Use of sustainable chemistry to produce an acyl amino acid surfactant.

Surfactants find wide commercial use as foaming agents, emulsifiers, and dispersants. Currently, surfactants are produced from petroleum, or from seed oils such as palm or coconut oil. Due to concerns with CO(2) emissions and the need to protect rainforests, there is a growing necessity to manufacture these chemicals using sustainable resources In this report, we describe the engineering of a native nonribosomal peptide synthetase pathway (i.e., surfactin synthetase), to generate a Bacillus strain that synthesizes a highly water-soluble acyl amino acid surfactant, rather than the water insoluble lipopeptide surfactin. This novel product has a lower CMC and higher water solubility than myristoyl glutamate, a commercial surfactant. This surfactant is produced by fermentation of cellulosic carbohydrate as feedstock. This method of surfactant production provides an approach to sustainable manufacturing of new surfactants.

Orthric Rieske dioxygenases for degrading mixtures of 2,4-dinitrotoluene/naphthalene and 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene/4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene.

Pollutants are frequently found as mixtures yet it is difficult to engineer enzymes with broad substrate ranges on aromatics. Inspired by the archetypal nitroarene dioxygenase, which shares its electron transport with a salicylate monooxygenase, we have created an innovative and general approach to expand the substrate range of dioxygenase enzymes in a single cell. We have developed here a series of novel, hybrid dioxygenase enzymes that function with a single ferredoxin reductase and ferredoxin that are used to transport two electrons from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide to the two independent terminal oxygenases. Each independent alpha-oxygenase may then be used simultaneously to create orthric enzymes that degrade mixtures of environmental pollutants. Specifically, we created a hybrid dioxygenase system consisting of naphthalene dioxygenase/dinitrotoluene dioxygenase to simultaneously degrade 2,4-dinitrotoluene and naphthalene (neither enzyme alone had significant activity on both compounds) and dinitrotoluene dioxygenase/nitrobenzene dioxygenase to simultaneously degrade the frequently encountered 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene reduction products 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene and 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene.

Oxidation of aminonitrotoluenes by 2,4-DNT dioxygenase of Burkholderia sp. strain DNT.

Aminonitrotoluenes form rapidly from the reduction of dinitrotoluenes (DNTs) which are priority pollutants and animal carcinogens. For example, 4-amino-2-nitrotoluene (4A2NT) and 2A4NT accumulate from the reduction of 2,4-DNT during its aerobic biodegradation. Here, we show that 2,4-DNT dioxygenase (DDO) from Burkholderia sp. strain DNT oxidizes the aminonitrotoluenes 2A3NT, 2A6NT, 4A3NT, and 5A2NT to 2-amino-3-nitrobenzylalcohol, 2-amino-4-nitro-m-cresol and 3-amino-5-nitro-p-cresol, 4-amino-3-nitrobenzylalcohol and aminonitrocresol, and 2-amino-5-nitro-o-cresol, respectively. 2A5NT and 3A4NT are oxidized to aminonitrocresols and/or aminonitrobenzylalcohols, and 4A2NT is oxidized to aminonitrocresol. Only 2A4NT, a reduced compound derived from 2,4-DNT, was not oxidized by DDO or its three variants. The alpha subunit mutation I204Y resulted in two to fourfold faster oxidization of the aminonitrotoluenes. Though these enzymes are dioxygenases, they acted like monooxygenases by adding a single hydroxyl group, which did not result in the release of nitrite.

Saturation mutagenesis of 2,4-DNT dioxygenase of Burkholderia sp. strain DNT for enhanced dinitrotoluene degradation.

2,4-Dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) and 2,6-DNT are priority pollutants, and 2,4-DNT dioxygenase of Burkholderia sp. strain DNT (DDO) catalyzes the initial oxidation of 2,4-DNT to form 4-methyl-5-nitrocatechol and nitrite but has significantly less activity on other dinitrotoluenes and nitrotoluenes (NT). Hence, oxidation of 2,3-DNT, 2,4-DNT, 2,5-DNT, 2,6-DNT, 2NT, and 4NT were enhanced here by performing saturation mutagenesis on codon I204 of the alpha subunit (DntAc) of DDO and by using a membrane agar plate assay to detect catechol formation. Rates of degradation were quantified both by the formation of nitrite and by the formation of the intermediates with high performance liquid chromatography. The degradation of both 2,3-DNT and 2,5-DNT were achieved for the first time (no detectable activity with the wild-type enzyme) using whole Escherichia coli TG1 cells expressing DDO variants DntAc I204L and I204Y (0.70 +/- 0.03 and 0.22 +/- 0.02 nmol/min/mg protein for 2,5-DNT transformation, respectively). DDO DntAc variant I204L also transformed both 2,6-DNT and 2,4-DNT 2-fold faster than wild-type DDO (0.8 +/- 0.6 nmol/min/mg protein and 4.7 +/- 0.5 nmol/min/mg protein, respectively). Moreover, the activities of DDO for 2NT and 4NT were also enhanced 3.5-fold and 8-fold, respectively. Further, DntAc variant I204Y was also discovered with comparable rate enhancements for the substrates 2,4-DNT, 2,6-DNT, and 2NT but not 4NT. Sequencing information obtained during this study indicated that the 2,4-DNT dioxygenases of Burkholderia sp. strain DNT and B. cepacia R34 are more closely related than originally reported. This is the first report of engineering an enzyme for enhanced degradation of nitroaromatic compounds and the first report of degrading 2,5-DNT.

Protein engineering of the archetypal nitroarene dioxygenase of Ralstonia sp. strain U2 for activity on aminonitrotoluenes and dinitrotoluenes through alpha-subunit residues leucine 225, phenylalanine 350, and glycine 407.

Naphthalene dioxygenase (NDO) from Ralstonia sp. strain U2 has not been reported to oxidize nitroaromatic compounds. Here, saturation mutagenesis of NDO at position F350 of the alpha-subunit (NagAc) created variant F350T that produced 3-methyl-4-nitrocatechol from 2,6-dinitrotoluene (26DNT), that released nitrite from 23DNT sixfold faster than wild-type NDO, and that produced 3-amino-4-methyl-5-nitrocatechol and 2-amino-4,6-dinitrobenzyl alcohol from 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2A46DNT) (wild-type NDO has no detectable activity on 26DNT and 2A46DNT). DNA shuffling identified the beneficial NagAc mutation G407S, which when combined with the F350T substitution, increased the rate of NDO oxidation of 26DNT, 23DNT, and 2A46DNT threefold relative to variant F350T. DNA shuffling of NDO nagAcAd also generated the NagAc variant G50S/L225R/A269T with an increased rate of 4-amino-2-nitrotoluene (4A2NT; reduction product of 2,4-dinitrotoluene) oxidation; from 4A2NT, this variant produced both the previously uncharacterized oxidation product 4-amino-2-nitrocresol (enhanced 11-fold relative to wild-type NDO) as well as 4-amino-2-nitrobenzyl alcohol (4A2NBA; wild-type NDO does not generate this product). G50S/L225R/A269T also had increased nitrite release from 23DNT (14-fold relative to wild-type NDO) and generated 2,3-dinitrobenzyl alcohol (23DNBA) fourfold relative to wild-type NDO. The importance of position L225 for catalysis was confirmed through saturation mutagenesis; relative to wild-type NDO, NDO variant L225R had 12-fold faster generation of 4-amino-2-nitrocresol and production of 4A2NBA from 4A2NT as well as 24-fold faster generation of nitrite and 15-fold faster generation of 23DNBA from 23DNT. Hence, random mutagenesis discovered two new residues, G407 and L225, that influence the regiospecificity of Rieske non-heme-iron dioxygenases.

TNT and nitroaromatic compounds are chemoattractants for Burkholderia cepacia R34 and Burkholderia sp. strain DNT.

Nitroaromatic compounds are toxic and potential carcinogens. In this study, a drop assay was used to detect chemotaxis toward nitroaromatic compounds for wild-type Burkholderia cepacia R34, wild-type Burkholderia sp. strain DNT, and a 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) dioxygenase mutant strain (S5). The three strains are chemotactic toward 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2,3-DNT, 2,4-DNT, 2,5-DNT, 2-nitrotoluene (NT), 4NT, and 4-methyl-5-nitrocatechol (4M5NC), but not toward 2,6-DNT. Of these, only 2,4-DNT is a carbon and energy source for B. cepacia R34 and Burkholderia sp. strain DNT, and 4M5NC is an intermediate in the 2,4-DNT degradation pathway. It was determined that the 2,4-DNT dioxygenase genes are not required for the chemotaxis for these nitroaromatic compounds because the DNT DDO mutant S5 has a chemotactic response toward 2,4-DNT although 2,4-DNT is not metabolized by S5; hence, 2,4-DNT itself is the chemoattractant. This is the first report of chemotaxis toward TNT, 2,3-DNT, 2,4-DNT, 2,5-DNT, 2NT, 4NT, and 4M5NC.

Saturation mutagenesis of Burkholderia cepacia R34 2,4-dinitrotoluene dioxygenase at DntAc valine 350 for synthesizing nitrohydroquinone, methylhydroquinone, and methoxyhydroquinone.

Saturation mutagenesis of the 2,4-dinitrotoluene dioxygenase (DDO) of Burkholderia cepacia R34 at position valine 350 of the DntAc alpha-subunit generated mutant V350F with significantly increased activity towards o-nitrophenol (47 times), m-nitrophenol (34 times), and o-methoxyphenol (174 times) as well as an expanded substrate range that now includes m-methoxyphenol, o-cresol, and m-cresol (wild-type DDO had no detectable activity for these substrates). Another mutant, V350M, also displays increased activity towards o-nitrophenol (20 times) and o-methoxyphenol (162 times) as well as novel activity towards o-cresol. Products were synthesized using whole Escherichia coli TG1 cells expressing the recombinant R34 dntA loci from pBS(Kan)R34, and the initial rates of product formation were determined at 1 mM substrate by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. V350F produced both nitrohydroquinone at a rate of 0.75 +/- 0.15 nmol/min/mg of protein and 3-nitrocatechol at a rate of 0.069 +/- 0.001 nmol/min/mg of protein from o-nitrophenol, 4-nitrocatechol from m-nitrophenol at 0.29 +/- 0.02 nmol/min/mg of protein, methoxyhydroquinone from o-methoxyphenol at 2.5 +/- 0.6 nmol/min/mg of protein, methoxyhydroquinone from m-methoxyphenol at 0.55 +/- 0.02 nmol/min/mg of protein, both methylhydroquinone at 1.52 +/- 0.02 nmol/min/mg of protein and 2-hydroxybenzyl alcohol at 0.74 +/- 0.05 nmol/min/mg of protein from o-cresol, and methylhydroquinone at 0.43 +/- 0.1 nmol/min/mg of protein from m-cresol. V350M produced both nitrohydroquinone at a rate of 0.33 nmol/min/mg of protein and 3-nitrocatechol at 0.089 nmol/min/mg of protein from o-nitrophenol, methoxyhydroquinone from o-methoxyphenol at 2.4 nmol/min/mg of protein, methylhydroquinone at 1.97 nmol/min/mg of protein and 2-hydroxybenzyl alcohol at 0.11 nmol/min/mg of protein from o-cresol. The DDO variants V350F and V350M also exhibited 10-fold-enhanced activity towards naphthalene (8 +/- 2.6 nmol/min/mg of protein), forming (1R,2S)-cis-1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene. Hence, mutagenesis of wild-type DDO through active-site engineering generated variants with relatively high rates toward a previously uncharacterized class of substituted phenols for the nitroarene dioxygenases; seven previously uncharacterized substrates were evaluated for wild-type DDO, and four novel monooxygenase-like products were found for the DDO variants V350F and V350M (methoxyhydroquinone, methylhydroquinone, 2-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, and 3-nitrocatechol).

Microbiology: eukaryotic diversity in Spain's River of Fire.

The Rio Tinto, known by the Phoenicians as 'Ur-yero', or 'River of Fire', because of its deep red colour and high acidity, flows through the world's largest pyritic belt in southwestern Spain. Surprisingly, eukaryotic microbes are the principal contributors of biomass in this hostile river, which has a pH of 2 and contains much higher concentrations of heavy metals than are typically found in fresh waters. Here we show that the Rio Tinto shows an unexpected degree of eukaryotic diversity and includes new lineages that we have identified by sequence analysis of genes encoding small-subunit ribosomal RNAs. The diversity of these eukaryotes is much greater than that of prokaryotes, whose metabolism is responsible for the extreme environment.