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At least 523 records · Page 29

Advanced water splitting for green hydrogen gas production through complete oxidation of starch by in vitro metabolic engineering

Starch is a natural energy storage compound and is hypothesized to be a high-energy density chemical compound or solar fuel. In contrast to industrial hydrolysis of starch to glucose, an alternative ATP-free phosphorylation of starch was designed to generate cost-effective glucose 6-phosphate by using five thermophilic enzymes (i.e., isoamylase, alpha-glucan phosphorylase, 4-α-glucanotransferase, phosphoglucomutase, and polyphosphate glucokinase). This enzymatic phosphorolysis is energetically advantageous because the energy of α-1,4-glycosidic bonds among anhydroglucose units is conserved in the form of phosphorylated glucose. Additionally, we demonstrated an in vitro 17-thermophilic enzyme pathway that can convert all glucose units of starch, regardless of branched and linear contents, with water to hydrogen at a theoretic yield (i.e., 12 H 2 per glucose), three times of the theoretical yield from dark microbial fermentation. The use of a biomimetic electron transport chain enabled to achieve a maximum volumetric productivity of 90.2 mmol of H 2 /L/h at 20 g/L starch. The complete oxidation of starch to hydrogen by this in vitro synthetic (enzymatic) biosystem suggests that starch as a natural solar fuel becomes a high-density hydrogen storage compound with a gravimetric density of more than 14% H 2 -based mass and an electricity density of more than 3000 W h/kg of starch.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Structural Determinants of the Stereoinverting Activity of Pseudomonas stutzeri d -Phenylglycine Aminotransferase

Aromatic d-amino acids are key precursors for the production of many small molecule therapeutics. Therefore, the development of biocatalytic methods for their synthesis is of great interest. An enzyme that has great potential as a biocatalyst for the synthesis of d-amino acids is the stereoinverting d-phenylglycine aminotransferase (DPAT) from Pseudomonas stutzeri ST-201. This enzyme catalyzes a unique l to d transamination reaction that produces d-phenylglycine and α-ketoglutarate from benzoylformate and l-glutamate, via a mechanism that is poorly understood. Here, we present the crystal structure of DPAT, which shows that the enzyme folds into a two-domain structure representative of class III aminotransferases. Guided by the crystal structure, we performed saturation mutagenesis to probe the substrate binding pockets of the enzyme. Here, these experiments helped us identify two arginine residues (R34 and R407), one in each binding pocket, that are essential to catalysis. Together with kinetic analyses using a library of amino acid substrates, our mutagenesis and structural studies allow us to propose a binding model that explains the dual l/d specificity of DPAT. Our kinetic analyses also demonstrate that DPAT can catalyze the transamination of β- and γ-amino acids, reclassifying this enzyme as an ω-aminotransferase. Collectively, our studies highlight that the DPAT active site is amenable to protein engineering for expansion of its substrate scope, which offers the opportunity to generate new biocatalysts for the synthesis of a variety of valuable optically pure d-amino acids from inexpensive and abundant l-amino acids.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Coenzyme A Binding to the Aminoglycoside Acetyltransferase (3)-IIIb Increases Conformational Sampling of Antibiotic Binding Site

NMR spectroscopy experiments and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to describe the dynamic properties of the aminoglycoside acetyltransferase (3)-IIIb (AAC) in its apo and coenzyme A (CoASH) bound forms. The {sup 15}N-{sup 1}H HSQC spectra indicate a partial structural change and coupling of the CoASH binding site with another region in the protein upon the CoASH titration into the apo enzyme. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate a significant structural and dynamic variation of the long loop in the antibiotic binding domain in the form of a relatively slow (250 ns), concerted opening motion in the CoASH enzyme complex and that binding of the CoASH increases the structural flexibility of the loop, leading to an interchange between several similar equally populated conformations.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Targeted engineering of camelina and pennycress seeds for ultrahigh accumulation of acetyl-TAG

Acetyl-TAG (3-acetyl-1,2-diacylglycerol), unique triacylglycerols (TAG) possessing an acetate group at the sn -3 position, exhibit valuable properties, such as reduced viscosity and freezing points. Previous attempts to engineer acetyl-TAG production in oilseed crops did not achieve the high levels found in naturally producing Euonymus seeds. Here, we demonstrate the successful generation of camelina and pennycress transgenic lines accumulating nearly pure acetyl-TAG at 93 mol% and 98 mol%, respectively. These ultrahigh acetyl-TAG synthesizing lines were created using gene-edited FATTY ACID ELONGASE1 ( FAE1 ) mutant lines as an improved genetic background to increase levels of acetyl-CoA available for acetyl-TAG synthesis mediated by the expression of EfDAcT, a high-activity diacylglycerol acetyltransferase isolated from Euonymus fortunei . Combining EfDAcT expression with suppression of the competing TAG-synthesizing enzyme DGAT1 further enhanced acetyl-TAG accumulation. These ultrahigh levels of acetyl-TAG exceed those in earlier engineered oilseeds and are equivalent or greater than those in Euonymus seeds. Imaging of lipid localization in transgenic seeds revealed that the low amounts of residual TAG were mostly confined to the embryonic axis. Similar spatial distributions of specific TAG and acetyl-TAG molecular species, as well as their probable diacylglycerol (DAG) precursors, provide additional evidence that acetyl-TAG and TAG are both synthesized from the same tissue-specific DAG pools. Remarkably, this ultrahigh production of acetyl-TAG in transgenic seeds exhibited minimal negative effects on seed properties, highlighting the potential for production of designer oils required for economical biofuel industries.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Engineered ACE2-Fc counters murine lethal SARS-CoV-2 infection through direct neutralization and Fc-effector activities

Soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) constitutes an attractive antiviral capable of targeting a wide range of coronaviruses using ACE2 as their receptor. Using structure-guided approaches, we developed a series of bivalent ACE2-Fcs harboring functionally and structurally validated mutations that enhance severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor binding domain recognition by up to ~12-fold and remove angiotensin enzymatic activity. The lead variant M81 potently cross-neutralized SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), including Omicron, at subnanomolar half-maximal inhibitory concentration and was capable of robust Fc-effector functions, including antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, phagocytosis, and complement deposition. When tested in a stringent K18-hACE2 mouse model, Fc-enhanced ACE2-Fc delayed death by 3 to 5 days or effectively resolved lethal SARS-CoV-2 infection in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings via the combined effects of neutralization and Fc-effector functions. These data add to the demonstrated utility of soluble ACE2 as a valuable SARS-CoV-2 antiviral and indicate that Fc-effector functions may constitute an important component of ACE2-Fc therapeutic activity.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Engineering Yarrowia lipolytica as a platform for synthesis of drop-in transportation fuels and oleochemicals

Harnessing lipogenic pathways and rewiring acyl-CoA and acyl-ACP (acyl carrier protein) metabolism in Yarrowia lipolytica hold great potential for cost-efficient production of diesel, gasoline-like fuels, and oleochemicals. Here we assessed various pathway engineering strategies in Y. lipolytica toward developing a yeast biorefinery platform for sustainable production of fuel-like molecules and oleochemicals. Specifically, acyl-CoA/acyl-ACP processing enzymes were targeted to the cytoplasm, peroxisome, or endoplasmic reticulum to generate fatty acid ethyl esters and fatty alkanes with tailored chain length. Activation of endogenous free fatty acids and the subsequent reduction of fatty acyl-CoAs enabled the efficient synthesis of fatty alcohols. Engineering a hybrid fatty acid synthase shifted the free fatty acids to a medium chain-length scale. Manipulation of alternative cytosolic acetyl-CoA pathways partially decoupled lipogenesis from nitrogen starvation and unleashed the lipogenic potential of Y. lipolytica. Finally, taken together, the strategies reported here represent promising steps to develop a yeast biorefinery platform that potentially upgrades low-value carbons to high-value fuels and oleochemicals in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Defining the extreme substrate specificity of Euonymus alatus diacylglycerol acetyltransferase, an unusual membrane-bound O -acyltransferase

Euonymus alatus diacylglycerol acetyltransferase (EaDAcT) synthesizes the unusually structured 3-acetyl-1,2-diacylglycerols (acetyl-TAG) found in the seeds of a few plant species. A member of the membrane-bound O-acyltransferase (MBOAT) family, EaDAcT transfers the acetyl group from acetyl-CoA to sn-1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) to produce acetyl-TAG. In vitro assays demonstrated that the enzyme is also able to utilize butyryl-CoA and hexanoyl-CoA as acyl donors, though with much less efficiency compared with acetyl-CoA. Acyl-CoAs longer than eight carbons were not used by EaDAcT. This extreme substrate specificity of EaDAcT distinguishes it from all other MBOATs which typically catalyze the transfer of much longer acyl groups. In vitro selectivity experiments revealed that EaDAcT preferentially acetylated DAG molecules containing more double bonds over those with less. However, the enzyme was also able to acetylate saturated DAG containing medium chain fatty acids, albeit with less efficiency. Interestingly, EaDAcT could only acetylate the free hydroxyl group of sn-1,2-DAG but not the available hydroxyl groups in sn-1,3-DAG or in monoacylglycerols (MAG). Consistent with its similarity to the jojoba wax synthase, EaDAcT could acetylate fatty alcohols in vitro to produce alkyl acetates. Likewise, when coexpressed in yeast with a fatty acyl-CoA reductase capable of producing fatty alcohols, EaDAcT synthesized alkyl acetates although the efficiency of production was low. As a result, this improved understanding of EaDAcT specificity confirms that the enzyme preferentially utilizes acetyl-CoA to acetylate sn-1,2-DAGs and will be helpful in engineering the production of acetyl-TAG with improved functionality in transgenic plants.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Microbes display broad diversity in cobamide preferences

ABSTRACT Cobamides, the vitamin B 12 (cobalamin) family of cofactors, are used by most organisms but produced by only a fraction of prokaryotes, and are thus considered key shared nutrients among microbes. Cobamides are structurally diverse, with multiple different cobamides found in most microbial communities. The ability to use different cobamides has been tested for several bacteria and microalgae, and nearly all show preferences for certain cobamides. This approach is limited by the commercial unavailability of cobamides other than cobalamin. Here, we have extracted and purified seven commercially unavailable cobamides to characterize bacterial cobamide preferences based on growth in specific cobamide-dependent conditions. The tested bacteria include engineered strains of Escherichia coli , Sinorhizobium meliloti , and Bacillus subtilis expressing native or heterologous cobamide-dependent enzymes, cultured under conditions that functionally isolate specific cobamide-dependent processes such as methionine synthesis. Comparison of these results to those of previous studies of diverse bacteria and microalgae revealed that a broad diversity of cobamide preferences exists not only across different organisms but also between different cobamide-dependent metabolic pathways within the same organism. The microbes differed in the cobamides that support growth most efficiently, cobamides that do not support growth, and the minimum cobamide concentrations required for growth. The latter differ by up to four orders of magnitude across organisms from different environments and by up to 20-fold between cobamide-dependent enzymes within the same organism. Given that cobamides are shared, required for use of specific growth substrates, and essential for central metabolism in certain organisms, cobamide preferences likely impact community structure and function. IMPORTANCE Nearly all bacteria are found in microbial communities with tens to thousands of other species. Molecular interactions such as metabolic cooperation and competition are key factors underlying community assembly and structure. Cobamides, the vitamin B 12 family of enzyme cofactors, are one such class of nutrients, produced by only a minority of prokaryotes but required by most microbes. A unique aspect of cobamides is their broad diversity, with nearly 20 structural forms identified in nature. Importantly, this structural diversity impacts growth as most bacteria that have been tested show preferences for specific cobamide forms. We measured cobamide-dependent growth in several model bacteria and compared the results to those of previous analyses of cobamide preference. We found that cobamide preferences vary widely across bacteria, showing the importance of characterizing these aspects of cobamide biology to understand the impact of cobamides on microbial communities.

Mok, Kenny C. (ORCID:0000000252276987)↗

Optimization of the IPP Precursor Supply for the Production of Lycopene, Decaprenoxanthin and Astaxanthin by Corynebacterium glutamicum

The biotechnologically relevant bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum, currently used for the million ton-scale production of amino acids for the food and feed industries, is pigmented due to synthesis of the rare cyclic C50 carotenoid decaprenoxanthin and its glucosides. The precursors of carotenoid biosynthesis, isopenthenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and its isomer dimethylallyl pyrophosphate, are synthesized in this organism via the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) or non-mevalonate pathway. Terminal pathway engineering in recombinant C. glutamicum permitted the production of various non-native C50 and C40 carotenoids. Here, the role of engineering isoprenoid precursor supply for lycopene production by C. glutamicum was characterized. Overexpression of dxs encoding the enzyme that catalyzes the first committed step of the MEP-pathway by chromosomal promoter exchange in a prophage-cured, genome-reduced C. glutamicum strain improved lycopene formation. Similarly, an increased IPP supply was achieved by chromosomal integration of two artificial operons comprising MEP pathway genes under the control of a constitutive promoter. Combined overexpression of dxs and the other six MEP pathways genes in C. glutamicum strain LYC3-MEP was not synergistic with respect to improving lycopene accumulation. Based on C. glutamicum strain LYC3-MEP, astaxanthin could be produced in the milligrams per gram cell dry weight range when the endogenous genes crtE, crtB, and crtI for conversion of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate to lycopene were coexpressed with the genes for lycopene cyclase and β-carotene hydroxylase from Pantoea ananatis and carotene C(4) oxygenase from Brevundimonas aurantiaca.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Fatty acid biosynthesis revisited: Structure elucidation and metabolic engineering

Fatty acids are primary metabolites synthesized by complex, elegant, and essential biosynthetic machinery. Fatty acid synthases resemble an iterative assembly line, with an acyl carrier protein conveying the growing fatty acid to necessary enzymatic domains for modification. Each catalytic domain is a unique enzyme spanning a wide range of folds and structures. Although they harbor the same enzymatic activities, two different types of fatty acid synthase architectures are observed in nature. During recent years, strained petroleum supplies have driven interest in engineering organisms to either produce more fatty acids or specific high value products. Such efforts require a fundamental understanding of the enzymatic activities and regulation of fatty acid synthases. Despite more than one hundred years of research, we continue to learn new lessons about fatty acid synthases' many intricate structural and regulatory elements. Lastly, in this review, we summarize each enzymatic domain and discuss efforts to engineer fatty acid synthases, providing some clues to important challenges and opportunities in the field.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Enhancing Photosynthetic Production of Glycogen-Rich Biomass for Use as a Fermentation Feedstock

Current sources of fermentation feedstocks, i.e., corn, sugar cane, or plant biomass, fall short of demand for liquid transportation fuels and commodity chemicals in the United States. Aquatic phototrophs including cyanobacteria have the potential to supplement the supply of current fermentable feedstocks. In our strategy, cells are engineered to accumulate storage molecules including glycogen, cellulose, and/or lipid oils that can be extracted from harvested biomass and fed to heterotrophic organisms engineered to produce desired chemical products. Here in this manuscript, we examine the production of glycogen in the model cyanobacteria, Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002, and subsequent conversion of cyanobacterial biomass by an engineered Escherichia coli to octanoic acid as a model product. In effort to maximize glycogen production, we explored the deletion of catabolic enzymes and overexpression of GlgC, an enzyme that catalyzes the first committed step toward glycogen synthesis. We found that deletion of glgP increased final glycogen titers when cells were grown in diurnal light. Overexpression of GlgC led to a temporal increase in glycogen content but not in an overall increase in final titer or content. The best strains were grown, harvested, and used to formulate media for growth of E. coli. The cyanobacterial media was able to support the growth of an engineered E. coli and produce octanoic acid at the same titer as common laboratory media.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

The P 2 ' residue is a key determinant of mesotrypsin specificity: Engineering a high-affinity inhibitor with anticancer activity

PRSS3/mesotrypsin is an atypical isoform of trypsin, the up-regulation of which has been implicated in promoting tumour progression. Mesotrypsin inhibitors could potentially provide valuable research tools and novel therapeutics, but small-molecule trypsin inhibitors have low affinity and little selectivity, whereas protein trypsin inhibitors bind poorly and are rapidly degraded by mesotrypsin. In the present study, we use mutagenesis of a mesotrypsin substrate, APPI (amyloid precursor protein Kunitz protease inhibitor domain), and of a poor mesotrypsin inhibitor, BPTI (bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor), to dissect mesotrypsin specificity at the key P2' position. We find that bulky and charged residues strongly disfavour binding, whereas acidic residues facilitate catalysis. Crystal structures of mesotrypsin complexes with BPTI variants provide structural insights into mesotrypsin specificity and inhibition. Through optimization of the P1 and P2' residues of BPTI, we generate a stable high-affinity mesotrypsin inhibitor with an equilibrium binding constant Ki of 5.9 nM, a >2000-fold improvement in affinity over native BPTI. Using this engineered inhibitor, we demonstrate the efficacy of pharmacological inhibition of mesotrypsin in assays of breast cancer cell malignant growth and pancreatic cancer cell invasion. Although further improvements in inhibitor selectivity will be important before clinical potential can be realized, the results of the present study support the feasibility of engineering protein protease inhibitors of mesotrypsin and highlight their therapeutic potential.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Hybrid biophysical systems for atmospheric CO 2 capture

Negative emissions technologies will be essential for limiting anthropogenic global temperature increases to 2 °C in the later years of the 21st century. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) metalloenzymes catalyze the otherwise slow conversion of CO 2 into carbonic acid (H 2 CO 3 ), suggesting their utility in the rapid hydration and downstream capture of dissolved CO 2 in aqueous media for a variety of CO 2 capture methods, such as thermal and pH swings and mineralization. The possibility of driving the rapid capture of CO 2 by catalyzing the CO 2 hydration bottleneck carries real potential for realizing efficient direct air capture (DAC) and direct ocean capture (DOC) systems. However, scaled application of CAs will be dependent on some way of economically sourcing the enzymes at volumes relevant to scaled DAC/DOC operations. In this perspective, we consider the prospect of catalyzing CO 2 hydration using a CA that is bound to the outer membrane of a cyanobacterial host, engineered constructs we call CyCAMs. Coupling extracellular CA expression to a marine, photosynthetic cyanobacterial host results in a CO 2 hydration catalyst that is continuously refreshed during the bacterial growth cycle, without the need for enzyme purification or harvesting steps. In the case of marine cyanobacteria, sunlight and the solutes native to seawater provide the respective energy, nutrients and sources of inorganic carbon essential to maintaining the bacterial population. We consider the potential impact of CA-mediated CO 2 hydration on a variety of DAC processes, with CO 2 mineralization explored as a primary use case.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Multiple Functions of Aromatic-Carbohydrate Interactions in a Processive Cellulase Examined with Molecular Simulation

Proteins employ aromatic residues for carbohydrate binding in a wide range of biological functions. Glycoside hydrolases, which are ubiquitous in nature, typically exhibit tunnels, clefts, or pockets lined with aromatic residues for processing carbohydrates. Mutation of these aromatic residues often results in significant activity differences on insoluble and soluble substrates.However, the thermodynamic basis and molecular level role of these aromatic residues remain unknown. Here, we calculate the relative ligand binding free energy by mutating tryptophans in the Trichoderma reesei family 6 cellulase (Cel6A) to alanine. Removal of aromatic residues near the catalytic site has little impact on the ligand binding free energy, suggesting that aromatic residuesimmediately upstream of the active site are not directly involved in binding, but play a role in the glucopyranose ring distortion necessary for catalysis. Removal of aromatic residues at the entrance and exit of the Cel6A tunnel, however, dramatically impacts the binding affinity, suggesting that these residues play a role in chain acquisition and product stabilization, respectively. The rolessuggested from differences in binding affinity are confirmed by molecular dynamics and normal mode analysis. Surprisingly, our results illustrate that aromatic-carbohydrate interactions vary dramatically depending on the position in the enzyme tunnel. As aromatic-carbohydrate interactions are present in all carbohydrate-active enzymes, these results have implications for understanding proteinstructure-function relationships in carbohydrate metabolism and recognition, carbon turnover in nature, and protein engineering strategies for biomass utilization. Generally, these results suggest that nature employs aromatic-carbohydrate interactions with a wide range of binding affinities for diverse functions.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Engineering of Escherichia coli β-lactamase TEM-1 variants showing higher activity under acidic conditions than at the neutral pH

Highlights: • Genetic screening is useful for obtaining β-lactamases with altered pH dependency. • A few mutations each suppress the activity of a β-lactamase at pH 7.0. • The engineered β-lactamase variants are more active under the acidic conditions. • The relevant amino acid substitutions are located far from the catalytic site. Escherichia coli β-lactamase TEM-1 is potentially useful in the antibody-directed enzyme/prodrug therapy (ADEPT), converting nontoxic prodrugs to toxic agents. The produced toxin would kill cancer cells, when the enzyme is attached to a tumor-antigen-specific antibody. However, the off-site reaction possibly occurring in the blood or normal tissues raises safety concern. In the present study, we engineered TEM-1 variants preferentially active at pH 5.8–6.2, near the pH of the acidic microenvironment of tumor. A library of randomly mutagenized variants was screened for the ability to confer an antibiotic resistance on E. coli cells in acidic growth media and not in neutral media, to isolate a variant with a Thr-to-Ile substitution at position 160. An extensive mutagenesis study was then conducted in the proximity of this position, to show that a Leu162Glu mutation also causes the acid preference. Kinetic analyses indicated that the overall activity of the wild-type TEM-1 hardly changes over a pH range from 5.8 to 7.0, whereas TEM-1(T160I) is 1.5-times as active at pH 6.2 than pH 7.0, and TEM-1(T160I) is 3.1-fold as active at pH 5.8 than pH 7.0. A further mutagenesis study suggested that a change in the overall structure of the enzyme underlies the pH dependency of the variants.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Engineered stabilization and structural analysis of the autoinhibited conformation of PDE4

Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) is an essential contributor to intracellular signaling and an important drug target. The four members of this enzyme family (PDE4A to -D) are functional dimers in which each subunit contains two upstream conserved regions (UCR), UCR1 and -2, which precede the C-terminal catalytic domain. Alternative promoters, transcriptional start sites, and mRNA splicing lead to the existence of over 25 variants of PDE4, broadly classified as long, short, and supershort forms. We report the X-ray crystal structure of long form PDE4B containing UCR1, UCR2, and the catalytic domain, crystallized as a dimer in which a disulfide bond cross-links cysteines engineered into UCR2 and the catalytic domain. Biochemical and mass spectrometric analyses showed that the UCR2-catalytic domain interaction occurs in trans, and established that this interaction regulates the catalytic activity of PDE4. By elucidating the key structural determinants of dimerization, we show that only long forms of PDE4 can be regulated by this mechanism. The results also provide a structural basis for the long-standing observation of high- and low-affinity binding sites for the prototypic inhibitor rolipram.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗