Universität Stuttgart
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Item Open Access Data integration and data mining for the exploration of enzymatic sequence-structure-function relationships(2018) Buchholz, Patrick C. F.; Pleiss, Jürgen (Prof. Dr.)Item Open Access Enzymatische Hydratisierung kurzkettiger Fettsäuren und Alkene(2018) Demming, Rebecca M.; Hauer, Bernhard (Prof. Dr.)Item Open Access Identifizierung und Charakterisierung von Influenza-A-Virus Fusionsinhibitoren, die aus einem Doppelmyxovirus Hochdurchsatz-Screen hervorgingen(2019) Weißhaar, Marco; Wolf, Dieter H. (Prof. Dr.)Item Open Access Development of artificial single and double reading domains to analyze chromatin modification patterns(2018) Mauser, Rebekka; Jeltsch, Albert (Prof. Dr.)The unstructured N-terminal tails of histone proteins carry many different post-translational modifications (PTMs), like methylation, acetylation or phosphorylation. These PTMs can alter the chromatin structure, influence the interaction of adjacent nucleosomes and serve as specific binding sites for histone interacting domains. Currently, the investigation of histone tail PTMs is mainly based on antibodies, however concerns about the specificity of these antibodies and reproducibility of data arouse. Therefore, it was one aim of this thesis to develop alternative approaches to histone tail PTM antibodies. Previous studies already showed that histone modification interacting domains (HiMIDs) can replace histone tail antibodies in a highly effective manner. As part of this work, the TAF3 PHD domain was established as new H3K4me3 specific HiMID. In peptide array binding and Far-western blot assays, the domain showed a specific interaction with H3K4me3 modifications. Also in ChIP like experiments (CIDOP: Chromatin Interacting Domain Precipitation) coupled to qPCR and next generation sequencing, the domain showed a similar performance as validated H3K4me3 antibodies. With the proposal of the histone code hypothesis the question was raised if combinations of histone modifications carry specific biological functions. However, so far, the experimental analysis of the co-occurrence of histone modification on the same nucleosome in a genome-wide manner is a challenging task. For this reason, the main aim of this work was to develop double reading domains in which two histone reading domains are fused together with a flexible linker to achieve simultaneously readout of dual histone tail modifications in a single CIDOP experiment. To validate the concept, the Dnmt3a PWWP domain and the MPP8 Chromo domain were fused together and their specific recognitions of H3K36me2/3 and H3K9me3 histone tail modifications were analyzed. Biochemical investigations like peptide arrays, Far-western blot and western blot experiments showed that both domains specifically interact with their targets and preferentially interact with double modified chromatin. Additionally, the preferred interaction with double modified chromatin could be further verified with binding pocket mutants and methyl-lysine analogues. The newly generated double domain was used in chromatin precipitation experiments to identify genome regions where both modifications are present. The genome-wide distribution of the H3K36me2/3-H3K9me3 showed that this combination of histone marks represents a novel bivalent chromatin state, which is associated with weakly transcribed genes and is enriched for binding sites of ZNF274 and SetDB1. Also in this work, mixed peptide arrays were introduced as new screening method for the efficient analysis of double reading domains. The naturally occurring double reading domain of the BPTF protein was used to demonstrate the capability of this new screening tool. BPTF contains a PHD domain, which binds to H3K4me3 and a Bromo domain, which interacts with acetyl groups of the H4 tail. Synergistic binding to both peptides was shown using the newly developed mixed peptide arrays. Additionally, in the course of this work mixed peptide arrays were used to optimize several of the designed double reading domains. Furthermore, some other double reading domains were generated in this work, like PWWP-ATRX, MPP8 Chromo domain-L-double Tudor and CBX7 Chromo domain-L-MPP8 Chromo domain and analyzed for specific dual readout. Also double reading domains with dual specificity for DNA methylation and histone marks were generated. The firstly used methyl-DNA binding domain of the MBD2 protein showed a strong binding, dominating the effect of the HiMIDs. Therefore, the weaker but still specific methyl-DNA binding domain of the MBD1 protein was used. First experiments with this new fusion constructs showed a simultaneously interaction with chromatin which is associated with DNA methylation and histone PTMs. In summary, the studies with double reading domains showed that with this novel method precipitation of double modified chromatin is possible and that the genome-wide investigation of newly studied bivalent chromatin states is feasible. Therefore, this novel approach makes it possible to analyze many different combinations of histone modifications, investigate their influence on chromatin and gain a deeper understanding of the biological role behind histone tail modification patterns.Item Open Access Studien zur biotechnologischen Anwendung und ökologischen Funktion von Pyrrolochinolinchinon(PQQ)-abhängigen Alkoholdehydrogenasen(2021) Wehrmann, Matthias; Hauer, Bernhard (Prof. Dr.)Item Open Access Biochemical characterization and identification of novel substrates of protein lysine methyltransferases(2019) Schuhmacher, Maren Kirstin; Jeltsch, Albert (Prof. Dr.)The methylation of lysine side chains is a prevalent post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins, which is introduced by protein lysine methyltransferases (PKMTs). Histone methylation can have different effects on chromatin structure, lysine methylation of non-histone proteins can regulate protein/protein interactions and protein stability. For most PKMTs currently not all methylation sites are known which limits our understanding of the regulatory role of these enzymes in cells. Therefore, it is an important research aim to gain more information about the substrate spectrum of PKMTs. The identification of the substrate specificity of a PKMT is a very important step on the way to identify new PKMT methylation sites. The focus of this study was the analysis of the substrate specificity of different PKMTs by SPOT peptide arrays and based on this on the identification and validation of possible new methylation substrates. The analysis of the substrate specificity of human SUV39H2 revealed significant differences to its human homolog SUV39H1, although both enzymes methylate the same histone substrate (H3K9). SUV39H2 is more stringent than the SUV39H1, which could be demonstrated by the lack of methylation of SUV39H1 non-histone targets by SUV39H2 and by the fact that it was not possible in this study to identify non-histone substrates for SUV39H2. Kinetic studies showed that SUV39H2 prefers the unmethylated H3K9 as substrate. Moreover, it was shown that the N324K mutation of SUV39H2 which leads to a genetic disease in Labrador retrievers causes a change in folding finally leading to the inactivation of the enzyme. It had been reported by another group that the histone variant H2AX is methylated by SUV39H2. However, the sequence of H2AX K134 does not fit to the substrate specificity profile of SUV39H2 determined in the present work. Follow-up in vitro peptide and protein methylation studies indeed showed that H2AX K134 is not methylated by SUV39H2. This indicates that H2AX methylation by SUV39H2 is most probably a wrong assignment of a substrate to a PKMT. Based on already available specificity data for the SUV39H1 PKMT, the SET8 protein was validated as novel substrate in cellular studies. SET8 is a PKMT itself and it could be shown in this thesis that methylation of SET8 at residue K210 by SUV39H1 stimulated the SET8 activity. In humans, there exist different PKMTs, which methylate H3K36. For example, NSD1, NSD2 and SETD2 which were investigated in this thesis. In literature, it was shown that the oncohistone mutation K36M inactivates NSD2 and SETD2. Steady-state methylation kinetics using a peptide substrate and a K36M peptide as inhibitor revealed that NSD1 is inhibited by this histone oncomutation as well. The steady-state inhibition parameters for all enzymes showed a better binding of the PKMTs to the inhibitor peptide than to the substrate, suggesting some mechanistic similarities in target peptide interaction. The SETD2 is a methyltransferase, which is able to introduce trimethylation of H3K36. During this thesis two substrate specificity motifs of SETD2 were determined using peptide array methylation experiments. Additionally, based on the substrate specificity investigations a super-substrate at peptide and protein level was determined. Furthermore, one novel substrate (FBN1) for SETD2 was discovered and validated. The Legionella pneumophila RomA PKMT was shown previously by our collaborators to methylate H3 at K14. Based on the specificity profile of RomA determined in this study it could be shown that this enzyme methylates seven additional human non-histone proteins. Collaborators tested the methylation of one of the non-histone targets (AROS) and could demonstrate its methylation during the infection of human cells with L. pneumophila. The role of these methylation events in the infection process must be studied in future experiments.Item Open Access Development of a chemoenzymatic (-)-menthol synthesis(2018) Kreß, Nico; Hauer, Bernhard (Prof. Dr.)Biocatalysis is an emergent research area for the development of efficient and sustainable synthesis processes. A crucial milestone for the better applicability of biocatalysts thereby consists of the increasing knowledge of the adaptability of enzymes for distinct synthetic needs like the conversion of specific molecular structures with defined selectivity. In addition, it is equally important to demonstrate that such novel catalysts are combinable among themselves and with established non enzymatic catalysts to enable unexplored synthetic routes. Using the example of the chemoenzymatic synthesis of (-)-menthol from citral, this work therefore addresses the development and applicability of such evolved enzyme catalysts for the synthesis of an industrially relevant molecule. In this complementary synthetic route inspired from an existing industrial process, a mixture of citral isomers is reduced to citronellal using an R-selective ene reductase. In a subsequent Prins reaction, the selective cyclization of R-citronellal to (-)-isopulegol is achieved by the application of an engineered squalene hopene cyclase variant. The final reduction to (-)-menthol proceeds by hydrogenation on a palladium catalyst. Especially the first catalytic step enables an immediate synthetic advantage in comparison to the currently performed industrial process. So far, no catalyst is applied converting both isomers of citral R-selectively at the same time. Both isomers have to be separated under high energy expenditure by distillation prior to reduction. No enzymatic catalyst is described displaying this reactivity yet. As, however, the opposite enantioconvergent S-selective citral reduction by ene reductases is known, the development of an enzyme catalyst constituted an attractive solution for this limitation. Hence, a focus of the work laid on the inversion of the S-selectivity of the citral reduction by NCR ene reductase from Zymomonas mobilis by enzyme engineering. The studies started by characterization of the citral reduction by NCR wild type. Next to the determination of the course of the reaction over time, semi empiric quantum mechanics calculations on the oxidative half reaction of this conversion were carried out. The calculations suggest a so far undescribed catalytic role of an arginine at position 224 for a facilitated hydride transfer and a more complex proton shift involving water molecules in the reaction. The subsequently performed engineering comprised the identification of selectivity determining amino acid positions W66, Y177, I231 and F269 in the active site of the enzyme followed by their variation in an iterative combinatorial fashion. In order to enable the analysis of the multitude of generated enzyme variants, a whole cell screening was developed using chiral gas chromatography. Thereby, the triple variant W66A/I231R/F269V was created converting E/Z-citral in the whole system to R-citronellal with an enantiomeric excess of 89 %. It could be determined that a cell induced citral isomerization leads to increased enantioselectivity in comparison to using purified enzyme. Especially for the influence of the selectivity determining positions W66 and I231 an increased understanding of structure function relations was achieved during the course of semi rational enzyme evolution by the separated analysis of single citral isomers and by supportive in silico analyses like docking and molecular dynamics simulations. The subsequent integration of the established variant A419G/Y420C/G600A of the squalene hopene cyclase from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius is remarkable catalyzing the Prins cyclization to (-)-isopulegol with an enantiomeric excess of 99 % and a diastereoselectivity of 90 %. In this context, the enzyme’s underlying Brønsted acid chemistry could be evolved towards the in nature unknown Prins reaction reactivity. In this work it could be shown that enzyme catalysts acquired by such chemical inspection can be implemented in application oriented synthetic routes. In combination with the developed selective ene reductase, the bienzymatic cascade to (-)-isopulegol was successfully performed and characterized. For the final reduction to (-)-menthol an established heterogeneous catalyst like palladium on charcoal could be applied under hydrogen atmosphere. This demonstrates nicely that novel biocatalysts can be combined with approved synthetic processes. With the attained insights, highly valuable (-)-menthol was made accessible for the first time by a chemoenzymatic cascade using an isomeric mixture of citral on preparative scale with 7 % isolated yield. This work not only highlights different strategies for the development of novel biocatalysts, but also contributes to their possible synthetic applicability in the synthesis of industrially relevant molecules.Item Open Access Regioselective hydration of terpenoids using cofactor-independent hydratases(2019) Schmid, Jens; Hauer, Bernhard (Prof. Dr.)Item Open Access Naphthalen Dioxygenase aus Pseudomonas sp. NCIB 9816-4 : systematische Analyse der aktiven Tasche(2017) Halder, Julia M.; Hauer, Bernhard (Prof. Dr.)Die gezielte Oxyfunktionalisierung von Olefinen gehört zu den am meist gesuchten Reaktionen in der Chemie. Insbesondere die Dihydroxylierung und die daraus resultierenden chiralen, vicinalen 1,2-Diole spielen hierbei eine wichtige Rolle. So werden 1,2-Diole sowohl als chirale Liganden und Auxiliare und als chirale Synthons für Pharmabausteine sowie Agrochemikalien eingesetzt. Eine schnelle und effiziente Möglichkeit für die stereoselektive, asymmetrische Sharpless Dihydroxylierung (AD) von C=C-Doppelbindungen ergibt sich aus der Metall-katalysierten Oxyfunktionalisierung mittels Osmium oder anderen Übergangsmetallen. Neben der guten Ausbeute und der hohen Selektivität, stellen jedoch vor allem die Toxizität der Katalysatoren, sowie auch die Überoxidation und Spaltung der generierten cis-Diole Herausforderungen in der Anwendung dar. Rieske Nicht-Häm Dioxygenasen (ROs) sind eine biologische Alternative zur rein chemischen, asymmetrischen Dihydroxylierung. In der Natur sind diese Multikomponentensysteme, bestehend aus einer hexameren Oxygenase, einem Elektronen-Shuttlemolekül und einer Reduktase, für die Dihydroxylierung von aromatischen Motiven verantwortlich und katalysieren den ersten Schritt im Katabolismus von Aromaten. Mit der Entdeckung dieser effizienten Bio-katalysatoren wurde eine umweltfreundliche Alternative zur chemisch katalysierten Sharpless AD entdeckt. Aufgrund der Verfügbarkeit von Kristallstrukturen wurde die Naphthalen Dioxygenase (NDO) aus Pseudomonas sp. NCIB 9816-4 als ein Vertreter der ROs für das semi-rationale Design ausgewählt und Varianten im aktiven Zentrum des Enzyms generiert. Neben der direkten Katalyse am aromatischen Ring, wurde durch Variation der Substituenten auch die allylische Mono- bzw. die cis-Dihydroxylierung von Alkenylresten in aromatischen Molekülen (z. B. α-Methylstyrol, Allylbenzol) und die Katalyse von C=C-Doppelbindungen in nicht-aromatischen, nicht-planaren Molekülen (z. B. R-Limonen) gezeigt. Aufgrund der Vielfältigkeit dieser Enzyme besteht ein gesteigertes Interesse am biotechnologischen Einsatz, um das enorme Potential und die Vielfältigkeit des biokatalytischen Repertoires dieser Katalysatoren ausschöpfen zu können. Des Weiteren erfolgte die nähere Betrachtung der heterologen Herstellung des Biokatalystors in Escherichia coli, wobei sowohl in vitro als auch in vivo Systeme betrachtet wurden. Hierbei stand im Fall der in vitro Untersuchungen das Zusammenspiel der unterschiedlichen Komponenten des Systems, das Reaktionssetup und der Einfluss des Cosolvents im Mittelpunkt. Für das optimierte in vitro System wurden schließlich folgende Parameter definiert: (I) Verhältnis der Komponenten mit 1 μM Oxygenase, 20 μM Ferredoxin und 5 μM Reduktase, (II) das Reaktionssetup mit 2 mM Substrat in Ethanol bei 30 °C für 2 h, und (III) der Anteil des Cosolvents Ethanol mit 5 %(v/v). Ein Alanin-Scan der zwölf first shell Aminosäuren lieferte im in vitro System bereits erste Indizien für relevante Mutagenese-Hotspots mit den Positionen A206, H295, L307, G204 und V260. Im Gegensatz zum in vivo System wurde im in vitro System eine deutlich erniedrigte Aktivität gegenüber den untersuchten substituierten Aromaten detektiert, weshalb auf eine mangelnde Stabilität der Komponenten im in vitro System geschlossen wurde. Im in vivo System wurde zunächst die Optimierung der Expression forciert, wobei das entwickelte Expressions- und Biotransformationsprotokoll zu einer guten Reproduzierbarkeit in Ganzzellansätzen mit Standardabweichungen von unter 5 % geführt hat. Hierzu wurden frisch transformierte Zellen zur Anzucht (37 °C) in TB-Medium verwendet und bei Erreichen einer optischen Dichte von 0,6-0,8 mit 0,1 mM Isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranosid induziert. Nach 20-stündiger Expression bei 25 °C wurden eine Zellsuspension mit 0,1 mM Kaliumphosphatpuffer (pH 7,2) und 20 mM Glucose (0,2 gBFM/mL) für Ganzzellumsätze hergestellt. Die Reaktion wurde durch Zugabe des in Ethanol gelösten Substrates gestartet und nach 20 h bei 30 °C mit der Zugabe von Lösungsmittel gestoppt. Für die in vivo Untersuchung wurde ein semi-rationaler Mutageneseansatz gewählt, indem alle first shell Aminosäuren mit Alanin, Valin und Isoleucin (36 Varianten) ausgetauscht, sowie 25 Doppelvarianten an den Positionen A206, H295 und V260 generiert wurden. Mit dieser Bibliothek erfolgte die Identifizierung von wichtigen Struktur-Funktionsbeziehungen anhand von unterschiedlich substituierten Styrolderivaten und dem Monoterpen R-Limonen. Mit dem Einbringen einer Punktmutation in der aktiven Tasche konnten deutliche Veränderungen in der Reaktions- und Substratspezifität sowie in der Regio- und Stereoselektivität (≥ 90 %) beobachtet werden, wobei die Restaktivität gegenüber dem natürlichen Substrat Naphthalen (bis > 99 %) erhalten blieb. So stellten sich die Position A206, sowie die gegenüberliegenden Positionen H295, F202, F352, V260 und L307 in der planaren, zylinderförmigen aktiven Tasche als maßgeblich für die Steuerung der Aktivität und Selektivität der NDO dar. Generell konnte eine Abnahme der Aktivität mit steigender Substituentengröße und Verzweigungsgrad (Methyl- bis Pentyl- bzw. tert-Butyl-Reste) detektiert werden. Gleichfalls konnte eine Tendenz für ungesättigte Substituenten am Aromaten beobachtet werden, wobei die Aktivität von mono- über gem-di- und trans-di-substituierte Seitenketten abnahm. Bei der Untersuchung von unterschiedlichen Methoxystyrolderivaten konnte eine gesteigerte Spezifität und Stereoselektivität (≥ 95 %ee) beobachtet werden. Neben Hydroxylierungsreaktionen wurden hierbei auch Dealkylierungsreaktionen beobachtet. Die Dihydroxylierung wurde beim Vorliegen einer zum Aromaten konjugierten C=C-Doppelbindung gegenüber der O-Demethylierung bevorzugt. Lag die C=C-Doppelbindung isoliert zum aromatischen System vor, wurde hingegen eine Präferenz für die O-Demethylierung beobachtet. Grundsätzlich hat sich die NDO als einen guten Startpunkt für die biokatalysierte, asymmetrische Dihydroxylierung erwiesen und durch die systematische Analyse der aktiven Tasche konnten essentielle Stellschrauben für die weitere Verbesserung des Katalysator identifiziert werden.Item Open Access Enzymkatalysierte regioselektive N-Methylierung und N-Alkylierung von Pyrazolen(2021) Bengel, Ludwig L.; Hauer, Bernhard (Prof. Dr.)