Takao Ojima

Isolation and characterization of two types of β-1,3-glucanases from the common sea hare Aplysia kurodai

Two types of beta-1,3-glucanases, AkLam36 and AkLam33 with the molecular masses of 36kDa and 33kDa, respectively, were isolated from the digestive fluid of the common sea hare Aplysia kurodai. AkLam36 was regarded as an endolytic enzyme (EC 3.2.1.6) degrading laminarin and laminarioligosaccharides to laminaritriose, laminaribiose, and glucose, while AkLam33 was regarded as an exolytic enzyme (EC 3.2.1.58) directly producing glucose from polymer laminarin. AkLam36 showed higher activity toward beta-1,3-glucans with a few beta-1,6-linked glucose branches such as Laminaria digitata laminarin (LLam) than highly branched beta-1,3-glucans such as Eisenia bicyclis laminarin (ELam). AkLam33 showed moderate activity toward both ELam and LLam and high activity toward smaller substrates such as laminaritetraose and laminaritriose. Although both enzymes did not degrade laminaribiose as a sole substrate, they were capable of degrading it via transglycosylation reaction with laminaritriose. The N-terminal amino-acid sequences of AkLam36 and AkLam33 indicated that both enzymes belong to the glycosyl hydrolase family 16 like other molluscan beta-1,3-glucanases.

Characterization of an Alginate Lyase, FlAlyA, from Flavobacterium sp. Strain UMI-01 and Its Expression in Escherichia coli

A major alginate lyase, FlAlyA, was purified from the periplasmic fraction of an alginate-assimilating bacterium, Flavobacterium sp. strain UMI-01. FlAlyA showed a single band of ~30 kDa on SDS-PAGE and exhibited the optimal temperature and pH at 55 °C and pH 7.7, respectively. Analyses for substrate preference and reaction products indicated that FlAlyA was an endolytic poly(mannuronate) lyase (EC 4.2.2.3). A gene fragment encoding the amino-acid sequence of 288 residues for FlAlyA was amplified by inverse PCR. The N-terminal region of 21 residues except for the initiation Met in the deduced sequence was predicted as the signal peptide and the following region of six residues was regarded as propeptide, while the C-terminal region of 260 residues was regarded as the polysaccharide-lyase-family-7-type catalytic domain. The entire coding region for FlAlyA was subjected to the pCold I—Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) expression system and ~eight times higher yield of recombinant FlAlyA (recFlAlyA) than that of native FlAlyA was achieved. The recFlAlyA recovered in the periplasmic fraction of E. coli had lost the signal peptide region along with the N-terminal 3 residues of propeptide region. This suggested that the signal peptide of FlAlyA could function in part in E. coli.

Enzymatic properties and the primary structure of a β-1,3-glucanase from the digestive fluid of the Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai

A beta-1,3-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.6) with a molecular mass of 33 kDa was isolated from the digestive fluid of the Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai by ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by conventional column chromatography. This enzyme, named HdLam33 in the present study, degraded laminarin and laminarioligosaccharides to laminaribiose and glucose with the optimal temperature and pH at 50 degrees C and 6.0, respectively. HdLam33 possessed transglycosylation activity, a characteristic property of glucan hydrolases that split glycoside linkage with a retaining manner. By the transglycosylation reaction of HdLam33, the laminaribiose unit in the non-reducing terminus of laminaritriose (donor substrate) was transferred to a free laminaribiose (acceptor substrate) resulting to laminaritetraose and glucose. The resulting laminaritetraose was subsequently hydrolyzed by HdLam33 into 2 mol of glucose and 1 mol of laminaribiose. The primary structure of HdLam33 was analyzed by the cDNA method. The deduced amino-acid sequence of 329 residues corresponding to the catalytic domain of HdLam33 showed 56-61% amino-acid identity with those of other molluscan beta-1,3-glucanases which have been identified as glycoside hydrolase family 16 enzymes.

An endo-β-1,4-mannanase, AkMan, from the common sea hare Aplysia kurodai

A mannan-degrading enzyme was isolated from the digestive fluid of the common sea hare Aplysia kurodai by ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by conventional column chromatography. The purified enzyme, named AkMan in the present paper, showed a single band with an approximate molecular mass of 40,000 Da on SDS-PAGE and preferably degraded a linear beta-1,4-mannan from green algae Codium fragile producing tri- and disaccharides. The optimal temperature of AkMan was 55 degrees C at pH 7.0 and temperature that caused 50% inactivation of AkMan during a 20-min incubation was 52 degrees C. AkMan retained high activity at pH 4.0-7.5 and was not inactivated in such acidic pH range by the incubation at 40 degrees C for 20 min. AkMan could degrade glucomannan from konjak root and galactomannan (tara gum and guar gum) as well as the linear beta-1,4-mannan, while not carboxymethyl cellulose, agarose, dextran and xylan. These results indicate that AkMan is a typical endo-beta-1,4-mannanase (EC 3.2.1.78) splitting internal beta-1,4-mannosyl linkages of mannan. The N-terminal and internal amino-acid sequences of AkMan shared approximately 55% amino-acid identity to the corresponding sequences of an abalone beta-1,4-mannanase, HdMan, which belongs to glycosyl hydrolase family 5 (GHF5). Thus, AkMan was also regarded as a member of GHF5 beta-1,4-mannanases.

Isolation and characterization of two alginate lyase isozymes, AkAly28 and AkAly33, from the common sea hare Aplysia kurodai

Two alginate lyase isozymes, AkAly28 and AkAly33, with approximate molecular masses of 28 and 33kDa, respectively, were isolated from the digestive fluid of the common sea hare, Aplysia kurodai. Both of AkAly28 and AkAly33 were regarded as the endolytic polymannuronate (poly(M)) lyase (EC 4.2.2.3) since they preferably degraded poly(M)-rich substrate producing unsaturated tri- and disaccharides and rapidly decreased the viscosity of sodium alginate solution in the initial phase of degradation. Optimal pH and temperature of the two enzymes were similarly observed at pH 6.7 and 40°C, respectively. Temperature that caused a half inactivation of the two enzymes during 20-min incubation was also similar to each other, i.e., 38°C. However, NaCl requirement and activity toward oligosaccharide substrates of the two enzymes were significantly different from each other. Namely, AkAly28 showed practically no activity in the absence of NaCl and the maximal activity at NaCl concentrations higher than 0.2 M, whereas AkAly33 showed ~20% of maximal activity despite the absence of NaCl and the maximal activity at around 0.1 M NaCl. AkAly28 hardly degraded oligosaccharides smaller than tetrasaccharide, while AkAly33 could degrade oligosaccharides larger than disaccharide producing disaccharide and 2-keto-3-deoxy-gluconaldehyde (an open chain form of unsaturated monosaccharide). Analysis of the N-terminal and internal amino-acid sequences of AkAly28 and AkAly33 indicated that both of the two enzymes belong to polysaccharide lyase family 14.

Bacterial expression and characterization of starfish phospholipase A2

Phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) from the pyloric ceca of the starfish Asterina pectinifera showed high specific activity and characteristic substrate specificity, compared with commercially available PLA(2) from porcine pancreas. To investigate enzymatic properties of the starfish PLA(2) in further detail, we constructed a bacterial expression system for the enzyme. The starfish PLA(2) cDNA isolated previously (Kishimura et al., 2000b. cDNA cloning and sequencing of phospholipase A(2) from the pyloric ceca of the starfish Asterina pectinifera. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 126B, 579-586) was inserted into the expression plasmid pET-16b and the PLA(2) protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) by induction with isopropyl-beta-D(-)-thiogalactopyranoside. The recombinant PLA(2) produced as inclusion bodies was dissociated with 8 M urea and 10 mM 2-mercaptoethanol and renatured by dialyzing against 10 mM Tris--HCl buffer (pH 8.0). Renatured PLA(2) was purified by subsequent column chromatographies on DEAE--cellulose (DE-52) and Sephadex G-50. Although an N-terminal Ser in the native starfish PLA(2) was replaced by an Ala in the recombinant PLA(2), the recombinant enzyme showed essentially the same properties as did the native PLA(2) with respect to specific activity, substrate specificity, optimum pH and temperature, and Ca(2+) requirement.

cDNA cloning and sequencing of phospholipase A2 from the pyloric ceca of the starfish Asterina pectinifera

Three cDNA from the pyloric ceca of the starfish Asterina pectinifera, (namely, cDNA 1, 2, and 3), encoding phospholipase A2 (PLA2), were isolated and sequenced. These cDNAs were composed of 415 bp with an open reading frame of 414 bp at nucleotide positions 1-414, which encodes 138 amino acids including N-terminal Met derived from the PCR primer. The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA 1 was completely consistent with the sequence determined with the starfish PLA2 protein, while those deduced from cDNA 2 and cDNA 3 differed at one and twelve amino acid residual positions, respectively, from the sequence of the PLA2 protein, suggesting the presence of multiple forms in the starfish PLA2. All of the sequences deduced from cDNA 1, 2, and 3 required two amino acid deletions in pancreatic loop region, and sixteen insertions and three deletions in beta-wing region when aligned with the sequence of mammalian pancreatic PLA2. In phylogenetic tree, the starfish PLA2 should be classified into an independent group, but hardly to the established groups IA and IB. The characteristic structure in the pancreatic loop and beta-wing regions may account for the specific properties of the starfish PLA2, e.g. the higher activity and characteristic substrate specificity compared with commercially available PLA2 from porcine pancreas.

Protein kinase A–dependent modulation of Ca2+ sensitivity in cardiac and fast skeletal muscles after reconstitution with cardiac troponin

Protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent phosphorylation of troponin (Tn)I represents a major physiological mechanism during β-adrenergic stimulation in myocardium for the reduction of myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity via weakening of the interaction with TnC. By taking advantage of thin filament reconstitution, we directly investigated whether or not PKA-dependent phosphorylation of cardiac TnI (cTnI) decreases Ca2+ sensitivity in different types of muscle: cardiac (porcine ventricular) and fast skeletal (rabbit psoas) muscles. PKA enhanced phosphorylation of cTnI at Ser23/24 in skinned cardiac muscle and decreased Ca2+ sensitivity, of which the effects were confirmed after reconstitution with the cardiac Tn complex (cTn) or the hybrid Tn complex (designated as PCRF; fast skeletal TnT with cTnI and cTnC). Reconstitution of cardiac muscle with the fast skeletal Tn complex (sTn) not only increased Ca2+ sensitivity, but also abolished the Ca2+-desensitizing effect of PKA, supporting the view that the phosphorylation of cTnI, but not that of other myofibrillar proteins, such as myosin-binding protein C, primarily underlies the PKA-induced Ca2+ desensitization in cardiac muscle. Reconstitution of fast skeletal muscle with cTn decreased Ca2+ sensitivity, and PKA further decreased Ca2+ sensitivity, which was almost completely restored to the original level upon subsequent reconstitution with sTn. The essentially same result was obtained when fast skeletal muscle was reconstituted with PCRF. It is therefore suggested that the PKA-dependent phosphorylation or dephosphorylation of cTnI universally modulates Ca2+ sensitivity associated with cTnC in the striated muscle sarcomere, independent of the TnT isoform.

Primary structure of myosin heavy chain from fast skeletal muscle of Chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta

The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA encoding myosin heavy chain of chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta fast skeletal muscle was determined. The sequence consists of 5,994 bp, including 5,814 bp of translated region deducing an amino acid sequence of 1,937 residues. The deduced sequence showed 79% homology to that of rabbit fast skeletal myosin and 84-87% homology to those of fast skeletal myosins from walleye pollack, white croaker and carp. The putative binding-sites for ATP, actin and regulatory light-chains in the subfragment-1 region of the salmon myosin showed high homology with the fish myosins (78-100% homology). However, the Loop-1 and Loop-2 showed considerably low homology (31-60%). On the other hand, the deduced sequences of subfragment-2 (533 residues) and light meromyosin (564 residues) showed 88-93% homology to the corresponding regions of the fish myosins. It becomes obvious that several specific residues of the rabbit LMM are substituted to Gly in the salmon LMM as well as the other fish LMMs. This may be involved in the structural instability of the fish myosin tail region.

Discovery of a Novel Alginate Lyase from Nitratiruptor sp SB155-2 Thriving at Deep-sea Hydrothermal Vents and Identification of the Residues Responsible for Its Heat Stability

Extremophiles are expected to represent a source of enzymes having unique functional properties. The hypothetical protein NIS_0185, termed NitAly in this study, was identified as an alginate lyase-homolog protein in the genomic database of ϵ-Proteobacteria Nitratiruptor sp. SB155-2, which was isolated from deep-sea hydrothermal vents at a water depth of 1,000 m. Among the characterized alginate lyases in the polysaccharide lyase family 7 (PL-7), the amino acid sequence of NitAly showed the highest identity (39%) with that of red alga Pyropia yezoensis alginate lyase PyAly. Recombinant NitAly (rNitAly) was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli. Purified rNitAly degraded alginate in an endolytic manner. Among alginate block types, polyM was preferable to polyG and polyMG as a substrate, and its end degradation products were mainly tri-, tetra-, and penta-saccharides. The optimum temperature and pH values were 70 °C and around 6, respectively. A high concentration of NaCl (0.8–1.4 m) was required for maximum activity. In addition, a 50% loss of activity was observed after incubation at 67 °C for 30 min. Heat stability was decreased in the presence of 5 mm DTT, and Cys-80 and Cys-232 were identified as the residues responsible for heat stability but not lyase activity. Introducing two cysteines into PyAly based on homology modeling using Pseudomonas aeruginosa alginate lyase PA1167 as the template enhanced its heat stability. Thus, NitAly is a functional alginate lyase, with its unique optimum conditions adapted to its environment. These insights into the heat stability of NitAly could be applied to improve that of other PL-7 alginate lyases.