Cloning and expression of a gene encoding a bacterial enzyme for decontamination of organophosphorus nerve agents and nucleotide sequence of the enzyme.

Organophosphorus acid (OPA) anhydrolase enzymes have been found in a wide variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Interest in these enzymes has been prompted by their ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of toxic organophosphorus cholinesterase-inhibiting compounds, including pesticides and chemical nerve agents. The natural substrates for these enzymes are unknown. The gene (opaA) which encodes an OPA anhydrolase (OPAA-2) was isolated from an Alteromonas sp. strain JD6.5 EcoRI-lambda ZAPII chromosomal library expressed in Escherichia coli and identified by immunodetection with anti-OPAA-2 serum. OPA anhydrolase activity expressed by the immunopositive recombinant clones was demonstrated by using diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) as a substrate. A comparison of the recombinant enzyme with native, purified OPAA-2 showed they had the same apparent molecular mass (60 kDa), antigenic properties, and enzyme activity against DFP and the chemical nerve agents sarin, soman, and O-cyclohexyl methylphosphonofluoridate. The gene expressing this activity was found in a 1.74-kb PstI-HindIII fragment of the original 6.1-kb EcoRI DNA insert. The nucleotide sequence of this PstI-HindIII fragment revealed an open reading frame of 1,551 nucleotides, coding for a protein of 517 amino acid residues. Amino acid sequence comparison of OPAA-2 with the protein database showed that OPAA-2 is similar to a 647-amino-acid sequence produced by an open reading frame which appears to be the E. coli pepQ gene. Further comparison of OPAA-2, the E. coli PepQ protein sequence, E. coli aminopeptidase P, and human prolidase showed regions of different degrees of similarity or functionally conserved amino acid substitutions. These findings, along with preliminary data confirming the presence of prolidase activity expressed by OPAA-2, suggest that the OPAA-2 enzyme may, in nature, be used in peptide metabolism.