Part:BBa_K731010

M256I CysE (Serine Acetyltransferase)

CysE is an enzyme involved In cysteine biosynthesis, also known as SAT. It catalyzes the acetylation of serine to give O-acetylserine, the CysE final precursor. Some O-acetylserine is also converted to N-acetylserine, which in turn triggers the assimilation of sulfate through specific genes.

M256I CysE shows enhanced secretion of cysteine and is not inhibited by Cysteine overproduction.

This part has been successfully operated while controlled by araC-pBAD both in pSB1C3 (K731030) and the low copy vector pSB3C5, in which it was characterized. A sfGFP tagged fusion of this part has also been deposited as BBa_K731040 and used to test protein expression levels upon arabinose induction.
This part was cloned by the iGEM Trento 2012 team for the creation of an aerobically engineered pathway for the removal of the black crust disfiguring marble stones. Further information about this part and its characterization can be found in the iGEM Trento 2012 wiki.

Usage and Biology

In cysteine biosynthesis, CysE (a serine acetyltransferase) catalyzes the acetylation of serine to give O-acetylserine, a precursor for the biosynthesis of cysteine. Some O-acetylserine is also converted to N-acetylserine, which in turn triggers the assimilation of sulfate through sulfate assimilation genes.

In Escherichia coli conversion of L-serine to L-cysteine is mediated by the action of two enzymes: serine acetyltransferase [1] catalyses the activation of L-serine by acetyl-CoA. Its product, 0-acetyl-L-serine (OAS), is then subsequently converted to L-cysteine by 0-acetyl-L-serine(thio1)lyase.
The synthesis of OAS-(thio1)-lyase and of the enzymes involved in sulphate uptake and reduction is regulated by induction as well as by repression [2]. The expression of cysE (the SAT structural gene), on the other hand, is constitutive whereas the catalytic activity of the gene product, SAT, is sensitive to feedback inhibition by L-cysteine [3].

Denk and Bock [4], in a work to develop an E. coli strain able to secrete cysteine, isolated a M256I cysE mutant that had a 10-fold decrease in feedback inhibition by cysteine itself, in the end promoting cysteine excretion into the medium.
This particular mutant, thus, would overproduce cysteine, needing and assimiliting more sulfate to satisfy its needs.

Please head over to K731030 for documentation on characterization of this Part.

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1. EC 2.3.1.30  ↩

2. Jones-Mortimer, 1968; Jones-Mortimer et al., 1968; Kredich, 1971.  ↩

3. Kredich & Tomkins, 1966.  ↩

4. Denk, D., and A. Bock. 1987. L-cysteine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli: nucleotide sequence and expression of the serine acetyltransferase (cysE) gene from the wild-type and a cysteine-excreting mutant. J. Gen. Microbiol. 133:515–525.  ↩

Sequence and Features

Assembly Compatibility:

• 10
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[10]
• 12
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[12]
• 21
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[21]
• 23
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[23]
• 25
  INCOMPATIBLE WITH RFC[25]

  Illegal AgeI site found at 698
  
• 1000
  COMPATIBLE WITH RFC[1000]