1
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Pina AF, Sousa SF, Cerqueira NMFSA. The Catalytic Mechanism of Pdx2 Glutaminase Driven by a Cys-His-Glu Triad: A Computational Study. Chembiochem 2021; 23:e202100555. [PMID: 34762772 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The catalytic mechanism of Pdx2 was studied with atomic detail employing the computational ONIOM hybrid QM/MM methodology. Pdx2 employs a Cys-His-Glu catalytic triad to deaminate glutamine to glutamate and ammonia - the source of the nitrogen of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP). This enzyme is, therefore, a rate-limiting step in the PLP biosynthetic pathway of Malaria and Tuberculosis pathogens that rely on this mechanism to obtain PLP. For this reason, Pdx2 is considered a novel and promising drug target to treat these diseases. The results obtained show that the catalytic mechanism of Pdx2 occurs in six steps that can be divided into four stages: (i) activation of Cys87 , (ii) deamination of glutamine with the formation of the glutamyl-thioester intermediate, (iii) hydrolysis of the formed intermediate, and (iv) enzymatic turnover. The kinetic data available in the literature (19.1-19.5 kcal mol-1 ) agree very well with the calculated free energy barrier of the hydrolytic step (18.2 kcal.mol-11 ), which is the rate-limiting step of the catalytic process when substrate is readily available in the active site. This catalytic mechanism differs from other known amidases in three main points: i) it requires the activation of the nucleophile Cys87 to a thiolate; ii) the hydrolysis occurs in a single step and therefore does not require the formation of a second tetrahedral reaction intermediate, as it is proposed, and iii) Glu198 does not have a direct role in the catalytic process. Together, these results can be used for the synthesis of new transition state analogue inhibitors capable of inhibiting Pdx2 and impair diseases like Malaria and Tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- André F Pina
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.,UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.,UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno M F S A Cerqueira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.,UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM - Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal
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2
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Charlier D, Nguyen Le Minh P, Roovers M. Regulation of carbamoylphosphate synthesis in Escherichia coli: an amazing metabolite at the crossroad of arginine and pyrimidine biosynthesis. Amino Acids 2018; 50:1647-1661. [PMID: 30238253 PMCID: PMC6245113 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-018-2654-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
In all organisms, carbamoylphosphate (CP) is a precursor common to the synthesis of arginine and pyrimidines. In Escherichia coli and most other Gram-negative bacteria, CP is produced by a single enzyme, carbamoylphosphate synthase (CPSase), encoded by the carAB operon. This particular situation poses a question of basic physiological interest: what are the metabolic controls coordinating the synthesis and distribution of this high-energy substance in view of the needs of both pathways? The study of the mechanisms has revealed unexpected moonlighting gene regulatory activities of enzymes and functional links between mechanisms as diverse as gene regulation and site-specific DNA recombination. At the level of enzyme production, various regulatory mechanisms were found to cooperate in a particularly intricate transcriptional control of a pair of tandem promoters. Transcription initiation is modulated by an interplay of several allosteric DNA-binding transcription factors using effector molecules from three different pathways (arginine, pyrimidines, purines), nucleoid-associated factors (NAPs), trigger enzymes (enzymes with a second unlinked gene regulatory function), DNA remodeling (bending and wrapping), UTP-dependent reiterative transcription initiation, and stringent control by the alarmone ppGpp. At the enzyme level, CPSase activity is tightly controlled by allosteric effectors originating from different pathways: an inhibitor (UMP) and two activators (ornithine and IMP) that antagonize the inhibitory effect of UMP. Furthermore, it is worth noticing that all reaction intermediates in the production of CP are extremely reactive and unstable, and protected by tunneling through a 96 Å long internal channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Charlier
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bio-engineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Phu Nguyen Le Minh
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bio-engineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Martine Roovers
- LABIRIS Institut de Recherches, Av. Emile Gryson 1, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
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3
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Morlot C, Straume D, Peters K, Hegnar OA, Simon N, Villard AM, Contreras-Martel C, Leisico F, Breukink E, Gravier-Pelletier C, Le Corre L, Vollmer W, Pietrancosta N, Håvarstein LS, Zapun A. Structure of the essential peptidoglycan amidotransferase MurT/GatD complex from Streptococcus pneumoniae. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3180. [PMID: 30093673 PMCID: PMC6085368 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05602-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The universality of peptidoglycan in bacteria underlies the broad spectrum of many successful antibiotics. However, in our times of widespread resistance, the diversity of peptidoglycan modifications offers a variety of new antibacterials targets. In some Gram-positive species such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, or Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the second residue of the peptidoglycan precursor, D-glutamate, is amidated into iso-D-glutamine by the essential amidotransferase MurT/GatD complex. Here, we present the structure of this complex at 3.0 Å resolution. MurT has central and C-terminal domains similar to Mur ligases with a cysteine-rich insertion, which probably binds zinc, contributing to the interface with GatD. The mechanism of amidation by MurT is likely similar to the condensation catalyzed by Mur ligases. GatD is a glutaminase providing ammonia that is likely channeled to the MurT active site through a cavity network. The structure and assay presented here constitute a knowledge base for future drug development studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Morlot
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IBS UMR 5075, 38044, Grenoble, France
| | - Daniel Straume
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, 1432, Norway
| | - Katharina Peters
- Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Bioscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, United Kingdom
| | - Olav A Hegnar
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, 1432, Norway
| | - Nolwenn Simon
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IBS UMR 5075, 38044, Grenoble, France
| | - Anne-Marie Villard
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IBS UMR 5075, 38044, Grenoble, France
| | | | - Francisco Leisico
- Departamento de Química, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Eefjan Breukink
- Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584, The Netherlands
| | - Christine Gravier-Pelletier
- Université Paris Descartes, Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques UMR 8601 CNRS, Sorbonne Paris Cité (USPC), Paris, 75006, France
| | - Laurent Le Corre
- Université Paris Descartes, Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques UMR 8601 CNRS, Sorbonne Paris Cité (USPC), Paris, 75006, France
| | - Waldemar Vollmer
- Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Bioscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, United Kingdom
| | - Nicolas Pietrancosta
- Université Paris Descartes, Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques UMR 8601 CNRS, Sorbonne Paris Cité (USPC), Paris, 75006, France
| | - Leiv Sigve Håvarstein
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, 1432, Norway
| | - André Zapun
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IBS UMR 5075, 38044, Grenoble, France.
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4
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Leisico F, V Vieira D, Figueiredo TA, Silva M, Cabrita EJ, Sobral RG, Ludovice AM, Trincão J, Romão MJ, de Lencastre H, Santos-Silva T. First insights of peptidoglycan amidation in Gram-positive bacteria - the high-resolution crystal structure of Staphylococcus aureus glutamine amidotransferase GatD. Sci Rep 2018; 8:5313. [PMID: 29593310 PMCID: PMC5871853 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22986-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Gram-positive bacteria homeostasis and antibiotic resistance mechanisms are dependent on the intricate architecture of the cell wall, where amidated peptidoglycan plays an important role. The amidation reaction is carried out by the bi-enzymatic complex MurT-GatD, for which biochemical and structural information is very scarce. In this work, we report the first crystal structure of the glutamine amidotransferase member of this complex, GatD from Staphylococcus aureus, at 1.85 Å resolution. A glutamine molecule is found close to the active site funnel, hydrogen-bonded to the conserved R128. In vitro functional studies using 1H-NMR spectroscopy showed that S. aureus MurT-GatD complex has glutaminase activity even in the absence of lipid II, the MurT substrate. In addition, we produced R128A, C94A and H189A mutants, which were totally inactive for glutamine deamidation, revealing their essential role in substrate sequestration and catalytic reaction. GatD from S. aureus and other pathogenic bacteria share high identity to enzymes involved in cobalamin biosynthesis, which can be grouped in a new sub-family of glutamine amidotransferases. Given the ubiquitous presence of GatD, these results provide significant insights into the molecular basis of the so far undisclosed amidation mechanism, contributing to the development of alternative therapeutics to fight infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Leisico
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Diana V Vieira
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
- Oxford Protein Production Facility, Research Complex at Harwell, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Teresa A Figueiredo
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Microbiology of Human Pathogens Unit, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Micael Silva
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Eurico J Cabrita
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rita G Sobral
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ana Madalena Ludovice
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
| | | | - Maria João Romão
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Hermínia de Lencastre
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Microbiology of Human Pathogens Unit, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal.
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA.
| | - Teresa Santos-Silva
- UCIBIO, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.
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5
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Loong AM, Chng YR, Chew SF, Wong WP, Ip YK. Molecular characterization and mRNA expression of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase III in the liver of the African lungfish, Protopterus annectens, during aestivation or exposure to ammonia. J Comp Physiol B 2011; 182:367-79. [PMID: 22038021 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-011-0626-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2011] [Revised: 09/27/2011] [Accepted: 10/04/2011] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to obtain the full sequence of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase III (cps III) from, and to determine the mRNA expression of cps III in, the liver of P. annectens during aestivation in air, hypoxia or mud, or exposure to environmental ammonia (100 mmol l(-1) NH(4)Cl). The complete coding cDNA sequence of cps III from the liver of P. annectens consisted of 4530 bp, which coded for 1,510 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 166.1 kDa. The Cps III of P. annectens consisted of a mitochondrial targeting sequence of 44 amino acid residues, a GAT domain spanning from tyrosine 45 to isoleucine 414, and a methylglyoxal synthase-like domain spanning from valine 433 to arginine 1513. Two cysteine residues (cysteine 1337 and cysteine 1347) that are characteristic of N-acetylglutamate dependency were also present. The critical Cys-His-Glu catalytic triad (cysteine 301, histidine 385 and glutamate 387) together with methionine 302 and glutamine 305 affirmed that P. annectens expressed Cps III and not Cps I. A comparison of the translated amino acid sequence of Cps III from P. annectens with CPS sequences from other animals revealed that it shared the highest similarity with elasmobranch Cps III. A phylogenetic analysis indicates that P. annectens CPS III could have evolved from Cps III of elasmobranchs. Indeed, Cps III from P. annectens used mainly glutamine as the substrate, and its activity decreased significantly when glutamine and ammonia were included together in the assay system. There were significant increases (9- to 12-fold) in the mRNA expression of cps III in the liver of fish during the induction phase (days 3 and 6) of aestivation in air. Aestivation in hypoxia or in mud had a delayed effect on the increase in the mRNA expression of cps III, which extended beyond the induction phase of aestivation, reiterating the importance of differentiating effects that are intrinsic to aestivation from those intrinsic to hypoxia. Furthermore, results from this study confirmed that environmental ammonia exposure led to a significant increase in the mRNA expression of cps III in the liver of P. annectens, alluding to the important functional role of urea not only as a product of ammonia detoxification but also as a putative internal cue for aestivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Loong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, 117543, Republic of Singapore
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6
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Genetic identification of essential indels and domains in carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II of Toxoplasma gondii. Int J Parasitol 2008; 39:533-9. [PMID: 18992249 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2008.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2008] [Revised: 09/16/2008] [Accepted: 09/17/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
New treatments need to be developed for the significant human diseases of toxoplasmosis and malaria to circumvent problems with current treatments and drug resistance. Apicomplexan parasites causing these lethal diseases are deficient in pyrimidine salvage, suggesting that selective inhibition of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis can lead to a severe loss of uridine 5'-monophosphate (UMP) and thymidine 5'-monophosphate (dTMP) pools, thereby inhibiting parasite RNA and DNA synthesis. Disruption of Toxoplasma gondii carbamoyl phosphate synthetase II (CPSII) induces a severe uracil auxotrophy with no detectable parasite replication in vitro and complete attenuation of virulence in mice. Here we show that a CPSII cDNA minigene efficiently complements the uracil auxotrophy of CPSII-deficient mutants, restoring parasite growth and virulence. Our complementation assays reveal that engineered mutations within, or proximal to, the catalytic triad of the N-terminal glutamine amidotransferase (GATase) domain inactivate the complementation activity of T. gondii CPSII and demonstrate a critical dependence on the apicomplexan CPSII GATase domain in vivo. Surprisingly, indels present within the T. gondii CPSII GATase domain as well as the C-terminal allosteric regulatory domain are found to be essential. In addition, several mutations directed at residues implicated in allosteric regulation in Escherichia coli CPS either abolish or markedly suppress complementation and further define the functional importance of the allosteric regulatory region. Collectively, these findings identify novel features of T. gondii CPSII as potential parasite-selective targets for drug development.
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7
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Hart EJ, Powers-Lee SG. Mutation analysis of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase: does the structurally conserved glutamine amidotransferase triad act as a functional dyad? Protein Sci 2008; 17:1120-8. [PMID: 18458150 DOI: 10.1110/ps.073428008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionarily conserved triad glutamine amidotransferase (GAT) domains catalyze the cleavage of glutamine to yield ammonia and sequester the ammonia in a tunnel until delivery to a variety of acceptor substrates in synthetase domains of variable structure. Whereas a conserved hydrolytic triad (Cys/His/Glu) is observed in the solved GAT structures, the specificity pocket for glutamine is not apparent, presumably because its formation is dependent on the conformational change that couples acceptor availability to a greatly increased rate of glutamine cleavage. In Escherichia coli carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (eCPS), one of the best characterized triad GAT members, the Cys269 and His353 triad residues are essential for glutamine hydrolysis, whereas Glu355 is not critical for eCPS activity. To further define the glutamine-binding pocket and possibly identify an alternative member of the catalytic triad that is situated for this role in the coupled conformation, we have analyzed mutations at Gln310, Asn311, Asp334, and Gln351, four conserved, but not yet analyzed residues that might potentially function as the third triad member. Alanine substitution of Gln351, Asn311, and Gln310 yielded respective K(m) increases of 145, 27, and 15, suggesting that Gln351 plays a key role in glutamine binding in the coupled conformation, and that Asn311 and Gln310 make less significant contributions. None of the mutant k (cat) values varied significantly from those for wild-type eCPS. Combined with previously reported data on other conserved eCPS residues, these results strongly suggest that Cys269 and His353 function as a catalytic dyad in the GAT site of eCPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily J Hart
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115-5000, USA
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8
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Fan Y, Lund L, Yang L, Raushel FM, Gao YQ. Mechanism for the Transport of Ammonia within Carbamoyl Phosphate Synthetase Determined by Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Biochemistry 2008; 47:2935-44. [DOI: 10.1021/bi701572h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yubo Fan
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
| | - Liliya Lund
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
| | - Lijiang Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
| | - Frank M. Raushel
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
| | - Yi-Qin Gao
- Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
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9
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Goto M, Omi R, Nakagawa N, Miyahara I, Hirotsu K. Crystal structures of CTP synthetase reveal ATP, UTP, and glutamine binding sites. Structure 2005; 12:1413-23. [PMID: 15296735 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2004.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2004] [Revised: 03/10/2004] [Accepted: 05/14/2004] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
CTP synthetase (CTPs) catalyzes the last step in CTP biosynthesis, in which ammonia generated at the glutaminase domain reacts with the ATP-phosphorylated UTP at the synthetase domain to give CTP. Glutamine hydrolysis is active in the presence of ATP and UTP and is stimulated by the addition of GTP. We report the crystal structures of Thermus thermophilus HB8 CTPs alone, CTPs with 3SO4(2-), and CTPs with glutamine. The enzyme is folded into a homotetramer with a cross-shaped structure. Based on the binding mode of sulfate anions to the synthetase site, ATP and UTP are computer modeled into CTPs with a geometry favorable for the reaction. Glutamine bound to the glutaminase domain is situated next to the triad of Glu-His-Cys as a catalyst and a water molecule. Structural information provides an insight into the conformational changes associated with the binding of ATP and UTP and the formation of the GTP binding site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaru Goto
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
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10
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Schnizer HG, Boehlein SK, Stewart JD, Richards NGJ, Schuster SM. gamma-Glutamyl thioester intermediate in glutaminase reaction catalyzed by Escherichia coli asparagine synthetase B. Methods Enzymol 2003; 354:260-71. [PMID: 12418233 DOI: 10.1016/s0076-6879(02)54022-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Holly G Schnizer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA
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11
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Thoden JB, Huang X, Raushel FM, Holden HM. Carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase. Creation of an escape route for ammonia. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:39722-7. [PMID: 12130656 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m206915200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase catalyzes the production of carbamoyl phosphate through a reaction mechanism requiring one molecule of bicarbonate, two molecules of MgATP, and one molecule of glutamine. The enzyme from Escherichia coli is composed of two polypeptide chains. The smaller of these belongs to the Class I amidotransferase superfamily and contains all of the necessary amino acid side chains required for the hydrolysis of glutamine to glutamate and ammonia. Two homologous domains from the larger subunit adopt conformations that are characteristic for members of the ATP-grasp superfamily. Each of these ATP-grasp domains contains an active site responsible for binding one molecule of MgATP. High resolution x-ray crystallographic analyses have shown that, remarkably, the three active sites in the E. coli enzyme are connected by a molecular tunnel of approximately 100 A in total length. Here we describe the high resolution x-ray crystallographic structure of the G359F (small subunit) mutant protein of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase. This residue was initially targeted for study because it resides within the interior wall of the molecular tunnel leading from the active site of the small subunit to the first active site of the large subunit. It was anticipated that a mutation to the larger residue would "clog" the ammonia tunnel and impede the delivery of ammonia from its site of production to the site of utilization. In fact, the G359F substitution resulted in a complete change in the conformation of the loop delineated by Glu-355 to Ala-364, thereby providing an "escape" route for the ammonia intermediate directly to the bulk solvent. The substitution also effected the disposition of several key catalytic amino acid side chains in the small subunit active site.
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Affiliation(s)
- James B Thoden
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706-1544, USA
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12
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Li H, Ryan TJ, Chave KJ, Van Roey P. Three-dimensional structure of human gamma -glutamyl hydrolase. A class I glatamine amidotransferase adapted for a complex substate. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:24522-9. [PMID: 11953431 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m202020200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
gamma-Glutamyl hydrolase catalyzes the cleavage of the gamma-glutamyl chain of folylpoly-gamma-glutamyl substrates and is a central enzyme in folyl and antifolyl poly-gamma-glutamate metabolism. The crystal structure of human gamma-glutamyl hydrolase, determined at 1.6-A resolution, reveals that the protein is a homodimer. The overall structure of human gamma-glutamyl hydrolase contains 11 alpha-helices and 14 beta-strands, with a fold in which a central eight-stranded beta-sheet is sandwiched by three and five alpha-helices on each side. The topology is very similar to that of the class I glutamine amidotransferase domains, with the only major differences consisting of extensions in four loops and at the C terminus. These insertions are important for defining the substrate binding cleft and/or the dimer interface. Two sequence motifs are found in common between human gamma-glutamyl hydrolase and the class I glutamine amidotransferase family and include the catalytically essential residues, Cys-110 and His-220. These residues are located in the center of a large l-shaped cleft that is closed at one end and open at the other. Several conserved residues, including Glu-114, His-171, Gln-218, and Lys-223, may be important for substrate binding. Modeling of a methotrexate thioester intermediate, based on the corresponding complex of the glutamate thioester intermediate of Escherichia coli carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase, indicates that the substrate binds in an orientation with the pteroyl group toward the open end of the cleft.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmin Li
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Wadsworth Center, Albany, New York 12201-0509, USA
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13
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Abstract
The three-dimensional structures of tryptophan synthase, carbamoyl phosphate synthetase, glutamine phosphoribosylpyrophosphate amidotransferase, and asparagine synthetase have revealed the relative locations of multiple active sites within these proteins. In all of these polyfunctional enzymes, a product formed from the catalytic reaction at one active site is a substrate for an enzymatic reaction at a distal active site. Reaction intermediates are translocated from one active site to the next through the participation of an intermolecular tunnel. The tunnel in tryptophan synthase is approximately 25 A in length, whereas the tunnel in carbamoyl phosphate synthetase is nearly 100 A long. Kinetic studies have demonstrated that the individual reactions are coordinated through allosteric coupling of one active site with another. The participation of these molecular tunnels is thought to protect reactive intermediates from coming in contact with the external medium.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Huang
- Wyeth-Ayerst Research, 401 North Middleton Road, Pearl River, New York 10965, USA. [corrected]
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14
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Saeed-Kothe A, Powers-Lee SG. Specificity determining residues in ammonia- and glutamine-dependent carbamoyl phosphate synthetases. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:7231-8. [PMID: 11756425 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110926200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbamoyl phosphate synthetases (CPSs) utilize either glutamine or ammonia for the ATP-dependent generation of carbamoyl phosphate. In glutamine-utilizing CPSs (e.g. the single Escherichia coli CPS and mammalian CPS II), the hydrolysis of glutamine to yield ammonia is catalyzed at a triad-type glutamine amidotransferase domain. Non-glutamine-utilizing CPSs (e.g. rat and human CPS I), lacking the catalytic cysteine residue, can generate carbamoyl phosphate only in the presence of free ammonia. Frog CPS I (fCPS I), unlike mammalian CPS Is, retains most of the glutamine amidotransferase residues conserved in glutamine-utilizing CPSs, including an intact catalytic triad, and could therefore be expected to use glutamine. Our work with native fCPS I provides the first demonstration of the inability of this enzyme to bind/utilize glutamine. To determine why fCPS I is unable to utilize glutamine, we compared sequences of glutamine-using and non-glutamine-using CPSs to identify residues that are present or conservatively substituted in all glutamine-utilizing CPSs but absent in fCPS I. We constructed the site-directed mutants Q273E, L270K, Q273E/N240S, and Q273E/L270K in E. coli CPS and have determined that simultaneous occurrence of the two substitutions, Gln-->Glu and Leu-->Lys, found in the frog CPS I glutamine amidotransferase domain are sufficient to eliminate glutamine utilization by the E. coli enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amna Saeed-Kothe
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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15
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Maruyama R, Kawata A, Ono S, Nishizawa M, Ito S, Inoue M. Effects of amino acids on the amidation of polyaromatic carboxylic acids by Bacillus cereus. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2001; 65:1761-5. [PMID: 11577715 DOI: 10.1271/bbb.65.1761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The soil bacterium Bacillus cereus Tim-r01 efficiently transformed polyaromatic carboxylic acids (PACA) such as 4-biphenylcarboxylic acid (4-BPCA), 4-biphenylacetic acid, and 4-phenoxybenzoic acid into their corresponding amides. The amidation activity was expressed at 37 degrees C (pH 7-8) in the presence of grown cells in nutrients under an aerobic atmosphere. Other strains of B. cereus, IFO 3001 and IAM 1229, also gave the amide from 4-BPCA. In phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), the addition of normal amino acids was essential, while sulfur-containing amino acids such as methionine and cysteine drastically inhibited the amidation. Tracer experiments using N-15-isoleucine and N-15-alanine showed that the nitrogen atom of the amide came from an amino group of amino acids but not from ammonia or alkylamines.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Maruyama
- Department of Cell Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Toyama University, Gofuku, Japan
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16
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Chave KJ, Auger IE, Galivan J, Ryan TJ. Molecular modeling and site-directed mutagenesis define the catalytic motif in human gamma -glutamyl hydrolase. J Biol Chem 2000; 275:40365-70. [PMID: 11005824 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m007908200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Human gamma-glutamyl hydrolase (hGH) is a central enzyme in folyl and antifolylpoly-gamma-glutamate metabolism, which functions by catalyzing the cleavage of the gamma-glutamyl chain of substrates. We previously reported that Cys-110 is essential for activity. Using the sequence of hGH as a query, alignment searches of protein data bases were made using the SSearch and TPROBE programs. Significant similarity was found between hGH and the glutamine amidotransferase type I domain of Escherichia coli carbamoyl phosphate synthetase. The resulting hypothesis is that the catalytic fold of hGH is similar to the folding of this domain in carbamoyl phosphate synthetase. This model predicts that Cys-110 of hGH is the active site nucleophile and forms a catalytic triad with residues His-220 and Glu-222. The hGH mutants C110A, H220A, and E222A were prepared. Consistent with the model, mutants C110A and H220A were inactive. However, the V(max) of the E222A hGH mutant was reduced only 6-fold relative to the wild-type enzyme. The model also predicted that His-171 in hGH may be involved in substrate binding. The H171N hGH mutant was found to have a 250-fold reduced V(max). These studies to determine the catalytic mechanism begin to define the three dimensional interactions of hGH with poly-gamma-glutamate substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- K J Chave
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of of Health, Albany, New York 12201-0509, USA
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17
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Galperin MY, Grishin NV. The synthetase domains of cobalamin biosynthesis amidotransferases cobB and cobQ belong to a new family of ATP-dependent amidoligases, related to dethiobiotin synthetase. Proteins 2000; 41:238-47. [PMID: 10966576 DOI: 10.1002/1097-0134(20001101)41:2<238::aid-prot80>3.0.co;2-l] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Phosphotransacetylases of Escherichia coli and several other bacteria contain an additional 350-aa N-terminal fragment that is not required for phosphotransacetylase activity. Sequence analysis of this fragment revealed that it is closely related to a family of ATP-dependent enzymes that also includes dethiobiotin synthetase and the synthetase domains of two amidotransferases involved in cobalamin biosynthesis, cobyrinic acid a,c-diamide synthase (CobB) and cobyric acid synthase (CobQ). Further database searches showed that this enzyme family is also related to the MinD family of ATPases involved in regulation of cell division in bacteria and archaea. Analysis of sequence conservation in the members of this enzyme family using the structure of dethiobiotin synthetase active site as a guide allowed us to suggest a model for the interaction of CobB and CobQ with their respective substrates. CobB and CobQ were also found to contain unusual Triad family (class I) glutamine amidotransferase domains with conserved Cys and His residues, but lacking the Glu residue of the catalytic triad. These results should help in understanding the enzymology of cobalamin biosynthesis and in resolving the role of phosphotransacetylase in regulation of the carbon flow to and from acetate.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Y Galperin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA.
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18
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McElroy KE, Bouchard PJ, Harpel MR, Horiuchi KY, Rogers KC, Murphy DJ, Chung TD, Copeland RA. Implementation of a continuous, enzyme-coupled fluorescence assay for high-throughput analysis of glutamate-producing enzymes. Anal Biochem 2000; 284:382-7. [PMID: 10964423 DOI: 10.1006/abio.2000.4740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Enzymatic formation of glutamate is critical to numerous biological pathways. However, current methods for assaying the activities of glutamate-forming enzymes are not particularly suitable for high-throughput screening in drug discovery. We present a continuous-read, fluorometric assay for high-throughput analysis of glutaminases. This assay is adapted to a microplate format and employs glutamate oxidase and horseradish peroxidase to couple glutamate formation to production of the fluorescent reporter molecule, resorufin, for enhancement of sensitivity (M. Zhou, Z. Diwu, N. Panchuk-Voloshina, and R. P. Haughland, 1997, Anal. Biochem. 253, 162-168). Described herein is the selection of suitable levels of coupling enzymes for optimal kinetic response and lag time of the reporter system, based on the kinetic characteristics of the individual coupling enzymes. Finally, implementation of the assay in a format for high-throughput kinetic analysis of glutaminases is demonstrated for Escherichia coli carbamoyl phosphate synthase. Derived kinetic constants are comparable to literature values determined using a variety of assay techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E McElroy
- Chemical Enzymology Department, DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company, Experimental Station, Wilmington, Delaware 19880, USA
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