Biosensor-Based Optimization of Cutinase Secretion by Corynebacterium glutamicum

The industrial microbe Corynebacterium glutamicum is gaining substantial importance as a platform host for recombinant protein secretion. We recently developed a fluorescence-based (eYFP) C. glutamicum reporter strain for the quantification of Sec-dependent protein secretion by monitoring the secretion-related stress response and now demonstrate its applicability in optimizing the secretion of the heterologous enzyme cutinase from Fusarium solani pisi. To drive secretion, either the poor-performing PelSP or the potent NprESP Sec signal peptide from Bacillus subtilis was used. To enable easy detection and quantification of the secreted cutinase we implemented the split green fluorescent protein (GFP) assay, which relies on the GFP11-tag fused to the C-terminus of the cutinase, which can complement a truncated GFP thereby reconstituting its fluorescence. The reporter strain was transformed with different mutant libraries created by error-prone PCR, which covered the region of the signal peptide and the N-terminus of the cutinase. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) was performed to isolate cells that show increased fluorescence in response to increased protein secretion stress. Five PelSP variants were identified that showed a 4- to 6-fold increase in the amount and activity of the secreted cutinase (up to 4,100 U/L), whereas two improved NprESP variants were identified that showed a ∼35% increase in secretion, achieving ∼5,500 U/L. Most of the isolated variants carried mutations in the h-region of the signal peptide that increased its overall hydrophobicity. Using site-directed mutagenesis it was shown that the combined mutations F11I and P16S within the hydrophobic core of the PelSP are sufficient to boost cutinase secretion in batch cultivations to the same level as achieved by the NprESP. Screening of a PelSP mutant library in addition resulted in the identification of a cutinase variant with an increased specific activity, which was attributed to the mutation A85V located within the substrate-binding region. Taken together the biosensor-based optimization approach resulted in a substantial improvement of cutinase secretion by C. glutamicum, and therefore represents a valuable tool that can be applied to any secretory protein of interest.

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Membrane trafficking of the bacterial adhesin GspB and the accessory Sec transport machinery

Journal of Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1074/jbc.ra118.005657 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 294 (5) ◽

pp. 1502-1515 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Cierra Spencer ◽

Barbara A. Bensing ◽

Nagendra N. Mishra ◽

Paul M. Sullam

Keyword(s):

Signal Peptide ◽

Membrane Trafficking ◽

Lipid Membranes ◽

Large Cell ◽

Lipid Binding ◽

Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽

Host Cells ◽

Hydrophobic Core ◽

Gram Positive Bacteria ◽

Anionic Lipids

The serine-rich repeat (SRR) glycoproteins of Gram-positive bacteria are large, cell wall–anchored adhesins that mediate binding to many host cells and proteins and are associated with bacterial virulence. SRR glycoproteins are exported to the cell surface by the accessory Sec (aSec) system comprising SecA2, SecY2, and 3–5 additional proteins (Asp1 to Asp5) that are required for substrate export. These adhesins typically have a 90-amino acid-long signal peptide containing an elongated N-region and a hydrophobic core. Previous studies of GspB (the SRR adhesin ofStreptococcus gordonii) have shown that a glycine-rich motif in its hydrophobic core is essential for selective, aSec-mediated transport. However, the role of this extended N-region in transport is poorly understood. Here, using protein–lipid co-flotation assays and site-directed mutagenesis, we report that the N-region of the GspB signal peptide interacts with anionic lipids through electrostatic forces and that this interaction is necessary for GspB preprotein trafficking to lipid membranes. Moreover, we observed that protein–lipid binding is required for engagement of GspB with SecA2 and for aSec-mediated transport. We further found that SecA2 and Asp1 to Asp3 also localize selectively to liposomes that contain anionic lipids. These findings suggest that the GspB signal peptide electrostatically binds anionic lipids at the cell membrane, where it encounters SecA2. After SecA2 engagement with the signal peptide, Asp1 to Asp3 promote SecA2 engagement with the mature domain, which activates GspB translocation.

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Functional Analysis of the Twin-Arginine Translocation Pathway in Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13869

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.01528-06 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 72 (11) ◽

pp. 7183-7192 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Yoshimi Kikuchi ◽

Masayo Date ◽

Hiroshi Itaya ◽

Kazuhiko Matsui ◽

Long-Fei Wu

Keyword(s):

Corynebacterium Glutamicum ◽

Signal Peptide ◽

Fluorescent Protein ◽

Peptide Sequence ◽

Signal Peptide Sequence ◽

Gram Negative ◽

Tat Pathway ◽

Tat System ◽

Folded Proteins ◽

Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT Compared to those of other gram-positive bacteria, the genetic structure of the Corynebacterium glutamicum Tat system is unique in that it contains the tatE gene in addition to tatA, tatB, and tatC. The tatE homologue has been detected only in the genomes of gram-negative enterobacteria. To assess the function of the C. glutamicum Tat pathway, we cloned the tatA, tatB, tatC, and tatE genes from C. glutamicum ATCC 13869 and constructed mutants carrying deletions of each tat gene or of both the tatA and tatE genes. Using green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused with the twin-arginine signal peptide of the Escherichia coli TorA protein, we demonstrated that the minimal functional Tat system required TatA and TatC. TatA and TatE provide overlapping function. Unlike the TatB proteins from gram-negative bacteria, C. glutamicum TatB was dispensable for Tat function, although it was required for maximal efficiency of secretion. The signal peptide sequence of the isomaltodextranase (IMD) of Arthrobacter globiformis contains a twin-arginine motif. We showed that both IMD and GFP fused with the signal peptide of IMD were secreted via the C. glutamicum Tat pathway. These observations indicate that IMD is a bona fide Tat substrate and imply great potential of the C. glutamicum Tat system for industrial production of heterologous folded proteins.

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Optimization of signal peptide SP310 for heterologous protein production in Lactococcus lactis

Microbiology ◽

10.1099/mic.0.26299-0 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 149 (8) ◽

pp. 2193-2201 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Peter Ravn ◽

José Arnau ◽

Søren M. Madsen ◽

Astrid Vrang ◽

Hans Israelsen

Keyword(s):

Lactococcus Lactis ◽

Signal Peptide ◽

Protein Production ◽

Heterologous Protein ◽

Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽

Hydrophobic Core ◽

Transposon Insertion ◽

Charged Amino Acids ◽

Secretion Efficiency ◽

Positively Charged

The authors have previously reported the identification of novel signal peptides (SPs) from Lactococcus lactis using transposon insertion. Of these, SP310 caused the highest level of secretion. However, the levels were lower than those obtained using the signal peptide from Usp45 (SPUSP), the major secreted lactococcal protein. In this study, site-directed mutagenesis of signal peptide SP310 was used to investigate the effect of amino acid alterations on lactococcal secretion and to improve secretion efficiency. Several mutated SPs caused higher secretion. This increase in secretion was due to modifications in the cleavage region. In fermenter experiments, the signal peptide SP310mut2 resulted in an extracellular Staphylococcus aureus nuclease (Nuc) yield which was 45 % higher than that with the natural SP310. Surprisingly, increasing the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic core or increasing the number of positively charged amino acids in the N-terminal region of SP310 decreased secretion. High extracellular yields of Nuc resulted from more efficient secretion, as strains with less efficient SPs accumulated more intracellular SP-Nuc precursor.

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TatABC Overexpression Improves Corynebacterium glutamicum Tat-Dependent Protein Secretion

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.01874-08 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 75 (3) ◽

pp. 603-607 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Yoshimi Kikuchi ◽

Hiroshi Itaya ◽

Masayo Date ◽

Kazuhiko Matsui ◽

Long-Fei Wu

Keyword(s):

Corynebacterium Glutamicum ◽

Protein Secretion ◽

Signal Peptide ◽

Sec Pathway ◽

Twin Arginine Translocation ◽

Threefold Increase ◽

Tat Pathway ◽

Dependent Protein ◽

Tat System ◽

Streptomyces Mobaraensis

ABSTRACT The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway in Corynebacterium glutamicum has been described previously. The minimal functional Tat system in C. glutamicum required TatA and TatC but did not require TatB, although this component was required for maximal efficiency of Tat-dependent secretion. We previously demonstrated that Chryseobacterium proteolyticum pro-protein glutaminase (pro-PG) and Streptomyces mobaraensis pro-transglutaminase (pro-TG) could be secreted via the Tat pathway in C. glutamicum. Here we report that the amounts of pro-PG secreted were more than threefold larger when TatC or TatAC was overexpressed, and there was a further threefold increase when TatABC was overexpressed. These results show that the amount of TatC protein is the first bottleneck and the amount of TatB protein is the second bottleneck in Tat-dependent protein secretion in C. glutamicum. In addition, the amount of pro-TG that accumulated via the Tat pathway when TatABC was overexpressed with the TorA signal peptide in C. glutamicum was larger than the amount that accumulated via the Sec pathway. We concluded that TatABC overexpression improves Tat-dependent pro-PG and pro-TG secretion in C. glutamicum.

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Mutation of the N-Terminal Region of Chikungunya Virus Capsid Protein: Implications for Vaccine Design

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.01970-16 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Adam Taylor ◽

Xiang Liu ◽

Ali Zaid ◽

Lucas Y. H. Goh ◽

Jody Hobson-Peters ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Host Cell ◽

Capsid Protein ◽

Chikungunya Virus ◽

Fluorescent Protein ◽

Nuclear Translocation ◽

Vaccine Design ◽

Terminal Region ◽

Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽

Nucleolar Localization ◽

Localization Sequence

ABSTRACTMosquito-transmitted chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an arthritogenic alphavirus of theTogaviridaefamily responsible for frequent outbreaks of arthritic disease in humans. Capsid protein, a structural protein encoded by the CHIKV RNA genome, is able to translocate to the host cell nucleolus. In encephalitic alphaviruses, nuclear translocation induces host cell transcriptional shutoff; however, the role of capsid protein nucleolar localization in arthritogenic alphaviruses remains unclear. Using recombinant enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged expression constructs and CHIKV infectious clones, we describe a nucleolar localization sequence (NoLS) in the N-terminal region of capsid protein, previously uncharacterized in CHIKV. Mutation of the NoLS by site-directed mutagenesis reduced efficiency of nuclear import of CHIKV capsid protein. In the virus, mutation of the capsid protein NoLS (CHIKV-NoLS) attenuated replication in mammalian and mosquito cells, producing a small-plaque phenotype. Attenuation of CHIKV-NoLS is likely due to disruption of the viral replication cycle downstream of viral RNA synthesis. In mice, CHIKV-NoLS infection caused no disease signs compared to wild-type CHIKV (CHIKV-WT)-infected mice; lack of disease signs correlated with significantly reduced viremia and decreased expression of proinflammatory factors. Mice immunized with CHIKV-NoLS, challenged with CHIKV-WT at 30 days postimmunization, develop no disease signs and no detectable viremia. Serum from CHIKV-NoLS-immunized mice is able to efficiently neutralize CHIKV infectionin vitro. Additionally, CHIKV-NoLS-immunized mice challenged with the related alphavirus Ross River virus showed reduced early and peak viremia postchallenge, indicating a cross-protective effect. The high degree of CHIKV-NoLS attenuation may improve CHIKV antiviral and rational vaccine design.IMPORTANCECHIKV is a mosquito-borne pathogen capable of causing explosive epidemics of incapacitating joint pain affecting millions of people. After a series of major outbreaks over the last 10 years, CHIKV and its mosquito vectors have been able to expand their range extensively, now making CHIKV a human pathogen of global importance. With no licensed vaccine or antiviral therapy for the treatment of CHIKV disease, there is a growing need to understand the molecular determinants of viral pathogenesis. These studies identify a previously uncharacterized nucleolar localization sequence (NoLS) in CHIKV capsid protein, begin a functional analysis of site-directed mutants of the capsid protein NoLS, and examine the effect of the NoLS mutation on CHIKV pathogenesisin vivoand its potential to influence CHIKV vaccine design. A better understanding of the pathobiology of CHIKV disease will aid the development of effective therapeutic strategies.

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Prediction of unconventional protein secretion by exosomes

BMC Bioinformatics ◽

10.1186/s12859-021-04219-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alvaro Ras-Carmona ◽

Marta Gomez-Perosanz ◽

Pedro A. Reche

Keyword(s):

Protein Secretion ◽

Random Forests ◽

Signal Peptide ◽

Area Under The Curve ◽

Dipeptide Composition ◽

Web Based ◽

Independent Dataset ◽

Link Type ◽

Tenfold Cross Validation ◽

Dependent Pathway

Abstract Motivation In eukaryotes, proteins targeted for secretion contain a signal peptide, which allows them to proceed through the conventional ER/Golgi-dependent pathway. However, an important number of proteins lacking a signal peptide can be secreted through unconventional routes, including that mediated by exosomes. Currently, no method is available to predict protein secretion via exosomes. Results Here, we first assembled a dataset including the sequences of 2992 proteins secreted by exosomes and 2961 proteins that are not secreted by exosomes. Subsequently, we trained different random forests models on feature vectors derived from the sequences in this dataset. In tenfold cross-validation, the best model was trained on dipeptide composition, reaching an accuracy of 69.88% ± 2.08 and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.76 ± 0.03. In an independent dataset, this model reached an accuracy of 75.73% and an AUC of 0.840. After these results, we developed ExoPred, a web-based tool that uses random forests to predict protein secretion by exosomes. Conclusion ExoPred is available for free public use at http://imath.med.ucm.es/exopred/. Datasets are available at http://imath.med.ucm.es/exopred/datasets/.

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Random and combinatorial mutagenesis for improved total production of secretory target protein in Escherichia coli

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-84859-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

David Gonzalez-Perez ◽

James Ratcliffe ◽

Shu Khan Tan ◽

Mary Chen May Wong ◽

Yi Pei Yee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Protein Secretion ◽

Protein Production ◽

Secretory Protein ◽

Target Protein ◽

Carrier Protein ◽

Signal Peptides ◽

Carrier Proteins ◽

E Coli ◽

Combinatorial Mutagenesis

AbstractSignal peptides and secretory carrier proteins are commonly used to secrete heterologous recombinant protein in Gram-negative bacteria. The Escherichia coli osmotically-inducible protein Y (OsmY) is a carrier protein that secretes a target protein extracellularly, and we have previously applied it in the Bacterial Extracellular Protein Secretion System (BENNY) to accelerate directed evolution. In this study, we reported the first application of random and combinatorial mutagenesis on a carrier protein to enhance total secretory target protein production. After one round of random mutagenesis followed by combining the mutations found, OsmY(M3) (L6P, V43A, S154R, V191E) was identified as the best carrier protein. OsmY(M3) produced 3.1 ± 0.3 fold and 2.9 ± 0.8 fold more secretory Tfu0937 β-glucosidase than its wildtype counterpart in E. coli strains BL21(DE3) and C41(DE3), respectively. OsmY(M3) also produced more secretory Tfu0937 at different cultivation temperatures (37 °C, 30 °C and 25 °C) compared to the wildtype. Subcellular fractionation of the expressed protein confirmed the essential role of OsmY in protein secretion. Up to 80.8 ± 12.2% of total soluble protein was secreted after 15 h of cultivation. When fused to a red fluorescent protein or a lipase from Bacillus subtillis, OsmY(M3) also produced more secretory protein compared to the wildtype. In this study, OsmY(M3) variant improved the extracellular production of three proteins originating from diverse organisms and with diverse properties, clearly demonstrating its wide-ranging applications. The use of random and combinatorial mutagenesis on the carrier protein demonstrated in this work can also be further extended to evolve other signal peptides or carrier proteins for secretory protein production in E. coli.

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Enhancing the thermostability and activity of uronate dehydrogenase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 by semi-rational engineering

Bioresources and Bioprocessing ◽

10.1186/s40643-019-0267-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hui-Hui Su ◽

Fei Peng ◽

Pei Xu ◽

Xiao-Ling Wu ◽

Min-Hua Zong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Agrobacterium Tumefaciens ◽

Rational Design ◽

Glucuronic Acid ◽

Specific Activity ◽

Value Added ◽

Catalytic Efficiency ◽

Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽

Glucaric Acid ◽

Triple Mutant ◽

Pharmaceutical Industries

Abstract Background Glucaric acid, one of the aldaric acids, has been declared a “top value-added chemical from biomass”, and is especially important in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Biocatalytic production of glucaric acid from glucuronic acid is more environmentally friendly, efficient and economical than chemical synthesis. Uronate dehydrogenases (UDHs) are the key enzymes for the preparation of glucaric acid in this way, but the poor thermostability and low activity of UDH limit its industrial application. Therefore, improving the thermostability and activity of UDH, for example by semi-rational design, is a major research goal. Results In the present work, three UDHs were obtained from different Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains. The three UDHs have an approximate molecular weight of 32 kDa and all contain typically conserved UDH motifs. All three UDHs showed optimal activity within a pH range of 6.0–8.5 and at a temperature of 30 °C, but the UDH from A. tumefaciens (At) LBA4404 had a better catalytic efficiency than the other two UDHs (800 vs 600 and 530 s−1 mM−1). To further boost the catalytic performance of the UDH from AtLBA4404, site-directed mutagenesis based on semi-rational design was carried out. An A39P/H99Y/H234K triple mutant showed a 400-fold improvement in half-life at 59 °C, a 5 °C improvement in $$ {\text{T}}_{ 5 0}^{ 1 0} $$ T 50 10 value and a 2.5-fold improvement in specific activity at 30 °C compared to wild-type UDH. Conclusions In this study, we successfully obtained a triple mutant (A39P/H99Y/H234K) with simultaneously enhanced activity and thermostability, which provides a novel alternative for the industrial production of glucaric acid from glucuronic acid.

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Active-site serine mutants of the Streptomyces albus G β-lactamase

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj2770647 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 277 (3) ◽

pp. 647-652 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

F Jacob ◽

B Joris ◽

J M Frère

Keyword(s):

Active Site ◽

Specific Activity ◽

Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽

Beta Lactamase ◽

Wild Type ◽

Serine Residue ◽

Wild Type Enzyme ◽

Ph Values ◽

Streptomyces Albus ◽

Small Production

By using site-directed mutagenesis, the active-site serine residue of the Streptomyces albus G beta-lactamase was substituted by alanine and cysteine. Both mutant enzymes were produced in Streptomyces lividans and purified to homogeneity. The cysteine beta-lactamase exhibited a substrate-specificity profile distinct from that of the wild-type enzyme, and its kcat./Km values at pH 7 were never higher than 0.1% of that of the serine enzyme. Unlike the wild-type enzyme, the activity of the mutant increased at acidic pH values. Surprisingly, the alanine mutant exhibited a weak but specific activity for benzylpenicillin and ampicillin. In addition, a very small production of wild-type enzyme, probably due to mistranslation, was detected, but that activity could be selectively eliminated. Both mutant enzymes were nearly as thermostable as the wild-type.

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Decreased Vancomycin Susceptibility in Staphylococcus aureus Caused by IS256Tempering of WalKR Expression

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy ◽

10.1128/aac.00279-13 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 57 (7) ◽

pp. 3240-3249 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Christopher R. E. McEvoy ◽

Brian Tsuji ◽

Wei Gao ◽

Torsten Seemann ◽

Jessica L. Porter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Fluorescent Protein ◽

Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽

Infection Model ◽

Content Type ◽

Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽

Phenotype Analysis ◽

Dosing Regimens ◽

Mrsa Strains ◽

Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACTVancomycin-intermediateStaphylococcus aureus(VISA) strains often arise by mutations in the essential two-component regulatorwalKR; however their impact onwalKRfunction has not been definitively established. Here, we investigated 10 MRSA strains recovered serially after exposure of vancomycin-susceptibleS. aureus(VSSA) JKD6009 to simulated human vancomycin dosing regimens (500 mg to 4,000 mg every 12 h) using a 10-day hollow fiber infection model. After continued exposure to the vancomycin regimens, two isolates displayed reduced susceptibility to both vancomycin and daptomycin, developing independent IS256insertions in thewalKR5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR). Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) revealed a 50% reduction inwalKRgene expression in the IS256mutants compared to the VSSA parent. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter analysis, promoter mapping, and site-directed mutagenesis confirmed these findings and showed that the IS256insertions had replaced two SigA-likewalKRpromoters with weaker, hybrid promoters. Removal of IS256reverted the phenotype to VSSA, showing that reduced expression of WalKR did induce the VISA phenotype. Analysis of selected WalKR-regulated autolysins revealed upregulation ofssaAbut no change in expression ofsakandsceDin both IS256mutants. Whole-genome sequencing of the two mutants revealed an additional IS256insertion withinagrCfor one mutant, and we confirmed that this mutation abolishedagrfunction. These data provide the first substantial analysis ofwalKRpromoter function and show that prolonged vancomycin exposure can result in VISA through an IS256-mediated reduction inwalKRexpression; however, the mechanisms by which this occurs remain to be determined.

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