Biomedical subjects

J F Kirsch

Publications and source records attributed to J F Kirsch.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Synergistic contributions of asparagine 46 and aspartate 52 to the catalytic mechanism of chicken egg white lysozyme.

The X-ray structure of a chicken egg white lysozyme (ChEWL) complex with a peptidoglycan-derived inhibitor suggests that interactions of Asn46 and Asp52 with the D-subsite N-acetylmuramic acid residue help to distort that pyranose ring into the reactive half-chair conformation and that a hydrogen bond is formed between Asn46 and Asp52 [Strynadka, N. C. J., & James, M. N. G. (1991) J. Mol. Biol. 220, 401-424]. These hypotheses were investigated through the D52A, N46A, and D52A/N46A mutants of ChEWL. The Michaelis constants of the D52A and D52A/N46A ChEWL complexes with Micrococcus luteus cells are 3- and 4-fold higher, respectively, than the wild-type KM; the corresponding kcat values are 25- and 50-fold lower, respectively, than the wild-type kcat. These results support the proposal of Strynadka and James. The velocities of reactions catalyzed by the N46A and D52A mutants are approximately equal to each other for all classes of substrate, suggesting that the respective roles of Asn46 and Asp52 in transition state stabilization do not vary. The mutation of either Asn46 or Asp52 to Ala apparently disrupts the interactions of the other (nonmutated) residue with the substrate, supporting the crystallographic evidence of a hydrogen-bond interaction between the two residues. The mutations do not change the values of the dissociation constants of complexes with (carboxymethyl)chitin complexes, suggesting that ground state complexes of ChEWL with chitin-derived substrates differ in conformation from complexes with bacterial peptidoglycans.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Cysteine-191 in aspartate aminotransferases appears to be conserved due to the lack of a neutral mutation pathway to the functional equivalent, alanine-191.

It was previously suggested that the conserved Cys-191 of aspartate aminotransferases (AATases) is conserved, not because it is essential, but because it is frozen in the sequence, with no neutral corridor to traverse to the similar phenotype of Ala-191 (Gloss et al., Biochemistry 31:32-39, 1992). This hypothesis has now been tested by additional mutations. All possible one-base mutations from Cys were made at position 191. All of these variants display kinetic parameters (kcat and kcat/KM values) that differ from the wild-type enzyme by 30% or more. The non-conserved cysteines that are predominantly Ala in other AATase sequences (Cys-82, Cys-192, and Cys-401) were mutated to Ser to test the corollary that a neutral Cys->Ala corridor does exist for these positions. These Cys->Ser mutations yielded enzymes with wild-type-like kinetic parameters. The pKa values of the internal aldimines of the mutants, Cys-191->Ser, Phe, Tyr, and Trp are higher than that of wild type by 0.6-0.8 pH units. The stabilities to urea denaturation of the Cys-191 mutants are similar to that of wild type, while those of the non-conserved cysteines show greater variation. Examination of the three-dimensional environment of the five cysteines showed that the van der Waals contacts of Cys-191 are more conserved than are those of the non-conserved cysteines. These data provide further support for the above hypothesis.

Alanine↗

PubMed1996

A novel yeast expression/secretion system for the recombinant plant thiol endoprotease propapain.

A new high-yield yeast expression/secretion system has been adapted for the plant thiol endoprotease papain. The propapain gene, obtained from Carica papaya fruit, is expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The gene was cloned into a FLAG epitope-tagging expression vector downstream of the yeast alpha mating factor (alpha-factor) secretion signal sequence. Expression of the heterologous propapain in yeast is controlled by the glucose-repressible alcohol dehydrogenase isoenzyme II promoter (ADH2). Glycosylated FLAG-tagged propapain is secreted by a so-called 'super secretor' strain, pmr1 (ssc1), into the culture supernatant where it accumulates to approximately 1.7 mg/l. The proregion contains three consensus N-linked glycosylation sites, whereas there are only two such sites in previously reported cDNA sequences. Removal of this third N-linked glycosylation site results in a drastic reduction in the level of protease activity present in the culture supernatant. Two different types of affinity chromatography were used to purify either propapain or papain. The propapain precursor is autoproteolytically activated to mature papain (M(r) = 24 kDa) using conditions reported previously. The kinetic parameters obtained agree well with the literature values. The yields of active papain are 10-fold higher than those previously reported for propapain in other yeast or bacterial expression systems. This, together with the ease with which mutant proteins can be made, makes this yeast advantageous for a structure-function analysis of recombinant wild-type and mutant papain, and possibly for other related cysteine proteases as well.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Examining the structural and chemical flexibility of the active site base, Lys-258, of Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase by replacement with unnatural amino acids.

The active site base, Lys-258, of Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase (AATase) was mutated to a unique cysteine for chemical modification in a cysteine-free AATase [Quint; Gloss et al. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 32-39]. Two homolysine analogues (gamma-thiahomolysine and gamma-dithiohomolysine) and the carboxylate series [glutamate, (carboxymethyl)cysteine, and (carboxyethyl)cysteine] were prepared. The kcat and kcat/KM values for amino acids exhibited by the 258-homo-Lys AATases are ca. 1000-fold less than those of Quint. However, the kcat/KM values for keto acids are only reduced by 2.5-10-fold. The 258-side-chain carboxylates bind amino acids 1-4 orders of magnitude more tightly than Quint, but have first-order catalytic rate constants 5-7 orders of magnitude less than Quint. The 258-homo-Lys AATases stabilize the E.PLP vs the E.PMP species by approximately 3 kcal/mol relative to Quint; the 258-side-chain carboxylate variants stabilize E.PMP vs E.PLP by 5.8 kcal/mol relative to WT. The C alpha-2H kinetic isotope effects for the reactions of 258-homo-Lys and 258-side-chain carboxylate AATases demonstrate that transaldimination is equally or more rate-determining than C alpha proton abstraction for both sets of enzymes. The values of kcat/KM calculated for the 258-side-chain carboxylate variants from the Brønsted plot of Toney and Kirsch [(1989) Science 243, 1485-1488] are in close agreement with those observed. This "tethered" Brønsted analysis shows that the earlier reported poor reactivity of carboxylates in chemical rescue is due to electrostatic exclusion from the active site.

Aspartate Aminotransferases↗

PubMed1995

Accumulation of the quinonoid intermediate in the reaction catalyzed by aspartate aminotransferase with cysteine sulfinic acid.

The pyridoxal phosphate form of aspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli catalyzes the irreversible conversion of L-cysteine sulfinate to the pyridoxamine phosphate form of the enzyme, bisulfite, and pyruvate. The addition of L-cysteine sulfinate to a solution containing a high concentration of enzyme (approximately 10 microM) yields a rapidly appearing red color (lambda max = 520 nm) which decays with a rate constant which is only about 1% of kcat (2-3 s-1 versus 250 s-1 at 15 degrees C, pH 7). The red color can be assigned to the quinonoid form of the enzyme substrate complex, which accumulates under these single turnover conditions. The rate of decay of this species is dependent on that for the decomposition of beta-sulfinylpyruvate (beta-SP), the initial product of the reaction between aspartate aminotransferase and L-cysteine sulfinate. Trapping beta-SP with morpholine or malate dehydrogenase plus NADH abolishes the transient red color; therefore, the intermediate accumulates by virtue of the reverse reaction of beta-SP with the pyridoxamine phosphate form of the enzyme. The association and dissociation rate constants of beta-SP with the pyridoxamine-5'-phosphate form of the enzyme are 2 x 10(7) M-1 s-1 and 400 s-1, respectively, at 15 degrees C. No red transient species is observed under these conditions when aspartate is substituted for L-cysteine sulfinate.

Aspartate Aminotransferases↗

PubMed1995

Decreasing the basicity of the active site base, Lys-258, of Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase by replacement with gamma-thialysine.

Alkylation of the K258C mutant of the wild-type aspartate aminotransferase (AATase) with bromoethylamine to give gamma-thialysine 258 was complicated by partial reaction with the five native cysteines [Planas, A., & Kirsch, J. F. (1991) Biochemistry 30, 8268-8276]. This problem is now overcome by carrying out the alkylation with K258CQ, in which Cys-258 is a unique cysteine residue in Quint, an engineered AATase in which the five cysteines have been converted to alanine [Gloss, L.M., et al. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 32-39]. The kinetics and spectral properties of the resulting enzyme, K258CQ-EA, have been examined and compared to those of WT and Quint. The replacement of Lys-258 by gamma-thia-Lys results in an acidic shift of 1.3 pH units in the pKa of the internal aldimine. The C alpha hydrogen kinetic isotope effects for Quint are 2.1 and 1.5 on D(kcat/KMAsp) and Dkcat, respectively. Replacement of Lys-258 by the weaker base, gamma-thia-Lys, increases these values to 3.3 and 2.6, respectively The changes of K258CQ-EA in ligand affinities and the keto acid half-reaction are minor; however, the kcat/KM values for amino acids are decreased by an order of magnitude. The KD values for PMP of K258CQ-EA and Quint are equal to each other (0.2 nM) and are 7-fold lower than that of WT. These combined effects are illustrated in the free energy diagrams of the reaction with L-Asp with K258CQ-EA, relative to WT (and Quint). The E.PLP and E.PMP complexes of Quint are 0.9 and 1.1 kcal/mol, respectively, more stable than those of WT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Use of site-directed mutagenesis and alternative substrates to assign the prototropic groups important to catalysis by Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase.

The pH dependence of Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase (AATase) has been investigated by the use of site-directed mutants and alternative substrates. Inhibition of the enzyme by CHES and variations in ionic strength are proposed to explain some of the qualitative differences in the published pH dependence of pig cytosolic AATase kinetics [Velick, S. F., & Vavra, J. (1962) J. Biol. Chem. 237, 2109-2122; Kiick, D.M., & Cook, P.F. (1983) Biochemistry 22, 375-382]. The pKa values of the basic limbs in the kcat/KM profiles for the amino acids, L-Asp and L-cysteinesulfinate (L-CS), are identical, within error, to those of free substrates, (L-Asp, pKa = 9.6; L-CS, pKa = 9.0). This pKa therefore is assigned to the alpha-amino group of the substrate. Replacement of the active site base, Lys-258, with the weaker base, gamma-thia-Lys, does not alter the intrinsic pKa for the profiles of the Ki values for the maleate-E.PMP complexes or the kcat/K alpha-KGM values. The mutation Y225F results in an alkaline shift of the pKa in the kcat/K alph-KGM profile. This pKa is assigned to the C4' amino group of PMP. E. coli AATase, unlike pig cytosolic AATase, shows a pH dependence on kcat between pH 5 and 10 that arises from a change in the rate-determining step at pH extremes. C alpha proton abstraction is partially rate-determining at neutral pH values, but not at pH extremes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aspartate Aminotransferases↗

PubMed1995

The use of natural and unnatural amino acid substrates to define the substrate specificity differences of Escherichia coli aspartate and tyrosine aminotransferases.

The tyrosine (eTATase) and aspartate (eAATase) aminotransferases of Escherichia coli transaminate diacarboxylic amino acids with similar rate constants. However, eTATase exhibits approximately 10(2)-10(4)-fold higher second-order rate constants for the transamination of aromatic amino acids than does eAATase. A series of natural and unnatural amino acid substrates was used to quantitate specificity differences for these two highly related enzymes. A general trend toward lower transamination activity with increasing side-chain length (extending from aspartate to glutamate to alpha-aminoadipate) is observed for both enzymes. This result suggests that dicarboxylate ligands associate with the two highly related enzymes in a similar manner. The high reactivity of the enzymes with L-Asp and L-Glu can be attributed to an ion pair interaction between the side-chain carboxylate of the amino acid substrate and the guanidino group of the active site residue Arg 292 that is common to both enzymes. A strong linear correlation between side-chain hydrophobicity and transamination rate constants obtains for n-alkyl side-chain amino substrates with eTATase, but not for eAATase. The present kinetic data support a model in which eAATase contains one binding mode for all classes of substrate, whereas the active site of eTATase allows an additional mode that has increased affinity for hydrophobic amino acid.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Redesign of the substrate specificity of Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase to that of Escherichia coli tyrosine aminotransferase by homology modeling and site-directed mutagenesis.

Although several high-resolution X-ray crystallographic structures have been determined for Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase (eAATase), efforts to crystallize E. coli tyrosine aminotransferase (eTATase) have been unsuccessful. Sequence alignment analyses of eTATase and eAATase show 43% sequence identity and 72% sequence similarity, allowing for conservative substitutions. The high similarity of the two sequences indicates that both enzymes must have similar secondary and tertiary structures. Six active site residues of eAATase were targeted by homology modeling as being important for aromatic amino acid reactivity with eTATase. Two of these positions (Thr 109 and Asn 297) are invariant in all known aspartate aminotransferase enzymes, but differ in eTATase (Ser 109 and Ser 297). The other four positions (Val 39, Lys 41, Thr 47, and Asn 69) line the active site pocket of eAATase and are replaced by amino acids with more hydrophobic side chains in eTATase (Leu 39, Tyr 41, Ile 47, and Leu 69). These six positions in eAATase were mutated by site-directed mutagenesis to the corresponding amino acids found in eTATase in an attempt to redesign the substrate specificity of eAATase to that of eTATase. Five combinations of the individual mutations were obtained from mutagenesis reactions. The redesigned eAATase mutant containing all six mutations (Hex) displays second-order rate constants for the transamination of aspartate and phenylalanine that are within an order of magnitude of those observed for eTATase. Thus, the reactivity of eAATase with phenylalanine was increased by over three orders of magnitude without sacrificing the high transamination activity with aspartate observed for both enzymes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aspartate Aminotransferases↗

PubMed1995

Thermal stability determinants of chicken egg-white lysozyme core mutants: hydrophobicity, packing volume, and conserved buried water molecules.

A series of 24 mutants was made in the buried core of chicken lysozyme at positions 40, 55, and 91. The midpoint temperature of thermal denaturation transition (Tm) values of these core constructs range from 60.9 to 77.3 degrees C, extending an earlier, more limited investigation on thermostability. The Tm values of variants containing conservative replacements for the wild type (WT) (Thr 40-Ile 55-Ser 91) triplet are linearly correlated with hydrophobicity (r = 0.81) and, to a lesser degree, with combined side-chain volume (r = 0.75). The X-ray structures of the S91A (1.9 A) and I55L/S91T/D101S (1.7 A) mutants are presented. The former amino acid change is found in duck and mammalian lysozymes, and the latter contains the most thermostable core triplet. A network of four conserved, buried water molecules is associated with the core. It is postulated that these water molecules significantly influence the mutational tolerance at the individual triplet positions. The pH dependence of Tm for the S91D mutant was compared with that of WT enzyme. The pKa of S91D is 1.2 units higher in the native than in the denatured state, corresponding to delta delta G298 = 1.7 kcal/mol. This is a low value for charge burial and likely reflects the moderating influence of the buried water molecules or a conformational change. Thermal and chemical denaturation and far UV CD spectroscopy were used to characterize the in vitro properties of I55T. This variant, which buries a hydroxyl group, has similar properties to those of the human amyloidogenic variant I56T.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Design and structural analysis of an engineered thermostable chicken lysozyme.

A hyperstable (hs) variant of chicken egg-white lysozyme with enhanced thermal (delta Tm approximately +10.5 degrees C) and chemical (delta Cm for guanidine hydrochloride denaturation = +1.3 M) stabilities relative to wild-type (WT) was constructed by combining several individual stabilizing substitutions. The free energy difference between the native and denatured states of the hs variant is 3.1 (GdnHCl, 25 degrees C) to 4.0 (differential scanning calorimetry, 74 degrees C) kcal mol-1 greater than that of WT. The specific activity of the hs variant is 2.5-fold greater than that of WT. The choice of mutations came from diverse sources: (1) The I55L/S91T core construct with delta Tm = 3.3 degrees C from WT was available from the accompanying study (Shih P, Holland DR, Kirsch JF, 1995, Protein Sci 4:2050-2062). (2) The A31V mutation was suggested by the better atomic packing in the human lysozyme structure where the Ala 31 equivalent is Leu. (3) The H15L and R114H substitutions were selected on the basis of sequence comparisons with pheasant lysozymes that are more stable than the chicken enzyme. (4) The D101S variant was identified from a screen of mutants previously prepared in this laboratory. The effects of the individual mutations on stability are cumulative and nearly additive.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1995

Alternating arginine-modulated substrate specificity in an engineered tyrosine aminotransferase.

Mutation of six residues of Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase results in substantial acquisition of the transamination properties of tyrosine amino-transferase without loss of aspartate transaminase activity. X-ray crystallographic analysis of key inhibitor complexes of the hexamutant reveals the structural basis for this substrate selectivity. It appears that tyrosine aminotransferase achieves nearly equal affinities for a wide range of amino acids by an unusual conformational switch. An active-site arginine residue either shifts its position to electrostatically interact with charged substrates or moves aside to allow access of aromatic ligands.

Arginine↗

PubMed1994

Expression of apple 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase in Escherichia coli: kinetic characterization of wild-type and active-site mutant forms.

The pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (ACC synthase; S-adenosyl-L-methionine methylthioadenosine-lyase, EC 4.4.1.14) catalyzes the conversion of S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) to ACC and 5'-methylthioadenosine, the committed step in ethylene biosynthesis in plants. Apple ACC synthase was overexpressed in Escherichia coli (3 mg/liter) and purified to near homogeneity. A continuous assay was developed by coupling the ACC synthase reaction to the deamination of 5'-methylthioadenosine by adenosine deaminase (adenosine aminohydrolase, EC 3.5.4.4) from Aspergillus oryzae. The enzyme is dimeric, with kcat = 9s-1 per monomer and Km = 12 microM for AdoMet. The pyridoxal phosphate-binding site of ACC synthase appears to be highly homologous to that of aspartate aminotransferase, suggesting similar roles for corresponding residues. Site-directed mutagenesis of Lys-273, Arg-407, and Tyr-233 (corresponding to residues 258, 386, and 225 in aspartate aminotransferase) and kinetic analyses of the mutants confirms their importance in the ACC synthase mechanism. The Lys-273 to Ala mutant has no detectable activity, supporting the identification of this residue as the base catalyzing C alpha proton abstraction. Mutation of Arg-407 to Lys results in a precipitous drop in kcat/Km and an increase in Km for AdoMet of at least 20-fold, in accordance with its proposed role as principal ligand for the substrate alpha-carboxylate group. Replacement of Tyr-233 with Phe causes a 24-fold increase in the Km for AdoMet and no change in kcat, suggesting that this residue plays a role in orienting the pyridoxal phosphate cofactor in the active site.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of recombinant 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase from apple. A key enzyme in the biosynthesis of the plant hormone ethylene.

Crystals of recombinant 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase from apple have been obtained with polyethylene glycol as precipitant using a combination of vapour diffusion and macroseeding techniques. The crystals are of space group P2(1), with unit-cell constants a = 53.7 A, b = 69.3 A, c = 123.7 A and beta = 89.9 degrees. The asymmetric unit content is a 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase dimer with a molecular mass of 94 kDa. Diffraction extends to 2.2 A resolution.

Crystallization↗

PubMed1994

Characterization of the apparent negative co-operativity induced in Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase by the replacement of Asp222 with alanine. Evidence for an extremely slow conformational change.

The strictly conserved active site residue, Asp222, which forms a hydrogen-bonded salt bridge with the pyridine nitrogen atom of the pyridoxal 5' phosphate (PLP) co-factor of aspartate aminotransferase (AATase), was replaced with alanine (D222A) in the Escherichia coli enzyme. The D222A mutant exhibits non-hyberbolic saturation behavior with amino acid substrates which appear as apparent negative cooperativity in steady-state kinetic analyses. Single turnover progress curves for D222A are well described by the sum of two exponentials, contrasting with the monophasic kinetics of the wild-type enzyme. An active/inactive heterodimer containing the D222A mutation retains this biphasic kinetic response, proving that the observed cooperativity is not the result of induced allostery. The anomalous behavior is explained by a hysteretic kinetic model involving two slowly interconverting enzyme forms, only one of which is catalytically competent. The slow functional transition between the two forms has a half-life of approximately 10 mins. Preincubation of the mutant with the dicarboxylic inhibitor maleate shifts the equilibrium population of the enzyme towards the catalytically active form, suggesting that the slow transition is related to the domain closure known to occur upon association of this inhibitor with the wild-type enzyme. The importance of Asp222 in the chemical steps of transamination is confirmed by the approximately 10(5)-fold decrease in catalytic competence in the D222A mutant, and by the large primary C alpha-deuterium kinetic isotope effect (6.7 versus 2.2 for the wild-type). The transamination activity of the D222A mutant is enhanced 4- to 20-fold by reconstitution with the co-factor analog N-methylpyridoxal-5'-phosphate (N-MePLP), and the C alpha-proton abstraction step is less rate determining, as evidenced by the decrease in the primary kinetic isotope effect from 6.7 to 2.3. These results suggest that the conserved interaction between the protonated pyridine nitrogen of PLP and the negatively charged carboxylate of Asp222 is important not only for efficient C alpha-proton abstraction, but also for conformational transitions concomitant with the transamination process.

Alanine↗

PubMed1993

Structure of the complex between pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and the tyrosine 225 to phenylalanine mutant of Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase determined by isotope-edited classical Raman difference spectroscopy.

The azomethine (Schiff base) linkage between the epsilon-amino group of active-site lysine 258 and the carbonyl moiety of enzyme-bound pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) normally exhibits absorbance maxima at ca. 360 (high-pH form) or ca. 430 nm (low-pH form). However, the absorbance maximum is shifted from 358 to 386 nm, a value which is similar to that of free PLP (lambda max = 388 nm), in a mutant form of Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase (AATase) in which tyrosine 225, which normally donates a hydrogen bond to the phenolate function of PLP, has been replaced with phenylalanine (Y225F). This spectral shift suggested that PLP binds to Y225F as the free aldehyde. The following evidence from isotope-edited classical Raman spectroscopy proves conclusively that the near-UV spectrum is anomalous and that PLP is bound to Y225F as a Schiff base: (1) A strong cofactor peak at 1630 cm-1 in the holoenzyme-minus-apoenzyme difference spectrum of the unprotonated form of Y225F is red-shifted by 18 cm-1 in enzyme labeled with 15N at lysine 258 and other positions. (2) This isotope-induced red shift is similar to that observed in the unprotonated form of the model Schiff base, PLP-valine. (3) The Raman spectrum of Y225F is unchanged in H(2)18O, while peaks at ca. 1670 cm-1 in the spectrum of free PLP or in that of a mutant of AATase in which Lys-258 is replaced with Ala, are red-shifted by ca. 30 cm-1 in H(2)18O.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aspartate Aminotransferases↗

PubMed1993

High-resolution mapping of the HyHEL-10 epitope of chicken lysozyme by site-directed mutagenesis.

The complex formed between hen egg white lysozyme (HEL) and the monoclonal antibody HyHEL-10 Fab fragment has an interface composed of van der Waals interactions, hydrogen bonds, and a single ion pair. The antibody overlaps part of the active site cleft. Putative critical residues within the epitope region of HEL, identified from the x-ray crystallographic structure of the complex, were replaced by site-directed mutagenesis to probe their relative importance in determining affinity of the antibody for HEL. Twenty single mutations of HEL at three contact residues (Arg-21HEL, Asp-101HEL, and Gly-102HEL) and at a partially buried residue (Asn-19HEL) in the epitope were made, and the effects on the free energies of dissociation were measured. A correlation between increased amino acid side-chain volume and reduced affinity for HELs with mutations at position 101 was observed. The D101GHEL mutant is bound to HyHEL-10 as tightly as wild-type enzyme, but the delta delta Gdissoc is increased by about 2.2 kcal (9.2 kJ)/mol for the larger residues in this position. HEL variants with lysine or histidine replacements for arginine at position 21 are bound 1.4-2.7 times more tightly than those with neutral or negatively charged amino acids in this position. These exhibit 1/40 the affinity for HyHEL-10 Fab compared with wild type. There is no side-chain volume correlation with delta delta Gdissoc at position 21. Although Gly-102HEL and Asn-19HEL are in the epitope, replacements at these positions have no effect on the affinity of HEL for the antibody.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Lysine 258 in aspartate aminotransferase: enforcer of the Circe effect for amino acid substrates and general-base catalyst for the 1,3-prototropic shift.

The replacement of Lys258 by alanine (K258A) in aspartate aminotransferase reduces the rate constant for the central, 1,3-prototropic shift by 10(6)-10(8)-fold, confirming the role of Lys258 as the general-base catalyst for this step. The rate constant for the 1,3-prototropic shift interconverting K258A aldimine and ketimine intermediates is pH-independent like that of the wild-type enzyme (WT-AATase). K258A binds amino acid substrates in external aldimine intermediates 10(5)-fold more tightly than does WT-AATase. The excess amino acid binding energy observed in the mutant is sacrificed by the WT-AATase in order to increase the value of kcat. The net result is that the kcat/KM values for amino acid substrates are reduced only 3-100-fold by the mutation. This provides a clear example of the Circe effect propounded by Jencks [Jencks, W. P. (1975) Adv. Enzymol. Rel. Areas Mol. Biol. 43, 219]. Part of the increase in kcat due to the inclusion of Lys258 is accomplished by a 10(4)-10(5)-fold acceleration of external aldimine formation and hydrolysis. This step is partially rate-determining for K258A, but not for WT-AATase. A significant consequence of the utilization of amino acid binding energy for catalysis is the raising of the dissociation constants for these substrates to levels near the physiological concentrations of amino acids. The major product of the reaction of K258A with oxalacetate is pyruvate due to decarboxylation of the beta-imine formed in the ketimine intermediate.

Aspartate Aminotransferases↗