Isolation and characterization of a thermotolerant ene reductase from Geobacillus sp. 30 and its heterologous expression in Rhodococcus opacus

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2014 Jul;98(13):5925-35. doi: 10.1007/s00253-014-5668-9. Epub 2014 Mar 29.

Abstract

Rhodococcus opacus B-4 cells are adhesive to and even dispersible in water-immiscible hydrocarbons owing to their highly lipophilic nature. In this study, we focused on the high operational stability of thermophilic enzymes and applied them to a biocatalytic conversion in an organic reaction medium using R. opacus B-4 as a lipophilic capsule of enzymes to deliver them into the organic medium. A novel thermo- and organic-solvent-tolerant ene reductase, which can catalyze the enantioselective reduction of ketoisophorone to (6R)-levodione, was isolated from Geobacillus sp. 30, and the gene encoding the enzyme was heterologously expressed in R. opacus B-4. Another thermophilic enzyme which catalyzes NAD(+)-dependent dehydrogenation of cyclohexanol was identified from the gene-expression library of Thermus thermophilus and the gene was coexpressed in R. opacus B-4 for cofactor regeneration. While the recombinant cells were not viable in the mixture due to high reaction temperature, 634 mM of (6R)-levodione could be produced with an enantiopurity of 89.2 % ee by directly mixing the wet cells of the recombinant R. opacus with a mixture of ketoisophorone and cyclohexanol at 50 °C. The conversion rate observed with the heat-killed recombinant cells was considerably higher than that obtained with a cell-free enzyme solution, demonstrating that the accessibility between the substrates and enzymes could be improved by employing R. opacus cells as a lipophilic enzyme capsule. These results imply that a combination of thermophilic enzymes and lipophilic cells can be a promising approach for the biocatalytic production of water-insoluble chemicals.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Cyclohexanols / metabolism
  • Cyclohexanones / metabolism*
  • DNA, Bacterial / chemistry
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Gene Expression*
  • Geobacillus / enzymology*
  • Geobacillus / genetics
  • Hot Temperature
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Oxidoreductases / genetics
  • Oxidoreductases / isolation & purification*
  • Oxidoreductases / metabolism*
  • Rhodococcus / genetics
  • Rhodococcus / metabolism*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Thermus thermophilus / enzymology
  • Thermus thermophilus / genetics

Substances

  • Cyclohexanols
  • Cyclohexanones
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • levodione
  • ketoisophorone
  • Oxidoreductases

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AB900619