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P F Leadlay

Publications and source records attributed to P F Leadlay.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Prokaryotic calcium-binding protein of the calmodulin superfamily. Calcium binding to a Saccharopolyspora erythraea 20 kDa protein.

The EF-hand calcium-binding protein from Saccharopolyspora erythraea has been shown, using 113Cd NMR, to possess three Cd(2+)-ion binding sites. This indicates that of the four EF-hand motifs in the molecule, one (probably site 2) is unable to bind Cd(2+)-ions. Data from the titration of the protein with Ca2+, in the presence of Quin2, were fitted to a curve calculated on the assumption that the protein contains three high affinity Ca2+ binding sites, two of which (pK1 = 8.0, pK2 = 9.0) are strongly cooperative, and one single site (pK3 = 7.5). Preliminary 1H NMR experiments indicate marked structural changes upon Ca(2+)-binding.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1992

6-Deoxyerythronolide-B synthase 2 from Saccharopolyspora erythraea. Cloning of the structural gene, sequence analysis and inferred domain structure of the multifunctional enzyme.

Sequencing of the eryA region of the erythromycin biosynthetic gene cluster from Saccharopolyspora erythraea has revealed another structural gene (ORF B), in addition to the previously characterised ORF A, which appears to encode a component of 6-deoxyerythronolide-B synthase, the enzyme that catalyses the first stage in the biosynthesis of the polyketide antibiotic erythromycin A. The nucleotide sequence of ORF B, which lies immediately adjacent to ORF A, has been determined. The predicted gene product of ORF B is a polypeptide of 374417 Da (3568 amino acids), which is highly similar to the product of ORF A and which likewise contains a number of separate domains, each with substantial amino acid sequence similarity to components of known fatty-acid synthases and polyketide synthases. The order of the predicted active sites along the chain from the N-terminus is 3-oxoacyl-synthase--acyltransferase--acyl-carrier-protein-- 3-oxoacyl-synthase--acyltransferase--dehydratase--enoylreductase-- oxoreductase--acyl-carrier-protein. The position of the dehydratase active site has been pinpointed for the first time for any polyketide synthase or vertebrate fatty-acid synthase. The predicted domain structure of 6-deoxyerythronolide-B synthase is strikingly similar to that previously established for vertebrate fatty-acid synthases. This analysis of the sequence supports the view that the erythromycin-producing polyketide synthase contains three multienzyme polypeptides, each of which accomplishes two successive cycles of polyketide chain extension. In this scheme, the role of the ORF B gene product is to accomplish extension cycles 3 and 4.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Induction, purification and characterisation of acyl-ACP thioesterase from developing seeds of oil seed rape (Brassica napus).

The level of two thioesterases, acyl-CoA thioesterase and acyl-ACP thioesterase was determined during seed maturation in oil seed rape. Both thioesterase activities rose markedly prior to the onset of lipid accumulation, but the induction kinetics suggest that the activities reside on distinct polypeptides. Acyl-ACP thioesterase (EC 3.1.2.14) was purified 2000-fold using a combination of ion exchange, ACP-affinity chromatography, chromatofocusing and gel filtration. Using native gel electrophoresis, and assays for enzymic activity, two polypeptides were identified on SDS-PAGE as associated with the activity. Cleveland mapping of these polypeptides, of 38 kDa component and 33 kDa respectively, demonstrated that they are related. An antibody was prepared against the 38 kDa component, and this also recognises the 33 kDa polypeptide in highly purified preparations. Western blotting of a crude extract identifies one band at 38 kDa consistent with the 33 kDa component being a degradation product generated during purification. The native molecule has a M(r) of 70 kDa indicating a dimeric structure. The enzyme has a pH optimum of 9.5 and shows strong preference for oleoyl-ACP as substrate. The intact enzyme has an N-terminus blocked to protein sequencing. We also found that two other polypeptides co-purify with acyl-ACP thioesterase under native conditions. The N-terminal amino-acid sequence of these polypeptides is shown and their possible identity is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

An acyl-carrier-protein-thioesterase domain from the 6-deoxyerythronolide B synthase of Saccharopolyspora erythraea. High-level production, purification and characterisation in Escherichia coli.

The C-terminal region of a multifunctional polypeptide from the 6-deoxyerythronolide B synthase of Saccharopolyspora erythraea is predicted to contain an acyl carrier protein and a thioesterase or acyltransferase activity [Cortes, J., Haydock, S. F., Roberts, G. A., Bevitt, D. J. & Leadlay, P. F. (1990) Nature 348, 176-178]. Site-directed mutagenesis by means of the polymerase chain reaction was used to construct an efficient pT7-based expression plasmid for this domain. The recently developed technique of electrospray mass spectrometry was used to demonstrate that the purified protein had not been post-translationally modified by attachment of a 4'-phosphopantetheine group. However, treatment with the serine proteinase inhibitor phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride led to highly selective labelling of the predicted active site of the thioesterase or acyltransferase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Cloning and sequence analysis of genes involved in erythromycin biosynthesis in Saccharopolyspora erythraea: sequence similarities between EryG and a family of S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferases.

The gene cluster (ery) responsible for production of the macrolide antibiotic erythromycin by Saccharopolyspora erythraea is also known to contain ermE, the gene conferring resistance to the antibiotic. The nucleotide sequence has been determined of a 4.5 kb portion of the biosynthetic gene cluster, from a region lying between 3.7 kb and 8.2 kb 3' of ermE. This has revealed the presence of four complete open reading frames, including the previously known ery gene eryG, which catalyses the last step in the biosynthetic pathway. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of EryG with the sequence of other S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)-dependent methyltransferases has revealed that one of the sequence motifs previously suggested to be part of the SAM-binding site is present not only in EryG but also in many other recently sequenced SAM-dependent methyltransferases. Previous genetic studies have shown that this region also contains gene(s) involved in hydroxylation of the intermediate 6-deoxyerythronolide B. One of the three other open reading frames (eryF) in fact shows very high sequence similarity to known cytochrome P450 hydroxylases. An adjacent gene (ORF5) shows a strikingly high degree of similarity to prokaryotic and eukaryotic acyltransferases and thioesterases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Cloning, characterization, and high-level expression in Escherichia coli of the Saccharopolyspora erythraea gene encoding an acyl carrier protein potentially involved in fatty acid biosynthesis.

The erythromycin A-producing polyketide synthase from the gram-positive bacterium Saccharopolyspora erythraea (formerly Streptomyces erythraeus) has evident structural similarity to fatty acid synthases, particularly to the multifunctional fatty acid synthases found in eukaryotic cells. Fatty acid synthesis in S. erythraea has previously been proposed to involve a discrete acyl carrier protein (ACP), as in most prokaryotic fatty acid synthases. We have cloned and sequenced the structural gene for this ACP and find that it does encode a discrete small protein. The gene lies immediately adjacent to an open reading frame whose gene product shows sequence homology to known beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthases. A convenient expression system for the S. erythraea ACP was obtained by placing the gene in the expression vector pT7-7 in Escherichia coli. In this system the ACP was efficiently expressed at levels 10 to 20% of total cell protein. The recombinant ACP was active in promoting the synthesis of branched-chain acyl-ACP species by extracts of S. erythraea. Electrospray mass spectrometry is shown to be an excellent method for monitoring the efficiency of in vivo posttranslational modification of ACPs.

Acyl Carrier Protein↗
PubMed1990

An unusually large multifunctional polypeptide in the erythromycin-producing polyketide synthase of Saccharopolyspora erythraea.

Erythromycin A, a clinically important polyketide antibiotic, is produced by the Gram-positive bacterium Saccharopolyspora erythraea. In an arrangement that seems to be generally true of antibiotic biosynthetic genes in Streptomyces and related bacteria like S. erythraea, the ery genes encoding the biosynthetic pathway to erythromycin are clustered around the gene (ermE) that confers self-resistance on S. erythraea. The aglycone core of erythromycin A is derived from one propionyl-CoA and six methylmalonyl-CoA units, which are incorporated head-to-tail into the growing polyketide chain, in a process similar to that of fatty-acid biosynthesis, to generate a macrolide intermediate, 6-deoxyerythronolide B. 6-Deoxyerythronolide B is converted into erythromycin A through the action of specific hydroxylases, glycosyltransferases and a methyltransferase. We report here the analysis of about 10 kilobases of DNA from S. erythraea, cloned by chromosome 'walking' outwards from the erythromycin-resistance determinant ermE, and previously shown to be essential for erythromycin biosynthesis. Partial sequencing of this region indicates that it encodes the synthase. Our results confirm this, and reveal a novel organization of the erythromycin-producing polyketide synthase, which provides further insight into the mechanism of chain assembly.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Adenosylcobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from Propionibacterium shermanii. Active holoenzyme produced from Escherichia coli.

The linked structural genes coding for both subunits of adenosylcobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from the Gram-positive bacterium Propionibacterium shermanii have been altered by site-directed mutagenesis and placed under the control of an inducible phage-T7-specific plasmid promoter in Escherichia coli. Conditions have been found under which both alpha- and beta-subunits are produced in soluble form, in near 1:1 ratio, and assemble to form apo-mutase totalling about 5% of the total cellular protein. Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase purified from these cells could be readily converted into the holoenzyme by addition of adenosylcobalamin. The active holoenzyme apparently crystallizes in the same space group as an inactive corrinoid-containing form of the enzyme obtained previously.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Inhibition of pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase from Trichomonas vaginalis by pyruvate and its analogues. Comparison with the pyruvate decarboxylase component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.

Pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase and the pyruvate dehydrogenase multi-enzyme complex both catalyse the CoA-dependent oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate but differ in size, subunit composition and mechanism. Comparison of the pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase from the protozoon Trichomonas vaginalis and the pyruvate dehydrogenase component of the Escherichia coli pyruvate dehydrogenase complex shows that both are inactivated by incubation with pyruvate under aerobic conditions in the absence of co-substrates. However, only the former is irreversibly inhibited by incubation with hydroxypyruvate, and only the latter by incubation with bromopyruvate. Pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase activity is potently, but reversibly, inhibited by addition of bromopyruvate in the presence of CoA, and it is suggested that the mechanism involves formation of an adduct between CoA and bromopyruvate in the active site of the enzyme. It is proposed that both enzymes are inactivated by pyruvate through a mechanism involving oxidation of an enzyme-bound thiamin pyrophosphate/substrate adduct to form a tightly bound inhibitory species, possibly thiamin thiazolone pyrophosphate as hypothesized by Sumegi & Alkonyi.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

A repeated decapeptide motif in the C-terminal domain of the ribosomal RNA methyltransferase from the erythromycin producer Saccharopolyspora erythraea.

Re-analysis of the primary structure of the ribosomal RNA N-methyltransferase that confers self-resistance on the erythromycin-producing bacterium Saccharopolyspora erythraea has confirmed the presence of a C-terminal domain containing extensive repeat sequences. Nine tandem repeats can be discerned, with a decapeptide consensus sequence GGRx(H/R)GDRRT, although no single residue is wholly invariant. This highly polar, potentially flexible domain, which is predicted to adopt either a random coil or a structure with beta turns, has a counterpart in the erythromycin methyltransferase of an erythromycin-producing species of Arthrobacter. It also significantly resembles a portion of the C-terminal region of the eukaryotic protein nucleolin, which is unusually rich in dimethylarginine and glycine, and which is also predicted to behave as a random coil in solution. This resemblance, despite the very different roles of these proteins in ribosome biogenesis, strengthens the idea that in both rRNA methyltransferases and nucleolin these C-terminal sequences might contribute to rRNA binding.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from Propionibacterium shermanii. Evidence for the presence of two masked cysteine residues.

Adenosylcobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from Propionibacterium shermanii contains no intramolecular disulphide bridges, but two of the six thiol groups in the heterodimer are only revealed after reduction of the denatured enzyme with dithiothreitol. The available evidence suggests that they are present in disulphide linkages to unknown thiols of low Mr. The two specifically masked cysteine residues are Cys-535 in the alpha-subunit and Cys-517 in the beta-subunit, which occupy exactly homologous positions in each chain.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Cloning and structural characterization of the genes coding for adenosylcobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from Propionibacterium shermanii.

The structural genes coding for both subunits of adenosylcobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from the Gram-positive bacterium Propionibacterium shermanii have been cloned, with the use of synthetic oligonucleotides as primary hybridization probes. The genes are closely linked and are transcribed in the same direction. Nucleotide sequence analysis of 4.5 kb of DNA encompassing both genes allowed us to infer the complete amino acid sequence of the two subunits: the beta-subunit is the product of the upstream gene, and consists of 638 amino acid residues (Mr 69465) and the alpha-subunit consists of 728 amino acid residues (Mr 80,147). There is a very close structural homology between the two subunits, reflecting the probable duplication of a common ancestral gene. A sequence present only in the alpha-subunit is significantly homologous to a portion of the sequence of the methylmalonyl-CoA-binding subunit of transcarboxylase from P. shermanii [Samols, Thornton, Murtif, Kumar, Haase & Wood (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 6461-6464], and this homologous region may form part of the CoA ester-binding site in both enzymes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Subunit interactions in Propionibacterium shermanii methylmalonyl-CoA mutase studied by analytical ultracentrifugation.

The effect of increasing ionic strength on adenosylcobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from Propionibacterium shermanii was studied by using analytical ultracentrifugation. Both sedimentation-velocity and low-speed sedimentation-equilibration measurements show that the enzyme dissociates progressively into its two dissimilar subunits with increasing ionic strength. Equilibrium between the alpha beta-dimer and the separated subunits is rapidly established under these conditions. Dissociation is accompanied by loss of enzymic activity, but the position of the equilibrium is unaffected by the presence of either substrate or adenosylcobalamin cofactor.

Acyl Coenzyme A↗
PubMed1989

Molecular characterization of a gene from Saccharopolyspora erythraea (Streptomyces erythraeus) which is involved in erythromycin biosynthesis.

A 7.3 kbp DNA fragment, encompassing the erythromycin (Em) resistance gene (ermE) and a portion of the gene cluster encoding the biosynthetic genes for erythromycin biosynthesis in Saccharopolyspora erythraea (formerly Streptomyces erythraeus) has been cloned in Streptomyces lividans using the plasmid vector pIJ702, and its nucleotide sequence has been determined using a modified dideoxy chain-termination procedure. In particular, we have examined the region immediately 5' of the resistance determinant, where the tandem promoters for ermE overlap the promoters for a divergently transcribed coding sequence (ORF). Disruption of this ORF using an integrational pIJ702-based plasmid vector gave mutants which were specifically blocked in erythromycin biosynthesis, and which accumulated 3-O-alpha-L-mycarosylerythronolide B: this behaviour is identical to that of previously described eryC1 mutants. The eryC1-gene product, a protein of subunit Mr 39,200, is therefore involved either as a structural or as a regulatory gene in the formation of the deoxyamino-sugar desosamine or in its attachment to the macrolide ring.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Cloning, characterization, and heterologous expression of the Saccharopolyspora erythraea (Streptomyces erythraeus) gene encoding an EF-hand calcium-binding protein.

The regulatory effects of Ca2+ in eucaryotic cells are mostly mediated by a superfamily of Ca2+-binding proteins (CABs) that contain one or more characteristic Ca2+-binding structural motifs, referred to as EF hands. We have cloned and sequenced the structural gene for an authentic EF-hand CAB from the spore-forming gram-positive bacterium Saccharopolyspora erythraea (formerly Streptomyces erythraeus). When the gene was introduced into Streptomyces lividans on the high-copy plasmid vector pIJ702, CAB was found to be expressed at higher levels than in S. erythraea, with no apparent effects on either growth or sporulation. A more convenient expression system for CAB was obtained by introducing an NdeI site at the initiation codon by using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis and placing the gene in the expression vector pT7-7 in Escherichia coli. In this system, CAB was efficiently expressed at levels up to 20 to 30% of total cell protein. When purified to homogeneity from either E. coli or Streptomyces lividans, CAB was found to be identical to the protein previously obtained from S. erythraea.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Crystallization and preliminary diffraction data for adenosylcobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from Propionibacterium shermanii.

Pink crystals of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from Propionibacterium shermanii, a coenzyme B12 (5'-deoxyadenosylcobalamin)-dependent enzyme, have been obtained by the hanging-drop method in two different forms. One form lies in the space group P21, with unit cell dimensions a = 122 A, b = 160 A and c = 90 A, with beta = 104 degrees (1 A = 0.1 nm). There are two alpha beta dimers in the asymmetric unit. The crystals diffract to 3.2 A resolution and are suitable for high resolution X-ray diffraction studies.

Crystallization↗
PubMed1987

A small, discrete acyl carrier protein is involved in de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in Streptomyces erythraeus.

A heat-stable factor, required for de novo synthesis of fatty acids in the erythromycin-producing organism Streptomyces erythraeus, has been purified to homogeneity and identified as an acyl carrier protein (ACP). We conclude that, contrary to previous belief, fatty acid synthase in S. erythraeus more closely resembles the dissociable complex of E. coli than the tightly associated, multifunctional enzyme complex found in the related actinomycete Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Acyl Carrier Protein↗