Autophosphorylation of enzyme I of the Escherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system requires dimerization

The oligomerization state of bacterial enzyme I (EI) determines EI's allosteric stimulation or competitive inhibition by α-ketoglutarate

The bacterial phosphotransferase system (PTS) is a signal transduction pathway that couples phosphoryl transfer to active sugar transport across the cell membrane. The PTS is initiated by phosphorylation of enzyme I (EI) by phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP). The EI phosphorylation state determines the phosphorylation states of all other PTS components and is thought to play a central role in the regulation of several metabolic pathways and to control the biology of bacterial cells at multiple levels, for example, affecting virulence and biofilm formation. Given the pivotal role of EI in bacterial metabolism, an improved understanding of the mechanisms controlling its activity could inform future strategies for bioengineering and antimicrobial design. Here, we report an enzymatic assay, based on Selective Optimized Flip Angle Short Transient (SOFAST) NMR experiments, to investigate the effect of the small-molecule metabolite α-ketoglutarate (αKG) on the kinetics of the EI-catalyzed phosphoryl transfer reaction. We show that at experimental conditions favoring the monomeric form of EI, αKG promotes dimerization and acts as an allosteric stimulator of the enzyme. However, when the oligomerization state of EI is shifted toward the dimeric species, αKG functions as a competitive inhibitor of EI. We developed a kinetic model that fully accounted for the experimental data and indicated that bacterial cells might use the observed interplay between allosteric stimulation and competitive inhibition of EI by αKG to respond to physiological fluctuations in the intracellular environment. We expect that the mechanism for regulating EI activity revealed here is common to several other oligomeric enzymes.

Dimerization facilitates the conformational transitions for bacterial phosphotransferase enzyme I autophosphorylation in an allosteric manner

The bacterial phosphotransferase system is central to sugar uptake and phosphorylation. Enzyme I (EI), the first enzyme of the system, autophosphorylates as a dimer using phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), but it is not clearly understood how dimerization activates the enzyme activity. Here, we show that EI dimerization is important for proper conformational transitions and the domain association required for the autophosphorylation. EI(G356S) with reduced dimerization affinity and lower autophosphorylation activity revealed that significantly hindered conformational transitions are required for the phosphoryl transfer reaction. The G356S mutation does not change the binding affinity for PEP, but perturbs the domain association accompanying large interdomain motions that bring the active site His189 close to PEP. The interface for the domain association is separate from the dimerization interface, demonstrating that dimerization can prime the conformational change in an allosteric manner.

Dynamic equilibrium between closed and partially closed states of the bacterial Enzyme I unveiled by solution NMR and X-ray scattering

Enzyme I (EI) is the first component in the bacterial phosphotransferase system, a signal transduction pathway in which phosphoryl transfer through a series of bimolecular protein-protein interactions is coupled to sugar transport across the membrane. EI is a multidomain, 128-kDa homodimer that has been shown to exist in two conformational states related to one another by two large (50-90°) rigid body domain reorientations. The open conformation of apo EI allows phosphoryl transfer from His189 located in the N-terminal domain α/β (EIN(α/β)) subdomain to the downstream protein partner bound to the EIN(α) subdomain. The closed conformation, observed in a trapped phosphoryl transfer intermediate, brings the EIN(α/β) subdomain into close proximity to the C-terminal dimerization domain (EIC), thereby permitting in-line phosphoryl transfer from phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) bound to EIC to His189. Here, we investigate the solution conformation of a complex of an active site mutant of EI (H189A) with PEP. Simulated annealing refinement driven simultaneously by solution small angle X-ray scattering and NMR residual dipolar coupling data demonstrates unambiguously that the EI(H189A)-PEP complex exists in a dynamic equilibrium between two approximately equally populated conformational states, one corresponding to the closed structure and the other to a partially closed species. The latter likely represents an intermediate in the open-to-closed transition.

A NMR experiment for simultaneous correlations of valine and leucine/isoleucine methyls with carbonyl chemical shifts in proteins

A methyl-detected 'out-and-back' NMR experiment for obtaining simultaneous correlations of methyl resonances of valine and isoleucine/leucine residues with backbone carbonyl chemical shifts, SIM-HMCM(CGCBCA)CO, is described. The developed pulse-scheme serves the purpose of convenience in recording a single data set for all Ile(δ1), Leu(δ) and Val(γ) (ILV) methyl positions instead of acquiring two separate spectra selective for valine or leucine/isoleucine residues. The SIM-HMCM(CGCBCA)CO experiment can be used for ILV methyl assignments in moderately sized protein systems (up to ~100 kDa) where the backbone chemical shifts of (13)C(α), (13)Cβ and (13)CO are known from prior NMR studies and where some losses in sensitivity can be tolerated for the sake of an overall reduction in NMR acquisition time.

Conformational selection and substrate binding regulate the monomer/dimer equilibrium of the C-terminal domain of Escherichia coli enzyme I

The bacterial phosphotransferase system (PTS) is a signal transduction pathway that couples phosphoryl transfer to active sugar transport across the cell membrane. The PTS is initiated by the binding of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to the C-terminal domain (EIC) of enzyme I (EI), a highly conserved protein that is common to all sugar branches of the PTS. EIC exists in a dynamic monomer/dimer equilibrium that is modulated by ligand binding and is thought to regulate the overall PTS. Isolation of EIC has proven challenging, and conformational dynamics within the EIC domain during the catalytic cycle are still largely unknown. Here, we present a robust protocol for expression and purification of recombinant EIC from Escherichia coli and show that isolated EIC is capable of hydrolyzing PEP. NMR analysis and residual dipolar coupling measurements indicate that the isolated EIC domain in solution adopts a stable tertiary fold and quaternary structure that is consistent with previously reported crystallographic data. NMR relaxation dispersion measurements indicate that residues around the PEP binding site and in the β3α3 turn (residues 333-366), which is located at the dimer interface, undergo a rapid transition on the sub-millisecond time scale (with an exchange rate constant of ∼1500 s(-1)) between major open (∼97%) and minor closed (∼3%) conformations. Upon PEP binding, the β3α3 turn is effectively locked in the closed state by the formation of salt bridges between the phosphate group of PEP and the side chains of Lys(340) and Arg(358), thereby stabilizing the dimer.

The N-terminal domain of the enzyme I is a monomeric well-folded protein with a low conformational stability and residual structure in the unfolded state

The bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system is a multiprotein complex that phosphorylates and, concomitantly, transports carbohydrates across the membrane into the cell. The first protein of the cascade is a multidomain protein so-called enzyme I (EI). The N-terminal domain of EI from Streptomyces coelicolor, EIN(sc), responsible for the binding to the second protein in the cascade (the histidine phosphocarrier, HPr), was cloned and successfully expressed and purified. We have previously shown that EI(sc) binds to HPr(sc) with smaller affinity than other members of the EI and HPr families [Hurtado-Gómez et al. (2008) Biophys. J., 95, 1336-1348]. We think that the study of the isolated binding HPr(sc) domain, that is EIN(sc), could shed light on the small affinity value measured. Therefore, in this work we present a detailed description of the structural features of the EIN domain, as a first step towards a complete characterization of the molecular recognition process between the two proteins. We show that EIN(sc) is a folded protein, with alpha-helix and beta-sheet structures and also random-coil conformations, as shown by circular dichroism (CD), FTIR and NMR spectroscopies. The acquisition of secondary and tertiary structures, and the burial of hydrophobic regions, occurred concomitantly at acidic pHs, but at very low pH, the domain acquired a molten-globule conformation. The EIN(sc) protein was not very stable, with an apparent conformational free energy change upon unfolding, DeltaG, of 4.1 +/- 0.4 kcal mol(-1), which was pH independent in the range explored (from pH 6.0 to 8.5). The thermal denaturation midpoint, which was also pH invariant, was similar to that measured in the isolated intact EI(sc). Although EIN(sc) shows thermal- and chemical denaturations that seems to follow a two-state mechanism, there is evidence of residual structure in the chemical and thermally unfolded states, as indicated by differential scanning calorimetry and CD measurements.

Structure of phosphorylated enzyme I, the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system sugar translocation signal protein

Bacterial transport of many sugars, coupled to their phosphorylation, is carried out by the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP):sugar phosphotransferase system and involves five phosphoryl group transfer reactions. Sugar translocation initiates with the Mg(2+)-dependent phosphorylation of enzyme I (EI) by PEP. Crystals of Escherichia coli EI were obtained by mixing the protein with Mg(2+) and PEP, followed by oxalate, an EI inhibitor. The crystal structure reveals a dimeric protein where each subunit comprises three domains: a domain that binds the partner PEP:sugar phosphotransferase system protein, HPr; a domain that carries the phosphorylated histidine residue, His-189; and a PEP-binding domain. The PEP-binding site is occupied by Mg(2+) and oxalate, and the phosphorylated His-189 is in-line for phosphotransfer to/from the ligand. Thus, the structure represents an enzyme intermediate just after phosphotransfer from PEP and before a conformational transition that brings His-189 approximately P in proximity to the phosphoryl group acceptor, His-15 of HPr. A model of this conformational transition is proposed whereby swiveling around an alpha-helical linker disengages the His domain from the PEP-binding domain. Assuming that HPr binds to the HPr-binding domain as observed by NMR spectroscopy of an EI fragment, a rotation around two linker segments orients the His domain relative to the HPr-binding domain so that His-189 approximately P and His-15 are appropriately stationed for an in-line phosphotransfer reaction.

Structure of the Full-length Enzyme I of the Phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent Sugar Phosphotransferase System

Enzyme I (EI) is the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-protein phosphotransferase at the entry point of the PEP-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system, which catalyzes carbohydrate uptake into bacterial cells. In the first step of this pathway EI phosphorylates the heat-stable phospho carrier protein at His-15 using PEP as a phosphoryl donor in a reaction that requires EI dimerization and autophosphorylation at His-190. The structure of the full-length protein from Staphylococcus carnosus at 2.5A reveals an extensive interaction surface between two molecules in adjacent asymmetric units. Structural comparison with related domains indicates that this surface represents the biochemically relevant contact area of dimeric EI. Each monomer has an extended configuration with the phosphohistidine and heat-stable phospho carrier protein-binding domains clearly separated from the C-terminal dimerization and PEP-binding region. The large distance of more than 35A between the active site His-190 and the PEP binding site suggests that large conformational changes must occur during the process of autophosphorylation, as has been proposed for the structurally related enzyme pyruvate phosphate dikinase. Our structure for the first time offers a framework to analyze a large amount of research in the context of the full-length model.

Metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for enhanced production of succinic acid, based on genome comparison and in silico gene knockout simulation

Comparative analysis of the genomes of mixed-acid-fermenting Escherichia coli and succinic acid-overproducing Mannheimia succiniciproducens was carried out to identify candidate genes to be manipulated for overproducing succinic acid in E. coli. This resulted in the identification of five genes or operons, including ptsG, pykF, sdhA, mqo, and aceBA, which may drive metabolic fluxes away from succinic acid formation in the central metabolic pathway of E. coli. However, combinatorial disruption of these rationally selected genes did not allow enhanced succinic acid production in E. coli. Therefore, in silico metabolic analysis based on linear programming was carried out to evaluate the correlation between the maximum biomass and succinic acid production for various combinatorial knockout strains. This in silico analysis predicted that disrupting the genes for three pyruvate forming enzymes, ptsG, pykF, and pykA, allows enhanced succinic acid production. Indeed, this triple mutation increased the succinic acid production by more than sevenfold and the ratio of succinic acid to fermentation products by ninefold. It could be concluded that reducing the metabolic flux to pyruvate is crucial to achieve efficient succinic acid production in E. coli. These results suggest that the comparative genome analysis combined with in silico metabolic analysis can be an efficient way of developing strategies for strain improvement.

Crystal Structure of the Phosphoenolpyruvate-binding Enzyme I-Domain from the Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis PEP: Sugar Phosphotransferase System (PTS)

Enzyme I (EI), the first component of the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP):sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS), consists of an N-terminal protein-binding domain (EIN) and a C-terminal PEP-binding domain (EIC). EI transfers phosphate from PEP by double displacement via a histidine residue on EIN to the general phosphoryl carrier protein HPr. Here, we report the 1.82A crystal structure of the homodimeric EIC domain from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis, a saccharolytic eubacterium that grows optimally at 75 degrees C. EIC folds into a (betaalpha)(8) barrel with three large helical insertions between beta2/alpha2, beta3/alpha3 and beta6/alpha6. The large amphipathic dimer interface buries 3750A(2) of accessible surface area per monomer. A comparison with pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK) reveals that the active-site residues in the empty PEP-binding site of EIC and in the liganded PEP-binding site of PPDK have almost identical conformations, pointing to a rigid structure of the active site. In silico models of EIC in complex with the Z and E-isomers of chloro-PEP provide a rational explanation for their difference as substrates and inhibitors of EI. The EIC domain exhibits 54% amino acid sequence identity with Escherichia coli and 60% with Bacillus subtilis EIC, has the same amino acid composition but contains additional salt-bridges and a more complex salt-bridge network than the homology model of E.coli EIC. The easy crystallization of EIC suggests that T.tengcongensis can serve as source for stable homologs of mesophilic proteins that are too labile for crystallization.

Opposing effects of phosphoenolpyruvate and pyruvate with Mg(2+) on the conformational stability and dimerization of phosphotransferase enzyme I from Escherichia coli

The activity of enzyme I (EI), the first protein in the bacterial PEP:sugar phosphotransferase system, is regulated by a monomer-dimer equilibrium where a Mg(2+)-dependent autophosphorylation by PEP requires the homodimer. Using inactive EI(H189A), in which alanine is substituted for the active-site His189, substrate-binding effects can be separated from those of phosphorylation. Whereas 1 mM PEP (with 2 mM Mg(2+)) strongly promotes dimerization of EI(H189A) at pH 7.5 and 20 degrees C, 5 mM pyruvate (with 2 mM Mg(2+)) has the opposite effect. A correlation between the coupling of N- and C-terminal domain unfolding, measured by differential scanning calorimetry, and the dimerization constant for EI, determined by sedimentation equilibrium, is observed. That is, when the coupling between N- and C-terminal domain unfolding produced by 0.2 or 1.0 mM PEP and 2 mM Mg(2+) is inhibited by 5 mM pyruvate, the dimerization constant for EI(H189A) decreases from > 10(8) to < 5 x 10(5) or 3 x 10(7) M(-1), respectively. Incubation of the wild-type, dephospho-enzyme I with the transition-state analog phosphonopyruvate and 2 mM Mg(2+) also increases domain coupling and the dimerization constant approximately 42-fold. With 2 mM Mg(2+) at 15-25 degrees C and pH 7.5, PEP has been found to bind to one site/monomer of EI(H189A) with K(A)' approximately 10(6) M(-1) (deltaG' = -8.05 +/- 0.05 kcal/mole and deltaH = +3.9 kcal/mole at 20 degrees C); deltaC(p) = -0.33 kcal K(-1) mole(-1). The binding of PEP to EI(H189A) is synergistic with that of Mg(2+). Thus, physiological concentrations of PEP and Mg(2+) increase, whereas pyruvate and Mg(2+) decrease the amount of dimeric, active, dephospho-enzyme I.

Mechanism-based inhibition of enzyme I of the Escherichia coli phosphotransferase system. Cysteine 502 is an essential residue

Four phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) derivatives, carrying reactive or activable chemical functions in each of the three chemical regions of PEP, were assayed as alternative substrates of enzyme I (EI) of the Escherichia coli PEP:glucose phosphotransferase system. The Z- and E-isomers of 3-chlorophosphoenolpyruvate (3-Cl-PEP) were substrates, presenting K(m) values of 0.08 and 0.12 mm, respectively, very similar to the K(m) of 0.14 mm measured for PEP, and k(cat) of 40 and 4 min(-1), compared with 2,200 min(-1), for PEP. The low catalytic efficiency of these substrates permits the study of activity at in vivo EI concentrations. Z-Cl-PEP was a competitive inhibitor of PEP with a K(I) of 0.4 mm. E-Cl-PEP was not an inhibitor. Compounds 3 and 4, obtained by modification of the carboxylic and phosphate groups of PEP, were neither substrates nor inhibitors of EI, highlighting the importance of these functionalities for recognition by EI. Z-Cl-PEP is a suicide inhibitor. About 10-50 turnovers sufficed to inactivate EI completely. Such a property can be exploited to reveal and quantitate phosphoryl transfer from EI to other proteins at in vivo concentrations. Inactivation was saturatable in Z-Cl-PEP, with an apparent K(m)(inact) of 0.2-0.4 mm. The rate of inactivation increased with the concentration of EI, indicating a preferential or exclusive reaction with the dimeric form of EI. E-Cl-PEP inactivates EI much more slowly, and unlike PEP, it did not protect against inactivation by Z-Cl-PEP. This and the ineffectiveness of E-Cl-PEP as a competitive inhibitor have been related to the presence of two EI active species. Cys-502 of EI was identified by mass spectrometry as the reacting residue. The C502A EI mutant showed less than 0.06% wild-type activity. Sequence alignments and comparisons of x-ray structures of different PEP-utilizing enzymes indicate that Cys-502 might serve as a proton donor during catalysis.

Enzyme I: the gateway to the bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system

Regulatory aspects of the bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP):sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) are reviewed. The structure and conformational stability of the first protein (enzyme I) of the PTS, as well as the requirement for enzyme I to dimerize for autophosphorylation by PEP in the presence of MgCl2 are discussed.