Members of a Novel Kinase Family (DUF1537) Can Recycle Toxic Intermediates into an Essential Metabolite.

DUF1537 is a novel family of kinases identified by comparative genomic approaches. The family is widespread and found in all sequenced plant genomes and 16% of sequenced bacterial genomes. DUF1537 is not a monofunctional family and contains subgroups that can be separated by phylogenetic and genome neighborhood context analyses. A subset of the DUF1537 proteins is strongly associated by physical clustering and gene fusion with the PdxA2 family, demonstrated here to be a functional paralog of the 4-phosphohydroxy-l-threonine dehydrogenase enzyme (PdxA), a central enzyme in the synthesis of pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) in proteobacteria. Some members of this DUF1537 subgroup phosphorylate l-4-hydroxythreonine (4HT) into 4-phosphohydroxy-l-threonine (4PHT), the substrate of PdxA, in vitro and in vivo. This provides an alternative route to PLP from the toxic antimetabolite 4HT that can be directly generated from the toxic intermediate glycolaldehyde. Although the kinetic and physical clustering data indicate that these functions in PLP synthesis are not the main roles of the DUF1537-PdxA2 enzymes, genetic and physiological data suggest these side activities function has been maintained in diverse sets of organisms.

Sleeping beauty mutase (sbm) is expressed and interacts with ygfd in Escherichia coli.

In Escherichia coli, a four-gene operon, sbm-ygfD-ygfG-ygfH, has been shown to encode a putative cobalamin-dependent pathway with the ability to produce propionate from succinate in vitro [Haller T, Buckel T, Retey J, Gerlt JA. Discovering new enzymes and metabolic pathways: conversion of succinate to propionate by Escherichia coli. Biochemistry 2000;39:4622-4629]. However, the operon was thought to be silent in vivo, illustrated by the eponym describing its first gene, "sleeping beauty mutase" (methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, MCM). Of the four genes described, only ygfD could not be assigned a function. In this study, we have evaluated the functional integrity of YgfD and Sbm and show that, indeed, both proteins are expressed in E. coli and that YgfD has GTPase activity. We show that YgfD and Sbm can be co-immunoprecipitated from E. coli extracts using antibody to either protein, demonstrating in vivo interaction, a result confirmed using a strain deleted for ygfD. We show further that, in vitro, purified His-tagged YgfD and Sbm behave as a monomer and dimer, respectively, and that they form a multi-subunit complex that is dependent on pre-incubation of YgfD with non-hydrolysable GTP, an outcome that was not affected by the state of Sbm, as holo- or apoenzyme. These studies reinforce a role for the in vivo interaction of YgfD and Sbm.

Evolution of enzymatic activities in the enolase superfamily: functional assignment of unknown proteins in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli as L-Ala-D/L-Glu epimerases.

The members of the mechanistically diverse enolase superfamily catalyze different overall reactions by using a common catalytic strategy and structural scaffold. In the muconate lactonizing enzyme (MLE) subgroup of the superfamily, abstraction of a proton adjacent to a carboxylate group initiates reactions, including cycloisomerization (MLE), dehydration [o-succinylbenzoate synthase (OSBS)], and 1,1-proton transfer (catalyzed by an OSBS that also catalyzes a promiscuous N-acylamino acid racemase reaction). The realization that a member of the MLE subgroup could catalyze a 1,1-proton transfer reaction, albeit poorly, led to a search for other enzymes which might catalyze a 1,1-proton transfer as their physiological reaction. YcjG from Escherichia coli and YkfB from Bacillus subtilis, proteins of previously unknown function, were discovered to be L-Ala-D/L-Glu epimerases, although they also catalyze the epimerization of other dipeptides. The values of k(cat)/K(M) for L-Ala-D/L-Glu for both proteins are approximately 10(4) M(-1) s(-1). The genomic context and the substrate specificity of both YcjG and YkfB suggest roles in the metabolism of the murein peptide, of which L-Ala-D-Glu is a component. Homologues possessing L-Ala-D/L-Glu epimerase activity have been identified in at least two other organisms.

Evolution of enzymatic activities in the enolase superfamily: crystal structures of the L-Ala-D/L-Glu epimerases from Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis.

The members of the enolase superfamily catalyze different overall reactions, yet share a partial reaction that involves Mg(2+)-assisted enolization of the substrate carboxylate anion. The fate of the resulting enolate intermediate is determined by the active site of each enzyme. Several members of this superfamily have been structurally characterized to permit an understanding of the evolutionary strategy for using a common structural motif to catalyze different overall reactions. In the preceding paper, two new members of the superfamily were identified that catalyze the epimerization of the glutamate residue in L-Ala-D/L-Glu. These enzymes belong to the muconate lactonizing enzyme subgroup of the enolase superfamily, and their sequences are only 31% identical. The structure of YcjG, the epimerase from Escherichia coli, was determined by MAD phasing using both the SeMet-labeled protein and a heavy atom derivative. The structure of YkfB, the epimerase from Bacillus subtilis, was determined by molecular replacement using the muconate lactonizing enzyme as a search model. In this paper, we report the three-dimensional structures of these enzymes and compare them to the structure of o-succinylbenzoate synthase, another member of the muconate lactonizing enzyme subgroup.

Evolution of enzymatic activities in the enolase superfamily: identification of the general acid catalyst in the active site of D-glucarate dehydratase from Escherichia coli.

D-Glucarate dehydratase from Escherichia coli (GlucD), a member of the enolase superfamily, catalyzes the dehydration of both D-glucarate and L-idarate to form 5-keto-4-deoxy-D-glucarate (KDG). Previous mutagenesis and structural studies identified Lys 207 and the His 339-Asp 313 dyad as the general basic catalysts that abstract the C5 proton from L-idarate and D-glucarate, respectively, thereby initiating the reaction by formation of a stabilized enediolate anion intermediate [Gulick, A. M., Hubbard, B. K., Gerlt, J. A., and Rayment, I. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 4590-4602]. The vinylogous elimination of the 4-OH group from this intermediate presumably requires a general acid catalyst. The structure of GlucD with KDG and 4-deoxy-D-glucarate bound in the active site revealed that only His 339 and Asn 341 are proximal to the presumed position of the 4-OH leaving group. The N341D and N341L mutants of GlucD were constructed and subjected to both mechanistic and structural analyses. The N341L but not N341D mutant catalyzed the dehydrofluorination of 4-deoxy-4-fluoro-D-glucarate, demonstrating that in this mutant the initial proton abstraction from C5 can be decoupled from elimination of the leaving group from C4. The kinetic properties and structures of these mutants suggest that either Asn 341 participates in catalysis as the general acid that facilitates the departure of the 4-leaving group or is essential for proper positioning of His 339. In the latter scenario, His 339 would function not only as the general base that abstracts the C5 proton from D-glucarate but also as the general acid that catalyzes both the departure of the 4-OH group and the stereospecific incorporation of solvent hydrogen with retention of configuration to form the KDG product. The involvement of a single functional group in this reaction highlights the plasticity of the active site design in members of the enolase superfamily.

Divergent evolution of enzymatic function: mechanistically diverse superfamilies and functionally distinct suprafamilies.

The protein sequence and structure databases are now sufficiently representative that strategies nature uses to evolve new catalytic functions can be identified. Groups of divergently related enzymes whose members catalyze different reactions but share a common partial reaction, intermediate, or transition state (mechanistically diverse superfamilies) have been discovered, including the enolase, amidohydrolase, thiyl radical, crotonase, vicinal-oxygen-chelate, and Fe-dependent oxidase superfamilies. Other groups of divergently related enzymes whose members catalyze different overall reactions that do not share a common mechanistic strategy (functionally distinct suprafamilies) have also been identified: (a) functionally distinct suprafamilies whose members catalyze successive transformations in the tryptophan and histidine biosynthetic pathways and (b) functionally distinct suprafamilies whose members catalyze different reactions in different metabolic pathways. An understanding of the structural bases for the catalytic diversity observed in super- and suprafamilies may provide the basis for discovering the functions of proteins and enzymes in new genomes as well as provide guidance for in vitro evolution/engineering of new enzymes.

The crotonase superfamily: divergently related enzymes that catalyze different reactions involving acyl coenzyme a thioesters.

Synergistic investigations of the reactions catalyzed by several members of an enzyme superfamily provide a more complete understanding of the relationships between structure and function than is possible from focused studies of a single enzyme alone. The crotonase (or enoyl-CoA hydratase) superfamily is such an example whereby members catalyze a wide range of metabolic reactions but share a common structural solution to a mechanistic problem. Some enzymes in the superfamily have been shown to display dehalogenase, hydratase, and isomerase activities. Others have been implicated in carbon-carbon bond formation and cleavage as well as the hydrolysis of thioesters. While seemingly unrelated mechanistically, the common theme in this superfamily is the need to stabilize an enolate anion intermediate derived from an acyl-CoA substrate. This apparently is accomplished by two structurally conserved peptidic NH groups that provide hydrogen bonds to the carbonyl moieties of the acyl-CoA substrates and form an "oxyanion hole".

Evolution of enzymatic activity in the enolase superfamily: structure of o-succinylbenzoate synthase from Escherichia coli in complex with Mg2+ and o-succinylbenzoate.

The X-ray structures of the ligand free (apo) and the Mg(2+)*o-succinylbenzoate (OSB) product complex of o-succinylbenzoate synthase (OSBS) from Escherichia coli have been solved to 1.65 and 1.77 A resolution, respectively. The structure of apo OSBS was solved by multiple isomorphous replacement in space group P2(1)2(1)2(1); the structure of the complex with Mg(2+)*OSB was solved by molecular replacement in space group P2(1)2(1)2. The two domain fold found for OSBS is similar to those found for other members of the enolase superfamily: a mixed alpha/beta capping domain formed from segments at the N- and C-termini of the polypeptide and a larger (beta/alpha)(7)beta barrel domain. Two regions of disorder were found in the structure of apo OSBS: (i) the loop between the first two beta-strands in the alpha/beta domain; and (ii) the first sheet-helix pair in the barrel domain. These regions are ordered in the product complex with Mg(2+)*OSB. As expected, the Mg(2+)*OSB pair is bound at the C-terminal end of the barrel domain. The electron density for the phenyl succinate component of the product is well-defined; however, the 1-carboxylate appears to adopt multiple conformations. The metal is octahedrally coordinated by Asp(161), Glu(190), and Asp(213), two water molecules, and one oxygen of the benzoate carboxylate group of OSB. The loop between the first two beta-strands in the alpha/beta motif interacts with the aromatic ring of OSB. Lys(133) and Lys(235) are positioned to function as acid/base catalysts in the dehydration reaction. Few hydrogen bonding or electrostatic interactions are involved in the binding of OSB to the active site; instead, most of the interactions between OSB and the protein are either indirect via water molecules or via hydrophobic interactions. As a result, evolution of both the shape and the volume of the active site should be subject to few structural constraints. This would provide a structural strategy for the evolution of new catalytic activities in homologues of OSBS and a likely explanation for how the OSBS from Amycolaptosis also can catalyze the racemization of N-acylamino acids [Palmer, D. R., Garrett, J. B., Sharma, V., Meganathan, R., Babbitt, P. C., and Gerlt, J. A. (1999) Biochemistry 38, 4252-4258].

Evolution of enzymatic activities in the enolase superfamily: crystallographic and mutagenesis studies of the reaction catalyzed by D-glucarate dehydratase from Escherichia coli.

D-Glucarate dehydratase (GlucD) from Escherichia coli catalyzes the dehydration of both D-glucarate and L-idarate as well as their interconversion via epimerization. GlucD is a member of the mandelate racemase (MR) subgroup of the enolase superfamily, the members of which catalyze reactions that are initiated by abstraction of the alpha-proton of a carboxylate anion substrate. Alignment of the sequence of GlucD with that of MR reveals a conserved Lys-X-Lys motif and a His-Asp dyad homologous to the S- and R-specific bases in the active site of MR. Crystals of GlucD have been obtained into which the substrate D-glucarate and two competitive inhibitors, 4-deoxy-D-glucarate and xylarohydroxamate, could be diffused; D-glucarate is converted to the dehydration product, 5-keto-4-deoxy-D-glucarate (KDG). The structures of these complexes have been determined and reveal the identities of the ligands for the required Mg(2+) (Asp(235), Glu(266), and Asn(289)) as well as confirm the expected presence of Lys(207) and His(339), the catalytic bases that are properly positioned to abstract the proton from C5 of L-idarate and D-glucarate, respectively. Surprisingly, the C6 carboxylate group of KDG is a bidentate ligand to the Mg(2+), with the resulting geometry of the bound KDG suggesting that stereochemical roles of Lys(207) and His(339) are reversed from the predictions made on the basis of the established structure-function relationships for the MR-catalyzed reaction. The catalytic roles of these residues have been examined by characterization of mutant enzymes, although we were unable to use these to demonstrate the catalytic independence of Lys(207) and His(339) as was possible for the homologous Lys(166) and His(297) in the MR-catalyzed reaction.

Discovering new enzymes and metabolic pathways: conversion of succinate to propionate by Escherichia coli.

The Escherichia coli genome encodes seven paralogues of the crotonase (enoyl CoA hydratase) superfamily. Four of these have unknown or uncertain functions; their existence was unknown prior to the completion of the E. coli genome sequencing project. The gene encoding one of these, YgfG, is located in a four-gene operon that encodes homologues of methylmalonyl CoA mutases (Sbm) and acyl CoA transferases (YgfH) as well as a putative protein kinase (YgfD/ArgK). We have determined that YgfG is methylmalonyl CoA decarboxylase, YgfH is propionyl CoA:succinate CoA transferase, and Sbm is methylmalonyl CoA mutase. These reactions are sufficient to form a metabolic cycle by which E. coli can catalyze the decarboxylation of succinate to propionate, although the metabolic context of this cycle is unknown. The identification of YgfG as methylmalonyl CoA decarboxylase expands the range of reactions catalyzed by members of the crotonase superfamily.

New reactions in the crotonase superfamily: structure of methylmalonyl CoA decarboxylase from Escherichia coli.

The molecular structure of methylmalonyl CoA decarboxylase (MMCD), a newly defined member of the crotonase superfamily encoded by the Escherichia coli genome, has been solved by X-ray crystallographic analyses to a resolution of 1.85 A for the unliganded form and to a resolution of 2.7 A for a complex with an inert thioether analogue of methylmalonyl CoA. Like two other structurally characterized members of the crotonase superfamily (crotonase and dienoyl CoA isomerase), MMCD is a hexamer (dimer of trimers) with each polypeptide chain composed of two structural motifs. The larger N-terminal domain contains the active site while the smaller C-terminal motif is alpha-helical and involved primarily in trimerization. Unlike the other members of the crotonase superfamily, however, the C-terminal motif is folded back onto the N-terminal domain such that each active site is wholly contained within a single subunit. The carboxylate group of the thioether analogue of methylmalonyl CoA is hydrogen bonded to the peptidic NH group of Gly 110 and the imidazole ring of His 66. From modeling studies, it appears that Tyr 140 is positioned within the active site to participate in the decarboxylation reaction by orienting the carboxylate group of methylmalonyl CoA so that it is orthogonal to the plane of the thioester carbonyl group. Surprisingly, while the active site of MMCD contains Glu 113, which is homologous to the general acid/base Glu 144 in the active site of crotonase, its carboxylate side chain is hydrogen bonded to Arg 86, suggesting that it is not directly involved in catalysis. The new constellation of putative functional groups observed in the active site of MMCD underscores the diversity of function in this superfamily.

Can sequence determine function?

The functional annotation of proteins identified in genome sequencing projects is based on similarities to homologs in the databases. As a result of the possible strategies for divergent evolution, homologous enzymes frequently do not catalyze the same reaction, and we conclude that assignment of function from sequence information alone should be viewed with some skepticism.

Unexpected divergence of enzyme function and sequence: "N-acylamino acid racemase" is o-succinylbenzoate synthase.

A protein identified as "N-acylamino acid racemase" from Amycolaptosis sp. is an inefficient enzyme (kcat/Km = 3.7 x 10(2) M-1 s-1). Its sequence is 43% identical to that of an unidentified protein encoded by the Bacillus subtilis genome. Both proteins efficiently catalyze the o-succinylbenzoate synthase reaction in menaquinone biosynthesis (kcat/Km = 2.5 x 10(5) and 7.5 x 10(5) M-1 s-1, respectively), suggesting that this is their "correct" metabolic function. Their membership in the mechanistically diverse enolase superfamily provides an explanation for the catalytic promiscuity of the protein from Amycolaptosis. The adventitious promiscuity may provide an example of a protein poised for evolution of a new enzymatic function in the enolase superfamily. This study demonstrates that the correct assignment of function to new proteins in functional and structural genomics may require an understanding of the metabolism of the organism.

Mechanistically diverse enzyme superfamilies: the importance of chemistry in the evolution of catalysis.

The strategy that nature has used to evolve new catalytic activities from pre-existing enzymes (i.e. retention of substrate binding or of catalytic mechanism) has been controversial. Recent work supports a strategy in which a partial reaction, catalyzed by a progenitor, is retained, and the active-site architecture is modified to allow the intermediate generated to be directed to different products.

Evolution of enzymatic activities in the enolase superfamily: partitioning of reactive intermediates by (D)-glucarate dehydratase from Pseudomonas putida.

Glucarate dehydratase (GlucD) from Pseudomonas putida catalyzes the dehydration of both (D)-glucarate and (L)-idarate to 3-deoxy-(L)-threo-2-hexulosarate as well as their epimerization. (D)-[6-13C]Glucarate and (L)-[6-13C]idarate have been synthesized for use in continuous assay of the reactions catalyzed by GlucD by both 13C and 1H NMR spectroscopies, thereby allowing the simultaneous measure of both the dehydration and epimerization reactions. Substrate and solvent isotope effects for the dehydration reactions have been quantitated. The mechanism of the GlucD-catalyzed reaction is discussed in the context of that previously established for the homologous mandelate racemase from P. putida, also a member of the enolase superfamily whose members catalyze reactions initiated by abstraction of a proton alpha to a carboxylate group.

Evolution of enzymatic activities in the enolase superfamily: crystal structure of (D)-glucarate dehydratase from Pseudomonas putida.

The structure of (D)-glucarate dehydratase from Pseudomonas putida (GlucD) has been solved at 2.3 A resolution by multiple isomorphous replacement and refined to a final R-factor of 19.0%. The protein crystallizes in the space group I222 with one subunit in the asymmetric unit. The unit cell dimensions are a = 69.6 A, b = 108.8 A, and c = 122.6 A. The crystals were grown using the batch method where the primary precipitant was poly(ethylene glycol) 1000. The structure reveals that GlucD is a tetramer of four identical polypeptides, each containing 451 residues. The structure was determined without a bound substrate or substrate analogue. Three disordered regions are noted: the N-terminus through residue 11, a loop containing residues 99 through 110, and the C-terminus from residue 423. On the basis of primary sequence alignments, we previously concluded that GlucD is a member of the mandelate racemase (MR) subfamily of the enolase superfamily [Babbitt, P. C., Hasson, M. S., Wedekind, J. E., Palmer, D. R. J., Barrett, W. C., Reed, G. J., Rayment, I., Ringe, D., Kenyon, G. L., and Gerlt, J. A. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 16489-16501]. This prediction is now verified, since the overall fold of GlucD is strikingly similar to those of MR, muconate lactonizing enzyme I, and enolase. Also, many of the active site residues of GlucD can be superimposed on those found in the active site of MR. The implications of this structure on the evolution of catalysis in the enolase superfamily are discussed.