Complex of aspartate carbamoyltransferase from Escherichia coli with its allosteric inhibitor, cytidine triphosphate: electron density at 5.9-angstroms resolution

Crystal structure of CTP-ligated T state aspartate transcarbamoylase at 2.5 A resolution: implications for ATCase mutants and the mechanism of negative cooperativity

The X-ray crystal structure of CTP-ligated T state aspartate transcarbamoylase has been refined to an R factor of 0.182 at 2.5 A resolution using the computer program X-PLOR. The structure contains 81 sites for solvent and has rms deviations from ideality in bond lengths and bond angles of 0.018 A and 3.722 degrees, respectively. The cytosine base of CTP interacts with the main chain carbonyl oxygens of rTyr-89 and rIle-12, the main chain NH of rIle-12, and the amino group of rLys-60. The ribose hydroxyls form polar contacts with the amino group of rLys-60, a carboxylate oxygen of rAsp-19, and the main chain carbonyl oxygen of rVal-9. The phosphate oxygens of CTP interact with the amino group of rLys-94, the hydroxyl of rThr-82, and an imidazole nitrogen of rHis-20. Recent mutagenesis experiments evaluated in parallel with the structure reported here indicate that alterations in the hydrogen bonding environment of the side chain of rAsn-111 may be responsible for the homotropic behavior of the pAR5 mutant of ATCase. The location of the first seven residues of the regulatory chain has been identified for the first time in a refined ATCase crystal structure, and the proximity of this portion of the regulatory chain to the allosteric site suggests a potential role for these residues in nucleotide binding to the enzyme. Finally, a series of amino acid side chain rearrangements leading from the R1 CTP allosteric to the R6 CTP allosteric site has been identified which may constitute the molecular mechanism of distinct CTP binding sites on ATCase.

A 3.0-A resolution study of nucleotide complexes with aspartate carbamoyltransferase

The binding sites of CTP, CDP, 5-BrCTP, and ATP to the allosteric site of aspartate carbamoyltransferase (carbamoylphosphate:L-aspartate carbamoyltransferase, EC 2.1.3.2) have been found in electron-density maps obtained at about 3 A resolution from x-ray diffraction studies of single crystals. The activator ATP binds in the anti conformation, whereas the inhibitor 5-BrCTP binds in the syn conformation. Both activator and inhibitor bind to the same local region of the enzyme. All of the cytidine nucleotides show important interactions of the base with the protein. The triphosphate conformations are similar, whereas the terminal phosphate of CDP occupies the site of the gamma-phosphate of CTP, thus implying a protein-nucleotide interaction at this site. These results are then related to biochemical studies.

Three-dimensional structures of aspartate carbamoyltransferase from Escherichia coli and of its complex with cytidine triphosphate

X-ray diffraction studies to nominal resolutions of 3.0 A for unliganded aspartate carbamolytransferase (EC 2.1.3.2)(R32 crystal symmetry) and of 2.8 A for the complex of aspartate carbamoyltransferase with cytidine triphosphate (P321 crystal symmetry) have yielded traces of the polypeptide chains of the catalytic (C) and regulatory (R) chains in the hexameric C6R6 molecules. The independent molecular structures of the liganded and unliganded forms of the enzyme are very nearly identical. In the regulatory chain there is a CTP-binding domain that interacts with an adjacent regulatory subunit and a zinc-binding domain that interacts with the catalytic subunit. In the catalytic chain a polar domain shows interactions between adjacent pairs of C chains to form each trimer C3 while an equatorial domain shows intramolecular C3--C3 interactions. The active site is at or near the interface between adjacent C chains within the trimers. Probably each active center involves amino acid residues from adjacent C chains.