Dataset Information

A Structurally Novel Chitinase from the Chitin-Degrading Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus chitonophagus.

ABSTRACT:

Unlabelled

A structurally novel chitinase, Tc-ChiD, was identified from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus chitonophagus, which can grow on chitin as the sole organic carbon source. The gene encoding Tc-ChiD contains regions corresponding to a signal sequence, two chitin-binding domains, and a putative catalytic domain. This catalytic domain shows no similarity with previously characterized chitinases but resembles an uncharacterized protein found in the mesophilic anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum Two recombinant Tc-ChiD proteins were produced in Escherichia coli, one without the signal sequence [Tc-ChiD(?S)] and the other corresponding only to the putative catalytic domain [Tc-ChiD(?BD)]. Enzyme assays using N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) oligomers indicated that both proteins hydrolyze GlcNAc oligomers longer than (GlcNAc)4 Chitinase assays using colloidal chitin suggested that Tc-ChiD is an exo-type chitinase that releases (GlcNAc)2 or (GlcNAc)3 Analysis with GlcNAc oligomers modified with p-nitrophenol suggested that Tc-ChiD recognizes the reducing end of chitin chains. While Tc-ChiD(?BD) displayed a higher initial velocity than that of Tc-ChiD(?S), we found that the presence of the two chitin-binding domains significantly enhanced the thermostability of the catalytic domain. In T. chitonophagus, another chitinase ortholog that is similar to the Thermococcus kodakarensis chitinase ChiA is present and can degrade chitin from the nonreducing ends. Therefore, the presence of multiple chitinases in T. chitonophagus with different modes of cleavage may contribute to its unique ability to efficiently degrade chitin.

Importance

A structurally novel chitinase, Tc-ChiD, was identified from Thermococcus chitonophagus, a hyperthermophilic archaeon. The protein contains a signal peptide for secretion, two chitin-binding domains, and a catalytic domain that shows no similarity with previously characterized chitinases. Tc-ChiD thus represents a new family of chitinases. Tc-ChiD is an exo-type chitinase that recognizes the reducing end of chitin chains and releases (GlcNAc)2 or (GlcNAc)3 As a thermostable chitinase that recognizes the reducing end of chitin chains was not previously known, Tc-ChiD may be useful in a wide range of enzyme-based technologies to degrade and utilize chitin.

SUBMITTER: Horiuchi A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4959179 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

A Structurally Novel Chitinase from the Chitin-Degrading Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus chitonophagus.

Horiuchi Ayumi A Aslam Mehwish M Kanai Tamotsu T Atomi Haruyuki H

Applied and environmental microbiology 20160531 12

<h4>Unlabelled</h4>A structurally novel chitinase, Tc-ChiD, was identified from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus chitonophagus, which can grow on chitin as the sole organic carbon source. The gene encoding Tc-ChiD contains regions corresponding to a signal sequence, two chitin-binding domains, and a putative catalytic domain. This catalytic domain shows no similarity with previously characterized chitinases but resembles an uncharacterized protein found in the mesophilic anaerobic bac ...[more]

PMID: 27060120

Similar Datasets

Project description:Lipoic acid is a sulfur-containing cofactor and a component of the glycine cleavage system (GCS) involved in C1 compound metabolism and the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases that catalyze the oxidative decarboxylation of 2-oxoacids. Lipoic acid is found in all domains of life and is generally synthesized as a lipoyl group on the H-protein of the GCS or the E2 subunit of 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases. Lipoyl synthase catalyzes the insertion of two sulfur atoms to the C-6 and C-8 carbon atoms of the octanoyl moiety on the octanoyl-H-protein or octanoyl-E2 subunit. Although the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis seemed able to synthesize lipoic acid, a classical lipoyl synthase (LipA) gene homolog cannot be found on the genome. In this study, we aimed to identify the lipoyl synthase in this organism. Genome information analysis suggested that the TK2109 and TK2248 genes, which had been annotated as biotin synthase (BioB), are both involved in lipoic acid metabolism. Based on the chemical reaction catalyzed by BioB, we predicted that the genes encode proteins that catalyze the lipoyl synthase reaction. Genetic analysis of TK2109 and TK2248 provided evidence that these genes are involved in lipoic acid biosynthesis. The purified TK2109 and TK2248 recombinant proteins exhibited lipoyl synthase activity toward a chemically synthesized octanoyl-octapeptide. These in vivo and in vitro analyses indicated that the TK2109 and TK2248 genes encode a structurally novel lipoyl synthase. TK2109 and TK2248 homologs are widely distributed among the archaeal genomes, suggesting that in addition to the LipA homologs, the two proteins represent a new group of lipoyl synthases in archaea.IMPORTANCE Lipoic acid is an essential cofactor for GCS and 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases, and α-lipoic acid has been utilized as a medicine and attracted attention as a supplement due to its antioxidant activity. The biosynthesis pathways of lipoic acid have been established in Bacteria and Eucarya but not in Archaea Although some archaeal species, including Sulfolobus, possess a classical lipoyl synthase (LipA) gene homolog, many archaeal species, including T. kodakarensis, do not. In addition, the biosynthesis mechanism of the octanoyl moiety, a precursor for lipoyl group biosynthesis, is also unknown for many archaea. As the enzyme identified in T. kodakarensis most likely represents a new group of lipoyl synthases in Archaea, the results obtained in this study provide an important step in understanding how lipoic acid is synthesized in this domain and how the two structurally distinct lipoyl synthases evolved in nature.

Project description:Thermococcus kodakarensis is a hyperthermophilic archaeon that harbors a complete set of genes for chitin degradation to fructose 6-phosphate. However, wild-type T. kodakarensis KOD1 does not display growth on chitin. In this study, we developed a T. kodakarensis strain that can grow on chitin via genetic and adaptive engineering. First, a chitinase overproduction strain (KC01) was constructed by replacing the chitinase gene promoter with a strong promoter from the cell surface glycoprotein gene, resulting in increased degradation of swollen chitin and accumulation of N-,N'-diacetylchitobiose in the medium. To enhance N-,N'-diacetylchitobiose assimilation in KC01, genes encoding diacetylchitobiose deacetylase, exo-?-d-glucosaminidase, and glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase were also overexpressed to obtain strain KC04. To strengthen the glycolytic flux of KC04, the gene encoding Tgr (transcriptional repressor of glycolytic genes) was disrupted to obtain strain KC04?t. In both KC04 and KC04?t strains, degradation of swollen chitin was further enhanced. In the culture broth of these strains, the accumulation of glucosamine was observed. KC04?t was repeatedly inoculated in a swollen-chitin-containing medium for 13 cultures. This adaptive engineering strategy resulted in the isolation of a strain (KC04?tM1) that showed almost complete degradation of 0.4% (wt/vol) swollen chitin after 90 h. The strain produced high levels of acetate and ammonium in the culture medium, and, moreover, molecular hydrogen was generated. This strongly suggests that strain KC04?tM1 has acquired the ability to convert chitin to fructose 6-phosphate via deacetylation and deamination and further convert fructose 6-phosphate to acetate via glycolysis coupled to hydrogen generation.IMPORTANCE Chitin is a linear homopolymer of ?-1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine and is the second most abundant biomass next to cellulose. Compared to the wealth of research focused on the microbial degradation and conversion of cellulose, studies addressing microbial chitin utilization are still limited. In this study, using the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis as a host, we have constructed a strain that displays chitin-dependent hydrogen generation. The apparent hydrogen yield per unit of sugar consumed was slightly higher with swollen chitin than with starch. As gene manipulation in T. kodakarensis is relatively simple, the strain constructed in this study can also be used as a parent strain for the development and expansion of chitin-dependent biorefinery, in addition to its capacity to produce hydrogen.

Project description:Prokaryotes have relatively small genomes, densely-packed with protein-encoding sequences. RNA sequencing has, however, revealed surprisingly complex transcriptomes and here we report the transcripts present in the model hyperthermophilic Archaeon, Thermococcus kodakarensis, under different physiological conditions.Sequencing cDNA libraries, generated from RNA isolated from cells under different growth and metabolic conditions has identified >2,700 sites of transcription initiation, established a genome-wide map of transcripts, and consensus sequences for transcription initiation and post-transcription regulatory elements. The primary transcription start sites (TSS) upstream of 1,254 annotated genes, plus 644 primary TSS and their promoters within genes, are identified. Most mRNAs have a 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) 10 to 50 nt long (median = 16 nt), but ~20% have 5'-UTRs from 50 to 300 nt long and ~14% are leaderless. Approximately 50% of mRNAs contain a consensus ribosome binding sequence. The results identify TSS for 1,018 antisense transcripts, most with sequences complementary to either the 5'- or 3'-region of a sense mRNA, and confirm the presence of transcripts from all three CRISPR loci, the RNase P and 7S RNAs, all tRNAs and rRNAs and 69 predicted snoRNAs. Two putative riboswitch RNAs were present in growing but not in stationary phase cells. The procedure used is designed to identify TSS but, assuming that the number of cDNA reads correlates with transcript abundance, the results also provide a semi-quantitative documentation of the differences in T. kodakarensis genome expression under different growth conditions and confirm previous observations of substrate-dependent specific gene expression. Many previously unanticipated small RNAs have been identified, some with relative low GC contents (? 50%) and sequences that do not fold readily into base-paired secondary structures, contrary to the classical expectations for non-coding RNAs in a hyperthermophile.The results identify >2,700 TSS, including almost all of the primary sites of transcription initiation upstream of annotated genes, plus many secondary sites, sites within genes and sites resulting in antisense transcripts. The T.?kodakarensis genome is small (~2.1 Mbp) and tightly packed with protein-encoding genes, but the transcriptomes established also contain many non-coding RNAs and predict extensive RNA-based regulation in this model Archaeon.

Project description:Background: Prokaryotes have relatively small genomes, densely-packed and apparently dominated by protein-encoding sequences. However, data now generated by high throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) reveal surprisingly more-complex transcriptomes with many previously unrecognized and unanticipated non-coding small and antisense transcripts. To date, such studies have investigated primarily Bacteria. Here, we report the transcripts present in Thermococcus kodakarensis, a model hyperthermophilic Archaeon, synthesized under different growth and metabolic conditions. Results: cDNA libraries, generated from RNA preparations isolated from cells growing in media with sulfur or pyruvate, with sulfur to stationary phase, and growing with pyruvate but with sulfur added 20 min before RNA isolation, have been deep-sequenced. The results identify >2,700 sites of transcription initiation, establish a genome-wide map of transcripts, and consensus sequences for transcription initiation and post-transcription regulatory elements in T. kodakarensis. Primary transcription start sites (TSS) are identified upstream of 1,254 annotated genes, including ~78 % of those predicted by promoter locations, and an additional 644 primary TSS and their promoters have been identified within genes. Most of the mRNAs have a 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) between 10 and 50 nt long (median length = 16 nt), ~20 % have 5'-UTRs from 50 to 300 nt long, ~14 % are leaderless with 5'-UTRs ≤8 nt, and ~50% contain a consensus ribosome binding sequence. The results also identify TSS for 1,018 antisense transcripts, most with sequences complementary to either the 5'- or 3'-region of a sense mRNA. The data confirm the presence of transcripts from all three CRISPR loci, the RNase P and 7S RNAs, all tRNAs and rRNAs and 69 snoRNAs predicted to be encoded in the T. kodakarensis genome. Two transcripts, putatively identified as riboswitches, were present in RNA preparations isolated from growing but not from stationary phase cells. The procedure used is designed to identify TSS but, assuming that the number of cDNA reads correlates with transcript abundance, the data obtained also provide a semi-quantitative overview of global operon expression. They document substantial differences in gene expression under different physiological conditions and are consistent with previous observations of substrate-dependent specific gene expression. Many previously unrecognized and unanticipated small RNAs have been identified, some with relative low GC contents (≤50%) and sequences that do not fold readily into base-paired secondary structures, contrary to the classical expectations for non-coding RNAs in a hyperthermophile. Conclusion: We have identified >2,700 TSS that include almost all of the primary sites of transcription initiation upstream of annotated genes, and also many secondary sites, sites within genes and sites resulting in antisense transcripts. The T. kodakarensis genome is small (~2.1 Mbp) and tightly packed with protein-encoding genes, but the results reveal the presence of many non-coding RNAs and predict extensive RNA-based regulation in T. kodakarensis.

Dataset Information

A Structurally Novel Chitinase from the Chitin-Degrading Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus chitonophagus.

Unlabelled

Importance

Publications

A Structurally Novel Chitinase from the Chitin-Degrading Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus chitonophagus.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets