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Hiroshi Matsuzawa

Publications and source records attributed to Hiroshi Matsuzawa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The family 42 carbohydrate-binding module of family 54 alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase specifically binds the arabinofuranose side chain of hemicellulose.

Alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase catalyses the hydrolysis of the alpha-1,2-, alpha-1,3-, and alpha-1,5-L-arabinofuranosidic bonds in L-arabinose-containing hemicelluloses such as arabinoxylan. AkAbf54 (the glycoside hydrolase family 54 alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase from Aspergillus kawachii) consists of two domains, a catalytic and an arabinose-binding domain. The latter has been named AkCBM42 [family 42 CBM (carbohydrate-binding module) of AkAbf54] because homologous domains are classified into CBM family 42. In the complex between AkAbf54 and arabinofuranosyl-alpha-1,2-xylobiose, the arabinose moiety occupies the binding pocket of AkCBM42, whereas the xylobiose moiety is exposed to the solvent. AkCBM42 was found to facilitate the hydrolysis of insoluble arabinoxylan, because mutants at the arabinose binding site exhibited markedly decreased activity. The results of binding assays and affinity gel electrophoresis showed that AkCBM42 interacts with arabinose-substituted, but not with unsubstituted, hemicelluloses. Isothermal titration calorimetry and frontal affinity chromatography analyses showed that the association constant of AkCBM42 with the arabinose moiety is approximately 10(3) M(-1). These results indicate that AkCBM42 binds the non-reducing-end arabinofuranosidic moiety of hemicellulose. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a CBM that can specifically recognize the side-chain monosaccharides of branched hemicelluloses.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Effect of disulfide-bond introduction on the activity and stability of the extended-spectrum class A beta-lactamase Toho-1.

The production of class A beta-lactamases is a major cause of clinical resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. Some of class A beta-lactamases are known to have a disulfide bridge. Both narrow spectrum and extended spectrum beta-lactamases of TEM and the SHV enzymes possess a disulfide bond between Cys77 and Cys123, and the enzymes with carbapenem-hydrolyzing activity have a well-conserved disulfide bridge between Cys69 and Cys238. We produced A77C/G123C mutant of the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Toho-1 in order to introduce a disulfide bond between the cysteine residues at positions 77 and 123. The result of 5,5'-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoic acid (DTNB) titrations confirmed formation of a new disulfide bridge in the mutant. The results of irreversible heat inactivation and circular dichroism (CD) melting experiments indicated that the disulfide bridge stabilized the enzyme significantly. Though kinetic analysis indicated that the catalytic properties of the mutant were quite similar to those of the wild-type enzyme, E. coli producing this mutant showed drug resistance significantly higher than E. coli producing the wild-type enzyme. We speculate that the stability of the enzymes provided by the disulfide bond may explain the wide distribution of TEM and SHV derivatives and explain how various mutations can cause broadened substrate specificity without loss of stability.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mutational analysis of N-glycosylation recognition sites on the biochemical properties of Aspergillus kawachii alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase 54.

A role for N-linked oligosaccharides on the biochemical properties of recombinant alpha-l-arabinofuranosidase 54 (AkAbf54) defined in glycoside hydrolase family 54 from Aspergillus kawachii expressed in Pichia pastoris was analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis. Two N-linked glycosylation motifs (Asn(83)-Thr-Thr and Asn(202)-Ser-Thr) were found in the AkAbf54 sequence. AkAbf54 comprises two domains, a catalytic domain and an arabinose-binding domain classified as carbohydrate-binding module 42. Two N-linked glycosylation sites are located in the catalytic domain. Asn(83), Asn(202), and the two residues together were replaced with glutamine by site-directed mutagenesis. The biochemical properties and kinetic parameters of the wild-type and mutant enzymes expressed in P. pastoris were examined. The N83Q mutant enzyme had the same catalytic activity and thermostability as the wild-type enzyme. On the other hand, the N202Q and N83Q/N202Q mutant enzymes exhibited a considerable decrease in thermostability compared to the glycosylated wild-type enzyme. The N202Q and N83Q/N202Q mutant enzymes also had slightly less specific activity towards arabinan and debranched arabinan. However, no significant effect on the affinity of the mutant enzymes for the ligands arabinan, debranched arabinan, and wheat and rye arabinoxylans was detected by affinity gel electrophoresis. These observations suggest that the glycosylation at Asn(202) may contribute to thermostability and catalysis.

Aspergillus↗

Mutational analysis of a feruloyl esterase from Aspergillus awamori involved in substrate discrimination and pH dependence.

We cloned the feruloyl esterase A gene from Aspergillus awamori (AwfaeA) and engineered it to study substrate specificity and pH dependence of catalysis. Based on the crystal structures of two type-A feruloyl esterases (FAE-III and AnFAEA) from Aspergillus niger, residues located in the flap region of AwFAEA (Asp71, Thr72, Asp77, and Tyr80) were replaced with corresponding amino acid residues (Ile, Arg, Asn, and Phe), respectively, found in the lid of lipases from Rhizomucor miehei (RmLIP) and Humicola lanuginose (HlLIP). Furthermore, Asp77 of AwFAEA, which is conserved in Aspergillus FAEs and lipases, was replaced with a hydrophobic residue (Ile). Kinetic analysis of the mutant enzymes showed that the higher catalytic efficiency of the D77I and Y80F mutants toward alpha-naphthylbutyrate (C4) and alpha-naphthylcaprylate (C8), respectively, was due to a lower K(m) value. The higher catalytic efficiency of D77N toward C4 substrate was due to a combination of decreased K(m) and considerably increased k(cat). The D71I and Y80F mutants showed some activity toward long-acyl chain esters. On the other hand, the D77I mutant had no detectable activity toward phenolic acid methyl esters and feruloylated arabinoxylan. Moreover, the pH optima of the D77I, D77N, and Y80F mutants increased from 5.0 to 7.0-8.0, 7.0, and 6.0, respectively.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

An engineered disulfide bond between residues 69 and 238 in extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Toho-1 reduces its activity toward third-generation cephalosporins.

Previous crystallographic structural analysis of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Toho-1 predicted that the high flexibility of beta-strand B3, the region that contains a conserved KTG motif and forms one wall of the substrate-binding site, could be one of the key features contributing to Toho-1 activity toward third-generation cephalosporins. To investigate whether this possible flexibility really affects the substrate profile of this enzyme, two Toho-1 mutants have been produced, G238C and G238C/G239in, in which the glycine residue at position 238 was replaced with a cysteine and an additional glycine residue was inserted. Our intent was to introduce a disulfide bond between the cysteine residues at positions 69 and 238, and thus to lock the position of beta-strand B3. The results of 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) titration indicated formation of a new disulfide bridge in the G238C mutant, although disulfide bond formation was not confirmed in the G238C/G239in mutant. Kinetic analysis showed that the activity of the G238C mutant decreased drastically against third-generation cephalosporins, while its catalytic efficiency against penicillins and first-generation cephalosporins was almost identical to that of the wild-type enzyme. This result was consistent with the prediction that flexibility in beta-strand B3 was critical for activity against third-generation cephalosporins in Toho-1. Furthermore, we have determined the crystal structure of the G238C mutant enzyme to analyze the structural changes in detail. The structural model clearly shows the introduction of a new disulfide bridge and that there is no appreciable difference between the overall structures of the wild-type enzyme and the G238C mutant, although the introduced disulfide bond slightly influenced the positions of Ser237 on beta-strand B3 and Asn170 on the Omega loop. The results of our kinetic and structural analyses suggest that the flexibility of beta-strand B3, as well as the positions of Ser237 and the Omega loop, is critical for the substrate specificity expansion of Toho-1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Crystal structure of a family 54 alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase reveals a novel carbohydrate-binding module that can bind arabinose.

As the first known structures of a glycoside hydrolase family 54 (GH54) enzyme, we determined the crystal structures of free and arabinose-complex forms of Aspergillus kawachii IFO4308 alpha-l-arabinofuranosidase (AkAbfB). AkAbfB comprises two domains: a catalytic domain and an arabinose-binding domain (ABD). The catalytic domain has a beta-sandwich fold similar to those of clan-B glycoside hydrolases. ABD has a beta-trefoil fold similar to that of carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) family 13. However, ABD shows a number of characteristics distinctive from those of CBM family 13, suggesting that it could be classified into a new CBM family. In the arabinose-complex structure, one of three arabinofuranose molecules is bound to the catalytic domain through many interactions. Interestingly, a disulfide bond formed between two adjacent cysteine residues recognized the arabinofuranose molecule in the active site. From the location of this arabinofuranose and the results of a mutational study, the nucleophile and acid/base residues were determined to be Glu(221) and Asp(297), respectively. The other two arabinofuranose molecules are bound to ABD. The O-1 atoms of the two arabinofuranose molecules bound at ABD are both pointed toward the solvent, indicating that these sites can both accommodate an arabinofuranose side-chain moiety linked to decorated arabinoxylans.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase B from Aspergillus kawachii.

Alpha-L-Arabinofuranosidase (EC 3.2.1.55) is one of the hemicellulases that cleave the glycosidic bonds between L-arabinofuranoside side chains and various oligosaccharides. In this study, the first crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase B from Aspergillus kawachii IFO4308 (AkAbfB), a family 54 glycoside hydrolase, is described. Recombinant AkAbfB was expressed in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris. The native crystals of recombinant AkAbfB produced by P. pastoris belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) (unit-cell parameters a = 39.5, b = 98.2, c = 144.0 A) and diffracted X-rays to a resolution of 1.82 A.

Aspergillus↗

Escherichia coli cyclophilin B binds a highly distorted form of trans-prolyl peptide isomer.

Cyclophilins facilitate the peptidyl-prolyl isomerization of a trans-isomer to a cis-isomer in the refolding process of unfolded proteins to recover the natural folding state with cis-proline conformation. To date, only short peptides with a cis-form proline have been observed in complexes of human and Escherichia coli proteins of cyclophilin A, which is present in cytoplasm. The crystal structures analyzed in this study show two complexes in which peptides having a trans-form proline, i.e. succinyl-Ala-trans-Pro-Ala-p-nitroanilide and acetyl-Ala-Ala-trans-Pro-Ala-amidomethylcoumarin, are bound on a K163T mutant of Escherichia coli cyclophilin B, the preprotein of which has a signal sequence. Comparison with cis-form peptides bound to cyclophilin A reveals that in any case the proline ring is inserted into the hydrophobic pocket and a hydrogen bond between CO of Pro and Neta2 of Arg is formed to fix the peptide. On the other hand, in the cis-isomer, the formation of two hydrogen bonds of NH and CO of Ala preceding Pro with the protein fixes the peptide, whereas in the trans-isomer formation of a hydrogen bond between CO preceding Ala-Pro and His47 Nepsilon2 via a mediating water molecule allows the large distortion in the orientation of Ala of Ala-Pro. Although loss of double bond character of the amide bond of Ala-Pro is essential to the isomerization pathway occurring by rotating around its bond, these peptides have forms impossible to undergo proton transfer from the guanidyl group of Arg to the prolyl N atom, which induces loss of double bond character.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Crystal structure of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Toho-1: insights into the molecular mechanism for catalytic reaction and substrate specificity expansion.

The crystallographic structure of the class A beta-lactamase Toho-1, an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase with potent activity against expanded-spectrum cephems, has been determined at 1.65 A resolution. The result reveals that the Lys73 side chain can adopt two alternative conformations. The predominant conformation of Lys73 is different from that observed in the E166A mutant, indicating that removal of the Glu166 side chain changes the conformation of the Lys73 side chain and thus the interaction between Lys73 and Glu166. The Lys73 side chain would play an important role in proton relay, switching its conformation from one to the other depending on the circumstances. The electron density map also implies possible rotation of Ser237. Comparison of the Toho-1 structure with the structure of other class A beta-lactamases shows that the hydroxyl group of Ser237 is likely to rotate through interaction with the carboxyl group of the substrate. Another peculiarity is the existence of three sulfate ions positioned in or near the substrate-binding cavity. One of these sulfate ions is tightly bound to the active center, while the other two are held by a region of positive charge formed by two arginine residues, Arg274 and Arg276. This positively charged region is speculated to represent a pseudo-binding site of the beta-lactam antibiotics, presumably catching the methoxyimino group of the third-generation cephems prior to proper binding in the substrate-binding cleft for hydrolysis. This high-resolution structure, together with detailed kinetic analysis of Toho-1, provides a new hypothesis for the catalytic mechanism and substrate specificity of Toho-1.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Crystal structures of 4-alpha-glucanotransferase from Thermococcus litoralis and its complex with an inhibitor.

Thermococcus litoralis 4-alpha-glucanotransferase (TLGT) belongs to glucoside hydrolase family 57 and catalyzes the disproportionation of amylose and the formation of large cyclic alpha-1,4-glucan (cycloamylose) from linear amylose. We determined the crystal structure of TLGT with and without an inhibitor, acarbose. TLGT is composed of two domains: an N-terminal domain (domain I), which contains a (beta/alpha)7 barrel fold, and a C-terminal domain (domain II), which has a twisted beta-sandwich fold. In the structure of TLGT complexed with acarbose, the inhibitor was bound at the cleft within domain I, indicating that domain I is a catalytic domain of TLGT. The acarbose-bound structure also clarified that Glu123 and Asp214 were the catalytic nucleophile and acid/base catalyst, respectively, and revealed the residues involved in substrate binding. It seemed that TLGT produces large cyclic glucans by preventing the production of small cyclic glucans by steric hindrance, which is achieved by three lids protruding into the active site cleft, as well as an extended active site cleft. Interestingly, domain I of TLGT shares some structural features with the catalytic domain of Golgi alpha-mannosidase from Drosophila melanogaster, which belongs to glucoside hydrolase family 38. Furthermore, the catalytic residue of the two enzymes is located in the same position. These observations suggest that families 57 and 38 evolved from a common ancestor.

Acarbose↗

Role of two alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases in arabinoxylan degradation and characteristics of the encoding genes from shochu koji molds, Aspergillus kawachii and Aspergillus awamori.

Two different alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases from Aspergillus kawachii were purified and characterized. The two enzymes acted synergically with xylanase in the degradation of arabinoxylan and resulted in an increase in the amount of ferulic acid release by feruloyl esterase. Both enzymes were acidophilic and acid stable enzymes which had an optimum pH of 4.0 and were stable at pH 3.0-7.0. The general properties of the enzymes including pH optima and pH stability were similar to those of Aspergillus awamori. These results suggest that the alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases contribute to an increase in cereal utilization and formation of aroma in shochu brewing. Two different genes encoding alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases from A. kawachii, designated as AkabfA and AkabjB, and those from A. awamori, designated as AwabfA and AwabjB, were also cloned and characterized. The difference between the sequences of AkabfA and AwabfA was only one nucleotide, resulting in an amino acid difference in the sequence, and the enzymes were assigned to family 51 of glycoside hydrolases. On the other hand, the differences between the sequences of AkabjB and AwabjB and between their encoding proteins were two nucleotides and one amino acid residue, respectively, and the enzymes were assigned to family 54 of glycoside hydrolases. On comparison of the abfA and abjB genes among A. kawachii, A. awamori, and A. niger, the relationship between the two genes for A. kawachii and A. awamori was much closer than those between A. niger and the others. Northern analyses showed that transcription of AkabfB was greater than that of AkabfA in the presence of L-arabitol and L-arabinose, and that transcriptions of both genes were not induced in the presence of sucrose and glucose.

Journal Article↗

Aeropyrum pernix K1, a strictly aerobic and hyperthermophilic archaeon, has two terminal oxidases, cytochrome ba3 and cytochrome aa3.

Aeropyrum pernix K1 is a strictly aerobic and hyperthermophilic archaeon that thrives even at 100 degrees C. The archaeon is quite interesting with respect to the evolution of aerobic electron transport systems and the thermal stability of the respiratory components. An isolated membrane fraction was found to oxidize bovine cytochrome c. The activity was solubilized in the presence of detergents and separated into two fractions by successive chromatography. Two cytochrome oxidases, designated as CO-1 and CO-2, were further purified. CO-1 was a ba(3)-type cytochrome containing at least two subunits. Chemically digested fragments of CO-1 revealed a peptide with a sequence identical to a part of a putative cytochrome oxidase subunit I encoded by the gene ape1623. CO-2, an aa(3)-type cytochrome, was present in lower amounts than CO-1 and was immunologically identified as a product of aoxABC gene (DDBJ accession no. AB020482). Both cytochromes reacted with carbon monoxide. The apparent K(m) values of CO-1 and CO-2 for oxygen were 5.5 and 32 micro M, respectively, at 25 degrees C. The terminal oxidases CO-1 and CO-2 phylogenetically correspond to the SoxB and SoxM branches, respectively, of the heme-copper oxidase tree.

Aerobiosis↗

"Asymmetric" catalysis by lanthanide complexes.

Catalysis with lanthanide (Ln) complexes has been underestimated for long time, although Ln(III) complexes have great advantages as Lewis acid catalysts for "asymmetric" carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions. Lanthanide complexes are highly active in ligand-substitution reactions, especially with hard ligands. The association with substrates and dissociation of products are achieved fast enough for high catalyst efficiency. The asymmetric catalysis of organic reactions can be greatly advanced by the use of Ln complexes with chiral ligands such as binaphthol (binol). Ln(II) complexes are good reducing agents, which can be used in a wide variety of synthetically important reactions; when chiral ligands are used, many of these reactions are highly stereoselective. In the context of "green chemistry", the development of asymmetric Ln catalysts, and their recyclable use, is of increasing importance. This review gives an overview of the most recent developments in catalysis with lanthanide(II) and lanthanide(III) complexes.

Journal Article↗

Acyl-intermediate structures of the extended-spectrum class A beta-lactamase, Toho-1, in complex with cefotaxime, cephalothin, and benzylpenicillin.

Bacterial resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics is a serious problem limiting current clinical therapy. The most common form of resistance is the production of beta-lactamases that inactivate beta-lactam antibiotics. Toho-1 is an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase that has acquired efficient activity not only to penicillins but also to cephalosporins including the expanded-spectrum cephalosporins that were developed to be stable in former beta-lactamases. We present the acyl-intermediate structures of Toho-1 in complex with cefotaxime (expanded-spectrum cephalosporin), cephalothin (non-expanded-spectrum cephalosporin), and benzylpenicillin at 1.8-, 2.0-, and 2.1-A resolutions, respectively. These structures reveal distinct features that can explain the ability of Toho-1 to hydrolyze expanded-spectrum cephalosporins. First, the Omega-loop of Toho-1 is displaced to avoid the steric contacts with the bulky side chain of cefotaxime. Second, the conserved residues Asn(104) and Asp(240) form unique interactions with the bulky side chain of cefotaxime to fix it tightly. Finally, the unique interaction between the conserved Ser(237) and cephalosporins probably helps to bring the beta-lactam carbonyl group to the suitable position in the oxyanion hole, thus increasing the cephalosporinase activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Trimeric crystal structure of the glycoside hydrolase family 42 beta-galactosidase from Thermus thermophilus A4 and the structure of its complex with galactose.

The beta-galactosidase from an extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus A4 (A4-beta-Gal), is thermostable and belongs to the glycoside hydrolase family 42 (GH-42). As the first known structures of a GH-42 enzyme, we determined the crystal structures of free and galactose-bound A4-beta-Gal at 1.6A and 2.2A resolution, respectively. A4-beta-Gal forms a homotrimeric structure resembling a flowerpot. Each monomer has an active site located inside a large central tunnel. The N-terminal domain of A4-beta-Gal has a TIM barrel fold, as predicted from hydrophobic cluster analysis. The putative catalytic residues of A4-beta-Gal (Glu141 and Glu312) superimpose well with the catalytic residues of Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase. The environment around the catalytic nucleophile (Glu312) is similar to that in the case of E.coli beta-galactosidase, but the recognition mechanism for a substrate is different. Trp182 of the next subunit of the trimer constitutes a part of the active-site pocket, indicating that the trimeric structure is essential for the enzyme activity. Structural comparison with other glycoside hydrolases revealed that many features of the 4/7 superfamily are conserved in the A4-beta-Gal structure. On the basis of the results of 1H NMR spectroscopy, A4-beta-Gal was determined to be a "retaining" enzyme. Interestingly, the active site was similar with those of retaining enzymes, but the overall fold of the TIM barrel domain was very similar to that of an inverting enzyme, beta-amylase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Zinc-coordination of aspartic acid-76 in Sulfolobus ferredoxin is not required for thermal stability of the molecule.

The highly thermostable 7Fe-ferredoxin from Sulfolobus sp. strain 7 has tightly bound zinc at the interface between the N-terminal extra domain and the C-terminal core. The zinc is tetrahedrally ligated by His-16, His-19, His-34, and Asp-76. Previous studies on truncated mutants have shown that the zinc and certain parts, i.e. not all, of the N-terminal extra stretch are responsible for the thermal stabilization of the molecule. To study the role of Asp-76, a series of mutants were constructed with Asp-76 replaced by Glu (D76E), Asn (D76N), or Ala (D76A). All the mutants, as well as wild type ferredoxin, bound 1 mol zinc/mol protein, and showed similar kinetics for 2-oxoacid:ferredoxin oxidoreductase. The stability of the protein was examined by thermal degradation of the clusters. In the absence of guanidium thiocyanate, the T(m), defined as the mid-point temperature of the thermal transition from the native to the denatured state, for every mutant was above 100 degrees C. The T(m) values in the presence of 1 M guanidium thiocyanate were determined to be 90.8, 90.2, 87.1, 84.4, and 72.9 degrees C for the natural, recombinant, D76N-, D76A-, and D76E-ferredoxins, respectively. These results indicate that the interaction between zinc and the carboxyl oxygen of Asp-76 has subtle effects on both the zinc-ligation and stability, although the native zinc center is liganded with high symmetry, suggesting that the three His residues are more important for zinc-binding.

Aspartic Acid↗

Optically active 1,2-bis(1-arylhydroxymethyl) ferrocene: a new, efficient chiral ligand for scandium-catalyzed asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction.

[reaction: see text] The Sc(OTf)3/FERRODIOL (2) complex was prepared at -78 degrees C in CH2Cl2 in the presence of 2,6-lutidine and MS 4A. The chiral scandium Lewis acid-catalyzed asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene (3) with 3-acyloxazolidin-2-ones (4) effectively produced the adduct (5) in a high yield with good selectivity, i.e., endo/exo = 90:10 up to 91% ee (endo).

Journal Article↗