Patricia Wildberger

Sucrose phosphorylase: a powerful transglucosylation catalyst for synthesis of α-D-glucosides as industrial fine chemicals

Abstract Sucrose phosphorylase is a bacterial transglucosidase that catalyzes conversion of sucrose and phosphate into α-D-glucose-1-phosphate and D-fructose. The enzyme utilizes a glycoside hydrolase-like double displacement mechanism that involves a catalytically competent β-glucosyl enzyme intermediate. In addition to reaction with phosphate, glucosylated sucrose phosphorylase can undergo hydrolysis to yield α-D-glucose or it can decompose via glucosyl transfer to a hydroxy group in suitable acceptor molecules, giving new α-D-glucosidic products. The glucosyl acceptor specificity of sucrose phosphorylase is reviewed, focusing on applications of the enzyme in glucoside synthesis. Polyhydroxylated compounds such as sugars and sugar alcohols are often glucosylated efficiently. Aryl alcohols and different carboxylic acids also serve as acceptors for enzymatic transglucosylation. The natural osmolyte 2-O-(α-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol (GG) was prepared by regioselective glucosylation of glycerol from sucrose using the phosphorylase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides. An industrial process for production of GG as active ingredient of cosmetic formulations has been recently developed. General advantages of sucrose phosphorylase as a transglucosylation catalyst lie in the use of sucrose as a high-energy glucosyl donor and the usually weak hydrolase activity of the enzyme towards substrate and product.

Aromatic interactions at the catalytic subsite of sucrose phosphorylase: Their roles in enzymatic glucosyl transfer probed with Phe52 -> Ala and Phe52 -> Asn mutants

Mutants of Leuconostoc mesenteroides sucrose phosphorylase having active‐site Phe52 replaced by Ala (F52A) or Asn (F52N) were characterized by free energy profile analysis for catalytic glucosyl transfer from sucrose to phosphate. Despite large destabilization (⩾3.5 kcal/mol) of the transition states for enzyme glucosylation and deglucosylation in both mutants as compared to wild‐type, the relative stability of the glucosyl enzyme intermediate was weakly affected by substitution of Phe52. In reverse reaction where fructose becomes glucocylated, “error hydrolysis” was the preponderant path of breakdown of the covalent intermediate of F52A and F52N. It is proposed, therefore, that Phe52 facilitates reaction of the phosphorylase through (1) positioning of the transferred glucosyl moiety at the catalytic subsite and (2) strong cation‐π stabilization of the oxocarbenium ion‐like transition states flanking the covalent enzyme intermediate.

Examining the role of phosphate in glycosyl transfer reactions of Cellulomonas uda cellobiose phosphorylase using D-glucal as donor substrate.

Cellobiose phosphorylase from Cellulomonas uda (CuCPase) is shown to utilize D-glucal as slow alternative donor substrate for stereospecific glycosyl transfer to inorganic phosphate, giving 2-deoxy-α-D-glucose 1-phosphate as the product. When performed in D(2)O, enzymatic phosphorolysis of D-glucal proceeds with incorporation of deuterium in equatorial position at C-2, implying a stereochemical course of reaction where substrate becomes protonated from below its six-membered ring through stereoselective re side attack at C-2. The proposed catalytic mechanism, which is supported by results of docking studies, involves direct protonation of D-glucal by the enzyme-bound phosphate, which then performs nucleophilic attack on the reactive C-1 of donor substrate. When offered D-glucose next to D-glucal and phosphate, CuCPase produces 2-deoxy-β-D-glucosyl-(1→4)-D-glucose and 2-deoxy-α-D-glucose 1-phosphate in a ratio governed by mass action of the two acceptor substrates present. Enzymatic synthesis of 2-deoxy-β-D-glucosyl-(1→4)-D-glucose is effectively promoted by catalytic concentrations of phosphate, suggesting that catalytic reaction proceeds through a quaternary complex of CuCPase, D-glucal, phosphate, and D-glucose. Conversion of D-glucal and phosphate presents a convenient single-step synthesis of 2-deoxy-α-D-glucose 1-phosphate that is difficult to prepare chemically.

Phosphoryl transfer from α-d-glucose 1-phosphate catalyzed by Escherichia coli sugar-phosphate phosphatases of two protein-superfamily types

ABSTRACT The Cori ester α-d-glucose 1-phosphate (αGlc 1-P) is a high-energy intermediate of cellular carbohydrate metabolism. Its glycosidic phosphomonoester moiety primes αGlc 1-P for flexible exploitation in glucosyl and phosphoryl transfer reactions. Two structurally and mechanistically distinct sugar-phosphate phosphatases from Escherichia coli were characterized in this study for utilization of αGlc 1-P as a phosphoryl donor substrate. The agp gene encodes a periplasmic αGlc 1-P phosphatase (Agp) belonging to the histidine acid phosphatase family. Had13 is from the haloacid dehydrogenase-like phosphatase family. Cytoplasmic expression of Agp (in E. coli Origami B) gave a functional enzyme preparation (k cat for phosphoryl transfer from αGlc 1-P to water, 40 s−1) that was shown by mass spectrometry to exhibit no free cysteines and the native intramolecular disulfide bond between Cys189 and Cys195. Enzymatic phosphoryl transfer from αGlc 1-P to water in H2 18O solvent proceeded with complete 18O label incorporation into the phosphate released, consistent with catalytic reaction through O-1–P, but not C-1–O, bond cleavage. Hydrolase activity of both enzymes was not restricted to a glycosidic phosphomonoester substrate, and d-glucose 6-phosphate was converted with a k cat similar to that of αGlc 1-P. By examining phosphoryl transfer from αGlc 1-P to an acceptor substrate other than water (d-fructose or d-glucose), we discovered that Agp exhibited pronounced synthetic activity, unlike Had13, which utilized αGlc 1-P mainly for phosphoryl transfer to water. By applying d-fructose in 10-fold molar excess over αGlc 1-P (20 mM), enzymatic conversion furnished d-fructose 1-phosphate as the main product in a 55% overall yield. Agp is a promising biocatalyst for use in transphosphorylation from αGlc 1-P.

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Glycosyl Phosphates by Using a Phosphorylase–Phosphatase Combination Catalyst

Abstract Sugar phosphates play an important role in metabolism and signaling, but also as constituents of macromolecular structures. Selective phosphorylation of sugars is chemically difficult, particularly at the anomeric center. We report phosphatase‐catalyzed diastereoselective “anomeric” phosphorylation of various aldose substrates with α‐d‐glucose 1‐phosphate, derived from phosphorylase‐catalyzed conversion of sucrose and inorganic phosphate, as the phosphoryl donor. Simultaneous and sequential two‐step transformations by the phosphorylase–phosphatase combination catalyst yielded glycosyl phosphates of defined anomeric configuration in yields of up to 70 % based on the phosphate applied to the reaction. An efficient enzyme‐assisted purification of the glycosyl phosphate products from reaction mixtures was established.

Probing enzyme–substrate interactions at the catalytic subsite of Leuconostoc mesenteroides sucrose phosphorylase with site-directed mutagenesis: the roles of Asp49 and Arg395

Abstract Sucrose phosphorylase is a bacterial α-transglucosidase that catalyses glucosyl transfer from sucrose to phosphate, releasing d-fructose and α-d-glucose 1-phosphate as the product of the first (enzyme glucosylation) and second (enzyme deglucosylation) step of the enzymatic reaction, respectively. The transferred glucosyl moiety of sucrose is accommodated at the catalytic subsite of the phosphorylase through a network of charged hydrogen bonds whereby a highly conserved residue pair of Asp and Arg points towards the equatorial hydroxyl at C4. To examine the role of this ‘hyperpolar’ binding site for the substrate 4-OH, we have mutated Asp49 and Arg395 of Leuconostoc mesenteroides sucrose phosphorylase individually to Ala (D49A) and Leu (R395L), respectively, and also prepared an ‘uncharged’ double mutant harbouring both site-directed substitutions. The efficiency for enzyme glucosylation from sucrose was massively decreased in purified preparations of D49A (107-fold) and R395L (105-fold) as compared to wild-type enzyme. The double mutant was not active above the detection limit. Enzyme deglucosylation to phosphate proceeded relatively efficient in D49A as well as R395L, about 500-fold less than in the wild-type phosphorylase. Substrate inhibition by phosphate and a loss in selectivity for reaction with phosphate as compared to water were new features in the two mutants. Asp49 and Arg395 are both essential in the catalytic reaction of L. mesenteroides sucrose phosphorylase.

Interplay of catalytic subsite residues in the positioning of α-d-glucose 1-phosphate in sucrose phosphorylase

Kinetic and molecular docking studies were performed to characterize the binding of α-d-glucose 1-phosphate (αGlc 1-P) at the catalytic subsite of a family GH-13 sucrose phosphorylase (from L. mesenteroides) in wild-type and mutated form. The best-fit binding mode of αGlc 1-P dianion had the phosphate group placed anti relative to the glucosyl moiety (adopting a relaxed 4C1 chair conformation) and was stabilized mainly by hydrogen bonds from residues of the enzyme׳s catalytic triad (Asp196, Glu237 and Asp295) and from Arg137. Additional feature of the αGlc 1-P docking pose was an intramolecular hydrogen bond (2.7 Å) between the glucosyl C2-hydroxyl and the phosphate oxygen. An inactive phosphonate analog of αGlc 1-P did not show binding to sucrose phosphorylase in different experimental assays (saturation transfer difference NMR, steady-state reversible inhibition), consistent with evidence from molecular docking study that also suggested a completely different and strongly disfavored binding mode of the analog as compared to αGlc 1-P. Molecular docking results also support kinetic data in showing that mutation of Phe52, a key residue at the catalytic subsite involved in transition state stabilization, had little effect on the ground-state binding of αGlc 1-P by the phosphorylase. However, when combined with a second mutation involving one of the catalytic triad residues, the mutation of Phe52 by Ala caused complete (F52A_D196A; F52A_E237A) or very large (F52A_D295A) disruption of the proposed productive binding mode of αGlc 1-P with consequent effects on the enzyme activity. Effects of positioning of αGlc 1-P for efficient glucosyl transfer from phosphate to the catalytic nucleophile of the enzyme (Asp196) are suggested. High similarity between the αGlc 1-P conformers bound to sucrose phosphorylase (modeled) and the structurally and mechanistically unrelated maltodextrin phosphorylase (experimental) is revealed.