Thermostable d-carbamoylase from Sinorhizobium morelens S-5: purification, characterization and gene expression in Escherichia coli

Structural analysis of a novel N-carbamoyl-d-amino acid amidohydrolase from a Brazilian Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain: In silico insights by molecular modelling, docking and molecular dynamics

In this work we performed several in silico analyses to describe the relevant structural aspects of an enzyme N-Carbamoyl-d-amino acid amidohydrolase (d-NCAase) encoded on the genome of the Brazilian strain CPAC 15 (=SEMIA 5079) of Bradyrhizobium japonicum, a nonpathogenic species belonging to the order Rhizobiales. d-NCAase has wide applications particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, since it catalyzes the production of d-amino acids such as D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine (D-HPG), an intermediate in the synthesis of β-lactam antibiotics. We applied a homology modelling approach and 50 ns of molecular dynamics simulations to predict the structure and the intersubunit interactions of this novel d-NCAase. Also, in order to evaluate the substrate binding site, the model was subjected to 50 ns of molecular dynamics simulations in the presence of N-Carbamoyl-d-p-hydroxyphenylglycine (Cp-HPG) (a d-NCAase canonical substrate) and water-protein/water-substrate interactions analyses were performed. Overall, the structural analysis and the molecular dynamics simulations suggest that d-NCAase of B. japonicum CPAC-15 has a homodimeric structure in solution. Here, we also examined the substrate specificity of the catalytic site of our model and the interactions with water molecules into the active binding site were comprehensively discussed. Also, these simulations showed that the amino acids Lys123, His125, Pro127, Cys172, Asp174 and Arg176 are responsible for recognition of ligand in the active binding site through several chemical associations, such as hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. Our results show a favourable environment for a reaction of hydrolysis that transforms N-Carbamoyl-d-p-hydroxyphenylglycine (Cp-HPG) into the active compound D-p-hydroxyphenylglycine (D-HPG). This work envisage the use of d-NCAase from the Brazilian Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain CPAC-15 (=SEMIA 5079) for the industrial production of D-HPG, an important intermediate for semi-synthesis of β-lactam antibiotics such as penicillins, cephalosporins and amoxicillin.

Identification of d-carbamoylase for biocatalytic cascade synthesis of d-tryptophan featuring high enantioselectivity

In this study, an enantioselective d-carbamoylase (AcHyuC) was identified from Arthrobacter crystallopoietes with optimum pH of 8.5, much more compatible with hydantoinase process than other reported d-N-carbamoylases. AcHyuC has a substrate preference for aromatic carbamoyl-compounds. The dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) cascade was developed by combining this AcHyuC with hydantoin racemase from Arthrobacter aurescens (AaHyuA) and d-hydantoinase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens (AtHyuH) for enantioselective resolution of l-indolylmethylhydantoin into d-Trp. The optimum pH of DKR cascade reaction was determined to be 8.0, and PEG 400 could facilitate the reaction. As much as 80mM l-indolylmethylhydantoin could be fully converted to d-Trp within 12h at 0.5L scale, with 99.4% yield, >99.9% e.e. and productivity of 36.6gL^-1d^-1. This study provides a new d-carbamoylase compatible with the DKR cascade for efficient production of optically pure d-Trp from l-indolylmethylhydantoin.