Regulation of bacterial glycogen synthesis

The formation of the alpha 1,4 glucosidic linkages of bacterial glycogen occurs first by synthesis of ADPglucose from ATP and alpha glucose 1-P and then transfer of the glucose moiety from the formed sugar nucleotide to a pre-existing glucan primer. Unlike mammalian glycogen synthesis, regulation occurs at the synthesis of the sugar nucleotide. Generally glycolytic intermediates activate ADPglucose synthesis while AMP, ADP and/or Pi inhibit ADPglucose synthesis. A variation of activator specificity is is seen when the enzyme is isolated from different bacteria and is thought to be related to the predominant type of carbon assimilation or dissimilation pathways present in the particular organism. Evidence indicating that the allosteric activation effects observed in vitro are physiologically pertinent for the regulation of glycogen synthesis is reviewed. The recent experiments in identifying the allosteric activator site of the Escherichia coli ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase as well as other chemical modification studies identifying amino acid residues essential for allosteric activation and for catalytic activity are discussed. Evidence is also presented for the covalent modification of the Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase by bromopyruvate at its allosteric activator site. Regulation of the biosynthesis of glycogen also occurs at the genetic level and the current evidence for the existence of a glycogen operon is presented. In addition the current studies concerning the cloning of the DNA region containing the Escherichia coli structural genes coding for the glycogen biosynthetic enzymes as well as the nucleotide sequence of the E. coli ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase are presented.     

Cloning and expression of the Escherichia coli glgC gene from a mutant containing an ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase with altered allosteric properties.

A mutant strain of Escherichia coli K-12, designated 618, accumulates glycogen at a faster rate than wild-type strain 356. The mutation affects the ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase regulatory properties (N. Creuzat-Sigal, M. Latil-Damotte, J. Cattaneo, and J. Puig, p. 647-680, in R. Piras and H. G. Pontis, ed., Biochemistry of the Glycocide Linkage, 1972). The enzyme is less dependent on the activator, fructose 1,6 bis-phosphate for activity and is less sensitive to inhibition by the inhibitor, 5'-AMP. The structural gene, glgC, for this allosteric mutant enzyme was cloned into the bacterial plasmid pBR322 by inserting the chromosomal DNA at the PstI site. The glycogen biosynthetic genes were selected by cotransformation of the neighboring asd gene into an E. coli mutant also defective in branching enzyme (glgB) activity. Two recombinant plasmids, pEBL1 and pEBL3, that had PstI chromosomal DNA inserts containing glgC and glgB were isolated. Branching enzyme and ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase activities were increased 240- and 40-fold, respectively, in the asd glgB mutant, E. coli K-12 6281. The E. coli K-12 618 mutant glgC gene product was characterized after transformation of an E. coli B ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase mutant with the recombinant plasmid pEBL3. The kinetic properties of the cloned ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase were similar to those of the E. coli K-12 618 enzyme. The inserted DNA in pEBL1 was arranged in opposite orientation to that in pEBL3.     

Cloning, expression, and nucleotide sequence of glgC gene from an allosteric mutant of Escherichia coli B.

The Escherichia coli B mutant strain CL1136 accumulates glycogen at a 3.4- to 4-fold greater rate than the parent E. coli B strain and contains an ADPglucose synthetase with altered kinetic and allosteric properties. The enzyme from CL1136 is less dependent on the allosteric activator, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, for activity and less sensitive to inhibition by AMP than the parent strain enzyme. The structural gene, glgC, for the allosteric mutant enzyme was selected by colony hybridization and cloned into the bacterial plasmid pBR322 by insertion of the chromosomal DNA at the PstI site. One recombinant plasmid, designated pKG3, was isolated from the genomic library of CL1136 containing glgC. The cloned ADPglucose synthetase from the mutant CL1136 was expressed and characterized with respect to kinetic and allosteric properties and found to be identical to the enzyme purified from the CL1136 strain. The mutant glgC was then subcloned into pUC118/119 for dideoxy sequencing of both strands. The mutant glgC sequence was found to differ from the wild-type at the deduced amino acid residue 67 where a single point mutation resulted in a change from arginine to cysteine.     

Escherichia coli E-39 ADPglucose synthetase has different activation kinetics from the wild-type allosteric enzyme

Kinetic and binding studies have shown that Lys39 of Escherichia coli ADPglucose synthetase is involved in binding of the allosteric activator. In order to study structure-function relationships at the activator binding site, this lysine residue was substituted by glutamic acid (Lys39----Glu) by site-directed mutagenesis. The resultant mutant enzyme (E-39) showed activation kinetics different from those of the wild-type enzyme. The level of activation of the E-39 enzyme by the major activators of E. coli ADPglucose synthetase, 2-phosphoglycerate, pyridoxal phosphate, and fructose-1,6-phosphatase was only approximately 2-fold compared to activation of 15- to 28-fold respectively, for the wild-type enzyme. NADPH, an activator of the wild-type enzyme, was unable to activate the mutant enzyme. In addition, the concentrations of the above activators necessary to obtain 50% of the maximal stimulation of enzyme activity (A0.5) were 5-, 9-, and 23-fold higher, respectively, than those for the wild-type enzyme. The E-39 enzyme also had a lower apparent affinity (S0.5) for the substrates ATP and MgCl2 than the wild-type enzyme and the values obtained in the presence or absence of activator were similar. The concentration of inhibitor giving 50% of enzyme activity (I0.5) was also similar for the E-39 enzyme in the presence or absence of activator. These results indicate that the E-39 mutant enzyme is not effectively activated by the major activators of the E. coli ADPglucose synthetase wild-type enzyme, and that this amino acid substitution also prevents the allosteric effect that the activator has on the wild-type enzyme kinetics, either increasing its apparent affinity for the substrates or modulating the enzyme's sensitivity to inhibition.     

Cloning, expression, and nucleotide sequence of a mutant glgC gene from Escherichia coli B.

A mutant glgC gene contained in a 10.9-kb PstI fragment was cloned from the Escherichia coli B strain SG5 via colony hybridization by using a wild-type glgC probe. The altered allosteric properties of the expressed ADPglucose synthetase were found to result from the conversion of proline to serine at amino acid residue 295.     

Biosynthesis of bacterial glycogen: Kinetic studies of a glucose-1-P adenylyltransferase (EC 2.7.7.27) from a glycogen-excess mutant of Escherichia coli B

An Escherichia coli B mutant, CL1136 accumulates glycogen at 3.4 to 4 times the rate observed for the parent E. coli B strain. The glycogen accumulated in the mutant is similar to the glycogen isolated from the parent strain with respect to α- and β-amylolysis, chain length determination and I₂-complex absorption spectra. The CL1136 mutant contains normal glycogen synthase and branching enzyme activity but has an ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase with altered kinetic and allosteric properties. The mutant enzyme has been partially purified and in contrast to the present strain enzyme studied previously, is highly active in the absence of the allosteric activator. The response of the CL1136 enzyme to energy charge has been determined and this enzyme shows appreciable activity at low energy charge values where the E. coli B enzyme is inactive. The response to energy charge for the CL1136 and E. coli B enzymes are correlated with the rates of glycogen accumulation observed in the microorganisms. The regulation of glycogen synthesis in E. coli is to a great extent at the level of ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase; varying concentrations of fructose-P₂ and energy charge determine the rate of ADPglucose and glycogen synthesis. Both the allosteric regulation of ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase as well as the genetic regulations of the synthesis of glycogen biosynthetic enzymes (glycogen synthase and ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase) are involved in the regulation of glycogen accumulation in E. coli B.     

Truncated forms of the recombinant Escherichia coli ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase: the importance of the N-terminal region for allosteric activation and inhibition

Truncated forms of Escherichia coli ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase were constructed using recombinant DNA techniques. A truncated form of the enzyme having the first 11 amino acid residues from the N-terminus and 2 amino acid residues from the C-terminus deleted was found to be highly active in absence of activator. A 1.6-fold activation by 1.5 mM fructose 1,6 bis-phosphate was observed for the truncated enzyme as compared to the 30-fold activation seen for the intact enzyme. Inhibition of the truncated enzyme by AMP was less than that seen with the intact enzyme. Similar properties were displayed by an enzyme truncated only at the N-terminal. Conversely, the C-terminal truncated enzyme shortened by 2 amino acid residues at the C-terminus is as sensitive as the intact enzyme to activation and inhibition. These results suggest that the N-terminal region is required for allosteric regulation of the enzyme.     

Cloning of the ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase (glgC) and glycogen synthase (glgA) structural genes from Salmonella typhimurium LT2.

The structural genes of ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase (glgC) and glycogen synthase (glgA) from Salmonella typhimurium LT2 were cloned on a 5.8-kilobase-pair insert in the SalI site of pBR322. A single strand specific radioactive probe containing the N terminus of the Escherichia coli K-12 glgC gene in M13mp8 was used to hybridize against a S. typhimurium genomic library in lambda 1059. DNA from a plaque showing a positive hybridization signal was isolated, subcloned into pBR322, and transformed into E. coli K-12 RR1 and E. coli G6MD3 (a mutant with a deletion of the glg genes). Transformants were stained with iodine for the presence of glycogen. E. coli K-12 RR1 transformants stained dark brown, whereas G6MD3 transformants stained greenish yellow, and they both were shown to contain a 5.8-kilobase-pair insert in the SalI site of pBR322, designated pPL301. Enzyme assays of E. coli K-12 G6MD3 harboring pPL301 restored ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase and glycogen synthase activities. The specific activities of ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase and glycogen synthase in E. coli K-12 RR1(pPL301) were increased 6- to 7-fold and 13- to 15-fold, respectively. Immunological and kinetic studies showed that the expressed ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase activity in transformed E. coli K-12 G6MD3 cells was very similar to that of the wild-type enzyme.     

Characterization of chimeric ADPglucose pyrophosphorylases of Escherichia coli and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Importance of the C-terminus on the selectivity for allosteric regulators

ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase catalyzes the regulatory step in the pathway for bacterial glycogen synthesis. The enzymes from different organisms exhibit distinctive regulatory properties related to the main carbon metabolic pathway. Escherichia coli ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase is mainly activated by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP), whereas the Agrobacterium tumefaciens enzyme is activated by fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) and pyruvate. Little is known about the regions determining the specificity for the allosteric regulator. To study the function of different domains, two chimeric enzymes were constructed. "AE" contains the N-terminus (271 amino acids) of the A. tumefaciens ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase and the C-terminus (153 residues) of the E. coli enzyme, and "EA", the inverse construction. Expression of the recombinant wild-type and chimeric enzymes was performed using derivatives of the pET24a plasmid. Characterization of the purified chimeric enzymes showed that the C-terminus of the E. coli enzyme is relevant for the selectivity by FBP. However, this region seems to be less important for the specificity by F6P in the A. tumefaciens enzyme. The chimeric enzyme AE is activated by both FBP and F6P, neither of which affect EA. Pyruvate activates EA with higher apparent affinity than AE, suggesting that the C-terminus of the A. tumefaciens enzyme plays a role in the binding of this effector. The allosteric inhibitor site is apparently disrupted, as a marked desensitization toward AMP was observed in the chimeric enzymes.     

Mechanism of substrate inhibition in Escherichia coli phosphofructokinase

Phosphofructokinase from Escherichia coli (EcPFK) is a homotetramer with four active sites, which bind the substrates fructose-6-phosphate (Fru-6-P) and MgATP. In the presence of low concentrations of Fru-6-P, MgATP displays substrate inhibition. Previous proposals to explain this substrate inhibition have included both kinetic and allosteric mechanisms. We have isolated hybrid tetramers containing one wild type subunit and three mutated subunits (1:3). The mutated subunits contain mutations that decrease affinity for Fru-6-P (R243E) or MgATP (F76A/R77D/R82A) allowing us to systematically simplify the possible allosteric interactions between the two substrates. In the absence of a rate equation to explain the allosteric effects in a tetramer, the data have been compared to simulated data for an allosteric dimer. Since the apparent substrate inhibition caused by MgATP binding is not seen in hybrid tetramers with only a single native MgATP binding site, the proposed kinetic mechanism is not able to explain this phenomenon. The data presented are consistent with an allosteric antagonism between MgATP in one active site and Fru-6-P in a second active site.     

Refolding and kinetic characterization of the phosphodiesterase-8A catalytic domain

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase-8 (PDE8) hydrolyzes the second messenger cAMP and is involved in many biological processes such as testosterone production. Although the bacterial and mammalian expression systems have been extensively tried, production of large quantity of soluble and active PDE8 remains to be a major hurdle for pharmacological and structural studies. Reported here is a detailed protocol of refolding and purification of large quantity of the PDE8A1 catalytic domain (residues 480-820) and kinetic characterization of the refolded protein. This protocol yielded about 8 mg of the PDE8A catalytic domain from 2l Escherichia coli culture, which has at least 40-fold higher activity than those reported in literature. The PDE8A1 catalytic domain has k(cat) of 4.0 s(-1) for Mn(2+) and 2.9s(-1) for Mg(2+), and the K(M) values of 1-1.8 microM. In addition, the PDE8A1 (205-820) fragment that contains both PAS and catalytic domains was expressed in E. coli and refolded. This PDE8A1 (205-820) fragment has k(cat) of 1.1 s(-1) and K(M) of 0.28 microM, but aggregated at high concentration. The K(M) of PDE8A1 (205-820) is 2- to 7-fold higher than the K(M) values of 40-150 nM for the full-length PDE8s in literature, but about 6-fold lower than that of the catalytic domain. Thus, the K(M) difference likely implies an allosteric regulation of the PDE8A activity by its PAS domain.     

Two-state allosteric modeling suggests protein equilibrium as an integral component for cyclic AMP (cAMP) specificity in the cAMP receptor protein of Escherichia coli

Activation of the cAMP receptor protein (CRP) from Escherichia coli is highly specific to its allosteric ligand, cAMP. Ligands such as adenosine and cGMP, which are structurally similar to cAMP, fail to activate wild-type CRP. However, several cAMP-independent CRP variants (termed CRP*) exist that can be further activated by both adenosine and cGMP, as well as by cAMP. This has remained a puzzle because the substitutions in many of these CRP* variants lie far from the cAMP-binding pocket (>10 A) and therefore should not directly affect that pocket. Here we show a surprising similarity in the altered ligand specificity of four CRP* variants with a single substitution in D53S, G141K, A144T, or L148K, and we propose a common basis for this phenomenon. The increased active protein population caused by an equilibrium shift in these variants is hypothesized to preferentially stabilize ligand binding. This explanation is completely consistent with the cAMP specificity in the activation of wild-type CRP. The model also predicts that wild-type CRP should be activated even by the lower-affinity ligand, adenosine, which we experimentally confirmed. The study demonstrates that protein equilibrium is an integral factor for ligand specificity in an allosteric protein, in addition to the direct effects of ligand pocket residues.     

Characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis NAD kinase: functional analysis of the full-length enzyme by site-directed mutagenesis

NAD kinase is the only known enzyme catalyzing the formation of NADP, a coenzyme implicated in most reductive biosynthetic reactions and in many antioxidant defense systems. Despite its importance, nothing is known regarding its structure or mechanism of catalysis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis NAD kinase has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The molecular and kinetic properties of the enzyme resulted in significant differences from those reported by others on a proteolytically degraded form of the protein. Indeed the full-length enzyme displays an allosteric behavior and shows a strict preference for inorganic polyphosphate as the phosphate donor. It is inhibited by the reaction product NADP and by both NADH and NADPH. The mycobacterial enzyme shares with all other known NAD kinases a highly conserved region (spanning residues 189-210), particularly rich in glycines, which differs from the primary sequences of all previously identified nucleotide-binding sites. Alanine-scanning mutagenesis performed on 11 conserved residues within this domain revealed its importance in catalysis. A total of 6 of 11 mutated proteins completely lost the enzymatic activity while retaining the same oligomeric state of the wild-type protein, as demonstrated by gel-filtration analysis. Substitutions of S199 and G208 with alanine rendered enzyme versions with reduced activity. Their kinetic characterization, performed on purified proteins, revealed kinetic parameters toward ATP and polyphosphate similar to those of the wild-type enzyme. On the contrary, when the kinetic analysis was performed by using NAD as the variable substrate, significant differences were observed with respect to both the allosteric behavior and the catalytic efficiency, suggesting that the mutated region is likely involved in NAD binding.     

The allosteric regulation of pyruvate kinase

Pyruvate kinase (PK) is critical for the regulation of the glycolytic pathway. The regulatory properties of Escherichia coli were investigated by mutating six charged residues involved in interdomain salt bridges (Arg(271), Arg(292), Asp(297), and Lys(413)) and in the binding of the allosteric activator (Lys(382) and Arg(431)). Arg(271) and Lys(413) are located at the interface between A and C domains within one subunit. The R271L and K413Q mutant enzymes exhibit altered kinetic properties. In K413Q, there is partial enzyme activation, whereas R271L is characterized by a bias toward the T-state in the allosteric equilibrium. In the T-state, Arg(292) and Asp(297) form an intersubunit salt bridge. The mutants R292D and D297R are totally inactive. The crystal structure of R292D reveals that the mutant enzyme retains the T-state quaternary structure. However, the mutation induces a reorganization of the interface with the creation of a network of interactions similar to that observed in the crystal structures of R-state yeast and M1 PK proteins. Furthermore, in the R292D structure, two loops that are part of the active site are disordered. The K382Q and R431E mutations were designed to probe the binding site for fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate, the allosteric activator. R431E exhibits only slight changes in the regulatory properties. Conversely, K382Q displays a highly altered responsiveness to the activator, suggesting that Lys(382) is involved in both activator binding and allosteric transition mechanism. Taken together, these results support the notion that domain interfaces are critical for the allosteric transition. They couple changes in the tertiary and quaternary structures to alterations in the geometry of the fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate and substrate binding sites. These site-directed mutagenesis data are discussed in the light of the molecular basis for the hereditary nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia, which is caused by mutations in human erythrocyte PK gene.     

Stabilization of the R allosteric structure of Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamoylase by disulfide bond formation

Here we report the first use of disulfide bond formation to stabilize the R allosteric structure of Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamoylase. In the R allosteric state, residues in the 240s loop from two catalytic chains of different subunits are close together, whereas in the T allosteric state they are far apart. By substitution of Ala-241 in the 240s loop of the catalytic chain with cysteine, a disulfide bond was formed between two catalytic chains of different subunits. The cross-linked enzyme did not exhibit cooperativity for aspartate. The maximal velocity was increased, and the concentration of aspartate required to obtain one-half the maximal velocity, [Asp](0.5), was reduced substantially. Furthermore, the allosteric effectors ATP and CTP did not alter the activity of the cross-linked enzyme. When the disulfide bonds were reduced by the addition of 1,4-dithio-dl-threitol the resulting enzyme had kinetic parameters very similar to those observed for the wild-type enzyme and regained the ability to be activated by ATP and inhibited by CTP. Small-angle x-ray scattering was used to verify that the cross-linked enzyme was structurally locked in the R state and that this enzyme after reduction with 1,4-dithio-dl-threitol could undergo an allosteric transition similar to that of the wild-type enzyme. The complete abolition of homotropic and heterotropic regulation from stabilizing the 240s loop in its closed position in the R state, which forms the catalytically competent active site, demonstrates the significance that the quaternary structural change and closure of the 240s loop has in the functional mechanism of aspartate transcarbamoylase.     

Both subunits of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase are regulatory

The allosteric enzyme ADP-Glc pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) catalyzes the synthesis of ADP-Glc, a rate-limiting step in starch synthesis. Plant AGPases are heterotetramers, most of which are activated by 3-phosphoglyceric acid (3-PGA) and inhibited by phosphate. The objectives of these studies were to test a hypothesis concerning the relative roles of the two subunits and to identify regions in the subunits important in allosteric regulation. We exploited an Escherichia coli expression system and mosaic AGPases composed of potato (Solanum tuberosum) tuber and maize (Zea mays) endosperm subunit fragments to pursue this objective. Whereas potato and maize subunits have long been separated by speciation and evolution, they are sufficiently similar to form active mosaic enzymes. Potato tuber and maize endosperm AGPases exhibit radically different allosteric properties. Hence, comparing the kinetic properties of the mosaics to those of the maize endosperm and potato tuber AGPases has enabled us to identify regions important in regulation. The data herein conclusively show that both subunits are involved in the allosteric regulation of AGPase. Alterations in the small subunit condition drastically different allosteric properties. In addition, extent of 3-PGA activation and extent of 3-PGA affinity were found to be separate entities, mapping to different regions in both subunits.     

Biosynthesis of bacterial glycogen: primary structure of Salmonella typhimurium ADPglucose synthetase as deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the glgC gene.

The nucleotide sequence of a 1.4-kilobase-pair fragment containing the Salmonella typhimurium LT2 glgC gene coding for ADPglucose synthetase was determined. The glgC structural gene contains 1,293 base pairs, having a coding capacity of 431 amino acids. The amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence shows that the molecular weight of ADPglucose synthetase is 45,580. Previous results of the total amino acid composition analysis and amino acid sequencing (M. Lehmann and J. Preiss, J. Bacteriol. 143:120-127, 1980) of the first 27 amino acids from the N terminus agree with that deduced from nucleotide sequencing data. Comparison of the Escherichia coli K-12 and S. typhimurium LT2 ADPglucose synthetase shows that there is 80% homology in their nucleotide sequence and 90% homology in their deduced amino acid sequence. Moreover, the amino acid residues of the putative allosteric sites for the physiological activator fructose bisphosphate (amino acid residue 39) and inhibitor AMP (amino acid residue 114) are identical between the two enzymes. There is also extensive homology in the putative ADPglucose binding site. In both E. coli K-12 and S. typhimurium LT2, the first base of the translational start ATG of glgA overlaps with the third base TAA stop codon of the glgC gene.     

Lid L11 of the glutamine amidotransferase domain of CTP synthase mediates allosteric GTP activation of glutaminase activity

GTP is an allosteric activator of CTP synthase and acts to increase the k(cat) for the glutamine-dependent CTP synthesis reaction. GTP is suggested, in part, to optimally orient the oxy-anion hole for hydrolysis of glutamine that takes place in the glutamine amidotransferase class I (GATase) domain of CTP synthase. In the GATase domain of the recently published structures of the Escherichia coli and Thermus thermophilus CTP synthases a loop region immediately proceeding amino acid residues forming the oxy-anion hole and named lid L11 is shown for the latter enzyme to be flexible and change position depending on the presence or absence of glutamine in the glutamine binding site. Displacement or rearrangement of this loop may provide a means for the suggested role of allosteric activation by GTP to optimize the oxy-anion hole for glutamine hydrolysis. Arg359, Gly360 and Glu362 of the Lactococcus lactis enzyme are highly conserved residues in lid L11 and we have analyzed their possible role in GTP activation. Characterization of the mutant enzymes R359M, R359P, G360A and G360P indicated that both Arg359 and Gly360 are involved in the allosteric response to GTP binding whereas the E362Q enzyme behaved like wild-type enzyme. Apart from the G360A enzyme, the results from kinetic analysis of the enzymes altered at position 359 and 360 showed a 10- to 50-fold decrease in GTP activation of glutamine dependent CTP synthesis and concomitant four- to 10-fold increases in K(A) for GTP. The R359M, R359P and G360P also showed no GTP activation of the uncoupled glutaminase reaction whereas the G360A enzyme was about twofold more active than wild-type enzyme. The elevated K(A) for GTP and reduced GTP activation of CTP synthesis of the mutant enzymes are in agreement with a predicted interaction of bound GTP with lid L11 and indicate that the GTP activation of glutamine dependent CTP synthesis may be explained by structural rearrangements around the oxy-anion hole of the GATase domain.     

Structural investigation of cold activity and regulation of aspartate carbamoyltransferase from the extreme psychrophilic bacterium Moritella profunda

Aspartate carbamoyltransferase (EC 2.1.3.2) is extensively studied as a model for cooperativity and allosteric regulation. The structure of the Escherichia coli enzyme has been thoroughly analyzed by X-ray crystallography, and recently the crystal structures of two hyperthermophilic ATCases of the same structural class have been characterized. We here report the detailed functional and structural investigation of the ATCase from the psychrophilic deep sea bacterium Moritella profunda. Our analysis indicates that the enzyme conforms to the E. coli model in that two allosteric states exist that are influenced by similar homotropic interactions. The heterotropic properties differ in that CTP and UTP inhibit the holoenzyme, but ATP seems to exhibit a dual regulatory pattern, activating the enzyme at low concentrations and inhibiting it in the mM range. The crystal structure of the unliganded M. profunda ATCase shows resemblance to a more extreme T state reported previously for an E. coli ATCase mutant. A detailed molecular analysis reveals potential features of adaptation to cold activity and cold regulation. Moreover, M. profunda ATCase presents similarities with certain mutants of E. coli ATCase altered in their kinetic properties or temperature relationships. Finally, structural and functional comparison of ATCases across the full physiological temperature range agrees with an important, but fundamentally different role for electrostatics in protein adaptation at both extremes, i.e. an increased stability through the formation of ion pairs and ion pair networks at high physiological temperatures, and an increased flexibility through enhanced protein solvation at low temperatures.     

A single nucleotide polymorphism of CYP2b6 found in Japanese enhances catalytic activity by autoactivation

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) resulting in a substitution from Gln to His was found in exon 4 of the CYP2B6 gene in Japanese. The frequency of the variant allele was found to be 19.9%. The mutant- and the wild-type enzymes were expressed in Escherichia coli, and the effects of the single amino acid substitution on the catalytic activity were examined by investigating the kinetic profiles of 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase activity. The wild-type enzyme showed typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics, while the mutant-type enzyme represented the sigmoidal kinetics with a higher V(max) value compared to that of the wild-type enzyme. Eadie-Hofstee plots further revealed an existence of allosteric effects for the reaction catalyzed by the variant. This is the first evidence demonstrating that only one amino acid substitution, Gln172His, caused by natural SNP enhances the catalytic activity of CYP by obtaining the character of homotropic cooperativity.