Le but du projet est de mettre au point de nouveaux outils enzymatiques permettant la production de chitinoligosaccharides de taille et de degré d'acétylation parfaitement contrôlés pour l'étude d'enzymes impliquées dans la biosynthèse, la biodégradation et la modification de la chitine, et pour l'étude de récepteurs protéiques d'origine animale ou végétale. Des études récentes ont montré que les oligomères de la chitine et leurs dérivés sont des molécules qui interviennent dans les phénomènes symbiotiques et de reconnaissance hôte-pathogène dans le règne végétal. Ces molécules sont utilisées en agrochimie comme biofertilisants, et potentiellement en phytosanitaire. Ils sont connus également pour posséder de nombreuses activités biologiques dans le domaine de la santé (effets antimicrobiens, anticancéreux, anti-inflammatoires, immunostimulants...). Si les activités de cette classe d'oligosaccharides sont parfaitement reconnues, leurs modes d'actions restent encore à éclaircir, ce qui nécessite de disposer de molécules pures aux structures chimiques parfaitement contrôlées. La production d'oligomères de la chitine nécessite traditionnellement la mise en œuvre d'une chimie fastidieuse, qui peut être facilitée par une approche chimio-enzymatique.Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous souhaitons donc développer des outils enzymatiques permettant la synthèse d'une bibliothèque de molécules de taille et de degré d'acétylation contrôlés en vue d'études structure-activité biologique. Pour cela, nous chercherons à produire des N-désacétylases et des chitinases dans différents systèmes d'expression et à caractériser leur activité afin de générer une panoplie de molécules de structure moléculaire parfaitement définie à partir de fragments saccharidiques issus de la biomasse. Les molécules ainsi préparées pourront ensuite être modifiées de façon chimio-sélective afin d'obtenir des sondes photoactivables et/ou biotinylées pour la caractérisation de récepteurs, des substrats fluoro- ou chromogéniques pour le dosage spécifique d'activités enzymatiques ou encore des lipochitinoligosaccharides capables de favoriser la croissance des plantes. Les approches utilisées pour mener à bien ce projet pluridisciplinaire seront : l'ingénierie et la production de protéines recombinantes, la caractérisation biochimique d'activités enzymatiques ainsi que la synthèse chimio-enzymatique et la modification chimique d'oligosaccharides qui devront être caractérisés d'un point de vue physicochimique. Il s'agit d'un projet intégré dans une collaboration nationale financée par l'ANR réunissant des équipes de l'Université de Grenoble, de Lyon, d'Orsay, et l'entreprise Bayer CropScience. / The aim of the project is to develop new tools for enzymatic production of chitooligosaccharides size and degree of acetylation perfectly controlled for the study of enzymes involved in biosynthesis, biodegradation and modification of chitin and for the study of protein receptors of animal or vegetable origin. Recent studies have shown that oligomers of chitin and its derivatives are molecules involved in the phenomena of symbiotic and host-pathogen recognition in plants. These molecules are used as agrochemicals biofertilizers. They are also known to possess numerous biological activities in the field of health (anti-microbial, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulant ...). If the activities of this class of oligosaccharides are well recognized, their modes of action remain to be clarified, which requires having pure molecules with chemical structures perfectly controlled. The production of chitin oligomers traditionally requires the implementation of a tedious chemistry, which can be facilitated by a chemoenzymatic approach.As part of this thesis, we want to develop enzymatic tools for the synthesis of a library of molecules of size and degree of acetylation controlled studies for structure-biological activity. For this, we will seek to produce N-deacetylase and chitinases in different expression systems and characterize their activity to generate a variety of molecules well-defined molecular structure from saccharide fragments derived from biomass. The molecules thus prepared can then be modified so as to achieve chemoselective photoactivatable probes and / or biotinylated for the characterization of receptors, substrates or fluoro-chromogenic assay for specific enzyme activities or lipo-chitooligosaccharides can promote plant growth. The approaches used to complete this multidisciplinary project are: engineering and production of recombinant proteins, the biochemical characterization of enzymatic activities and chemoenzymatic synthesis and chemical modification of oligosaccharides to be characterized from the point of physicochemical view. This is an integrated project in a national collaboration funded by the ANR with teams from the University of Grenoble, Lyon, Orsay, and Bayer CropScience.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:55:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4561.pdf: 2229870 bytes, checksum: e51008e96773b0184eb28a316cf86d57 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-04-27 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / Penicillin G acylase (PGA, E.C.3.5.1.11) from Escherichia coli is an enzyme of great industrial importance, widely used for the hydrolysis of penicillin G, producing the 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA), which is a key molecule for the synthesis of semi-synthetic penicillins. Among them, amoxicillin has a broad spectrum of activity against a variety of bacteriological infections. Industrially, amoxicillin is produced by chemical processes, which require drastic reaction conditions, several steps of protection and deprotection of reactive groups in order to prevent non-selective hydrolytic reactions, use of organochloride solvents with non-recyclable waste generation, which are toxic and harmful to the environment. The enzymatic synthesis is a more attractive alternative from the environmental point of view and economic. The tendency of the pharmaceutical industry is the development of enzymatic methods to produce these β-lactam semi-synthetic antibiotics, including amoxicillin. Nevertheless, a major obstacle to its industrial implementation is the limited yield, as a consequence of undesirable hydrolytic side-reactions, which lead to the formation of the by-product (p-hydroxyphenylglycine, POHPG) throughout the course of the reaction. This drawback can be partially avoided by reducing the water activity (aw) in the medium. For this purpose, ionic liquids (ILs) have emerged as an alternative to conventional organic media due to their high thermal and chemical stability, non-flammability, easy recycling, and negligible vapor pressure. Within this context, this work researched the development of an integrated green process for the recovery, reuse and recycle of the by-product (POHPG) of the kinetically controlled enzymatic synthesis of amoxicillin, employing PGA immobilized on Sepabeads® in a totally aqueous medium reaction (sodium phosphate buffer 100 mM, pH 6.5), and assessed the catalytic activity of this biocatalyst in the presence of different ILs as cosolvents for these synthetic reactions, in terms of selectivity (synthesis/hydrolysis, S/H ratio) and conversion of the substrate 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA). The recovery of the by-product (POHPG) of the kinetically controlled enzymatic synthesis of amoxicillin in a totally aqueous reaction medium was done efficiently, achieving a final purity of 99% for the POHPG, which was successfully reused for the production of the substrate p-hydroxyphenylglycine ethyl ester (POHPGEE), achieving a conversion of 93%. Then, POHPGEE was recycled to the reactor (without any further purification) for another batch of enzymatic synthesis of amoxicillin, following the characteristic profile that is expected for these synthetic reactions. This integrated green process generated sodium chloride (NaCl) as waste, which is an inert and harmless salt. Moreover, the assessment of the use of ILs as cosolvents for the reactions of kinetically controlled enzymatic synthesis of amoxicillin presented promising results. An increase of 400% in the selectivity was observed for the reactions carried out in the presence of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMI.PF6), as cosolvent at a concentration of 75% (VIL/VWATER) in relation to the standard reaction performed in totally aqueous medium. Similarly, this figure reached more than 350% for reactions conducted in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (BMI.NTf2) at the same volume fraction, while for 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMI.BF4) there was only a slight increase in selectivity (about 57%). The highest conversion of 6-APA was achieved using BMI.NTf2 as cosolvent at a concentration of 71% (VIL/VWATER), representing an increase of more than 36% compared to standard aqueous reaction. No deactivation of the enzyme was observed after the reactions in any of the ILs, and the physical integrity of the biocatalyst particles was entirely maintained. The results of this work collaborated for the advance in the study of the enzymatic synthesis of semi-synthetic penicillins through the use of technologies more green . / Penicilina G acilase (PGA, E.C.3.5.1.11) de Escherichia coli é uma enzima de grande importância industrial, amplamente utilizada para a hidrólise de penicilina G, produzindo o ácido 6-aminopenicilânico (6-APA), que é uma molécula chave para a síntese de penicilinas semi-sintéticas, dentre elas, a amoxicilina, que possui um amplo espectro de ação contra uma variedade de infecções bacteriológicas. Industrialmente, a amoxicilina é produzida por meio de processos químicos, os quais requerem condições drásticas de reação, diversos passos de proteção e desproteção de grupos reativos para impedir reações hidrolíticas não seletivas, utilização de solventes organoclorados com geração de resíduos não recicláveis, que são tóxicos e nocivos ao meio ambiente. A síntese enzimática é uma alternativa mais interessante do ponto de vista ambiental e econômico. A tendência da indústria farmacêutica é o desenvolvimento de métodos enzimáticos para a produção destes antibióticos β-lactâmicos semi-sintéticos, incluindo a amoxicilina. Entretanto, um dos principais impedimentos para a sua implementação industrial é o rendimento limitado, em decorrência de reações laterais de hidrólise indesejáveis, que levam à formação do subproduto (p-hidroxifenilglicina, POHFG) durante todo o andamento da reação. Este inconveniente pode ser parcialmente evitado reduzindo a atividade da água (aw) no meio. Para esta finalidade, os líquidos iônicos (LIs) surgiram como uma alternativa aos meios orgânicos convencionais, devido à sua elevada estabilidade térmica e química, não inflamabilidade, fácil reciclagem e pressão de vapor desprezível. Neste contexto, este trabalho pesquisou o desenvolvimento de um processo integrado verde para a recuperação, reutilização e reciclo do subproduto (POHFG) da síntese enzimática cineticamente controlada de amoxicilina, empregando PGA imobilizada em Sepabeads® em um meio de reação totalmente aquoso (tampão fosfato de sódio 100 mM, pH 6,5), e avaliou a atividade catalítica deste biocatalisador na presença de diferentes LIs como cossolventes para estas reações sintéticas, em termos de seletividade (síntese/hidrólise, relação S/H) e conversão do substrato ácido 6-aminopenicilânico (6-APA). A recuperação do subproduto (POHFG) da síntese enzimática cineticamente controlada de amoxicilina em meio totalmente aquoso foi realizada eficientemente, atingindo uma pureza final de 99% para a POHFG, a qual foi reutilizada com sucesso para a produção do substrato éster etílico da p-hidroxifenilglicina (EEPOHFG), atingindo uma conversão de 93%. Em seguida, o EEPOHFG foi reciclado ao reator (sem qualquer purificação adicional) para outra batelada de síntese enzimática de amoxicilina, seguindo o perfil característico que é esperado para estas reações sintéticas. Este processo integrado verde gerou como resíduo o sal cloreto de sódio (NaCl) que é inerte e inofensivo. Além disso, a avaliação da utilização de LIs como cossolventes para as reações de síntese enzimática cineticamente controlada de amoxicilina apresentou resultados promissores. Um acréscimo de 400% na seletividade foi observado para as reações realizadas na presença de hexafluorfosfato de 1-butil-3-metilimidazólio (BMI.PF6), como cossolvente na concentração de 75% (VLI/VÁGUA) em relação à reação padrão realizada em meio totalmente aquoso. De maneira similar, este número alcançou mais do que 350% para as reações conduzidas em bis(trifluormetilsulfonil)imida de 1-butil-3-metilimidazólio (BMI.NTf2) na mesma fração volumétrica, enquanto que para tetrafluorborato de 1-butil-3-metilimidazólio (BMI.BF4) houve apenas um ligeiro aumento na seletividade (cerca de 57%). A mais elevada conversão de 6-APA foi obtida empregando BMI.NTf2 como cossolvente na concentração de 71% (VLI/VÁGUA), representando um aumento de mais do que 36% em comparação à reação padrão aquosa. Nenhuma desativação da enzima foi observada após as reações em qualquer um dos LIs, e a integridade física das partículas do biocatalisador foi integralmente mantida. Os resultados deste trabalho colaboraram para o avanço no estudo da síntese enzimática de penicilinas semi-sintéticas através do emprego de tecnologias mais verdes .

La valorisation non alimentaire de la biomasse végétale représente un enjeu actuel majeur dans le contexte du développement de la bioraffinerie végétale. En Champagne-Ardenne, la transformation des co-produits d'origine agricole fait l'objet d'études importantes. Le son et la paille, co-produits abondants de la filière blé, sont riches en hémicelluloses, polysaccharides constitués essentiellement de pentoses, majoritairement de D-xylose. La principale voie de valorisation des pentoses tels que le xylose est leur fonctionnalisation par voie chimique, mais l'utilisation d'enzymes telles que des xylanases et des β-xylosidases représente une voie de synthèse plus respectueuse de l'environnement et permettant, en outre, d'accéder à de nouvelles molécules inaccessibles par la voie chimique classique (DP plus importants). L'étude conduite dans le cadre de la thèse a concerné l'évaluation et l'amélioration de la synthèse enzymatique par transglycosylation d'alkyl xylosides et oligoxylosides catalysée par une β-xylosidase et deux xylanases. Une seconde voie de valorisation enzymatique a été étudiée, à savoir la synthèse de xylosides et oligoxylosides présentant des propriétés biologiques pouvant notamment être exploitées pour des applications cosmétiques. A travers la mutagénèse dirigée au niveau du sous-site aglycone d'une β-xylosidase de Bacillus halodurans, nous avons montré l'importance de résidus aromatiques de ce sous-site sur les capacités d'hydrolyse et de transglycosylation de l'enzyme. Les résultats obtenus nous ont permis de dégager quelques pistes d'ingénierie du sous-site aglycone de la xylosidase pour optimiser les rendements de transglycosylation en présence d'alcools à longues chaînes carbonées. L'étude de l'effet des conditions réactionnelles sur la synthèse d'alkyl oligoxylosides catalysée par deux xylanases (l'une de Thermobacillus xylanilyticus, l'autre commerciale) a montré la possibilité de produire les alkyl oligoxylosides par voie enzymatique avec des rendements satisfaisants, notamment en réduisant les problèmes physiques d'accessibilité de l'alcool au site actif de l'enzyme. Nous avons également mis en évidence des profils de synthèse différents d'une enzyme à l'autre mais également en fonction des conditions réactionnelles, notamment en ce qui concerne le DP moyen. Notre étude montre également que la synthèse d'alkyl oligoxylosides est possible directement à partir de son de blé prétraité par voie hydrothermale. En ce qui concerne les propriétés physico-chimiques des produits de transglycosylation, nous avons montré que, tout en étant non purifiés, les pentyl et octyl β-D-oligoxylosides obtenus par synthèse enzymatique présentent des propriétés comparables à celles de produits commerciaux utilisés pour leurs propriétés tensio-actives. L'étude de méthodes de synthèse enzymatiques et chimio-enzymatique de xylosides et d'oligoxylosides ciblés pour certaines propriétés biologiques a montré que les deux xylanases étudiées précédemment pouvaient utiliser en tant qu'accepteur, en plus des alcools linéaires, des alcools aromatiques, des diols ou encore un ester ou un alcyne, ce qui a permis d'accéder à des produits originaux. Des tests biologiques réalisés sur des fibroblastes humains, ont montré que les xylosides et oligoxylosides ainsi produits ne sont pas cytotoxiques. Des tests sur l'initiation de la biosynthèse de glycosaminoglycanes, menés avec certains produits, ont conduit à des résultats positifs pour la biosynthèse d'acide hyaluronique. / Non-food valorization of plant biomass currently represents a major challenge in the context of plant biorefinery. In Champagne-Ardenne, the processing of agricultural by-products is the subject of numerous studies. Wheat bran and straw are abundant agricultural by-products and are rich in hemicelluloses, which are polysaccharides essentially constituted by pentoses, mainly D-xylose. The major route for the valorization of pentoses such as xylose is their functionalization by chemical means. Nevertheless, the use of enzymes, such as xylanases and β-xylosidases, represents a more environmentally friendly way and can also lead to the synthesis of new molecules inaccessible through conventional chemistry. The study conducted during the PhD concerned the evaluation and the improvement of the enzymatic synthesis by transglycosylation of alkyl xylosides and oligoxylosides catalyzed by a β-xylosidase and two xylanases. The second pathway for enzymatic valorization investigated was the synthesis of xylosides and oligoxylosides with biological properties that could be applied for cosmetic use.By site-directed mutagenesis in the aglycone subsite of a β-xylosidase from Bacillus halodurans, we have shown the role of aromatic residues on the hydrolysis and transglycosylation capabilities of the enzyme. The results obtained allowed us to identify some engineering of the aglycone subsite of the β-xylosidase to optimize the transglycosylation yields in the presence of alcohols with long carbon chains.The study of the effect of the reaction conditions on the synthesis of alkyl oligoxylosides catalyzed by two xylanases (one from Thermobacillus xylanilyticus and other is commercially available) has shown the ability to produce alkyl oligoxylosides by enzymatic synthesis with acceptable yields. We also pointed out that, depending on the reaction conditions, the products obtained were different particularly as regards the average DP. Our study has also shown that the synthesis of alkyl oligoxylosides is possible directly from hydrothermally pretreated wheat bran. Concerning the physico-chemical properties of transglycosylation products, we have demonstrated that non purified pentyl and octyl β-D-oligoxylosides obtained by enzymatic transglycosylation exhibit similar properties than commercial products used for their surface-active properties. The study of enzymatic an chemo-enzymatic methods for the synthesis of xylosides and oligoxylosides targeted for their biological properties showed that both xylanases previously studied could use linear alcohols but also aromatic alcohols, diols, ester or alkyne alcohols as acceptors for the preparation of original compounds. Biological tests performed on human fibroblasts pointed out that the xylosides and oligoxylosides produced are not cytotoxic. Initiation of the biosynthesis of glycosaminoglycans tested with some of the products has led to positive results for the synthesis of hyaluronic acid by the fibroblasts.

No description available.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:42:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FabioPF_TESE.pdf: 3376603 bytes, checksum: 15dfaa7fe12ca918fd7e1b98c4378dd9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-09-16 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / Enzymatic synthesis of peptides using proteases has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. One key challenge in peptide synthesis is to find supports for protease immobilization capable of working in aqueous medium at high performance, producing watersoluble oligopeptides. At present, few reports have been described using this strategy. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to immobilize proteases applying different methods (Immobilization by covalent bound, entrapment onto polymeric gels of PVA and immobilization on glycidil metacrylate magnetic nanoparticles) in order to produce water-soluble oligopeptides derived from lysine. Three different proteases were used: trypsin, α-chymotrypsin and bromelain. According to immobilization strategies associated to the type of protease employed, trypsin-resin systems showed the best performance in terms of hydrolytic activity and oligopeptides synthesis. Hydrolytic activities of the free and immobilized enzymes were determined spectrophotometrically based on the absorbance change at 660 nm at 25 ?C (Casein method). Calculations of oligolysine yield and average degree of polymerization (DPavg) were monitored by 1H-NMR analysis. Trypsin was covalently immobilized onto four different resins (Amberzyme, Eupergit C, Eupergit CM and Grace 192). Maximum yield of bound protein was 92 mg/g, 82 mg/g and 60 mg/g support for each resin respectively. The effectiveness of these systems (Trypsin-resins) was evaluated by hydrolysis of casein and synthesis of water-soluble oligolysine. Most systems were capable of catalyzing oligopeptide synthesis in aqueous medium, albeit at different efficiencies, namely: 40, 37 and 35% for Amberzyme, Eupergit C and Eupergit CM, respectively, in comparison with free enzyme. These systems produced oligomers in only 1 hour with DPavg higher than free enzyme. Among these systems, the Eupergit C-Trypsin system showed greater efficiency than others in terms of hydrolytic activity and thermal stability. However, this did not occur for oligolysine synthesis. Trypsin-Amberzyme proved to be more successful in oligopeptide synthesis, and exhibited excellent reusability, since it retained 90% of its initial hydrolytic and synthetic activity after 7 reuses. Trypsin hydrophobic interactions with Amberzyme support are responsible for protecting against strong enzyme conformational changes in the medium. In addition, the high concentration of oxirane groups on the surface promoted multi-covalent linking and, consequently, prevented the immobilized enzyme from leaching. The aforementioned results suggest that immobilized Trypsin on the supports evaluated can be efficiently used for oligopeptides synthesis in aqueous media / S?ntese enzim?tica de pept?deos usando proteases tem atra?do uma enorme aten??o nos ?ltimos anos. Um desafio chave na s?ntese de pept?deos ? encontrar suportes para imobiliza??o de proteases capazes de apresentar um alto desempenho em meio aquoso, produzindo oligopept?deos sol?veis em ?gua, j? que at? o presente momento, pouco tem sido descrito usando essa estrat?gia. Dessa forma, o objetivo dessa tese foi imobilizar proteases usando diferentes m?todos (imobiliza??o por liga??o covalente, aprisionamento em g?is polim?ricos de PVA e imobiliza??o em nanopart?culas magn?ticas de Glicidil) para a produ??o de oligopept?deos derivados da lisina. Tr?s proteases foram utilizadas: tripsina, α-quimotripsina e bromela?na. De acordo com as estrat?gias de imobiliza??o associadas ao tipo de protease empregada, foi provado que os sistemas tripsina-resinas mostraram os melhores desempenhos em termos de atividade hidrol?tica e s?ntese de oligopept?deos. A atividade hidrol?tica das enzimas livres e imobilizadas foi determinada por espectrofotometria com base na mudan?a de absorb?ncia em 660 nm ? temperatura de 25 ?C (Casein method). O rendimento de oligolisina e o c?lculo do grau de polimeriza??o m?dio foram monitorados por RMN H. A protease tripsina foi covalentemente imobilizada em quatro diferentes resinas (Amberzyme, Eupergit C, Eupergit CM and Grace 192). O m?ximo rendimento de prote?na imobilizada foi 92, 82, 60, e 71 mg/g de suporte para cada resina, respectivamente. A efici?ncia desses sistemas (Tripsina-resinas) foi avaliada pela hidr?lise do substrato case?na e a s?ntese de oligolisina em meio aquoso. A maioria dos sistemas foram capazes de catalisar a s?ntese de oligopept?deos, entretanto com diferentes efici?ncias, tais como: 40, 37 e 35% para os suportes Amberzyme, Eupergit C e Eupergit CM, respectivamente, em compara??o com a enzima livre. Esses sistemas produziram olig?meros em somente 1 hora com grau de polimeriza??o m?dio mais alto que a enzima livre. Dentre esses sistemas, Eupergit CTripsina mostrou ser mais eficiente que os outros sistemas em termos de atividade hidrol?tica e estabilidade t?rmica, ao passo que n?o exibiu a mesma efici?ncia como era esperado para a s?ntese de oligolisina. Tripsina-amberzyme provou ser mais eficiente para a s?ntese de oligopept?deos, al?m de exibir um excelente reuso, mantendo 90% de sua atividade hidrol?tica e sint?tica ap?s sete reusos. As intera??es hidrof?bicas da tripsina com o suporte Amberzyme s?o respons?veis por proteger a enzima contra as fortes mudan?as conformacionais no meio reacional. Al?m disso, a alta concentra??o de grupos oxiranos na superf?cie da resina promoveu liga??es covalentes multipontuais e, consequentemente, preveniu a enzima imobilizada do processo de desor??o (Leaching process). Os resultados acima mencionados sugerem que a tripsina imobilizada nesses suportes pode ser eficientemente usada para a s?ntese de oligopept?deos em meio aquoso

La synthèse d’oligosides complexes reste difficilement réalisable par voie chimique. Le recours aux catalyseurs enzymatiques permettrait de pallier aux contraintes de la chimie mais les enzymes naturelles ne présentent pas toujours les propriétés adéquates et nécessitent d’être optimisées par ingénierie moléculaire. Le couplage de la chimie et de biocatalyseurs conçus « sur mesure », peut offrir une alternative prometteuse pour explorer de nouvelles voies de synthèse des sucres, notamment pour la mise au point de glycovaccins. L’objectif de cette thèse a ainsi visé à mettre en œuvre des stratégies d’ingénierie semi-rationnelles de l’amylosaccharase de Neisseria polysaccharea (ASNp), une α-transglucosylase utilisant le saccharose comme substrat, afin de concevoir de nouvelles spécificités de substrats et d’étendre le potentiel de cette enzyme à catalyser de nouvelles réactions, permettant ainsi d’aller bien au-delà de ce que la Nature peut offrir. Dans une première étude, une approche assistée par ordinateur a été suivie afin de remodeler le site actif de l’enzyme (sous-sites +1, +2 et +3) pour la reconnaissance et la glucosylation en α-1,4 d’un accepteur disaccharidique non-naturel (l’allyl 2-deoxy-2-N-trichloroacetyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-rhamnopyranose). Le produit attendu, un trisaccharide, est un précurseur dans la synthèse chimio-enzymatique des oligosaccharides mimant les unités répétitives des lipopolysaccharides de Shigella flexneri, dont l’utilisation ultime est le développement de vaccins contre la Shigellose. Une approche computationnelle faisant appel à des outils dédiés au design automatisé de protéines et à une analyse des séquences a conduit au design d’une librairie d’environ 2.7x104 séquences, qui a ensuite été construite expérimentalement puis criblée. Au final, 55 variants actifs sur saccharose (le substrat donneur) ont été identifiés, et un mutant, appelé F3, a révélé sa capacité à glucosyler en α-1,4 le disaccharide cible. De manière étonnante, ce mutant possède 7 mutations au sein de son site actif, nécessaires au déploiement de sa nouvelle spécificité tout en maintenant son aptitude à utiliser le saccharose comme donneur d'unité glucosyle. Dans une deuxième étude, trois variants ont été identifiés lors du criblage de la librairie semi-rationnelle sur saccharose comme présentant de nouvelles spécificités de produits. Ces mutants ont été caractérisés plus en détails, ainsi que leurs produits, sur un plan biochimique et structural. Ces mutants, appelés 37G4, 39A8 et 47A10, contiennent entre 7 et 11 mutations dans leur site actif. Il a été montré qu’ils étaient capables de reconnaitre le saccharose et le maltose (un produit de la réaction avec le saccharose) comme donneur et accepteur pour synthétiser en quantités variables de l’erlose (α-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-Fructose) et du panose (α-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-α-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-D-glucose), des molécules non produites par l’enzyme sauvage. Des taux de production relativement élevés ont été obtenus pour ces molécules, dont les propriétés acariogènes et le pouvoir sucrant pourraient présenter un intérêt applicatif pour l’industrie alimentaire. Dans une dernière partie, un autre mutant, appelé 30H3, a été isolé lors du criblage primaire de la librairie de par son activité élevée sur saccharose (une amélioration d’un facteur 6.5 comparé à l’enzyme sauvage). Après caractérisation, le mutant s’est avéré synthétiser un profil unique de produits en comparaison de l’enzyme sauvage ASNp. Il s’est ainsi montré très efficace pour la synthèse de maltooligosaccharides solubles, de taille de chaînes contrôlée allant d’un DP 3 à 21, et de faible polydispersité. Aucun polymère insoluble n’a été identifié. La structure 3D du mutant résolue par cristallographie des rayons X a révélé un agrandissement de la poche catalytique en raison de la présence de 9 mutations introduites dans la première sphère.... / Chemical synthesis of complex oligosaccharides still remains critical. Enzymes have emerged as powerful tools to circumvent chemical boundaries of glycochemistry. However, natural enzymes do not necessarily display the required properties and need to be optimized by molecular engineering. Combined use of chemistry and tailored biocatalysts may thus be attractive for exploring novel synthetic routes, especially for glyco-based vaccines development. The objective of this thesis was thus to apply semi-rational engineering strategies to Neisseria polysaccharea amylosucrase (NpAS), a sucrose-utilizing α-transglucosylase, in order to conceive novel substrate specificities and extend the potential of this enzyme to catalyze novel reactions, going beyond what nature has to offer. In a first study, a computer aided-approach was followed to reshape the active site of the enzyme (subsites +1, +2 and +3) for the recognition and α-1,4 glucosylation of a non-natural disaccharide acceptor molecule (allyl 2-deoxy-2-N-trichloroacetyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-rhamnopyranose). The trisaccharide product is a building block for the chemo-enzymatic synthesis of oligosaccharides mimicking the repetitive units of the Shigella flexneri lipopolysaccharides, and ultimately, for the production of a vaccine against Shigellosis disease. Using computational tools dedicated to the automated protein design, combined with sequence analysis, a library of about 2.7x104 sequences was designed and experimentally constructed and screened. Altogether, 55 mutants were identified to be active on sucrose (the donor substrate), and one, called mutant F3, was subsequently found able to catalyze the α-1,4 glucosylation of the target disaccharide. Impressively, this mutant contained seven mutations in the first shell of the active site leading to a drastic reshaping of the catalytic pocket without significantly perturbing the original specificity for sucrose donor substrate. In a second study, three variants were identified from the screening of the semi-rational library on sole sucrose as displaying totally novel product specificities. They were further characterized, as well as their products, at both biochemical and structural level. These mutants, called 37G4, 39A8 and 47A10, contained between 7 and 11 mutations into their active site. They were found able to use sucrose and maltose (a reaction product from sucrose) as both donor and acceptor substrates to produce in varying amounts erlose (α-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-Fructose) and panose (α-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-α-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-D-glucose) trisaccharides, which are not produced at all by parental wild-type enzyme. Relatively high yields were obtained for the production of these molecules, which are known to have acariogenic and sweetening properties and could be of interest for food applications. In a last part, another mutant 30H3 was isolated due to its high activity on sucrose (6.5-fold improvement compared to wild-type activity) from primary screening of the library. When characterized, the mutant revealed a singular product profile compared to that of wild-type NpAS. It appeared highly efficient for the synthesis of soluble maltooligosaccharides of controlled size chains, from DP 3 to 21, and with a low polydispersity. No formation of insoluble polymer was found. The X-ray structure of the mutant was determined and revealed the opening of the catalytic pocket due to the presence of 9 mutations in the first sphere. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested a role of mutations onto flexibility of domain B’ that might interfere with oligosaccharide binding and explain product specificity of the mutant.

We now report an in depth analysis of the successful in vitro enzymatic synthesis of PHB utilizing the three-enzyme system from the bacteria Cupriavidus necator. Using HPLC methodology developed in this laboratory, and by adding each enzyme in a step-wise manner, we follow each individual stage in the three-enzyme route for PHB synthesis and delineate all stoichiometric relationships. We report the construction of the first metabolic model developed specifically for analyzing in vitro enzymatic PHB synthesis. We developed a hands-on student laboratory for culturing, producing, isolating, and purifying the bacterial biopolyesters PHB. We now report the first structural characterizations of iso-CoA, acetyl-iso-CoA, acetoacetyl-iso-CoA, and beta-hydroxybutyryl-iso-CoA using MS, MS/MS, and homo- and hetero-nuclear NMR analyses.We describe HPLC methodology to separate the isomers of several iso-CoA-containing compounds and report the first examples of iso-CoA-containing compounds acting as substrates in enzymatic acyl-transfer reactions. We describe a simple regioselective synthesis of iso-CoA from CoA. We also demonstrate a plausible mechanism, which accounts for the existence of iso-CoA isomers in commercial preparations of CoA-containing compounds. Herein we report that phenylaminoethyl selenide compounds protect DNA from peroxynitrite-mediated single-strand breaks. The mechanism of protection against peroxynitrite mediated DNA damage was investigated by HPLC. The chemistry of the reaction between peroxynitrite and HOMePAES was investigated using HPLC and HPLC/MS. The unique chemistry of the reaction between peroxynitrite and HOMePAES was investigated using HPLC and HPLC/MS. We report the development of novel CDB derivatives, which are selective COX-II inhibitors. A series of compounds were assayed with an in vitro colorimetric inhibitor screening and with a whole blood ELISA screening and the results indicate that MST is a selective inhibitor of COX-II.