UDPglucose pyrophosphorylase from Xanthomonas spp. Characterization of the enzyme kinetics, structure and inactivation related to oligomeric dissociation

Tetramerization is essential for the enzymatic function of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factor UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase

Multidrug-resistant bacteria such as the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes life-threatening infections especially in immunocompromised individuals and cystic fibrosis patients, pose an increasing threat to public health. In the search for new treatment options, P. aeruginosa uridine diphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase (PaUGP) has been proposed as a novel drug target because it is required for the biosynthesis of important virulence factors and linked to pathogenicity in animal models. Here, we show that UGP-deficient P. aeruginosa exhibits severely reduced virulence against human lung tissue and cells, emphasizing the enzyme's suitability as a drug target. To establish a basis for the development of selective PaUGP inhibitors, we solved the product-bound crystal structure of tetrameric PaUGP and conducted a comprehensive structure-function analysis, identifying key residues at two different molecular interfaces that are essential for tetramer integrity and catalytic activity and demonstrating that tetramerization is pivotal for PaUGP function. Importantly, we show that part of the PaUGP oligomerization interface is uniquely conserved across bacterial UGPs but does not exist in the human enzyme, therefore representing an allosteric site that may be targeted to selectively inhibit bacterial UGPs.IMPORTANCEInfections with the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa are becoming increasingly difficult to treat due to multidrug resistance. Here, we show that the enzyme uridine diphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGP) is involved in P. aeruginosa virulence toward human lung tissue and cells, making it a potential target for the development of new antibacterial drugs. Our exploration of P. aeruginosa (Pa)UGP structure-function relationships reveals that the activity of PaUGP depends on the formation of a tetrameric enzyme complex. We found that a molecular interface involved in tetramer formation is conserved in all bacterial UGPs but not in the human enzyme, and therefore hypothesize that it provides an ideal point of attack to selectively inhibit bacterial UGPs and exploit them as drug targets.

CryoEM analysis of the essential native UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from Aspergillus nidulans reveals key conformations for activity regulation and function

Invasive aspergillosis is one of the most serious clinical invasive fungal infections, resulting in a high case fatality rate among immunocompromised patients. The disease is caused by saprophytic molds in the genus Aspergillus, including Aspergillus fumigatus, the most significant pathogenic species. The fungal cell wall, an essential structure mainly composed of glucan, chitin, galactomannan, and galactosaminogalactan, represents an important target for the development of antifungal drugs. UDP (uridine diphosphate)-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGP) is a central enzyme in the metabolism of carbohydrates that catalyzes the biosynthesis of UDP-glucose, a key precursor of fungal cell wall polysaccharides. Here, we demonstrate that the function of UGP is vital for Aspergillus nidulans (AnUGP). To understand the molecular basis of AnUGP function, we describe a cryoEM structure (global resolution of 3.5 Å for the locally refined subunit and 4 Å for the octameric complex) of a native AnUGP. The structure reveals an octameric architecture with each subunit comprising an N-terminal α-helical domain, a central catalytic glycosyltransferase A-like (GT-A-like) domain, and a C-terminal (CT) left-handed β-helix oligomerization domain. AnUGP displays unprecedented conformational variability between the CT oligomerization domain and the central GT-A-like catalytic domain. In combination with activity measurements and bioinformatics analysis, we unveil the molecular mechanism of substrate recognition and specificity for AnUGP. Altogether, our study not only contributes to understanding the molecular mechanism of catalysis/regulation of an important class of enzymes but also provides the genetic, biochemical, and structural groundwork for the future exploitation of UGP as a potential antifungal target. IMPORTANCE Fungi cause diverse diseases in humans, ranging from allergic syndromes to life-threatening invasive diseases, together affecting more than a billion people worldwide. Increasing drug resistance in Aspergillus species represents an emerging global health threat, making the design of antifungals with novel mechanisms of action a worldwide priority. The cryoEM structure of UDP (uridine diphosphate)-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGP) from the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans reveals an octameric architecture displaying unprecedented conformational variability between the C-terminal oligomerization domain and the central glycosyltransferase A-like catalytic domain in the individual protomers. While the active site and oligomerization interfaces are more highly conserved, these dynamic interfaces include motifs restricted to specific clades of filamentous fungi. Functional study of these motifs could lead to the definition of new targets for antifungals inhibiting UGP activity and, thus, the architecture of the cell wall of filamentous fungal pathogens.

Elucidating carbohydrate metabolism in Euglena gracilis: Reverse genetics-based evaluation of genes coding for enzymes linked to paramylon accumulation

Euglena gracilis is a eukaryotic single-celled and photosynthetic organism grouped under the kingdom Protista. This phytoflagellate can accumulate the carbon photoassimilate as a linear β-1,3-glucan chain called paramylon. This storage polysaccharide can undergo degradation to provide glucose units to obtain ATP and reducing power both in aerobic and anaerobic growth conditions. Our group has recently characterized an essential enzyme for accumulating the polysaccharide, the UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (Biochimie vol 154, 2018, 176-186), which catalyzes the synthesis of UDP-glucose (the substrate for paramylon synthase). Additionally, the identification of nucleotide sequences coding for putative UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylases suggests the occurrence of an alternative source of UDP-glucose. In this study, we demonstrate the active involvement of both pyrophosphorylases in paramylon accumulation. Using techniques of single and combined knockdown of transcripts coding for these proteins, we evidenced a substantial decrease in the polysaccharide synthesis from 39 ± 7 μg/10⁶ cells determined in the control at day 21st of growth. Thus, the paramylon accumulation in Euglena gracilis cells decreased by 60% and 30% after a single knockdown of the expression of genes coding for UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase, respectively. Besides, the combined knockdown of both genes resulted in a ca. 65% reduction in the level of the storage polysaccharide. Our findings indicate the existence of a physiological dependence between paramylon accumulation and the partitioning of sugar nucleotides into other metabolic routes, including the Leloir pathway's functionality in Euglena gracilis.

Study of duplicated galU genes in Rhodococcus jostii and a putative new metabolic node for glucosamine-1P in rhodococci

BACKGOUND

Studying enzymes that determine glucose-1P fate in carbohydrate metabolism is important to better understand microorganisms as biotechnological tools. One example ripe for discovery is the UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase enzyme from Rhodococcus spp. In the R. jostii genome, this gene is duplicated, whereas R. fascians contains only one copy.

METHODS

We report the molecular cloning of galU genes from R. jostii and R. fascians to produce recombinant proteins RjoGalU1, RjoGalU2, and RfaGalU. Substrate saturation curves were conducted, kinetic parameters were obtained and the catalytic efficiency (k_cat/K_m) was used to analyze enzyme promiscuity. We also investigated the response of R. jostii GlmU pyrophosphorylase activity with different sugar-1Ps, which may compete for substrates with RjoGalU2.

RESULTS

All enzymes were active as pyrophosphorylases and exhibited substrate promiscuity toward sugar-1Ps. Remarkably, RjoGalU2 exhibited one order of magnitude higher activity with glucosamine-1P than glucose-1P, the canonical substrate. Glucosamine-1P activity was also significant in RfaGalU. The efficient use of the phospho-amino-sugar suggests the feasibility of the reaction to occur in vivo. Also, RjoGalU2 and RfaGalU represent enzymatic tools for the production of (amino)glucosyl precursors for the putative synthesis of novel molecules.

CONCLUSIONS

Results support the hypothesis that partitioning of glucosamine-1P includes an uncharacterized metabolic node in Rhodococcus spp., which could be important for producing diverse alternatives for carbohydrate metabolism in biotechnological applications.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

Results presented here provide a model to study evolutionary enzyme promiscuity, which could be used as a tool to expand an organism's metabolic repertoire by incorporating non-canonical substrates into novel metabolic pathways.

Immobilization of the Highly Active UDP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase From Thermocrispum agreste Provides a Highly Efficient Biocatalyst for the Production of UDP-Glucose

Biocatalysis that produces economically interesting compounds can be carried out by using free enzymes or microbial cells. However, often the cell metabolism does not allow the overproduction or secretion of activated sugars and thus downstream processing of these sugars is complicated. Here enzyme immobilization comes into focus in order to stabilize the enzyme as well as to make the overall process economically feasible. Besides a robust immobilization method, a highly active and stable enzyme is needed to efficiently produce the product of choice. Herein, we report on the identification, gene expression, biochemical characterization as well as immobilization of the uridine-5′-diphosphate-glucose (UDP-glucose) pyrophosphorylase originating from the thermostable soil actinobacterium Thermocrispum agreste DSM 44070 (TaGalU). The enzyme immobilization was performed on organically modified mesostructured cellular foams (MCF) via epoxy and amino group to provide a stable and active biocatalyst. The soluble and highly active TaGalU revealed a V_max of 1698 U mg^–1 (uridine-5′-triphosphate, UTP) and a K_m of 0.15 mM (UTP). The optimum reaction temperature was determined to be 50°C. TaGalU was stable at this temperature for up to 30 min with a maximum loss of activity of 65%. Interestingly, immobilized TaGalU was stable at 50°C for at least 120 min without a significant loss of activity, which makes this enzyme an interesting biocatalyst for the production of UDP-glucose.

Two Homologous Enzymes of the GalU Family in Rhodococcus opacus 1CP-RoGalU1 and RoGalU2

Uridine-5’-diphosphate (UDP)-glucose is reported as one of the most versatile building blocks within the metabolism of pro- and eukaryotes. The activated sugar moiety is formed by the enzyme UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (GalU). Two homologous enzymes (designated as RoGalU1 and RoGalU2) are encoded by most Rhodococcus strains, known for their capability to degrade numerous compounds, but also to synthesize natural products such as trehalose comprising biosurfactants. To evaluate their functionality respective genes of a trehalose biosurfactant producing model organism—Rhodococcus opacus 1CP—were cloned and expressed, proteins produced (yield up to 47 mg per L broth) and initially biochemically characterized. In the case of RoGalU2, the V_max was determined to be 177 U mg⁻¹ (uridine-5’-triphosphate (UTP)) and K_m to be 0.51 mM (UTP), respectively. Like other GalUs this enzyme seems to be rather specific for the substrates UTP and glucose 1-phosphate, as it accepts only dTTP and galactose 1-phoshate in addition, but both with solely 2% residual activity. In comparison to other bacterial GalU enzymes the RoGalU2 was found to be somewhat higher in activity (factor 1.8) even at elevated temperatures. However, RoGalU1 was not obtained in an active form thus it remains enigmatic if this enzyme participates in metabolism.

Glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase from Erwinia amylovora: Activity, structure and substrate specificity

Erwinia amylovora, a Gram-negative plant pathogen, is the causal agent of Fire Blight, a contagious necrotic disease affecting plants belonging to the Rosaceae family, including apple and pear. E. amylovora is highly virulent and capable of rapid dissemination in orchards; effective control methods are still lacking. One of its most important pathogenicity factors is the exopolysaccharide amylovoran. Amylovoran is a branched polymer made by the repetition of units mainly composed of galactose, with some residues of glucose, glucuronic acid and pyruvate. E. amylovora glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase (UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, EC 2.7.7.9) has a key role in amylovoran biosynthesis. This enzyme catalyses the production of UDP-glucose from glucose-1-phosphate and UTP, which the epimerase GalE converts into UDP-galactose, the main building block of amylovoran. We determined EaGalU kinetic parameters and substrate specificity with a range of sugar 1-phosphates. At time point 120min the enzyme catalysed conversion of the sugar 1-phosphate into the corresponding UDP-sugar reached 74% for N-acetyl-α-d-glucosamine 1-phosphate, 28% for α-d-galactose 1-phosphate, 0% for α-d-galactosamine 1-phosphate, 100% for α-d-xylose 1-phosphate, 100% for α-d-glucosamine 1-phosphate, 70% for α-d-mannose 1-phosphate, and 0% for α-d-galacturonic acid 1-phosphate. To explain our results we obtained the crystal structure of EaGalU and augmented our study by docking the different sugar 1-phosphates into EaGalU active site, providing both reliable models for substrate binding and enzyme specificity, and a rationale that explains the different activity of EaGalU on the sugar 1-phosphates used. These data demonstrate EaGalU potential as a biocatalyst for biotechnological purposes, as an alternative to the enzyme from Escherichia coli, besides playing an important role in E. amylovora pathogenicity.

Identification and characterization of inhibitors of UDP-glucose and UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylases for in vivo studies

UDP-sugars serve as ultimate precursors in hundreds of glycosylation reactions (e.g. for protein and lipid glycosylation, synthesis of sucrose, cell wall polysaccharides, etc.), underlying an important role of UDP-sugar-producing enzymes in cellular metabolism. However, genetic studies on mechanisms of UDP-sugar formation were frequently hampered by reproductive impairment of the resulting mutants, making it difficult to assess an in vivo role of a given enzyme. Here, a chemical library containing 17 500 compounds was separately screened against purified UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) and UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase (USPase), both enzymes representing the primary mechanisms of UDP-sugar formation. Several compounds have been identified which, at 50 μm, exerted at least 50% inhibition of the pyrophosphorylase activity. In all cases, both UGPase and USPase activities were inhibited, probably reflecting common structural features of active sites of these enzymes. One of these compounds (cmp #6), a salicylamide derivative, was found as effective inhibitor of Arabidopsis pollen germination and Arabidopsis cell culture growth. Hit optimization on cmp #6 yielded two analogs (cmp #6D and cmp #6D2), which acted as uncompetitive inhibitors against both UGPase and USPase, and were strong inhibitors in the pollen test, with apparent inhibition constants of less than 1 μm. Their effects on pollen germination were relieved by addition of UDP-glucose and UDP-galactose, suggesting that the inhibitors targeted UDP-sugar formation. The results suggest that cmp #6 and its analogs may represent useful tools to study in vivo roles of the pyrophosphorylases, helping to overcome the limitations of genetic approaches.

On the Kinetic and Allosteric Regulatory Properties of the ADP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase from Rhodococcus jostii: An Approach to Evaluate Glycogen Metabolism in Oleaginous Bacteria

Rhodococcus spp. are oleaginous bacteria that accumulate glycogen during exponential growth. Despite the importance of these microorganisms in biotechnology, little is known about the regulation of carbon and energy storage, mainly the relationship between glycogen and triacylglycerols metabolisms. Herein, we report the molecular cloning and heterologous expression of the gene coding for ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (EC 2.7.7.27) of Rhodococcus jostii, strain RHA1. The recombinant enzyme was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity to accurately characterize its oligomeric, kinetic, and regulatory properties. The R. jostii ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase is a homotetramer of 190 kDa exhibiting low basal activity to catalyze synthesis of ADP-glucose, which is markedly influenced by different allosteric effectors. Glucose-6P, mannose-6P, fructose-6P, ribose-5P, and phosphoenolpyruvate were major activators; whereas, NADPH and 6P-gluconate behaved as main inhibitors of the enzyme. The combination of glucose-6P and other effectors (activators or inhibitors) showed a cross-talk effect suggesting that the different metabolites could orchestrate a fine regulation of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase in R. jostii. The enzyme exhibited some degree of affinity toward ATP, GTP, CTP, and other sugar-1P substrates. Remarkably, the use of glucosamine-1P was sensitive to allosteric activation. The relevance of the fine regulation of R. jostii ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase is further analyzed in the framework of proteomic studies already determined for the bacterium. Results support a critical role for glycogen as a temporal reserve that provides a pool of carbon able of be re-routed to produce long-term storage of lipids under certain conditions.

High coverage metabolomics analysis reveals phage-specific alterations to Pseudomonas aeruginosa physiology during infection

Phage-mediated metabolic changes in bacteria are hypothesized to markedly alter global nutrient and biogeochemical cycles. Despite their theoretic importance, experimental data on the net metabolic impact of phage infection on the bacterial metabolism remains scarce. In this study, we tracked the dynamics of intracellular metabolites using untargeted high coverage metabolomics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells infected with lytic bacteriophages from six distinct phage genera. Analysis of the metabolomics data indicates an active interference in the host metabolism. In general, phages elicit an increase in pyrimidine and nucleotide sugar metabolism. Furthermore, clear phage-specific and infection stage-specific responses are observed, ranging from extreme metabolite depletion (for example, phage YuA) to complete reorganization of the metabolism (for example, phage phiKZ). As expected, pathways targeted by the phage-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) were enriched among the metabolites changing during infection. The effect on pyrimidine metabolism of phages encoding AMGs capable of host genome degradation (for example, YuA and LUZ19) was distinct from those lacking nuclease-encoding genes (for example, phiKZ), which demonstrates the link between the encoded set of AMGs of a phage and its impact on host physiology. However, a large fraction of the profound effect on host metabolism could not be attributed to the phage-encoded AMGs. We suggest a potentially crucial role for small, 'non-enzymatic' peptides in metabolism take-over and hypothesize on potential biotechnical applications for such peptides. The highly phage-specific nature of the metabolic impact emphasizes the potential importance of the 'phage diversity' parameter when studying metabolic interactions in complex communities.

On the Ancestral UDP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase Activity of GalF from Escherichia coli

In bacteria, UDP-glucose is a central intermediate in carbohydrate metabolism. The enzyme responsible for its synthesis is encoded by the galU gene and its deletion generates cells unable to ferment galactose. In some bacteria, there is a second gene, galF, encoding for a protein with high sequence identity to GalU. However, the role of GalF has been contradictory regarding its catalytic capability and not well understood. In this work we show that GalF derives from a catalytic (UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase) ancestor, but its activity is very low compared to GalU. We demonstrated that GalF has some residual UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase activity by in vitro and in vivo experiments in which the phenotype of a galU (-) strain was reverted by the over-expression of GalF and its mutant. To demonstrate its evolutionary path of "enzyme inactivation" we enhanced the catalysis by mutagenesis and showed the importance of the quaternary structure. This study provides important information to understand the structural and functional evolutionary origin of the protein GalF in enteric bacteria.

Allosteric regulation of the partitioning of glucose-1-phosphate between glycogen and trehalose biosynthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Background

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a pathogenic prokaryote adapted to survive in hostile environments. In this organism and other Gram-positive actinobacteria, the metabolic pathways of glycogen and trehalose are interconnected.

Results

In this work we show the production, purification and characterization of recombinant enzymes involved in the partitioning of glucose-1-phosphate between glycogen and trehalose in M. tuberculosis H37Rv, namely: ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, glycogen synthase, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and trehalose-6-phosphate synthase. The substrate specificity, kinetic parameters and allosteric regulation of each enzyme were determined. ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase was highly specific for ADP-glucose while trehalose-6-phosphate synthase used not only ADP-glucose but also UDP-glucose, albeit to a lesser extent. ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase was allosterically activated primarily by phosphoenolpyruvate and glucose-6-phosphate, while the activity of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase was increased up to 2-fold by fructose-6-phosphate. None of the other two enzymes tested exhibited allosteric regulation.

Conclusions

Results give information about how the glucose-1-phosphate/ADP-glucose node is controlled after kinetic and regulatory properties of key enzymes for mycobacteria metabolism.

General significance

This work increases our understanding of oligo and polysaccharides metabolism in M. tuberculosis and reinforces the importance of the interconnection between glycogen and trehalose biosynthesis in this human pathogen.

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Nucleotide-glucose synthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis was analyzed.

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The characterization of four enzymes involved in glucose-1P partitioning is reported.

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Mycobacterial ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase is allosterically regulated.

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Trehalose-6P synthase exhibits higher catalytic efficiency for ADP-glucose.

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Trehalose-6P synthase is activated by fructose-6P.

CugP is a novel ubiquitous non-GalU-type bacterial UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase found in cyanobacteria

UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase synthesizes UDP-glucose from UTP and glucose 1-phosphate and exists in almost all species. Most bacteria possess a GalU-type UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, whereas many cyanobacteria species do not. In certain cyanobacteria, UDP-glucose is used as a substrate for synthesis of exopolysaccharide cellulose in spite of the absence of GalU-type UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. Therefore, there should be an uncharacterized UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase in cyanobacteria. Here, we show that all cyanobacteria possess a non-GalU-type bacterial UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, i.e., CugP, a novel family in the nucleotide triphosphate transferase superfamily. The expressed recombinant Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 CugP had pyrophosphorylase activity that was highly specific for UTP and glucose 1-phosphate. The fact that the CugP gene cannot be deleted completely in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 suggests its central role as the substrate supplier for galactolipid synthesis. Galactolipids are major constituents of the photosynthetic thylakoid membrane and important for photosynthetic activity. Based on phylogenetic analysis, this CugP-type UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase may have recently been horizontally transferred to certain noncyanobacteria.

Identification and characterization of UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase in cyanobacteria Anabaena sp. PCC 7120

Exopolysaccharides produced by photosynthetic cyanobacteria have received considerable attention in recent years for their potential applications in the production of renewable biofuels. Particularly, cyanobacterial cellulose is one of the most promising products because it is extracellularly secreted as a non-crystalline form, which can be easily harvested from the media and converted into glucose units. In cyanobacteria, the production of UDP-glucose, the cellulose precursor, is a key step in the cellulose synthesis pathway. UDP-glucose is synthesized from UTP and glucose-1-phosphate (Glc-1P) by UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase), but this pathway in cyanobacteria has not been well characterized. Therefore, to elucidate the overall cellulose biosynthesis pathway in cyanobacteria, we studied the putative UGPase All3274 and seven other putative NDP-sugar pyrophosphorylases (NSPases), All4645, Alr2825, Alr4491, Alr0188, Alr3400, Alr2361, and Alr3921 of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Assays using the purified recombinant proteins revealed that All3274 exhibited UGPase activity, All4645, Alr2825, Alr4491, Alr0188, and Alr3921 exhibited pyrophosphorylase activities on ADP-glucose, CDP-glucose, dTDP-glucose, GDP-mannose, and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, respectively. Further characterization of All3274 revealed that the kcat for UDP-glucose formation was one or two orders lower than those of other known UGPases. The activity and dimerization tendency of All3274 increased at higher enzyme concentrations, implying catalytic activation by dimerization. However, most interestingly, All3274 dimerization was inhibited by UTP and Glc-1P, but not by UDP-glucose. This study presents the first in vitro characterization of a cyanobacterial UGPase, and provides insights into biotechnological attempts to utilize the photosynthetic production of cellulose from cyanobacteria.

The ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from Streptococcus mutans provides evidence for the regulation of polysaccharide biosynthesis in Firmicutes

Streptococcus mutans is the leading cause of dental caries worldwide. The bacterium accumulates a glycogen-like internal polysaccharide, which mainly contributes to its carionegic capacity. S.mutans has two genes (glgC and glgD) respectively encoding putative ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases (ADP-Glc PPase), a key enzyme for glycogen synthesis in most bacteria. Herein, we report the molecular cloning and recombinant expression of both genes (separately or together) followed by the characterization of the respective enzymes. When expressed individually GlgC had ADP-Glc PPase activity, whereas GlgD was inactive. Interestingly, the coexpressed GlgC/GlgD protein was one order of magnitude more active than GlgC alone. Kinetic characterization of GlgC and GlgC/GlgD pointed out remarkable differences between them. Fructose-1,6-bis-phosphate activated GlgC by twofold, but had no effect on GlgC/GlgD. Conversely, phospho-enol-pyruvate and inorganic salts inhibited GlgC/GlgD without affecting GlgC. However, in the presence of fructose-1,6-bis-phosphate GlgC acquired a GlgC/GlgD-like behaviour, becoming sensitive to the stated inhibitors. Results indicate that S. mutans ADP-Glc PPase is an allosteric regulatory enzyme exhibiting sensitivity to modulation by key intermediates of carbohydrates metabolism in the cell. The particular regulatory properties of the S.mutans enzyme agree with phylogenetic analysis, where GlgC and GlgD proteins found in other Firmicutes arrange in distinctive clusters.

A Chimeric UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase produced by protein engineering exhibits sensitivity to allosteric regulators

In bacteria, glycogen or oligosaccharide accumulation involves glucose-1-phosphate partitioning into either ADP-glucose (ADP-Glc) or UDP-Glc. Their respective synthesis is catalyzed by allosterically regulated ADP-Glc pyrophosphorylase (EC 2.7.7.27, ADP-Glc PPase) or unregulated UDP-Glc PPase (EC 2.7.7.9). In this work, we characterized the UDP-Glc PPase from Streptococcus mutans. In addition, we constructed a chimeric protein by cutting the C-terminal domain of the ADP-Glc PPase from Escherichia coli and pasting it to the entire S. mutans UDP-Glc PPase. Both proteins were fully active as UDP-Glc PPases and their kinetic parameters were measured. The chimeric enzyme had a slightly higher affinity for substrates than the native S. mutans UDP-Glc PPase, but the maximal activity was four times lower. Interestingly, the chimeric protein was sensitive to regulation by pyruvate, 3-phosphoglyceric acid and fructose-1,6-bis-phosphate, which are known to be effectors of ADP-Glc PPases from different sources. The three compounds activated the chimeric enzyme up to three-fold, and increased the affinity for substrates. This chimeric protein is the first reported UDP-Glc PPase with allosteric regulatory properties. In addition, this is a pioneer work dealing with a chimeric enzyme constructed as a hybrid of two pyrophosphorylases with different specificity toward nucleoside-diphospho-glucose and our results turn to be relevant for a deeper understanding of the evolution of allosterism in this family of enzymes.

Octamerization is essential for enzymatic function of human UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase

Uridine diphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGP) occupies a central position in carbohydrate metabolism in all kingdoms of life, since its product uridine diphosphate-glucose (UDP-glucose) is essential in a number of anabolic and catabolic pathways and is a precursor for other sugar nucleotides. Its significance as a virulence factor in protists and bacteria has given momentum to the search for species-specific inhibitors. These attempts are, however, hampered by high structural conservation of the active site architecture. A feature that discriminates UGPs of different species is the quaternary organization. While UGPs in protists are monomers, di- and tetrameric forms exist in bacteria, and crystal structures obtained for the enzyme from yeast and human identified octameric UGPs. These octamers are formed by contacts between highly conserved amino acids in the C-terminal β-helix. Still under debate is the question whether octamerization is required for the functionality of the human enzyme. Here, we used single amino acid replacements in the C-terminal β-helix to interrogate the impact of highly conserved residues on octamer formation and functional activity of human UGP (hUGP). Replacements were guided by the sequence of Arabidopsis thaliana UGP, known to be active as a monomer. Correlating the data obtained in blue native PAGE, size exclusion chromatography and enzymatic activity testing, we prove that the octamer is the active enzyme form. This new insight into structure-function relationships in hUGP does not only improve the understanding of the catalysis of this important enzyme, but in addition broadens the basis for studies aimed at designing drugs that selectively inhibit UGPs from pathogens.

Substrate kinetics and substrate effects on the quaternary structure of barley UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase

UDP-Glc pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) is an essential enzyme responsible for production of UDP-Glc, which is used in hundreds of glycosylation reactions involving addition of Glc to a variety of compounds. In this study, barley UGPase was characterized with respect to effects of its substrates on activity and quaternary structure of the protein. Its K(m) values with Glc-1-P and UTP were 0.33 and 0.25 mM, respectively. Besides using Glc-1-P as a substrate, the enzyme had also considerable activity with Gal-1-P; however, the K(m) for Gal-1-P was very high (>10 mM), rendering this reaction unlikely under physiological conditions. UGPase had a relatively broad pH optimum of 6.5-8.5, regardless of the direction of reaction. The enzyme equilibrium constant was 0.4, suggesting slight preference for the Glc-1-P synthesis direction of the reaction. The quaternary structure of the enzyme, studied by Gas-phase Electrophoretic Mobility Macromolecule Analysis (GEMMA), was affected by addition of either single or both substrates in either direction of the reaction, resulting in a shift from UGPase dimers toward monomers, the active form of the enzyme. The substrate-induced changes in quaternary structure of the enzyme may have a regulatory role to assure maximal activity. Kinetics and factors affecting the oligomerization status of UGPase are discussed.

Characterization of recombinant UDP- and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases and glycogen synthase to elucidate glucose-1-phosphate partitioning into oligo- and polysaccharides in Streptomyces coelicolor

Streptomyces coelicolor exhibits a major secondary metabolism, deriving important amounts of glucose to synthesize pigmented antibiotics. Understanding the pathways occurring in the bacterium with respect to synthesis of oligo- and polysaccharides is of relevance to determine a plausible scenario for the partitioning of glucose-1-phosphate into different metabolic fates. We report the molecular cloning of the genes coding for UDP- and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases as well as for glycogen synthase from genomic DNA of S. coelicolor A3(2). Each gene was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli cells to produce and purify to electrophoretic homogeneity the respective enzymes. UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UDP-Glc PPase) was characterized as a dimer exhibiting a relatively high V(max) in catalyzing UDP-glucose synthesis (270 units/mg) and with respect to dTDP-glucose (94 units/mg). ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (ADP-Glc PPase) was found to be tetrameric in structure and specific in utilizing ATP as a substrate, reaching similar activities in the directions of ADP-glucose synthesis or pyrophosphorolysis (V(max) of 0.15 and 0.27 units/mg, respectively). Glycogen synthase was arranged as a dimer and exhibited specificity in the use of ADP-glucose to elongate α-1,4-glucan chains in the polysaccharide. ADP-Glc PPase was the only of the three enzymes exhibiting sensitivity to allosteric regulation by different metabolites. Mannose-6-phosphate, phosphoenolpyruvate, fructose-6-phosphate, and glucose-6-phosphate behaved as major activators, whereas NADPH was a main inhibitor of ADP-Glc PPase. The results support a metabolic picture where glycogen synthesis occurs via ADP-glucose in S. coelicolor, with the pathway being strictly regulated in connection with other routes involved with oligo- and polysaccharides, as well as with antibiotic synthesis in the bacterium.

A common structural blueprint for plant UDP-sugar-producing pyrophosphorylases

Plant pyrophosphorylases that are capable of producing UDP-sugars, key precursors for glycosylation reactions, include UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylases (A- and B-type), UDP-sugar pyrophosphorylase and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase. Although not sharing significant homology at the amino acid sequence level, the proteins share a common structural blueprint. Their structures are characterized by the presence of the Rossmann fold in the central (catalytic) domain linked to enzyme-specific N-terminal and C-terminal domains, which may play regulatory functions. Molecular mobility between these domains plays an important role in substrate binding and catalysis. Evolutionary relationships and the role of (de)oligomerization as a regulatory mechanism are discussed.