Functional and biotechnological insights into diglycosidases*

Discovery of Potent Glycosidases Enables Quantification of Smoke-Derived Phenolic Glycosides through Enzymatic Hydrolysis

When grapes are exposed to wildfire smoke, certain smoke-related volatile phenols (VPs) can be absorbed into the fruit, where they can be then converted into volatile-phenol (VP) glycosides through glycosylation. These volatile-phenol glycosides can be particularly problematic from a winemaking standpoint as they can be hydrolyzed, releasing volatile phenols, which can contribute to smoke-related off-flavors. Current methods for quantitating these volatile-phenol glycosides present several challenges, including the requirement of expensive capital equipment, limited accuracy due to the molecular complexity of the glycosides, and the utilization of harsh reagents. To address these challenges, we proposed an enzymatic hydrolysis method enabled by a tailored enzyme cocktail of novel glycosidases discovered through genome mining, and the generated VPs from VP glycosides can be quantitated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The enzyme cocktails displayed high activities and a broad substrate scope when using commercially available VP glycosides as the substrates for testing. When evaluated in an industrially relevant matrix of Cabernet Sauvignon wine and grapes, this enzymatic cocktail consistently achieved a comparable efficacy of acid hydrolysis. The proposed method offers a simple, safe, and affordable option for smoke taint analysis.

Rutinosides-derived from Sarocladium strictum 6-O-α-rhamnosyl-β-glucosidase show enhanced anti-tumoral activity in pancreatic cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Low targeting efficacy and high toxicity continue to be challenges in Oncology. A promising strategy is the glycosylation of chemotherapeutic agents to improve their pharmacodynamics and anti-tumoral activity. Herein, we provide evidence of a novel approach using diglycosidases from fungi of the Hypocreales order to obtain novel rutinose-conjugates therapeutic agents with enhanced anti-tumoral capacity.

RESULTS

Screening for diglycosidase activity in twenty-eight strains of the genetically related genera Acremonium and Sarocladium identified 6-O-α-rhamnosyl-β-glucosidase (αRβG) of Sarocladium strictum DMic 093557 as candidate enzyme for our studies. Biochemically characterization shows that αRβG has the ability to transglycosylate bulky OH-acceptors, including bioactive compounds. Interestingly, rutinoside-derivatives of phloroglucinol (PR) resorcinol (RR) and 4-methylumbelliferone (4MUR) displayed higher growth inhibitory activity on pancreatic cancer cells than the respective aglycones without significant affecting normal pancreatic epithelial cells. PR exhibited the highest efficacy with an IC50 of 0.89 mM, followed by RR with an IC50 of 1.67 mM, and 4MUR with an IC50 of 2.4 mM, whereas the respective aglycones displayed higher IC50 values: 4.69 mM for phloroglucinol, 5.90 mM for resorcinol, and 4.8 mM for 4-methylumbelliferone. Further, glycoconjugates significantly sensitized pancreatic cancer cells to the standard of care chemotherapy agent gemcitabine.

CONCLUSIONS

αRβG from S. strictum transglycosylate-based approach to synthesize rutinosides represents a suitable option to enhance the anti-proliferative effect of bioactive compounds. This finding opens up new possibilities for developing more effective therapies for pancreatic cancer and other solid malignancies.

New insights of flavonoid glycosidases and their application in food industry

Flavonoids are significant natural nutraceuticals and a key component of dietary supplements. Given that flavonoid glycosides are more plentiful in nature and less beneficial to human health than their aglycone counterparts, they serve as potential precursors for flavonoid production. Glycosidases have shown substantial potential within the food industry, particularly in enhancing the organoleptic properties of juice, wine, and tea. When applied to food resources, glycosidases can amplify their biological activities, thereby improving the performance of functional foods. This review provides up-to-date information on flavonoid glycosidases, including their catalytic mechanisms, biochemical properties, and natural sources, as well as their applications within the food industry. The use of flavonoid glycosidases in improving food quality is also reviewed.

Rutinosidase and other diglycosidases: Rising stars in biotechnology

Diglycosidases are a special class of glycosidases (EC 3.2.1) that catalyze the separation of intact disaccharide moieties from the aglycone part. The main diglycosidase representatives comprise rutinosidases that cleave rutinose (α-l-Rha-(1-6)-β-d-Glc) from rutin or other rutinosides, and (iso)primeverosidases processing (iso)primeverosides (d-Xyl-(1-6)-β-d-Glc), but other activities are known. Notably, some diglycosidases may be ranked as monoglucosidases with enlarged substrate specificity. Diglycosidases are found in various microorganisms and plants. Diglycosidases are used in the food industry for aroma enhancement and flavor modification. Besides their hydrolytic activity, they also possess pronounced synthetic (transglycosylating) capabilities. Recently, they have been demonstrated to glycosylate various substrates in a high yield, including peculiar species like inorganic azide or carboxylic acids, which is a unique feature in biocatalysis. Rhamnose-containing compounds such as rutinose are currently receiving increased attention due to their proven activity in anti-cancer and dermatological experimental studies. This review demonstrates the vast and yet underrated biotechnological potential of diglycosidases from various sources (plant, microbial), and reveals perspectives on the use of these catalysts as well as of their products in biotechnology.

Acuminosylation of Tyrosol by a Commercial Diglycosidase

A commercial glycosidase mixture obtained from Penicillium multicolor (Aromase H2) was found to comprise a specific diglycosidase activity, β-acuminosidase, alongside undetectable levels of β-apiosidase. The enzyme was tested in the transglycosylation of tyrosol using 4-nitrophenyl β-acuminoside as the diglycosyl donor. The reaction was not chemoselective, providing a mixture of Osmanthuside H and its counterpart regioisomer 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)phenyl β-acuminoside in 58% yield. Aromase H2 is therefore the first commercial β-acuminosidase which is also able to glycosylate phenolic acceptors.

Apiose-Relevant Glycosidases

Apiose is a branched pentose naturally occurring either as a component of the plant cell wall polysaccharides or as a sugar moiety present in numerous plant secondary metabolites such as flavonoid and phenylethanoid glycosides, substrates in plant defense systems or as glycosylated aroma precursors. The enzymes catalyzing hydrolysis of such apiosylated substances (mainly glycosidases specific towards apiose or acuminose) have promising applications not only in hydrolysis (flavor development), but potentially also in the synthesis of apiosides and apioglucosides with pharmaceutical relevance. This review summarizes the actual knowledge of glycosidases recognizing apiose and their potential application in biocatalysis.

Aspergillus oryzae Rutinosidase: Biochemical and Structural Investigation

The rutinosidase (Rut)-encoding gene Aorut has been expressed in Pichia pastoris with its native signal sequence from Aspergillus oryzae Biochemical and structural investigation of the purified recombinant mature A. oryzae Rut (AoRut), designated rAoRutM, was performed in this study. A 1.7-Å resolution crystal structure of rAoRutM was determined, which is an essential step forward in the utilization of AoRut as a potential catalyst. The crystal structure of rAoRutM was represented by a (β/α)₈ TIM barrel fold with structural similarity to that of rutinosidase from Aspergillus niger (AnRut) and an exo-β-(1,3)-glucanase from Candida albicans The crystal structure revealed that the catalytic site was located in a deep cleft, similarly to AnRut, and that internal cavities and water molecules were also present. Purified rAoRutM hydrolyzed not only 7-O-linked and 3-O-linked flavonoid rutinosides but also 7-O-linked and 3-O-linked flavonoid glucosides. rAoRutM displayed high catalytic activity toward quercetin 3-O-linked substrates such as rutin and isoquercitrin, rather than to the 7-O-linked substrate, quercetin-7-O-glucoside. Unexpectedly, purified rAoRutM exhibited increased thermostability after treatment with endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra of purified intact rAoRutM and of the enzyme after N-deglycosylation showed a typical α-helical CD profile; however, the molar ellipticity values of the peaks at 208 nm and 212 nm differed. The K_m and k _cat values for the substrates modified by rutinose were higher than those for the substrates modified by β-d-glucose.IMPORTANCE Flavonoid glycosides constitute a class of secondary metabolites widely distributed in nature. These compounds are involved in bitter taste or clouding in plant-based foods or beverages, respectively. Flavonoid glycoside degradation can proceed through two alternative enzymatic pathways: one that is mediated by monoglycosidases and another that is catalyzed by a diglycosidase. The present report on the biochemical and structural investigation of A. oryzae rutinosidase provides a potential biocatalyst for industrial applications of flavonoids.

Influence of beta glucosidases from native yeast on the aroma of Muscat and Tannat wines

It is now well established that β-glucosidases (BGLs) from non-Saccharomyces yeasts are key enzymes that hydrolyze grape-derived aroma precursors enhancing the flavour of wines. This work reports on the specificity for wine glycosides and the impact on wine aroma, of three native yeast β-glucosidases. Volatile compounds were analyzed by gas-chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and wine aroma was studied by sensory analysis. Issatchenkia terricola β-glucosidase stood out from the other β-glucosidases studied. The I. terricola BGL showed remarkable specificity for norisoprenoid aglycones such as: 3-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-alpha-ionol, 3-oxo-α-ionol, vomifoliol. This different specificity was perceived in the sensory tests. The judges described pleasant fruity, sweet, honey and raisin notes in both Tannat and Muscat wines treated with I. terricola BGL. These results are particularly remarkable for Tannat wines, since there are few reports concerning the application of β-glucosidases to enhance its aroma of Tannat, and none with BGLs from native yeasts.

Dual Substrate Specificity of the Rutinosidase from Aspergillus niger and the Role of Its Substrate Tunnel

Rutinosidases (α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-6)-β-d-glucopyranosidases, EC 3.2.1.168, CAZy GH5) are diglycosidases that cleave the glycosidic bond between the disaccharide rutinose and the respective aglycone. Similar to many retaining glycosidases, rutinosidases can also transfer the rutinosyl moiety onto acceptors with a free -OH group (so-called transglycosylation). The recombinant rutinosidase from Aspergillus niger (AnRut) is selectively produced in Pichia pastoris. It can catalyze transglycosylation reactions as an unpurified preparation directly from cultivation. This enzyme exhibits catalytic activity towards two substrates; in addition to rutinosidase activity, it also exhibits β-d-glucopyranosidase activity. As a result, new compounds are formed by β-glucosylation or rutinosylation of acceptors such as alcohols or strong inorganic nucleophiles (NaN₃). Transglycosylation products with aliphatic aglycones are resistant towards cleavage by rutinosidase, therefore, their side hydrolysis does not occur, allowing higher transglycosylation yields. Fourteen compounds were synthesized by glucosylation or rutinosylation of selected acceptors. The products were isolated and structurally characterized. Interactions between the transglycosylation products and the recombinant AnRut were analyzed by molecular modeling. We revealed the role of a substrate tunnel in the structure of AnRut, which explained the unusual catalytic properties of this glycosidase and its specific transglycosylation potential. AnRut is attractive for biosynthetic applications, especially for the use of inexpensive substrates (rutin and isoquercitrin).

The flavonoid degrading fungus Acremonium sp. DSM 24697 produces two diglycosidases with different specificities

AbstractDiglycosidases hydrolyze the heterosidic linkage of diglycoconjugates, releasing the disaccharide and the aglycone. Usually, these enzymes do not hydrolyze or present only low activities towards monoglycosylated compounds. The flavonoid degrading fungus Acremonium sp. DSM 24697 produced two diglycosidases, which were termed 6-O-α-rhamnosyl-β-glucosidase I and II (αRβG I and II) because of their function of releasing the disaccharide rutinose (6-O-α-L-rhamnosyl-β-D-glucose) from the diglycoconjugates hesperidin or rutin. In this work, the genome of Acremonium sp. DSM 24697 was sequenced and assembled with a size of ~ 27 Mb. The genes encoding αRβG I and II were expressed in Pichia pastoris KM71 and the protein products were purified with apparent molecular masses of 42 and 82 kDa, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis showed that αRβG I grouped in glycoside hydrolase family 5, subfamily 23 (GH5), together with other fungal diglycosidases whose substrate specificities had been reported to be different from αRβG I. On the other hand, αRβG II grouped in glycoside hydrolase family 3 (GH3) and thus is the first GH3 member that hydrolyzes the heterosidic linkage of rutinosylated compounds. The substrate scopes of the enzymes were different: αRβG I showed exclusive specificity toward 7-O-β-rutinosyl flavonoids, whereas αRβG II hydrolyzed both 7-O-β-rutinosyl- and 3-O-β-rutinosyl- flavonoids. None of the enzymes displayed activity toward 7-O-β-neohesperidosyl- flavonoids. The recombinant enzymes also exhibited transglycosylation activities, transferring rutinose from hesperidin or rutin onto various alcoholic acceptors. The different substrate scopes of αRβG I and II may be part of an optimized strategy of the original microorganism to utilize different carbon sources.

Reaction mechanism of β-apiosidase from Aspergillus aculeatus

Apiosidases are glycosidases relevant for aroma development during fermentation of wines and black tea. Reaction mechanism of apiosidase from Aspergillus aculeatus in commercial glycanase Viscozyme L was studied by ¹H NMR technique. Study of hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl β-D-apiofuranoside revealed that this reaction proceeds with inversion of hydroxyl group in the anomeric center, which confirms inverting mechanism of the enzyme and its inability to catalyze transapiosylation in syntheses of apiosides.

A novel Aspergillus oryzae diglycosidase that hydrolyzes 6-O-α-L-rhamnosyl-β-D-glucoside from flavonoids

α-L-Rhamnosyl-β-D-glucosidase (rutinosidase) hydrolyzes the glycosidic linkage between the disaccharide 6-O-α-L-rhamnosyl-β-D-glucoside (rutinose) and the aglycone. We identified a hypothetical protein (annotated as AO090012000917) encoded in the Aspergillus oryzae genome that exhibits sequence similarity with Aspergillus niger rutinosidase. The recombinant enzyme was expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 and purified as a glyco-protein with apparent molecular mass of 65-75 kDa by SDS-PAGE. After N-deglycosylation, we observed a 42- and 40-kDa band, representing proteins before and after N-terminal signal peptide processing, respectively. Optimal enzymatic activity was observed at pH 4.0 and temperature of 45 °C. This enzyme is also significantly thermo-stable, with 90% activity retained after 1 h at 45 °C and 70% activity retained after 4 h, even at 50 °C. Biochemical characterization revealed that the enzyme has higher substrate specificity for 3-O-linked flavonoid β-rutinosides like rutin and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, than for 7-O-linked flavonoid β-rutinoside like hesperidin. However, no activity was found with naringin, diosmin, monoglycosylated chromogenic substrates, and polymeric laminarin substrate. Kinetic analyses showed that K _m value toward rutin was higher than those toward hesperidin and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside. Meanwhile, k_cat value toward hesperidin was lower than those toward kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside and rutin. Overall, the catalytic efficiency (k_cat/K _m ) was highest for kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside.

A Sustainable One-Pot, Two-Enzyme Synthesis of Naturally Occurring Arylalkyl Glucosides

A sustainable, convenient, scalable, one-pot, two-enzyme method for the glucosylation of arylalkyl alcohols was developed. The reaction scheme is based on a transrutinosylation catalyzed by a rutinosidase from A. niger using the cheap commercially available natural flavonoid rutin as glycosyl donor, followed by selective "trimming" of the rutinoside unit catalyzed by a rhamnosidase from A. terreus. The process was validated with the syntheses of several natural bioactive glucosides, which could be isolated in up to 75 % yield without silica-gel chromatography.

Production of hesperetin using a covalently multipoint immobilized diglycosidase from Acremonium sp. DSM24697

The diglycosidase α-rhamnosyl-β-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.168) from the fungus Acremonium sp. DSM24697 was immobilized on several agarose-based supports. Covalent multipoint immobilization onto glyoxyl-activated agarose was selected as the more stable preparation at high concentration of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and high temperature. The optimal conditions for the immobilization process involved an incubation of the enzyme with agarose beads containing 220 μmol of glyoxyl groups per gram at pH 10 and 25°C for 24 h. The hydrolysis of hesperidin carried out in 10% v/v DMSO at 60°C for 2 h reached 64.6% substrate conversion and a specific productivity of 2.40 mmol h(-1) g(-1). Under these conditions, the process was performed reutilizing the catalyst for up to 18 cycles, maintaining >80% of the initial activity and a constant productivity 2.96 ± 0.42 µmol(-1) h(-1) g(-1). To the best of our knowledge, such productivity is the highest achieved for hesperetin production through an enzymatic approach.

Evolution, substrate specificity and subfamily classification of glycoside hydrolase family 5 (GH5)

Background

The large Glycoside Hydrolase family 5 (GH5) groups together a wide range of enzymes acting on β-linked oligo- and polysaccharides, and glycoconjugates from a large spectrum of organisms. The long and complex evolution of this family of enzymes and its broad sequence diversity limits functional prediction. With the objective of improving the differentiation of enzyme specificities in a knowledge-based context, and to obtain new evolutionary insights, we present here a new, robust subfamily classification of family GH5.

Results

About 80% of the current sequences were assigned into 51 subfamilies in a global analysis of all publicly available GH5 sequences and associated biochemical data. Examination of subfamilies with catalytically-active members revealed that one third are monospecific (containing a single enzyme activity), although new functions may be discovered with biochemical characterization in the future. Furthermore, twenty subfamilies presently have no characterization whatsoever and many others have only limited structural and biochemical data. Mapping of functional knowledge onto the GH5 phylogenetic tree revealed that the sequence space of this historical and industrially important family is far from well dispersed, highlighting targets in need of further study. The analysis also uncovered a number of GH5 proteins which have lost their catalytic machinery, indicating evolution towards novel functions.

Conclusion

Overall, the subfamily division of GH5 provides an actively curated resource for large-scale protein sequence annotation for glycogenomics; the subfamily assignments are openly accessible via the Carbohydrate-Active Enzyme database at http://www.cazy.org/GH5.html.

Transglycosylation specificity of Acremonium sp. α-rhamnosyl-β-glucosidase and its application to the synthesis of the new fluorogenic substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl-rutinoside

Transglycosylation potential of the fungal diglycosidase α-rhamnosyl-β-glucosidase was explored. The biocatalyst was shown to have broad acceptor specificity toward aliphatic and aromatic alcohols. This feature allowed the synthesis of the diglycoconjugated fluorogenic substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl-rutinoside. The synthesis was performed in one step from the corresponding aglycone, 4-methylumbelliferone, and hesperidin as rutinose donor. 4-Methylumbelliferyl-rutinoside was produced in an agitated reactor using the immobilized biocatalyst with a 16% yield regarding the sugar acceptor. The compound was purified by solvent extraction and silica gel chromatography. MALDI-TOF/TOF data recorded for the [M+Na](+) ions correlated with the theoretical monoisotopic mass (calcd [M+Na](+): 507.44 m/z; obs. [M+Na](+): 507.465 m/z). 4-Methylumbelliferyl-rutinoside differs from 4-methylumbelliferyl-glucoside in the rhamnosyl substitution at the C-6 of glucose, and this property brings about the possibility to explore in nature the occurrence of endo-β-glucosidases by zymographic analysis.