scholarly journals A benchmark of protein solubility prediction methods on UDP-dependent glycosyltransferases

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Ashari Ghomi ◽  
Tiia Kittilä ◽  
Ditte Hededam Welner

AbstractUDP-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) are enzymes that glycosylate a wide variety of natural products, thereby modifying their physico-chemical properties, i.e. solubility, stability, reactivity, and function. To successfully leverage the UGTs in biocatalytic processes, we need to be able to screen and characterise them in vitro, which requires efficient heterologous expression in amenable hosts, preferably Escherichia coli. However, many UGTs are insoluble when expressed in standard and attempted optimised E. coli conditions, resulting in many unproductive and costly experiments. To overcome this limitation, we have investigated the performance of 11 existing solubility predictors on a dataset of 57 UGTs expressed in E. coli. We show that SoluProt outperforms other methods in terms of both threshold-independent and threshold-dependent measures. Among the benchmarked methods, only SoluProt is significantly better than random predictors using both measures. Moreover, we show that SoluProt uses a threshold for separating soluble and insoluble proteins that is optimal for our dataset. Hence, we conclude that using SoluProt to select UGT sequences for in vitro investigation will significantly increase the success rate of soluble expression, thereby minimising cost and enabling efficient characterisation efforts for biocatalysis research.

2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (23) ◽  
pp. 7337-7347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna M. Easton ◽  
Luke P. Allsopp ◽  
Minh-Duy Phan ◽  
Danilo Gomes Moriel ◽  
Guan Kai Goh ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTEnterohemorrhagicEscherichia coli(EHEC) is a Shiga-toxigenic pathogen capable of inducing severe forms of enteritis (e.g., hemorrhagic colitis) and extraintestinal sequelae (e.g., hemolytic-uremic syndrome). The molecular basis of colonization of human and animal hosts by EHEC is not yet completely understood, and an improved understanding of EHEC mucosal adherence may lead to the development of interventions that could disrupt host colonization. FdeC, also referred to by its IHE3034 locus tag ECOK1_0290, is an intimin-like protein that was recently shown to contribute to kidney colonization in a mouse urinary tract infection model. The expression of FdeC is tightly regulatedin vitro, and FdeC shows promise as a vaccine candidate against extraintestinalE. colistrains. In this study, we characterized the prevalence, regulation, and function offdeCin EHEC. We showed that thefdeCgene is conserved in both O157 and non-O157 EHEC and encodes a protein that is expressed at the cell surface and promotes biofilm formation under continuous-flow conditions in a recombinantE. colistrain background. We also identified culture conditions under which FdeC is expressed and showed that minor alterations of these conditions, such as changes in temperature, can significantly alter the level of FdeC expression. Additionally, we demonstrated that the transcription of thefdeCgene is repressed by the global regulator H-NS. Taken together, our data suggest a role for FdeC in EHEC when it grows at temperatures above 37°C, a condition relevant to its specialized niche at the rectoanal junctions of cattle.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (10) ◽  
pp. 3202-3212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeongjin Baek ◽  
Jinwoo Kim ◽  
Jinsook Ahn ◽  
Inseong Jo ◽  
Seokho Hong ◽  
...  

In response to microbial invasion, the animal immune system generates hypochlorous acid (HOCl) that kills microorganisms in the oxidative burst. HOCl toxicity is amplified in the phagosome through import of the copper cation (Cu2+). In Escherichia coli and Salmonella, the transcriptional regulator RclR senses HOCl stress and induces expression of the RclA, -B, and -C proteins involved in bacterial defenses against oxidative stress. However, the structures and biochemical roles of the Rcl proteins remain to be elucidated. In this study, we first examined the role of the flavoprotein disulfide reductase (FDR) RclA in the survival of Salmonella in macrophage phagosomes, finding that RclA promotes Salmonella survival in macrophage vacuoles containing sublethal HOCl levels. To clarify the molecular mechanism, we determined the crystal structure of RclA from E. coli at 2.9 Å resolution. This analysis revealed that the structure of homodimeric RclA is similar to those of typical FDRs, exhibiting two conserved cysteine residues near the flavin ring of the cofactor flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Of note, we observed that Cu2+ accelerated RclA-mediated oxidation of NADH, leading to a lowering of oxygen levels in vitro. Compared with the RclA WT enzyme, substitution of the conserved cysteine residues lowered the specificity to Cu2+ or substantially increased the production of superoxide anion in the absence of Cu2+. We conclude that RclA-mediated lowering of oxygen levels could contribute to the inhibition of oxidative bursts in phagosomes. Our study sheds light on the molecular basis for how bacteria can survive HOCl stress in macrophages.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Ririn Lispita Wulandari ◽  
Eli Mahmud ◽  
Mufrod Mufrod

ABSTRACTEthanol extract of bitter melon leaves at a concentration of 5% has been shown to have mucolytic activity. For ease of use that is made of dosage forms syrup. Thickening agent serves to increase the viscosity and resist settling process resulting in a stable syrup. Gelatin has the ability to improve settling extract better than other thickening. This study aims to determine the effect of variations in the concentration of gelatin to the physical-chemical properties and activity of ethanol extract syrup mukolitik pare leaves the cow intestine mucus in vitro. Extraction of leaf bitter melon is done by percolation. EEDP was made into three syrup formulas using 1% (FII), 2% (FIII), 3% (FIV) gelatin thickener. There is also syrup without extract and gelatin (FI) as a control. The four syrup formulas were examined for physical chemical properties (organoleptic, homogeneity, pH, viscosity), and tested their mucolytic activity. Data on the results of activity tests in the form of viscosity were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis followed by Mann-Whitney. Data from organoleptic examination, homogeneity, Ph were analyzed descriptively, while viscosity with Linear Regression. The results showed that EEDP syrup with a gelatin concentration of 1%; 2%; 3% have mucolytic activity. The results of examination of the physico-chemical properties of FII, III, and IV syrups have the same taste and color, sweet and bitter, and are greenish black in color, while FI syrup is sweet and yellowish in color. Homogeneous FI syrup, FIII and FIV syrup are evenly distributed, while FII syrup has coarse particles. Fourth pH normal syrup formula. Increased concentration of gelatin (1%; 2%; 3%) can increase the viscosity of syrupKeywords: ethanol extract of bitter melon leaves, syrup, gelatin


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (19) ◽  
pp. 2272-2282
Author(s):  
Vu Ngoc Toan ◽  
Nguyen Minh Tri ◽  
Nguyen Dinh Thanh

Several 6- and 7-alkoxy-2-oxo-2H-chromene-4-carbaldehydes were prepared from corresponding alkyl ethers of 6- and 7-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-2-ones by oxidation using selenium dioxide. 6- and 7-Alkoxy-4-methyl-2H-chromenes were obtained with yields of 57-85%. Corresponding 4-carbaldehyde derivatives were prepared with yields of 41-67%. Thiosemicarbazones of these aldehydes with D-galactose moiety were synthesized by reaction of these aldehydes with N-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-Dgalactopyranosyl) thiosemicarbazide with yields of 62-74%. These thiosemicarbazones were screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities in vitro against bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and fungi, such as Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans. Several compounds exhibited strong inhibitory activity with MIC values of 0.78- 1.56 μM, including 8a (against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans), 8d (against E. coli and A. niger), 9a (against S. aureus), and 9c (against S. aureus and C. albicans).


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pia Montanucci ◽  
Silvia Terenzi ◽  
Claudio Santi ◽  
Ilaria Pennoni ◽  
Vittorio Bini ◽  
...  

Alginate-based microencapsulation of live cells may offer the opportunity to treat chronic and degenerative disorders. So far, a thorough assessment of physical-chemical behavior of alginate-based microbeads remains cloudy. A disputed issue is which divalent cation to choose for a high performing alginate gelling process. Having selected, in our system, high mannuronic (M) enriched alginates, we studied different gelling cations and their combinations to determine their eventual influence on physical-chemical properties of the final microcapsules preparation,in vitroandin vivo. We have shown that used of ultrapure alginate allows for high biocompatibility of the formed microcapsules, regardless of gelation agents, while use of different gelling cations is associated with corresponding variable effects on the capsules’ basic architecture, as originally reported in this work. However, only the final application which the capsules are destined to will ultimately guide the selection of the ideal, specific gelling divalent cations, since in principle there are no capsules that are better than others.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlin S. Witherell ◽  
Jason Price ◽  
Ashok D. Bandaranayake ◽  
James Olson ◽  
Douglas R. Call

AbstractMultidrug-resistant bacteria are a growing global concern, and with increasingly prevalent resistance to last line antibiotics such as colistin, it is imperative that alternative treatment options are identified. Herein we investigated the mechanism of action of a novel antimicrobial peptide (CDP-B11) and its effectiveness against multidrug-resistant bacteria including Escherichia coli #0346, which harbors multiple antibiotic-resistance genes, including mobilized colistin resistance gene (mcr-1). Bacterial membrane potential and membrane integrity assays, measured by flow cytometry, were used to test membrane disruption. Bacterial growth inhibition assays and time to kill assays measured the effectiveness of CDP-B11 alone and in combination with colistin against E. coli #0346 and other bacteria. Hemolysis assays were used to quantify the hemolytic effects of CDP-B11 alone and in combination with colistin. Findings show CDP-B11 disrupts the outer membrane of E. coli #0346. CDP-B11 with colistin inhibits the growth of E. coli #0346 at ≥ 10× lower colistin concentrations compared to colistin alone in Mueller–Hinton media and M9 media. Growth is significantly inhibited in other clinically relevant strains, such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. In rich media and minimal media, the drug combination kills bacteria at a lower colistin concentration (1.25 μg/mL) compared to colistin alone (2.5 μg/mL). In minimal media, the combination is bactericidal with killing accelerated by up to 2 h compared to colistin alone. Importantly, no significant red blood hemolysis is evident for CDP-B11 alone or in combination with colistin. The characteristics of CDP-B11 presented here indicate that it can be used as a potential monotherapy or as combination therapy with colistin for the treatment of multidrug-resistant infections, including colistin-resistant infections.


RSC Advances ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (97) ◽  
pp. 79616-79623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakthivel Ramasamy ◽  
Devasier Bennet ◽  
Sanghyo Kim

Facile synthesis of hollow mesoporous structured Ru-NPs by dual template method, structural characterization and in vitro biophysical and uptake evaluation for biomedical application.


1987 ◽  
Vol 248 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Charlier ◽  
R Sanchez

In contrast with most aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, the lysyl-tRNA synthetase of Escherichia coli is coded for by two genes, the normal lysS gene and the inducible lysU gene. During its purification from E. coli K12, lysyl-tRNA synthetase was monitored by its aminoacylation and adenosine(5′)tetraphospho(5′)adenosine (Ap4A) synthesis activities. Ap4A synthesis was measured by a new assay using DEAE-cellulose filters. The heterogeneity of lysyl-tRNA synthetase (LysRS) was revealed on hydroxyapatite; we focused on the first peak, LysRS1, because of its higher Ap4A/lysyl-tRNA activity ratio at that stage. Additional differences between LysRS1 and LysRS2 (major peak on hydroxyapatite) were collected. LysRS1 was eluted from phosphocellulose in the presence of the substrates, whereas LysRS2 was not. Phosphocellulose chromatography was used to show the increase of LysRS1 in cells submitted to heat shock. Also, the Mg2+ optimum in the Ap4A-synthesis reaction is much higher for LysRS1. LysRS1 showed a higher thermostability, which was specifically enhanced by Zn2+. These results in vivo and in vitro strongly suggest that LysRS1 is the heat-inducible lysU-gene product.


mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Lennon ◽  
Kimberly C. Lemmer ◽  
Jessica L. Irons ◽  
Max I. Sellman ◽  
Timothy J. Donohue ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTDksA is a global regulatory protein that, together with the alarmone ppGpp, is required for the “stringent response” to nutrient starvation in the gammaproteobacteriumEscherichia coliand for more moderate shifts between growth conditions. DksA modulates the expression of hundreds of genes, directly or indirectly. Mutants lacking a DksA homolog exhibit pleiotropic phenotypes in other gammaproteobacteria as well. Here we analyzed the DksA homolog RSP2654 in the more distantly relatedRhodobacter sphaeroides, an alphaproteobacterium. RSP2654 is 42% identical and similar in length toE. coliDksA but lacks the Zn finger motif of theE. coliDksA globular domain. Deletion of the RSP2654 gene results in defects in photosynthetic growth, impaired utilization of amino acids, and an increase in fatty acid content. RSP2654 complements the growth and regulatory defects of anE. colistrain lacking thedksAgene and modulates transcriptionin vitrowithE. coliRNA polymerase (RNAP) similarly toE. coliDksA. RSP2654 reduces RNAP-promoter complex stabilityin vitrowith RNAPs fromE. coliorR. sphaeroides, alone and synergistically with ppGpp, suggesting that even though it has limited sequence identity toE. coliDksA (DksAEc), it functions in a mechanistically similar manner. We therefore designate the RSP2654 protein DksARsp. Our work suggests that DksARsphas distinct and important physiological roles in alphaproteobacteria and will be useful for understanding structure-function relationships in DksA and the mechanism of synergy between DksA and ppGpp.IMPORTANCEThe role of DksA has been analyzed primarily in the gammaproteobacteria, in which it is best understood for its role in control of the synthesis of the translation apparatus and amino acid biosynthesis. Our work suggests that DksA plays distinct and important physiological roles in alphaproteobacteria, including the control of photosynthesis inRhodobacter sphaeroides. The study of DksARsp, should be useful for understanding structure-function relationships in the protein, including those that play a role in the little-understood synergy between DksA and ppGpp.


2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 3468-3474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gyeong Tae Eom ◽  
Jae Kwang Song ◽  
Jung Hoon Ahn ◽  
Yeon Soo Seo ◽  
Joon Shick Rhee

ABSTRACT The ABC transporter (TliDEF) from Pseudomonas fluorescens SIK W1, which mediated the secretion of a thermostable lipase (TliA) into the extracellular space in Escherichia coli, was engineered using directed evolution (error-prone PCR) to improve its secretion efficiency. TliD mutants with increased secretion efficiency were identified by coexpressing the mutated tliD library with the wild-type tliA lipase in E. coli and by screening the library with a tributyrin-emulsified indicator plate assay and a microtiter plate-based assay. Four selected mutants from one round of error-prone PCR mutagenesis, T6, T8, T24, and T35, showed 3.2-, 2.6-, 2.9-, and 3.0-fold increases in the level of secretion of TliA lipase, respectively, but had almost the same level of expression of TliD in the membrane as the strain with the wild-type TliDEF transporter. These results indicated that the improved secretion of TliA lipase was mediated by the transporter mutations. Each mutant had a single amino acid change in the predicted cytoplasmic regions in the membrane domain of TliD, implying that the corresponding region of TliD was important for the improved and successful secretion of the target protein. We therefore concluded that the efficiency of secretion of a heterologous protein in E. coli can be enhanced by in vitro engineering of the ABC transporter.


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