Comparison of inducible and constitutive kynureninases of Neurospora crassa.

Two types of kynureninase were isolated from Neurospora crassa IFO 6068. The formation of one of them, which was separated from the inducible kynureninase by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, was independent of the presence of tryptophan in the growth medium. Ouchterlony double-diffusion analysis and immunochemical titration indicated that the constitutive-type enzyme is immunologically different from the inducible enzyme. We confirmed by a selective assay method with antiserum that the addition of tryptophan to the medium does not affect the formation of one of the enzymes (constitutive-type). The constitutive kynureninase was purified approximately 650-fold and was free of the inducible enzyme as judged by analytical gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight and optimum pH values of both enzymes are very similar. However, the constitutive enzyme shows much higher activity and affinity for L-3-hydroxykynurenine than for L-kynurenine, suggesting that the enzyme functions biosynthetically as a 3-hydroxykynureninase. Constitutive kynureninase activities were widely found in all the fungi tested, whereas the inducible enzyme activity was not present in Mucor or Rhizopus species. The inducible enzymes of all the Neurospora strains examined were shown to be immunologically identical.     

Mechanism of reactions catalyzed by selenocysteine beta-lyase

The reaction mechanism of selenocystine beta-lyase has been studied and it was found that elemental selenium is released enzymatically from selenocysteine, and reduced to H2Se nonenzymatically with dithiothreitol or some other reductants that are added to prepare selenocysteine from selenocystine in the anaerobic reaction system. 1H and 13C NMR spectra of L-alanine formed in 2H2O have shown that an equimolar amount of [beta-2H1]- and [beta-2H2]alanines are produced. The deuterium isotope effect at the alpha position was observed; kH/kD = 2.4. These results indicated that the alpha hydrogen of selenocysteine was removed by a base at the active site, and was incorporated into the alpha position of alanine, a product, without exchange of a solvent deuterium. When the enzyme was incubated with L-selenocysteine in the absence of added pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, the activity decreased with prolonged incubation time. However, the activity was recovered by addition of 5'-phosphate. The spectrophotometric study showed that the inactivated enzyme was the apo form. The apoenzyme was activated by a combination of pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate and various alpha-keto acids such as alpha-ketoglutarate and pyruvate. Thus, the enzyme is inactivated through transamination between selenocysteine and the bound pyridoxal 5'-phosphate to produce pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate and a keto acid derived from selenocysteine. The pyridoxal enzyme, an active form, is regenerated by addition of alpha-keto acids. This regulatory mechanism is analogous to those of aspartate beta-decarboxylase [EC 4.1.1.12], arginine racemase [EC 5.1.1.9], and kynureninase [EC 3.7.1.3] [K. Soda and K. Tanizawa (1979) Adv. Enzymol. 49, 1].     

Activation of Glutamate Apodecarboxylase by Succinic Semialdehyde and Pyridoxamine 5'-Phosphate

Glutamate apodecarboxylase was activated by incubation with succinic semialdehyde and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate. Activation required both compounds and was highly selective for succinic semialdehyde. Of 18 analogs tested, only glyoxylate, pyruvate, oxaloacetate, and 2-oxoglutarate activated the apoenzyme significantly, but much higher concentrations of these compounds than of succinic semialdehyde were required. In the presence of pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate, the concentration of succinic semialdehyde giving half-maximal activation of apoenzyme was 7 microM. In contrast, the Ki for succinic semialdehyde as a competitive inhibitor of glutamate decarboxylation was 1.2 mM, indicating that apoenzyme with bound pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate has a much higher affinity for succinic semialdehyde than does holoenzyme. The concentration of pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate giving half-maximal activation was 17 microM, which is more than an order of magnitude greater than the corresponding value for pyridoxal 5'-phosphate.     

Evidence for distinct kynureninase and hydroxykynureninase activities in Neurospora crassa

Previous studies have indicated that a single enzyme, "kynureninase," catalyzes the reactions of l-kynurenine to anthranilate and l-3-hydroxykynurenine to 3-hydroxyanthranilate in Neurospora crassa and in other organisms. The present report describes separate enzymes which catalyze these reactions in N. crassa. The first, a kynureninase, preferentially catalyzes kynurenine to anthranilate and is induced over 400-fold by tryptophan or a catabolite of tryptophan. The second, a hydroxykynureninase, is constitutive or noninducible by tryptophan and preferentially catalyzes l-3-hydroxykynurenine to 3-hydroxyanthranilate. The physiological significance of these enzymes may be inferred from the facts that (i) the noninducible enzyme hydroxykynureninase appears to be the main enzyme present in uninduced cells that is capable of catalyzing l-3-hydroxykynurenine to 3-hydroxyanthranilate for the indispensible synthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, and (ii) the inducible enzyme kynureninase is induced by tryptophan to a concentration far in excess of that needed to meet the requirements of the cells for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, resulting in the excretion of anthranilate into the medium.     

Isolation and characterization of a rat liver enzyme with both cysteine conjugate beta-lyase and kynureninase activity

Cysteine conjugate beta-lyase is a name applied to enzymes which cleave the S-cysteine conjugates of some xenobiotics to pyruvate, ammonia, and a thiol. Recently, several laboratories have characterized these enzymes from kidney, liver, and bacterial sources in an effort to understand their role in the genesis of novel sulfur-containing metabolites of xenobiotics and in the toxicity of some S-cysteine conjugates. Kynureninase is an enzyme which plays a key role in the biosynthesis of nicotinamide ribonucleotides. This investigation demonstrates that rat hepatic cysteine conjugate beta-lyase is the same enzyme as kynureninase. Both activities copurify on ion exchange, hydroxylapatite, and molecular exclusion chromatography. The subunit composition of enzyme prepared by two different methods is identical, Mr = 55,000. The Km values for 3-OH-kynurenine and kynurenine are 13 and 400 microM, respectively. Kynurenine and 3-hydroxykynurenine inhibit cysteine conjugate beta-lyase activity. Inactivation of the enzyme by substrates which undergo beta-elimination results in loss of kynureninase activity, but kynurenine does not inactivate the enzyme. Both enzyme activities react with anti-cysteine conjugate beta-lyase antibody. Product inhibitors of kynureninase, anthranilate, and 3-hydroxyanthranilate are also inhibitors of cysteine conjugate beta-lyase. Heat inactivation at 70 degrees C produced coincident loss of both activities. The enzyme has an absorption maximum at 432 nm suggesting a bound pyridoxal phosphate. These data show that at least one cysteine conjugate beta-lyase is a pyridoxal phosphate enzyme with a biological function other than xenobiotic metabolism. The enzyme can catalyze two distinct types of reactions, i.e. beta-elimination and the kynureninase reaction.     

The mechanism of kynurenine hydrolysis catalyzed by kynureninase.

Several kynurenine analogs have been prepared and examined for their susceptibility to hydrolytic cleavage by bacterial kynureninase. In addition to L-kynurenine, 4-fluoro- and 5-fluoro-L-kynurenines were hydrolyzed rapidly. 3-Hydroxy-, 5-hydroxy-, 5-methyl-, and N'-formyl-L-kynurenines, and beta-benzoyl-DL-alanine were hydrolyzed slowly, whereas D-kynurenine, S-benzyl-L-cysteine, and L-asparagine were not hydrolyzed. Kinetic parameters for these kynurenine analogs indicate that a substituent on the benzene ring of kynurenine does not greatly affect the affinity of the enzyme for the substrate but does markedly affect the rate of hydrolysis. gamma-(o-Aminophenyl)-L-homoserine was converted into L-alanine and o-amino-benzaldehyde, suggesting that the sigma-bond electrons between the beta- and gamma-carbon atoms of this kynurenine analog remain in the alanyl moiety during the enzyme reaction. Aromatic compounds such as o-aminobenzaldehyde and o-aminoacetophenone strongly inhibited the kynurenine hydrolysis. It was shown that kynurenic acid is not produced by kynureninase by the use of isotopically labeled substrate. A small amount of pyruvate was definitely formed in the kynureninase reaction. On the basis of these results, a reaction mechanism is proposed for the enzymatic kynurenine cleavage, involving hydrolysis of the alpha, gamma-diketone intermediate to give anthranilic acid and the pyruvate-pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate Schiff base, which is further converted into the alanine-pyridoxal 5'-phosphate Schiff base, or directly hydrolyzed to give pyruvate and the pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate form of the enzyme.     

Inactivation of rat brain acetylcholinesterase by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate

Effects of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate on the activity of crude and purified acetylcholinesterase from cerebral hemispheres of adult rat brain were examined. Acetylcholinesterase was completely inactivated by incubation with 0.5 mM pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. The enzyme activity remained unaltered in the presence of analogs of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, pyridoxal, pyridoxamine and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate. The inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate appeared to be of a noncompetitive nature, as determined by Lineweaver-Burk analysis. The inhibitory effect of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate on acetylcholinesterase appeared to be a general one, as the activity of the enzyme from the brains of immature chick and egg-laying hen, and from different tissues of the adult male rats, exhibited a similar pattern in the presence of the inhibitor. The inhibitory effects of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate could be reversed upon exhaustive dialysis of the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-treated acetylcholinesterase preparations. We propose that the effects of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate are due to its interaction with acetylcholinesterase, and that it can be employed as a useful tool for studying biochemical aspects of this important brain enzyme.     

Transaminations catalysed by brain glutamate decarboxylase.

In addition to normal decarboxylation of glutamate to 4-aminobutyrate, glutamate decarboxylase from pig brain was shown to catalyse decarboxylation-dependent transamination of L-glutamate and direct transamination of 4-aminobutyrate with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate to yield succinic semialdehyde and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate in a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio. Both reactions result in conversion of holoenzyme into apoenzyme. With glutamate as substrate the rates of transamination differed markedly among the three forms of the enzyme (0.008, 0.012 and 0.029% of the rate of 4-aminobutyrate production by the alpha-, beta- and gamma-forms at pH 7.2) and accounted for the differences among the forms in rates of inactivation by glutamate and 4-aminobutyrate. Rates of transamination were maximal at about pH 8 and varied in parallel with the rate constants for inactivation from pH 6.5 to 8.0. Rates of transamination of glutamate and 4-aminobutyrate were similar, suggesting that the decarboxylation step is not entirely rate-limiting in the normal mechanism. The transamination was reversible, and apoenzyme could be reconstituted to holoenzyme by reverse transamination with succinic semialdehyde and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate. As a major route of apoenzyme formation, the transamination reaction appears to be physiologically significant and could account for the high proportion of apoenzyme in brain.     

Crystal structure of Homo sapiens kynureninase

Kynureninase is a member of a large family of catalytically diverse but structurally homologous pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes known as the aspartate aminotransferase superfamily or alpha-family. The Homo sapiens and other eukaryotic constitutive kynureninases preferentially catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine to produce 3-hydroxyanthranilate and l-alanine, while l-kynurenine is the substrate of many prokaryotic inducible kynureninases. The human enzyme was cloned with an N-terminal hexahistidine tag, expressed, and purified from a bacterial expression system using Ni metal ion affinity chromatography. Kinetic characterization of the recombinant enzyme reveals classic Michaelis-Menten behavior, with a Km of 28.3 +/- 1.9 microM and a specific activity of 1.75 micromol min-1 mg-1 for 3-hydroxy-dl-kynurenine. Crystals of recombinant kynureninase that diffracted to 2.0 A were obtained, and the atomic structure of the PLP-bound holoenzyme was determined by molecular replacement using the Pseudomonas fluorescens kynureninase structure (PDB entry 1qz9) as the phasing model. A structural superposition with the P. fluorescens kynureninase revealed that these two structures resemble the "open" and "closed" conformations of aspartate aminotransferase. The comparison illustrates the dynamic nature of these proteins' small domains and reveals a role for Arg-434 similar to its role in other AAT alpha-family members. Docking of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine into the human kynureninase active site suggests that Asn-333 and His-102 are involved in substrate binding and molecular discrimination between inducible and constitutive kynureninase substrates.     

Mechanism of inactivation of gamma-aminobutyric acid aminotransferase by (S,E)-4-amino-5-fluoropent-2-enoic acid

Evidence for an enamine mechanism of inactivation of pig brain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) aminotransferase by (S,E)-4-amino-5-fluoropent-2-enoic acid is presented. apo-GABA aminotransferase reconstituted with [3H]pyridoxal 5'-phosphate is inactivated by (S,E)-4-amino-5-fluoropent-2-enoic acid and the pH is raised to 12. All of the radioactivity is released from the enzyme as an adduct of the cofactor; no [3H]pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate is generated.     

Modulation of arginine decarboxylase activity from Mycobacterium smegmatis. Evidence for pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-mediated conformational changes in the enzyme

Arginine decarboxylase (arginine carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.19) from Mycobacterium smegmatis, TMC 1546 has been purified to homogeneity. The enzyme has a molecular mass of 232 kDa and a subunit mass of 58.9 kDa. The enzyme from mycobacteria is totally dependent on pyridoxal 5'-phosphate for its activity at its optimal pH and, unlike that from Escherichia coli, Mg2+ does not play an active role in the enzyme conformation. The enzyme is specific for arginine (Km = 1.6 mM). The holoenzyme is completely resolved in dialysis against hydroxylamine. Reconstitution of the apoenzyme with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate shows sigmoidal binding characteristics at pH 8.4 with a Hill coefficient of 2.77, whereas at pH 6.2 the binding is hyperbolic in nature. The kinetics of reconstitution at pH 8.4 are apparently sigmoidal, indicating the occurrence of two binding types of differing strengths. A low-affinity (Kd = 22.5 microM) binding to apoenzyme at high pyridoxal 5'-phosphate concentrations and a high-affinity (Kd = 3.0 microM) binding to apoenzyme at high pyridoxal 5'-phosphate concentrations. The restoration of full activity occurred in parallel with the tight binding (high affinity) of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate to the apoenzyme. Along with these characteristics, spectral analyses of holoenzyme and apoenzyme at pH 8.4 and pH 6.2 indicate a pH-dependent modulation of coenzyme function. Based on the pH-dependent changes in the polarity of the active-site environment, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate forms different Schiff-base tautomers at pH 8.4 and pH 6.2 with absorption maxima at 415 nm and 333 nm, respectively. These separate forms of Schiff-base confer different catalytic efficiencies to the enzyme.     

Affinity labeling of pig kidney 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) decarboxylase with N-(bromoacetyl)pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate. Modification of an active-site cysteine

Pig kidney 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) decarboxylase is inactivated by N-(bromoacetyl)pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate (BAPMP) in a reaction which follows first-order kinetics at pH 7.5 and 25 degrees C. The concentration dependence of inactivation reveals saturation kinetics with an apparent Ki of 0.16 mM and kinact of 0.086 min-1 at saturating inhibitor concentration. Enzyme can be protected from inactivation by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. Inactivation of enzyme by [14C]BAPMP proceeds with the incorporation of a stoichiometric amount of labeled inhibitor. Proteolytic digestions of the radioactively labeled enzyme followed by high-performance liquid chromatography allow the isolation of the modified peptide corresponding to the sequence Ala-Ala-Ser-Pro-Ala-Cys-Thr-Glu-Leu in which cysteine (Cys111) is the modified residue. The conservation of this residue and also of an extended region around it in all Dopa decarboxylases so far sequenced is underlined. The overall conclusion of these findings is that Cys111 may be at, or near, the pyridoxal-5'-phosphate binding site of pig kidney Dopa decarboxylase and plays a critical role in the catalytic function of the enzyme. Furthermore, fluorescence studies of BAPMP-modified apoenzyme provide useful information on the microenvironment of the affinity label at its binding site.     

Kinetic studies of the pyridoxal kinase from pig liver: slow-binding inhibition by adenosine tetraphosphopyridoxal

Pyridoxal kinase from pig liver has been purified 10,000-fold to apparent homogeneity. The enzyme is a dimer of subunits of Mr 32,000. The enzyme is strongly inhibited by the product pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. Liver pyridoxamine phosphate oxidase, another enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, is also strongly inhibited by this compound [Wada, H., & Snell, E. E. (1961) J. Biol. Chem. 236, 2089-2095]. Thus, the biosynthesis of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate in the liver might be regulated by the product inhibition of both pyridoxamine phosphate oxidase and pyridoxal kinase. Kinetic studies revealed that the catalytic reaction of liver pyridoxal kinase follows an ordered mechanism in which pyridoxal and ATP bind to the enzyme and ADP and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate are released from the enzyme, in this order. Adenosine tetraphosphopyridoxal was found to be a slow-binding inhibitor of pyridoxal kinase. Pre-steady-state kinetics of the inhibition revealed that the inhibitor and the enzyme form an initial weak complex prior to the formation of a tighter and slowly reversing complex. The overall inhibition constant was 2.4 microM. ATP markedly protects the enzyme against time-dependent inhibition by the inhibitor, whereas another substrate pyridoxal affords no protection. By contrast, adenosine triphosphopyridoxal is not a slow-binding inhibitor of this enzyme.     

Purification and biochemical characterization of some of the properties of recombinant human kynureninase.

Recombinant human kynureninase (L-kynurenine hydrolase, EC 3.7.1.3) was purified to homogeneity (60-fold) from Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells infected with baculovirus containing the kynureninase gene. The purification protocol comprised ammonium sulfate precipitation and several chromatographic steps, including DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, hydroxyapatite, strong anionic and cationic separations. The purity of the enzyme was determined by SDS/PAGE, and the molecular mass verified by MALDI-TOF MS. The monomeric molecular mass of 52.4 kDa determined was > 99.99% of the predicted molecular mass. A UV absorption spectrum of the holoenzyme resulted in a peak at 432 nm. The optimum pH was 8.25 and the enzyme displayed a strong dependence on the ionic strength of the buffer for optimum activity. This cloned enzyme was highly specific for 3-hydroxykynurenine (Km = 3.0 microm +/- 0.10) and was inhibited by L-kynurenine (Ki = 20 microm), d-kynurenine (Ki = 12 microm) and a synthetic substrate analogue D,L-3,7-dihydroxydesaminokynurenine (Ki = 100 nm). The activity/concentration profile for kynureninase from this source was sigmoidal in all instances. There appeared to be partial inhibition by substrate, and excess pyridoxal 5'-phosphate was found to be inhibitory.     

Inactivation of rat gastric mucosal histidine decarboxylase by phosphatase

Histidine decarboxylase of supernatants as well as of purified preparations from rat gastric mucosa is inactivated by a non-specific phosphatase in the absence of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. The inactivation is a time and concentration-dependent process. Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, but not histidine, protects the enzyme against phosphatase action. The inactivation is reversible, only pyridoxal 5'-phosphate reactivates the inactivated enzyme. Pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate is ineffective for histidine decarboxylase, but is converted into an active coenzyme only in gastric supernatant. Evidence for the occurrence of an active phosphatase in gastric tissue is also presented; its properties are those of an acid phosphatase and are similar to those of phosphatases hydrolyzing pyridoxal 5'-phosphate in other tissues. The data indicate that phosphatase promotes apoenzyme formation and may play a role in the regulation of histamine synthesis.     

Rapid Inactivation of Brain Glutamate Decarboxylase by Aspartate

In the absence of its cofactor, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (pyridoxal-P), glutamate decarboxylase is rapidly inactivated by aspartate. Inactivation is a first-order process and the apparent rate constant is a simple saturation function of the concentration of aspartate. For the beta-form of the enzyme, the concentration of aspartate giving the half-maximal rate of inactivation is 6.1 +/- 1.3 mM and the maximal apparent rate constant is 1.02 +/- 0.09 min-1, which corresponds to a half-time of inactivation of 41 s. The rate of inactivation by aspartate is about 25 times faster than inactivation by glutamate or gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Inactivation is accompanied by a rapid conversion of holoenzyme to apoenzyme and is opposed by pyridoxal-P, suggesting that inactivation results from an alternative transamination of aspartate catalyzed by the enzyme, as previously observed with glutamate and GABA. Consistent with this mechanism pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate, an expected transamination product, was formed when the enzyme was incubated with aspartate and pyridoxal-P. The rate of transamination relative to the rate of decarboxylation was much greater for aspartate than for glutamate. Apoenzyme formed by transamination of aspartate was reactivated with pyridoxal-P. In view of the high rate of inactivation, aspartate may affect the level of apoenzyme in brain.     

Reversible modification of amino groups in aspartate aminotransferase.

Amino groups in the pyridoxal phosphate, pyridoxamine phosphate, and apo forms of pig heart cytoplasmic aspartate aminotransferase (L-aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, EC .2.6.1.1) have been reversibly modified with 2,4-pentanedione. The rate of modification has been measured spectrophotometrically by observing the formation of the enamine produced and this rate has been compared with the rate of loss of catalytic activity for all three forms of the enzyme. Of the 21 amino groups per 46 500 molecular weight, approx. 16 can be modified in the pyridoxal phosphate form with less than a 50% change in the catalytic activity of the enzyme. A slow inactivation occurs which is probably due to reaction of 2,4-pentanedione with the enzyme-bound pyridoxal phosphate. The pyridoxamine phosphate enzyme is completely inactivated by reaction with 2,4-pentanedione. The inactivation of the pyridoxamine phosphate enzyme is not inhibited by substrate analogs. A single lysine residue in the apoenzyme reacts approx. 100 times faster with 2,4-pentanedione than do other amino groups. This lysine is believed to be lysine-258, which forms a Schiff base with pyridoxal phosphate in the holoenzyme.     

Amino acid sequences of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate binding sites and fluorescence resonance energy transfer in chicken liver fatty acid synthase

The amino acid sequences associated with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate binding sites in chicken liver fatty acid synthase have been determined: a site whose modification causes selective inhibition of the enoyl reductase activity and a site (site I) that is not associated with enzymatic activity. The amino acid sequences of peptides obtained by trypsin hydrolysis of the pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate labeled enzyme were determined. For the site associated with enoyl reductase activity, the sequence similarities between chicken and goose are extensive and include the sequence Ser-X-X-Lys, a characteristic structural feature of pyridoxamine enzymes. In addition, the spatial relationships between the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate binding sites and reductase site(s) have been studied with fluorescence resonance energy-transfer techniques. The distances between site I and the enoyl reductase and beta-ketoacyl reductase sites are greater than 50 and 41-44 A, respectively. The distance between the two reductase sites is greater than 49 A.     

A simple preparation method for apoaspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli B, and its application for the assay of pyridoxal and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate

A simple and rapid preparation method for apoaspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli B was developed. A crude extract of the bacterial cells was treated batchwise with DEAE-cellulose. The enzyme fraction obtained was then applied to a pyridoxamine-Sepharose column. Apoaspartate aminotransferase was eluted with 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), and found to be electrophoretically homogeneous. The apoenzyme preparation thus obtained showed very low holoenzyme activity (only 0.4% of the activity seen in the fully saturated condition with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate) and was successfully used for assaying pyridoxal and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate.     

Distinct kynureninase and hydroxykynureninase activities in microorganisms: occurrence and properties of a single physiologically discrete enzyme in yeast

(i) Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown in the presence of 1.0 mM l-tryptophan slowly excreted fluorescent material that was chromatographically identifiable as 3-hydroxyanthranilate but did not excrete detectable amounts of anthranilate nor rapidly deplete the medium of l-tryptophan. Under similar growth conditions, Neurospora crassa rapidly excretes anthranilate and rapidly depletes the medium of l-tryptophan. (ii) Chromatographic analysis of crude extracts from yeast revealed a single kynureninase-type enzyme whose synthesis was not measurably affected by the presence of tryptophan in the medium. Previous studies have provided evidence for two kynureninase-type enzymes in N. crassa, an inducible kynureninase and a constitutive hydroxykynureninase. (iii) Kinetic analysis of the partially purified yeast enzyme provided Michaelis constants for l-3-hydroxykynurenine and l-kynurenine of 6.7 x 10(-6) and 5.4 x 10(-4) M, respectively. This and other kinetic properties of the yeast enzyme are comparable to those reported for the constitutive enzyme from N. crassa. (iv) These findings suggest that S. cerevisiae has in common with N. crassa the biosynthetic enzyme hydroxykynureninase but lacks the catabolic enzyme kynureninase. Therefore, it can be predicted that, unlike N. crassa, S. cerevisiae does not carry out the tryptophan-anthranilate cycle. Distinct kynureninase-type enzymes may exist in other microorganisms and in mammals.