Dataset Information

Purification, kinetic characterization, and site-directed mutagenesis of Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus RFAP Synthase Produced in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: Methane-producing archaea are among a select group of microorganisms that utilize tetrahydromethanopterin (H4MPT) as a one-carbon carrier instead of tetrahydrofolate. In H4MPT biosynthesis, ?-ribofuranosylaminobenzene 5'-phosphate (RFAP) synthase catalyzes the production of RFAP, CO2, and pyrophosphate from p-aminobenzoic acid (pABA) and phosphoribosyl-pyrophosphate (PRPP). In this work, to gain insight into amino acid residues required for substrate binding, RFAP synthase from Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus was produced in Escherichia coli, and site-directed mutagenesis was used to alter arginine 26 (R26) and aspartic acid 19 (D19), located in a conserved sequence of amino acids resembling the pABA binding site of dihydropteroate synthase. Replacement of R26 with lysine increased the KM for pABA by an order of magnitude relative to wild-type enzyme without substantially altering the KM for PRPP. Although replacement of D19 with alanine produced inactive enzyme, asparagine substitution allowed retention of some activity, and the K M for pABA increased about threefold relative to wild-type enzyme. A molecular model developed by threading RFAP synthase onto the crystal structure of homoserine kinase places R26 in the proposed active site. In the static model, D19 is located close to the active site, yet appears too far away to influence ligand binding directly. This may be indicative of the protein conformational change predicted previously in the Bi-Ter kinetic mechanism and/or formation of the active site at the interface of two subunits. Due to the vital role of RFAP synthase in H4MPT biosynthesis, insights into the mode of substrate binding and mechanism could be beneficial for developing RFAP synthase inhibitors designed to reduce the production of methane as a greenhouse gas.

SUBMITTER: Bechard ME

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6787355 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Purification, kinetic characterization, and site-directed mutagenesis of Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus RFAP Synthase Produced in Escherichia coli.

Bechard Matthew E ME Farahani Payam P Greene Dina D Pham Anna A Orry Andrew A Rasche Madeline E ME

AIMS microbiology 20190723 3

Methane-producing archaea are among a select group of microorganisms that utilize tetrahydromethanopterin (H4MPT) as a one-carbon carrier instead of tetrahydrofolate. In H4MPT biosynthesis, β-ribofuranosylaminobenzene 5'-phosphate (RFAP) synthase catalyzes the production of RFAP, CO2, and pyrophosphate from p-aminobenzoic acid (pABA) and phosphoribosyl-pyrophosphate (PRPP). In this work, to gain insight into amino acid residues required for substrat ...[more]

PMID: 31663056

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Project description:CDP-2,3-di-O-geranylgeranyl-sn-glycerol:L-serine O-archaetidyltransferase (archaetidylserine synthase) activity in cell extracts of Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus cells was characterized. The enzyme catalyzed the formation of unsaturated archaetidylserine from CDP-unsaturated archaeol and L-serine. The identity of the reaction products was confirmed by thin-layer chromatography, fast atom bombardment-mass spectrum analysis, and chemical degradation. The enzyme showed maximal activity in the presence of 10 mM Mn2+ and 1% Triton X-100. Among various synthetic substrate analogs, both enantiomers of CDP-unsaturated archaeols with ether-linked geranylgeranyl chains and CDP-saturated archaeol with ether-linked phytanyl chains were similarly active toward the archaetidylserine synthase. The activity on the ester analog of the substrate was two to three times higher than that on the corresponding ether-type substrate. The activity of D-serine with the enzyme was 30% of that observed for L-serine. A trace amount of an acid-labile, unsaturated archaetidylserine intermediate was detected in the cells by a pulse-labeling experiment. A gene (MT1027) in M. thermautotrophicus genome annotated as the gene encoding phosphatidylserine synthase was found to be homologous to Bacillus subtilis pssA but not to Escherichia coli pssA. The substrate specificity of phosphatidylserine synthase from B. subtilis was quite similar to that observed for the M. thermautotrophicus archaetidylserine synthase, while the E. coli enzyme had a strong preference for CDP-1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol. It was concluded that M. thermautotrophicus archaetidylserine synthase belongs to subclass II phosphatidylserine synthase (B. subtilis type) on the basis of not only homology but also substrate specificity and some enzymatic properties. The possibility that a gene encoding the subclass II phosphatidylserine synthase might be transferred from a bacterium to an ancestor of methanogens is discussed.

Dataset Information

Purification, kinetic characterization, and site-directed mutagenesis of Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus RFAP Synthase Produced in Escherichia coli.

Publications

Purification, kinetic characterization, and site-directed mutagenesis of <i>Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus</i> RFAP Synthase Produced in <i>Escherichia coli</i>.

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