A structural basis for substrate selectivity and stereoselectivity in octopine dehydrogenase from Pecten maximus

Octopine dehydrogenase [N²-(d-1-carboxyethyl)-l-arginine:NAD⁺ oxidoreductase] (OcDH) from the adductor muscle of the great scallop Pecten maximus catalyzes the reductive condensation of l-arginine and pyruvate to octopine during escape swimming. This enzyme, which is a prototype of opine dehydrogenases (OpDHs), oxidizes glycolytically born NADH to NAD⁺, thus sustaining anaerobic ATP provision during short periods of strenuous muscular activity. In contrast to some other OpDHs, OcDH uses only l-arginine as the amino acid substrate. Here, we report the crystal structures of OcDH in complex with NADH and the binary complexes NADH/l-arginine and NADH/pyruvate, providing detailed information about the principles of substrate recognition, ligand binding and the reaction mechanism. OcDH binds its substrates through a combination of electrostatic forces and size selection, which guarantees that OcDH catalysis proceeds with substrate selectivity and stereoselectivity, giving rise to a second chiral center and exploiting a “molecular ruler” mechanism.