Publications

• O-phospho-L-serine and the thiocarboxylated sulfur carrier protein CysO-COSH are substrates for CysM, a cysteine synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

  O'Leary S.E., Jurgenson C.T., Ealick S.E., Begley T.P.

  The kinetic pathway of CysM, a cysteine synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was studied by transient-state kinetic techniques. The expression of which is upregulated under conditions of oxidative stress. This enzyme exhibits extensive homology with the B-isozymes of the well-studied O-acetyl ... >> More

  The kinetic pathway of CysM, a cysteine synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was studied by transient-state kinetic techniques. The expression of which is upregulated under conditions of oxidative stress. This enzyme exhibits extensive homology with the B-isozymes of the well-studied O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase family and employs a similar chemical mechanism involving a stable alpha-aminoacrylate intermediate. However, we show that specificity of CysM for its amino acid substrate is more than 500-fold greater for O-phospho-L-serine than for O-acetyl-L-serine, suggesting that O-phospho-L-serine is the likely substrate in vivo. We also investigated the kinetics of the carbon-sulfur bond-forming reaction between the CysM-bound alpha-aminoacrylate intermediate and the thiocarboxylated sulfur carrier protein, CysO-COSH. The specificity of CysM for this physiological sulfide equivalent is more than 3 orders of magnitude greater than that for bisulfide. Moreover, the kinetics of this latter reaction are limited by association of the proteins, while the reaction with bisulfide is consistent with a rapid equilibrium binding model. We interpret this finding to suggest that the CysM active site with the bound aminoacrylate intermediate is protected from solvent and that binding of CysO-COSH produces a conformational change allowing rapid sulfur transfer. This study represents the first detailed kinetic characterization of sulfide transfer from a sulfide carrier protein. << Less

  Biochemistry 47:11606-11615(2008) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Crystal structure of a sulfur carrier protein complex found in the cysteine biosynthetic pathway of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

  Jurgenson C.T., Burns K.E., Begley T.P., Ealick S.E.

  The structure of the protein complex CysM-CysO from a new cysteine biosynthetic pathway found in the H37Rv strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been determined at 1.53 A resolution. CysM (Rv1336) is a PLP-containing beta-replacement enzyme and CysO (Rv1335) is a sulfur carrier protein with a u ... >> More

  The structure of the protein complex CysM-CysO from a new cysteine biosynthetic pathway found in the H37Rv strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been determined at 1.53 A resolution. CysM (Rv1336) is a PLP-containing beta-replacement enzyme and CysO (Rv1335) is a sulfur carrier protein with a ubiquitin-like fold. CysM catalyzes the replacement of the acetyl group of O-acetylserine by CysO thiocarboxylate to generate a protein-bound cysteine that is released in a subsequent proteolysis reaction. The protein complex in the crystal structure is asymmetric with one CysO protomer binding to one end of a CysM dimer. Additionally, the structures of CysM and CysO were determined individually at 2.8 and 2.7 A resolution, respectively. Sequence alignments with homologues and structural comparisons with CysK, a cysteine synthase that does not utilize a sulfur carrier protein, revealed high conservation of active site residues; however, residues in CysM responsible for CysO binding are not conserved. Comparison of the CysM-CysO binding interface with other sulfur carrier protein complexes revealed a similarity in secondary structural elements that contribute to complex formation in the ThiF-ThiS and MoeB-MoaD systems, despite major differences in overall folds. Comparison of CysM with and without bound CysO revealed conformational changes associated with CysO binding. << Less

  Biochemistry 47:10354-10364(2008) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Cysteine synthase (CysM) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an O-phosphoserine sulfhydrylase: evidence for an alternative cysteine biosynthesis pathway in mycobacteria.

  Agren D., Schnell R., Oehlmann W., Singh M., Schneider G.

  The biosynthesis of cysteine is a crucial metabolic pathway supplying a building block for de novo protein synthesis but also a reduced thiol as a component of the oxidative defense mechanisms that appear particularly vital in the dormant state of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We here show that the ... >> More

  The biosynthesis of cysteine is a crucial metabolic pathway supplying a building block for de novo protein synthesis but also a reduced thiol as a component of the oxidative defense mechanisms that appear particularly vital in the dormant state of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We here show that the cysteine synthase CysM is, in contrast to previous annotations, an O-phosphoserine-specific cysteine synthase. CysM belongs to the fold type II pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes, as revealed by the crystal structure determined at 2.1-angstroms resolution. A model of O-phosphoserine bound to the enzyme suggests a hydrogen bonding interaction of the side chain of Arg220 with the phosphate group as a key feature in substrate selectivity. Replacement of this residue results in a significant loss of specificity for O-phosphoserine. Notably, reactions with sulfur donors are not affected by the amino acid replacement. The specificity of CysM toward O-phosphoserine together with the previously established novel mode of sulfur delivery via thiocarboxylated CysO (Burns, K. E., Baumgart, S., Dorrestein, P. C., Zhai, H., McLafferty, F. W., and Begley, T. P. (2005) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127, 11602-11603) provide strong evidence for an O-phosphoserine-based cysteine biosynthesis pathway in M. tuberculosis that is independent of both O-acetylserine and the sulfate reduction pathway. The existence of an alternative biosynthetic pathway to cysteine in this pathogen has implications for the design strategy aimed at inhibition of this metabolic route. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 283:31567-31574(2008) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• The C-terminal of CysM from Mycobacterium tuberculosis protects the aminoacrylate intermediate and is involved in sulfur donor selectivity.

  Agren D., Schnell R., Schneider G.

  A new crystal structure of the dimeric cysteine synthase CysM from Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals an open and a closed conformation of the enzyme. In the closed conformation the five carboxy-terminal amino acid residues are inserted into the active site cleft. Removal of this segment results i ... >> More

  A new crystal structure of the dimeric cysteine synthase CysM from Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals an open and a closed conformation of the enzyme. In the closed conformation the five carboxy-terminal amino acid residues are inserted into the active site cleft. Removal of this segment results in a decreased lifetime of the alpha-aminoacrylate reaction intermediate, an increased sensitivity to oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide, and loss of substrate selectivity with respect to the sulfur carrier thiocarboxylated CysO. These results highlight features of CysM that might be of particular importance for cysteine biosynthesis under oxidative stress in M. tuberculosis. << Less

  FEBS Lett. 583:330-336(2009) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]