@article{HeineHerrmannSelmeretal.2014, author = {Heine, A. and Herrmann, G. and Selmer, Thorsten and Terwesten, F. and Buckel, W. and Reuter, K.}, title = {High resolution crystal structure of clostridium propionicum β-Alanyl-CoA:Ammonia Lyase, a new member of the "Hot Dog Fold" protein superfamily}, series = {Proteins}, volume = {82}, journal = {Proteins}, number = {9}, publisher = {Wiley-Liss}, address = {New York}, issn = {1097-0134 (E-Journal); 0887-3585 (Print)}, doi = {10.1002/prot.24557}, pages = {2041 -- 2053}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Clostridium propionicum is the only organism known to ferment β-alanine, a constituent of coenzyme A (CoA) and the phosphopantetheinyl prosthetic group of holo-acyl carrier protein. The first step in the fermentation is a CoA-transfer to β-alanine. Subsequently, the resulting β-alanyl-CoA is deaminated by the enzyme β-alanyl-CoA:ammonia lyase (Acl) to reversibly form ammonia and acrylyl-CoA. We have determined the crystal structure of Acl in its apo-form at a resolution of 0.97 {\AA} as well as in complex with CoA at a resolution of 1.59 {\AA}. The structures reveal that the enyzme belongs to a superfamily of proteins exhibiting a so called "hot dog fold" which is characterized by a five-stranded antiparallel β-sheet with a long α-helix packed against it. The functional unit of all "hot dog fold" proteins is a homodimer containing two equivalent substrate binding sites which are established by the dimer interface. In the case of Acl, three functional dimers combine to a homohexamer strongly resembling the homohexamer formed by YciA-like acyl-CoA thioesterases. Here, we propose an enzymatic mechanism based on the crystal structure of the Acl·CoA complex and molecular docking. Proteins 2014; 82:2041-2053. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.}, language = {en} } @article{SchoeningBiselliSelmeretal.2012, author = {Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef and Biselli, Manfred and Selmer, Thorsten and {\"O}hlschl{\"a}ger, Peter and Baumann, Marcus and F{\"o}rster, Arnold and Poghossian, Arshak}, title = {Forschung „zwischen" den Disziplinen: das Institut f{\"u}r Nano- und Biotechnologien}, series = {Analytik news : das Online-Labormagazin f{\"u}r Labor und Analytik}, volume = {Publ. online}, journal = {Analytik news : das Online-Labormagazin f{\"u}r Labor und Analytik}, publisher = {Dr. Beyer Internet-Beratung}, address = {Ober-Ramstadt}, pages = {11 Seiten}, year = {2012}, abstract = {"Biologie trifft Mikroelektronik", das Motto des Instituts f{\"u}r Nano- und Biotechnologien (INB) an der FH Aachen, unterstreicht die zunehmende Bedeutung interdisziplin{\"a}r gepr{\"a}gter Forschungsaktivit{\"a}ten. Der thematische Zusammenschluss grundst{\"a}ndiger Disziplinen, wie die Physik, Elektrotechnik, Chemie, Biologie sowie die Materialwissenschaften, l{\"a}sst neue Forschungsgebiete entstehen, ein herausragendes Beispiel hierf{\"u}r ist die Nanotechnologie: Hier werden neue Werkstoffe und Materialien entwickelt, einzelne Nanopartikel oder Molek{\"u}le und deren Wechselwirkung untersucht oder Schichtstrukturen im Nanometerbereich aufgebaut, die neue und vorher nicht bekannte Eigenschaften hervorbringen. Vor diesem Hintergrund b{\"u}ndelt das im Jahre 2006 gegr{\"u}ndete INB die an der FH Aachen vorhandenen Kompetenzen von derzeit insgesamt sieben Laboratorien auf den Gebieten der Halbleitertechnik und Nanoelektronik, Nanostrukturen und DNA-Sensorik, der Chemo- und Biosensorik, der Enzymtechnologie, der Mikrobiologie und Pflanzenbiotechnologie, der Zellkulturtechnik, sowie der Roten Biotechnologie synergetisch. In der Nano- und Biotechnologie steckt außergew{\"o}hnliches Potenzial! Nicht zuletzt deshalb stellen sich die Forscher der Herausforderung, in diesem Bereich gemeinsam zu forschen und Schnittstellen zu nutzen, um so bei der Gestaltung neuartiger Ideen und Produkte mitzuwirken, die zuk{\"u}nftig unser allt{\"a}gliches Leben ver{\"a}ndern werden. Im Folgenden werden die verschiedenen Forschungsbereiche kurz zusammenfassend vorgestellt und vorhandene Interaktionen anhand von exemplarisch ausgew{\"a}hlten, aktuellen Forschungsprojekten skizziert.}, language = {de} } @article{AbulnagaPinkenburgSchiffelsetal.2013, author = {Abulnaga, El-Hussiny and Pinkenburg, Olaf and Schiffels, Johannes and E-Refai, Ahmed and Buckel, Wolfgang and Selmer, Thorsten}, title = {Effect of an Oxygen-Tolerant Bifurcating Butyryl Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase/Electron-Transferring Flavoprotein Complex from Clostridium difficile on Butyrate Production in Escherichia coli}, series = {Journal of bacteriology}, volume = {195}, journal = {Journal of bacteriology}, number = {16}, issn = {1098-5530 [E-Journal]}, pages = {3704 -- 3713}, year = {2013}, language = {en} } @article{RoehlenPilasSchoeningetal.2017, author = {R{\"o}hlen, Desiree and Pilas, Johanna and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef and Selmer, Thorsten}, title = {Development of an amperometric biosensor platform for the combined determination of l-Malic, Fumaric, and l-Aspartic acid}, series = {Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology}, volume = {183}, journal = {Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {1559-0291}, doi = {10.1007/s12010-017-2578-1}, pages = {566 -- 581}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Three amperometric biosensors have been developed for the detection of L-malic acid, fumaric acid, and L -aspartic acid, all based on the combination of a malate-specific dehydrogenase (MDH, EC 1.1.1.37) and diaphorase (DIA, EC 1.8.1.4). The stepwise expansion of the malate platform with the enzymes fumarate hydratase (FH, EC 4.2.1.2) and aspartate ammonia-lyase (ASPA, EC 4.3.1.1) resulted in multi-enzyme reaction cascades and, thus, augmentation of the substrate spectrum of the sensors. Electrochemical measurements were carried out in presence of the cofactor β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and the redox mediator hexacyanoferrate (III) (HCFIII). The amperometric detection is mediated by oxidation of hexacyanoferrate (II) (HCFII) at an applied potential of + 0.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl. For each biosensor, optimum working conditions were defined by adjustment of cofactor concentrations, buffer pH, and immobilization procedure. Under these improved conditions, amperometric responses were linear up to 3.0 mM for L-malate and fumarate, respectively, with a corresponding sensitivity of 0.7 μA mM-1 (L-malate biosensor) and 0.4 μA mM-1 (fumarate biosensor). The L-aspartate detection system displayed a linear range of 1.0-10.0 mM with a sensitivity of 0.09 μA mM-1. The sensor characteristics suggest that the developed platform provides a promising method for the detection and differentiation of the three substrates.}, language = {en} } @article{AboulnagaZouSelmeretal.2018, author = {Aboulnaga, E. A. and Zou, H. and Selmer, Thorsten and Xian, M.}, title = {Development of a plasmid-based, tunable, tolC-derived expression system for application in Cupriavidus necator H16}, series = {Journal of Biotechnology}, volume = {274}, journal = {Journal of Biotechnology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0168-1656}, doi = {10.1016/j.jbiotec.2018.03.007}, pages = {15 -- 27}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Cupriavidus necator H16 gains increasing attention in microbial research and biotechnological application due to its diverse metabolic features. Here we present a tightly controlled gene expression system for C. necator including the pBBR1-vector that contains hybrid promoters originating from C. necator native tolC-promoter in combination with a synthetic tetO-operator. The expression of the reporter gene from these plasmids relies on the addition of the exogenous inducer doxycycline (dc). The novel expression system offers a combination of advantageous features as; (i) high and dose-dependent recombinant protein production, (ii) tight control with a high dynamic range (On/Off ratio), which makes it applicable for harmful pathways or for toxic protein production, (iii) comparable cheap inducer (doxycycline, dc), (iv) effective at low inducer concentration, that makes it useful for large scale application, (v) rapid, diffusion controlled induction, and (vi) the inducer does not interfere within the cell metabolism. As applications of the expression system in C. necator H16, the growth ability on glycerol was enhanced by constitutively expressing the E. coli glpk gene-encoding for glycerol kinase. Likewise, we used the system to overcome the expression toxicity of mevalonate pathway in C. necator H16. With this system, the mevalonate-genes were successfully introduced in the host and the recombinant strains could produce about 200 mg/l mevalonate.}, language = {en} } @article{PilasIkenSelmeretal.2015, author = {Pilas, Johanna and Iken, Heiko and Selmer, Thorsten and Keusgen, Michael and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Development of a multi-parameter sensor chip for the simultaneous detection of organic compounds in biogas processes}, series = {Physica status solidi (a)}, volume = {212}, journal = {Physica status solidi (a)}, number = {6}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Weinheim}, issn = {1862-6319}, doi = {10.1002/pssa.201431894}, pages = {1306 -- 1312}, year = {2015}, abstract = {An enzyme-based multi-parameter biosensor is developed for monitoring the concentration of formate, d-lactate, and l-lactate in biological samples. The sensor is based on the specific dehydrogenation by an oxidized β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent dehydrogenase (formate dehydrogenase, d-lactic dehydrogenase, and l-lactic dehydrogenase, respectively) in combination with a diaphorase from Clostridium kluyveri (EC 1.8.1.4). The enzymes are immobilized on a platinum working electrode by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde (GA). The principle of the determination scheme in case of l-lactate is as follows: l-lactic dehydrogenase (l-LDH) converts l-lactate into pyruvate by reaction with NAD+. In the presence of hexacyanoferrate(III), the resulting reduced β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) is then regenerated enzymatically by diaphorase. The electrochemical detection is based on the current generated by oxidation of hexacyanoferrate(II) at an applied potential of +0.3 V vs. an Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The biosensor will be electrochemically characterized in terms of linear working range and sensitivity. Additionally, the successful practical application of the sensor is demonstrated in an extract from maize silage.}, language = {en} } @article{MolinnusMuschallikGonzalezetal.2018, author = {Molinnus, Denise and Muschallik, Lukas and Gonzalez, Laura Osorio and Bongaerts, Johannes and Wagner, Torsten and Selmer, Thorsten and Siegert, Petra and Keusgen, Michael and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Development and characterization of a field-effect biosensor for the detection of acetoin}, series = {Biosensors and Bioelectronics}, volume = {115}, journal = {Biosensors and Bioelectronics}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, doi = {10.1016/j.bios.2018.05.023}, pages = {1 -- 6}, year = {2018}, abstract = {A capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) field-effect biosensor for acetoin detection has been presented for the first time. The EIS sensor consists of a layer structure of Al/p-Si/SiO₂/Ta₂O₅/enzyme acetoin reductase. The enzyme, also referred to as butane-2,3-diol dehydrogenase from B. clausii DSM 8716T, has been recently characterized. The enzyme catalyzes the (R)-specific reduction of racemic acetoin to (R,R)- and meso-butane-2,3-diol, respectively. Two different enzyme immobilization strategies (cross-linking by using glutaraldehyde and adsorption) have been studied. Typical biosensor parameters such as optimal pH working range, sensitivity, hysteresis, linear concentration range and long-term stability have been examined by means of constant-capacitance (ConCap) mode measurements. Furthermore, preliminary experiments have been successfully carried out for the detection of acetoin in diluted white wine samples.}, language = {en} } @article{WernerKrumbeSchumacheretal.2011, author = {Werner, Frederik and Krumbe, Christoph and Schumacher, Katharina and Groebel, Simone and Spelthahn, Heiko and Stellberg, Michael and Wagner, Torsten and Yoshinobu, Tatsuo and Selmer, Thorsten and Keusgen, Michael and Baumann, Marcus and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Determination of the extracellular acidification of Escherichia coli by a light-addressable potentiometric sensor}, series = {Physica status solidi (a) : applications and material science. 208 (2011), H. 6}, journal = {Physica status solidi (a) : applications and material science. 208 (2011), H. 6}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Weinheim}, isbn = {1862-6319}, pages = {1340 -- 1344}, year = {2011}, language = {en} } @article{PinkenburgSchiffelsSelmer2016, author = {Pinkenburg, Olaf and Schiffels, Johannes and Selmer, Thorsten}, title = {Das CoLibry-Konzept - ein Werkzeugkasten f{\"u}r die Synthetische Biologie: Bioproduktion}, series = {BIOspektrum}, volume = {22}, journal = {BIOspektrum}, number = {6}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Berlin}, doi = {10.1007/s12268-016-0734-8}, pages = {593 -- 595}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Regardless of size or destination, synthetic biology starts with com-parably small information units, which need to be combined and properly arranged in order to achieve a certain goal. This may be the de novo synthesis of individual genes from oligonucleotides, a shuffling of protein domains in order to create novel biocatalysts, the assembly of multiple enzyme encoding genes in metabolic pathway design, or strain development at the production stage. The CoLibry concept has been designed in order to close the gap between recombinant production of individual genes and genome editing.}, language = {de} } @article{SchiffelsSelmer2019, author = {Schiffels, Johannes and Selmer, Thorsten}, title = {Combinatorial assembly of ferredoxin-linked modules in Escherichia coli yields a testing platform for Rnf-complexes}, series = {Biotechnology and Bioengineering}, journal = {Biotechnology and Bioengineering}, number = {accepted article}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Weinheim}, doi = {10.1002/bit.27079}, pages = {1 -- 36}, year = {2019}, language = {en} }