Abstract

A Pseudo-beta-glucosidase in Arabidopsis thaliana: Correction by Site-Directed Mutagenesis, Heterologous Expression, Purification, and Characterization

Y. Turan

Balikesir University, Arts and Sciences Faculty, Department of Biology, Cagis Kampusu, 10145 Balikesir, Turkey; fax: +90-266-6121215; E-mail: yturan3@yahoo.com

Received February 1, 2008; Revision received February 20, 2008
Since At2g25630 is an intronless gene with a premature stop codon, its cDNA encoding the predicted mature beta-glucosidase isoenzyme was synthesized from the previously isolated Arabidopsis thaliana genomic DNA. The stop codon was converted to a sense codon by site-directed mutagenesis. The native and mutated cDNA sequences were separately cloned into the vector pPICZalphaB and expressed in Pichia pastoris. Only the cells transformed with mutated cDNA-vector construct produced the active protein. The mutated recombinant beta-glucosidase isoenzyme was chromatographically purified to apparent homogeneity. The molecular mass of the protein is estimated as ca. 60 kD by SDS-PAGE. The pH optimum of activity is 5.6, and it is fairly stable in the pH range of 5.0-8.5. The purified recombinant beta-glucosidase is effectively active on para-/ortho-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranosides (p-/o-NPG) and 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4-MUG) with K_m values of 1.9, 2.1, 0.78 mM and k_cat values of 114, 106, 327 nkat/mg, respectively. It also exhibits different levels of activity against para-/ortho-nitrophenyl-beta-D-fucopyranosides (p-/o-NPF), amygdalin, prunasin, cellobiose, gentiobiose, and salicin. The enzyme is competitively inhibited by gluconolactone and p-nitrophenyl-1-thio-beta-D-glucopyranoside with p-NPG, o-NPG, and 4-MUG as substrates. The enzyme is found to be very tolerant to glucose inhibition. The catalytic role of nucleophilic glutamic acid in the motif YITENG of beta-glucosidases and mutated recombinant enzyme is discussed.
KEY WORDS: Arabidopsis thaliana, beta-glucosidase, site-directed mutagenesis, heterologous expression, Pichia pastoris
DOI: 10.1134/S0006297908080099