ALBERT

Description: Detection, immobilization and purification of carbohydrates can be done using molecular probes that specifically bind to targeted carbohydrate epitopes. Carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) are discrete parts of carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes that can be engineered to bind and detect specifically a number of carbohydrates. Design and engineering of CBMs have benefited greatly from structural studies that have helped us to decipher the basis for specificity in carbohydrate–protein interactions. However, more studies are needed to predict which modifications in a CBM would generate probes with predetermined binding properties. In this report, we present the crystal structures of two highly related engineered CBMs with different binding specificity profiles: X-2, which is specific for xylans and the L110F mutant of X-2, which binds xyloglucans and β-glucans in addition to xylans. The structures of the modules were solved both in the apo form and complexed with oligomers of xylose, as well as with an oligomer of glucose in the case of X-2 L110F. The mutation, leucine to phenylalanine, converting the specific module into a cross-reactive one, introduces a crucial hydrogen– interaction that allows the mutant to retain glucan-based ligands. The cross-reactivity of X-2 L110F is furthermore made possible by the plasticity of the protein, in particular, of residue R142, which permits accommodation of an extra hydroxymethyl group present in cellopentaose and not xylopentaose. Altogether, this study shows, in structural detail, altered protein–carbohydrate interactions that have high impact on the binding properties of a carbohydrate probe but are introduced through simple mutagenesis.

Description: The thermostable β-glucosidase from Thermotoga neapolitana , Tn Bgl3B, is a monomeric three-domain representative from glycoside hydrolase family 3. By using chemical reactivation with exogenous nucleophiles in previous studies with Tn Bg13B, the catalytic nucleophile (D242) and corresponding acid/base residue (E458) were determined. Identifying these residues led to the attempt of converting Tn Bgl3B into a β-glucosynthase, where three nucleophilic variants were created ( Tn Bgl3B_D242G, Tn Bgl3B_D242A, Tn Bgl3B_D242S) and all of them failed to exhibit glucosynthase activity. A deeper analysis of the Tn Bgl3B active site led to the generation of three additional variants, each of which received a single-point mutation. Two of these variants were altered at the –1 subsite (Y210F, W243F) and the third received a substitution near the binding site's aglycone region (N248R). Kinetic evaluation of these three variants revealed that W243F substitution reduced hydrolytic turnover while maintaining K M . This key W243F mutation was then introduced into the original nucleophile variants and the resulting double mutants were successfully converted into β-glucosynthases that were assayed using two separate biosynthetic methods. The first reaction used an α-glucosyl fluoride donor with a 4-nitrophenyl-β- d -glucopyranoside (4NPGlc) acceptor, and the second used 4NPGlc as both the donor and acceptor in the presence of the exogenous nucleophile formate. The primary specificity observed was a β-1,3-linked disaccharide product, while a secondary β-1,4-linked disaccharide product was observed with increased incubation times. Additional analysis revealed that substituting quercetin-3-glycoside for the second reaction's acceptor molecule resulted in the successful production of quercetin-3,4'-diglycosides with yields up to 40%.

Description: Starch and pullulan-modifying enzymes of the α-amylase family (glycoside hydrolase family 13) have several industrial applications. To date, most of these enzymes have been derived from isolated organisms. To increase the number of members of this enzyme family, in particular of the thermophilic representatives, we have applied a consensus primer-based approach using DNA from enrichments from geothermal habitats. With this approach, we succeeded in isolating three new enzymes: a neopullulanase and two cyclodextrinases. Both cyclodextrinases displayed significant maltogenic amylase side activity, while one showed significant neopullulanase side activity. Specific motifs and domains that correlated with enzymatic activities were identified; e.g., the presence of the N domain was correlated with cyclodextrinase activity. The enzymes exhibited stability under thermophilic conditions and showed features appropriate for biotechnological applications.

Description: Six glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 13 members, classified under the polyspecific neopullulanase subfamily GH13_20 (also termed cyclomaltodextrinase) were analysed. They originate from thermophilic bacterial strains (Anoxybacillus flavithermus, Laceyella sacchari, and Geobacillus thermoleovorans) or from environmental DNA, collected after in situ enrichments in Icelandic hot springs. The genes were isolated following the CODEHOP consensus primer strategy, utilizing the first two of the four conserved sequence regions in GH13. The typical domain structure of GH13_20, including an N-terminal domain (classified as CBM34), the catalytic module composed of the A-and B-domains, and a C-terminal domain, was found in five of the encoded enzymes (abbreviated Amy1, 89, 92, 98 and 132). These five enzymes degraded cyclomaltodextrins (CDs) and starch, while only three, Amy92 (L. sacchari), Amy98 (A. flavithermus) and Amy132 (environmental DNA), also harboured neopullulanase activity. The L. sacchari enzyme was monomeric, but with CD as the preferred substrate, which is an unusual combination. The sixth enzyme (Amy29 from environmental DNA), was composed of the ABC-domains only. Preferred substrate for Amy29 was pullulan, which was degraded to panose, and the enzyme had no detectable activity on CDs. In addition to its different activity profile and domain composition, Amy29 also displayed a different conservation (LPKF) in the fifth conserved region (MPKL) proposed to identify the subfamily. All enzymes had apparent temperature optima in the range 50–65°C, while thermostability varied, and was highest for Amy29 with a half-life of 480 min at 80°C. Calcium dependent activity or stability was monitored in four enzymes, but could not be detected for Amy29 or 98. Tightly bound calcium can, however, not be ruled out, and putative calcium ligands were conserved in Amy98.