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Random and rational mutagenesis of an α-amino acid ester acyl transferase from Sphingobacterium siyangensis AJ2458 (SAET) was conducted to examine the production of aspartame, an α-l-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine methyl ester. We previously reported aspartame production via combination of enzymatic and chemical methods. However, the productivity of the aspartame intermediate by SAET was approximately one-fifth that of l-alanyl-l-glutamine (Ala-Gln), whose production method has already been established. Here, to improve the enzymatic activity of SAET, we performed random mutagenesis in the gene encoding SAET and obtained 10 mutations that elevated the enzymatic activity (1.2- to 1.7-fold increase) relative to that of wild-type SAET. To further improve the activity, we performed mutagenesis to optimize the combination of the obtained mutations and finally selected one SAET variant with 10 amino acid substitutions (M35-4 SAET). An Escherichia coli strain overexpressing M35-4 SAET displayed a 5.7-fold higher activity than that of the wild-type SAET, which was almost equal to that of Ala-Gln by an E. coli strain overexpressing wild-type SAET. The Vmax value of M35-4 SAET was 2.0-fold greater, and its thermostability was higher than those of wild-type SAET. These results suggest that the obtained SAET variants contribute to improvement in aspartame production., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Japanese Biochemical Society.)

Rhizobium radiobacter C58 was found to convert 4-hydroxyisoleucine (HIL) and 2-amino-3-methyl-4-ketopentanoate (AMKP), bioactive oxidative derivatives of l-isoleucine, in both cases producing 2-aminobutyrate. Three native enzymes involved in these metabolisms were purified by column chromatography and successfully identified. In this strain, HIL was converted to acetaldehyde and 2-aminobutyrate by coupling action of the transaminase rrIlvE and the aldolase HkpA. AMKP was also converted to acetate and 2-aminobutyrate by coupling action of rrIlvE and a hydrolase DkhA. In the multi-enzymatic reactions, HkpA catalyzes the retro-aldol reaction of 4-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-ketopentanoate into acetaldehyde and 2-ketobutyrate, and DkhA catalyzes hydrolytic cleavage of the carbon-carbon bond of 2,4-diketo-3-methylpentanoate into acetate and 2-ketobutyrate. rrIlvE catalyzes reversible transamination between HIL and 4-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-ketopentanoate, AMKP and 2,4-diketo-3-methylpentanoate, and 2-ketobutyrate and 2-aminobutyrate. The results suggested that the conversion activity of Rhizobium bacteria plays an important role in the complex biological metabolic networks associated with HIL and AMKP., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry.)

Here, we report a novel industrial aspartame production route, involving the enzymatic production of α-l-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine β-methylester from l-aspartic acid dimethylester and l-phenylalanine by α-amino acid ester acyl transferase. The route also involves the chemical transformation of α-l-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine β-methylester to α-l-aspartyl-l-phenylalanine methylester hydrochloride (aspartame hydrochloride) in an aqueous solution with methanol and HCl, followed by HCl removal to form aspartame., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry.)

The establishment of renewable biofuel and chemical production is desirable because of global warming and the exhaustion of petroleum reserves. Sebacic acid (decanedioic acid), the material of 6,10-nylon, is produced from ricinoleic acid, a carbon-neutral material, but the process is not eco-friendly because of its energy requirements. Laccase-catalyzing oxidative cleavage of fatty acid was applied to the production of dicarboxylic acids using hydroxy and oxo fatty acids involved in the saturation metabolism of unsaturated fatty acids in Lactobacillus plantarum as substrates. Hydroxy or oxo fatty acids with a functional group near the carbon-carbon double bond were cleaved at the carbon-carbon double bond, hydroxy group, or carbonyl group by laccase and transformed into dicarboxylic acids. After 8 h, 0.58 mM of sebacic acid was produced from 1.6 mM of 10-oxo-cis-12,cis-15-octadecadienoic acid (αKetoA) with a conversion rate of 35% (mol/mol). This laccase-catalyzed enzymatic process is a promising method to produce dicarboxylic acids from biomass-derived fatty acids.

A succinimide-assimilating bacterium, Pseudomonas putida s52, was found to be a potent producer of pyruvate from fumarate. Using washed cells from P. putida s52 as catalyst, 400 mM pyruvate was produced from 500 mM fumarate in a 36-h reaction. Bromopyruvate, a malic enzyme inhibitor, was used for the selection of mutants with higher pyruvate productivity. A bromopyruvate-resistant mutant, P. putida 15160, was found to be an effective catalyst for pyruvate production. Moreover, under batch bioreactor conditions, 767 mM of pyruvate was successfully produced from 1,000 mM fumarate in a 72-h reaction with washed cells from P. putida 15160 as catalyst.

An enzymatic production method for synthesizing L-alanyl-L-glutamine (Ala-Gln) from L-alanine methyl ester hydrochloride (AlaOMe) and L-glutamine (Gln) was developed in this study. The cultivation conditions for an Escherichia coli strain overexpressing α-amino acid ester acyltransferase from Sphingobacterium siyangensis AJ 2458 (SAET) and reaction conditions for Ala-Gln production were optimized. A high cell density culture broth prepared by fed-batch cultivation showed 440 units/mL of Ala-Gln-producing activity. In addition, an Ala-Gln-producing reaction using intact E. coli cells overexpressing SAET under optimum conditions was conducted. A total Ala-Gln yield of 69.7 g/L was produced in 40 min. The molar yield was 67% against both AlaOMe and Gln.

Linoleic acid isomerase in Lactobacillus plantarum was found to be a novel multi-component enzyme system widespread in membrane and soluble fractions. The isomerization reaction involved a hydration step, 10-hydroxy-12-octadecenoic acid production from linoleic acid, as part of the reaction, and the hydration reaction was catalyzed by the membrane fraction. Both membrane and soluble fractions were required for the whole isomerization reaction, i.e., conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) production from linoleic acid, and for CLA production from 10-hydroxy-12-octadecenoic acid, a reaction intermediate. The multi-component enzyme system was inhibited by o-phenanthroline, and divalent metal ions such as Ni(2+) and Co(2+) restored activity. Metal oxides such as VO(4)(3+), MoO(4)(2+), and MnO(4)(2+) enhanced activity. The multi-component enzyme systems required oxidoreduction cofactors such as NADH together with FAD or NADPH for total activity.

The gene encoding α-amino acid ester acyl transferase (AET), the enzyme that catalyzes the peptide-forming reaction from amino acid methyl esters and amino acids, was cloned from Empedobacter brevis ATCC14234 and Sphingobacterium siyangensis AJ2458 and expressed in Escherichia coli. This is the first report on the aet gene. It encodes a polypeptide composed of 616 (ATCC14234) and 619 (AJ2458) amino acids residues. The V(max) values of these recombinant enzymes during the catalysis of L-alanyl-L-glutamine formation from L-alanine methylester and L-glutamine were 1,010 U/mg (ATCC14234) and 1,154 U/mg (AJ2458). An amino acid sequence similarity search revealed 35% (ATCC14234) and 36% (AJ2458) identity with an α-amino acid ester hydrolase from Acetobacter pasteurianus, which contains an active-site serine in the consensus serine enzyme motif, GxSYxG. In the deduced amino acid sequences of AET from both bacteria, the GxSYxG motif was conserved, suggesting that AET is a serine enzyme.

In the last few decades, enzymatic production of 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (L-dopa) using tyrosine phenol-lyase (Tpl) has been industrialized. This method has an intrinsic problem of tyrosine contamination because Tpl is synthesized under tyrosine-induced conditions. Herein, we constructed a hyper-L-dopa-producing strain by exploiting a mutant TyrR, an activator of tpl. The highest productivity was obtained for the strain grown under non-induced conditions. It was 30-fold higher than that obtained for tyrosine-induced wild-type cells.

Genes encoding alpha-methylserine hydroxymethyltransferase from Aminobacter sp. AJ110403 and Ensifer sp. AJ110404 were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified enzymes were homodimers with a 46-kDa subunit and contained 1 mol/mol-subunit of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. The V(max) of these enzymes catalyzing the conversion of alpha-methyl-L-serine to D-alanine via tetrahydrofolate was 22.1 U/mg (AJ110403) and 15.4 U/mg (AJ110404).

The alpha-methylserine aldolase gene from Variovorax paradoxus strains AJ110406, NBRC15149, and NBRC15150 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Formaldehyde release activity from alpha-methyl-L-serine was detected in the cell-free extract of E.coli expressing the gene from three strains. The recombinant enzyme from V. paradoxus NBRC15150 was purified. The Vmax and Km of the enzyme for the formaldehyde release reaction from alpha-methyl-L-serine were 1.89 micromol min(-1) mg(-1) and 1.2 mM respectively. The enzyme was also capable of catalyzing the synthesis of alpha-methyl-L-serine and alpha-ethyl-L-serine from L-alanine and L-2-aminobutyric acid respectively, accompanied by hydroxymethyl transfer from formaldehyde. The purified enzyme also catalyzed alanine racemization. It contained 1 mole of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate per mol of the enzyme subunit, and exhibited a specific spectral peak at 429 nm. With L-alanine and L-2-aminobutyric acid as substrates, the specific peak, assumed to be a result of the formation of a quinonoid intermediate, increased at 498 nm and 500 nm respectively.

A DNA fragment from Microbacterium liquefaciens AJ 3912, containing the genes responsible for the conversion of 5-substituted-hydantoins to alpha-amino acids, was cloned in Escherichia coli and sequenced. Seven open reading frames (hyuP, hyuA, hyuH, hyuC, ORF1, ORF2, and ORF3) were identified on the 7.5 kb fragment. The deduced amino acid sequence encoded by the hyuA gene included the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the hydantoin racemase from M. liquefaciens AJ 3912. The hyuA, hyuH, and hyuC genes were heterologously expressed in E. coli; their presence corresponded with the detection of hydantoin racemase, hydantoinase, and N-carbamoyl alpha-amino acid amido hydrolase enzymatic activities respectively. The deduced amino acid sequences of hyuP were similar to those of the allantoin (5-ureido-hydantoin) permease from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, suggesting that hyuP protein might function as a hydantoin transporter.

A hydantoin racemase that catalyzed the racemization of 5-benzyl-hydantoin was detected in a cell-free extract of Microbacterium liquefaciens AJ 3912, a bacterial strain known to produce L-amino acids from their corresponding DL-5-substituted-hydantoins. This hydantoin racemase was purified 658-fold to electrophoretic homogeneity by serial chromatography. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme showed homology with known hydantoin racemases from other microorganisms. The apparent molecular mass of the purified enzyme was 27 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and 117 kDa on gel-filtration in the purification conditions, indicating a homotetrameric structure. The purified enzyme exhibited optimal activity at pH 8.2 and 55 degrees C, and showed a chiral preference for L-5-benzyl- rather than D-5-benzyl-hydantoin.

Xylitol production from D-arabitol by the membrane and soluble fractions of Gluconobacter oxydans was investigated. Two proteins in the soluble fraction were found to have the ability to increase xylitol production. Both of these xylitol-increasing factors were purified, and on the basis of their NH(2)-terminal amino acid sequences the genes encoding both of the factors were cloned. Expression of the cloned genes in Escherichia coli showed that one of the xylitol-increasing factors is the bifunctional enzyme transaldolase/glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, and the other is ribulokinase. Using membrane and soluble fractions of G. oxydans, 3.8 g/l of xylitol were produced from 10 g/l D-arabitol after incubation for 40 h, and addition of purified recombinant transaldolase/glucose-6-phosphate isomerase or ribulokinase increased xylitol to 5.4 g/l respectively, confirming the identity of the xylitol-increasing factors.

The coenzyme specificity of enzymes in the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway of Gluconobacter oxydans was investigated. By investigation of the activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH) in the soluble fraction of G. oxydans, and cloning and expression of genes in Escherichia coli, it was found that both G6PDH and 6PGDH have NAD/NADP dual coenzyme specificities. It was suggested that the pentose phosphate pathway is responsible for NADH regeneration in G. oxydans.

A potent producer of D-arabitol was isolated by screening of natural sources and identified as Metschnikowia reukaufii AJ14787. Resting cells of this strain can efficiently produce D-arabitol from D-glucose with a weight yield of more than 60%, and can also produce D-arabitol from several other types of sugars such as polyols, ketoses, and aldoses. To improve productivity, various culture conditions such as temperature and the concentrations of D-glucose and nitrogen sources were examined. Under optimal conditions, 206 g/l of D-arabitol was produced from D-glucose with a weight yield of 52% in 100 hours.

Xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) was purified from the cytoplasmic fraction of Gluconobacter oxydans ATCC 621. The purified enzyme reduced D-xylulose to xylitol in the presence of NADH with an optimum pH of around 5.0. Based on the determined NH2-terminal amino acid sequence, the gene encoding xdh was cloned, and its identity was confirmed by expression in Escherichia coli. The xdh gene encodes a polypeptide composed of 262 amino acid residues, with an estimated molecular mass of 27.8 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence suggested that the enzyme belongs to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family. Expression plasmids for the xdh gene were constructed and used to produce recombinant strains of G. oxydans that had up to 11-fold greater XDH activity than the wild-type strain. When used in the production of xylitol from D-arabitol under controlled aeration and pH conditions, the strain harboring the xdh expression plasmids produced 57 g/l xylitol from 225 g/l D-arabitol, whereas the control strain produced 27 g/l xylitol. These results demonstrated that increasing XDH activity in G. oxydans improved xylitol productivity.

A host vector system in Gluconobacter oxydans was constructed. An Acetobacter-Escherichia coli shuttle vector was introduced with the efficiency of 10(4) transformants/microg of DNA. Next, aiming for a self-cloning vector, we found a cryptic plasmid (which we named pAG5) of 5648 bp in G. oxydans strain IFO 3171, and sequenced the nucleotides. The plasmid seemed to have only one open reading flame (ORF) for a possible replication protein. Shuttle vectors of Gluconobacter-E. coli were constructed with the plasmid pAG5 and an E. coli vector, pUC18.

Microorganisms capable of producing xylitol from D-arabitol were screened for. Of the 420 strains tested, three bacteria, belonging to the genera Acetobacter and Gluconobacter, produced xylitol from D-arabitol when intact cells were used as the enzyme source. Among them, Gluconobacter oxydans ATCC 621 produced 29.2 g/l xylitol from 52.4 g/l D-arabitol after incubation for 27 h. The production of xylitol was increased by the addition of 5% (v/v) ethanol and 5 g/l D-glucose to the reaction mixture. Under these conditions, 51.4 g/l xylitol was obtained from 52.4 g/l D-arabitol, a yield of 98%, after incubation for 27 h. This conversion consisted of two successive reactions, conversion of D-arabitol to D-xylulose by a membrane-bound D-arabitol dehydrogenase, and conversion of D-xylulose to xylitol by a soluble NAD-dependent xylitol dehydrogenase. Use of disruptants of the membrane-bound alcohol dehydrogenase genes suggested that NADH was generated via NAD-dependent soluble alcohol dehydrogenase.