The QM/MM molecular dynamics and free energy simulations of the acylation reaction catalyzed by the serine-carboxyl peptidase kumamolisin-As

Quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical molecular dynamics and free energy simulations are performed to study the acylation reaction catalyzed by kumamolisin-As, a serine-carboxyl peptidase, and to elucidate the catalytic mechanism and the origin of substrate specificity. It is demonstrated that the nucleophilic attack by the serine residue on the substrate may not be the rate-limiting step for the acylation of the GPH*FF substrate. The present study also confirms the earlier suggestions that Asp164 acts as a general acid during the catalysis and that the electrostatic oxyanion hole interactions may not be sufficient to lead a stable tetrahedral intermediate along the reaction pathway. Moreover, Asp164 is found to act as a general base during the formation of the acyl-enzyme from the tetrahedral intermediate. The role of dynamic substrate assisted catalysis (DSAC) involving His at the P1 site of the substrate is examined for the acylation reaction. It is demonstrated that the bond-breaking and -making events at each stage of the reaction trigger a change of the position for the His side chain and lead to the formation of the alternative hydrogen bonds. The back and forth movements of the His side chain between the C=O group of Pro at P2 and Odelta2 of Asp164 in a ping-pong-like mechanism and the formation of the alternative hydrogen bonds effectively lower the free energy barriers for both the nucleophilic attack and the acyl-enzyme formation and may therefore contribute to the relatively high activity of kumamolisin-As toward the substrates with His at the P1 site.