Improving catalytic efficiency of endo-β-1, 4-xylanase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus by directed evolution and H179 saturation mutagenesis

Endo-beta-1, 4-xylanase was cloned from Geobacillus stearothermophilus 1A05583 by PCR. Enzymes with improved catalytic efficiency were obtained using error-prone PCR and a 96-well plate high-throughout screening system. Two variants 1-B8 and 2-H6 were screened from the mutant library containing 9000 colonies, which, when compared with the wild-type enzyme increased the catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K-m) by 25% and 89%, respectively, acting on beechwood xylan. By sequencing 1-B8 and 2-H6, an identical mutation point H179Y was detected and found to overlap in the active site cleft. Following the introduction of the remaining 19 amino acids into position 179 by site-saturation mutagenesis, the catalytic efficiency of H179F was found to be 3.46-fold that of the wild-type. When Whistidine was substituted by tryptophan, arginine, methionine or proline, the enzyme lost activity. Therefore, the position 179 site may play an important role in regulating the catalytic efficiency. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.