Bioprospecting microbial genomes to expand the biocatalytic toolbox of rubber oxygenases

A set of rubber oxygenases was discovered through phylogenetic analysis and AI-based structural modeling of complexes of the putative enzymes with a substrate mimicking cis-1,4-polyisoprene. Sixteen candidate proteins were selected from thermophilic microorganisms, all sequence-related to the Latex clearing protein from Streptomyces sp. K30 (Lcp_K30). Sequence truncation and solubility tags were then evaluated to enhance protein expression, with the SUMO tag proving to be the most effective. Including Lcp_K30, nine heme-containing oxygenases were successfully expressed in E. coli NEB 10-beta cells, purified (35-157 mg L^-1 yield) and characterized. Steady-state kinetics revealed significant rubber latex-degrading properties for six of them, with the truncated SUMO-fused Lcp_K30 (SUMO-Lcp_K30T) showing activity in agreement with literature. Notably, the catalytic efficiencies of all the expressed homologs lay within one order of magnitude and the oxygenase from Thermomonospora echinospora was found to be particularly promising in terms of activity, especially at high latex concentrations (more than 1% w/v). The analysis of reaction mixtures by both HPLC and HPLC-MS confirmed the oxidation of cis-1,4-polyisoprene to form the expected isoprenoid oligomers (n = 2-12), whose distribution was consistent with the usual endo-type cleavage pattern in all but one case. This bioprospecting effort afforded a platform of new rubber-degrading enzymes with diverse efficiencies and product profiles, capable of adapting to targeted applications.