Characterization of thermostable serine hydroxymethyltransferase for β-hydroxy amino acids synthesis

β-hydroxy amino acids, such as serine, threonine, and phenylserine, are important compounds for medical purposes. To date, there has been only limited exploration of thermostable serine hydroxylmethyltransferase (SHMT) for the synthesis of these amino acids, despite the great potential that thermostable enzymes may offer for commercial use due to their high stability and catalytic efficiencies. ITBSHMT_1 (ITB serine hydroxylmethyltransferase clone number 1) from thermophilic and methanol-tolerant bacteria Pseudoxanthomonas taiwanensis AL17 was successfully cloned. Biocomputational analysis revealed that ITBSHMT_1 contains Pyridoxal-3′-phosphate and tetrahydrofolatebinding residues. Structural comparisons show that ITBSHMT_1 has 5 additional residues VSRQG on loop near PLP-binding site as novel structural feature which distinguish this enzyme with other characterized SHMTs. In silico mutation revealed that the fragment might have very essential role in maintaining of PLP binding on structure of ITBSHMT_1. Recombinant protein was produced in Escherichia coli Rosetta 2(DE3) in soluble form and purified using NiNTA affinity chromatography. The purified protein demonstrated the best activity at 80 °C and pH 7.5 based on the retro aldol cleavage of phenylserine. Activity decreased significantly in the presence of 3 mM transition metal ions but increased in the presence of 30 mM β-mercaptoethanol. ITBSHMT_1 demonstrated Vmax, Km, Kcat, and Kcat/Km at 242 U/mg, 23.26 mM, 186/s, and 8/(mM.s), respectively. The aldol condensation reaction showed the enzyme’s best activity at 80 °C for serine, threonine, or phenylserine, with serine synthesis showing the highest specific activity. Biocomputational analysis revealed that high intramolecular interaction within the 3D structure of ITBSHMT_1 might be correlated with the enzyme’s high thermal stability. The above data suggest that ITBSHMT_1 is a potential and novel enzyme for the production of various β-hydroxy amino acids. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00726-022-03205-w.