Review Article Coenzyme-B(12)-Dependent Glutamate Mutase

Biosynthesis of macrolactam antibiotics with β-amino acid polyketide starter units

Macrolactam antibiotics incorporating β-amino acid polyketide starter units, isolated primarily from Actinomycetes species, show significant biological activities. This review provides a detailed analysis into the biosynthetic studies of vicenistatin, a macrolactam antibiotic with a 3-aminoisobutyrate starter unit, as well as biosynthetic research on related macrolactam compounds. Firstly, the elucidation of a common mechanism for the incorporation of β-amino acid starter units into the polyketide synthase (PKS) is described. Secondly, the unique biosynthetic mechanisms of the β-amino acids that are used to supply the main macrolactam biosynthetic pathways with starter units are discussed. Thirdly, some distinctive post-PKS modification mechanisms that complete macrolactam antibiotic biosynthesis are summarized. Finally, future directions for creating new macrolactam compounds through engineered biosynthesis pathways are described.

The inorganic chemistry of the cobalt corrinoids - an update

The inorganic chemistry of the cobalt corrinoids, derivatives of vitamin B₁₂, is reviewed, with particular emphasis on equilibrium constants for, and kinetics of, their axial ligand substitution reactions. The role the corrin ligand plays in controlling and modifying the properties of the metal ion is emphasised. Other aspects of the chemistry of these compounds, including their structure, corrinoid complexes with metals other than cobalt, the redox chemistry of the cobalt corrinoids and their chemical redox reactions, and their photochemistry are discussed. Their role as catalysts in non-biological reactions and aspects of their organometallic chemistry are briefly mentioned. Particular mention is made of the role that computational methods - and especially DFT calculations - have played in developing our understanding of the inorganic chemistry of these compounds. A brief overview of the biological chemistry of the B₁₂-dependent enzymes is also given for the reader's convenience.

Structural Insights into the Very Low Activity of the Homocoenzyme B12 Adenosylmethylcobalamin in Coenzyme B12 -Dependent Diol Dehydratase and Ethanolamine Ammonia-Lyase

The X-ray structures of coenzyme B12 (AdoCbl)-dependent eliminating isomerases complexed with adenosylmethylcobalamin (AdoMeCbl) have been determined. As judged from geometries, the Co-C bond in diol dehydratase (DD) is not activated even in the presence of substrate. In ethanolamine ammonia-lyase (EAL), the bond is elongated in the absence of substrate; in the presence of substrate, the complex likely exists in both pre- and post-homolysis states. The impacts of incorporating an extra CH2 group are different in the two enzymes: the DD active site is flexible, and AdoMeCbl binding causes large conformational changes that make DD unable to adopt the catalytic state, whereas the EAL active site is rigid, and AdoMeCbl binding does not induce significant conformational changes. Such flexibility and rigidity of the active sites might reflect the tightness of adenine binding. The structures provide good insights into the basis of the very low activity of AdoMeCbl in these enzymes.

Structure-Based Demystification of Radical Catalysis by a Coenzyme B12 Dependent Enzyme-Crystallographic Study of Glutamate Mutase with Cofactor Homologues

Catalysis by radical enzymes dependent on coenzyme B12 (AdoCbl) relies on the reactive primary 5'-deoxy-5'adenosyl radical, which originates from reversible Co-C bond homolysis of AdoCbl. This bond homolysis is accelerated roughly 1012 -fold upon binding the enzyme substrate. The structural basis for this activation is still strikingly enigmatic. As revealed here, a displaced firm adenosine binding cavity in substrate-loaded glutamate mutase (GM) causes a structural misfit for intact AdoCbl that is relieved by the homolytic Co-C bond cleavage. Strategically interacting adjacent adenosine- and substrate-binding protein cavities provide a tight caged radical reaction space, controlling the entire radical path. The GM active site is perfectly structured for promoting radical catalysis, including "negative catalysis", a paradigm for AdoCbl-dependent mutases.

Structure-Based Demystification of Radical Catalysis by a Coenzyme B12 Dependent Enzyme-Crystallographic Study of Glutamate Mutase with Cofactor Homologues

Catalysis by radical enzymes dependent on coenzyme B12 (AdoCbl) relies on the reactive primary 5'-deoxy-5'adenosyl radical, which originates from reversible Co-C bond homolysis of AdoCbl. This bond homolysis is accelerated roughly 1012-fold upon binding the enzyme substrate. The structural basis for this activation is still strikingly enigmatic. As revealed here, a displaced firm adenosine binding cavity in substrate-loaded glutamate mutase (GM) causes a structural misfit for intact AdoCbl that is relieved by the homolytic Co-C bond cleavage. Strategically interacting adjacent adenosine- and substrate-binding protein cavities provide a tight caged radical reaction space, controlling the entire radical path. The GM active site is perfectly structured for promoting radical catalysis, including "negative catalysis", a paradigm for AdoCbl-dependent mutases.

Using kinetic isotope effects to probe the mechanism of adenosylcobalamin-dependent enzymes

Adenosylcobalamin- (AdoCbl) dependent enzyme reactions involved the transfer of hydrogen atoms between the 5'-carbon of the coenzyme and the substrates and products of the reaction. Tritium and deuterium kinetic isotope effect measurements are, therefore, a valuable tool to probe the mechanisms of AdoCbl-dependent enzymes, as they can provide information about the reaction pathway and the rate-determining step. Furthermore, if the intrinsic kinetic isotope effect can be isolated, information on the nature of the transition state associated with hydrogen transfer can be obtained. In this chapter I present methods for the preparation of isotopically-labeled AdoCbl and their use in rapid chemical quench experiments that allow isotope effects on specific steps in the reaction to be isolated. These techniques are illustrated with examples from my laboratory's studies on the AdoCbl dependent enzyme, glutamate mutase.

Structural insights into the catalysis and substrate specificity of cyanobacterial aspartate racemase McyF

L-amino acids represent the most common amino acid form, most notably as protein residues, whereas D-amino acids, despite their rare occurrence, play significant roles in many biological processes. Amino acid racemases are enzymes that catalyze the interconversion of L- and/or D-amino acids. McyF is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) independent amino acid racemase that produces the substrate D-aspartate for the biosynthesis of microcystin in the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa PCC7806. Here we report the crystal structures of McyF in complex with citrate, L-Asp and D-Asp at 2.35, 2.63 and 2.80 Å, respectively. Structural analyses indicate that McyF and homologs possess highly conserved residues involved in substrate binding and catalysis. In addition, residues Cys87 and Cys195 were clearly assigned to the key catalytic residues of "two bases" that deprotonate D-Asp and L-Asp in a reaction independent of PLP. Further site-directed mutagenesis combined with enzymatic assays revealed that Glu197 also participates in the catalytic reaction. In addition, activity assays proved that McyF could also catalyze the interconversion of L-MeAsp between D-MeAsp, the precursor of another microcystin isoform. These findings provide structural insights into the catalytic mechanism of aspartate racemase and microcystin biosynthesis.

Co-C dissociation of adenosylcobalamin (coenzyme B12): role of dispersion, induction effects, solvent polarity, and relativistic and thermal corrections

Quantum-chemical cluster modeling is challenged in the limit of large, soft systems by the effects of dispersion and solvent, and well as other physical interactions. Adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl, coenzyme B12), as one of the most complex cofactors in life, constitutes such a challenge. The cleavage of its unique organometallic Co-C bond has inspired multiple studies of this cofactor. This paper reports the fully relaxed potential energy surface of Co-C cleavage of AdoCbl, including for the first time all side-chain interactions with the dissociating Ado group. Various methods and corrections for dispersion, relativistic effects, solvent polarity, basis set superposition error, and thermal and vibrational effects were investigated, totaling more than 550 single-point energies for the large model. The results show immense variability depending on method, including solvation, functional type, and dispersion, challenging the conceived accuracy of methods used for such systems. In particular, B3LYP-D3 seems to severely underestimate the Co-C bond strength, consistent with previous results, and BP86 remains accurate for cobalamins when dispersion interactions are accounted for.

Role of active site residues in promoting cobalt-carbon bond homolysis in adenosylcobalamin-dependent mutases revealed through experiment and computation

Adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl) serves as a source of reactive free radicals that are generated by homolytic scission of the coenzyme's cobalt-carbon bond. AdoCbl-dependent enzymes accelerate AdoCbl homolysis by ∼10(12)-fold, but the mechanism by which this is accomplished remains unclear. We have combined experimental and computational approaches to gain molecular-level insight into this process for glutamate mutase. Two residues, glutamate 330 and lysine 326, form hydrogen bonds with the adenosyl group of the coenzyme. A series of mutations that impair the enzyme's ability to catalyze coenzyme homolysis and tritium exchange with the substrate by 2-4 orders of magnitude were introduced at these positions. These mutations, together with the wild-type enzyme, were also characterized in silico by molecular dynamics simulations of the enzyme-AdoCbl-substrate complex with AdoCbl modeled in the associated (Co-C bond formed) or dissociated [adenosyl radical with cob(II)alamin] state. The simulations reveal that the number of hydrogen bonds between the adenosyl group and the protein side chains increases in the homolytically dissociated state, with respect to the associated state, for both the wild-type and mutant enzymes. The mutations also cause a progressive increase in the mean distance between the 5'-carbon of the adenosyl radical and the abstractable hydrogen of the substrate. Interestingly, the distance between the 5'-carbon and substrate hydrogen, determined computationally, was found to inversely correlate with the log k for tritium exchange (r = 0.93) determined experimentally. Taken together, these results point to a dual role for these residues: they both stabilize the homolytic state through electrostatic interactions between the protein and the dissociated coenzyme and correctly position the adenosyl radical to facilitate the abstraction of hydrogen from the substrate.

Role of tunneling in the enzyme glutamate mutase

The role of quantum mechanical atom tunneling during the conversion of glutamate to methylaspartate catalyzed by glutamate mutase is investigated by quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) simulations based on coupled cluster and density functional calculations. The use of instanton theory allows us to calculate the tunneling contributions of up to 78 atoms in the active site. We calculate kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and compare them to experimental data. The simulations lead to deuterium KIEs of 10 for the hydrogen abstraction from glutamate substrate and 16 for the hydrogen abstraction from methylaspartate substrate, which are consistent with the experimental results. The hydrogen abstraction from methylaspartate has higher primary deuterium and tritium (46.1) KIEs than the abstraction from glutamate. The tunneling effect increases the reaction rate by a factor of 12.3 for the hydrogen abstraction from methylaspartate at 0. Tunneling is supported by the environment by preparing the enzyme through classical motions. Consideraton of the tunneling contributions of more and more atoms around the active center shows that the motions at the ribose ring play a central role during the tunneling enhancement of the hydrogen transfers. Our simulations give new insight into the catalytic process in glutamate mutase and the way enzymes use tunneling effects for a successful catalysis.

Adenosylcobalamin enzymes: theory and experiment begin to converge

Adenosylcobalamin (coenzyme B(12)) serves as the cofactor for a group of enzymes that catalyze unusual rearrangement or elimination reactions. The role of the cofactor as the initiator of reactive free radicals needed for these reactions is well established. Less clear is how these enzymes activate the coenzyme towards homolysis and control the radicals once generated. The availability of high resolution X-ray structures combined with detailed kinetic and spectroscopic analyses have allowed several adenosylcobalamin enzymes to be computationally modeled in some detail. Computer simulations have generally obtained good agreement with experimental data and provided valuable insight into the mechanisms of these unusual reactions. Importantly, atomistic modeling of the enzymes has allowed the role of specific interactions between protein, substrate and coenzyme to be explored, leading to mechanistic predictions that can now be tested experimentally. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Radical SAM enzymes and Radical Enzymology.

Combined spectroscopic/computational studies of vitamin B12 precursors: geometric and electronic structures of cobinamides

Vitamin B(12) (cyanocobalamin) and its biologically active derivatives, methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin, are members of the family of corrinoids, which also includes cobinamides. As biological precursors to cobalamins, cobinamides possess the same structural core, consisting of a low-spin Co(3+) ion that is ligated equatorially by the four nitrogens of a highly substituted tetrapyrrole macrocycle (the corrin ring), but differ with respect to the lower axial ligation. Specifically, cobinamides possess a water molecule instead of the nucleotide loop that coordinates axially to Co(3+)cobalamins via its dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB) base. Compared to the cobalamin species, cobinamides have proven much more difficult to study experimentally, thus far eluding characterization by X-ray crystallography. In this study, we have utilized combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) computations to generate complete structural models of a representative set of cobinamide species with varying upper axial ligands. To validate the use of this approach, analogous QM/MM geometry optimizations were carried out on entire models of the cobalamin counterparts for which high-resolution X-ray structural data are available. The accuracy of the cobinamide structures was assessed further by comparing electronic absorption spectra computed using time-dependent density functional theory to those obtained experimentally. Collectively, the results obtained in this study indicate that the DMB → H(2)O lower axial ligand switch primarily affects the energies of the Co 3d(z(2))-based molecular orbital (MO) and, to a lesser extent, the other Co 3d-based MOs as well as the corrin π-based highest energy MO. Thus, while the energy of the lowest-energy electronic transition of cobalamins changes considerably as a function of the upper axial ligand, it is nearly invariant for the cobinamides.

Biochemistry of B12-cofactors in human metabolism

Vitamin B12, the "antipernicious anaemia factor", is a crystallisable cobalt-complex, which belongs to a group of unique "complete" corrinoids, named cobalamins (Cbl). In humans, instead of the "vitamin", two organometallic B12-forms are coenzymes in two metabolically important enzymes: Methyl-cobalamin, the cofactor of methionine synthase, and coenzyme B12 (adenosyl-cobalamin), the cofactor of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase. The cytoplasmatic methionine synthase catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from N-methyl-tetrahydrofolate to homocysteine to yield methionine and to liberate tetrahydrofolate. In the mitochondrial methylmalonyl-CoA mutase a radical process transforms methylmalonyl-CoA (a remains e.g. from uneven numbered fatty acids) into succinyl-CoA, for further metabolic use. In addition, in the human mitochondria an adenosyl-transferase incorporates the organometallic group of coenzyme B12. In all these enzymes, the bound B12-derivatives engage (or are formed) in exceptional organometallic enzymatic reactions. This chapter recapitulates the physiological chemistry of vitamin B12, relevant in the context of the metabolic transformation of B12-derivatives into the relevant coenzyme forms and their use in B12-dependent enzymes.

The fragmentation-recombination mechanism of the enzyme glutamate mutase studied by QM/MM simulations

The radical mechanism of the conversion of glutamate to methylaspartate catalyzed by glutamate mutase is studied with quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) simulations based on density functional theory (DFT/MM). The hydrogen transfer between the substrate and the cofactor is found to be rate limiting with a barrier of 101.1 kJ mol(-1). A careful comparison to the uncatalyzed reaction in water is performed. The protein influences the reaction predominantly electrostatically and to a lesser degree sterically. Our calculations shed light on the atomistic details of the reaction mechanism. The well-known arginine claw and Glu 171 ( Clostridium cochlearium notation) are found to have the strongest influence on the reaction. However, a catalytic role of Glu 214, Lys 322, Gln 147, Glu 330, Lys 326, and Met 294 is found as well. The arginine claw keeps the intermediates in place and is probably responsible for the enantioselectivity. Glu 171 temporarily accepts a proton from the glutamyl radical intermediate and donates it back at the end of the reaction. We relate our results to experimental data when available. Our simulations lead to further understanding of how glutamate mutase catalyzes the carbon skeleton rearrangement of glutamate.

Adenosyl radical: reagent and catalyst in enzyme reactions

Adenosine is undoubtedly an ancient biological molecule that is a component of many enzyme cofactors: ATP, FADH, NAD(P)H, and coenzyme A, to name but a few, and, of course, of RNA. Here we present an overview of the role of adenosine in its most reactive form: as an organic radical formed either by homolytic cleavage of adenosylcobalamin (coenzyme B(12), AdoCbl) or by single-electron reduction of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) complexed to an iron-sulfur cluster. Although many of the enzymes we discuss are newly discovered, adenosine's role as a radical cofactor most likely arose very early in evolution, before the advent of photosynthesis and the production of molecular oxygen, which rapidly inactivates many radical enzymes. AdoCbl-dependent enzymes appear to be confined to a rather narrow repertoire of rearrangement reactions involving 1,2-hydrogen atom migrations; nevertheless, mechanistic insights gained from studying these enzymes have proved extremely valuable in understanding how enzymes generate and control highly reactive free radical intermediates. In contrast, there has been a recent explosion in the number of radical-AdoMet enzymes discovered that catalyze a remarkably wide range of chemically challenging reactions; here there is much still to learn about their mechanisms. Although all the radical-AdoMet enzymes so far characterized come from anaerobically growing microbes and are very oxygen sensitive, there is tantalizing evidence that some of these enzymes might be active in aerobic organisms including humans.

On the importance of ribose orientation in the substrate activation of the coenzyme B12-dependent mutases

The degree to which the corrin ring portion of coenzyme B(12) can facilitate the H-atom-abstraction step in the glutamate mutase (GM)-catalyzed reaction of (S)-glutamate has been investigated with density functional theory. The crystal structure of GM identifies two possible orientations of the ribose portion of coenzyme B(12). In one orientation (A), the OH groups of the ribose extend away from the corrin ring, whereas in the other orientation (B) the OH groups, especially that involving O3', are instead directed towards the corrin ring. Our calculations identify a sizable stabilization amounting to about 30 kJ mol(-1) in the transition structure (TS) complex corresponding to orientation B (TS(B)CorIm). In the TS complex where the ribose instead is positioned in orientation A, no such effect is manifested. The observed stabilization in TS(B)CorIm appears to be the result of favorable interactions involving O3' and the corrin ring, including a C-HO hydrogen bond. We find that the degree of stabilization is not particularly sensitive to the Co-C distance. Our calculations show that any potential stabilization afforded to the H-atom-abstraction step by coenzyme B(12) is sensitive to the orientation of the ribose moiety.

Insights into the mechanisms of adenosylcobalamin (coenzyme B12)-dependent enzymes from rapid chemical quench experiments

Glutamate mutase is one of a group of adenosylcobalamin-dependent enzymes that use free radicals to catalyse unusual and chemically difficult rearrangements involving 1,2-migrations of hydrogen atoms. A key mechanistic feature of these enzymes is the transfer of the migrating hydrogen atom between substrate, coenzyme and product. The present review summarizes recent experiments from my laboratory that have used rapid chemical quench techniques to identify intermediates in the reaction and probe the mechanism of hydrogen transfer through a variety of pre-steady-state kinetic isotope effect measurements.

Evidence for coupled motion and hydrogen tunneling of the reaction catalyzed by glutamate mutase

Glutamate mutase is one of a group of adenosylcobalamin-dependent enzymes that catalyze unusual isomerizations that proceed through organic radical intermediates generated by homolytic fission of the coenzyme's unique cobalt-carbon bond. These enzymes are part of a larger family of enzymes that catalyze radical chemistry in which a key step is the abstraction of a hydrogen atom from an otherwise inert substrate. To gain insight into the mechanism of hydrogen transfer, we previously used pre-steady-state, rapid-quench techniques to measure the alpha-secondary tritium kinetic and equilibrium isotope effects associated with the formation of 5'-deoxyadenosine when glutamate mutase was reacted with [5'-(3)H]adenosylcobalamin and L-glutamate. We showed that both the kinetic and equilibrium isotope effects are large and inverse, 0.76 and 0.72, respectively. We have now repeated these measurements using glutamate deuterated in the position of hydrogen abstraction. The effect of introducing a primary deuterium kinetic isotope effect on the hydrogen transfer step is to reduce the magnitude of the secondary kinetic isotope effect to a value close to unity, 1.05 +/- 0.08, whereas the equilibrium isotope effect is unchanged. The significant reduction in the secondary kinetic isotope effect is consistent with motions of the 5'-hydrogen atoms being coupled in the transition state to the motion of the hydrogen undergoing transfer, in a reaction that involves a large degree of quantum tunneling.

Reaction of adenosylcobalamin-dependent glutamate mutase with 2-thiolglutarate

We have investigated the reaction of glutamate mutase with the glutamate analogue, 2-thiolglutarate. In the standard assay, 2-thiolglutarate behaves as a competitive inhibitor with a Ki of 0.05 mM. However, rather than simply binding inertly at the active site, 2-thiolglutarate elicits cobalt-carbon bond homolysis and the formation of 5'-deoxyadenosine. The enzyme exhibits a complicated EPR spectrum in the presence of 2-thiolglutarate that is markedly different from any previously observed with the enzyme. The spectrum was simulated well by assuming that it arises from electron-electron spin coupling between a thioglycolyl radical and low-spin Co2+ in cob(II)alamin. Analysis of the zero-field splitting parameters obtained from the simulations places the organic radical approximately 10 A from the cobalt and at a tilt angle of approximately 70 degrees to the normal of the corrin ring. This orientation is in good agreement with that expected from the crystal structure of glutamate mutase complexed with the substrate. 2-Thiolglutarate appears to react in a manner analogous to that of glutamate by first forming a thiolglutaryl radical at C-4 that then undergoes fragmentation to produce acrylate and the sulfur-stabilized thioglycolyl radical. The thioglycolyl radical accumulates on the enzyme, suggesting it is too stable to undergo further steps in the mechanism at a detectable rate.

S-adenosylmethionine radical enzymes

The role of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) as a precursor to organic radicals, generated by one-electron reduction of SAM and subsequent fission to form 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical and methionine, has been known for some time. Only recently, however, has it become apparent how widespread such enzymes are, and what a wide range of chemical reactions they catalyze. In the last few years several new SAM radical enzymes have been identified. Spectroscopic and kinetic investigations have begun to uncover the mechanism by which an iron sulfur cluster unique to these enzymes reduces SAM to generate adenosyl radical. Most recently, the first X-ray structures of SAM radical enzymes, coproporphyrinogen-III oxidase, and biotin synthase have been solved, providing a structural framework within which to interpret mechanistic studies.

Homocoenzyme B12and Bishomocoenzyme B12: Covalent Structural Mimics for Homolyzed, Enzyme-Bound Coenzyme B12

Efficient electrochemical syntheses of "homocoenzyme B(12)" (2, Co(beta)-(5'-deoxy-5'-adenosyl-methyl)-cob(III)alamin) and "bishomocoenzyme B(12)" (3, Co(beta)-[2-(5'-deoxy-5'-adenosyl)-ethyl]-cob(III)alamin) are reported here. These syntheses have provided crystalline samples of 2 and 3 in 94 and 77 % yield, respectively. In addition, in-depth investigations of the structures of 2 and 3 in solution were carried out and a high-resolution crystal structure of 2 was obtained. The two homologues of coenzyme B(12) (2 and 3) are suggested to function as covalent structural mimics of the hypothetical enzyme-bound "activated" (that is, "stretched" or even homolytically cleaved) states of the B(12) cofactor. From crude molecular models, the crucial distances from the corrin-bound cobalt center to the C5' atom of the (homo)adenosine moieties in 2 and 3 were estimated to be about 3.0 and 4.4 A, respectively. These values are roughly the same as those found in the two "activated" forms of coenzyme B(12) in the crystal structure of glutamate mutase. Indeed, in the crystal structure of 2, the cobalt center was observed to be at a distance of 2.99 A from the C5' atom of the homoadenosine moiety and the latter was found to be present in the unusual syn conformation. In solution, the organometallic moieties of 2 and 3 were shown to be rather flexible and to be considerably more dynamic than the equivalent group in coenzyme B(12). The homoadenosine moiety of 2 was indicated to occur in both the syn and the anti conformations.

How oxygen damages microbes: oxygen tolerance and obligate anaerobiosis

The orbital structure of molecular oxygen constrains it to accept electrons one at a time, and its unfavourable univalent reduction potential ensures that it can do so only with low-potential redox partners. In E. coli, this restriction prevents oxygen from oxidizing structural molecules. Instead, it primarily oxidizes reduced flavins, a reaction that is harmful only in that it generates superoxide and hydrogen peroxide as products. These species are stronger oxidants than is oxygen itself. They can oxidize dehydratase iron-sulphur clusters and sulphydryls, respectively, and thereby inactivate enzymes that are dependent upon these functional groups. Hydrogen peroxide also oxidizes free iron, generating hydroxyl radicals. Because hydroxyl radicals react with virtually any biomolecules they encounter, their reactivity is broadly dissipated, and only their reactions with DNA are known to have an important physiological impact. E. coli elaborates scavenging and repair systems to minimize the impact of this adventitious chemistry; mutants that lack these defences grow poorly in aerobic habitats. Some of the growth deficits of these mutants cannot be easily ascribed to sulphydryl, cluster, or DNA damage, indicating that important aspects of oxidative stress still lack a biochemical explanation. Obligate anaerobes cannot tolerate oxygen because they utilize metabolic schemes built around enzymes that react with oxidants. The reliance upon low-potential flavoproteins for anaerobic respiration probably causes substantial superoxide and hydrogen peroxide to be produced when anaerobes are exposed to air. These species then generate damage of the same type that they produce in aerotolerant bacteria. However, obligate anaerobes also utilize several classes of dioxygen-sensitive enzymes that are not needed by aerobes. These enzymes are used for processes that help maintain the redox balance during anaerobic fermentations. They catalyse reactions that are chemically difficult, and the reaction mechanisms require the solvent exposure of radicals or low-potential metal clusters that can react rapidly with oxygen. Recent work has uncovered adaptive strategies by which obligate anaerobes seek to minimize the damage done by superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. Their failure to divest themselves of enzymes that can be directly damaged by molecular oxygen suggests that evolution has not yet provided economical options to them.

Coenzyme B(12) dependent glutamate mutase

The crystal structure of glutamate mutase with bound coenzyme B(12) suggests a radical shuttling mechanism within the active site of the enzyme. Quantum chemical calculations of the rearrangement in combination with kinetic and mutational studies suggest the catalytic mechanism of this enzyme to proceed via a fragmentation/recombination sequence with intermediates stabilized by partial protonation/deprotonation. Crucial residues in the active site have been identified. Solution structure studies indicate the mechanism of B(12) binding to the apoenzyme.

The synthesis and characterization of 8-methoxy-5'-deoxyadenosylcobalamin: a coenzyme B(12) analog which, following Co-C bond homolysis, avoids cyclization of the 8-methoxy-5'-deoxyadenosyl radical

The compound 8-methoxy-5'-deoxyadenosylcobalamin (8-MeOAdoCbl), has been synthesized in 37% yield and > or = 95% purity by HPLC, monitored at both 254 and 525 nm, or 90+/-2% purity as judged by the (1)H NMR spectrum of the aromatic cobalamin region. This is the first synthesis of this complex in which sufficient details are reported, where a yield and purity are reported, and where key problems in the synthesis and purification are overcome, so that 8-MeOAdoCbl can actually be obtained for use in other studies. Also demonstrated is the clean Co-C bond homolysis of 8-MeOAdoCbl to give initially 8-MeOAdoCbl and Co(II)Cbl in a UV-visible thermolysis experiment at 110 degrees C, results which show that the 8-MeO moiety suppresses the cyclization to the 8,5'-anhydro-adenosine otherwise seen for the adenosyl radical (Ado)*. Suppression of this cyclization pathway makes 8-MeOAdoCbl invaluable for studying the kinetic isotope effect (KIE) of the Ado* plus substrate H* abstraction reaction, a component of the first definitive test of Klinman's hypothesis that the optimization of enzyme catalysis may entail strategies that increase the probability of tunneling and thereby accelerate H* atom abstraction reaction rates.

The role of the active site glutamate in the rearrangement of glutamate to 3-methylaspartate catalyzed by adenosylcobalamin-dependent glutamate mutase

BACKGROUND

Adenosylcobalamin (coenzyme B(12))-dependent enzymes catalyze a variety of chemically difficult reactions that proceed through the generation of free radical intermediates. A long-standing question is how proteins stabilize what are normally regarded as highly reactive organic radicals and direct them towards productive reactions. In glutamate mutase the carboxylate of Glu171 hydrogen bonds with the amino group of the substrate. We have investigated the role of this residue in the enzyme mechanism.

RESULTS

Several sterically and functionally conservative mutations were introduced at position 171. In the most impaired mutant, Glu171Gln, k(cat) is reduced 50-fold, although the K(m) for glutamate is little affected. In the wild-type enzyme activity was pH-dependent and the acidic limb of the activity curve titrated with an apparent pK(a) of 6.6 on V(max), whereas for the sluggish Glu171Gln mutant activity is independent of pH. The steady state deuterium kinetic isotope effect is reduced in the mutant enzyme, but the steady state concentration of free radical species on the enzyme (as measured by the steady state concentration of cob(II)alamin) is unaffected by the mutation.

CONCLUSIONS

The properties of the mutant proteins are consistent with the hypothesis that Glu171 acts as a general base that serves to deprotonate the amino group of the substrate during catalysis. Deprotonation is expected to facilitate the formation of the glycyl radical intermediate formed during the inter-conversion of substrate and product radicals, but to have little effect on the stability of product or substrate radicals themselves.

Adenosylcobalamin-dependent isomerases: new insights into structure and mechanism

Adenosylcobalamin-dependent isomerases catalyze a variety of chemically difficult 1,2-rearrangements that proceed through a mechanism involving free radical intermediates. These radicals are initially generated by homolysis of the cobalt-carbon bond of the coenzyme. Recently, the crystal structures of several of these enzymes have been solved, revealing two modes of coenzyme binding and highlighting the role of the protein in controlling the rearrangement of reactive substrate radical intermediates. Complementary data from kinetic, spectroscopic and theoretical studies have produced insights into the mechanism by which substrate radicals are generated at the active site, and the pathways by which they rearrange.

Interconversion of (S)-glutamate and (2S,3S)-3-methylaspartate: a distinctive B(12)-dependent carbon-skeleton rearrangement

The interconversion of (S)-glutamate and (2S,3S)-3-methylaspartate catalyzed by B(12)-dependent glutamate mutase is discussed using results from high-level ab initio molecular orbital calculations. Evidence is presented regarding the possible role of coenzyme-B(12) in substrate activation and product formation via radical generation. Calculated electron paramagnetic resonance parameters support experimental evidence for the involvement of substrate-derived radicals and will hopefully aid the future detection of other important radical intermediates. The height of the rearrangement barrier for a fragmentation-recombination pathway, calculated with a model that includes neutral amino and carboxylic acid substituents in the migrating glycyl group, supports recent experimental evidence for the interconversion of (S)-glutamate and (2S,3S)-3-methylaspartate through such a pathway. Our calculations suggest that the enzyme may facilitate the rearrangement of (S)-glutamate through (partial) proton-transfer processes that control the protonation state of substituents in the migrating group.

Protein-coenzyme interactions in adenosylcobalamin-dependent glutamate mutase

Glutamate mutase catalyses an unusual isomerization involving free-radical intermediates that are generated by homolysis of the cobalt-carbon bond of the coenzyme adenosylcobalamin (coenzyme B(12)). A variety of techniques have been used to examine the interaction between the protein and adenosylcobalamin, and between the protein and the products of coenzyme homolysis, cob(II)alamin and 5'-deoxyadenosine. These include equilibrium gel filtration, isothermal titration calorimetry, and resonance Raman, UV-visible and EPR spectroscopies. The thermodynamics of adenosylcobalamin binding to the protein have been examined and appear to be entirely entropy-driven, with DeltaS=109 J.mol(-1).K(-1). The cobalt-carbon bond stretching frequency is unchanged upon coenzyme binding to the protein, arguing against a ground-state destabilization of the cobalt-carbon bond of adenosylcobalamin by the protein. However, reconstitution of the enzyme with cob(II)alamin and 5'-deoxyadenosine, the two stable intermediates formed subsequent to homolysis, results in the blue-shifting of two of the bands comprising the UV-visible spectrum of the corrin ring. The most plausible interpretation of this result is that an interaction between the protein, 5'-deoxyadenosine and cob(II)alamin introduces a distortion into the ring corrin that perturbs its electronic properties.