Manganese peroxidases from Ganoderma applanatum degrade ß-carotene under alkaline conditions.

A ß-carotene-degrading enzyme activity was observed in liquid cultures of the basidiomycete Ganoderma applanatum. Supplementing the cultures with ß-carotene induced the bleaching activity. Purification via hydrophobic interaction, ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography followed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) resulted in a single protein band. LC-ion-trap-MS analyses and gene amplification identified two manganese peroxidase isoenzymes with 97.8 % identity on the amino acid level. These showed an estimated molecular mass of 48 kDa and an isoelectric point of 2.6. Properties not yet described for other manganese peroxidases were hydrogen-peroxide-independent catalysis and two maxima of the bleaching activity, a distinct one at pH 5 and a lower one at pH 8. During simulated washing studies, the applicability of the isoenzymes for the brightening of carotenoids under alkaline conditions was proven. The new enzymes may replace common bleaching agents to produce environmentally more compatible detergent formulations.

The metabolic potential of Escherichia coli BL21 in defined and rich medium.

BACKGROUND: The proteome reflects the available cellular machinery to deal with nutrients and environmental challenges. The most common E. coli strain BL21 growing in different, commonly employed media was evaluated using a detailed quantitative proteome analysis. RESULTS: The presence of preformed biomass precursor molecules in rich media such as Luria Bertani supported rapid growth concomitant to acetate formation and apparently unbalanced abundances of central metabolic pathway enzymes, e.g. high levels of lower glycolytic pathway enzymes as well as pyruvate dehydrogenase, and low levels of TCA cycle and high levels of the acetate forming enzymes Pta and AckA. The proteome of cells growing exponentially in glucose-supplemented mineral salt medium was dominated by enzymes of amino acid synthesis pathways, contained more balanced abundances of central metabolic pathway enzymes, and a lower portion of ribosomal and other translational proteins. Entry into stationary phase led to a reconstruction of the bacterial proteome by increasing e.g. the portion of proteins required for scavenging rare nutrients and general cell protection. This proteomic reconstruction during entry into stationary phase was more noticeable in cells growing in rich medium as they have a greater reservoir of recyclable proteins from the translational machinery. CONCLUSIONS: The proteomic comparison of cells growing exponentially in different media reflected the antagonistic and competitive regulation of central metabolic pathways through the global transcriptional regulators Cra, Crp, and ArcA. For example, the proteome of cells growing exponentially in rich medium was consistent with a dominating role of phosphorylated ArcA most likely a result from limitations in reoxidizing reduced quinones in the respiratory chain under these growth conditions. The proteomic alterations of exponentially growing cells into stationary phase cells were consistent with stringent-like and stationary phase responses and a dominating control through DksA-ppGpp and RpoS.

Heterologous expression of the msp2 gene from Marasmius scorodonius.

For the heterologous expression of the msp2 gene from the edible mushroom Marasmius scorodonius in Escherichia coli the cDNA encoding the extracellular Msp2 peroxidase was cloned into the pBAD III expression plasmid. Expression of the protein with or without signal peptide was investigated in E. coli strains TOP10 and LMG194. Different PCR products were amplified for expression of the native target protein or a protein with a signal peptide. Omitting the native stop codon and adding six His-residues resulted in a fusion protein amenable to immune detection and purification by immobilised metal affinity chromatography. In E. coli the recombinant protein was produced in high yield as insoluble inclusion bodies. The influence of different parameters on MsP2 refolding was investigated. Active enzyme was obtained by glutathione-mediated oxidation in a medium containing urea, Ca(2+), and hemin.

Accumulation of apocarotenoids in mycorrhizal roots of leek (Allium porrum).

Colonization of the roots of leek (Allium porrum L.) by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices induced the formation of apocarotenoids, whose accumulation has been studied over a period of 25 weeks. Whereas the increase in the levels of the dominating cyclohexenone derivatives resembles the enhancement of root length colonization, the content of mycorradicin derivatives remains relatively low throughout. Structural analysis of the cyclohexenone derivatives by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy showed that they are mono- and diglycosides of 13-hydroxyblumenol C and blumenol C acylated with 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaric and/or malonic acid. Along with the isolation of three known compounds five others are shown to be hitherto unknown members of the fast-growing family of mycorrhiza-induced cyclohexenone conjugates.

Structure of xylogalacturonan fragments from watermelon cell-wall pectin. Endopolygalacturonase can accommodate a xylosyl residue on the galacturonic acid just following the hydrolysis site.

A combination of xylogalacturonan (XGA), homogalacturonan, and rhamnogalacturonan was extracted from watermelon fruit cell walls with 0.1 M NaOH. In contrast to the resistance of xylogalacturonans from most other sources to endopolygalacturonase (EPG), about 50% of the extracted XGA could be converted into oligosaccharides by EPG digestion with a commercial EPG from Megazyme International. The oligosaccharides were fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography, and their structures were investigated by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The smallest oligosaccharide was beta-D-Xylp-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalAp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-GalAp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-GalAp-(1-->4)-GalAp. The most abundant was beta-D-Xylp-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalAp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-GalAp-(1-->4)(beta-D-Xylp-(1-->3)-alpha-D-GalAp-(1-->4))-alpha-D-GalAp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-GalAp-(1-->4)-GalAp. Given that the nonreducing ends of the oligosaccharides often were xylosylated GalA residues, and that fungal EPG digests homogalacturonans between the third and fourth GalA bound to the enzyme, it appears that EPG can accommodate a xylosylated GalA in the site that binds the fourth GalA. Since all of the oligosaccharides characterized had three unsubstituted GalA residues at their reducing ends, the enzyme appears not to accommodate xylosylated residues in the first three sugar-binding sites. Thus, XGA regions with fewer than three unsubstituted residues between branch points will be resistant to EPG. The EPG-susceptible XGA was not recovered from cell walls prepared using phosphate buffer for the homogenization of the watermelon tissue, probably because it was degraded by endogenous watermelon EPG and lost during isolation of the walls. Use of Tris-buffered phenol during wall isolation to prevent enzyme action caused some amidation of GalA residues with Tris.

Novel peroxidases of Marasmius scorodonius degrade beta-carotene.

Two extracellular enzymes (MsP1 and MsP2) capable of efficient beta-carotene degradation were purified from culture supernatants of the basidiomycete Marasmius scorodonius (garlic mushroom). Under native conditions, the enzymes exhibited molecular masses of approximately 150 and approximately 120 kDa, respectively. SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometric data suggested a composition of two identical subunits for both enzymes. Biochemical characterisation of the purified proteins showed isoelectric points of 3.7 and 3.5, and the presence of heme groups in the active enzymes. Partial amino acid sequences were derived from N-terminal Edman degradation and from mass spectrometric ab initio sequencing of internal peptides. cDNAs of 1,604 to 1,923 bp, containing open reading frames (ORF) of 508 to 513 amino acids, respectively, were cloned from a cDNA library of M. scorodonius. These data suggest glycosylation degrees of approximately 23% for MsP1 and 8% for MsP2. Databank homology searches revealed sequence homologies of MsP1 and MsP2 to unusual peroxidases of the fungi Thanatephorus cucumeris (DyP) and Termitomyces albuminosus (TAP).

Role of a GDSL lipase-like protein as sinapine esterase in Brassicaceae.

The seeds of most members of the Brassicaceae accumulate high amounts of sinapine (sinapoylcholine) that is rapidly hydrolyzed during early stages of seed germination. One of three isoforms of sinapine esterase activity (BnSCE3) has been isolated from Brassica napus seedlings and subjected to trypsin digestion and spectrometric sequencing. The peptide sequences were used to isolate BnSCE3 cDNA, which was shown to contain an open reading frame of 1170 bp encoding a protein of 389 amino acids, including a leader peptide of 25 amino acids. Sequence comparison identified the protein as the recently cloned BnLIP2, i.e. a GDSL lipase-like protein, which displays high sequence identity to a large number of corresponding plant proteins, including four related Arabidopsis lipases. The enzymes belong to the SGNH protein family, which use a catalytic triad of Ser-Asp-His, with serine as the nucleophile of the GDSL motif. The corresponding B. napus and Arabidopsis genes were heterologously expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and proved to confer sinapine esterase activity. In addition to sinapine esterase activity, the native B. napus protein (BnSCE3/BnLIP2) showed broad substrate specificity towards various other choline esters, including phosphatidylcholine. This exceptionally broad substrate specificity, which is common to a large number of other GDSL lipases in plants, hampers their functional analysis. However, the data presented here indicate a role for the GDSL lipase-like BnSCE3/BnLIP2 as a sinapine esterase in members of the Brassicaceae, catalyzing hydrolysis of sinapine during seed germination, leading, via 1-O-sinapoyl-beta-glucose, to sinapoyl-l-malate in the seedlings.

Cloning and functional characterisation of two regioselective flavonoid glucosyltransferases from Beta vulgaris.

Two full-length cDNAs encoding flavonoid-specific glucosyltransferases, UGT73A4 and UGT71F1, were isolated from a cDNA library of Beta vulgaris (Amaranthaceae) cell suspension cultures. They displayed high identity to position-specific betanidin and flavonoid glucosyltransferases from Dorotheanthus bellidiformis (Aizoaceae) and to enzymes with similar substrate specificities from various plant families. The open reading frame of the sequences encode proteins of 476 (UGT73A4) and 492 (UGT71F1) amino acids with calculated molecular masses of 54.07kDa and 54.39kDa, and isoelectric points of 5.8 and 5.6, respectively. Both enzymes were functionally expressed in Escherichia coli as His- and GST-tagged proteins, respectively. They exhibited a broad substrate specificity, but a distinct regioselectivity, glucosylating a variety of flavonols, flavones, flavanones, and coumarins. UGT73A4 showed a preference for the 4'- and 7-OH position in the flavonoids, whereas UGT71F1 preferentially glucosylated the 3- or the 7-OH position. Glucosylation of betanidin, the aglycone of the major betacyanin, betanin, in B. vulgaris was also observed to a low extent by both enzymes. Several O-glycosylated vitexin derivatives isolated from leaves of young B. vulgaris plants and rutin obtained from B. vulgaris tissue culture are discussed as potential endogenous products of UGT73A4 and UGT71F1. The results are analyzed with regard to evolution and specificity of plant natural product glucosyltransferases.