The impaired expression of glycine decarboxylase in patients with hyperglycinemias

Glycine decarboxylase, a constituent of the glycine cleavage system, in patients with either nonketotic or ketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH and KH) was examined using an anti-chicken glycine decarboxylase antibody. Patients with NKH who have lesion in glycine decarboxylase are differentiated by its expressed level in the liver. One group is cases of the neonatal onset type who have neither activity of the enzyme nor protein reactive to the antibody. The other is a case of the late onset type who shows low but detectable activity of the enzyme and the desirable amount of the immunoreactive material. In the liver of a patient with KH not showing the appreciable activity of H-protein, ubiquitous amount of protein reactive to anti-H-protein IgG is detected and amount of glycine decarboxylase has also been lowered. It is suggested that several mechanisms may be involved in determining the expressed level of glycine decarboxylase in patients with hyperglycinemias.     

Structural and expression analyses of normal and mutant mRNA encoding glycine decarboxylase: three-base deletion in mRNA causes nonketotic hyperglycinemia

Full-length cDNA clone encoding human glycine decarboxylase (P-protein) was isolated from the human placental lambda gt11 expression library using specific antibodies. This clone was 3,705 bp in length and encoded 1,020 amino acids. We studied the structure of the mutant P-protein mRNA expressed in the liver of a patient with nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) deficient of P-protein. A three-base deletion, which resulted in deletion of Phe756, was found. Cos7 cells in which normal P-protein cDNA was expressed presented an activity of 6.9 +/- 0.41 nmole/milligram of protein/hour, which was almost equivalent to that of human liver. In contrast, Cos7 cells in which the mutant cDNA was expressed showed no activity, indicating that the three-base deletion could cause NKH.     

A missense mutation (His42Arg) in the T-protein gene from a large Israeli-Arab kindred with nonketotic hyperglycinemia

Nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) is caused by a mutation in the genes encoding the components of the glycine cleavage multi-enzyme system. More than 80% of the patients have defects in the gene encoding P-protein, whereas the rest of the patints have defects in the gene encoding T-protein. We have found a large Israeli-Arab kindred with NKH. At least 14 children were affected, and all the patients had seizures and respiratory failure within 2 days after birth. Enzymatic analysis revealed that T-protein activity was deficient in the liver specimen from one propositus. We screened this family for a mutation in the protein-coding region and exon/intron boundaries of T-protein gene by direct sequencing analysis. A missense mutation was found in exon 2; this resulted in an amino acid substitution from histidine to arginine at position 42 (H42R). Histidine 42 is conserved in human, bovine, chicken, pea, and Escherichia coli, suggesting that it has an important role in catalytic functions. Genotype analyses of 26 family members confirmed that the homozygous H42R mutation was completely associated with the onset of NKH. The availability of DNA testing facilitates the prenatal diagnosis of NKH and the identification of carriers, which is necessary for genetic counseling in the affected families. Received: 28 October 1997 / Accepted: 6 January 1998     

Reduction of the level of the glycine cleavage system in the rat liver resulting from administration of dipropylacetic acid: an experimental approach to hyperglycinemia.

Prolonged administration of dipropylacetic acid, a branched-chain fatty acid, reduced the glycine cleavage activity in the liver of rat to about one-third of the activity in the control rat. The reduction of the activity appeared to be due mainly to reduction of the level of P-protein, a pyridoxal phosphate enzyme, which is responsible for the first step of the glycine cleavage, although dipropylacetic acid was also found to inhibit the activity of P-protein in vitro in a noncompetitive but partially competitive manner with respect to glycine. The rat treated with dipropylacetic acid may provide an experimental approach for the biochemical study of hyperglycinemia which accompanies to metabolic disorders of branchedchain keto acids. In the dipropylacetic acid-treated rat, however, the glycine concentration in the serum was not appreciably elevated and this may be accounted for by the fact that the activities of both the glycine cleavage system and serine dehydratase are considerably higher in the rat liver as compared with those in other animals including human.     

Postnatal development of the glycine cleavage system in rat liver

The development of the glycine cleavage system was studied in liver mitochondrial extracts from neonatal and adult rats. The enzyme activity in 2-day-old pups was 29.3% of that measured in the adult and was found to increase in an age-dependent manner. Measurement of hepatic free amino acid concentrations at the neonatal ages showed that glycine levels were highest at 2 days and at 14 days were about 48% of those in the 2-day-old pups. Serine levels did not change between the age of 2 and 14 days. A developmental delay in the glycine cleavage system is responsible for the high levels of glycine in the neonatal rat liver.     

Postnatal Development of Synaptic Glycine Receptors in Normal and Hyperglycinemic Rats

The postnatal development of glycine synaptic receptors has been studied. Strychnine binding to the synaptic membrane fraction is very low at birth, increases thereafter, and reaches adult values at the 15th day in the brain, and at the 30th day in the spinal cord. Throughout postnatal development, there are more glycine receptors in the spinal cord than in the brain. The development of receptors in the spinal cord displays a pattern similar to that reported previously for the glycine reuptake system in spinal cord slices and in the activity of spinal cord glycine synthase. In rats with experimental hyperglycinemia strychnine binding to spinal cord glycine receptors increases much more rapidly, reaching a level 1.5 times the control value by day 10. When the hyperglycinemia was induced after the 10th postnatal day, however, no effect on the glycine receptors was observed. This increased number of receptors could be explained by an effect of glycine on the synaptic stabilisation process. No changes in the KD for strychnine were observed either during postnatal development or in hyperglycinemic rats. The KD remained approximately 10 nM in the spinal cord and 50 nM in the brain. Results are discussed with respect to the ontogeny of glycinergic synapses and the pathogenesis of nonketotic hyperglycinemia.     

Crystal structure of T-protein of the glycine cleavage system. Cofactor binding, insights into H-protein recognition, and molecular basis for understanding nonketotic hyperglycinemia

The glycine cleavage system catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of glycine in bacteria and in mitochondria of animals and plants. Its deficiency in human causes nonketotic hyperglycinemia, an inborn error of glycine metabolism. T-protein, one of the four components of the glycine cleavage system,is a tetrahydrofolate dependent aminomethyltransferase. It catalyzes the transfer of the methylene carbon unit to tetrahydrofolate from the methylamine group covalently attached to the lipoamide arm of H-protein. To gain insight into the T-protein function at the molecular level, we have determined the first crystal structure of T-protein from Thermotoga maritima by the multiwavelength anomalous diffraction method of x-ray crystallography and refined four structures: the apoform; the tetrahydrofolate complex; the folinic acid complex; and the lipoic acid complex. The overall fold of T-protein is similar to that of the C-terminal tetrahydrofolate-binding region (residues 421-830) of Arthrobacter globiformis dimethylglycine oxidase. Tetrahydrofolate (or folinic acid) is bound near the center of the tripartite T-protein. Lipoic acid is bound adjacent to the tetrahydrofolate binding pocket, thus defining the interaction surface for H-protein binding. A homology model of the human T-protein provides the structural framework for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of nonketotic hyperglycinemia due to missense mutations of the human T-protein.     

Hyperglycinemia due to folate deficiency in rats: evidence for the lack of involvement of the hepatic glycine cleavage system

In addition to a well-recognized hyperhomocysteinemic state, folate deficiency also leads to profound hyperglycinemia. To further characterize the latter observation, two trials were conducted using a folate-deficient rat model to (1) determine the sensitivity of plasma glycine to folate repletion and (2) test the hypothesis that hyperglycinemia results from a reduced flux through the folate-dependent glycine cleavage system (GCS). Weanling male Sprague–Dawley rats were used, and they consumed an amino acid-defined diet with either 0 (FD) or 1 (FA) mg/kg of crystalline folic acid. In Trial 1, 30 rats consumed the FD diet for 28 days. Rats then consumed diets containing 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 or 0.4 mg/kg of folic acid for 14 days before termination. In Trial 2, 16 rats were allocated to receive either the FA (n=8) or FD (n=8) diet for 30 days before termination. Liver mitochondria were isolated and flux through the GCS (measured as ¹⁴CO₂ production from 1-¹⁴C-glycine) was determined. Plasma from blood collected at termination was analyzed for folate, homocysteine and glycine. In Trial 1, both homocysteine and glycine responded linearly to increased dietary folic acid (milligrams per kilogram) levels (P<.05). In Trial 2, plasma folate (FA=25.85 vs. FD=0.66; S.E.M.=1.4 μM), homocysteine (FA=11.1 vs. FD=55.3; S.E.M.=1.7 μM) and glycine (FA=564 vs. FD=1983; S.E.M.=114 μM) were significantly affected by folate deficiency (P<.0001). However, glycine flux through hepatic GCS was not affected by folate deficiency (P>.05). These results provide evidence that in a folate-deficient rat model, both homocysteine and glycine are sensitive to dietary folic acid levels; however, the observed hyperglycinemia does not appear to be related to a reduced flux through the hepatic GCS.     

Glycine decarboxylase multienzyme complex. Purification and partial characterization from pea leaf mitochondria

The P, H, and T proteins of the glycine cleavage system have been purified separately from pea leaf mitochondria and demonstrate molecular weights of 98,000, 15,500, and 45,000, respectively, by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight of P protein by gel filtration was 210,000, indicating that this enzyme has a native homodimer conformation. Reconstitution assays containing purified P, H, and T proteins and yeast lipoamide dehydrogenase catalyze the oxidation of glycine and demonstrate a strict dependence on pyridoxal phosphate, tetrahydrofolate, NAD+, and dithiothreitol. The released CO2, methylamine-H protein intermediate, and methylenetetrahydrofolate are produced in stoichiometric amounts from glycine during the cleavage reaction. H protein acts as co-substrate with glycine during the decarboxylation reaction, demonstrating an apparent Km value of 2.2 microM. P and H protein alone jointly catalyze the glycine carboxyl-14 CO2 exchange reaction in the presence of pyridoxal phosphate and dithiothreitol. L protein of the glycine cleavage system was immunopurified using monoclonal antibodies. Antigenic and molecular weight similarities of the L protein with the lipoamide dehydrogenase component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex were shown suggesting the possibility of common isomers of lipoamide dehydrogenase for the two enzyme complexes.     

Improvement of glycine biosynthesis from one-carbon compounds and ammonia catalyzed by the glycine cleavage system in vitro

Glycine cleavage system (GCS) plays a central role in one-carbon (C1) metabolism and receives increasing interest as a core part of the recently proposed reductive glycine pathway (rGlyP) for assimilation of CO₂ and formate. Despite decades of research, GCS has not yet been well understood and kinetic data are barely available. This is to a large degree because of the complexity of GCS, which is composed of four proteins (H, T, P, and L) and catalyzes reactions involving different substrates and cofactors. In vitro kinetics of reconstructed microbial multi-enzyme glycine cleavage/synthase system is desired to better implement rGlyP in microorganisms like Escherichia coli for the use of C1 resources. Here, we examined in vitro several factors that may affect the rate of glycine synthesis via the reverse GCS reaction. We found that the ratio of GCS component proteins has a direct influence on the rate of glycine synthesis, namely higher ratios of P protein and especially H protein to T and L proteins are favorable, and the carboxylation reaction catalyzed by P protein is a key step determining the glycine synthesis rate, whereas increasing the ratio of L protein to other GCS proteins does not have significant effect and the ratio of T protein to other GCS proteins should be kept low. The effect of substrate concentrations on glycine synthesis is quite complex, showing interdependence with the ratios of GCS component proteins. Furthermore, adding the reducing agent dithiothreitol to the reaction mixture not only results in great tolerance to high concentration of formaldehyde, but also increases the rate of glycine synthesis, probably due to its functions in activating P protein and taking up the role of L protein in the non-enzymatic reduction of H_ox to H_red. Moreover, the presence of some monovalent and divalent metal ions can have either positive or negative effect on the rate of glycine synthesis, depending on their type and their concentration.     

Glycine Provokes Lipid Oxidative Damage and Reduces the Antioxidant Defenses in Brain Cortex of Young Rats

Patients affected by nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) usually present severe neurological symptoms and suffer from acute episodes of intractable seizures with leukoencephalopathy. Although excitotoxicity seems to be involved in the brain damage of NKH, the mechanisms underlying the neuropathology of this disease are not fully established. The objective of the present study was to investigate the in vitro effects of glycine (GLY), that accumulate at high concentrations in the brain of patients affected by this disorder, on important parameters of oxidative stress, such as lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBA-RS) and chemiluminescence) and the most important non-enzymatic antioxidant defense reduced glutathione (GSH) in cerebral cortex from 30-day-old rats. GLY significantly increased TBA-RS and chemiluminescence values, indicating that this metabolite provokes lipid oxidative damage. Furthermore, the addition of high doses of the antioxidants melatonin, trolox (soluble vitamin E) and GSH fully prevented GLY-induced increase of lipid peroxidation, indicating that free radicals were involved in this effect. GLY also decreased GSH brain concentrations, which was totally blocked by melatonin treatment. Finally, GLY significantly reduced sulfhydryl group content from a commercial GSH solution, but did not oxidize reduced cytochrome C. Our data indicate that oxidative stress elicited in vitro by GLY may possibly contribute at least in part to the pathophysiology of the neurological dysfunction in NKH.     

Identification of the murine coronavirus MP1 cleavage site recognized by papain-like proteinase 2

The replicase polyprotein of murine coronavirus is extensively processed by three proteinases, two papain-like proteinases (PLPs), termed PLP1 and PLP2, and a picornavirus 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro). Previously, we established a trans-cleavage assay and showed that PLP2 cleaves the replicase polyprotein between p210 and membrane protein 1 (MP1) (A. Kanjanahaluethai and S. C. Baker, J. Virol. 74:7911-7921, 2000). Here, we report the results of our studies identifying and characterizing this cleavage site. To determine the approximate position of the cleavage site, we expressed constructs that extended various distances upstream from the previously defined C-terminal end of MP1. We found that the construct extending from the putative PLP2 cleavage site at glycine 2840-alanine 2841 was most similar in size to the processed MP1 replicase product generated in a trans-cleavage assay. To determine which amino acids are critical for PLP2 recognition and processing, we generated 14 constructs with amino acid substitutions upstream and downstream of the putative cleavage site and assessed the effects of the mutations in the PLP2 trans-cleavage assay. We found that substitutions at phenylalanine 2835, glycine 2839, or glycine 2840 resulted in a reduction in cleavage of MP1. Finally, to unequivocally identify this cleavage site, we isolated radiolabeled MP1 protein and determined the position of [(35)S]methionine residues released by Edman degradation reaction. We found that the amino-terminal residue of MP1 corresponds to alanine 2841. Therefore, murine coronavirus PLP2 cleaves the replicase polyprotein between glycine 2840 and alanine 2841, and the critical determinants for PLP2 recognition and processing occupy the P6, P2, and P1 positions of the cleavage site. This study is the first report of the identification and characterization of a cleavage site recognized by murine coronavirus PLP2 activity.     

Effects of glycine and glyoxylate on cerebral glucose oxidation in vitro

I n P atients with nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKHG), the principal route of glycine catabolism in the CNS is interrupted by an hereditary defect in the glycine cleavage reaction [5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate: ammonia hy-droxymethyltransferase (decarboxylating, oxidizing); EC 2.1.2.10] (ANDO el al , 1968; P erry et al , 1975). The resulting accumulation of glycine in cerebral tissue of affected infants is invariably associated with the development of severe brain damage, though the mechanism of the damage is still unknown.
The rapidity of onset of the condition, which often occurs within a few hours after birth, along with the severity and irreversibility of the cerebral damage, suggests that some critical metabolic process is affected by the accumulation of glycine or one of its normally minor metabolites. The study reported here was undertaken to determine the effects of glycine and its α-ketoacid metabolite, glyoxylate, on glucose oxidation in immature rat brain slices, and whether glyoxylate accumulation in NKHG might account for the severe brain damage occurring with the disease. The results showed that although glyoxylate markedly inhibited cerebral glucose oxidation in vitro , excess amounts of the compound could not be demonstrated in NKHG brain.     

Genetic diseases caused by peroxisomal dysfunction. New findings in clinical and biochemical studies

Peroxisomes play an essential role in human cellular metabolism. Peroxisomal disorders, a group of genetic diseases caused by peroxisomal dysfunction, can be classified in three groups namely a group of disorders with a general peroxisomal dysfunction (Zellweger syndrome; infantile type of Refsum's disease; neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy, hyperpipecolic acidemia), a group with an impairment of some, but not all peroxisomal functions (rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata) and a group with impairment of only a single peroxisomal function (acatalasemia, X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy/adrenomyeloneuropathy; adult type of Refsum's disease; peroxisomal thiolase deficiency; peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase deficiency; hyperoxaluria type I). In this paper we report the typical findings in ophthalmological examinations of patients suspected of Zellweger syndrome contributing to the clinical diagnosis of this disorder. In biochemical studies using a rapid gaschromatographic detection method for plasmalogens we confirmed that plasmalogens are severely deficient in all tissues of Zellweger patients studied. Moreover, using a recently developed radiochemical method, de novo plasmalogen biosynthesis was found to be impaired in fibroblasts from patients with Zellweger syndrome, infantile Refsum's disease, neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy or rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata, this in contrast to X-linked chondrodysplasia in which a normal plasmalogen biosynthesis was found. From the literature it is known that peroxisomal beta-oxidation with both long-chain (C16:0) and very long-chain (C24:0; C26:0) fatty acids is deficient in Zellweger syndrome, infantile Refsum's disease and neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy. In contrast, in X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy only the peroxisomal beta-oxidation of the very long chain fatty acids is impaired. As a result very long-chain fatty acids accumulate in tissues, plasma, fibroblasts and amniotic fluid cells from patients with Zellweger syndrome, infantile Refsum's disease, neonatal and X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, but not in rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata or X-linked chondrodysplasia. Finally we confirmed that the peroxisomal enzyme alanine glyoxylate aminotransferase is severely deficient in liver from a patient that died because of the neonatal type of hyperoxaluria type I, but not in liver from Zellweger patients.     

Rabbit model simulating transient hyperglycinemia following transurethral prostatectomy

Summary Glycine was intravenously injected in rabbits and resulted in a dose dependent hyperglycinemia. A dose of 10mmol/kg was sufficient to achieve plasma levels of 10 to 16mM comparable to serum levels in patients at the end of a transurethral prostatectomy. The experiments documented that hyperglycinemia is associated with a significant increase of this substance in tissues outside the plasma compartment. Glycine loading resulted in a tenfold elevation of this amino acid in cerebrospinal fluid 10 minutes after injection. In retina and vitreous humor a five- to tenfold increase in glycine content was observed at 10 minutes post injection while in the anterior chamber fluid the maximum increase appeared at 30 minutes.Significant increases of the glycine content were found in different cerebral structures at 30 minutes post administration.The significant elevations of this neurotransmitter within the central nervous system are prerequisites for possible toxic side effects in the course of transurethral prostatectomy (TURP). Hyperglycinemia might be involved in the pathogenesis of visual disturbances following transurethral prostatectomy and the other neurological complications of TURP syndrome. Our observations add more evidence to this hypothesis.     

In Vivo Analysis of Folate Coenzymes and Their Compartmentation in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

In eukaryotes, enzymes responsible for the interconversion of one-carbon units exist in parallel in both mitochondria and the cytoplasm. Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were constructed that possess combinations of gene disruptions at the SHM1 [mitochondrial serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMTm)], SHM2 [cytoplasmic SHMT (SHMTc)], MIS1 [mitochondrial C(1)-tetrahydrofolate synthase (C(1)-THFSm)], ADE3 [cytoplasmic C(1)-THF synthase (C(1)-THFSc)], GCV1 [glycine cleavage system (GCV) protein T], and the GLY1 (involved in glycine synthesis) loci. Analysis of the in vivo growth characteristics and phenotypes was used to determine the contribution to cytoplasmic nucleic acid and amino acid anabolism by the mitochondrial enzymes involved in the interconversion of folate coenzymes. The data indicate that mitochondria transport formate to the cytoplasmic compartment and mitochondrial synthesis of formate appears to rely primarily on SHMTm rather than the glycine cleavage system. The glycine cleavage system and SHMTm cooperate to specifically synthesize serine. With the inactivation of SHM1, however, the glycine cleavage system can make an observable contribution to the level of mitochondrial formate. Inactivation of SHM1, SHM2 and ADE3 is required to render yeast auxotrophic for TMP and methionine, suggesting that TMP synthesized in mitochondria may be available to the cytoplasmic compartment.     

Eukaryotic proteins expressed in Escherichia coli: an improved thrombin cleavage and purification procedure of fusion proteins with glutathione S-transferase

Several systems have been developed to allow for rapid and efficient purification of recombinant proteins expressed in bacteria. The expression of polypeptides in frame with glutathione S-transferase (GST) allows for purification of the fusion proteins from crude bacterial extracts under nondenaturing conditions by affinity chromatography on glutathione agarose (D. B. Smith and K. S. Johnson, 1988, Gene 67, 31-40). This vector expression system has also incorporated specific protease cleavage sites to facilitate proteolysis of the bacterial fusion proteins. In our hands, the cleavage of these fusion proteins at a thrombin cleavage site proceeded slowly. To facilitate the cleavage of fusion proteins, we have introduced a glycine-rich linker (glycine kinker) containing the sequence P.G.I.S.G.G.G.G.G located immediately following the thrombin cleavage site. This glycine kinker greatly increases the thrombin cleavage efficiency of several fusion proteins. The introduction of the glycine kinker into fusion proteins allows for the cleavage of the fusion proteins while they are attached to the affinity resin resulting in a single step purification of the recombinant protein. More than 2 mg of the highly purified protein was obtained from the equivalent of 100 ml of bacterial culture within a few hours when a protein tyrosine phosphatase was employed as a test protein. The vector, pGEX-KG, has also been modified to facilitate cloning of a variety of cDNAs in all reading frames and has been successfully used to express several eukaryotic proteins.     

Bacterial catabolism of threonine. Threonine degradation initiated by L-threonine-NAD+ oxidoreductase.

1. Isolates representing seven bacterial genera capable of growth on L-threonine medium, and possessing high L-threonine 3-dehydrogenase activity, were examined to elucidate the catabolic route. 2. The results of growth, manometric and enzymic experiments indicated the catabolism of L-threonine by cleavage to acetyl-CoA plus glycine, the glycine being further metabolized via L-serine to pyruvate, in all cases. No evidence was obtained of a role for aminoacetone in threonine catabolism or for the metabolism of glycine by the glycerate pathway. 3. The properties of a number of key enzymes in L-threonine catabolism were investigated. The inducibly formed L-threonine 3-dehydrogenase, purified from Corynebacterium sp. B6 to a specific activity of about 30-35 mumol of product formed/min per mg of protein, exhibited a sigmoid kinetic response to substrate concentration. The half-saturating concentration of substrate, [S]0.5, was 20mM and the Hill constant (h) was 1.50. The Km for NAD+ was 0.8mM. The properties of the enzyme were studied in cell-free extracts of other bacteria. 4. New assays for 2-amino-3-oxobutyrate-CoA ligase were devised. The Km for CoA was determined for the first time and found to be 0.14mM at pH8, for the enzyme from Corynebacterium sp. B6. Evidence was obtained for the efficient linkage of the dehydrogenase and ligase enzymes. Cell-free extracts all possessed high activities of the inducibly formed ligase. 5. L-Serine hydroxymethyltransferase was formed constitutively by all isolates, whereas formation of the 'glycine-cleavage system' was generally induced by growth on L-threonine or glycine. The coenzyme requirements of both enzymes were established, and their linked activity in the production of L-serine from glycine was demonstrated by using extracts of Corynebacterium sp. B6. 6. L-Serine dehydratase, purified from Corynebacterium sp. B6 to a specific activity of about 4mumol of product formed/min per mg of protein, was found to exhibit sigmoid kinetics with an [S]0.5 of about 20mM and h identical to 1.4. Similar results were obtained with enzyme preparations from all isolates. The enzyme required Mg2+ for maximum activity, was different from the L-threonine dehydratase also detectable in extracts, and was induced by growth on L-threonine or glycine.     

Protein-protein interactions in assembly of lipoic acid on the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases of aerobic metabolism

Lipoic acid is a covalently attached cofactor essential for the activity of 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases and the glycine cleavage system. In the absence of lipoic acid modification, the dehydrogenases are inactive, and aerobic metabolism is blocked. In Escherichia coli, two pathways for the attachment of lipoic acid exist, a de novo biosynthetic pathway dependent on the activities of the LipB and LipA proteins and a lipoic acid scavenging pathway catalyzed by the LplA protein. LipB is responsible for octanoylation of the E2 components of 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases to provide the substrates of LipA, an S-adenosyl-L-methionine radical enzyme that inserts two sulfur atoms into the octanoyl moiety to give the active lipoylated dehydrogenase complexes. We report that the intact pyruvate and 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes specifically copurify with both LipB and LipA. Proteomic, genetic, and dehydrogenase activity data indicate that all of the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase components are present. In contrast, LplA, the lipoate protein ligase enzyme of lipoate salvage, shows no interaction with the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenases. The interaction is specific to the dehydrogenases in that the third lipoic acid-requiring enzyme of Escherichia coli, the glycine cleavage system H protein, does not copurify with either LipA or LipB. Studies of LipB interaction with engineered variants of the E2 subunit of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase indicate that binding sites for LipB reside both in the lipoyl domain and catalytic core sequences. We also report that LipB forms a very tight, albeit noncovalent, complex with acyl carrier protein. These results indicate that lipoic acid is not only assembled on the dehydrogenase lipoyl domains but that the enzymes that catalyze the assembly are also present "on site."