Biomedical subjects

Shigeru Utsumi

Publications and source records attributed to Shigeru Utsumi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Assessment of the importance of alpha-amylase inhibitor-2 in bruchid resistance of wild common bean.

Both alpha-amylase inhibitor-2 (alphaAI-2) and arcelin have been implicated in resistance of wild common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to the Mexican bean weevil (Zabrotes subfasciatus Boheman). Near isogenic lines (NILs) for arcelin 1-5 were generated by backcrossing wild common bean accessions with a cultivated variety. Whereas seeds of a wild accession (G12953) containing both alphaAI-2 and arcelin 4 were completely resistant to Z. subfasciatus, those of the corresponding NIL were susceptible to infestation, suggesting that the principal determinant of resistance was lost during backcrossing. Three independent lines of transgenic azuki bean [Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi and Ohashi] expressing alphaAI-2 accumulated high levels of this protein in seeds. The expression of alphaAI-2 in these lines conferred protection against the azuki bean weevil (Callosobruchus chinensis L.), likely through inhibition of larval digestive alpha-amylase. However, although the seed content of alphaAI-2 in these transgenic lines was similar to that in a wild accession of common bean (G12953), it did not confer a level of resistance to Z. subfasciatus similar to that of the wild accession. These results suggest that alphaAI-2 alone does not provide a high level of resistance to Z. subfasciatus. However, alphaAI-2 is an effective insecticidal protein with a spectrum of activity distinct from that of alphaAI-1, and it may prove beneficial in genetic engineering of insect resistance in legumes.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

The C-terminal region of alpha' subunit of soybean beta-conglycinin contains two types of vacuolar sorting determinants.

In maturing seed cells, proteins that accumulate in the protein storage vacuoles (PSVs) are synthesized on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and transported by vesicles to the PSVs. Vacuolar sorting determinants (VSDs) which are usually amino acid sequences of short or moderate length direct the proteins to this pathway. VSDs identified so far are classified into two types: sequence specific VSDs (ssVSDs) and C-terminal VSDs (ctVSDs). We previously demonstrated that VSDs of alpha' and beta subunits of beta-conglycinin, one of major storage proteins of soybean (Glycine max), reside in the C-terminal ten amino acids. Here we show that both types of VSDs coexist within this region of the alpha' subunit. Although ctVSDs can function only at the very C-termini of proteins, the C-terminal ten amino acids of alpha' subunit directed green fluorescent protein (GFP) to the PSVs even when they were placed at the N-terminus of GFP, indicating that an ssVSD resides in the sequence. By mutation analysis, it was found that the core sequence of the ssVSD is Ser-Ile-Leu (fifth to seventh residues counted from the C-terminus) which is conserved in the alpha and beta subunits and some vicilin-like proteins. On the other hand, the sequence composed of the C-terminal three amino acids (AFY) directed GFP to the PSVs when it was placed at the C-terminus of GFP, though the function as a VSD was disrupted at the N-terminus of GFP, indicating that the AFY sequence is a ctVSD.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2006

Physicochemical properties of native and recombinant mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) 8S globulins and the effects of the N-linked glycans.

We have previously cloned and characterized the cDNAs of three isoforms of the 8S globulin of mungbean, expressed the major 8Salpha isoform in Escherichia coli, and purified and successfully crystallized it (Bernardo, A. E. N.; Garcia, R. N.; Adachi, M.; Angeles, J. G. C.; Kaga, A; Ishimoto, M.; Utsumi, S.; Tecson-Mendoza, E. M. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2004, 52, 2552-2560). Herein, we report the physicochemical and emulsifying properties of the native 8S and recombinant 8Salpha globulin or vicilin. The circular dichroism spectra analysis of the native 8S and recombinant 8Salpha globulins revealed that the recombinant 8Salpha formed a secondary structure close to that of the native 8S. Further, gel filtration analysis showed that 8Salpha was able to assemble into trimers. The native 8S and recombinant 8Salpha globulins were soluble at pH 3.4 and at pH 7.4-9.0 at low ionic strength, mu = 0.08. Interestingly, the native 8S was more soluble at pH 7.0 and pH 7.4 than the recombinant 8Salpha at mu = 0.08. Both forms were very soluble at pH 3.4-9.0 at high ionic strength, mu = 0.50. The native form exhibited a higher T(m) (69.2, 79.5, and 83.8 degrees C) than the recombinant form (65.6, 71.6, 77.5 degrees C) at mu = 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5, respectively. The recombinant form was found to have greater surface hydrophobicity than the native form. There was little difference in the emulsifying ability between the native 8S and 8Salpha at pH 3.4 and pH 7.6. The results indicate that the presence of N-linked glycans is not essential in the assembly and stable conformation of the mungbean vicilin. However, the N-linked glycans might have contributed to the higher solubility at low ionic strength, greater thermal stability, and decreased surface hydrophobicity of the native vicilin as compared to the recombinant 8Salpha. On the other hand, the N-linked glycans showed little effect on the emulsifying ability of the protein.

Chemical Phenomena↗

PubMed2006

Structure of 8Salpha globulin, the major seed storage protein of mung bean.

The 8S globulins of mung bean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] are vicilin-type seed storage globulins which consist of three isoforms: 8Salpha, 8Salpha' and 8Sbeta. The three isoforms have high sequence identities with each other (around 90%). The structure of 8Salpha globulin has been determined for the first time by X-ray crystallographic analysis and refined at 2.65 A resolution with a final R factor of 19.6% for 10-2.65 A resolution data. The refined 8Salpha globulin structure consisted of 366 of the 423 amino-acid residues (one subunit of the biological trimer). With the exception of several disordered regions, the overall 8Salpha globulin structure closely resembled those of other seed storage 7S globulins. The 8Salpha globulin exhibited the highest degree of sequence identity (68%) and structural similarity (a root-mean-square deviation of 0.6 A) with soybean beta-conglycinin beta (7S globulin). Their surface hydrophobicities are also similar to each other, although their solubilities differ under alkaline conditions at low ionic strength. This difference seems to be a consequence of charge-charge interactions and not hydrophobic interactions of the surfaces, based on a comparison of the electrostatic potentials of the molecular surfaces. The thermal stability of 8Salpha globulin is lower than that of soybean beta-conglycinin beta. This correlates with the cavity size derived from the crystal structure, although other structural features also have a small effect on the protein's thermal stability.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2006

Multiple vacuolar sorting determinants exist in soybean 11S globulin.

The sorting determinants of glycinin, a soybean (Glycine max) 11S globulin, which mediates protein targeting to the protein storage vacuole (PSV), were investigated in maturing soybean cotyledons by transient expression assays. A C-terminal stretch of 10 amino acids of A1aB1b, a glycinin group I subunit, was sufficient to direct green fluorescent protein (GFP) to the PSV. This peptide may correspond to a C-terminal vacuolar sorting determinant (ctVSD). Because functional inhibition of this putative ctVSD of A1aB1b did not block PSV sorting of A1aB1b, we used the three-dimensional structure of A1aB1b to identify candidates for a sequence-specific determinant (ssVSD). We found that the sequence downstream of disordered region 4 could direct GFP to the PSV and that Ile-297 is critical for sorting. However, functional inhibition of the ctVSD, combined with the Ile297Gly mutation, did not abolish the vacuolar sorting of A1aB1b, suggesting that A1aB1b has a third sorting determinant in addition to ctVSD and ssVSD. A glycinin group II subunit, A3B4, lacked a ctVSD but contained a VSD reminiscent of an ssVSD and an additional sorting determinant. We also demonstrate, by expression of dominant negative mutants of small GTPases and drug treatment experiments, that the trafficking of A1aB1b is COPII vesicle-dependent and wortmannin- and brefeldin A-sensitive.

ADP-Ribosylation Factor 1↗

PubMed2006

Overexpression, purification and preliminary X-ray analysis of pullulanase from Bacillus subtilis strain 168.

The AmyX gene encoding pullulanase from the common spore-forming bacterium Bacillus subtilis strain 168 was cloned, overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. The recombinant pullulanase was purified to homogeneity using ammonium sulfate precipitation, hydrophobic chromatography and anion-exchange chromatography, resulting in a specific activity of 24.10 U per milligram of protein. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the molecular weight of the protein is approximately 81.0 kDa, which is similar to the calculated molecular weight, 81.1 kDa, from its translated cDNA sequence. The k(cat) and K(m) of the purified enzyme with pullulan as substrate were approximately 79 s(-1) and 1.284 mg ml(-1), respectively. X-ray crystallographic analysis of the pullulanase crystal showed that the crystal belongs to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 70.568, b = 127.68, c = 189.25 angstroms. The crystal contains two molecules of pullulanase in the asymmetric unit, with a solvent content of 53.15%. The crystal diffracted to 2.1 angstroms resolution at a synchrotron and is suitable for structure determination.

Bacillus subtilis↗

PubMed2005

Design of genetically modified soybean proglycinin A1aB1b with multiple copies of bioactive peptide sequences.

The peptide IIAEK derived from beta-lactoglobulin has a hypocholesterolemic activity greater than that of beta-sitosterol. To create food proteins with multiple copies of this valuable peptide sequence, we introduced tandem multimers of the nucleotide sequence encoding the peptide into DNA regions corresponding to the five variable regions of soybean glycinin A1aB1b subunit, and expressed the mutants in Escherichia coli. The expression level and solubility of the five mutants, each containing four IIAEK sequences in each of the variable regions, were compared. Overall, the expression level and solubility of the mutants with four IIAEK sequences in the variable regions IV and V were the best followed by II > III > I. Further, introduction of the fifth IIAEK sequence to the variable region IV did not decrease expression level and solubility. Increasing the number of IIAEK to 7 and 10 slightly decreased expression level, while their solubility decreased to as low as 40 and 1%, respectively. Various mutations were combined to get a mutant containing as many IIAEK sequences as possible. Some of the resulting mutants were expressed in the soluble form. The mutant containing eight IIAEK from the combination of variable regions IV and V (IV-4 + V-4) showed the best balance of the expression level and solubility, followed by the combination of variable regions II and III (II-4 + III-4). The soluble fractions of these mutants were purified by hydrophobic, gel filtration and ion-exchange column chromatography. Yields of IIAEK peptide released by in vitro digestion with trypsin from both mutants were around 80%. This is the first report that a large amount of a physiologically active peptide could be introduced into food protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

Evaluation of the solubility and emulsifying property of soybean proglycinin and rapeseed procruciferin in relation to structure modified by protein engineering.

The presence or absence of a highly negatively charged extension region in beta-conglycinin (J. Agric. Food Chem. 1999, 47, 5278) and the length of a highly negatively charged variable region IV in glycinin (J. Agric. Food Chem. 2004, 52, 8197) are important determinants of solubility and emulsifying property. To examine the effects of the variable region IV from proglycinin A1aB1b and A3B4 and of the extension region from beta-conglycinin alpha' (alpha'ext) on solubility and emulsifying properties in detail, several mutants of proglycinin, procruciferin, and beta-conglycinin were designed and prepared in Escherichia coli. Nine out of 10 mutants were expressed at high levels in E. coli and shown to be homotrimer similar to the wild types as assessed by gel filtration. The position of the introduced negatively charged region as well as the amino acid composition were demonstrated to affect solubility at mu = 0.08. All of the proglycinin, procruciferin, and beta-conglycinin mutants with the alpha'ext in the C-terminus, especially the proglycinin mutant, exhibited excellent emulsifying ability and emulsion stability. These indicate that improvement of emulsifying properties by insertion of the alpha'ext in the C-terminus may be generally applicable to seed globulins.

Antigens, Plant↗

PubMed2005

Structural basis of a fungal galectin from Agrocybe cylindracea for recognizing sialoconjugate.

Galectin from an edible fungus Agrocybe cylindracea (ACG) has a strong preference for N-acetylneuraminyl lactose (NeuAcalpha2-3lactose). The sugar recognition mechanism of ACG was explored by the X-ray crystallographic analyses of ligand-free ACG, and its complex with lactose, 3'-sulfonyl lactose and NeuAcalpha2-3lactose. The refined structure shows that ACG is a "proto"-type galectin composed of a beta-sandwich of two antiparallel sheets, each with six strands, in contrast to the five and six strands in animal galectins. ACG dimer in solution was classified as being among the "layer"-type. The carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) of this galectin is common to those of animal galectins, except for substitution of one residue, Ala64, which corresponds to Asn46 in human galectin 1. A five-residue insertion in ACG at positions 42-46 involving Ser44 and Asn46 modified the architecture of the sugar binding site that contributes sialic acid specificity. Furthermore, it was found that the binding of a sulfate ion near the CRD in the ligand-free form led to a change in the conformation of the loop region caused by main-chain cis/trans transition between Ser44 and Pro45.

Agaricales↗

PubMed2005

Structure-function relationships of soybean proglycinins at subunit levels.

Glycinin consists of five kinds of subunits, group I (A1aB1b, A1bB2, and A2B1a) and group II (A3B4 and A5A4B3). cDNAs for individual subunits were cloned by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method and expressed in Escherichia coli using pET vector. The recombinant proglycinins were purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and column chromatography in the form of homotrimers. Physicochemical properties such as molecular dimensions, solubility, surface hydrophobicity, thermal stability, and emulsifying ability of individual proglycinins were studied. Molecular dimensions were proportional to molecular size for all proglycinins except A2B1a. Solubility was intrinsic to each proglycinin. At the ionic strength of 0.5, all proglycinins except A1aB1b showed a very low solubility at acidic pH, but A1aB1b was soluble to higher than 60%. At ionic strength 0.08, all proglycinins exhibited isoelectric precipitation, although A2B1a and A1bB2 were not completely insoluble. The order of emulsifying ability (A1bB2 < A2B1a < A5A4B3 < A3B4 < or = A1aB1b) was not of the same for surface hydrophobicity (A5A4B3 < A1aB1b < or = A3B4 < A1bB2 < A2B1a) and thermal stability (A1bB2 << A2B1a < or = A5A4B3 < A3B4 < or = A1aB1b).

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗

PubMed2005

Molecular analysis and physicochemical properties of electrophoretic variants of wild soybean Glycine soja storage proteins.

Cultivated soybeans (Glycine max) are derived from wild soybeans (Glycine soja) and can be crossed with them to produce fertile offspring. The latter exhibit greater genetic variation than the former, suggesting a possibility that wild soybeans contain storage proteins with properties different from and better than those of cultivated soybeans. To identify a wild soybean suitable for breeding a new soybean cultivar, we analyzed seed proteins from 390 lines of wild soybeans by electrophoresis. We found some lines containing electrophoretic variants of glycinin and beta-conglycinin subunits: one line containing a small alpha' subunit of beta-conglycinin and two and five lines containing small A3 and large A4 polypeptides of glycinin, respectively. Beta-Conglycinin and glycinin containing such variant subunits exhibited solubility and emulsifying ability similar to those of the predominant types of wild and cultivated soybeans. Glycinins containing small A3 and large A4 gave a shoulder derived from the start of denaturation at a temperature 4 degrees C lower than that of glycinin from the predominant types of wild and cultivated soybeans, although their thermal denaturation midpoint temperatures were very similar to each other. Cloning and sequencing of the predominant and variant subunit cDNAs revealed that the small alpha' and the small A3 lacked 24 amino acid residues in the extension region and four amino acid residues in the hypervariable region, respectively, and that the large A4 did not have an insert corresponding to the difference in the electrophoretic mobility but Arg279 and Gln305 were replaced by glutamine and histidine, respectively, in the hypervariable region. These suggest that small differences even in the hypervariable region can affect the thermal stability, as well as the electrophoretic mobilities, of the proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

Structural analysis of threonine 342 mutants of soybean beta-amylase: role of a conformational change of the inner loop in the catalytic mechanism.

Two different conformations of the inner loop (residues 340-346) have been found in the soybean beta-amylase structures. In the "product form", the Thr 342 residue creates hydrogen bonds with Glu 186 (catalytic acid) and with the glucose residues at subsites -1 and +1, whereas most of those interactions are lost in the "apo form". To elucidate the relationship between the structural states of the inner loop and the catalytic mechanism, Thr 342 was mutated to Val, Ser, and Ala, respectively, and their crystal structures complexed with maltose were determined together with that of the apo enzyme at 1.27-1.64 A resolutions. The k(cat) values of the T342V, T342S, and T342A mutants decreased by 13-, 360-, and 1700-fold, respectively, compared to that of the wild-type enzyme. Whereas the inner loops in the wild-type/maltose and T342V/maltose complexes adopted the product form, those of the T342S/maltose and T342A/maltose complexes showed the apo form. Structural analyses suggested that the side chain of Thr 342 in product form plays an important role in distorting the sugar ring at subsite -1, stabilizing the deprotonated form of Glu 186, and grasping the glucose residue of the remaining substrate at subsite +1. The third hypothesis was proved by the fact that T342V hydrolyzes maltoheptaose following only multichain attack in contrast to multiple attack of the wild-type enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Structure-physicochemical function relationships of soybean glycinin at subunit levels assessed by using mutant lines.

Glycinin is a hexameric protein composed of five kinds of subunits. The subunits are classified into two groups, group I (A1aB1b, A1bB2, and A2B1a) and group II (A3B4 and A5A4B3). We purified four mutant glycinins composed of only group I subunits (group I-glycinin), only group II subunits (group II-glycinin), only A3B4 (A3B4-glycinin), and only A5A4B3 (A5A4B3-glycinin) from mutant soybean lines. The physicochemical properties of these glycinin samples were compared with those of the normal glycinin (11S) composed of five kinds of subunits. The thermal stabilities (as measured by thermal denaturation midpoint temperatures) of 11S, group I-glycinin, and group II-glycinin were similar to each other, although that of A3B4-glycinin was significantly lower than those of the others. The orders of aromatic and aliphatic surface hydrophobicities were the same: A3B4-glycinin > group II-glycinin > A5A4B3-glycinin > 11S > group I-glycinin. The solubility of 11S as a function of pH at mu = 0.5 was governed by that of group I-glycinin and followed this order at acidic pH: 11S = group I-glycinin > A3B4-glycinin > group II-glycinin = A5A4B3-glycinin. The order of emulsifying abilities was A5A4B3-glycinin > group II-glycinin > A3B4-glycinin > 11S > group I-glycinin. This order was consistent with that of the length of their hypervariable regions. Except for this relationship, there was no significant relationship among the other physicochemical properties of the mutant glycinins.

Chemical Phenomena↗

PubMed2004

Identification of the 23-kDa peptide derived from the precursor of Gly m Bd 28K, a major soybean allergen, as a new allergen.

One of the major soybean allergens, Gly m Bd 28K, is suggested to be biosynthesized as a preproprotein form, which would be composed of a signal peptide, Gly m Bd 28K and the C-terminal peptide (the 23-kDa peptide). However, the 23-kDa peptide has never been characterized. In the present study, we prepared a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against a recombinant 23-kDa peptide expressed in Escherichia coli to detect the 23-kDa peptide in soybean. Several proteins were detected by immunoblotting with the mAb. All of the proteins were shown to have the identical N-terminal amino acid sequence, suggesting that the proteins correspond to the C-terminal part of the Gly m Bd 28K precursor. Furthermore, Gly m Bd 28K and the 23-kDa peptide were observed to come out at the 21st day after flowering and to locate in the crystalloid part of protein storage vacuoles in growing cotyledons. Some of the 23-kDa peptides were shown to be glycoproteins with an N-linked glycan moiety and exhibited the binding to IgE antibodies in the sera of patients sensitive to soybean. The binding of the peptides to IgE antibodies was suggested to be predominantly dependent on their glycan moiety. This study proves the occurrence of the 23-kDa peptide in soybean and that it is a new allergen.

Allergens↗

PubMed2004

Effects of protein engineering of canola procruciferin on its physicochemical and functional properties.

The primary structure of Brassica napus procruciferin 2/3a was engineered to elucidate structure-function relationships and to improve the functionality of cruciferin. The following mutants were constructed: (1) C287T, (2) DeltaII, variable region II was deleted; (3) C287T/DeltaII, mutation involving (1) and (2); (4) DeltaIV + A1aIV; and (5) DeltaIV + A3IV, variable region IV was replaced with variable region IV containing many charged residues from soybean glycinin A1aB1b and A3B4 subunits. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis revealed that the A1aIV region has a more favorable interaction with the procruciferin molecule than does A3IV as well as the original regions. On the basis of heat-induced precipitation analysis, it was concluded that replacement of the free cysteine residue with threonine (C287T) and insertion of charged regions (DeltaIV + A1aIV and DeltaIV + A3IV) could lead procruciferin to form soluble aggregates after heating. Low solubility was observed in mutants DeltaIV + A3IV, DeltaII, and C287T/DeltaII, especially between pH 4 and 6 at mu = 0.08, but not in DeltaIV + A1aIV, indicating that the number of acidic amino acid residues and the high number of glutamine residues are important factors for solubility at mu = 0.08. None of the mutants showed any improvements in emulsifying ability, indicating that destabilization and addition of the hydrophilic region are not effective for emulsification. The insertion of the A1aIV region in procruciferin made the molecule more susceptible to alpha-chymotrypsin.

Allergens↗

PubMed2004

Engineering of the pH optimum of Bacillus cereus beta-amylase: conversion of the pH optimum from a bacterial type to a higher-plant type.

The optimum pH of Bacillus cereus beta-amylase (BCB, pH 6.7) differs from that of soybean beta-amylase (SBA, pH 5.4) due to the substitution of a few amino acid residues near the catalytic base residue (Glu 380 in SBA and Glu 367 in BCB). To explore the mechanism for controlling the optimum pH of beta-amylase, five mutants of BCB (Y164E, Y164F, Y164H, Y164Q, and Y164Q/T47M/Y164E/T328N) were constructed and characterized with respect to enzymatic properties and X-ray structural crystal analysis. The optimum pH of the four single mutants shifted to 4.2-4.8, approximately 2 pH units and approximately 1 pH unit lower than those of BCB and SBA, respectively, and their k(cat) values decreased to 41-3% of that of the wild-type enzyme. The X-ray crystal analysis of the enzyme-maltose complexes showed that Glu 367 of the wild type is surrounded by two water molecules (W1 and W2) that are not found in SBA. W1 is hydrogen-bonded to both side chains of Glu 367 and Tyr 164. The mutation of Tyr 164 to Glu and Phe resulted in the disruption of the hydrogen bond between Tyr 164 Oeta and W1 and the introduction of two additional water molecules near position 164. In contrast, the triple mutant of BCB with a slightly decreased pH optimum at pH 6.0 has no water molecules (W1 and W2) around Glu 367. These results suggested that a water-mediated hydrogen bond network (Glu 367...W1...Tyr 164...Thr 328) is the primary requisite for the increased pH optimum of wild-type BCB. This strategy is completely different from that of SBA, in which a hydrogen bond network (Glu 380...Thr 340...Glu 178) reduces the optimum pH in a hydrophobic environment.

Asparagine↗

PubMed2004

Effects of designed sulfhydryl groups and disulfide bonds into soybean proglycinin on its structural stability and heat-induced gelation.

The gel-forming ability of glycinin is one of soybean's most important functional properties. The proglycinin A1aB1b homotrimer was engineered to introduce sulfhydryl groups and disulfide bonds, and their effects on the structural stability and the heat-induced gelation were evaluated. On the basis of the crystal structure, five mutants were designed and prepared: R161C and F163C forming an interprotomer disulfide bond with the inherent free cysteine residue of Cys377, N116C/P248C forming a new intraprotomer disulfide bond, and N116C and P248C introducing a new sulfhydryl group. Mutants of R161C, F163C, and N116C/P248C formed a new disulfide bond as expected. N116C/P248C was significantly more stable than the wild type against chemical and thermal denaturation and more resistant to alpha-chymotrypsin digestion, whereas F163C showed significantly increased thermal stability. All mutants exhibited greater hardness of heat-induced gels than wild type, and in particular, N116C/P248C gave the hardest gel. This result indicates that it is possible to increase hardness of glycinin gel by introduction of cysteine residues using protein engineering.

Disulfides↗

PubMed2004

The roles of Glu186 and Glu380 in the catalytic reaction of soybean beta-amylase.

It has previously been suggested that the glutamic acid residues Glu186 and Glu380 of soybean beta-amylase play critical roles as a general acid and a general base catalyst, respectively. In order to confirm the roles of Glu186 and Glu380, each residue was mutated to a glutamine residue and the crystal structures of the substrate (E186Q/maltopentaose) and product (E380Q/maltose) complexes were determined at resolutions of 1.6 Angstrom and 1.9 Angstrom, respectively. Both mutant enzymes exhibited 16,000- and 37,000-fold decreased activity relative to that of the wild-type enzyme. The crystal structure of the E186Q/maltopentaose complex revealed an unambiguous five-glucose unit at subsites -2 to +3. Two maltose molecules bind on subsites -2 to -1 and +2 to +3 in the E380Q/maltose complex, whereas they bind in tandem to -2 to -1 and +1 to +2 in the wild-type/maltose complex. The conformation of the glucose residue at subsite -1 was identified as a stable (4)C(1) alpha-anomer in the E380Q/maltose complex, whereas a distorted ring conformation was observed in the wild-type/maltose complex. The side-chain movement of Gln380 to the position of a putative attacking water molecule seen in the wild-type enzyme caused the inactivation of the E380Q mutant and an altered binding pattern of maltose molecules. These results confirm the critical roles played by Glu186 in the donation of a proton to the glycosidic oxygen of the substrate, and by Glu380 in the activation of an attacking water molecule. The observed difference between the backbones of E186Q/maltopentaose and E380Q/maltose in terms of Thr342 suggests that the side-chain of Thr342 may stabilize the deprotonated form of Glu186 after the cleavage of the glycosidic bond.

Binding Sites↗