Structural and functional studies of the glycoside hydrolase family 3 ß-glucosidase Cel3A from the moderately thermophilic fungus Rasamsonia emersonii.

The filamentous fungus Hypocrea jecorina produces a number of cellulases and hemicellulases that act in a concerted fashion on biomass and degrade it into monomeric or oligomeric sugars. ß-Glucosidases are involved in the last step of the degradation of cellulosic biomass and hydrolyse the ß-glycosidic linkage between two adjacent molecules in dimers and oligomers of glucose. In this study, it is shown that substituting the ß-glucosidase from H. jecorina (HjCel3A) with the ß-glucosidase Cel3A from the thermophilic fungus Rasamsonia emersonii (ReCel3A) in enzyme mixtures results in increased efficiency in the saccharification of lignocellulosic materials. Biochemical characterization of ReCel3A, heterologously produced in H. jecorina, reveals a preference for disaccharide substrates over longer gluco-oligosaccharides. Crystallographic studies of ReCel3A revealed a highly N-glycosylated three-domain dimeric protein, as has been observed previously for glycoside hydrolase family 3 ß-glucosidases. The increased thermal stability and saccharification yield and the superior biochemical characteristics of ReCel3A compared with HjCel3A and mixtures containing HjCel3A make ReCel3A an excellent candidate for addition to enzyme mixtures designed to operate at higher temperatures.

Biochemical characterization and crystal structures of a fungal family 3 ß-glucosidase, Cel3A from Hypocrea jecorina.

Cellulase mixtures from Hypocrea jecorina are commonly used for the saccharification of cellulose in biotechnical applications. The most abundant ß-glucosidase in the mesophilic fungus Hypocrea jecorina is HjCel3A, which hydrolyzes the ß-linkage between two adjacent molecules in dimers and short oligomers of glucose. It has been shown that enhanced levels of HjCel3A in H. jecorina cellulase mixtures benefit the conversion of cellulose to glucose. Biochemical characterization of HjCel3A shows that the enzyme efficiently hydrolyzes (1,4)- as well as (1,2)-, (1,3)-, and (1,6)-ß-D-linked disaccharides. For crystallization studies, HjCel3A was produced in both H. jecorina (HjCel3A) and Pichia pastoris (Pp-HjCel3A). Whereas the thermostabilities of HjCel3A and Pp-HjCel3A are the same, Pp-HjCel3A has a higher degree of N-linked glycosylation. Here, we present x-ray structures of HjCel3A with and without glucose bound in the active site. The structures have a three-domain architecture as observed previously for other glycoside hydrolase family 3 ß-glucosidases. Both production hosts resulted in HjCel3A structures that have N-linked glycosylations at Asn(208) and Asn(310). In H. jecorina-produced HjCel3A, a single N-acetylglucosamine is present at both sites, whereas in Pp-HjCel3A, the P. pastoris-produced HjCel3A enzyme, the glycan chains consist of 8 or 4 saccharides. The glycosylations are involved in intermolecular contacts in the structures derived from either host. Due to the different sizes of the glycosylations, the interactions result in different crystal forms for the two protein forms.