title: Hybrid Bacillus (1-3,1-4)-beta-glucanases: engineering thermostable enzymes by construction of hybrid genes.
abstract: Hybrid (1-3,1-4)-beta-glucanase genes were constructed by extension of overlapping segments of the (1-3,1-4)-beta-glucanase genes from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and B. macerans generated by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Four hybrid genes were expressed in Escherichia coli cells. The mature hybrid enzymes contain a 16, 36, 78, or 152 amino acid N-terminal sequence derived from B. amyloliquefaciens (1-3,1-4)-beta-glucanase followed by a C-terminal segment derived from B. macerans (1-3,1-4)-beta-glucanase. Biochemical characterization of parental and hybrid enzymes shows a significant increase in thermostability of three of the hybrid enzymes when exposed to an acidic environment thus combining two important enzyme characteristics within the same molecule. At pH 4.1, 85%-95% of the initial activity was retained after 1 h at 65 degrees C in contrast to 5% and 0% for the parental enzymes from B. amyloliquefaciens and B. macerans. After 60 min incubation at 70 degrees C, pH 6.0, the parental enzymes retained 5% or less of the initial activity whilst one of the hybrids still exhibited 90% of the initial activity. Of the parental enzymes B. macerans (1-3,1-4)-beta-glucanase had the lower specific activity while the hybrid enzymes exhibited specific activities that were 1.5- to 3-fold higher. These experimental results demonstrate that exchange of homologous gene segments from different species may be a useful technique for obtaining new and improved versions of biologically active proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Carlsberg Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Borriss
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Thomsen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001407:Bacillus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D004795:Enzyme Stability; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D007700:Kinetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015202:Protein Engineering; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; C028020:licheninase