Cohesion group approach for evolutionary analysis of TyrA, a protein family with wide-ranging substrate specificities

An Efficient Prephenate Dehydrogenase Gene for the Biosynthesis of L-tyrosine: Gene Mining, Sequence Analysis, and Expression Optimization

L-tyrosine is a key precursor for synthesis of various functional substances, but the microbial production of L-tyrosine faces huge challenges. The development of new microbial chassis cell and gene resource is especially important for the biosynthesis of L-tyrosine. In this study, the optimal host strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens HZ-12 was firstly selected by detecting the production capacity of L-tyrosine. Subsequently, the recombinant expression of 15 prephenate dehydrogenase genes led to the discovery of the best gene, Bao-tyrA from B. amyloliquefaciens HZ-12. After the overexpression of Bao-tyrA, the L-tyrosine yield of the recombinant strain HZ/P43-Bao-tyrA reach 411 mg/L, increased by 42% compared with the control strain (HZ/pHY300PLK). Moreover, the nucleic acid sequence and deduced amino acid sequence of the gene Bao-tyrA were analyzed, and their conservative sites and catalytic mechanisms were proposed. Finally, the expression of Bao-tyrA was regulated through a promoter and 5'-UTR sequence to obtain the optimal expression elements. Thereby, the maximum L-tyrosine yield of 475 mg/L was obtained from HZ/P43-UTR3-Bao-tyrA. B. amyloliquefaciens was applied for the first time to produce L-tyrosine, and the optimal prephenate dehydrogenase gene Bao-tyrA and corresponding expression elements were obtained. This study provides new microbial host and gene resource for the construction of efficient L-tyrosine chassis cells, and also lays a solid foundation for the production of various functional tyrosine derivatives.

Production of Hydroxycarboxylic Acid Receptor 3 (HCA3) Ligands by Bifidobacterium

Hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor 3 (HCA₃) was recently identified in the genomes of humans and other hominids but not in other mammals. We examined the production of HCA₃ ligands by Bifidobacterium spp. In addition to 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid, phenyllactic acid (PLA), and indole-3-lactic acid (ILA), we found that LeuA was produced by Bifidobacterium as an HCA₃ ligand. The four ligands produced were the mixtures of enantiomers, and D-ILA, D-PLA, and D-LeuA showed stronger activity of the HCA₃ ligand than their respective L-isomers. However, there was no difference in AhR activity between the two ILA enantiomers. These results provide new insights into the HCA₃ ligands produced by Bifidobacterium and suggest the importance of investigating the absolute stereo structures of these metabolites.

Structural and biochemical analysis of Bacillus anthracis prephenate dehydrogenase reveals an unusual mode of inhibition by tyrosine via the ACT domain

Tyrosine biosynthesis via the shikimate pathway is absent in humans and other animals, making it an attractive target for next-generation antibiotics, which is increasingly important due to the looming proliferation of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Tyrosine biosynthesis is also of commercial importance for the environmentally friendly production of numerous compounds, such as pharmaceuticals, opioids, aromatic polymers, and petrochemical aromatics. Prephenate dehydrogenase (PDH) catalyzes the penultimate step of tyrosine biosynthesis in bacteria: the oxidative decarboxylation of prephenate to 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate. The majority of PDHs are competitively inhibited by tyrosine and consist of a nucleotide-binding domain and a dimerization domain. Certain PDHs, including several from pathogens on the World Health Organization priority list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, possess an additional ACT domain. However, biochemical and structural knowledge was lacking for these enzymes. In this study, we successfully established a recombinant protein expression system for PDH from Bacillus anthracis (BaPDH), the causative agent of anthrax, and determined the structure of a BaPDH ternary complex with NAD⁺ and tyrosine, a binary complex with tyrosine, and a structure of an isolated ACT domain dimer. We also conducted detailed kinetic and biophysical analyses of the enzyme. We show that BaPDH is allosterically regulated by tyrosine binding to the ACT domains, resulting in an asymmetric conformation of the BaDPH dimer that sterically prevents prephenate binding to either active site. The presented mode of allosteric inhibition is unique compared to both the competitive inhibition established for other PDHs and to the allosteric mechanisms for other ACT-containing enzymes. This study provides new structural and mechanistic insights that advance our understanding of tyrosine biosynthesis in bacteria. ENZYMES: Prephenate dehydrogenase from Bacillus anthracis (PDH): EC database ID: 1.3.1.12. DATABASES: Coordinates and structure factors have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) with accession numbers PDB ID: 6U60 (BaPDH complex with NAD⁺ and tyrosine), PDB ID: 5UYY (BaPDH complex with tyrosine), and PDB ID: 5V0S (BaPDH isolated ACT domain dimer). The diffraction images are available at http://proteindiffraction.org with DOIs: https://doi.org/10.18430/M35USC, https://doi.org/10.18430/M35UYY, and https://doi.org/10.18430/M35V0S.

Harnessing evolutionary diversification of primary metabolism for plant synthetic biology

Plants produce numerous natural products that are essential to both plant and human physiology. Recent identification of genes and enzymes involved in their biosynthesis now provides exciting opportunities to reconstruct plant natural product pathways in heterologous systems through synthetic biology. The use of plant chassis, although still in infancy, can take advantage of plant cells' inherent capacity to synthesize and store various phytochemicals. Also, large-scale plant biomass production systems, driven by photosynthetic energy production and carbon fixation, could be harnessed for industrial-scale production of natural products. However, little is known about which plants could serve as ideal hosts and how to optimize plant primary metabolism to efficiently provide precursors for the synthesis of desirable downstream natural products or specialized (secondary) metabolites. Although primary metabolism is generally assumed to be conserved, unlike the highly-diversified specialized metabolism, primary metabolic pathways and enzymes can differ between microbes and plants and also among different plants, especially at the interface between primary and specialized metabolisms. This review highlights examples of the diversity in plant primary metabolism and discusses how we can utilize these variations in plant synthetic biology. I propose that understanding the evolutionary, biochemical, genetic, and molecular bases of primary metabolic diversity could provide rational strategies for identifying suitable plant hosts and for further optimizing primary metabolism for sizable production of natural and bio-based products in plants.

Biochemical characterization of TyrA dehydrogenases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Ascomycota) and Pleurotus ostreatus (Basidiomycota)

L-Tyrosine is an aromatic amino acid necessary for protein synthesis in all living organisms and a precursor of secondary (specialized) metabolites. In fungi, tyrosine-derived compounds are associated with virulence and defense (i.e. melanin production). However, how tyrosine is produced in fungi is not fully understood. Generally, tyrosine can be synthesized via two pathways: by prephenate dehydrogenase (TyrA_p/PDH), a pathway found in most bacteria, or by arogenate dehydrogenase (TyrA_a/ADH), a pathway found mainly in plants. Both enzymes require the cofactor NAD⁺ or NADP⁺ and typically are strongly feedback inhibited by tyrosine. Here, we biochemically characterized two TyrA enzymes from two distantly related fungi in the Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ScTyrA/TYR1) and Pleurotus ostreatus (PoTyrA), respectively. We found that both enzymes favor the prephenate substrate and NAD⁺ cofactor in vitro. Interestingly, while PoTyrA was strongly inhibited by tyrosine, ScTyrA exhibited relaxed sensitivity to tyrosine inhibition. We further mutated ScTyrA at the amino acid residue that was previously shown to be involved in the substrate specificity of plant TyrAs; however, no changes in its substrate specificity were observed, suggesting that a different mechanism is involved in the TyrA substrate specificity of fungal TyrAs. The current findings provide foundational knowledge to further understand and engineer tyrosine-derived specialized pathways in fungi.

Tyrosine biosynthesis, metabolism, and catabolism in plants

L-Tyrosine (Tyr) is an aromatic amino acid (AAA) required for protein synthesis in all organisms, but synthesized de novo only in plants and microorganisms. In plants, Tyr also serves as a precursor of numerous specialized metabolites that have diverse physiological roles as electron carriers, antioxidants, attractants, and defense compounds. Some of these Tyr-derived plant natural products are also used in human medicine and nutrition (e.g. morphine and vitamin E). While the Tyr biosynthesis and catabolic pathways have been extensively studied in microbes and animals, respectively, those of plants have received much less attention until recently. Accumulating evidence suggest that the Tyr biosynthetic pathways differ between microbes and plants and even within the plant kingdom, likely to support the production of lineage-specific plant specialized metabolites derived from Tyr. The interspecies variations of plant Tyr pathway enzymes can now be used to enhance the production of Tyr and Tyr-derived compounds in plants and other synthetic biology platforms.

Conserved Molecular Mechanism of TyrA Dehydrogenase Substrate Specificity Underlying Alternative Tyrosine Biosynthetic Pathways in Plants and Microbes

L-Tyrosine (Tyr) is an aromatic amino acid synthesized de novo in plants and microbes. In animals, Tyr must be obtained through their diet or synthesized from L-phenylalanine. In addition to protein synthesis, Tyr serves as the precursor of neurotransmitters (e.g., dopamine and epinephrine) in animals and of numerous plant natural products, which serve essential functions in both plants and humans (e.g., vitamin E and morphine). Tyr is synthesized via two alternative routes mediated by a TyrA family enzyme, prephenate, or arogenate dehydrogenase (PDH/TyrA_p or ADH/TyrA_a), typically found in microbes and plants, respectively. Although ADH activity is also found in some bacteria, the origin of arogenate-specific TyrA_a enzymes is unknown. We recently identified an acidic Asp222 residue that confers ADH activity in plant TyrAs. In this study, structure-guided phylogenetic analyses identified bacterial homologs, closely-related to plant TyrAs, that also have an acidic 222 residue and ADH activity. A more distant archaeon TyrA that preferred PDH activity had a non-acidic Gln, whose substitution to Glu introduced ADH activity. These results indicate that the conserved molecular mechanism operated during the evolution of arogenate-specific TyrA_a in both plants and microbes.

Molecular basis of the evolution of alternative tyrosine biosynthetic routes in plants

L-Tyrosine (Tyr) is essential for protein synthesis and is a precursor of numerous specialized metabolites crucial for plant and human health. Tyr can be synthesized via two alternative routes by different key regulatory TyrA family enzymes, prephenate dehydrogenase (PDH, also known as TyrA_p) or arogenate dehydrogenase (ADH, also known as TyrA_a), representing a unique divergence of primary metabolic pathways. The molecular foundation underlying the evolution of these alternative Tyr pathways is currently unknown. Here we characterized recently diverged plant PDH and ADH enzymes, obtained the X-ray crystal structure of soybean PDH, and identified a single amino acid residue that defines TyrA substrate specificity and regulation. Structures of mutated PDHs co-crystallized with Tyr indicate that substitutions of Asn222 confer ADH activity and Tyr sensitivity. Reciprocal mutagenesis of the corresponding residue in divergent plant ADHs further introduced PDH activity and relaxed Tyr sensitivity, highlighting the critical role of this residue in TyrA substrate specificity that underlies the evolution of alternative Tyr biosynthetic pathways in plants.

Biochemical characterization of TyrA enzymes from Ignicoccus hospitalis and Haemophilus influenzae: A comparative study of the bifunctional and monofunctional dehydrogenase forms

Biosynthesis of l-tyrosine (l-Tyr) is directed by the interplay of two enzymes. Chorismate mutase (CM) catalyzes the rearrangement of chorismate to prephenate, which is then converted to hydroxyphenylpyruvate by prephenate dehydrogenase (PD). This work reports the first characterization of the independently expressed PD domain of bifunctional CM-PD from the crenarchaeon Ignicoccus hospitalis and the first functional studies of both full-length CM-PD and the PD domain from the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae. All proteins were hexa-histidine tagged, expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. Expression and purification of I. hospitalis CM-PD generated a degradation product identified as a PD fragment lacking the protein's first 80 residues, Δ80CM-PD. A comparable stable PD domain could also be generated by limited tryptic digestion of this bifunctional enzyme. Thus, Δ80CM-PD constructs were prepared in both organisms. CM-PD and Δ80CM-PD from both organisms were dimeric and displayed the predicted enzymatic activities and thermal stabilities in accord with their hyperthermophilic and mesophilic origins. In contrast with H. influenzae PD activity which was NAD⁺-specific and displayed >75% inhibition with 50μM l-Tyr, I. hospitalis PD demonstrated dual cofactor specificity with a preference for NADP⁺ and an insensitivity to l-Tyr. These properties are consistent with a model of the I. hospitalis PD domain based on the previously reported structure of the H. influenzae homolog. Our results highlight the similarities and differences between the archaeal and bacterial TyrA proteins and reveal that the PD activity of both prokaryotes can be successfully mapped to a functionally independent unit.

Three different classes of aminotransferases evolved prephenate aminotransferase functionality in arogenate-competent microorganisms

The aromatic amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine represent essential sources of high value natural aromatic compounds for human health and industry. Depending on the organism, alternative routes exist for their synthesis. Phenylalanine and tyrosine are synthesized either via phenylpyruvate/4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate or via arogenate. In arogenate-competent microorganisms, an aminotransferase is required for the transamination of prephenate into arogenate, but the identity of the genes is still unknown. We present here the first identification of prephenate aminotransferases (PATs) in seven arogenate-competent microorganisms and the discovery that PAT activity is provided by three different classes of aminotransferase, which belong to two different fold types of pyridoxal phosphate enzymes: an aspartate aminotransferase subgroup 1β in tested α- and β-proteobacteria, a branched-chain aminotransferase in tested cyanobacteria, and an N-succinyldiaminopimelate aminotransferase in tested actinobacteria and in the β-proteobacterium Nitrosomonas europaea. Recombinant PAT enzymes exhibit high activity toward prephenate, indicating that the corresponding genes encode bona fide PAT. PAT functionality was acquired without other modification of substrate specificity and is not a general catalytic property of the three classes of aminotransferases.

The alternative translational profile that underlies the immune-evasive state of persistence in Chlamydiaceae exploits differential tryptophan contents of the protein repertoire

One form of immune evasion is a developmental state called "persistence" whereby chlamydial pathogens respond to the host-mediated withdrawal of L-tryptophan (Trp). A sophisticated survival mode of reversible quiescence is implemented. A mechanism has evolved which suppresses gene products necessary for rapid pathogen proliferation but allows expression of gene products that underlie the morphological and developmental characteristics of persistence. This switch from one translational profile to an alternative translational profile of newly synthesized proteins is proposed to be accomplished by maximizing the Trp content of some proteins needed for rapid proliferation (e.g., ADP/ATP translocase, hexose-phosphate transporter, phosphoenolpyruvate [PEP] carboxykinase, the Trp transporter, the Pmp protein superfamily for cell adhesion and antigenic variation, and components of the cell division pathway) while minimizing the Trp content of other proteins supporting the state of persistence. The Trp starvation mechanism is best understood in the human-Chlamydia trachomatis relationship, but the similarity of up-Trp and down-Trp proteomic profiles in all of the pathogenic Chlamydiaceae suggests that Trp availability is an underlying cue relied upon by this family of pathogens to trigger developmental transitions. The biochemically expensive pathogen strategy of selectively increased Trp usage to guide the translational profile can be leveraged significantly with minimal overall Trp usage by (i) regional concentration of Trp residue placements, (ii) amplified Trp content of a single protein that is required for expression or maturation of multiple proteins with low Trp content, and (iii) Achilles'-heel vulnerabilities of complex pathways to high Trp content of one or a few enzymes.

Diversity and versatility of the Thermotoga maritima sugar kinome

Sugar phosphorylation is an indispensable committed step in a large variety of sugar catabolic pathways, which are major suppliers of carbon and energy in heterotrophic species. Specialized sugar kinases that are indispensable for most of these pathways can be utilized as signature enzymes for the reconstruction of carbohydrate utilization machinery from microbial genomic and metagenomic data. Sugar kinases occur in several structurally distinct families with various partially overlapping as well as yet unknown substrate specificities that often cannot be accurately assigned by homology-based techniques. A subsystems-based metabolic reconstruction combined with the analysis of genome context and followed by experimental testing of predicted gene functions is a powerful approach of functional gene annotation. Here we applied this integrated approach for functional mapping of all sugar kinases constituting an extensive and diverse sugar kinome in the thermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima. Substrate preferences of 14 kinases mainly from the FGGY and PfkB families were inferred by bioinformatics analysis and biochemically characterized by screening with a panel of 45 different carbohydrates. Most of the analyzed enzymes displayed narrow substrate preferences corresponding to their predicted physiological roles in their respective catabolic pathways. The observed consistency supports the choice of kinases as signature enzymes for genomics-based identification and reconstruction of sugar utilization pathways. Use of the integrated genomic and experimental approach greatly speeds up the identification of the biochemical function of unknown proteins and improves the quality of reconstructed pathways.

The FGGY carbohydrate kinase family: insights into the evolution of functional specificities

Function diversification in large protein families is a major mechanism driving expansion of cellular networks, providing organisms with new metabolic capabilities and thus adding to their evolutionary success. However, our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms of functional diversity in such families is very limited, which, among many other reasons, is due to the lack of functionally well-characterized sets of proteins. Here, using the FGGY carbohydrate kinase family as an example, we built a confidently annotated reference set (CARS) of proteins by propagating experimentally verified functional assignments to a limited number of homologous proteins that are supported by their genomic and functional contexts. Then, we analyzed, on both the phylogenetic and the molecular levels, the evolution of different functional specificities in this family. The results show that the different functions (substrate specificities) encoded by FGGY kinases have emerged only once in the evolutionary history following an apparently simple divergent evolutionary model. At the same time, on the molecular level, one isofunctional group (L-ribulokinase, AraB) evolved at least two independent solutions that employed distinct specificity-determining residues for the recognition of a same substrate (L-ribulose). Our analysis provides a detailed model of the evolution of the FGGY kinase family. It also shows that only combined molecular and phylogenetic approaches can help reconstruct a full picture of functional diversifications in such diverse families.

The protein universe is under constant expansion and is reshaping through multiple duplication, gene losses, lateral gene transfers, and speciation events. Large and functionally heterogeneous protein families that evolve through these processes contain conserved motifs and structural scaffolds, yet their individual members often perform diverse functions. For this reason, the exact functional annotation for their individual members is difficult without detailed analysis of the family. In our study, we performed such a detailed analysis of a particularly heterogeneous FGGY kinase family through the integration of several computational approaches. The combination of phylogenetic and molecular approaches allowed us to precisely assign function to hundreds of proteins, thus reconstructing carbohydrate utilization pathways in almost 200 bacterial species. This analysis also showed that different molecular mechanisms could evolve within a group of isofunctional proteins. Moreover, based on our experience with this specific protein family of FGGY kinases, we believe that our approach can be generally adapted for the analyses of other protein families and that the accumulation of evolutionary models for various families would lead to a better understanding of the protein universe.

Identification of a plant gene encoding glutamate/aspartate-prephenate aminotransferase: the last homeless enzyme of aromatic amino acids biosynthesis

In all organisms synthesising phenylalanine and/or tyrosine via arogenate, a prephenate aminotransferase is required for the transamination of prephenate into arogenate. The identity of the gene encoding this enzyme in the organisms where this activity occurs is still unknown. Glutamate/aspartate-prephenate aminotransferase (PAT) is thus the last homeless enzyme in the aromatic amino acids pathway. We report on the purification, mass spectrometry identification and biochemical characterization of Arabidopsis thaliana prephenate aminotransferase. Our data revealed that this activity is housed by the prokaryotic-type plastidic aspartate aminotransferase (At2g22250). This represents the first identification of a gene encoding PAT.

Enzyme promiscuity: a mechanistic and evolutionary perspective

Many, if not most, enzymes can promiscuously catalyze reactions, or act on substrates, other than those for which they evolved. Here, we discuss the structural, mechanistic, and evolutionary implications of this manifestation of infidelity of molecular recognition. We define promiscuity and related phenomena and also address their generality and physiological implications. We discuss the mechanistic enzymology of promiscuity--how enzymes, which generally exert exquisite specificity, catalyze other, and sometimes barely related, reactions. Finally, we address the hypothesis that promiscuous enzymatic activities serve as evolutionary starting points and highlight the unique evolutionary features of promiscuous enzyme functions.

Cohesion group approach for evolutionary analysis of aspartokinase, an enzyme that feeds a branched network of many biochemical pathways

Aspartokinase (Ask) exists within a variable network that supports the synthesis of 9 amino acids and a number of other important metabolites. Lysine, isoleucine, aromatic amino acids, and dipicolinate may arise from the ASK network or from alternative pathways. Ask proteins were subjected to cohesion group analysis, a methodology that sorts a given protein assemblage into groups in which evolutionary continuity is assured. Two subhomology divisions, ASK(alpha) and ASK(beta), have been recognized. The ASK(alpha) subhomology division is the most ancient, being widely distributed throughout the Archaea and Eukarya and in some Bacteria. Within an indel region of about 75 amino acids near the N terminus, ASK(beta) sequences differ from ASK(alpha) sequences by the possession of a proposed ancient deletion. ASK(beta) sequences are present in most Bacteria and usually exhibit an in-frame internal translational start site that can generate a small Ask subunit that is identical to the C-terminal portion of the larger subunit of a heterodimeric unit. Particularly novel are ask genes embedded in gene contexts that imply specialization for ectoine (osmotic agent) or aromatic amino acids. The cohesion group approach is well suited for the easy recognition of relatively recent lateral gene transfer (LGT) events, and many examples of these are described. Given the current density of genome representation for Proteobacteria, it is possible to reconstruct more ancient landmark LGT events. Thus, a plausible scenario in which the three well-studied and iconic Ask homologs of Escherichia coli are not within the vertical genealogy of Gammaproteobacteria, but rather originated via LGT from a Bacteroidetes donor, is supported.

Innovations in host and microbial sialic acid biosynthesis revealed by phylogenomic prediction of nonulosonic acid structure

Sialic acids (Sias) are nonulosonic acid (NulO) sugars prominently displayed on vertebrate cells and occasionally mimicked by bacterial pathogens using homologous biosynthetic pathways. It has been suggested that Sias were an animal innovation and later emerged in pathogens by convergent evolution or horizontal gene transfer. To better illuminate the evolutionary processes underlying the phenomenon of Sia molecular mimicry, we performed phylogenomic analyses of biosynthetic pathways for Sias and related higher sugars derived from 5,7-diamino-3,5,7,9-tetradeoxynon-2-ulosonic acids. Examination of approximately 1,000 sequenced microbial genomes indicated that such biosynthetic pathways are far more widely distributed than previously realized. Phylogenetic analysis, validated by targeted biochemistry, was used to predict NulO types (i.e., neuraminic, legionaminic, or pseudaminic acids) expressed by various organisms. This approach uncovered previously unreported occurrences of Sia pathways in pathogenic and symbiotic bacteria and identified at least one instance in which a human archaeal symbiont tentatively reported to express Sias in fact expressed the related pseudaminic acid structure. Evaluation of targeted phylogenies and protein domain organization revealed that the "unique" Sia biosynthetic pathway of animals was instead a much more ancient innovation. Pathway phylogenies suggest that bacterial pathogens may have acquired Sia expression via adaptation of pathways for legionaminic acid biosynthesis, one of at least 3 evolutionary paths for de novo Sia synthesis. Together, these data indicate that some of the long-standing paradigms in Sia biology should be reconsidered in a wider evolutionary context of the extended family of NulO sugars.

The crystal structure of Aquifex aeolicus prephenate dehydrogenase reveals the mode of tyrosine inhibition

TyrA proteins belong to a family of dehydrogenases that are dedicated to l-tyrosine biosynthesis. The three TyrA subclasses are distinguished by their substrate specificities, namely the prephenate dehydrogenases, the arogenate dehydrogenases, and the cyclohexadienyl dehydrogenases, which utilize prephenate, l-arogenate, or both substrates, respectively. The molecular mechanism responsible for TyrA substrate selectivity and regulation is unknown. To further our understanding of TyrA-catalyzed reactions, we have determined the crystal structures of Aquifex aeolicus prephenate dehydrogenase bound with NAD(+) plus either 4-hydroxyphenylpyuvate, 4-hydroxyphenylpropionate, or l-tyrosine and have used these structures as guides to target active site residues for site-directed mutagenesis. From a combination of mutational and structural analyses, we have demonstrated that His-147 and Arg-250 are key catalytic and binding groups, respectively, and Ser-126 participates in both catalysis and substrate binding through the ligand 4-hydroxyl group. The crystal structure revealed that tyrosine, a known inhibitor, binds directly to the active site of the enzyme and not to an allosteric site. The most interesting finding though, is that mutating His-217 relieved the inhibitory effect of tyrosine on A. aeolicus prephenate dehydrogenase. The identification of a tyrosine-insensitive mutant provides a novel avenue for designing an unregulated enzyme for application in metabolic engineering.

Unraveling the evolutionary history of the phosphoryl-transfer chain of the phosphoenolpyruvate:phosphotransferase system through phylogenetic analyses and genome context

Background

The phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS) plays a major role in sugar transport and in the regulation of essential physiological processes in many bacteria. The PTS couples solute transport to its phosphorylation at the expense of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) and it consists of general cytoplasmic phosphoryl transfer proteins and specific enzyme II complexes which catalyze the uptake and phosphorylation of solutes. Previous studies have suggested that the evolution of the constituents of the enzyme II complexes has been driven largely by horizontal gene transfer whereas vertical inheritance has been prevalent in the general phosphoryl transfer proteins in some bacterial groups. The aim of this work is to test this hypothesis by studying the evolution of the phosphoryl transfer proteins of the PTS.

Results

We have analyzed the evolutionary history of the PTS phosphoryl transfer chain (PTS-ptc) components in 222 complete genomes by combining phylogenetic methods and analysis of genomic context. Phylogenetic analyses alone were not conclusive for the deepest nodes but when complemented with analyses of genomic context and functional information, the main evolutionary trends of this system could be depicted.

Conclusion

The PTS-ptc evolved in bacteria after the divergence of early lineages such as Aquificales, Thermotogales and Thermus/Deinococcus. The subsequent evolutionary history of the PTS-ptc varied in different bacterial lineages: vertical inheritance and lineage-specific gene losses mainly explain the current situation in Actinobacteria and Firmicutes whereas horizontal gene transfer (HGT) also played a major role in Proteobacteria. Most remarkably, we have identified a HGT event from Firmicutes or Fusobacteria to the last common ancestor of the Enterobacteriaceae, Pasteurellaceae, Shewanellaceae and Vibrionaceae. This transfer led to extensive changes in the metabolic and regulatory networks of these bacteria including the development of a novel carbon catabolite repression system. Hence, this example illustrates that HGT can drive major physiological modifications in bacteria.

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for L-tyrosine production by expression of genes coding for the chorismate mutase domain of the native chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydratase and a cyclohexadienyl dehydrogenase from Zymomonas mobilis

The expression of the feedback inhibition-insensitive enzyme cyclohexadienyl dehydrogenase (TyrC) from Zymomonas mobilis and the chorismate mutase domain from native chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydratase (PheA(CM)) from Escherichia coli was compared to the expression of native feedback inhibition-sensitive chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydrogenase (CM-TyrA(p)) with regard to the capacity to produce l-tyrosine in E. coli strains modified to increase the carbon flow to chorismate. Shake flask experiments showed that TyrC increased the yield of l-tyrosine from glucose (Y(l-Tyr/Glc)) by 6.8-fold compared to the yield obtained with CM-TyrA(p). In bioreactor experiments, a strain expressing both TyrC and PheA(CM) produced 3 g/liter of l-tyrosine with a Y(l-Tyr/Glc) of 66 mg/g. These values are 46 and 48% higher than the values for a strain expressing only TyrC. The results show that the feedback inhibition-insensitive enzymes can be employed for strain development as part of a metabolic engineering strategy for l-tyrosine production.