Effect of elicitors on the production of pyrroloquinazoline alkaloids by stimulating anthranilate synthase activity in Adhatoda vasica Nees cell cultures.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Pyrroloquinazoline alkaloids are medicinally important compounds, determined by HPLC from cell cultures of Adhatoda vasica . The maximum production of vasicinone (12-fold) and vasicine (8.3-fold) was enhanced by stimulating the anthranilate synthase activity via feeding of tryptophan and sorbitol. The decoction of Adhatoda vasica leaves is used for the treatment of throat irritations, inflammations and recommended as expectorant. The plant species contains pyrroloquinazoline alkaloids and has been reported to demonstrate various biological activities. To investigate the effect of elicitors to increase the production of alkaloids, five groups (auxins and cytokinins, biotic elicitors, polysaccharides, amino acids and salts) of elicitors were evaluated. Maximum production of vasicinone (72.74 ± 0.74 mg/g DW; 12-fold) and vasicine (99.44 ± 0.28 mg/g DW; 8.3-fold) was enhanced by feeding of tryptophan and sorbitol at 50 mM concentration in cell cultures. Fourteen free amino acids were estimated from the elicited cells. Sorbitol stimulated up to a maximum accumulation of serine (8.2-fold). The maximal anthranilate synthase (AS) activity (7.5 ± 0.47 pkat/mg protein; 2.9-fold) was induced by salicylic acid and sorbitol. Anthranilate synthase functions as rate-limiting factor for the biosynthesis of pyrroloquinazoline alkaloids. Our results support the widespread use of tryptophan and sorbitol as elicitors to raise the production of vasicinone, vasicine, 2-acetyl benzyl amine and other pyrroloquinazoline alkaloids in cell cultures of A. vasica.

Purification and characterization of anthranilate synthase component I (TrpE) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv.

The emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the main reason why tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a major health problem worldwide. It is urgent to discover novel anti-mycobacterial agents based on new drug targets for the treatment of TB, especially MDR-TB. Tryptophan biosynthetic pathway, which is essential for the survival of M. tuberculosis and meanwhile absent in mammals, provides potential anti-TB drug targets. One of the promising drug targets in this pathway is anthranilate synthase component I (TrpE), whose role is to catalyze the conversion of chorismate to anthranilate using ammonia as amino source. In order to get a deep understanding of TrpE, a study on purification and characteristic identification of TrpE is required. In this work, the putative trpE gene of M. tuberculosis H37Rv was expressed as a fusion protein with a 6x His-tag on the N-terminal (His-TrpE) in Escherichia coli. The recombinant TrpE protein was successfully purified and then its enzymatic characteristics were analyzed. The native TrpE without His-tag was obtained by removal of the N-terminal fusion partner of His-TrpE using enterokinase. It was found that N-terminal fusion partner had little influence on TrpE catalytic activity. In addition, the key residues related to enzyme catalytic activity and that involved in l-tryptophan inhibition were predicted in the structure of M. tuberculosis H37Rv TrpE. These results would be beneficial to the designing of novel anti-TB drugs with high potency and selectivity.

Design and synthesis of aromatic inhibitors of anthranilate synthase.

Aromatic analogues of chorismate were synthesised as potential inhibitors of anthranilate synthase. Molecular modelling using GOLD2.1 showed that these analogues docked into the active site of Serratia marcescens anthranilate synthase in the same conformation as chorismate. Most compounds were found to be micromolar inhibitors of S. marcescens anthranilate synthase. The most potent analogue, 3-(1-carboxy-ethoxy)-4-hydroxybenzoate (K(I) 3 microM), included a lactyl ether side chain. This appears to be a good replacement for the enol-pyruvyl side chain of chorismate.

Induction of anthranilate synthase activity by elicitors in oats.

Oat phytoalexins, avenanthramides, are a series of substituted hydroxycinnamic acid amides with anthranilate. The anthranilate in avenanthramides is biosynthesized by anthranilate synthase (AS, EC 4.1.3.27). Induction of anthranilate synthase activity was investigated in oat leaves treated with oligo-N-acetylchitooligosaccharide elicitors. AS activity increased transiently, peaking 6 h after the elicitation. The induction of activity was dependent on the concentration and the degree of polymerization of the oligo-N-acetylchitooligosaccharide elicitor. These findings indicate that the induction is part of a concerted biochemical change required for avenanthramide production. The elicitor-inducible AS activity was strongly inhibited by L-tryptophan and its analogues including 5-methyl-DL-tryptophan, and 5- and 6-fluoro-DL-tryptophan, while the activity was not affected by D-tryptophan. The accumulation of avenanthramide A was also inhibited by treatment of elicited leaves with these AS inhibitors, indicating that a feedback-sensitive AS is responsible for the avenanthramide production. In elicited leaves, the content of free anthranilate remained at a steady, low level during avenanthramide production. Moreover, administration of anthranilate to elicited oat leaves resulted in an enhanced avenanthramide accumulation. AS may play a role as a rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of avenanthramides.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic studies of the anthranilate synthase partial complex from Salmonella typhimurium.

Anthranilate synthase catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of tryptophan from chorismate. The anthranilate synthase partial complex from Salmonella typhimurium has been crystallized in space group P21212 with unit-cell dimensions a = 116.7, b = 101.2 and c = 66.8 A.

Purification and cDNA cloning of anthranilate synthase from Ruta graveolens: modes of expression and properties of native and recombinant enzymes.

Ruta graveolens utilizes anthranilate synthase (AS) for the synthesis both of tryptophan in primary metabolism and acridone alkaloids in secondary metabolism. AS has been purified from plants and cell cultures of R. graveolens 670- and 1700-fold, respectively. Glutamine- and ammonia-dependent AS activities were strictly co-purified in all steps. Through cDNA cloning and complementation of Escherichia coli deletion mutants defective for AS, it is shown that young Ruta plants express two genes for functional AS alpha subunits, AS alpha 1 and AS alpha 2. The data indicate that AS alpha from Ruta requires an AS beta subunit with a native molecular weight of 60-65 kDa for the glutamine-dependent reaction. Protein synthesized in vitro from cloned cDNA is processed upon import into isolated chloroplasts, indicating that mature AS alpha subunits are active in plastids in vivo. AS alpha 1 and AS alpha 2 are constitutively expressed in Ruta cell cultures, but AS alpha 1 steady-state mRNA levels are increased 100-fold 6 h subsequent to elicitation whereas AS alpha 2 expression remains constitutive. Increased AS alpha 1 transcription corresponds to elicitor-induced alkaloid accumulation. The data indicate that Ruta regulates anthranilate flux into primary and secondary metabolism through differential regulation of AS genes specific to these pathways.

Functional expression of Arabidopsis thaliana anthranilate synthase subunit I in Escherichia coli.

Anthranilate synthase is involved in tryptophan (Trp) biosynthesis. Functional expression of subunit I from Arabidopsis (ASA1) was achieved in bacteria as a protein fused with glutathione S-transferase (GST). The active product was purified in a single step on a glutathione-Sepharose column. The Vmax (45 nmol min-1mg-1), the apparent K(M) for chorismate (180 microM), and the feedback inhibition by Trp (complete inhibition by 10 microM Trp) of the purified fusion product (GST-ASA1) were comparable to anthranilate synthase purified from plants. Polyclonal antibodies raised against the fusion project and purified by affinity chromatography on a GST-ASA1-Sepharose column cross-reacted with a 61.5-kD protein in a partially purified anthranilate synthase preparation from corn seedlings. GST-ASA1 cleavage by thrombin, as well as site-directed mutagenesis modifications of the Trp allosteric site, inactivated the recombinant protein.

Purification and characterization of anthranilate synthase from Catharanthus roseus.

Anthranilate synthase (EC 4.1.3.27) has been purified from cell cultures of Catharanthus roseus by poly(ethylene glycol) precipitation/fractionation and subsequent separation by anion exchange on Q-Sepharose, Orange A dye chromatography, Mono Q anion-exchange chromatography and Superose 6 gel filtration. By analogy to anthranilate synthases from other sources it does look like the enzyme is a tetramer composed of two large and two small subunits, with molecular mass 67 and 25.5 +/- 0.5 kDa, respectively. The molecular mass determined by gel filtration was 143 +/- 5 kDa. The enzyme had a pI of 5.1 determined by chromatofocusing. The pH optimum was between pH 7.5 and pH 8.3, but the type of buffer used affected the results. The enzyme could utilize NH4+ as ammonium donor instead of glutamine. The enzyme showed normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to the substrates L-glutamine and chorismate, and the cofactor Mg2+, Km values for L-glutamine was determined to be 0.37 +/- 0.05 mM, for chorismate 67 +/- 3 microM, and for MgCl2 0.26 +/- 0.03 mM respectively. Anthranilate synthase was inhibited by L-tryptophan, tryptamine and D-tryptophan (with L-tryptophan being the best inhibitor). The enzyme was allosterically regulated showing positive cooperatively of chorismate binding at higher concentrations of tryptophan. For a tryptophan concentration of 20 microM the Hill coefficient was determined to be 2. The tryptophan binding sites showed positive cooperatively for higher concentrations of chorismate. The purified enzyme did not contain anthranilate-5-phosphoribosylpyrophosphate phosphoribosyltransferase activity and is thus not of the same type as the well characterized Salmonella typhimurium anthranilate synthase/phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate transferase bifunctional type.

Characterization of Bacillus caldotenax anthranilate synthase I produced in Escherichia coli and identification of its essential arginine residue by site-directed mutagenesis.

Anthranilate synthase I (ASI) of Bacillus caldotenax, a thermophilic bacterium, was purified from a plasmid-bearing Escherichia coli and characterized. The molecular weight determination under native and denaturing conditions revealed that it was a monomeric enzyme of M(r) = 54,000. The N-terminal amino acid sequence is the same as expected from DNA sequence of trpE except that the N-terminal methionine is lacking. All four cysteines in the molecule could be titrated with 5,5'-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) in more than 8 M urea. The purified enzyme retained its full enzymatic activity after being heated at 60 degrees C. Six mutated genes for the ASI with histidine in place of each conserved arginine, Arg321, Arg353, Arg358, Arg416, Arg429, and Arg452, were prepared by site-directed mutagenesis. All the mutated genes except one, the gene encoding an ASI mutant with histidine in place of Arg452 (R452H ASI) complemented an E. coli (trpE). The mutated ASIs were purified and compared with the wild type ASI. No distinctive differences in enzymatic properties were found between the wild type and the enzymatically active mutated ASIs. R452H ASI was enzymatically inactive, though its conformation seemed to be unchanged after the substitution based on CD spectra and the SH titration curve.

Isolation of a monoclonal antibody to the TrpE protein and its use for the purification of recombinant fusion proteins.

The trpE (or anthranilate synthetase) gene product has been used extensively as a fusion protein for the expression of a myriad of biologically active proteins. A trpE construct can be produced in high yield, is relatively resistant to proteolysis, and separates from the bulk of E. coli proteins because of its insolubility. We have isolated and characterized a monoclonal antibody against the TrpE protein for use as a detection and immunoaffinity reagent. The MAb, TRP 7.4, is highly specific for the TrpE protein and has a relative affinity of 1.0 ng. The antibody can also be used to detect TrpE constructs on Western blots. In addition, TRP 7.4 has been used to purify a TrpE-IL-6 fusion protein. These studies show the utility of this MAb as a tool for both research and protein purification.

Subunit communication in the anthranilate synthase complex from Salmonella typhimurium.

The anthranilate synthase-phosphoribosyl transferase complex of the tryptophan biosynthetic pathway in Salmonella typhimurium is an allosteric, heterotetrameric (TrpE2-TrpD2) enzyme whose multiple activities are negatively feedback-regulated by L-tryptophan. A hybrid complex containing one catalytically active, feedback-insensitive and one catalytically inactive, feedback-sensitive mutant TrpE subunit was assembled in vitro and used to investigate communication between regulatory and catalytic sites located on different subunits. The properties of the hybrid complex demonstrate that the binding of a single inhibitor molecule to one TrpE subunit is sufficient for the propagation of a conformational change that affects the active site of the companion subunit.

Purification and characterization of the indole-3-glycerolphosphate synthase/anthranilate synthase complex of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The indole-3-glycerolphosphate synthase/anthranilate synthase complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was purified to apparent homogeneity. The native complex with Mr approximately equal to 130 000 consists of two different subunits, the TRP2 gene product with Mr = 64 000 and the TRP3 gene product with Mr = 58 000. The larger polypeptide was identified as anthranilate synthase and is active in vitro with ammonia as cosubstrate without need of complex formation. The smaller polypeptide carries both glutamine amidotransferase activity and indole-3-glycerolphosphate synthase activity. Various steady-state kinetic parameters as well as the amino acid composition of the two polypeptides were determined.

Purification and characterization of the trifunctional beta-subunit of anthranilate synthase from Neurospora crassa.

The trifunctional beta-subunit of anthranilate synthase complex of Neurospora crassa has been purified from a mutant which produces no detectable alpha-subunit. The isolated beta-subunit appeared to be a highly asymmetric dimer with a s20,w of 7.35 and an apparent molecular weight of 200,000 as determined by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300 compared with a monomer molecular weight of approximately 84,000 Da as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. The purified subunit was cleaved by elastase, trypsin, or chymotrypsin into fragments which retained the three enzyme activities. After elastase digestion, two active fragments were separated by gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. A 30,000-Da fragment, which behaved as a monomer on gel filtration, interacted with free alpha-subunit to produce glutamine-dependent anthranilate synthase activity. A second 56,000-Da fragment, which behaved as an asymmetric dimer (apparent molecular weight 140,000) on gel filtration, retained both N-(5'-phosphoribosyl)anthranilate isomerase and indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase activity. The failure to detect an NH2-terminal amino acid residue on either the intact beta-subunit or the 30,000-Da complementing fragment, while the 56,000-Da fragment possessed an NH2-terminal histidine residue, indicated that the complementing fragment was derived from the NH2-terminal sequence of the beta-subunit.

Characterization and regulation of anthranilate synthetase from a chloramphenicol-producing streptomycete.

In Streptomyces sp. 3022a, anthranilate synthetase is composed of two non-identical subunits. The major subunit (molecular weight, 72,000) converts chorismic acid to anthranilic acid, using ammonia as the source of the amino group. The smaller subunit (molecular weight 28,000 to 29,000) confers on the enzyme the ability to use glutamine instead of ammonia as a substrate. In this study, reactivity with glutamine reached its maximum at pH 7.2 to 7.6, whereas that with ammonia increased linearly through pH 9.0 without reaching a maximum. Activity was increased and stabilized by adding glutamine and magnesium chloride to the buffer system. Both activities of the enzyme were inhibited by anthranilic acid and by tryptophan. Synthesis was repressed by histidine, anthranilic acid, tryptophan, and p-aminobenzoic acid. When activity was repressed by anthranilic acid and by tryptophan, there was a concomitant increase in the activity of arylamine synthetase, an enzyme involved in chloramphenicol production. Stimulating arylamine synthetase, however, did not increase antibiotic synthesis.