A large increase in enzyme-substrate affinity by protein engineering

A single point mutation has been engineered in the tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase that improves its affinity (KM) for its substrate ATP by a factor of 100. In the crystal structure of the tyrosyl tRNA synthetase (of Bacillus stearothermophilus), the side-chain hydroxyl of Thr 51 appears to make a weak hydrogen bond with the AMP moiety of the substrate intermediate, tyrosyl adenylate. In the absence of substrate, however, the hydroxyl group should make a strong hydrogen bond with water which would favour dissociation of the enzyme-substrate complex. We have used oligodeoxynucleotide-directed mutagenesis to construct two point mutants at this site: one to remove the hydroxyl group (Thr 51 leads to Ala 51) and the other, in addition, to distort the local polypeptide backbone (Thr 51 leads to Pro 51). We report here that both mutants have increased activity (kcat/KM for ATP) but one mutant (Pro 51) shows a massive 25-fold increase due mainly to a lowered KM for ATP. This demonstrates dramatically the potential of in vitro mutagenesis for improving the affinity of an enzyme for its substrate.     

A model for interfacial activation in lipases from the structure of a fungal lipase-inhibitor complex

Lipases are hydrolytic enzymes which break down triacylglycerides into free fatty acids and glycerols. They have been classified as serine hydrolases owing to their inhibition by diethyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate. Lipase activity is greatly increased at the lipid-water interface, a phenomenon known as interfacial activation. X-ray analysis has revealed the atomic structures of two triacylglycerol lipases, unrelated in sequence: the human pancreatic lipase (hPL)4, and an enzyme isolated from the fungus Rhizomucor (formerly Mucor) miehei (RmL). In both enzymes the active centres contain structurally analogous Asp-His-Ser triads (characteristic of serine proteinases), which are buried completely beneath a short helical segment, or 'lid'. Here we present the crystal structure (at 3 A resolution) of a complex of R. miehei lipase with n-hexylphosphonate ethyl ester in which the enzyme's active site is exposed by the movement of the helical lid. This movement also increases the nonpolarity of the surface surrounding the catalytic site. We propose that the structure of the enzyme in this complex is equivalent to the activated state generated by the oil-water interface.     

北京棒杆菌天冬氨酸激酶突变体A380H的酶学性质

同源序列比对和蛋白质结构分析表明,A380为天冬氨酸激酶(aspartate kinase,AK)的绝对保守位点,对该位点进行定点突变、分离纯化和性质表征.结果表明:与野生型(WT)相比,突变体A380H的V_(max)提高4.28倍;突变体A380H的最适温度由28℃提高至35℃,最适pH值仍为7.5,半衰期由4.5h缩短至3.5h;底物抑制剂对WT和突变体均有抑制作用,苏氨酸和赖氨酸呈协同抑制作用,苏氨酸单独存在时对A380H具有激活或抑制减弱作用;Mg~(2+),Ni ~(2+)对WT有激活作用,1,5mmol/L的Cu~(2+)对A380H有激活作用;与WT相比,甲醇和异丙醇对A380H的抑制作用增强,正丁醇和乙腈对A380H的抑制作用减弱且表现出激活作用.     

大肠杆菌holo-ACP突变体的表达纯化及相应acyl-ACP的性质初探

酰基-酰基载体蛋白（acyl-acyl carrier protein,acyl-ACP）作为酰基供体,在脂肪酸、聚酮等天然产物合成途径中具有重要作用.目前,常以酰基-辅酶A（acyl-CoA）来代替尚未商品化的acyl-ACP进行相关酶的体外活性研究.由于底物蛋白acyl-ACP的ACP部分与相关酶发生相互作用,影响酶的催化特性,这种替代无法真实认识相关酶的酰基转移特性.本文以大肠杆菌pET-28a（+）-ACP为模板,构建12株单点突变体,表达纯化出相应holo-ACP,并进一步合成C16:0-ACP和C18:1-ACP.高效液相色谱的结果表明,ACP单点突变会影响acyl-ACP整体的性质,其中T40残基的改变对acyl-ACP的疏水性、紫外吸收响应和稳定性均产生了显著影响.ACP突变体的性质表征为acyl-ACP与相关酶的互作机制研究奠定了基础.      

Refined crystal structure of beta-lactamase from Citrobacter freundii indicates a mechanism for beta-lactam hydrolysis

Beta-Lactamases (EC 3.5.2.6, 'penicillinases') are a family of enzymes that protect bacteria against the lethal effects of cell-wall synthesis of penicillins, cephalosporins and related antibiotic agents, by hydrolysing the beta-lactam antibiotics to biologically inactive compounds. Their production can, therefore, greatly contribute to the clinical problem of antibiotic resistance. Three classes of beta-lactamases--A, B and C--have been identified on the basis of their amino-acid sequence; class B beta-lactamases are metalloenzymes, and are clearly distinct from members of class A and C beta-lactamases, which both contain an active-site serine residue involved in the formation of an acyl enzyme with beta-lactam substrates during catalysis. It has been predicted that class C beta-lactamases share common structural features with D,D-carboxypeptidases and class A beta-lactamases, and further, suggested that class A and class C beta-lactamases have the same evolutionary origin as other beta-lactam target enzymes. We report here the refined three-dimensional structure of the class C beta-lactamase from Citrobacter freundii at 2.0-A resolution and confirm the predicted structural similarity. The refined structure of the acyl-enzyme formed with the monobactam inhibitor aztreonam at 2.5-A resolution defines the enzyme's active site and, along with molecular modelling, indicates a mechanism for beta-lactam hydrolysis. This leads to the hypothesis that Tyr 150 functions as a general base during catalysis.     

A mutant T4 lysozyme displays five different crystal conformations

Phage T4 lysozyme consists of two domains between which is formed the active-site cleft of the enzyme. The crystallographically determined thermal displacement parameters for the protein suggested that the amino terminal of the two domains undergoes 'hinge-bending' motion about an axis passing through the waist of the molecule. Such conformational mobility may be important in allowing access of substrates to the active site of the enzyme. We report here a crystallographic study of a mutant T4 lysozyme which demonstrates further the conformational flexibility of the protein. A mutant form of the enzyme with a methionine residue (Met 6) replaced by isoleucine crystallizes with four independent molecules in the crystal lattice. These four molecules have distinctly different conformations. The mutant protein can also crystallize in standard form with a structure very similar to the wild-type protein. Thus the mutant protein can adopt five different crystal conformations. The isoleucine for methionine substitution at the intersection of the two domains of T4 lysozyme apparently enhances the hinge-bending motion presumed to occur in the wild-type protein, without significantly affecting the catalytic activity or thermal stability of the protein.     

Purification and cloning of amyloid precursor protein beta-secretase from human brain

Proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) generates amyloid beta (Abeta) peptide, which is thought to be causal for the pathology and subsequent cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. Cleavage by beta-secretase at the amino terminus of the Abeta peptide sequence, between residues 671 and 672 of APP, leads to the generation and extracellular release of beta-cleaved soluble APP, and a corresponding cell-associated carboxy-terminal fragment. Cleavage of the C-terminal fragment by gamma-secretase(s) leads to the formation of Abeta. The pathogenic mutation K670M671-->N670L671 at the beta-secretase cleavage site in APP, which was discovered in a Swedish family with familial Alzheimer's disease, leads to increased beta-secretase cleavage of the mutant substrate. Here we describe a membrane-bound enzyme activity that cleaves full-length APP at the beta-secretase cleavage site, and find it to be the predominant beta-cleavage activity in human brain. We have purified this enzyme activity to homogeneity from human brain using a new substrate analogue inhibitor of the enzyme activity, and show that the purified enzyme has all the properties predicted for beta-secretase. Cloning and expression of the enzyme reveals that human brain beta-secretase is a new membrane-bound aspartic proteinase.     

长毛对虾碱性磷酸酶功能基团的研究

用对－氯汞苯甲酸修饰该酶分子中的巯基，酶活力不受影响，说明该酶不是“巯基酶”．用Ｎ溴代琥珀酰亚胺修饰酶后，活力完全丧失，修饰后的酶在２７５ｎｍ处的紫外吸收峰完全消失，３４０ｎｍ处荧光发射峰也逐渐下降至完全淬灭，说明色氨酸残基是酶活性必需基因之一．用甲醛、醋酸酐修饰氨基，溴代乙酸修饰咪唑基也可以使酶活力完全丧失，说明赖氨酸残基及组氨酸残基也是酶活性功能基因．用乙酰丙酮修饰精氨酸残基，酶活力下降了５０％，精氨酸残基可能与维系酶分子构象有关．     

Site-directed mutagenesis reveals role of mobile arginine residue in lactate dehydrogenase catalysis

The binding of substrates to lactate dehydrogenases induces a marked rearrangement of the protein structure in which a 'loop' of polypeptide (residues 98-110) closes over the active site of the enzyme. In this rearrangement, arginine 109 (a basic residue conserved in all known lactate dehydrogenase sequences and in the homologous malate dehydrogenases) moves 0.8 nm from a position in the solvent to one in the active site where its guanidinium group resides within hydrogen bonding distance of both the reactive carbonyl of pyruvate and imidazole ring of the catalytic histidine 195 (see Fig. 1). Whilst this feature of the enzyme has been commented upon previously, the function of this mobile arginine residue during catalysis has not been tested experimentally. The advent of protein engineering has now enabled us to define the role of this basic residue by substituting it with the neutral glutamine. Transient kinetic and equilibrium studies of the mutant enzyme indicate that arginine 109 enhances the polarization of the pyruvate carbonyl group in the ground state and stabilizes the transition state. The gross active-site structure of the enzyme is not altered by the mutation since an alternative catalytic function of the enzyme (rate of addition of sulphite to NAD+), which does not require hydride transfer, is insensitive to the arginine----glutamine substitution.     

Interferon-dependent induction of mRNA activity for (2'-5')oligo-isoadenylate synthetase

At least three different enzymes involved in the regulation of protein synthesis are induced in a variety of cells by interferon (IFN). Sensitive assays for these enzymes have been developed and used to establish the specificity, dose dependence and time course of their induction by IFN. One of these enzymes, the oligo-isoadenylate synthetase E, whose product (2'-5')pppApApA activates the latent ribonuclease F, is increased over 50-fold after IFN treatment. We describe here the assay for an mRNA from IFN-treated mouse L cells, that produces oligo-isoadenylate synthetase activity when injected into Xenopus oocytes. This mRNA is found in the cells only after exposure to IFN. The mRNA increases in mouse L cells with the same time course as the enzyme activity itself. In particular, there is a 3-h lag period between IFN addition and the onset of enzyme and mRNA accumulation. Using anti-IFN antibodies, we show that during this lag period the continued interaction of IFN with the cells is necessary for the full induction of the oligo-isoadenylate synthetase.     

醋渣纤维素降解菌的筛选及鉴定

以包头市呱呱叫调味品厂醋渣为菌源,采用纤维素刚果红培养基、滤纸条崩解试验初筛得到3株降解纤维素活性较高的菌株;采用不同混合菌对醋渣进行固态发酵,考察醋渣的降解率及滤纸酶活性变化,结果表明,H2+H4混合菌对醋渣的降解率最高;采用16SrDNA、18SrDNA序列分析方法对3株菌进行鉴定,菌H2为产黄青霉菌(Penicillium chrysogenum)、菌H4为卷枝毛霉菌(Mucor circinelloides)、菌H16为粪产碱菌(Alcaligenes faecalis)。     

扑草净降解酶的固定化及其对受污染土壤的生物强化研究

提取扑草净降解优势菌Pseudomonas FR粗酶液，以藻酸钠作为包埋剂将酶液固定化，比较固定化酶与游离酶对扑草净的作用效果，结果表明，理想条件下，固定化酶的活性相当于游离酶液活性的79％，但温度、pH值等条件的变化对固定化酶的影响很小；对固定化载体进行了优化，确定纤维系为适宜的添加剂，利用固定化酶对受污染土壤进行处理，经六周检测，土壤中扑草净的含量减少85％．     

重组β-葡萄糖醛酸苷酶转化甘草酸的定向性改造

为提高重组β-葡萄糖醛酸苷酶的底物特异性,通过易错PCR方法对其进行突变并构建突变体文库,利用薄层层析和高效液相色谱对突变文库进行筛选,获得了突变株PGUS（M51）E,其底物特异性提高了41％。突变酶的酶学特性研究发现,该突变酶的最适pH值和温度较PGUS-E无显著变化,酶活力下降了16．86％,T。值提高了5℃;序列分析结果表明：PGUS（M51）-E共发生5处突变,其中3处发生在糖基结合域。因此,利用定向进化策略能有效提高伊葡萄糖醛酸苷酶的底物识别特异性。     

一株谷氨酰胺合成酶高产菌株的酶学分析及其基因的克隆分析

对谷氨酰胺合成酶菌球形节杆菌(Arthrobacter globiformis)突变菌株Y3进行分析.其谷氨酰胺合成酶摇瓶发酵单位是原始菌株的2.81倍;最适反应温度为40℃;最适pH为6.5.以突变菌株和原始菌株基因组为模板,通过同源克隆策略,成功地获得了球形节杆菌谷氨酰胺合成酶基因gln片段.通过序列比对,突变菌株gln基因在第409 bp处产生T→C的碱基的突变,该处突变使酪氨酸(Tyr409)被组氨酸(His409)取代,该突变解决了谷氨酰胺合成酶腺苷酰基化问题,保证了其在高浓度铵盐条件下保持酶活性.     

Copper ions inactivate S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase

S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy) hydrolase isan enzyme that regulates biomethylation and some otherphysiological processes. Recombinant AdoHcy hydrolase wasoverexpressed in E. coli JM109 and purified with ion ex-change and gel filtration chromatographies. The effects ofcopper ions (Cu2+) on the activity of AdoHcy hydrolase wereinvestigated and the results showed that Cu2+ inhibited theenzyme's activity by a concentration and time-dependentprocess. The inhibition constant (Ki) and the apparent rateconstant (kapp) were calculated to be (14 + 4) nmol @ L-1 and(1.08 + 0.15) min-1, respectively. The existence of the naturalsubstrate Ado could to some extent prevent Cu2+ from inac-tivating the enzyme, suggesting that copper ions possiblycould compete with the natural substrate on enzyme's sub-strate binding site. Further studies on the mechanism of in-hibition are being carried out.     

Ag+、Pb2+对轮藻3种酶活性的影响

用不同剂量的Ag 、Pb2 作用轮藻,研究重金属对轮藻GAP脱氢酶、CAT和SOD的影响.实验结果表明:胁迫效应随重金属的种类、胁迫时间和胁迫剂量而变化.随胁迫时间的推移,低剂量的重金属使三种酶活性呈倒"N"形变化,即降 升 降的规律变化,当胁迫剂量进一步加大,酶活性变化可直接呈现为升 降或全降的趋势.这和在重金属胁迫下轮藻体内自身防御机制的运行状态有关.高剂量的重金属对酶活性的影响强于低剂量的影响,Ag 的作用大于Pb2 的作用,并且在一定范围内轮藻对重金属有一定的耐受力,耐受力Pb2 >Ag .     

H-蛋白中Asp-68和Tyr-70定向突变对甘氨酸裂解酶系整体酶活的调控

还原甘氨酸途径被认为是最有前景的C1（one carbon）合成途径,其核心酶系是甘氨酸裂解酶系。在前期研究中,我们在甘氨酸裂解酶系H-蛋白“解开自保护”过程的研究中初步锁定了H-蛋白空腔内的潜在关键氨基酸残基为Ser-67、Asp-68和Tyr-70,并且证明Ser-67位点对甘氨酸酶系的整体酶活有重要影响。本文对H-蛋白的Asp-68和Tyr-70位点进行了侧链带正电突变（H-D68K、H-D68H、H-D68R和H-Y70K、H-Y70H、H-Y70R突变体）,以及侧链非极性突变（H-D68G、H-D68V、H-D68M、H-D68L和H-Y70G、H-Y70V、H-Y70M、H-Y70L突变体）,并测定了各突变体在甘氨酸裂解方向上的酶活。结果发现,Asp-68位带正电突变倾向降低甘氨酸酶系的整体酶活,Asp-68位非极性突变、Tyr-70位带正电突变及非极性突变在总体上倾向于维持或提升整体酶活。其中,相对野生型H-蛋白,H-D68R突变体的酶活下降了90.2%,H-Y70R、H-D68G和H-Y70L突变体的酶活分别提高了75.6%、53.6%和146%。硫辛酰胺与H-蛋白空腔内的氨基酸相互作用的分析结果表明,甘氨酸裂解酶系整体酶活的变化是由于H-蛋白的68和70位残基的突变阻碍或促进硫辛酰胺的释放。     

固定化HRP海藻酸钙/壳聚糖微球催化水溶性导电聚苯胺的合成与表征

以海藻酸钙/壳聚糖微球为载体、用戊二醛共价交联固定于微球表面的辣根过氧化物酶(HRP)催化合成水溶性导电聚苯胺。考察了酶的固定化效果、负载率、比活力、贮存稳定性及酶促聚合特性,并对酶促聚合产物进行了表征。结果表明:共价交联微球固定化HRP可有效地用于水溶性导电聚苯胺的模板导向合成。     

一株高产谷氨酰胺合成酶的LNU 0165菌的鉴定

谷氨酰胺合成酶是应用广泛的生物酶类，以LNU0165为实验出发菌株，对不同pH、温度条件下产谷氨酰胺合成酶的最佳发酵条件进行了研究，通过测定其谷氨酰胺合成酶酶活力，确定LNU0165为高产菌株.从分子水平上对该菌株进行16S rRNA序列分析及同源性比较，以及生理生化的鉴定．根据LNU0165菌株16SrRNA与GenBank数据库中Arthrobacter globiformis的16S rRNA的序列具有99％的同源性，确定LNU0165为球形节杆菌（Arthrobacter globiformis）．     

S-腺苷甲硫氨酸合成酶的可溶性表达

系统考察了pET可溶性表达系统对酵母来源的S-腺苷甲硫氨酸(SAM)合成酶基因的表达情况,结果显示:当采用含Nus.Tag融合标签的pET-44a为载体,trxB和gor双突变的Ori-gami为宿主时最适合目的蛋白的可溶性表达。进一步考察不同来源(大肠杆菌、枯草芽孢杆菌、苏云金芽孢杆菌)SAM合成酶的可溶性时,也得到了相似的结论;比较发现酵母来源的SAM合成酶可溶性表达的比活力最高达60.9U/mg。