Publications

• Relationship of conserved residues in the IMP binding site to substrate recognition and catalysis in Escherichia coli adenylosuccinate synthetase.

  Wang W., Hou Z., Honzatko R.B., Fromm H.J.

  Gln34, Gln224, Leu228, and Ser240 are conserved residues in the vicinity of bound IMP in the crystal structure of Escherichia coli adenylosuccinate synthetase. Directed mutations were carried out, and wild-type and mutant enzymes were purified to homogeneity. Circular dichroism spectroscopy indica ... >> More

  Gln34, Gln224, Leu228, and Ser240 are conserved residues in the vicinity of bound IMP in the crystal structure of Escherichia coli adenylosuccinate synthetase. Directed mutations were carried out, and wild-type and mutant enzymes were purified to homogeneity. Circular dichroism spectroscopy indicated no difference in secondary structure between the mutants and the wild-type enzyme in the absence of substrates. Mutants L228A and S240A exhibited modest changes in their initial rate kinetics relative to the wild-type enzyme, suggesting that neither Leu228 nor Ser240 play essential roles in substrate binding or catalysis. The mutants Q224M and Q224E exhibited no significant change in KmGTP and KmASP and modest changes in KmIMP relative to the wild-type enzyme. However, kcat decreased 13-fold for the Q224M mutant and 10(4)-fold for the Q224E mutant relative to the wild-type enzyme. Furthermore, the Q224E mutant showed an optimum pH at 6.2, which is 1.5 pH units lower than that of the wild-type enzyme. Tryptophan emission fluorescence spectra of Q224M, Q224E, and wild-type proteins under denaturing conditions indicate comparable stabilities. Mutant Q34E exhibits a 60-fold decrease in kcat compared with that of the wild-type enzyme, which is attributed to the disruption of the Gln34 to Gln224 hydrogen bond observed in crystal structures. Presented here is a mechanism for the synthetase, whereby Gln224 works in concert with Asp13 to stabilize the 6-oxyanion of IMP. << Less

  J Biol Chem 272:16911-16916(1997) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Residues essential for catalysis and stability of the active site of Escherichia coli adenylosuccinate synthetase as revealed by directed mutation and kinetics.

  Kang C., Sun N., Poland B.W., Gorrell A., Honzatko R.B., Fromm H.J.

  Examined here by directed mutation, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and kinetics are the relationships of five residues, Asp13, Glu14, Lys16, His41, and Arg131, to the catalytic function and structural organization of adenylosuccinate synthetase from Escherichia coli. The D13A mutant has no measu ... >> More

  Examined here by directed mutation, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and kinetics are the relationships of five residues, Asp13, Glu14, Lys16, His41, and Arg131, to the catalytic function and structural organization of adenylosuccinate synthetase from Escherichia coli. The D13A mutant has no measurable activity. Mutants E14A and H41N exhibit 1% of the activity of the wild-type enzyme and 2-7-fold increases in the Km of substrates. The mutant K16Q has 34% of the activity of wild-type enzyme and Km values for substrates virtually unchanged from those of the wild-type system. Mutation of Arg131 to leucine caused only a 4-fold increase in the Km for aspartate relative to the wild-type enzyme. The dramatic effects of the D13A, E14A, and H41N mutations on kcat are consistent with the putative roles assigned to Asp13 (catalytic base), His41 (catalytic acid), and Glu14 (structural organization of the active site). The modest effect of the R131L mutation on the binding of aspartate is also in harmony with recent crystallographic investigations, which suggests that Arg131 stabilizes the conformation of the loop that binds the beta-carboxylate of aspartate. The modest effect of the K16Q mutation, however, contrasts with significant changes brought about by the mutation of the corresponding lysines in the P-loop of other GTP- and ATP-binding proteins. Crystallographic structures place Lys16 in a position of direct interaction with the gamma-phosphate of GTP. Furthermore, lysine is present at corresponding positions in all known sequences of adenylosuccinate synthetase. We suggest that along with a modest role in stabilizing the transition state of the phosphotransfer reaction, Lys16 may stabilize the enzyme structurally. In addition, the modest loss of catalytic activity of the K16Q mutant may confer such a selective disadvantage to E. coli that this seemingly innocuous mutation is not tolerated in nature. << Less

  J Biol Chem 272:11881-11885(1997) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Studies of ligand binding to Escherichia coli adenylosuccinate synthetase.

  Soans C., Fromm H.J.

  Dissociation constants of Escherichia coli adenylosuccinate synthetase with IMP, GTP, adenylosuccinate, and AMP (a competitive inhibitor for IMP) were determined by measuring the extent of quenching of the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of the enzyme. The enzyme has one binding site for each of ... >> More

  Dissociation constants of Escherichia coli adenylosuccinate synthetase with IMP, GTP, adenylosuccinate, and AMP (a competitive inhibitor for IMP) were determined by measuring the extent of quenching of the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of the enzyme. The enzyme has one binding site for each of these ligands. Aspartate and GDP did not quench the fluorescence to any great extent, and their dissociation constants could not be determined. These ligand binding studies were generally supportive of the kinetic mechanism proposed earlier for the enzyme. Cys291 was modified with the fluorescent chromophores N-(iodoacetylaminoethyl)-5-naphthylamine-1-sulfonate and tetramethylrhodamine maleimide in order to measure enzyme conformational changes attending ligand binding. The excitation and emission spectra of these fluorophores are not altered by the addition of active site binding ligands. TbGTP and TbGDP were used as native reporter groups, and changes in their fluorescence on complexing with the enzyme and various ligands made it possible to detect conformational changes occurring at the active site. Evidence is presented for abortive complexes of the type: enzyme-TbGTP-adenylosuccinate and enzyme-TbGTP-adenylosuccinate-aspartate. These results suggest that the IMP and aspartate binding sites are spatially separated. << Less

  Arch Biochem Biophys 291:107-112(1991) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Mechanistic implications from crystalline complexes of wild-type and mutant adenylosuccinate synthetases from Escherichia coli.

  Choe J.Y., Poland B.W., Fromm H.J., Honzatko R.B.

  Asp13 and His41 are essential residues of adenylosuccinate synthetase, putatively catalyzing the formation of adenylosuccinate from an intermediate of 6-phosphoryl-IMP. Wild-type adenylosuccinate synthetase and three mutant synthetases (Arg143 --> Leu, Lys16 --> Gln, and Arg303 --> Leu) from Esche ... >> More

  Asp13 and His41 are essential residues of adenylosuccinate synthetase, putatively catalyzing the formation of adenylosuccinate from an intermediate of 6-phosphoryl-IMP. Wild-type adenylosuccinate synthetase and three mutant synthetases (Arg143 --> Leu, Lys16 --> Gln, and Arg303 --> Leu) from Eschericha coli have been crystallized in the presence of IMP, hadacidin (an analogue of L-aspartate), Mg2+, and GTP. The active site of each complex contains 6-phosphoryl-IMP, Mg2+, GDP, and hadacidin, except for the Arg303 --> Leu mutant, which does not bind hadacidin. In response to the formation of 6-phosphoryl-IMP, Asp13 enters the inner coordination sphere of the active site Mg2+. His41 hydrogen bonds with 6-phosphoryl-IMP, except in the Arg303 --> Leu complex, where it remains bound to the guanine nucleotide. Hence, recognition of the active site Mg2+ by Asp13 evidently occurs after the formation of 6-phosphoryl-IMP, but recognition of the intermediate by His41 may require the association of L-aspartate with the active site. Structures reported here support a mechanism in which Asp13 and His41 act as the catalytic base and acid, respectively, in the formation of 6-phosphoryl-IMP, and then act together as catalytic acids in the subsequent formation of adenylosuccinate. << Less

  Biochemistry 38:6953-6961(1999) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Entrapment of 6-thiophosphoryl-IMP in the active site of crystalline adenylosuccinate synthetase from Escherichia coli.

  Poland B.W., Bruns C., Fromm H.J., Honzatko R.B.

  Crystal structures of adenylosuccinate synthetase from Escherichia coli complexed with Mg2+, 6-thiophosphoryl-IMP, GDP, and hadacidin at 298 and 100 K have been refined to R-factors of 0.171 and 0.206 against data to 2.8 and 2.5 A resolution, respectively. Interactions of GDP, Mg2+ and hadacidin a ... >> More

  Crystal structures of adenylosuccinate synthetase from Escherichia coli complexed with Mg2+, 6-thiophosphoryl-IMP, GDP, and hadacidin at 298 and 100 K have been refined to R-factors of 0.171 and 0.206 against data to 2.8 and 2.5 A resolution, respectively. Interactions of GDP, Mg2+ and hadacidin are similar to those observed for the same ligands in the complex of IMP, GDP, NO3-, Mg2+ and hadacidin (Poland, B. W., Fromm, H. J. & Honzatko, R. B. (1996). J. Mol. Biol. 264, 1013-1027). Although crystals were grown from solutions containing 6-mercapto-IMP and GTP, the electron density at the active site is consistent with 6-thiophosphoryl-IMP and GDP. Asp-13 and Gln-224 probably work in concert to stabilize the 6-thioanion of 6-mercapto-IMP, which in turn is the nucleophile in the displacement of GDP from the gamma-phosphate of GTP. Once formed, 6-thiophosphoryl-IMP is stable in the active site of the enzyme under the conditions of the structural investigation. The direct observation of 6-thiophosphoryl-IMP in the active site is consistent with the putative generation of 6-phosphoryl-IMP along the reaction pathway of the synthetase. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 272:15200-15205(1997) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]