Linear Free Energy Relationships for Enzymatic Reactions: Fresh Insight from a Venerable Probe.

Linear free energy relationships (LFERs) for substituent effects on reactions that proceed through similar transition states provide insight into transition state structures. A classical approach to the analysis of LFERs showed that differences in the slopes of Brønsted correlations for addition of substituted alkyl alcohols to ring-substituted 1-phenylethyl carbocations and to the ß-galactopyranosyl carbocation intermediate of reactions catalyzed by ß-galactosidase provide evidence that the enzyme catalyst modifies the curvature of the energy surface at the saddle point for the transition state for nucleophile addition. We have worked to generalize the use of LFERs in the determination of enzyme mechanisms. The defining property of enzyme catalysts is their specificity for binding the transition state with a much higher affinity than the substrate. Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM), orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC), and glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) show effective catalysis of reactions of phosphorylated substrates and strong phosphite dianion activation of reactions of phosphodianion truncated substrates, with rate constants kcat/Km (M-1 s-1) and kcat/KdKHPi (M-2 s-1), respectively. Good linear logarithmic correlations, with a slope of 1.1, between these kinetic parameters determined for reactions catalyzed by five or more variant forms of each catalyst are observed, where the protein substitutions are mainly at side chains which function to stabilize the cage complex between the enzyme and substrate. This shows that the enzyme-catalyzed reactions of a whole substrate and substrate pieces proceed through transition states of similar structures. It provides support for the proposal that the dianion binding energy of whole phosphodianion substrates and of phosphite dianion is used to drive the conversion of these protein catalysts from flexible and entropically rich ground states to stiff and catalytically active Michaelis complexes that show the same activity toward catalysis of the reactions of whole and phosphodianion truncated substrates. There is a good linear correlation, with a slope of 0.73, between values of the dissociation constants log Ki for release of the transition state analog phosphoglycolate (PGA) trianion and log kcat/Km for isomerization of GAP for wild-type and variants of TIM. This correlation shows that the substituted amino acid side chains act to stabilize the complex between TIM and the PGA trianion and that ca. 70% of this stabilization is observed at the transition state for substrate deprotonation. The correlation provides evidence that these side chains function to enhance the basicity of the E165 side chain of TIM, which deprotonates the bound carbon acid substrate. There is a good linear correlation, with a slope of 0.74, between the values of ΔG‡ and ΔG° determined by electron valence bond (EVB) calculations to model deprotonation of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) in water and when bound to wild-type and variant forms of TIM to form the enediolate reaction intermediate. This correlation provides evidence that the stabilizing interactions of the transition state for TIM-catalyzed deprotonation of DHAP are optimized by placement of amino acid side chains in positions that provide for the maximum stabilization of the charged reaction intermediate, relative to the neutral substrate.

Phosphodianion Activation of Enzymes for Catalysis of Central Metabolic Reactions.

The activation barriers ΔG⧧ for kcat/Km for the reactions of whole substrates catalyzed by 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and glucose 6-phosphate isomerase are reduced by 11-13 kcal/mol by interactions between the protein and the substrate phosphodianion. Between 4 and 6 kcal/mol of this dianion binding energy is expressed at the transition state for phosphite dianion activation of the respective enzyme-catalyzed reactions of truncated substrates d-xylonate or d-xylose. These and earlier results from studies on ß-phosphoglucomutase, triosephosphate isomerase, and glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase define a cluster of six enzymes that catalyze reactions in glycolysis or of glycolytic intermediates, and which utilize substrate dianion binding energy for enzyme activation. Dianion-driven conformational changes, which convert flexible open proteins to tight protein cages for the phosphorylated substrate, have been thoroughly documented for five of these six enzymes. The clustering of metabolic enzymes which couple phosphodianion-driven conformational changes to enzyme activation suggests that this catalytic motif has been widely propagated in the proteome.

Uncovering the Role of Key Active-Site Side Chains in Catalysis: An Extended Brønsted Relationship for Substrate Deprotonation Catalyzed by Wild-Type and Variants of Triosephosphate Isomerase.

We report results of detailed empirical valence bond simulations that model the effect of several amino acid substitutions on the thermodynamic (ΔG°) and kinetic activation (ΔG⧧) barriers to deprotonation of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and d-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (GAP) bound to wild-type triosephosphate isomerase (TIM), as well as to the K12G, E97A, E97D, E97Q, K12G/E97A, I170A, L230A, I170A/L230A, and P166A variants of this enzyme. The EVB simulations model the observed effect of the P166A mutation on protein structure. The E97A, E97Q, and E97D mutations of the conserved E97 side chain result in ≤1.0 kcal mol-1 decreases in the activation barrier for substrate deprotonation. The agreement between experimental and computed activation barriers is within ±1 kcal mol-1, with a strong linear correlation between ΔG⧧ and ΔG° for all 11 variants, with slopes ß = 0.73 (R2 = 0.994) and ß = 0.74 (R2 = 0.995) for the deprotonation of DHAP and GAP, respectively. These Brønsted-type correlations show that the amino acid side chains examined in this study function to reduce the standard-state Gibbs free energy of reaction for deprotonation of the weak α-carbonyl carbon acid substrate to form the enediolate phosphate reaction intermediate. TIM utilizes the cationic side chain of K12 to provide direct electrostatic stabilization of the enolate oxyanion, and the nonpolar side chains of P166, I170, and L230 are utilized for the construction of an active-site cavity that provides optimal stabilization of the enediolate phosphate intermediate relative to the carbon acid substrate.

Role of the Carboxylate in Enzyme-Catalyzed Decarboxylation of Orotidine 5'-Monophosphate: Transition State Stabilization Dominates Over Ground State Destabilization.

Kinetic parameters kex (s-1) and kex/Kd (M-1 s-1) are reported for exchange for deuterium in D2O of the C-6 hydrogen of 5-fluororotidine 5'-monophosphate (FUMP) catalyzed by the Q215A, Y217F, and Q215A/Y217F variants of yeast orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (ScOMPDC) at pD 8.1, and by the Q215A variant at pD 7.1-9.3. The pD rate profiles for wildtype ScOMPDC and the Q215A variant are identical, except for a 2.5 log unit downward displacement in the profile for the Q215A variant. The Q215A, Y217F and Q215A/Y217F substitutions cause 1.3-2.0 kcal/mol larger increases in the activation barrier for wildtype ScOMPDC-catalyzed deuterium exchange compared with decarboxylation, because of the stronger apparent side chain interaction with the transition state for the deuterium exchange reaction. The stabilization of the transition state for the OMPDC-catalyzed deuterium exchange reaction of FUMP is ca. 19 kcal/mol smaller than the transition state for decarboxylation of OMP, and ca. 8 kcal/mol smaller than for OMPDC-catalyzed deprotonation of FUMP to form the vinyl carbanion intermediate common to OMPDC-catalyzed reactions OMP/FOMP and UMP/FUMP. We propose that ScOMPDC shows similar stabilizing interactions with the common portions of decarboxylation and deprotonation transition states that lead to formation of this vinyl carbanion intermediate, and that there is a large ca. (19-8) = 11 kcal/mol stabilization of the former transition state from interactions with the nascent CO2 of product. The effects of Q215A and Y217F substitutions on kcat/Km for decarboxylation of OMP are expressed mainly as an increase in Km for the reactions catalyzed by the variant enzymes, while the effects on kex/Kd for deuterium exchange are expressed mainly as an increase in kex. This shows that the Q215 and Y217 side chains stabilize the Michaelis complex to OMP for the decarboxylation reaction, compared with the complex to FUMP for the deuterium exchange reaction. These results provide strong support for the conclusion that interactions which stabilize the transition state for ScOMPDC-catalyzed decarboxylation at a nonpolar enzyme active site dominate over interactions that destabilize the ground-state Michaelis complex.

Enzyme Architecture: Breaking Down the Catalytic Cage that Activates Orotidine 5'-Monophosphate Decarboxylase for Catalysis.

We report the results of a study of the catalytic role of a network of four interacting amino acid side chains at yeast orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase ( ScOMPDC), by the stepwise replacement of all four side chains. The H-bond, which links the -CH2OH side chain of S154 from the pyrimidine umbrella loop of ScOMPDC to the amide side chain of Q215 in the phosphodianion gripper loop, creates a protein cage for the substrate OMP. The role of this interaction in optimizing transition state stabilization from the dianion gripper side chains Q215, Y217, and R235 was probed by determining the kinetic parameter kcat/ Km for 16 enzyme variants, which include all combinations of single, double, triple, and quadruple S154A, Q215A, Y217F, and R235A mutations. The effects of consecutive Q215A, Y217F, and R235A mutations on Δ G⧧ for wild-type enzyme-catalyzed decarboxylation sum to 11.6 kcal/mol, but to only 7.6 kcal/mol when starting from S154A mutant. This shows that the S154A mutation results in a (11.6-7.6) = 4.0 kcal/mol decrease in transition state stabilization from interactions with Q215, Y217, and R235. Mutant cycles show that ca. 2 kcal/mol of this 4 kcal/mol effect is from the direct interaction between the S154 and Q215 side chains and that ca. 2 kcal/mol is from a tightening in the stabilizing interactions of the Y217 and R235 side chains. The sum of the effects of individual A154S, A215Q, F217Y and A235R substitutions at the quadruple mutant of ScOMPDC to give the corresponding triple mutants, 5.6 kcal/mol, is much smaller than 16.0 kcal/mol, the sum of the effects of the related four substitutions in wild-type ScOMPDC to give the respective single mutants. The small effect of substitutions at the quadruple mutant is consistent with a large entropic cost to holding the flexible loops of ScOMPDC in the active closed conformation.

Enzyme Architecture: Amino Acid Side-Chains That Function To Optimize the Basicity of the Active Site Glutamate of Triosephosphate Isomerase.

We report pH rate profiles for kcat and Km for the isomerization reaction of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate catalyzed by wildtype triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) from three organisms and by ten mutants of TIM; and, for Ki for inhibition of this reaction by phosphoglycolate trianion (I3-). The pH profiles for Ki show that the binding of I3- to TIM (E) to form EH·I3- is accompanied by uptake of a proton by the carboxylate side-chain of E165, whose function is to abstract a proton from substrate. The complexes for several mutants exist mainly as E-·I3- at high pH, in which cases the pH profiles define the p Ka for deprotonation of EH·I3-. The linear free energy correlation, with slope of 0.73 ( r2 = 0.96), between kcat/ Km for TIM-catalyzed isomerization and the disassociation constant of PGA trianion for TIM shows that EH·I3- and the transition state are stabilized by similar interactions with the protein catalyst. Values of p Ka = 10-10.5 were estimated for deprotonation of EH·I3- for wildtype TIM. This p Ka decreases to as low as 6.3 for the severely crippled Y208F mutant. There is a correlation between the effect of several mutations on kcat/ Km and on p Ka for EH·I3-. The results support a model where the strong basicity of E165 at the complex to the enediolate reaction intermediate is promoted by side-chains from Y208 and S211, which serve to clamp loop 6 over the substrate; I170, which assists in the creation of a hydrophobic environment for E165; and P166, which functions in driving the carboxylate side-chain of E165 toward enzyme-bound substrate.

Primary Deuterium Kinetic Isotope Effects: A Probe for the Origin of the Rate Acceleration for Hydride Transfer Catalyzed by Glycerol-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase.

Large primary deuterium kinetic isotope effects (1° DKIEs) on enzyme-catalyzed hydride transfer may be observed when the transferred hydride tunnels through the energy barrier. The following 1° DKIEs on kcat/ Km and relative reaction driving force are reported for wild-type and mutant glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH)-catalyzed reactions of NADL (L = H, D): wild-type GPDH, ΔΔ G⧧ = 0 kcal/mol, 1° DKIE = 1.5; N270A, 5.6 kcal/mol, 3.1; R269A, 9.1 kcal/mol, 2.8; R269A + 1.0 M guanidine, 2.4 kcal/mol, 2.7; R269A/N270A, 11.5 kcal/mol, 2.4. Similar 1° DKIEs were observed on kcat. The narrow range of 1° DKIEs (2.4-3.1) observed for a 9.1 kcal/mol change in reaction driving force provides strong evidence that these are intrinsic 1° DKIEs on rate-determining hydride transfer. Evidence is presented that the intrinsic DKIE on wild-type GPDH-catalyzed reduction of DHAP lies in this range. A similar range of 1° DKIEs (2.4-2.9) on ( kcat/ KGA, M-1 s-1) was reported for dianion-activated hydride transfer from NADL to glycolaldehyde (GA) [Reyes, A. C.; Amyes, T. L.; Richard, J. P. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 14526-14529]. These 1° DKIEs are much smaller than those observed for enzyme-catalyzed hydrogen transfer that occurs mainly by quantum mechanical tunneling. These results support the conclusion that the rate acceleration for GPDH-catalyzed reactions is due to the stabilization of the transition state for hydride transfer by interactions with the protein catalyst. The small 1° DKIEs reported for mutant GPDH-catalyzed and for wild-type dianion-activated reactions are inconsistent with a model where the dianion binding energy is utilized in the stabilization of a tunneling ready state.

Orotidine 5'-Monophosphate Decarboxylase: Probing the Limits of the Possible for Enzyme Catalysis.

The mystery associated with catalysis by what were once regarded as protein black boxes, diminished with the X-ray crystallographic determination of the three-dimensional structures of enzyme-substrate complexes. The report that several high-resolution X-ray crystal structures of orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC) failed to provide a consensus mechanism for enzyme-catalyzed decarboxylation of OMP to form uridine 5'-monophosphate, therefore, provoked a flurry of controversy. This controversy was fueled by the enormous 1023-fold rate acceleration for this enzyme, which had " jolted many biochemists' assumptions about the catalytic potential of enzymes." Our studies on the mechanism of action of OMPDC provide strong evidence that catalysis by this enzyme is not fundamentally different from less proficient catalysts, while highlighting important architectural elements that enable a peak level of performance. Many enzymes undergo substrate-induced protein conformational changes that trap their substrates in solvent occluded protein cages, but the conformational change induced by ligand binding to OMPDC is incredibly complex, as required to enable the development of 22 kcal/mol of stabilizing binding interactions with the phosphodianion and ribosyl substrate fragments of OMP. The binding energy from these fragments is utilized to activate OMPDC for catalysis of decarboxylation at the orotate fragment of OMP, through the creation of a tight, catalytically active, protein cage from the floppy, open, unliganded form of OMPDC. Such utilization of binding energy for ligand-driven conformational changes provides a general mechanism to obtain specificity in transition state binding. The rate enhancement that results from the binding of carbon acid substrates to enzymes is partly due to a reduction in the carbon acid p Ka that is associated with ligand binding. The binding of UMP to OMPDC results in an unusually large >12 unit decrease in the p Ka = 29 for abstraction of the C-6 substrate hydrogen, due to stabilization of an enzyme-bound vinyl carbanion, which is also an intermediate of OMPDC-catalyzed decarboxylation. The protein-ligand interactions operate to stabilize the vinyl carbanion at the enzyme active site compared to aqueous solution, rather than to stabilize the transition state for the concerted electrophilic displacement of CO2 by H+ that avoids formation of this reaction intermediate. There is evidence that OMPDC induces strain into the bound substrate. The interaction between the amide side chain of Gln-215 from the phosphodianion gripper loop and the hydroxymethylene side chain of Ser-154 from the pyrimidine umbrella of ScOMPDC position the amide side chain to interact with the phosphodianion of OMP. There are no direct stabilizing interactions between dianion gripper protein side chains Gln-215, Tyr-217, and Arg-235 and the pyrimidine ring at the decarboxylation transition state. Rather these side chains function solely to hold OMPDC in the catalytically active closed conformation. The hydrophobic side chains that line the active site of OMPDC in the region of the departing CO2 product may function to stabilize the decarboxylation transition state by providing hydrophobic solvation of this product.

Role of Ligand-Driven Conformational Changes in Enzyme Catalysis: Modeling the Reactivity of the Catalytic Cage of Triosephosphate Isomerase.

We have previously performed empirical valence bond calculations of the kinetic activation barriers, Δ G‡calc, for the deprotonation of complexes between TIM and the whole substrate glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (GAP, Kulkarni et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017 , 139 , 10514 - 10525 ). We now extend this work to also study the deprotonation of the substrate pieces glycolaldehyde (GA) and GA·HPi [HPi = phosphite dianion]. Our combined calculations provide activation barriers, Δ G‡calc, for the TIM-catalyzed deprotonation of GAP (12.9 ± 0.8 kcal·mol-1), of the substrate piece GA (15.0 ± 2.4 kcal·mol-1), and of the pieces GA·HPi (15.5 ± 3.5 kcal·mol-1). The effect of bound dianion on Δ G‡calc is small (≤2.6 kcal·mol-1), in comparison to the much larger 12.0 and 5.8 kcal·mol-1 intrinsic phosphodianion and phosphite dianion binding energy utilized to stabilize the transition states for TIM-catalyzed deprotonation of GAP and GA·HPi, respectively. This shows that the dianion binding energy is essentially fully expressed at our protein model for the Michaelis complex, where it is utilized to drive an activating change in enzyme conformation. The results represent an example of the synergistic use of results from experiments and calculations to advance our understanding of enzymatic reaction mechanisms.

Enzyme Architecture: The Role of a Flexible Loop in Activation of Glycerol-3-phosphate Dehydrogenase for Catalysis of Hydride Transfer.

The side chain of Q295 of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from human liver ( hlGPDH) lies in a flexible loop, that folds over the phosphodianion of substrate dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP). Q295 interacts with the side-chain cation from R269, which is ion-paired to the substrate phosphodianion. Kinetic parameters kcat/ Km (M-1 s-1) and kcat/ KGA KHPi (M-2 s-1) were determined, respectively, for catalysis of the reduction of DHAP and for dianion activation of catalysis of reduction of glycolaldehyde (GA) catalyzed by wild-type, Q295G, Q295S, Q295A, and Q295N mutants of hlGPDH. These mutations result in up to a 150-fold decrease in ( kcat/ Km)DHAP and up to a 2.7 kcal/mol decrease in the intrinsic phosphodianion binding energy. The data define a linear correlation with slope 1.1, between the intrinsic phosphodianion binding energy and the intrinsic phosphite dianion binding energy for activation of hlGPDH-catalyzed reduction of GA, that demonstrates a role for Q295 in optimizing this dianion binding energy. The R269A mutation of wild-type GPDH results in a 9.1 kcal/mol destabilization of the transition state for reduction of DHAP, but the same R269A mutation of N270A and Q295A mutants result in smaller 5.9 and 4.9 kcal/mol transition-state destabilization. Similarly, the N270A or Q295A mutations of R269A GPDH each result in large falloffs in the efficiency of rescue of the R269A mutant by guanidine cation. We conclude that N270, which interacts for the substrate phosphodianion and Q295, which interacts with the guanidine side chain of R269, function to optimize the apparent transition-state stabilization provided by the cationic side chain of R269.

Enzyme Architecture: Erection of Active Orotidine 5'-Monophosphate Decarboxylase by Substrate-Induced Conformational Changes.

Orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC) catalyzes the decarboxylation of 5-fluoroorotate (FO) with kcat/Km = 1.4 × 10-7 M-1 s-1. Combining this and related kinetic parameters shows that the 31 kcal/mol stabilization of the transition state for decarboxylation of OMP provided by OMPDC represents the sum of 11.8 and 10.6 kcal/mol stabilization by the substrate phosphodianion and the ribosyl ring, respectively, and an 8.6 kcal/mol stabilization from the orotate ring. The transition state for OMPDC-catalyzed decarboxylation of FO is stabilized by 5.2, 7.2, and 9.0 kcal/mol, respectively, by 1.0 M phosphite dianion, d-glycerol 3-phosphate and d-erythritol 4-phosphate. The stabilization is due to the utilization of binding interactions of the substrate fragments to drive an enzyme conformational change, which locks the orotate ring of the whole substrate, or the substrate pieces in a caged complex. We propose that enzyme-activation is a possible, and perhaps probable, consequence of any substrate-induced enzyme conformational change.

Substituent Effects on Carbon Acidity in Aqueous Solution and at Enzyme Active Sites.

Methods are described for the determination of pKas for weak carbon acids in water. The application of these methods to the determination of the pKas for a variety of carbon acids including nitriles, imidazolium cations, amino acids, peptides and their derivatives and, α-iminium cations is presented. The substituent effects on the acidity of these different classes of carbon acids are discussed; and, the relevance of these results to catalysis of the deprotonation of amino acids by enzymes and by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate is reviewed. The procedure for estimating the pKa of uridine 5'-phosphate for C-6 deprotonation at the active site of orotidine 5'-phosphate decarboxylase is described, and the effect of a 5-F substituent on carbon acidity of the enzyme-bound substrate is discussed.

A reevaluation of the origin of the rate acceleration for enzyme-catalyzed hydride transfer.

There is no consensus of opinion on the origin of the large rate accelerations observed for enzyme-catalyzed hydride transfer. The interpretation of recent results from studies on hydride transfer reactions catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) focus on the proposal that the effective barrier height is reduced by quantum-mechanical tunneling through the energy barrier. This interpretation contrasts sharply with the notion that enzymatic rate accelerations are obtained through direct stabilization of the transition state for the nonenzymatic reaction in water. The binding energy of the dianion of substrate DHAP provides 11 kcal mol-1 stabilization of the transition state for the hydride transfer reaction catalyzed by glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH). We summarize evidence that the binding interactions between (GPDH) and dianion activators are utilized directly for stabilization of the transition state for enzyme-catalyzed hydride transfer. The possibility is considered, and then discounted, that these dianion binding interactions are utilized for the stabilization of a tunnel ready state (TRS) that enables efficient tunneling of the transferred hydride through the energy barrier, and underneath the energy maximum for the transition state. It is noted that the evidence to support the existence of a tunnel-ready state for the hydride transfer reactions catalyzed by ADH is ambiguous. We propose that the rate acceleration for ADH is due to the utilization of the binding energy of the cofactor NAD+/NADH in the stabilization of the transition state for enzyme-catalyzed hydride transfer.

Primary Deuterium Kinetic Isotope Effects From Product Yields: Rationale, Implementation, and Interpretation.

A simple and convenient method is described to determine primary deuterium kinetic isotope effects (1°DKIEs) on reactions where the hydron incorporated into the reaction product is derived from solvent water. The 1°DKIE may be obtained by 1H NMR analyses as the ratio of the yields of H- and D-labeled products from a reaction in 50:50 (v/v) HOH/DOD. The procedures for these 1H NMR analyses are reviewed. This product deuterium isotope effect (PDIE) is defined as 1/ϕEL for fractionation of hydrons between solvent and the transition state for the reaction examined. When the solvent is not the direct hydron donor, it is necessary to correct the PDIE for the fractionation factor ϕEL for partitioning of the hydron between the solvent and the direct donor EL. This method was used to determine the 1°DKIE on decarboxylation reactions catalyzed by wild-type orotidine 5'-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC) and by mutants of OMPDC, and then in the determination of the 1°DKIE on the decarboxylation reaction catalyzed by 5-carboxyvanillate decarboxylase. The experimental procedures used in studies on OMPDC and the rationale for these procedures are described.

Enzyme Architecture: Modeling the Operation of a Hydrophobic Clamp in Catalysis by Triosephosphate Isomerase.

Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) is a proficient catalyst of the reversible isomerization of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) to d-glyceraldehyde phosphate (GAP), via general base catalysis by E165. Historically, this enzyme has been an extremely important model system for understanding the fundamentals of biological catalysis. TIM is activated through an energetically demanding conformational change, which helps position the side chains of two key hydrophobic residues (I170 and L230), over the carboxylate side chain of E165. This is critical both for creating a hydrophobic pocket for the catalytic base and for maintaining correct active site architecture. Truncation of these residues to alanine causes significant falloffs in TIM's catalytic activity, but experiments have failed to provide a full description of the action of this clamp in promoting substrate deprotonation. We perform here detailed empirical valence bond calculations of the TIM-catalyzed deprotonation of DHAP and GAP by both wild-type TIM and its I170A, L230A, and I170A/L230A mutants, obtaining exceptional quantitative agreement with experiment. Our calculations provide a linear free energy relationship, with slope 0.8, between the activation barriers and Gibbs free energies for these TIM-catalyzed reactions. We conclude that these clamping side chains minimize the Gibbs free energy for substrate deprotonation, and that the effects on reaction driving force are largely expressed at the transition state for proton transfer. Our combined analysis of previous experimental and current computational results allows us to provide an overview of the breakdown of ground-state and transition state effects in enzyme catalysis in unprecedented detail, providing a molecular description of the operation of a hydrophobic clamp in triosephosphate isomerase.

Structure-Reactivity Effects on Intrinsic Primary Kinetic Isotope Effects for Hydride Transfer Catalyzed by Glycerol-3-phosphate Dehydrogenase.

Primary deuterium kinetic isotope effects (1°DKIE) on (kcat/KGA, M-1 s-1) for dianion (X2-) activated hydride transfer from NADL to glycolaldehyde (GA) catalyzed by glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were determined over a 2100-fold range of enzyme reactivity: (X2-, 1°DKIE); FPO32-, 2.8 ± 0.1; HPO32-, 2.5 ± 0.1; SO42-, 2.8 ± 0.2; HOPO32-, 2.5 ± 0.1; S2O32-, 2.9 ± 0.1; unactivated; 2.4 ± 0.2. Similar 1°DKIEs were determined for kcat. The observed 1°DKIEs are essentially independent of changes in enzyme reactivity with changing dianion activator. The results are consistent with (i) fast and reversible ligand binding; (ii) the conclusion that the observed 1°DKIEs are equal to the intrinsic 1°DKIE on hydride transfer from NADL to GA; (iii) similar intrinsic 1°DKIEs on GPDH-catalyzed reduction of the substrate pieces and the whole physiological substrate dihydroxyacetone phosphate. The ground-state binding interactions for different X2- are similar, but there are large differences in the transition state interactions for different X2-. The changes in transition state binding interactions are expressed as changes in kcat and are proposed to represent changes in stabilization of the active closed form of GPDH. The 1°DKIEs are much smaller than observed for enzyme-catalyzed hydrogen transfer that occurs mainly by quantum-mechanical tunneling.

Enzyme Architecture: Self-Assembly of Enzyme and Substrate Pieces of Glycerol-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase into a Robust Catalyst of Hydride Transfer.

The stabilization of the transition state for hlGPDH-catalyzed reduction of DHAP due to the action of the phosphodianion of DHAP and the cationic side chain of R269 is between 12.4 and 17 kcal/mol. The R269A mutation of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (hlGPDH) results in a 9.1 kcal/mol destabilization of the transition state for enzyme-catalyzed reduction of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) by NADH, and there is a 6.7 kcal/mol stabilization of this transition state by 1.0 M guanidine cation (Gua+) [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 5312-5315]. The R269A mutant shows no detectable activity toward reduction of glycolaldehyde (GA), or activation of this reaction by 30 mM HPO32-. We report the unprecedented self-assembly of R269A hlGPDH, dianions (X2- = FPO32-, HPO32-, or SO42-), Gua+ and GA into a functioning catalyst of the reduction of GA, and fourth-order reaction rate constants kcat/KGAKXKGua. The linear logarithmic correlation (slope = 1.0) between values of kcat/KGAKX for dianion activation of wildtype hlGPDH-catalyzed reduction of GA and kcat/KGAKXKGua shows that the electrostatic interaction between exogenous dianions and the side chain of R269 is not significantly perturbed by cutting hlGPDH into R269A and Gua+ pieces. The advantage for connection of hlGPDH (R269A mutant + Gua+) and substrate pieces (GA + HPi) pieces, (ΔGS‡)HPi+E+Gua = 5.6 kcal/mol, is nearly equal to the sum of the advantage to connection of the substrate pieces, (ΔGS‡)GA+HPi = 3.3 kcal/mol, for wildtype hlGPDH-catalyzed reaction of GA + HPi, and for connection of the enzyme pieces, (ΔGS‡)E+Gua = 2.4 kcal/mol, for Gua+ activation of the R269A hlGPDH-catalyzed reaction of DHAP.

Structure-Function Studies of Hydrophobic Residues That Clamp a Basic Glutamate Side Chain during Catalysis by Triosephosphate Isomerase.

Kinetic parameters are reported for the reactions of whole substrates (kcat/Km, M(-1) s(-1)) (R)-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (GAP) and dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and for the substrate pieces [(kcat/Km)E·HPi/Kd, M(-2) s(-1)] glycolaldehyde (GA) and phosphite dianion (HPi) catalyzed by the I172A/L232A mutant of triosephosphate isomerase from Trypanosoma brucei brucei (TbbTIM). A comparison with the corresponding parameters for wild-type, I172A, and L232A TbbTIM-catalyzed reactions shows that the effect of I172A and L232A mutations on ΔG(⧧) for the wild-type TbbTIM-catalyzed reactions of the substrate pieces is nearly the same as the effect of the same mutations on TbbTIM previously mutated at the second side chain. This provides strong evidence that mutation of the first hydrophobic side chain does not affect the functioning of the second side chain in catalysis of the reactions of the substrate pieces. By contrast, the effects of I172A and L232A mutations on ΔG(⧧) for wild-type TbbTIM-catalyzed reactions of the whole substrate are different from the effect of the same mutations on TbbTIM previously mutated at the second side chain. This is due to the change in the rate-determining step that determines the barrier to the isomerization reaction. X-ray crystal structures are reported for I172A, L232A, and I172A/L232A TIMs and for the complexes of these mutants to the intermediate analogue phosphoglycolate (PGA). The structures of the PGA complexes with wild-type and mutant enzymes are nearly superimposable, except that the space opened by replacement of the hydrophobic side chain is occupied by a water molecule that lies ∼3.5 Å from the basic side chain of Glu167. The new water at I172A mutant TbbTIM provides a simple rationalization for the increase in the activation barrier ΔG(⧧) observed for mutant enzyme-catalyzed reactions of the whole substrate and substrate pieces. By contrast, the new water at the L232A mutant does not predict the decrease in ΔG(⧧) observed for the mutant enzyme-catalyzed reactions of the substrate piece GA.

Enzyme Architecture: A Startling Role for Asn270 in Glycerol 3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase-Catalyzed Hydride Transfer.

The side chains of R269 and N270 interact with the phosphodianion of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) bound to glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH). The R269A, N270A, and R269A/N270A mutations of GPDH result in 9.1, 5.6, and 11.5 kcal/mol destabilization, respectively, of the transition state for GPDH-catalyzed reduction of DHAP by the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. The N270A mutation results in a 7.7 kcal/mol decrease in the intrinsic phosphodianion binding energy, which is larger than the 5.6 kcal/mol effect of the mutation on the stability of the transition state for reduction of DHAP; a 2.2 kcal/mol stabilization of the transition state for unactivated hydride transfer to the truncated substrate glycolaldehyde (GA); and a change in the effect of phosphite dianion on GPDH-catalyzed reduction of GA, from strongly activating to inhibiting. The N270A mutation breaks the network of hydrogen bonding side chains, Asn270, Thr264, Asn205, Lys204, Asp260, and Lys120, which connect the dianion activation and catalytic sites of GPDH. We propose that this disruption dramatically alters the performance of GPDH at these sites.

Role of Loop-Clamping Side Chains in Catalysis by Triosephosphate Isomerase.

The side chains of Y208 and S211 from loop 7 of triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) form hydrogen bonds to backbone amides and carbonyls from loop 6 to stabilize the caged enzyme-substrate complex. The effect of seven mutations [Y208T, Y208S, Y208A, Y208F, S211G, S211A, Y208T/S211G] on the kinetic parameters for TIM catalyzed reactions of the whole substrates dihydroxyacetone phosphate and d-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate [(k(cat)/K(m))(GAP) and (k(cat)/K(m))DHAP] and of the substrate pieces glycolaldehyde and phosphite dianion (k(cat)/K(HPi)K(GA)) are reported. The linear logarithmic correlation between these kinetic parameters, with slope of 1.04 ± 0.03, shows that most mutations of TIM result in an identical change in the activation barriers for the catalyzed reactions of whole substrate and substrate pieces, so that the transition states for these reactions are stabilized by similar interactions with the protein catalyst. The second linear logarithmic correlation [slope = 0.53 ± 0.16] between k(cat) for isomerization of GAP and K(d)(⧧) for phosphite dianion binding to the transition state for wildtype and many mutant TIM-catalyzed reactions of substrate pieces shows that ca. 50% of the wildtype TIM dianion binding energy, eliminated by these mutations, is expressed at the wildtype Michaelis complex, and ca. 50% is only expressed at the wildtype transition state. Negative deviations from this correlation are observed when the mutation results in a decrease in enzyme reactivity at the catalytic site. The main effect of Y208T, Y208S, and Y208A mutations is to cause a reduction in the total intrinsic dianion binding energy, but the effect of Y208F extends to the catalytic site.