Scanning chimeragenesis: the approach used to change the substrate selectivity of fatty acid monooxygenase CYP102A1 to that of terpene ω-hydroxylase CYP4C7

(+)-3,6-Epoxymaaliane: A Novel Derivative of (+)-Bicyclogermacrene Oxidation Catalyzed by CYP450 BM3-139-3 and Its Variants

(+)-Bicyclogermacrene is a sesquiterpene compound found in various plant essential oils and serves as a crucial precursor for multiple biologically active compounds. Many derivatives of (+)-bicyclogermacrene have been shown to exhibit valuable bioactivities. Cytochrome P450 BM3 from Bacillus megaterium can catalyze a variety of substrates and different types of oxidation reactions, making it become a powerful tool for oxidizing terpenes. In this study, we employed P450 BM3-139-3 variant for in vitro enzymatic oxidation of (+)-bicyclogermacrene, identifying a novel oxidized derivative of (+)-bicyclogermacrene, named (+)-3,6-epoxymaaliane, and an unknown sesquiterpenoid in a ratio of 70 : 30 (by GC peak area). (+)-3,6-Epoxymaaliane showed demonstrated antibacterial activities toward Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. To obtain a better variant of the monooxygenase with a high selectivity to form (+)-3,6-epoxymaaliane, we combined alanine scanning with the "Focused Rational Iterative Site-Specific Mutagenesis" (FRISM) strategy to modify the closest residues within 5 Å radius surrounding the substrate to create a small-but-smart library of mutants. Consequently, it gave an optimal variant with 1.6-fold improvement, in a turnover number (TON) of up to 964 toward (+)-3,6-epoxymaaliane production with a higher product selectivity.

Choose Your Own Adventure: A Comprehensive Database of Reactions Catalyzed by Cytochrome P450 BM3 Variants

Cytochrome P450 BM3 monooxygenase is the topic of extensive research as many researchers have evolved this enzyme to generate a variety of products. However, the abundance of information on increasingly diversified variants of P450 BM3 that catalyze a broad array of chemistry is not in a format that enables easy extraction and interpretation. We present a database that categorizes variants by their catalyzed reactions and includes details about substrates to provide reaction context. This database of >1500 P450 BM3 variants is downloadable and machine-readable and includes instructions to maximize ease of gathering information. The database allows rapid identification of commonly reported substitutions, aiding researchers who are unfamiliar with the enzyme in identifying starting points for enzyme engineering. For those actively engaged in engineering P450 BM3, the database, along with this review, provides a powerful and user-friendly platform to understand, predict, and identify the attributes of P450 BM3 variants, encouraging the further engineering of this enzyme.

Enhanced and specific epoxidation activity of P450 BM3 mutants for the production of high value terpene derivatives

Terpenes are natural molecules of valuable interest for different industrial applications. Cytochromes P450 enzymes can functionalize terpenoids to form high value oxidized derivatives in a green and sustainable manner, representing a valid alternative to chemical catalysis. In this work, an enhanced and specific epoxidation activity of cytochrome P450 BM3 mutants was found for the terpenes geraniol and linalool. This is the first report showing the epoxidation of linalool by P450 BM3 and its mutant A2 (Asp251Gly/Gln307His) with the formation of valuable oxide derivatives, highlighting the relevance of this enzymes for industrial applications.

Current state and future perspectives of cytochrome P450 enzymes for C–H and C=C oxygenation

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) catalyze a series of C–H and C=C oxygenation reactions, including hydroxylation, epoxidation, and ketonization. They are attractive biocatalysts because of their ability to selectively introduce oxygen into inert molecules under mild conditions. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the C–H and C=C oxygenation reactions catalyzed by CYPs and the various strategies for achieving higher selectivity and enzymatic activity. Furthermore, we discuss the application of C–H and C=C oxygenation catalyzed by CYPs to obtain the desired chemicals or pharmaceutical intermediates in practical production. The rapid development of protein engineering for CYPs provides excellent biocatalysts for selective C–H and C=C oxygenation reactions, thereby promoting the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable production processes.

Strategies for the construction of insect P450 fusion enzymes

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) are ubiquitous enzymes with a broad substrate spectrum. Insect P450s are known to catalyze reactions such as the detoxification of insecticides and the synthesis of hydrocarbons, which makes them useful for many industrial processes. Unfortunately, it is difficult to utilize P450s effectively because they must be paired with cytochrome P450 reductases (CPRs) to facilitate electron transfer from reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). Furthermore, eukaryotic P450s and CPRs are membrane-anchored proteins, which means they are insoluble and therefore difficult to purify when expressed in their native state. Both challenges can be addressed by creating fusion proteins that combine the P450 and CPR functions while eliminating membrane anchors, allowing the production and purification of soluble multifunctional polypeptides suitable for industrial applications. Here we discuss several strategies for the construction of fusion enzymes combining insect P450 with CPRs.

Anti-allergic and Cytotoxic Effects of Sesquiterpenoids and Phenylpropanoids Isolated from Magnolia biondii

Ten sesquiterpenoids (1-10) and six phenylpropanoid derivatives (11-16) were isolated from the flower buds of Magnolia biondii Pamp. Their structures were determined by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and optical rotation. To evaluate their anti-allergic properties, the inhibitory effect of each isolate (1-16) on interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene expression was examined in Jurkat T cells. Among the isolated compounds, three sesquiterpenoids (2, 5, and 7) and two monoterpenoids (12 and 13) strongly inhibited IL-2 production in Jurkat T cells. Four compounds, (-)-parthenolide (2), eudesm-4(15)-eno-1β,6α-diol (5), biondinin D (12), and tiliroside (16), showed cytotoxicity against Jurkat T cells. In addition, (-)-parthenolide (2) exhibited cytotoxicity against the human cervical cancer HeLa cell line, the human breast cancer MCF-7, and human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cell lines.

Characterisation of two self-sufficient CYP102 family monooxygenases from Ktedonobacter racemifer DSM44963 which have new fatty acid alcohol product profiles

BACKGROUND

Two self-sufficient CYP102 family encoding genes (Krac_0936 and Krac_9955) from the bacterium Ktedonobacter racemifer DSM44963, which possesses one of the largest bacterial genomes, have been identified.

METHODS

Phylogenetic analysis of both the encoded cytochrome P450 enzymes, Krac0936 and Krac9955. Both enzymes were produced and their turnovers with fatty acid substrates assessed in vitro and using a whole-cell oxidation system.

RESULTS

Krac0936 hydroxylated straight chain, saturated fatty acids predominantly at the ω-1 and ω-2 positions using NADPH as the cofactor. Krac0936 was less active towards shorter unsaturated fatty acids but longer unsaturated acids were efficiently oxidised. cis,cis-9,12-Octadecadienoic and pentadecanoic acids were the most active substrates tested with Krac0936. Unusually Krac9955 showed very low levels of NAD(P)H oxidation activity though coupling of the reducing equivalents to product formation was high. The product distribution of tridecanoic, tetradecanoic and pentadecanoic acid oxidation by Krac9955 favoured oxidation at the ω-4, ω-5 and ω-6 positions, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Krac0936 and Krac9955 are self-sufficient P450 monooxygenases. Krac0936 has a preference for pentadecanoic acid over other straight chain fatty acids and showed little or no activity with dodecanoic or octadecanoic acids. Krac9955 preferably oxidised shorter fatty acids compared to Krac0936 with tridecanoic having the highest levels of product formation. Unlike Krac0936 and P450Bm3, Krac9995 showed lower activities with unsaturated fatty acids.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

In this study of two of the CYP enzymes from K. racemifer we have shown that this bacterium from the Chloroflexi phylum contains genes which encode new proteins with novel activity.

Terpene hydroxylation with microbial cytochrome P450 monooxygenases

Terpenoids comprise a highly diverse group of natural products. In addition to their basic carbon skeleton, they differ from one another in their functional groups. Functional groups attached to the carbon skeleton are the basis of the terpenoids' diverse properties. Further modifications of terpene olefins include the introduction of acyl-, aryl-, or sugar moieties and usually start with oxidations catalyzed by cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s, CYPs). P450s are ubiquitously distributed throughout nature, involved in essential biological pathways such as terpenoid biosynthesis as well as the tailoring of terpenoids and other natural products. Their ability to introduce oxygen into nonactivated C-H bonds is unique and makes P450s very attractive for applications in biotechnology. Especially in the field of terpene oxidation, biotransformation methods emerge as an attractive alternative to classical chemical synthesis. For this reason, microbial P450s depict a highly interesting target for protein engineering approaches in order to increase selectivity and activity, respectively. Microbial P450s have been described to convert industrial and pharmaceutically interesting terpenoids such as ionones, limone, valencene, resin acids, and triterpenes (including steroids) as well as vitamin D3. Highly selective and active mutants have been evolved by applying classical site-directed mutagenesis as well as directed evolution of proteins. As P450s usually depend on electron transfer proteins, mutagenesis has also been applied to improve the interactions between P450s and their respective redox partners. This chapter provides an overview of terpenoid hydroxylation reactions catalyzed by bacterial P450s and highlights the achievements made by protein engineering to establish productive hydroxylation processes.

Enzyme-controlled nitrogen-atom transfer enables regiodivergent C-H amination

We recently demonstrated that variants of cytochrome P450BM3 (CYP102A1) catalyze the insertion of nitrogen species into benzylic C-H bonds to form new C-N bonds. An outstanding challenge in the field of C-H amination is catalyst-controlled regioselectivity. Here, we report two engineered variants of P450BM3 that provide divergent regioselectivity for C-H amination-one favoring amination of benzylic C-H bonds and the other favoring homo-benzylic C-H bonds. The two variants provide nearly identical kinetic isotope effect values (2.8-3.0), suggesting that C-H abstraction is rate-limiting. The 2.66-Å crystal structure of the most active enzyme suggests that the engineered active site can preorganize the substrate for reactivity. We hypothesize that the enzyme controls regioselectivity through localization of a single C-H bond close to the iron nitrenoid.

P450(BM3) (CYP102A1): connecting the dots

P450(BM3) (CYP102A1), a fatty acid hydroxylase from Bacillus megaterium, has been extensively studied over a period of almost forty years. The enzyme has been redesigned to catalyse the oxidation of non-natural substrates as diverse as pharmaceuticals, terpenes and gaseous alkanes using a variety of engineering strategies. Crystal structures have provided a basis for several of the catalytic effects brought about by mutagenesis, while changes to reduction potentials, inter-domain electron transfer rates and catalytic parameters have yielded functional insights. Areas of active research interest include drug metabolite production, the development of process-scale techniques, unravelling general mechanistic aspects of P450 chemistry, methane oxidation, and improving selectivity control to allow the synthesis of fine chemicals. This review draws together the disparate research themes and places them in a historical context with the aim of creating a resource that can be used as a gateway to the field.

Cytochrome P450: taming a wild type enzyme

Protein engineering of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) has been very successful in generating valuable non-natural activities and properties, allowing these powerful catalysts to be used for the synthesis of drug metabolites and in biosynthetic pathways for the production of precursors of artemisinin and paclitaxel. Collected experience indicates that the P450s are highly 'evolvable' - they are particularly robust to mutation in their active sites and readily accept new substrates and exhibit new selectivities. Their ability to adapt to new challenges upon mutation may reflect the nonpolar nature of their active sites as well as their high degree of conformational variability.