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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Low-temperature resonance-Raman spectra of Japanese-lacquer-tree (Rhus vernicifera) laccase, type-2-copper-depleted laccase and H2O2-treated type-2-copper-depleted laccase.

Resonance-Raman spectra of Japanese-lacquer-tree (Rhus vernicifera) laccase, type-2-copper-depleted laccase and the latter form treated with H2O2 were measured in liquid and frozen solution, on excitation into the 600 nm absorption band. Significant changes in intensity and/or frequency of the bands lying in the 370-430 cm-1 region were observed on freezing, indicating local structural rearrangements taking place at the blue copper site. These findings corroborate previous suggestions based on e.p.r. measurements and redox data [Morpurgo, Calabrese, Desideri & Rotilio (1981) Biochem. J. 193, 639-642]. They show the strong dependence of the physical properties of blue copper centres on local symmetry. Some conclusions on the origin of the Raman bands are also drawn.

Cold Temperature↗

Isolation of five laccase gene sequences from the white-rot fungus Trametes sanguinea by PCR, and cloning, characterization and expression of the laccase cDNA in yeasts.

To obtain laccase-gene-specific sequences from the white-rot fungus Trametes sanguinea M85-2, a PCR screening method was used. Degenerate primers were designed based on highly conserved copper-binding regions I and IV of known laccases and used to amplify laccase sequences from T. sanguinea M85-2 genomic DNA. A single 1.6-kbp DNA band was amplified and cloned into a vector. Partial sequences of 21 clones were classified into five groups (lcc1-5) and the deduced amino acid sequences were all homologous to known laccase sequences. Based on the partial sequence of lcc1, the 5'-end of its cDNA was obtained by a PCR termed 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5'-RACE), and RT-PCR was then carried out using the 5'-primer and the poly-dT primer to obtain the full-length lcc1 cDNA. The obtained cDNA encoded a protein consisting of 518 amino acid residues and its first 21 amino acid residues were predicted to be the signal peptide for secretion. The conserved characteristic structures of laccase, such as copper-binding ligands, N-glycosylation sites, and cysteine residues for disulfide bridges, were observed. The genomic DNA sequence of the lcc1 gene was also cloned by PCR method and the sequence revealed 10 introns. The lcc1 cDNA was inserted into yeast vectors for heterologous expression by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris. Phenol-oxidizing activity was detected from transformants of the yeasts, indicating that the obtained cDNA encodes a laccase. Previously, two laccase isozymes were biochemically characterized and purified from T. sanguinea M85-2. Using the sequential PCR method presented here, we have obtained partial sequences of at least five laccase genes and one cDNA clone encoding a protein with laccase activity but without any enzymatic information, suggesting that expressed enzymes under restricted conditions may not represent all the isozymes in target microorganisms. PCR cloning and heterologous expression of the cloned genes can be an alternative method of screening enzymes if these enzymes have conserved sequences.

Journal Article↗

Autoreduction and aggregation of fungal laccase in solution phase: possible correlation with a resting form of laccase.

This paper reports results of a reexamination of some poorly understood peculiarities of laccases, an enzyme family which has been extensively studied in our laboratories as well as by others for some years. The issue that is reconsidered here is the previously proposed existence of "active" and "resting" forms of laccases. The presence of fungal laccases with partly reduced active sites is demonstrated. Of further interest is that an aggregated state in solution, not to our knowledge previously noted for laccase, has been found by using small-angle X-ray scattering as well as thorough analysis of the results of several biochemical experiments. Under some conditions, this aggregated state may correlate with the resting form of the laccases, although this resting form could have a broader significance. It was shown that Trametes ochracea laccase had some anomalous characteristics, which could be correlated with the high concentration of the "resting" enzyme. The mechanism of formation of resting laccase is suggested. Knowledge of the resting state is of importance for in vitro studies. Additionally, a suggestion about the possible regulatory role of this form in vivo is mentioned.

Basidiomycota↗

Promoting laccase activity towards non-phenolic substrates: a mechanistic investigation with some laccase-mediator systems.

The oxidation of benzyl alcohols with the enzyme laccase, under mediation by appropriate mediator compounds, yields carbonylic products, whereas laccase can not oxidise these non-phenolic substrates directly. The oxidation step is performed by the oxidised form of the mediator (Med(ox)), generated on its interaction with laccase. The Med(ox) can follow either an electron transfer (ET) or a radical hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) route of oxidation of the substrates. Experimental evidence is reported that enables unambiguous assessment of the occurrence of either one the oxidation routes with each of the investigated mediators, namely, ABTS, HBT, HPI and VLA. Support to the conclusions is provided by (i) investigating the intermolecular selectivity of oxidation with appropriate substrates, (ii) attempting Hammett correlations for the oxidation of a series of 4-X-substituted benzyl alcohols, (iii) measuring the kinetic isotope effect, (iv) investigating the product pattern with suitable probe precursors. Based on these points, a HAT mechanism results to be followed by the laccase-HBT, laccase-HPI and laccase-VLA systems, whereas an ET route appears feasible in the case of the laccase-ABTS system.

Binding, Competitive↗

Dioxygen reactivity of laccase: dependence on laccase source, pH, and anion inhibition.

A study was carried out on the dioxygen reactivity of the laccases from Trametes villosa, Rhizoctonia solani, Myceliophthora thermophila, Scytalidium thermophilum, and Coprinus cinereus. At pH 5.5, these laccases showed an apparently constant Km (about 20-50 microM) for O2 with either 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) or methyl syringate as the reducing substrate, in contrast to the kcat, which varied up to 100-fold. O2 reactivity of the Trametes and Myceliophthora laccases was also studied at various pH and NaF concentrations. The apparent Km of Trametes and Myceliophthora laccases varied only slightly when pH changed from 3.0 to 8.0 or when the laccases were inhibited by F- at pH 5.5, although the apparent kcat were more significantly affected by both factors. The dependence of the apparent Km on the source of laccase, pH, and F- inhibition suggested that the fungal laccases might have a conserved O2 pocket and that the F- or OH- inhibition might affect the O2 reduction step (kcat) more than the O2 binding step (Km) under steady-state conditions.

Anions↗

[Consumption of the triazine herbicide atrazine by laccase and laccase-free variants of the soil fungus Mycelia sterilia INBI-2-26].

Asporogenic fungus Mycelia sterilia INBI 2-26 isolated from tropical soils with high residual dioxin content (as a result of Agent Orange defoliant treatment during the Vietnamese-American war) and capable of atrazine decomposition was treated to obtain protoplasts. This technique resulted in isolation of laccase-positive and laccase-negative clones. Atrazine consumption by liquid surface cultures of Mycelia sterilia INBI 2-26 was monitored by using enzyme immune assay and reversed phase HPLC. Atrazine (20 micrograms/l) stimulated fungal growth. Laccase-positive clone consumed up to 80% of atrazine within four weeks. However, no correlation of atrazine consumption and laccase activity in the culture medium was observed. Moreover, the laccase-negative clone was also capable of consuming at least 60-70% of atrazine within three weeks. Surprisingly, in the corresponding control set (cultivation of laccase-negative clone without atrazine) an unidentified metabolite having a retention time and UV-spectrum similar to those of atrazine was also found. It was concluded that the presence of laccase was not a crucial factor in atrazine consumption by this fungus.

Atrazine↗

Early attack and subsequent changes produced in an industrial lignin by a fungal laccase and a laccase-mediator system: an analytical approach.

An industrial kraft pine lignin (Indulin AT, KL) was characterized and treated in both aqueous-buffered media and dioxane to water, either with a partially purified laccase from Fusarium proliferatum or with the laccase plus 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic-acid (ABTS) as mediator. The changes in the lignin after different incubation periods were analyzed through the application of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), UV-visible (Vis) spectroscopy and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). At the onset of incubation, laccase-treated samples showed a slight polymerization and strong modifications in UV-Vis spectra. Through Py-GC/MS, a decrease in phenolic and methoxy-bearing pyrolysis products was observed, in contrast to an increase in the more oxidized products. After longer incubation periods (48 h) a substantial polymerization was detected by HPLC, along with a decrease in the guaiacyl (G) units. In contrast, the analysis by HPLC of the samples recovered from the laccase-ABTS system (LMS) showed an intense depolymerization, accompanied by a sizeable loss in G units and a decrease in the methyl and ethyl side-chain phenolic compounds. These results provide conclusive evidence of a rapid initial attack of the industrial lignin by laccase and notable modifications in the KL after longer incubation periods with laccase or LMS.

Benzothiazoles↗

Purification and characterization of the constitutive form of laccase from the basidiomycete Coriolus hirsutus and effect of inducers on laccase synthesis.

An isolate of Coriolus hirsutus constitutively expresses substantial amounts of extracellular laccase on a defined growth medium. The most efficient inducer of extracellular laccase synthesis was syringaldazine, which increased the enzyme yield by 1000% at a concentration of 0.11 microM. The constitutive form of the enzyme was purified 312-fold. Laccase from C. hirsutus, with an estimated molecular mass of 55 kDa and pI of 4.0, is a monomeric glycoprotein containing 12% carbohydrate consisting of mannose and N-acetylglucosamine. The laccase was found to contain 3.9-4.1 copper atoms per molecule. The absorption spectrum shows a maximum at 610 nm and a shoulder at 330 nm, which is typical of laccase possessing type 1 and type 3 copper atoms. The parameters of the first type of copper were determined by EPR as g perpendicular=2.046 and g parallel=2.200, A parallel=8.103 x 10(-3) cm-1. Laccase was found to be a pH-stable and thermostable enzyme. With organic substrates it exhibits a pH optimum of 4.5, but with the inorganic substrate K4[Fe(CN)6] this decreased to 3.5. The highest efficiency of catalysis was observed with sinapinic acid as the substrate. The kinetic constants kcat and Km of this reaction were 578 s-1 and 24 microM respectively. It was established that the kinetics of the assayed reaction shows a Ping Pong mechanism.

Amino Acids↗

On applicability of laccase as label in the mediated and mediatorless electroimmunoassay: effect of distance on the direct electron transfer between laccase and electrode.

Applicability of laccase as enzyme-label has been investigated. It was shown that the property of laccase to catalyze the oxygen electroreduction at an electrode allows to develop a mediatorless and pseudoreagentless electro-enzyme-immunoassay (EEIA). In this case the electrode acts as an electron-donor substrate. When the bioelectrocatalytic reaction takes place, some electric charge is collected on the electrode. A method of determination of the electrode charge as well as the concentration of oxidized form of the mediator at the electrode surface has been elaborated. For this aim a technique of the measurement of current-surge was employed. Human immunoglobulin G and insulin were taken as model in this investigation. A back titration schemes without any mediator and in the presence of o-carboxybenzoylferrocene as a mediator was applied. The antibody carbon-black and the antigen glassy-carbon electrodes were used. The limits of detection were found to be 0.3 and 1.6 nM, respectively. The advantage of the mediatorless assay is that the charge leakage is imperceptible by open circuit for a long time and the accumulation of the charge occurs linearly with time. The charge accumulation for a long time allows to diminish the limit of detection. However, there is a limitation of the method. The direct electron transfer slows down with increasing the distance between the enzyme molecule and the electrode surface. This effect reduces the sensitivity of the method. The decrease of the electron transfer rate with distance has been estimated. Monolayer of hemoglobin dividing the laccase molecule from the electrode surface decreases the rate by four times. The electron transfer rate for the antibody electrode with associated antigen-laccase conjugate is less than that for the analogous electrode, covered with monolayer of covalently attached laccase, by 210 times. The current-surge peak was expected to decrease with distance by an equation of the form I = I0 exp[-r/r0]. The parameter r0 is equal to 2.2 +/- 0.8 nm. The possibility of the sensitivity increase in the mediatorless mode by 'wiring' through the multilayer film of immunoproteins immobilized on the electrode is discussed.

Biosensing Techniques↗

Oxidation of phenols by laccase and laccase-mediator systems.

To investigate how solubility and steric issues affect the laccase-catalysed oxidation of phenols, a series of oligomeric polyphenol compounds, having increasing size and decreasing solubility in water, was incubated with laccase. The extent of substrate conversion, and the nature of the products formed in buffered aqueous solutions, were compared to those obtained in the presence of an organic cosolvent, and also in the presence of two mediating species, i.e. N-hydroxyphthalimide (HPI) and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yloxy (TEMPO). This approach showed not only an obvious role of solubility, but also a significant role of the dimension of the substrate upon the enzymatic reactivity. In fact, reactivity decreases as substrate size increases even when solubility is enhanced by a cosolvent. This effect may be ascribed to limited accessibility of encumbered substrates to the enzyme active site, and can be compensated through the use of the appropriate mediator. While TEMPO was highly efficient at enhancing the reactivity of large, less soluble substrates, HPI proved less effective. In addition, whereas the laccase/HPI system afforded the same products as laccase alone, the use of TEMPO provided a different product with high specificity. These results offer the first evidence of the role of 'oxidation shuttles' that the mediators of laccase may have, but also suggest two promising routes towards an environmentally friendly process for kraft pulp bleaching: (a) the identification of mediators which, once oxidized by laccase, are able to target strategic functional groups present in lignin, and (b) the introduction of those strategic functional groups in an appropriate pretreatment.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Molecular characterization of laccase genes from the basidiomycete Coprinus cinereus and heterologous expression of the laccase lcc1.

A laccase from Coprinus cinereus is active at alkaline pH, an essential property for some potential applications. We cloned and sequenced three laccase genes (lcc1, lcc2, and lcc3) from the ink cap basidiomycete C. cinereus. The lcc1 gene contained 7 introns, while both lcc2 and lcc3 contained 13 introns. The predicted mature proteins (Lcc1 to Lcc3) are 58 to 80% identical at the amino acid level. The predicted Lcc1 contains a 23-amino-acid C-terminal extension rich in arginine and lysine, suggesting that C-terminal processing may occur during its biosynthesis. We expressed the Lcc1 protein in Aspergillus oryzae and purified it. The Lcc1 protein as expressed in A. oryzae has an apparent molecular mass of 66 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and absorption maxima at 278 and 614 nm. Based on the N-terminal protein sequence of the laccase, a 4-residue propeptide was processed during the maturation of the enzyme. The dioxygen specificity of the laccase showed an apparent K(m) of 21 +/- 2 microM and a catalytic constant of 200 +/- 10 min(-1) for O(2) with 2, 2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) as the reducing substrate at pH 5.5. Lcc1 from A. oryzae may be useful in industrial applications. This is the first report of a basidiomycete laccase whose biosynthesis involves both N-terminal and C-terminal processing.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A chromogenic oxidative coupling reaction of laccase: applications for laccase and angiotensin I converting enzyme assay.

A sensitive chromogenic assay for p-hydroxybenzoic acid, laccase activity, and angiotensin I converting enzyme activity is described. The method relies on the oxidative coupling of 2,2'-azino-di(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. Lacase catalyzes the formation of a deep-purple compound, which shows a broad absorption between 530 and 630 nm with a maximum at 593 nm (the molar absorption coefficient was calculated to be 26,900). By means of this chromogenic coupling reaction, a spectrophotometric method for the assay of laccase activity and estimation of the amount of p-hydroxybenzoic acid was developed; laccase activity in the range 1-10 pmol protein could be estimated with a 10-min incubation time. Angiotensin I converting enzyme was also assayed by the laccase-catalyzed indicator reaction, using p-hydroxybenzoyl-glycyl-histidyl-leucine as the substrate, and N alpha-carbobenzoxy amino acid urethane hydrolase as the coupling enzyme.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Laccase activity tests and laccase inhibitors.

Sulfhydryl organic compounds described as laccase inhibitors: dithiothreitol, thioglycolic acid, cysteine, diethyldithiocarbamic acid, and sodium azide were tested for their activity toward laccase of Trametes versicolor in different test systems utilising 2, 2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) and 2, 6-dimethoxyphenol as enzyme substrates. Only sodium azide acted as a true laccase inhibitor and showed no significant interference with the enzyme tests. All other substances did not significantly inhibit the laccase activity and the previously reported inhibitory effects result from the reductions of the reaction products such as ABTS radical cation and diquinone or subsequent non-enzymatic interactions during substrate oxidation. The latter apparently forms a complex with unreacted ABTS displaying varied spectral characteristics and resulting in an underestimation of enzyme activity.

Benzothiazoles↗

Important role of fungal intracellular laccase for melanin synthesis: purification and characterization of an intracellular laccase from Lentinula edodes fruit bodies.

A laccase (EC 1.10.3.2) was isolated from the fully browned gills of Lentinula edodes fruit bodies. The enzyme was purified to a homogeneous preparation using hydrophobic, cation-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. SDS-PAGE analysis showed the purified laccase, Lcc 2, to be a monomeric protein of 58.0 kDa. The enzyme had an isoelectric point of around pH 6.9. The optimum pH for enzyme activity was around 3.0 against 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)diammonium salt (ABTS), and it was most active at 40 degrees C and stable up to 50 degrees C. The enzyme contained 8.6 % carbohydrate and some copper atoms. The enzyme oxidized ABTS, p-phenylenediamine, pyrogallol, guaiacol, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, catechol and ferulic acid, but not veratryl alcohol and tyrosine. Beta-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)alanine (L-DOPA), which was not oxidized by a laccase previously reported from the culture filtrate of L. edodes, was also oxidized by Lcc 2, and the oxidative product of L-dopa was identified as L-DOPA quinone by HPLC analysis. Lcc 2 was able to oxidize phenolic compounds extracted from fresh gills to brown-coloured products, suggesting a role for laccase in melanin synthesis in this strain.

Hydrogen-Ion Concentration↗

Role of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole in oxidation by laccase from Trametes versicolor. Kinetic analysis of the laccase-1-hydroxybenzotriazole couple.

In the current studies, we used Lineweaver-Burke analysis to examine the role of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT) in the oxidation of various compounds by laccase from Trametes versicolor. At low concentrations, HBT was a competitive inhibitor of the oxidation, but at high concentrations, it was a noncompetitive inhibitor. Analysis of the oxidation of ferrocytochrome c by the laccase-HBT couple showed that increasing the concentration of ferrocytochrome c did not affect the V(max) but reduced the apparent K(m). In addition, in the manganese peroxidase-Mn(II) reaction, which is a typical oxidation system by mediator, the apparent K(m) and V(max) increased as the concentration of the substrate 2,6-dimethoxyphenol was increased. These results indicate that HBT is involved in the binding of laccase and substrates that laccase cannot oxidize alone.

Basidiomycota↗

Production of laccase by Coriolus versicolor and its application in decolorization of dyestuffs: (I). Production of laccase by batch and repeated-batch processes.

The production of laccase by Coriolus versicolor was studied. The effect of cultivation conditions on laccase production by Coriolus versicolor was examined to obtain optimal medium and cultivation conditions. Both batch and repeated-batch processes were performed for laccase production. In repeated-batch fermentation with self-immobilized mycelia, total of 14 cycles were performed with laccase activity in the range between 3.4 and 14.8 U/ml.

Basidiomycota↗

Nitrite reactivity of the binuclear copper site in T2D Rhus laccase: preparation of half met-NO2- T2D laccase and its correlation to half met-NO2- hemocyanin and tyrosinase.

Through chemistry directly comparable to that of the hemocyanins and tyrosinase, half met-NO2- T2D laccase derivatives have been prepared; this NO2- reactivity entails both two electron oxidation of the cuprous binuclear site in deoxy T2D laccase and one electron reduction of the coupled cupric site in the met derivative. However, the labile ligand substitution chemistry and lack of dimer formation in half met-NO2- T2D are in marked contrast to behavior of the simpler binuclear copper containing proteins under analagous conditions. This chemistry supports and extends our earlier studies on the ferrocyanide-generated half met T2D which first indicated an inability of exogenous ligands to bridge the binuclear copper site in laccase.

Binding Sites↗

Characterization of a laccase gene from the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor and structural features of basidiomycete laccases.

A gene coding for the multi-copper phenol oxidase laccase has been isolated from the white-rot basidiomycete Trametes versicolor. The gene, which is preceded by a TATA box and a pyrimidine-rich region, is predicted to contain ten introns. The mature translation product, preceded by a 22-residue signal peptide, should consist of 498 residues. Comparisons with Edman degradation data of peptides from T. versicolor laccase strongly suggest that two disulfide bridges are formed by Cys-85/Cys-487 and Cys-117/Cys-205, respectively. The encoded protein contains five Cys, and the sequence surrounding the remaining Cys-452 is consistent with its involvement in the ligation of type-1 copper. Alignment of sequences indicates that T. versicolor laccase displays a Phe at the position corresponding to a residue (Met in ascorbate oxidase and azurin) considered important for the reduction potential of type-1 copper proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗