Expression and purification of penicillin G acylase enzymes from four different micro-organisms, and a comparative evaluation of their synthesis/hydrolysis ratios for cephalexin

Several genes for the enzyme penicillin G acylase, as isolated from four different micro-organisms (Alcaligenes facaelis, Escherichia coli, Kluyvera cryocrescens or Providencia rettgeri) were modified at their carboxy-termini to include His-tag fusions, then were expressed from the plasmid pET-24a(+) in E. coli JM109(DE3) cells. All fusion proteins were next purified to homogeneity in a single step by agar-based Co-IDA chromatography, and were then evaluated as catalysts for the synthesis of cephalexin by a kinetically controlled strategy. We find here that the penicillin G acylase enzyme from K. cryocrescens shows a higher intrinsic synthesis/hydrolysis ratio, when compared to three other enzymes from A. facaelis or P. rettgeri, or E. coli.