Edgardo T. Farinas

Laboratory evolution of a soluble, self-sufficient, highly active alkane hydroxylase

We have converted cytochrome P450 BM-3 from Bacillus megaterium (P450 BM-3), a medium-chain (C12–C18) fatty acid monooxygenase, into a highly efficient catalyst for the conversion of alkanes to alcohols. The evolved P450 BM-3 exhibits higher turnover rates than any reported biocatalyst for the selective oxidation of hydrocarbons of small to medium chain length (C3–C8). Unlike naturally occurring alkane hydroxylases, the best known of which are the large complexes of methane monooxygenase (MMO) and membrane-associated non-heme iron alkane monooxygenase (AlkB), the evolved enzyme is monomeric, soluble, and requires no additional proteins for catalysis. The evolved alkane hydroxylase was found to be even more active on fatty acids than wild-type BM-3, which was already one of the most efficient fatty acid monooxgenases known. A broad range of substrates including the gaseous alkane propane induces the low to high spin shift that activates the enzyme. This catalyst for alkane hydroxylation at room temperature opens new opportunities for clean, selective hydrocarbon activation for chemical synthesis and bioremediation.

Directed enzyme evolution

Laboratory evolutionists continue to generate better enzymes for industrial and research applications. Exciting developments include new biocatalysts for enantioselective carbon-carbon bond formation and fatty acid production in plants. Creative contributions to the repertoire of evolutionary methods will ensure further growth in applications and expand the scope and complexity of biological design problems that can be addressed. Researchers are also starting to elucidate mechanisms of enzyme adaptation and natural evolution by testing evolutionary scenarios in the laboratory.

Directed Evolution of a Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenase for Alkane Oxidation

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenase BM-3 (EC 1.14.14.1) hydroxylates fatty acids with chain lengths between C12 and C18. It is also known to oxi- dize the corresponding alcohols and amides. How- ever, it is not known to oxidize alkanes. Here we re- port that P450 BM-3 oxidizes octane, which is four carbons shorter and lacks the carboxylate function- ality of the shortest fatty acid P450 BM-3 is known to accept, to 4-octanol, 3-octanol, 2-octanol, 4-octa- none, and 3-octanone. The rate is much lower than for oxidation of the preferred fatty acid substrates. In an effort to explore the plasticity and mechanisms of substrate recognition in this powerful biocatalyst, we are using directed evolution - random mutagen- esis, recombination, and screening - to improve its activity towards saturated hydrocarbons. A spectro- photometric assay has been validated for high throughput screening, and two generations of la- boratory evolution have yielded variants displaying up to five times the specific activity of wild-type P450 BM-3.

Cost-Effective Whole-Cell Assay for Laboratory Evolution of Hydroxylases in Escherichia coli

Cytochrome P450 BM-3 from Bacillus megaterium catalyzes the subterminal hydroxylation of medium- and long-chain fatty acids at the to-1, w-2, and c-3 positions. A continuous spectrophotometric assay for P450 BM-3 based on the conversion of p-nitrophenoxycarboxylic acids (pNCA) to co-oxycarboxylic acids and the chromophore p-nitrophenolate was reported recently. However, this pNCA assay procedure contained steps that limited its application in high throughput screening, including expression of P450 BM-3 variant F87A in 4-ml cultures, centrifugation, resuspension of the cell pellet, and cell lysis. We have shown that permeabilization of the outer membrane of Escherichia coli DH5a with polymyxin B sulfate, EDTA, polyethylenimine, or sodium hexametaphosphate results in rapid conversion of 12-pNCA. A NADPH-generating system consisting of NADP+, D/L-isocitric acid, and the D/L-isocitrate dehydrogenase of E. coli DH5a reduced the cofactor expense more than 10-fold. By avoiding cell lysis, re-suspension, and centrifugation, the high throughput protocol allows screening of thousands of samples per day.

Colorimetric high-throughput assay for alkene epoxidation catalyzed by cytochrome P450 BM-3 variant 139-3.

Cytochrome P450 BM-3 variant 139-3 is highly active in the hydroxylation of alkanes and fatty acids (AGlieder, ET Farinas, and FH Arnold, Nature Biotech 2002;20:1135-1139); it also epoxidizes various alkenes, including styrene. Here the authors describe a colorimetric, high-throughput assay suitable for optimizing this latter activity by directed evolution. The product of styrene oxidation by 139-3, styrene oxide, reacts with the nucleophile γ-(4-nitrobenzyl)pyridine (NBP) to form a purple-colored precursor dye, which can be monitored spectrophotometrically in cell lysates. The sensitivity limit of this assay is 50-100 μ Mof product, and the detection limit for P450 BM-3 139-3 is ~0.2 μ Mof enzyme. To validate the assay, activities in a small library of random mutants were compared to those determined using an NADPH depletion assay for initial turnover rates. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2004:141-146)

Fluorescence activated cell sorting for enzymatic activity.

Directed evolution is a reliable method for protein engineering and as a tool for investigating structure/function relationships. A key for a successful directed evolution experiment is oftentimes the screen. Fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) is powerful high-throughput screening approach to isolate and identify mutants from large protein libraries. FACS has been successful in isolating proteins with improved or altered binding affinity. However, FACS screening for mutants with enhanced catalytic activity has been met with limited success. This review focuses on the FACS screening of protein libraries for enzymatic activity.

Bacillus subtilis Spore Display of Laccase for Evolution under Extreme Conditions of High Concentrations of Organic Solvent

Protein libraries were displayed on the spore coat of Bacillus subtilis, and this method was demonstrated as a tool for directed evolution under extreme conditions. Escherichia coli, yeast, and phage display suffer from protein folding, and viability issues. On the other hand, spores avoid folding concerns by the natural sporulation process, and they remain viable under harsh chemical and physical environments. The naturally occurring B. subtilis spore coat protein, CotA, was evolved for improved activity under conditions of high organic solvent concentrations. CotA is a laccase, which is a copper-containing oxidase enzyme. A CotA library was expressed on the spore coat, and ∼ 3000 clones were screened at 60% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). A Thr480Ala variant (Thr480Ala-CotA) was identified that was 2.38-fold more active than the wild-type CotA. In addition, Thr480Ala-CotA was more active with different concentrations of DMSO ranging from 0 to 70%. The mutant was also found to be more active compared with the wild-type CotA in different concentrations of methanol, ethanol, and acetonitrile.

PHOTOINDUCED OXIDATION OF HYDROCARBONS WITH COBALT(III)-ALKYLPEROXY COMPLEXES

Abstract A set of cobalt(III)-alkylperoxy complexes, [Co(BPI)(OAc)(OO1Bu)] (1), [Co(Me-BPI)(OAc)(OO1Bu)] (2) and [Co(Cl-BPI)-(OAc)(OO1Bu)] (3) where BPI is 1,3-bis(2′-pyridylimino) isoindoline, promotes photooxidation of alkanes at room temperature. Irradiation causes homoylysis of the CoO bond of the CoOO1Bu moieties in these complexes and produces 1BuOO radicals in the reaction mixture. Both 1BuOO and 1BuO (derived from 1BuOO) are responsible for the oxidation of the CH bonds.

Investigation of the donor and acceptor range for chiral carboligation catalyzed by the E1 component of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex

The potential of thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes to catalyze C-C bond forming (carboligase) reactions with high enantiomeric excess has been recognized for many years. Here we report the application of the E1 component of the Escherichia coli 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex in the synthesis of chiral compounds with multiple functional groups in good yield and high enantiomeric excess, by varying both the donor substrate (different 2-oxo acids) and the acceptor substrate (glyoxylate, ethyl glyoxylate and methyl glyoxal). Major findings include the demonstration that the enzyme can accept 2-oxovalerate and 2-oxoisovalerate in addition to its natural substrate 2-oxoglutarate, and that the tested acceptors are also acceptable in the carboligation reaction, thereby very much expanding the repertory of the enzyme in chiral synthesis.

Catalysis of transthiolacylation in the active centers of dihydrolipoamide acyltransacetylase components of 2‐oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes

The Escherichia coli 2‐oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (OGDHc) comprises multiple copies of three enzymes—E1o, E2o, and E3—and transthioesterification takes place within the catalytic domain of E2o. The succinyl group from the thiol ester of S8‐succinyldihydrolipoyl‐E2o is transferred to the thiol group of coenzyme A (CoA), forming the all‐important succinyl‐CoA. Here, we report mechanistic studies of enzymatic transthioesterification on OGDHc. Evidence is provided for the importance of His375 and Asp374 in E2o for the succinyl transfer reaction. The magnitude of the rate acceleration provided by these residues (54‐fold from each with alanine substitution) suggests a role in stabilization of the symmetrical tetrahedral oxyanionic intermediate by formation of two hydrogen bonds, rather than in acid–base catalysis. Further evidence ruling out a role in acid–base catalysis is provided by site‐saturation mutagenesis studies at His375 (His375Trp substitution with little penalty) and substitutions to other potential hydrogen bond participants at Asp374. Taking into account that the rate constant for reductive succinylation of the E2o lipoyl domain (LDo) by E1o and 2‐oxoglutarate (99 s−1) was approximately twofold larger than the rate constant for kcat of 48 s−1 for the overall reaction (NADH production), it could be concluded that succinyl transfer to CoA and release of succinyl‐CoA, rather than reductive succinylation, is the rate‐limiting step. The results suggest a revised mechanism of catalysis for acyl transfer in the superfamily of 2‐oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes, thus provide fundamental information regarding acyl‐CoA formation, so important for several biological processes including post‐translational succinylation of protein lysines.