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The first acidobacterial laccase-like multicopper oxidase revealed by metagenomics shows high salt and thermo-tolerance

  • Environmental biotechnology
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Abstract

Metagenomics is a powerful tool that allows identifying enzymes with novel properties from the unculturable component of microbiomes. However, thus far only a limited number of laccase or laccase -like enzymes identified through metagenomics has been subsequently biochemically characterized. This work describes the successful bio-mining of bacterial laccase-like enzymes in an acidic bog soil metagenome and the characterization of the first acidobacterial laccase-like multicopper oxidase (LMCO). LMCOs have hitherto been mostly studied in fungi and some have already found applications in diverse industries. However, improved LMCOs are in high demand. Using molecular screening of a small metagenomic library (13,500 clones), a gene encoding a three-domain LMCO (LacM) was detected, showing the highest similarity to putative copper oxidases of Candidatus Solibacter (Acidobacteria). The encoded protein was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified by affinity chromatography and biochemically characterized. LacM oxidized a variety of phenolic substrates, including two standard laccase substrates (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), k cat/k M  = 8.45 s−1 mM−1; 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (2,6-DMP), k cat/k M  = 6.42 s−1 mM−1), next to L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), vanillic acid, syringaldazine, pyrogallol, and pyrocatechol. With respect to the latter two lignin building blocks, LacM showed the highest catalytic activity (k cat/k M  = 173.6 s−1 mM−1) for pyrogallol, with ca. 20% activity preserved even at pH 8.0. The enzyme was thermostable and heat-activated in the interval 40–60 °C, with an optimal activity on ABTS at 50 °C. It was rather stable at high salt concentration (e.g., 34% activity preserved at 500 mM NaCl) and in the presence of organic solvents. Remarkably, LacM decolored azo and triphenylmethane dyes, also in the absence of redox mediators.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Robi Mesojednik, Marko Verce, and Vesna Jerman from University of Ljubljana for technical assistance and Tjaša Danevčič from University of Ljubljana for helpful discussions. We also thank Loredano Pollegioni from University of Insubria for providing the reference protein used for electrophoretic analysis and Andreas Schlüter from Bielefeld University for sequencing of the fosmid fragment. CC is a PhD student of the “Dottorato in Biotecnologie, Bioscienze e Tecnologie Chirurgiche” at University of Insubria.

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  1. Luka Ausec

    Present address: ,

  2. Mariana Silvia Cretoiu

    Present address: Department of Marine Microbiology, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 4401, Yerseke, The Netherlands

  3. Luka Ausec and Francesca Berini contributed equally to the work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Vecna pot 111, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Luka Ausec & Ines Mandic-Mulec

  2. Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy

    Francesca Berini, Carmine Casciello & Flavia Marinelli

  3. The Protein Factory Research Center, Politecnico di Milano and University of Insubria, via J.H. Dunant 3, 21100, Varese, Italy

    Francesca Berini, Carmine Casciello & Flavia Marinelli

  4. Microbial Ecology Department, GELIFES, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Mariana Silvia Cretoiu & Jan Dirk van Elsas

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  1. Luka Ausec
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Correspondence to Ines Mandic-Mulec.

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This study was funded by FP7-KBBE project METAEXPLORE (Metagenomics for bioexploration - Tools and application), grant agreement No. 222625 to JDvanE, FM, and IMM. Additional funds were provided by the agreements No. J4–4250 and P4–0116 awarded by Slovenian Research Agency to IMM. MIUR (Ministero italiano dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca) fellowships and CIB (Consorzio Interuniversitario per le Biotecnologie) contributions to FB and CC are also acknowledged.

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Ausec, L., Berini, F., Casciello, C. et al. The first acidobacterial laccase-like multicopper oxidase revealed by metagenomics shows high salt and thermo-tolerance. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 101, 6261–6276 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8345-y

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