Kinetics, substrate specificity, and stereospecificity of two new protein tyrosine phosphatase-like inositol polyphosphatases from Selenomonas lacticifex

Inositol polyphosphatases (IPPases) play an important role in the metabolism of inositol polyphosphates, a class of molecules involved in signal transduction. Here we characterize 2 new protein tyrosine phosphatase-like IPPases (PhyAsl and PhyBsl) cloned from Selenomonas lacticifex that can hydrolyze myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP6) in vitro. To determine their preferred substrates and stereospecificity of InsP6 dephosphorylation, a combination of kinetic and high-performance ion pair chromatography studies were conducted. Despite only 33% amino acid sequence identity between them, both enzymes display strict specificity for IPP substrates and cleave InsP6 primarily at the d-3-phosphate position (>90%). Furthermore, both enzymes predominantly degrade InsP6 to Ins(2)P via identical and very specific routes of dephosphorylation (3,4,5,6,1). Despite these similarities, PhylAsl is shown to have a slight kinetic preference for the major inositol pentakisphosphate intermediate in its InsP6 hydrolysis pathway, whereas PhyBsl displays a unique and substantial preference for an inositol tetrakisphosphate intermediate.     

Structural Analysis of a Multifunctional, Tandemly Repeated Inositol Polyphosphatase

Mitsuokella multacida expresses a unique inositol polyphosphatase (PhyAmm) that is composed of tandem repeats (TRs). Each repeat possesses a protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) active-site signature sequence and fold. Using a combination of structural, mutational, and kinetic studies, we show that the N-terminal (D1) and C-terminal (D2) active sites of the TR have diverged and possess significantly different specificities for inositol polyphosphate. Structural analysis and molecular docking calculations identify steric and electrostatic differences within the substrate binding pocket of each TR that may be involved in the altered substrate specificity. The implications of our results for the biological function of related PTP-like phytases are discussed. Finally, the structures and activities of PhyAmm and tandemly repeated receptor PTPs are compared and discussed. To our knowledge, this is the first example of an inositol phosphatase with tandem PTP domains possessing substrate specificity for different inositol phosphates.     

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus phosphoglucose isomerase structures reveal novel rigidity in the active site of a selected subset of enzymes upon substrate binding

Glycolysis and gluconeogenesis are central pathways of metabolism across all domains of life. A prominent enzyme in these pathways is phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI), which mediates the interconversion of glucose-6-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate. The predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus leads a complex life cycle, switching between intraperiplasmic replicative and extracellular ‘hunter’ attack-phase stages. Passage through this complex life cycle involves different metabolic states. Here we present the unliganded and substrate-bound structures of the B. bacteriovorus PGI, solved to 1.74 Å and 1.67 Å, respectively. These structures reveal that an induced-fit conformational change within the active site is not a prerequisite for the binding of substrates in some PGIs. Crucially, we suggest a phenylalanine residue, conserved across most PGI enzymes but substituted for glycine in B. bacteriovorus and other select organisms, is central to the induced-fit mode of substrate recognition for PGIs. This enzyme also represents the smallest conventional PGI characterized to date and probably represents the minimal requirements for a functional PGI.     

Snapshots during the catalytic cycle of a histidine acid phytase reveal an induced-fit structural mechanism

Highly engineered phytases, which sequentially hydrolyze the hexakisphosphate ester of inositol known as phytic acid, are routinely added to the feeds of monogastric animals to improve phosphate bioavailability. New phytases are sought as starting points to further optimize the rate and extent of dephosphorylation of phytate in the animal digestive tract. Multiple inositol polyphosphate phosphatases (MINPPs) are clade 2 histidine phosphatases (HP2P) able to carry out the stepwise hydrolysis of phytate. MINPPs are not restricted by a strong positional specificity making them attractive targets for development as feed enzymes. Here, we describe the characterization of a MINPP from the Gram-positive bacterium Bifidobacterium longum (BlMINPP). BlMINPP has a typical HP2P-fold but, unusually, possesses a large α-domain polypeptide insertion relative to other MINPPs. This insertion, termed the U-loop, spans the active site and contributes to substrate specificity pockets underpopulated in other HP2Ps. Mutagenesis of U-loop residues reveals its contribution to enzyme kinetics and thermostability. Moreover, four crystal structures of the protein along the catalytic cycle capture, for the first time in an HP2P, a large ligand-driven α-domain motion essential to allow substrate access to the active site. This motion recruits residues both downstream of a molecular hinge and on the U-loop to participate in specificity subsites, and mutagenesis identified a mobile lysine residue as a key determinant of positional specificity of the enzyme. Taken together, these data provide important new insights to the factors determining stability, substrate recognition, and the structural mechanism of hydrolysis in this industrially important group of enzymes.     

Discrete Cyclic di-GMP-Dependent Control of Bacterial Predation versus Axenic Growth in Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a Delta-proteobacterium that oscillates between free-living growth and predation on Gram-negative bacteria including important pathogens of man, animals and plants. After entering the prey periplasm, killing the prey and replicating inside the prey bdelloplast, several motile B. bacteriovorus progeny cells emerge. The B. bacteriovorus HD100 genome encodes numerous proteins predicted to be involved in signalling via the secondary messenger cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP), which is known to affect bacterial lifestyle choices. We investigated the role of c-di-GMP signalling in B. bacteriovorus, focussing on the five GGDEF domain proteins that are predicted to function as diguanylyl cyclases initiating c-di-GMP signalling cascades. Inactivation of individual GGDEF domain genes resulted in remarkably distinct phenotypes. Deletion of dgcB (Bd0742) resulted in a predation impaired, obligately axenic mutant, while deletion of dgcC (Bd1434) resulted in the opposite, obligately predatory mutant. Deletion of dgcA (Bd0367) abolished gliding motility, producing bacteria capable of predatory invasion but unable to leave the exhausted prey. Complementation was achieved with wild type dgc genes, but not with GGAAF versions. Deletion of cdgA (Bd3125) substantially slowed predation; this was restored by wild type complementation. Deletion of dgcD (Bd3766) had no observable phenotype. In vitro assays showed that DgcA, DgcB, and DgcC were diguanylyl cyclases. CdgA lacks enzymatic activity but functions as a c-di-GMP receptor apparently in the DgcB pathway. Activity of DgcD was not detected. Deletion of DgcA strongly decreased the extractable c-di-GMP content of axenic Bdellovibrio cells. We show that c-di-GMP signalling pathways are essential for both the free-living and predatory lifestyles of B. bacteriovorus and that obligately predatory dgcC- can be made lacking a propensity to survive without predation of bacterial pathogens and thus possibly useful in anti-pathogen applications. In contrast to many studies in other bacteria, Bdellovibrio shows specificity and lack of overlap in c-di-GMP signalling pathways.     

Structural analysis and detection of biological inositol pyrophosphates reveal that the family of VIP/diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate kinases are 1/3-kinases

We have characterized the positional specificity of the mammalian and yeast VIP/diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate kinase (PPIP5K) family of inositol phosphate kinases. We deployed a microscale metal dye detection protocol coupled to a high performance liquid chromatography system that was calibrated with synthetic and biologically synthesized standards of inositol pyrophosphates. In addition, we have directly analyzed the structures of biological inositol pyrophosphates using two-dimensional 1H-1H and 1H-31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Using these tools, we have determined that the mammalian and yeast VIP/PPIP5K family phosphorylates the 1/3-position of the inositol ring in vitro and in vivo. For example, the VIP/PPIP5K enzymes convert inositol hexakisphosphate to 1/3-diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate. The latter compound has not previously been identified in any organism. We have also unequivocally determined that 1/3,5-(PP)2-IP4 is the isomeric structure of the bis-diphosphoinositol tetrakisphosphate that is synthesized by yeasts and mammals, through a collaboration between the inositol hexakisphosphate kinase and VIP/PPIP5K enzymes. These data uncover phylogenetic variability within the crown taxa in the structures of inositol pyrophosphates. For example, in the Dictyostelids, the major bis-diphosphoinositol tetrakisphosphate is 5,6-(PP)2-IP4 ( Laussmann, T., Eujen, R., Weisshuhn, C. M., Thiel, U., Falck, J. R., and Vogel, G. (1996) Biochem. J. 315, 715-725 ). Our study brings us closer to the goal of understanding the structure/function relationships that control specificity in the synthesis and biological actions of inositol pyrophosphates.     

Kinetic and structural analysis of a bacterial protein tyrosine phosphatase-like myo-inositol polyphosphatase

PhyA from Selenomonas ruminantium (PhyAsr), is a bacterial protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP)-like inositol polyphosphate phosphatase (IPPase) that is distantly related to known PTPs. PhyAsr has a second substrate binding site referred to as a standby site and the P-loop (HCX5R) has been observed in both open (inactive) and closed (active) conformations. Site-directed mutagenesis and kinetic and structural studies indicate PhyAsr follows a classical PTP mechanism of hydrolysis and has a broad specificity toward polyphosphorylated myo-inositol substrates, including phosphoinositides. Kinetic and molecular docking experiments demonstrate PhyAsr preferentially cleaves the 3-phosphate position of Ins P6 and will produce Ins(2)P via a highly ordered series of sequential dephosphorylations: D-Ins(1,2,4,5,6)P5, Ins(2,4,5,6)P4, D-Ins(2,4,5)P3, and D-Ins(2,4)P2. The data support a distributive enzyme mechanism and suggest the PhyAsr standby site is involved in the recruitment of substrate. Structural studies at physiological pH and high salt concentrations demonstrate the "closed" or active P-loop conformation can be induced in the absence of substrate. These results suggest PhyAsr should be reclassified as a D-3 myo-inositol hexakisphosphate phosphohydrolase and suggest the PhyAsr reaction mechanism is more similar to that of PTPs than previously suspected.     

Production of 3′,3′-cGAMP by a Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus promiscuous GGDEF enzyme,Bd0367, regulates exit from prey by gliding motility

Bacterial second messengers are important for regulating diverse bacterial lifestyles. Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is produced by diguanylate cyclase enzymes, named GGDEF proteins, which are widespread across bacteria. Recently, hybrid promiscuous (Hypr) GGDEF proteins have been described in some bacteria, which produce both c-di-GMP and a more recently identified bacterial second messenger, 3′,3′-cyclic-GMP-AMP (cGAMP). One of these proteins was found in the predatory Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, Bd0367. The bd0367 GGDEF gene deletion strain was found to enter prey cells, but was incapable of leaving exhausted prey remnants via gliding motility on a solid surface once predator cell division was complete. However, it was unclear which signal regulated this process. We show that cGAMP signalling is active within B. bacteriovorus and that, in addition to producing c-di-GMP and some c-di-AMP, Bd0367 is a primary producer of cGAMP in vivo. Site-directed mutagenesis of serine 214 to an aspartate rendered Bd0367 into primarily a c-di-GMP synthase. B. bacteriovorus strain bd0367S214D phenocopies the bd0367 deletion strain by being unable to glide on a solid surface, leading to an inability of new progeny to exit from prey cells post-replication. Thus, this process is regulated by cGAMP. Deletion of bd0367 was also found to be incompatible with wild-type flagellar biogenesis, as a result of an acquired mutation in flagellin chaperone gene homologue fliS, implicating c-di-GMP in regulation of swimming motility. Thus the single Bd0367 enzyme produces two secondary messengers by action of the same GGDEF domain, the first reported example of a synthase that regulates multiple second messengers in vivo. Unlike roles of these signalling molecules in other bacteria, these signal to two separate motility systems, gliding and flagellar, which are essential for completion of the bacterial predation cycle and prey exit by B. bacteriovorus.     

Crystal structure of inositol phosphate multikinase 2 and implications for substrate specificity

Inositol polyphosphates perform essential functions as second messengers in eukaryotic cells, and their cellular levels are regulated by inositol phosphate kinases. Most of these enzymes belong to the inositol phosphate kinase superfamily, which consists of three subgroups, inositol 3-kinases, inositol phosphate multikinases, and inositol hexakisphosphate kinases. Family members share several strictly conserved signature motifs and are expected to have the same backbone fold, despite very limited overall amino acid sequence identity. Sequence differences are expected to play important roles in defining the different substrate selectivity of these enzymes. To investigate the structural basis for substrate specificity, we have determined the crystal structure of the yeast inositol phosphate multikinase Ipk2 in the apoform and in a complex with ADP and Mn(2+) at up to 2.0A resolution. The overall structure of Ipk2 is related to inositol trisphosphate 3-kinase. The ATP binding site is similar in both enzymes; however, the inositol binding domain is significantly smaller in Ipk2. Replacement of critical side chains in the inositolbinding site suggests how modification of substrate recognition motifs determines enzymatic substrate preference and catalysis.     

The Lifestyle Switch Protein Bd0108 of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus Is an Intrinsically Disordered Protein

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a δ-proteobacterium that preys upon Salmonella spp., E. coli, and other Gram-negative bacteria. Bdellovibrio can grow axenically (host-independent, HI, rare and mutation-driven) or subsist via a predatory lifecycle (host-dependent, HD, the usual case). Upon contact with prey, B. bacteriovorus enters the host periplasm from where it slowly drains the host cytosol of nutrients for its own replication. At the core of this mechanism is a retractile pilus, whose architecture is regulated by the protein Bd0108 and its interaction with the neighboring gene product Bd0109. Deletion of bd0108 results in negligible pilus formation, whereas an internal deletion (the one that instigates host-independence) causes mis-regulation of pilus length. These mutations, along with a suite of naturally occurring bd0108 mutant strains, act to control the entry to HI growth. To further study the molecular mechanism of predatory regulation, we focused on the apparent lifecycle switch protein Bd0108. Here we characterize the solution structure and dynamics of Bd0108 using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy complemented with additional biophysical methods. We then explore the interaction between Bd0108 and Bd0109 in detail utilizing isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and NMR spectroscopy. Together our results demonstrate that Bd0108 is an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) and that the interaction with Bd0109 is of low affinity. Furthermore, we observe that Bd0108 retains an IDP nature while binding Bd0109. From our data we conclude that Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus utilizes an intrinsically disordered protein to regulate its pilus and control predation signaling.     

Simple synthesis of <Superscript>32</Superscript>P-labelled inositol hexakisphosphates for study of phosphate transformations

Background and aims

In many soils inositol hexakisphosphate in its various forms is as abundant as inorganic phosphate. The organismal and geochemical processes that exchange phosphate between inositol hexakisphosphate and other pools of soil phosphate are poorly defined, as are the organisms and enzymes involved. We rationalized that simple enzymic synthesis of inositol hexakisphosphate labeled with ³²P would greatly enable study of transformation of soil inositol phosphates when combined with robust HPLC separations of different inositol phosphates.

Methods

We employed the enzyme inositol pentakisphosphate 2-kinase, IP5 2-K, to transfer phosphate from [γ-³²P]ATP to axial hydroxyl(s) of myo-, neo- and 1D-chiro-inositol phosphate substrates.

Results

³²P-labeled inositol phosphates were separated by anion exchange HPLC with phosphate eluents. Additional HPLC methods were developed to allow facile separation of myo-, neo-, 1D-chiro- and scyllo-inositol hexakisphosphate on acid gradients.

Conclusions

We developed enzymic approaches that allow the synthesis of labeled myo-inositol 1,[³²P]2,3,4,5,6-hexakisphosphate; neo-inositol 1,[³²P]2,3,4,[³²P]5,6–hexakisphosphate and 1D-chiro-inositol [³²P]1,2,3,4,5,[³²P]6-hexakisphosphate. Additionally, we describe HPLC separations of all inositol hexakisphosphates yet identified in soils, using a collection of soil inositol phosphates described in the seminal historic studies of Cosgrove, Tate and coworkers. Our study will enable others to perform radiotracer experiments to analyze fluxes of phosphate to/from inositol hexakisphosphates in different soils.

     

Structural basis of the strict specificity of a bacterial GH31 α-1,3-glucosidase for nigerooligosaccharides

Carbohydrate-active enzymes are involved in the degradation, biosynthesis, and modification of carbohydrates and vary with the diversity of carbohydrates. The glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 31 is one of the most diverse families of carbohydrate-active enzymes, containing various enzymes that act on α-glycosides. However, the function of some GH31 groups remains unknown, as their enzymatic activity is difficult to estimate due to the low amino acid sequence similarity between characterized and uncharacterized members. Here, we performed a phylogenetic analysis and discovered a protein cluster (GH31_u1) sharing low sequence similarity with the reported GH31 enzymes. Within this cluster, we showed that a GH31_u1 protein from Lactococcus lactis (LlGH31_u1) and its fungal homolog demonstrated hydrolytic activities against nigerose [α-D-Glcp-(1→3)-D-Glc]. The k_cat/K_m values of LlGH31_u1 against kojibiose and maltose were 13% and 2.1% of that against nigerose, indicating that LlGH31_u1 has a higher specificity to the α-1,3 linkage of nigerose than other characterized GH31 enzymes, including eukaryotic enzymes. Furthermore, the three-dimensional structures of LlGH31_u1 determined using X-ray crystallography and cryogenic electron microscopy revealed that LlGH31_u1 forms a hexamer and has a C-terminal domain comprising four α-helices, suggesting that it contributes to hexamerization. Finally, crystal structures in complex with nigerooligosaccharides and kojibiose along with mutational analysis revealed the active site residues involved in substrate recognition in this enzyme. This study reports the first structure of a bacterial GH31 α-1,3-glucosidase and provides new insight into the substrate specificity of GH31 enzymes and the physiological functions of bacterial and fungal GH31_u1 members.     

Structural basis for substrate recognition in the salicylic acid carboxyl methyltransferase family

Recently, a novel family of methyltransferases was identified in plants. Some members of this newly discovered and recently characterized methyltransferase family catalyze the formation of small-molecule methyl esters using S-adenosyl-L-Met (SAM) as a methyl donor and carboxylic acid-bearing substrates as methyl acceptors. These enzymes include SAMT (SAM:salicylic acid carboxyl methyltransferase), BAMT (SAM:benzoic acid carboxyl methyltransferase), and JMT (SAM:jasmonic acid carboxyl methyltransferase). Moreover, other members of this family of plant methyltransferases have been found to catalyze the N-methylation of caffeine precursors. The 3.0-A crystal structure of Clarkia breweri SAMT in complex with the substrate salicylic acid and the demethylated product S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine reveals a protein structure that possesses a helical active site capping domain and a unique dimerization interface. In addition, the chemical determinants responsible for the selection of salicylic acid demonstrate the structural basis for facile variations of substrate selectivity among functionally characterized plant carboxyl-directed and nitrogen-directed methyltransferases and a growing set of related proteins that have yet to be examined biochemically. Using the three-dimensional structure of SAMT as a guide, we examined the substrate specificity of SAMT by site-directed mutagenesis and activity assays against 12 carboxyl-containing small molecules. Moreover, the utility of structural information for the functional characterization of this large family of plant methyltransferases was demonstrated by the discovery of an Arabidopsis methyltransferase that is specific for the carboxyl-bearing phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid.     

Structural and biochemical characterization of the broad substrate specificity of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron commensal sialidase

Sialidases release the terminal sialic acid residue from a wide range of sialic acid-containing polysaccharides. Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, a symbiotic commensal microbe, resides in and dominates the human intestinal tract. We characterized the recombinant sialidase from B. thetaiotaomicron (BTSA) and demonstrated that it has broad substrate specificity with a relative activity of 97, 100 and 64 for 2,3-, 2,6- and 2,8-linked sialic substrates, respectively. The hydrolysis activity of BTSA was inhibited by a transition state analogue, 2-deoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetyl neuraminic acid, by competitive inhibition with a K_i value of 35 μM. The structure of BSTA was determined at a resolution of 2.3 Å. This structure exhibited a unique carbohydrate-binding domain (CBM) at its N-terminus (a.a. 23–190) that is adjacent to the catalytic domain (a.a. 191–535). The catalytic domain has a conserved arginine triad with a wide-open entrance for the substrate that exposes the catalytic residue to the surface. Unlike other pathogenic sialidases, the polysaccharide-binding site in the CBM is near the active site and possibly holds and positions the polysaccharide substrate directly at the active site. The structural feature of a wide substrate-binding groove and closer proximity of the polysaccharide-binding site to the active site could be a unique signature of the commensal sialidase BTSA and provide a molecular basis for its pharmaceutical application.     

Specialized Peptidoglycan Hydrolases Sculpt the Intra-bacterial Niche of Predatory Bdellovibrio and Increase Population Fitness

Bdellovibrio are predatory bacteria that have evolved to invade virtually all Gram-negative bacteria, including many prominent pathogens. Upon invasion, prey bacteria become rounded up into an osmotically stable niche for the Bdellovibrio, preventing further superinfection and allowing Bdellovibrio to replicate inside without competition, killing the prey bacterium and degrading its contents. Historically, prey rounding was hypothesized to be associated with peptidoglycan (PG) metabolism; we found two Bdellovibrio genes, bd0816 and bd3459, expressed at prey entry and encoding proteins with limited homologies to conventional dacB/PBP4 DD-endo/carboxypeptidases (responsible for peptidoglycan maintenance during growth and division). We tested possible links between Bd0816/3459 activity and predation. Bd3459, but not an active site serine mutant protein, bound β-lactam, exhibited DD-endo/carboxypeptidase activity against purified peptidoglycan and, importantly, rounded up E. coli cells upon periplasmic expression. A ΔBd0816 ΔBd3459 double mutant invaded prey more slowly than the wild type (with negligible prey cell rounding) and double invasions of single prey by more than one Bdellovibrio became more frequent. We solved the crystal structure of Bd3459 to 1.45 Å and this revealed predation-associated domain differences to conventional PBP4 housekeeping enzymes (loss of the regulatory domain III, alteration of domain II and a more exposed active site). The Bd3459 active site (and by similarity the Bd0816 active site) can thus accommodate and remodel the various bacterial PGs that Bdellovibrio may encounter across its diverse prey range, compared to the more closed active site that “regular” PBP4s have for self cell wall maintenance. Therefore, during evolution, Bdellovibrio peptidoglycan endopeptidases have adapted into secreted predation-specific proteins, preventing wasteful double invasion, and allowing activity upon the diverse prey peptidoglycan structures to sculpt the prey cell into a stable intracellular niche for replication.     

PiUS (Pi uptake stimulator) is an inositol hexakisphosphate kinase

A cDNA cloned from its ability to stimulate inorganic phosphate uptake in Xenopus oocytes (phosphate uptake stimulator (PiUS)) shows significant similarity with inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase. However, the expressed PiUS protein showed no detectable activity against inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, nor the 1,3,4,5- or 3,4,5, 6-isomers of inositol tetrakisphosphate, whereas it was very active in converting inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP(6)) to inositol heptakisphosphate (InsP(7)). PiUS is a member of a family of enzymes found in many eukaryotes and we discuss the implications of this for the functions of InsP(7) and for the evolution of inositol phosphate kinases.     

Comparative Structural Modeling of Six Old Yellow Enzymes (OYEs) from the Necrotrophic Fungus Ascochyta rabiei : Insight into Novel OYE Classes with Differences in Cofactor Binding,Organization of Active Site Residues and Stereopreferences

Old Yellow Enzyme (OYE1) was the first flavin-dependent enzyme identified and characterized in detail by the entire range of physical techniques. Irrespective of this scrutiny, true physiological role of the enzyme remains a mystery. In a recent study, we systematically identified OYE proteins from various fungi and classified them into three classes viz. Class I, II and III. However, there is no information about the structural organization of Class III OYEs, eukaryotic Class II OYEs and Class I OYEs of filamentous fungi. Ascochyta rabiei, a filamentous phytopathogen which causes Ascochyta blight (AB) in chickpea possesses six OYEs (ArOYE1-6) belonging to the three OYE classes. Here we carried out comparative homology modeling of six ArOYEs representing all the three classes to get an in depth idea of structural and functional aspects of fungal OYEs. The predicted 3D structures of A. rabiei OYEs were refined and evaluated using various validation tools for their structural integrity. Analysis of FMN binding environment of Class III OYE revealed novel residues involved in interaction. The ligand para-hydroxybenzaldehyde (PHB) was docked into the active site of the enzymes and interacting residues were analyzed. We observed a unique active site organization of Class III OYE in comparison to Class I and II OYEs. Subsequently, analysis of stereopreference through structural features of ArOYEs was carried out, suggesting differences in R/S selectivity of these proteins. Therefore, our comparative modeling study provides insights into the FMN binding, active site organization and stereopreference of different classes of ArOYEs and indicates towards functional differences of these enzymes. This study provides the basis for future investigations towards the biochemical and functional characterization of these enigmatic enzymes.     

Biochemical Evaluation of the Decarboxylation and Decarboxylation-Deamination Activities of Plant Aromatic Amino Acid Decarboxylases

Plant aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AAAD) enzymes are capable of catalyzing either decarboxylation or decarboxylation-deamination on various combinations of aromatic amino acid substrates. These two different activities result in the production of arylalkylamines and the formation of aromatic acetaldehydes, respectively. Variations in product formation enable individual enzymes to play different physiological functions. Despite these catalytic variations, arylalkylamine and aldehyde synthesizing AAADs are indistinguishable without protein expression and characterization. In this study, extensive biochemical characterization of plant AAADs was performed to identify residues responsible for differentiating decarboxylation AAADs from aldehyde synthase AAADs. Results demonstrated that a tyrosine residue located on a catalytic loop proximal to the active site of plant AAADs is primarily responsible for dictating typical decarboxylase activity, whereas a phenylalanine at the same position is primarily liable for aldehyde synthase activity. Mutagenesis of the active site phenylalanine to tyrosine in Arabidopsis thaliana and Petroselinum crispum aromatic acetaldehyde synthases primarily converts the enzymes activity from decarboxylation-deamination to decarboxylation. The mutation of the active site tyrosine to phenylalanine in the Catharanthus roseus and Papaver somniferum aromatic amino acid decarboxylases changes the enzymes decarboxylation activity to a primarily decarboxylation-deamination activity. Generation of these mutant enzymes enables the production of unusual AAAD enzyme products including indole-3-acetaldehyde, 4-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, and phenylethylamine. Our data indicates that the tyrosine and phenylalanine in the catalytic loop region could serve as a signature residue to reliably distinguish plant arylalkylamine and aldehyde synthesizing AAADs. Additionally, the resulting data enables further insights into the mechanistic roles of active site residues.     

Characterization of bacterial proteases with a panel of fluorescent peptide substrates

Bacteria produce a range of proteolytic enzymes. In an attempt to detect and identify bacteria on the basis of their protease activity, a panel of protease substrates was investigated. Peptides conjugated to the fluorophore 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (AMC) are well-established substrates for measuring protease activity. Although peptide-AMC substrates are generally not specific for a single protease, a unique pattern can be achieved for both highly specific enzymes and those with a broader substrate range by comparing different peptide substrates. The panel of 7 peptide-AMC substrates chosen exhibited a unique pattern for nine microbial proteases. The selected peptides were used to determine protease activity in cultured strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. A signal pattern obtained with peptides with arginine, lysine, and tyrosine in the P1 position characterized the bacterial protease activities in these samples. The kinetic parameters for the three best substrates for the P. aeruginosa sample were calculated. Further information about substrate specificity was gained by the selective use of protease inhibitors. The results presented show that peptide-AMC substrates provide a simple and sensitive tool to characterize protease activity in microbiological samples and that they have the potential to identify and distinguish different bacterial species.