N-Glycosylation Improves the Pepsin Resistance of Histidine Acid Phosphatase Phytases by Enhancing Their Stability at Acidic pHs and Reducing Pepsin's Accessibility to Its Cleavage Sites

ABSTRACTN-Glycosylation can modulate enzyme structure and function. In this study, we identified two pepsin-resistant histidine acid phosphatase (HAP) phytases fromYersinia kristensenii(YkAPPA) andYersinia rohdei(YrAPPA), each having anN-glycosylation motif, and one pepsin-sensitive HAP phytase fromYersinia enterocolitica(YeAPPA) that lacked anN-glycosylation site. Site-directed mutagenesis was employed to construct mutants by altering theN-glycosylation status of each enzyme, and the mutant and wild-type enzymes were expressed inPichia pastorisfor biochemical characterization. Compared with those of theN-glycosylation site deletion mutants andN-deglycosylated enzymes, allN-glycosylated counterparts exhibited enhanced pepsin resistance. Introduction of theN-glycosylation site into YeAPPA as YkAPPA and YrAPPA conferred pepsin resistance, shifted the pH optimum (0.5 and 1.5 pH units downward, respectively) and improved stability at acidic pH (83.2 and 98.8% residual activities at pH 2.0 for 1 h). Replacing the pepsin cleavage sites L197 and L396 in the immediate vicinity of theN-glycosylation motifs of YkAPPA and YrAPPA with V promoted their resistance to pepsin digestion when produced inEscherichia colibut had no effect on the pepsin resistance ofN-glycosylated enzymes produced inP. pastoris. Thus,N-glycosylation may improve pepsin resistance by enhancing the stability at acidic pH and reducing pepsin's accessibility to peptic cleavage sites. This study provides a strategy, namely, the manipulation ofN-glycosylation, for improvement of phytase properties for use in animal feed.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of the major acid phosphatase fromLegionella pneumophila

The major acid phosphatase fromLegionella pneumophila(LpMAP) belongs to the histidine acid phosphatase superfamily. It contains the characteristic histidine acid phosphatase (HAP) sequence motif RHGXRXP responsible for the hydrolysis of a phosphoryl group from phosphate monoesters under acidic conditions. Here, the crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of crystals ofLpMAP in the apo form and in complex with L-(+)-tartrate are described. By using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method, apoLpMAP andLpMAP–tartrate were crystallized in space groupP21, with unit-cell parametersa= 91.50,b= 56.48,c= 146.35 Å, β = 110.01°, and in space groupP1, with unit-cell parametersa= 55.51,b= 73.51 ,c= 98.78 Å, α = 78.82, β = 77.65, γ = 67.73°, respectively. Diffraction data were collected at 100 K and the phases were determined using the molecular-replacement method.