title: Protein engineering of the relative specificity of glucoamylase from Aspergillus awamori based on sequence similarities between starch-degrading enzymes.
abstract: Aspergillus glucoamylase catalyzes hydrolysis of D-glucose from non-reducing ends of starch with an approximately 300-fold (kcat/Km) preference for the alpha-1,4- over the alpha-1,6-glucosidic linkage determined using the substrates maltose and isomaltose. It is postulated that as most amylolytic enzymes act on either the alpha-1,4- or alpha-1,6-linkages, sequence comparison between active-site regions should enable the correlation of the substrate bond specificity with particular residues at key positions. Therefore, the already high bond-type selectivity in Aspergillus glucoamylase could theoretically be augmented further by three single mutations, Ser119-->Tyr, Gly183-->Lys and Ser184-->His, in two separate active-site regions. These mutants all had slight increases in activity as compared with the wild-type enzyme towards the alpha-1,4-linked maltose; this was due to lower Km values as well as small decreases in activity towards isomaltose. This latter decrease in activity was a result of higher Km values and a decrease in kcat for the Ser184-->His mutant. As a consequence, the selectivity of the three glucoamylase mutants for alpha-1,4- over alpha-1,6-linked disaccharides is enhanced 2.3- to 3.5-fold. In addition, the introduction of a cationic side chain in Gly183-->Lys and Ser184-->His glucoamylase, broadens the optimal pH range for activity towards acidic as well as alkaline conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Carlsberg Laboratory, Copenhagen Valby, Denmark.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sierks
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Svensson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000201:enzymology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D005087:Glucan 1,4-alpha-Glucosidase / Q000737:chemistry*; D005998:Glycine / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007700:Kinetics; D008320:Maltose / Q000737:chemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012694:Serine / Q000737:chemistry; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D012694:Serine; D008320:Maltose; D005087:Glucan 1,4-alpha-Glucosidase; D005998:Glycine