Publications

• Enzymatic conversion of vitamin B-12s to a cobamide coenzyme, alpha-(5,6-dimethylbenzimidazolyl)deoxyadenosylcobamide (adenosyl-B-12).

  Vitols E., Walker G.A., Huennekens F.M.

  J Biol Chem 241:1455-1461(1966) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 11 other entries.

• Residue Phe112 of the human-type corrinoid adenosyltransferase (PduO) enzyme of Lactobacillus reuteri is critical to the formation of the four-coordinate Co(II) corrinoid substrate and to the activity of the enzyme.

  Mera P.E., St Maurice M., Rayment I., Escalante-Semerena J.C.

  ATP:Corrinoid adenosyltransferases (ACAs) catalyze the transfer of the adenosyl moiety from ATP to cob(I)alamin via a four-coordinate cob(II)alamin intermediate. At present, it is unknown how ACAs promote the formation of the four-coordinate corrinoid species needed for activity. The published hig ... >> More

  ATP:Corrinoid adenosyltransferases (ACAs) catalyze the transfer of the adenosyl moiety from ATP to cob(I)alamin via a four-coordinate cob(II)alamin intermediate. At present, it is unknown how ACAs promote the formation of the four-coordinate corrinoid species needed for activity. The published high-resolution crystal structure of the ACA from Lactobacillus reuteri (LrPduO) in complex with ATP and cob(II)alamin shows that the environment around the alpha face of the corrin ring consists of bulky hydrophobic residues. To understand how these residues promote the generation of the four-coordinate cob(II)alamin, variants of the human-type ACA enzyme from L. reuteri (LrPduO) were kinetically and structurally characterized. These studies revealed that residue Phe112 is critical in the displacement of 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB) from its coordination bond with the Co ion of the ring, resulting in the formation of the four-coordinate species. An F112A substitution resulted in a 80% drop in the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. The explanation for this loss of activity was obtained from the crystal structure of the mutant protein, which showed cob(II)alamin bound in the active site with DMB coordinated to the cobalt ion. The crystal structure of an LrPduO(F112H) variant showed a DMB-off/His-on interaction between the corrinoid and the enzyme, whose catalytic efficiency was 4 orders of magnitude lower than that of the wild-type protein. The analysis of the kinetic parameters of LrPduO(F112H) suggests that the F112H substitution negatively impacts product release. Substitutions of other hydrophobic residues in the Cbl binding pocket did not result in significant defects in catalytic efficiency in vitro; however, none of the variant enzymes analyzed in this work supported AdoCbl biosynthesis in vivo. << Less

  Biochemistry 48:3138-3145(2009) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 3 other entries.

• Dihydroflavin-driven adenosylation of 4-coordinate Co(II) corrinoids: are cobalamin reductases enzymes or electron transfer proteins?

  Mera P.E., Escalante-Semerena J.C.

  The identity of the source of the biological reductant needed to convert cobalamin to its biologically active form adenosylcobalamin has remained elusive. Here we show that free or protein-bound dihydroflavins can serve as the reductant of Co(2+)Cbl bound in the active site of PduO-type ATP-depend ... >> More

  The identity of the source of the biological reductant needed to convert cobalamin to its biologically active form adenosylcobalamin has remained elusive. Here we show that free or protein-bound dihydroflavins can serve as the reductant of Co(2+)Cbl bound in the active site of PduO-type ATP-dependent corrinoid adenosyltransferase enzymes. Free dihydroflavins (dihydroriboflavin, FMNH(2), and FADH(2)) effectively drove the adenosylation of Co(2+)Cbl by the human and bacterial PduO-type enzymes at very low concentrations (1 microm). These data show that adenosyltransferase enzymes lower the thermodynamic barrier of the Co(2+) --> Co(+) reduction needed for the formation of the unique organometalic Co-C bond of adenosylcobalamin. Collectively, our in vivo and in vitro data suggest that cobalamin reductases identified thus far are most likely electron transfer proteins, not enzymes. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 285:2911-2917(2010) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 10 other entries.

• Three-dimensional structure of ATP:corrinoid adenosyltransferase from Salmonella typhimurium in its free state, complexed with MgATP, or complexed with hydroxycobalamin and MgATP.

  Bauer C.B., Fonseca M.V., Holden H.M., Thoden J.B., Thompson T.B., Escalante-Semerena J.C., Rayment I.

  In Salmonella typhimurium, formation of the cobalt-carbon bond in the biosynthetic pathway for adenosylcobalamin is catalyzed by the product of the cobA gene which encodes a protein of 196 amino acid residues. This enzyme is an ATP:co(I)rrinoid adenosyltransferase which transfers an adenosyl moiet ... >> More

  In Salmonella typhimurium, formation of the cobalt-carbon bond in the biosynthetic pathway for adenosylcobalamin is catalyzed by the product of the cobA gene which encodes a protein of 196 amino acid residues. This enzyme is an ATP:co(I)rrinoid adenosyltransferase which transfers an adenosyl moiety from MgATP to a broad range of co(I)rrinoid substrates that are believed to include cobinamide, its precursor cobyric acid and probably others as yet unidentified, and hydroxocobalamin. Three X-ray structures of CobA are reported here: its substrate-free form, a complex of CobA with MgATP, and a ternary complex of CobA with MgATP and hydroxycobalamin to 2.1, 1.8, and 2.1 A resolution, respectively. These structures show that the enzyme is a homodimer. In the apo structure, the polypeptide chain extends from Arg(28) to Lys(181) and consists of an alpha/beta structure built from a six-stranded parallel beta-sheet with strand order 324516. The topology of this fold is very similar to that seen in RecA protein, helicase domain, F(1)ATPase, and adenosylcobinamide kinase/adenosylcobinamide guanylyltransferase where a P-loop is located at the end of the first strand. Strikingly, the nucleotide in the MgATP.CobA complex binds to the P-loop of CobA in the opposite orientation compared to all the other nucleotide hydrolases. That is, the gamma-phosphate binds at the location normally occupied by the alpha-phosphate. The unusual orientation of the nucleotide arises because this enzyme transfers an adenosyl group rather than the gamma-phosphate. In the ternary complex, the binding site for hydroxycobalamin is located in a shallow bowl-shaped depression at the C-terminal end of the beta-sheet of one subunit; however, the active site is capped by the N-terminal helix from the symmetry-related subunit that now extends from Gln(7) to Ala(24). The lower ligand of cobalamin is well-ordered and interacts mostly with the N-terminal helix of the symmetry-related subunit. Interestingly, there are few interactions between the protein and the polar side chains of the corrin ring which accounts for the broad specificity of this enzyme. The corrin ring is oriented such that the cobalt atom is located approximately 6.1 A from C5' of the ribose and is beyond the range of nucleophilic attack. This suggests that a conformational change occurs in the ternary complex when Co(III) is reduced to Co(I). << Less

  Biochemistry 40:361-374(2001) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 11 other entries.

• Purification and initial characterization of the ATP:corrinoid adenosyltransferase encoded by the cobA gene of Salmonella typhimurium.

  Suh S.-J., Escalante-Semerena J.C.

  The cobA gene of Salmonella typhimurium and its product were overexpressed to approximately 20% of the total cell protein. CobA was purified to 98% homogeneity; N-terminal sequence analysis (21 residues) of homogeneous protein confirmed the predicted amino acid sequence. ATP:corrinoid adenosyltran ... >> More

  The cobA gene of Salmonella typhimurium and its product were overexpressed to approximately 20% of the total cell protein. CobA was purified to 98% homogeneity; N-terminal sequence analysis (21 residues) of homogeneous protein confirmed the predicted amino acid sequence. ATP:corrinoid adenosyltransferase activity was demonstrated in vitro to be associated with CobA. This activity was optimal at pH 8 and 37 degrees C. A quantitative preference was determined for Mn(II) cations and ATP. The apparent Km of CobA for ATP was 2.8 microM, and that for cob(I)alamin was 5.2 microM. Vmax was measured at 0.43 nmol/min. Cobinamide served as the substrate for CobA to yield adenosylcobinamide. Activity was stable at 4 degrees C for several weeks but was lost rapidly at room temperature (50% overnight). Dithiothreitol was required to maintain the enzymatic activity of CobA. << Less

  J. Bacteriol. 177:921-925(1995) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 11 other entries.

• Reduction of Cob(III)alamin to Cob(II)alamin in Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium LT2.

  Fonseca M.V., Escalante-Semerena J.C.

  Reduction of the cobalt ion of cobalamin from the Co(III) to the Co(I) oxidation state is essential for the synthesis of adenosylcobalamin, the coenzymic form of this cofactor. A cob(II)alamin reductase activity in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 was isolated to homogeneity. N-terminal ... >> More

  Reduction of the cobalt ion of cobalamin from the Co(III) to the Co(I) oxidation state is essential for the synthesis of adenosylcobalamin, the coenzymic form of this cofactor. A cob(II)alamin reductase activity in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 was isolated to homogeneity. N-terminal analysis of the homogeneous protein identified NAD(P)H:flavin oxidoreductase (Fre) (EC 1.6.8.1) as the enzyme responsible for this activity. The fre gene was cloned, and the overexpressed protein, with a histidine tag at its N terminus, was purified to homogeneity by nickel affinity chromatography. His-tagged Fre reduced flavins (flavin mononucleotide [FMN] and flavin adenine dinucleotide [FAD]) and cob(III)alamin to cob(II)alamin very efficiently. Photochemically reduced FMN substituted for Fre in the reduction of cob(III)alamin to cob(II)alamin, indicating that the observed cobalamin reduction activity was not Fre dependent but FMNH(2) dependent. Enzyme-independent reduction of cob(III)alamin to cob(II)alamin by FMNH(2) occurred at a rate too fast to be measured. The thermodynamically unfavorable reduction of cob(II)alamin to cob(I)alamin was detectable by alkylation of the cob(I)alamin nucleophile with iodoacetate. Detection of the product, caboxymethylcob(III)alamin, depended on the presence of FMNH(2) in the reaction mixture. FMNH(2) failed to substitute for potassium borohydride in in vitro assays for corrinoid adenosylation catalyzed by the ATP:co(I)rrinoid adenosyltransferase (CobA) enzyme, even under conditions where Fre and NADH were present in the reaction mixture to ensure that FMN was always reduced. These results were interpreted to mean that Fre was not responsible for the generation of cob(I)alamin in vivo. Consistent with this idea, a fre mutant displayed wild-type cobalamin biosynthetic phenotypes. It is proposed that S. enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 may not have a cob(III)alamin reductase enzyme and that, in vivo, nonadenosylated cobalamin and other corrinoids are maintained as co(II)rrinoids by reduced flavin nucleotides generated by Fre and other flavin oxidoreductases. << Less

  J. Bacteriol. 182:4304-4309(2000) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 10 other entries.

• An in vitro reducing system for the enzymic conversion of cobalamin to adenosylcobalamin.

  Fonseca M.V., Escalante-Semerena J.C.

  Homogeneous ferredoxin (flavodoxin):NADP(+) reductase and flavodoxin A proteins served as electron donors for the reduction of co(III)rrinoids to co(I)rrinoids in vitro. The resulting co(I)rrinoids served as substrates for the ATP:co(I)rrinoid adenosyltransferase (CobA) enzyme of Salmonella enteri ... >> More

  Homogeneous ferredoxin (flavodoxin):NADP(+) reductase and flavodoxin A proteins served as electron donors for the reduction of co(III)rrinoids to co(I)rrinoids in vitro. The resulting co(I)rrinoids served as substrates for the ATP:co(I)rrinoid adenosyltransferase (CobA) enzyme of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 and were converted to their respective adenosylated derivatives. The reaction products were isolated by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography, and their identities were confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and in vivo biological activity assays. Adenosylcobalamin generated by this system supported the activity of 1,2-propanediol dehydratase as effectively as authentic adenosylcobalamin. This is the first report of a protein system that can be coupled to the adenosyltransferase CobA enzyme for the conversion of co(III)rrinoids to their adenosylated derivatives. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 276:32101-32108(2001) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 11 other entries.