The role of iron in the activation of mannonic and altronic acid hydratases, two Fe-requiring hydro-lyases

Characterization of a novel L-fuconate dehydratase involved in the non-phosphorylated pathway of L-fucose metabolism from bacteria

A sugar acid dehydratase from Paraburkholderia mimosarum, potentially involved in the non-phosphorylated L-fucose pathway, was functionally characterized. A biochemical analysis revealed its unique heterodimeric structure and higher specificity toward L-fuconate than D-arabinonate, D-altronate, and L-xylonate, which differed from homomeric homologs. This unique L-fuconate dehydratase has a poor phylogenetic relationship with other functional members of the D-altronate dehydratase/galactarate dehydratase protein family.

Gut microbiota interspecies interactions shape the response of Clostridioides difficile to clinically relevant antibiotics

In the human gut, the growth of the pathogen Clostridioides difficile is impacted by a complex web of interspecies interactions with members of human gut microbiota. We investigate the contribution of interspecies interactions on the antibiotic response of C. difficile to clinically relevant antibiotics using bottom-up assembly of human gut communities. We identify 2 classes of microbial interactions that alter C. difficile's antibiotic susceptibility: interactions resulting in increased ability of C. difficile to grow at high antibiotic concentrations (rare) and interactions resulting in C. difficile growth enhancement at low antibiotic concentrations (common). Based on genome-wide transcriptional profiling data, we demonstrate that metal sequestration due to hydrogen sulfide production by the prevalent gut species Desulfovibrio piger increases the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of metronidazole for C. difficile. Competition with species that display higher sensitivity to the antibiotic than C. difficile leads to enhanced growth of C. difficile at low antibiotic concentrations due to competitive release. A dynamic computational model identifies the ecological principles driving this effect. Our results provide a deeper understanding of ecological and molecular principles shaping C. difficile's response to antibiotics, which could inform therapeutic interventions.

Construction of a synthetic metabolic pathway for biosynthesis of 2,4-dihydroxybutyric acid from ethylene glycol

Ethylene glycol is an attractive two-carbon alcohol substrate for biochemical product synthesis as it can be derived from CO2 or syngas at no sacrifice to human food stocks. Here, we disclose a five-step synthetic metabolic pathway enabling the carbon-conserving biosynthesis of the versatile platform molecule 2,4-dihydroxybutyric acid (DHB) from this compound. The linear pathway chains ethylene glycol dehydrogenase, D-threose aldolase, D-threose dehydrogenase, D-threono-1,4-lactonase, D-threonate dehydratase and 2-oxo-4-hydroxybutyrate reductase enzyme activities in succession. We screen candidate enzymes with D-threose dehydrogenase and D-threonate dehydratase activities on cognate substrates with conserved carbon-centre stereochemistry. Lastly, we show the functionality of the pathway by its expression in an Escherichia coli strain and production of 1 g L-1 and 0.8 g L-1 DHB from, respectively, glycolaldehyde or ethylene glycol.

Substrate Diversity of L-Threonic Acid Dehydrogenase Homologs

Despite physiological importance of aldonic sugar acids for living organisms, little is known about metabolic pathways of these compounds. Here, we investigated the functional diversity of homologs of L-threonic acid dehydrogenase (ThrDH; UniProt ID: Q0KBC7), an enzyme composed of two NAD-binding domains (PF14833 and PF03446). Ten ThrDH homologs with different genomic context were studied; seven new enzymatic activities were identified, such as (R)-pantoate dehydrogenase, L-altronic acid dehydrogenase, 6-deoxy-L-talonate dehydrogenase, L-idonic acid dehydrogenase, D-xylonic acid dehydrogenase, D-gluconic acid dehydrogenase, and 2-hydroxy-3-oxopantoate reductase activities. Two associated metabolic pathways were identified: L-idonic acid dehydrogenase was found to be involved in the degradation of L-idonic acid through oxidation/decarboxylation in Agrobacterium radiobacter K84, while 2-hydroxy-3-oxopantoate reductase was found to participate in D-glucarate catabolism through dehydration/cleavage in Ralstonia metallidurans CH34.

Structure of galactarate dehydratase, a new fold in an enolase involved in bacterial fitness after antibiotic treatment

Galactarate dehydratase (GarD) is the first enzyme in the galactarate/glucarate pathway and catalyzes the dehydration of galactarate to 3-keto-5-dehydroxygalactarate. This protein is known to increase colonization fitness of intestinal pathogens in antibiotic-treated mice and to promote bacterial survival during stress. The galactarate/glucarate pathway is widespread in bacteria, but not in humans, and thus could be a target to develop new inhibitors for use in combination therapy to combat antibiotic resistance. The structure of almost all the enzymes of the galactarate/glucarate pathway were solved previously, except for GarD, for which only the structure of the N-terminal domain was determined previously. Herein, we report the first crystal structure of full-length GarD solved using a seleno-methoionine derivative revealing a new protein fold. The protein consists of three domains, each presenting a novel twist as compared to their distant homologs. GarD in the crystal structure forms dimers and each monomer consists of three domains. The N-terminal domain is comprised of a β-clip fold, connected to the second domain by a long unstructured linker. The second domain serves as a dimerization interface between two monomers. The C-terminal domain forms an unusual variant of a Rossmann fold with a crossover and is built around a seven-stranded parallel β-sheet supported by nine α-helices. A metal binding site in the C-terminal domain is occupied by Ca2+ . The activity of GarD was corroborated by the production of 5-keto-4-deoxy-D-glucarate under reducing conditions and in the presence of iron. Thus, GarD is an unusual enolase with a novel protein fold never previously seen in this class of enzymes.

Substrate and metabolic promiscuities of d-altronate dehydratase family proteins involved in non-phosphorylative d-arabinose, sugar acid, l-galactose and l-fucose pathways from bacteria

The gene context in microorganism genomes is of considerable help for identifying potential substrates. The C785_RS13685 gene in Herbaspirillum huttiense IAM 15032 is a member of the d-altronate dehydratase protein family, and which functions as a d-arabinonate dehydratase in vitro, is clustered with genes related to putative pentose metabolism. In the present study, further biochemical characterization and gene expression analyses revealed that l-xylonate is a physiological substrate that is ultimately converted to α-ketoglutarate via so-called Route II of a non-phosphorylative pathway. Several hexonates, including d-altronate, d-idonate and l-gluconate, which are also substrates of C785_RS13685, also significantly up-regulated the gene cluster containing C785_RS13685, suggesting a possibility that pyruvate and d- or l-glycerate were ultimately produced (novel Route III). On the contrary, ACAV_RS08155 of Acidovorax avenae ATCC 19860, a homologous gene to C785_RS13685, functioned as a d-altronate dehydratase in a novel l-galactose pathway, through which l-galactonate was epimerized at the C5 position by the sequential activity of two dehydrogenases, resulting in d-altronate. Furthermore, this pathway completely overlapped with Route III of the non-phosphorylative l-fucose pathway. The 'substrate promiscuity' of d-altronate dehydratase protein(s) is significantly expanded to 'metabolic promiscuity' in the d-arabinose, sugar acid, l-fucose and l-galactose pathways.

Characterisation of the First Archaeal Mannonate Dehydratase from Thermoplasma acidophilum and Its Potential Role in the Catabolism of D-Mannose

Mannonate dehydratases catalyse the dehydration reaction from mannonate to 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate as part of the hexuronic acid metabolism in bacteria. Bacterial mannonate dehydratases present in this gene cluster usually belong to the xylose isomerase-like superfamily, which have been the focus of structural, biochemical and physiological studies. Mannonate dehydratases from archaea have not been studied in detail. Here, we identified and characterised the first archaeal mannonate dehydratase (TaManD) from the thermoacidophilic archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum. The recombinant TaManD enzyme was optimally active at 65 °C and showed high specificity towards D-mannonate and its lactone, D-mannono-1,4-lactone. The gene encoding for TaManD is located adjacent to a previously studied mannose-specific aldohexose dehydrogenase (AldT) in the genome of T. acidophilum. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we showed that the mannose-specific AldT produces the substrates for TaManD, demonstrating the possibility for an oxidative metabolism of mannose in T. acidophilum. Among previously studied mannonate dehydratases, TaManD showed closest homology to enzymes belonging to the xylose isomerase-like superfamily. Genetic analysis revealed that closely related mannonate dehydratases among archaea are not located in a hexuronate gene cluster like in bacteria, but next to putative aldohexose dehydrogenases, implying a different physiological role of mannonate dehydratases in those archaeal species.

Novel non-phosphorylative pathway of pentose metabolism from bacteria

Pentoses, including D-xylose, L-arabinose, and D-arabinose, are generally phosphorylated to D-xylulose 5-phosphate in bacteria and fungi. However, in non-phosphorylative pathways analogous to the Entner-Dodoroff pathway in bacteria and archaea, such pentoses can be converted to pyruvate and glycolaldehyde (Route I) or α-ketoglutarate (Route II) via a 2-keto-3-deoxypentonate (KDP) intermediate. Putative gene clusters related to these metabolic pathways were identified on the genome of Herbaspirillum huttiense IAM 15032 using a bioinformatic analysis. The biochemical characterization of C785_RS13685, one of the components encoded to D-arabinonate dehydratase, differed from the known acid-sugar dehydratases. The biochemical characterization of the remaining components and a genetic expression analysis revealed that D- and L-KDP were converted not only to α-ketoglutarate, but also pyruvate and glycolate through the participation of dehydrogenase and hydrolase (Route III). Further analyses revealed that the Route II pathway of D-arabinose metabolism was not evolutionally related to the analogous pathway from archaea.

Prediction of enzymatic pathways by integrative pathway mapping

The functions of most proteins are yet to be determined. The function of an enzyme is often defined by its interacting partners, including its substrate and product, and its role in larger metabolic networks. Here, we describe a computational method that predicts the functions of orphan enzymes by organizing them into a linear metabolic pathway. Given candidate enzyme and metabolite pathway members, this aim is achieved by finding those pathways that satisfy structural and network restraints implied by varied input information, including that from virtual screening, chemoinformatics, genomic context analysis, and ligand -binding experiments. We demonstrate this integrative pathway mapping method by predicting the L-gulonate catabolic pathway in Haemophilus influenzae Rd KW20. The prediction was subsequently validated experimentally by enzymology, crystallography, and metabolomics. Integrative pathway mapping by satisfaction of structural and network restraints is extensible to molecular networks in general and thus formally bridges the gap between structural biology and systems biology.

Characterization and mutagenesis of two novel iron-sulphur cluster pentonate dehydratases

We describe here the identification and characterization of two novel enzymes belonging to the IlvD/EDD protein family, the D-xylonate dehydratase from Caulobacter crescentus, Cc XyDHT, (EC 4.2.1.82), and the L-arabonate dehydratase from Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii, Rl ArDHT (EC 4.2.1.25), that produce the corresponding 2-keto-3-deoxy-sugar acids. There is only a very limited amount of characterization data available on pentonate dehydratases, even though the enzymes from these oxidative pathways have potential applications with plant biomass pentose sugars. The two bacterial enzymes share 41 % amino acid sequence identity and were expressed and purified from Escherichia coli as homotetrameric proteins. Both dehydratases were shown to accept pentonate and hexonate sugar acids as their substrates and require Mg(2+) for their activity. Cc XyDHT displayed the highest activity on D-xylonate and D-gluconate, while Rl ArDHT functioned best on D-fuconate, L-arabonate and D-galactonate. The configuration of the OH groups at C2 and C3 position of the sugar acid were shown to be critical, and the C4 configuration also contributed substantially to the substrate recognition. The two enzymes were also shown to contain an iron-sulphur [Fe-S] cluster. Our phylogenetic analysis and mutagenesis studies demonstrated that the three conserved cysteine residues in the aldonic acid dehydratase group of IlvD/EDD family members, those of C60, C128 and C201 in Cc XyDHT, and of C59, C127 and C200 in Rl ArDHT, are needed for coordination of the [Fe-S] cluster. The iron-sulphur cluster was shown to be crucial for the catalytic activity (kcat) but not for the substrate binding (Km) of the two pentonate dehydratases.

Catabolism of Hexuronides, Hexuronates, Aldonates, and Aldarates

Following elucidation of the regulation of the lactose operon in Escherichia coli, studies on the metabolism of many sugars were initiated in the early 1960s. The catabolic pathways of D-gluconate and of the two hexuronates, D-glucuronate and D-galacturonate, were investigated. The post genomic era has renewed interest in the study of these sugar acids and allowed the complete characterization of the D-gluconate pathway and the discovery of the catabolic pathways for L-idonate, D-glucarate, galactarate, and ketogluconates. Among the various sugar acids that are utilized as sole carbon and energy sources to support growth of E. coli, galacturonate, glucuronate, and gluconate were shown to play an important role in the colonization of the mammalian large intestine. In the case of sugar acid degradation, the regulators often mediate negative control and are inactivated by interaction with a specific inducer, which is either the substrate or an intermediate of the catabolism. These regulators coordinate the synthesis of all the proteins involved in the same pathway and, in some cases, exert crosspathway control between related catabolic pathways. This is particularly well illustrated in the case of hexuronide and hexuronate catabolism. The structural genes encoding the different steps of hexuronate catabolism were identified by analysis of numerous mutants affected for growth with galacturonate or glucuronate. E. coli is able to use the diacid sugars D-glucarate and galactarate (an achiral compound) as sole carbon source for growth. Pyruvate and 2-phosphoglycerate are the final products of the D-glucarate/galactarate catabolism.

Structural insights into decreased enzymatic activity induced by an insert sequence in mannonate dehydratase from Gram negative bacterium

Mannonate dehydratase (ManD; EC4.2.1.8) catalyzes the dehydration of D-mannonate to 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate. It is the third enzyme in the pathway for dissimilation of D-glucuronate to 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate involving in the Entner-Doudoroff pathway in certain bacterial and archaeal species. ManD from Gram negative bacteria has an insert sequence as compared to those from Gram positives revealed by sequence analysis. To evaluate the impact of this insert sequence on the catalytic efficiency, we solved the crystal structures of ManD from Escherichia coli strain K12 and its complex with D-mannonate, which reveal that this insert sequence forms two α helices locating above the active site. The two insert α helices introduce a loop that forms a cap covering the substrate binding pocket, which restricts the tunnels of substrate entering and product releasing from the active site. Site-directed mutations and enzymatic activity assays confirm that the catalytic rate is decreased by this loop. These features are conserved among Gram negative bacteria. Thus, the insert sequence of ManD from Gram negative bacteria acts as a common inducer to decrease the catalytic rate and consequently the glucuronate metabolic rate as compared to those from Gram positives. Moreover, residues essential for substrate to enter the active site were characterized via structural analysis and enzymatic activity assays.

Crystal structures of Streptococcus suis mannonate dehydratase (ManD) and its complex with substrate: genetic and biochemical evidence for a catalytic mechanism

Mannonate dehydratase (ManD) is found only in certain bacterial species, where it participates in the dissimilation of glucuronate. ManD catalyzes the dehydration of d-mannonate to yield 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate (2-KDG), the carbon and energy source for growth. Selective inactivation of ManD by drug targeting is of therapeutic interest in the treatment of human Streptococcus suis infections. Here, we report the overexpression, purification, functional characterization, and crystallographic structure of ManD from S. suis. Importantly, by Fourier transform mass spectrometry, we show that 2-KDG is formed when the chemically synthesized substrate (d-mannonate) is incubated with ManD. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry revealed the presence of Mn(2+) in the purified protein, and in the solution state catalytically active ManD exists as a homodimer of two 41-kDa subunits. The crystal structures of S. suis ManD in native form and in complex with its substrate and Mn(2+) ion have been solved at a resolution of 2.9 A. The core structure of S. suis ManD is a TIM barrel similar to that of other members of the xylose isomerase-like superfamily. Structural analyses and comparative amino acid sequence alignments provide evidence for the importance of His311 and Tyr325 in ManD activity. The results of site-directed mutagenesis confirmed the functional role(s) of these residues in the dehydration reaction and a plausible mechanism for the ManD-catalyzed reaction is proposed.

L-galactonate dehydratase is part of the fungal path for D-galacturonic acid catabolism

An L-galactonate dehydratase and the corresponding gene were identified from the mould Hypocrea jecorina (Trichoderma reesei). This novel enzyme converts L-galactonate to L-threo-3-deoxy-hexulosonate (2-keto-3-deoxy-L-galactonate). The enzyme is part of the fungal pathway for D-galacturonic acid catabolism, a pathway which is only partly known. It is the second enzyme of this pathway after the D-galacturonic acid reductase. L-galactonate dehydratase activity is present in H. jecorina cells grown on D-galacturonic acid but absent when other carbon sources are used for growth. A deletion of the L-galactonate dehydratase gene in H. jecorina results in a strain with no growth on D-galacturonic acid. The active enzyme was produced in the heterologous host Saccharomyces cerevisiae and characterized. It exhibited activity with L-galactonate and D-arabonate where the hydroxyl group of the C2 is in L- and the hydroxyl group of the C3 is in D-configuration in the Fischer projection. However, it did not exhibit activity with D-galactonate, D-gluconate, L-gulonate or D-xylonate where the hydroxyl groups of the C2 and C3 are in different configuration.

Dissimilation of cysteate via 3-sulfolactate sulfo-lyase and a sulfate exporter in Paracoccus pantotrophus NKNCYSA

Paracoccus pantotrophusNKNCYSA utilizes (R)-cysteate (2-amino-3-sulfopropionate) as a sole source of carbon and energy for growth, with either nitrate or molecular oxygen as terminal electron acceptor, and the specific utilization rate of cysteate is about 2 mkat (kg protein)−1. The initial degradative reaction is catalysed by an (R)-cysteate : 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, which yields 3-sulfopyruvate. The latter was reduced to 3-sulfolactate by an NAD-linked sulfolactate dehydrogenase [3·3 mkat (kg protein)−1]. The inducible desulfonation reaction was not detected initially in cell extracts. However, a strongly induced protein with subunits of 8 kDa (α) and 42 kDa (β) was found and purified. The corresponding genes had similarities to those encoding altronate dehydratases, which often require iron for activity. The purified enzyme could then be shown to convert 3-sulfolactate to sulfite and pyruvate and it was termed sulfolactate sulfo-lyase (Suy). A high level of sulfite dehydrogenase was also induced during growth with cysteate, and the organism excreted sulfate. A putative regulator, OrfR, was encoded upstream ofsuyABon the reverse strand. Downstream ofsuyABwassuyZ, which was cotranscribed withsuyB. The gene, an allele oftauZ, encoded a putative membrane protein with transmembrane helices (COG2855), and is a candidate to encode the sulfate exporter needed to maintain homeostasis during desulfonation.suyAB-like genes are widespread in sequenced genomes and environmental samples where, in contrast to the current annotation, several presumably encode the desulfonation of 3-sulfolactate, a component of bacterial spores.

The emergence of catalytic and structural diversity within the beta-clip fold

The beta-clip fold includes a diverse group of protein domains that are unified by the presence of two characteristic waist-like constrictions, which bound a central extended region. Members of this fold include enzymes like deoxyuridine triphosphatase and the SET methylase, carbohydrate-binding domains like the fish antifreeze proteins/Sialate synthase C-terminal domains, and functionally enigmatic accessory subunits of urease and molybdopterin biosynthesis protein MoeA. In this study, we reconstruct the evolutionary history of this fold using sensitive sequence and structure comparisons methods. Using sequence profile searches, we identified novel versions of the beta-clip fold in the bacterial flagellar chaperone FlgA and the related pilus protein CpaB, the StrU-like dehydrogenases, and the UxaA/GarD-like hexuronate dehydratases (SAF superfamily). We present evidence that these versions of the beta-clip domain, like the related type III anti-freeze proteins and C-terminal domains of sialic acid synthases, are involved in interactions with carbohydrates. We propose that the FlgA and CpaB-like proteins mediate the assembly of bacterial flagella and Flp pili by means of their interactions with the carbohydrate moieties of peptidoglycan. The N-terminal beta-clip domain of the hexuronate dehydratases appears to have evolved a novel metal-binding site, while their C-terminal domain is likely to adopt a metal-binding TIM barrel-like fold. Using structural comparisons, we show that the beta-clip fold can be further classified into two major groups, one that includes the SAF, SET, dUTPase superfamilies, and the other that includes the phage lambda head decoration protein, the beta subunit of urease and the C-terminal domain of the molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis protein MoeA. Structural comparisons also suggest the beta-clip fold was assembled through the duplication of a three-stranded unit. Though the three-stranded units are likely to have had a common origin, we present evidence that complete beta-clip domains were assembled through such duplications, independently on multiple occasions. There is also evidence for circular permutation of the basic three-stranded unit on different occasions in the evolution of the beta-clip unit. We also describe how assembly of this fold from a basic three-stranded unit has been utilized to accommodate a variety of activities in its different versions.

CxxS: fold-independent redox motif revealed by genome-wide searches for thiol/disulfide oxidoreductase function

Redox reactions involving thiol groups in proteins are major participants in cellular redox regulation and antioxidant defense. Although mechanistically similar, thiol-dependent redox processes are catalyzed by structurally distinct families of enzymes, which are difficult to identify by available protein function prediction programs. Herein, we identified a functional motif, CxxS (cysteine separated from serine by two other residues), that was often conserved in redox enzymes, but rarely in other proteins. Analyses of complete Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Methanococcus jannaschii, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomes revealed a high proportion of proteins known to use the CxxS motif for redox function. This allowed us to make predictions in regard to redox function and identity of redox groups for several proteins whose function previously was not known. Many proteins containing the CxxS motif had a thioredoxin fold, but other structural folds were also present, and CxxS was often located in these proteins upstream of an alpha-helix. Thus, a conserved CxxS sequence followed by an alpha-helix is typically indicative of a redox function and corresponds to thiol-dependent redox sites in proteins. The data also indicate a general approach of genome-wide identification of redox proteins by searching for simple conserved motifs within secondary structure patterns.

Evolution of enzymatic activities in the enolase superfamily: characterization of the (D)-glucarate/galactarate catabolic pathway in Escherichia coli

The genes encoding the enzymes in the (D)-glucarate/galactarate catabolic pathway have been identified in the Escherichia coli genome. These encode, in three transcriptional units, (D)-glucarate dehydratase (GlucD), galactarate dehydratase, 5-keto-4-deoxy-(D)-glucarate aldolase, tartronate semialdehyde reductase, a glycerate kinase that generates 2-phosphoglycerate as product, and two hexaric acid transporters. We also have identified a gene proximal to that encoding GlucD that encodes a protein that is 72% identical in primary sequence to GlucD (GlucD-related protein or GlucDRP). However, whereas GlucD catalyzes the efficient dehydration of both (D)-glucarate and (L)-idarate as well as their epimerization, GlucDRP is significantly impaired in both reactions. Perhaps GlucDRP is an example of gene duplication and evolution in progress in the E. coli chromosome.

Bacterial L-serine dehydratases: a new family of enzymes containing iron-sulfur clusters

Two families of enzymes are described which catalyse identical chemical reactions but differ in their prosthetic groups and hence in their mechanism of action. One family, the pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent L-threonine dehydratases, also use L-serine as substrate. The other, hitherto unrecognized family is the iron-dependent, highly specific bacterial L-serine dehydratases. It has been shown that L-serine dehydratase from the anaerobic bacterium Peptostreptococcus asaccharolyticus contains an iron-sulfur cluster but no PLP. A mechanism for the dehydration of L-serine which is similar, but not identical, to that of the dehydration of citrate catalysed by aconitase is proposed.

Two biochemically distinct classes of fumarase in Escherichia coli

Biochemical studies with strains of Escherichia coli that are amplified for the products of the three fumarase genes, fumA (FUMA), fumB (FUMB) and fumC (FUMC), have shown that there are two distinct classes of fumarase. The Class I enzymes include FUMA, FUMB, and the immunologically related fumarase of Euglena gracilis. These are characteristically thermolabile dimeric enzymes containing identical subunits of Mr 60,000. FUMA and FUMB are differentially regulated enzymes that function in the citric acid cycle (FUMA) or to provide fumarate as an anaerobic electron acceptor (FUMB), and their affinities for fumarate and L-malate are consistent with these roles. The Class II enzymes include FUMC, and the fumarases of Bacillus subtilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mammalian sources. They are thermostable tetrameric enzymes containing identical subunits Mr 48,000-50,000. The Class II fumarases share a high degree of sequence identity with each other (approx. 60%) and with aspartase (approx. 38%) and argininosuccinase (approx. 15%), and it would appear that these are all members of a family of structurally related enzymes. It is also suggested that the Class I enzymes may belong to a wider family of iron-dependent carboxylic acid hydro-lyases that includes maleate dehydratase and aconitase. Apart from one region containing a Gly-Ser-X-X-Met-X-X-Lys-X-Asn consensus sequence, no significant homology was detected between the Class I and Class II fumarases.