Active Hydrogen Bond Network (AHBN) and Applications for Improvement of Thermal Stability and pH-Sensitivity of Pullulanase from Bacillus naganoensis

PLoS One. 2017 Jan 19;12(1):e0169080. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169080. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

A method, so called "active hydrogen bond network" (AHBN), is proposed for site-directed mutations of hydrolytic enzymes. In an enzyme the AHBN consists of the active residues, functional residues, and conservative water molecules, which are connected by hydrogen bonds, forming a three dimensional network. In the catalysis hydrolytic reactions of hydrolytic enzymes AHBN is responsible for the transportation of protons and water molecules, and maintaining the active and dynamic structures of enzymes. The AHBN of pullulanase BNPulA324 from Bacillus naganoensis was constructed based on a homologous model structure using Swiss Model Protein-modeling Server according to the template structure of pullulanase BAPulA (2WAN). The pullulanase BNPulA324 are mutated at the mutation sites selected by means of the AHBN method. Both thermal stability and pH-sensitivity of pullulanase BNPulA324 were successfully improved. The mutations at the residues located at the out edge of AHBN may yield positive effects. On the other hand the mutations at the residues inside the AHBN may deprive the bioactivity of enzymes. The AHBN method, proposed in this study, may provide an assistant and alternate tool for protein rational design and protein engineering.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Amino Acid Substitution
  • Bacillus / enzymology*
  • Bacillus / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Catalysis
  • Enzyme Stability
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Glycoside Hydrolases / chemistry*
  • Glycoside Hydrolases / genetics
  • Glycoside Hydrolases / metabolism*
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Models, Molecular
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Protein Engineering
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Structural Homology, Protein
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Glycoside Hydrolases
  • pullulanase

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC; http://www.nsfc.gov.cn/) under the contract numbers 31360207, 31400079 and 31370716, and supported by the Guangxi Science and Technology Development Project (no. 14123001-19, 14125008-2-22 and 15104001-1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.