Structural insights into the processivity of endopolygalacturonase I from Aspergillus niger

Endopolygalacturonase I is a processive enzyme, while the 60% sequence identical endopolygalacturonase II is not. The 1.70 Angstrom resolution crystal structure of endopolygalacturonase I reveals a narrowed substrate binding cleft. In addition, Arg96, a residue in this cleft previously shown to be critical for processivity, interacts with the substrate mimics glycerol and sulfate in several well-defined conformations in the six molecules in the asymmetric unit. From this we conclude that both Arg96 and the narrowed substrate binding cleft contribute to retaining the substrate while it moves through the active site after a cleavage event has occurred. (C) 2003 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Genome sequencing and analysis of the versatile cell factory Aspergillus niger CBS 513.88

The filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger is widely exploited by the fermentation industry for the production of enzymes and organic acids, particularly citric acid. We sequenced the 33.9-megabase genome of A. niger CBS 513.88, the ancestor of currently used enzyme production strains. A high level of synteny was observed with other aspergilli sequenced. Strong function predictions were made for 6,506 of the 14,165 open reading frames identified. A detailed description of the components of the protein secretion pathway was made and striking differences in the hydrolytic enzyme spectra of aspergilli were observed. A reconstructed metabolic network comprising 1,069 unique reactions illustrates the versatile metabolism of A. niger. Noteworthy is the large number of major facilitator superfamily transporters and fungal zinc binuclear cluster transcription factors, and the presence of putative gene clusters for fumonisin and ochratoxin A synthesis

A novel enzyme activity involving the demethylation of specific partially methylated oligogalacturonides.

Studies of the enzymic digestion of pectic substrates using different polygalacturonase (PG) preparations have revealed evidence for a previously unreported enzyme activity carried out by a contaminating enzyme in one of the preparations. This observed activity involves the demethylation of specific oligogalacturonides, namely 2-methyltrigalacturonic acid and 2,3-dimethyltetragalacturonic acid. However, no large-scale demethylation of highly methylated polymeric substrates is found, demonstrating that the enzyme responsible is not a conventional pectin methylesterase (PME). Furthermore, it has been shown that a commercial sample of fungal PME from Aspergillus niger demethylates all of the oligogalacturonides present as primary products of endo-PG digestion, in contrast with the activity observed here. On the basis of the known methyl ester distribution of the endo-PG-generated fragments and knowledge of which of these oligogalacturonides are demethylated, it is concluded that the observed activity can be explained by the existence of an exo-acting methylesterase that attacks the non-reducing end of the oligogalacturonide molecules

Identification of amino acid residues critical for catalysis and stability in Aspergillus niger family 1 pectin lyase A.

Site-directed-mutagenesis studies were performed on family 1 pectin lyase A (PL1A) from Aspergillus niger to gain insight into the reaction mechanism for the pectin lyase-catalysed beta-elimination cleavage of methylesterified polygalacturonic acid and to stabilize the enzyme at slightly basic pH. On the basis of the three-dimensional structures of PL1A [Mayans, Scott, Connerton, Gravesen, Benen, Visser, Pickersgill and Jenkins (1997) Structure 5, 677-689] and the modelled enzyme-substrate complex of PL1B [Herron, Benen, Scavetta, Visser and Jurnak (2000) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97, 8762-8769], Asp154, Arg176, Arg236 and Lys239 were mutagenized. Substituting Arg236 with alanine or lysine rendered the enzyme completely inactive, and mutagenesis of Arg176 and Lys239 severely affected catalysis. The Asp154-->Arg and Asp154-->Glu mutant enzymes were only moderately impaired in respect of catalysis. The results strongly indicate that Arg236, which is sandwiched between Arg176 and Lys239, would initiate the reaction upon enzyme-substrate interaction, through the abstraction of the proton at C5 of the galacturonopyranose ring. The positively charged residues Arg176 and Lys239 are responsible for lowering the p K a of Arg236. Arg176 and Lys239 are maintained in a charged state by interacting with Asp154 or bulk solvent respectively. The deprotonation of the Asp186-Asp221 pair was proposed to be responsible for a pH-driven conformational change of PL1A [Mayans, Scott, Connerton, Gravesen, Benen, Visser, Pickersgill and Jenkins (1997) Structure 5, 677-689]. Substitution of Asp186 and Asp221 by Asn186 and Asn221 was expected to stabilize the enzyme. However, the Asp186-->Asn/Asp221-->Asn enzyme appeared less stable than the wild-type enzyme, even at pH 6.0, as evidenced by fluorescence studies. This demonstrates that the pH-dependent conformational change is not driven by deprotonation of the Asp186-Asp221 pair

Structural insights into the processivity of endopolygalacturonase I from Aspergillus niger

Endopolygalacturonase I is a processive enzyme, while the 60% sequence identical endopolygalacturonase II is not. The 1.70 Å resolution crystal structure of endopolygalacturonase I reveals a narrowed substrate binding cleft. In addition, Arg96, a residue in this cleft previously shown to be critical for processivity, interacts with the substrate mimics glycerol and sulfate in several well-defined conformations in the six molecules in the asymmetric unit. From this we conclude that both Arg96 and the narrowed substrate binding cleft contribute to retaining the substrate while it moves through the active site after a cleavage event has occurred.

Structure and function of pectic enzymes: Virulence factors of plant pathogens

The structure and function of Erwinia chrysanthemi pectate lysase C, a plant virulence factor, is reviewed to illustrate one mechanism of pathogenesis at the molecular level. Current investigative topics are discussed in this paper