Experimental evolution of penicillin G acylases from Escherichia coli and Proteus rettgeri

Crystal structures and protein engineering of three different penicillin G acylases from Gram-positive bacteria with different thermostability

Penicillin G acylase (PGA) catalyzes the hydrolysis of penicillin G to 6-aminopenicillanic acid and phenylacetic acid, which provides the precursor for most semisynthetic penicillins. Most applications rely on PGAs from Gram-negative bacteria. Here we describe the first three crystal structures for PGAs from Gram-positive Bacilli and their utilization in protein engineering experiments for the manipulation of their thermostability. PGAs from Bacillus megaterium (BmPGA, T_m = 56.0 °C), Bacillus thermotolerans (BtPGA, T_m = 64.5 °C), and Bacillus sp. FJAT-27231 (FJAT-PGA, T_m = 74.3 °C) were recombinantly produced with B. megaterium, secreted, purified to apparent heterogeneity, and crystallized. Structures with resolutions of 2.20 Å (BmPGA), 2.27 Å (BtPGA), and 1.36 Å (FJAT-PGA) were obtained. They revealed high overall similarity, reflecting the high identity of up to approx. 75%. Notably, the active center displays a deletion of more than ten residues with respect to PGAs from Gram-negatives. This enlarges the substrate binding site and may indicate a different substrate spectrum. Based on the structures, ten single-chain FJAT-PGAs carrying artificial linkers were produced. However, in all cases, complete linker cleavage was observed. While thermostability remained in the wild-type range, the enzymatic activity dropped between 30 and 60%. Furthermore, four hybrid PGAs carrying subunits from two different enzymes were successfully produced. Their thermostabilities mostly lay between the values of the two mother enzymes. For one PGA increased, enzyme activity was observed. Overall, the three novel PGA structures combined with initial protein engineering experiments provide the basis for establishment of new PGA-based biotechnological processes.

Recent biotechnological interventions for developing improved penicillin G acylases

Penicillin G acylase (PAC; EC 3.5.1.11) is the key enzyme used in the industrial production of beta-lactam antibiotics. This enzyme hydrolyzes the side chain of penicillin G and related beta-lactam antibiotics releasing 6-amino penicillanic acid (6-APA), which is the building block in the manufacture of semisynthetic penicillins. PAC from Escherichia coli strain ATCC 11105, Bacillus megaterium strain ATCC 14945 and mutants of these two strains is currently used in industry. Genes encoding for PAC from various bacterial sources have been cloned and overexpressed with significant improvements in transcription, translation and post-translational processing. Recent developments in enzyme engineering have shown that PAC can be modified to gain conformational stability and desired functionality. This review provides an overview of recent advances in the production, stabilization and application of PAC, highlighting the recent biotechnological approaches for the improved catalysis of PAC.

Mutations of penicillin acylase residue B71 extend substrate specificity by decreasing steric constraints for substrate binding

Two mutant forms of penicillin acylase from Escherichia coli strains, selected using directed evolution for the ability to use glutaryl-L-leucine for growth [Forney, Wong and Ferber (1989) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 55, 2550-2555], are changed within one codon, replacing the B-chain residue Phe(B71) with either Cys or Leu. Increases of up to a factor of ten in k (cat)/ K (m) values for substrates possessing a phenylacetyl leaving group are consistent with a decrease in K (s). Values of k (cat)/ K (m) for glutaryl-L-leucine are increased at least 100-fold. A decrease in k (cat)/ K (m) for the Cys(B71) mutant with increased pH is consistent with binding of the uncharged glutaryl group. The mutant proteins are more resistant to urea denaturation monitored by protein fluorescence, to inactivation in the presence of substrate either in the presence of urea or at high pH, and to heat inactivation. The crystal structure of the Leu(B71) mutant protein, solved to 2 A resolution, shows a flip of the side chain of Phe(B256) into the periphery of the catalytic centre, associated with loss of the pi-stacking interactions between Phe(B256) and Phe(B71). Molecular modelling demonstrates that glutaryl-L-leucine may bind with the uncharged glutaryl group in the S(1) subsite of either the wild-type or the Leu(B71) mutant but with greater potential freedom of rotation of the substrate leucine moiety in the complex with the mutant protein. This implies a smaller decrease in the conformational entropy of the substrate on binding to the mutant proteins and consequently greater catalytic activity.

Structure of cephalosporin acylase in complex with glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid and glutarate: insight into the basis of its substrate specificity

BACKGROUND

Semisynthetic cephalosporins are primarily synthesized from 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA), which is obtained by environmentally toxic chemical deacylation of cephalosporin C (CPC). Thus, the enzymatic conversion of CPC to 7-ACA by cephalosporin acylase (CA) would be of great interest. However, CAs use glutaryl-7-ACA (GL-7-ACA) as a primary substrate and the enzyme has low turnover rates for CPC.

RESULTS

The binary complex structures of CA with GL-7-ACA and glutarate (the side-chain of GL-7-ACA) show extensive interactions between the glutaryl moiety of GL-7-ACA and the seven residues that form the side-chain pocket. These interactions explain why the D-alpha-aminoadipyl side-chain of CPC yields a poorer substrate than GL-7-ACA.

CONCLUSIONS

This understanding of the nature of substrate specificity may be useful in the design of an enzyme with an improved performance for the conversion of CPC to 7-ACA. Additionally, the catalytic mechanism of the deacylation reaction was revealed by the ligand bound structures.

The 2.0 A crystal structure of cephalosporin acylase

BACKGROUND

Semisynthetic cephalosporins are primarily synthesized from 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA), which is usually obtained by chemical deacylation of cephalosporin C (CPC). The chemical production of 7-ACA includes, however, several expensive steps and requires thorough treatment of chemical wastes. Therefore, an enzymatic conversion of CPC to 7-ACA by cephalosporin acylase is of great interest. The biggest obstacle preventing this in industrial production is that cephalosporin acylase uses glutaryl-7ACA as a primary substrate and has low substrate specificity for CPC.

RESULTS

We have solved the first crystal structure of a cephalosporin acylase from Pseudomonas diminuta at 2.0 A resolution. The overall structure looks like a bowl with two "knobs" consisting of helix- and strand-rich regions, respectively. The active site is mostly formed by the distinctive structural motif of the N-terminal (Ntn) hydrolase superfamily. Superposition of the 61 residue active-site pocket onto that of penicillin G acylase shows an rmsd in Calpha positions of 1.38 A. This indicates structural similarity in the active site between these two enzymes, but their overall structures are elsewhere quite different.

CONCLUSION

The substrate binding pocket of the P. diminuta cephalosporin acylase provides detailed insight into the ten key residues responsible for the specificity of the cephalosporin C side chain in four classes of cephalosporin acylases, and it thereby forms a basis for the design of an enzyme with an improved conversion rate of CPC to 7-ACA. The structure also provides structural evidence that four of the five different classes of cephalosporin acylases can be grouped into one family of the Ntn hydrolase superfamily.

Crystal structure of penicillin G acylase from the Bro1 mutant strain of Providencia rettgeri

Penicillin G acylase is an important enzyme in the commercial production of semisynthetic penicillins used to combat bacterial infections. Mutant strains of Providencia rettgeri were generated from wild-type cultures subjected to nutritional selective pressure. One such mutant, Bro1, was able to use 6-bromohexanamide as its sole nitrogen source. Penicillin acylase from the Bro1 strain exhibited an altered substrate specificity consistent with the ability of the mutant to process 6-bromohexanamide. The X-ray structure determination of this enzyme was undertaken to understand its altered specificity and to help in the design of site-directed mutants with desired specificities. In this paper, the structure of the Bro1 penicillin G acylase has been solved at 2.5 A resolution by molecular replacement. The R-factor after refinement is 0.154 and R-free is 0.165. Of the 758 residues in the Bro1 penicillin acylase heterodimer (alpha-subunit, 205; beta-subunit, 553), all but the eight C-terminal residues of the alpha-subunit have been modeled based on a partial Bro1 sequence and the complete wild-type P. rettgeri sequence. A tightly bound calcium ion coordinated by one residue from the alpha-subunit and five residues from the beta-subunit has been identified. This enzyme belongs to the superfamily of Ntn hydrolases and uses Ogamma of Ser beta1 as the characteristic N-terminal nucleophile. A mutation of the wild-type Met alpha140 to Leu in the Bro1 acylase hydrophobic specificity pocket is evident from the electron density and is consistent with the observed specificity change for Bro1 acylase. The electron density for the N-terminal Gln of the alpha-subunit is best modeled by the cyclized pyroglutamate form. Examination of aligned penicillin acylase and cephalosporin acylase primary sequences, in conjunction with the P. rettgeri and Escherichia coli penicillin acylase crystal structures, suggests several mutations that could potentially allow penicillin acylase to accept charged beta-lactam R-groups and to function as a cephalosporin acylase and thus be used in the manufacture of semi-synthetic cephalosporins.

Processing and functional display of the 86 kDa heterodimeric penicillin G acylase on the surface of phage fd

The large heterodimeric penicillin G acylase from Alcaligenes faecalis was displayed on the surface of phage fd. We fused the coding sequence (alpha subunit-internal peptide-beta subunit) to the gene of a phage coat protein. A modified g3p signal sequence was used to direct the polypeptide to the periplasm. Here we show that a heterodimeric enzyme can be expressed as a fusion protein that matures to an active biocatalyst connected to the coat protein of phage fd, resulting in a phage to which the beta-subunit is covalently linked and the alpha-subunit is non-covalently attached. The enzyme can be displayed either fused to the minor coat protein g3p or fused to the major coat protein g8p. In both cases the penicillin G acylase on the phage has the same Michaelis constant as its freely soluble counterpart, indicating a proper folding and catalytic activity of the displayed enzyme. The display of the heterodimer on phage not only allows its further use in protein engineering but also offers the possibility of applying this technology for the excretion of the enzyme into the extracellular medium, facilitating purification of the protein. With the example of penicillin acylase the upper limit for a protein to become functionally displayed by phage fd has been further explored. Polyvalent display was not observed despite the use of genetic constructs designed for this aim. These results are discussed in relation to the pore size being formed by the g4p multimer.

In vivo versus in vitro screening or selection for catalytic activity in enzymes and abzymes

The recent development of catalytic antibodies and the introduction of new techniques to generate huge libraries of random mutants of existing enzymes have created the need for powerful tools for finding in large populations of cells those producing the catalytically most active proteins. Several approaches have been developed and used to reach this goal. The screening techniques aim at easily detecting the clones producing active enzymes or abzymes; the selection techniques are designed to extract these clones from mixtures. These techniques have been applied both in vivo and in vitro. This review describes the advantages and limitations of the various methods in terms of ease of use, sensitivity, and convenience for handling large libraries. Examples are analyzed and tentative rules proposed. These techniques prove to be quite powerful to study the relationship between structure and function and to alter the properties of enzymes.

Improvement of the catalytic properties of penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli ATCC 11105 by selection of a new substrate specificity

Cloned penicillin G acylase (PGA) from Escherichia coli ATCC 11105 was mutagenized in vivo using N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Mutants of PGA were selected by their ability to allow growth of the host strain E. coli M8820 with the new substrates phenylacetyl-beta-alanyl-L-proline (PhAc-beta Ala-Pro) phthalyl-L-leucine (Pht-Leu) or phthalylglycyl-L-proline (Pht-Gly-Pro) as sole source of proline and leucine respectively. PGA mutants were purified and immobilized onto spherical methacrylate (G-gel). The immobilized form of mutant PGA selected with (PhAc-beta Ala-Pro) hydrolyzed 95% of 9 mmol penicillin G 30% faster than wild-type PGA using the same specific activities. The specific activity of the soluble enzyme was 2.7-fold, and inhibition by phenylacetic acid was halved. Immobilized PGA mutant selected with Pht-Gly-Pro hydrolyzed penicillin G 20% faster than wild-type PGA. The Km of the soluble enzyme was increased 1.7-fold. Furthermore, the latter two mutants were also 3.6-fold more stable at 45 degrees C than wild-type PGA. The specific activity of the mutant selected with Pht-Leu was 6.3-fold lower, and inhibition by phenylacetic acid was increased 13-fold.

Purification and preliminary crystallographic studies of penicillin G acylase from Providencia rettgeri

Two isoforms of the heterodimeric enzyme penicillin G acylase (EC 3.5.1.11) from Providencia rettgeri ATCC 31052 (strain Bro1) were purified to near homogeneity. The isoforms exhibited comparable enzymatic activities but differed slightly in the molecular weight and pI of their respective alpha-subunit. The origin of this difference was traced to the partial conversion of the N-terminal Gln of the alpha-subunit to pyrrolidonecarboxylic acid (pyro-Glu). The boundaries of the mature enzyme within the translated DNA sequence of the wild-type propeptide (GenBank M86533) were determined. The results conclusively identified the length of the signal peptide and the position of the spacer cleaved from the propeptide to form the active heterodimer. The molecular weights of the alpha- and beta-subunits, based on these termini, were 23.7 and 62.2 kDa, respectively. Both isoforms were crystallized independently as hexagonal bipyramids up to 0.60 mm in diameter in either space group P6(1)22 or P6(5)22 (a = b = 140.5 A and c = 209.5 A) from ammonium sulfate solutions buffered by 50 mM potassium phosphate at pH 7.5. The presence of glycerol, although not required, facilitated crystal growth. Native and heavy atom derivative data were collected to 3.0 A resolution, and the calculation of isomorphous replacement phases is under way.

Changing the substrate specificity of penicillin G acylase from Kluyvera citrophila through selective pressure

Escherichia coli (muT, mutD, Leu-) cells transformed with plasmid pYKD59 harbouring the pac gene encoding penicillin acylase (PA) from Kluyvera citrophila ATCC 21285 were exposed to environmental conditions that made expression of this enzyme essential for growth. Under these conditions, spontaneous mutants were isolated that used adipyl-L-leucine as the sole source of L-leucine. DNA sequencing of the mutant pac genes identified a transversion mutation of thymine to guanine at position 1163. This mutation was located in the beta-subunit of the enzyme and resulted in conversion of Phe-360 to valine. The assignment of this mutation to the shift in substrate specificity was further confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. Secondary-structure prediction of the region surrounding Phe-360 suggests that this mutation should not produce any significant structural change. The purified mutant acylase was able to hydrolyse adipyl-, glutaryl-, valeryl-, caproyl-, heptanoyl- and phenoxyacetyl-L-leucine at pH 5 with greater efficiency than the wild-type enzyme. However, the mutant enzyme was not able to hydrolyse glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid and had lost 90% and 50% of activity on penicillin G and phenylacetyl-L-leucine respectively. Nevertheless, mutant PA retained its original activity on 6-nitro-3-phenylacetamidobenzoate and p-nitrophenylphenylacetate, suggesting that the binding specificity of PA by the acyl and amine moieties of the substrate are not independent phenomena. The small differences observed between the c.d. spectra of the mutant enzyme recorded at pH 5 and 8 suggest the existence of different conformational states at the two pH values, but these differences were indistinguishable from those observed in the native enzyme and cannot be correlated with the shift in substrate specificity. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to change the specificity of PA by laboratory evolution and use it to identify the amino acids involved in substrate recognition. However, the synchronous participation of the alpha- and beta-subunits in the complex induced-fit-like mechanism of acylases suggests that, to obtain new enzymes for industrial application, the selection pressure should be specifically designed for the compound of interest.

Regulation of the supramolecular structure and the catalytic activity of penicillin acylase from Escherichia coli in the system of reversed micelles of Aerosol OT in octane

The properties of penicillin acylase from E. coli solubilized by hydrated reversed micelles (RM) of Aerosol OT in octane were studied. The dependence of catalytic activity on the hydration degree, a parameter which determines the size of the micelle inner cavity, has a curve with three optima, each one corresponding to the enzyme functioning either in a dimer form (wo = 23) or in a form of separate subunits, a heavy one, beta, and a light one, alpha (wo = 20 and 14, respectively). The reversible dissociation of the enzyme was confirmed by ultracentrifugation followed by electrophoresis.

Effects of site-directed mutations on processing and activities of penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli ATCC 11105

Penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli ATCC 11105 is synthesized from its precursor polypeptide into a catalytically active heterodimer via a complex posttranslational processing pathway. Substitutions in the pair of aminoacyl residues at the cleavage site for processing the small and large subunits were made. Their processing phenotypes and penicillin G acylase activities were analyzed. By the introduction of a prolyl residue at either position, the processing of the small subunit was blocked without a change in enzymatic activity. Four other substitutions had no effect. At the site for processing the large subunit, four substitutions out of the seven examined blocked processing. In general, penicillin G acylase activity seemed to be proportional to the efficiency of the large-subunit-processing step. Ser-290 is an amino acid critical for processing and also for the enzymatic activity of penicillin G acylase. In the mutant pAATC, in which Ser-290 is mutated to Cys, the precursor is processed, but there is no detectable enzymatic activity. This suggests that there is a difference in the structural requirements for the processing pathway and for enzymatic activity. Recombination analysis of several mutants demonstrated that the small subunit can be processed only when the large subunit is processed first. Some site-directed mutants from which signal peptides were removed showed partial processing phenotypes and reduced enzymatic activities. Their expression showed that the prerequisite for penicillin G acylase activity is the efficient processing of the large subunit and that the maturation of the small subunit does not affect the enzymatic activity.

The primary structure of Providencia rettgeri penicillin G amidase gene and its relationship to other gram negative amidases

The nucleotide sequence of Penicillin G amidase (PA,E.C.3.5.1.11) of Providencia rettgeri was determined. We aligned our P. rettgeri PA with other known Gram negative periplasmically located beta-lactam amidases. The analysis revealed a high homology with other Enterobacteric amidases (60%-65%), while with similar Pseudomonas sp. amidases the homology exceeded 25%. These homologies indicate their common ancestry.

The folding and solution conformation of penicillin G acylase

The solution conformation properties of penicillin G acylase (EC 3.5.1.11) have been characterised by near- and far-ultraviolet circular dichroism, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and differential sedimentation velocity. The enzyme (86 kDa) was found to be spherical and stable unfolding over a narrow range of urea concentrations in an apparently cooperative fashion with a mid-point of 4.5 M urea. Separation of its constituent alpha and beta peptides (23.8 kDa and 62.2 kDa, respectively) was accompanied by loss of enzyme activity and unfolding, the kinetics of unfolding being highly dependent upon urea concentration. Urea gradient gel electrophoresis showed that the separated beta peptide aggregates over a wide range of urea concentrations but that the alpha peptide refolds reversibly to a compact state. Physical studies showed that the refolded alpha peptide has a compact but asymmetric structure with more alpha helix than the native enzyme, but is more sensitive to denaturant. The latter is suggested to be due to a hydrophobic patch detected by 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid binding and which is normally covered by the beta peptide in the native enzyme. The results of these investigations indicate that the alpha peptide constitutes a folding domain and suggest that it plays a key role in folding of the precursor for penicillin acylase.

Selection of amidases with novel substrate specificities from penicillin amidase of Escherichia coli

To obtain amidases with novel substrate specificity, the cloned gene for penicillin amidase of Escherichia coli ATCC 11105 was mutagenized and mutants were selected for the ability to hydrolyze glutaryl-(L)-leucine and provide leucine to Leu- host cells. Cells with the wild-type enzyme did not grow in minimal medium containing glutaryl-(L)-leucine as a sole source of leucine. The growth rates of Leu- cells that expressed these mutant amidases increased as the glutaryl-(L)-leucine concentration increased or as the medium pH decreased. Growth of the mutant strains was restricted by modulation of medium pH and glutaryl-(L)-leucine concentration, and successive generations of mutants that more efficiently hydrolyzed glutaryl-(L)-leucine were isolated. The kinetics of glutaryl-(L)-leucine hydrolysis by purified amidases from two mutants and the respective parental strains were determined. Glutaryl-(L)-leucine hydrolysis by the purified mutant amidases occurred most rapidly between pH 5 and 6, whereas hydrolysis by wild-type penicillin amidase at this pH was negligible. The second-order rate constants for glutaryl-(L)-leucine hydrolysis by two "second-generation" mutant amidases, 48 and 77 M-1 s-1, were higher than the rates of hydrolysis by the respective parental amidases. The increased rates of glutaryl-(L)-leucine hydrolysis resulted from both increases in the molecular rate constants and decreases in apparent Km values. The results show that it is possible to deliberately modify the substrate specificity of penicillin amidase and successively select mutants with amidases that are progressively more efficient at hydrolyzing glutaryl-(L)-leucine.

Complete nucleotide sequence of the penicillin G acylase gene and the flanking regions, and its expression in Escherichia coli

The pga gene coding for penicillin G acylase (PGA) in Escherichia coli ATCC11105 was cloned, and its complete nucleotide sequence including 5'- and 3'-flanking regions was determined. Two nonidentical subunits that constitute an active PGA enzyme complex are known to be formed by processing of a common precursor molecule [Böck et al., FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 20 (1983) 141-144]. This novel type of protein processing was confirmed by a nucleotide sequencing study together with amino acid sequencing of two PGA subunits. In addition, it was found that the initiation codon, AUG, is preceded by an authentic ribosome-binding site, a consensus promoter sequence and putative cAMP receptor protein (CRP)-binding sites, and that the termination codon, UAA, is followed by a putative transcriptional terminator. The promoter function was confirmed by galactokinase assay using galK fusion plasmids. A recombinant plasmid was constructed to overproduce the enzyme using phage lambda pL promoter. Unexpectedly, thermal induction led to accumulation of the 94-kDa polypeptide rather than active PGA in large amounts. Western immunoblot analysis showed that this large polypeptide is the real precursor of PGA. It is evident, therefore, that the synthesis of active PGA in E. coli is affected by growth temperature and that the precursor processing step(s) is temperature-sensitive.

Two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography for simultaneous detection of bacterial beta-lactam acylases and beta-lactamases

A rapid and specific procedure was developed for the simultaneous detection of bacterial acylases and beta-lactamases, using ampicillin and cephalexin as substrates. Bacterial suspensions from agar plates were incubated separately with each beta-lactam substrate for 1 h at 37 degrees C. The supernatant of the reaction mixture was dansylated, and the dansyl derivatives were separated by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography on polyamide sheets. The end products resulting from acylase hydrolysis, including the intact beta-lactam nucleus, 6-aminopenicillanic acid or 7-aminodeacetoxycephalosporanic acid, and the acyl side chain acid, D-(-)-alpha-aminophenylacetic acid, and the end product resulting from beta-lactamase hydrolysis (D-phenylglycylpenicilloic acid or D-phenylglycyldeacetoxycephalosporoic acid) were separated from each unhydrolyzed substrate and amino acids by this procedure. The presence of the intact beta-lactam nucleus in the reaction mixture is the indication of acylase activity. This method is sensitive and reproducible and has been successfully applied to screening for acylase activity in a variety of bacteria. It may be pharmaceutically useful for identifying organisms capable of removing the acyl side chain from naturally occurring beta-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin G, penicillin V, and cephalosporin C for production of the beta-lactam nuclei which serve as the starting materials for semisynthetic beta-lactam antibiotics.

Expression and regulation of the penicillin G acylase gene from Proteus rettgeri cloned in Escherichia coli

The penicillin G acylase genes from the Proteus rettgeri wild type and from a hyperproducing mutant which is resistant to succinate repression were cloned in Escherichia coli K-12. Expression of both wild-type and mutant P. rettgeri acylase genes in E. coli K-12 was independent of orientation in the cloning vehicle and apparently resulted from recognition in E. coli of the P. rettgeri promoter sequences. The P. rettgeri acylase was secreted into the E. coli periplasmic space and was composed of subunits electrophoretically identical to those made in P. rettgeri. Expression of these genes in E. coli K-12 was not repressed by succinate as it is in P. rettgeri. Instead, expression of the enzymes was regulated by glucose catabolite repression.

Complete nucleotide sequence of the penicillin acylase gene from Kluyvera citrophila

The penicillin acylase (PAC) from Kluyvera citrophila ATCC21285 has been purified to homogeneity and found to be composed of two non-identical subunits of 23 and 62 kDa, in contrast with the previous findings [Shimizu et al., Agr. Biol. Chem. 39 (1975) 1655-1661]. The nucleotide (nt) sequence of the K. citrophila pac gene contained in the 3-kb PvuI-HindIII fragment of pKAP1 [García and Buesa, J. Biotechnol. 3 (1986) 187-195] has been determined, showing that it encodes a protein of 844 amino acid (aa) residues. The aa analysis of the N-terminal and C-terminal sequences of the purified subunits showed that they were derived from a common precursor protein of 93.5 kDa, from which a signal peptide of 26 aa, responsible for the periplasmic translocation of the protein, and an internal connecting polypeptide of 54 aa, have been removed in the maturation of the PAC. The comparison of the nt sequences of the pac genes from K. citrophila and Escherichia coli ATCC11105 [Schumacher et al., Nucl. Acids Res. 14 (1986) 5713-5727] revealed 80% homology, suggesting a common ancestral pac gene origin. The results reported here should allow investigation of the unusual mechanism of maturation of this prokaryotic protein, as well as manipulation, using DNA recombinant techniques, of the catalytic properties of this industrially important enzyme.

Role of protein subunits in Proteus rettgeri penicillin G acylase

Penicillin G acylase from Proteus rettgeri is an 80,000- to 90,000-dalton enzyme composed of two nonidentical subunits. Both subunits were required for enzymatic activity. The 65,000-dalton beta subunit contained a phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride-sensitive residue required for enzymatic activity, and the 24,500-dalton alpha subunit contained the domain that imparts specificity for the penicillin side chain.