title: Crystal structure of alkaline cellulase K: insight into the alkaline adaptation of an industrial enzyme.
abstract: The crystal structure of the catalytic domain of alkaline cellulase K was determined at 1.9 A resolution. Because of the most alkaliphilic nature and it's highest activity at pH 9.5, it is used commercially in laundry detergents. An analysis of the structural bases of the alkaliphilic character of the enzyme suggested a mechanism similar to that previously proposed for alkaline proteases, that is, an increase in the number of Arg, His, and Gln residues, and a decrease in Asp and Lys residues. Some ion pairs were formed by the gained Arg residues, which is similar to what has been found in the alkaline proteases. Lys-Asp ion pairs are disfavored and partly replaced with Arg-Asp ion pairs. The alkaline adaptation appeared to be a remodeling of ion pairs so that the charge balance is kept in the high pH range.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Biomaterial Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Japan. i45282a@nucc.cc.nagoya-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirai
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamane
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hakamada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D001407:Bacillus / Q000201:enzymology*; D001665:Binding Sites; D001709:Biotechnology; D002475:Cellobiose / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002480:Cellulase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000191:economics / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D003902:Detergents; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D003902:Detergents; D002475:Cellobiose; D002480:Cellulase