Biocatalytic Heteroaromatic Amide Formation in Water Enabled by a Catalytic Tetrad and Two Access Tunnels.

The amide moiety belongs to the most common motives in pharmaceutical chemistry, present in many prescribed small-molecule pharmaceuticals. Methods for its manufacture are still in high demand, especially using water/buffer as a solvent and avoiding stoichiometric amounts of activation reagents. Herein, we identified from a library of lipases/esterases/acyltransferases and variants thereof a lipase originating from Sphingomonas sp. HXN-200 (SpL) able to form amides in aqueous solution starting from a broad scope of sterically demanding heteroaromatic ethyl esters as well as aliphatic amines, reaching isolated yields up to 99% on preparative scale and space time yields of up to 864 g L-1 d-1; thus, in selected cases, the amide was formed within minutes. The enzyme features an aspartate next to the canonical serine of the catalytic triad, which was essential for amide formation. Furthermore, the enzyme structure revealed two tunnels to the active site, presumably one for the ester and one for the amine, which permit the bringing together of the sterically demanding heteroaromatic esters and the amine in the active site. This work shows that biocatalytic amide formation starting from various five- and six-membered heteroaromatic ethyl esters in the buffer can serve as a platform for preparative amide synthesis.

Stability Increase of Phenolic Acid Decarboxylase by a Combination of Protein and Solvent Engineering Unlocks Applications at Elevated Temperatures.

Enzymatic decarboxylation of biobased hydroxycinnamic acids gives access to phenolic styrenes for adhesive production. Phenolic acid decarboxylases are proficient enzymes that have been applied in aqueous systems, organic solvents, biphasic systems, and deep eutectic solvents, which makes stability a key feature. Stabilization of the enzyme would increase the total turnover number and thus reduce the energy consumption and waste accumulation associated with biocatalyst production. In this study, we used ancestral sequence reconstruction to generate thermostable decarboxylases. Investigation of a set of 16 ancestors resulted in the identification of a variant with an unfolding temperature of 78.1 °C and a half-life time of 45 h at 60 °C. Crystal structures were determined for three selected ancestors. Structural attributes were calculated to fit different regression models for predicting the thermal stability of variants that have not yet been experimentally explored. The models rely on hydrophobic clusters, salt bridges, hydrogen bonds, and surface properties and can identify more stable proteins out of a pool of candidates. Further stabilization was achieved by the application of mixtures of natural deep eutectic solvents and buffers. Our approach is a straightforward option for enhancing the industrial application of the decarboxylation process.

Mechanistic Insights into the Ene-Reductase-Catalyzed Promiscuous Reduction of Oximes to Amines.

The biocatalytic reduction of the oxime moiety to the corresponding amine group has only recently been found to be a promiscuous activity of ene-reductases transforming α-oximo ß-keto esters. However, the reaction pathway of this two-step reduction remained elusive. By studying the crystal structures of enzyme oxime complexes, analyzing molecular dynamics simulations, and investigating biocatalytic cascades and possible intermediates, we obtained evidence that the reaction proceeds via an imine intermediate and not via the hydroxylamine intermediate. The imine is reduced further by the ene-reductase to the amine product. Remarkably, a non-canonical tyrosine residue was found to contribute to the catalytic activity of the ene-reductase OPR3, protonating the hydroxyl group of the oxime in the first reduction step.

Early Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 in German wastewater

Wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology (WBE) has been established as an important tool to support individual testing strategies. Omicron sub-variants BA.4/5 have spread globally displacing the predeceasing variants. Due to the severe transmissibility and immune escape potential of BA.4/5, early monitoring was required to asses and implement countermeasures in time. In this study, we monitored the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 BA.4/5 at six municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Federal State of North-Rhine-Westphalia (NRW, Germany) in May and June 2022. Initially, L452R-specific primers/probes originally designed for SARS-CoV-2 Delta detection were validated using inactivated authentic viruses and evaluated for their suitability to detect BA.4/5. Subsequently, the assay was used for RT-qPCR analysis of RNA purified from wastewater obtained twice a week at six WWTPs. The occurrence of L452R carrying RNA was detected in early May 2022 and the presence of BA.4/5 was confirmed by variant-specific single nucleotide polymorphism PCR (SNP-PCR) targeting E484A/F486V. Finally, the mutant fractions were quantitatively monitored by digital PCR confirming BA.4/5 as the majority variant by 5th June 2022. In conclusions, the successive workflow using RT-qPCR, variant-specific SNP-PCR, and RT-dPCR demonstrates the strength of WBE as a versatile tool to rapidly monitor variant spreading independent of individual test capacities.

Structure of the Reductase Domain of a Fungal Carboxylic Acid Reductase and Its Substrate Scope in Thioester and Aldehyde Reduction.

The synthesis of aldehydes from carboxylic acids has long been a challenge in chemistry. In contrast to the harsh chemically driven reduction, enzymes such as carboxylic acid reductases (CARs) are considered appealing biocatalysts for aldehyde production. Although structures of single- and didomains of microbial CARs have been reported, to date no full-length protein structure has been elucidated. In this study, we aimed to obtain structural and functional information regarding the reductase (R) domain of a CAR from the fungus Neurospora crassa (Nc). The NcCAR R-domain revealed activity for N-acetylcysteamine thioester (S-(2-acetamidoethyl) benzothioate), which mimics the phosphopantetheinylacyl-intermediate and can be anticipated as the minimal substrate for thioester reduction by CARs. The determined crystal structure of the NcCAR R-domain reveals a tunnel that putatively harbors the phosphopantetheinylacyl-intermediate, which is in good agreement with docking experiments performed with the minimal substrate. In vitro studies were performed with this highly purified R-domain and NADPH, demonstrating carbonyl reduction activity. The R-domain was able to accept not only a simple aromatic ketone but also benzaldehyde and octanal, which are typically considered to be the final product of carboxylic acid reduction by CAR. Also, the full-length NcCAR reduced aldehydes to primary alcohols. In conclusion, aldehyde overreduction can no longer be attributed exclusively to the host background.

The catalytic machinery of the FAD-dependent AtBBE-like protein 15 for alcohol oxidation: Y193 and Y479 form a catalytic base, Q438 and R292 an alkoxide binding site.

Monolignol oxidoreductases are members of the berberine bridge enzyme-like (BBE-like) protein family (pfam 08031) that oxidize monolignols to the corresponding aldehydes. They are FAD-dependent enzymes that exhibit the para-cresolmethylhydroxylase-topology, also known as vanillyl oxidase-topology. Recently, we have reported the structural and biochemical characterization of two monolignol oxidoreductases from Arabidopsis thaliana, AtBBE13 and AtBBE15. Now, we have conducted a comprehensive site directed mutagenesis study for AtBBE15, to expand our understanding of the catalytic mechanism of this enzyme class. Based on the kinetic properties of active site variants and molecular dynamics simulations, we propose a refined, structure-guided reaction mechanism for the family of monolignol oxidoreductases. Here, we propose that this reaction is facilitated stepwise by the deprotonation of the allylic alcohol and a subsequent hydride transfer from the Cα-atom of the alkoxide to the flavin. We describe an excessive hydrogen bond network that enables the catalytic mechanism of the enzyme. Within this network Tyr479 and Tyr193 act concertedly as active catalytic bases to facilitate the proton abstraction. Lys436 is indirectly involved in the deprotonation as this residue determines the position of Tyr193 via a cation-π interaction. The enzyme forms a hydrophilic cavity to accommodate the alkoxide intermediate and to stabilize the transition state from the alkoxide to the aldehyde. By means of molecular dynamics simulations, we have identified two different and distinct binding modes for the substrate in the alcohol and alkoxide state. The alcohol interacts with Tyr193 and Tyr479 while Arg292, Gln438 and Tyr193 form an alkoxide binding site to accommodate this intermediate. The pH-dependency of the activity of the active site variants revealed that the integrity of the alkoxide binding site is also crucial for the fine tuning of the pKa of Tyr193 and Tyr479. Sequence alignments showed that key residues for the mechanism are highly conserved, indicating that our proposed mechanism is not only relevant for AtBBE15 but for the majority of BBE-like proteins.

Biocatalytic Enantioselective Oxidation of Sec-Allylic Alcohols with Flavin-Dependent Oxidases.

The oxidation of allylic alcohols is challenging to perform in a chemo- as well as stereo-selective fashion at the expense of molecular oxygen using conventional chemical protocols. Here, we report the identification of a library of flavin-dependent oxidases including variants of the berberine bridge enzyme (BBE) analogue from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtBBE15) and the 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural oxidase (HMFO) and its variants (V465T, V465S, V465T/W466H and V367R/W466F) for the enantioselective oxidation of sec-allylic alcohols. While primary and benzylic alcohols as well as certain sugars are well known to be transformed by flavin-dependent oxidases, sec-allylic alcohols have not been studied yet except in a single report. The model substrates investigated were oxidized enantioselectively in a kinetic resolution with an E-value of up to >200. For instance HMFO V465S/T oxidized the (S)-enantiomer of (E)-oct-3-en-2-ol (1 a) and (E)-4-phenylbut-3-en-2-ol with E>200 giving the remaining (R)-alcohol with ee>99% at 50% conversion. The enantioselectivity could be decreased if required by medium engineering by the addition of cosolvents (e. g. dimethyl sulfoxide).

Oxidative cyclization of N-methyl-dopa by a fungal flavoenzyme of the amine oxidase family.

Flavin-dependent enzymes catalyze many oxidations, including formation of ring structures in natural products. The gene cluster for biosynthesis of fumisoquins, secondary metabolites structurally related to isoquinolines, in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus harbors a gene that encodes a flavoprotein of the amine oxidase family, termed fsqB (fumisoquin biosynthesis gene B). This enzyme catalyzes an oxidative ring closure reaction that leads to the formation of isoquinoline products. This reaction is reminiscent of the oxidative cyclization reported for berberine bridge enzyme and tetrahydrocannabinol synthase. Despite these similarities, amine oxidases and berberine bridge enzyme-like enzymes possess distinct structural properties, prompting us to investigate the structure-function relationships of FsqB. Here, we report the recombinant production and purification of FsqB, elucidation of its crystal structure, and kinetic analysis employing five putative substrates. The crystal structure at 2.6 Å resolution revealed that FsqB is a member of the amine oxidase family with a covalently bound FAD cofactor. N-methyl-dopa was the best substrate for FsqB and was completely converted to the cyclic isoquinoline product. The absence of the meta-hydroxyl group, as e.g. in l-N-methyl-tyrosine, resulted in a 25-fold lower rate of reduction and the formation of the demethylated product l-tyrosine, instead of a cyclic product. Surprisingly, FsqB did not accept the d-stereoisomer of N-methyltyrosine, in contrast to N-methyl-dopa, for which both stereoisomers were oxidized with similar rates. On the basis of the crystal structure and docking calculations, we postulate a substrate-dependent population of distinct binding modes that rationalizes stereospecific oxidation in the FsqB active site.

The single berberine bridge enzyme homolog of Physcomitrella patens is a cellobiose oxidase.

The berberine bridge enzyme from the California poppy Eschscholzia californica (EcBBE) catalyzes the oxidative cyclization of (S)-reticuline to (S)-scoulerine, that is, the formation of the berberine bridge in the biosynthesis of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. Interestingly, a large number of BBE-like genes have been identified in plants that lack alkaloid biosynthesis. This finding raised the question of the primordial role of BBE in the plant kingdom, which prompted us to investigate the closest relative of EcBBE in Physcomitrella patens (PpBBE1), the most basal plant harboring a BBE-like gene. Here, we report the biochemical, structural, and in vivo characterization of PpBBE1. Our studies revealed that PpBBE1 is structurally and biochemically very similar to EcBBE. In contrast to EcBBE, we found that PpBBE1 catalyzes the oxidation of the disaccharide cellobiose to the corresponding lactone, that is, PpBBE1 is a cellobiose oxidase. The enzymatic reaction mechanism was characterized by a structure-guided mutagenesis approach that enabled us to assign a catalytic role to amino acid residues in the active site of PpBBE1. In vivo experiments revealed the highest level of PpBBE1 expression in chloronema, the earliest stage of the plant's life cycle, where carbon metabolism is strongly upregulated. It was also shown that the enzyme is secreted to the extracellular space, where it may be involved in later steps of cellulose degradation, thereby allowing the moss to make use of cellulose for energy production. Overall, our results suggest that the primordial role of BBE-like enzymes in plants revolved around primary metabolic reactions in carbohydrate utilization. DATABASE: Structural data are available in the PDB under the accession numbers 6EO4 and 6EO5.

Heparin antagonizes cisplatin resistance of A2780 ovarian cancer cells by affecting the Wnt signaling pathway.

Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), the guideline based drug for prophylaxis and treatment of cancer-associated thrombosis, was recently shown to sensitize cisplatin resistant A2780cis human ovarian cancer cells for cisplatin cytotoxicity upon 24 h pretreatment with 50 µg × mL-1 of the LMWH tinzaparin in vitro, equivalent to a therapeutic dosage. Thereby, LMWH induced sensitization by transcriptional reprogramming of A2780cis cells via not yet elucidated mechanisms that depend on cellular proteoglycans. Here we aim to illuminate the underlying molecular mechanisms of LMWH in sensitizing A2780cis cells for cisplatin. Using TCF/LEF luciferase promotor assay (Top/Flash) we show that resistant A2780cis cells possess a threefold higher Wnt signaling activity compared to A2780 cells. Furthermore, Wnt pathway blockade by FH535 leads to higher cisplatin sensitivity of A2780cis cells. Glypican-3 (GPC3) is upregulated in A2780cis cells in response to LMWH treatment, probably as counter-regulation to sustain the high Wnt activity against LMWH. Hence, LMWH reduces the cisplatin-induced rise in Wnt activity and TCF-4 expression in A2780cis cells, but keeps sensitive A2780 cells unaffected. Consequently, Wnt signaling pathway appears as primary target of LMWH in sensitizing A2780cis cells for cisplatin toxicity. Considering the outstanding role of LMWH in clinical oncology, this finding appears as promising therapeutic option to hamper chemoresistance.

The family of berberine bridge enzyme-like enzymes: A treasure-trove of oxidative reactions.

Biological oxidations form the basis of life on earth by utilizing organic compounds as electron donors to drive the generation of metabolic energy carriers, such as ATP. Oxidative reactions are also important for the biosynthesis of complex compounds, i.e. natural products such as alkaloids that provide vital benefits for organisms in all kingdoms of life. The vitamin B2-derived cofactors flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) enable an astonishingly diverse array of oxidative reactions that is based on the versatility of the redox-active isoalloxazine ring. The family of FAD-linked oxidases can be divided into subgroups depending on specific sequence features in an otherwise very similar structural context. The sub-family of berberine bridge enzyme (BBE)-like enzymes has recently attracted a lot of attention due to the challenging chemistry catalyzed by its members and the unique and unusual bi-covalent attachment of the FAD cofactor. This family is the focus of the present review highlighting recent advancements into the structural and functional aspects of members from bacteria, fungi and plants. In view of the unprecedented reaction catalyzed by the family's namesake, BBE from the California poppy, recent studies have provided further insights into nature's treasure chest of oxidative reactions.

The Impact of the Low Molecular Weight Heparin Tinzaparin on the Sensitization of Cisplatin-Resistant Ovarian Cancers-Preclinical In Vivo Evaluation in Xenograft Tumor Models.

Resistance formation of tumors against chemotherapeutics is the major obstacle in clinical cancer therapy. Although low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is an important component in oncology referring to guideline-based antithrombotic prophylaxis of tumor patients, a potential interference of LMWH with chemoresistance is unknown. We have recently shown that LMWH reverses the cisplatin resistance of A2780cis human ovarian cancer cells in vitro. Here we address the question whether this LMWH effect is also valid under in vivo conditions. Therefore, we established tumor xenografts of A2780 and cisplatin resistant A2780cis cells in nude mice and investigated the impact of daily tinzaparin applications (10 mg/kg BW) on anti-tumor activity of cisplatin (6 mg/kg BW, weekly) considering the tumor growth kinetics. Intratumoral platinum accumulation was detected by GF-AAS. Xenografts of A2780 and A2780cis cells strongly differed in cisplatin sensitivity. As an overall consideration, tinzaparin co-treatment affected the response to cisplatin of A2780cis, but not A2780 tumors in the later experimental time range. A subgroup analysis confirmed that initially smaller A2780cis tumors benefit from tinzaparin, but also small A2780 xenografts. Tinzaparin did not affect cisplatin accumulation in A2780cis xenografts, but strongly increased the platinum content in A2780, obviously related to morphological differences in both xenografts. Although we cannot directly confirm a return of A2780cis cisplatin resistance by tinzaparin, as shown in vitro, the present findings give reason to discuss heparin effects on cytostatic drug efficiency for small tumors and warrants further investigation.

Structure of a Berberine Bridge Enzyme-Like Enzyme with an Active Site Specific to the Plant Family Brassicaceae.

Berberine bridge enzyme-like (BBE-like) proteins form a multigene family (pfam 08031), which is present in plants, fungi and bacteria. They adopt the vanillyl alcohol-oxidase fold and predominantly show bi-covalent tethering of the FAD cofactor to a cysteine and histidine residue, respectively. The Arabidopsis thaliana genome was recently shown to contain genes coding for 28 BBE-like proteins, while featuring four distinct active site compositions. We determined the structure of a member of the AtBBE-like protein family (termed AtBBE-like 28), which has an active site composition that has not been structurally and biochemically characterized thus far. The most salient and distinguishing features of the active site found in AtBBE-like 28 are a mono-covalent linkage of a histidine to the 8α-position of the flavin-isoalloxazine ring and the lack of a second covalent linkage to the 6-position, owing to the replacement of a cysteine with a histidine. In addition, the structure reveals the interaction of a glutamic acid (Glu426) with an aspartic acid (Asp369) at the active site, which appear to share a proton. This arrangement leads to the delocalization of a negative charge at the active site that may be exploited for catalysis. The structure also indicates a shift of the position of the isoalloxazine ring in comparison to other members of the BBE-like family. The dioxygen surrogate chloride was found near the C(4a) position of the isoalloxazine ring in the oxygen pocket, pointing to a rapid reoxidation of reduced enzyme by dioxygen. A T-DNA insertional mutant line for AtBBE-like 28 results in a phenotype, that is characterized by reduced biomass and lower salt stress tolerance. Multiple sequence analysis showed that the active site composition found in AtBBE-like 28 is only present in the Brassicaceae, suggesting that it plays a specific role in the metabolism of this plant family.

Low molecular weight heparin tinzaparin antagonizes cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer cells.

Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is routinely used for antithrombotic treatment of cancer patients. Preclinical- and clinical data suggest that LMWH has beneficial effects for cancer patients beyond the prevention of thrombosis, i.e. by inhibiting metastasis. It is, however, unclear whether heparin has an impact on the efficiency of chemotherapy in cancer patients. Here we show that a therapeutic dosage of LMWH tinzaparin reverses cisplatin resistance of A2780cis human ovarian cancer cells to the level of sensitive cells. This novel activity of tinzaparin is associated with intense transcriptional reprogramming. Our gene expression profiling experiments revealed that 3776 genes responded to tinzaparin treatment. For this reason tinzaparin has a complex impact on diverse biological processes. We discovered that tinzaparin inhibits the expression of genes that mediate cisplatin resistance of A2780cis cells. In contrast tinzaparin induced the expression of genes that antagonize drug resistance. This activity of tinzaparin is mediated by cell surface proteoglycans, since enzymatic cleavage of heparan sulfates prevented the reversal of cisplatin resistance. These data indicate that cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans play an important role for chemotherapy resistance. The results of this study shed a new light on LMWH application in cancer therapy and suggest tinzaparin as promising treatment option of ovarian cancer patients in combination with anticancer drugs. Future clinical trials are needed to validate these findings.

Oxidation of Monolignols by Members of the Berberine Bridge Enzyme Family Suggests a Role in Plant Cell Wall Metabolism.

Plant genomes contain a large number of genes encoding for berberine bridge enzyme (BBE)-like enzymes. Despite the widespread occurrence and abundance of this protein family in the plant kingdom, the biochemical function remains largely unexplored. In this study, we have expressed two members of the BBE-like enzyme family from Arabidopsis thaliana in the host organism Komagataella pastoris. The two proteins, termed AtBBE-like 13 and AtBBE-like 15, were purified, and their catalytic properties were determined. In addition, AtBBE-like 15 was crystallized and structurally characterized by x-ray crystallography. Here, we show that the enzymes catalyze the oxidation of aromatic allylic alcohols, such as coumaryl, sinapyl, and coniferyl alcohol, to the corresponding aldehydes and that AtBBE-like 15 adopts the same fold as vanillyl alcohol oxidase as reported previously for berberine bridge enzyme and other FAD-dependent oxidoreductases. Further analysis of the substrate range identified coniferin, the glycosylated storage form of coniferyl alcohol, as a substrate of the enzymes, whereas other glycosylated monolignols were rather poor substrates. A detailed analysis of the motifs present in the active sites of the BBE-like enzymes in A. thaliana suggested that 14 out of 28 members of the family might catalyze similar reactions. Based on these findings, we propose a novel role of BBE-like enzymes in monolignol metabolism that was previously not recognized for this enzyme family.

Investigations on diffusion limitations of biocatalyzed reactions in amphiphilic polymer conetworks in organic solvents.

The use of enzymes as biocatalysts in organic media is an important issue in modern white biotechnology. However, their low activity and stability in those media often limits their full-scale application. Amphiphilic polymer conetworks (APCNs) have been shown to greatly activate entrapped enzymes in organic solvents. Since these nanostructured materials are not porous, the bioactivity of the conetworks is strongly limited by diffusion of substrate and product. The present manuscript describes two different APCNs as nanostructured microparticles, which showed greatly increased activities of entrapped enzymes compared to those of the already activating membranes and larger particles. We demonstrated this on the example of APCN particles based on PHEA-l-PDMS loaded with α-Chymotrypsin, which resulted in an up to 28,000-fold higher activity of the enzyme compared to the enzyme powder. Furthermore, lipase from Rhizomucor miehei entrapped in particles based on PHEA-l-PEtOx was tested in n-heptane, chloroform, and substrate. Specific activities in smaller particles were 10- to 100-fold higher in comparison to the native enzyme. The carrier activity of PHEA-l-PEtOx microparticles was tenfold higher with some 25-50-fold lower enzyme content compared to a commercial product.