine were 13.1 mM and 0.56 units/mg, respectively. The enzyme strictly recognized the configuration of the substrate and only the D-enantiomer of the N-carbamoyl amino acid was hydrolyzed. The enzyme activity was not significantly affected by N-carbamoyl-L-amino acids and ammonia. The enzyme was sensitive to thiol reagents and did not require metal ions for its activity. The enzyme did not hydrolyze N-carbamoyl-beta-alanine or N-carbamoyl-DL-aspartate suggesting that the enzyme is different from the N-carbamoylamide-hydrolyzing enzymes involved in the pyrimidine degradation pathway. The enzyme did not hydrolyze allantoin and allantoic acid, which are intermediates in purine degradation, N-carbamoylsarcosine and citrulline, suggesting that it is a novel N-carbamoylamide amidohydrolase.

Identification and sequencing of a gene encoding a hydantoin racemase from the native plasmid of Pseudomonas sp. strain NS671

DNA fragments containing the genes involved in the conversion of 5-substituted hydantoins to their corresponding L-amino acids have been cloned from the 172-kb native plasmid (pHN671) of Pseudomonas sp. strain NS671. The largest recombinant plasmid, designated pHPB14, encoded the ability to convert D-5-substituted hydantoins to the corresponding L-amino acids, whereas the smallest one, designated pHPB12, encoded the ability to convert them to their corresponding N-carbamyl-D-amino acids. Restriction analysis suggested that the inserts of both recombinant plasmids are derived from the identical portion in pHN671 and that the insert of pHPB14, compared with that of pHPB12, has an extra 5.3 kb in length. DNA sequencing revealed that pHPB14 contains two additional complete open reading frames, designated ORF5 and hyuE. Analysis of deletion derivatives of pHPB14 indicated that hyuE is required for the ability to produce L-amino acids from the corresponding D-5-substituted hydantoins, but ORF5 is not. Cells of Escherichia coli transformed with a plasmid containing hyuE were capable of racemizing different 5-substituted hydantoins, indicating that hyuE is a gene encoding a hydantoin racemase.

Cloning and sequencing of the genes involved in the conversion of 5-substituted hydantoins to the corresponding L-amino acids from the native plasmid of Pseudomonas sp. strain NS671

Pseudomonas sp. strain NS671, which produces L-amino acids asymmetrically from the corresponding racemic 5-substituted hydantoins, harbored a plasmid of 172 kb. Curing experiments suggest that this plasmid, designated pHN671, is responsible for the conversion of 5-substituted hydantoins to their corresponding L-amino acids by strain NS671. DNA fragments containing the genes involved in this conversion were cloned from pHN671 in Escherichia coli by using pUC18 as a cloning vector. The smallest recombinant plasmid, designated pHPB12, contained a 7.5-kb insert DNA. The nucleotide sequence of the insert DNA was determined, and three closely spaced open reading frames predicted to encode peptides with molecular masses of 75.6, 64.9, and 45.7 kDa were found. These open reading frames were designated hyuA, hyuB, and hyuC, respectively. Cell extracts from E. coli carrying deletion derivatives of pHPB12 were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the gene products of hyuA, hyuB, and hyuC were identified. The functions of these gene products were also examined with the deletion derivatives. The results indicate that both hyuA and hyuB are involved in the conversions of D- and L-5-substituted hydantoins to corresponding N-carbamyl-D- and N-carbamyl-L-amino acids, respectively, and that hyuC is involved in the conversion of N-carbamyl-L-amino acids to L-amino acids.