Cel6A, a major exoglucanase from the cellulosome of the anaerobic fungi Piromyces sp. E2 and Piromyces equi.
Anaerobic fungi possess high cellulolytic activities, which are organised in high molecular mass (HMM) complexes. Besides catalytic modules, the cellulolytic enzyme components of these complexes contain non-catalytic modules, known as dockerins, that play a key role in complex assembly. Screening of a genomic and a cDNA library of two Piromyces species resulted in the isolation of two clones containing inserts of 5.5 kb (Piromyces sp. E2) and 1.5 kb (Piromyces equi). Both clones contained the complete coding region of a glycoside hydrolase (GH) from family 6, consisting of a 20 amino acid signal peptide, a 76 (sp. E2)/81 (P. equi) amino acid stretch comprising two fungal non-catalytic docking domains (NCDDs), a 24 (sp. E2)/16 (P. equi) amino acid linker, and a 369 amino acid catalytic module. Homology modelling of the catalytic module strongly suggests that the Piromyces enzymes will be processive cellobiohydrolases. The catalytic residues and all nearby residues are conserved. The reaction is thus expected to proceed via a classical single-displacement (inverting) mechanism that is characteristic of this family of GHs. The enzyme, defined as Cel6A, encoded by the full-length Piromyces E2 sequence was expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein expressed had a molecular mass of 55 kDa and showed activity against Avicel, supporting the observed relationship of the sequence to those of known cellobiohydrolases. Affinity-purified cellulosomes of Piromyces sp. E2 were analysed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel (SDS-PAGE) electrophoresis. A major band was detected with the molecular weight of Cel6A. A tryptic fingerprint of this protein confirmed its identity.
Harhangi
Harry R
HR
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, NL-6525 ED, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Freelove
Alexander C J
AC
Ubhayasekera
Wimal
W
van Dinther
Maarten
M
Steenbakkers
Peter J M
PJ
Akhmanova
Anna
A
van der Drift
Chris
C
Jetten
Mike S M
MS
Mowbray
Sherry L
SL
Gilbert
Harry J
HJ
Op den Camp
Huub J M
HJ
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D002480:Cellulase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D043366:Cellulose 1,4-beta-Cellobiosidase; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015723:Gene Library; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D020089:Piromyces / Q000378:metabolism*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D014357:Trypsin / Q000494:pharmacology
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D002480:Cellulase; D043366:Cellulose 1,4-beta-Cellobiosidase; D014357:Trypsin