Improvement in the efficiency of formyl transfer of a GAR transformylase hybrid enzyme

A hybrid glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase was assembled from two protein domains that were treated as discrete modules. One module contained the ribonucleotide binding domain from the purN glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase; the second module contained the catalytic machinery and the formyl tetrahydrofolate binding domain from the enzyme encoded by purU, formyl tetrahydrofolate hydrolase. The resultant enzyme showed 0.1% catalytic activity of the wild-type glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase enzyme but had a formyl transfer efficiency of 10%. A combinatorial mutagenesis approach was used to improve the solubility and formyl transfer properties of the hybrid enzyme. The mutagenized hybrid glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase was initially expressed as a fusion to the α-peptide of β-galactosidase. Clones were selected for improvement in solubility by determining which clones were capable of α-complementation using a blue/white screen. One clone was further characterized and found to have an improved efficiency of transfer of the ribonucleotide increasing this property to > 95%.