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An activity-based isotope-coded affinity tagging (AB-ICAT) strategy for proteome-wide quantitation of active retaining endoglycosidases has been developed. Two pairs of biotinylated, cleavable, AB-ICAT reagents (light H(8) and heavy D(8)) have been synthesized, one incorporating a recognition element for cellulases and the other incorporating a recognition element for xylanases. The accuracy of the AB-ICAT methodology in quantifying relative glycosidase expression/activity levels in any two samples of interest has been verified using several pairs of model enzyme mixtures where one or more enzyme amounts and/or activities were varied. The methodology has been applied to the biomass-degrading secretomes of the soil bacterium, Cellulomonas fimi, under induction by different polyglycan growth substrates to obtain a quantitative profile of the relative expression/activity levels of individual active retaining endoglycanases per C. fimi cell. Such biological profiles are valuable in understanding the strategies employed by biomass-degrading organisms in exploiting environments containing different biomass polysaccharides. This is the first report on the application of an activity-based ICAT method to a biological system.

Functional proteomics methods are crucial for activity- and mechanism-based investigation of enzymes in biological systems at a post-translational stage. Glycosidases have central roles in cellular metabolism and its regulation, and their dysfunction can have detrimental effects. These enzymes also play key roles in biomass conversion. A functional profiling methodology was developed for direct, fluorescence-based, in-gel analysis of retaining beta-glycosidases. Two spectrally nonoverlapping fluorescent, mechanism-based probes containing different recognition elements for retaining cellulases and xylanases were prepared. The specificity-based covalent labelling of retaining glycanases by the two probes was demonstrated in model enzyme mixtures. Using the two probes and mass spectrometry, the secretomes of the biomass-converting bacterium Cellulomonas fimi, under induction by different polyglycan growth substrates, were analysed to obtain a specificity profile of the C. fimi retaining beta-glycanases. This is a facile strategy for the analysis of glycosidases produced by biomass-degrading organisms.

The putative β-glucuronidase from Thermotoga maritima , comprising 563 amino acid residues conjugated with a Hisx6 tag, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli . The enzyme has a moderately broad specificity, hydrolysing a range of p -nitrophenyl glycoside substrates, but has greatest activity on p -nitrophenyl β- d -glucosiduronic acid ( k cat = 68 s −1 , k cat / K M = 4.5 × 10 5 M −1 s −1 ). The enzyme also shows a relatively broad pH-dependence with activity from pH 4.5 to 7.5 and a maximum at pH 6.5. As expected the enzyme is stable towards heat denaturation, with a half life of 3 h at 85 °C, in contrast to the mesophilic E. coli enzyme, which has a half life of 2.6 h at 50 °C. The identity of the catalytic nucleophile was confirmed as Glu476 within the sequence VT E FGAD by trapping the glycosyl–enzyme intermediate using the mechanism-based inactivator, 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-β- d -glucosyluronic acid fluoride and identifying the labeled peptide in peptic digests by HPLC–MS/MS methodologies. Consistent with this, the Glu476Ala mutant was shown to be hydrolytically inactive. The acid/base catalyst was confirmed as Glu383 by generation and kinetic analysis of enzyme mutants modified at that position, Glu383Ala and Glu383Gln. The demonstration of activity rescue by azide is consistent with the proposed role for this residue. This enzyme therefore appears suitable for use in enzymatic oligosaccharide synthesis in either the transglycosylation mode or by use of glycosynthase and thioglycoligase approaches.

A carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) was fused to the N-termini of mannosyl-glycoprotein endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (EndoF1) and peptide N-glycosidase F (PNGaseF), two glycosidases from Chryseobacterium meningosepticum that are used to remove N-linked glycans from glycoproteins. The fusion proteins CBM-EndoF1 and CBM-PNGaseF also carry a hexahistidine tag for purification by immobilized metal affinity chromatography after production by Escherichia coli. CBM-EndoF1 is as effective as native EndoF1 at deglycosylating RNaseB; the glycans released by both enzymes are identical. Like native PNGaseF, CBM-PNGaseF is active on denatured but not on native RNaseB. Both fusion proteins are as active on RNaseB when immobilized on cellulose as they are in solution. They retain activity in the immobilized state for at least 1 month at 4 degrees C. The hexahistidine tag can be removed with thrombin, leaving the CBM as the only affinity tag. The CBM can be removed with factor Xa if required.

The Agrobacterium sp. beta-glucosidase (Abg) is a retaining beta-glycosidase and its nucleophile mutants, termed Abg glycosynthases, catalyze the formation of glycosidic bonds using alpha-glycosyl fluorides as donor sugars and various aryl glycosides as acceptor sugars. Two rounds of random mutagenesis were performed on the best glycosynthase to date (AbgE358G), and transformants were screened using an on-plate endocellulase coupled assay. Two highly active mutants were obtained, 1D12 (A19T, E358G) and 2F6 (A19T, E358G, Q248R, M407V) in the first and second rounds, respectively. Relative catalytic efficiencies (kcat/Km) of 1:7:27 were determined for AbgE358G, 1D12, and 2F6, respectively, using alpha-D-galactopyranosyl fluoride and 4-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucopyranoside as substrates. The 2F6 mutant is not only more efficient but also has an expanded repertoire of acceptable substrates. Analysis of a homology model structure of 2F6 indicated that the A19T and M407V mutations do not interact directly with substrates but exert their effects by changing the conformation of the active site. Much of the improvement associated with the A19T mutation seems to be caused by favorable interactions with the equatorial C2-hydroxyl group of the substrate. The alteration of torsional angles of Glu-411, Trp-412, and Trp-404, which are components of the aglycone (+1) subsite, is an expected consequence of the A19T and M407V mutations based on the homology model structure of 2F6.

The chemical mechanism of a retaining beta-mannosidase from Cellulomonas fimi has been characterized through steady-state kinetic analyses with a range of substrates, coupled with chemical rescue studies on both the wild-type enzyme and mutants in which active site carboxyl groups have been replaced. Studies with a series of aryl beta-mannosides of vastly different reactivities (pK(a)(lg) = 4-10) allowed kinetic isolation of the glycosylation and deglycosylation steps. Substrate inhibition was observed for all but the least reactive of these substrates. Brønsted analysis of k(cat) revealed a downward breaking plot (beta(lg) = -0.54 +/- 0.05) that is consistent with a change in rate-determining step (glycosylation to deglycosylation), and this was confirmed by partitioning studies with ethylene glycol. The pH dependence of k(cat)/K(m) follows an apparent single ionization of a group of pK(a) = 7.65 that must be protonated for catalysis. The tentative assignment of E429 as the acid-base catalyst of Man2A on the basis of sequence alignments with other family 2 glycosidases was confirmed by the increased turnover rate observed for the mutant E429A in the presence of azide and fluoride, leading to the production of beta-mannosyl azide and beta-mannosyl fluoride, respectively. A pH-dependent chemical rescue of E429A activity is also observed with citrate. Substantial oxocarbenium ion character at the transition state was demonstrated by the alpha-deuterium kinetic isotope effect for Man2A E429A of alpha-D(V) = 1.12 +/- 0.01. Surprisingly, this isotope effect was substantially greater in the presence of azide (alpha-D(V) = 1.166 +/- 0.009). Likely involvement of acid/base catalysis was revealed by the pH dependence of k(cat) for Man2A E429A, which follows a bell-shaped profile described by pK(a) values of 6.1 and 8.4, substantially different from that of the wild-type enzyme. The glycosidic bond cleaving activity of Man2A E519A and E519S nucleophile mutants is restored with azide and fluoride and appears to correlate with the corresponding "glycosynthase" activities. The contribution of the substrate 2-hydroxyl to stabilization of the Man2A glycosylation transition state (DeltaDeltaG() = 5.1 kcal mol(-1)) was probed using a 2-deoxymannose substrate. This value, surprisingly, is comparable to that found from equivalent studies with beta-glucosidases despite the geometric differences at C-2 and the importance of hydrogen bonding at that position. Modes of stabilizing the mannosidase transition state are discussed.

Carbohydrate-binding polypeptides, including carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) from polysaccharidases, and lectins, are widespread in nature. Whilst CBMs are classically considered distinct from lectins, in that they are found appended to polysaccharide-degrading enzymes, this distinction is blurring. The crystal structure of CsCBM6-3, a “sequence-family 6” CBM in a xylanase from Clostridium stercorarium, at 2.3 A reveals a similar, all β-sheet fold to that from MvX56, a module found in a family 33 glycoside hydrolase sialidase from Micromonospora viridifaciens, and the lectin AAA from Anguilla anguilla. Sequence analysis leads to the classification of MvX56 and AAA into a family distinct from that containing CsCBM6-3. Whilst these polypeptides are similar in structure they have quite different carbohydrate-binding specificities. AAA is known to bind fucose; CsCBM6-3 binds cellulose, xylan and other β-glucans. Here we demonstrate that MvX56 binds galactose, lactose and sialic acid. Crystal structures of CsCBM6-3 in complex with xylotriose, cellobiose, and laminaribiose, 2.0 A, 1.35 A, and 1.0 A resolution, respectively, reveal that the binding site of CsCBM6-3 resides on the same polypeptide face as for MvX56 and AAA. Subtle differences in the ligand-binding surface give rise to the different specificities and biological activities, further blurring the distinction between classical lectins and CBMs.

Cellulase Cel5A from alkalophilic Bacillus sp. 1139 contains a family 17 carbohydrate-binding module (BspCBM17) and a family 28 CBM (BspCBM28) in tandem. The two modules have significantly similar amino acid sequences, but amino acid residues essential for binding are not conserved. BspCBM28 was obtained as a discrete polypeptide by engineering the cel5A gene. BspCBM17 could not be obtained as a discrete polypeptide, so a family 17 CBM from endoglucanase Cel5A of Clostridium cellulovorans, CcCBM17, was used to compare the binding characteristics of the two families of CBM. Both CcCBM17 and BspCBM28 recognized two classes of binding sites on amorphous cellulose: a high affinity site (K(a) approximately 1 x 10(6) M(-1)) and a low affinity site (K(a) approximately 2 x 10(4) M(-1)). They did not compete for binding to the high affinity sites, suggesting that they bound at different sites on the cellulose. A polypeptide, BspCBM17/CBM28, comprising the tandem CBMs from Cel5A, bound to amorphous cellulose with a significantly higher affinity than the sum of the affinities of CcCBM17 and BspCBM28, indicating cooperativity between the linked CBMs. Cel5A mutants were constructed that were defective in one or both of the CBMs. The mutants differed from the wild-type enzyme in the amounts and sizes of the soluble products produced from amorphous cellulose. This suggests that either the CBMs can modify the action of the catalytic module of Cel5A or that they target the enzyme to areas of the cellulose that differ in susceptibility to hydrolysis.

In this work, a new derivative of FX was engineered. It comprises a cellulose-binding module (CBM) fused to the N-terminus of the truncated light chain (E2FX) of FX and a hexahistidine tag (H6) fused to the C-terminus of the heavy chain. The sequence LTR at the site of cleavage of the activation peptide from the N-terminus of the heavy chain is changed to IEGR to render the derivative self-activating. However, N-linked glycans on the CBM of the derivative blocked its binding to cellulose and those on the activation peptide slowed its activation. Therefore, the sites of N-linked glycosylation on the CBM and on the activation peptide were eliminated by mutation. The final derivative can be produced in good yield by cultured mammalian cells. It is purified easily with Ni2+-agarose, it is self-activating, and it can be immobilized on cellulose. When immobilized on a column of cellulose beads, the activated derivative retains ∼80% of its initial activity after 30 days of continuous hydrolysis of a fusion protein substrate. Under these conditions of operation, the effective substrate:enzyme ratio is >104. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 79: 724–732, 2002.

Enzymatic approaches for the preparation of oligosaccharides are interesting alternatives to traditional chemical synthesis, the main advantage being the regio- and stereoselectivity offered without the need for protecting groups. The use of solid-phase techniques offers easy workup procedures and the prospect of automatability. Here, we report the first application of glycosynthases to solid-phase oligosaccharide synthesis by use of the 51 kDa serine and glycine mutants of Agrobacterium sp. beta-glucosidase, Abg E358S and E358G. Acceptors were linked to PEGA resin through a backbone amide linker (BAL), and using these mutated enzymes, a galactose moiety was transferred from a donor sugar, alpha-D-galactosyl fluoride, with high efficiency (>90%) together with excellent recovery of material. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that a resin-bound model glycopeptide was also an acceptor for the glycosynthase.

Endo-beta-1,4-xylanase 10A (Xyn10A) from Streptomyces lividans includes an N-terminal catalytic module and a 130-residue C-terminal family 13 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM13). This latter domain adopts a beta-trefoil structure with three potential binding sites (alpha, beta, and gamma) for a variety of small sugars, xylooligosaccharides, and xylan polymers. To investigate the role of this multivalency in carbohydrate binding, we have used NMR spectroscopy to characterize the interaction of isolated CBM13 with a series of sugars. We have assigned resonances from the main chain nuclei of CBM13 using heteronuclear NMR experiments. Analysis of (15)N NMR relaxation data using the extended model free formalism reveals that CBM13 tumbles as an oblate ellipsoid (D( parallel)/D( perpendicular) = 0.80 +/- 0.02) and that its backbone is relatively rigid on the sub-nanosecond time scale. In particular, the three binding sites show no distinct patterns of increased internal mobility. Ligand-induced chemical shift changes in the (1)H-(15)N HSQC spectra of CBM13 were monitored as a function of increasing concentrations of L-arabinose, lactose, D-xylose, xylobiose, xylotetraose, and xylohexaose. Patterns of shift perturbations for well-resolved resonances demonstrate that all of these sugars associate independently with the three binding sites of CBM13. On the basis of the site-specific association constants derived from a quantitative analysis of these titration data, we show that L-arabinose, lactose, and D-xylose preferentially bind to the alpha site of CBM13, xylobiose binds equally well to all three sites, and xylotetraose and xylohexaose prefer binding to the beta site. Inspection of the crystallographic structure of CBM13 [Notenboom, V., Boraston, A. B., Williams, S. J., Kilburn, D. G., and Rose, D. R. (2002) Biochemistry 41, 4246-4254] provides a rationalization for these results.

Family 6 carbohydrate-binding modules were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from Clostridium stercorarium strain NCIB11754 genomic DNA as a triplet. Individually, these modules bound to xylooligosaccharides and cellooligosaccharides with affinities varying from approximately 3 x 10(3) M(-1) to approximately 1 x 10(5) M(-1). Tandem and triplet combinations of these modules bound co-operatively to soluble xylan and insoluble cellulose to give approximately 20- to approximately 40-fold increases in affinity relative to the individual modules. This co-operativity was an avidity effect resulting from the modules within the tandems and triplet interacting simultaneously with proximal binding sites on the polysaccharides. This occurred by both intrachain and interchain interactions. The duplication or triplication of modules appears to be linked to the growth temperature of the organism; co-operativity in these multiplets may compensate for the loss of affinity at higher temperatures.

The C-terminal 191-residue module of Cel5A from the alkalophilic Bacillus sp. 1139 comprises a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) belonging to a previously unidentified family that we have classified as CBM family 28. This example, called CBM28, bound specifically to cello-oligosaccharides and mixed β-(1,3)(1,4)-glucans (barley β-glucan) with association constants of approximately (1–4)×104 M−1. Its binding to barley β-glucan was remarkably insensitive to pH between 7.0 and 10.9, in keeping with its alkalophilic source. CBM28 bound to cellulose having a significant non-crystalline content with an association constant similar to that for its binding to soluble glucans. CBM17 (CBM family 17) and CBM28 modules naturally occur as tandems. The CBM17/CBM28 tandem from Cel5A bound with apparent co-operativity to barley β-glucan. The association of CBM28 with cello-oligosaccharides was driven enthalpically and marked by the different thermodynamic contribution of three putative binding subsites that accommodate a cellohexaose molecule.

Engineering enzymes: The glutamic acid nucleophile of a retaining β-mannosidase has been replaced with a serine residue to form a β-mannosynthase. When the new enzyme is provided with an α-mannosyl fluoride donor and an appropriate acceptor, β-mannoside linkages are synthesized. Remarkably, α-mannosyl fluoride can be generated in situ by providing the mannosynthase with excess fluoride ion.

Incubation of the beta-mannosidase Man2A from Cellulomonas fimi with 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-beta-D-mannosyl fluoride (2FMan beta F) resulted in time-dependent inactivation of the enzyme (inactivation rate constant k(i)=0.57 min(-1), dissociation constant for the inactivator K(i)=0.41 mM) through the accumulation of a covalent 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-alpha-D-mannosyl-beta-mannosidase 2A (2FMan-Man2A) enzyme intermediate, as observed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The stoichiometry of inactivation was 1:1. Removal of excess inactivator and regeneration of active enzyme by transglycosylation of the covalently attached inhibitor to gentiobiose [Glc beta(1-6)Glc] demonstrated that the covalent intermediate was catalytically competent. Comparison by MS of the peptic digests of 2FMan-Man2A with peptic digests of native Man2A revealed a peptide of m/z 1520 that was unique to 2FMan-Man2A, and one of m/z 1036.5 that was unique to a Man2A peptide. Their sequences, determined by collision-induced fragmentation, were CSEFGFQGPPTW and FGFQGPPTW, corresponding to residues 517-528 and 520-528 of Man2A respectively. The difference in mass of 483.5 between the two peptides equals the sum of the masses of the tripeptide CSE plus that of 2-fluoromannose. It was concluded that in 2FMan-Man2A, the 2-fluoromannose esterified to Glu-519 blocks hydrolysis of the Glu-519-Phe-520 peptide bond, and that Glu-519 is the catalytic nucleophile in this enzyme. This residue is conserved in all members of family 2 of the glycosyl hydrolases. This represents the first ever labelling and identification of an active-site nucleophile in a beta-mannosidase.

The beta-glucosidase from Agrobacterium sp. catalyzes the hydrolysis of beta-glucosides via a covalent alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-enzyme intermediate involving Glu358. Hydrolysis of 2,4-dinitrophenyl beta-D-glucopyranoside by the low activity Glu358Asp mutant of Agrobacterium beta-glucosidase is accompanied by time-dependent inactivation of the enzyme. Through kinetic studies, labeling, and sequence analysis, inactivation is shown to be a consequence of the occasional (1 time in 1100) attack of Tyr298 on the anomeric center of the substrate, in place of the catalytic nucleophile, with formation of a stable alpha-D-glucopyranosyl tyrosine residue. Tyr298 is conserved throughout family 1 of glycoside hydrolases, an indication of a possible role in catalysis. Results of a kinetic analysis of the Tyr298Phe mutant are consistent with a function of Tyr298 in both orienting the nearby nucleophile Glu358 and stabilizing its deprotonated state in the free enzyme.

Factor Xa, with a cellulose-binding domain (CBD) fused to the C-terminus of the heavy chain (FXa-CBD), is active in solution and when immobilized on cellulose. A second derivative of factor Xa in which a hexahistidine tail is fused to the C-terminus of the heavy chain (FXa-H6) also retains activity when immobilized, in this case on Ni(2+)-NTA agarose. The stabilities and activities of of FXa-CBD and FXa-H6 immobilized on cellulose and Ni(2+)-NTA agarose, respectively, are similar. Immobilized factor Xa derivatives can be used to remove affinity tags from appropriate fusion proteins without contaminating the desired product with factor Xa.

Cellulomonas fimi endo-beta-1,4-glucanase A (CenA) contains a discrete N-terminal cellulose-binding domain (CBDCenA). Related CBDs occur in at least 16 bacterial glycanases and are characterized by four highly conserved Trp residues, two of which correspond to W14 and W68 of CBDCenA. The adsorption of CBDCenA to crystalline cellulose was compared with that of two Trp mutants (W14A and W68A). The affinities of the mutant CBDs for cellulose were reduced by approximately 50- and 30-fold, respectively, relative to the wild type. Physical measurements indicated that the mutant CBDs fold normally. Fluorescence data indicated that W14 and W68 were exposed on the CBD, consistent with their participation in binding to cellobiosyl residues on the cellulose surface.

The beta-galactosidases from Xanthomonas manihotis (beta-Gal Xmn) and Bacillus circulans (beta-Gal-3 Bcir) are retaining glycosidases that hydrolyze glycosidic bonds through a double displacement mechanism involving a covalent glycosyl-enzyme intermediate. The mechanism-based inactivator 2,4-dinitrophenyl 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-beta-D-galactopyranoside was shown to inactivate beta-Gal Xmn and beta-Gal-3 Bcir through the accumulation of 2-deoxy-2-fluorogalactosyl enzyme intermediates with half lives of 40 and 625 h, respectively. Peptic digestion of these labeled enzymes and analysis by LC-MS identified Glu(260) and Glu(233) as the catalytic nucleophiles involved in the formation of the glycosyl-enzyme intermediate during catalysis by beta-Gal Xmn and beta-Gal-3 Bcir, respectively. These findings confirm the previous prediction of the position of these residues based on primary sequence similarities to other members of the glycoside hydrolase family 35.

endo-Glycoceramidase, a membrane-associated family 5 glycosidase, deviates from the typical polysaccharide substrate specificity of other soluble members of the family, preferentially hydrolyzing glycosidic linkages between the oligosaccharide and ceramide moieties of gangliosides. Here we report the first x-ray crystal structures of an endo-glycoceramidase from Rhodococcus sp., in the apo form, in complex with the ganglioside G(M3) (Svennerholm ganglioside nomenclature (Svennerholm, L. (1964) J. Lipid Res. 5, 145-155)), and trapped as a glycosyl-enzyme intermediate. These snapshots provide the first molecular insight into enzyme recognition and association with gangliosides, revealing the structural adaptations necessary for glycosidase-catalyzed hydrolysis and detailing a novel ganglioside binding topology. Consistent with the chemical duality of the substrate, the active site of endo-glycoceramidase is split into a wide, polar cavity to bind the polyhydroxylated oligosaccharide moiety and a narrow, hydrophobic tunnel to bind the ceramide lipid chains. The specific interactions with the ceramide polar head group manifest a surprising aglycone specificity, an observation substantiated by our kinetic analyses. Collectively, the reported structural and kinetic data provide insight toward rational redesign of the synthetic glycosynthase mutant of endo-glycoceramidase to enable facile synthesis of nonnatural, therapeutically useful gangliosides.

Glycosphingolipids play crucial roles in virtually every stage of the cell cycle, and their clinical administration has been proposed as a treatment for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, stroke, and a range of other conditions. However, lack of supply has severely hindered testing of this potential. A novel glycosynthase-based synthetic strategy is demonstrated, involving a mutant of an endoglycoceramidase in which the catalytic nucleophile has been ablated. This mutant efficiently couples a range of glycosyl fluoride donors with a range of sphingosine-based acceptors in yields around 95%. This technology opens the door to large-scale production of glycosphingolipids and, thus, to clinical testing.

Thioglycoligases are recently introduced variants of retaining glycosidases in which the acid-base catalyst has been mutated, rendering them capable of thioglycoside synthesis. The original acid-base mutant of Agrobacterium sp. beta-glucosidase (E170A) was previously shown to be an effective thioglycoligase carrying out glycosyltransfer from 2,4-dinitrophenyl glycosides to several different thio sugar acceptors. Here we report the generation of a screen for improved thioglycoligases, randomized mutagenesis of the acid-base catalyst E170 and identification of variants superior to E170A. Furthermore we have established a coupled assay allowing kinetic analysis of isolated variants and found that Abg E170Q is 5-fold faster than Abg E170A when 2,4-dinitrophenyl glucoside is used as donor and 100-fold faster when glucosyl azide is used. To demonstrate its utility, different acceptor and donor sugar combinations were employed to produce thio-linked di- or trisaccharides in high yields, showing the considerable versatility of the system for the synthesis of carbohydrate mimetics.

Recombinant Cellulomonas fimi β-1,4-endoglucanases (Cel5A and Cel6A) and cellobiohydrolases (Cel6B and Cel48A) were assessed for their capacity to selectively modify the physical and optical properties of handsheets derived from a fully bleached, never-dried softwood pulp. The isolated binding domain (Cel6A CBD) and catalytic domain (Cel6A CD) were also evaluated. Treatment with endoglucanases, particularly Cel6A CD, caused substantial damage to the intrinsic fibre strength of the kraft furnish, and consequently compromised the physical handsheet properties. In contrast, treatment with Cel48A produced beneficial modifications, including improvements in handsheet tensile strength following mechanical refining and various degrees of wet pressing. Cel6B and Cel6A CBD had very limited effects on the fibre characteristics, and therefore did not alter the quality of the handsheets produced. An examination of carbohydrate solubilization and changes in the degree of polymerisation of the polysaccharides indicated that the capacity for Cel48A to beneficially modify pulp and paper characteristics seems to be related to its capacity to selectively degrade cellulose-hemicellulose linkages, and release and modify xylan moieties. Furthermore, this enzyme preparation demonstrated limited carbohydrate dissolution, indicating that the observed modifications were attained with very little yield loss. These results suggest that Cel48A, and enzymes with similar glycanase activity should be considered and further evaluated for their potential to treat pulp fibres to improve paper properties.

The C-terminal 155 amino acids of the putative laminarinase, Lam16A, from T. maritima comprise a highly thermostable family 4 CBM that binds beta-1,3- and beta-(1,3)(1,4)-glucans. Laminarin, a beta-1,3-glucan, presented two classes of binding sites for TmCBM4-2, one with a very high affinity (3.5 x 10(7) M(-1)) and one with a 100-fold lower affinity (2.4 x 10(5) M(-1)). The affinities for laminarioligosaccharides and beta-(1,3)(1,4)-glucans ranged from approximately 2 x 10(5) to approximately 2.5 x 10(6) M(-1). Cellooligosaccharides and laminariobiose were bound only very weakly (K(a)s approximately 5 x 10(3) M(-1)). Spectroscopic and mutagenic studies implicated the involvement of three tryptophan residues (W28, W58, and W99) and one tyrosine residue (Y23) in ligand binding. Binding was enthalpically driven and associated with large negative changes in heat capacity. Temperature and osmotic conditions profoundly influenced binding. For the first time in solution, the direct uptake and release of water in CBM binding are demonstrated.

International audience; The beta-galactosidases from Xanthomonas manihotis (beta-Gal Xmn) and Bacillus circulans (beta-Gal-3 Bcir) are retaining glycosidases that hydrolyze glycosidic bonds through a double displacement mechanism involving a covalent glycosyl-enzyme intermediate. The mechanism-based inactivator 2,4-dinitrophenyl 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-beta-D-galactopyranoside was shown to inactivate beta-Gal Xmn and beta-Gal-3 Bcir through the accumulation of 2-deoxy-2-fluorogalactosyl enzyme intermediates with half lives of 40 and 625 h, respectively. Peptic digestion of these labeled enzymes and analysis by LC-MS identified Glu(260) and Glu(233) as the catalytic nucleophiles involved in the formation of the glycosyl-enzyme intermediate during catalysis by beta-Gal Xmn and beta-Gal-3 Bcir, respectively. These findings confirm the previous prediction of the position of these residues based on primary sequence similarities to other members of the glycoside hydrolase family 35.

Engineering enzymes: The glutamic acid nucleophile of a retaining β-mannosidase has been replaced with a serine residue to form a β-mannosynthase. When the new enzyme is provided with an α-mannosyl fluoride donor and an appropriate acceptor, β-mannoside linkages are synthesized. Remarkably, α-mannosyl fluoride can be generated in situ by providing the mannosynthase with excess fluoride ion.

Affinity electrophoresis was used to identify and quantify the interaction of carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) with soluble polysaccharides. Association constants determined by AE were in excellent agreement with values obtained by isothermal titration calorimetry and fluorescence titration. The method was adapted to the identification, study and characterization of mutant carbohydrate-binding modules with altered affinities and specificities. Competition affinity electrophoresis was used to monitor binding of small, soluble mono- and disaccharides to one of the modules.

The genes man26a and man2A from Cellulomonas fimi encode mannanase 26A (Man26A) and β-mannosidase 2A (Man2A), respectively. Mature Man26A is a secreted, modular protein of 951 amino acids, comprising a catalytic module in family 26 of glycosyl hydrolases, an S-layer homology module, and two modules of unknown function. Exposure of Man26A produced by Escherichia coli to C. fimi protease generates active fragments of the enzyme that correspond to polypeptides with mannanase activity produced by C. fimi during growth on mannans, indicating that it may be the only mannanase produced by the organism. A significant fraction of the Man26A produced by C. fimi remains cell associated. Man2A is an intracellular enzyme comprising a catalytic module in a subfamily of family 2 of the glycosyl hydrolases that at present contains only mammalian β-mannosidases.

Four β-1,4-glucanases (cellulases) of the cellulolytic bacterium Cellulomonas fimi were purified from Escherichia coli cells transformed with recombinant plasmids. Previous analyses using soluble substrates had suggested that CenA and CenC were endoglucanases while CbhA and CbhB resembled the exo-acting cellobiohydrolases produced by cellulolytic fungi. Analysis of molecular size distributions during cellulose hydrolysis by the individual enzymes confirmed these preliminary findings and provided further evidence that endoglucanase CenC has a more processive hydrolytic activity than CenA. The significant differences between the size distributions obtained during hydrolysis of bacterial microcrystalline cellulose and acid-swollen cellulose can be explained in terms of the accessibility of β-1,4-glucan chains to enzyme attack. Endoglucanases and cellobiohydrolases were much more easily distinguished when the acid-swollen substrate was used.

A double mutant, retaining glycosidase that lacks both the catalytic nucleophile and the catalytic acid/base residues efficiently catalyzes thioglycoside formation from a glycosyl fluoride donor and thiosugar acceptors.

In the commonly accepted mechanism for enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose, endo-beta-1,4-glucanases randomly cleave glucosidic bonds within glucan polymers, providing sites for attack by exo-cellobiohydrolases (EC 3.2.1.91). It has been proposed that hydrolysis by Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase II is restricted to the ends of cellulose polymers because two surface loops cover its active site to form a tunnel. In a closely related endoglucanase, E2 from Thermomonospora fusca, access to the substrate appears to be relatively unhindered because the carboxyl-proximal loop is shortened, and the amino-proximal loop is displaced. The hypothesis was examined by deletion of a region in Cellulomonas fimi cellobiohydrolase A corresponding to part of the carboxyl-proximal loop of T. reesei cellobiohydrolase II. The mutation enhanced the endoglucanase activity of the enzyme on soluble O-(carboxymethyl)cellulose and altered its activities on 2',4'-dinitrophenyl-beta-D-cellobioside, insoluble cellulose, and cellotetraose.

Single crystals of the catalytic domain of Cex, an exo-beta-1,4-glucanase and beta-1,4-xylanase from the cellulolytic bacterium Cellulomonas fimi, have been grown in the presence of polyethylene glycol 4000 using the vapour diffusion technique. The crystals, which diffract to better than 2.0 A resolution, belong to space group P4(1)2(1)2 or P4(3)2(1)2 and have cell constants: a = b = 88.21 A, c = 81.10 A; alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees.

Endo-beta-1,4-glucanase B (CenB) is a large (110 kDa) extracellular enzyme from the cellulolytic bacterium Cellulomonas fimi. CenB contains five domains, including a typical C.fimi cellulose-binding domain, separated by distinctive linker polypeptides (Meinke et al., 1991b). X-ray scattering analyses show that CenB has a highly elongated shape resembling beads on a string. The sizes of the polypeptides produced by treatment of CenB with proteases, together with their N-terminal amino acid sequences, show that at least two of the four linkers connecting the five domains of CenB are more sensitive to proteolysis than the domains themselves. It is concluded that the beads represent the domains of CenB, the string represents the linkers.

The β-glucosidase from ATCC 21400, anAgrobacterium species, was purified to homogeneity. The protein was cleaved with cyanogen bromide and the peptides were purified by reversed phase FPLC. The partial amino acid sequence for one peptide was determined by automated Edman degradation. The sequence was used to synthesize a mixture of oligodeoxyribonucleotides which was used as a hybridization probe to identify a recombinant DNA clone carrying the gene for β-glucosidase. A single clone was isolated which expressed an enzymatic activity that hydrolyzed several β-glucosides. The enzymatic activity produced by this clone could be adsorbed by rabbit antiserum raised against theAgrobacterium enzyme. The direction of transcription of the β-glucosidase gene was determined by verifying the DNA sequence 3′ to the oligodeoxyribonucleotide probe binding site. After subcloning the gene a high level of expression was obtained in the plasmid vector pUC18 using the lacZ gene promoter.

Endoglucanase CenA of Cellulomonas fimi comprises an N-terminal cellulose-binding domain and a C-terminal catalytic domain joined together by a sequence of 23 proline and threonine residues (the Pro-Thr box). The domains function independently when separated by proteolysis. TnphoA has been used to generate cenA′-′phoA fusions. CenA′-′PhoA fusion polypeptides which contain the entire cellulose-binding domain of CenA bind to cellulose, allowing their purification from periplasmic extracts in a single, facile step. This result has implications for purification or immobilisation of chimeric proteins on a cheap cellulose matrix.

We have constructed a fusion between the gene (abg) for a β-glucosidase (Abg) of an Agrobacterium sp. and part of the gene (cex) for an exoglucanase (Cex) of Cellulomonas fimi. The abg-cex fusion encodes a fusion protein (Abg-CBDCex) with the cellulose-binding properties of Cex and β-glucosidase activity of Abg. The fusion protein retained 42 percent of its β-glucosidase activity when bound to cellulose. The binding was stable enough to allow continuous hydrolysis of substrate by the enzyme without detectable leaching of the enzyme from the cellulose. We believe that the cellulose-binding domain (CBDCex) of Cex offers a simple, inexpensive and widely applicable method of enzyme immobilization.

Glycosynthases are nucleophile mutants of retaining glycosidases that catalyze the glycosylation of sugar acceptors using glycosyl fluoride donors, thereby synthesizing oligosaccharides. The 'original' glycosynthase, derived from Agrobacterium sp. beta-glucosidase (Abg) by mutating the nucleophile glutamate to alanine (E358A), synthesizes oligosaccharides in yields exceeding 90% [Mackenzie, L.F., Wang, Q., Warren, R.A.J. and Withers, S.G. (1998) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120, 5583-5584]. This mutant has now been re-cloned with a His(6)-tag into a pET-29b(+) vector, allowing gram scale production and single step chromatographic purification. A dramatic, 24-fold, improvement in synthetic rates has also been achieved by substituting the nucleophile with serine, resulting in improved product yields, reduced reaction times and an enhanced synthetic repertoire. Thus poor acceptors for Abg E358A, such as PNP-GlcNAc, are successfully glycosylated by E358S, allowing the synthesis of PNP-beta-LacNAc. The increased glycosylation activity of Abg E358S likely originates from a stabilizing interaction between the Ser hydroxyl group and the departing anomeric fluorine of the alpha-glycosyl fluoride.