cDNA and genomic cloning of yeast phenylalanine ammonia-lyase genes reveal genomic intron deletions

Highly Active and Specific Tyrosine Ammonia-Lyases from Diverse Origins Enable Enhanced Production of Aromatic Compounds in Bacteria and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Phenylalanine and tyrosine ammonia-lyases form cinnamic acid and p-coumaric acid, which are precursors of a wide range of aromatic compounds of biotechnological interest. Lack of highly active and specific tyrosine ammonia-lyases has previously been a limitation in metabolic engineering approaches. We therefore identified 22 sequences in silico using synteny information and aiming for sequence divergence. We performed a comparative in vivo study, expressing the genes intracellularly in bacteria and yeast. When produced heterologously, some enzymes resulted in significantly higher production of p-coumaric acid in several different industrially important production organisms. Three novel enzymes were found to have activity exclusively for phenylalanine, including an enzyme from the low-GC Gram-positive bacterium Brevibacillus laterosporus, a bacterial-type enzyme from the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, and a phenylalanine ammonia-lyase from the moss Physcomitrella patens (producing 230 μM cinnamic acid per unit of optical density at 600 nm [OD600]) in the medium using Escherichia coli as the heterologous host). Novel tyrosine ammonia-lyases having higher reported substrate specificity than previously characterized enzymes were also identified. Enzymes from Herpetosiphon aurantiacus and Flavobacterium johnsoniae resulted in high production of p-coumaric acid in Escherichia coli (producing 440 μM p-coumaric acid OD600 unit(-1) in the medium) and in Lactococcus lactis. The enzymes were also efficient in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where p-coumaric acid accumulation was improved 5-fold over that in strains expressing previously characterized tyrosine ammonia-lyases.

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, a key component used for phenylpropanoids production by metabolic engineering

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, a versatile enzyme with industrial and medical applications.

Transcriptome-wide identification and characterization of Ornithogalum saundersiae phenylalanine ammonia lyase gene family

Transcriptome-wide identification and characterization ofOrnithogalum saundersiaephenylalanine ammonia lyase gene family.

Biotechnological production and applications of microbial phenylalanine ammonia lyase: a recent review

Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) catalyzes the nonoxidative deamination of l-phenylalanine to form trans-cinnamic acid and a free ammonium ion. It plays a major role in the catabolism of l-phenylalanine. The presence of PAL has been reported in diverse plants, some fungi, Streptomyces and few Cyanobacteria. In the past two decades, PAL has gained considerable significance in several clinical, industrial and biotechnological applications. Since its discovery, much knowledge has been gathered with reference to the enzyme's importance in phenyl propanoid pathway of plants. In contrast, there is little knowledge about microbial PAL. Furthermore, the commercial source of the enzyme has been mainly obtained from the fungi. This study focuses on the recent advances on the physiological role of microbial PAL and the improvements of PAL biotechnological production both from our laboratory and many others as well as the latest advances on the new applications of microbial PAL.

Fungal and Plant Phenylalanine Ammonia-lyase

L-Phenylalanine is one of the essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized in mammals in adequate amounts to meet the requirements for protein synthesis. Fungi and plants are able to synthesize phenylalanine via the shikimic acid pathway. L-Phenylalanine, derived from the shikimic acid pathway, is used directly for protein synthesis in plants or metabolized through the phenylpropanoid pathway. This phenylpropanoid metabolism leads to the biosynthesis of a wide array of phenylpropanoid secondary products. The first step in this metabolic sequence involves the action of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL). The discovery of PAL enzyme in fungi and the detection of (14)CO(2) production from (14)C-ring-labeled phenylalanine and cinnamic acid demonstrated that certain fungi can degrade phenylalanine by a pathway involving an initial deamination to cinnamic acid, as happens in plants. In this review, we provide background information on PAL and a recent update on the presence of PAL genes in fungi.

L-Mandelate dehydrogenase from Rhodotorula graminis: cloning, sequencing and kinetic characterization of the recombinant enzyme and its independently expressed flavin domain

The l-mandelate dehydrogenase (L-MDH) from the yeast Rhodotorula graminis is a mitochondrial flavocytochrome b2 which catalyses the oxidation of mandelate to phenylglyoxylate coupled with the reduction of cytochrome c. We have used the N-terminal sequence of the enzyme to isolate the gene encoding this enzyme using the PCR. Comparison of the genomic sequence with the sequence of cDNA prepared by reverse transcription PCR revealed the presence of 11 introns in the coding region. The predicted amino acid sequence indicates a close relationship with the flavocytochromes b2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Hansenula anomala, with about 40% identity to each. The sequence shows that a key residue for substrate specificity in S. cerevisiae flavocytochrome b2, Leu-230, is replaced by Gly in L-MDH. This substitution is likely to play an important part in determining the different substrate specificities of the two enzymes. We have developed an expression system and purification protocol for recombinant L-MDH. In addition, we have expressed and purified the flavin-containing domain of L-MDH independently of its cytochrome domain. Detailed steady-state and pre-steady-state kinetic investigations of both L-MDH and its independently expressed flavin domain have been carried out. These indicate that L-MDH is efficient with both physiological (cytochrome c, kcat=225 s-1 at 25 degrees C) and artificial (ferricyanide, kcat=550 s-1 at 25 degrees C) electron acceptors. Kinetic isotope effects with [2-2H]mandelate indicate that H-C-2 bond cleavage contributes somewhat to rate-limitation. However, the value of the isotope effect erodes significantly as the catalytic cycle proceeds. Reduction potentials at 25 degrees C were measured as -120 mV for the 2-electron reduction of the flavin and -10 mV for the 1-electron reduction of the haem. The general trends seen in the kinetic studies show marked similarities to those observed previously with the flavocytochrome b2 (L-lactate dehydrogenase) from S. cerevisiae.