Characterization of the mupirocin biosynthesis gene cluster from Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB 10586

The polyketide antibiotic mupirocin (pseudomonic acid) produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB 10586 competitively inhibits bacterial isoleucyl-tRNA synthase and is useful in controlling Staphylococcus aureus, particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The 74 kb mupirocin biosynthesis cluster has been sequenced, and putative enzymatic functions of many of the open reading frames (ORFs) have been identified. The mupirocin cluster is a combination of six larger ORFs (mmpA-F), containing several domains resembling the multifunctional proteins of polyketide synthase and fatty acid synthase type I systems, and individual genes (mupA-X and macpA-E), some of which show similarity to type II systems (mupB, mupD, mupG, and mupS). Gene knockout experiments demonstrated the importance of regions in mupirocin production, and complementation of the disrupted gene confirmed that the phenotypes were not due to polar effects. A model for mupirocin biosynthesis is presented based on the sequence and biochemical evidence.     

Cyclic lipoundecapeptide tensin from Pseudomonas fluorescens strain 96.578

The crystal structure of the non‐ribosomal lipoundecapeptide tensin from Pseudomonas fluorescens has been solved as an ethyl acetate/bis‐water solvate (tensin ethyl acetate dihydrate, C₆₇H₁₁₅N₁₂O₂₀·C₄H₈O₂·2H₂O) to a resolution of 0.8 Å. The primary structure of tensin is β‐hydroxydecanoyl‐d ‐Leu‐d ‐Asp‐d ‐allo‐Thr‐d ‐Leu‐d ‐Leu‐d ‐Ser‐l ‐Leu‐d ‐Gln‐l ‐Leu‐l ‐Ile‐l ‐Glu. The peptide is a lactone linking the Thr3 O_γ atom to the C‐terminal C atom. The stereochemistry of the β‐hydroxy acid has been shown to be S. The peptide shows structural resemblance to the non‐ribosomal cyclic lipopeptide fengycin from Bacillus subtilis. The structure of tensin is essentially helical (3₁₀‐helix), with the cyclic peptide wrapping around a hydrogen‐bonded water molecule. The lipopeptide is amphipathic in good agreement with its function as a biosurfactant.     

A cryptic PKS-NRPS gene locus in the plant commensal Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5 codes for the biosynthesis of an antimitotic rhizoxin complex

Targeted gene inactivation and metabolic profiling revealed that the cryptic PKS-NRPS gene cluster in the genome of the plant commensal Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5 codes for the biosynthesis of antiproliferative and antifungal rhizoxin derivatives.     

Adhesion of Pseudomonas fluorescens on magnetic surfaces

The adhesion of Pseudomonas fluorescens (ATCC 700830) to perpendicularly polarized magnetic surfaces was recently discovered. The findings have found that the magnetic free surfaces from different magnetic polarities have different profound effects on the P. fluorescens bacterial adhesion to its surfaces. These phenomena can be explained by the surface magnetic effect, which was found to affect the surface free energy. An in situ experiment, by contrast microscopy and under static conditions, was conducted to determine the influence of magnetic surfaces, that are polarized under different external magnetizing field strengths, on bacterial adhesion. The effect of different magnetic polarities on the surface free energy has also been investigated.     

Aldol Reactions of the trans-o-Hydroxybenzylidenepyruvate Hydratase-Aldolase (tHBP-HA) from Pseudomonas fluorescens N3

In this paper, a recombinant trans-o-hydroxybenzylidenepyruvate hydratase-aldolase (tHBP-HA) of Pseudomonas fluorescens N3 was used as a new catalyst for aldol condensation reactions. The reaction of some aldehydes with a different electronic activation catalyzed by tHBP-HA is presented and discussed together with some hints on the product structure. The enzyme is strictly pyruvate-dependent but uses different aldehydes as acceptors. The structure of the products is highly dependent on the electronic characteristics of the aldehyde. The results are interesting for both their synthetic importance and the mechanism of the formation of the products. Not only the products obtained and the recognition power are reported, but also some characteristics of its mechanism are analyzed. The results clearly show that the enzyme is efficiently prepared, purified, and stored, that it recognizes many different substrates, and that the products depend on the substrate electronic nature.     

Study of the interaction and activation of lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens in surfactant monolayers and precipitates

The activation of lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens (PFL) upon its immobilization in surfactant coprecipitates (hexadecane-1,2-diol (HDD), cetyl alcohol (CetOH), N-cetylacetamide (CetAA), and cetylamine (CetNH₂)) organized in monolayers at the interface were studied by the Langmuir—Blodgett monolayer technique. Incorporation of the enzyme into surfactant monolayers at the surface pressure = 10 mN m^–1 results in an apparent increase in the area per molecule. In the series of noncharged surfactants CetOH—HDD—CetAA, this effect increases in proportion to the amount of the enzyme incorporated in the monolayer. The catalytic activity of the lipase—surfactant coprecipitates in an organic solvent as regards esterification increases in the same sequence, indicating similarity of the interaction of lipase with surfactant monolayers and coprecipitates. For = 10 mN m^–1, the CetNH₂ monolayer with liquid-expanded state incorporates the largest amount of the enzyme (PFL : CetNH₂ = 1 : 290); the CetOH monolayer, which exists in the condensed state under the same conditions, incorporates the smallest amount (PFL : CetOH = 1 : 1700). The hydrolytic activity of PFL in mixed monolayers with surfactants increases 1.5—11-fold; the esterification activity in surfactant coprecipitates, 1.6—9-fold. The lipase activation effects are explained by facilitated transport of substrates into mixed monolayers and surfactant—enzyme precipitates in aqueous and organic media, respectively.     

Polysaccharide differences between planktonic and biofilm-associated EPS from Pseudomonas fluorescens B52

The polysaccharides associated with free (planktonic) and surface-attached (biofilm) cells from cultures of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain B52 were compared. Variations in the attached matrix due to surface material (glass or stainless steel) were also analyzed. Two digestion methods were used to optimize the recoveries of sugars, uronic acids and acidic substituents. The yield of analyzable material after digestion reached 90% for the material associated to the biofilms, though only 20–30% for that bound to planktonic cells. The polysaccharide(s) in the biofilm had glucuronic and guluronic acids as main components, besides rhamnose, glucose and glucosamine. The proportion of glucuronic to guluronic acid was higher in the polysaccharide(s) found in biofilms formed on stainless steel than in those on glass.     

Differential effects of bromination on substrates and inhibitors of kynureninase from Pseudomonas fluorescens

A series of brominated compounds has been synthesized and evaluated as substrates and inhibitors of kynureninase from Pseudomonas fluorescens. Both 3-bromo-L-kynurenine and 5-bromo-L-kynurenine were found to be substrates with similar k(cat) values to L-kynurenine, but the K(m) value for 3-bromo-L-kynurenine is very high (ca. 2 mM) compared to that for 5-bromo-L-kynurenine (11 microM) and L-kynurenine (25 microM). Both isomers of bromokynurenine react with kynureninase within the dead time of the stopped-flow instrument (ca. 1 ms) to form quinonoid intermediates with a lambda max of 494 nm that decay with rate constants of 300-600 s-1, similar to L-kynurenine. The two diastereomers of 5-bromodihydro-L-kynurenine were also prepared, and are more potent inhibitors than dihydro-L-kynurenines. (4R)-5-Bromodihydro-L-kynurenine is one of the most potent inhibitors of P. fluorescens kynureninase found to date (Ki = 55 nM) and also acts as a slow substrate; the (4S)-epimer, on the other hand, shows no measurable substrate activity, but it is a potent competitive inhibitor with a Ki value of 170 nM. In contrast, brominated analogs of (S)-(2-aminophenyl)-L-cysteine S,S-dioxide, (S)-(2-amino-4-bromophenyl)-L-cysteine S,S-dioxide and (S)-(2-amino-5-bromophenyl)-L-cysteine S,S-dioxide are competitive inhibitors of kynureninase, with Ki values of about 300 and 400 nm, respectively, about ten-fold higher than the value of 27 nM obtained for the parent compound. These results suggest that the binding modes of substrates and the various classes of inhibitors in the active site of kynureninase are different.     

Electrical wiring of Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas fluorescens with osmium redox polymers

Two different flexible osmium redox polymers; poly(1-vinylimidazole)12-[Os-(4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-di'pyridyl)2Cl2](2+/+) (osmium redox polymer I) and poly(vinylpyridine)-[Os-(N,N'-methylated-2,2'-biimidazole)3](2+/3+) (osmium redox polymer II) were investigated for their ability to efficiently "wire" Pseudomonas putida ATCC 126633 and Pseudomonas fluorescens (P. putida DSM 6521), which are well-known phenol degrading organisms, when entrapped onto cysteamine modified gold electrodes. The two Os-polymers differ in redox potential and the length of the side chains, where the Os(2+/3+)-functionalities are located. The bacterial cells were adapted to grow in the presence of phenol as the sole source of organic carbon. The performance of the redox polymers as mediators was investigated for making microbial sensors. The analytical characteristics of the microbial sensors were evaluated for determination of catechol, phenol and glucose as substrates in both batch analysis and flow analysis mode.     

Rapid reagentless quantification of alginate biosynthesis in Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria mutants using FT-IR spectroscopy coupled to multivariate partial least squares regression

Alginate is an important medical and commercial product and currently is isolated from seaweeds. Certain microorganisms also produce alginate and these polymers have the potential to replace seaweed alginates in some applications, mainly because such production will allow much better and more reproducible control of critical qualitative polymer properties. The research conducted here presents the development of a new approach to this problem by analysing a transposon insertion mutant library constructed in an alginate-producing derivative of the Pseudomonas fluorescens strain SBW25. The procedure is based on the non-destructive and reagent-free method of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy which is used to generate a complex biochemical infrared fingerprint of the medium after bacterial growth. First, we investigate the potential differences caused by the growth media fructose and glycerol on the bacterial phenotype and alginate synthesis in 193 selected P. fluorescens mutants and show that clear phenotypic differences are observed in the infrared fingerprints. In order to quantify the level of the alginate we also report the construction and interpretation of multivariate partial least squares regression models which were able to quantify alginate levels successfully with typical normalized root-mean-square error in predictions of only approximately 14%. We have demonstrated that this high-throughput approach can be implemented in alginate screens and we believe that this FT-IR spectroscopic methodology, when combined with the most appropriate chemometrics, could easily be modified for the quantification of other valuable microbial products and play a valuable screening role for synthetic biology.     

Manipulation of carrier proteins in antibiotic biosynthesis

Engineering biosynthetic pathways into suitable host organisms has become an attractive venue for the design, evaluation, and production of small molecule therapeutics. Polyketide (PK) and nonribosomal peptide (NRP) synthases have been of particular interest due to their modular structure, yet routine cloning and expression of these enzymes remains challenging. Here we describe a method to covalently label carrier proteins from PK and NRP synthases using the enzymatic transfer of a modified coenzyme A analog by a 4'-phosphopantetheinyltransferase. Using this method, carrier proteins can be loaded with single fluorescent or affinity reporters, providing novel entry for protein visualization, Western blot identification, and affinity purification. Application of these methods provides an ideal tool to track and quantify metabolically engineered pathways. Such techniques are valuable to measure protein expression, solubility, activity, and native posttranslational modification events in heterologous systems.     

Asymmetrization of meso-1,3-diols utilising Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase

A convenient and enantioselective synthesis of monoacetates of meso-1,3-diols 2-substituted with an alkoxymethyl or a thiophenylmethyl group, by enzyme catalyzed acylation, is described. The absolute stereochemistries of two monoacetates were assigned by chemical correlation.     

Efficient resolution of prostereogenic arylaliphatic ketones using a recombinant alcohol dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas fluorescens

A broad range of arylaliphatic ketones is efficiently reduced to the corresponding optically active (R)-alcohols by a recombinant alcohol dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas fluorescens (PFADH) produced by overexpression in Escherichia coli. PFADH shows high activity and stereoselectivity in the reduction of acetophenone and various derivatives (45–99% e.e.), as well as in the reduction of 3-oxobutyric acid methyl ester (>99% e.e.). The highest activity was observed between 10 and 20°C. The cofactor NADH can be efficiently recycled by the addition of 10–20% (v/v) of iso-propanol.     

Kinetic and spectroscopic characterization of ACMSD from Pseudomonas fluorescens reveals a pentacoordinate mononuclear metallocofactor

The enzyme alpha-amino-beta-carboxy-muconic-epsilon-semialdehyde decarboxylase (ACMSD) plays an important role in the biodegradation of 2-nitrobenzoic acid in microorganisms and in tryptophan catabolism in humans. We report that the overexpressed ACMSD enzyme from Pseudomonas fluorescens requires a divalent metal, such as Co(II), Fe(II), Cd(II), or Mn(II), for catalytic activity and that neither a redox reagent nor an organic cofactor is required for the catalytic function. The metal ions can be taken up in either cell or cell-free preparations for generating the active form of ACMSD. The kinetic parameters and enzyme specific activity are shown to depend on the metal ion present in the enzyme, suggesting a catalytic role of the metal center. EPR spectrum of Co(II)-ACMSD provides a high-spin (S = 3/2 mononuclear metal ion in a non-heme, noncorrinoid environment with a mixed nitrogen/oxygen ligand field. We observe hyperfine interactions due to 59Co nucleus at temperatures below 5 K but not at higher temperatures. Ten hyperfine lines are present in the g(perpendicular) region, and three equivalent nitrogen hyperfine couplings are required to simulate the resonances in the EPR spectrum. The results for the metal binding site are also assessed using the copper-substituted enzyme, and the EPR spectral assignments for both cobalt and copper proteins give strong support for a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry of the metal center. Ultimately, these results suggest for the first time that ACMSD is a metal-dependent enzyme that catalyzes a novel nonoxidative decarboxylation.     

4-Hydroxyacetophenone monooxygenase from Pseudomonas fluorescens ACB as an oxidative biocatalyst in the synthesis of optically active sulfoxides

Recombinant 4-hydroxyacetophenone monooxygenase (HAPMO) from Pseudomonas fluorescens ACB has been tested as a catalyst in sulfoxidation reactions on a set of aromatic sulfides. With a few exceptions, excellent enantioselectivities in the synthesis of chiral phenyl and benzyl sulfoxides were achieved. The bacterial Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenase was also shown to accept racemic sulfoxides, a prochiral diketone and an organoboron compound as substrates. This study demonstrates the great biocatalytic potential of this novel oxidative enzyme.