Project description:BACKGROUND: The prokaryotic FAD synthetase family - a group of bifunctional enzymes that catalyse riboflavin phosphorylation and FMN adenylylation within a single polypeptide chain- was analysed in terms of sequence and structure. RESULTS: Sequences of nearly 800 prokaryotic species were aligned. Those related with bifunctional FAD synthetase activities showed conservation of several consensus regions and highly conserved residues. A 3D model for the FAD synthetase from Corynebacterium ammoniagenes (CaFADS) was generated. This model confirms that the N-terminal and C-terminal domains are related to nucleotydyltransferases and riboflavin kinases, respectively. Models for the interaction of CaFADS with its substrates were also produced, allowing location of all the protein substrates in their putative binding pockets. These include two independent flavin binding sites for each CaFADS activity. CONCLUSION: For the first time, the putative presence of a flavin binding site for the adenylylation activity, independent from that related with the phosphorylation activity, is shown. Additionally, these models suggest the functional relevance of some residues putatively involved in the catalytic processes. Their relevant roles were analysed by site-directed mutagenesis. A role was confirmed for H28, H31, S164 and T165 in the stabilisation of the P groups and the adenine moiety of ATP and, the P of FMN for the adenylylation. Similarly, T208, N210 and E268 appear critical for accommodation of the P groups of ATP and the ribityl end of RF in the active site for the phosphorylation process. Finally, the C-terminal domain was shown to catalyse the phosphorylation process on its own, but no reaction at all was observed with the individually expressed N-terminal domain.
Project description:The pyrE gene, encoding orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRTase), was cloned by nested PCR and colony blotting from Corynebacterium ammoniagenes ATCC 6872, which is widely used in nucleotide production. Sequence analysis shows that there is a lack of an important conserved lysine (Lys 73 in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium OPRTase) in the C. ammoniagenes OPRTase. This lysine has been considered to contribute to the initiation of catalysis. The enzyme was overexpressed and purified from a recombinant Escherichia coli strain. The molecular mass of the purified OPRTase was determined to be 45.4 +/- 1.5 kDa by gel filtration. Since the molecular mass for the subunit of the enzyme was 21.3 +/- 0.6 kDa, the native enzyme exists as a dimer. Divalent magnesium was necessary for the activity of the enzyme and can be substituted for by Mn2+ and Co2+. The optimal pH for the forward (phosphoribosyl transfer) reaction is 10.5 to 11.5, which is higher than that of other reported OPRTases, and the optimal pH for the reverse (pyrophosphorolysis) reaction is 5.5 to 6.5. The Km values for the four substrates were determined to be 33 microM for orotate, 64 microM for 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP), 45 microM for orotidine-5-phosphate (OMP), and 36 microM for pyrophosphate. The Km value for OMP is much larger than those of other organisms. These differences may be due to the absence of Lys 73, which is present in the active sites of other OPRTases and is known to interact with OMP and PRPP.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Corynebacterium ammoniagenes is an important industrial organism that is widely used to produce nucleotides and the potential for industrial production of coenzyme A by C. ammoniagenes ATCC 6871 has been shown. However, the yield of coenzyme A needs to be improved, and the available constitutive promoters are rather limited in this strain. RESULTS:In this study, 20 putative DNA promoters derived from genes with high transcription levels and 6 promoters from molecular chaperone genes were identified. To evaluate the activity of each promoter, red fluorescence protein (RFP) was used as a reporter. We successfully isolated a range of promoters with different activity levels, and among these a fragment derived from the upstream sequence of the 50S ribosomal protein L21 (Prpl21) exhibited the strongest activity among the 26 identified promoters. Furthermore, type III pantothenate kinase from Pseudomonas putida (PpcoaA) was overexpressed in C. ammoniagenes under the control of Prpl21, CoA yield increased approximately 4.4 times. CONCLUSIONS:This study provides a paradigm for rational isolation of promoters with different activities and their application in metabolic engineering. These promoters will enrich the available promoter toolkit for C. ammoniagenes and should be valuable in current platforms for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology for the optimization of pathways to extend the product spectrum or improve the productivity in C. ammoniagenes ATCC 6871 for industrial applications.
Project description:Bifunctional FAD synthetases (FADSs) fold in two independent modules; The C-terminal riboflavin kinase (RFK) catalyzes the RFK activity, while the N-terminal FMN-adenylyltransferase (FMNAT) exhibits the FMNAT activity. The search for macromolecular interfaces in the Corynebacterium ammoniagenes FADS (CaFADS) crystal structure predicts a dimer of trimers organization. Within each trimer, a head-to-tail arrangement causes the RFK and FMNAT catalytic sites of the two neighboring protomers to approach, in agreement with active site residues of one module influencing the activity at the other. We analyze the relevance of the CaFADS head-to-tail macromolecular interfaces to stabilization of assemblies, catalysis and ligand binding. With this aim, we evaluate the effect of point mutations in loop L1c-FlapI, loop L6c, and helix α1c of the RFK module (positions K202, E203, F206, D298, V300, E301 and L304), regions at the macromolecular interface between two protomers within the trimer. Although none of the studied residues is critical in the formation and dissociation of assemblies, residues at L1c-FlapI and helix α1c particularly modulate quaternary architecture, as well as ligand binding and kinetic parameters involved with RFK and FMNAT activities. These data support the influence of transient oligomeric structures on substrate accommodation and catalysis at both CaFADS active sites.
Project description:Ribonucleotide reduction, the unique step in DNA-precursor biosynthesis, involves radical-dependent redox chemistry and diverse metallo-cofactors. The metallo-cofactor (R2F) encoded by the nrdF (nucleotide reduction) gene in Corynebacterium ammoniagenes ATCC 6872 was isolated after homologous expression and a new crystal form of ribonucleotide reductase R2F was obtained. R2F was crystallized at 277 K using the vapour-diffusion method with PEG as the precipitating agent. A data set was collected to 1.36 A resolution from a single crystal at 100 K using synchrotron radiation. The crystal belonged to space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 96.21, b = 87.68, c = 83.25 A, beta = 99.29 degrees. The crystal contained two molecules per asymmetric unit, with a Matthews coefficient (V(M)) of 2.69 A(3) Da(-1); the solvent content was estimated to be 54.3%. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and MAD diffraction data indicated the presence of manganese in the molecule and the absence of iron.