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Molecular cloning and enzymological characterization of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate independent aspartate racemase from hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus litoralis DSM 5473

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Abstract

We succeeded in expressing the aspartate racemase homolog gene from Thermococcus litoralis DSM 5473 in Escherichia coli Rosetta (DE3) and found that the gene encodes aspartate racemase. The aspartate racemase gene consisted of 687 bp and encoded 228 amino acid residues. The purified enzyme showed aspartate racemase activity with a specific activity of 1590 U/mg. The enzyme was a homodimer with a molecular mass of 56 kDa and did not require pyridoxal 5′-phosphate as a coenzyme. The enzyme showed aspartate racemase activity even at 95 °C, and the activation energy of the enzyme was calculated to be 51.8 kJ/mol. The enzyme was highly thermostable, and approximately 50 % of its initial activity remained even after incubation at 90 °C for 11 h. The enzyme showed a maximum activity at a pH of 7.5 and was stable between pH 6.0 and 7.0. The enzyme acted on l-cysteic acid and l-cysteine sulfinic acid in addition to d- and l-aspartic acids, and was strongly inhibited by iodoacetic acid. The site-directed mutagenesis of the enzyme showed that the essential cysteine residues were conserved as Cys83 and Cys194. d-Forms of aspartic acid, serine, alanine, and valine were contained in T. litoralis DSM 5473 cells.

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Abbreviations

AspR:

Aspartate racemase

DTT:

Dithiothreitol

KPB:

Potassium phosphate buffer

LB:

Luria-Bertani

PLP:

Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate

PCR:

Polymerase chain reaction

SDS:

Sodium dodecyl sulfate

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mr. Taro Hirozane for his construction of pET 11b-Tl-aspr. This study was supported in part by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)—Supported Program for the Strategic Research Foundation at Private Universities, 2013–2017. This research was financially supported in part by the Kansai University Grant-in-Aid for progress of research in graduate course, 2015.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Materials and Bioengineering, Kansai University, 3-3-35 Yamate-Cho, Suita, Osaka-Fu, 564-8680, Japan

    Tsubasa Washio & Tadao Oikawa

  2. Kansai University High Technology Research Center, 3-3-35 Yamate-Cho, Suita, Osaka-Fu, 564-8680, Japan

    Shiro Kato & Tadao Oikawa

Authors
  1. Tsubasa Washio
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  2. Shiro Kato
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  3. Tadao Oikawa
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Correspondence to Tadao Oikawa.

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Communicated by H. Atomi.

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Washio, T., Kato, S. & Oikawa, T. Molecular cloning and enzymological characterization of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate independent aspartate racemase from hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus litoralis DSM 5473. Extremophiles 20, 711–721 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-016-0860-8

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