Crystal structure of an oxidized mutant of human mitochondrial branched-chain aminotransferase

Branched-chain amino acid transferase type 2 (BCAT2) deficiency: Report of an eighth case and literature review

Branched-chain amino acid transferase type 2 (BCAT2) deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive genetic condition, with only seven cases described to date. It results in an elevation of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) plasma concentrations, predominantly on valine, with normal concentration of plasma allo-isoleucine and urine branched-chain α-keto acids (BCKA). Despite this constant biochemical feature, clinical consequences remain unclear with heterogeneous and far less severe than maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) reported phenotypes, one individual being even asymptomatic. We report herein the eighth case of genetically confirmed BCAT2 deficiency, accompanied by a literature review and a discussion about the potential pathogenicity of this condition. An 11-year-old boy presented with a rapidly reversible initial acute neurological episode suggesting an epileptic seizure. Abnormalities on cerebral magnetic resonance imaging and suspicion of cognitive impairment led to further metabolic investigations. BCAT2 deficiency has been mentioned in front of increased BCAAs (valine = 1667 μmol/L, leucine = 701 μmol/L, isoleucine = 561 μmol/L). A homozygous novel nonsense variant on BCAT2 (c.34C > T, p.Arg12*) was found on whole exome sequencing. After oral pyridoxine supplementation (200 mg/day), a decrease in BCAA concentrations was observed (valine = 984 μmol/L, leucine = 462 μmol/L, isoleucine = 302 μmol/L). Laboratory and imaging findings were consistent with previously reported cases. However, clinical presentation of this case was atypical and could be related with epilepsy, although no other variant on epilepsy genes have been found. The relation between BCAT2 deficiency and these clinical findings is at this stage debated with regard to phenotypic variability. Further case-studies are needed to expand the knowledge about this condition.

Crystal structure of CmnB involved in the biosynthesis of the nonproteinogenic amino acid L-2,3-diaminopropionic acid

L-2,3-Diaminopropionic acid (L-Dap) is a nonproteinogenic amino acid that plays as an important role as a building block in the biosynthesis of several natural products, including capreomycin, viomycin, zwittermicin, staphyloferrin and dapdiamide. A previous study reported that CmnB and CmnK are two enzymes that are involved in the formation of L-Dap in the biosynthesis of capreomycin. CmnB catalyzes the condensation reaction of O-phospho-L-serine and L-glutamic acid to generate N-(1-amino-1-carboxyl-2-ethyl)glutamic acid, which subsequently undergoes oxidative hydrolysis via CmnK to generate the product L-Dap. Here, the crystal structure of CmnB in complex with the reaction intermediate PLP-α-aminoacrylate is reported at 2.2 Å resolution. Notably, CmnB is the second known example of a PLP-dependent enzyme that forms a monomeric structure in crystal packing. The crystal structure of CmnB also provides insights into the catalytic mechanism of the enzyme and supports the biosynthetic pathway of L-Dap reported in previous studies.

An Extended C-Terminus, the Possible Culprit for Differential Regulation of 5-Aminolevulinate Synthase Isoforms

5-Aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS; E.C. 2.3.1.37) is a pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the key regulatory step of porphyrin biosynthesis in metazoa, fungi, and α-proteobacteria. ALAS is evolutionarily related to transaminases and is therefore classified as a fold type I PLP-dependent enzyme. As an enzyme controlling the key committed and rate-determining step of a crucial biochemical pathway ALAS is ideally positioned to be subject to allosteric feedback inhibition. Extensive kinetic and mutational studies demonstrated that the overall enzyme reaction is limited by subtle conformational changes of a hairpin loop gating the active site. These findings, coupled with structural information, facilitated early prediction of allosteric regulation of activity via an extended C-terminal tail unique to eukaryotic forms of the enzyme. This prediction was subsequently supported by the discoveries that mutations in the extended C-terminus of the erythroid ALAS isoform (ALAS2) cause a metabolic disorder known as X-linked protoporphyria not by diminishing activity, but by enhancing it. Furthermore, kinetic, structural, and molecular modeling studies demonstrated that the extended C-terminal tail controls the catalytic rate by modulating conformational flexibility of the active site loop. However, the precise identity of any such molecule remains to be defined. Here we discuss the most plausible allosteric regulators of ALAS activity based on divergences in AlphaFold-predicted ALAS structures and suggest how the mystery of the mechanism whereby the extended C-terminus of mammalian ALASs allosterically controls the rate of porphyrin biosynthesis might be unraveled.