Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase from yeast: kinetic analysis with chromium (III) pyrophosphate

The reactions catalyzed by orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRTase) and hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRTase) from yeast differ in the kinetic mechanisms by which they are activated by divalent metal ions. Moreover, whereas OPRTase is activated specifically by Mg(II) or Mn(II), the reactions catalyzed by HGPRTase can utilize a wider range of divalent metal ions, including Mg(II), Mn(II), Co(II), and Zn(II). In this report we describe the results of a kinetic analysis of the effects of the addition of Cr(III) pyrophosphate (Cr-PPi) to the OPRTase and HGPRTase assay solutions, which delineates further the differences between these enzyme activations by metal ions. (1) Cr-PPi is an effective competitive inhibitor of the OPRTase catalysis, when the steady-state forward velocity of orotidine monophosphate (OMP) formation is examined over a range of phosphoribosyl alpha-pyrophosphate (PRibPP) concentrations, whereas pyrophosphate (PPi) has been reaffirmed to be a noncompetitive product inhibitor under the same conditions. (2) Cr-PPi itself serves as a substrate for the OPRTase-catalyzed reverse pyrophosphorolysis of OMP and does not inhibit the utilization of PPi as substrate during this reaction. (3) In contrast, Cr-PPi, at concentrations as high as 6 mM, has no effect on the HGPRTase-catalyzed formation of inosine monophosphate, whereas the inhibition exhibited by PPi during this reaction is noncompetitive but defined by two sets of lines in the double reciprocal plot of the initial velocity versus 1/PRibPP. (4) Cr-PPi is not a substrate for the HGPRTase-catalyzed pyrophosphorolysis of IMP under the conditions of these assay procedures.     

Activation of hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase from yeast by divalent zinc and nickel ions

We have observed previously that the reactions catalyzed by hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRTase) are activated by Mg(II), Mn(II), and Co(II), and we have defined the mechanism by which these activations proceed [Biochemistry 22, 3419-3424 (1983)]. A more extensive survey of the kinds of metal ions that will activate the HGPRTase catalysis now has been completed through the use of an HPLC assay procedure. Although Fe(II) and Ca(II) are unable to activate this reaction, a significant activation was achieved with the addition of spectroscopically pure Zn(II) to the assay solution. In addition some IMP synthesis resulted from the addition of Ni(II) to the assay mixture. Both the Zn(II) and Ni(II) kinetic effects on HGPRTase over a limited metal ion concentration range have been analyzed through the use of curve-fitting exercises. These results, in addition to the similar pH profiles for the activations by Mg(II), Mn(II), Co(II), and Zn(II), suggest that all of these metal ions activate the HGPRTase-catalyzed synthesis of IMP by way of the same mechanism [model II as defined by London and Steck, Biochemistry 8, 1767-1779 (1969)], during which two divalent ions bind to the HGPRTase active site per molecule of PRibPP.     

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from yeast: studies of the structure of the pyrimidine substrate binding site

The pH dependencies of both the forward and reverse orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (ORPTase)-catalyzed reactions have been examined and determined to be dissimilar, with maximal activity for the forward reaction near to pH 8. The maximal activity of the reverse pyrophosphorolysis was observed between pH 6.5 and 7.5. Appropriate pK values were determined using computer fitting exercises. One such pK value (equal to 8.6) suggested the presence of lysine residues at the OPRTase active site. Incubations of OPRTase with the substrate analog, uracil 6-aldehyde, in the presence of sodium borohydride, suggested that this compound is a covalent modifier of OPRTase lysine residues, and substrate protection studies provided evidence that the affected lysine residues were located near to both the phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate (PRibPP) and the orotate binding sites. Similar studies with pyridoxal 5-phosphate and labeled sodium borohydride as modifiers have revealed that two modified active site lysine residues per OPRTase subunit account for the loss of 90% of the enzymatic activity with this reagent. We suggest that essential lysine residues, along with divalent metal ions, are located at the OPRTase active site, and form ion-pair bonds with anionic PRibPP and orotate as these substrates bind to the enzyme. We also report that 5-azaorotate is an alternate substrate for OPRTase (Km = 75.5 +/- 0.1 microM) leading to formation of an unstable nucleotide product).     

1H nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the conformation of an ATP analogue at the active site of Na,K-ATPase from kidney medulla

1H nuclear magnetic relaxation measurements have been used to determine the three-dimensional conformation of an ATP analogue, Co(NH3)4ATP, at the active site of sheep kidney Na,K-ATPase. Previous studies have shown that Co(NH3)4ATP is a competitive inhibitor with respect to MnATP for the Na,K-ATPase [Klevickis, C., & Grisham, C. M. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 6979; Gantzer, M. L., Klevickis, C., & Grisham, C. M. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 4083] and that Mn2+ bound to a single, high-affinity site on the ATPase can be an effective paramagnetic probe for nuclear relaxation studies of the Na,K-ATPase [O'Connor, S. E., & Grisham, C. M. (1979) Biochemistry 18, 2315]. From the paramagnetic effect of Mn2+ bound to the ATPase on the longitudinal relaxation rates of the protons of Co(NH3)4ATP at the substrate site (at 300 and 361 MHz), Mn-H distances to seven protons on the bound nucleotide were determined. Taken together with previous 31P nuclear relaxation data, these measurements are consistent with a single nucleotide conformation at the active site. The nucleotide adopts a bent configuration, in which the triphosphate chain lies nearly parallel to the adenine moiety. The glycosidic torsion angle is 35 degrees, and the conformation of the ribose ring is slightly N-type (C2'-exo, C3'-endo). The delta and gamma torsional angles in this conformation are 100 degrees and 178 degrees, respectively. The bound Mn2+ lies above and in the plane of the adenine ring. The distances from Mn2+ to N6 and N7 are too large for first coordination sphere complexes but are appropriate for second-sphere complexes involving, for example, intervening hydrogen-bonded water molecules.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Ternary complex formation and induced asymmetry in orotate phosphoribosyltransferase

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRTase, EC 2.4.2.10) catalyzes the Mg2+-dependent condensation of orotic acid (OA) with PRPP (5-alpha-d-phosphorylribose 1-diphosphate) to yield diphosphate (PPi) and the nucleotide OMP (orotidine 5'-monophosphate). We have determined the structures of three forms of Saccharomyces cerevisiae OPRTase representing different structural and enzymatic intermediates. The structures include the apoenzyme (2.35 A resolution); a ternary complex of enzyme, Mg2+-PRPP, and OA (1.74 A resolution); and the binary product complex of enzyme with OMP (1.89 A resolution). While the overall structure of the S. cerevisiae OPRTase is similar to that of the Salmonella typhimurium enzyme, as judged by comparison of the two apoenzymes, large conformational transitions occur proceeding from the apoenzyme structure to those of the substrate and product complexes. Comparison of these structures reveals a rotation of the upper hood domain onto the bound ligands by an average of 19.5 degrees in the OMP structure and an average of 24.6 degrees in the OA/Mg2+-PRPP ternary complex. As expected, the conserved loop, composed of residues 104-116, moves extensively and adopts a single stable conformation during the catalytic cycle in order to sequester the substrates from bulk solvent in the ternary complex. The OA and Mg2+-PRPP molecules bound in the ternary complex are oriented for proper attack of the N1 atom of OA onto the C1 atom of the ribose ring. This orientation of substrates, combined with the positioning of the flexible loop, provides a clear picture of a catalytically poised reaction complex for type I phosphoribosyltransferases. The structural asymmetry present in these structures, as well as that found in a recent structure of the S. typhimurium enzyme, combined with the closure of the flexible loop from one subunit into the active site of the opposing subunit in the ternary complex is consistent with the kinetic data [McClard, R. W., et al. (2006) Biochemistry 45, 5330-5342] that demonstrate induced nonequivalence and cooperativity of OPRTase.     

Nuclear Overhauser effect studies of the conformation of Co(NH3)4ATP bound to kidney Na,K-ATPase

Transferred nuclear Overhauser effect measurements (in the two-dimensional mode) have been used to determine the three-dimensional conformation of an ATP analogue, Co(NH3)4ATP, at the active site of sheep kidney Na,K-ATPase. Previous studies have shown that Co(NH3)4ATP is a competitive inhibitor with respect to MnATP for the Na,K-ATPase [Klevickis, C., & Grisham, C.M. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 6979. Gantzer, M.L., et al. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 4083]. Nine unique proton-proton distances on ATPase-bound Co(NH3)4ATP were determined from the initial build-up rates of the cross-peaks of the 2D-TRNOE data sets. These distances, taken together with previous 31P and 1H relaxation measurements with paramagnetic probes, are consistent with a single nucleotide conformation at the active site. The bound Co(NH3)4ATP) adopts an anti conformation, with a glycosidic torsion angle of 35 degrees, and the conformation of the ribose ring is slightly N-type (C2'-exo, C3'-endo). The delta and gamma torsional angles in this conformation are 100 degrees and 178 degrees, respectively. The nucleotide adopts a bent configuration, in which the triphosphate chain lies nearly parallel to the adenine moiety. Mn2+ bound to a single, high-affinity site on the ATPase lies above and in the plane of the adenine ring. The distances from enzyme-bound Mn2+ to N6 and N7 are too large for first coordination sphere complexes, but are appropriate for second-sphere complexes involving, for example, intervening hydrogen-bonded water molecules. The NMR data also indicate that the structure of the bound ATP analogue is independent of the conformational state of the enzyme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Determination of the interaction of ADP and dADP with copper(II), manganese(II) and lanthanide(III) ions by nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectroscopy.

The aqueous solution conformation of the 1:1 complexes of ADP and dADP bound to a lanthanide ion have been determined by examination of the dipolar shifts and induced relaxation at pH 6.4. Apparent inconsistencies in the observed data are interpreted in terms of a gradually changing lanthanide-oxygen bond length from Pr3+ to Yb3+. The conformations of ADP and dADP are very similar showing an extended diphosphate, a 2E ribose conformation and with the adenine base displaying a small syn contribution. Relaxation data obtained from Mn(II) titrations are readily interpreted in terms of bidentate coordination to alpha and beta phosphates with the nucleotides retaining the same overall conformation found from the lanthanide study. No evidence to support an intramolecular water-bridged backbound structure is observed. The interaction with Cu(II) is more complex, coordination is observed not only at the diphosphate but also at two sites on the base, N-1, and the chelate formed between N-7 and the amino group. The relative importance of these sites is different for ADP and dADP and is also pH-dependent for ADP.     

Application of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to proteins.

The active sites of enzymes can be studied in great detail using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The determination of pKa values of active site histidine residues in bovine pancreatic ribonuclease and the characterization of the binding of peptide hormones to carrier proteins are two such examples. The study of the active site of staphylococcal nuclease is another example and is presented in detail in this paper. The structure of 3'5'-thymidine diphosphate bound in the active site of staphylococcal nuclease has been studied by measuring the relaxation rate enhancement of substrate analog nuclei by a paramagnetic metal ion. The lanthanide ion, Gd(III), was substituted for Ca(II) in the formation of the ternary complex of nuclease: Gd(III) : 3'5'-thymidine diphosphate. Measurements were made of the transverse relaxation rates of protons and the longitudinal and transverse relaxation rates of the phosphorus nuclei of bound nucleotide. Internuclear distances between the metal ion and atoms of the 3'5'-thymidine diphosphate nucleotide were determined from these data by using the Solomon-Bloembergen equation. In general, these distances corresponded closely to those determined by previous X-ray crystallography of the thymidine diphosphate complex. These internuclear distances were also used with a computer program and graphics display to solve for metal : nucleotide geometries which were consistent with the experimental data. A geometry similar to the structure of the metal : nucleotide complex bound to nuclease determined by X-ray analysis was one of the solutions to this computer modeling process. For staphylococcal nuclease the NMR and X-ray methods yield compatible high resolution information about the structure of the active site.     

Nucleotide binding to tubulin-investigations by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

In an attempt to distinguish between the interaction of GTP and ATP with tubulin dimer, high-resolution ¹H- and ³¹P-NMR experiments have been carried out on the nucleotides in the presence of tubulin. The location of the ATP binding sites on the protein in relation to the GTP sites is still not clear. Using NMR spectroscopy, we have tried to address this question. Evidence for the existence of a site labelled as X-site and another site (labelled as L-site for both the nucleotides on tubulin has been obtained. It is suggested that this X-site is possibly the putative E-site. In order to gain further insight into the nature of these sites, the Mg(II at the N-site has been replaced by Mn(II and the paramagnetic effect of Mn(II on the linewidth of the proton resonances of tubulin-bound ATP and GTP has been studied. The results show that the L-site nucleotide is closer to the N-site metal ion compared to the X-site nucleotide. On the basis of these results, it is suggested that the L-site of ATP is distinct from the L-site of GTP while the X-site of both the nucleotides seems to be same. By using the paramagnetic effect of the metal ion, Mn(II), at the N-site on the relaxation rates of tubulin-bound ATP at L-site, distances of the protons of the base, sugar and phosphorous nuclei of the phosphorous moiety of ATP, from the N-site metal ion have been mapped. The base protons are 2 0.7–1 nm distant from the N-site metal ion, while the protons of the sugar are 2 0.8-1 nm from this metal ion site. On the other hand, the phosphorous nuclei of the phosphate groups are somewhat nearer (2 0.4–0.5 nm from the N-site metal ion.     

31P and 1H NMR studies of the structure of enzyme-bound substrate complexes of lobster muscle arginine kinase: relaxation measurements with Mn(II) and Co(II)

The paramagnetic effects of Mn(II) and Co(II) on the spin-lattice relaxation rates of 31P nuclei of ATP and ADP and of Mn(II) on the spin-lattice relaxation rate of the delta protons of arginine bound to arginine kinase from lobster tail muscle have been measured. Temperature variation of 31P relaxation rates in E.MnADP and E.MnATP yields activation energies (delta E) in the range 6-10 kcal/mol. Thus, the 31P relaxation rates in these complexes are exchange limited and cannot provide structural information. However, the relaxation rates in E.CoADP and E.CoATP exhibit frequency dependence and delta E values in the range 1-2 kcal/mol; i.e., these rates depend upon 31P-Co(II) distances. These distances were calculated to be in the range 3.2-4.5 A, appropriate for direct coordination between Co(II) and the phosphoryl groups. The paramagnetic effect of Mn(II) on the 1H spin-lattice relaxation rate of the delta protons of arginine in the E.MnADP.Arg complex was also measured at three frequencies (viz., 200, 300, and 470 MHz). These 1H experiments were performed in the presence of sufficient excess of arginine to be observable over the protein background but with MnADP exclusively in the enzyme-bound form so that the enhancement in the relaxation rates of the delta protons of arginine arises entirely from the enzyme-bound complex. Both the observed frequency dependence of these rates and the delta E less than or equal to 1.0 +/- 0.3 kcal/mol indicate that this rate depends on the 1H-Mn(II) distances.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Ternary complex structure of human HGPRTase, PRPP, Mg2+, and the inhibitor HPP reveals the involvement of the flexible loop in substrate binding.

Site-directed mutagenesis was used to replace Lys68 of the human hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRTase) with alanine to exploit this less reactive form of the enzyme to gain additional insights into the structure activity relationship of HGPRTase. Although this substitution resulted in only a minimal (one- to threefold) increase in the Km values for binding pyrophosphate or phosphoribosylpyrophosphate, the catalytic efficiencies (k(cat)/Km) of the forward and reverse reactions were more severely reduced (6- to 30-fold), and the mutant enzyme showed positive cooperativity in binding of alpha-D-5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) and nucleotide. The K68A form of the human HGPRTase was cocrystallized with 7-hydroxy [4,3-d] pyrazolo pyrimidine (HPP) and Mg PRPP, and the refined structure reported. The PRPP molecule built into the [(Fo - Fc)phi(calc)] electron density shows atomic interactions between the Mg PRPP and enzyme residues in the pyrophosphate binding domain as well as in a long flexible loop (residues Leu101 to Gly111) that closes over the active site. Loop closure reveals the functional roles for the conserved SY dipeptide of the loop as well as the molecular basis for one form of gouty arthritis (S103R). In addition, the closed loop conformation provides structural information relevant to the mechanism of catalysis in human HGPRTase.     

Spatial proximity of two divalent metal ions at the active site of S-adenosylmethionine synthetase

S-Adenosylmethionine synthetase from Escherichia coli is shown to require 2 divalent metal ions/enzyme subunit for maximal enzymatic activity. In the absence of substrate, the tetrameric enzyme binds 1 Mn(II) ion/subunit, whereas in the presence of a nucleotide substrate, adenylylimidodiphosphate, or the product pyrophosphate, there are two Mn(II)-binding sites/subunit. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of Mn(II) bound to the enzyme reveal a spin exchange interaction between 2 Mn(II) ions in complexes of enzyme and Mn(II) which also contain adenosylmethionine, K+, and either pyrophosphate or imidotriphosphate. Since a spin exchange interaction requires orbital overlap between the 2 ions, the metal ions must be bound close to one another, and they may share a common ligand.     

Structural characterization of manganese(II)-nucleotide complexes bound to yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinase: 13C relaxation measurements using [U-13C]ATP and [U-13C]ADP

A complete characterization of the conformations of Mn.ADP and Mn.ATP bound to the active site of yeast 3-P-glycerate kinase is presented. These conformations have been deduced on the basis of paramagnetic effects on 13C spin-lattice relaxation rates in [U-13C]nucleotides due to Mn(II), used as a substituent activating cation. The 13C relaxation measurements were performed on exclusively enzyme-bound complexes E.Mn.[U-13C]ATP and E.Mn.[U-13C]ADP at three distinct 13C NMR frequencies: 75.4, 125.7, and 181 MHz. The frequency dependence of the relaxation data has been analyzed in an effort to evaluate distances from the cation for all 10 13C nuclei in the adenosine moieties of E.Mn.ATP and E.Mn.ADP. These distance data, taken along with previously published cation-31P distances, have been used as constraints in the molecular modeling program Quanta, in which molecular dynamics simulations and energy minimization have been performed to determine the conformations that are compatible with the distance data. It was possible to model the distances on the basis of a single enzyme-bound conformation for each of the nucleotides. The details of the enzyme-bound Mn.ATP and Mn.ADP conformations are distinguishably different from each other, indicating that structural alterations occur in the enzyme-bound reaction complex as the enzyme turns over. For example, when the adenosine moieties in the bound structures of Mn.ATP and Mn.ADP are superposed, the cation is found to be displaced by approximately 2.4 A between the two conformations, suggesting that these structural changes may involve movements with significant amplitudes. Furthermore, the NMR-determined structures of enzyme-bound Mn.ATP and Mn.ADP are significantly different from those in published X-ray crystal structures of the enzyme-nucleotide complexes.     

Substrate deformation in a hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase ternary complex: the structural basis for catalysis

BACKGROUND: Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferases (HGPRTs) are well-recognized antiparasitic drug targets. HGPRT is also a paradigmatic representative of the phosphoribosyltransferase family of enzymes, which includes other important biosynthetic and salvage enzymes and drug targets. To better understand the reaction mechanism of this enzyme, we have crystallized HGPRT from the apicomplexan protozoan Toxoplasma gondii as a ternary complex with a substrate and a substrate analog. RESULTS: The crystal structure of T. gondii HGPRT with the substrate Mg2+-PRPP and a nonreactive substrate analog, 9-deazaguanine, bound in the active site has been determined at 1.05 A resolution and refined to a free R factor of 15.4%. This structure constitutes the first atomic-resolution structure of both a phosphoribosyltransferase and the central metabolic substrate PRPP. This pre-transition state complex provides a clearer understanding of the structural basis for catalysis by HGPRT. CONCLUSIONS: Three types of substrate deformation, chief among them an unexpected C2'-endo pucker adopted by the PRPP ribose ring, raise the energy of the ground state. A cation-pi interaction between Tyr-118 and the developing oxocarbenium ion in the ribose ring helps to stabilize the transition state. Enforced substrate propinquity coupled with optimal reactive geometry for both the substrates and the active site residues with which they interact contributes to catalysis as well.     

Kinetic mechanism of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from Salmonella typhimurium

The chemical mechanism of the phosphoribosyltransferases (PRTases), although largely unknown, may proceed either via a concerted direct-transfer mechanism or with a two-step mechanism involving a carboxonium-like intermediate. To study this question, we have cloned the Salmonella typhimurium pyrE gene, coding for the enzyme orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.2.4.10, OPRTase), and developed a bacterial strain that overproduces the enzyme, which we have purified to homogeneity. Initial velocity and product inhibition studies indicated that S. typhimurium OPRTase follows a random sequential kinetic mechanism. This result was further confirmed by equilibrium isotope exchange studies on two substrate-product pairs, PRPP-PPi and OMP-orotate. In addition, the rates of the individual equilibrium isotope exchanges allowed us to conclude that PPi release and PRPP release were the rate-determining steps in the forward and reverse reactions, respectively. Although partial reactions between the two substrate-product pairs, PRPP-PPi and OMP-orotate, were observed, further studies revealed that these exchanges were a result of contaminations. Our results are significant in that S. typhimurium OPRTase, like most PRTases but in contrast to its yeast homologue, follows sequential kinetics. The artifactual partial isotope exchanges found in this work may have implications for similar prior work on the yeast enzyme. In view of the careful isotope effect studies of Parsons and co-workers [Goitein, R.K., Chelsky, D., & Parsons, S.M. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 2963-2971] and the results obtained by us, we propose that PRTases may involve a direct-transfer mechanism but with low bond order to the leaving pyrophosphate moiety and attacking base.     

Allosteric regulation and communication between subunits in uracil phosphoribosyltransferase from Sulfolobus solfataricus

Uracil phosphoribosyltransferase (UPRTase) catalyzes the conversion of 5-phosphate-alpha-1-diphosphate (PRPP) and uracil to uridine 5'-monophosphate (UMP) and diphosphate. The UPRTase from Sulfolobus solfataricus has a unique regulation by nucleoside triphosphates compared to UPRTases from other organisms. To understand the allosteric regulation, crystal structures were determined for S. solfataricus UPRTase in complex with UMP and with UMP and the allosteric inhibitor CTP. Also, a structure with UMP bound in half of the active sites was determined. All three complexes form tetramers but reveal differences in the subunits and their relative arrangement. In the UPRTase-UMP complex, the peptide bond between a conserved arginine residue (Arg80) and the preceding residue (Leu79) adopts a cis conformation in half of the subunits and a trans conformation in the other half and the tetramer comprises two cis-trans dimers. In contrast, four identical subunits compose the UPRTase-UMP-CTP tetramer. CTP binding affects the conformation of Arg80, and the Arg80 conformation in the UPRTase-UMP-CTP complex leaves no room for binding of the substrate PRPP. The different conformations of Arg80 coupled to rearrangements in the quaternary structure imply that this residue plays a major role in regulation of the enzyme and in communication between subunits. The ribose ring of UMP adopts alternative conformations in the cis and trans subunits of the UPRTase-UMP tetramer with associated differences in the interactions of the catalytically important Asp209. The active-site differences have been related to proposed kinetic models and provide an explanation for the regulatory significance of the C-terminal Gly216.     

Orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from Corynebacterium ammoniagenes lacking a conserved lysine

The pyrE gene, encoding orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRTase), was cloned by nested PCR and colony blotting from Corynebacterium ammoniagenes ATCC 6872, which is widely used in nucleotide production. Sequence analysis shows that there is a lack of an important conserved lysine (Lys 73 in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium OPRTase) in the C. ammoniagenes OPRTase. This lysine has been considered to contribute to the initiation of catalysis. The enzyme was overexpressed and purified from a recombinant Escherichia coli strain. The molecular mass of the purified OPRTase was determined to be 45.4 ± 1.5 kDa by gel filtration. Since the molecular mass for the subunit of the enzyme was 21.3 ± 0.6 kDa, the native enzyme exists as a dimer. Divalent magnesium was necessary for the activity of the enzyme and can be substituted for by Mn²⁺ and Co²⁺. The optimal pH for the forward (phosphoribosyl transfer) reaction is 10.5 to 11.5, which is higher than that of other reported OPRTases, and the optimal pH for the reverse (pyrophosphorolysis) reaction is 5.5 to 6.5. The K_m values for the four substrates were determined to be 33 μM for orotate, 64 μM for 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP), 45 μM for orotidine-5-phosphate (OMP), and 36 μM for pyrophosphate. The K_m value for OMP is much larger than those of other organisms. These differences may be due to the absence of Lys 73, which is present in the active sites of other OPRTases and is known to interact with OMP and PRPP.     

Steady-state kinetics of the schistosomal hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase.

Schistosomiasis is a trematode infection of some 200 million people. The hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRTase) of the major etiologic agent, Schistosoma mansoni, has been proposed as a potential target for antischistosomal chemotherapy [Dovey, H. F., McKerrow, J. H., & Wang, C. C. (1984) Mol. Biochem. Parasitol, 11, 157-167]. The steady-state kinetic mechanism for the schistosomal HGPRTase has been determined by including both hypoxanthine and guanine in the forward and reverse reactions under identical conditions. Double-reciprocal plots of initial velocity versus the concentration of one substrate, at a series of fixed concentrations of the other, give groups of intersecting straight lines indicating a sequential mechanism for the schistosomal HGPRTase-catalyzed reactions. In product inhibition studies, the results show that magnesium pyrophosphate (MgPPi) is a noncompetitive inhibitor with respect to dimagnesium phosphoribose pyrophosphate (Mg2PRPP), hypoxanthine, and guanine. Also, magnesium inosine monophosphate (MgIMP) and magnesium guanosine monophosphate (MgGMP) are noncompetitive inhibitors with respect to hypoxanthine or guanine, respectively, but are competitive inhibitors to Mg2PRPP. Furthermore, Mg2PRPP is a competitive inhibitor with respect to MgIMP and MgGMP but is a non-competitive inhibitor to MgPPi. The minimum kinetic model which fits the experimental data is an ordered bi-bi mechanism, where the substrates bind to the enzyme in a defined order (first Mg2PRPP followed by the purine bases), while products are released in sequence (first MgPPi followed by MgIMP or MgGMP).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Analysis of cDNA encoding the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRTase) of Schistosoma mansoni; a putative target for chemotherapy.

Because of the lack of de novo purine biosynthesis, hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRTase) is a critical enzyme in the purine metabolic pathway of the human parasite, Schistosoma mansoni. Using a cDNA clone encoding mouse HGPRTase and subsequently a synthetic oligonucleotide derived from sequencing a clone of genomic DNA, two clones were isolated from an adult schistosome cDNA library. One clone is 1.374 Kilobases (Kb) long and has an open reading frame of 693 bases. The deduced 231 amino acid sequence has 47.9% identity in a 217 amino acid overlap with human HGPRTase. Northern blot analysis indicates that the full length of mRNA for the S. mansoni HGPRTase is 1.45-1.6 Kb. Analysis of the primary structures of the putative active site for human and parasite enzymes reveal specific differences which may eventually be exploitable in the design of drugs for the treatment of schistosomiasis.     

Structure of the dysprosium-glycocholate complex in submicellar aqueous solution: paramagnetic mapping by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. An approximation for the intrinsic "bound" relaxation rates in the case of nondilute paramagnetic systems

A paramagnetic NMR study of the structure of the calcium-glycocholate complex in submicellar solution, utilizing dysprosium as an isomorphous lanthanide replacement of calcium, is presented. The dysprosium-induced relaxation rate (1/T1) enhancements of certain glycocholate protons have been used to estimate internuclear distances between these protons and the metal ion. An approximation to calculate the intrinsic relaxation rate (1/T1) enhancements for a nondilute paramagnetic solution is given in the Appendix. From these data, and analysis based on conformation averaging and minimum energy conformations, a molecular model of the dysprosium-glycocholate complex in submicellar aqueous solution has been constructed. In this model the metal ion has a unidentate, first-sphere interaction with the proximal oxygen atom of the glycine carboxyl. The metal ion has second-sphere interactions with the peptide bond carbonyl oxygen (3.6 A) and the distal carboxyl oxygen (4.4 A). The metal ion to hydroxyl oxygen distances (8.4-12.4 A) are not compatible with any metal ion to hydroxyl coordination. The side chain appears to exist in one predominant conformation. All six oxygen atoms of glycocholate, the peptide bond carbonyl, the carboxyl group, and the hydroxyl groups are on the alpha face of the bile salt molecule. On the basis of these features we conclude that in the submicellar state the solution structure of the dysprosium-glycocholate complex displays a metal ion enhanced segregation of polar versus nonpolar groups to the two separate faces of the molecule, which may result in a facilitated hydrophobic interaction of different complex units.