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Isolation of fusion proteins containing SecY and SecE, components of the protein translocation complex from the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii.

By exploiting the salt-insensitive interaction of the cellulose-binding domain (CBD) of the Clostridium thermocellum cellulosome with cellulose, purification of CBD-fused versions of SecY and SecE, components of the translocation apparatus of the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii, was undertaken. Following transformation of Haloferax volcanii cells with CBD-SecY- or -SecE-encoding plasmids, cellulose-based purification led to the capture of stably expressed, membrane-bound 68 and 25 kDa proteins, respectively. Both fusion proteins were recognized by antibodies raised against the CBD. Thus, CBD-cellulose interactions can be employed as a salt-insensitive affinity purification system for the capture of complexes containing the Haloferax volcanii translocation apparatus components SecY and SecE.

Archaeal Proteins↗

Cellulase activity of a haloalkaliphilic anaerobic bacterium, strain Z-7026.

The cellulolytic activity of an alkaliphilic obligate anaerobic bacterium, Z-7026, which was isolated from the microbial community of soda-lake sediments and belongs to the cluster III of Clostridia with low G+C content, was studied. The bacterium was capable of growing in media with cellulose or cellobiose as the sole energy sources. Its maximal growth rate on cellobiose (0.042-0.046 h(-1)) was observed at an initial pH value of 8.5-9.0, whereas the maximal rate of cellulase synthesis, assayed by using a novel fluorimetric approach, was found to be 0.1 h(-1) at pH 8-8.5. Secreted proteins revealed high affinity for cellulose and were represented by two major forms of molecular masses of 75 and 84 kDa, whereas the general protein composition of the precipitated and cellulose-bound preparations was similar to cellulosome subunits of Clostridium thermocellum. The optimum pH of the partially purified enzyme preparation towards both amorphous and crystalline cellulose was in the range 6-9, with more than 70% and less than 50% of maximal activity being retained at pH 9.2 and 5.0, respectively.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗

Sequence analysis of the Clostridium cellulolyticum endoglucanase-A-encoding gene, celCCA.

The nucleotide sequence of a Clostridium cellulolyticum endo-beta-1,4- glucanase (EGCCA)-encoding gene (celCCA) and its flanking regions, was determined. An open reading frame (ORF) of 1425 bp was found, encoding a protein of 475 amino acids (aa). This ORF began with an ATG start codon and ended with a TAA ochre stop codon. The N-terminal region of the EGCCA protein resembled a typical signal sequence of a Gram-positive bacterial extracellular protein. A putative signal peptidase cleavage site was determined. EGCCA, without a signal peptide, was found to be composed of more than 35% hydrophobic aa and to have an Mr of 50715. Comparison of the encoded sequence with other known cellulase sequences showed the existence of various kinds of aa sequence homologies. First, a strong homology was found between the C-terminal region of EGCCA, containing a reiterated stretch of 24 aa, and the conserved reiterated region previously found to exist in four Clostridium thermocellum endoglucanases and one xylanase from the same organism. This region was suspected of playing a role in organizing the cellulosome complex. Second, an extensive homology was found between EGCCA and the N-terminal region of the large endoglucanase, EGE, from C. thermocellum, which suggests that they may have a common ancestral gene. Third, a region, which extended for 21 aa residues beginning at aa + 127, was found to be homologous with regions of cellulases belonging to Bacilli, Clostridia and Erwinia chrysanthemi.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Isolation, characterization and manipulation of cellulase genes.

The complete hydrolysis of cellulose requires a number of different enzymes including endoglucanase, exoglucanase and beta-glucosidase. These enzymes function in concert as part of a 'cellulase'complex called a cellulosome. In order (i) to develop a better understanding of the biochemical nature of the cellulase complex as well as the genetic regulation of its integral components and (ii) to utilize cellulases either as purified enzymes or as part of an engineered organism for a variety of purposes, researchers have, as a first step, used recombinant DNA technology to isolate the genes for these enzymes from a variety of organisms. This review provides some perspective on the current status of the isolation, characterization and manipulation of cellulase genes and specifically discusses (i) strategies for the isolation of endoglucanase, exoglucanase and beta-glucosidase genes; (ii) DNA sequence characterization of the cellulase genes and their accompanying regulatory elements; (iii) the expression of cellulase genes in heterologous host organisms and (iv) some of the proposed uses for isolated cellulase genes.

Journal Article↗

A novel family of carbohydrate-binding modules identified with Ruminococcus albus proteins.

We recently showed that some of the enzymes underpinning cellulose solubilization by Ruminococcus albus 8 lack the conventional type of dockerin module characteristic of cellulosomal proteins and instead, bear an "X" domain of unknown function at their C-termini. We have now subcloned and expressed six X domains and showed that five of them bind to xylan, chitin, microcrystalline and phosphoric-acid swollen cellulose, as well as more heterogenous substrates such as alfalfa cell walls, banana stem and wheat straw. The X domain that did not bind to these substrates was derived from a family-5 glycoside hydrolase (Cel5G), which possesses two X domains in tandem. Whereas the internal X domain failed to bind to the substrates, the recombinant dyad exhibited markedly enhanced binding relative to that observed for the C-terminal X domain alone. The evidence supports a distinctive carbohydrate-binding role of broad specificity for this type of domain, and we propose a novel family (designated family 37) of carbohydrate-binding modules that appear to be peculiar to R. albus.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Engineered proteins containing the cohesin and dockerin domains from Clostridium thermocellum provides a reversible, high affinity interaction for biotechnology applications.

The cohesin-dockerin interaction, which is responsible for the formation of the cellulosome complex of cellulolytic bacteria, is a calcium-dependent, high affinity interaction. In this study, the cohesin (Cip7) and dockerin (Doc) domains of Clostridium thermocellum were fused to the cellulose-binding domain (CBD) of C. cellulovorans and the antibody-binding domain, protein LG, respectively, to form CBD-Cip7 and LG-Doc. Immobilised CBD-Cip7 was able to bind LG-Doc and subsequently antibody as determined using surface plasmon resonance. Binding was reversed by the removal of Ca2+ with EDTA. The dockerin containing fusion protein was affinity purified using an immobilised cohesin domain. Elution of the LG-Doc from the cohesin column was with EDTA. This affinity chromatography was repeated using an LG-dockerin column for the purification of cohesin fusion protein. The fusion proteins created in this report have shown that the properties of the cohesin and dockerin domains can be transferred to other protein domains and that the interaction between the cohesin and dockerin is specific, Ca2+ -dependent and reversible. We have shown that the cohesin-dockerin interaction has several properties making it suitable for use in recombinant fusion protein production and purification.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Phage display of a cellulose binding domain from Clostridium thermocellum and its application as a tool for antibody engineering.

Phage display of antibody fragments has proved to be a powerful tool for the isolation and in vitro evolution of these biologically important molecules. However, the general usefulness of this technology is still limited by some technical difficulties. One of the most debilitating obstacles to the widespread application of the technology is the accumulation of "insert loss" clones in the libraries; phagemid clones from which the DNA encoding part or all of the cloned antibody fragment had been deleted. Another difficulty arises when phage technology is applied for cloning hybridoma-derived antibody genes, where myeloma derived light chains, irrelevant to the hybridoma's antibody specificity may be fortuitously cloned. Here, we report the construction of a novel phage-display system designed to address these problems. In our system a single-chain Fv (scFv) is expressed as an in-frame fusion protein with a cellulose-binding domain (CBD) derived from the Clostridium thermocellum cellulosome. The CBD domain serves as an affinity tag allowing rapid phage capture and concentration from crude culture supernatants, and immunological detection of both displaying phage and soluble scFv produced thereof. We demonstrate the utility of our system in solving the technical difficulties described above, and in speeding up the process of scFv isolation from combinatorial antibody repertoires.

Animals↗

The cellulolytic system of Clostridium cellulolyticum.

Recent findings on the cellulolytic system of the mesophilic Clostridium cellulolyticum are reviewed. Six cellulases and the scaffolding protein, which are, at the present time, the known components of the cellulosome have been cloned. The catalytic and structural properties of the cloned enzymes CelA, CelC, CelD and CelF are described. It was shown that the grafting of the cellulases onto the scaffolding protein was performed using the dockerin-cohesin attachment device and was strictly dependent on the integrity of both components of the complex. The amino-acid sequences of dockerin and cohesin domains of C. cellulolyticum were compared to that of C. cellulovorans and C. thermocellum. This sequence analysis shows that domains belonging to the thermophilic or the mesophilic bacteria can be placed into two well defined groups. The genetic organization of the gene cluster of C. cellulolyticum is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The structure of the feruloyl esterase module of xylanase 10B from Clostridium thermocellum provides insights into substrate recognition.

BACKGROUND: Degradation of the plant cell wall requires the synergistic action of a consortium of predominantly modular enzymes. In Clostridiae, these biocatalysts are organized into a supramolecular assembly termed a "cellulosome." This multienzyme complex possesses, in addition to its well-described cellulolytic activity, an apparatus specific for xylan degradation. Cinnamic acid esterases hydrolyze the ferulate groups involved in the crosslinking of arabinoxylans to lignin and thus play a key role in the degradation of the plant cell wall in addition to having promising industrial and medical applications. RESULTS: We have cloned and overexpressed the feruloyl esterase module from a 5 domain xylanase, Xyn10B from Clostridium thermocellum. The native structure at 1.6 A resolution has been solved with selenomethionine multiple wavelength anomalous dispersion and refined to a final R(free) of 17.8%. The structure of a hydrolytically inactive mutant, S954A, in complex with the reaction product ferulic acid has been refined at a resolution of 1.4 A with an R(free) of 16.0%. CONCLUSIONS: The C. thermocellum Xyn10B ferulic acid esterase displays the alpha/beta-hydrolase fold and possesses a classical Ser-His-Asp catalytic triad. Ferulate esterases are characterized by their specificity, and the active center reveals the binding site for ferulic acid and related compounds. Ferulate binds in a small surface depression that possesses specificity determinants for both the methoxy and hydroxyl ring substituents of the substrate. There appears to be a lack of specificity for the xylan backbone, which may reflect the intrinsic chemical heterogeneity of the natural substrate.

Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases↗

Duplicated dockerin subdomains of Clostridium thermocellum endoglucanase CelD bind to a cohesin domain of the scaffolding protein CipA with distinct thermodynamic parameters and a negative cooperativity.

Mutagenized dockerin domains of endoglucanase CelD (type I) and of the cellulosome-integrating protein CipA (type II) were constructed by swapping residues 10 and 11 of the first or the second duplicated segment between the two polypeptides. These residues have been proposed to determine the specificity of cohesin-dockerin interactions. The dockerin domain of CelD still bound to the seventh cohesin domain of CipA (CohCip7), provided that mutagenesis occurred in one segment only. Binding was no longer detected by nondenaturing gel electrophoresis when both segments were mutagenized. The dockerin domain of CipA bound to the cohesin domain of SdbA as long as the second segment was intact. None of the mutated dockerins displayed detectable binding to the noncognate cohesin domain. Isothermal titration calorimetry showed that binding of the CelD dockerin to CohCip7 occurred with a high affinity [K(a) = (2.6 +/- 0.5) x 10(9) M(-1)] and a 1:1 stoichiometry. The reaction was weakly exothermic (DeltaHdegrees = -2.22 +/- 0.2 kcal x mol(-1)) and largely entropy driven (TDeltaSdegrees = 10.70 +/- 0.5 kcal x mol(-1)). The heat capacity change on complexation was negative (DeltaC(p) = -305 +/- 15 cal x mol(-1) x K(-1)). These values show that cohesin-dockerin binding is mainly hydrophobic. Mutations in the first or the second dockerin segment reduced or enhanced, respectively, the hydrophobic character of the interaction. Due to partial enthalpy-entropy compensation, these mutations induced only small changes in binding affinity. However, the binding affinity was strongly decreased when both segments were mutated, indicating strong negative cooperativity between the two mutated sites.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mapping by site-directed mutagenesis of the region responsible for cohesin-dockerin interaction on the surface of the seventh cohesin domain of Clostridium thermocellum CipA.

To locate the region involved in binding dockerin domains, 15 mutations were introduced across the surface of the seventh cohesin domain of the scaffolding protein CipA, which holds together the cellulosome of Clostridium thermocellum. Mutated residues were located on both faces of the nine-stranded beta-sandwich forming the cohesin domain and on the loops connecting beta-strands 4 and 5, 6 and 7, and 8 and 9. The loop region was previously proposed, on the basis of sequence comparisons, to form a contiguous "recognition strip". Individual mutants of four residues, D39, Y74, E86, and G89, formed no complexes detectable by nondenaturing gel electrophoresis after incubation with CelD664, a shortened form of endoglucanase CelD lacking the residues linking the catalytic domain with the dockerin domain. The four sensitive residues encompass a hydrophobic region on the 5-6-3-8 face of the molecule, which overlaps partially with the recognition strip and with a hydrophobic zone involved in the formation of cohesin-cohesin dimers. Isothermal titration calorimetry showed that single cohesin mutations affecting the binding of CelD664 had significant effects on the enthalpy or entropy of binding of wild-type CelD but much lesser effects on the association constant, owing to enthalpy-entropy compensation. However, the affinity for wild-type CelD of the triple mutant affecting D39, Y74, and E86 was reduced by 2 orders of magnitude, due to negative cooperativity between mutations affecting D39 + Y74 on one hand and E86 on the other hand.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Post-translational secretion of fusion proteins in the halophilic archaea Haloferax volcanii.

Although protein secretion occurs post-translationally in bacteria and is mainly a cotranslational event in Eukarya, the relationship between the translation and translocation of secreted proteins in Archaea is not known. To address this question, the signal peptide-encoding region of the surface layer glycoprotein gene from the Haloarchaea Haloferax volcanii was fused either to the cellulose-binding domain of the Clostridium thermocellum cellulosome or to the cytoplasmic enzyme dihydrofolate reductase from H. volcanii. Signal peptide-cleaved mature versions of both the cellulose-binding domain and dihydrofolate reductase could be detected in the growth medium of transformed H. volcanii cells. Immunoblot analysis revealed, however, the presence of full-length signal peptide-bearing forms of both proteins inside the cytoplasm of the transformed cells. Proteinase accessibility assays confirmed that the presence of cell-associated signal peptide-bearing proteins was not due to medium contamination. Moreover, the pulse-radiolabeled signal peptide cellulose-binding domain chimera could be chased from the cytoplasm into the growth medium even following treatment with anisomycin, an antibiotic inhibitor of haloarchaeal protein translation. Thus, these results provide evidence that, in Archaea, at least some secreted proteins are first synthesized inside the cell and only then translocated across the plasma membrane into the medium.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Pinpoint mapping of recognition residues on the cohesin surface by progressive homologue swapping.

The high affinity cohesin-dockerin interaction dictates the suprastructural assembly of the multienzyme cellulosome complex. The connection between affinity and species specificity was studied by exploring the recognition properties of two structurally related cohesin species of divergent specificity. The cohesins were examined by progressive rounds of swapping, in which corresponding homologous stretches were interchanged. The specificity of binding of the resultant chimeric cohesins was determined by enzyme-linked affinity assay and complementary protein microarray. In succeeding rounds, swapped segments were systematically contracted, according to the binding behavior of previously generated chimeras. In the fourth and final round we discerned three residues, reputedly involved in interspecies binding specificity. By replacing only these three residues, we were able to convert the specificity of the resultant mutated cohesin, which bound preferentially to the rival dockerin with approximately 20% capacity of the wild-type interaction. These residues represent but 3 of the 16 contact residues that participate in the cohesin-dockerin interaction. This approach allowed us to differentiate, in a structure-independent fashion, between residues critical for interspecies recognition and binding residues per se.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Evidence for post-translational membrane insertion of the integral membrane protein bacterioopsin expressed in the heterologous halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii.

The gene coding for the integral membrane protein bacterioopsin (Bop), that is composed of seven transmembrane helices, was expressed in the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii as a fusion protein with the halobacterial enzyme dihydrofolate reductase and with the cellulose binding domain of Clostridium thermocellum cellulosome. In each case, bacterioopsin was present both in the membrane and in the cytoplasmic fractions. Pulse-chase labeling experiments showed that the fusion protein in the cytoplasmic fraction is the precursor of the membrane-bound species. Bacterioopsin mutants that lack the seventh helix (BopDelta7) were found to accumulate only in the cytoplasmic fraction, whereas bacterioopsin mutants that lack either helices four and five (BopDelta4-5), or helices one and two (BopDelta1-2), were found in the cytoplasmic as well as in the membrane fractions. The seventh helix, when expressed alone, could target in trans the insertion of a separately expressed bacterioopsin mutant protein that has only the first six helices. These results support a model in which bacterioopsin is produced in H. volcanii as a soluble protein and in which its insertion into the membrane occurs post-translationally. According to this model, membrane insertion is directed by the seventh helix.

Bacteriorhodopsins↗

New aerobic ammonium-dependent obligately oxalotrophic bacteria: description of Ammoniphilus oxalaticus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Ammoniphilus oxalivorans gen. nov., sp. nov.

The genus Ammoniphilus is proposed for aerobic endospore-forming Gram-variable rod-shaped bacteria, which are ammonium-dependent, obligately oxalotrophic and haloalkalitolerant, oxidase- and catalase-positive, mesophilic and motile by peritrichous flagella. Cell wall contained two electron-dense layers. The external layer consists of a chain of electron-dense granules morphologically resembling the cellulosomes of Clostridium thermocellum. Two species are described, Ammoniphilus oxalaticus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Ammoniphilus oxalivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strains of these species are strains RAOx-1 (= DSM 11538) and RAOx-FS (= DSM 11537), respectively. Ammoniphilus strains were isolated from the rhizosphere of sorrel (Rumex acetosa) and from decaying wood. The strains require a high concentration of ammonium ions and use oxalate as the sole organic source of carbon and energy for growth; no growth factors were required. Growth occurred at pH 6.8-9.5. The optimum temperature and pH for growth were 28-30 degrees C and 8.0-8.5. All strains grew in a saturated solution of ammonium oxalate, and tolerated 3% NaCl. Whole-cell hydrolysates contain meso-diaminopimelic acid and glucose. The menaquinone of the strains was MK 7, and the major cellular fatty acids were 12-methyl tetradecanoic, cis-hexadec-9-enoic and hexadecanoic acids. The G + C content of the DNA was 45-46 mol% for A. oxalaticus and 42 mol% for A. oxalivorans. The almost complete 16S rDNA sequence of three strains of the two species of Ammoniphilus shows that the genus falls into the radiation of the Clostridium-Bacillus subphylum of Gram-positive bacteria. The closest phylogenetic neighbour of Ammoniphilus is Oxalophagus oxalicus. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between strains RAOx-1 and RAOx-FS was 39.7%.

Bacteria, Aerobic↗

Molecular study and overexpression of the Clostridium cellulolyticum celF cellulase gene in Escherichia coli.

The CelF-encoding sequence was isolated from Clostridium cellulolyticum genomic DNA using the inverse PCR technique. The gene lies between cipC (the gene encoding the cellulosome scaffolding protein) and celC (coding for the endoglucanase C) in the large cel cluster of this mesophilic cellulolytic Clostridium species. Comparisons between the deduced amino acid sequence of the mature CelF (693 amino acids, molecular mass 77626) and those of other beta-glycanases showed that this enzyme belongs to the recently proposed family L of cellulases (family 48 of glycosyl hydrolases). The protein was overproduced in Escherichia coli using the T7 expression system. It formed both cytoplasmic and periplasmic inclusion bodies when induction was performed at 37 degrees C. Surprisingly, the protein synthesized from the cytoplasmic production vector was degraded in the Ion protease-deficient strain BL21(DE3). The induction conditions were optimized with regard to the concentration of inductor, cell density, and temperature and time of induction in order to overproduce an active periplasmic protein (CelFp) which was both soluble and stable. It was collected using the osmotic shock method. The enzymic degradation of various cellulosic substrates by CelFp was studied. CelFp degraded swollen Avicel more efficiently than substituted soluble CM-cellulose or crystalline Avicel and was not active on xylan. Its activity is therefore quite different from that of endoglucanases, which are most active on CM-cellulose.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Three multidomain esterases from the cellulolytic rumen anaerobe Ruminococcus flavefaciens 17 that carry divergent dockerin sequences.

Three enzymes carrying esterase domains have been identified in the rumen cellulolytic anaerobe Ruminococcus flavefaciens 17. The newly characterized CesA gene product (768 amino acids) includes an N-terminal acetylesterase domain and an unidentified C-terminal domain, while the previously characterized XynB enzyme (781 amino acids) includes an internal acetylesterase domain in addition to its N-terminal xylanase catalytic domain. A third gene, xynE, is predicted to encode a multidomain enzyme of 792 amino acids including a family 11 xylanase domain and a C-terminal esterase domain. The esterase domains from CesA and XynB share significant sequence identity (44%) and belong to carbohydrate esterase family 3; both domains are shown here to be capable of deacetylating acetylated xylans, but no evidence was found for ferulic acid esterase activity. The esterase domain of XynE, however, shares 42% amino acid identity with a family 1 phenolic acid esterase domain identified from Clostridum thermocellum XynZ. XynB, XynE and CesA all contain dockerin-like regions in addition to their catalytic domains, suggesting that these enzymes form part of a cellulosome-like multienzyme complex. The dockerin sequences of CesA and XynE differ significantly from those previously described in R. flavefaciens polysaccharidases, including XynB, suggesting that they might represent distinct dockerin specificities.

Acetylesterase↗

Molecular determinants of substrate specificity in the feruloyl esterase module of xylanase 10B from Clostridium thermocellum.

Feruloyl esterases play a key role in the degradation of the intricate structure of the plant cell wall by hydrolysing the ferulate ester groups involved in the cross-linking between hemicelluloses and between hemicellulose and lignin. The structure of the feruloyl esterase module of Clostridium thermocellum cellulosomal xylanase 10B has been reported previously. It displays the alpha/beta hydrolase fold with a classical Ser-His-Asp catalytic triad. Here, the structures of a Ser-Ala mutant of this feruloyl esterase in complexes with methyl syringate, methyl sinapinate and methyl vanillate are described. Substrate binding is accompanied by subtle conformational changes at amino acids Trp982, Met955, Asn1023 and Ile1019 in the ligand-binding cavity. The structural determinants, particularly the m-methoxy substituent, governing the substrate specificity of Xyn10B feruloyl esterase are rationalized.

Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases↗