Haloalcohol Dehalogenase HheC Research Articles

Influence of the nutritional conditions on haloalcohol dehalogenase HheC production by recombinant Escherichia coli P84A/MC1061

In this research, we first determined the three most significant nutrient factors affecting haloalcohol dehalogenase HheC production by Escherichia coli P84A/MC1061. These were glycerol, yeast extract, and ammonium sulfate. The steepest ascent method was then applied to obtain the optimal design intervals of the three factors. An application of center composite design was used, and the ingredients of the optimized medium were 1.8 g l−1 glycerol, 48 g l−1 yeast extract, 2.2 g l−1 ammonium sulfate, 5 g l−1 compound phosphate, 1 g l−1 magnesium sulfate, and 1.19 × 10−5 g l−1 ferric sulfate. The enzyme activity reached 109,365 U ml−1 under the most favorable conditions, which is a 277.7 % increase compared with the control group. Our study of cellular respiration parameters (oxygen uptake rate and carbon dioxide emission rate) revealed that the metabolic activity of the strain was strongly promoted under these optimal nutrient conditions and that yeast extract had a positive effect on respiratory intensity and the expression levels of HheC.

Nitrite‐mediated synthesis of chiral epichlorohydrin using halohydrin dehalogenase from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1

In the current study, the haloalcohol dehalogenase HheC gene from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1 was synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli. After purification using Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid affinity chromatography, HheC was used in the synthesis of chiral epichlorohydrin in the presence of NO₂⁻. The optimal pH, temperature, and NO₂⁻ concentration for enantioselectivity are 5.0, 37°C, and 60 mM, respectively. The maximum velocity and Michaelis constant values for (S)-epichlorohydrin are 714.3 µmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹ and 17.2 mM, respectively, whereas those for (R)-epichlorohydrin are 166.8 µmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹ and 29.0 mM, respectively. Under optimal conditions, (R)-epichlorohydrin with 99% enantiomeric excess was obtained after an 18 Min reaction; the yield reached 41%, which is the highest amount obtained for chiral epichlorohydrin synthesis using haloalcohol dehalogenase. In addition, (R)-epichlorohydrin with 99% enantiomeric excess was successfully obtained from 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol by the ring opening of racemic epichlorohydrin in the presence of NO₂⁻ after the ring closure of 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol with HheC. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first report on the kinetic resolution of epichlorohydrin with NO₂⁻ and synthesis of chiral epichlorohydrin with 99% enantiomeric excess from 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol by combining ring closure of 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol and ring opening of racemic epichlorohydrin.

Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Racemic β-Haloalcohols: Direct Access to Enantioenriched Epoxides

The direct chemo-enzymatic DKR of racemic beta-haloalcohols is reported, yielding the corresponding optically active epoxides in a single step. The mutant haloalcohol dehalogenase HheC Cys153Ser Trp249Phe is used for the asymmetric ring closure, whereas racemization of the remaining enantiomer of the haloalcohol is achieved using the new iridacycle 3, one of the most effective racemization catalysts to date for beta-haloalcohols.

Quantum Chemical Modeling of the Dehalogenation Reaction of Haloalcohol Dehalogenase.

The dehalogenation reaction of haloalcohol dehalogenase HheC from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1 was investigated theoretically using hybrid density functional theory methods. HheC catalyzes the enantioselective conversion of halohydrins into their corresponding epoxides. The reaction is proposed to be mediated by a catalytic Ser132-Tyr145-Arg149 triad, and a distinct halide binding site is suggested to facilitate halide displacement by stabilizing the free ion. We investigated the HheC-mediated dehalogenation of (R)-2-chloro-1-phenylethanol using three quantum chemical models of various sizes. The calculated barriers and reaction energies give support to the suggested reaction mechanism. The dehalogenation occurs in a single concerted step, in which Tyr145 abstracts a proton from the halohydrin substrate and the substrate oxyanion displaces the chloride ion, forming the epoxide. Characterization of the involved stationary points is provided. Furthermore, by using three different models of the halide binding site, we are able to assess the adopted modeling methodology.

Cyanolysis and Azidolysis of Epoxides by Haloalcohol Dehalogenase: Theoretical Study of the Reaction Mechanism and Origins of Regioselectivity

Haloalcohol dehalogenase HheC catalyzes the reversible dehalogenation of vicinal haloalcohols to form epoxides and free halides. In addition, HheC is able to catalyze the irreversible and highly regioselective ring-opening of epoxides with nonhalide nucleophiles, such as CN (-) and N 3 (-). For azidolysis of aromatic epoxides, the regioselectivity observed with HheC is opposite to the regioselectivity of the nonenzymatic epoxide-opening. This, together with a relatively broad substrate specificity, makes HheC a promising tool for biocatalytic applications. We have designed large quantum chemical models of the HheC active site and used density functional theory to study the reaction mechanism of the HheC-catalyzed ring-opening of ( R)-styrene oxide with the nucleophiles CN (-) and N 3 (-). Both the cyanolysis and the azidolysis reactions are shown to take place in a single concerted step. The results support the suggested role of the putative Ser132-Tyr145-Arg149 catalytic triad, where Tyr145 acts as a general acid, donating a proton to the substrate, and Arg149 interacts with Tyr145 and facilitates proton abstraction, while Ser132 positions the substrate and reduces the barrier for epoxide opening through interaction with the emerging oxyanion of the substrate. We have also studied the regioselectivity of ( R)-styrene oxide opening for both the cyanolysis and the azidolysis reactions. The employed active site model was shown to be able to reproduce the experimentally observed beta-regioselectivity of HheC. In silico mutations of various groups in the HheC active site model were performed to elucidate the important factors governing the regioselectivity.

Synthesis of enantiopure chloroalcohols by enzymatic kinetic resolution

3-Alkenyl and heteroaryl chloroalcohols have been obtained in excellent enantiomeric excess (>99%) by enzymatic kinetic resolution using the haloalcohol dehalogenase HheC. Yields were close to the theoretical maximum for all substrates employed. Furthermore, the applicability of this methodology on multigram scale has been established.

The X-Ray Structure of the Haloalcohol Dehalogenase HheA from Arthrobacter sp. Strain AD2: Insight into Enantioselectivity and Halide Binding in the Haloalcohol Dehalogenase Family

Haloalcohol dehalogenases are bacterial enzymes that cleave the carbon-halogen bond in short aliphatic vicinal haloalcohols, like 1-chloro-2,3-propanediol, some of which are recalcitrant environmental pollutants. They use a conserved Ser-Tyr-Arg catalytic triad to deprotonate the haloalcohol oxygen, which attacks the halogen-bearing carbon atom, producing an epoxide and a halide ion. Here, we present the X-ray structure of the haloalcohol dehalogenase HheA(AD2) from Arthrobacter sp. strain AD2 at 2.0-A resolution. Comparison with the previously reported structure of the 34% identical enantioselective haloalcohol dehalogenase HheC from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1 shows that HheA(AD2) has a similar quaternary and tertiary structure but a much more open substrate-binding pocket. Docking experiments reveal that HheA(AD2) can bind both enantiomers of the haloalcohol substrate 1-p-nitrophenyl-2-chloroethanol in a productive way, which explains the low enantiopreference of HheA(AD2). Other differences are found in the halide-binding site, where the side chain amino group of Asn182 is in a position to stabilize the halogen atom or halide ion in HheA(AD2), in contrast to HheC, where a water molecule has taken over this role. These results broaden the insight into the structural determinants that govern reactivity and selectivity in the haloalcohol dehalogenase family.

Structural Basis for the Enantioselectivity of an Epoxide Ring Opening Reaction Catalyzed by Halo Alcohol Dehalogenase HheC

Halo alcohol dehalogenase HheC catalyzes the highly enantioselective dehalogenation of vicinal halo alcohols to epoxides, as well as the reverse reaction, the enantioselective and beta-regioselective nucleophilic ring opening of epoxides by pseudo-halides such as azide and cyanide. To investigate this latter reaction, we determined X-ray structures of complexes of HheC with the favored and unfavored enantiomers of para-nitrostyrene oxide. The aromatic parts of the two enantiomers bind in a very similar way, but the epoxide ring of the unfavored (S)-enantiomer binds in a nonproductive inverted manner, with the epoxide oxygen and Cbeta atom positions interchanged with respect to those of the favored (R)-enantiomer. The calculated difference in relative Gibbs binding energy is in agreement with the observed loss of a single hydrogen bond in the S bound state with respect to the R bound state. Our results indicate that it is the nonproductive binding of the unfavored (S)-enantiomer, rather than the difference in affinity for the two enantiomers, that allows HheC to catalyze the azide-mediated ring opening of para-nitrostyrene oxide with high enantioselectivity. This work represents a rare opportunity to explain the enantioselectivity of an enzymatic reaction by comparison of crystallographic data on the binding of both the favored and unfavored enantiomers.

Structure and mechanism of a bacterial haloalcohol dehalogenase: a new variation of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase fold without an NAD(P)H binding site.

Haloalcohol dehalogenases are bacterial enzymes that catalyze the cofactor-independent dehalogenation of vicinal haloalcohols such as the genotoxic environmental pollutant 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol, thereby producing an epoxide, a chloride ion and a proton. Here we present X-ray structures of the haloalcohol dehalogenase HheC from Agrobacterium radiobacter AD1, and complexes of the enzyme with an epoxide product and chloride ion, and with a bound haloalcohol substrate mimic. These structures support a catalytic mechanism in which Tyr145 of a Ser-Tyr-Arg catalytic triad deprotonates the haloalcohol hydroxyl function to generate an intramolecular nucleophile that substitutes the vicinal halogen. Haloalcohol dehalogenases are related to the widespread family of NAD(P)H-dependent short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDR family), which use a similar Ser-Tyr-Lys/Arg catalytic triad to catalyze reductive or oxidative conversions of various secondary alcohols and ketones. Our results reveal the first structural details of an SDR-related enzyme that catalyzes a substitutive dehalogenation reaction rather than a redox reaction, in which a halide-binding site is found at the location of the NAD(P)H binding site. Structure-based sequence analysis reveals that the various haloalcohol dehalogenases have likely originated from at least two different NAD-binding SDR precursors.