scholarly journals Overexpression of restructured pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes and site-directed mutagenesis of a potential active-site histidine residue

1990 ◽  
Vol 269 (2) ◽  
pp. 443-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
G C Russell ◽  
J R Guest

The aceEF-lpd operon of Escherichia coli encodes the pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1p), dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2p) and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3) components of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex (PDH complex). A thermoinducible expression system was developed to amplify a variety of genetically restructured PDH complexes, including those containing three, two, one and no lipoyl domains per E2p chain. Although large quantities of the corresponding complexes were produced, they had only 20-50% of the predicted specific activities. The activities of the E1p components were diminished to the same extent, and this could account for the shortfall in overall complex activity. Thermoinduction was used to express a mutant PDH complex in which the putative active-site histidine residue of the E2p component (His-602) was replaced by cysteine in the H602C E2p component. This substitution abolished dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase activity of the complex without affecting other E2p functions. The results support the view that His-602 is an active-site residue. The inactivation could mean that the histidine residue performs an essential role in the acetyltransferase reaction mechanism, or that the reaction is blocked by an irreversible modification of the cysteine substituent. Complementation was observed between the H602C PDH complex and a complex that is totally deficient in lipoyl domains, both in vitro, by the restoration of overall complex activity in mixed extracts, and in vivo, from the nutritional independence of strains that co-express the two complexes from different plasmids.

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (20) ◽  
pp. 12721-12731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ákos Putics ◽  
Witold Filipowicz ◽  
Jonathan Hall ◽  
Alexander E. Gorbalenya ◽  
John Ziebuhr

ABSTRACT Replication of the ∼30-kb plus-strand RNA genome of coronaviruses and synthesis of an extensive set of subgenome-length RNAs are mediated by the replicase-transcriptase, a membrane-bound protein complex containing several cellular proteins and up to 16 viral nonstructural proteins (nsps) with multiple enzymatic activities, including protease, polymerase, helicase, methyltransferase, and RNase activities. To get further insight into the replicase gene-encoded functions, we characterized the coronavirus X domain, which is part of nsp3 and has been predicted to be an ADP-ribose-1"-monophosphate (Appr-1"-p) processing enzyme. Bacterially expressed forms of human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) and severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus X domains were shown to dephosphorylate Appr-1"-p, a side product of cellular tRNA splicing, to ADP-ribose in a highly specific manner. The enzyme had no detectable activity on several other nucleoside phosphates. Guided by the crystal structure of AF1521, an X domain homolog from Archaeoglobus fulgidus, potential active-site residues of the HCoV-229E X domain were targeted by site-directed mutagenesis. The data suggest that the HCoV-229E replicase polyprotein residues, Asn 1302, Asn 1305, His 1310, Gly 1312, and Gly 1313, are part of the enzyme's active site. Characterization of an Appr-1"-pase-deficient HCoV-229E mutant revealed no significant effects on viral RNA synthesis and virus titer, and no reversion to the wild-type sequence was observed when the mutant virus was passaged in cell culture. The apparent dispensability of the conserved X domain activity in vitro indicates that coronavirus replicase polyproteins have evolved to include nonessential functions. The biological significance of the novel enzymatic activity in vivo remains to be investigated.


2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (4) ◽  
pp. 1167-1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Ekberg ◽  
Pernilla Birgander ◽  
Britt-Marie Sjöberg

ABSTRACT Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) catalyzes the essential production of deoxyribonucleotides in all living cells. In this study we have established a sensitive in vivo assay to study the activity of RNR in aerobic Escherichia coli cells. The method is based on the complementation of a chromosomally encoded nonfunctional RNR with plasmid-encoded RNR. This assay can be used to determine in vivo activity of RNR mutants with activities beyond the detection limits of traditional in vitro assays. E. coli RNR is composed of two homodimeric proteins, R1 and R2. The R2 protein contains a stable tyrosyl radical essential for the catalysis that takes place at the R1 active site. The three-dimensional structures of both proteins, phylogenetic studies, and site-directed mutagenesis experiments show that the radical is transferred from the R2 protein to the active site in the R1 protein via a radical transfer pathway composed of at least nine conserved amino acid residues. Using the new assay we determined the in vivo activity of mutants affecting the radical transfer pathway in RNR and identified some residual radical transfer activity in two mutant R2 constructs (D237N and W48Y) that had previously been classified as negative for enzyme activity. In addition, we show that the R2 mutant Y356W is completely inactive, in sharp contrast to what has previously been observed for the corresponding mutation in the mouse R2 enzyme.


2009 ◽  
Vol 421 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuaki Ohara ◽  
Ayumu Muroya ◽  
Nobuhiro Fukushima ◽  
Kazufumi Yazaki

The AS-PT (aromatic substrate prenyltransferase) family plays a critical role in the biosynthesis of important quinone compounds such as ubiquinone and plastoquinone, although biochemical characterizations of AS-PTs have rarely been carried out because most members are membrane-bound enzymes with multiple transmembrane α-helices. PPTs [PHB (p-hydroxybenzoic acid) prenyltransferases] are a large subfamily of AS-PTs involved in ubiquinone and naphthoquinone biosynthesis. LePGT1 [Lithospermum erythrorhizon PHB geranyltransferase] is the regulatory enzyme for the biosynthesis of shikonin, a naphthoquinone pigment, and was utilized in the present study as a representative of membrane-type AS-PTs to clarify the function of this enzyme family at the molecular level. Site-directed mutagenesis of LePGT1 with a yeast expression system indicated three out of six conserved aspartate residues to be critical to the enzymatic activity. A detailed kinetic analysis of mutant enzymes revealed the amino acid residues responsible for substrate binding were also identified. Contrary to ubiquinone biosynthetic PPTs, such as UBIA in Escherichia coli which accepts many prenyl substrates of different chain lengths, LePGT1 can utilize only geranyl diphosphate as its prenyl substrate. Thus the substrate specificity was analysed using chimeric enzymes derived from LePGT1 and UBIA. In vitro and in vivo analyses of the chimeras suggested that the determinant region for this specificity was within 130 amino acids of the N-terminal. A 3D (three-dimensional) molecular model of the substrate-binding site consistent with these biochemical findings was generated.


The dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase (E2p) component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of Escherichia coli contains three highly homologous lipoyl domains ( ca . 100 residues) that are tandemly repeated to form the N-terminal half of the polypeptide chain. These lipoyl domains are linked to a much larger ( ca . 300 residues) subunit-binding domain that aggregates to form the octahedral inner core of the complex and also contains the acetyltransferase active site. Selective in vitro deletions in the E2p gene ( aceF )have allowed the creation of truncated E2p chains in which one or more of the lipoyl domains has been excised. Site-directed mutagenesis has been used to change individual residues. The effects of these deletions and mutations on the assembly, catalytic activity and active-site coupling in the complex are assessed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 2211
Author(s):  
Priya Philem ◽  
Torsten Kleffmann ◽  
Sinan Gai ◽  
Bill C. Hawkins ◽  
Sigurd M. Wilbanks ◽  
...  

The problematic opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa secretes a siderophore, pyoverdine. Pyoverdine scavenges iron needed by the bacteria for growth and for pathogenicity in a range of different infection models. PvdF, a hydroxyornithine transformylase enzyme, is essential for pyoverdine synthesis, catalysing synthesis of formylhydroxyornithine (fOHOrn) that forms part of the pyoverdine molecule and provides iron-chelating hydroxamate ligands. Using a mass spectrometry assay, we confirm that purified PvdF catalyses synthesis of fOHOrn from hydroxyornithine and formyltetrahydrofolate substrates. Site directed mutagenesis was carried out to investigate amino acid residues predicted to be required for enzymatic activity. Enzyme variants were assayed for activity in vitro and also in vivo, through measuring their ability to restore pyoverdine production to a pvdF mutant strain. Variants at two putative catalytic residues N168 and H170 greatly reduced enzymatic activity in vivo though did not abolish activity in vitro. Change of a third residue D229 abolished activity both in vivo and in vitro. A change predicted to block entry of N10-formyltetrahydrofolate (fTHF) to the active site also abolished activity both in vitro and in vivo. A co-purification assay showed that PvdF binds to an enzyme PvdA that catalyses synthesis of hydroxyornithine, with this interaction likely to increase the efficiency of fOHOrn synthesis. Our findings advance understanding of how P. aeruginosa synthesises pyoverdine, a key factor in host–pathogen interactions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (12) ◽  
pp. 6901-6909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catarina S. Silva ◽  
Aditya Nayak ◽  
Xuelei Lai ◽  
Stephanie Hutin ◽  
Véronique Hugouvieux ◽  
...  

The Evening Complex (EC), composed of the DNA binding protein LUX ARRHYTHMO (LUX) and two additional proteins EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3) and ELF4, is a transcriptional repressor complex and a core component of the plant circadian clock. In addition to maintaining oscillations in clock gene expression, the EC also participates in temperature and light entrainment, acting as an important environmental sensor and conveying this information to growth and developmental pathways. However, the molecular basis for EC DNA binding specificity and temperature-dependent activity were not known. Here, we solved the structure of the DNA binding domain of LUX in complex with DNA. Residues critical for high-affinity binding and direct base readout were determined and tested via site-directed mutagenesis in vitro and in vivo. Using extensive in vitro DNA binding assays of LUX alone and in complex with ELF3 and ELF4, we demonstrate that, while LUX alone binds DNA with high affinity, the LUX–ELF3 complex is a relatively poor binder of DNA. ELF4 restores binding to the complex. In vitro, the full EC is able to act as a direct thermosensor, with stronger DNA binding at 4 °C and weaker binding at 27 °C. In addition, an excess of ELF4 is able to restore EC binding even at 27 °C. Taken together, these data suggest that ELF4 is a key modulator of thermosensitive EC activity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Semira Ortiz ◽  
Doletha Szebenyi ◽  
Martha Field

Abstract Objectives Serum erythritol is associated with central adiposity gain in young adults. Erythritol, a 4-carbon polyol, is synthesized endogenously from erythrose through the pentose phosphate pathway. We have identified two enzymes which catalyze this reaction: alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (ADH1) and sorbitol dehydrogenase (SORD). Interestingly, ADH1 isoforms ADH1B1 and ADH1C2 catalyze NADPH-dependent synthesis of erythritol in vitro, but ADH1B1 does not. In A549 cells, siRNA knockdown of SORD levels to less than 15% of control levels reduced erythritol by 50%. A549 cells also have low levels of ADH1 expression. This indicates that other enzymes may be capable of endogenous erythritol production. Based on its high degree of homology to ADH1, we hypothesize that ADH4 also catalyzes erythritol synthesis. The objective of this study was to further elucidate the mechanism of erythritol synthesis by: determining key differences between the active site of ADH1B2 compared to ADH1B1 and SORD, and screening a new candidate enzyme, ADH4. Methods This study used molecular modeling to evaluate the enzyme, erythrose, NADPH complex. Site-directed mutagenesis was performed to replace Arg208 (R208) of recombinant human SORD with histidine. Recombinant SORD R208H mutant and ADH4 were then expressed, purified, and their erythrose reduction activity was kinetically characterized. Results Molecular modeling of the active sites of ADH1B1 and ADH1B2 revealed that the Arg48 residue of ADH1B1 makes three contacts with NADPH, whereas His48 of ADH1B2 only makes one contact. Mutation of the SORD active-site Arg208 to histidine reduced the kcat by more than 80% compared to wild-type (95 ± 21 min−1 wild-type, 16 ± 2 min−1 R208H, P < 0.05). ADH4 erythrose reduction activity reduced by more than 95% compared to ADH1 variant proteins in vitro (kcat 2 ± 1 min−1). Conclusions Mutation of arginine 208 to histidine in the active site of SORD significantly reduced the kcat, indicating that the presence of an arginine residue is essential for binding NADPH, the cofactor required in vivo for erythritol synthesis. The low erythrose reduction activity of ADH4 suggests that ADH4 does not contribute to erythritol synthesis in humans. Funding Sources None.


2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 1212-1223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyung Hye Seo ◽  
Ningning Zhuang ◽  
Young Shik Park ◽  
Ki Hun Park ◽  
Kon Ho Lee

Escherichia coli6-carboxytetrahydropterin synthase (eCTPS), a homologue of 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase (PTPS), possesses a much stronger catalytic activity to cleave the side chain of sepiapterinin vitrocompared with genuine PTPS activity and catalyzes the conversion of dihydroneopterin triphosphate to 6-carboxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterinin vivo. Crystal structures of wild-type apo eCTPS and of a Cys27Ala mutant eCTPS complexed with sepiapterin have been determined to 2.3 and 2.5 Å resolution, respectively. The structures are highly conserved at the active site and the Zn2+binding site. However, comparison of the eCTPS structures with those of mammalian PTPS homologues revealed that two specific residues, Trp51 and Phe55, that are not found in mammalian PTPS keep the substrate bound by stacking it with their side chains. Replacement of these two residues by site-directed mutagenesis to the residues Met and Leu, which are only found in mammalian PTPS, converted eCTPS to the mammalian PTPS activity. These studies confirm that these two aromatic residues in eCTPS play an essential role in stabilizing the substrate and in the specific enzyme activity that differs from the original PTPS activity. These aromatic residues Trp51 and Phe55 are a key signature of bacterial PTPS enzymes that distinguish them from mammalian PTPS homologues.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document