Cloning, expression, and characterization of a lipolytic enzyme gene (lip8) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa LST-03

Molecular Characterization of Novel Family IV and VIII Esterases from a Compost Metagenomic Library

Two novel esterase genes, est8L and est13L, were isolated and identified from a compost metagenomic library. The encoded Est8L and Est13L had molecular masses of 33,181 and 44,913 Da consisting of 314 and 411 amino acids, respectively, without signal peptides. Est8L showed the highest identity (32.9%) to a hyper-thermophilic carboxylesterase AFEST from Archaeoglobus fulgidus compared to other esterases reported and was classified to be a novel member of family IV esterases with conserved regions such as HGGG, DY, GXSXG, DPL, and GXIH. Est13L showed the highest identity (98.5%) to the family VIII esterase Est7K from the metagenome library. Est8L and Est13L had the highest activities for p-nitrophenyl butyrate (C4) and p-nitrophenyl caproate (C6), respectively, and Est13L showed a broad substrate specificity for p-nitrophenyl substrates. Est8L and Est13L effectively hydrolyzed glyceryl tributyrate. The optimum temperatures for activities of Est8L and Est13L were identical (40 °C), and the optimum pH values were 9.0 and 10.0, respectively. Est13L showed higher thermostability than Est8L. Sephacryl S-200 HR chromatography showed that the native form of Est8L was a dimer. Interestingly, Est13L was found to be a tetramer, contrary to other family VIII esterases reported. Est8L was inhibited by 30% isopropanol, methanol, and acetonitrile; however, Est13L was activated to 182.9% and 356.1%, respectively, by 30% isopropanol and methanol. Est8L showed enantioselectivity for the S-form, but Est13L showed no enantioselectivity. These results show that intracellular Est8L and/or Est13L are oligomeric in terms of native forms and can be used for pharmaceutical and industrial applications with organic solvents under alkaline conditions.

Biochemical profiles of two thermostable and organic solvent-tolerant esterases derived from a compost metagenome

Owing to the functional versatility and potential applications in industry, interest in lipolytic enzymes tolerant to organic solvents is increasing. In this study, functional screening of a compost soil metagenome resulted in identification of two lipolytic genes, est1 and est2, encoding 270 and 389 amino acids, respectively. The two genes were heterologously expressed and characterized. Est1 and Est2 are thermostable enzymes with optimal enzyme activities at 80 and 70 °C, respectively. A second-order rotatable design, which allows establishing the relationship between multiple variables with the obtained responses, was used to explore the combined effects of temperature and pH on esterase stability. The response curve indicated that Est1, and particularly Est2, retained high stability within a broad range of temperature and pH values. Furthermore, the effects of organic solvents on Est1 and Est2 activities and stabilities were assessed. Notably, Est2 activity was significantly enhanced (two- to tenfold) in the presence of ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, and 1-propanol over a concentration range between 6 and 30% (v/v). For the short-term stability (2 h of incubation), Est2 exhibited high tolerance against 60% (v/v) of ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, DMSO, and acetone, while Est1 activity resisted these solvents only at lower concentrations (below 30%, v/v). Est2 also displayed high stability towards some water-immiscible organic solvents, such as ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, and toluene. With respect to long-term stability, Est2 retained most of its activity after 26 days of incubation in the presence of 30% (v/v) ethanol, methanol, isopropanol, DMSO, or acetone. All of these features indicate that Est1 and Est2 possess application potential.

The Effect of N-Terminal Domain Removal towards the Biochemical and Structural Features of a Thermotolerant Lipase from an Antarctic Pseudomonas sp. Strain AMS3

Lipase plays an important role in industrial and biotechnological applications. Lipases have been subject to modification at the N and C terminals, allowing better understanding of lipase stability and the discovery of novel properties. A thermotolerant lipase has been isolated from Antarctic Pseudomonas sp. The purified Antarctic AMS3 lipase (native) was found to be stable across a broad range of temperatures and pH levels. The lipase has a partial Glutathione-S-transferase type C (GST-C) domain at the N-terminal not found in other lipases. To understand the influence of N-terminal GST-C domain on the biochemical and structural features of the native lipase, the deletion of the GST-C domain was carried out. The truncated protein was successfully expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3). The molecular weight of truncated AMS3 lipase was approximately ~45 kDa. The number of truncated AMS3 lipase purification folds was higher than native lipase. Various mono and divalent metal ions increased the activity of the AMS3 lipase. The truncated AMS3 lipase demonstrated a similarly broad temperature range, with the pH profile exhibiting higher activity under alkaline conditions. The purified lipase showed a substrate preference for a long carbon chain substrate. In addition, the enzyme activity in organic solvents was enhanced, especially for toluene, Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), chloroform and xylene. Molecular simulation revealed that the truncated lipase had increased structural compactness and rigidity as compared to native lipase. Removal of the N terminal GST-C generally improved the lipase biochemical characteristics. This enzyme may be utilized for industrial purposes.

Identification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of esterase A from Caulobacter crescentus CB15, a family VIII lipolytic enzyme

The structures and functions of family VIII lipolytic enzymes, which have moderate sequence identity to class C β-lactamases and penicillin-binding proteins, are largely unknown. Here, the X-ray crystallographic study of a family VIII esterase from Caulobacter crescentus CB15 (CcEstA) is described. Sequence analysis revealed that CcEstA has a conserved serine residue within the S-X-X-K motif which acts as a catalytic nucleophile. Recombinant protein containing an N-terminal His tag was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. Functional studies showed that CcEstA acts on α- and β-naphthyl acetate as substrates. In addition, it can catalyze the hydrolysis of ketoprofen ethyl ester, a highly useful product in industrial applications. CcEstA was crystallized using a solution consisting of 1.0 M potassium/sodium tartrate, 0.1 M imidazole pH 8.0, 0.2 M NaCl, and X-ray diffraction data were collected to a resolution of 1.62 Å with an R(merge) of 9.4%. The crystals of CcEstA belonged to space group C222(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 172.23, b = 176.68, c = 47.93 Å. Structure determination is in progress.

Co-expression of an organic solvent-tolerant lipase and its cognate foldase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa CS-2 and the application of the immobilized recombinant lipase

The genes of CS-2 lipase and its cognate foldase were cloned from Pseudomonas aeruginosa CS-2. A stop codon was not found in the lipase gene. The amino acid sequence deduced from the lipase gene from P. aeruginosa CS-2 showed 97.8%, 71.3%, and 71.2% identity with lipases from P. aeruginosa LST-03, P seudomonas mendocina ymp, and Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501, respectively. The co-expression of CS-2 lipase and its cognate foldase of P. aeruginosa CS-2 in E scherichia coli BL21 (DE3) resulted in the formation of a soluble lipase. The recombinant lipase and foldase were purified to homogeneity using nickel affinity chromatography and about 10.2-fold with 40.9% recovery was achieved for the purification of the recombinant lipase. The molecular masses of the lipase and the foldase were estimated to be 35.7 and 38.3 kDa in SDS-PAGE, respectively. The recombinant lipase showed stability in the presence of some organic solvents. The recombinant CS-2 lipase was immobilized and subsequently used for the synthesis of butyl acetate in heptane. The conversion of substrate decreased from 98.2% to 87.4% after 5 cycles in reuse of the immobilized lipase.

Co-expression of the lipase and foldase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to a functional lipase in Escherichia coli

The lipA gene, a structural gene encoding for protein of molecular mass 48 kDa, and lipB gene, encoding for a lipase-specific chaperone with molecular mass of 35 kDa, of Pseudomonas aeruginosa B2264 were co-expressed in heterologous host Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) to obtain in vivo expression of functional lipase. The recombinant lipase was expressed with histidine tag at its N terminus and was purified to homogeneity using nickel affinity chromatography. The amino acid sequence of LipA and LipB of P. aeruginosa B2264 was 99-100% identical with the corresponding sequence of LipA and LipB of P. aeruginosa LST-03 and P. aeruginosa PA01, but it has less identity with Pseudomonas cepacia (Burkholderia cepacia) as it showed only 37.6% and 23.3% identity with the B. cepacia LipA and LipB sequence, respectively. The molecular mass of the recombinant lipase was found to be 48 kDa. The recombinant lipase exhibited optimal activity at pH 8.0 and 37 degrees C, though it was active between pH 5.0 and pH 9.0 and up to 45 degrees C. K (m) and V (max) values for recombinant P. aeruginosa lipase were found to be 151.5 +/- 29 microM and 217 +/- 22.5 micromol min(-1) mg(-1) protein, respectively.

A novel family VIII carboxylesterase derived from a leachate metagenome library exhibits promiscuous beta-lactamase activity on nitrocefin

The realization that majority of microbes are not amenable to cultivation as isolates under laboratory conditions has led to the culture-independent metagenomic approach as a novel technique for novel biocatalyst discovery. A leachate fosmid shotgun metagenome library was constructed and subsequently screened for esterolytic activities on a tributyrin agar medium. Nucleotide sequencing and translational analysis of an esterase-positive fosmid clone led to the identification of a 1,281 bp esterase gene (estC) encoding a protein (EstC) of 427 aa with translated molecular weight of 46.3 kDa. The EstC primary structure contained a signal leader peptide (29 aa), which could be cleaved to form a mature protein of 398 aa with molecular weight 43.3 kDa. Homology searches revealed that EstC belonged to the family VIII esterases, which exploit a serine residue within the S-x-x-K motif as a catalytic nucleophile. Substrate specificity studies showed that EstC prefers short to medium acyl chain length of p-nitrophenyl esters, a characteristic typical of "true" carboxylesterases. Moreover, EstC represents the first member of the family VIII esterases with a leader peptide and a detectable promiscuous beta-lactam hydrolytic activity. Site-directed mutagenesis studies also revealed that in addition to Ser103 and Lys106 residues, the Tyr219 residue also plays a catalytic role in EstC. The organic solvent stability and the specificity towards esters of tertiary alcohols linalyl acetate (3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-yl acetate) make EstC potentially useful in biocatalysis.

Molecular Characterization of a Novel Family VIII Esterase from Burkholderia multivorans UWC10

An esterase producing Burkholderia multivorans UWC10 strain was isolated by culture enrichment. A shotgun library of B. multivorans UWC10 genomic DNA was screened for esterase activity and a recombinant clone conferring an esterolytic phenotype was identified. Full-length sequencing of the DNA insert showed that it consisted of a single open reading frame (ORF1) encoding a predicted protein of 398 amino acids. ORF1 (termed EstBL) had a high protein sequence identity to family VIII esterases. The EstBL primary structure showed two putative serine motifs, G-V-S(149)-D-G and S(74)-V-T-K. The estBL gene was successfully over-expressed in E. coli and the encoded protein purified by a combination of ammonium sulphate fractionation, hydrophobic interaction, ion exchange and size exclusion chromatographies. Biochemical assays confirmed EstBL esterase activity and revealed a preference for short-chain p-nitrophenyl and beta-naphthyl esters (C2-C4) with no activity against beta-lactam substrates. Secondary structure predictions indicated that EstBL adopts the alpha/beta fold, which is common to all esterases.

Cloning and expression of gene, and activation of an organic solvent-stable lipase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa LST-03

Organic solvent-tolerant Pseudomonas aeruginosa LST-03 secretes an organic solvent-stable lipase, LST-03 lipase. The gene of the LST-03 lipase (Lip9) and the gene of the lipase-specific foldase (Lif9) were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. In the cloned 2.6 kbps DNA fragment, two open reading frames, Lip9 consisting of 933 nucleotides which encoded 311 amino acids and Lif9 consisting of 1,020 nucleotides which encoded 340 amino acids, were found. The overexpression of the lipase gene (lip9) was achieved when T7 promoter was used and the signal peptide of the lipase was deleted. The expressed amount of the lipase was greatly increased and overexpressed lipase formed inclusion body in E. coli cell. The collected inclusion body of the lipase from the cell was easily solubilized by urea and activated by using lipase-specific foldase of which 52 or 58 amino acids of N-terminal were deleted. Especially, the N-terminal methionine of the lipase of which the signal peptide was deleted was released in E. coli and the amino acid sequence was in agreement with that of the originally-produced lipase by P. aeruginosa LST-03. Furthermore, the overexpressed and solubilized lipase of which the signal peptide was deleted was more effectively activated by lipase-specific foldase.

EstA from Arthrobacter nitroguajacolicus Rü61a, a Thermo- and Solvent-Tolerant Carboxylesterase Related to Class C β-Lactamases

The estA gene encoding a novel cytoplasmic carboxylesterase from Arthrobacter nitroguajacolicus Rü61a was expressed in Escherichia coli. Sequence analysis and secondary structure predictions suggested that EstA belongs to the family VIII esterases, which are related to class C beta-lactamases. The S-x-x-K motif that in beta-lactamases contains the catalytic nucleophile, and a putative active-site tyrosine residue are conserved in EstA. The native molecular mass of hexahistidine-tagged (His6) EstA, purified by metal chelate affinity chromatography, was estimated to be 95 kDa by gel filtration, whereas the His6EstA peptide has a calculated molecular mass of 42.1 kDa. The enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of short-chain phenylacyl esters and triglycerides, and shows weak activity toward 2-hydroxy- and 2-nitroacetanilide. Its catalytic activity was inhibited by the serine-specific effector phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, and by Cd2+ and Hg2+ ions. Maximum activity of His6EstA was observed at a pH of 9.5 and a temperature of 50 degrees C to 60 degrees C. The enzyme was fairly thermostable. After 19 days at 50 degrees C and after 24 hours at 60 degrees C, its residual relative esterase activity toward phenylacetate was still 53% and 30%, respectively. Exposure of His6EstA to buffer-solvent mixtures showed that the enzyme was inactivated by several high log P (hydrophobic) solvents, whereas it showed remarkable stability and activity in up to 30% (by volume) of polar (low log P) organic solvents such as dimethylsulfoxide, methanol, acetonitrile, acetone, and propanol.