Biomedical subjects

A J Fulco

Publications and source records attributed to A J Fulco.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Structural and spectroscopic analysis of the F393H mutant of flavocytochrome P450 BM3.

In the preceding paper in this issue [Ost, T. W. B., Miles, C. S., Munro, A. W., Murdoch, J., Reid, G. A., and Chapman, S. K. (2001) Biochemistry 40, 13421-13429], we have established that the primary role of the phylogenetically conserved phenylalanine in flavocytochrome P450 BM3 (F393) is to control the thermodynamic properties of the heme iron, so as to optimize electron-transfer both to the iron (from the flavin redox partner) and onto molecular oxygen. In this paper, we report a detailed study of the F393H mutant enzyme, designed to probe the structural, spectroscopic, and metabolic profile of the enzyme in an attempt to identify the factors responsible for causing the changes. The heme domain structure of the F393H mutant has been solved to 2.0 A resolution and demonstrates that the histidine replaces the phenylalanine in almost exactly the same conformation. A solvent water molecule is hydrogen bonded to the histidine, but there appears to be little other gross alteration in the environment of the heme. The F393H mutant displays an identical ferric EPR spectrum to wild-type, implying that the degree of splitting of the iron d orbitals is unaffected by the substitution, however, the overall energy of the d-orbitals have changed relative to each other. Magnetic CD studies show that the near-IR transition, diagnostic of heme ligation state, is red-shifted by 40 nm in F393H relative to wild-type P450 BM3, probably reflecting alteration in the strength of the iron-cysteinate bond. Studies of the catalytic turnover of fatty acid (myristate) confirms NADPH oxidation is tightly coupled to fatty acid oxidation in F393H, with a product profile very similar to wild-type. The results indicate that gross conformational changes do not account for the perturbations in the electronic features of the P450 BM3 heme system and that the structural environment on the proximal side of the P450 heme must be conformationally conserved in order to optimize catalytic function.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1998

In vivo roles of Bm3R1 repressor in the barbiturate-mediated induction of the cytochrome P450 genes (P450(BM-3) and P450(BM-)1) of Bacillus megaterium.

We previously showed [Q. Liang, A.J. Fulco, J. Biol. Chem., 270 (1995) 18606-18614) that the binding of Bm3R1 repressor to Barbie box elements and operator sites in the 5'-flanking regions of the P450BM-3 and P450BM-1 (CYP102 and CYP106) genes in Bacillus megaterium was a critical factor in their regulation at the level of transcription. We now describe experiments that delineate specific roles for Bm3R1 in the barbiturate-mediated induction of these genes. We directly demonstrate the interaction of Bm3R1 with Barbie box and operator sequences and show that high in vivo levels of Bm3R1 prevent putative positive factors from binding to Barbie box elements, strongly inhibit the expression of the P450 genes, prolong the lag phase of growth in Bacillus megaterium cultures and increase the sensitivity of the cells to the growth-inhibitory effects of barbiturates. Finally, our data suggest that there may be two forms of Bm3R1, either of which can interact with OIII, the bicistronic operator sequence.

Bacillus megaterium↗

PubMed1995

The role of Thr268 in oxygen activation of cytochrome P450BM-3.

Cytochrome P450BM-3, a catalytically self-sufficient monooxygenase from Bacillus megaterium, catalyzes the omega-n (n = 1-3) hydroxylation of fatty acids in the presence of O2 and NADPH. Like most other P450s, cytochrome P450BM-3 contains a threonine residue (Thr268) in the distal I helix thought to be important for O2 binding and activation. Thr268 has been converted to alanine and the enzymatic properties and heme domain crystal structure determined. Using sodium laurate as the substrate, the mutant exhibited slower rates of O2 and NADPH consumption. In addition, electron transfer is uncoupled from substrate hydroxylation as evidenced by the greater production of water and peroxide in the mutant compared to the wild-type enzyme. The crystal structure of the mutant reveals that the only changes in structure are confined to the site of mutation. These data indicate an important role for Thr268 in O2 binding and activation in the metabolism of sodium laurate by cytochrome P450BM-3.

Bacillus megaterium↗

PubMed1995

Transcriptional regulation of the genes encoding cytochromes P450BM-1 and P450BM-3 in Bacillus megaterium by the binding of Bm3R1 repressor to Barbie box elements and operator sites.

We previously reported (Liang, Q., He, J.-S., and Fulco, A.J. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 4438-4450) that Bm3R1, a repressor regulating the expression of P450BM-3 in Bacillus megaterium, could bind to Barbie box sequences in the 5'-flanking regions of barbiturate-inducible genes. We've now shown that pentobarbital does not inhibit in vitro binding of Bm3R1 to the P450BM-3 and P450BM-1 Barbie boxes (BB3 and BB1), although the palindromic operator sequence (OIII) of P450BM-3 did have a strong competitive effect on such binding. G39E-Bm3R1, a mutant of Bm3R1, did not bind to either Barbie box. In the presence of Bm3R1, portions of the regulatory regions of P450BM-3 and P450BM-1 were protected from DNase I digestion. These included 11 of the 15 base pairs of BB3 plus 7 base pairs 3' to BB3, BB1 plus 16 base pairs 3' to BB1, and, in the 5'-flanking region of P450BM-1, segments covering most of two palindromic sequences (OII and OIII) of 24 and 52 base pairs. These DNase I-protected regions (including OIII) showed considerable sequence identity, especially in a conserved poly(A) motif. Barbiturates did not inhibit binding of Bm3R1 to OI. OII in vitro while G39E-Bm3R1 did not bind. The regulatory effects of Bm3R1 on P450BM-1 and P450BM-3 were also evaluated in vivo using heterologous chloramphenicol acetyltransferase constructs and Western blotting. In the G39E mutant strain, both P450BM-1 and P450BM-3 were constitutively expressed, and the regulatory proteins Bm1P1 and Bm3P1, although still pentobarbital-inducible, had significantly higher basal levels of synthesis. In toto, our results show that Bm3R1 represses both P450BM-1 and P450BM-3 expression and that it may effect this by coordinate binding to operator and Barbie box sequences to produce looping of the P450BM-1 and P450BM-3 regulatory regions through protein-protein interaction.

Bacillus megaterium↗

PubMed1995

The molecular cloning and characterization of BM1P1 and BM1P2 proteins, putative positive transcription factors involved in barbiturate-mediated induction of the genes encoding cytochrome P450BM-1 of Bacillus megaterium.

Analysis of a 1.3-kilobase segment of 5'-flanking DNA from the barbiturate-inducible P450BM-1 gene (CYP106) of Bacillus megaterium revealed two open reading frames. One, BM1P1, encodes 98 amino acids and is located 267 base pairs upstream from the sequence encoding cytochrome P450BM-1 but in the opposite orientation. The second, BM1P2 (88 amino acids), is 892 base pairs upstream from the P450BM-1 coding sequence and in the same coding strand. The expression of BM1P1 and BM1P2 was strongly stimulated in cells grown in the presence of pentobarbital, and the BM1P1 gene product exerted positive control on expression of P450BM-1. When a 177-base pair fragment encompassing the overlapping promoter regions of the P450BM-1 and BM1P1 genes was used as a probe in DNA binding assays, the BM1P1 and BM1P2 gene products and Bm3R1 (the repressor protein regulating the barbiturate-mediated expression of P450BM-3) could bind individually, but the addition of BM1P1 or BM1P2 to a binding mixture containing Bm3R1 completely prevented the appearance of a Bm3R1 binding band. When a 208-base pair fragment containing a Barbie box sequence and located upstream of the 177-base pair fragment was used as a probe, only a Bm3R1 binding band was detected. Although neither BM1P1 and BM1P2 appeared to bind to this 208-base pair fragment, their presence strongly inhibited the binding of Bm3R1 to the same probe. The evidence suggests that BM1P1 and BM1P2 may, in part, act as positive regulatory proteins involved in the expression of the P450BM-1 gene by interfering with the binding of the repressor protein, Bm3R1, to the regulatory regions of P450BM-1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

The role of Barbie box sequences as cis-acting elements involved in the barbiturate-mediated induction of cytochromes P450BM-1 and P450BM-3 in Bacillus megaterium.

In a previous publication (He, J.-S., and Fulco, A. J. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 7864-7869), we reported that a 15-17-base pair DNA sequence (designated a Barbie box element) in the 5'-regulatory regions of cytochrome P450BM-1 and P450BM-3 genes from Bacillus megaterium was recognized by a barbiturate-regulated protein. It is now recognized that essentially all eukaryotic and prokaryotic genes whose 5'-flanking regions are known and that encode barbiturate-inducible proteins contain the Barbie box element. A 4-base pair sequence (AAAG) is found in the same relative position in all Barbie box elements. In B. megaterium, mutation of the Barbie box located in the P450BM-1 gene leads to the constitutive synthesis of cytochrome P450BM-1 and a 10-fold increase of expression of Bm1P1, a small gene located upstream of the P450BM-1 gene, that encodes a putative regulatory protein. Mutation of the P450BM-3 Barbie box significantly increased the expression of both P450BM-3 and Bm3P1 (another small gene located upstream of the P450BM-3 gene that encodes a second putative regulatory protein) in response to pentobarbital induction but left the basal levels unaffected. In gel mobility shift assays, Bm3R1, a repressor of the P450BM-3 gene, was found to specifically interact with the Barbie box sequences of the B. megaterium P450 genes. Mutated Barbie boxes showed a decreased binding affinity for Bm3R1 compared to their wild type (unmutated) counterparts. Barbie box sequences were also shown to specifically interact with putative positive regulatory factors of B. megaterium cells. These putative positive factors were induced by pentobarbital and were also present at high levels during late stationary phase of B. megaterium cell cultures grown in the absence of barbiturates. The mutated Barbie box sequences had greater binding affinity for these positive factors than did unmutated Barbie box sequences. DNase I footprinting analysis of the 5'-flanking region of the P450BM-1 gene revealed that these positive factors protected a segment of DNA covering a portion of the Barbie box sequence and a small flanking region. Similar footprinting experiments with the 5'-flanking region of the P450BM-3 gene failed, however, to unambiguously reveal protected sequences in the Barbie box region. The evidence suggests that the positive factors and Bm3R1 compete with each other for binding to the Barbie box region, especially in the 5'-flanking region of the P450BM-1 gene, and for putative roles in the regulation of transcription from the B. megaterium P450 genes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1995

An efficient and optimized PCR method with high fidelity for site-directed mutagenesis.

We have developed an efficient method for site-directed mutagenesis using two subsequential rounds of PCR. In this method, PCR conditions are optimized to favor high fidelity of Taq DNA polymerase in the presence of equimolar concentrations of MgCI2 and dNTP in the reaction mixture (pH 5.5-6.2). This method makes use of a pair of universal primers and the multiple cloning site of pUC/M13 vectors. Only one mutagenic primer is required per target site. In the second round of PCR, the 3' extension of the wild-type DNA strand is blocked by the presence of a segment of nonhomologous sequence at its 3' end, and as a consequence, the amplified, full-length DNA fragment is chiefly from the mutant strand. Furthermore, because the mutated DNA fragment has flanking restriction sites different from those of the wild-type DNA fragment, the wild-type DNA fragment is totally excluded in the step involving selective cloning of the mutant DNA fragment. This method was successfully used to introduce four, nonadjacent mutations in the 5' regulatory region of the cytochrome P450BM-3 gene. All 20 analyzed clones from these four cases of mutagenesis carried the desired mutations, and no undesired mutations were observed. We observed that the larger the number of mismatched nucleotide residues in the mutagenic primer, the higher the concentration of MgCI2 was necessary for successful PCR amplification. Our experimental results indicate that this method offers improvements in efficiency, flexibility, and fidelity.

Bacillus megaterium↗

PubMed1994

The interaction of cytochrome c and the heme domain of cytochrome P-450BM-3 with the reductase domain of cytochrome P-450BM-3.

Cytochrome P-450BM-3 from Bacillus megaterium is a soluble, catalytically self-sufficient fatty acid mono-oxygenase that resembles the Class II P-450 systems of the eukaryotic endoplasmic reticulum. Its single polypeptide chain contains both a P-450 heme domain and an NADPH:P-450 reductase domain, each of which bears significant structural and functional homology with its microsomal counterparts. We report here that cytochrome c, which can accept NADPH-derived electrons from the reductase domain of P-450-BM-3, did not inhibit myristate hydroxylation catalyzed by P-450BM-3 or by two reductase domain mutant enzymes (W574Y, W574F) which have diminished hydroxylase activity relative to wild-type enzyme but retain cytochrome c reductase activity levels comparable to wild-type enzyme. Because reduced cytochrome c generated independently of the reductase domain of P-450BM-3 did not support myristate hydroxylation, it seems likely that cytochrome c binds to a site on the reductase domain which does not overlap the site of the heme domain interaction. We also found that myristate did not inhibit P-450BM-3-mediated cytochrome c reduction. Since neither substrate inhibited the conversion of the other, we conclude that the rate-limiting steps for both myristate hydroxylation and cytochrome c reduction by P-450BM-3 do not involve electron transfer through the reductase domain.

Bacillus megaterium↗

PubMed1993

Critical residues involved in FMN binding and catalytic activity in cytochrome P450BM-3.

Cytochrome P450BM-3 from Bacillus megaterium is a soluble, catalytically self-sufficient fatty acid mono-oxygenase that, in structural organization and amino acid sequence, resembles the Class II (microsomal) P450 systems. Its single polypeptide chain contains both a P450 heme domain and an NADPH:P450 reductase domain, each of which bears significant homology with its microsomal counterparts. We report here the critical nature of three amino acids in the reductase domain of this enzyme with respect to FMN binding and catalytic activity. We used site-directed mutagenesis to change glycine 570 to bulkier amino acids; none of these mutant enzymes contained FMN after purification. We also made substitutions for tryptophan 574 and tyrosine 536, which by sequence analogy (Porter, T. D. (1991) Trends Biochem. Sci. 16, 154-158) were proposed to bind FMN through stacking of the aromatic rings with the isoalloxazine ring of the flavin. Mutants of tryptophan 574 which retained the aromatic side chain contained no less than 0.85 mol of FMN per mol of enzyme, while aspartate and glycine substitutions yielded enzymes which did not incorporate FMN. Substitution of tyrosine 536 with aspartate gave an enzyme which contained 0.44 mol of FMN per mol of enzyme but was inactive as a fatty acid hydroxylase and had only 2% of wild-type cytochrome c reductase activity, while the glycine mutant at this position bound no FMN. Furthermore, although all of the mutant enzymes contained 1 mol of FAD per mol of enzyme, the Y536D mutant and those entirely lacking FMN retained no more than 40% of wild-type ferricyanide reductase activity. By assaying these enzymes in the presence of added FMN, we were able to assess the relative importance of the residues in the wild-type sequence with respect to their contribution to FMN binding. In addition, the aromatic mutants of tryptophan 574, which were nearly as active in cytochrome c reduction as wild-type P450BM-3, were only 20% as active in myristate hydroxylation as the wild-type enzyme, suggesting that this amino acid plays an important role in the flow of electrons between the P450 heme and reductase domains.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Inhibition by barbiturates of the binding of Bm3R1 repressor to its operator site on the barbiturate-inducible cytochrome P450BM-3 gene of Bacillus megaterium.

In our previous publication (Shaw, G.-C., and Fulco, A. J. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 5515-5526), we reported that Bm3R1, a protein encoded in an open reading frame just upstream from the cytochrome P450BM-3 gene, is a repressor critically involved in the barbiturate-inducible expression of this gene in Bacillus megaterium. We now describe the purification of the Bm3R1 protein from an overproducing Escherichia coli strain harboring a bm3R1 gene-carrying plasmid and report the effect of barbiturate inducers on the interaction of Bm3R1 with a fragment of B. megaterium DNA containing the bicistronic operator and promoter sequences. Gel filtration analysis revealed that, under our experimental conditions, most of the Bm3R1 protein exists in highly aggregated forms. Gel mobility shift assays showed that Bm3R1 protein bound specifically to a segment of DNA containing the promoter-operator region of the bm3R1 gene while DNase I footprinting experiments established that Bm3R1 protected a region of DNA that covers and flanks the palindromic operator sequence. The interaction between Bm3R1 repressor and its operator, in vitro, was strongly inhibited by the addition of 2 mM pentobarbital or 2 mM methohexital (strong in vivo inducers of P450BM-3) but not by the same concentration of phenobarbital (a relatively weak inducer) or by mephobarbital (a non-inducer). A detailed comparison of pentobarbital and methohexital at concentrations lower than 2 mM indicated that methohexital was 5-10 times more effective as an inhibitor of Bm3R1 binding in vitro, as compared with its 7-fold greater inducer potency in vivo. The observation that the in vitro inhibition effects of barbiturates on the interaction of Bm3R1 repressor and its operator correlate strongly with their in vivo potency as inducers of cytochrome P450BM-3 suggests a mechanism for the induction process. It seems plausible that the barbiturate inducers might bear a conformational resemblance to and mimic the mode of action of an as yet unidentified endogenous inducer(s) in B. megaterium that functions by releasing the binding of Bm3R1 repressor from its operator site.

Bacillus megaterium↗

PubMed1992

Barbiturate-mediated regulation of expression of the cytochrome P450BM-3 gene of Bacillus megaterium by Bm3R1 protein.

In a previous publication (Wen, L.-P., Ruettinger, R. T., and Fulco, A.J. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 10996-11003), we reported that about 1 kilobase of 5' flanking sequence was required for barbiturate-inducible expression of the cytochrome P450BM-3 gene in Bacillus megaterium. We have now found, by analysis of various deletion and frameshift derivatives of this region, that an open reading frame immediately upstream of the B. megaterium cytochrome P450BM-3 structural gene encodes a protein, designated Bm3R1, which negatively controls the expression of the P450BM-3 gene at the transcriptional level. A helix-turn-helix DNA binding motif was found near the N-terminal portion of Bm3R1 protein. The 5' terminus of the bm3R1 transcript generated in vivo was determined by nuclease S1 mapping and primer extension analysis to be 44 base pairs upstream of the translation initiation sequence GTG of bm3R1. A putative promoter sequence with a high degree of similarity to the -35 and -10 consensus sequence recognized by the Bacillus subtilis sigma-43 factor was located at an appropriate distance from the transcription start site. A B. megaterium mutant which highly constitutively produced P450BM-3 protein was isolated and complementation of this cytochrome P450BM-3-constitutive mutant by a DNA fragment containing the wild-type bm3R1 gene indicated that the mutation in this locus was trans-dominant. Sequence analysis of the bm3R1 gene and its upstream region from this mutant, after amplification by the polymerase chain reaction, identified a single base change that resulted in a glycine to glutamate substitution in the beta-turn region of the DNA binding motif. By placing the bm3R1 gene under the control of a tac promoter and changing the translation initiation sequence from GTG to ATG, we succeeded in overproducing the Bm3R1 protein in Escherichia coli. A 20-bp perfect palindromic putative operator site, located between the presumed promoter sequences and the bm3R1 structural gene, was defined both by in vivo titration of Bm3R1 repressor and by gel mobility shift assays using the cell-free extracts containing the overproduced wild-type or mutant Bm3R1 protein. The barbiturate effect in mediating the induction of cytochrome P450BM-3 appears to be indirect but probably involves, in part, the release of inhibition by Bm3R1 repressor protein by interfering with its binding to the palindromic putative operator sequence and perhaps to other sites on the regulatory region of the gene encoding cytochrome P450BM-3.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1991

A barbiturate-regulated protein binding to a common sequence in the cytochrome P450 genes of rodents and bacteria.

Analyses of the 5' regulatory sequences of genes encoding barbiturate-inducible cytochromes P450BM-1 and P450BM-3 from Bacillus megaterium and of the 5' sequences of genes for barbiturate-inducible P450b and P450e of the rat revealed a string of 17 base pairs in each of the genes that shared a high degree of sequence identity. Labeled oligonucleotide probes of each of these four sequences were tested in gel retardation assays with protein obtained from B. megaterium grown either in the presence or absence of barbiturates or with protein from nuclear extracts from livers of rats left untreated or injected with phenobarbital. Each of the four 17-mers bound strongly to a single protein from bacteria grown in the absence of barbiturates, but this binding was dramatically reduced with protein from pentobarbital- or phenobarbital-grown cells. Conversely, the probes complexed weakly to one protein band from nuclear extracts from untreated rats but much more strongly with protein from phenobarbital-treated rats. Similar effects could be obtained by prolonged incubation with phenobarbital of either soluble protein from the bacteria grown in the absence of barbiturates or nuclear extract protein from untreated rats. Deletion analysis of the 5'-flanking region of the P450BM-1 gene of B. megaterium revealed a putative repressor binding site located within a 24-base pair DNA segment that included the 17-base pair sequence involved in barbiturate-regulated protein binding.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

P450BM-3 and other inducible bacterial P450 cytochromes: biochemistry and regulation.

When I began this review my goal was to present a coherent overview of the biochemistry and regulation of the inducible P450 cytochromes of bacteria. Now, at the end, I wonder if a unified perspective is possible at this time. On the basis of admittedly limited data, bacterial P450 systems seem as different from each other as they are, as a group, from the mammalian P450 cytochromes. The most obvious physical difference between the bacterial monooxygenases and their mammalian counterparts is solubility; with several possible exceptions (69, 70, 76), bacterial P450s are soluble whereas the microsomal and mitochondrial P450s are membrane-associated proteins. In structure and organization, however, the few well-characterized prokaryotic P450-dependent systems vary widely. The three-component arrangement is probably most common but even here variation is apparent. The P450cam putidaredoxin reductase contains only FAD and is quite specific for NADH (35, 39); the P450meg megaredoxin reductase contains only FMN and is specific for NADPH (59, 60). Putitive two-component P450 systems in bacteria have not yet been adequately characterized but the P450oct and P450npd monooxygenases (69, 70, 93) could well be organized in this way. The catalytically self-sufficient P450BM-3 is currently the only single-component P450-dependent monooxygenase known but additional examples of this arrangement may well be found in other bacteria. Paradoxically, P450BM-3 is structurally much more analogous to liver microsomal P450 systems than to any other bacterial P450 monooxygenase characterized to date. Another generally recognized difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic P450s pertains to function; most known bacterial P450-dependent systems initiate the oxidation of recalcitrant carbon compounds so that the hosts can utilize them as sole carbon sources for growth. Some lower eukaryotes [certain yeasts, for example (134)] also employ P450-dependent systems in this way but, among most fungi as well as in higher eukaryotes, P450 cytochromes are involved in specific pathways of sterol or other lipid syntheses or, as in the mammalian liver microsomal systems, in detoxification reactions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Molecular cloning, coding nucleotides and the deduced amino acid sequence of P-450BM-1 from Bacillus megaterium.

The gene encoding barbiturate-inducible cytochrome P-450BM-1 from Bacillus megaterium ATCC 14581 has been cloned and sequenced. An open reading frame in the 1.9 kb of cloned DNA correctly predicted the NH2-terminal sequence of P-450BM-1 previously determined by protein sequencing, and, in toto, predicted a polypeptide of 410 amino acid residues with an Mr of 47,439. The sequence is most, but less than 27%, similar to that of P-450CAM from Pseudomonas putida, so that P-450BM-1 clearly belongs to a new P-450-gene family, distinct especially from that of the P-450 domain of P-450BM-3, a barbiturate-inducible single polypeptide cytochrome P-450:NADPH-P-450 reductase from the same strain of B. megaterium (Ruettinger, R.T., Wen, L.-P. and Fulco, A.J. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 10987-10995).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1989

Requirement for a 1-kilobase 5'-flanking sequence for barbiturate-inducible expression of the cytochrome P-450BM-3 gene in Bacillus megaterium.

In a previous publication (Wen, L.-P., and Fulco, A. J. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 6676-6682), we described the cloning of the gene encoding cytochrome P-450BM-3, a catalytically self-sufficient fatty acid monooxygenase induced by barbiturates in Bacillus megaterium. We have now subcloned a 1.6-kilobase segment of DNA from this cloned gene that includes the barbiturate-responsive regulatory region as well as 88 bases encoding the NH2-terminal portion of cytochrome P-450BM-3. From this, we generated two series of 5' and 3' deletion derivatives and examined their effects on gene expression. When the 1.6-kilobase fragment or the 1.3-kilobase 5'----3' deletion derivative is inserted into Escherichia coli on a vector containing a promoterless chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene with the sequence encoding the NH2-terminal portion of P-450BM-3 placed immediately in front of the CAT gene, CAT activity is constitutive and unaffected by pentobarbital. On the other hand, the basal level of CAT is low in B. megaterium transformed by the same construct but is strongly inducible by pentobarbital. Furthermore, the multicopy plasmid containing this regulatory region causes a dramatic decrease in both the basal and pentobarbital-induced expression of chromosomally encoded P-450BM-3 in B. megaterium. This competition effect, unlike CAT expression, is independent of the orientation of the regulatory DNA segment in the plasmid. Removal of 0.3 kilobase or more from the 3' end of the 1.6-kilobase segment of DNA or 0.6 kilobase from the 5' end abolishes the competition effect and also eliminates basal and inducible CAT expression in B. megaterium. In transformed E. coli, constitutive CAT expression is maintained when as little as 0.3 kilobase of DNA from the 3' end of the 1.6-kilobase segment is inserted in the correct orientation in front of the CAT gene. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the synthesis of cytochrome P-450BM-3 in B. megaterium is under positive control and requires gene interaction with at least one trans-acting factor, presumably a protein, to activate transcription from the P-450BM-3 promoter. The binding of this putative protein is mediated by at least two regulatory regions (R1 and R2) that span about 1 kilobase of the 5'-flanking region of the gene.

Bacillus megaterium↗

PubMed1989

Coding nucleotide, 5' regulatory, and deduced amino acid sequences of P-450BM-3, a single peptide cytochrome P-450:NADPH-P-450 reductase from Bacillus megaterium.

Cytochrome P-450BM-3 (P-450BM-3) from Bacillus megaterium incorporates both a P-450 and an NADPH:P-450 reductase in proteolytically separable domains of a single, 119-kDa polypeptide and functions as a fatty acid monooxygenase independently of any other protein. A 5-kilobase DNA fragment which contains the gene encoding P-450BM-3 was sequenced. A single continuous open reading frame starting at nucleotide 1541 of the 5-kilobase fragment correctly predicted the previously determined NH2-terminal protein sequences of the trypsin-generated P-450 and reductase domains and, in toto, predicted a mature polypeptide of 1,048-amino acid residues with Mr = 117,641. The trypsin site was found at arginine residue 471. The P-450 domain is most similar (about 25%) to the fatty acid omega-hydroxylases of P-450 family IV, while the reductase domain exhibits some 33% sequence similarity with the NADPH:P-450 reductases of mammalian liver. Both the P-450 and reductase domains of P-450BM-3 define new gene families but contain highly conserved segments which display as much as 50% sequence similarity with P-450s and reductases of eukaryotic origin. The mRNA for P-450BM-3 was found by S1 mapping to be 3,339 +/- 10 nucleotides in length. In the accompanying paper, two regions in the 1.5 kilobases 5' to the P-450BM-3 coding region have been implicated in the regulation of P-450BM-3 gene expression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1988

Characterization of the protein expressed in Escherichia coli by a recombinant plasmid containing the Bacillus megaterium cytochrome P-450BM-3 gene.

In two previous reports (Narhi LO, Fulco AJ, J. Biol. Chem. 261: 7160-7169, 1986; Ibid., 262: 6683-6690, 1987) we described the characterization of a catalytically self-sufficient 119,000-dalton P-450 cytochrome that was induced by barbiturates in Bacillus megaterium. In the presence of NADPH and O2, this polypeptide (cytochrome P-450BM-3) catalyzed the hydroxylation of long-chain fatty acids without the aid of any other protein. The gene encoding this unique monooxygenase was cloned into Escherichia coli and the clone harboring the recombinant plasmid produced a protein that behaved electrophoretically and immunochemically like the B. megaterium enzyme (Wen LP, Fulco AJ, J. Biol. Chem. 262: 6676-6682, 1987). We have now compared authentic P-450BM-3 from B. megaterium and putative P-450BM-3 isolated from transformed E. coli and have found them to be indistinguishable with respect to chromatographic and electrophoretic behavior, reaction with specific antibody, prosthetic group (heme, FAD and FMN) analyses, spectra, enzymology, limited trypsin proteolysis and partial amino acid sequencing. We thus conclude that the P-450 cytochrome expressed by the transformed E. coli is essentially identical to native P-450BM-3 induced by barbiturates in B. megaterium. The evidence furthermore suggests that the primary amino acid sequence of this complex protein is alone sufficient to direct the proper integration of the three prosthetic groups and to specify folding of the polypeptide into the correct tertiary structure.

Bacillus megaterium↗

PubMed1987

Cloning of the gene encoding a catalytically self-sufficient cytochrome P-450 fatty acid monooxygenase induced by barbiturates in Bacillus megaterium and its functional expression and regulation in heterologous (Escherichia coli) and homologous (Bacillus megaterium) hosts.

In a previous publication (Narhi, L. O., and Fulco, A. J. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 7160-7169) we described the characterization of a 119,000-dalton P-450 cytochrome that is strongly induced by barbiturates in Bacillus megaterium. In the presence of NADPH and O2, this single polypeptide can catalyze the hydroxylation of long-chain fatty acids without the aid of any other protein. The gene encoding this unique monooxygenase (cytochrome P-450BM-3) has now been cloned by an immunochemical screening technique. The Escherichia coli clone harboring the recombinant plasmid produces a 119,000-dalton protein that appears to be electrophoretically and immunochemically identical to the B. megaterium enzyme and contains the same N-terminal amino acid sequence. The recombinant DNA product also exhibits the characteristic cytochrome P-450 spectrum and is fully functional as a fatty acid monooxygenase. In E. coli, the synthesis of P-450BM-3 is directed by its own promoter included in the DNA insert and proceeds constitutively at a very high rate but is not stimulated by pentobarbital. However, when the cloned P-450BM-3 gene, either intact or in a truncated form, is introduced back into B. megaterium via an E. coli/Bacillus subtilis shuttle vector, its expression is constitutively repressed but is induced by pentobarbital. This finding demonstrates that the regulatory region of the P-450BM-3 gene that responds to barbiturates is included in the cloned DNA. The evidence also indicates that pentobarbital cannot directly act on the gene to cause induction but presumably interacts with another component such as a repressor molecule that is present in B. megaterium but is absent in the E. coli clone.

Bacillus megaterium↗