Altering product outcome in Abies grandis (-)-limonene synthase and (-)-limonene/(-)-alpha-pinene synthase by domain swapping and directed mutagenesis

(-)-(4S)-limonene synthase (LS) and (-)-(4S)-limonene/(-)-(1S, 5S)-alpha-pinene synthase (LPS) from grand fir (Abies grandis) exhibit nearly 91% sequence identity (93% similarity) at the amino acid level, yet produce very different mixtures of monoterpene olefins. To elucidate critical amino acids involved in determining monoterpene product distribution, a combination of domain swapping and reciprocal site-directed mutagenesis was carried out between these two enzymes. Exchange of the predicted helix D through F region in LS gave rise to an LPS-like product outcome, whereas reciprocal substitutions of four amino acids in LPS (two in the predicted helix D and two in the predicted helix F) altered the product distribution to that intermediate between LS and LPS, and resulted in a 5-fold increase in relative velocity. These results, in conjunction with modeling of the two enzymes, suggest that amino acids in the predicted D through F helix regions are critical for product determination.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of a new linalool synthase

Mentha citrata Ehrh. (bergamot mint; Lamiaceae) produces an essential oil containing only the acyclic monoterpenol (-)-3R-linalool and its acetate ester. A cloning strategy based upon the assumption that the responsible monoterpene synthase would resemble, in sequence, monoterpene cyclases from this plant family yielded a cDNA encoding the (--)-3R-linalool synthase. The nucleotide sequence of this monoterpene synthase is similar to those of several monoterpene cyclases from the mint (Lamiaceae) family (62-72% identity), but differs substantially from that of 3S-linalool synthase from Clarkia (41% identity; this composite gene appears to be of recent origin) and from that of 3R-linalool synthase from Artemisia (52% identity; the functional role of this gene is uncertain). Heterologous expression in Escherichia coli of a truncated version of the cDNA (in which the plastidial transit peptide was deleted) allowed purification and characterization of the enzyme, which was shown to possess most properties similar to other known monoterpene cyclases, but with a K(m) value for the natural substrate, geranyl diphosphate, of 56 microM with k(cat) of 0.83 s(-1). These kinetic constants for this 3R-linalool synthase are higher than those of any defined monoterpene cyclase, but the kinetic efficiency does not approach that reported for the 3S-linalool synthase from Clarkia. Although linalyl diphosphate is an enzyme-bound intermediate of monoterpene cyclase reactions, this tertiary allylic isomer of the geranyl substrate is not an efficient precursor of linalool with the M. citrata synthase. Modeling of the active site of this linalool synthase from Mentha and comparison to the modeled active sites of phylogenetically related monoterpene cyclases revealed structural differences in the binding of the diphosphate moiety which initiates the ionization step of the electrophilic reaction sequence and in the access of water to the active site to permit stereoselective quenching of the initially formed carbocationic intermediate to produce 3R-linalool.     

Cloning, expression, purification and characterization of recombinant (+)-germacrene D synthase from Zingiber officinale

A cDNA clone encoding a sesquiterpene synthase, (+)-germacrene D synthase, has been isolated from ginger (Zingiber officinale). The full-length cDNA (AY860846) contains a 1650-bp open reading frame coding for 550 amino acids (63.8kDa) with a theoretical pI=5.59. The deduced amino acid sequence is 30-46% identical with sequences of other sesquiterpene synthases from angiosperms. The recombinant enzyme, produced in Escherichia coli, catalyzed the formation of a major product, (+)-germacrene D (50.2% of total sesquiterpenoids produced) and a co-product, germacrene B (17.1%) and a number of minor by-products. The optimal pH for the recombinant enzyme is around 7.5. Substantial (+)-germacrene D synthase activity is observed in the presence of Mg2+, Mn2+, Ni2+ or Co2+, while the enzyme is inactive when Cu2+ or Zn2+ is used. The Km- and kcat-values are 0.88 microM and 3.34 x 10(-3) s(-1), respectively. A reaction mechanism involving a double 1,2-hydride shift has been established using deuterium labeled substrates in combination with GC-MS analysis.     

cDNA cloning, characterization, and functional expression of four new monoterpene synthase members of the Tpsd gene family from grand fir (Abies grandis).

Grand fir (Abies grandis) is a useful model system for studying the biochemistry, molecular genetics, and regulation of defensive oleoresin formation in conifers, a process involving both the constitutive accumulation of resin (pitch) in specialized secretory structures and the induced biosynthesis of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes (turpentine) and diterpene resin acids (rosin) by nonspecialized cells at the site of injury. A similarity-based cloning strategy, employing primers designed to conserved regions of existing monoterpene synthases and anticipated to amplify a 1000-bp fragment, unexpectedly yielded a 300-bp fragment with sequence reminiscent of a terpenoid synthase. Utilization of this amplicon as a hybridization probe afforded four new, full-length cDNA species from a wounded fir stem cDNA library that appeared to encode four distinct monoterpene synthases. Expression in Escherichia coli, followed by enzyme assay with geranyl diphosphate (C(10)), farnesyl diphosphate (C(15)) and geranylgeranyl diphosphate (C(20)), and analysis of the terpene products by chiral phase gas chromatography and mass spectrometry confirmed that these sequences encoded four new monoterpene synthases, including (-)-camphene synthase, (-)-beta-phellandrene synthase, terpinolene synthase, and an enzyme that produces both (-)-limonene and (-)-alpha-pinene. The deduced amino acid sequences indicated these enzymes to be 618 to 637 residues in length (71 to 73 kDa) and to be translated as preproteins bearing an amino-terminal plastid targeting sequence of 50-60 residues. cDNA truncation to delete the transit peptide allowed functional expression of the "pseudomature" forms of these enzymes, which exhibited no change in product outcome as a result of truncation. Sequence comparison revealed that these new monoterpene synthases from grand fir are members of the Tpsd gene subfamily and resemble sesquiterpene (C(15)) synthases and diterpene (C(20)) synthases from conifers more closely than mechanistically related monoterpene synthases from angiosperm species. The availability of a nearly complete set of constitutive and inducible monoterpene synthases from grand fir (now numbering seven) will allow molecular dissection of the resin-based defense response in this conifer species, and detailed study of structure-function relationships among this large and diverse family of catalysts, all of which exploit the same stereochemistry in the coupled isomerization-cyclization reaction.     

The product chain length determination mechanism of type II geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase requires subunit interaction

The product chain length determination mechanism of type II geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase from the bacterium, Pantoea ananatis, was studied. In most types of short-chain (all-E) prenyl diphosphate synthases, bulky amino acids at the fourth and/or fifth positions upstream from the first aspartate-rich motif play a primary role in the product determination mechanism. However, type II geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase lacks such bulky amino acids at these positions. The second position upstream from the G(Q/E) motif has recently been shown to participate in the mechanism of chain length determination in type III geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase. Amino acid substitutions adjacent to the residues upstream from the first aspartate-rich motif and from the G(Q/E) motif did not affect the chain length of the final product. Two amino acid insertion in the first aspartate-rich motif, which is typically found in bacterial enzymes, is thought to be involved in the product determination mechanism. However, deletion mutation of the insertion had no effect on product chain length. Thus, based on the structures of homologous enzymes, a new line of mutants was constructed in which bulky amino acids in the alpha-helix located at the expected subunit interface were replaced with alanine. Two mutants gave products with longer chain lengths, suggesting that type II geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase utilizes an unexpected mechanism of chain length determination, which requires subunit interaction in the homooligomeric enzyme. This possibility is strongly supported by the recently determined crystal structure of plant type II geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase.     

Characterization of four terpene synthase cDNAs from methyl jasmonate-induced Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii

Numerous terpenoid compounds are present in copious amounts in the oleoresin produced by conifers, especially following exposure to insect or fungal pests. CDNA clones for many terpene synthases responsible for the biosynthesis of these defense compounds have been recovered from several conifer species. Here, the use of three terpene synthase sequences as heterologous probes for the discovery of related terpene synthase genes in Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco (Pinaceae), is reported. Four full-length terpene synthase cDNAs were recovered from a methyl jasmonate-induced Douglas-fir bark and shoot cDNA library. These clones encode two multi-product monoterpene synthases [a (-)-alpha-pinene/(-)-camphene synthase and a terpinolene synthase] and two single-product sesquiterpene synthases [an (E)-beta-farnesene synthase and a (E)-gamma-bisabolene synthase].     

Cloning and functional characterisation of a cis-muuroladiene synthase from black peppermint (Menthaxpiperita) and direct evidence for a chemotype unable to synthesise farnesene

Using oligonucleotide primers designed to the known gene sequence of an (E)-beta-farnesene (EbetaF) synthase, two cDNA sequences (MxpSS1 and MxpSS2) were cloned from a black peppermint (Menthaxpiperita) plant. MxpSS1 encoded a protein with 96% overall amino acid sequence identity with the EbetaF synthase. Recombinant MxpSS1 produced in Escherichia coli, after removal of an N-terminal thioredoxin fusion, had a K(m) for FPP of 1.91+/-0.1 microM and k(cat) of 0.18 s(-1), and converted farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) into four products, the major two being cis-muurola-3,5-diene (45%) and cis-muurola-4(14),5-diene (43%). This is the first cis-muuroladiene synthase, to be characterised. MxpSS2 encoded a protein with only two amino acids differing from EbetaF synthase. Recombinant MxpSS2 protein showed no activity towards FPP. One of the two mutations, at position 531 (leucine in MxpSS2 and serine in EbetaF synthase) was shown, by structural modelling to occur in the J-K loop, an element of the structure of sesquiterpene synthases known to be important in the reaction mechanism. Reintroduction of the serine at position 531 into MxpSS2 by site-directed mutagenesis restored EbetaF synthase activity (K(m) for FPP 0.98+/-0.12 microM, k(cat) 0.1 s(-1)), demonstrating the crucial role of this residue in the enzyme activity. Analysis, by GC-MS, of the sesquiterpene profile of the plant used for the cloning, revealed that EbetaF was not present, confirming that this particular mint chemotype had lost EbetaF synthase activity due to the observed mutations.     

Alternative termination chemistries utilized by monoterpene cyclases: chimeric analysis of bornyl diphosphate, 1,8-cineole,and sabinene synthases

Monoterpene cyclization reactions are initiated by ionization and isomerization of geranyl diphosphate, and proceed, via cyclization of bound linalyl diphosphate, through a series of carbocation intermediates with ultimate termination of the multistep cascade by deprotonation or nucleophile capture. Three structurally and mechanistically related monoterpene cyclases from Salvia officinalis, (+)-sabinene synthase (deprotonation to olefin), 1,8-cineole synthase (water capture), and (+)-bornyl diphosphate synthase (diphosphate capture), were employed to explore the structural determinants of these alternative termination chemistries. Results with chimeric recombinant enzymes, constructed by reciprocally substituting regions of sabinene synthase with the corresponding sequences from bornyl diphosphate synthase or 1,8-cineole synthase, demonstrated that exchange of the C-terminal catalytic domain is sufficient to completely switch the resulting product profile. Exchange of smaller sequence elements identified a region of roughly 70 residues from 1,8-cineole synthase that, when substituted into sabinene synthase, conferred the ability to produce 1,8-cineole. A similar strategy identified a small region of bornyl diphosphate synthase important in conducting the anti-Markovnikov addition to the bornane skeleton. Observations made with these chimeric monoterpene cyclases are discussed in the context of the recently determined crystal structure for bornyl diphosphate synthase.     

Crystal structure of type-III geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the mechanism of product chain length determination

Geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase (GGPPs) catalyzes a condensation reaction of farnesyl pyrophosphate with isopentenyl pyrophosphate to generate C(20) geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate, which is a precursor for carotenoids, chlorophylls, geranylgeranylated proteins, and archaeal ether-linked lipid. For short-chain trans-prenyltransferases that synthesize C(10)-C(25) products, bulky amino acid residues generally occupy the fourth or fifth position upstream from the first DDXXD motif to block further elongation of the final products. However, the short-chain type-III GGPPs in eukaryotes lack any large amino acid at these positions. In this study, the first structure of type-III GGPPs from Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been determined to 1.98 A resolution. The structure is composed entirely of 15 alpha-helices joined by connecting loops and is arranged with alpha-helices around a large central cavity. Distinct from other known structures of trans-prenyltransferases, the N-terminal 17 amino acids (9-amino acid helix A and the following loop) of this GGPPs protrude from the helix core into the other subunit and contribute to the tight dimer formation. Deletion of the first 9 or 17 amino acids caused the dissociation of dimer into monomer, and the Delta(1-17) mutant showed abolished enzyme activity. In each subunit, an elongated hydrophobic crevice surrounded by D, F, G, H, and I alpha-helices contains two DDXXD motifs at the top for substrate binding with one Mg(2+) coordinated by Asp(75), Asp(79), and four water molecules. It is sealed at the bottom with three large residues of Tyr(107), Phe(108), and His(139). Compared with the major product C(30) synthesized by mutant H139A, the products generated by mutant Y107A and F108A are predominantly C(40) and C(30), respectively, suggesting the most important role of Tyr(107) in determining the product chain length.     

cDNA isolation,functional expression,and characterization of (+)-alpha-pinene synthase and (-)-alpha-pinene synthase from loblolly pine (Pinus taeda): stereocontrol in pinene biosynthesis

The complex mixture of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes that comprises oleoresin provides the primary defense of conifers against bark beetles and their associated fungal pathogens. Monoterpene synthases produce the turpentine fraction of oleoresin, which allows mobilization of the diterpene resin acid component (rosin) and is also toxic toward invading insects; this is particularly the case for alpha-pinene, a prominent bicyclic monoterpene of pine turpentine. The stereochemistry of alpha-pinene is a critical determinant of host defense capability and has implications for host selection, insect pheromone biosynthesis, and tritrophic-level interactions. Pines produce both enantiomers of alpha-pinene, which appear to arise through antipodal reaction mechanisms by distinct enzymes. Using a cDNA library constructed with mRNA from flushing needles of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), we employed a homology-based cloning strategy to isolate, and confirm by functional expression, the genes encoding (+)-(3R:5R)-alpha-pinene synthase, (-)-(3S:5S)-alpha-pinene synthase, and several other terpene synthases. The pinene synthases, which produce mirror-image products, share only 66% amino acid identity (72% similarity) but are similar in general properties to other monoterpene synthases of gymnosperms. The stereochemical control of monoterpene cyclization reactions, the evolution of "antipodal" enzymes, and the implications of turpentine composition in ecological interactions are discussed.     

Key amino acid residues required for aryl migration catalysed by the cytochrome P450 2-hydroxyisoflavanone synthase

Isoflavonoids are distributed predominantly in leguminous plants, and play pivotal roles in the interaction of host plants with biological environments. Isoflavones in the diet also have beneficial effects on human health as phytoestrogens. The isoflavonoid skeleton is constructed by the CYP93C subfamily of cytochrome P450s in plant cells. The reaction consists of hydroxylation of the flavanone molecule at C-2 and an intramolecular 1,2-aryl migration from C-2 to C-3 to yield 2-hydroxyisoflavanone. In this study, with the aid of alignment of amino acid sequences of CYP93 family P450s and a computer-generated putative stereo structure of the protein, candidates for key amino acid residues in CYP93C2 responsible for the unique aryl migration in 2-hydroxyisoflavanone synthase reaction were identified. Microsomes of recombinant yeast cells expressing mutant proteins of CYP93C2 were prepared, and their catalytic activities tested. The reaction with the mutant in which Ser 310 in the centre of the I-helix was converted to Thr yielded increased formation of 3-hydroxyflavanone, a by-product of the 2-hydroxyisoflavanone synthase reaction, in addition to the major isoflavonoid product. More dramatically, the mutant in which Lys 375 in the end of beta-sheet 1-4 was replaced with Thr produced only 3-hydroxyflavanone and did not yield the isoflavonoid any longer. The roles of these amino acid residues in the catalysis and evolution of isoflavonoid biosynthesis are discussed.     

Chain length determination of prenyltransferases: both heteromeric subunits of medium-chain (E)-prenyl diphosphate synthase are involved in the product chain length determination

Among prenyltransferases, medium-chain (E)-prenyl diphosphate synthases are unusual because of their heterodimeric structures. The larger subunit has highly conserved regions typical of (E)-prenyltransferases. The smaller one has recently been shown to be involved in the binding of allylic substrate as well as determining the chain length of the reaction product [Zhang, Y.-W., et al. (1999) Biochemistry 38, 14638-14643]. To better understand the product chain length determination mechanism of these enzymes, several amino acid residues in the larger subunits of Micrococcus luteus B-P 26 hexaprenyl diphosphate synthase and Bacillus subtilis heptaprenyl diphosphate synthase were selected for substitutions by site-directed mutagenesis and examined by combination with the corresponding wild-type or mutated smaller subunits. Replacement of the Ala at the fifth position upstream to the first Asp-rich motif with bulky amino acids in both larger subunits resulted in shortening the chain lengths of the major products, and a double combination of mutant subunits of the heptaprenyl diphosphate synthase, I-D97A/II-A79F, yielded exclusively geranylgeranyl diphosphate. However, the combination of a mutant subunit and the wild-type, I-Y103S/II-WT or I-WT/II-I76G, produced a C(40) prenyl diphosphate, and the double combination of the mutants, I-Y103S/II-I76G, gave a reaction product with longer prenyl chain up to C(50). These results suggest that medium-chain (E)-prenyl diphosphate synthases take a novel mode for the product chain length determination, in which both subunits cooperatively participate in maintaining and determining the product specificity of each enzyme.     

Interconversion of the product specificity of type I eubacterial farnesyl diphosphate synthase and geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase through one amino acid substitution

Prenyltransferases catalyze the sequential condensation of isopentenyl diphosphate into prenyl diphosphates with specific chain lengths. Pioneering studies demonstrated that the product specificities of type I prenyltransferases were mainly determined by the amino acid residues at the 4th and 5th positions before the first aspartate-rich motif (FARM) of the prenyltransferases. We previously cloned a type I geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (GGDPSase) gene from Streptomyces griseolosporeus MF730-N6 [Hamano, Y., Dairi, T., Yamamoto, M., Kawasaki, T., Kaneda, K., Kuzuyama, T., Itoh, N., and Seto, H. (2001) BIOSCI: Biotechnol. Biochem. 65, 1627-1635]. In this study, a prenyltransferase gene was cloned from Streptomyces argenteolus A-2 and was confirmed to encode a type I farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FDPSase). Interestingly, the amino acid residues at the 4th and 5th positions before the FARM were the same in these two enzymes. To identify the amino acid that determines the product chain length, mutated enzymes, GGDPSase (L-50S), FDPSase (S-50L), GGDPSase (V-8A), FDPSase (A-8V), GGDPSase (A+57L), and FDPSase (L+58A), in which the amino acid residue at the -50th, -8th, and +57th (58th) position before or after the FARM was substituted with the corresponding amino acid of the other enzyme, were constructed. The GGDPSase (A+57L) and FDPSase (L+58A) produced farnesyl diphosphate and geranylgeranyl diphosphate, respectively. On the other hand, the other mutated enzymes produced prenyl diphosphates with the same chain lengths as the wild type enzymes did. These results showed that the amino acid residue at the 57th (58th) position after the FARM also played an important role in determination of the product specificity.     

Folate biosynthesis in higher plants: purification and molecular cloning of a bifunctional 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase/7,8-dihydropteroate synthase localized in mitochondria.

In pea leaves, the synthesis of 7,8-dihydropteroate, a primary step in folate synthesis, was only detected in mitochondria. This reaction is catalyzed by a bifunctional 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase/7,8-dihydropteroate synthase enzyme, which represented 0.04-0.06% of the matrix proteins. The enzyme had a native mol. wt of 280-300 kDa and was made up of identical subunits of 53 kDa. The reaction catalyzed by the 7,8-dihydropteroate synthase domain of the protein was Mg2+-dependent and behaved like a random bireactant system. The related cDNA contained an open reading frame of 1545 bp and the deduced amino acid sequence corresponded to a polypeptide of 515 residues with a calculated M(r) of 56,454 Da. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with the N-terminal sequence of the purified protein indicated that the plant enzyme is synthesized with a putative mitochondrial transit peptide of 28 amino acids. The calculated M(r) of the mature protein was 53,450 Da. Southern blot experiments suggested that a single-copy gene codes for the enzyme. This result, together with the facts that the protein is synthesized with a mitochondrial transit peptide and that the activity was only detected in mitochondria, strongly supports the view that mitochondria is the major (unique?) site of 7,8-dihydropteroate synthesis in higher plant cells.     

Identification of amino acid residues essential for onion lachrymatory factor synthase activity

Lachrymatory factor synthase (LFS), an enzyme essential for the synthesis of the onion lachrymatory factor (propanethial S-oxide), was identified in 2002. This was the first reported enzyme involved in the production of thioaldehyde S-oxides via an intra-molecular H(+) substitution reaction, and we therefore attempted to identify the catalytic amino acid residues of LFS as the first step in elucidating the unique catalytic reaction mechanism of this enzyme. A comparison of the LFS cDNA sequences among lachrymatory Allium plants, a deletion analysis and site-directed mutagenesis enabled us to identify two amino acids (Arg71 and Glu88) that were indispensable to the LFS activity. Homology modeling was performed for LFS/23-169 on the basis of the template structure of a pyrabactin resistance 1-like protein (PYL) which had been selected from a BLASTP search on SWISS-MODEL against LFS/23-169. We identified in the modeled structure of LFS a pocket corresponding to the ligand-binding site in PYL, and Arg71 and Glu88 were located in this pocket.     

(E)-beta-ocimene and myrcene synthase genes of floral scent biosynthesis in snapdragon: function and expression of three terpene synthase genes of a new terpene synthase subfamily

Snapdragon flowers emit two monoterpene olefins, myrcene and (E)-beta-ocimene, derived from geranyl diphosphate, in addition to a major phenylpropanoid floral scent component, methylbenzoate. Emission of these monoterpenes is regulated developmentally and follows diurnal rhythms controlled by a circadian clock. Using a functional genomics approach, we have isolated and characterized three closely related cDNAs from a snapdragon petal-specific library that encode two myrcene synthases (ama1e20 and ama0c15) and an (E)-beta-ocimene synthase (ama0a23). Although the two myrcene synthases are almost identical (98%), except for the N-terminal 13 amino acids, and are catalytically active, yielding a single monoterpene product, myrcene, only ama0c15 is expressed at a high level in flowers and contributes to floral myrcene emission. (E)-beta-Ocimene synthase is highly similar to snapdragon myrcene synthases (92% amino acid identity) and produces predominantly (E)-beta-ocimene (97% of total monoterpene olefin product) with small amounts of (Z)-beta-ocimene and myrcene. These newly isolated snapdragon monoterpene synthases, together with Arabidopsis AtTPS14 (At1g61680), define a new subfamily of the terpene synthase (TPS) family designated the Tps-g group. Members of this new Tps-g group lack the RRx(8)W motif, which is a characteristic feature of the Tps-d and Tps-b monoterpene synthases, suggesting that the reaction mechanism of Tps-g monoterpene synthase product formation does not proceed via an RR-dependent isomerization of geranyl diphosphate to 3S-linalyl diphosphate, as shown previously for limonene cyclase. Analyses of tissue-specific, developmental, and rhythmic expression of these monoterpene synthase genes in snapdragon flowers revealed coordinated regulation of phenylpropanoid and isoprenoid scent production.     

Mechanism of the beta-ketoacyl synthase reaction catalyzed by the animal fatty acid synthase

The catalytic mechanism of the beta-ketoacyl synthase domain of the multifunctional fatty acid synthase has been investigated by a combination of mutagenesis, active-site titration, product analysis, and product inhibition. Neither the reactivity of the active-site Cys161 residue toward iodoacetamide nor the rate of unidirectional transfer of acyl moieties to Cys161 was significantly decreased by replacement of any of the conserved residues, His293, His331, or Lys326, with Ala. Decarboxylation of malonyl moieties in the fully-active Cys161Gln background generated equimolar amounts of acetyl-CoA and bicarbonate, rather than carbon dioxide, and was seriously compromised by replacement of any of the conserved basic residues. The ability of bicarbonate to inhibit decarboxylation of malonyl moieties in the Cys161Gln background was significantly reduced by replacement of His293 but less so by replacement of His331. The data are consistent with a reaction mechanism, in which the initial primer transfer reaction is promoted largely through a lowering of the pKa of the Cys161 thiol by a helix dipole effect and activation of the substrate thioester carbon atom by binding of the keto group in an oxyanion hole. The data also indicate that an activated water molecule is present at the active site that is required either for the rapid hydration of carbon dioxide, prior its release as bicarbonate or, alternatively, for an initial attack on the malonyl C3. In the alternative mechanism, a negatively-charged tetrahedral transition state could be generated, stabilized in part by interaction of His293 with the negatively charged oxygen at C3 and interaction of His331 with the negatively charged thioester carbonyl oxygen, that breaks down to generate bicarbonate directly. Finally, the carbanion at C2, attacks the electrophilic C1 of the primer, generating a second tetrahedral transition state, also stabilized through contacts with the oxyanion hole and His331, that breaks down to form the beta-ketoacyl-S-acyl carrier protein product.