The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides that are derived from wildtype Bacillus subtilis S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) synthase or from a biologically active fragment thereof, wherein said isolated polypeptides comprise an amino acid sequence that, in relation to the amino acid sequence of said wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase or of the biologically active fragment thereof, comprises at least one amino acid substitution, selected from the group consisting of amino acid substitutions at positions 1317 and 1105. The present invention further relates to respective isolated nucleic acids, vectors, host cells, uses and methods for the production of SAM derivatives.

Almost all enzyme-catalyzed methyl transfer reactions depend on the cofactor S- adenosylmethionine (SAM). Thus, availability of this compound is crucial for application of the corresponding methyltransferases in biotechnology, e.g. in the production of valuable fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals. In cellular metabolism, this universal methyl donor is formed by adenosylation of L-methionine by SAM synthases (SAMS). However, enzymatic synthesis of SAM is not feasible for industrial application due to inhibition of most SAMS by their product SAM which results in stagnating conversion, low yield or - in life whole-cell biocatalysts - in insufficient availability of the cofactor. In addition, most SAMS enzymes does not tolerate changes in the structure of their amino acid substrate. Thus, these enzymes lack the ability to synthesize cofactor analogues from artificial methionine derivatives. From the large number of SAMS enzymes which have been characterized, only two proteins tolerably convert S-ethyl-L-homocysteine (ethionine) to S-adenosylethionine. However, these proteins are not feasible for the synthesis of SAM derivatives which enable transfer of non-natural long-chain or functionalized alkyl groups.

Accordingly, the technical problem underlying the present invention is to provide variants of SAM synthase that can be used for the biocatalytic production of SAM and SAM analogues having artificial alkyl chains or allyl chains, or chains of the type -(CH ₂ ) _n -OR, -(CH ₂ ) _n -SR, or -(CH ₂ ) _n -Hal, wherein n is 1 to 3, R is an alkyl, preferably a Ci to C ₄ alkyl, and Hal is a halogen, preferably on an industrial scale, wherein said variants should display a broad substrate specificity, high catalytic efficiency and reduced product inhibition as compared to conventional SAM synthases.

The solution to the above technical problem is achieved by the embodiments characterized in the claims. In particular, in a first aspect, the present invention relates to an isolated polypeptide derived from wildtype Bacillus subtilis S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) synthase or from a biologically active fragment thereof, wherein said isolated polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that, in relation to the amino acid sequence of said wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 ) or of the biologically active fragment thereof, comprises at least one amino acid substitution, selected from the group consisting of amino acid substitutions at positions 1317 and 1105. In particular, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention can have any amino acid substitution at position 1317, at position 1105, or at both positions 1317 and 1105, wherein an amino acid substitution at position 1317, or at both positions 1317 and 1105 is particularly preferred. The substitute amino acid is not particularly limited and can be any proteinogenic amino acid with the obvious exception of isoleucine (I). However, preferably the substitute amino acid is an amino acid that is less spacious, i.e. less voluminous than isoleucine. Particularly preferred amino acids in this respect are glycine (G), leucine (L), proline (P), threonine (T), cysteine (C), serine (S), aspartic acid (D), glutamic acid (E), asparagine (N), valine (V), and alanine (A), wherein valine (V), and alanine (A) are most preferred.

Thus, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to an isolated polypeptide derived from wildtype Bacillus subtilis S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) synthase or from a biologically active fragment thereof, wherein said isolated polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that, in relation to the amino acid sequence of said wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 ) or of the biologically active fragment thereof, comprises at least one amino acid substitution, selected from the group consisting of the amino acid substitutions I317G, I317L, I317P, I317T, I317C, I317D, I317E, I317N, I317A and 1317V.

In another particularly preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to an isolated polypeptide derived from wildtype Bacillus subtilis S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) synthase or from a biologically active fragment thereof, wherein said isolated polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that, in relation to the amino acid sequence of said wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1) or of the biologically active fragment thereof, comprises at least one amino acid substitution, selected from the group consisting of the amino acid substitutions 1317A and 1317V. In this context, the term "polypeptide derived from wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase or from a biologically active fragment thereof as used herein is intended to relate to polypeptides that essentially correspond to wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase, provided that in relation to said wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase they comprise at least one of the amino acid substitutions defined above. Further, said term is intended to relate to polypeptides that can comprise any number of additional amino acid substitutions, additions, or deletions, provided that the resulting polypeptide retains the biological activity of a SAM synthase. In this context, the term "retains the biological activity of a SAM synthase" as used herein, as well as the term "biologically active fragment thereof as used herein, relates to polypeptides that have at least 0.1 %, at least 0.5%, at least 1%, at least 5%, at least 10%, at least 25%, at least 50%, preferably at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 82%, at least 84%, at least 86%, at least 88%, at least 90%, at least 91 %, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 97.5%, at least 98%, at least 98.5%, at least 99%, at least 99.5%, 100%, or more than 100% of the activity of wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase, as determined in a standard SAM synthase activity assay known in the art. While the number of additional amino acid substitutions, additions, or deletions is generally only limited by the above proviso concerning the biological activity of the resulting polypeptide, it is preferable that the resulting polypeptide has at least 50%, at least 52.5%, at least 55%, at least 57.5%, at least 60%, at least 62.5%, at least 65%, at least 67.5%, at least 70%, at least 72.5%, at least 75%, at least 76.25%, at least 77.5%, at least 78.75%, at least 80%, at least 81.25%, at least 83.75%, at least 85%, at least 86.25%, at least 87.5%, at least 88%, at least 88.5%, at least 89%, at least 89.5%, at least 90%, at least 90.5%, at least 91 %, at least 91.5%, at least 92%, at least 92.5%, at least 93%, at least 93.5%, at least 94%, at least 94.5%, at least 95%, at least 95.25%, at least 95.5%, at least 95.75%, at least 96%, at least 96.25%, at least 96.5%, at least 96.75%, at least 97%, at least 97.25%, at least 97.5%, at least 97.75%, at least 98%, at least 98.25%, at least 98.5%, at least 98.75%, at least 99%, at least 99.25%, at least 99.5%, or 99.75% identity to wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase.

Further, the terms "an amino acid sequence that, in relation to the amino acid sequence of said wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 ) or of the biologically active fragment thereof, comprises at least one amino acid substitution, selected from the group consisting of amino acid substitutions at positions 1317 and 1105" and "an amino acid sequence that, in relation to the amino acid sequence of said wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 ) or of the biologically active fragment thereof, comprises at least one amino acid substitution, selected from the group consisting of the amino acid substitutions 1317A and 1317V" as used herein are intended to relate to a respective amino acid sequence, i.e. an amino acid sequence that (i) essentially corresponds to the amino acid sequence of said wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 ), (ii) in relation to said sequence comprises at least one of the above amino acid substitutions, and (iii) can comprise any further amino acid substitutions, additions or deletions as defined above, wherein the number of said further amino acid substitutions, additions or deletions is also as defined above with respect to the biological activity of the resulting polypeptide, preferably with respect to the identity of the resulting polypeptide to wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase. ln a further embodiment, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention further comprises an amino acid substitution, selected from the group consisting of the amino acid substitutions I105G, I105L, I105P, I105T, I105C, I105S, I105A and 1105V.

Preferably, in a further embodiment, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention further comprises an amino acid substitution, selected from the group consisting of the amino acid substitutions I105A and 1105V. In a preferred embodiment, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, said amino acid sequence containing the amino acid substitution 1317A in relation to the amino acid sequence of wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 ). Even more preferably, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2.

In a further preferred embodiment, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3, said amino acid sequence containing the amino acid substitution 1317V in relation to the amino acid sequence of wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 ). Even more preferably, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3.

In a further preferred embodiment, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4, said amino acid sequence containing the amino acid substitutions 1317A and I105A in relation to the amino acid sequence of wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 ). Even more preferably, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4.

In a further preferred embodiment, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 5, said amino acid sequence containing the amino acid substitutions 1317V and I105A in relation to the amino acid sequence of wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 ). Even more preferably, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 5. In a further preferred embodiment, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6, said amino acid sequence containing the amino acid substitutions 1317A and 1105V in relation to the amino acid sequence of wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 ). Even more preferably, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6.

In a further preferred embodiment, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7, said amino acid sequence containing the amino acid substitutions 1317V and 1105V in relation to the amino acid sequence of wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 ). Even more preferably, the isolated polypeptide of the present invention consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7.

In a further aspect, the present invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide according to the present invention. Such nucleic acids are not particularly limited and can be single-stranded or double-stranded DNA molecules, RNA molecules, DNA/RNA hybrid molecules or artificial and/or modified nucleic acid molecules. The term "nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide according to the present invention" as used herein is intended to relate to nucleic acid molecules comprising the coding sequence of the respective polypeptide, as well as nucleic acid molecules comprising a sequence that is fully complementary to the coding sequence of the respective polypeptide.

In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a vector comprising the nucleic acid according to the present invention. Suitable vectors are not particularly limited and are known in the art. They include for example plasmid vectors, e.g. well known expression vectors, in particular bacterial expression vectors such as pET28a(+), viral vectors, cosmid vectors and artificial chromosomes. ln yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a host cell comprising the nucleic acid according to the present invention or the vector according to the present invention. Suitable host cells are not particularly limited and are known in the art. They include for example bacterial cells, e.g. well known bacterial cells for recombinant protein expression such as cells based on the E. coli strain K12, e.g. E. coli BL21 (DE3), gram-positive bacterial cells such as Bacillus subtilis, but also yeast cells, insect cells, plant cells, and mammalian cells.

In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for the biocatalytic generation of S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) and/or SAM analogues having artificial alkyl chains or allyl chains, or chains of the type -(CH ₂ ) _n -OR, -(CH ₂ ) _n -SR, or -(CH ₂ ) _n -Hal, wherein n is 1 to 3, R is an alkyl, preferably a Ci to C ₄ alkyl, and Hal is a halogen, comprising the step of reacting a suitable S-alkyl homocysteine, S-methylvinyl homocysteine, or other homocysteine derivative with a polypeptide of the present invention.

SAM analogues that can be generated with the method of the present invention are not particularly limited, depending only on the substrate specificity of the SAM synthase variant used and the selected starting product. Examples include S- adenosylethionine generated from S-ethyl-L-homocysteine, S-adenosylpropionine generated from S-n-propyl-D,L-homocysteine, S-adenosyl buthionine generated from S-n-butyI-D,L-homocysteine, and S-adenosyl-S-methylvinyl homocysteine from S-methylvinyl-D,L-homocysteine. In a final aspect, the present invention relates to the use of a polypeptide according to the present invention for the generation of S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM) and/or SAM analogues having artificial alkyl chains or allyl chains, or chains of the type -(CH ₂ ) _n -OR, -(CH ₂ ) _n -SR, or -(CH ₂ ) _n -Hal, wherein n is 1 to 3, R is an alkyl, preferably a Ci to C ₄ alkyl, and Hal is a halogen. In this aspect, SAM analogues that can be generated and their respective starting products are as defined above for the method of the present invention. The present invention provides SAM synthase variants that can be advantageously used in the generation of SAM and SAM analogues, in particular on an industrial scale. The SAM synthase variants according to the present invention can be highly expressed in suitable host cells and are characterized by a high productivity, a broad substrate specificity for a wide range of starting products resulting in a broad range of SAM analogues that can be generated, and a reduced product inhibition. These characteristics make the SAM synthase variants according to the present invention ideal candidates for the large-scale generation of SAM and SAM analogues in an industrial setting.

To obtain a SAMS enzyme suitable for biocatalytic production of SAM and analogues, the protein from Bacillus subtilis was improved by rational protein design. Substitution of two conserved isoleucine residues (1105 and 1317) located in close proximity to the active site extended the substrate spectrum of the enzyme to artificial methionine derivatives. An introduction of a less spacious valine or alanine residue into position 105 and 317 led to variants which were able to convert methionine and S-alkylhomocysteines bearing substituents with 2 to 4 carbon atoms. In contrast to the wild-type enzyme, the variants 1317V and 1317A were much less affected by product inhibition and proved to be favorable for the preparative synthesis of SAM and its long-chain analogues. In addition, these variants might be applied to generate a high-level intracellular concentration of SAM in prokaryotic hosts upon addition of methionine to the growth medium.

The figures show: Figure 1 :

SAM synthase enzymes

SDS-PAGE of purified SAM synthase from Bacillus subtilis (lane 1) and its variants 1317V (lane 2), 1317A (lane 3), I105V/I317A (lane 4), I105A/I317A (lane 5), I105V/I317S (lane 6) and I105S/I317S (lane 7). Fiqure 2:

Model of the SAM synthase from Bacillus subtilis

A) Tertiary structure of the tetramer with SAM (space fill representations) bound between two monomer units. B) Active site with the bound product SAM. The space for docking of SAM derivatives with larger functional groups R is restricted by the two isoleucines 1105 and 1317 which were therefore subject of site-directed mutagenesis. C) Arrangement of the substrate analogues S-n-butyl-L- homocysteine and adenylyl imidodiphosphate in the active center. The arrows indicate the nucleophilic attack (short arrow) during catalysis. The reaction is accompanied with conformational change of the protein which will lead to steric hindrance (long arrow) with the amino acid side chain.

Figure 3:

Conversion of methionine and derivatives

Rates of conversion of amino acid substrates catalyzed by the SAMS enzyme from Bacillus subtilis (A) and its variants 1317V (B), 1317A (C), I105V/I317A (D) or I105A I317A (E) as a function of the substrate concentration. The reaction with L- methionine (open circles), D,L-methionine (closed circles), D,L-methionine- (methyl-D3) (*), D,L-ethionine (gray circles), S-n-propyl-D,L-homocysteine (open triangles), S-n-butyl-D,L-homocysteine (closed triangles) or S-(2-methylvinyl)-D,L- homocysteine (gray diamonds) was assessed by spectrophotometric determination of phosphate which is released from the co-substrate ATP during the reaction. Figure 4:

Formation of SAM and SAM derivatives

Formation of SAM and SAM derivatives by the SAM synthase enzyme from Bacillus subtilis (A) or its variants 1317V (B) and 1317A (C). The conversion of the L-enantiomer of methionine (closed circles), ethionine (gray circles), S-n- propylhomocysteine (open triangles) and S-n-butylhomocysteine (closed triangles) from the corresponding racemic amino acid (10 mM) was performed in the presence of equal amounts of enzyme (10 mU ml ^"1 ). The reactions were analyzed by HPTLC. The present invention discloses the following amino acid sequences. wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase (SEQ ID NO: 1 )

msknrrlfts esvteghpdk icdqisdsil deilkkdpna rvacetsvtt glvlvsgeit tstyvdipkt vrqtikeigy trakygfdae tcavltside qsadiamgvd qalearegtm sdeeieaiga gdqglmfgya cnetkelmpl pislahklar rlsevrkedi lpylrpdgkt qvtveydenn kpvridaivi stqhhpeitl eqiqrnikeh vinpvvpeel ideetkyfin ptgrfviggp qgdagltgrk iivdtyggya rhgggafsgk datkvdrsaa yaaryvakni vaaeladsce vqlayaigva qpvsisintf gsgkaseekl ievvrnnfdl rpagiikmld lrrpiykqta ayghfgrhdv dlpwertdka eqlrkealge

1317A SAM synthase variant (SEQ ID NO: 2)

msknrrlfts esvteghpdk icdqisdsil deilkkdpna rvacetsvtt glvlvsgeit tstyvdipkt vrqtikeigy trakygfdae tcavltside qsadiamgvd qalearegtm sdeeieaiga gdqglmfgya cnetkelmpl pislahklar rlsevrkedi lpylrpdgkt qvtveydenn kpvridaivi stqhhpeitl eqiqrnikeh vinpvvpeel ideetkyfin ptgrfviggp qgdagltgrk iivdtyggya rhgggafsgk datkvdrsaa yaaryvakni vaaeladsce vqlayaagva qpvsisintf gsgkaseekl ievvrnnfdl rpagiikmld lrrpiykqta ayghfgrhdv dlpwertdka eqlrkealge

1317V SAM synthase variant (SEQ ID NO: 3)

msknrrlfts esvteghpdk icdqisdsil deilkkdpna rvacetsvtt glvlvsgeit tstyvdipkt vrqtikeigy trakygfdae tcavltside qsadiamgvd qalearegtm sdeeieaiga gdqglmfgya cnetkelmpl pislahklar rlsevrkedi lpylrpdgkt qvtveydenn kpvridaivi stqhhpeitl eqiqrnikeh vinpvvpeel ideetkyfin ptgrfviggp qgdagltgrk iivdtyggya rhgggafsgk datkvdrsaa yaaryvakni vaaeladsce vqlayavgva qpvsisintf gsgkaseekl ievvrnnfdl rpagiikmld lrrpiykqta ayghfgrhdv dlpwertdka eqlrkealge I105A/I317A SAM synthase variant (SEQ ID NO: 4)

msknrrlfts esvteghpdk icdqisdsil deilkkdpna rvacetsvtt glvlvsgeit tstyvdipkt vrqtikeigy trakygfdae tcavltside qsadaamgvd qalearegtm sdeeieaiga gdqglmfgya cnetkelmpl pislahklar rlsevrkedi lpylrpdgkt qvtveydenn kpvridaivi stqhhpeitl eqiqrnikeh vinpvvpeel ideetkyfin ptgrfviggp qgdagltgrk iivdtyggya rhgggafsgk datkvdrsaa yaaryvakni vaaeladsce vqlayaagva qpvsisintf gsgkaseekl ievvrnnfdl rpagiikmld lrrpiykqta ayghfgrhdv dlpwertdka eqlrkealge

I105A/I317V SAM synthase variant (SEQ ID NO: 5)

msknrrlfts esvteghpdk icdqisdsil deilkkdpna rvacetsvtt glvlvsgeit tstyvdipkt vrqtikeigy trakygfdae tcavltside qsadaamgvd qalearegtm sdeeieaiga gdqglmfgya cnetkelmpl pislahklar rlsevrkedi lpylrpdgkt qvtveydenn kpvridaivi stqhhpeitl eqiqrnikeh vinpvvpeel ideetkyfin ptgrfviggp qgdagltgrk iivdtyggya rhgggafsgk datkvdrsaa yaaryvakni vaaeladsce vqlayavgva qpvsisintf gsgkaseekl ievvrnnfdl rpagiikmld lrrpiykqta ayghfgrhdv dlpwertdka eqlrkealge

I105V/I317A SAM synthase variant (SEQ ID NO: 6)

msknrrlfts esvteghpdk icdqisdsil deilkkdpna rvacetsvtt glvlvsgeit tstyvdipkt vrqtikeigy trakygfdae tcavltside qsadvamgvd qalearegtm sdeeieaiga gdqglmfgya cnetkelmpl pislahklar rlsevrkedi lpylrpdgkt qvtveydenn kpvridaivi stqhhpeitl eqiqrnikeh vinpvvpeel ideetkyfin ptgrfviggp qgdagltgrk iivdtyggya rhgggafsgk datkvdrsaa yaaryvakni vaaeladsce vqlayaagva qpvsisintf gsgkaseekl ievvrnnfdl rpagiikmld lrrpiykqta ayghfgrhdv dlpwertdka eqlrkealge

I105V/I317V SAM synthase variant (SEQ ID NO: 7)

msknrrlfts esvteghpdk icdqisdsil deilkkdpna rvacetsvtt glvlvsgeit tstyvdipkt vrqtikeigy trakygfdae tcavltside qsadvamgvd qalearegtm sdeeieaiga gdqglmfgya cnetkelmpl pislahklar rlsevrkedi lpylrpdgkt qvtveydenn kpvridaivi stqhhpeitl eqiqrnikeh vinpvvpeel ideetkyfin ptgrfviggp qgdagltgrk iivdtyggya rhgggafsgk datkvdrsaa yaaryvakni vaaeladsce vqlayavgva qpvsisintf gsgkaseekl ievvrnnfdl rpagiikmld lrrpiykqta ayghfgrhdv dlpwertdka eqlrkealge

The present invention will be further illustrated in the following examples without being limited thereto. Examples

Example 1 :

Recombinant expression of wildtype Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase

To address the problem of availability of the cofactor S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) in Escherichia coli, an enhancement of endogenous SAM synthesis was envisioned. Therefore, the SAM synthase gene from Bacillus subtilis was cloned into the vector pET28a(+) and introduced in E. coli BL21 (DE3). Purified enzyme (Fig. 1 , lane 1) could be obtained in high yields (59 mg/l of culture). Since the protein is not inhibited by the D-enantiomer of methionine (Fig. 3A), even inexpensive racemic mixtures of this amino acid can be used as substrate.

Example 2:

Generation and characterization of SAM synthase variants

Beside regeneration of the natural cofactor SAM, recombinant SAM synthase variants (Fig. 1 , lanes 2 to 7) were applied for the synthesis of cofactor analogues having artificial alkyl chains.

For these studies, a series of S-alkylhomocysteines with linear (D,L-methionine- (methyl-D3), -ethionine, -propionine and -buthionine), branched (D,L-isopropionine and -isobuthionines), unsaturated (D,L-methylvinylhomocysteine) and functionalized (D,L-hydroxyethionine and -carboxymethionine) alkyl groups were synthesized from D,L-homocysteine thiolactone and tested for conversion by the cloned (wildtype) SAM synthase. However, the enzyme did not accept any of these methionine derivatives. As derived from a homology model which is based on the crystal structure of the protein from E. coli (PDB code 1XRA), a hydrophobic cleft formed from two conserved isoleucine residues hinders the generation of cofactor analogues from amino acid substrates with bulky alkyl residues (Fig. 2). Accordingly, both residues were exchanged against less voluminous amino acids by site-directed mutagenesis. Especially 1317 proved to be crucial for substrate selectivity. In addition to methionine, the variant 1317V also converts ethionine (Fig. 3B). If 1317 is substituted by an even smaller alanine residue, the corresponding variant is active on ethionine, propionine, buthionine and the unsaturated D,L- methylvinylhomocysteine (Fig. 3C). Finally, an exchange of both isoleucines to alanine results in acceptance of the artificial long-chain substrates only (Fig. 3D).

Example 3:

Production of SAM derivatives by SAM synthase variants

Due to their broad substrate spectrum, the variants 1317V and 1317A were used for the production of the SAM derivatives S-adenosylethionine, -propionine, -buthionine and -S-methylvinylhomocysteine in preparative scale. The compounds were synthesized from 0.2 mmol of D,L-amino acid and purified by cation exchange chromatography on SP-Sephadex C-25. Yields ranged from 8 to 25%, related to the L-form of the amino acid. As tested by enzymatic conversion of produced SAM by catechol-O-methyltransferase, the preparations contained the biological active form of the cofactor (80 to 92% of total SAM).

Example 4:

Characterization of further SAM synthase variants

The influence of position 317 on catalytic turnover and its crucial role in determination of substrate spectrum was additionally confirmed by introduction of other small- and medium-sized amino acid residues. Enzymes substituted for aliphatic (1317G, 1317P, 1317L) or polar (1317E, 1317D, 13 7N) amino acids showed a strongly reduced activity (> 5.4 nmol min ^"1 mg ^"1 ). On the other hand, substitution by cysteine resulted in a tolerably active enzyme which - similar to the variant 1317A - converted methionine and homologs (59.4 ± 0.4, 16.4 ± 0.7, 8.4 ± 0.3 and 6.0 ± 0.3 nmol min ^"1 mg ^" for conversion of 5 mM D,L-methionine, -ethionine, -propionine and -buthionine, respectively).

Example 5:

Characterization of double mutant SAM synthase variants

To further probe the role of the proximate isoleucine residue 1105 in substrate recognition, the variants I105V/I317A and I 05A/I317A were generated. With increasing size of the active center of the enzymes, conversion of the natural substrate methionine (Fig. 3D, E) is progressively reduced. On the other hand, the variants prefer long-chain substrates. Compared to the wild-type enzyme (Fig. 3A), substrate specificity of the variant I105A/I317A (Fig. 3E) is inverted (S-n- propylhomocysteine > S-n-butylhomocysteine > ethionine » methionine). Hence, steric effects play a major role in substrate conversion by SAMS enzymes, and selectivity for certain substrates can be engineered by exchange of two amino acid positions only.

Example 6:

Synthesis of SAM derivatives by SAM synthase variants

The suitability of the wild-type protein and of variants with appropriate substrate specificity (1317V and 1317A) for the synthesis of SAM and analogues was evaluated by high-performance thin-layer chromatography. Since the enzymes were not inhibited by the D-enantiomer of the amino acid substrates, methionine and its derivatives could be advantageously applied as racemic mixture of its stereoisomeres in these reactions. The time course of SAM formation by the wild- type enzyme is shown in Figure 4A. As described for several other SAMS proteins, the enzyme is inhibited by its product SAM which results in stagnating conversion and low yield. In contrast, this product inhibition is completely reduced in the variant 1317V (Fig. 4B) and less pronounced in case of the mutant enzyme 1317A (Fig. 4C). Accordingly, transformation of methionine and ethionine by SAMS-I317V in preparative synthetic reactions led to high conversion rates for the amino acid substrates. The syntheses were performed similar to the kinetic experiments but in larger scale (200 μητιοΙ). After prolonged incubation (18 hours) to reach maximum product yield, 84 and 89 % of the L-amino acid was converted. In the production of the n-propyl- and n-butyl analogues of SAM by the variant 1317A, 43 % and 28 % of conversion could be reached after 8 hours of reaction time. After product purification by cation exchange chromatography on SP- Sephadex C-25, SAM and its homologs could be recovered in final yields of 25, 17, 8 and 11 %, respectively. As proven by ¹ H NMR, the enzymatically produced SAM contained a high excess (> 90 %) of the biologically active (S,S)-epimer. Interestingly, preparations of the S-adenosyl-L-ethionine, -propionine and -buthionine were racemic with respect to the chiral sulfonium center, which might be caused by faster racemization under the strongly acidic conditions in column purification.

Example 7:

Kinetic parameters for the conversion of S-alkylhomocvsteines The kinetic parameters for the conversion of S-alkylhomocysteines by Bacillus subtilis SAM synthase and its variants as shown in Table 1 were calculated from the conversion rates of methionine and analogues as a function of the substrate concentration (Fig. 2) which were determined by the standard SAM synthase assay known in the art, i.e. by photometric detection of the cleaved phosphate.

Tablel:

Enzyme Substrate So.s (mM) V _max (nmo\ min ^"1 h mg- ¹ )

Wild-type L-methionine 1.04 ±0.14 93.2 ±3.1 1.1 ±0.1

D,L-methionine 1.92 ±0.12 90.8 ± 1.6 1.7 ±0.2

D,L-methionine-(methyl-D ₃ ) 1.86 ±0.07 79.8 ± 2.3 2.2 ±0.2

1317V L -methionine 0.72 ± 0.04 408.0 ± 7.7 1.2 ±0.1

D,L -methionine 1.71 ±0.12 446.2 ±13.8 1.3 ±0.1

D,L -ethionine 10.94 ±2.70 51.2 ±9.1 1.3 ± 0.1

1317A L -methionine 0.46 ± 0.02 34.8 ± 0.5 1.3 ±0.1

D,L -methionine 0.92 ± 0.05 37.7 ± 0.8 1.1 ±0.1

D,L -ethionine 2.99 ± 0.23 44.1 ±1.6 1.2 ±0.1

S-n-propyl-D,L-homocysteine 0.90 ± 0.05 34.2 ±0.7 1.1 ±0.1

S-n-butyl-D,L-homocysteine 3.56 ± 0.45 35.4 + 2.6 1.4 ±0.1

S-(2-methylvinyl)-D,L- 0.79 ±0.04 22.4 ± 0.4 1.2 ±0.1 homocysteine

I105V/I317A D,L -methionine 3.77 ± 1.02 17.0 ±2.0 1.0 ±0.1

D,L -ethionine 4.25 ± 0.20 5.7 ±0.3 4.6 ±0.8

S-n-propyl-D,L-homocysteine 1.86 ± 0.41 17.7 ± 1.5 1.0 ±0.1

S-n-butyl-D,L-homocysteine 4.20 ± 0.41 11.9 ±0.9 2.0 ±0.2

I105A/I317A D,L -methionine n.d. 0.8 ± 0.2 n.d

D,L -ethionine 3.91 ± 0.27 3.0 ±1.8 2.9 ± 0.4

S-n-propyl-D,L-homocysteine = 10.0 = 10.8 ±0.1 1.0 ±0.1

S-n-butyl-D,L-homocysteine = 1.0.0 = 4.0 ±0.2 0.8 ±0.1 n.d. not determined