Identification, cloning and heterologous expression of fungal vanillyl-alcohol oxidases

[摘要] English:There are currently only two confirmed fungal vanillyl-alcohol oxidases (VAOs), one from Penicillium simplicissimum (here called PsVAO) and one from Byssochlamys fulva. Only the gene sequence of PsVAO is available. Fusarium spp. was targeted as a source of more VAOs, because they are plant pathogens known for production of lignolytic enzymes and utilization of aromatic compounds. BLAST searches of the databases of the Fungal Genome Initiative of the Broad Institute using PsVAO as query supported this choice. The predicted protein (called FvVAO) of one hit, gene number FVEG 03424 from Fusarium verticillioides, shared 63% amino acid identity with PsVAO and grouped with PsVAO in a phylogenetic analysis. Seven Fusarium strains from three species F. verticilliodes (synonym Fusarium moniliforme), Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium oxysporum were investigated for VAO activity. F. moniliforme MRC 6155 consistently displayed VAO activity in cell-free extracts with 0.036 U/mg protein obtained after veratryl alcohol induction. Primers based on the FvVAO gene were used to amplify the VAO gene (called FmVAO) from F. moniliforme MRC 6155 from both genomic DNA and mRNA. Comparison of the genomic sequences of FvVAO and FmVAO, which both have the same four introns, revealed a total of 42 nucleotide differences while the deduced amino acid sequences differed by seven amino acids. The sequences of the new FmVAO were submitted to GenBank (NCBI), accession number JQ410355. Both PsVAO and FmVAO were cloned into the pET28b(+) vector adding N-terminal His-tags and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3)pRARE2. Using this strain to compensate for rare codons improved the expression of PsVAO but it was still not possible to detect discernable VAO bands of either PsVAO or FmVAO on SDS-PAGE gels. Comparison of substrate specificity of PsVAO and FmVAO in assays done with cell free extracts and whole cell biotransformations revealed that FmVAO preferred vanillyl alcohol as substrate and can thus be regarded as a true vanillyl-alcohol oxidase - possibly the first. Vanillyl-alcohol oxidase activities of PsVAO and FmVAO in cell-free extracts were respectively 0.028 and 0.018 U/mg protein, while eugenol oxidase activities were 0.030 and 0.005 U/mg protein. In whole cell biotransformations of vanillyl alcohol, specific activities of PsVAO and FmVAO were respectively 6.1 and 5.7 U/g dry weight, while with eugenol as substrate activities were 11.0 and 2.2 U/g dry weight. In whole cell biotransformations FmVAO showed higher activity with ethylphenol, again indicating its different substrate specificity. PsVAO was also cloned and expressed in the yeasts Kluyveromyces marxianus and Arxula adeninivorans while FmVAO was also cloned and expressed in A. adeninivorans. The K. marxianus vector pKM63 which gave excellent but unstable expression in K. marxianus contains 18S rDNA fragments from K. marxianus for genomic integration, a geneticin resistance marker and the native inulinase promoter of K. marxianus to drive expression of the cloned gene. The wide range vector pKM118 used for cloning into A. adeninivorans only differs from pKM63 in that it contains a hygromycin resistance marker and uses the Yarrowia lipolytica TEF promoter to drive expression of the cloned gene. Comparison of the specific activities in cell free extracts of both FmVAO and PsVAO expressed in A. adeninivorans and E. coli revealed that expression in the yeast increased the activity in cell-free extracts, with FmVAO benefiting more from expression in A. adeninivorans. The vanillyl-alcohol oxidase activity of FmVAO in A. adeninivorans was 0.045 U/mg protein and the eugenol oxidase activity, 0.015 U/mg protein. Both the vanillyl-alcohol oxidase and eugenol oxidase activities of PsVAO in A. adeninivorans were 0.04 U/mg protein. Differential centrifugation of cell free extracts showed that both PsVAO and FmVAO activity could only be detected in the soluble fraction.

[发布机构] University of the Free State