Rational regulation of reaction specificity of nitrilase for efficient biosynthesis of 2-chloronicotinic acid through a single site mutation

Nitrilase-catalyzed hydrolysis of 2-chloronicotinonitrile (2-CN) is a promising approach for efficient synthesis of 2-chloronicotinic acid (2-CA). Development of nitrilase with ideal catalytic properties is crucial for the biosynthetic route with industrial potentail. Herein, a nitrilase from Rhodococcus zopfii ( Rz NIT), which showed much higher hydration activity than hydrolysis activity, was designed for efficient hydrolysis of 2-CN. Two residues (N165 and W167) significantly affecting the reaction specificity were precisely identified. By tuning these two residues, a single mutation of W167G with abolished hydration activity and 20-fold improved hydrolysis activity was obtained. Molecular dynamics simulation and molecular docking revealed that the mutation generated a larger binding pocket, causing the substrate 2-CN bound more deeply in the pocket and the formation of delocalized π bond between the residues W190 and Y196, which reduced the negative influence of steric hindrance and electron effect caused by chlorine substituent. With mutant W167G as biocatalyst, 100 mM 2-CN was exclusively converted into 2-CA within 16 h. The study provides useful guidance in nitrilase engineering for simultaneous improvement of reaction specificity and catalytic activity, which are highly desirable in value-added carboxylic acids production from nitriles hydrolysis. Importance 2-CA is an important building block for agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals with rapid increase in demand in recent years. It is currently manufactured from 3-cyanopyridine by chemical methods. However, during the final step of 2-CN hydrolysis under high temperature and strong alkaline conditions, by-product 2-CM was generated except for the target product, leading to low yield and tedious separation steps. Nitrilase-mediated hydrolysis is regarded as a promising alternative for 2-CA production, which proceeds under mild conditions. Nevertheless, nitrilase capable of efficient hydrolysis of 2-CN was not reported till now, since the enzymes showed either extremely low activity or surprisingly high hydration activity towards 2-CN. Herein, the reaction specificity of Rz NIT was precisely tuned through a single site mutation. The mutant exhibited remarkably enhanced hydrolysis activity without formation of by-products, providing a robust biocatalyst for 2-CA biosynthesis with industrial potential.

Modified “Allele-Specific qPCR” Method for SNP Genotyping Based on FRET

The proposed method is a modified and improved version of the existing “Allele-specific q-PCR” (ASQ) method for genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). This method is similar to frequently used techniques like Amplifluor and Kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP), as well as others employing common universal probes (UPs) for SNP analyses. In the proposed ASQ method, the fluorophores and quencher are located in separate complementary oligonucleotides. The ASQ method is based on the simultaneous presence in PCR of the following two components: an allele-specific mixture (allele-specific and common primers) and a template-independent detector mixture that contains two or more (up to four) universal probes (UP-1 to 4) and a single universal quencher oligonucleotide (Uni-Q). The SNP site is positioned preferably at a penultimate base in each allele-specific primer, which increases the reaction specificity and allele discrimination. The proposed ASQ method is advanced in providing a very clear and effective measurement of the fluorescence emitted, with very low signal background-noise, and simple procedures convenient for customized modifications and adjustments. Importantly, this ASQ method is estimated as two- to ten-fold cheaper than Amplifluor and KASP, and much cheaper than all those methods that rely on dual-labeled probes without universal components, like TaqMan and Molecular Beacons. Results for SNP genotyping in the barley genes HvSAP16 and HvSAP8, in which stress-associated proteins are controlled, are presented as proven and validated examples. This method is suitable for bi-allelic uniplex reactions but it can potentially be used for 3- or 4-allelic variants or different SNPs in a multiplex format in a range of applications including medical, forensic, or others involving SNP genotyping.

Fundamental insight into redox enzyme-based bioelectrocatalysis

Redox enzymes can work as efficient electrocatalysts. The coupling of redox enzymatic reactions with electrode reactions is called enzymatic bioelectrocatalysis, which imparts high reaction-specificity to electrode reactions with non-specific characteristics. The key factors required for bioelectrocatalysis are hydride ion/electron transfer characteristics and low specificity for either substrate in redox enzymes. Several theoretical features of steady-state responses are introduced to understand bioelectrocatalysis and to extend the performance of bioelectrocatalytic systems. Applications of the coupling concept to bioelectrochemical devices are also summarized with emphasis on the achievements recorded in the research group of the author.

Modulating Glycoside Hydrolase Activity between Hydrolysis and Transfer Reactions Using an Evolutionary Approach

The proteins within the CAZy glycoside hydrolase family GH13 catalyze the hydrolysis of polysaccharides such as glycogen and starch. Many of these enzymes also perform transglycosylation in various degrees, ranging from secondary to predominant reactions. Identifying structural determinants associated with GH13 family reaction specificity is key to modifying and designing enzymes with increased specificity towards individual reactions for further applications in industrial, chemical, or biomedical fields. This work proposes a computational approach for decoding the determinant structural composition defining the reaction specificity. This method is based on the conservation of coevolving residues in spatial contacts associated with reaction specificity. To evaluate the algorithm, mutants of α-amylase (TmAmyA) and glucanotransferase (TmGTase) from Thermotoga maritima were constructed to modify the reaction specificity. The K98P/D99A/H222Q variant from TmAmyA doubled the transglycosydation/hydrolysis (T/H) ratio while the M279N variant from TmGTase increased the hydrolysis/transglycosidation ratio five-fold. Molecular dynamic simulations of the variants indicated changes in flexibility that can account for the modified T/H ratio. An essential contribution of the presented computational approach is its capacity to identify residues outside of the active center that affect the reaction specificity.

Clues to reaction specificity in PLP-dependent fold type I enzymes of monosaccharide biosynthesis

Novel functions can emerge in an enzyme family while conserving catalytic mechanism, motif or fold. PLP-dependent enzymes have evolved into seven fold types and catalyse diverse reactions using the same mechanism for the formation of external aldimine. Nucleotide sugar aminotransferases (NSATs) and dehydratases (NSDs) belong to fold type I and mediate the biosynthesis of several monosaccharides. NSATs use diverse substrates but are highly selective to the C3 or C4 carbon to which amine group is transferred. Factors responsible for reaction specificity in NSDs are known but remain unexplored in NSATs. Profile HMMs were able to identify NSATs but could not capture reaction specificity. A search for discriminating features led to the discovery of a sequence motif that is located near the pyranose binding site suggesting their role in imparting reaction specificity. Using a position weight matrix for this motif, we were able to assign reaction specificity to a large number of NSATs. Residues which upon mutation could convert NSD to NSAT have been reported in literature and we deduced that these are not conserved. This suggested the occurrence of non-generic family specific mutations underlying the evolution of dehydratases. Inferences from this analysis set way for future experiments that can shed light on mechanisms of functional diversification in enzymes of fold type I.

Clinical significance of laboratory diagnostics of coxyellosis in children

The urgency of the problem of coxyellosis in children is determined by the endemic nature of this pathology for a number of regions of Russia. The purpose of the study: to evaluate the results of diagnosis of coxyellosis in children using the methods of complement binding reaction (RSC), enzyme immunoassay (ELISA), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Retrospective analysis of the survey on Coxiella in 3 groups of children aged 7 to 17 years: group 1 (n=30) method RSK; group 2 (n=34) - by ELISA; group 3 (n=35) - PCR, were hospitalized in GBUZ «Regional clinical infectious hospital named. A. M. Nicholi» Astrakhan in the period from January 2010 to January 2020. The most informative methods of diagnosis of coxyellosis in children during the first 7 days from the onset of the disease is the PCR reaction (specificity-94%, sensitivity-91%), after the 7th day of the disease ELISA (specificity -91%, sensitivity - 94%).The sensitivity of the RSC method is 70%, the specificity is 87%.

Application of enzyme engineering in pharmacy

Enzyme engineering is an important part of modern biotechnology. Due to its high reaction specificity, high efficiency, mild reaction conditions, and low pollution, it is also an important method widely used in the pharmaceutical field. The application of enzymes in medicine is diverse, such as: diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases with enzymes, manufacture of various drugs with enzymes, etc., mainly through manual operations, to obtain enzymes required by the pharmaceutical industry, and through various means Enzymes perform their catalytic functions. This article mainly introduces the application of enzyme engineering in the pharmaceutical field, and also prospects the development trend of enzyme engineering in the pharmaceutical field.

Oxygen reactivity with pyridoxal 5′-phosphate enzymes: biochemical implications and functional relevance

The versatility of reactions catalyzed by pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) enzymes is largely due to the chemistry of their extraordinary catalyst. PLP is necessary for many reactions involving amino acids. Reaction specificity is controlled by the orientation of the external aldimine intermediate that is formed upon addition of the amino acidic substrate to the coenzyme. The breakage of a specific bond of the external aldimine gives rise to a carbanionic intermediate. From this point, the different reaction pathways diverge leading to multiple activities: transamination, decarboxylation, racemization, elimination, and synthesis. A significant novelty appeared approximately 30 years ago when it was reported that some PLP-dependent decarboxylases are able to consume molecular oxygen transforming an amino acid into a carbonyl compound. These side paracatalytic reactions could be particularly relevant for human health, also considering that some of these enzymes are responsible for the synthesis of important neurotransmitters such as γ-aminobutyric acid, dopamine, and serotonin, whose dysregulation under oxidative conditions could have important implications in neurodegenerative states. However, the reactivity of PLP enzymes with dioxygen is not confined to mammals/animals. In fact, some plant PLP decarboxylases have been reported to catalyze oxidative reactions producing carbonyl compounds. Moreover, other recent reports revealed the existence of new oxidase activities catalyzed by new PLP enzymes, MppP, RohP, Ind4, CcbF, PvdN, Cap15, and CuaB. These PLP enzymes belong to the bacterial and fungal kingdoms and are present in organisms synthesizing bioactive compounds. These new PLP activities are not paracatalytic and could only scratch the surface on a wider and unexpected catalytic capability of PLP enzymes.