Murielle Jam

Isolation and Culture of a Marine Bacterium Degrading the Sulfated Fucans from Marine Brown Algae

Fucoidans are matrix polysaccharides from marine brown algae, consisting of an α-l-fucose backbone substituted by sulfate-ester groups and masked with ramifications containing other monosaccharide residues. In spite of their interest as biologically active compounds in a number of homologous and heterologous systems, no convenient sources with fucanase activity are available yet for the degradation of the fucalean algae. We here report on the isolation, characterization, and culture conditions of a bacterial strain capable of degrading various brown algal fucoidans. This bacterium, a member of the family Flavobacteriaceae, was shown to secrete fucoidan endo-hydrolase activity. An extracellular enzyme preparation was used to degrade the fucoidan from the brown alga Pelvetia canaliculata. End products included a tetrasaccharide and a hexasaccharide made of the repetition of disaccharidic units consisting of α-1→3-l-fucopyranose-2-sulfate-α-1→4-l-fucopyranose-2,3-disulfate, with the 3-linked residues at the nonreducing end.

Biochemical and Structural Characterization of the Complex Agarolytic Enzyme System from the Marine Bacterium Zobellia Galactanivorans.

Background: Bacterial agarolytic systems are frequent and play an important role in algal biomass conversion. Results: Structural and biochemical analyses of several agar-related enzymes reveal details on substrate recognition and complementary roles. Conclusion: The diversity of agar-related enzymes within a bacterial organism reflects the complexity of the natural substrate. Significance: Marine microbes employ complex systems to catalyze degradation of polysaccharides with unique structural characteristics. Zobellia galactanivorans is an emerging model bacterium for the bioconversion of algal biomass. Notably, this marine Bacteroidetes possesses a complex agarolytic system comprising four β-agarases and five β-porphyranases, all belonging to the glycoside hydrolase family 16. Although β-agarases are specific for the neutral agarobiose moieties, the recently discovered β-porphyranases degrade the sulfated polymers found in various quantities in natural agars. Here, we report the biochemical and structural comparison of five β-porphyranases and β-agarases from Z. galactanivorans. The respective degradation patterns of two β-porphyranases and three β-agarases are analyzed by their action on defined hybrid oligosaccharides. In light of the high resolution crystal structures, the biochemical results allowed a detailed mapping of substrate specificities along the active site groove of the enzymes. Although PorA displays a strict requirement for C6-sulfate in the −2- and +1-binding subsites, PorB tolerates the presence of 3–6-anhydro-l-galactose in subsite −2. Both enzymes do not accept methylation of the galactose unit in the −1 subsite. The β-agarase AgaD requires at least four consecutive agarose units (DP8) and is highly intolerant to modifications, whereas for AgaB oligosaccharides containing C6-sulfate groups at the −4, +1, and +3 positions are still degraded. Together with a transcriptional analysis of the expression of these enzymes, the structural and biochemical results allow proposition of a model scheme for the agarolytic system of Z. galactanivorans.

Alpha-agarases define a new family of glycoside hydrolases, distinct from beta-agarase families

ABSTRACT The gene encoding the α-agarase from “Alteromonas agarilytica” (proposed name) has been cloned and sequenced. The gene product (154 kDa) is unrelated to β-agarases and instead belongs to a new family of glycoside hydrolases (GH96). The α-agarase also displays a complex modularity, with the presence of five thrombospondin type 3 repeats and three carbohydrate-binding modules.

Identification and Characterization of a Halotolerant, Cold-Active Marine Endo-β-1,4-Glucanase by Using Functional Metagenomics of Seaweed-Associated Microbiota

ABSTRACT A metagenomic library was constructed from microorganisms associated with the brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum. Functional screening of this library revealed 13 novel putative esterase loci and two glycoside hydrolase loci. Sequence and gene cluster analysis showed the wide diversity of the identified enzymes and gave an idea of the microbial populations present during the sample collection period. Lastly, an endo-β-1,4-glucanase having less than 50% identity to sequences of known cellulases was purified and partially characterized, showing activity at low temperature and after prolonged incubation in concentrated salt solutions.

Identification of catalytic residues and mechanistic analysis of family GH82 iota-carrageenases.

Marine polysaccharide degrading enzymes, and iota-carrageenases in particular, have received little attention in the past, although their substrate specificity is of interest for biotechnological applications. This is mostly a consequence of the lack of data about their occurrence in the marine environment. Recent metagenomic data mining and the genome sequencing of a marine bacterium, Zobellia galactanivorans, led to the identification of three new iota-carrageenase genes belonging to the glycoside hydrolase family GH82. The additional sequences helped to identify potential candidate residues as catalytic proton donor and nucleophile. We have identified the catalytic key residues experimentally by site-directed mutagenesis and subsequent kinetic analysis for the iota-carrageenase from Alteromonas fortis CgiA1_Af. The kinetic analyses of the purified mutant enzymes confirm that E245 plays the role of the catalytic proton donor and D247 the general base that activates the catalytic water molecule. The point mutations of three other residues, namely, Q222, H281, and Q310 in A. fortis, located in proximity of the active site also affect the enzyme activity. Our results indicate that E310 plays a role in stabilizing the substrate intermediate conformation, while H281 is involved in substrate binding and appears to be crucial for maintaining the protonation state of the catalytic proton donor E245. The third residue, Q222, that bridges the catalytic water molecule and a chloride ion, plays a crucial role in structuring the water network in the active site of A. fortis iota-carrageenase.

Substrate specificity of the recombinant alginate lyase from the marine bacteria Pseudomonas alginovora.

The gene coding for an alginate lyase from the marine bacteria Pseudomonas alginovora X017 was cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli strains. The protein was produced in inclusion bodies and the active form was obtained by applying a refolding protocol based upon dilution. The biochemical characterization was performed on the active, refolded form of the alginate lyase. The substrate specificity was monitored by NMR. The degradation products were size-fractioned by size exclusion chromatography. The fractions were subsequently analyzed by ESI-MS to determine the molecular weight of the compounds. The structures of the different oligosaccharides were then elucidated by NMR. The enzyme was shown to be only acting on M-M diads. No enzymatic hydrolysis occurred between M-MG, G-MM or G-MG blocks proving that the sequence accounting for the generated oligomers by enzymatic hydrolysis is M-MM. The unsaturated oligosaccharides produced by the alginate lyase were ΔM, ΔMM, ΔMMM, and ΔMMMM indicating that the minimum structure recognized by the enzyme is the M6 oligosaccharide.

High-energy photon activation tandem mass spectrometry provides unprecedented insights into the structure of highly sulfated oligosaccharides extracted from macroalgal cell walls

Extreme ultraviolet photon activation tandem mass spectrometry (MS) at 69 nm (18 eV) was used to characterize mixtures of oligo-porphyrans, a class of highly sulfated oligosaccharides. Porphyrans, hybrid polymers whose structures are far from known, continue to provide a challenge for analytical method development. Activation by 18 eV photons led to a rich fragmentation of the oligo-porphyrans, with many cross-ring and glycosidic cleavages. In contrast to multistage MSn strategies such as activated electron photodetachment dissociation, a single step of irradiation by energetic UV of multiply charged anions led to a complete fragmentation of the oligo-porphyrans. In both ionization modes, the sulfate groups were retained on the backbone, which allowed the pattern of these modifications along the porphyran backbone to be described in unprecedented detail. Many structures released by the enzymatic degradation of the porphyran were completely resolved, including isomers. This work extends the existing knowledge of the structure of porphyrans. In addition, it provides a new demonstration of the potential of activation by high-energy photons for the structural analysis of oligosaccharides, even in unseparated mixtures, with a particular focus on sulfated compounds.

Structural insights into marine carbohydrate degradation by family GH16 kappa-carrageenases

Carrageenans are sulfated α-1,3-β-1,4-galactans found in the cell wall of some red algae that are practically valuable for their gelation and biomimetic properties but also serve as a potential carbon source for marine bacteria. Carbohydrate degradation has been studied extensively for terrestrial plant/bacterial systems, but sulfation is not present in these cases, meaning the marine enzymes used to degrade carrageenans must possess unique features to recognize these modifications. To gain insights into these features, we have focused on κ-carrageenases from two distant bacterial phyla, which belong to glycoside hydrolase family 16 and cleave the β-1,4 linkage of κ-carrageenan. We have solved the crystal structure of the catalytic module of ZgCgkA from Zobellia galactanivorans at 1.66 Å resolution and compared it with the only other structure available, that of PcCgkA from Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora 9T (ATCC 43555T). We also describe the first substrate complex in the inactivated mutant form of PcCgkA at 1.7 Å resolution. The structural and biochemical comparison of these enzymes suggests key determinants that underlie the functional properties of this subfamily. In particular, we identified several arginine residues that interact with the polyanionic substrate, and confirmed the functional relevance of these amino acids using a targeted mutagenesis strategy. These results give new insight into the diversity of the κ-carrageenase subfamily. The phylogenetic analyses show the presence of several distinct clades of enzymes that relate to differences in modes of action or subtle differences within the same substrate specificity, matching the hybrid character of the κ-carrageenan polymer.

Asp271 is critical for substrate interaction with the surface binding site in β-agarase A from Zobellia galactanivorans

In the marine environment agar degradation is assured by bacteria that contain large agarolytic systems with enzymes acting in various endo‐ and exo‐modes. Agarase A (AgaA) is an endo‐glycoside hydrolase of family 16 considered to initiate degradation of agarose. Agaro‐oligosaccharide binding at a unique surface binding site (SBS) in AgaA from Zobellia galactanivorans was investigated by computational methods in conjunction with a structure/sequence guided approach of site‐directed mutagenesis probed by surface plasmon resonance binding analysis of agaro‐oligosaccharides of DP 4‐10. The crystal structure has shown that agaro‐octaose interacts via H‐bonds and aromatic stacking along 7 subsites (L through R) of the SBS in the inactive catalytic nucleophile mutant AgaA‐E147S. D271 is centrally located in the extended SBS where it forms H‐bonds to galactose and 3,6‐anhydrogalactose residues of agaro‐octaose at subsites O and P. We propose D271 is a key residue in ligand binding to the SBS. Thus AgaA‐E147S/D271A gave slightly decreasing KD values from 625 ± 118 to 468 ± 13 μM for agaro‐hexaose, ‐octaose, and ‐decaose, which represent 3‐ to 4‐fold reduced affinity compared with AgaA‐E147S. Molecular dynamics simulations and interaction analyses of AgaA‐E147S/D271A indicated disruption of an extended H‐bond network supporting that D271 is critical for the functional SBS. Notably, neither AgaA‐E147S/W87A nor AgaA‐E147S/W277A, designed to eliminate stacking with galactose residues at subsites O and Q, respectively, were produced in soluble form. W87 and W277 may thus control correct folding and structural integrity of AgaA.