Installing a Green Engine To Drive an Enzyme Cascade: A Light-Powered In Vitro Biosystem for Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Synthesis.

Many existing in vitro biosystems harness power from the chemical energy contained in substrates and co-substrates, and light or electric energy provided from abiotic parts, leading to a compromise in atom economy, incompatibility between biological and abiotic parts, and most importantly, incapability to spatiotemporally co-regenerate ATP and NADPH. In this study, we developed a light-powered in vitro biosystem for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) synthesis using natural thylakoid membranes (TMs) to regenerate ATP and NADPH for a five-enzyme cascade. Through effective coupling of cofactor regeneration and mass conversion, 20 mM PHB was yielded from 50 mM sodium acetate with a molar conversion efficiency of carbon of 80.0 % and a light-energy conversion efficiency of 3.04 %, which are much higher than the efficiencies of similar in vitro PHB synthesis biosystems. This suggests the promise of installing TMs as a green engine to drive more enzyme cascades.

A dual cellular-heterogeneous catalyst strategy for the production of olefins from glucose.

Living systems provide a promising approach to chemical synthesis, having been optimized by evolution to convert renewable carbon sources, such as glucose, into an enormous range of small molecules. However, a large number of synthetic structures can still be difficult to obtain solely from cells, such as unsubstituted hydrocarbons. In this work, we demonstrate the use of a dual cellular-heterogeneous catalytic strategy to produce olefins from glucose using a selective hydrolase to generate an activated intermediate that is readily deoxygenated. Using a new family of iterative thiolase enzymes, we genetically engineered a microbial strain that produces 4.3 ± 0.4 g l-1 of fatty acid from glucose with 86% captured as 3-hydroxyoctanoic and 3-hydroxydecanoic acids. This 3-hydroxy substituent serves as a leaving group that enables heterogeneous tandem decarboxylation-dehydration routes to olefinic products on Lewis acidic catalysts without the additional redox input required for enzymatic or chemical deoxygenation of simple fatty acids.

Variants in the 3' untranslated region of the ovine acetyl-coenzyme A acyltransferase 2 gene are associated with dairy traits and exhibit differential allelic expression.

The acetyl-CoA acyltransferase 2 (ACAA2) gene encodes an enzyme of the thiolase family that is involved in mitochondrial fatty acid elongation and degradation by catalyzing the last step of the respective ß-oxidation pathway. The increased energy needs for gluconeogenesis and triglyceride synthesis during lactation are met primarily by increased fatty acid oxidation. Therefore, the ACAA2 enzyme plays an important role in the supply of energy and carbon substrates for lactation and may thus affect milk production traits. This study investigated the association of the ACAA2 gene with important sheep traits and the putative functional involvement of this gene in dairy traits. A single nucleotide substitution, a T to C transition located in the 3' untranslated region of the ACAA2 gene, was used in mixed model association analysis with milk yield, milk protein yield and percentage, milk fat yield and percentage, and litter size at birth. The single nucleotide polymorphism was significantly associated with total lactation production and milk protein percentage, with respective additive effects of 6.81 ± 2.95 kg and -0.05 ± 0.02%. Additionally, a significant dominance effect of 0.46 ± 0.21 kg was detected for milk fat yield. Homozygous TT and heterozygous CT animals exhibited higher milk yield compared with homozygous CC animals, whereas the latter exhibited increased milk protein percentage. Expression analysis from age-, lactation-, and parity-matched female sheep showed that mRNA expression of the ACAA2 gene from TT animals was 2.8- and 11.8-fold higher in liver and mammary gland, respectively. In addition, by developing an allelic expression imbalance assay, it was estimated that the T allele was expressed at an average of 18% more compared with the C allele in the udder of randomly selected ewes. We demonstrated for the first time that the variants in the 3' untranslated region of the ovine ACAA2 gene are differentially expressed in homozygous ewes of each allele and exhibit allelic expression imbalance within heterozygotes in a tissue-specific manner, supporting the existence of cis-regulatory DNA variation in the ovine ACAA2 gene. This is the first study reporting differential allelic imbalance expression of a candidate gene associated with milk production traits in dairy sheep.

Crystal structure and biochemical characterization of a 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase from Ralstoniaeutropha H16.

The protein ReH16_B0759 from Ralstoniaeutropha is a 3-ketoacyl-coenzyme A (CoA) thiolase that catalyzes the fourth step of the ß-oxidation degradative pathways by converting 3-ketoacyl-CoAto acyl-CoA. The crystal structures of ReH16_B0759 in its apo form and as a complex with its CoA substrate have been determined. Although ReH16_B0759 exhibited an overall structure similar to the ReH16_A1887 isozyme, the proteindoes not make a complex for ß-oxidation. Similar to other degradative thiolases, ReH16_B0759 functions as a dimer, and the monomer comprises three subdomains. Unlike ReH16_A1887, a substantial structural change was not observed upon the binding of the CoA substrate in ReH16_B0759. Exceptionally, the Arg220 residue moved about 5.00Å to make room for the binding of the adenosine ring. Several charged residues including Arg220 are involved in the stabilization of CoA through hydrogen bond interactions. At the active site of ReH16_B0759, highly conserved residues such as Cys89, His347, and Cys377 were located near the thiol-group of CoA, suggesting that ReH16_B0759 may catalyze the thiolase reaction in a manner similar to that of other degradative thiolases. The residues involved in substrate binding and enzyme catalysis were further confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis.

Structural characterization of a mitochondrial 3-ketoacyl-CoA (T1)-like thiolase from Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Thiolases catalyze the degradation and synthesis of 3-ketoacyl-CoA molecules. Here, the crystal structures of a T1-like thiolase (MSM-13 thiolase) from Mycobacterium smegmatis in apo and liganded forms are described. Systematic comparisons of six crystallographically independent unliganded MSM-13 thiolase tetramers (dimers of tight dimers) from three different crystal forms revealed that the two tight dimers are connected to a rigid tetramerization domain via flexible hinge regions, generating an asymmetric tetramer. In the liganded structure, CoA is bound to those subunits that are rotated towards the tip of the tetramerization loop of the opposing dimer, suggesting that this loop is important for substrate binding. The hinge regions responsible for this rotation occur near Val123 and Arg149. The Lα1-covering loop-Lα2 region, together with the Nß2-Nα2 loop of the adjacent subunit, defines a specificity pocket that is larger and more polar than those of other tetrameric thiolases, suggesting that MSM-13 thiolase has a distinct substrate specificity. Consistent with this finding, only residual activity was detected with acetoacetyl-CoA as the substrate in the degradative direction. No activity was observed with acetyl-CoA in the synthetic direction. Structural comparisons with other well characterized thiolases suggest that MSM-13 thiolase is probably a degradative thiolase that is specific for 3-ketoacyl-CoA molecules with polar, bulky acyl chains.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase A1887 from Ralstonia eutropha H16.

The gene product of A1887 from Ralstonia eutropha (ReH16_A1887) has been annotated as a 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, an enzyme that catalyzes the fourth step of ß-oxidation degradative pathways by converting 3-ketoacyl-CoA to acyl-CoA. ReH16_A1887 was overexpressed and purified to homogeneity by affinity and size-exclusion chromatography. The degradative thiolase activity of the purified ReH16_A1887 was measured and enzyme-kinetic parameters for the protein were obtained, with Km, Vmax and kcat values of 158 µM, 32 mM min(-1) and 5 × 10(6) s(-1), respectively. The ReH16_A1887 protein was crystallized in 17% PEG 8K, 0.1 M HEPES pH 7.0 at 293 K and a complete data set was collected to 1.4 Å resolution. The crystal belonged to space group P4(3)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 129.52, c = 114.13 Å, α = ß = γ = 90°. The asymmetric unit contained two molecules, with a solvent content of 58.9%.

Crystal structure and biochemical properties of ReH16_A1887, the 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase from Ralstonia eutropha H16.

ReH16_A1887 from Ralstonia eutropha is an enzyme annotated as a 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, and it catalyzes the fourth step of ß-oxidation degradative pathways by converting 3-ketoacyl-CoA to acyl-CoA. We determined the crystal structures of ReH16_A1887 in the apo-form and in complex with its CoA substrate. ReH16_A1887 functions as a dimer, and the monomer of ReH16_A1887 comprises three subdomains (I, II, and III). The structural comparison between the apo-form and the CoA-bound form revealed that ReH16_A1887 undergoes a structural change in the lid-subdomain (subdomain III) upon the binding of the CoA substrate. The CoA molecule was stabilized by hydrogen bonding with positively charged residues such as Lys18, Arg210, and Arg217, and residues Thr213 and Gln151 aid its binding as well. At the active site of ReH16_A1887, highly conserved residues such as Cys91, His348, and Cys378 were located near the thiol-group of CoA, indicating that ReH16_A1887 might catalyze the thiolase reaction in a way similar to other thiolases. Moreover, in the vicinity of the covalent nucleophile Cys91, a hydrophobic hole that might serve as a binding site for the acyl-group of 3-ketoacyl-CoA was observed. The residues involved in enzyme catalysis and substrate-binding were further confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis experiments.

The crystal structure of human mitochondrial 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (T1): insight into the reaction mechanism of its thiolase and thioesterase activities.

Crystal structures of human mitochondrial 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (hT1) in the apo form and in complex with CoA have been determined at 2.0 Å resolution. The structures confirm the tetrameric quaternary structure of this degradative thiolase. The active site is surprisingly similar to the active site of the Zoogloea ramigera biosynthetic tetrameric thiolase (PDB entries 1dm3 and 1m1o) and different from the active site of the peroxisomal dimeric degradative thiolase (PDB entries 1afw and 2iik). A cavity analysis suggests a mode of binding for the fatty-acyl tail in a tunnel lined by the Nß2-Nα2 loop of the adjacent subunit and the Lα1 helix of the loop domain. Soaking of the apo hT1 crystals with octanoyl-CoA resulted in a crystal structure in complex with CoA owing to the intrinsic acyl-CoA thioesterase activity of hT1. Solution studies confirm that hT1 has low acyl-CoA thioesterase activity for fatty acyl-CoA substrates. The fastest rate is observed for the hydrolysis of butyryl-CoA. It is also shown that T1 has significant biosynthetic thiolase activity, which is predicted to be of physiological importance.

Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and X-ray crystallographic analysis of ß-ketothiolase B from Ralstonia eutropha H16.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are linear polyesters that are produced by bacterial fermentation and are used as biodegradable bioplastics. ß-Ketothiolase B (BktB) from Ralstonia eutropha (ReBktB) is a key enzyme for the production of various types of copolymers by catalyzing the condensation reactions of acetyl-CoA with propionyl-CoA and butyryl-CoA. The ReBktB protein was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method in the presence of 25% polyethylene glycol 3350, 0.1 M bis-tris pH 6.5, 0.2 M lithium sulfate at 295 K. X-ray diffraction data were collected to a maximum resolution of 2.3 Šon a synchrotron beamline. The crystal belonged to space group C2221, with unit-cell parameters a = 106.95, b = 107.24, c = 144.14 Å. With two molecules per asymmetric unit, the crystal volume per unit protein weight (VM) is 2.54 Å(3) Da(-1), which corresponds to a solvent content of approximately 51.5%. The structure was solved by the molecular-replacement method and refinement of the structure is in progress.

Crystal structure and biochemical characterization of beta-keto thiolase B from polyhydroxyalkanoate-producing bacterium Ralstonia eutropha H16.

ReBktB is a ß-keto thiolase from Ralstonia eutropha H16 that catalyzes condensation reactions between acetyl-CoA with acyl-CoA molecules that contains different numbers of carbon atoms, such as acetyl-CoA, propionyl-CoA, and butyryl-CoA, to produce valuable bioproducts, such as polyhydroxybutyrate, polyhydroxybutyrate-hydroxyvalerate, and hexanoate. We solved a crystal structure of ReBktB at 2.3Å, and the overall structure has a similar fold to that of type II biosynthetic thiolases, such as PhbA from Zoogloea ramigera (ZrPhbA). The superposition of this structure with that of ZrPhbA complexed with CoA revealed the residues that comprise the catalytic and substrate binding sites of ReBktB. The catalytic site of ReBktB contains three conserved residues, Cys90, His350, and Cys380, which may function as a covalent nucleophile, a general base, and second nucleophile, respectively. For substrate binding, ReBktB stabilized the ADP moiety of CoA in a distinct way compared to ZrPhbA with His219, Arg221, and Asp228 residues, whereas the stabilization of ß-mercaptoethyamine and pantothenic acid moieties of CoA was quite similar between these two enzymes. Kinetic study of ReBktB revealed that K(m), V(max), and K(cat) values of 11.58 µM, 1.5 µmol/min, and 102.18 s(-1), respectively, and the catalytic and substrate binding sites of ReBktB were further confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis experiments.

Structure of mycobacterial ß-oxidation trifunctional enzyme reveals its altered assembly and putative substrate channeling pathway.

The incidence of tuberculosis is increasing due to the appearance of new drug-resistant variants. A thorough understanding of the disease organism is essential in order to create more effective drugs. In an attempt to understand better the poorly studied lipid metabolism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), we identified and characterized its fatty acid ß-oxidation complex (trifunctional enzyme (TFE)). TFE is an α(2)ß(2) complex consisting of two types of polypeptides catalyzing three of the four reactions of the ß-oxidation of fatty acids. The kinetic constants (k(cat) and K(m)) show that the complexed α chain is more active than the individual α chain. Crystal structures of Mtb TFE (mtTFE) reveal that the quaternary assembly is strikingly different from the already known Pseudomonas fragi TFE (pfTFE) assembly due to the presence of a helical insertion (LA5) in the mtTFE-ß subunit. This helical insertion prevents the pfTFE mode of assembly, as it would clash with helix H9A of the TFE-α chain. The mtTFE assembly appears to be more rigid and results in a different substrate channeling path between the α and the ß subunits. Structural comparisons suggest that the mtTFE active sites can accommodate bulkier fatty acyl chains than in pfTFE. Although another thiolase (FadA2), more closely related to human TFE-ß/thiolase, is present in the Mtb genome, it does not form a complex with mtTFE-α. Extensive phylogenetic analyses show that there are at least four TFE subfamilies. Our studies highlight the molecular properties of mtTFE, significantly extending the structural knowledge on this type of very interesting multifunctional enzymes.

Identification of a thiolase gene essential for ß-oxidation of the acyl side chain of the steroid compound cholate in Pseudomonas sp. strain Chol1.

Bile salts such as cholate are steroid compounds occurring ubiquitously in the environment through excretion by animals. Cholate degradation by Pseudomonas sp. strain Chol1 is initiated by A-ring oxidation and ß-oxidation of the acyl side chain. A transposon mutant of strain Chol1 was isolated that could not grow with cholate, but transformed it into several steroid compounds accumulating in culture supernatants. The main product was identified as (22E)-7α,12α-dihydroxy-3-oxochola-1,4,22-triene-24-oate (DHOCTO). A further compound was identified as 7α,12α,22-trihydroxy-3-oxochola-1,4-diene-24-oate (THOCDO). The structures of DHOCTO and THOCDO indicate that they are intermediates of the ß-oxidation of the acyl side chain. The interrupted gene was named skt and had similarities to the 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase domain of the eukaryotic sterol carrier protein SCP-x. An skt mutant grew with intermediates of cholate degradation, from which the acyl side chain had been partly or completely removed. Growth with cholate was restored by an intact skt copy on a plasmid. These results strongly suggest that skt encodes a ß-ketothiolase responsible for the cleavage of acetyl-CoA from the acyl side chain of cholate. Sequence comparisons revealed that other steroid-degrading bacteria such as Comamonas testosteroni contain genes encoding proteins very similar to Skt, suggesting a widespread role of this enzyme in bacterial steroid degradation.

Peroxisomal plant 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase structure and activity are regulated by a sensitive redox switch.

The breakdown of fatty acids, performed by the beta-oxidation cycle, is crucial for plant germination and sustainability. beta-Oxidation involves four enzymatic reactions. The final step, in which a two-carbon unit is cleaved from the fatty acid, is performed by a 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (KAT). The shortened fatty acid may then pass through the cycle again (until reaching acetoacetyl-CoA) or be directed to a different cellular function. Crystal structures of KAT from Arabidopsis thaliana and Helianthus annuus have been solved to 1.5 and 1.8 A resolution, respectively. Their dimeric structures are very similar and exhibit a typical thiolase-like fold; dimer formation and active site conformation appear in an open, active, reduced state. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we confirmed the potential of plant KATs to be regulated by the redox environment in the peroxisome within a physiological range. In addition, co-immunoprecipitation studies suggest an interaction between KAT and the multifunctional protein that is responsible for the preceding two steps in beta-oxidation, which would allow a route for substrate channeling. We suggest a model for this complex based on the bacterial system.

The PhaD regulator controls the simultaneous expression of the pha genes involved in polyhydroxyalkanoate metabolism and turnover in Pseudomonas putida KT2442.

The promoters of the pha gene cluster encoding the enzymes involved in the metabolism of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) in the model strain Pseudomonas putida KT2442 have been identified and compared. The pha locus is composed by five functional promoters upstream the phaC1, phaZ, phaC2, phaF and phaI genes (P(C1), P(Z), P(C2), P(F) and P(I) respectively). P(C1) and P(I) are the most active promoters of the pha cluster allowing the transcription of phaC1ZC2D and phaIF operons. All promoters with the sole exception of P(F) are carbon source-dependent. Their transcription profiles explain the simultaneous production of PHA depolymerase and synthases to maintain the metabolic balance and PHA turnover. Mutagenesis analyses demonstrated that PhaD, a TetR-like transcriptional regulator, behaves as a carbon source-dependent activator of the pha cluster. The phaD gene is mainly transcribed as part of the phaC1ZC2D transcription unit and controls its own transcription and that of phaIF operon. The ability of PhaD to bind the P(C1) and P(I) promoters was analysed by gel retardation and DNase I footprinting assays, demonstrating that PhaD interacts with a region of 25 bp at P(C1) promoter (named OPRc1) and a 29 bp region at P(I) promoter (named OPRi). These operators contain a single binding site formed by two inverted half sites of 6 bp separated by 8 bp which overlap the corresponding promoter boxes. The 3D model structure of PhaD activator predicts that the true effector might be a CoA-intermediate of fatty acid beta-oxidation.

The sulfur atoms of the substrate CoA and the catalytic cysteine are required for a productive mode of substrate binding in bacterial biosynthetic thiolase, a thioester-dependent enzyme.

Thioesters are more reactive than oxoesters, and thioester chemistry is important for the reaction mechanisms of many enzymes, including the members of the thiolase superfamily, which play roles in both degradative and biosynthetic pathways. In the reaction mechanism of the biosynthetic thiolase, the thioester moieties of acetyl-CoA and the acetylated catalytic cysteine react with each other, forming the product acetoacetyl-CoA. Although a number of studies have been carried out to elucidate the thiolase reaction mechanism at the atomic level, relatively little is known about the factors determining the affinity of thiolases towards their substrates. We have carried out crystallographic studies on the biosynthetic thiolase from Zoogloea ramigera complexed with CoA and three of its synthetic analogues to compare the binding modes of these related compounds. The results show that both the CoA terminal SH group and the side chain SH group of the catalytic Cys89 are crucial for the correct positioning of substrate in the thiolase catalytic pocket. Furthermore, calorimetric assays indicate that the mutation of Cys89 into an alanine significantly decreases the affinity of thiolase towards CoA. Thus, although the sulfur atom of the thioester moiety is important for the reaction mechanism of thioester-dependent enzymes, its specific properties can also affect the affinity and competent mode of binding of the thioester substrates to these enzymes.

Characterization of a novel long-chain acyl-CoA thioesterase from Alcaligenes faecalis.

A novel long-chain acyl-CoA thioesterase from Alcaligenes faecalis has been isolated and characterized. The protein was extracted from the cells with 1 m NaCl, which required 1.5-fold, single-step purification to yield near-homogeneous preparations. In solution, the protein exists as homomeric aggregates, of mean diameter 21.6 nm, consisting of 22-kDa subunits. MS/MS data for peptides obtained by trypsin digestion of the thiosterase did not match any peptide from Escherichia coli thioesterases or any other thioesterases in the database. The thioesterase was associated exclusively with the surface of cells as revealed by ultrastructural studies using electron microscopy and immunogold labeling. It hydrolyzed saturated and unsaturated fatty acyl-CoAs of C12 to C18 chain length with Vmax and Km of 3.58-9.73 micromol x min(-1) x (mg protein)(-1) and 2.66-4.11 microm, respectively. A catalytically important histidine residue is implicated in the active site of the enzyme. The thioesterase was active and stable over a wide range of temperature and pH. Maximum activity was observed at 65 degrees C and pH 10.5, and varied between 60% and 80% at temperatures of 25-70 degrees C and pH 6.5-10. The thioesterase also hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl esters of C2 to C12 chain length, but substrate competition experiments demonstrated that the long-chain acyl-CoAs are better substrates for thioesterase than p-nitrophenyl esters. When assayed at 37 and 20 degrees C, the affinity and catalytic efficiency of the thioesterase for palmitoleoyl-CoA and cis-vaccenoyl-CoA were reduced approximately twofold at the lower temperature, but remained largely unaltered for palmitoyl-CoA.

The crystal structure of a plant 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase reveals the potential for redox control of peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation.

Crystal structures of peroxisomal Arabidopsis thaliana 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (AtKAT), an enzyme of fatty acid beta-oxidation, are reported. The subunit, a typical thiolase, is a combination of two similar alpha/beta domains capped with a loop domain. The comparison of AtKAT with the Saccharomyces cerevisiae homologue (ScKAT) structure reveals a different placement of subunits within the functional dimers and that a polypeptide segment forming an extended loop around the open catalytic pocket of ScKAT converts to alpha-helix in AtKAT, and occludes the active site. A disulfide is formed between Cys192, on this helix, and Cys138, a catalytic residue. Access to Cys138 is determined by the structure of this polypeptide segment. AtKAT represents an oxidized, previously unknown inactive form, whilst ScKAT is the reduced and active enzyme. A high level of sequence conservation is observed, including Cys192, in eukaryotic peroxisomal, but not mitochondrial or prokaryotic KAT sequences, for this labile loop/helix segment. This indicates that KAT activity in peroxisomes is influenced by a disulfide/dithiol change linking fatty acid beta-oxidation with redox regulation.

A thermostable beta-ketothiolase of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) in Thermus thermophilus: purification and biochemical properties.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters of hydroxyalkanoates (HAs) synthesised by numerous bacteria as intracellular carbon and energy storage compounds which accumulate as granules in the cytoplasm of the cells. The biosynthesis of PHAs, in the thermophilic bacterium T. thermophilus grown in a mineral medium supplemented with sodium gluconate as sole carbon source has been recently reported. Here, we report the purification at apparent homogeneity of a beta-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase from T. thermophilus, the first enzyme of the most common biosynthetic pathway for PHAs. B-Ketoacyl-CoA thiolase appeared as a single band of 45.5-kDa molecular mass on SDS/PAGE. The enzyme was purified 390-fold with 7% recovery. The native enzyme is a multimeric protein of a molecular mass of approximately of 182 kDa consisting of four identical subunits of 45.5 kDa, as identified by an in situ renaturation experiment on SDS-PAGE. The enzyme exhibited an optimal pH of approximately 8.0 and highest activity at 65 degrees C for both direction of the reaction. The thiolysis reaction showed a substrate inhibition at high concentrations; when one of the substrates (acetoacetyl CoA or CoA) is varied, while the concentrations of the second substrates (CoA or acetoacetyl CoA respectively) remain constant. The initial velocity kinetics showed a pattern of a family of parallel lines, which is in accordance with a ping-pong mechanism. beta-Ketothiolase had a relative low Km of 0.25 mM for acetyl-CoA and 11 microM and 25 microM for CoA and acetoacetyl-CoA, respectively. The enzyme was inhibited by treatment with 1 mM N-ethylmaleimide either in the presence or in the absence of 0.5 mM of acetyl-CoA suggesting that possibly a cysteine is located at/or near the active site of beta-ketothiolase.

Structural basis for channelling mechanism of a fatty acid beta-oxidation multienzyme complex.

The atomic view of the active site coupling termed channelling is a major subject in molecular biology. We have determined two distinct crystal structures of the bacterial multienzyme complex that catalyzes the last three sequential reactions in the fatty acid beta-oxidation cycle. The alpha2beta2 heterotetrameric structure shows the uneven ring architecture, where all the catalytic centers of 2-enoyl-CoA hydratase (ECH), L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HACD) and 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (KACT) face a large inner solvent region. The substrate, anchored through the 3'-phosphate ADP moiety, allows the fatty acid tail to pivot from the ECH to HACD active sites, and finally to the KACT active site. Coupling with striking domain rearrangements, the incorporation of the tail into the KACT cavity and the relocation of 3'-phosphate ADP bring the reactive C2-C3 bond to the correct position for cleavage. The alpha-helical linker specific for the multienzyme contributes to the pivoting center formation and the substrate transfer through its deformation. This channelling mechanism could be applied to other beta-oxidation multienzymes, as revealed from the homology model of the human mitochondrial trifunctional enzyme complex.