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Protein engineering of toluene 4-monooxygenase of Pseudomonas mendocina KR1 for synthesizing 4-nitrocatechol from nitrobenzene.

After discovering that toluene 4-monooxygenase (T4MO) of Pseudomonas mendocina KR1 oxidizes nitrobenzene to 4-nitrocatechol, albeit at a very low rate, this reaction was improved using directed evolution and saturation mutagenesis. Screening 550 colonies from a random mutagenesis library generated by error-prone PCR of tmoAB using Escherichia coli TG1/pBS(Kan)T4MO on agar plates containing nitrobenzene led to the discovery of nitrocatechol-producing mutants. One mutant, NB1, contained six amino acid substitutions (TmoA Y22N, I84Y, S95T, I100S, S400C; TmoB D79N). It was believed that position I100 of the alpha subunit of the hydroxylase (TmoA) is the most significant for the change in substrate reactivity due to previous results in our lab with a similar enzyme, toluene ortho-monooxygenase of Burkholderia cepacia G4. Saturation mutagenesis at this position resulted in the generation of two more nitrocatechol mutants, I100A and I100S; the rate of 4-nitrocatechol formation by I100A was more than 16 times higher than that of wild-type T4MO at 200 microM nitrobenzene (0.13 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.008 +/- 0.001 nmol/min.mg protein). HPLC and mass spectrometry analysis revealed that variants NB1, I100A, and I100S produce 4-nitrocatechol via m-nitrophenol, while the wild-type produces primarily p-nitrophenol and negligible amounts of nitrocatechol. Relative to wild-type T4MO, whole cells expressing variant I100A convert nitrobenzene into m-nitrophenol with a Vmax of 0.61 +/- 0.037 vs. 0.16 +/- 0.071 nmol/min.mg protein and convert m-nitrophenol into nitrocatechol with a Vmax of 3.93 +/- 0.26 vs. 0.58 +/- 0.033 nmol/min.mg protein. Hence, the regiospecificity of nitrobenzene oxidation was changed by the random mutagenesis, and this led to a significant increase in 4-nitrocatechol production. The regiospecificity of toluene oxidation was also altered, and all of the mutants produced 20% m-cresol and 80% p-cresol, while the wild-type produces 96% p-cresol. Interestingly, the rate of toluene oxidation (the natural substrate of the enzyme) by I100A was also higher by 65% (7.2 +/- 1.2 vs. 4.4 +/- 0.3 nmol/min mg protein). Homology-based modeling of TmoA suggests reducing the size of the side chain of I100 leads to an increase in the width of the active site channel, which facilitates access of substrates and promotes more flexible orientations.

Catechols↗

[The use of filamentous phage M13 in protein engineering].

M13B1 vector based on the filamentous phage M13 has been constructed. M13B1 phage carries the gene of resistance to ampicillin and contains the unique site of recognition for BamHI restriction endonuclease in gene VIII coding for the major coat protein. BamHI restriction site has been inserted into the gene of the major coat protein by means of oligonucleotide directed mutagenesis. The synthetic DNA fragment coding for the model peptides has been inserted through BamHI site into the M13B1 DNA. The possibility of inserting foreign peptides into the N-terminus at maintaining the viability of hybrid phages has been shown. The differences in specificity of the recombinant phage maturation have been determined by analysing the amino acid sequence of B-protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Crystal structure of the F87W/Y96F/V247L mutant of cytochrome P-450cam with 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene bound and further protein engineering for the oxidation of pentachlorobenzene and hexachlorobenzene.

We reported previously that the F87W/Y96F/V247L mutant of cytochrome P-450cam (CYP101) from Pseudomonas putida catalyzed the rapid oxidation of lightly chlorinated benzenes, but pentachlorobenzene oxidation was slow (Jones, J. P., O'Hare, E. J., and Wong, L. L. (2001) Eur. J. Biochem. 268, 1460-1467). In the present work, we determined the crystal structure of this mutant with bound 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene. The substrate was bound to crystallographically independent CYP101 molecules in at least three different orientations, which were distinguished by the angle between the benzene ring and the porphyrin, and one orientation contained an Fe-Cl interaction. In another orientation, the substrate was almost parallel to the heme, with a C-H bond closest to the iron. The enzyme/substrate contacts suggested that the L244A mutation should promote the binding of pentachlorobenzene and hexachlorobenzene by creating space to accommodate the extra chlorines. The F87W/Y96F/L244A/V247L mutant thus designed was found to oxidize pentachlorobenzene at a rate of 82.5 nmol (nmol CYP101)(-1) min(-1), 45 times faster than the F87W/Y96F/V247L parent mutant. The rate of hexachlorobenzene oxidation was increased 200-fold, to 2.0 min(-1). Both substrates are oxidized to pentachlorophenol, which is degraded by micro-organisms. In principle, the F87W/Y96F/L244A/V247L mutant could have applications in the bioremediation of polychlorinated benzenes.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Affinity-based chromatography utilizing genetically engineered proteins. Interaction of Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase with calmodulin.

An engineered calmodulin differs from vertebrate calmodulin in its ability to activate Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase, and this difference has been utilized as the basis for a new purification protocol for the adenylate cyclase. VU-8 calmodulin, in which 3 glutamic acid residues (residues 82-84) have been substituted with 3 lysine residues, has a 1000-fold lower apparent affinity for the adenylate cyclase, compared to vertebrate calmodulin, and decreased maximal activity. Because of the relatively calcium-independent nature of the interaction between calmodulin and the cyclase, the use of calmodulin-Sepharose conjugates in the purification of the cyclase requires the use of chaotropic agents for elution. However, when immobilized VU-8 calmodulin was tested as a calcium-dependent, affinity-based, adsorption chromatography step in the purification of the cyclase from culture media or bacterial extracts, the enzyme bound to the column in a calcium-dependent manner, and a nearly homogeneous enzyme was obtained in high yield. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using engineered calmodulins that have selective differences in activity for the rational design of rapid purification protocols for calmodulin-binding proteins as well as indicate the importance of the conserved negative charge cluster at residues 82-84 of calmodulin for activation of this cyclase.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Improved crystals of the toxic protein MAP by protein engineering towards the host specificity.

Mirabilis anti-viral protein (MAP) is a ribosome-inactivating protein from Mirabilis jalapa L. Since MAP is effective over a broad spectrum of species, the protein is difficult to express in heterologous hosts such as Escherichia coli. Recently, we obtained a MAP mutant, Y72F which exhibits a lower (1/100) activity against E. coli ribosomes while retaining almost full activity against mammalian cells [Habuka, Miyano, Kataoka, Tsuge & Noma (1992). J. Biol. Chem. 267, 7758-7760]. For the crystallographic studies, the Y72F MAP expression vector with an OmpA leading sequence was constructed and expressed in E. coli. The Y72F MAP mutant was then isolated and purified from the cell culture medium. Crystals were grown using the crystallization conditions for the native MAP crystals [Miyano et al. (1992). J. Mol. Biol. 226, 281-283]: 50% ammonium sulfate containing 50 mM ammonium citrate and 2 mM adenine sulfate, pH 5.4. The crystals belong to space group P3(1)21 (or P3(2)21) with a = b = 104.1 and c = 134.3 A. The crystals are isomorphous with the wild-type crystals but diffract to higher resolution. Imaging-plate photographs of the Y72F mutant showed sharp intense spots without the streaking observed in the native crystals.

Journal Article↗

Introduction of Culex toxicity into Bacillus thuringiensis Cry4Ba by protein engineering.

Bacillus thuringiensis mosquitocidal toxin Cry4Ba has no significant natural activity against Culex quinquefasciatus or Culex pipiens (50% lethal concentrations [LC(50)], >80,000 and >20,000 ng/ml, respectively). We introduced amino acid substitutions in three putative loops of domain II of Cry4Ba. The mutant proteins were tested on four different species of mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, C. quinquefasciatus, and C. pipiens. Putative loop 1 and 2 exchanges eliminated activity towards A. aegypti and A. quadrimaculatus. Mutations in a putative loop 3 resulted in a final increase in toxicity of >700-fold and >285-fold against C. quinquefasciatus (LC(50) congruent with 114 ng/ml) and C. pipiens (LC(50) 37 ng/ml), respectively. The enhanced protein (mutein) has very little negative effect on the activity against Anopheles or AEDES: These results suggest that the introduction of short variable sequences of the loop regions from one toxin into another might provide a general rational design approach to enhancing B. thuringiensis Cry toxins.

Aedes↗

Protein engineering thrombin for optimal specificity and potency of anticoagulant activity in vivo.

Previous alanine scanning mutagenesis of thrombin revealed that substitution of residues W50, K52, E229, and R233 (W60d, K60f, E217, and R221 in chymotrypsinogen numbering) with alanine altered the substrate specificity of thrombin to favor the anticoagulant substrate protein C. Saturation mutagenesis, in which residues W50, K52, E229, and R233 were each substituted with all 19 naturally occurring amino acids, resulted in the identification of a single mutation, E229K, that shifted the substrate specificity of thrombin by 130-fold to favor the activation of the anticoagulant substrate protein C over the procoagulant substrate fibrinogen. E229K thrombin was also less effective in activating platelets (18-fold), was resistant to inhibition by antithrombin III (33-fold and 22-fold in the presence and absence of heparin), and displayed a prolonged half-life in plasma in vitro (26-fold). Thus E229K thrombin displayed an optimal phenotype to function as a potent and specific activator of endogenous protein C and as an anticoagulant in vivo. Upon infusion in Cynomolgus monkeys E229K thrombin caused an anticoagulant effect through the activation of endogenous protein C without coincidentally stimulating fibrinogen clotting and platelet activation as observed with wild-type thrombin. In addition, E229K thrombin displayed enhanced potency in vivo relative to the prototype protein C activator E229A thrombin. This enhanced potency may be attributable to decreased clearance by antithrombin III, the principal physiological inhibitor of thrombin.

Animals↗

Co-crystallization of the human nuclear cap-binding complex with a m7GpppG cap analogue using protein engineering.

The nuclear cap-binding complex (CBC) binds the 7-methyl-G(5')ppp(5')N cap structure at the 5' end of pre-messenger and uracil-rich small nuclear RNAs in the nucleus. It mediates interaction of these capped RNAs with various nuclear machineries involved in RNA maturation and is co-exported with them to the cytoplasm. The structure of human CBC, which comprises the subunits CBP20 and CBP80, has previously been determined in a mildly trypsinated form which can no longer bind the cap. Here, the engineering and crystallization of two variant CBCs with deletions in CBP80 which do not affect function are described. A complex with a small N-terminal deletion in CBP80 was crystallized in space group C2 with one complex per asymmetric unit. The crystals diffract to 2 A resolution and give the first structure of intact but cap-free CBC. An additional internal deletion in CBP80 of a prominent solvent-exposed coiled coil gives rise to a more compact complex. This was co-crystallized with the cap analogue m(7)GpppG in two different crystal forms which could grow in the same drop. Form 1 belongs to space group P3(1)21 with one complex per asymmetric unit and diffracts to 2.15 A resolution. Form 2 belongs to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with two complexes per asymmetric unit and diffracts to 2.3 A resolution. In both forms, strong extra electron density is observed for the cap analogue and for the N- and C-terminal extensions of CBP20 which was absent or disordered in all previous structures.

Base Sequence↗

Modification of the amino acid specificity of tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase by protein engineering.

The amino acid specificity of Bacillus stearothermophilus tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase was studied by site-directed mutagenesis of residues close to the active site. X-ray crystallographic studies of the enzyme have suggested that Asp-176 is a major determinant of amino acid specificity, as its carboxylate is observed to make a hydrogen bond with the hydroxyl group of the substrate tyrosine. Previous efforts to test the importance of Asp-176 by site-directed mutagenesis led to inactive enzymes. We have now investigated the catalytic properties of enzymes altered, not at Asp-176 itself, but instead at two amino acids, Asn-123 and Trp-126, that appear in the crystallographic structure to form hydrogen bonds with Asp-176. Mutation of Trp-126 does not affect the kinetics of activation with respect to ATP but leads to modest increases in the Km for tyrosine. Conversely, position Asn-123 mutants are strongly affected: 160-fold lower kcat and 5-fold higher Km for the Ala-123; and 17-fold decrease and 270-fold increase, respectively, of the same parameters for the Asp-123 mutation. The specificity against phenylalanine was determined from the ratios of kcat/Km for the amino acids in the pyrophosphate exchange reaction. The ratio of 1.2 x 10(5) for the wild-type enzyme decreases 4-fold on mutation of Asn-123 but increases 7-fold on the mutation of Trp-126-->Phe and 2-fold on Trp-126-->Leu. The wild-type enzyme has not reached the maximum limit of discrimination between tyrosine and phenylalanine.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗