Heike Schmidt

The genes lmbB1 and lmbB2 of Streptomyces lincolnensis encode enzymes involved in the conversion of l-tyrosine to propylproline during the biosynthesis of the antibiotic lincomycin A

Abstract The genes lmbA,B1,B2 in the lincomycin A production gene cluster of Streptomyces lincolnensis were shown to form a common transcription unit with the promoter located directly upstream of lmbA. The proteins LmbB1 (mol. mass, 18 kDa) and LmbB2 (mol. mass 34 kDa), when over-produced together in Escherichia coli, brought about enzyme activities for the specific conversion of both l-tyrosine and l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) to a yellow-colored product. The LmbB1 protein alone catalyzed the conversion of l-DOPA, but not of l-tyrosine. The purified LmbB1 protein showed a Km for l-DOPA of 258.3 μM. The l-tyrosine converting activity could not been demonstrated in vitro. The preliminary interpretation of these data suggests that the protein LmbB1 is an l-DOPA extradiol-cleaving 2,3-dioxygenase and that the protein LmbB2, either alone or in accord with LmbB1, represents an l-tyrosine 3-hydroxylase. This sequence of putative oxidation reactions on l-tyrosine seems to represent a new pathway different from the ones catalyzed by mammalian l-tyrosine hydroxylases or the wide-spread tyrosinases. The protein LmbA seemed not to be involved in this process. The labile, yellow-colored product from l-DOPA could not be converted to a picolinic acid derivative [3-(2-carboxy-5-pyridyl)alanine] in the presence of ammonia. Therefore, it probably is not a derivative of a cis,cis-3-hydroxymuconic acid semialdehyde; instead, its speculative structure represents a heterocyclic precursor of the propylhygric acid moiety of lincomycin A.

Lysine degradation in Candida maltosa: occurrence of a novel enzyme, acetyl-CoA: L-lysine N-acetyltransferase

The yeast Candida maltosa can utilize L-lysine as sole nitrogen and sole carbon source accompanied by accumulation of ε-N-acetyl-L-lysine, indicating that lysine is metabolized by way of N-acetylated intermediates. A novel lysine acetyltransferase catalyzing the first step in this pathway, the N-acetylation of the ε-amino group of L-lysine, was found in this yeast. The enzyme, acetyl-CoA:L-lysine N-acetyltransferase, is strongly induced in cells grown on L-lysine as sole carbon source. The enzyme is specific for both L-lysine and acetyl-CoA. The Km values are 10 mM for L-lysine and 0.33 mM for acetyl-CoA. The enzyme has a maximum activity at pH 8.1.

Characterization of acetyl-CoA : L-lysine N6-acetyltransferase, which catalyses the first step of carbon catabolism from lysine in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The carbon catabolism of l-lysine starts in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with acetylation by an acetyl-CoA: l-lysine N6-acetyltransferase. The enzyme is strongly induced in cells grown on l-lysine as sole carbon source and has been purified about 530-fold. Its activity was specific for acetyl-CoA and, in addition to l-lysine, 5-hydroxylysine and thialysine act as acetyl acceptor. The following apparent Michaelis constants were determined: acetyl-CoA 0.8 mM, l-lysine 5.8 mM, dl-5-hydroxylysine 2.8 mM, l-thialysine 100 mM. The enzyme had a maximum activity at pH 8.5 and 37°C. Its molecular mass, estimated by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was 52 kDa. Since the native molecular mass, determined by gel filtration, was 48 kDa, the enzyme is a monomer.

Regulation of the lysine biosynthesis in Pichia guilliermondii

The regulatory properties of four enzymes (homocitrate synthase, α-aminoadipate reductase, saccharopine reductase, saccharopine dehydrogenase) involved in the lysine biosynthesis of Pichia guilliermondii were investigated and compared with the regulatory patterns found in other yeast species. The first enzyme of the pathway, homocitrate synthase, is feedback-inhibited by L-lysine. Some other amino acids (α-aminoadipate, glutamate, tryptophan, leucine) and lysine analogues are also inhibitors of one or more enzymes. It is shown that only the synthesis of homocitrate synthase is weakly repressed by L-lysine.

Characterization of a novel enzyme, N6-acetyl-L-lysine: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, which catalyses the second step of lysine catabolism inCandida maltosa

A novel aminotransferase catalyzing the second step of lysine catabolism, the oxidative transamination of the α-group of N6-acetyllysine, was identified and characterized in the yeastCandida maltosa. The enzyme was strongly induced in cells grown on L-lysine as sole carbon source. Its activity was specific for both N6-acetyllysine and 2-oxoglutarate. The Km values were 14 mM for the donor, 4 mM for the acceptor and 1.7 μM for pyridoxal-5-phosphate. The enzyme had a maximum activity at pH 8.1 and 32°C. Its molecular mass estimated by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was 55 kDa. Since the native molecular mass determined by gel filtration was 120 kDa, the enzyme is probably a homodimer.

Production of α-aminoadipate-δ-semialdehyde by a mutant from Candida maltosa

SummaryMutants of Candida maltosa were isolated that lacked saccharopine reductase (lys9) and saccharopine dehydrogenase (lys1) and were able to accumulate α-aminoadipate-δ-semialdehyde (AASA) in the cell and excrete it into the culture medium. The effects of incubation time, lysine concentration, and carbon and nitrogen sources on AASA production were examined. In the presence of 15 g glucose/1, 1.25 g NH4H2PO4/l and 50 mg l-lysine/l in a minimal salt medium C. maltosa G285 (lys1) produced about 80–90 mg AASA/l during 48 h of growth. A simple and rapid procedure to isolate AASA from the medium using Dowex 50X4 is described.