Active Site Thiol Group Research Articles

Bicyclic carbamates as inhibitors of papain-like cathepsin proteases

A 6-oxa-1-aza-bicyclo[3.2.1]octan-7-one system inhibits the proteolytic activity of several cysteine proteases belonging to the papain family. In vitro mechanistic studies and in silico calculations suggest that the minimal π-overlap between the bridgehead nitrogen and the carbonyl leads to a considerable weakening of the urethane system, making it susceptible to nucleophilic attack from the active site thiol group. The resulting covalent adduct is slowly hydrolyzed, releasing the hydroxypiperidine product of the inhibitor. Synthesis and testing of a set of analogs led to variable protease subtype selectivities ranging from micromolar to nanomolar potencies.

Design, Synthesis and Analysis of Inhibitors of Bacterial Aspartate Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase

Unsaturated and fluorinated analogues of aspartyl-beta-phosphate were synthesised as potential inhibitors of the bacterial enzyme aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (ASA-DH). Acetylenic and Z-olefinic analogues showed competitive inhibition, but an E-olefinic analogue was inactive. A monofluoromethylene phosphonate competed poorly, but showed time-dependent inhibition of ASA-DH in the absence of phosphate. Simulated docking procedures were used to rationalise the results. These studies showed that substrate and inhibitor binding are mediated by interaction with two active-site arginine residues, and for likely covalent attachment to the active-site thiol group, electrophilic carbon atoms should be located 4.5 A, or less, from the thiol.

Inhibition of calpain is a component of nitric oxide-induced down-regulation of human mast cell adhesion.

Nitric oxide is an important messenger that regulates mast cell activity by modifications to gene expression and intracellular pathways associated with exocytosis and adhesion. Integrin interactions with extracellular matrix components modulate an array of cell activities, including mediator production and secretion. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying NO regulation of mast cell function, we studied its effects on adhesion of a human mast cell line (HMC-1) to fibronectin (FN). The NO donors S-nitrosoglutathione and S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine strongly down-regulated the adhesion of HMC-1 to FN. Inhibitors of soluble guanylate cyclase and protein kinase G did not alter the response of cells to NO. A peroxynitrite scavenger did not affect modulation of adhesion by NO, nor could the effect of NO be mimicked by the peroxynitrite-producing compound 3-morpholinosydnonimine. NO donors inhibited the cysteine protease, calpain, while calpain inhibitors mimicked the effect of NO and led to a decrease in the ability of HMC-1 cells to adhere to FN. Thus, NO is an effective down-regulator of human mast cell adhesion. The mechanism for this action does not involve peroxynitrite or activation of soluble guanylate cyclase. Instead, a portion of NO-induced down-regulation of adhesion may be attributed to inhibition of the cysteine protease, calpain, an enzyme that has been associated with control of integrin activation in other cell types. The inhibition of calpain is most likely mediated via nitrosylation of its active site thiol group. Calpain may represent a novel therapeutic target for the regulation of mast cell activity in inflammatory disorders.

Kinetics of inhibition and molecular asymmetry in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) urease.

Urease from seeds of pigeonpea showed a time-dependent and irreversible inactivation at very low concentrations of heavy metal ions. Concentration of Cu(2+), Hg(2+) and Ag(+) required for 50% inactivation, on 10 min of incubation, were found to be 2.2 x 10(-6), 2.9 x 10(-8) and 6.3 x 10(-12) M, respectively. The kinetics of inactivation with each of these metal ions was found to be biphasic, with half of the activity being lost in a fast phase and remaining in a slow phase. Acetohydroxamate (AHA) inhibits pigeonpea urease competitively and reversibly with a K(i) of 0.041 mM at pH 7.3. This inhibition was found to be pH dependent. A reversible and time-dependent inhibition was observed with AHA. AHA inhibition revealed biphasic kinetics as observed with the heavy metal ions. Pigeonpea urease was also inhibited by fluoride ions competitively with a K(i) value of 1.23 mM. These inhibition studies suggest the possible interaction of these inhibitors with active site thiol groups and Ni (II) ion. A mechanism has been proposed for each of these inhibitors and compared with inhibition studies reported for other ureases.

Characterization of the active site thiol group of rhinovirus 2A proteinase

Picornains 2A are cysteine proteases of picornaviruses, a virus family containing several human and animal pathogens. The pH dependencies of the alkylations of picornain 2A of rhinovirus type 2 with iodoacetamide and iodoacetate show two reactive thiol forms, namely the free thiolate ion at high pH and an imidazole assisted thiol group at low pH. Kinetic deuterium isotope effects do not support general base catalysis by the imidazole group, but rather the existence of a catalytically competent thiolate–imidazolium ion-pair. The nature of the ion-pair differs from that of papain, the paradigm of cysteine proteases. The ion-pair is confined to the same, unusually narrow pH range in which the enzyme exhibits catalytic activity.

Endotoxin-Mediated S-Nitrosylation of p50 Alters NF-κB-Dependent Gene Transcription in ANA-1 Murine Macrophages

Abstract Nitric oxide (NO) regulates cellular function, in part, by S-nitrosylating active site thiol groups of proteins. Ex vivo S-nitrosylation of NF-κB p50 significantly decreases its capacity for DNA binding. To determine the cellular relevance of this observation, we utilized the ANA-l murine macrophage model of endotoxin (LPS)-mediated NO synthesis. In selected instances, the NO synthase inhibitor, l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 100 μM), or the NO donor, S-nitroso-N-acetylcysteine (SNAC; 100 μM), was added. In contrast to that of LPS cells, nuclear extracts from LPS + L-NAME cells demonstrated increased NF-κB DNA binding on gel shift analysis. Addition of SNAC to LPS + L-NAME cells restored binding to a level equivalent to that of LPS cells. Spectrophotometric analysis of NF-κB p50 immunoprecipitates demonstrated S-NO bonds exclusively in LPS cells; these p50 protein isolates retained the same DNA binding characteristics as that of the nuclear extracts. Transfection assays utilizing NF-κB-dependent promoter-reporter constructs demonstrated increased activity in LPS + L-NAME cells compared with LPS cells; nuclear run-on assays confirmed increased transcription of the corresponding genes. These results suggest that LPS-mediated NO synthesis is associated with S-nitrosylation of NF-κB p50 and inhibition of NF-κB-dependent DNA binding, promoter activity, and gene transcription. We conclude that NO can regulate gene transcription by S-nitrosylation of NF-κB.

Alteration of NF-κB p50 DNA Binding Kinetics by S-Nitrosylation

Nitric oxide (NO) regulates a wide variety of cellular functions, in part, by formation of S–NO bonds at critical active site thiol groups within proteins, including transcription factors. Previous studies have qualitatively demonstrated that S-nitrosothiol formation can alter transcription factor binding to the DNA recognition site. To more precisely define the effect of S-nitrosylation on transcription factor binding, the equilibrium binding constant was derived for S-nitrosylated NF-κB p50 (S-NO-p50) in a cell free system utilizing gel shift assays. Binding of NF-κB p50 subjected to the nitrosylation conditions in the absence of NaNO2(C-p50-2) was not different from that of wild type NF-κB (C-p50-1). The extent of S-NO-p50 binding to its DNA target sequence was significantly decreased in comparison to that noted with C-p50-1 and C-p50-2. The binding constant was derived for each of the NF-κB variants: C-p50-1 = 1.01 × 1010M−1; C-p50-2 = 0.92 × 1010M−1; and S-NO-p50 = 0.28 × 1010M−1. These data indicate that S-nitrosylation of p50 decreases its affinity for the target DNA sequence by four-fold.

Inhibition of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in post-ischaemic myocardium.

Myocardial reperfusion following brief period of ischaemic is associated with prolonged, reversible periods of metabolic dysfunction. As the glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is inhibited in vitro by reactive oxygen species, we hypothesized that production of reactive oxygen species during reperfusion would lead to inhibition of GAPDH in post-ischaemic myocardium. Anaesthetized closed-chest-dogs were subjected to 20 min balloon occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Biopsy samples were taken after 3 and 24 h of reperfusion, to determine the activity of GAPDH and the concentrations of glycolytic intermediates in post-ischaemic and remote, non-ischaemic territories. A significant reduction in GAPDH activity was observed in post-ischaemic relative to remote tissue after 3 h reperfusion (4.8 +/- 0.5 vs. 2.9 +/- 0.2 mumol/min/mg protein; P < 0.01). Western blotting revealed no reduction in the levels of GAPDH protein. Analysis of enzyme kinetics showed the loss of activity to be associated with decreased Vmax (5.9 +/- 0.5 vs. 3.2 +/- 0.2 mumol/min/mg protein; P < 0.01) with no significant change in the Km for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (GAP). Incubation of the inhibited enzyme under both mild and strong reducing conditions failed to reactivate the enzyme. The acute reduction in enzyme activity in post-ischaemic tissue was accompanied by regional differences in glycolytic intermediates, notably a twofold accumulation of GAP (P < 0.05), and a reduction in the glucose metabolic rate (GMR) determined by positron emission tomography and [18F]2-fluorodeoxyglucose. By 24 h reperfusion, no regional differences in GAPDH activity, reaction Vmax or Km, GAP concentrations or GMR were detectable. These results suggest that inhibition of GAPDH activity may represent an important point at which glycolysis is limited during reperfusion, and further, that the mechanisms of enzyme inhibition do not involve simple oxidation or S-thiolation of critical active site thiol groups.

Probing the function of Asp128 in the lower molecular weight protein-tyrosine phosphatase-catalyzed reaction. A pre-steady-state and steady-state kinetic investigation.

The role of Asp128 in the catalytic mechanism of the low Mr protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has been investigated by a combination of site-directed mutagenesis and pre-steady-state and steady-state kinetic analysis. The corresponding aspartic acid in the bovine enzyme is located on a loop adjacent to the phosphate-binding loop and forms a hydrogen bond with the oxygen atom of the bound sulfate or phosphate that is structurally homologous to the ester oxygen in substrates [Su et al. (1994) Nature 370, 575-578; Zhang, M., et al. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 11097-11105]. Asp128 has been replaced by a Glu, an Asn, and an Ala. The kcat for the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) decreases by factors of 6.7, 400, and 650 for the mutants D128E, D128N, and D128A, respectively. Compared to the wild type, the binding affinity for phosphate is decreased 2 and 4.3-fold, respectively, for the D128A and D128N mutants, whereas no change in affinity is observed for the D128E mutant. An evaluation of the burst kinetics demonstrates that Asp128 plays a role in both the phosphoenzyme intermediate formation (k2) and breakdown (k3). Thus, substitution at Asp128 by a Glu, an Asn, or an Ala reduces k2 by 17, 7480, and 11900 and reduces k3 by 6.2, 380, and 40. The greater effect on k2 and k3 is consistent with a dissociative transition-state for the low M(r)PTPase-catalyzed reaction. Results from the rapid kinetics, partition experiments, and leaving group dependence experiments suggest that for the wild type and D128E mutant, the rate-limiting step is k3, whereas k2 has become rate-limiting for the D128N mutant. With the exception of pNPP, k2 may also be rate-limiting for D128A. Taken together, these results are consistent with Asp128 or Glu128 acting as a general acid to donate a proton to the phenolate leaving group in the phosphorylation step, and the carboxylate side chain plays a role as a general base to activate a nucleophilic water molecule in the dephosphorylation step. The presence of the general acid ensures productive partitioning toward phosphoenzyme formation. In the absence of the general acid, the nature of the transition-state for the phosphorylation step is sensitive to the pKa of the attacking active site thiol group and changes with the structure of the leaving group.

On the mechanism of the anticlotting action of vitamin E quinone.

Vitamin E in the reduced, alpha-tocopherol form shows very modest anticlotting activity. By contrast, vitamin E quinone is a potent anticoagulant. This observation may have significance for field trials in which vitamin E is observed to exhibit beneficial effects on ischemic heart disease and stroke. Vitamin E quinone is a potent inhibitor of the vitamin K-dependent carboxylase that controls blood clotting. A newly discovered mechanism for the inhibition requires attachment of the active site thiol groups of the carboxylase to one or more methyl groups on vitamin E quinone. The results from a series of model reactions support this interpretation of the anticlotting activity associated with vitamin E.

2,3‐oxidosqualene cyclase: From azasqualenes to new site‐directed inhibitors

2,3-Oxidosqualene cyclases (OSC) are enzymes which convert 2,3-oxidosqualene (OS) into polycyclic triterpenoids such as lanosterol, cycloartenol, and alpha- and beta-amyrin. Our interest in the study of OSC is the development of new OSC inhibitors for potential use as hypocholesterolemic, antifungal, or phytotoxic drugs. In particular, we describe the biological activity and the mechanism of a series of acyclic azasqualene derivatives mimicking the C-2, C-8, and C-20 carbonium ions formed during OS cyclization. Some of these carbonium ion analogues are very promising as specific hypocholesterolemic agents. The toxicity, the biodistribution, and the pharmacokinetics of different azasqualene derivatives in mice are also presented. In order to obtain new, site-directed irreversible inhibitors of OSC, a series of squalene derivatives containing functional groups that can link covalently to an active-site thiol group was designed. Among these compounds, squalene maleimide was the most active toward mammalian OSC, whereas squalene Ellman behaved as an irreversible inhibitor of OSC from yeast.

An unusual stable adduct in the reaction of pyruvate with papain Chemically modiied by 3-acetyl pyridinium and quinolinium derivatives

We have previously shown that electrophilic carbonyl compounds including ethyl pyruvate are slowly reduced by 3-acetyl-1,4-dihydropyridines attached to the active site thiol group of papain 1. The mechanism of this reaction has been investigated using sodium 2-[ 13C]-pyruvate as substrate. In contrast, reduction did not occur but the formation of an unexpected stable adduct assigned to the enol of the heterocyclic prosthetic groups to C-2 of pyruvate was observed.

Active site labeling of the Yersinia protein tyrosine phosphatase: the determination of the pKa of the active site cysteine and the function of the conserved histidine 402.

In this report, we demonstrated that the Yersinia protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) could be inactivated by the alkylating agent iodoacetate. The enzyme modification was selective, and the covalent attachment was stoichiometric. The residue that was labeled by iodoacetate was shown to be Cys403, which was the same catalytically essential residue identified by site-directed mutagenesis [Guan, K. L., & Dixon, J.E. (1990) Science 249, 553-556]. The rate of iodoacetate modification decreased as the ionic strength of the media increased. There was no significant D2O solvent isotope effect associated with the inactivation of the enzyme, suggesting that thiol anion of Cys403 reacted as a nucleophile. The Yersinia PTPase also displayed differential reactivity (940-fold) toward iodoacetate over iodoacetamide. This indicates that residues within the active site of the enzyme are positively charged. The pKa of the active site thiol group was determined to be 4.67. The low pKa value suggests that ionic interactions are important in stabilizing the thiolate anion. One candidate residue for this stabilization is the invariant histidine (His402) found in all PTPases. Substitutions of His402 with Asn or Ala altered the active site thiol pKa to 5.99 and 7.35, respectively. Interestingly, the active site thiol in the mutants also showed enhanced reactivity toward iodoacetate. The second-order rate constants for the inactivation of the wild-type enzyme, H402N, and H402A were 59.7, 3305, and 1763 M-1 min-1, respectively.

Selenite is a substrate for calf thymus thioredoxin reductase and thioredoxin and elicits a large non-stoichiometric oxidation of NADPH in the presence of oxygen.

The thioredoxin system, comprising NADPH, thioredoxin reductase and thioredoxin reduces protein disulfides via redox-active dithiols. We have discovered that sodium selenite is a substrate for the thioredoxin system; 10 microM selenite plus 0.05 microM calf thymus thioredoxin reductase at pH 7.5 caused a non-stoichiometric oxidation of NADPH (100 microM after 30 min). In contrast, thioredoxin reductase from Escherichia coli showed no direct reaction with selenite, but addition of 3 microM E. coli thioredoxin also resulted in non-stoichiometric oxidation of NADPH, consistent with oxidation of the two active-site thiol groups in thioredoxin to a disulfide. Kinetically, the reaction was complex with a lag phase at low selenite concentrations. Under anaerobic conditions the reaction stopped after 1 mol selenite had oxidized 3 mol NADPH; the admission of air then resulted in continued consumption of NADPH consistent with autooxidation of selenium intermediate(s). Ferricytochrome c was effectively reduced by calf thymus thioredoxin reductase and selenite in the presence of oxygen. Selenite caused a strong dose-dependent inhibition of the formation of thiol groups from insulin disulfides with either the E. coli or calf-thymus thioredoxin system. Thus, under aerobic conditions selenite catalyzed, NADPH-dependent redox cycling with oxygen, a large oxygen-dependent consumption of NADPH and oxidation of reduced thioredoxin inhibiting its disulfide-reductase activity.

Interactions of factor XIII with fibrin as substrate and cofactor

Factor XIIIa (a2') is a homodimeric transglutaminase that is formed via limited alpha-thrombin-catalyzed proteolysis of the platelet (a2) or plasma (a2b2) factor XIII zymogen in a reaction that results in proteolytic removal of a 37-aminoacyl residue peptide from the N-terminus of the a chains and exposure of the active-site thiol group in the resulting a' chains of factor XIIIa. In this study, we characterized interactions of factor XIII and factor XIIIa with fibrin, a natural substrate for factor XIIIa and a cofactor for the alpha-thrombin-catalyzed activation of plasma factor XIII. The carbamylmethyl derivatives of the active-site thiol group of platelet factor XIII (CMa2) and factor XIIIa (CMa2') were prepared, and their interactions with fibrin were measured. The enzyme-like derivative (CMa2') which contained nicked a' chains bound more tightly to fibrin (Kd = 2.1 microM) than did CMa2 (Kd = 14 microM), the platelet zymogen-like derivative with intact a chains, but the binding of each was weaker than the binding of plasma factor XIII zymogen (a2b2) to fibrin (Kd = 0.20 microM) under the same conditions. Saturation of fibrin with plasma factor XIII zymogen (a2b2) did not affect the binding of CMa2' to fibrin, suggesting that the plasma factor XIII zymogen (a2b2) and the active-site-modified form of factor XIIIa (CMa2') bind to separate, noninteracting sites of fibrin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Role of calcium ion in the generation of factor XIII activity

The involvement of calcium ion in the activation of both plasma factor XIII (alpha 2 beta 2) and platelet factor XIII (alpha 2) was investigated. The second-order dependence of the rate constant for exposure of the active-site thiol group of alpha-thrombin-cleaved plasma factor XIII (alpha 2'beta 2) on the concentration of calcium ion suggested that the binding of two calcium ions is required for transformation of the alpha 2'beta 2 tetramer to enzymatically active factor XIIIa. Fibrinogen, previously reported to lower the calcium ion concentration required for efficient activation of alpha 2'beta 2 [Credo, R. B., Curtis, C. G., & Lorand, L. (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 4234-4237], was found in the present study to increase the rate of exposure of the active-site thiol group. Whereas calcium ion is required for exposure of the active-site thiol group in cleaved plasma factor XIII (alpha 2'beta 2), exposure of an active-site thiol group in cleaved platelet factor XIII (alpha 2') occurs in the absence of calcium ion. The rate constant (2.2 x 10(5) M-1 s-1) for alpha-thrombin-catalyed exposure of the active-site thiol group of platelet factor XIII zymogen (alpha 2) in the presence of calcium ion was greater than the rate constant (0.7 x 10(5) M-1 s-1) determined in the absence of calcium ion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alkylation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase with haloacetylphosphonates. An unusual pH-dependence

Two new alkylating reagents, chloro- and bromo-acetylphosphonate, were found to be very effective thiol-blocking reagents. The pH-dependence of the reaction of BAP with 2,4-dinitrothiophenol (25 degrees C, I 0.5) shows a tailing bell-shaped curve (with a plateau at high pH) characteristic of two ionizing groups: the thiol group (pKa 3.2) and the phosphonate group (pKa2 4.6). The rate constant for the reaction of the monoanionic inhibitor with dinitrothiophenolate (k2 = 7 M-1.s-1) is 120 times larger than that of the dianionic species. The haloacetylphosphonates were found to be irreversible inhibitors of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from a variety of sources. They react with the active-site thiol group (Cys-149) and are half-site reagents with yeast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Thus, when two of the identical four subunits are modified the enzyme is catalytically inactive. The effects of pH (7-10), 2H2O and NAD+ on the reaction with the yeast enzyme were examined in detail. NAD+ enhances the alkylation rates. The second-order rate constant does not show a simple sigmoidal dependence on pH but rather a tailing bell-shaped curve (pKa 7.0 and 8.4) qualitatively similar to that obtained with dinitrothiophenol. There is no significant solvent isotope effect on the limiting rate constants and a normal isotope effect on the two pKa values. The results are consistent with the more reactive enzyme species containing a thiolate and an acidic group that may either donate a proton to the dianionic haloacetylphosphonate or orient the inhibitor.

Dihydroorotase from Escherichia coli. Substitution of Co(II) for the active site Zn(II)

Treatment of Escherichia coli dihydroorotase (a homodimer of subunit molecular weight 38,729) containing only the 1 active site Zn(II) ion per subunit with the sulfhydryl reagent N-(ethyl)-maleimide (NEM) blocks the two external Zn(II) sites per subunit and dramatically lessens the precipitation caused by high concentrations of Zn(II); stabilizes the enzyme partially against air oxidation and dilution inactivation; makes the active site Zn(II) easier to remove; and lowers Km and increases kcat. Treatment of NEM-blocked dihydroorotase ((NEM)dihydroorotase) with the chelator 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid at pH 5.0 in the absence of oxygen and trace metal ions removes the active site Zn(II) with a half-life of 15 min, allowing the production of milligram amounts of moderately stable apo-(NEM)dihydroorotase in about 80% yield. Treatment of apo-(NEM)dihydroorotase with Co(II) at pH 7.0 produces (NEM)dihydroorotase completely substituted at the active site with Co(II) in 100% yield: analysis gives 0.95-1.1 g atoms of Co(II) per active site and 0.03-0.05 g atoms of Zn(II) per active site. This Co(II)-(NEM)dihydroorotase is hyperactive at pH 8. The electronic absorption spectrum of Co(II)-(NEM)dihydroorotase at pH 6.5 implicates an active site thiol group as a ligand to the metal ion. The spectrum is inconsistent with tetrahedral coordination of the active site metal ion and is most consistent with a pentacoordinate structure.

Inactivation of the RTEM-1 cysteine β-lactamase by iodoacetate. The nature of active-site functional groups and comparisons with the native enzyme

The pH-rate profile for inactivation of the RTEM-1 cysteine beta-lactamase by iodoacetate supports previous evidence [Knap & Pratt (1989) Proteins Struct. Funct. Genet. 6, 316-323] for the activation of the active-site thiol group by adjacent functional groups. The enhanced reactivity of iodoacetate, with respect to that of iodoacetamide, suggests the influence of a positive charge in the active site. The reactivity of iodoacetate is not affected by dissociation of an active-site functional group of pKa 6.7, which increases the reactivity of neutral reagents, probably because of a compensation phenomenon; it is, however, lost on dissociation of an acid of pKa 8.1. It is concluded that the active cysteine beta-lactamase has four functional groups at the active site, one nucleophilic thiolate of Cys-70, one neutral acid (most probably the carboxy group of Glu-166, from the crystal structures) and two cationic residues (most probably Lys-73 and Lys-234). A comparison of these results with the pH-dependence of reactivity of the native RTEM-2 beta-lactamase suggests that the active form of the latter enzyme is also monocationic, although the nucleophile (Ser-70) is likely to be neutral in this case and the carboxylic acid dissociated. A mechanism of class A beta-lactamase catalysis is discussed where the Glu-166 carboxylate acts as a general base/acid catalyst and Lys-73 is principally required for electrostatic stabilization of the anionic tetrahedral intermediate.

Nucleotide sequence of the fruA gene, encoding the fructose permease of the Rhodobacter capsulatus phosphotransferase system, and analyses of the deduced protein sequence

The nucleotide sequence of the fruA gene, the terminal gene in the fructose operon of Rhodobacter capsulatus, is reported. This gene codes for the fructose permease (molecular weight, 58,575; 578 aminoacyl residues), the fructose enzyme II (IIFru) of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system. The deduced aminoacyl sequence of the encoded gene product was found to be 55% identical throughout most of its length with the fructose enzyme II of Escherichia coli, with some regions strongly conserved and others weakly conserved. Sequence comparisons revealed that the first 100 aminoacyl residues of both enzymes II were homologous to the second 100 residues, suggesting that an intragenic duplication of about 300 nucleotides had occurred during the evolution of IIFru prior to divergence of the E. coli and R. capsulatus genes. The protein contains only two cysteyl residues, and only one of these residues is conserved between the two proteins. This residue is therefore presumed to provide the active-site thiol group which may serve as the phosphorylation site. IIFru was found to exhibit regions of homology with sequenced enzymes II from other bacteria, including those specific for sucrose, beta-glucosides, mannitol, glucose, N-acetylglucosamine, and lactose. The degree of evolutionary divergence differed for different parts of the proteins, with certain transmembrane segments exhibiting high degrees of conservation. The hydrophobic domain of IIFru was also found to be similar to several uniport and antiport transporters of animals, including the human and mouse insulin-responsive glucose facilitators. These observations suggest that the mechanism of transmembrane transport may be similar for permeases catalyzing group translocation and facilitated diffusion.