Biomedical subjects

J G Oakeshott

Publications and source records attributed to J G Oakeshott.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Amplification of DNA from preserved specimens shows blowflies were preadapted for the rapid evolution of insecticide resistance.

Mutations of esterase 3 confer two forms of organophosphate resistance on contemporary Australasian Lucilia cuprina. One form, called diazinon resistance, is slightly more effective against commonly used insecticides and is now more prevalent than the other form, called malathion resistance. We report here that the single amino acid replacement associated with diazinon resistance and two replacements associated with malathion resistance also occur in esterase 3 in the sibling species Lucilia sericata, suggesting convergent evolution around a finite set of resistance options. We also find parallels between the species in the geographic distributions of the polymorphisms: In both cases, the diazinon-resistance change is absent or rare outside Australasia where insecticide pressure is lower, whereas the changes associated with malathion resistance are widespread. Furthermore, PCR analysis of pinned specimens of Australasian L. cuprina collected before the release of organophosphate insecticides reveals no cases of the diazinon-resistance change but several cases of those associated with malathion resistance. Thus, the early outbreak of resistance in this species can be explained by the preexistence of mutant alleles encoding malathion resistance. The pinned specimen analysis also shows much higher genetic diversity at the locus before organophosphate use, suggesting that the subsequent sweep of diazinon resistance in Australasia has compromised the scope for the locus to respond further to the ongoing challenge of the insecticides.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2004

Hydrolysis of organophosphorus insecticides by in vitro modified carboxylesterase E3 from Lucilia cuprina.

Resistance of the blowfly, Lucilia cuprina, to organophosphorus (OP) insecticides is due to mutations in LcalphaE7, the gene encoding carboxylesterase E3, that enhance the enzyme's ability to hydrolyse insecticides. Two mutations occur naturally, G137D in the oxyanion hole of the esterase, and W251L in the acyl binding pocket. Previous in vitro mutagenesis and expression of these modifications to the cloned gene have confirmed their functional significance. G137D enhances hydrolysis of diethyl and dimethyl phosphates by 55- and 33-fold, respectively. W251L increases dimethyl phosphate hydrolysis similarly, but only 10-fold for the diethyl homolog; unlike G137D however, it also retains ability to hydrolyse carboxylesters in the leaving group of malathion (malathion carboxylesterase, MCE), conferring strong resistance to this compound. In the present work, we substituted these and nearby amino acids by others expected to affect the efficiency of the enzyme. Changing G137 to glutamate or histidine was less effective than aspartate in improving OP hydrolase activity and like G137D, it diminished MCE activity, primarily through increases in Km. Various substitutions of W251 to other smaller residues had a broadly similar effect to W251L on OP hydrolase and MCE activities, but at least two were quantitatively better in kinetic parameters relating to malathion resistance. One, W251G, which occurs naturally in a malathion resistant hymenopterous parasitoid, improved MCE activity more than 20-fold. Mutations at other sites near the bottom of the catalytic cleft generally diminished OP hydrolase and MCE activities but one, F309L, also yielded some improvements in OP hydrolase activities. The results are discussed in relation to likely steric effects on enzyme-substrate interactions and future evolution of this gene.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

PubMed2004

Enzymatic bioremediation: from enzyme discovery to applications.

1. Enzymatic bioremediation is potentially a rapid method of removing environmental pesticide residues. Applications include the treatment of residues resulting from agricultural production and processing industries, such as the treatment of irrigation waters, surface-contaminated fruit and vegetables and spent dip liquors. 2. A specific application for some organophosphate-degrading enzymes involves detoxification of nerve agent stockpiles. Effective and affordable remediation requires highly specialized enzymes, so protein engineering techniques are being used to improve properties of various source enzymes to enhance catalytic rates, stability and substrate range. 3. Trials with an optimized organophosphate-degrading enzyme have shown the feasibility of such technology in various applications. 4. The enzymes developed for environmental remediation for specific pesticide classes also have applications as antidotes for high-dose pesticide poisonings and as prophylaxis for people at risk of high pesticide doses.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Developmental expression and gene/enzyme identifications in the alpha esterase gene cluster of Drosophila melanogaster.

Here we show how the 10 genes of the alpha esterase cluster of Drosophila melanogaster have diverged substantially in their expression profiles. Together with previously described sequence divergence this suggests substantial functional diversification. By peptide mass fingerprinting and in vitro gene expression we have also shown that two of the genes encode the isozymes EST9 (formerly ESTC) and EST23. EST9 is the major 'alpha staining' esterase in zymograms of gut tissues in feeding stages while orthologues of EST23 confer resistance to organophosphorus insecticides in other higher Diptera. The results for EST9 and EST23 concur with previous suggestions that the products of the alpha esterase cluster function in digestion and detoxification of xenobiotic esters. However, many of the other genes in the cluster show developmental or tissue-specific expression that seems inconsistent with such roles. Furthermore, there is generally poor correspondence between the mRNA expression patterns of the remaining eight genes and isozymes previously characterized by standard techniques of electrophoresis and staining, suggesting that the alpha cluster might only account for a small minority of the esterase isozyme profile.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Evolution of an organophosphate-degrading enzyme: a comparison of natural and directed evolution.

Organophosphate-degrading enzyme from Agrobacterium radiobacter P230 (OPDA) is a recently discovered enzyme that degrades a broad range of organophosphates. It is very similar to OPH first isolated from Pseudomonas diminuta MG. Despite a high level of sequence identity, OPH and OPDA exhibit different substrate specificities. We report here the structure of OPDA and identify regions of the protein that are likely to give it a preference for substrates that have shorter alkyl substituents. Directed evolution was used to evolve a series of OPH mutants that had activities similar to those of OPDA. Mutants were selected for on the basis of their ability to degrade a number of substrates. The mutations tended to cluster in particular regions of the protein and in most cases, these regions were where OPH and OPDA had significant differences in their sequences.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Enrichment of a microbial culture capable of degrading endosulphate, the toxic metabolite of endosulfan.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to isolate a source of enzymes capable of degrading endosulphate (endosulfan sulphate), the toxic metabolite of the pesticide endosulfan. METHODS AND RESULTS: A microbial broth culture capable of degrading endosulphate was enriched from endosulfan-contaminated soil by providing the metabolite as the sole source of sulphur in broth culture. No microbial growth was observed in the absence of endosulphate. In the presence of endosulphate, growth of the culture occurred with the concomitant formation of three chlorine-containing compounds. Thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography--mass spectral analysis identified these metabolites as endosulfan monoaldehyde, 1,2,3,4,7,7-hexachloro-5,6-bis(methylene)bicyclo[2.2.1]-2-heptene and 1,2,3,4,7,7-hexachloro-5-hydroxymethylene-6-methylenebicyclo[2.2.1]-2-heptene. The second and third compounds have not been reported in previous metabolic studies. The enriched culture was also able to utilize alpha- and beta-endosulfan as sulphur sources, each producing the hydrolysis product endosulfan monoaldehyde as the sole chlorine-containing metabolite. Alpha-endosulfan was more readily hydrolysed than the beta-isomer. CONCLUSIONS: This study isolated a mixed microbial culture capable of degrading endosulphate. The products of degradation were characterized as novel endosulfan metabolites. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study describes the isolation of a mixed microbial culture that is potentially a valuable source of hydrolysing enzymes for use in enzymatic bioremediation, particularly of endosulphate and alpha-endosulfan residues.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2002

Isolation and characterization of a Mycobacterium strain that metabolizes the insecticide endosulfan.

AIM: The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize a bacterium capable of metabolizing endosulfan. METHODS AND RESULTS: A endosulfan-degrading bacterium (strain ESD) was isolated from soil inoculum after repeated culture with the insecticide as the sole source of sulfur. Analysis of its 16S rRNA gene sequence, and morphological and physiological characteristics revealed it to be a new fast-growing Mycobacterium, closely related to other Mycobacterium species with xenobiotic-degrading capabilities. Degradation of endosulfan by strain ESD involved both oxidative and sulfur-separation reactions. Strain ESD did not degrade endosulfan when sulfite, sulphate or methionine were present in the medium along with the insecticide. Partial degradation occurred when the culture was grown, with endosulfan, in the presence of MOPS (3-(N-morpholino)propane sulphonic acid), DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide), cysteine or sulphonane and complete degradation occurred in the presence of gutathione. When both beta-endosulfan and low levels of sulphate were provided as the only sources of sulfur, biphasic exponential growth was observed with endosulfan metabolism being restricted to the latter phase of exponential growth. CONCLUSIONS: This study isolated a Mycobacterium strain (strain ESD) capable of metabolizing endosulfan by both oxidative and sulfur-separation reactions. The endosulfan-degrading reactions are a result of the sulfur-starvation response of this bacterium. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This describes the isolation of a Mycobacterium strain capable of degrading the insecticide endosulfan. This bacterium is a valuable source of enzymes for use in enzymatic bioremediation of endosulfan residues.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMed2002

Development of a simple and sensitive fluorimetric method for isolation of coumaphos-hydrolysing bacteria.

AIMS: To develop a simple, rapid and sensitive fluorimetric assay to detect, isolate and characterize a soil bacterium capable of degrading the organophosphorus pesticide, coumaphos. METHODS AND RESULTS: A high throughput microtitre plate-based method was used to quantify coumaphos hydrolysis by the bacterium. The fluorescent hydrolysis product of coumaphos, chlorferon, was detected at levels as low as 10 nmol l(-1). Incorporation of coumaphos into agar plates allowed the rapid detection of coumaphos-hydrolysing bacteria when exposed to an excitation wavelength of approximately 340 nm. The coumaphos-hydrolysing enzyme could be visualized when bacterial cell extracts were separated on SDS-PAGE, incubated with coumaphos and exposed to an excitation source as above. CONCLUSIONS: This method is 100-fold more sensitive than the currently used spectrophotometric method for coumaphos. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is a unique and versatile tool to screen for bacteria possessing phosphotriesterase activity.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2001

Identification of a juvenile hormone esterase gene by matching its peptide mass fingerprint with a sequence from the Drosophila genome project.

Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE, EC 3.1.1.1) from whole Drosophila melanogaster prepupae has previously been purified by selective precipitations, isoelectric focussing and two column chromatography steps. JHE bands from dried silver-stained SDS-PAGE gels of that material were digested with trypsin. The masses of the tryptic digest peptides were determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Only one predicted gene product (CG8425) from the D. melanogaster genome matches the JHE tryptic fingerprint with high confidence. This predicted JHE sequence includes features that are conserved among all active members of the serine carboxylesterase multigene family as well as features peculiar to JHEs from other species. Also we show that this JHE can be purified by an alternative method using anion exchange chromotography followed by trifluoromethylketone affinity chromatography. A cDNA encoding this JHE was isolated using 3' and 5' RACE. This sequence is in agreement with the Drosophila genome project's prediction except that the sixth predicted intron is not removed; instead there is a stop codon followed by a polyadenylation signal and a polyA tail.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Reconstructing the diversification of alpha-esterases: comparing the gene clusters of Drosophila buzzatii and D. melanogaster.

A cluster composed of 10 active alpha-esterase genes and a pseudogene is distributed over 60 kb in the Drosophila melanogaster genome. This paper describes the corresponding cluster in Drosophila buzzatii, whose lineage diverged from that of D. melanogaster when the subgenera Drosophila and Sophophora diverged about 50 Mya. With three exceptions we find that the composition of the cluster is conserved in the two lineages. The location of alpha E1 in D. melanogaster differs from that of its nearest relative in D. buzzatii, and alpha E4 has duplicated independently in the two lineages. The nature of these differences indicates that a mechanism exists whereby copies of genes can be placed in opposite orientation and nonadjacent positions within a gene cluster, although this does not seem to be a feature of earlier events in the cluster's evolution. The rates of amino acid change are not significantly different between orthologs, but the rates differ sevenfold among paralogs, indicating that very different selective forces are acting on the genes of the cluster. Mapping of sequence differences onto a model of the tertiary structure of the enzymes indicates that motifs contributing to substrate binding and catalysis have changed radically in the alphaE4s and suggest that this subgroup of alpha-esterases may be evolving into a substantially different functional niche.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

An episode of accelerated amino acid change in Drosophila esterase-6 associated with a change in physiological function.

In most lineages of the subgenus Sophophora esterase-6 is a homodimeric haemolymph protein. In the melanogaster subgroup of species it has become a monomer which is mainly expressed in the male sperm ejaculatory duct. Our analyses of esterase-6 sequences from three melanogaster subgroup species and two close relatives reveal a brief period of accelerated amino acid sequence change during the transition between the ancestral and derived states. In this period of 2-6Myr the ratio of replacement to silent site substitutions (0.51) is about three times higher than the values in other lineages of the phylogeny. There are about 50 more replacements in this period than would be predicted from the ratios of replacement to silent site substitutions found elsewhere in the phylogeny. Modelling on the known structure of a related acetylcholinesterase suggests that an unusually high proportion of the replacements in the transitional branch are non-conservative changes on the protein surface. Up to half the accelerated replacement rate can be accounted for by clusters of changes to the face of the molecule containing the opening of the active site gorge. This includes changes in and around regions homologous to peripheral substrate binding sites in acetylcholinesterase. There are also three changes in glycosylation status. One region predicted to lie on the protein surface which becomes markedly more hydrophilic is proposed to be the ancestral dimerisation site that is lost in the transitional branch.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2000

MCE activities and malathion resistances in field populations of the australian sheep blowfly (Lucilia cuprina).

Malathion resistance has been shown to be the result of a single point mutation in the LcalphaE7 gene in four independently isolated chromosomes of Lucilia cuprina. The resultant amino acid substitution specifies high malathion carboxylesterase (MCE) activity. We have assayed MCE activities and resistance to malathion in three sets of field-derived samples, two sets of isogenic lines and five mass populations, and show that resistance to malathion in these samples is associated with high MCE activity in both sets of isogenic lines and four of the five mass populations. Additional mechanisms contributing to MCE activity or malathion resistance may be present in one of the mass populations. A second point mutation in LcalphaE7 is responsible for conferring diazinon resistance by encoding an increased organophosphate (OP) hydrolase activity. We also assayed diazinon resistances from the same three samples and show that diazinon and malathion resistances were in complete disequilibrium, with two exceptions. One exception involves the mass population with additional resistance mechanism(s) and the other involves three isogenic lines that are resistant to both insecticides. The molecular data for these lines suggest that they carry a duplication of the LcalphaE7 gene.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

PubMed2000

The evolution of an alpha-esterase pseudogene inactivated in the Drosophila melanogaster lineage.

Previous analyses of the alpha-esterase cluster of Drosophila melanogaster revealed 10 active genes and the DmalphaE4a-Psi pseudogene. Here, we reconstruct the evolution of the pseudogene from the sequences of 12 alleles from widely scattered D. melanogaster populations and single alleles from Drosophila simulans and Drosophila yakuba. All of the DmalphaE4a-Psi alleles contain numerous inactivating mutations, suggesting that pseudogene alleles are fixed in natural populations. Several lines of evidence also suggest that DmalphaE4a is now evolving without selective constraint in the D. melanogaster lineage. There are three polymorphic indels which result in frameshifts; a key nucleotide of the intron splice acceptor is polymorphic; the neutral mutation parameter is the same for replacement and silent sites; one of the nonsilent polymorphisms results in a stop codon; only 1 of the 13 replacement polymorphisms is biochemically conservative; residues that are conserved among active esterases have different states in DmalphaE4a-Psi; and there are about half as many transitional polymorphisms as transversional ones. In contrast, the D. simulans and D. yakuba orthologs DsalphaE4a and DyalphaE4a do not have the inactivating mutations of DmalphaE4a-Psi and appear to be evolving under the purifying selection typical of protein- encoding genes. For instance, there have been more substitutions in the introns than in the exons, and more in silent sites than in replacement sites. Furthermore, most of the amino acid substitutions that have occurred between DyalphaE4a and DsalphaE4a are located in sites that typically vary among active alpha-esterases rather than those that are usually conserved. We argue that the original alphaE4a gene had a function which it has lost since the divergence of the D. melanogaster and D. simulans lineages.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Enrichment of an endosulfan-degrading mixed bacterial culture.

An endosulfan-degrading mixed bacterial culture was enriched from soil with a history of endosulfan exposure. Enrichment was obtained by using the insecticide as the sole source of sulfur. Chemical hydrolysis was minimized by using strongly buffered culture medium (pH 6.6), and the detergent Tween 80 was included to emulsify the insecticide, thereby increasing the amount of endosulfan in contact with the bacteria. No growth occurred in control cultures in the absence of endosulfan. Degradation of the insecticide occurred concomitant with bacterial growth. The compound was both oxidized and hydrolyzed. The oxidation reaction favored the alpha isomer and produced endosulfate, a terminal pathway product. Hydrolysis involved a novel intermediate, tentatively identified as endosulfan monoaldehyde on the basis of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and chemical derivatization results. The accumulation and decline of metabolites suggest that the parent compound was hydrolyzed to the putative monoaldehyde, thereby releasing the sulfite moiety required for growth. The monoaldehyde was then oxidized to endosulfan hydroxyether and further metabolized to (a) polar product(s). The cytochrome P450 inhibitor, piperonyl butoxide, did not prevent endosulfan oxidation or the formation of other metabolites. These results suggest that this mixed culture is worth investigating as a source of endosulfan-hydrolyzing enzymes for use in enzymatic bioremediation of endosulfan residues.

Bacteria↗

PubMed1999

Carboxyl/cholinesterases: a case study of the evolution of a successful multigene family.

The evolution of organismal diversity among the Metazoa is dependent on the proliferation of genes and diversification of functions in multigene families. Here we analyse these processes for one highly successful family, the carboxyl/cholinesterases. One key to the expansion of the functional niche of this group of enzymes is associated with versatile substrate binding and catalytic machinery. Qualitatively new functions can be obtained by substitution of one or a very few amino acids. This crudely adapted new functionality is then refined rapidly by a pulse of change elsewhere in the molecule; in one case about 13% amino acid divergence occurred in 5-10 million years. Furthermore, we postulate that the versatility of the substrate binding motifs underpins the recruitment of several family members to additional noncatalytic signal transduction functions.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

The same amino acid substitution in orthologous esterases confers organophosphate resistance on the house fly and a blowfly.

Organophosphate (OP) insecticide resistance in certain strains of Musca domestica is associated with reduction in the carboxylesterase activity of a particular esterase isozyme. This has been attributed to a 'mutant ali-esterase hypothesis', which invokes a structural mutation to an ali-esterase resulting in the loss of its carboxylesterase activity but acquisition of OP hydrolase activity. It has been shown that the mutation in Lucilia cuprina is a Gly137-->Asp substitution in the active site of an esterase encoded by the Lc alpha E7 gene (Newcomb, R.D., Campbell, P.M., Ollis, D.L., Cheah, E., Russell, R.J., Oakeshott, J.G., 1997. A single amino acid substitution converts a carboxylesterase to an organophosphate hydrolase and confers insecticide resistance on a blowfly. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 7464-7468). We now report the cloning and characterisation of the orthologous M. domestica Md alpha E7 gene, including the sequencing of cDNAs from the OP resistant Rutgers and OP susceptible sbo and WHO strains. The Md alpha E7 gene has the same intron structure as Lc alpha E7 and encodes a protein with 76% amino acid identity to Lc alpha E7. Comparisons between susceptible and resistance alleles show resistance in M. domestica is associated with the same Gly137-->Asp mutation as in L. cuprina. Bacterial expression of the Rutgers allele shows its product has OP hydrolase activity. The data indicate identical catalytic mechanisms have evolved in orthologous Md alpha E7 and Lc alpha E7 molecules to endow diazinon-type resistance on the two species of higher Diptera.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1998

Purification and kinetic characterisation of juvenile hormone esterase from Drosophila melanogaster.

Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) from the prepupal stage of Drosophila melanogaster was purified about 429-fold to near homogeneity by selective precipitations, isoelectric focussing, anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. The KM and Vmax of the purified enzyme for juvenile hormone III (JHIII) hydrolysis are 89 nM and at least 590 nmol/min/mg, respectively. JHE also hydrolyses the artificial substrate alpha-naphthyl acetate with a KM of 120 micro M and a Vmax of at least 70 mumol/min/mg. Competition of JHIII hydrolysis by five juvenile hormones and twenty-four JH analogues showed JHE is highly selective for JHIII and JHIII bisepoxide (JHP3), and both may be in vivo substrates. Binding in the active site of JHE is promoted by structural features found in JHIII and JHB3 including the epoxide groups in their natural orientations, methyl (rather than ethyl) side-chains, and the 2E, 3 double bond that is conjugated with the ester group. Binding is reduced by almost any departure from these structural features of JH. Co-incubation of the haemolymph JH binding protein, lipophorin, with JHE indicates lipophorin might modulate JH hydrolysis by competition for binding of JH.

Alcohols↗

PubMed1997

A single amino acid substitution converts a carboxylesterase to an organophosphorus hydrolase and confers insecticide resistance on a blowfly.

Resistance to organophosphorus (OP) insecticides is associated with decreased carboxylesterase activity in several insect species. It has been proposed that the resistance may be the result of a mutation in a carboxylesterase that simultaneously reduces its carboxylesterase activity and confers an OP hydrolase activity (the "mutant ali-esterase hypothesis"). In the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina, the association is due to a change in a specific esterase isozyme, E3, which, in resistant flies, has a null phenotype on gels stained using standard carboxylesterase substrates. Here we show that an OP-resistant allele of the gene that encodes E3 differs at five amino acid replacement sites from a previously described OP-susceptible allele. Knowledge of the structure of a related enzyme (acetylcholinesterase) suggests that one of these substitutions (Gly137 --> Asp) lies within the active site of the enzyme. The occurrence of this substitution is completely correlated with resistance across 15 isogenic strains. In vitro expression of two natural and two synthetic chimeric alleles shows that the Asp137 substitution alone is responsible for both the loss of E3's carboxylesterase activity and the acquisition of a novel OP hydrolase activity. Modeling of Asp137 in the homologous position in acetylcholinesterase suggests that Asp137 may act as a base to orientate a water molecule in the appropriate position for hydrolysis of the phosphorylated enzyme intermediate.

Alleles↗