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Stability of a thermophilic TIM-barrel enzyme: indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase from the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus.

ABSTRACT: The stability and activity of indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase from Sulfolobus solfataricus were studied as a function of pH and temperature. In this paper we focus on three points: (1) the long-term stability of the protein to irreversible denaturation at high temperature; (2) the short-term stability of the protein to reversible temperature-driven unfolding; and (3) the dependence of its activity on temperature. Results can be summarized as follows: (a) the same first-order kinetic constant (0.020+/-0.003 min-1) was determined at different pH values (6.5, 8.0 and 9.5) from long-term stability experiments at 80 degrees C; (b) short-term stability experiments revealed different behaviour in two different pH ranges (6.5-8.0, 8.5-9.5), suggesting that the melting temperature is higher at alkaline than at neutral pH; (c) the dependence of activity on temperature was investigated at pH 7.0 and 9.0, and a discontinuity was observed in the Arrhenius plot of kcat values at pH 9.0. We also investigated the stability in the presence of guanidinium chloride at 20 degrees C either at pH 7.0 or at pH 9.0, and we present data that indicate that the unfolding mechanism closely approaches a two-state model at pH 7.0 and a more complex mechanism at pH 9.0. Satisfactory fitting of the equilibrium unfolding transition obtained by fluorescence measurements at pH 9.0 required a model that involves a stable intermediate in addition to the native and unfolded forms. At 20 degrees C the folded conformation is more stable than the unfolded conformation by (14. 7+/-1.2) kJ/mol at pH 7.0 and by (25.5+/-1.8) kJ/mol at pH 9.0.

SUBMITTER: Andreotti G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1218304 | biostudies-other | 1997 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:To test the roles of motif and amino acid sequence in the folding mechanisms of TIM barrel proteins, hydrogen-deuterium exchange was used to explore the structure of the stable folding intermediates for the of indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase from Sulfolobus solfataricus (sIGPS). Previous studies of the urea denaturation of sIGPS revealed the presence of an intermediate that is highly populated at approximately 4.5 M urea and contains approximately 50% of the secondary structure of the native (N) state. Kinetic studies showed that this apparent equilibrium intermediate is actually comprised of two thermodynamically distinct species, I(a) and I(b). To probe the location of the secondary structure in this pair of stable on-pathway intermediates, the equilibrium unfolding process of sIGPS was monitored by hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry. The intact protein and pepsin-digested fragments were studied at various concentrations of urea by electrospray and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, respectively. Intact sIGPS strongly protects at least 54 amide protons from hydrogen-deuterium exchange in the intermediate states, demonstrating the presence of stable folded cores. When the protection patterns and the exchange mechanisms for the peptides are considered with the proposed folding mechanism, the results can be interpreted to define the structural boundaries of I(a) and I(b). Comparison of these results with previous hydrogen-deuterium exchange studies on another TIM barrel protein of low sequence identify, alpha-tryptophan synthase (alphaTS), indicates that the thermodynamic states corresponding to the folding intermediates are better conserved than their structures. Although the TIM barrel motif appears to define the basic features of the folding free energy surface, the structures of the partially folded states that appear during the folding reaction depend on the amino acid sequence. Markedly, the good correlation between the hydrogen-deuterium exchange patterns of sIGPS and alphaTS with the locations of hydrophobic clusters defined by isoleucine, leucine, and valine residues suggests that branch aliphatic side-chains play a critical role in defining the structures of the equilibrium intermediates.

Project description:Sulfolobus solfataricus is an aerobic crenarchaeal hyperthermophile with optimum growth at temperatures greater than 80°C and pH 2 to 4. Within the crenarchaeal group of Sulfolobales, N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) has been shown to be a component of exopolysaccharides, forming their biofilms, and of the N-glycan decorating some proteins. The metabolism of GlcNAc is still poorly understood in Archaea, and one approach to gaining additional information is through the identification and functional characterization of carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) involved in the modification of GlcNAc. The screening of S. solfataricus extracts allowed the detection of a novel α-N-acetylglucosaminidase (α-GlcNAcase) activity, which has never been identified in Archaea Mass spectrometry analysis of the purified activity showed a protein encoded by the sso2901 gene. Interestingly, the purified recombinant enzyme, which was characterized in detail, revealed a novel de-N-acetylase activity specific for GlcNAc and derivatives. Thus, assays to identify an α-GlcNAcase found a GlcNAc de-N-acetylase instead. The α-GlcNAcase activity observed in S. solfataricus extracts did occur when SSO2901 was used in combination with an α-glucosidase. Furthermore, the inspection of the genomic context and the preliminary characterization of a putative glycosyltransferase immediately upstream of sso2901 (sso2900) suggest the involvement of these enzymes in the GlcNAc metabolism in S. solfataricusIMPORTANCE In this study, a preliminary screening of cellular extracts of S. solfataricus allowed the identification of an α-N-acetylglucosaminidase activity. However, the characterization of the corresponding recombinant enzyme revealed a novel GlcNAc de-N-acetylase, which, in cooperation with the α-glucosidase, catalyzed the hydrolysis of O-α-GlcNAc glycosides. In addition, we show that the product of a gene flanking the one encoding the de-N-acetylase is a putative glycosyltransferase, suggesting the involvement of the two enzymes in the metabolism of GlcNAc. The discovery and functional analysis of novel enzymatic activities involved in the modification of this essential sugar represent a powerful strategy to shed light on the physiology and metabolism of Archaea.

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Stability of a thermophilic TIM-barrel enzyme: indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase from the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus.

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