Role of Aspartate-133 and Histidine-458 in the Mechanism of Tryptophan Indole-Lyase from Proteus vulgaris

Structural Snapshots of Proteus vulgaris Tryptophan Indole-Lyase Reveal Insights into the Catalytic Mechanism

Tryptophan indole lyase (TIL; [E.C. 4.1.99.1]) is a bacterial pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes reversible β-elimination of indole from L-tryptophan. The mechanism of elimination of indole from L-tryptophan starts with the formation of an external aldimine of the substrate and PLP, followed by deprotonation of the α-CH of the substrate, forming a resonance-stabilized quinonoid intermediate. Proton transfer to C3 of the indole ring and carbon-carbon bond cleavage of the quinonoid intermediate provide indole and aminoacrylate bound to PLP, which then releases indole, followed by iminopyruvate. We have now determined the X-ray crystal structures of TIL complexes with (3S)-dioxindolyl-l-alanine, an inhibitor, and with substrates L-tryptophan, 7-aza-L-tryptophan, and S-ethyl-l-cysteine (SEC) in the presence of benzimidazole (BZI), an isostere of the product indole. These structures show a mixture of gem-diamine, external aldimine, quinonoid, and aminoacrylate intermediates, in both open and closed active site conformations. In the closed conformations of L-tryptophan, (3S)-dioxindolyl-l-alanine, and 7-aza-L-tryptophan complexes, hydrogen bonds form between Asp-133 with N1 of the ligand heterocyclic ring and NE2 of His-458 in the small domain of TIL. This hydrogen bond also forms in the BZI complex with the aminoacrylate intermediates formed from both L-tryptophan and SEC. The closed quinonoid complex of 7-aza-L-tryptophan shows that the azaindole ring in the closed conformation is bent out of plane of the Cβ-C3 bond by about 40°, putting it in a geometry that leads toward the transition-state geometry. Thus, both conformational dynamics and substrate activation play critical roles in the reaction mechanism of the TIL.

Mechanism-based inhibition of gut microbial tryptophanases reduces serum indoxyl sulfate

Indoxyl sulfate is a microbially derived uremic toxin that accumulates in late-stage chronic kidney disease and contributes to both renal and cardiovascular toxicity. Indoxyl sulfate is generated by the metabolism of indole, a compound created solely by gut microbial tryptophanases. Here, we characterize the landscape of tryptophanase enzymes in the human gut microbiome and find remarkable structural and functional similarities across diverse taxa. We leverage this homology through a medicinal chemistry campaign to create a potent pan-inhibitor, (3S) ALG-05, and validate its action as a transition-state analog. (3S) ALG-05 successfully reduces indole production in microbial culture and displays minimal toxicity against microbial and mammalian cells. Mice treated with (3S) ALG-05 show reduced cecal indole and serum indoxyl sulfate levels with minimal changes in other tryptophan-metabolizing pathways. These studies present a non-bactericidal pan-inhibitor of gut microbial tryptophanases with potential promise for reducing indoxyl sulfate in chronic kidney disease.

The Catalytic Mechanisms of the Reactions between Tryptophan Indole-Lyase and Nonstandard Substrates: The Role of the Ionic State of the Catalytic Group Accepting the Cα Proton of the Substrate

In the reaction between tryptophan indole-lyase (TIL) and a substrate containing a bad leaving group (L-serine), general acid catalysis is required for the group's elimination. During this stage, the proton originally bound to the Cα atom of the substrate is transferred to the leaving group, which is eliminated as a water molecule. As a result, the basic group that had accepted the Cα proton at the previous stage has to be involved in the catalytic stage following the elimination in its basic form. On the other hand, when the substrate contains a good leaving group (β-chloro-L-alanine), general acid catalysis is not needed at the elimination stage and cannot be implemented, because there are no functional groups in enzymes whose acidity is strong enough to protonate the elimination of a base as weak as Cl- anion. Consequently, the group that had accepted the Cα proton does not lose its additional proton during the elimination stage and should take part in the subsequent stage in its acidic (not basic) form. To shed light on the mechanistic consequences of the changes in the ionic state of this group, we have considered the pH dependencies of the main kinetic parameters for the reactions of TIL with L-serine and β-chloro-L-alanine and the kinetic isotope effects brought about by replacement of the ordinary water used as a solvent with 2H2O. We have found that in the reaction between TIL and β-chloro-L-alanine, the aminoacrylate hydrolysis stage is sensitive to the solvent isotope effect, while in the reaction with L-serine it is not. We have concluded that in the first reaction, the functional group containing an additional proton fulfills a definite catalytic function, whereas in the reaction with L-serine, when the additional proton is absent, the mechanism of hydrolysis of the aminoacrylate intermediate should be fundamentally different. Possible mechanisms were considered.

The crystal structure of Proteus vulgaris tryptophan indole-lyase complexed with oxindolyl-L-alanine: implications for the reaction mechanism

Tryptophan indole-lyase (TIL) is a bacterial enzyme which catalyzes the reversible formation of indole and ammonium pyruvate from L-tryptophan. Oxindolyl-L-alanine (OIA) is an inhibitor of TIL, with a K i value of about 5 µM. The crystal structure of the complex of Proteus vulgaris TIL with OIA has now been determined at 2.1 Å resolution. The ligand forms a closed quinonoid complex with the pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) cofactor. The small domain rotates about 10° to close the active site, bringing His458 into position to donate a hydrogen bond to Asp133, which also accepts a hydrogen bond from the heterocyclic NH of the inhibitor. This brings Phe37 and Phe459 into van der Waals contact with the aromatic ring of OIA. Mutation of the homologous Phe464 in Escherichia coli TIL to Ala results in a 500-fold decrease in k cat/K m for L-tryptophan, with less effect on the reaction of other nonphysiological β-elimination substrates. Stopped-flow kinetic experiments of F464A TIL show that the mutation has no effect on the formation of quinonoid intermediates. An aminoacrylate intermediate is observed in the reaction of F464A TIL with S-ethyl-L-cysteine and benzimidazole. A model of the L-tryptophan quinonoid complex with PLP in the active site of P. vulgaris TIL shows that there would be a severe clash of Phe459 (∼1.5 Å apart) and Phe37 (∼2 Å apart) with the benzene ring of the substrate. It is proposed that this creates distortion of the substrate aromatic ring out of plane and moves the substrate upwards on the reaction coordinate towards the transition state, thus reducing the activation energy and accelerating the enzymatic reaction.

Evolution of enzymes with new specificity by high-throughput screening using DmpR-based genetic circuits and multiple flow cytometry rounds

Genetic circuit-based biosensors are useful in detecting target metabolites or in vivo enzymes using transcription factors (Tx) as a molecular switch to express reporter signals, such as cellular fluorescence and antibiotic resistance. Herein, a phenol-detecting Tx (DmpR) was employed as a critical tool for enzyme engineering, specifically for the rapid analysis of numerous mutants with multiple mutations at the active site of tryptophan-indole lyase (TIL, EC 4.1.99.1). Cellular fluorescence was monitored cell-by-cell using flow cytometry to detect the creation of phenolic compounds by a new tyrosine-phenol-lyase (TPL, EC 4.1.99.2). In the TIL scaffold, target amino acids near the indole ring (Asp¹³⁷, Phe³⁰⁴, Val³⁹⁴, Ile³⁹⁶ and His⁴⁶³) were mutated randomly to construct a large diversity of specificity variations. Collection of candidate positives by cell sorting using flow cytometry and subsequent shuffling of beneficial mutations identified a critical hit with four mutations (D137P, F304D, V394L, and I396R) in the TIL sequence. The variant displayed one-thirteenth the level of TPL activity, compared with native TPLs, and completely lost the original TIL activity. The findings demonstrate that hypersensitive, Tx-based biosensors could be useful critically to generate new activity from a related template, which would alleviate the current burden to high-throughput screening.

Characterization of tryptophanase from Vibrio cholerae

Tryptophanase (Trpase) is a pyridoxal phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme responsible for the production of indole, an important intra- and interspecies signaling molecule in bacteria. In this study, the tnaA gene of Vibrio cholerae coding for VcTrpase was cloned into the pET-20b(+) vector and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) tn5:tnaA. Using Ni(2+)-nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) chromatography, VcTrpase was purified, and it possessed a molecular mass of ∼49 kDa with specific absorption peaks at 330 and 435 nm and a specific activity of 3 U/mg protein. The VcTrpase had an 80 % homology to the Trpase of Haemophilus influenzae and E. coli, but only around 50 % identity to the Trpase of Proteus vulgaris and Porphyromonas gingivalis. The optimum conditions for the enzyme were at pH 9.0 and 45 °C. Recombinant VcTrpase exhibited analogous kinetic reactivity to the EcTrpase with K m and k cat values of 0.612 × 10(-3) M and 5.252 s(-1), respectively. The enzyme catalyzed S-methyl-L-cysteine and S-benzyl-L-cysteine degradation, but not L-phenylalanine and L-serine. Using a site-directed mutagenesis technique, eight residues (Thr52, Tyr74, Arg103, Asp137, Arg230, Lys269, Lys270, and His463) were conserved for maintaining enzyme catalysis. All amino acid substitutions at these sites either eliminated or remarkably diminished Trpase activity. These sites are thus potential targets for the design of drugs to control the V. cholerae Trpase and to further investigate its functions.

A straightforward kinetic evidence for coexistence of "induced fit" and "selected fit" in the reaction mechanism of a mutant tryptophan indole lyase Y72F from Proteus vulgaris

The interaction of the mutant tryptophan indole-lyase (TIL) from Proteus vulgaris Y72F with the transition state analogue, oxindolyl-l-alanine (OIA), with the natural substrate, l-tryptophan, and with a substrate S-ethyl-l-cysteine was examined. In the case of wild-type enzyme these reactions are described by the same kinetic scheme where binding of holoenzyme with an amino acid, leading to reversible formation of an external aldimine, proceeds very fast, while following transformations, leading finally to reversible formation of a quinonoid intermediate proceed with measureable rates. Principally the same scheme ("induced fit") is realized in the case of mutant Y72F enzyme reaction with OIA. For the reaction of mutant enzyme with l-Trp at lower concentrations of the latter a principally different kinetic scheme is observed. This scheme suggests that binding of the substrate and formation of the quinonoid intermediate are at fast equilibrium, while preceding conformational changes of the holoenzyme proceed with measureable rates ("selected fit"). For the reaction with S-ethyl-l-cysteine the observed concentration dependence of kobs agrees with the realization of both kinetic schemes, the "selected fit" becoming predominant at lower concentrations of substrate, the "induced fit"- at higher ones. In the reaction with S-ethyl-l-cysteine the formation of the quinonoid intermediate proceeds slower than does catalytic α,β-elimination of ethylthiol from S-ethyl-l-cysteine, and consequently does not play a considerable role in the catalysis, which may be effected by a concerted E2 mechanism.

The role of substrate strain in the mechanism of the carbon-carbon lyases

The carbon-carbon lyases, tryptophan indole lyase (TIL) and tyrosine phenol-lyase (TPL) are bacterial enzymes which catalyze the reversible elimination of indole and phenol from l-tryptophan and l-tyrosine, respectively. These PLP-dependent enzymes show high sequence homology (∼40% identity) and both form homotetrameric structures. Steady state kinetic studies with both enzymes show that an active site base is essential for activity, and α-deuterated substrates exhibit modest primary isotope effects on kcat and kcat/Km, suggesting that substrate deprotonation is partially rate-limiting. Pre-steady state kinetics with TPL and TIL show rapid formation of external aldimine intermediates, followed by deprotonation to give quinonoid intermediates absorbing at about 500nm. In the presence of phenol and indole analogues, 4-hydroxypyridine and benzimidazole, the quinonoid intermediates of TPL and TIL decay to aminoacrylate intermediates, with λmax at about 340nm. Surprisingly, there are significant kinetic isotope effects on both formation and subsequent decay of the quinonoid intermediates when α-deuterated substrates are used. The crystal structure of TPL with a bound competitive inhibitor, 4-hydroxyphenylpropionate, identified several essential catalytic residues: Tyr-71, Thr-124, Arg-381, and Phe-448. The active sites of TIL and TPL are highly conserved with the exceptions of these residues: Arg-381(TPL)/Ile-396 (TIL); Thr-124 (TPL)/Asp-137 (TIL), and Phe-448 (TPL)/His-463 (TIL). Mutagenesis of these residues results in dramatic decreases in catalytic activity without changing substrate specificity. The conserved tyrosine, Tyr-71 (TPL)/Tyr-74 (TIL) is essential for elimination activity with both enzymes, and likely plays a role as a proton donor to the leaving group. Mutation of Arg-381 and Thr-124 of TPL to alanine results in very low but measurable catalytic activity. Crystallography of Y71F and F448H TPL with 3-fluoro-l-tyrosine bound demonstrated that there are two quinonoid structures, relaxed and tense. In the relaxed structure, the substrate aromatic ring is in plane with the Cβ-Cγ bond, but in the tense structure, the substrate aromatic ring is about 20° out of plane with the Cβ-Cγ bond. In the tense structure, hydrogen bonds are formed between the substrate OH and the guanidinium of Arg-381 and the OH of Thr-124, and the phenyl rings of Phe-448 and 449 provide steric strain. Based on the effects of mutagenesis, the substrate strain is estimated to contribute about 10(8) to TPL catalysis. Thus, the mechanisms of TPL and TIL require both substrate strain and acid/base catalysis, and substrate strain is probably responsible for the very high substrate specificity of TPL and TIL.

Benzimidazole analogs of (L)-tryptophan are substrates and inhibitors of tryptophan indole lyase from Escherichia coli

Tryptophan indole lyase (TIL), an enzyme found in Escherichia coli and related enterobacteria, produces indole from l-tryptophan (l-Trp). Indole is a signaling molecule in bacteria, affecting biofilm formation, pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance. β-(Benzimidazol-1-yl)-l-alanine (BZI-Ala), 2-amino-4-(benzimidazol-1-yl)butyric acid (homo-BZI-Ala) and 2-amino-5-(benzimidazol-1-yl)pentanoic acid (bishomo-BZI-Ala) were synthesized and tested as substrates and inhibitors of TIL. BZI-Ala is a good substrate of TIL, with Km = 300 μm, kcat = 5.6 s(-1) and kcat /Km = 1.9 × 10(4) , similar to l-Trp. BZI-Ala is also a good substrate for H463F mutant TIL, which has very low activity with l-Trp. In contrast, homo-BZI-Ala was found to be a potent competitive inhibitor of TIL, with a Ki of 13.4 μm. However, the higher homolog, bishomo-BZI-Ala, was inactive as an inhibitor of TIL at a concentration of 600 μm, and is thus a much weaker inhibitor. The reaction of TIL with BZI-Ala was too fast to be observed in the stopped-flow spectrophotometer, and shows an aldimine intermediate in the steady state. However, H463F TIL shows equilibrating mixtures of aldimine and quinonoid complexes in the steady state. The spectra of the reaction of TIL with homo-BZI-Ala show a rapidly formed intermediate absorbing at 340 nm, probably a gem-diamine, that decays slowly to form a quinonoid complex absorbing at 494 nm. The potent binding of homo-BZI-Ala may be due to it being a 'bi-product' analog of the indole-α-aminoacrylate complex. These results demonstrate that an amino acid substrate may be converted to a potent inhibitor of TIL simply by homologation, which may be useful in the design of other potent TIL inhibitors.

Identification of the structural determinants for the stability of substrate and aminoacrylate external Schiff bases in O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase-A

O-Acetylserine sulfhydrylase is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the final step in the cysteine biosynthetic pathway in enteric bacteria and plants, the replacement of the beta-acetoxy group of O-acetyl-L-serine (OAS) by a thiol to give L-cysteine. Previous studies of the K41A mutant enzyme showed L-methionine bound in an external Schiff base (ESB) linkage to PLP as the enzyme was isolated. The mutant enzyme exists in a closed form, optimizing the orientation of the cofactor PLP and properly positioning active site functional groups for reaction. The trigger for closing the active site upon formation of the ESB is thought to be interaction of the substrate alpha-carboxylate with the substrate-binding loop comprised of T68, S69, G70, and N71, and Q142, which is positioned above the cofactor as one looks into the active site. To probe the contribution of these residues to the active site closing and orientation of PLP in the ESB, T68, S69, N71, and Q142 were changed to alanine. Absorbance, fluorescence, near UV-visible CD, and (31)P NMR spectral studies and pre-steady state kinetic studies were used to characterize the mutant enzymes. All of the mutations affect closure of the active site, but to differing extents. In addition, the site appears to be more hydrophilic given that the ESBs do not exhibit a significant amount of the enolimine tautomer. No buildup of the alpha-aminoacrylate intermediate (AA) is observed for the T68A and Q142A mutant enzymes. However, pyruvate is produced at a rate much greater than that of the wild-type enzyme. Data suggest that T68 and Q142 play a role in stabilizing the AA. Both residues donate a hydrogen bond to one of the carboxylate oxygens of the methionine ESB and may also be responsible for the proper orientation of the ESB to generate the AA. The S69A and N71A mutants exhibit formation of the AA, but the rate constant for its formation from the ESB is decreased by 1 order of magnitude compared to that of the wild type. S69 donates a hydrogen bond to the substrate carboxylate in the ESB, while N71 donates hydrogen bonds to O3' of the cofactor and the carboxylate of the ESB; these side chains may also affect the orientation of the ESB. Data suggest that interaction of intermediates with the substrate-binding loop and Q142 gives a properly aligned Michaelis complex and facilitates the beta-elimination reaction.

Production of indole from L-tryptophan and effects of these compounds on biofilm formation by Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 25586

The l-tryptophan degradation product indole is a purported extracellular signaling molecule that influences biofilm formation in various bacteria. Here we analyzed the mechanisms of indole production in Fusobacterium nucleatum and the effects of tryptophan and indole on F. nucleatum planktonic and biofilm cells. The amino acid sequence deduced from the fn1943 gene in F. nucleatum ATCC 25586 was 28% identical to that deduced from tnaA in Escherichia coli, which encodes tryptophanase catalyzing the beta-elimination of l-tryptophan to produce indole. The fn1943 gene was cotranscribed with the downstream gene fn1944, which is a homolog of tnaB encoding low-affinity tryptophan permease. The transcript started at position -68 or -153 from the first nucleotide of the fn1943 translation initiation codon. Real-time quantitative PCR showed that much more F. nucleatum fn1943 transcripts were obtained from log-phase cells than from stationary-phase cells. Indole production by the purified recombinant protein encoded by fn1943 was examined using high-performance liquid chromatography. The K(m) and k(cat) of the enzyme were 0.26 +/- 0.03 mM and 0.74 +/- 0.04 s(-1), respectively. F. nucleatum biofilm formation and the biofilm supernatant concentration of indole increased dose dependently with increasing tryptophan concentrations. Exogenous indole also increased F. nucleatum biofilm formation in a dose-dependent manner. Even at very high concentrations, tryptophan did not affect fn1943 expression, whereas similar indole concentrations decreased expression. Thus, exogenous tryptophan and indole were suggested to increase F. nucleatum biofilms.

Identification and molecular characterization of tryptophanase encoded by tnaA in Porphyromonas gingivalis

Indole produced via the beta-elimination reaction of l-tryptophan by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent tryptophanase (EC 4.1.99.1) has recently been shown to be an extracellular and intercellular signalling molecule in bacteria, and controls bacterial biofilm formation and virulence factors. In the present study, we determined the molecular basis of indole production in the periodontopathogenic bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis. A database search showed that the amino acid sequence deduced from pg1401 of P. gingivalis W83 is 45 % identical with that from tnaA of Escherichia coli K-12, which encodes tryptophanase. Replacement of the pg1401 gene in the chromosomal DNA with the chloramphenicol-resistance gene abolished indole production. The production of indole was restored by the introduction of pg1401, demonstrating that the gene is functionally equivalent to tnaA. However, RT-PCR and RNA ligase-mediated rapid amplification of cDNA ends analyses showed that, unlike E. coli tnaA, pg1401 is expressed alone in P. gingivalis and that the nucleotide sequence of the transcription start site is different, suggesting that the expression of P. gingivalis tnaA is controlled by a unique mechanism. Purified recombinant P. gingivalis tryptophanase exhibited the Michaelis-Menten kinetics values K(m)=0.20+/-0.01 mM and k(cat)=1.37+/-0.06 s(-1) in potassium phosphate buffer, but in sodium phosphate buffer, the enzyme showed lower activity. However, the cation in the buffer, K(+) or Na(+), did not appear to affect the quaternary structure of the enzyme or the binding of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate to the enzyme. The enzyme also degraded S-ethyl-l-cysteine and S-methyl-l-cysteine, but not l-alanine, l-serine or l-cysteine.

The Case of the Missing Ring: Radical Cleavage of a Carbon−Carbon Bond and Implications for GFP Chromophore Biosynthesis

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) creates its fluorophore by promoting spontaneous peptide backbone cyclization and amino acid oxidation chemistry on its own Ser65, Tyr66, Gly67 tripeptide sequence. Here we use high-resolution crystallography and mutational analyses to characterize GFP variants that undergo backbone cyclization followed by either anticipated chromophore synthesis via Y66F Calpha-Cbeta double-bond formation or unprecedented loss of a Y66F benzyl moiety via Calpha-Cbeta bond cleavage. We discovered a Y66F cleavage variant that subsequently incorporates an oxygen atom, likely from molecular oxygen, at the Y66 Calpha position. The post-translational products identified from these Y66F GFP structures support a common intermediate that partitions between Calpha-Cbeta oxidation and homolytic cleavage pathways. Our data indicate that Glu222 is the branchpoint control for this partitioning step and also influences subsequent oxygen incorporation reactions. From these results, we propose mechanisms for Y66F Calpha-Cbeta cleavage, oxygen incorporation, and chromophore biosynthesis with shared features that include radical chemistry. By revealing how GFP and RFP protein environments steer chemistry to favor fluorophore biosynthesis and disfavor alternative reactivity, we identify strategies for protein design. The proposed, common, one-electron oxidized, radical intermediate for post-translation modifications in the GFP family has general implications for how proteins drive and control spontaneous post-translational chemical modifications in the absence of metal ions.

Tryptophanase from Proteus vulgaris: The conformational rearrangement in the active site, induced by the mutation of Tyrosine 72 to Phenylalanine, and its mechanistic consequences

Tyr72 is located at the active site of tryptophanase (Trpase) from Proteus vulgaris. For the wild-type Trpase Tyr72 might be considered as the general acid catalyst at the stage of elimination of the leaving groups. The replacement of Tyr72 by Phe leads to a decrease in activity for L-tryptophan by 50,000-fold and to a considerable rearrangement of the active site of Trpase. This rearrangement leads to an increase of room around the alpha-C atom of any bound amino acid, such that covalent binding of alpha-methyl-substituted amino acids becomes possible (which cannot be realized in wild-type Trpase). The changes in reactivities of S-alkyl-L-cysteines provide evidence for an increase of congestion in the proximity of their side groups in the mutant enzyme as compared to wild-type enzyme. The observed alteration of catalytic properties in a large degree originates from a conformational change in the active site. The Y72F Trpase retains significant activity for L-serine, which allowed us to conclude that in the mutant enzyme, some functional group is present which fulfills the role of the general acid catalyst in reactions associated with elimination of small leaving groups.