Evidence of a light-sensing role for folate in Arabidopsis cryptochrome blue-light receptors.

Arabidopsis cryptochromes cry1 and cry2 are blue-light signalling molecules with significant structural similarity to photolyases--a class of blue-light-sensing DNA repair enzymes. Like photolyases, purified plant cryptochromes have been shown to bind both flavin and pterin chromophores. The flavin functions as a light sensor and undergoes reduction in response to blue light that initiates the signalling cascade. However, the role of the pterin in plant cryptochromes has until now been unknown. Here, we show that the action spectrum for light-dependent degradation of cry2 has a significant peak of activity at 380 nm, consistent with absorption by a pterin cofactor. We further show that cry1 protein expressed in living insect cells responds with greater sensitivity to 380 nm light than to 450 nm, consistent with a light-harvesting antenna pigment that transfers excitation energy to the oxidized flavin of cry1. The pterin biosynthesis inhibitor DHAP selectively reduces cryptochrome responsivity at 380 nm but not 450 nm blue light in these cell cultures, indicating that the antenna pigment is a folate cofactor similar to that of photolyases.

Evidence for the two phosphate binding sites of an analogue of the thioacyl intermediate for the Trypanosoma cruzi glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase-catalyzed reaction, from its crystal structure.

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) catalyzes the reversible oxidative phosphorylation of d-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (GAP) into d-glycerate 1,3-bisphosphate (1,3-diPG) in the presence of NAD(+) and inorganic phosphate (P(i)). Within the active site, two anion-binding sites were ascribed to the binding of the C3 phosphate of GAP (P(s)) and to the binding of the attacking phosphate ion (P(i)). The role played by these two sites in the catalytic mechanism in connection with the functional role of coenzyme exchange (NADH-NAD(+) shuttle) has been investigated by several studies leading to the C3 phosphate flipping model proposed by Skarzynski et al. [Skarzynski, T., Moody, P. C., and Wonacott, A. J. (1987) J. Mol. Biol. 193, 171-187]. This model has not yet received direct confirmation. To gain further insight into the role of both sites, we synthesized irreversible inhibitors which form with the essential cysteine residue a thioacyl enzyme analogue of the catalytic intermediate. Here we report the refined glycosomal Trypanosoma cruzi GAPDH in complex with a covalently bound GAP analogue at an improved resolution of 2.0-2.5 A. For this holo-thioacyl enzyme complex, a flip-flop movement is clearly characterized, the change from the P(i) to the P(s) binding site being correlated with the coenzyme exchange step: the weaker interaction of the intermediate when bound at the P(s) site with the cofactor allows its release and also the binding of the inorganic phosphate for the next catalytic step. This result gives strong experimental support for the generally accepted flip-flop model of the catalytic mechanism in GAPDH.

Synthesis of phosphono analogues of dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate.

The present paper describes the synthetic routes of six phosphono analogues of dihydroxyacetone phosphate and five phosphono analogues of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate through alpha-, beta- and gamma-hydroxyphosphonate esters precursors containing a protected carbonyl group. In some situations, depending on the sequence used for the deprotection of the phosphonate and carbonyl groups, the aldol/ketol rearrangement allowed the synthesis of either dihydroxyacetone phosphate or glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate analogues from the same precursors. All these analogues are of interest both as active-site probes and as potential substrates for glycolytic enzymes such as fructose 1,6-diphosphate aldolases (EC 4.1.2.13).

Interaction of phosphonomethyl analog of dihydroxyacetone phosphate with rabbit muscle aldolase.

Aldolase presents the same binding affinity for dihydroxyacetone phosphate and its phosphonomethyl analog, but the partition coefficient between the intermediates from the Michaelis complex to the eneamine is different. The effects of the structural modification of the triose phosphate substrate on the interaction with rabbit muscle aldolase are discussed in connection with the mechanistic pathway and the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme.

Practical synthesis of 4-hydroxy-3-oxobutylphosphonic acid and its evaluation as a bio-isosteric substrate of DHAP aldolase.

An efficient four step synthesis of the title compound 4-hydroxy-3-oxobutylphosphonate (2) has been developed based on inexpensive 4-ethoxy-1-hydroxybutane-2-one using an Arbusow reaction (59% overall yield). Several dihydroxyacetone-dependent aldolases having different stereospecificities were tested for their acceptance of this phosphonomethyl substrate mimic as the aldol donor. Individual enzymes belonging to both type I (Schiff base formation) and type II (Zn2+ catalysis) mechanistic classes were found to catalyze the stereoselective addition of 2 to simple aldehydes to provide bio-isosteric analogs of sugar 1-phosphates in high yields. The lack of acceptance by specific enzymes is discussed with regard to recent protein X-ray data.

Uptake of glycerol 3-phosphate and some of its analogs by the hexose phosphate transport system of Escherichia coli.

The hexose phosphate transport system transported glycerol 3-phosphate and its analogs 3,4-dihydroxybutyl-1-phosphonate, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, and 3-hydroxy-4-oxobutyl-1-phosphonate.