Bart A. van der Veen

Properties and applications of starch-converting enzymes of the α-amylase family

Starch is a major storage product of many economically important crops such as wheat, rice, maize, tapioca, and potato. A large-scale starch processing industry has emerged in the last century. In the past decades, we have seen a shift from the acid hydrolysis of starch to the use of starch-converting enzymes in the production of maltodextrin, modified starches, or glucose and fructose syrups. Currently, these enzymes comprise about 30% of the worlds enzyme production. Besides the use in starch hydrolysis, starch-converting enzymes are also used in a number of other industrial applications, such as laundry and porcelain detergents or as anti-staling agents in baking. A number of these starch-converting enzymes belong to a single family: the α-amylase family or family13 glycosyl hydrolases. This group of enzymes share a number of common characteristics such as a (β/α)8 barrel structure, the hydrolysis or formation of glycosidic bonds in the α conformation, and a number of conserved amino acid residues in the active site. As many as 21 different reaction and product specificities are found in this family. Currently, 25 three-dimensional (3D) structures of a few members of the α-amylase family have been determined using protein crystallization and X-ray crystallography. These data in combination with site-directed mutagenesis studies have helped to better understand the interactions between the substrate or product molecule and the different amino acids found in and around the active site. This review illustrates the reaction and product diversity found within the α-amylase family, the mechanistic principles deduced from structure-function relationship structures, and the use of the enzymes of this family in industrial applications.

X-ray structures along the reaction pathway of cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase elucidate catalysis in the alpha-amylase family.

Cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase) is an enzyme of the α-amylase family, which uses a double displacement mechanism to process α-linked glucose polymers. We have determined two X-ray structures of CGTase complexes, one with an intact substrate at 2.1 Å resolution, and the other with a covalently bound reaction intermediate at 1.8 Å resolution. These structures give evidence for substrate distortion and the covalent character of the intermediate and for the first time show, in atomic detail, how catalysis in the α-amylase family proceeds by the concerted action of all active site residues.

The raw starch binding domain of cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase from Bacillus circulans strain 251

The E-domain of cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase) (EC 2.4.1.19) from Bacillus circulans strain 251 is a putative raw starch binding domain. Analysis of the maltose-dependent CGTase crystal structure revealed that each enzyme molecule contained three maltose molecules, situated at contact points between protein molecules. Two of these maltoses were bound to specific sites in the E-domain, the third maltose was bound at the C-domain. To delineate the roles in raw starch binding and cyclization reaction kinetics of the two maltose binding sites in the E-domain, we replaced Trp-616 and Trp-662 of maltose binding site 1 and Tyr-633 of maltose binding site 2 by alanines using site-directed mutagenesis. Purified mutant CGTases were characterized with respect to raw starch binding and cyclization reaction kinetics on both soluble and raw starch. The results show that maltose binding site 1 is most important for raw starch binding, whereas maltose binding site 2 is involved in guiding linear starch chains into the active site. β-Cyclodextrin causes product inhibition by interfering with catalysis in the active site and the function of maltose binding site 2 in the E-domain. CGTase mutants in the E-domain maltose binding site 1 could no longer be crystallized as maltose-dependent monomers. Instead, the W616A mutant CGTase protein was successfully crystallized as a carbohydrate-independent dimer; its structure has been refined to 2.2 Å resolution. The three-dimensional structure shows that, within the error limits, neither the absence of carbohydrates nor the W616A mutation caused significant further conformational changes. The modified starch binding and cyclization kinetic properties observed with the mutant CGTase proteins thus can be directly related to the amino acid replacements.

Engineering of cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase reaction and product specificity

The present invention relates to a mutant DNA sequence encoding protein phosphatase 1 G-subunit, wherein a mutation of G to T occurs in the position of codon 905 of the coding sequence, a method of detecting a mutation in the gene encoding protein phosphatase 1 G-subunit, as well as a diagnostic composition and a test kit for use in the method.

Catalytic mechanism and product specificity of cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase, a prototypical transglycosylase from the α-amylase family

The catalytic mechanism of cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase, a member of the α-amylase family, is reviewed. The focus is put on the bond cleavage mechanism, the nature of the transition state and of the covalent intermediate, and on the stereo-electronic and lateral protonation contributions to catalysis. The functions in catalysis of the absolutely conserved residues in this family are discussed. Finally, the fascinating capability of cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase to produce cyclodextrins from linear starch oligosaccharide chains is reviewed, together with protein engineering studies to modify the enzyme’s product specificity.

Enzymatic circularization of a malto‐octaose linear chain studied by stochastic reaction path calculations on cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase

Cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase) is an enzyme belonging to the α‐amylase family that forms cyclodextrins (circularly linked oligosaccharides) from starch. X‐ray work has indicated that this cyclization reaction of CGTase involves a 23‐Å movement of the nonreducing end of a linear malto‐oligosaccharide from a remote binding position into the enzyme acceptor site. We have studied the dynamics of this sugar chain circularization through reaction path calculations. We used the new method of the stochastic path, which is based on path integral theory, to compute an approximate molecular dynamics trajectory of the large (75‐kDa) CGTase from Bacillus circulans strain 251 on a millisecond time scale. The result was checked for consistency with site‐directed mutagenesis data. The combined data show how aromatic residues and a hydrophobic cavity at the surface of CGTase actively catalyze the sugar chain movement. Therefore, by using approximate trajectories, reaction path calculations can give a unique insight into the dynamics of complex enzyme reactions. Proteins 2001;43:327–335.