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Carbamate transport in carbamoyl phosphate synthetase: a theoretical and experimental investigation.

ABSTRACT: The transport of carbamate through the large subunit of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (CPS) from Escherichia coli was investigated by molecular dynamics and site-directed mutagenesis. Carbamate, the product of the reaction involving ATP, bicarbonate, and ammonia, must be delivered from the site of formation to the site of utilization by traveling nearly 40 A within the enzyme. Potentials of mean force (PMF) calculations along the entire tunnel for the translocation of carbamate indicate that the tunnel is composed of three continuous water pockets and two narrow connecting parts, near Ala-23 and Gly-575. The two narrow parts render two free energy barriers of 6.7 and 8.4 kcal/mol, respectively. Three water pockets were filled with about 21, 9, and 9 waters, respectively, and the corresponding relative free energies of carbamate residing in these free energy minima are 5.8, 0, and 1.6 kcal/mol, respectively. The release of phosphate into solution at the site for the formation of carbamate allows the side chain of Arg-306 to rotate toward Glu-25, Glu-383, and Glu-604. This rotation is virtually prohibited by a barrier of at least 23 kcal/mol when phosphate remains bound. This conformational change not only opens the entrance of the tunnel but also shields the charge-charge repulsion from the three glutamate residues when carbamate passes through the tunnel. Two mutants, A23F and G575F, were designed to block the migration of carbamate through the narrowest parts of the carbamate tunnel. The mutants retained only 1.7% and 3.8% of the catalytic activity for the synthesis of carbamoyl phosphate relative to the wild type CPS, respectively.

SUBMITTER: Lund L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2847351 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Carbamate transport in carbamoyl phosphate synthetase: a theoretical and experimental investigation.

Lund Liliya L Fan Yubo Y Shao Qiang Q Gao Yi Qin YQ Raushel Frank M FM

Journal of the American Chemical Society 20100301 11

The transport of carbamate through the large subunit of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (CPS) from Escherichia coli was investigated by molecular dynamics and site-directed mutagenesis. Carbamate, the product of the reaction involving ATP, bicarbonate, and ammonia, must be delivered from the site of formation to the site of utilization by traveling nearly 40 A within the enzyme. Potentials of mean force (PMF) calculations along the entire tunnel for the translocation of carbamate indicate that th ...[more]

PMID: 20187643

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Project description:The transfer of ammonia in carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (CPS) was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations and experimental characterization of mutations within the ammonia tunnel. In CPS, ammonia is derived from the hydrolysis of glutamine and this intermediate must travel approximately 45 A from the site of formation in the small subunit to the site of utilization in the large subunit. In this investigation, the migration of ammonia was analyzed from the exit of the small subunit through the large subunit where it ultimately reacts with the carboxy phosphate intermediate. Potential of mean force calculations along the transfer pathway for ammonia indicate a relatively low free-energy barrier for the translocation of ammonia. The highest barrier of 7.2 kcal/mol is found at a narrow turning gate surrounded by the side chains of Cys-232, Ala-251, and Ala-314 in the large subunit. The environment of the ammonia tunnel from the exit of the small subunit to the turning gate in the tunnel is filled with clusters of water molecules and the ammonia is able to travel through this area easily. After ammonia passes through the turning gate, it enters a hydrophobic passage. A hydrogen bond then forms between the ammonia and Thr-249, which facilitates the delivery to a more hydrophilic environment near the active site for the reaction with the carboxy phosphate intermediate. The transport process from the turning gate to the end of the tunnel is favored by an overall downhill free-energy potential and no free-energy barrier higher than 3 kcal/mol. A conformational change of the turning gate, caused by formation of the carboxy phosphate intermediate, is consistent with a mechanism in which the reaction between ATP and bicarbonate triggers the transport of ammonia and consequently accelerates the rate of glutamine hydrolysis in the small subunit. A blockage in the turning gate passageway was introduced by the triple mutant C232V/A251V/A314V. This mutant is unable to synthesize carbamoyl phosphate using glutamine as a nitrogen source.

Dataset Information

Carbamate transport in carbamoyl phosphate synthetase: a theoretical and experimental investigation.

Publications

Carbamate transport in carbamoyl phosphate synthetase: a theoretical and experimental investigation.

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