Substrate Binding Mode and Molecular Basis of a Specificity Switch in Oxalate Decarboxylase.

Oxalate decarboxylase (OxDC) catalyzes the conversion of oxalate into formate and carbon dioxide in a remarkable reaction that requires manganese and dioxygen. Previous studies have shown that replacing an active-site loop segment Ser(161)-Glu(162)-Asn(163)-Ser(164) in the N-terminal domain of OxDC with the cognate residues Asp(161)-Ala(162)-Ser-(163)-Asn(164) of an evolutionarily related, Mn-dependent oxalate oxidase gives a chimeric variant (DASN) that exhibits significantly increased oxidase activity. The mechanistic basis for this change in activity has now been investigated using membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) and isotope effect (IE) measurements. Quantitative analysis of the reaction stoichiometry as a function of oxalate concentration, as determined by MIMS, suggests that the increased oxidase activity of the DASN OxDC variant is associated with only a small fraction of the enzyme molecules in solution. In addition, IE measurements show that C-C bond cleavage in the DASN OxDC variant proceeds via the same mechanism as in the wild-type enzyme, even though the Glu(162) side chain is absent. Thus, replacement of the loop residues does not modulate the chemistry of the enzyme-bound Mn(II) ion. Taken together, these results raise the possibility that the observed oxidase activity of the DASN OxDC variant arises from an increased level of access of the solvent to the active site during catalysis, implying that the functional role of Glu(162) is to control loop conformation. A 2.6 Å resolution X-ray crystal structure of a complex between oxalate and the Co(II)-substituted ΔE162 OxDC variant, in which Glu(162) has been deleted from the active site loop, reveals the likely mode by which the substrate coordinates the catalytically active Mn ion prior to C-C bond cleavage. The "end-on" conformation of oxalate observed in the structure is consistent with the previously published V/K IE data and provides an empty coordination site for the dioxygen ligand that is thought to mediate the formation of Mn(III) for catalysis upon substrate binding.

The Structure of Carbonic Anhydrase IX Is Adapted for Low-pH Catalysis.

Human carbonic anhydrase IX (hCA IX) expression in many cancers is associated with hypoxic tumors and poor patient outcome. Inhibitors of hCA IX have been used as anticancer agents with some entering Phase I clinical trials. hCA IX is transmembrane protein whose catalytic domain faces the extracellular tumor milieu, which is typically associated with an acidic microenvironment. Here, we show that the catalytic domain of hCA IX (hCA IX-c) exhibits the necessary biochemical and biophysical properties that allow for low pH stability and activity. Furthermore, the unfolding process of hCA IX-c appears to be reversible, and its catalytic efficiency is thought to be correlated directly with its stability between pH 3.0 and 8.0 but not above pH 8.0. To rationalize this, we determined the X-ray crystal structure of hCA IX-c to 1.6 Å resolution. Insights from this study suggest an understanding of hCA IX-c stability and activity in low-pH tumor microenvironments and may be applicable to determining pH-related effects on enzymes.

Structural and biophysical characterization of the α-carbonic anhydrase from the gammaproteobacterium Thiomicrospira crunogena XCL-2: insights into engineering thermostable enzymes for CO2 sequestration.

Biocatalytic CO2 sequestration to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from industrial processes is an active area of research. Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are attractive enzymes for this process. However, the most active CAs display limited thermal and pH stability, making them less than ideal. As a result, there is an ongoing effort to engineer and/or find a thermostable CA to fulfill these needs. Here, the kinetic and thermal characterization is presented of an α-CA recently discovered in the mesophilic hydrothermal vent-isolate extremophile Thiomicrospira crunogena XCL-2 (TcruCA), which has a significantly higher thermostability compared with human CA II (melting temperature of 71.9°C versus 59.5°C, respectively) but with a tenfold decrease in the catalytic efficiency. The X-ray crystallographic structure of the dimeric TcruCA shows that it has a highly conserved yet compact structure compared with other α-CAs. In addition, TcruCA contains an intramolecular disulfide bond that stabilizes the enzyme. These features are thought to contribute significantly to the thermostability and pH stability of the enzyme and may be exploited to engineer α-CAs for applications in industrial CO2 sequestration.

NMR studies of active-site properties of human carbonic anhydrase†II by using (15) N-labeled 4-methylimidazole as a local probe and histidine hydrogen-bond correlations.

By using a combination of liquid and solid-state NMR spectroscopy, (15) N-labeled 4-methylimidazole (4-MI) as a local probe of the environment has been studied: 1) in the polar, wet Freon CDF3 /CDF2 Cl down to 130 K, 2) in water at pH 12, and 3) in solid samples of the mutant H64A of human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II). In the latter, the active-site His64 residue is replaced by alanine; the catalytic activity is, however, rescued by the presence of 4-MI. For the Freon solution, it is demonstrated that addition of water molecules not only catalyzes proton tautomerism but also lifts its quasidegeneracy. The possible hydrogen-bond clusters formed and the mechanism of the tautomerism are discussed. Information about the imidazole hydrogen-bond geometries is obtained by establishing a correlation between published (1) H and (15) N chemical shifts of the imidazole rings of histidines in proteins. This correlation is useful to distinguish histidines embedded in the interior of proteins and those at the surface, embedded in water. Moreover, evidence is obtained that the hydrogen-bond geometries of His64 in the active site of HCA II and of 4-MI in H64A HCA II are similar. Finally, the degeneracy of the rapid tautomerism of the neutral imidazole ring His64 reported by Shimahara et al. (J. Biol. Chem.- 2007, 282, 9646) can be explained with a wet, polar, nonaqueous active-site conformation in the inward conformation, similar to the properties of 4-MI in the Freon solution. The biological implications for the enzyme mechanism are discussed.

Activity and anion inhibition studies of the α-carbonic anhydrase from Thiomicrospira crunogena XCL-2 Gammaproteobacterium.

Thiomicrospira crunogena XCL-2 expresses an α-carbonic anhydrase (TcruCA). Sequence alignments reveal that TcruCA displays a high sequence identity (>30%) relative to other α-CAs. This includes three conserved histidines that coordinate the active site zinc, a histidine proton shuttling residue, and opposing hydrophilic and hydrophobic sides that line the active site. The catalytic efficiency of TcruCA is considered moderate relative to other α-CAs (k(cat)/K(M)=1.1×10(7) M(-1) s(-1)), being a factor of ten less efficient than the most active α-CAs. TcruCA is also inhibited by anions with Cl(-), Br(-), and I(-), all showing Ki values in the millimolar range (53-361 mM). Hydrogen sulfide (HS(-)) revealed the highest affinity for TcruCA with a Ki of 1.1 µM. It is predicted that inhibition of TcruCA by HS(-) (an anion commonly found in the environment where Thiomicrospira crunogena is located) is a way for Thiomicrospira crunogena to regulate its carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) and thus the organism's metabolic functions. Results from this study provide preliminary insights into the role of TcruCA in the general metabolism of Thiomicrospira crunogena.

Structural elucidation of the hormonal inhibition mechanism of the bile acid cholate on human carbonic anhydrase II.

The carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are a family of mostly zinc metalloenzymes that catalyze the reversible hydration/dehydration of CO2 into bicarbonate and a proton. Human isoform CA II (HCA II) is abundant in the surface epithelial cells of the gastric mucosa, where it serves an important role in cytoprotection through bicarbonate secretion. Physiological inhibition of HCA II via the bile acids contributes to mucosal injury in ulcerogenic conditions. This study details the weak biophysical interactions associated with the binding of a primary bile acid, cholate, to HCA II. The X-ray crystallographic structure determined to 1.54 Šresolution revealed that cholate does not make any direct hydrogen-bond interactions with HCA II, but instead reconfigures the well ordered water network within the active site to promote indirect binding to the enzyme. Structural knowledge of the binding interactions of this nonsulfur-containing inhibitor with HCA II could provide the template design for high-affinity, isoform-specific therapeutic agents for a variety of diseases/pathological states, including cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy and osteoporosis.

Membrane inlet mass spectrometry reveals that Ceriporiopsis subvermispora bicupin oxalate oxidase is inhibited by nitric oxide.

Membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) uses a semipermeable membrane as an inlet to a mass spectrometer for the measurement of the concentration of small uncharged molecules in solution. We report the use of MIMS to characterize the catalytic properties of oxalate oxidase (E.C. 1.2.3.4) from Ceriporiopsis subvermispora (CsOxOx). Oxalate oxidase is a manganese dependent enzyme that catalyzes the oxygen-dependent oxidation of oxalate to carbon dioxide in a reaction that is coupled with the formation of hydrogen peroxide. CsOxOx is the first bicupin enzyme identified that catalyzes this reaction. The MIMS method of measuring OxOx activity involves continuous, real-time direct detection of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production from the ion currents of their respective mass peaks. (13)C2-oxalate was used to allow for accurate detection of (13)CO2 (m/z 45) despite the presence of adventitious (12)CO2. Steady-state kinetic constants determined by MIMS are comparable to those obtained by a continuous spectrophotometric assay in which H2O2 production is coupled to the horseradish peroxidase catalyzed oxidation of 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid). Furthermore, we used MIMS to determine that NO inhibits the activity of the CsOxOx with a KI of 0.58±0.06 µM.

Water networks in fast proton transfer during catalysis by human carbonic anhydrase II.

Variants of human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II) with amino acid replacements at residues in contact with water molecules in the active-site cavity have provided insights into the proton transfer rates in this protein environment. X-ray crystallography and (18)O exchange measured by membrane inlet mass spectrometry have been used to investigate structural and catalytic properties of variants of HCA II containing replacements of Tyr7 with Phe (Y7F) and Asn67 with Gln (N67Q). The rate constants for transfer of a proton from His64 to the zinc-bound hydroxide during catalysis were 4 and 9 µs(-1) for Y7F and Y7F/N67Q, respectively, compared with a value of 0.8 µs(-1) for wild-type HCA II. These higher values observed for Y7F and Y7F/N67Q HCA II could not be explained by differences in the values of the pK(a) of the proton donor (His64) and acceptor (zinc-bound hydroxide) or by the orientation of the side chain of the proton shuttle residue His64. They appeared to be associated with a reduced level of branching in the networks of hydrogen-bonded water molecules between proton shuttle residue His64 and the zinc-bound solvent molecule as observed in crystal structures at 1.5-1.6 Å resolution. Moreover, Y7F/N67Q HCA II is unique among the variants studied in having a direct, hydrogen-bonded chain of water molecules between the zinc-bound solvent and N(ε) of His64. This study provides the clearest example to date of the relevance of ordered water structure to rate constants for proton transfer in catalysis by carbonic anhydrase.

Structural and catalytic characterization of a thermally stable and acid-stable variant of human carbonic anhydrase II containing an engineered disulfide bond.

The carbonic anhydrases (CAs) are a family of mostly zinc metalloenzymes that catalyze the reversible hydration of CO2 to bicarbonate and a proton. Recently, there has been industrial interest in utilizing CAs as biocatalysts for carbon sequestration and biofuel production. The conditions used in these processes, however, result in high temperatures and acidic pH. This unfavorable environment results in rapid destabilization and loss of catalytic activity in CAs, ultimately resulting in cost-inefficient high-maintenance operation of the system. In order to negate these detrimental industrial conditions, cysteines at residues 23 (Ala23Cys) and 203 (Leu203Cys) were engineered into a wild-type variant of human CA II (HCAII) containing the mutation Cys206Ser. The X-ray crystallographic structure of the disulfide-containing HCAII (dsHCAII) was solved to 1.77 Šresolution and revealed that successful oxidation of the cysteine bond was achieved while also retaining desirable active-site geometry. Kinetic studies utilizing the measurement of (18)O-labeled CO2 by mass spectrometry revealed that dsHCAII retained high catalytic efficiency, and differential scanning calorimetry showed acid stability and thermal stability that was enhanced by up to 14 K compared with native HCAII. Together, these studies have shown that dsHCAII has properties that could be used in an industrial setting to help to lower costs and improve the overall reaction efficiency.

Effects of cryoprotectants on the structure and thermostability of the human carbonic anhydrase II-acetazolamide complex.

Protein X-ray crystallography has seen a progressive shift from data collection at cool/room temperature (277-298 K) to data collection at cryotemperature (100 K) because of its ease of crystal preparation and the lessening of the detrimental effects of radiation-induced crystal damage, with 20-25%(v/v) glycerol (GOL) being the preferred choice of cryoprotectant. Here, a case study of the effects of cryoprotectants on the kinetics of carbonic anhydrase II (CA II) and its inhibition by the clinically used inhibitor acetazolamide (AZM) is presented. Comparative studies of crystal structure, kinetics, inhibition and thermostability were performed on CA II and its complex with AZM in the presence of either GOL or sucrose. These results suggest that even though the cryoprotectant GOL was previously shown to be directly bound in the active site and to interact with AZM, it affects neither the thermostability of CA II nor the binding of AZM in the crystal structure or in solution. However, addition of GOL does affect the kinetics of CA II, presumably as it displaces the water proton-transfer network in the active site.

Structural, catalytic and stabilizing consequences of aromatic cluster variants in human carbonic anhydrase II.

The presence of aromatic clusters has been found to be an integral feature of many proteins isolated from thermophilic microorganisms. Residues found in aromatic cluster interact via π-π or C-H⋯π bonds between the phenyl rings, which are among the weakest interactions involved in protein stability. The lone aromatic cluster in human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II) is centered on F226 with the surrounding aromatics F66, F95 and W97 located 12 Å posterior the active site; a location which could facilitate proper protein folding and active site construction. The role of F226 in the structure, catalytic activity and thermostability of HCA II was investigated via site-directed mutagenesis of three variants (F226I/L/W) into this position. The measured catalytic rates of the F226 variants via (18)O-mass spectrometry were identical to the native enzyme, but differential scanning calorimetry studies revealed a 3-4 K decrease in their denaturing temperature. X-ray crystallographic analysis suggests that the structural basis of this destabilization is via disruption and/or removal of weak C-H⋯π interactions between F226 to F66, F95 and W97. This study emphasizes the importance of the delicate arrangement of these weak interactions among aromatic clusters in overall protein stability.

Role of Trp19 and Tyr200 in catalysis by the γ-class carbonic anhydrase from Methanosarcina thermophila.

Although widely distributed in Nature, only two γ class carbonic anhydrases are reported besides the founding member (Cam). Although roles for active-site residues important for catalysis have been identified in Cam, second shell residues have not been investigated. Two residues (Trp19 and Tyr200), positioned distant from the catalytic metal, were investigated by structural and kinetic analyses of replacement variants. Steady-state k(cat)/K(m) and k(cat) values decreased 3- to 10-fold for the Trp19 variants whereas the Y200 variants showed up to a 5-fold increase in k(cat). Rate constants for proton transfer decreased up to 10-fold for the Trp19 variants, and an increase of ~2-fold for Y200F. The pK(a) values for the proton donor decreased 1-2 pH units for Trp19 and Y200 variants. The variant structures revealed a loop composed of residues 62-64 that occupies a different conformation than previously reported. The results show that, although Trp19 and Y200 are non-essential, they contribute to an extended active-site structure distant from the catalytic metal that fine tunes catalysis. Trp19 is important for both CO(2)/bicarbonate interconversion, and the proton transfer step of catalysis.

Structural and kinetic effects on changes in the CO(2) binding pocket of human carbonic anhydrase II.

This work examines the effect of perturbing the position of bound CO(2) in the active site of human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II) on catalysis. Variants of HCA II in which Val143 was replaced with hydrophobic residues Ile, Leu, and Ala were examined. The efficiency of catalysis in the hydration of CO(2) for these variants was characterized by (18)O exchange mass spectrometry, and their structures were determined by X-ray crystallography at 1.7-1.5 Šresolution. The most hydrophobic substitutions, V143I and V143L, showed decreases in the level of catalysis, as much as 20-fold, while the replacement by the smaller V143A mutation showed an only moderate 2-fold decrease in activity. Structural data for all three variants show no significant change in the overall position of amino acid side chains in the active site compared with the wild type. However, V143A HCA II showed additional ordered water molecules in the active site compared to the number for the wild type. To further investigate the decrease in the catalytic efficiency of V143I HCA II, an X-ray crystallographic CO(2) entrapment experiment was performed to 0.93 Šresolution. This structure revealed an unexpected shift in the CO(2) substrate toward the zinc-bound solvent, placing it ~0.3 Ǻ closer than previously observed in the wild type in conjunction with the observed dual occupancy of the product bicarbonate, presumably formed during the acquisition of data. These data suggest that the Ile substitution at position 143 reduced the catalytic efficiency, which is likely due to steric crowding resulting in destabilization of the transition state for conversion of CO(2) into bicarbonate and a decreased product dissociation rate.

Catalysis and pH control by membrane-associated carbonic anhydrase IX in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) is a membrane-bound, tumor-related enzyme whose expression is often considered a marker for hypoxia, an indicator of poor prognosis in the majority of cancer patients, and is associated with acidification of the tumor microenvironment. Here, we describe for the first time the catalytic properties of native CAIX in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells that exhibit hypoxia-inducible CAIX expression. Using (18)O exchange measured by membrane inlet mass spectrometry, we determined catalytic activity in membrane ghosts and intact cells. Exofacial carbonic anhydrase activity increases with exposure to hypoxia, an activity which is suppressed by impermeant sulfonamide CA inhibitors. Inhibition by sulfonamide inhibitors is not sensitive to reoxygenation. CAIX activity in intact cells increases in response to reduced pH. Data from membrane ghosts show that the increase in activity at reduced pH is largely due to an increase in the dehydration reaction. In addition, the kinetic constants of CAIX in membrane ghosts are very similar to our previous measurements for purified, recombinant, truncated forms. Hence, the activity of CAIX is not affected by the proteoglycan extension or membrane environment. These activities were measured at a total concentration for all CO(2) species at 25 mm and close to chemical equilibrium, conditions which approximate the physiological extracellular environment. Our data suggest that CAIX is particularly well suited to maintain the extracellular pH at a value that favors the survival fitness of tumor cells.

Role of hypoxia and EGF on expression, activity, localization and phosphorylation of carbonic anhydrase IX in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) is a zinc metalloenzyme that catalyzes the reversible hydration of CO(2). CAIX is overexpressed in many types of cancer, including breast cancer, but is most frequently absent in corresponding normal tissues. CAIX expression is strongly induced by hypoxia and is significantly associated with tumor grade and poor survival. Herein, we show that hypoxia induces a significant increase in CAIX protein in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Using a unique mass spectrophotometric assay, we demonstrate that CAIX activity in plasma membranes isolated from MDA-MB-231 is correlated with CAIX content. We also show that CAIX exists predominantly as a dimeric, high-mannose N-linked glycoprotein. While there is some evidence that the dimeric form resides specifically in lipid rafts, our data do not support this hypothesis. EGF, alone, did not affect the distribution of CAIX into lipid rafts. However, acute EGF treatment in the context of hypoxia increased the amount of CAIX in lipid rafts by about 5-fold. EGF did not stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of CAIX, although EGFR and down-stream signaling pathways were activated by EGF. Interestingly, hypoxia activated Akt independent of EGF action. Together, these data demonstrate that the active form of CAIX in the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line is dimeric but that neither lipid raft localization nor phosphorylation are likely required for its dimerization or activity.

Role of zinc in catalytic activity of carbonic anhydrase IX.

The carbonic anhydrases (CAs) in the α class are zinc-dependent metalloenzymes. Previous studies have reported that recombinant forms of carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), a membrane-bound form of CA expressed in solid tumors, appear to be activated by low levels of zinc independent of its well-studied role at the catalytic site. In this study, we sought to determine if CAIX is stimulated by zinc in its native environment. MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells express CAIX in response to hypoxia. We compared CAIX activity associated with membrane ghosts isolated from hypoxic cells with that in intact hypoxic cells. We measured CA activity directly using (18)O exchange from (13)CO(2) into water determined by membrane inlet mass spectrometry. In membrane ghosts, there was little effect of zinc at low concentrations on CAIX activity, although at high concentration zinc was inhibitory. In intact cells, zinc had no significant effect on CAIX activity. This suggests that there is an appreciable decrease in sensitivity to zinc when CAIX is in its natural membrane milieu compared to the purified forms.

Chemical rescue of enzymes: proton transfer in mutants of human carbonic anhydrase II.

In human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II), the mutation of position 64 from histidine to alanine (H64A) disrupts the rate limiting proton transfer (PT) event, resulting in a reduction of the catalytic activity of the enzyme as compared to the wild-type. Potential of mean force (PMF) calculations utilizing the multistate empirical valence bond (MS-EVB) methodology for H64A HCA II yields a PT free energy barrier significantly higher than that found in the wild-type enzyme. This high barrier, determined in the absence of exogenous buffer and assuming no additional ionizable residues in the PT pathway, indicates the likelihood of alternate enzyme pathways that utilize either ionizable enzyme residues (self-rescue) and/or exogenous buffers (chemical rescue). It has been shown experimentally that the catalytic activity of H64A HCA II can be chemically rescued to near wild-type levels by the addition of the exogenous buffer 4-methylimidazole (4MI). Crystallographic studies have identified two 4MI binding sites, yet site-specific mutations intended to disrupt 4MI binding have demonstrated these sites to be nonproductive. In the present work, MS-EVB simulations show that binding of 4MI near Thr199 in the H64A HCA II mutant, a binding site determined by NMR spectroscopy, results in a viable chemical rescue pathway. Additional viable rescue pathways are also identified where 4MI acts as a proton transport intermediary from the active site to ionizable residues on the rim of the active site, revealing a probable mode of action for the chemical rescue pathway.

Kinetic and crystallographic studies of the role of tyrosine 7 in the active site of human carbonic anhydrase II.

The rate limiting step in catalysis of bicarbonate dehydration by human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II) is an intramolecular proton transfer from His64 to the zinc-bound hydroxide. We have examined the role of Tyr7 using site-specific mutagenesis and measuring catalysis by the ¹8O exchange method using membrane inlet mass spectrometry. The side chain of Tyr7 in HCA II extends into the active-site cavity about 7 Å from the catalytic zinc atom. Replacement of Tyr7 with eight other amino acids had no effect on the interconversion of bicarbonate and CO2, but in some cases caused enhancements in the rate constant of proton transfer by nearly 10-fold. The variant Y7I HCA II enhanced intramolecular proton transfer approximately twofold; its structure was determined by X-ray crystallography at 1.5 Å resolution. No changes were observed in the ordered solvent structure in the active-site cavity or in the conformation of the side chain of the proton shuttle His64. However, the first 11 residues of the amino-terminal chain in Y7I HCA II assumed an alternate conformation compared with the wild type. Differential scanning calorimetry showed variants at position 7 had a melting temperature approximately 8 °C lower than that of the wild type.

Structure and catalysis by carbonic anhydrase II: role of active-site tryptophan 5.

The tryptophan residue Trp5, highly conserved in the α class of carbonic anhydrases including human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II), is positioned at the entrance of the active site cavity and forms a π-stacking interaction with the imidazole ring of the proton shuttle His64 in its outward orientation. We have observed that replacement of Trp5 in HCA II caused significant structural changes, as determined by X-ray diffraction, in the conformation of 11 residues at the N-terminus and in the orientation of the proton shuttle residue His64. Most significantly, two variants W5H and W5E HCA II had His64 predominantly outward in orientation, while W5F and wild type showed the superposition of both outward and inward orientations in crystal structures. Although Trp5 influences the orientation of the proton shuttle His64, this orientation had no significant effect on the rate constant for proton transfer near 1µs(-1), determined by exchange of (18)O between CO(2) and water measured by mass spectrometry. The apparent values of the pK(a) of the zinc-bound water and the proton shuttle residue suggest that different active-site conformations influence the two stages of catalysis, the proton transfer stage and the interconversion of CO(2) and bicarbonate.

Membrane inlet for mass spectrometric measurement of catalysis by enzymatic decarboxylases.

Membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) uses diffusion across a permeable membrane to detect in solution uncharged molecules of small molecular weight. We point out here the application of MIMS to determine catalytic properties of decarboxylases using as an example catalysis by oxalate decarboxylase (OxDC) from Bacillus subtilis. The decarboxylase activity generates carbon dioxide and formate from the nonoxidative reaction but is accompanied by a concomitant oxidase activity that consumes oxalate and oxygen and generates CO(2) and hydrogen peroxide. The application of MIMS in measuring catalysis by OxDC involves the real-time and continuous detection of oxygen and product CO(2) from the ion currents of their respective mass peaks. Steady-state catalytic constants for the decarboxylase activity obtained by measuring product CO(2) using MIMS are comparable to those acquired by the traditional endpoint assay based on the coupled reaction with formate dehydrogenase, and measuring consumption of O(2) using MIMS also estimates the oxidase activity. The use of isotope-labeled substrate ((13)C(2)-enriched oxalate) in MIMS provides a method to characterize the catalytic reaction in cell suspensions by detecting the mass peak for product (13)CO(2) (m/z 45), avoiding inaccuracies due to endogenous (12)CO(2).