Cloning, expression, homology modelling and molecular dynamics simulation of four domain-containing α-amylase from...

In the present study, α-amylase from Streptomyces griseus TBG19NRA1 was amplified, cloned and successfully expressed in E. coli BL21/DE3. Sequence analysis of S. griseus α-amylase (SGAmy) revealed the presence of four domains (A, B, C and E). Alpha-amylases with E domain (also known as carbohydrate binding module 20 (CBM20)) are capable of degrading raw starch and this property holds great potential for application in starch processing industries. Though α-amylase is a well-studied and characterized enzyme, there is no experimental structure available for this four domain-containing α-amylases. To gain more insight about SGAmy structure and function, homology modelling was performed using a multi-template method. The template α-amylase from Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis (PDB ID 1AQH) and E domain of Cyclodextrin glucanotransferase from Bacillus circulans (PDB ID 1CGY) was found to have significant similarity with the complete target sequence of SGAmy. Therefore, homology model for SGAmy was generated from the crystal structure of 1AQH and 1CGY and the resulting structure was subjected to 10 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Remarkably, CBM20 domain of SGAmy showed greater flexibility in MD simulation than other three domains. This observation is highly rational as this part of SGAmy is strongly implicated in substrate (raw starch) binding. Thus, conformational plasticity at CBM20 is functionally beneficial.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.