scholarly journals Reductive half-reaction of the H172Q mutant of trimethylamine dehydrogenase: evidence against a carbanion mechanism and assignment of kinetically influential ionizations in the enzyme–substrate complex

1999 ◽  
Vol 341 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaswir BASRAN ◽  
Michael J. SUTCLIFFE ◽  
Russ HILLE ◽  
Nigel S. SCRUTTON

The reactions of wild-type trimethylamine dehydrogenase (TMADH) and of a His-172 Gln (H172Q) mutant were studied by rapid-mixing stopped-flow spectroscopy over the pH range 6.0-10.5, to address the potential role of His-172 in abstracting a proton from the substrate in a ‘carbanion’ mechanism for C-H bond cleavage. The pH-dependence of the limiting rate for flavin reduction (klim) was studied as a function of pH for the wild-type enzyme with perdeuterated trimethylamine as substrate. The use of perdeuterated trimethylamine facilitated the unequivocal identification of two kinetically influential ionizations in the enzyme-substrate complex, with macroscopic pKa values of 6.5±0.2 and 8.4±0.1. A plot of klim/Kd revealed a bell-shaped curve and two kinetically influential ionizations with macroscopic pKa values of 9.4±0.1 and 10.5±0.1. Mutagenesis of His-172, a potential active-site base and a component of a novel Tyr-His-Asp triad in the active site of TMADH, revealed that the pKa of 8.4±0.1 for the wild-type enzyme-substrate complex represents ionization of the imidazolium side-chain of His-172. H172Q TMADH retains catalytic competence throughout the pH range investigated. At pH 10.5, and in contrast with the wild-type enzyme, flavin reduction in H172Q TMADH is biphasic. The fast phase is dependent on the trimethylamine concentration and exhibits a kinetic isotope effect of about 3; C-H bond cleavage is thus partially rate-limiting. In contrast, the slow phase does not show hyperbolic dependence on substrate concentration, and the observed rate shows no dependence on isotope, revealing that C-H bond cleavage is not rate-limiting. The analysis of H172Q TMADH, together with data recently acquired for the Y169F mutant of TMADH, reveals that C-H bond breakage is not initiated via abstraction of a proton from the substrate by an active-site base. The transfer of reducing equivalents to flavin via a carbanion mechanism is therefore unlikely.

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryna Lahoda ◽  
Jeroen R. Mesters ◽  
Alena Stsiapanava ◽  
Radka Chaloupkova ◽  
Michal Kuty ◽  
...  

Haloalkane dehalogenases catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of carbon–halogen bonds, which is a key step in the aerobic mineralization of many environmental pollutants. One important pollutant is the toxic and anthropogenic compound 1,2,3-trichloropropane (TCP). Rational design was combined with saturation mutagenesis to obtain the haloalkane dehalogenase variant DhaA31, which displays an increased catalytic activity towards TCP. Here, the 1.31 Å resolution crystal structure of substrate-free DhaA31, the 1.26 Å resolution structure of DhaA31 in complex with TCP and the 1.95 Å resolution structure of wild-type DhaA are reported. Crystals of the enzyme–substrate complex were successfully obtained by adding volatile TCP to the reservoir after crystallization at pH 6.5 and room temperature. Comparison of the substrate-free structure with that of the DhaA31 enzyme–substrate complex reveals that the nucleophilic Asp106 changes its conformation from an inactive to an active state during the catalytic cycle. The positions of three chloride ions found inside the active site of the enzyme indicate a possible pathway for halide release from the active site through the main tunnel. Comparison of the DhaA31 variant with wild-type DhaA revealed that the introduced substitutions reduce the volume and the solvent-accessibility of the active-site pocket.


2007 ◽  
Vol 282 (46) ◽  
pp. 33572-33582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judit Tóth ◽  
Balázs Varga ◽  
Mihály Kovács ◽  
András Málnási-Csizmadia ◽  
Beáta G. Vértessy

Human dUTPase is essential in controlling relative cellular levels of dTTP/dUTP, both of which can be incorporated into DNA. The nuclear isoform of the enzyme has been proposed as a promising novel target for anticancer chemotherapeutic strategies. The recently determined three-dimensional structure of this protein in complex with an isosteric substrate analogue allowed in-depth structural characterization of the active site. However, fundamental steps of the dUTPase enzymatic cycle have not yet been revealed. This knowledge is indispensable for a functional understanding of the molecular mechanism and can also contribute to the design of potential antagonists. Here we present detailed pre-steady-state and steady-state kinetic investigations using a single tryptophan fluorophore engineered into the active site of human dUTPase. This sensor allowed distinction of the apoenzyme, enzyme-substrate, and enzyme-product complexes. We show that the dUTP hydrolysis cycle consists of at least four distinct enzymatic steps: (i) fast substrate binding, (ii) isomerization of the enzyme-substrate complex into the catalytically competent conformation, (iii) a hydrolysis (chemical) step, and (iv) rapid, nonordered release of the products. Independent quenched-flow experiments indicate that the chemical step is the rate-limiting step of the enzymatic cycle. To follow the reaction in the quenched-flow, we devised a novel method to synthesize γ-32P-labeled dUTP. We also determined by indicator-based rapid kinetic assays that proton release is concomitant with the rate-limiting hydrolysis step. Our results led to a quantitative kinetic model of the human dUTPase catalytic cycle and to direct assessment of relative flexibilities of the C-terminal arm, critical for enzyme activity, in the enzyme-ligand complexes along the reaction pathway.


1991 ◽  
Vol 277 (3) ◽  
pp. 647-652 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Jacob ◽  
B Joris ◽  
J M Frère

By using site-directed mutagenesis, the active-site serine residue of the Streptomyces albus G beta-lactamase was substituted by alanine and cysteine. Both mutant enzymes were produced in Streptomyces lividans and purified to homogeneity. The cysteine beta-lactamase exhibited a substrate-specificity profile distinct from that of the wild-type enzyme, and its kcat./Km values at pH 7 were never higher than 0.1% of that of the serine enzyme. Unlike the wild-type enzyme, the activity of the mutant increased at acidic pH values. Surprisingly, the alanine mutant exhibited a weak but specific activity for benzylpenicillin and ampicillin. In addition, a very small production of wild-type enzyme, probably due to mistranslation, was detected, but that activity could be selectively eliminated. Both mutant enzymes were nearly as thermostable as the wild-type.


1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 747-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham J. Moore ◽  
N. Leo Benoiton

The initial rates of hydrolysis of Bz-Gly-Lys and Bz-Gly-Phe by carboxypeptidase B (CPB) are increased in the presence of the modifiers β-phenylpropionic acid, cyclohexanol, Bz-Gly, and Bz-Gly-Gly. The hydrolysis of the tripeptide Bz-Gly-Gly-Phe is also activated by Bz-Gly and Bz-Gly-Gly, but none of these modifiers activate the hydrolysis of Bz-Gly-Gly-Lys, Z-Leu-Ala-Phe, or Bz-Gly-phenyllactic acid by CPB. All modifiers except cyclohexanol display inhibitory modes of binding when present in high concentration.Examination of Lineweaver–Burk plots in the presence of fixed concentrations of Bz-Gly has shown that activation of the hydrolysis of neutral and basic peptides by CPB, as reflected in the values of the extrapolated parameters, Km(app) and keat, occurs by different mechanisms. For Bz-Gly-Gly-Phe, activation occurs because the enzyme–modifier complex has a higher affinity than the free enzyme for the substrate, whereas activation of the hydrolysis of Bz-Gly-Lys derives from an increase in the rate of breakdown of the enzyme–substrate complex to give products.Cyclohexanol differs from Bz-Gly and Bz-Gly-Gly in that it displays no inhibitory mode of binding with any of the substrates examined, activates only the hydrolysis of dipeptides by CPB, and has a greater effect on the hydrolysis of the basic dipeptide than on the neutral dipeptide. Moreover, when Bz-Gly-Lys is the substrate, cyclohexanol activates its hydrolysis by CPB by increasing both the enzyme–substrate binding affinity and the rate of the catalytic step, an effect different from that observed when Bz-Gly is the modifier.The anomalous kinetic behavior of CPB is remarkably similar to that of carboxypeptidase A, and is a good indication that both enzymes have very similar structures in and around their respective active sites. A binding site for activator molecules down the cleft of the active site is proposed for CPB to explain the observed kinetic behavior.


Author(s):  
Sergey Varfolomeev ◽  
Bella Grigorenko ◽  
Sofya Lushchekina ◽  
Alexander Nemuchin

The work is devoted to modeling the elementary stages of the hydrolysis reaction in the active site of enzymes belonging to the class of cholinesterases — acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). The study allowed to describe at the molecular level the effect of the polymorphic modification of BChE, causing serious physiolog ical consequences. Cholinesterase plays a crucial role in the human body. AChE is one of the key enzymes of the central nervous system, and BChE performs protective functions in the body. According to the results of calculations using the combined method of quantum and molecular mechanics (KM/MM), the mechanism of the hydrolysis of the native acetylcholine substrate in the AChE active center was detailed. For a series of ester substrates, a method for estimation of dependence of the enzyme reactivity on the structure of the substrate has been developed. The mechanism of hydrolysis of the muscle relaxant of succininylcholine BChE and the effect of the Asp70Gly polymorph on it were studied. Using various computer simulation methods, the stability of the enzyme-substrate complex of two enzyme variants with succinylcholine was studied.


1999 ◽  
Vol 343 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick MASSON ◽  
Cécile CLÉRY ◽  
Patrice GUERRA ◽  
Arnaud REDSLOB ◽  
Christine ALBARET ◽  
...  

Wild-type human butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and Glu-197 → Asp and Asp-70 → Gly mutants (E197D and D70G respectively) were inhibited by di-isopropyl phosphorofluoridate under standard conditions of pH, temperature and pressure. The effect of hydrostatic and osmotic pressures on the aging process (dealkylation of an isopropyl chain) of phosphorylated enzymes [di-isopropylated (DIP)-BuChE] was investigated. Hydrostatic pressure markedly increased the rate of aging of wild-type enzyme. The average activation volume (δV≠) for the dealkylation reaction was -170 ml/mol for DIP wild-type BuChE. On the other hand, hydrostatic pressure had little effect on the aging of the DIP mutants (δV≠ = -2.6 ml/mol for E197D and -2 ml/mol for D70G), suggesting that the transition state of the aging process was associated with an extended hydration and conformational change in wild-type BuChE, but not in the mutants. The rate of aging of wild-type and mutant enzymes decreased with osmotic pressure, allowing very large positive osmotic activation volumes (δV≠osm) to be estimated, thus probing the participation of water in the aging process. Molecular dynamics simulations performed on the active-site gorge of the wild-type DIP adduct showed that the isopropyl chain involved in aging was highly solvated, supporting the idea that water is important for stabilizing the transition state of the dealkylation reaction. Wild-type BuChE was inhibited by soman (pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate). Electrophoresis performed under high pressure [up to 2.5 kbar (1 bar = 105 Pa)] showed that the soman-aged enzyme did not pass through a pressure-induced, molten-globule transition, unlike the native wild-type enzyme. Likewise, this transition was not seen for the native E197D and D70G mutants, indicating that these mutants are resistant to the penetration of water into their structure. The stability energetics of native and soman-aged wild-type BuChE were determined by differential scanning calorimetry. The pH-dependence of the midpoint transition temperature of endotherms indicated that the high difference in stabilization energy between aged and native BuChE (δδG = 23.7 kJ/mol at pH 8.0) is mainly due to the salt bridge between protonated His-438 and PO-, with pKHis-438 = 8.3. A molecular dynamics simulation on the MIP adduct showed that there is no water molecule around the ion pair. The ‘hydrostatic versus osmotic pressure’ approach probed the importance of water in aging, and also revealed that Asp-70 and Glu-197 are the major residues controlling both the dynamics and the structural organization of the water/hydrogen-bond network in the active-site gorge of BuChE. In wild-type BuChE both residues function like valves, whereas in the mutant enzymes the water network is slack, and residues Gly-70 and Asp-197 function like check valves, i.e. forced penetration of water into the gorge is not easily achieved, thereby facilitating the release of water.


1981 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Björk ◽  
U Lindahl

Antithrombin inhibits a variety of serine proteases by forming equimolar, inactive complexes with the enzymes. The anti thrombin-thrombin complex, extensively studied as a model for complexes with other coagulation proteases, dissociates with a half-life of several days to free enzyme and a proteolytically modified inhibitor. It thus behaves like a kinetically stable enzyme-substrate complex. Several observations indicate that deacylation is the rate-limiting step. The active site of antithrombin, i.e. the bond slowly cleaved by the target enzyme, is the Arg-385/Ser-386 bond in the carboxy-terminal region of the protein. The formation of most anti thrombin-protease complexes is greatly accelerated by certain forms of heparin. These active molecules comprise about 1/3 of normal heparin preparations and bind with high affinity (K∼108 M-1) to the inhibitor, regardless of the size of the polysaccharide. The stoichiometry of binding is 1:1 for most heparin molecules, although some high-molecular-weight chains have two antithrombin binding sites. Evidence from spectroscopic and kinetic analyses suggests that the binding of high-affinity heparin induces a conformational change in antithrombin that probably is involved in the mechanism of the increased rate of enzyme inactivation. Oligosaccharides with high-affinity for anti thrombin have been isolated by affinity chromatography following partial deaminative cleavage of heparin with nitrous acid. The smallest such oligosaccharide obtained is an octasaccharide, in which a pentasaccharide sequence appears to comprize the actual antithrombin-binding site. This active sequence contains a unique, 3-O-sulfated glucosamine residue that does not appear to occur in other portions of the heparin molecule. In addition, two N-sulfate groups and probably at least one O-sulfate group within the pentasaccharide sequence are essential for high-affinity binding of heparin to antithrombin.


2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (8) ◽  
pp. 2247-2255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Wang ◽  
Xuguo Duan ◽  
Jing Wu

ABSTRACTCyclodextrin glycosyltransferases (CGTases) (EC 2.4.1.19) catalyze the conversion of starch or starch derivates into mixtures of α-, β-, and γ-cyclodextrins. Because time-consuming and expensive purification procedures hinder the widespread application of single-ingredient cyclodextrins, enzymes with enhanced specificity are needed. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the α-cyclodextrin selectivity ofPaenibacillus maceransα-CGTase could be augmented by masking subsite −7 of the active site, blocking the formation of larger cyclodextrins, particularly β-cyclodextrin. Five single mutants and three double mutants designed to remove hydrogen-bonding interactions between the enzyme and substrate at subsite −7 were constructed and characterized in detail. Although the rates of α-cyclodextrin formation varied only modestly, the rate of β-cyclodextrin formation decreased dramatically in these mutants. The increase in α-cyclodextrin selectivity was directly proportional to the increase in the ratio of theirkcatvalues for α- and β-cyclodextrin formation. The R146A/D147P and R146P/D147A double mutants exhibited ratios of α-cyclodextrin to total cyclodextrin production of 75.1% and 76.1%, approximately one-fifth greater than that of the wild-type enzyme (63.2%), without loss of thermostability. Thus, these double mutants may be more suitable for the industrial production of α-cyclodextrin than the wild-type enzyme. The production of β-cyclodextrin by these mutants was almost identical to their production of γ-cyclodextrin, which was unaffected by the mutations in subsite −7, suggesting that subsite −7 was effectively blocked by these mutations. Further increases in α-cyclodextrin selectivity will require identification of the mechanism or mechanisms by which these small quantities of larger cyclodextrins are formed.


1989 ◽  
Vol 260 (2) ◽  
pp. 491-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Hederstedt ◽  
L O Hedén

Mammalian and Escherichia coli succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and E. coli fumarate reductase apparently contain an essential cysteine residue at the active site, as shown by substrate-protectable inactivation with thiol-specific reagents. Bacillus subtilis SDH was found to be resistant to this type of reagent and contains an alanine residue at the amino acid position equivalent to the only invariant cysteine in the flavoprotein subunit of E. coli succinate oxidoreductases. Substitution of this alanine, at position 252 in the flavoprotein subunit of B. subtilis SDH, by cysteine resulted in an enzyme sensitive to thiol-specific reagents and protectable by substrate. Other biochemical properties of the redesigned SDH were similar to those of the wild-type enzyme. It is concluded that the invariant cysteine in the flavoprotein of E. coli succinate oxidoreductases corresponds to the active site thiol. However, this cysteine is most likely not essential for succinate oxidation and seemingly lacks an assignable specific function. An invariant arginine in juxtaposition to Ala-252 in the flavoprotein of B. subtilis SDH, and to the invariant cysteine in the E. coli homologous enzymes, is probably essential for substrate binding.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document