Characterization of the stability of Vibrio fluvialis JS17 amine transaminase

The amine transaminase from Vibrio fluvialis (Vf-ATA) is an attractive enzyme with applications within Biocatalysis for the preparation of chiral amines. Various catalytic properties of Vf-ATA have been investigated, but a biophysical characterization of its stability has been lacking. Today, the industrial application of Vf-ATA is limited by its low operational stability. In order to enhance the knowledge regarding the structural stability of ATAs, general characterizations of different ATAs are required. In this work, the stability of Vf-ATA was explored. First, the affinity between enzyme and pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) (K_D value of 7.9 μM) was determined. Addition of PLP to enzyme preparations significantly improved the enzyme thermal stability by preventing enzyme unfolding. With the aim to understand if this was due to the PLP phosphate group coordination into the phosphate group binding cup, the effect of phosphate buffer on the enzyme stability was compared to HEPES buffer. Low concentrations of phosphate buffer showed a positive effect on the enzyme initial activity, while higher phosphate buffer concentrations prevented cofactor dissociation. Additionally, the effects of various amine or ketone substrates on the enzyme stability were explored. All tested amines caused a concentration dependent enzyme inactivation, while the corresponding ketones showed no or stabilizing effects. The enzyme inactivation due to the presence of amine can be connected to the formation of PMP, which forms in the presence of amines in the absence of ketone. Since PMP is not covalently bound to the enzyme, it could readily leave the enzyme upon formation. Exploring the different stability effects of cofactor, substrates, additives and buffer system on ATAs seems to be important in order to understand and improve the general performance of ATAs.