Coordination sphere of the third metal site is essential to the activity and metal selectivity of alkaline phosphatases

in Protein Science : A Publication of the Protein Society (2010), 19(1), 75-84

Alkaline phosphatases (APs) are commercially applied enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphate monoesters by a reaction involving three active site metal ions. We have previously identified H135 ... [more ▼]

Alkaline phosphatases (APs) are commercially applied enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphate monoesters by a reaction involving three active site metal ions. We have previously identified H135 as the key residue for controlling activity of the psychrophilic TAB5 AP (TAP). In this article, we describe three X-ray crystallographic structures on TAP variants H135E and H135D in complex with a variety of metal ions. The structural analysis is supported by thermodynamic and kinetic data. The AP catalysis essentially requires octahedral coordination in the M3 site, but stability is adjusted with the conformational freedom of the metal ion. Comparison with the mesophilic Escherichia coli, AP shows differences in the charge transfer network in providing the chemically optimal metal combination for catalysis. Our results provide explanation why the TAB5 and E. coli APs respond in an opposite way to mutagenesis in their active sites. They provide a lesson on chemical fine tuning and the importance of the second coordination sphere in defining metal specificity in enzymes. Understanding the framework of AP catalysis is essential in the efforts to design even more powerful tools for modern biotechnology. [less ▲]

Biotechnological applications of psychrophiles

in Environmental Technology (2010), 31

Temperature Adaptation of Proteins: Stability, Folding and Flexibility in Mesophilic-like Engineered Alpha-Amylases

Poster (2009, July 02)

Habitats of permanently cold temperature, like polar regions for example, have been colonized by a great variety of psychrophilic organisms producing enzymes adapted to function efficiently in these cold ... [more ▼]

Habitats of permanently cold temperature, like polar regions for example, have been colonized by a great variety of psychrophilic organisms producing enzymes adapted to function efficiently in these cold environments. According to the hypothesis developed in our laboratory, the adaptation to cold temperature involves relationships between activity, flexibility and stability. Even if activity and stability are not physically linked in proteins 1, the consensus for the adaptive strategy is to take advantage of the lack of selective pressure for stable proteins to lose stability, therefore increasing the flexibility or mobility of the enzyme at low temperatures that restrict molecular motions. 2 Working on alpha-amylase, we have investigated the role of weak interactions in thermal adaptation of proteins by site-directed mutagenesis. We have built two multiple-mutants (Mut5 and Mut5CC) of the psychrophilc alpha-amylase (AHA) from the Antarctic bacterium, Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis. The single mutations were selected by comparison of the presence of weak interactions in a mesophilic chloride-dependant homolog from pig pancreas, PPA. The study of selected single mutations prompt us to construct two multiple-mutants, Mut5 and Mut5CC, carrying 5 and 6 additional weak interactions found in PPA, that showed an increased stability and a lower activity at 25 °C.3 We have compared AHA, Mut5 and Mut5CC with additional methods like differential scanning calorimetry, thermal and chemical unfolding and circular dichroism in order to determine the gain in stability. We also studied the flexibility or breathing of the enzymes by acrylamide-induced fluorescence quenching. The newly introduced weak interactions stabilized the proteins, protected them against heat and chemical unfolding and also induced an effective loss of flexibility. These results and those of the previous work 3, unambiguously support the capital role of weak interactions in the balance between activity, flexibility and stability and provide a better knowledge of the adaptation of enzymes to cold temperatures. [less ▲]

Insights into bacterial cellulose biosynthesis by functional metagenomics on Antarctic soil samples.

in ISME Journal (The) (2009), 3(9), 1070-1081

In this study, the mining of an Antarctic soil sample by functional metagenomics allowed the isolation of a cold-adapted protein (RBcel1) that hydrolyzes only carboxymethyl cellulose. The new enzyme is ... [more ▼]

In this study, the mining of an Antarctic soil sample by functional metagenomics allowed the isolation of a cold-adapted protein (RBcel1) that hydrolyzes only carboxymethyl cellulose. The new enzyme is related to family 5 of the glycosyl hydrolase (GH5) protein from Pseudomonas stutzeri (Pst_2494) and does not possess a carbohydrate-binding domain. The protein was produced and purified to homogeneity. RBcel1 displayed an endoglucanase activity, producing cellobiose and cellotriose, using carboxymethyl cellulose as a substrate. Moreover, the study of pH and the thermal dependence of the hydrolytic activity shows that RBcel1 was active from pH 6 to pH 9 and remained significantly active when temperature decreased (18% of activity at 10 degrees C). It is interesting that RBcel1 was able to synthetize non-reticulated cellulose using cellobiose as a substrate. Moreover, by a combination of bioinformatics and enzyme analysis, the physiological relevance of the RBcel1 protein and its mesophilic homologous Pst_2494 protein from P. stutzeri, A1501, was established as the key enzymes involved in the production of cellulose by bacteria. In addition, RBcel1 and Pst_2494 are the two primary enzymes belonging to the GH5 family involved in this process.The ISME Journal advance online publication, 21 May 2009; doi:10.1038/ismej.2009.48. [less ▲]

Selection of a cold-adapted bacterium for bioremediation of wastewater at low temperatures

in Extremophiles : Life Under Extreme Conditions (2009), 13(5), 763-8

Amongst more than 1000 isolates collected in various cold environments, the strain Arthrobacter psychrolactophilus Sp 31.3 has been selected for its ability to grow and to produce exoenzymes at low ... [more ▼]

Amongst more than 1000 isolates collected in various cold environments, the strain Arthrobacter psychrolactophilus Sp 31.3 has been selected for its ability to grow and to produce exoenzymes at low temperatures, its inability to grow at 37 degrees C, its non-halophilic character and its growth versatility on various media. This non-pathogenic strain displays a strong resistance to desiccation and storage at room temperature and is suitable for the production of freeze-dried bacterial starters. When grown in a synthetic wastewater at 10 degrees C, the strain induces a complete clarification of the turbid medium and efficiently hydrolyses proteins, starch and lipids in the broth. Furthermore, this strain has a remarkable capacity to improve the biodegradability of organic compounds in wastewater as indicated by a BOD(5)/COD ratio of 0.7. [less ▲]

Crystal structure of a cold-adapted class C beta-lactamase.

in FEBS Journal (2008), 275(8), 1687-97

In this study, the crystal structure of a class C beta-lactamase from a psychrophilic organism, Pseudomonas fluorescens, has been refined to 2.2 A resolution. It is one of the few solved crystal ... [more ▼]

In this study, the crystal structure of a class C beta-lactamase from a psychrophilic organism, Pseudomonas fluorescens, has been refined to 2.2 A resolution. It is one of the few solved crystal structures of psychrophilic proteins. The structure was compared with those of homologous mesophilic enzymes and of another, modeled, psychrophilic protein. The elucidation of the 3D structure of this enzyme provides additional insights into the features involved in cold adaptation. Structure comparison of the psychrophilic and mesophilic beta-lactamases shows that electrostatics seems to play a major role in low-temperature adaptation, with a lower total number of ionic interactions for cold enzymes. The psychrophilic enzymes are also characterized by a decreased number of hydrogen bonds, a lower content of prolines, and a lower percentage of arginines in comparison with lysines. All these features make the structure more flexible so that the enzyme can behave as an efficient catalyst at low temperatures. [less ▲]

Crystal structure of the cold-active aminopeptidase from Colwellia psychrerythraea, a close structural homologue of the human bifunctional leukotriene A4 hydrolase

in Journal of Biological Chemistry (2008), 283(34), 23315-25

The crystal structure of a cold-active aminopeptidase (ColAP) from Colwellia psychrerythraea strain 34H has been determined, extending the number of crystal structures of the M1 metallopeptidase family to ... [more ▼]

The crystal structure of a cold-active aminopeptidase (ColAP) from Colwellia psychrerythraea strain 34H has been determined, extending the number of crystal structures of the M1 metallopeptidase family to four among the 436 members currently identified. In agreement with their sequence similarity, the overall structure of ColAP displayed a high correspondence with leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H), a human bifunctional enzyme that converts leukotriene A4 (LTA4) in the potent chemoattractant leukotriene B4. Indeed, both enzymes are composed of three domains, an N-terminal saddle-like domain, a catalytic thermolysin-like domain, and a less conserved C-terminal alpha-helical flat spiral domain. Together, these domains form a deep cavity harboring the zinc binding site formed by residues included in the conserved HEXXHX(18)H motif. A detailed structural comparison of these enzymes revealed several plausible determinants of ColAP cold adaptation. The main differences involve specific amino acid substitutions, loop content and solvent exposure, complexity and distribution of ion pairs, and differential domain flexibilities. Such elements may act synergistically to allow conformational flexibility needed for an efficient catalysis in cold environments. Furthermore, the region of ColAP corresponding to the aminopeptidase active site of LTA4H is much more conserved than the suggested LTA4 substrate binding region. This observation supports the hypothesis that this region of the LTA4H active site has evolved in order to fit the lipidic substrate. [less ▲]

Cold adaptation of enzymes: structural, kinetic and microcalorimetric characterizations of an aminopeptidase from the Arctic psychrophile Colwellia psychrerythraea and of human leukotriene A(4) hydrolase

in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (2008), 1784(11), 1865-72

The relationships between structure, activity, stability and flexibility of a cold-adapted aminopeptidase produced by a psychrophilic marine bacterium have been investigated in comparison with a ... [more ▼]

The relationships between structure, activity, stability and flexibility of a cold-adapted aminopeptidase produced by a psychrophilic marine bacterium have been investigated in comparison with a mesophilic structural and functional human homolog. Differential scanning calorimetry, fluorescence monitoring of thermal- and guanidine hydrochloride-induced unfolding and fluorescence quenching were used to show that the cold-adapted enzyme is characterized by a high activity at low temperatures, a low structural stability versus thermal and chemical denaturants and a greater structural permeability to a quenching agent relative to the mesophilic homolog. These findings support the hypothesis that cold-adapted enzymes maintain their activity at low temperatures as a result of increased global or local structural flexibility, which results in low stability. Analysis of the thermodynamic parameters of irreversible thermal unfolding suggests that entropy-driven factors are responsible for the fast unfolding rate of the cold-adapted aminopeptidase. A reduced number of proline residues, a lower degree of hydrophobic residue burial and a decreased surface accessibility of charged residues may be responsible for this effect. On the other hand, the reduction in enthalpy-driven interactions is the primary determinant of the weak conformational stability. [less ▲]

Intrinsic halotolerance of the psychrophilic alpha-amylase from Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis

in Extremophiles : Life Under Extreme Conditions (2007), 11(3), 505-515

The halotolerance of a cold adapted alpha-amylase from the psychrophilic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis (AHA) was investigated. AHA exhibited hydrolytic activity over a broad range of NaCl ... [more ▼]

The halotolerance of a cold adapted alpha-amylase from the psychrophilic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis (AHA) was investigated. AHA exhibited hydrolytic activity over a broad range of NaCl concentrations (0.01-4.5 M). AHA showed 28% increased activity in 0.5-2.0 M NaCl compared to that in 0.01 M NaCl. In contrast, the corresponding mesophilic (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) and thermostable (B. licheniformis) alpha-amylases showed a 39 and 46% decrease in activity respectively. Even at 4.5 M NaCl, 80% of the initial activity was detected for AHA, whereas the mesophilic and thermostable enzymes were inactive. Besides an unaltered fluorescence emission and secondary structure, a 10 degrees C positive shift in the temperature optimum, a stabilization factor of > 5 for thermal inactivation and a Delta T-m of 8.3 degrees C for the secondary structure melting were estimated in 2.7 M NaCl. The higher activation energy, half-life time and T-m indicated reduced conformational dynamics and increased rigidity in the presence of higher NaCl concentrations. A comparison with the sequences of other halophilic alpha-amylases revealed that AHA also contains higher proportion of small hydrophobic residues and acidic residues resulting in a higher negative surface potential. Thus, with some compromise in cold activity, psychrophilic adaptation has also manifested halotolerance to AHA that is comparable to the halophilic enzymes. [less ▲]

Cold-Adapted Enzymes

in Gerday, Charles; Glansdorff, N. (Eds.) Physiology and biochemistry of extremophiles (2007)