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A R Battersby

Publications and source records attributed to A R Battersby.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Studies on the mechanism of hydroxymethylbilane synthase concerning the role of arginine residues in substrate binding.

The role of conserved arginine residues in hydroxymethylbilane synthase was investigated by replacing these residues in the enzyme from Escherichia coli with leucine residues by using site-directed mutagenesis. The kinetic parameters for these mutant enzymes and studies on the formation of intermediate enzyme-substrate complexes indicate that several of these arginine residues are involved in binding the carboxylate side chains of the pyrromethane cofactor and the growing oligopyrrole chain.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Investigation of putative active-site lysine residues in hydroxymethylbilane synthase. Preparation and characterization of mutants in which (a) Lys-55, (b) Lys-59 and (c) both Lys-55 and Lys-59 have been replaced by glutamine.

A new construct carrying the hemC gene was transformed into Escherichia coli, resulting in approx. 1000-fold over-expression of hydroxymethylbilane synthase (HMBS). This construct was used to generate HMBS in which (a) Lys-55, (b) Lys-59 and (c) both Lys-55 and Lys-59 were replaced by glutamine (K55Q, K59Q and K55Q-K59Q respectively). All three modified enzymes are chromatographically separable from wild-type enzyme. Kinetic studies showed that the substitution K55Q has little effect whereas K59Q causes a 25-fold decrease in Kapp. cat./Kapp. m. Treatment of K55Q, K59Q and K55Q-K59Q separately with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and NaBH4 resulted in incomplete and non-specific reaction with the remaining lysine residues. Pyridoxal modification of Lys-59 in the K55Q mutant caused greater enzymic inactivation than similar modification of Lys-55 in K59Q. The results in sum show that, though Lys-55 and Lys-59 may be at or near the active site, neither is indispensable for the catalytic activity of HMBS.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1990

Biosynthesis of vitamin B12: structure of precorrin-6x octamethyl ester.

13C-labeled precorrin-6x is biosynthesized by cell-free protein preparations from Pseudomonas denitrificans in separate experiments using delta-amino[5-13C]levulinic acid and the corresponding delta-amino[4-13C]- and delta-amino[3-13C]levulinic acid-labeled forms in conjunction with S-[methyl-13C]adenosylmethionine for the latter two experiments. These labeled precorrin-6x samples, as their octamethyl esters, are studied by a range of NMR techniques. In addition, nuclear Overhauser effect difference measurements are made on unlabeled precorrin-6x ester to determine connectivities. The structure 6a so established for precorrin-6x ester (i) confirms the results reported in the preceding paper that precorrin-6x has a ring-contracted macrocycle, still carries the C-12 acetate residue, and stands at the oxidation level of a dehydrocorrin; (ii) reveals the unexpected methylation at C-11 not C-12, leading to a structure with separated chromophores; and (iii) implies that methyl migration from C-11 to C-12 occurs when precorrin-6x is converted into hydrogenobyrinic acid. Proposals for the biosynthesis of the corrin macrocycle of hydrogenobyrinic acid and vitamin B12 are made.

Cell-Free System↗
PubMed1989

Evidence that pyridoxal phosphate modification of lysine residues (Lys-55 and Lys-59) causes inactivation of hydroxymethylbilane synthase (porphobilinogen deaminase).

A recombinant strain of Escherichia coli has been constructed that produces approx. 200 times the amount of hydroxymethylbilane synthase found in wild-type E. coli [Hart, Abell & Battersby (1986) Biochem. J. 240, 273-276]. Enzyme purified from this strain is shown to be permanently inactivated by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate/NaB1H3(3)H1. The inactivation is not complete despite the fact that approx. 1 mol of lysine residues is modified per mol of enzyme. Evidence is gained showing that (a) modification of one of two conserved lysine residues (Lys-55 or Lys-59) results in inactivation of hydroxymethylbilane synthase and (b) these lysine residues are present in or close to the active site.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Evidence that the pyrromethane cofactor of hydroxymethylbilane synthase (porphobilinogen deaminase) is bound to the protein through the sulphur atom of cysteine-242.

The pyrromethane cofactor of hydroxymethylbilane synthase (porphobilinogen deaminase) from Escherichia coli is bound to the protein through the sulphur atom of a cysteine residue [Hart, Miller & Battersby (1988) Biochem. J. 252, 909-912; Beifuss, Hart, Miller & Battersby (1988) Tetrahedron Lett. 29, 2591-2594]. We show that the pyrromethane-binding residue is cysteine-242.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Evidence that the pyrromethane cofactor of hydroxymethylbilane synthase (porphobilinogen deaminase) is bound through the sulphur atom of a cysteine residue.

Hydroxymethylbilane synthase (porphobilinogen deaminase) from Escherichia coli uses a novel pyrromethane cofactor to bind the growing pyrrolic chain for hydroxymethylbilane biosynthesis [Hart, Miller, Leeper & Battersby (1987) J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun. 1762-1765]. We show that this cofactor is bound to the protein through the sulphur atom of a cysteine residue.

Ammonia-Lyases↗
PubMed1986

Purification, N-terminal amino acid sequence and properties of hydroxymethylbilane synthase (porphobilinogen deaminase) from Escherichia coli.

Hydroxymethylbilane synthase (porphobilinogen deaminase) was purified to apparent homogeneity from Escherichia coli. The enzyme is a monomer of Mr approx. 40,000. The Km for porphobilinogen and relative Vmax. values have been obtained at various pH values over the range 6.2-8.8, enabling pK values for ionizable groups important for activity to be determined. The N-terminal amino acid sequence is presented.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1985

Purification and properties of uroporphyrinogen III synthase (co-synthetase) from Euglena gracilis.

Uroporphyrinogen III synthase (co-synthetase) purified from Euglena gracilis is a monomer of Mr 38 500 by gel-filtration studies and 31 000 by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The pI is apparently in the range 4.8-5.1. No evidence for any cofactors was found, and folate derivatives were shown to be absent; no metal ions appear to be present in the enzyme. The Km for hydroxymethylbilane is in the range 12-40 microM, and the product, uroporphyrinogen III, is an inhibitor. Modification studies suggest that arginine residues are essential for the activity of co-synthetase; lysine residues may also be essential, but histidine, cysteine and tyrosine residues are not.

Diethyl Pyrocarbonate↗
PubMed1985

The Bakerian lecture, 1984. Biosynthesis of the pigments of life.

Many vitally important functions in living systems are carried out by metal ions held as complexes within organic ligands, the organic part of the molecule being a tetrapyrrolic macrocycle. Chlorophyll, haemoglobin, the cytochromes and vitamin B12 all fall into this family of 'pigments of life', a list that emphasizes their central importance in living systems. Research on the biosynthesis of these pigments has involved the synergistic combination of synthesis, structure determination, carbon nuclear magnetic resonance and isotopic labelling with radioactive and stable isotopes in conjunction with enzymology and kinetics. The lecture describes the logical series of experiments based on these approaches which have led to a step-by-step knowledge of the biosynthesis of the parent macrocycle (uroporphyrinogen-III) from which the other pigments are derived. One main pathway from the parent macrocycle involves oxidative transformations and leads eventually to protohaem required inter alia for haemoglobin and myoglobin. The second important pathway makes use of C-methylation to convert the parent macrocycle through many stages finally into vitamin B12. The biosynthetic studies on vitamin B12 are outlined with particular emphasis on the use of isotopic labelling with both radioactive and stable isotopes of carbon and hydrogen. Roughly two-thirds of the entire biosynthetic pathway to vitamin B12 has now been elucidated. The scarcity of several of the known intermediates on the pathway severely hampers future researches and progress towards the total synthesis of these key materials is reviewed. Finally, the lecture brings out the evolutionary interest of what has been discovered about the biosynthesis of the pigments of life.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Enzymic synthesis of labelled chiral substances.

The enzymic synthesis of chiral substances in which one hydrogen atom of a methylene group has been replaced by deuterium or tritium is illustrated. Such labelled products can be used to determine the stereochemistry of other enzyme-catalysed reactions.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1978

The discovery of nature's biosynthetic pathways.

Uro'gen-III is a key intermediate on the biosynthetic pathways to the vitally important natural pigments haem, chlorophyll and the cytochromes. How the unexpected structure of uro'gen-III is synthesized by living things has long been a major puzzle. Studies based on 13C-labelling are described which show a) that a single intramolecular rearrangement occurs and b) that this step occurs after the open-chain linear tetrapyrrole system has been built. A second study involves stereospecific labelling with deuterium and tritium to elucidate the absolute stereochemistry of the enzymic reaction sequence which produces the vinyl groups of haem. The third and last section of the lecture is focussed on the biosynthetic intermediates lying between uro'gen-III and cobyrinic acid on the pathway to vitamin B12. An octacarboxylic isobacteriochlorin is isolated from a vitamin B12-producing organism and this is shown to be identical with sirohydrochlorin, previously obtained by Kamin and Siegel as the metal-free prosthetic group of certain sulphite-reducing bacteria. The structure and absolute stereochemistry of sirohydrochlorin are studied and comment is made on the evolutionary interest of these findings.

Chlorophyll↗