scholarly journals Catalysis by the large subunit of the second β-galactosidase of Escherichia coli in the absence of the small subunit

1995 ◽  
Vol 312 (1) ◽  
pp. 281-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
S V Calugaru ◽  
B G Hall ◽  
M L Sinnott

Plasmids containing the ebgAo and ebgAa genes of Escherichia coli under the control of the lac repressor and promoter have been constructed and inserted into Salmonella typhimurium CH3. This system expresses the large subunit of the ebgo and ebga beta-galactosidase in high yield (20-60% of total protein). The large subunits have been purified to homogeneity. As isolated they are tetramers of significant catalytic activity; the N-terminal amino acid residue is Met, but it is not formylated. The kcat. values for a series of aryl galactosides were 6-200-fold reduced from the corresponding values for the holoenzymes. kcat/Km Values for glycosides of acidic aglycones, though, were unchanged, whilst kcat./Km values for galactosides of less acidic aglycones showed a modest (up to 10-fold) decrease. The kcat. values for glycosides of acidic aglycones hydrolysed by ebgo and ebga large subunits were essentially invariant with aglycone pK, suggesting that hydrolysis of the galactosyl-enzyme intermediate had become rate-determining for these substrates. Rate-determining hydrolysis of the glycosyl-enzyme intermediate was confirmed by pre-steady-state measurements and nucleophilic competition with methanol. Absence of the small subunit was thus estimated to cause a 200-fold decrease in degalactosylation rate for ebgo and a 20-fold one for ebga. beta 1g(V/K) values of -0.57 +/- 0.08 for ebgo and -0.54 +/- 0.08 for ebga isolated subunits were significantly more negative than for holoenzymes. It is suggested that the small subunit is associated with the optimal positioning of the electrophilic Mg2+ ions in these enzymes. Use of PCR in the construction of the plasmid also inadvertently led to the production of psi ebgo large subunit in which there was a PCR-introduced Leu9-->His change. Values of kcat. for aryl galactosides, calculated on the assumption that the psi ebgo large subunit, like the ebgo and ebga large subunits, was 100% active as isolated, were about an order of magnitude lower than for true ebgo large subunit, whilst Km values were similar. The very significant kinetic effect of this inadvertant site-undirected mutagenesis indicates that quite large kinetic effects of amino-acid replacements in enzymes may have no obvious mechanistic significance.

1995 ◽  
Vol 312 (3) ◽  
pp. 971-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Krishnan ◽  
B G Hall ◽  
M L Sinnott

The kinetics of hydrolysis of a series of synthetic substrates by two experimentally evolved forms (‘evolvants’), ebgabcd and ebgabcde, of the second beta-galactosidase of Escherichia coli have been measured. The ebgabcd enzyme differs from the wild-type (ebgo) enzyme by Asp92-->Asn (a) and Trp977-->Cys (b) changes in the large subunit, as well as two changes hitherto considered to have no kinetic effect, Ser979-->Gly in the large subunit (c) and Glu122-->Gly in the small subunit (d). The enzyme ebgabcde contains in addition a Glu93-->Lys change in the large subunit (e). Comparison of ebgabcd with ebgab [Elliott, K, Sinnott, Smith, Bommuswamy, Guo, Hall and Zhang (1992) Biochem. J. 282, 155-164] indicates that the c and d changes in fact accelerate the hydrolysis of the glycosyl-enzyme intermediate by a factor of 2.5, and also decrease the charge on the aglycone oxygen atom at the first transition state; the charge on the glycone, however, is unaltered [see K, Konstantinidis, Sinnott and Hall (1993) Biochem. J. 291, 15-17]. The e mutation causes a fall in the degalactosylation rate of about a factor of 3, and its occurrence only together with c and d mutations [Hall, Betts and Wootton (1989) Genetics 123, 635-648] suggests that degalactosylation of a hypothetical ebgabe enzyme would be so slow that the enzyme would have no biological advantage over the ancestral ebgab. The transfer products from galactosyl-ebgabcd and galactosyl-ebgabcde to high concentrations to glucose have been measured; the predominant product is allolactose, but significant quantities of lactose are also formed; however, at apparent kinetic saturation of the galactosyl-enzyme, hydrolysis rather than transfer is the preponderant pathway. A knowledge of the rates of enzyme-catalysed exchange of 18O from [1-18O]galactose to water permits the construction of the free-energy profiles for hydrolysis of lactose by begabcd and ebgabcde. As with the other evolvants, changes in the profile away from the rate-determining transition state are essentially random, and there is no correlation between the changes in the free energies of intermediates and of their flanking transition states. We consider the aggregate of our kinetic data on the ebg system to be telling experimental support for the theoretical objections of Pettersson [Pettersson (1992) Eur. J. Biochem. 206, 289-295 and previous papers] to the Albery-Knowles theory of the evolution of enzyme kinetic activity.


2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 2598-2603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Poirel ◽  
Gerhard F. Weldhagen ◽  
Thierry Naas ◽  
Christophe De Champs ◽  
Michael G. Dove ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa GW-1 was isolated in 2000 in South Africa from blood cultures of a 38-year-old female who developed nosocomial pneumonia. This isolate harbored a self-transferable ca. 100-kb plasmid that conferred an expanded-spectrum cephalosporin resistance profile associated with an intermediate susceptibility to imipenem. A β-lactamase gene, bla GES-2, was cloned from whole-cell DNA of P. aeruginosa GW-1 and expressed in Escherichia coli. GES-2, with a pI value of 5.8, hydrolyzed expanded-spectrum cephalosporins, and its substrate profile was extended to include imipenem compared to that of GES-1, identified previously in Klebsiella pneumoniae. GES-2 activity was less inhibited by clavulanic acid, tazobactam and imipenem than GES-1. The GES-2 amino acid sequence differs from that of GES-1 by a glycine-to-asparagine substitution in position 170 located in the omega loop of Ambler class A enzymes. This amino acid change may explain the extension of the substrate profile of the plasmid-encoded β-lactamase GES-2.


2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 634-643
Author(s):  
Juliano Alves ◽  
Miguel Garay-Malpartida ◽  
João M. Occhiucci ◽  
José E. Belizário

Procaspase-7 zymogen polypeptide is composed of a short prodomain, a large subunit (p20), and a small subunit (p10) connected to an intersubunit linker. Caspase-7 is activated by an initiator caspase-8 and -9, or by autocatalysis after specific cleavage at IQAD198↓S located at the intersubunit linker. Previously, we identified that PEST regions made of amino acid residues Pro (P), Glu (E), Asp (D), Ser (S), Thr (T), Asn (N), and Gln (Q) are conserved flanking amino acid residues in the cleavage sites within a prodomain and intersubunit linker of all caspase family members. Here we tested the impact of alanine substitution of PEST amino acid residues on procaspase-7 proteolytic self-activation directly in Escherichia coli. The p20 and p10 subunit cleavage were significantly delayed in double caspase-7 mutants in the prodomain (N18A/P26A) and intersubunit linker (S199A/P201A), compared with the wild-type caspase-7. The S199A/P201A mutants effectively inhibited the p10 small subunit cleavage. However, the mutations did not change the kinetic parameters (kcat/KM) and optimal tetrapeptide specificity (DEVD) of the purified mutant enzymes. The results suggest a role of PEST-amino acid residues in the molecular mechanism for prodomain and intersubunit cleavage and caspase-7 self-activation.


1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 426-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alastair T. Matheson ◽  
Makoto Yaguchi ◽  
Patricia Christensen ◽  
C. Fernand Rollin ◽  
Sadiq Hasnain

Sixteen ribosomal proteins (r-proteins) from the 50S ribosomal subunit of the archaebacterium Halobacterium cutirubrum have been purified and their amino acid composition and partial N-terminal amino acid sequence have been determined. These proteins as a group are much more acidic than the large subunit r-proteins from eubacteria or eukaryotes. Little sequence homology is evident between the 50S subunit archaebacterial r-proteins and the equivalent proteins from the eubacterium Escherichia coli.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-97
Author(s):  
Claudia Thomas ◽  
Mandy Waclawek ◽  
Kerstin Nutschan ◽  
Constanze Pinske ◽  
R. Gary Sawers

Members of the HypC protein family are chaperone-like proteins that play a central role in the maturation of [NiFe]-hydrogenases (Hyd). <i>Escherichia coli</i> has a second copy of HypC, called HybG, and, as a component of the HypDEF maturation scaffold, these proteins help synthesize the NiFe-cofactor and guide the scaffold to its designated hydrogenase large subunit precursor. HypC is required to synthesize active Hyd-1 and Hyd-3, while HybG facilitates Hyd-2 and Hyd-1 synthesis. To identify determinants on HypC that allow it to discriminate against Hyd-2, we made amino acid exchanges in 3 variable regions, termed VR1, VR2, and VR3, of HypC, that make it more similar to HybG. Region VR3 includes a HypC-specific C-terminal α-helical extension, and this proved particularly important in preventing the maturation of Hyd-2 by HypC. Truncation of this extension on HypC increased Hyd-2 activity in the absence of HybG, while retaining maturation of Hyd-3 and Hyd-1. Combining this truncation with amino acid exchanges in VR1 and VR2 of HypC negatively affected the synthesis of active Hyd-1. The C-terminus of <i>E. coli</i> HypC is thus a key determinant in hindering Hyd-2 maturation, while VR1 and VR2 appear more important for Hyd-1 matu­ration.


1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 715-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Pasternak ◽  
B. R. Glick

The molecular evolution of the amino acid sequences of the mature small and large subunits of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygense (Rubisco) was determined. The dataset for each subunit consisted of sequences from 39 different taxa of which 22 are represented with sequence information for both subunits. Phylogenetic trees were reconstructed using distance matrix, parsimony and simultaneous alignment and phylogeny methods. For the small subunit, the latter two methods produced similar trees that differed from the topology of the distance matrix tree. For the large subunit, each of the three tree-building methods yielded a distinct tree. Except for the distance matrix small subunit tree, the tree-building methods produced topologies for the small and large subunit sequences from the nonflowering plant taxa that, for the most part, agree with current taxonomic schemes. With the full datasets, the lack of consistency both among the various trees and with conventional taxonomic relationships was most evident with the Rubisco sequences from angiosperms. It is unlikely that current tree-building methods will be able to reconstruct an unambiguous molecular evolution of either of the Rubisco subunits. Molecular trees, regardless of methodology, showed similar topologies for the small and large subunits from the 22 taxa from which both subunits have been sequenced, indicating that the subunits have changed to the same extent over time. In this case, similar trees were formed because only 4 of the 22 taxa were from dicots. Key words: ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, amino acid sequence, molecular evolution, phyletic trees.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1765-1773 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Z. Rudner ◽  
Roland Kanaar ◽  
Kevin S. Breger ◽  
Donald C. Rio

ABSTRACT The heterodimeric pre-mRNA splicing factor, U2AF (U2 snRNP auxiliary factor), plays a critical role in 3′ splice site selection. Although the U2AF subunits associate in a tight complex, biochemical experiments designed to address the requirement for both subunits in splicing have yielded conflicting results. We have taken a genetic approach to assess the requirement for the Drosophila U2AF heterodimer in vivo. We developed a novel Escherichia colicopurification assay to map the domain on the DrosophilaU2AF large subunit (dU2AF50) that interacts with theDrosophila small subunit (dU2AF38). A 28-amino-acid fragment on dU2AF50 that is both necessary and sufficient for interaction with dU2AF38 was identified. Using the copurification assay, we scanned this 28-amino-acid interaction domain for mutations that abrogate heterodimer formation. A collection of these dU2AF50 point mutants was then tested in vivo for genetic complementation of a recessive lethal dU2AF50 allele. A mutation that completely abolished interaction with dU2AF38 was incapable of complementation, whereas dU2AF50 mutations that did not effect heterodimer formation rescued the recessive lethal dU2AF50 allele. Analysis of heterodimer formation in embryo extracts derived from these interaction mutant lines revealed a perfect correlation between the efficiency of subunit association and the ability to complement the dU2AF50 recessive lethal allele. These data indicate thatDrosophila U2AF heterodimer formation is essential for viability in vivo, consistent with a requirement for both subunits in splicing in vitro.


Genome ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 905-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey H. Miller ◽  
Lynn G. Kleina ◽  
Jean-Michel Masson ◽  
Jennifer Normanly ◽  
John Abelson

We have constructed synthetic genes encoding different Escherichia coli suppressor tRNAs for use in amino acid substitution studies and protein engineering. We used oligonucleotides to assemble the genes for different tRNAs with the anticodon 5′ CTA 3′. The suppressor genes are expressed from a synthetic promoter derived from the promoter sequence of the E. coli lipoprotein gene. The genes have been used to suppress an amber mutation in a protein coding sequence, and the resulting altered protein has been subjected to sequence analysis to determine the nature of the amino acid inserted at the amber site. Twelve amino acids can now be added in response to the amber codon. We have employed these suppressors to study amino acid substitutions in the lac repressor.Key words: synthetic tRNA, amber suppressor, protein engineering, lac repressor, Escherichia coli.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myat T. Lin ◽  
William D. Stone ◽  
Vishal Chaudhari ◽  
Maureen R. Hanson

AbstractRubisco catalyzes the first step in carbon fixation and has been a strategic target to improve photosynthetic efficiency. In plants, Rubisco is a complex made up of eight large subunits encoded by a chloroplast gene, rbcL, and eight small subunits expressed from a nuclear gene family and targeted to chloroplast stroma. Biogenesis of Rubisco in plants requires a chaperonin system composed of Cpn60α, Cpn60β and Cpn20, which helps fold the large subunit, and multiple chaperones including RbcX, Raf1, Raf2 and BSD2, which help the dimerization of the folded large subunits and subsequent assembly with the small subunits into L8S8 holoenzymes. A recent study successfully assembled functional Arabidopsis Rubisco in Escherichia coli by co-expressing the two subunits with Arabidopsis chaperonins and chaperones (Aigner et al., 2017). In this study, we modified the expression vectors used in that study and adapted them to express tobacco Rubisco by replacing the Arabidopsis genes with tobacco ones. Next, we surveyed the small subunits present in tobacco, co-expressed each with the large subunit and successfully produced active tobacco enzymes composed of different small subunits in E. coli. These enzymes produced in E. coli have carboxylation kinetics very similar to that of the native tobacco Rubisco. We also produced tobacco Rubisco with a recently discovered trichome small subunit in E. coli and found that it has a higher catalytic rate and a lower CO2 affinity compared to the enzymes with other small subunits. Our improvements in the E. coli Rubisco expression system will allow us to probe features of both the chloroplast and nuclear-encoded subunits of Rubisco that affect its catalytic rate and CO2 specificity.


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