Interactions of tryptophan synthase, tryptophanase, and pyridoxal phosphate with oxindolyl-L-alanine and 2,3-dihydro-L-tryptophan: support for an indolenine intermediate in tryptophan metabolism

We have examined the interaction of tryptophan synthase and tryptophanase with the tryptophan analogues oxindolyl-L-alanine and 2,3-dihydro-L-tryptophan. Since these analogues have tetrahedral geometry at carbon 3 of the heterocyclic ring, they are structurally similar to the indolenine tautomer of L-tryptophan, a proposed intermediate in reactions of L-tryptophan. Oxindolyl-L-alanine and 2,3-dihydro-L-tryptophan are potent competitive inhibitors of both tryptophan synthase and tryptophanase, with KI values (3-17 microM) 10-100-fold lower than the corresponding Km or KI values for L-tryptophan. Addition of oxindolyl-L-alanine or 2,3-dihydro-L-tryptophan to solutions of the alpha 2 beta 2 complex of tryptophan synthase results in new absorption bands at 480 or 494 nm, respectively, which are ascribed to a quinonoid or alpha-carbanion intermediate. Spectrophotometric titration data give half-saturation values of 5 and 25 microM, which are comparable to the KI values obtained in kinetic experiments. Our finding that both enzymes catalyze incorporation of tritium from 3H2O into oxindolyl-L-alanine is evidence that both enzymes form alpha-carbanion intermediates with oxindolyl-L-alanine. These results support the proposal that the indolenine tautomer of L-tryptophan is an intermediate in reactions catalyzed by both tryptophanase and tryptophan synthase. In addition, we have found that oxindolyl-L-alanine reacts irreversibly with free pyridoxal phosphate to form a covalent adduct.