Enzymatic synthesis of l-DOPA α-glycosides by reaction with sucrose catalyzed by four different glucansucrases from four strains of Leuconostoc mesenteroides

Alternansucrase as a key enabling tool of biotransformation from molecular features to applications: A review

Alternansucrase (ASR), classified in GH70, produces unique α-glucans with alternating α-1,3 and α-1,6 glycosidic linkages in the backbone chain from renewable sucrose which is easily obtained from nature with low cost. ASR has synthesized many products with valuable functionalities that hold enormous commercial interest and promising applications. The influence of biocatalysis and fermentation parameters on the yields, and properties of products are critical for the propositions made to promote the enzyme application. Investigations on ASR have been compiled in the review to provide information on the enzyme, products and parameters. This review summarizes studies on the characteristics, conversion mechanism, products, and beneficial applications of ASR and exhibits structure-based technologies to improve enzyme activity, specificity, and thermostability for industrial applications. Finally, prospects for further development are also proposed for various ASR applications in food and other fields.

Enzymatic glucosylation of polyphenols using glucansucrases and branching sucrases of glycoside hydrolase family 70

Polyphenols exhibit various beneficial biological activities and represent very promising candidates as active compounds for food industry. However, the low solubility, poor stability and low bioavailability of polyphenols have severely limited their industrial applications. Enzymatic glycosylation is an effective way to improve the physicochemical properties of polyphenols. As efficient transglucosidases, glycoside hydrolase family 70 (GH70) glucansucrases naturally catalyze the synthesis of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides from sucrose. Notably, GH70 glucansucrases show broad acceptor substrate promiscuity and catalyze the glucosylation of a wide range of non-carbohydrate hydroxyl group-containing molecules, including benzenediol, phenolic acids, flavonoids and steviol glycosides. Branching sucrase enzymes, a newly established subfamily of GH70, are shown to possess a broader acceptor substrate binding pocket that acts efficiently for glucosylation of larger size polyphenols such as flavonoids. Here we present a comprehensive review of glucosylation of polyphenols using GH70 glucansucrase and branching sucrases. Their catalytic efficiency, the regioselectivity of glucosylation and the structure of generated products are described for these reactions. Moreover, enzyme engineering is effective for improving their catalytic efficiency and product specificity. The combined information provides novel insights on the glucosylation of polyphenols by GH70 glucansucrases and branching sucrases, and may promote their applications.

Site Directed Mutagenesis of Dextransucrase DsrM from Weissella cibaria: Transformation to a Reuteransucrase

Glucansucrases produce α-glucans and gluco-oligosaccharides; the linkage type and molecular weight of glucans impacts their functionality. This study compared the catalytic specificities of dextransucrase DsrM from Weissella cibaria 10M and derivatives of this enzymes with GtfA from Lactobacillus reuteri TMW1.656. The N-variable region, which is dispensable for GtfA activity, was essential for DsrM activity. Parallel amino acid substitutions in DsrM-ΔS and GtfA-ΔN indicated that the acceptor binding site residues determining the linkage type differ in these enzymes. DsrM-V583P:V586I had comparable enzyme activity as the respective GtfA derivative but did not increase the proportion of α-(1→4) linkages. DsrM-S622N had low enzyme activity and an unaltered proportion of α-(1→4) linkages while the analogous GtfA-S1062N maintained enzyme activity but increased the proportion of α-(1→4) linkages. This study of dextransucrase from Weissella spp. thus elucidated differences between glucansucrases and will facilitate study of the structure-function relationships of dextran and isomalto-oligosaccharides.

Engineering a Carbohydrate-processing Transglycosidase into Glycosyltransferase for Natural Product Glycodiversification

Glycodiversification broadens the scope of natural product-derived drug discovery. The acceptor substrate promiscuity of glucosyltransferase-D (GTF-D), a carbohydrate-processing enzyme from Streptococcus mutans, was expanded by protein engineering. Mutants in a site-saturation mutagenesis library were screened on the fluorescent substrate 4-methylumbelliferone to identify derivatives with improved transglycosylation efficiency. In comparison to the wild-type GTF-D enzyme, mutant M4 exhibited increased transglycosylation capabilities on flavonoid substrates including catechin, genistein, daidzein and silybin, using the glucosyl donor sucrose. This study demonstrated the feasibility of developing natural product glycosyltransferases by engineering transglycosidases that use donor substrates cheaper than NDP-sugars, and gave rise to a series of α-glucosylated natural products that are novel to the natural product reservoir. The solubility of the α-glucoside of genistein and the anti-oxidant capability of the α-glucoside of catechin were also studied.

Diversity of sugar acceptor of glycosyltransferase 1 from Bacillus cereus and its application for glucoside synthesis

Glycosyltransferase 1 from Bacillus cereus (BcGT1) catalyzes the transfer of a glucosyl moiety from uridine diphosphate glucose (UDP-glucose) to various acceptors; it was expressed and characterized. The specificity of acceptors was found to be broad: more than 20 compounds classified into O-, S-, and N-linkage glucosides can be prepared with BcGT1 catalysis. Based on this work, we conclude that the corresponding acceptors of these compounds must possess the following features: (1) the acceptors must contain at least one aromatic or fused-aromatic or heteroaromatic ring; (2) the reactive hydroxyl or sulfhydryl or amino group can attach either on the aromatic ring or on its aliphatic side chain; and (3) the acceptors can be a primary, secondary, or even a tertiary amine. Four representative acceptors-fluorescein methyl ester, 17-β-estradiol, 7-mercapto-4-methylcoumarin, and 6-benzylaminopurine-were chosen as a candidate acceptor for O-, S-, and N-glucosidation, respectively. These enzymatic products were purified and the structures were confirmed with mass and NMR spectra. As all isolated glucosides are β-anomers, BcGT1 is confirmed to be an inverting enzyme. This study not only demonstrates the substrate promiscuity of BcGT1 but also showed the great application prospect of this enzyme in bioconversion of valuable bioactive molecules.

Molecular cloning and characterization of active truncated dextransucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-1299CB4

The open reading frame of dsrE563, a dextransucrase gene obtained from a constitutive mutant (CB4-BF563) of Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-1299, consists of 8,511 bp encoding 2,836 amino acid residues. DsrE563 contains two catalytic domains (CD1 and CD2). Two truncated derivative mutants DsrE563ΔCD2ΔGBD (DsrE563-1) and DsrE563ΔCD2ΔVR (DsrE563-2) of DsrE563 were constructed and expressed using the pRSETC vector in Escherichia coli. The derivatives DsrE563-1 (deletion of 1,620 amino acids from the C-terminus) and DsrE563-2 (deletion of 1,258 amino acids from the C-terminus and 349 amino acids from the N-terminus) were expressed as active enzymes. Both enzymes synthesized less-soluble dextran, mainly containing α-1,6 glucosidic linkage. The synthesized less-soluble dextran also had a branched α-1,3 linkage. DsrE563-2 showed 4.5-fold higher dextransucrase activity than that of DsrE563-1 and showed higher acceptor reaction efficiency than that of dextransucrase from L. mesenteroides 512 FMCM when various mono or disaccharides were used as acceptors. Thus, the glucan-binding domain was important for both enzyme expression and dextransucrase activity.

Enzymatic glycosylation of small molecules: challenging substrates require tailored catalysts

Glycosylation can significantly improve the physicochemical and biological properties of small molecules like vitamins, antibiotics, flavors, and fragrances. The chemical synthesis of glycosides is, however, far from trivial and involves multistep routes that generate lots of waste. In this review, biocatalytic alternatives are presented that offer both stricter specificities and higher yields. The advantages and disadvantages of different enzyme classes are discussed and illustrated with a number of recent examples. Progress in the field of enzyme engineering and screening are expected to result in new applications of biocatalytic glycosylation reactions in various industrial sectors.

Synthesis and characterization of ampelopsin glucosides using dextransucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-1299CB4: glucosylation enhancing physicochemical properties

Novel ampelopsin glucosides (AMPLS-Gs) were enzymatically synthesized and purified using a Sephadex LH-20 column. Each structure of the purified AMPLS-Gs was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance, and the ionic product of AMPLS-G1 was observed at m/z 505 (C₂₁H₂₂O₁₃·Na)⁺ using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. AMPLS-G1 was identified as ampelopsin-4'-O-α-D-glucopyranoside. The optimum condition for AMPLS-G1, determined using response surface methodology, was 70 mM ampelopsin, 150 mM sucrose, and 1 U/mL dextransucrase, which resulted in an AMPLS-G1 yield of 34 g/L. The purified AMPLS-G1 displayed 89-fold increased water solubility and 14.5-fold browning resistance compared to those of AMPLS and competitive inhibition against tyrosinase with a K(i) value of 40.16 μM. This value was smaller than that of AMPLS (K(i)=62.56 μM) and much smaller than that of β-arbutin (K(i)=514.84 μM), a commercial active ingredient of whitening cosmetics. These results indicate the potential of AMPLS and AMPLS-G1 as superior ingredients for functional cosmetics.

Glucansucrases: three-dimensional structures, reactions, mechanism, α-glucan analysis and their implications in biotechnology and food applications

Glucansucrases are extracellular enzymes that synthesize a wide variety of α-glucan polymers and oligosaccharides, such as dextran. These carbohydrates have found numerous applications in food and health industries, and can be used as pure compounds or even be produced in situ by generally regarded as safe (GRAS) lactic acid bacteria in food applications. Research in the recent years has resulted in big steps forward in the understanding and exploitation of the biocatalytic potential of glucansucrases. This paper provides an overview of glucansucrase enzymes, their recently elucidated crystal structures, their reaction and product specificity, and the structural analysis and applications of α-glucan polymers. Furthermore, we discuss key developments in the understanding of α-glucan polymer formation based on the recently elucidated three-dimensional structures of glucansucrase proteins. Finally we discuss the (potential) applications of α-glucans produced by lactic acid bacteria in food and health related industries.