In vitro characterization of the enzymes involved in TDP-D-forosamine biosynthesis in the spinosyn pathway of Saccharopolyspora spinosa

Forosamine (4-dimethylamino)-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-beta-D-threo-hexopyranose) is a highly deoxygenated sugar component of several important natural products, including the potent yet environmentally benign insecticide spinosyns. To study D-forosamine biosynthesis, the five genes (spnO, N, Q, R, and S) from the spinosyn gene cluster thought to be involved in the conversion of TDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose to TDP-D-forosamine were cloned and heterologously expressed, and the corresponding proteins were purified and their activities examined in vitro. Previous work demonstrated that SpnQ functions as a pyridoxamine 5'-monophosphate (PMP)-dependent 3-dehydrase which, in the presence of the cellular reductase pairs ferredoxin/ferredoxin reductase or flavodoxin/flavodoxin reductase, catalyzes C-3 deoxygenation of TDP-4-keto-2,6-dideoxy-D-glucose. It was also established that SpnR functions as a transaminase which converts the SpnQ product, TDP-4-keto-2,3,6-trideoxy-D-glucose, to TDP-4-amino-2,3,4,6-tetradeoxy-D-glucose. The results presented here provide a full account of the characterization of SpnR and SpnQ and reveal that SpnO and SpnN functions as a 2,3-dehydrase and a 3-ketoreductase, respectively. These two enzymes act sequentially to catalyze C-2 deoxygenation of TDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose to form the SpnQ substrate, TDP-4-keto-2,6-dideoxy-D-glucose. Evidence has also been obtained to show that SpnS functions as the 4-dimethyltransferase that converts the SpnR product to TDP-D-forosamine. Thus, the biochemical functions of the five enzymes involved in TDP-D-forosamine formation have now been fully elucidated. The steady-state kinetic parameters for the SpnQ-catalyzed reaction have been determined, and the substrate specificities of SpnQ and SpnR have been explored. The implications of this work for natural product glycodiversification and comparative mechanistic analysis of SpnQ and related NDP-sugar 3-dehydrases E1 and ColD are discussed.     

Escherichia coli-catalyzed bioelectrochemical oxidation of acetate in the presence of mediators

Bioelectrocatalytic oxidation of acetate was investigated under anaerobic conditions by using Escherichia coli K-12 (IFO 3301) cells cultured on aerobic media containing poly-peptone, glucose or acetate as the sole carbon source. It was found that all E. coli cells cultured on the three media work as good catalysts of the electrochemical oxidation of acetate as well as glucose with Fe(CN)6(3-), 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzo-quinone (Q0), 2,6-dichloro-indophenol, or 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone as artificial electron acceptors (mediators). Acetate-grown E. coli cells exhibited the highest relative activity of the acetate oxidation against the glucose oxidation. On the other hand, all the artificial electron acceptors used work as inhibitors for the catalytic oxidation of acetate at increased concentrations. The inhibition phenomenon can be interpreted in terms of competitive substrate inhibition as a whole. Apparent values of Michaelis constant, catalytic constant, and inhibition constant were evaluated by amperometric methods. Q0 is an effective artificial mediator as evidenced by a large reaction rate constant between the cell and Q0 at least at low concentrations (<50 microM). However, Fe(CN)6(3-) is a promising mediator in biosensor applications because the inhibition constant is very large and it works as an electron acceptor even under aerobic conditions.     

Escherichia coli O86 O-antigen biosynthetic gene cluster and stepwise enzymatic synthesis of human blood group B antigen tetrasaccharide

Previous study showed that some Gram-negative bacteria possess human blood group activity. Among them, Escherichia coli O86 has high blood group B activity and weak blood group A activity. This is due to the cell surface O-antigen structure, which resembles that of human blood group B antigen. In this study, we sequenced the entire E. coli O86 antigen gene cluster and identified all the genes responsible for O-antigen biosynthesis by sequence comparative analysis. The blood group B-like antigen in E. coli O86 O-polysaccharide was synthesized by sequentially employing three glycosyltransferases identified in the gene cluster. More importantly, we identified a new bacterial glycosyltransferase (WbnI) equivalent to human blood group transferase B (GTB). The enzyme substrate specificity and stepwise enzymatic synthesis of blood group B-like antigen revealed that the biosynthetic pathway of B antigen is essentially the same in E. coli O86 as in humans. This new finding provides a model to study the specificity and structure relationship of blood group transferases and supports the hypothesis of anti-blood group antibody production by bacterial stimulation.     

Au纳米标记物增强电化学免疫分析大肠杆菌的研究

通过在Au纳米颗粒表面修饰辣根过氧化酶(HRP)标记的大肠杆菌抗体制备了一种新型的Au纳米标记物, 并将该纳米标记物应用于增强电化学免疫分析大肠杆菌. 经过酶联免疫反应后, Au纳米标记物、免疫磁性颗粒(IMB)和大肠杆菌形成了IMB/抗体-大肠杆菌-Au纳米标记物的三明治式免疫复合物. 以3,3,5,5-四甲基联苯二胺(TMB)溶液作为底物, 采用电化学与流动注射检测(FIA)相结合的技术测定HRP的活性. 检测到的电流大小与免疫复合物上HRP的量成正比, 从而与大肠杆菌的浓度成正比. Au纳米颗粒增加了HRP的负载量, 增强了电化学信号, 大大提高了大肠杆菌的检测灵敏度. 实验结果表明, 大肠杆菌浓度在 1.0×102～5.0×104 cfu•mL－1范围内与电流大小成线性相关, 最低检测限达50 cfu•mL－1, 若对大肠杆菌样品溶液进行预浓缩, 将得到更宽的检测范围和更低的检测限. 本方法总的分析时间比其他方法短, 在1 h内就能完成对大肠杆菌样品的快速检测.     

Toxicities of dicyanobenzofurazans with formation of superoxide in Escherichia coli

The toxicities of some benzofurazans (BZs), benzofurazan (1), 4,7-dimethylbenzofurazan (2), 4,7-dibromobenzofurazan (3), 4-bromo-6-cyanobenzofurazan (4), 4,7-dicyanobenzofurazan (5) and 4,5-dicyanobenzofurazan (6), were examined on Escherichia coli. Compound 5 at 4 microM and compound 6 at 7 microM completely inhibited the growth of E. coli in a simple nutritionally restricted medium (GM medium). These compounds were more toxic in GM medium than in a nutritionally rich medium (YE medium), which contained yeast extract as an additive in GM medium. Compound 4 also inhibited the growth of E. coli at 300 microM in GM medium. The toxicities of BZs were in the order of 1 approximately 2 approximately 3 less than 4 approximately 5 approximately 6. Compounds 4, 5 and 6 induced manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) and catalase activities of E. coli in YE medium. The induced SOD and catalase provide a defense against the potential cytotoxicities of O2- and H2O2. The rate of dioxygen uptake in cyanide-resistant respiration of E. coli was dependent on the concentration of 5, and was correlated with the induction of SOD and catalase. The reduction potentials of BZs followed the order of 1 approximately 2 less than 3 less than 4 less than 5 approximately 6. Compounds 5 and 6, which had redox potentials higher than those of the other BZs, are thought to be more readily reduced in the living system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

大肠杆菌O152中wfgD基因编码的β-1,3-葡萄糖基转移酶产物结构的质谱表征

大肠杆菌O152抗原的寡糖重复单位中含葡萄糖-β-1,3-N-乙酰葡萄糖胺(Glc-β-1,3-GlсNAc)连接键。本研究采用电喷雾离子化多级串联质谱技术对以人工合成的天然受体底物的结构类似物苯氧基十一烷二磷酸-N-乙酰葡萄糖胺(GlcNAc-β-PO3-PO3-(CH2)11-O-phenyl(GlcNAc-PP-PhU))为受体底物,尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖(UDP-Glc)为给予体底物的酶促反应产物进行了详细的结构表征。电喷雾离子化多级串联质谱图中观察到的主要碎片源于磷酸二酯键部分和糖苷键的裂解。此外,由观察到的二糖产物非还原端碎片获得了序列信息;跨环断裂碎片及源于吡喃环取代基消除的‘内在’碎裂离子可提供组成产物的单糖残基连接方式信息。广泛的碎裂信息表明wfgD基因编码UDP-Glc:GlcNAc-pyrophosphate-lipid中的β-1-3葡萄糖基转移酶。     

Synthesis of modified peptidoglycan precursor analogues for the inhibition of glycosyltransferase

The peptidoglycan glycosyltransferases (GTs) are essential enzymes that catalyze the polymerization of glycan chains of the bacterial cell wall from lipid II and thus constitute a validated antibacterial target. Their enzymatic cavity is composed of a donor site for the growing glycan chain (where the inhibitor moenomycin binds) and an acceptor site for lipid II substrate. In order to find lead inhibitors able to fill this large active site, we have synthesized a series of substrate analogues of lipid I and lipid II with variations in the lipid, the pyrophosphate, and the peptide moieties and evaluated their biological effect on the GT activity of E. coli PBP1b and their antibacterial potential. We found several compounds able to inhibit the GT activity in vitro and cause growth defect in Bacillus subtilis . The more active was C16-phosphoglycerate-MurNAc-(L-Ala-D-Glu)-GlcNAc, which also showed antibacterial activity. These molecules are promising leads for the design of new antibacterial GT inhibitors.     

Rapid analysis of nucleotide-activated sugars by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detection, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance

A generally applicable method for HPLC analysis of sugar nucleotides was established. Separation was achieved using ion-pair chromatography on a reversed-phase column. Ion-pair reagents were selected and various parameters optimized with respect to separation of 11 of the most important sugar nucleotides and compatibility with on-line detection by electrospray ionization MS and NMR. The method was applied to the on-line analysis of the GDP-D-mannose-4,6-dehydratase (Gmd) and GDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-mannose reductase (Rmd) catalyzed conversion of GDP-D-mannose to GDP-D-rhamnose. By LC-NMR, the intermediate product of the reaction was shown to be a mixture of GDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-mannose and GDP-3-keto-6-deoxy-D-mannose. Nucleotide co-factors of enzymatic reactions such as ATP and NADH did not interfere with the analysis of nucleotide-activated sugars.     

Synthesis, primary photophysical and antibacterial properties of naphthyl ester cinoxacin and nalidixic acid derivatives

We have synthesized two naphthyl ester quinolone derivates and determined their ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as (1)O(2), ()OH, H(2)O(2) upon photolysis with UV-A light. The ability of cinoxacin (1) and nalidixic acid (2), and their naphthyl ester derivatives (3 and 4) to generate a dose-dependent amount of singlet oxygen and ROS (()(-)O(2), ()OH) in cell-free systems was detected by histidine assay and by luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence (LCL), respectively. Their electronic absorption and emission spectra were quantified and their photostability was determined. Their tendency to generate peroxidic derivative species showed the following order: 3>4; in contrast, their ability to generate singlet oxygen was 4>3 and these were better sensitizers than their parent quinolones 1 and 2. The antibacterial activity in darkness and under irradiation of compounds 3 and 4 was tested on Escherichia coli and compared with that of their parent compounds. An enhanced antibacterial activity by irradiation of the naphthyl esters of cinoxacin and nalidixic acid on E. coli was observed.     

Expression and initial characterization of WbbI, a putative D-Galf:alpha-D-Glc beta-1,6-galactofuranosyltransferase from Escherichia coli K-12

Cloning of E. coli K-12 orf8 (wbbI) and over-expression of the corresponding enzyme as a maltose-binding fusion protein provided recombinant WbbI beta-1,6-galactofuranosyltransferase activity. Challenged with synthetic acceptor analogues in the presence of UDP-galactofuranose as a donor, WbbI showed a modest preference for pyranoside acceptor substrates of the alpha-D-gluco-configuration but it also possessed the ability to turn-over acceptor analogues.     

Rapid and ultrasensitive E. coli O157:H7 quantitation by combination of ligandmagnetic nanoparticles enrichment with fluorescent nanoparticles based two-color flow cytometry

A novel, fast and sensitive determination strategy for E. coli O157:H7 has been developed by combination of ligandmagnetic nanoparticles (LMNPs) enrichment with a fluorescent silica nanoparticles (FSiNPs) based two-color flow cytometry assay (LMNPs@FSiNPs-FCM). E. coli O157:H7 was first captured and enriched through the lectin concanavalin A (Con A) favored strong adhesion of E. coli O157:H7 to the mannose-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles. The enriched E. coli O157:H7 was further specially labeled with goat anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibody modified RuBpy-doped FSiNPs, and then stained with a nucleic acid dye SYBR Green I (SYBR-I). After dual-labeling with FSiNPs and SYBR-I, the enriched E. coli O157:H7 was determined using multiparameter FCM analysis. With this method, the detection sensitivity was greatly improved due to the LMNPs enrichment and the signal amplification of the FSiNPs labelling method. Furthermore, the false positives caused by aggregates of FSiNPs conjugates and nonspecific binding of FSiNPs to background debris could be significantly decreased. This assay allowed the detection of E. coli O157:H7 in PB buffer at levels as low as 7 cells mL(-1). The total assay time including E. coli O157:H7 sample enrichment and detection was less than 4 h. An artificially contaminated bottled mineral water sample with a concentration of 6 cells mL(-1) can be detected by this method. It is believed that the proposed method will find wide applications in biomedical fields demanding higher sensitive bacterial identification.     

Bacteriostatic effect of 4,7-dicyanobenzofurazan due to inactivation of 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate dehydratase.

As part of our research on benzofurazans (BZs), we have reported the bacterioses of BZs in Escherichia coli, which may be due to O2-. produced within E. coli in the presence of dioxygen (O2). Incubation of E. coli with 4,7-dicyanobenzofurazan (1) lowered the 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate dehydratase activity detectable in extracts from these cells. Addition of branched chain amino acids such as valine and leucine protected E. coli from growth inhibition by compound 1, though it could not protect E. coli from the damage by paraquat (PQ). Addition of Fe(III)-tris[N-(2-pyridylmethyl)-2-aminoethyl]amine (Fe-TPAA), a novel superoxide dismutase mimic, protected the dehydratase in a dose-dependent manner, which confirms that inactivation of the dehydratase is largely due to production of O2-.. The possibility was discussed that the bacteriostatic effect of compound 1 is due to the inactivation of 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate dehydratase.     

一种新型希夫碱及其3d,4f配合物的抗菌活性

用微量热法研究一种新型希夫碱及其3d,4f配合物(2L, 2LZnYb)对大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌的抗菌活性, 得到了在它们作用下大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌生长代谢的产热曲线, 并且基于分析生长代谢和非生长代谢的产热曲线建立的热动力学方程, 获得了它们的抗菌活性. 结果表明, 两种化合物(ZL, 2LZnYb)对大肠杆菌的生长代谢有强的活性(IC50分别为6.1 和5.1 mg·L-1), 但对金黄色葡萄球菌的生长代谢的活性弱得多(IC50分别为310.1 和595.5 mg·L-1). Zn 和Yb的导入使化合物对大肠杆菌生长代谢的抑制作用稍微增加, 但大大降低了对金黄色葡萄球菌的抑制作用. 对于非生长代谢, 两种化合物的活性有很大的差别. 无论对大肠杆菌还是金黄色葡萄球菌, 由于配体2L的导入, 表现出显著的抑制作用, 2L的MSC50为6.4和209.7 mg·L-1. 配体2L可能成为新的抗菌先导化合物.     

Basic studies of hydrogen evolution by escherichia coli containing a cloned citrobacter freundii hydrogenase gene

Citrobacter freundii genes that complemented Escherichia coli hyd-(hydrogenase activity) mutation were cloned in plasmids pCBH4 (6.2 kb) and pCBH6(5.7 kb). Hydrogen evolution by the transformant E. coli HK-8(pCBH4 or pCBH6) was investigated. The optimum culture temperature of recombinant E. coli cells for hydrogen evolution from glucose was in the neighborhood of 18 degrees C. The recombinant E. coli cells cultured at this condition showed a several-fold increase of hydrogen evolution, as compared with that of the wild-type cells. The plasmid-retention stability of this recombinant E. coli was extremely high, especially plasmid pCBH4, which was completely retained during 2 wk without any restriction. Hydrogen production by immobilized recombinant E. coli was then investigated using cells cultured at 18 degrees C. The hydrogen evolution rate from glucose and Lennox-broth were about twofold higher than that of E. coli C600, and this high hydrogen evolution rate was maintained for more than 1 mo.     

Formation of superoxide by benzofurazans in Escherichia coli under aerobic incubation.

The superoxide (O2-.) production in Escherichia coli through the action of benzofurazans (BZs) was examined using the cytochrome c (cyt. c) reduction method. Adding BZs to E. coli cell suspensions caused the cyt. c reduction, which was completely inhibited by superoxide dismutase (SOD). The effects of BZs on cyt. c reduction was in the order of benzofurazan (1) approximately 4,7-dimethylbenzofurazan (2) approximately 4,7-dibromobenzofurazan (3) less than 4-bromo-6-cyanobenzofurazan (4) less than 4,7-dicyanobenzofurazan (5). This was correlated with the toxicity of BZs against E. coli growth (1 approximately 2 approximately 3 less than 4 less than 5) and with the redox potentials of BZs (1 approximately 2 less than 3 less than 4 less than 5). The formation of compound 5 anion radical in the cell suspensions in the absence of dioxygen (O2), was determined using ESR spectrum. The ESR signal of the anion radical disappeared with the addition of O2. The BZs effected the O2-. production in E. coli cells.     

Experimental and kinetic studies of the Escherichia coli glucuronylsynthase: an engineered enzyme for the synthesis of glucuronide conjugates

The detection and study of glucuronide metabolites is essential in many fields including pharmaceutical development, sports drug testing, and the detection of agricultural residues. Therefore, the development of improved methods for the synthesis of glucuronide conjugates is an important aim. The glycosynthase derived from E. coli β-glucuronidase provides an efficient, scalable, single-step synthesis of β-glucuronides under mild conditions. In this article we report on experimental and kinetic studies of the E. coli glucuronylsynthase, including the influence of acceptor substrate, pH, temperature, cosolvents, and detergents, leading to optimized conditions for glucuronide synthesis. Enzyme kinetics also reveals that both substrate and product inhibition may occur in glucuronylsynthase reactions but that these effects can be ameliorated through the judicious choice of acceptor and donor substrate concentrations. An investigation of temporary polar substituents was conducted leading to improved aqueous solubility of hydrophobic steroidal acceptors. In this way the synthesis of the steroidal metabolite dehydroepiandrosterone 3-β-D-glucuronide was achieved in three steps and 86% overall yield from dehydroepiandrosterone.     

Mutation effects of a conserved alanine (Ala510) in type I polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase from Ralstonia eutropha on polyester biosynthesis

Type I polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthases, as represented by Ralstonia eutropha enzyme (PhaC(Re)), have narrow substrate specificity toward (R)-3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A with acyl chain length of C3-C5 to yield PHA polyesters. In this study, saturation point mutagenesis of a highly conserved alanine at position 510 (A510) in PhaC(Re) was carried out to investigate the effects on the polymerization activity and the substrate specificity for in vivo PHA biosynthesis in bacterial cells. A series of saturation mutants were first applied for poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] homopolymer synthesis in Escherichia coli and R. eutropha PHB(-)4 (PHA negative mutant) cells to assess the polymerization activity. All mutants showed quantitatively similar polymerization activities when R. eutropha PHB(-)4 was used for assay, whereas several mutants such as A510P showed low activities in E. coli. Further analysis has revealed that majority of mutants synthesize polyesters with higher molecular weights than the wild-type. In particular, substitution by acidic amino acids, A510D(E), led to remarkable increases in molecular weights. Subsequently, PHA copolymer synthesis from dodecanoate (C12 fatty acid) was examined. The copolymer compositions were varied depending on the mutants used. Significant increased fractions of long monomer units (C6 and C8) in PHA copolymers were observed for three mutants [A510M(Q,C)]. From these results, the mutations at this potion are beneficial to change the molecular weight of polyesters and the substrate specificity of PhaC(Re). Molecular weight distributions of PHA polymers synthesized by the wild-type enzyme (PhaC(Re)) and its mutants.     

Ag/Fe_3O_4/rGO纳米复合材料的制备及抗菌性能

以四水合氯化亚铁和硝酸银为原料,硼氢化钠为还原剂,氧化石墨烯(GO)为载体,通过原位还原法制备了具有磁分离功能的银/四氧化三铁/还原氧化石墨烯(Ag/Fe_3O_4/rGO)纳米复合抗菌材料.采用X射线粉末衍射仪(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱仪(XPS)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)等对复合材料进行了表征.结果显示,Fe_3O_4和Ag纳米颗粒均匀分布在rGO片层上.复合材料的饱和磁化率(Ms)为40.5 A·m~2·kg·(-1),表明其具有较强的磁性,将其与菌液混合后,在磁场作用下10 min即可吸附沉降完成磁分离.以大肠杆菌(E.coli)和金黄色葡萄球菌(S.aureus)为实验菌株,通过琼脂扩散法评价了复合材料的抗菌性能.结果表明,该复合材料具有良好的抗菌效果,对E.coli和S.aureus的抑菌圈直径分别为18 mm和13 mm,最低抑菌浓度值(MIC)分别为50 mg/L和80 mg/L,最低杀菌浓度值(MBC)分别为30 mg/L和50 mg/L.     

Multiplexed paper test strip for quantitative bacterial detection

Rapid, sensitive, on-site detection of bacteria without a need for sophisticated equipment or skilled personnel is extremely important in clinical settings and rapid response scenarios, as well as in resource-limited settings. Here, we report a novel approach for selective and ultra-sensitive multiplexed detection of Escherichia coli (non-pathogenic or pathogenic) using a lab-on-paper test strip (bioactive paper) based on intracellular enzyme (β-galactosidase (B-GAL) or β-glucuronidase (GUS)) activity. The test strip is composed of a paper support (0.5 × 8 cm), onto which either 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-β-D: -glucuronide sodium salt (XG), chlorophenol red β-galactopyranoside (CPRG) or both and FeCl(3) were entrapped using sol-gel-derived silica inks in different zones via an ink-jet printing technique. The sample was lysed and assayed via lateral flow through the FeCl(3) zone to the substrate area to initiate rapid enzyme hydrolysis of the substrate, causing a change from colorless-to-blue (XG hydrolyzed by GUS, indication of nonpathogenic E. coli) and/or yellow to red-magenta (CPRG hydrolyzed by B-GAL, indication of total coliforms). Using immunomagnetic nanoparticles for selective preconcentration, the limit of detection was ~5 colony-forming units (cfu) per milliliter for E. coli O157:H7 and ~20 cfu/mL for E. coli BL21, within 30 min without cell culturing. Thus, these paper test strips could be suitable for detection of viable total coliforms and pathogens in bathing water samples. Moreover, inclusion of a culturing step allows detection of less than 1 cfu in 100 mL within 8 h, making the paper tests strips relevant for detection of multiple pathogens and total coliform bacteria in beverage and food samples.