Over-expression of UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase increases validamycin A but decreases validoxylamine A production in Streptomyces hygroscopicus var. jinggangensis 5008

During the fermentation of Streptomyces hygroscopicus TL01 to produce validamycin A (18 g/L), a considerable amount of an intermediate validoxylamine A (4.0 g/L) is accumulated. Chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis of validamycin A was not observed during the fermentation process. Over-expression of glucosyltransferase ValG in TL01 did not increase the efficiency of glycosylation. However, increased validamycin A and decreased validoxylamine A production were observed in both the cell-free extract and fermentation broth of TL01 supplemented with a high concentration of UDP-glucose. The enzymatic activity of UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (Ugp) in TL01, which catalyzes UDP-glucose formation, was found to be much lower than the activities of other enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of UDP-glucose and the glucosyltransferase ValG. An ugp gene was cloned from S. hygroscopicus 5008 and verified to code for Ugp. In TL01 with an extra copy of ugp, the transcription of ugp was increased for 1.5 times, and Ugp activity was increased by 100%. Moreover, 22 g/L validamycin A and 2.5 g/L validoxylamine A were produced, and the validamycin A/validoxylamine A ratio was increased from 3.15 in TL01 to 5.75. These data prove that validamycin A biosynthesis is limited by the supply of UDP-glucose, which can be relieved by Ugp over-expression.

Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary structure determination of glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (UgpG) from Sphingomonas elodea ATCC 31461 bound to glucose-1-phosphate

The cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (UgpG) from Sphingomonas elodea ATCC 31461 bound to glucose-1-phosphate are reported. Diffraction data sets were obtained from seven crystal forms in five different space groups, with highest resolutions ranging from 4.20 to 2.65 A. The phase problem was solved for a P2(1) crystal form using multiple isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering from an osmium derivative and a SeMet derivative. The best native crystal in space group P2(1) has unit-cell parameters a = 105.5, b = 85.7, c = 151.8 A, beta = 105.2 degrees . Model building and refinement are currently under way.

Heterologous expression of Escherichia coli ppsA (phosphoenolpyruvate synthetase) and galU (UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase) genes in Corynebacterium glutamicum, and its impact on trehalose synthesis

Trehalose is a disaccharide with a wide range of applications in the food industry. We recently proposed a strategy for trehalose production based on a Corynebacterium glutamicum strain expressing the Escherichia coli enzyme UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (GalU). Biochemical network analysis suggest a further bottleneck for trehalose synthesis resulting from the coupling of phosphotransferase (PTS) mediated glucose uptake, and glucose catabolism in C. glutamicum. To overcome this coupling, we propose the expression of E. coli phosphoenolpyruvate synthetase (PpsA), in addition to GalU expression, in C. glutamicum. Although GalU expression improved trehalose synthesis in C. glutamicum, the simultaneous expression of GalU and PpsA did not result in a further increase in trehalose yield, but resulted in an increased catabolic rate of glucose, which could be ascribed to the operation of a futile cycle between phosphoenolpyruvate and pyruvate. The impact of GalU and PpsA expression on polysaccharide content, side product excretion and metabolic fluxes is discussed, as well as alternative ways to decouple glucose uptake and catabolism, in order to increase trehalose yield.

A second UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase is required for differentiation and development in Dictyostelium discoideum

Uridine diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase (UDPGP) is a developmentally regulated enzyme in Dictyostelium discoideum, which is involved in trehalose, cellulose, and glycogen synthesis. Two independent UDPGP proteins are believed to be responsible for this activity. To determine the relative contributions of each protein, the genes encoding them were disrupted individually. Cells lacking the udpgp1 gene exhibit normal growth and development and make normal levels of cellulose. In agreement with these phenotypes, udpgp1(-) cells still have UDPGP activity, although at a reduced level. This supports the importance of the second UDPGP gene. This newly identified gene, ugpB, encodes an active UDPGP as determined by complementation in Escherichia coli. When this gene is disrupted, cells undergo aberrant differentiation and development ending with small, gnarled fruiting bodies. These cells also have decreased spore viability and decreased levels of glycogen, whose production requires UDPGP activity. These phenotypes suggest that UgpB constitutes the major UDPGP activity produced during development. Sequence analysis of the two UDPGP genes shows that UgpB has higher homology to other eukaryotic UDPGPs than does UDPGP1. This includes the presence of 5 conserved lysine residues. Udpgp1 only has 1 of these lysines.

Organization and transcription of the gene encoding potato UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase

The organization of the gene encoding potato UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, one of the key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolic pathway is presented. The gene cloned from cultivar (cv.) Lemhi consists of a 6.6-kb structural and a 1-kb regulatory region. The structural region contains 20 exons and 19 introns. The coding sequence with exception of three bases is identical with the UGPase cDNA previously cloned from Danshaku-Imo cv. [Katsube et al. (1990) UDP-Glucose pyrophosphorylase from potato tuber: cDNA cloning and sequencing. J. Biochem. 108, 321-326]. The largest intron contains a tandem repeat consisting of 50 nt core units. A putative polyadenylation site is situated 79 bp downstream of the translation stop codon. A transcription start point (tsp) and a putative TATA-box were located 84 bp and 141 bp upstream of the translation start, respectively. The regulatory region contained general enhancer, suppressor, and regions responsible for tissue specificity of UGPase expression.

Rate-determining steps in the biosynthesis of glycogen in COS cells

Consistent with previous results, overexpression of rabbit skeletal muscle glycogen synthase in COS cells did not lead to overaccumulation of glycogen unless activating Ser-->Ala mutations were present at key regulatory phosphorylation sites 2 (Ser7) and 3a (Ser644) in the enzyme. In addition, we found that expression of glycogenin, glycogen branching enzyme, or UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase alone in COS cells had no effect on the glycogen level. However, coexpression of the hyperactive 2,3a glycogen synthase mutant with either glycogenin or UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase led to higher glycogen accumulation than that obtained from the expression of glycogen synthase alone. Coexpression of glycogenin with the 2,3a mutant of glycogen synthase led to the appearance of glycogenin with a lower molecular weight suggestive of reduced glucosylation. Increased glycogen synthesis may lead to competition between glycogenin and glycogen synthase for their common substrate UDP-glucose. In summary, we conclude that (i) glycogen synthase is a primary rate-limiting enzyme of glycogen biosynthesis in COS cells, (ii) that phosphorylation of glycogen synthase is regulatory for glycogen accumulation, and (iii) once glycogen synthase is activated, the reaction mediated by UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase can become rate-determining.

Overproduction and characterization of recombinant UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from Escherichia coli K-12

Using oligonucleotide probes synthesized on the basis of partial amino acid sequences, we have cloned and sequenced the gene of Escherichia coli K-12 encoding UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. The gene consists of 906 base pairs and encodes a polypeptide of 302 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 32,941. Its nucleotide sequence was found to be identical with that recently registered (EMBL, X59940) for a gene coding for an unknown 33-kDa protein, which was later annotated as UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase on the basis of genetic studies. The UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase gene, mapped at 27.3 min in the E. coli chromosome, complemented the galU mutation, which renders the bacterium unable to ferment galactose. The recombinant enzyme overproduced in E. coli cells and purified to homogeneity catalyzed the synthesis and pyrophosphorolysis of UDP-glucose by a sequential mechanism. The enzyme required Mg2+ for maximal activity and was inhibited by free UTP and pyrophosphate. The E. coli enzyme shows significant sequence similarities with the enzymes from Acetobacter xylinum and Salmonella typhimurium. However, little or no similarity was found with the eukaryotic enzymes that are involved in the biosynthesis of storage carbohydrates, or with other enzymes acting on similar sugar nucleotides. Thus, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylases participating in diverse metabolic pathways can be classified structurally into the prokaryotic and eukaryotic groups, even though they have almost identical catalytic properties.

Analysis of the expression of potato uridinediphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase and its inhibition by antisense RNA

The expression of the enzyme UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase; EC 2.7.7.9) from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) was analysed with respect to sink-source interactions and potato tuber storage. The highest level of expression was found in developing tubers, the strongest sink tissue. Storage of mature tubers at low temperatures led to an increase of the steady-state level of UGPase mRNA, implicating a role of this enzyme in the process of "cold-sweetening". Transgenic plants were created expressing UGPase antisensee RNA under the control of the 35S promoter of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus with the polyadenylation signal of the octopine-synthase gene. Regenerated plants were tested for reduction of UGPase at the RNA, protein and activity levels. Plants with a 95%-96% reduction of UGPase activity in growing tubers showed no change in growth and development. Also, carbohydrate metabolism in tubers of these plants was not substantially affected, indicating that only 4% of the wild-type UGPase activity is sufficient for the enzyme to function in plant growth and development.

Nucleotide sequence and expression analysis of the Acetobacter xylinum uridine diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase gene

The nucleotide sequence of the Acetobacter xylinum uridine diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase gene was determined; this is the first procaryotic uridine diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase gene sequence reported. The sequence data indicated that the gene product consists of 284 amino acids. This finding was consistent with the results obtained by expression analysis in vivo and in vitro in Escherichia coli.

Expression in Escherichia coli of UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase cDNA from potato tuber and functional assessment of the five lysyl residues located at the substrate-binding site

The entire structural gene for potato tuber UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase has been amplified from its cDNA by the polymerase chain reaction and inserted into the expression plasmid pTV118-N downstream from the lac promoter. Escherichia coli JM105 cells carrying thus constructed plasmid produced the enzyme to a level of about 5% of the total soluble protein upon induction with isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside. The recombinant enzyme purified to homogeneity in two column chromatographic steps was structurally and catalytically identical with the enzyme purified from potato tuber except for the absence of an N-terminal-blocking acetyl group. To examine functional roles of the five lysyl residues that had been identified by affinity labeling studies to be located at or near the active site of the enzyme [Kazuta, Y., Omura, Y., Tagaya, M., Nakano, K., & Fukui, T. (1991) Biochemistry (preceding paper in this issue)], they were replaced individually by glutamine via site-directed mutagenesis. The Lys-367----Gln mutant enzyme was almost completely inactive, and the Lys-263----Gln mutant enzyme had significantly decreased Vmax values with perturbed Km values for pyrophosphate and alpha-D-glucose 1-phosphate. Lys-329----Gln also exhibited increased Km values for these substrates but exhibited Vmax values similar to those of the wild-type enzyme. The two mutant enzymes Lys-409----Gln and Lys-410----Gln showed catalytic properties almost identical with those of the wild-type enzyme. Thus, among the five lysyl residues, Lys-367 is essential for catalytic activity of the enzyme and Lys-263 and Lys-329 may participate in binding of pyrophosphate and/or alpha-D-glucose 1-phosphate.

Membrane sites regulating developmental gene expression in Dictyostelium discoideum

Postaggregative gene expression in Dictyostelium discoideum requires cell contact. Polyspecific monovalent antibodies (Fab) prepared from sera raised against membranes of aggregation- and postaggregation-stage cells were used to probe the cell interactions that induce rapid postaggregative synthesis of UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. When cells of strain V12M2 were dissociated after 8 hr of development and replated in the presence of immune Fab, both reaggregation and pyrophosphorylase synthesis were blocked. Fab neutralized by incubation with EDTA-high salt extracts of cells developed for 3 hr blocked pyrophosphorylase synthesis but not reaggregation. Therefore, some cell-surface components that regulate pyrophosphorylase synthesis (called E sites) are antigenically distinct from those required for reaggregation. The Fab provides a means to assay E sites during their purification. Addition of 10(-3) M cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP enabled the cells to bypass the blocking of E sites by Fab; pyrophosphorylase was synthesized in the absence of reaggregation. We hypothesize that E sites function by raising the level of intracellular cyclic AMP.

Effects of galU mutation on flagellar formation in Escherichia coli

Two mutants of Escherichia coli strictly deficient in uridine-diphosphoglucose pyrophosphorylase activity (galU) were found to have very small numbers of flagellar filaments and hooks. In these mutants, both the rate of flagellin (flagellar protein) synthesis and the amount of messenger ribonucleic acid specific for flagellin were considerably lower than in the parental strains. Motile revertants from the galU mutants were isolated and were found to carry a suppressor mutation, which was mapped in the flaH cistron. These strains formed swarms under conditions of catabolite repression; their intracellular concentration of cyclic adenosine 5'-monophosphate was the same as that in the parental strains. These results suggest that the outer membrane affects flagellar formation through the flaH gene product.