Piamsook Pongsawasdi

Characterization of a thermostable levansucrase from Bacillus sp. TH4-2 capable of producing high molecular weight levan at high temperature

A thermoactive and thermostable levansucrase was purified from a newly isolated thermophilic Bacillus sp. from Thailand soil. The purification was achieved by alcohol precipitation, DEAE-Cellulose and gel filtration chromatographies. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity as determined by SDS-PAGE, and had a molecular mass of 56 kDa. This levansucrase has some interesting characteristics regarding its optimum temperature and heat stability. The optimum temperature and pH were 60 degrees C and 6.0, respectively. The enzyme was completely stable after treatment at 50 degrees C for more than 1 h, and its activity increased four folds in the presence of 5 mM Fe(2+). The optimum temperature for levan production was 50 degrees C. Contrary to other levansucrases, the one presented in this study is able to produce high molecular weight levan at 50 degrees C.

The heterogeneity of the protamines from human spermatozoa

Nuclear basic protein from ejaculated human spermatozoa were labelled with iodo[14C1]acetic acid and fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography into several pools (named A-K). Gel electrophoresis indicated that the minor protamine components, were present in pool D and that, of the major protamine components, component 1 (pools E, F, G, H) was well separated from the unresolved mixture of component 2 and component 3 (pools I, J, K). Pools G and J were free of other contaminants. Pools D, G, and J produced different radioactive peptides on digestion with trypsin and with thermolysin, and also had quite distinct amino acid compositions. This suggests that the heterogeneity of human protamines is caused by differences in amino acid sequence. Major component 1 also seems to be heterogenous, since it was found in two distinct peaks (pools E and G), but post-translational modification as a cause of the two types of component 1 has not been ruled out. Although all the human protamine components are similar to other mammalian protamines in containing half-cysteine and tyrosine, they also have unique common features such as high histidine and high glutamic acid contents.

Purification and Characterization of Two Alkaline, Thermotolerant α-Amylases from Bacillus halodurans 38C-2-1 and Expression of the Cloned Gene in Escherichia coli

A newly isolated strain, 38C-2-1, produced alkaline and thermotolerant α-amylases and was identified as Bacillus halodurans. The enzymes were purified to homogeneity and named α-amylase I and II. These showed molecular masses of 105 and 75 kDa respectively and showed maximal activities at 50–60 °C and pH 10–11, and 42 and 38% relative activities at 30 °C. These results indicate that the enzymes are thermotolerant. The enzyme activity was not inhibited by a surfactant or a bleaching reagent used in detergents. A gene encoding α-amylase I was cloned and named amyI. Production of AmyI with a signal peptide repressed the growth of an Escherichia coli transformant. When enzyme production was induced by the addition of isopropyl β-D(−)-thiogalactopyranoside in the late exponential growth phase, the highest enzyme yield was observed. It was 45-fold that of the parent strain 38C-2-1.

High expression level of levansucrase from Bacillus licheniformis RN-01 and synthesis of levan nanoparticles.

LsRN from Bacillus licheniformis was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. From a 1793 bp genomic sequence, the lsRN gene was found to be composed of a single 1446 bp ORF with a putative promoter consensus boxes and a ribosome-binding site. This ORF was predicted to encode for 482 amino acid residues. The LsRN was constitutively expressed at a relatively high level without sucrose induction. The enzyme was highly purified and an apparent size of 52 kDa with an optimum temperature and pH of 50 °C and 6.0 were determined. The wide range of M(w) of levan (1-600 kDa) was synthesized in a controlled reaction with two variable parameters: temperature and ionic strength. At high temperature (50 °C), LsRN synthesized high M(w) levan (612 kDa) as a major product while at low temperature (30 °C), low M(w) levan (11 kDa) was mainly synthesized. When 0.5M NaCl was added into the reaction, the major products at both temperatures were of the size 11 kDa. Moreover we report for the first time, an enzymatic synthesis of levan nanoparticles (NPs) by a single step reaction. The LsRN synthesized levan NPs as agglomerate with average particle size of 50 nm. The encapsulation of O-acetyl-α-tocopherol was carried out to demonstrate the applicable use of levan NPs.

Purification, characterization and molecular cloning of a novel endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase from the basidiomycete, Flammulina velutipes

Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases are thought to be key enzymes in the catabolism of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. However, little is known about the enzymes of this type in basidiomycetes. We investigated endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases in basidiomycetes using fluorescence-labeled glycoasparagines as substrates. Flammulina velutipes showed high activity and its enzyme was named endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase FV (Endo FV). The enzyme purified from the fruiting bodies of F. velutipes was separated into two forms. Endo FV was specific for high mannose and hybrid-type oligosaccharides. The enzyme was remarkably less active against asparagine-linked oligosaccharides attached to glycoproteins. It transferred an asparagine-linked oligosaccharide to Glc, but not to Gal. cDNA of Endo FV was cloned. It was composed of a 996-bp open reading frame encoding 331 amino acid residues. A recombinant Endo FV expressed in Escherichia coli showed enzymatic activity. The Endo FV gene in the genome of F. velutipes had no introns. The gene encoding Endo FV showed little homology with genes of known endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases. A chitinase active site motif existed in the deduced primary structure, indicating that Endo FV belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 18. The deduced amino acid sequence of Endo FV had regions conserved in class III chitinases from fungi though it showed little homology with the sequence of any other endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidases. A folding model of Endo FV indicated it to be homologous with the tertiary structure of Endo H which is quite similar in specificity for asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. This study suggests that Endo FV may become similar to Endo H in substrate specificity as a result of evolutionary convergence.

Binding mode and free energy prediction of fisetin/β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes

Summary In the present study, our aim is to investigate the preferential binding mode and encapsulation of the flavonoid fisetin in the nano-pore of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) at the molecular level using various theoretical approaches: molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and binding free energy calculations. The molecular docking suggested four possible fisetin orientations in the cavity through its chromone or phenyl ring with two different geometries of fisetin due to the rotatable bond between the two rings. From the multiple MD results, the phenyl ring of fisetin favours its inclusion into the β-CD cavity, whilst less binding or even unbinding preference was observed in the complexes where the larger chromone ring is located in the cavity. All MM- and QM-PBSA/GBSA free energy predictions supported the more stable fisetin/β-CD complex of the bound phenyl ring. Van der Waals interaction is the key force in forming the complexes. In addition, the quantum mechanics calculations with M06-2X/6-31G(d,p) clearly showed that both solvation effect and BSSE correction cannot be neglected for the energy determination of the chosen system.

Enhanced stability of a naringenin/2,6-dimethyl β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex: molecular dynamics and free energy calculations based on MM- and QM-PBSA/GBSA.

The structure, dynamic behavior and binding affinity of the inclusion complexes between naringenin and the two cyclodextrins (CDs), β-CD and its 2,6-dimethyl derivative (DM-β-CD), were theoretically studied by multiple molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations. Naringenin most likely prefers to bind with CDs through the phenyl ring. Although a lower hydrogen bond formation of naringenin with the 3-hydroxyl group of DM-β-CD (relative to β-CD) was observed, the higher cavity could encapsulate almost the whole naringenin molecule. In contrast for the naringenin/β-CD complex, the phenyl ring feasibly passed through the primary rim resulting in the chromone ring binding inside instead. MM-PBSA/GBSA and QM-PBSA/GBSA binding free energies strongly suggested a greater stability of the naringenin/DM-β-CD inclusion complex. Van der Waals force played an important role as the key guest-host interaction for the complexation between naringenin and each cyclodextrin.

Purification of two phospholipase A isoenzymes with anticoagulant activity from the venom of the cobra Naja naja siamensis

Abstract Two non-lethal phospholipases A with anticoagulant activity were purified from the venom of Naja naja siamensis by ion-exchange chromatography on Bio-Rex 70, gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 and ion-exchange chromatography on sulphopropyl-Sephadex C-25. They have 119 amino acid residues, seven disulfides and a very similar composition. Their sequences might differ only at two positions. The phospholipases can exist in three forms, as a monomer and two different aggregates, which behave differently in ion-exchange chromatography and short time analytical electrofocusing. A single phospholipase can therefore appear to be inhomogeneous. Upon preparative electrofocusing run for a long time each enzyme focused into a single zone with isolelectric points of 4·76 and 5·41, respectively. Basic phospholipases A are in general much more lethal than neutral or acidic ones. Some basic phospholipases are myotoxins and presynaptic neurotoxins, and it is proposed that the basic regions of the molecules facilitate the binding of these toxins to the negatively charged muscle and nerve membranes. A similar correlation does not exist with respect to the anticoagulant activity, since it was shown that a basic phospholipase A can be a powerful anticoagulant while another equally basic enzyme is a very poor one. Modification with p -bromophenacyl bromide suppresses both the phospholipase A and anti-coagulant activity. That does not necessarily mean that the anticoagulant activity is a consequence of the enzymic action, i.e. caused by the hydrolysis products or by destruction of essential phospholipids. Loss of anticoagulant activity may rather indicate that the modified protein is no longer capable of binding phospholipids. According to present hypothesis, phospholipases A inhibit coagulation by binding to phospholipids, which normally complex with many coagulation factors and thereby accelerate their activation.

Altered Large-Ring Cyclodextrin Product Profile Due to a Mutation at Tyr-172 in the Amylomaltase of Corynebacterium glutamicum

ABSTRACT Corynebacterium glutamicum amylomaltase (CgAM) catalyzes the formation of large-ring cyclodextrins (LR-CDs) with a degree of polymerization of 19 and higher. The cloned CgAM gene was ligated into the pET-17b vector and used to transform Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Site-directed mutagenesis of Tyr-172 in CgAM to alanine (Y172A) was performed to determine its role in the control of LR-CD production. Both the recombinant wild-type (WT) and Y172A enzymes were purified to apparent homogeneity and characterized. The Y172A enzyme exhibited lower disproportionation, cyclization, and hydrolysis activities than the WT. The k cat/Km of the disproportionation reaction of the Y172A enzyme was 2.8-fold lower than that of the WT enzyme. The LR-CD product profile from enzyme catalysis depended on the incubation time and the enzyme concentration. Interestingly, the Y172A enzyme showed a product pattern different from that of the WT CgAM at a long incubation time. The principal LR-CD products of the Y172A mutated enzyme were a cycloamylose mixture with a degree of polymerization of 28 or 29 (CD28 or CD29), while the principal LR-CD product of the WT enzyme was CD25 at 0.05 U of amylomaltase. These results suggest that Tyr-172 plays an important role in determining the LR-CD product profile of this novel CgAM.

Inclusion complexation of pinostrobin with various cyclodextrin derivatives.

Pinostrobin (PNS) is one of the important flavonoids and can be abundantly found in the rhizomes of fingerroot (Boesenbergia rotrunda) and galangal (Alpinia galangal and Alpinia officinarum), the herbal basis of Southeast Asian cooking. Similar to other flavonoids, PNS exhibits anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. However, this compound has an extremely low water solubility that limits its use in pharmaceutical applications. Beta-cyclodextrin (βCD) and its derivatives, 2,6-dimethyl-βCD (2,6-DMβCD) and the three hydroxypropyl-βCDs (2-HPβCD, 6-HPβCD and 2,6-DHPβCD), have unique properties that enhance the stability and solubility of such low-soluble guest molecules. In the present study, molecular dynamics simulations were applied to investigate the dynamics and stability of PNS inclusion complexes with βCD and its derivatives (2,6-DMβCD, 2,6-DHPβCD, 2-HPβCD and 6-HPβCD). PNS was able to form complexes with βCD and all four of its derivatives by either the chromone (C-PNS) or phenyl (P-PNS) ring dipping toward the cavity. According to the molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area binding free energy values, the stability of the different PNS/βCD complexes was ranked as 2,6-DHPβCD>2,6-DMβCD>2-HPβCD>6-HPβCD>βCD. These theoretical results were in good agreement with the stability constants that had been determined by the solubility method.