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Bacterial nitrilases and their regulation

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Abstract

Commercially, nitrilases are valuable biocatalysts capable of converting a diverse range of nitriles to carboxylic acids for the greener synthesis of chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Nitrilases are widespread in nature and are both important components of metabolic pathways and a response to environmental factors such as natural or manmade nitriles. Nitrilases are often grouped together on a genome in specific gene clusters that reflect these metabolic functions. Although nitrilase induction systems are still poorly understood, it is known that a powerful Rhodococcal transcription regulator system permits accumulation of intracellular nitrilase of up to 30–40% of total soluble protein in wild type Rhodococcous rhodochrous and host Streptomyces strains. Nitrilase expression inducer molecules encompass a broad range of aliphatic, aromatic and heteroaromatic nitriles, as well as some secondary and tertiary amides that are resistant to nitrilase degradation.

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Notes

  1. Oddly, the nitA gene product is labelled as an aliphatic nitrilase in UniProt (UniProtKB Q03217: NRL2_RHORH)

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the CSIR, the University of the Witwatersrand and DST for funding and resources needed to complete this work. Financial support from the Department of Science and Technology Biocatalysis Initiative (Grant 0175/2013) was greatly appreciated.

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Department of Science and Technology Biocatalysis Initiative (Grant 0175/2013).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIR Biosciences, PO Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Varsha P. Chhiba-Govindjee & Chris W. van der Westhuyzen

  2. Molecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, PO Wits, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa

    Varsha P. Chhiba-Govindjee, Moira L. Bode & Dean Brady

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  1. Varsha P. Chhiba-Govindjee
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  2. Chris W. van der Westhuyzen
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Correspondence to Dean Brady.

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Chhiba-Govindjee, V.P., van der Westhuyzen, C.W., Bode, M.L. et al. Bacterial nitrilases and their regulation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 103, 4679–4692 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-019-09776-1

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