A novel random mutagenesis approach using human mutagenic DNA polymerases to generate enzyme variant libraries.

The in vitro MutaGen procedure is a new random mutagenesis method based on the use of low-fidelity DNA polymerases. In the present study, this technique was applied on a 2 kb gene encoding amylosucrase, an attractive enzyme for the industrial synthesis of amylose-like polymers. Mutations were first introduced during a single replicating step performed by mutagenic polymerases pol beta and pol eta. Three large libraries (>10(5) independent clones) were generated (one with pol beta and two with pol eta). The sequence analysis of randomly chosen clones confirmed the potential of this strategy for the generation of diversity. Variants generated by pol beta were 4-7-fold less mutated than those created with pol eta, indicating that our approach enables mutation rate control following the DNA polymerase employed for mutagenesis. Moreover, pol beta and pol eta provide different and complementary mutation spectra, allowing a wider sequence space exploration than error-prone PCR protocols employing Taq polymerase. Interestingly, some of the variants generated by pol eta displayed unusual modifications, including combinations of base substitutions and codon deletions which are rarely generated using other methods. By taking advantage of the mutation bias of naturally highly error-prone DNA polymerases, MutaGen thus appears as a very useful tool for gene and protein randomisation.

Amylosucrase from Neisseria polysaccharea: novel catalytic properties.

Amylosucrase is a glucosyltransferase that synthesises an insoluble alpha-glucan from sucrose. The catalytic properties of the highly purified amylosucrase from Neisseria polysaccharea were characterised. Contrary to previously published results, it was demonstrated that in the presence of sucrose alone, several reactions are catalysed, in addition to polymer synthesis: sucrose hydrolysis, maltose and maltotriose synthesis by successive transfers of the glucosyl moiety of sucrose onto the released glucose, and finally turanose and trehalulose synthesis - these two sucrose isomers being obtained by glucosyl transfer onto fructose. The effect of initial sucrose concentration on initial activity demonstrated a non-Michaelian profile never previously described.

Polymerization of glucans by enzymatically active membranes.

Conventional enzyme membrane reactors are not appropriate for a continuous synthesis of macromolecules and simultaneous product release. By immobilizing the enzyme in sufficiently large pores of a membrane an ensemble of miniaturized bioreactors is created. Product molecules are continuously removed from the enzyme by the flow of the reaction mixture across the membrane. Additionally, by varying the flow rate, it ought to be possible to influence the substrate as well as the enzyme-product residence times and thereby the product macromolecule's size. In this paper we present the first results of experiments involving enzymatic 1,4-alpha-glucan synthesis, using sucrose as substrate, maltooligosaccharides (DP 3-6) as primers, and membrane-immobilized amylosucrase. Epoxy groups for a covalent enzyme immobilization were generated on polypropylene microfiltration membranes by heterogeneous photoinitiated graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate. The influence of primer concentration and flow rate through the enzyme-membrane on amylosucrase activity, molecule growth, and coupling efficiency for glucose (% of coupled glucose versus free glucose) were investigated. The enzymatically mediated chain elongation of maltooligosaccharides by the successive addition of glucose units was achieved for the first time in a transmembrane process utilizing amylosucrase membranes.

Biodegradation of cellulose acetate by Neisseria sicca.

Bacteria capable of assimilating cellulose acetate, strains SB and SC, were isolated from soil on a medium containing cellulose acetate as a carbon source, and identified as Neisseria sicca. Both strains degraded cellulose acetate membrane filters (degree of substitution, DS, mixture of 2.8 and 2.0) and textiles (DS, 2.34) in a medium containing cellulose acetate (DS, 2.34) or its oligomer, but were not able to degrade these materials in a medium containing cellobiose octaacetate. Biodegradation of cellulose acetate (DS, 1.81 and 2.34) on the basis of biochemical oxygen demand reached 51 and 40% in the culture of N. sicca SB and 60 and 45% in the culture of N. sicca SC within 20 days. A decrease in the acetyl content of degraded cellulose acetate films and powder was confirmed by infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. After 10-day cultivation of N. sicca SB and SC, the number-average molecular weight of residual cellulose acetate decreased by 9 and 5%, respectively. Activities of enzymes that released acetic acid and produced reducing sugars from cellulose acetate were mainly present in the culture supernatant. Reactivity of enzymes for cellulose acetate (DS, 1.81) was higher than that for cellulose acetate (DS, 2.34).

Purification and characterization of an endo-1,4-beta-glucanase from Neisseria sicca SB that hydrolyzes beta-1,4 linkages in cellulose acetate.

An enzyme catalyzing hydrolysis of beta-1,4 bonds in cellulose acetate was purified 18.3-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity from a culture supernatant of Neisseria sicca SB, which can assimilate cellulose acetate as the sole carbon and energy source. The molecular mass of the enzyme was 41 kDa and the isoelectric point was 4.8. The pH and temperature optima of the enzyme were 6.0-7.0 and 60 degrees C. The enzyme catalyzed hydrolysis of water-soluble cellulose acetate (degree of substitution, 0.88) and carboxymethyl cellulose. The Km and Vmax for water-soluble cellulose acetate and carboxymethyl cellulose were 0.242% and 2.24 micromol/min/mg, and 2.28% and 12.8 micromol/min/mg, respectively. It is estimated that the enzyme is a kind of endo-1,4-beta-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.4) from the substrate specificity and hydrolysis products of cellooligosaccharides. The enzyme and cellulose acetate esterase from Neisseria sicca SB degraded water-insoluble cellulose acetate by synergistic action.

Role of endo-1,4-beta-glucanases from neisseria sicca SB in synergistic degradation of cellulose acetate.

An enzyme hydrolyzing beta-1,4 bonds in cellulose acetate was purified 10.5-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity from a culture supernatant of Neisseria sicca SB, which assimilate cellulose acetate as the sole carbon and energy source. The enzyme was an endo-1,4-beta-glucanase, to judge from the substrate specificity and hydrolysis products of cellooligosaccharides, we named it endo-1,4-beta-glucanase I (EG I). Its molecular mass was 50 kDa, 9 kDa larger than EG II from this strain, and its isoelectric point was 5.0. Results of N-terminal and inner-peptide sequences of both enzymes, and a similarity search, suggested that EG I contained a carbohydrate-binding module at the N-terminus and that EG II lacked this module. The pH and temperature optima of EG I were 5.0-6.0 and 45 degrees C. It hydrolyzed water-soluble cellulose acetate (degree of substitution, 0.88) and carboxymethyl cellulose. The Km and Vmax for these compounds were 0.296% and 1.29 micromol min(-1) mg(-1), and 0.448% and 13.6 micromol min(-1) mg(-1), respectively. Both glucanases and cellulose acetate esterase from this strain degraded water-insoluble cellulose acetate synergistically.

Purification and characterization of an esterase involved in cellulose acetate degradation by Neisseria sicca SB.

An esterase catalyzing the hydrolysis of acetyl ester moieties in cellulose acetate was purified 1,110-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity from the culture supernatant of Neisseria sicca SB, which can assimilate cellulose acetate as the sole carbon and energy source. The purified enzyme was a monomeric protein with a molecular mass of 40 kDa and the isoelectric point was 5.3. The pH and temperature optima of the enzyme were 8.0-8.5 and 45 degrees C. The enzyme catalyzed the hydrolysis of acetyl saccharides, p-nitrophenyl esters of short-chain fatty acids, and was slightly active toward aliphatic and aromatic esters. The K(m) and Vmax for cellulose acetate (degree of substitution, 0.88) and p-nitrophenyl acetate were 0.0162% (716 microM as acetyl content in the polymer) and 36.0 microM, and 66.8 and 39.1 mumol/min/mg, respectively. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and diisopropyl fluorophosphate, which indicated that the enzyme was a serine esterase.