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Das Forschungsgebiet des RNA-Engineerings beschäftigt sich u.a. mit der Entwicklung von Ribozymen mit neuen oder verbesserten Eigenschaften. Es umfasst nicht nur den Entwurf neuer Ribozyme mittels in-vitro-Selektion oder rationalem Design, sondern auch die Validierung der entworfenen Systeme mit Hilfe von Aktivitätstests oder strukturellen Untersuchungen. In dieser Arbeit wurden mit Hilfe der Methoden des RNA-Engineerings verschiedene Hairpinribozymvarianten generiert werden, die eine ortsspezifische RNA-Sequenzveränderung innerhalb geeigneter RNA-Substrate erlauben. Dabei war sowohl die potenzielle Anwendung dieser Ribozyme in der molekularen Medizin als auch deren Rolle als RNA-Rekombinasen in einer möglichen RNA-Welt von Interesse. Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit lag hierbei in der Entwicklung eines Reportersystems, welches den direkten Nachweis einer twinribozymvermittelten Reparaturreaktion in Zellen erlaubt. Das Reportersystem basiert auf der Reparatur einer Vierbasendeletion innerhalb der EGFP-mRNA. Durch rationales Design wurde ein Twinribozym generiert, das die Reparatur mit einer Reparaturproduktausbeute von 32 % katalysiert. Das erfolgreich entwickelte Reportersystem steht somit für Experimente unter Zellkulturbedingungen zur Verfügung und eröffnet außerdem den Weg, die Twinribozymstrategie in der Zelle zu adaptieren und zu optimieren, um sie später intrazellulär für gewünschte Ziel-RNAs anwenden zu können. Ausgehend von der den Twinribozymen eigenen Aktivität zur Katalyse eines RNA-Fragmentaustauschs wurde darüber hinaus im Kontext der RNA-Welt-Hypothese ein Hairpinribozym entwickelt, welches durch Rekombination zweier nicht-funktioneller RNA-Substrate ein funktionelles RNA-Molekül generiert. Hierbei führte die hairpinribozymvermittelte Spaltung zweier geeigneter Substrate, Rekombination der Spaltfragmente und Ligation der neuangeordneten Fragmente mit einer Rekombinationsproduktausbeute von 76% zur Generierung eines funktionsfähigen Hammerheadribozyms.
In this thesis, rates and extend as well as the ecological implications of electron exchange reactions that involve redox-active moieties in organic matter (OM) were explored. The research builds on earlier findings that confirmed that OM may act as terminal electron acceptor (TEA) for electrons released in microbial respiration. This property was associated with quinone moieties that are ubiquitously found in OM from terrestrial and aquatic environments and that may undergo reversible reduction to the respective hydroquinone. Earlier methodological advances allowed for a rapid, direct and precise quantification of the electron accepting and donating properties of quinones in dissolved OM (DOM) by mediated electrochemical analysis. In this work, the previously established mediated electrochemical analysis was adapted and used in the characterization of redox properties of particulate natural samples that contain redox active iron and organic matter ("geochemical phases"). For the first time, direct measurements confirmed that microorganisms transferred electrons (e) from microbial respiration to the organic and inorganic electron acceptors in the particulate phase. Particulate OM in the sediments was found to provide a capacity to accept or donate e of 650 µmol e/gC. An incubation experiment resolved the spatiotemporal dynamics of organic and inorganic TEA species (i.e., nitrate, sulfate, Fe- and Mn oxyhydroxides) in sediments upon changes in oxygen availability and hence redox conditions. Oxygen is consumed when the reduced species are oxidized and, by this means, re-generate their electron-accepting capacity. The use of mediated electrochemical analysis allowed for the quantification of the redox state of the geochemical phases during their reduction and re-oxidation. The electron fluxes initiated by the oxic re generation of the TEAs nitrate, sulfate, Fe(III), Mn(IV) and quinoid moieties in OM were therefore directly monitored instead of modeled from the species’ distribution profiles in interstitial waters. The cyclic reduction and re-oxidation of redox species exposed to oxygen fluctuations was suspected to be a critical component of many aquatic ecosystems. In stratified lakes, extended sediment volumes are exposed to oxygen only upon lake overturn. Lake oxygen budgets are therefore influenced by benthic redox processes. The combined field and laboratory study showed that lake overturn seasonally introduces a finite amount of oxygen to the hypolimnion and that about 50% of the subsequent sediment oxygen consumption is exclusively associated with the re-generation of TEA species. These species previously formed in the sediment when organic matter was microbially decomposed during anaerobia. While lake overturn can completely mix epi- and hypolimnetic waters, small-scaled dynamics in temperature and oxygen availability may confine discrete parts of the water column with oscillations in physicochemical conditions. In the studied lake, a transient thermocline cyclically introduces oxygen to hypoxic hyplimnetic waters close to the pelagic redox interface. In the lake, organic TEAs may represent an important component of the total pelagic electron acceptor capacity. Due to the rapid and reversible redox reactions of DOM, reduced organic TEAs are re-generated upon dislocation to oxic parts of the water column. Results show that diurnal fluctuations of oxycline depth shape a micro-environment selecting for microbial species that are released from TEA limitations by OM in oxidized state. Pelagic microbial communities subjected to the same amount of OM in different oxidation states differed by more than 50% after one day. This work substantiates earlier findings that suggested that OM may be an important TEA species in many aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. OM reduction in microbial respiration was shown to directly affect critical system parameters as bacterial activity, oxygen budgets and aquatic biodiversity. Both the microbial reduction and subsequent abiotic oxidation of OM are sufficiently fast for relevant interaction with oxycline fluctuation on different timescales. Given that organic TEAs are cyclically regenerated, a significant share of ecosystem respiration could be linked to OM reduction. This thesis demonstrated the new and important role electron exchange reactions in OM-rich environments play and explored the mechanism of this previously neglected part of lake functioning. As of today, linking the chemistry of aquatic turnover processes with the microbiological and physical conditions at redox interfaces remains challenging. In conclusions, by providing several cases from aquatic environments, this thesis contributes to the mechanistic understanding of OM reduction in microbial respiration. The results prompt for further research regarding the competitive inhibition of other respiration pathways, including the reductive production of the potent greenhouse gas methane.
This thesis is about the establishment and the application of novel methods and tools that are re-lated to the most widely used enzyme class: hydrolases. It covers all fields from the identification to the application of these valuable enzymes with particular focus on lactonases, acylases and proteases. The activity assay introduced in Article I substantially extends the method toolbox for studies on lactonases and acylases that interfere with the bacterial cell-cell communication system. Article II describes a fully automatized robotic platform that represents the next-level tool for the high-throughput enzyme screening in the microtiter plate format. It was used, for instance, for the screening for improved porcine aminoacylase I variants. Diverse aspects of the protease-mediated hydrolysis of non-resistant proteins for the purification of resistant target proteins are highlighted in Article III.
The synthesis of valuable chemicals via traditional chemical methods can be often outperformed by the use of enzymes because of their excellent chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity in aqueous solvents at ambient temperatures. On the other hand, enzymes often suffer from several limitations that hamper their industrial application. Protein engineering is commonly applied to overcome these limitations although the generation and the validation of mutants is often a laborious process that may not lead to the desired results within reasonable time frames. This thesis focuses on engineering the enantioselectivity and the substrate scope of industrially relevant enzymes, such as esterases and transaminases. Semi-rational protein engineering was employed to identify improved variants for the synthesis of valuable chemicals ensuring a reduced screening effort. Compared to previous works, 3DM’s applicability was extended to the study of correlated mutations and proved effective in the acceleration of the comprehension and in the mutation of these enzymatic scaffolds. Semi-rational approaches require an extensive amount of information such as protein structures, reaction mechanisms, previous mutational experiments reported in literature and a considerable amount of amino acid sequences from similar proteins to analyze amino acid distributions and correlated mutations. Here, we have exploited 3DM as a tool that can combine all this wealth of information: 3DM is a convenient solution to retrieve and integrate information simplifying decision making in the planning of a semi-rational mutant library since in 3DM’s multiple sequence alignments (MSA) is summarized Nature’s screening process for alternative variants. Furthermore, naturally evolving enzymes often require mutations at more than one position for the acquisition of a new property. Such mutations generate patterns that are recognized by the 3DM algorithm, which creates networks that can be investigated to design strategies that aim to improve the property of interest. Finally, these correlated mutations are connected to the mutations described in publications covered in the PubMed database, thus helping to investigate the role certain positions might play in the network. Article I shows that it is possible to improve the enantioselectivity of an esterase towards a highly symmetrical substrate while drastically reducing the screening effort. This was achieved through the creation of libraries that limit the variants to those identified in the 3DM alignment. Article II shows that networks of correlated mutations are composed of positions that may cluster around a function. These functions can be investigated because 3DM connects the positions in the network to their related publications. In this article, a mutant of the esterase PFE-I from Pseudomonas fluorescens was generated having increased enantioselectivity in the hydrolysis of important target compounds. Article III suggests that the in silico modelling software YASARA, combined with the use of the 3DM database, can further reduce the screening effort: it was possible to identify a hot-spot because both the 3DM database and YASARA docking studies, indicated its importance. This led to a further improved enantioselectivity of the enzyme variant identified in Article II. Article IV shows how MSA may be used to get structural insights into the catalytic properties of enzymes with documented activity. The study of the patterns observed in a large subfamily alignment allowed the definition of the structural determinants important for the substrate recognition in amine transaminases. Article V and VI apply the knowledge acquired for the improvement of the substrate scope in the amine transaminase from Vibrio fluvialis.
Interactions between bacteria and the human body are manifold and happen constantly. Most parts of the skin and gastrointestinal tract, the saliva, the oral mucosa, the conjunctiva and the vaginal mucosa are colonized with a multitude of bacterial species forming the human microbiota. Strikingly, the estimated amount of bacterial cells outnumbers the human body by 10 to 1. However, most of these bacteria colonize the human body without positive or negative effects and are regarded as commensals. Staphylococcus aureus a Gram positive bacterium is such a commensal bacterium of 25 % to 30 % of the world population. It is also an opportunistic pathogen and is able to cause infections in the lung, skin and heart and to induce sepsis. Its pathogenicity is mainly facilitated by the secretion of a broad spectrum of virulence factors which interact with the host. Some are distracting the immune system, others are targeting the host cell membrane or degrade macromolecular structures of the host in order to provide nutrients. Furthermore S. aureus is able to invade the host cell and to survive and replicate in the host cell cytosol or other compartments. The Gram negative proteobacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei is an environmental bacterium but still has the ability to enter the human body via body orifices or skin wounds. In a very efficient way it penetrates the host cell, replicates intracellular and the uses host structures to spread from cell to cell thereby causing the disease melioidosis often with fatal outcomes. Since the natural habitats of B. pseudomallei are wet soils, the change to the environment in the human body is drastic and requires a high degree of flexibility of the bacterium. Environmental stress conditions such as temperature, pH, nutrient limitation or presence of antibiotics induce a switch of colony morphology which is a special characteristic of this bacterium. Since it is assumed, that changes in colony morphology are connected to adaptive processes to the environmental changes, these morphology switches might also be important during infection. The host organism and the host cell on the other side try to kill and remove the bacterial threat by activating the immune system and cellular defence mechanisms. This includes generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, production of antimicrobial peptides and cellular processes such as phagocytosis, autophagy, apoptosis and activation of the immune response. The actions and reactions on both, the pathogen side and the host side, are summarized as host-pathogen interactions. In the field of functional genomics, methods were developed to understand various levels of host-pathogen interactions. The holistic analysis of the mRNA (the transcriptome) or translated proteins (the proteome) were already very useful tools to describe important cellular processes on the host and the pathogen site. The level of metabolites with regard to host-pathogen interactions however, has been neglected so far. In this dissertation the metabolic composition in the intracellular and extracellular space of the host and the pathogen was analyzed. For this matter biochemical analytical tools were used such as 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and chromatographic methods (GC and HPLC) coupled to mass spectrometry. The combination of these methods allows a broad coverage of physicochemical diverse metabolites. In accordance to the above mentioned biological levels like mRNA and proteins, the sum of all metabolites is referred as the metabolome. Consequently to transcriptomics and proteomics the analysis of the metabolome is referred as metabolomics. To gain insights into the infection relevant metabolome of the host-pathogen relationship between S. aureus and human lung cells several approaches were developed. First the distribution of the recently identified bacillithiol in different S. aureus strains was investigated with regard to its role during the infection. For that matter a HPLC-methodology was used with fluorescence based detection of labelled low molecular weight thiols (article I: Distribution and infection-related functions of bacillithiol in Staphylococcus aureus). After that the next aim was to reveal the effect of S. aureus on the host cell metabolism. To reduce the complexity of effects on the host cells an artificial model was chosen in a first approach. The lung cells were treated with the staphylococcal virulence factor alpha-hemolysin, a pore forming toxin and a holistic metabolomics approach was performed (article II: Staphylococcus aureus Alpha-Toxin Mediates General and Cell Type-Specific Changes in Metabolite Concentrations of Immortalized Human Airway Epithelial Cells). Using this approach, a protocol for cell culture metabolomics was established and first changes in the host cell metabolome that could be caused by S. aureus were described. However, this only describes specific changes caused by one single virulence factor and does not necessarily describes the reality during a S. aureus infection. Therefore in a next approach, an infection model using a human lung epithelial cell line and the S. aureus strain USA300 was established and used for metabolome analysis. Furthermore a combination of inhibitor treatment and metabolic labelling was used to clarify the metabolic activity in the host cell after exposure to S. aureus (article III: Metabolic features of a human airway epithelial cell line infected with Staphylococcus aureus revealed by a metabolomics approach). Finally this thesis deals with the host-pathogen interaction of B. pseudomallei and its host with a focus on the role of the switch in colony morphology in basic metabolism. Various morphotypes of two strains were generated by nutrient limitation and their uptake of nutrients was monitored. Furthermore the morphotypes were used in in vitro and in vivo infections and subsequently isolated out of the cell line and mice respectively. After isolation, the colony morphology was determined and again the nutrient uptake profile was monitored (article IV: Burkholderia pseudomallei morphotypes show a synchronized metabolic pattern after acute infection). The information provided by this thesis adds a new complexity to the knowledge about the host-pathogen interactions of S. aureus and B. pseudomallei and their hosts. It furthermore lays the groundwork for future studies, which will deal with these and other bacterial host-pathogen interactions in order to understand the interdependencies of infection and metabolism.
Cascade reactions are not only of interest to chemists and biotechnologists, but also to life in general, because every metabolic reaction resembles a cascade reaction. This principle of substrate/intermediate channeling was only adapted by scientists. That way especially one-pot reactions became very attractive as for this no isolation of intermediates is necessary. Furthermore, unstable or toxic intermediates are only produced in low amounts and directly transformed in situ. In this PhD thesis two previously established cascade reactions were subject of further optimization. In the first part, a cascade reaction established in a DFG-funded project (Bo1862/6-1)in cooperation with the Vienna Technical University (Austria) for the production of chiral lactones was further optimized and extended. Therefore, on the one hand the genes encoding the needed enzymes were cloned for co-expression into a single plasmid in different arrangements to be expressed in pseudo-operon mode, with the aim to lower the metabolic burden of the cascade host cell. One out of the welve created constructs showed a reasonable activity of 15.3 ± 1.2 U · gCDW-1. On the other hand, this cascade reaction was aimed to be extended by the use of a hydroxylating enzyme to enable the use of limonene as renewable and chiral precursor for the proposed production of chiral polymers. Therefore, the feasibility of cytochrome P450-monooxygenases was studied. These turned out to be not applicable due to their bad regioselectivity for the hydroxylation of limonene or due to the difficulties of activity reconstitution. As alternative system for an initial hydroxylation step the use of a Rhodococcus equi strain, which was isolated from Cellulosimicrobium cellulans EB-8-4 and which is capable of very regioselective limonene-hydroxylation, was investigated. Therefore, the dioxygenase cluster responsible for the desired reaction was identified and especially the recombinant expression in a suitable host (Pseudomonas putida S12) was further studied. The results from these experiments revealed that the recombinant expression needs to be further optimized to enable the use of the recombinant dioxygenase in combination with the other enzymes for cascade reactions. The third part of this PhD thesis dealt with the immobilization of an established cascade reaction for the synthesis of poly-[caprolactone] precursors. Therefore, the use of a rotating bed reactor (RBR) was investigated. Preliminary studies using single enzymes involved in the desired cascade reaction demonstrated the general feasibility of this reactor concept. Especially the reusability of the catalysts was highly improved, because the catalytic particles were protected very effectively from mechanical forces within the voids of the reactor. For further work-flow optimization the immobilization was transformed into an in situ process by the application of a gas-shear device, which leads to decreased capsule size and thereby to increased mass transfer inside the particles. The developed methods were applied for encapsulation of the cells containing the enzymes needed for the reaction. After additional improvement of the reaction parameters a conversion of 93% (based on substrate depletion) was reached using catalysts produced by the established encapsulation procedure. In summary, the described cascade reactions were successfully optimized by either co-expression, extension applying a dioxygenase or immobilization. Furthermore, the general feasibility of an RBR was demonstrated.
In dieser Arbeit wurden drei neue Imin-Reduktasen (IREDs) identifiziert und biochemisch charakterisiert. Bei einem dieser Enzyme war eine Kristallstruktur bereits gelöst, jedoch keine Funktionalität beschrieben. Beim Untersuchen des Substratspektrums wurde in dieser Arbeit erstmals festgestellt, dass neben zyklischen Iminen und Aminen auch azyklische Amine Substrate der IREDs sein können. Außerdem können IREDs Ketone oder Aldehyde als Substrate verwenden indem diese mit Ammoniak oder primären Aminen reduktiv aminiert werden. Es wurde die Kristallisation von den von uns neu entdeckten IREDs, sowie von 15 weiteren neuen IREDs untersucht. Für drei Enzyme konnten gut streuende Kristalle erhalten werden, wobei es zum ersten Mal für IREDs gelang, Kristalle bei der NADP+ Co-Kristallisation zu erhalten. Zwei dieser Enzyme tragen ungewöhnliche Reste im aktiven Zentrum (Glutamat und Asparagin). Bisher wurden meist Aspartat für (R)-selektive beziehungsweise Tyrosin für (S)-selektive IREDs beschrieben. Eine Ausnahme bildet die von uns charakterisierte IRED Ppu, welche ein Histidin einen Turn upstream (in der Sequenz weiter in Richtung C-Terminus) in der IRED trägt und im phylogenetischen Stammbaum eine dritte Gruppe von IREDs bildet. Neben der erstmalig berichteten Immobilisierung von IREDs, konnten wir mit Hilfe von rationalem Design eine Variante der Sgf3587 IRED erstellen, welche eine 3-fach erhöhte Akzeptanz von NADH zeigt. Da alle bisher beschriebenen IREDs NADPH stark präferieren, bildet die K40A-Variante der Sgf3587 IRED eine Alternative die den kostengünstigeren Cofaktor NADH verwenden kann. Eine andere von uns untersuchte Methode zur Kostenreduzierung ist die Verwendung eines Substrat-gekoppelten Ansatzes zur Cofaktor-Regenerierung. Hierbei wird ein zweites achirales sekundäres Amin eingesetzt, welches durch Oxidation des Substrats den Cofaktor reduziert, welcher dann für die Imin-Reduktion zur Verfügung steht. Die bisher beschriebenen Beispiele für die reduktive Aminerung zeigten eher geringe Umsätze. Sie wurden nur für drei Enzyme dargestellt. Mit Hilfe unseres Kooperationspartners konnten wir über 30 weitere Beispiele für Enzyme zeigen, welche die reduktive Aminierung durchführen können. Weiterhin konnten wir präparative Beispiele mit 1% (m/v) Substrat-Konzentration zeigen, wobei es gelang gute Umsätze und Reinheiten zu erlangen. Mit Hilfe der reduktiven Aminierung konnte außerdem die prinzipielle analytische Darstellung von Rasagilin, ein Alzheimer Medikament, gezeigt werden. Diese ist sehr vielversprechend und nach weiterer Optimierung wäre eine industrielle Anwendung möglich.
Enzymatic evolution and the corresponding relationship to substrate scope and catalytic promiscuity were targeted in this thesis. As enzyme examples, pig liver esterase (PLE), oleate hydratases and linoleate isomerases, as well as epoxide hydrolases (EH) and haloalkane dehalogenases (HLD) were used. The substrate scope and the enantiopreference of PLE was analyzed by molecular modeling and substrate docking, since different enantiomeric excesses were detected for the conversion of malonate diethyl esters, depending on the PLE isoenzyme. Additionally, fatty acid converting enzymes with high identity were found and analyzed to comprehend the switch of both activities. Furthermore, the evolutionary connection between EH and HLD was investigated by interconversion studies to implement an HLD acitivity in an EH. By directed evolution and rational design, both possibilities of protein engineering were realized. Finally, a new methodology for targeted, continuous in vivo evolution was established by a temperature-dependent mutagenesis frequency.
An interesting subclass of the SLs are Cers, the simplest SLs. Cers are assigned a special role within SLs because of their involvement in many cellular and biophysical processes.In literature Cers are describe to modulate many events in signaling including apoptosis. Besides its role as second messenger and therefore the involvement in many signal cascades, Cers are also known to be essential in physical modifications and structural alternations of membranes. Such regulatory functions on membrane formation are e.g. domain formation with other lipids (i.g. SM and Chol), phase separation with sterols (Chol), vesicular trafficking, fusion, membrane curvature fluidity and thickness and the induction of membrane leakiness. In contrast to phospholipids, Cers can move from one side of the membrane leaflet to the other, due to their strong hydrophobicity. This movement is called flip-flop or as transbilayer movement and is controversially discussed. Consequently, no exact value has been reported about the flip-flop property of Cers, which probably plays an important role during the transmission of an extra cellular signal through the membrane.In order to probe the biophysical properties of ceramides, a synthetic access to 1-thioceramides (1-SHCer) analogues with different N-acyl chain length has been developed in this study. With 1SHCer the flip-flop was investigated on pre-formed liposomes and the data indicated a very rapid flip-flop of Cers with a half time t1/2 <10s in raft- and non-raft like membrane models. Furthermore, the acyl chain length exhibited no measurable impact on the speed of the flip-flop. Utilizing the same probes the importance of hydrogen bond donor and acceptor properties of Cers upon interaction with sphingomyelin in the presence or absence of cholesterol (Chol) has been probed. Performed fluorescent quenching experiments (P.Slotte) proposed the following relative preference in interaction with pSM:pSM:DAGs > pSM:Cer > pSM:Chol > pSM: 1-pCerSH.Most strikingly, the importance of the 1-OH H-bond acceptor functionality to replace Chol around and above the melting temperature of pSM has been demonstrated. Recently, an unusual subclass of SLs, named 1-deoxysphingoids have come to the foreground, as biomarker for metabolic disorders. 1-doxSA is physiologically generated (10-40nM) due to substrate promiscuity of SPT and shown to be elevated in patients with metabolic disorders. In this study an organic synthetic access to fluorescent DSB derivatives was established, featuring a fluorescent moiety at the lipid tail, such as FITC 26. Comprehensive fluorescent studies of 26 revealed an unusual subcellular distribution. Exogenous 1-doxSA analogues, such as FB1 and 1-doxSA-FITC, enter via specific entry points. During the next few hours these lipids accumulate within the cytosol prior to N-acylation by CerS. Upon N-acylation, the newly formed 1-doxdhCer and its analogues insert into the ER membrane.The fluorescent probe and most likely FB1 analogues accumulate within the late endosomal and lysosomal system, probably via a direct connection with the ER. Analysis of the lipid metabolism of unlabeled 1-doxSA and FB1 revealed a strikingly similar behavior, pointing towards a common pharmacological effect. Complete consumption of TG within 24h in epithelia cells combined with GO analysis of 1-doxSA interacting lipids indicates significant modulation of fatty acid degradation, pointing towards regulation of the energy metabolism. This is in good agreement with the observed induction of autophagy. Together, this rapid and similar metabolic change of both 1-doxSA and FB1, points toward direct 1-doxSA head-group related lipid-protein interaction and less toward the influence of FB1 on CerS activity. This work suggests the biological significance of 1-doxSA as a primary nutrient sensor to maintain nutrient homeostasis and its role in the pathophysiology of metabolic diseases.
Diese Arbeit widmet sich der funktionellen und strukturellen Untersuchung von SCO3201, einem Protein aus der Klasse der TetR-Repressoren, dessen Struktur bisher unbekannt war und das eine geringe sequenzielle Ähnlichkeit zu anderen Mitgliedern seiner Familie besitzt. SCO3201 wurde als Repressorprotein identifiziert, das durch Überexpression sowohl die Antibiotikaproduktion, als auch die morphologische Differenzierung von Streptomyces coelicolor unterdrückt. In früheren Arbeiten wurde gezeigt, dass SCO3201 an mindestens 16 verschiedene Promotor-Sequenzen binden kann. Das Protein konnte in E. coli exprimiert und anschließend isoliert werden. Wegen des Fehlens geeigneter Strukturmodelle gelang eine Strukturlösung mittels Molekularem Ersatz nach erfolgreicher Kristallisation zunächst nicht. Mittels Single-Wavelength-Anomalous-Dispersion-Methode konnte die Struktur des teilweise induzierten Proteins jedoch aufgeklärt werden. Zudem wurde eine Apo-Form des Proteins kristallisiert und ebenfalls strukturell aufgeklärt. Dies erlaubte die Lokalisation der Ligandenbindungstasche und ließ Rückschlüsse auf die Domänenbewegungen zu, die durch den Prozess der Induktion ausgelöst werden. Daneben wurde mittels Röntgenkleinwinkelstreuung die Struktur von SCO3201 in Lösung untersucht, um eventuelle Kristallisationsartefakte auszuschließen. Durch den Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA) wurde außerdem die Interaktion zwischen dem Regulator SCO3201 zu seinen Operatoren untersucht.