Structure-Guided Engineering of Thermodynamically Enhanced SaCas9 for Improved Gene Suppression.

Proteins with multiple domains play pivotal roles in various biological processes, necessitating a thorough understanding of their structural stability and functional interplay. Here, a structure-guided protein engineering approach is proposed to develop thermostable Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9) variant for CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) interference applications. By employing thermodynamic analysis, combining distance mapping and molecular dynamics simulations, deletable domains are identified to enhance stability while preserving the DNA recognition function of Cas9. The resulting engineered Cas9, termed small and dead form Cas9, exhibits improved thermostability and maintains target DNA recognition function. Cryo-electron microscopy analysis reveals structural integrity with reduced atomic density in the deleted domain. Fusion with functional elements enables intracellular delivery and nuclear localization, demonstrating efficient gene suppression in diverse cell types. Direct delivery in the mouse brain shows enhanced knockdown efficiency, highlighting the potential of structure-guided engineering to develop functional CRISPR systems tailored for specific applications. This study underscores the significance of integrating computational and experimental approaches for protein engineering, offering insights into designing tailored molecular tools for precise biological interventions.

Characterization of a Novel Maltose-Forming α-Amylase from Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum ST-III.

A novel maltose (G2)-forming α-amylase from Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum ST-III was expressed in Escherichia coli and characterized. Analysis of conserved amino acid sequence alignments showed that L. plantarum maltose-producing α-amylase (LpMA) belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 13. The recombinant enzyme (LpMA) was a novel G2-producing α-amylase. The properties of purified LpMA were investigated following enzyme purification. LpMA exhibited optimal activity at 30 °C and pH 3.0. It produced only G2 from the hydrolysis of various substrates, including maltotriose (G3), maltopentaose (G5), maltosyl ß-cyclodextrin (G2-ß-CD), amylose, amylopectin, and starch. However, LpMA was unable to hydrolyze cyclodextrins. Reaction pattern analysis using 4-nitrophenyl-α-d-maltopentaoside (pNPG5) demonstrated that LpMA hydrolyzed pNPG5 from the nonreducing end, indicating that LpMA is an exotype α-amylase. Kinetic analysis revealed that LpMA had the highest catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km ratio) toward G2-ß-CD. Compared with ß-amylase, a well-known G2-producing enzyme, LpMA produced G2 more efficiently from liquefied corn starch due to its ability to hydrolyze G3.

Characterization and Application of BiLA, a Psychrophilic α-Amylase from Bifidobacterium longum.

In this study, a novel α-amylase was cloned from Bifidobacterium longum and named BiLA. The enzyme exhibited optimal activity at 20 °C and a pH value of 5.0. Kinetic analysis using various carbohydrate substrates revealed that BiLA had the highest k(cat/)K(m) value for amylose. Interestingly, analysis of the enzymatic reaction products demonstrated that BiLA specifically catalyzed the hydrolysis of oligosaccharides and starches up to G5 from the nonreducing ends. To determine whether BiLA can be used to generate slowly digestible starch (SDS), starch was treated with BiLA, and the kinetic parameters were analyzed using porcine pancreatic α-amylase (PPA) and amyloglucosidase (AMG). Compared to normal starch, BiLA-treated starch showed lower k(cat)/K(m) values with PPA and AMG, suggesting that BiLA is a potential candidate for the production of SDS.

Development and characterization of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase as a maltoheptaose-producing enzyme using site-directed mutagenesis.

Cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase; EC 2.4.1.19) mainly produces cyclodextrins (CDs) using linear maltooligosaccharides. We performed site-directed saturation mutagenesis on the +1 substrate-binding residue, H233, of CGTase from alkalophilic Bacillus sp. I-5 to prepare specific-length oligosaccharides. The obtained mutant CGTase, H233Y, primarily produced maltoheptaose (G7) using ß-CD via a hydrolysis reaction. A kinetic study of H233Y showed that the kcat/Km value of ß-CD was 7-fold greater than that of G7, which accounts for the accumulation of G7 during the H233Y enzyme reaction. A structure comparison of CGTases with H233Y modeling suggests that the substitution of H233Y may alter the position of the +1 subsite and slow the further hydrolysis of G7 after the ring-opening reaction.