Different substrate specificities of two triazine hydrolases (TrzNs) from Nocardioides species

Nocardioides sp. strain MTD22 degraded atrazine, ametryn and atraton, as did Arthrobacter aurescens strain TC1 and Nocardioides sp. strain C190. These strains contain trzN, a gene coding for TrzN, triazine hydrolase showing a broad substrate range. However, Nocardioides sp. strain AN3 degraded only atrazine despite containing trzN. These differences in s-triazine degradation are presumed to be due to differences in the amino acid sequences of TrzNs. Consequently, 1371 nucleotides of the trzN coding sequences of strains AN3 and MTD22 were determined. Comparisons of the amino acid sequences of TrzNs indicated that three residues of strain AN3 (Thr214, His215 and Gln241) were distinct from those of the other three strains (Pro214, Tyr215 and Glu241). To confirm the relationships between these amino acid sequences and the substrate specificities of TrzNs, wild and chimera trzN genes were constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli cells. Cells expressing wild MTD22 trzN (Pro214Tyr215Glu241) and chimera AN3–MTD22 trzN (Thr214His215Glu241) degraded all s-triazines, but the degradation rate was markedly decreased in AN3–MTD22 trzN. Wild AN3 trzN (Thr214His215Gln241) and chimera MTD22–AN3 trzN (Pro214Tyr215Gln241) degraded only atrazine. These results suggest that the substitution of Glu241 for Gln241 significantly decreases enzyme affinity for ametryn and atraton.