Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance studies of mandelate metabolism in whole bacterial cells and in isolated, in vivo cross-linked enzyme complexes

Understanding the mode of action of ThDP in benzoylformate decarboxylase

The mechanism of all elementary steps involved in the catalytic cycle of benzoylformate decarboxylase (BFD, E.C. 4.1.1.7) to generate the acyloin linkage is investigated by extensive molecular dynamics simulations. Models involving different charge states of amino acids and/or mutants of critical residues were constructed to understand the involvement of the catalytically active residues and the reactivity differences between different substrates in this reaction. Our calculations confirm that H70, S26, and H281 are catalytically active amino acids. H281 functions as a base to accept H(donor) in the first nucleophilic attack and as an acid in the second, to donate the proton back to O(acceptor). S26 assists H281 in deprotonation of the donor aldehyde and protonation of the acceptor aldehyde. In both the first and second nucleophilic attacks, H70 interacts with O(aldehyde) and aligns it toward the nucleophilic center. H70 has been found to have an electrostatic effect on the approaching aldehyde whose absence would block the initiation of the reaction. The reactivity difference between benzaldehyde (BA) and acetaldehyde (AA) is mainly explained by the steric interactions of the acceptor aldehyde with the surrounding amino acids in the active center of the enzyme.

Properties of polyproline II, a secondary structure element implicated in protein-protein interactions

The polyproline II (PPII) conformation of protein backbone is an important secondary structure type. It is unusual in that, due to steric constraints, its main-chain hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors cannot easily be satisfied. It is unable to make local hydrogen bonds, in a manner similar to that of alpha-helices, and it cannot easily satisfy the hydrogen-bonding potential of neighboring residues in polyproline conformation in a manner analogous to beta-strands. Here we describe an analysis of polyproline conformations using the HOMSTRAD database of structurally aligned proteins. This allows us not only to determine amino acid propensities from a much larger database than previously but also to investigate conservation of amino acids in polyproline conformations, and the conservation of the conformation itself. Although proline is common in polyproline helices, helices without proline represent 46% of the total. No other amino acid appears to be greatly preferred; glycine and aromatic amino acids have low propensities for PPII. Accordingly, the hydrogen-bonding potential of PPII main-chain is mainly satisfied by water molecules and by other parts of the main-chain. Side-chain to main-chain interactions are mostly nonlocal. Interestingly, the increased number of nonsatisfied H-bond donors and acceptors (as compared with alpha-helices and beta-strands) makes PPII conformers well suited to take part in protein-protein interactions.

Purification and crystallization of benzoylformate decarboxylase

A new large-scale purification method for benzoylformate decarboxylase from Pseudomonas putida has allowed us to undertake an X-ray crystallographic study of the enzyme. The previously observed instability of the enzyme was overcome by addition of 100 microM thiamine pyrophosphate to buffers used in the purification. The final enzyme preparation was more than 97% pure, as determined by denaturing gel electrophoresis and densitometry. The mobility of the enzyme on a gel filtration column indicates that it is a tetramer of 57-kDa subunits. Large, single crystals of benzoylformate decarboxylase were grown from solutions of buffered polyethylene glycol 400, pH 8.5. The crystals diffract to beyond 1.6 A resolution and are stable for days to X-ray radiation. Analysis of X-ray data from the crystals, along with the newly determined quaternary structure, identifies the space group as I222. The unit cell dimensions are a = 82 A, b = 97 A, c = 138 A. An average Vm value for the crystals is consistent with one subunit per asymmetric unit. The subunits of the tetramer must be arranged with tetrahedral 222 symmetry.

Mandelate racemase and muconate lactonizing enzyme are mechanistically distinct and structurally homologous

Mandelate racemase (MR) and muconate lactonizing enzyme (MLE) catalyse separate and mechanistically distinct reactions necessary for the catabolism of aromatic acids by Pseudomonas putida. The X-ray crystal structure of MR, solved at 2.5 A resolution, reveals that the secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures of MR and MLE are remarkably similar; also, MR and MLE are about 26% identical in primary structure. However, MR has no detectable MLE activity and vice versa. Thus, MR and MLE constitute the first example of enzymes that catalyse different reactions, as opposed to mechanistically identical reactions on different substrates, yet possess sufficient structural and sequence identity that they are likely to have evolved from a common ancestor. The discovery that MR and MLE catalyse different reactions but share a common structural framework has broad implications for the natural evolution of enzymes and metabolic pathways, as well as for the rational modification of enzyme activities.

Microbial metabolism of mandelate: a microcosm of diversity

This review highlights the diversity of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms that can metabolise mandelate and it describes how a wide range of compounds related to mandelate is formed in many environments. The chief aspects that are summarised include the various pathways whereby mandelate and its structural analogues are converted into catechol or protocatechuate, the properties of the enzymes that are involved in the pathways, and the regulation and genetics of the pathways. The review incorporates the idea that the study of peripheral metabolic pathways is particularly useful for illuminating evolutionary speculations and it concludes with a list of questions that need to be answered.

Ribonucleotide reductase of Escherichia coli. Cross-linking agents as probes of quaternary and quinary structure

The quaternary structure of ribonucleotide reductase of Escherichia coli was investigated, with the use of purified B1 and B2 proteins and bifunctional cross-linking agents. The holoenzyme is known to be an alpha 2 beta 2 tetramer consisting of two dimeric proteins: B1 (alpha 2) and B2 (beta 2). The cross-linking data support a model in which both of the beta subunits interact closely with only one of the two alpha subunits. Some of the interactions involving B2 were localized to the C terminus of the protein by use of truncated B2 protein (beta',beta'), a proteolytic cleavage product of B2 in which the 30 carboxy-terminal residues are missing from each of the beta subunits. Other interactions were indicated by the ability of glutaredoxin, but not thioredoxin, to inhibit some of the cross-linking reactions. We also asked whether ribonucleotide reductase interacts closely with other proteins inside the cell, by adding cross-linkers directly to suspensions of whole bacteria. Proteins in extracts of these cross-linked bacteria were resolved electrophoretically and probed with a monoclonal antibody to the B1 protein. High-molecular-mass products were detected, supporting the utility of this method for identifying intracellular interactions among enzymes of DNA precursor biosynthesis.

Initial reactions involved in the dissimilation of mandelate by Rhodotorula graminis

Rhodotorula graminis utilized DL-mandelate, L(+)-mandelate, and D(-)-mandelate as sole sources of carbon and energy. Growth on these aromatic substrates resulted in the induction of an NAD-dependent D(-)-mandelate dehydrogenase and a dye-linked L(+)-mandelate dehydrogenase, each catalyzing the stereospecific conversion of its respective enantiomer of mandelate to benzoylformate. Benzoylformate was oxidized to benzaldehyde, which was dehydrogenated to benzoate by an NAD-dependent benzaldehyde dehydrogenase. Benzoate was further metabolized through p-hydroxybenzoate and the protocatechuate branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway.