Nucleophilic Water Molecule Research Articles

Catalytic deAMPylation in AMPylation-inhibitory/assistant forms of FICD protein.

DeAMPylation, as a reversible reaction of AMPylation and mediated by the endoplasmic reticulum-localized enzyme FICD (filamentation induced by cAMP domain protein, also known as HYPE), is an important process in protein posttranslational modifications (PTMs). Elucidating the function and catalytic details of FICD is of vital importance to provide a comprehensive understanding of protein folding homeostasis. However, the detailed deAMPylation mechanism is still unclear. Furthermore, the role of a conserved glutamine (Glu234), that plays an inhibitory role in the AMPylation response, is still an open question in the deAMPylation process. In the present work, the elaborated deAMPylation mechanisms with AMPylation-inhibitory/assistant forms of FICD (wild type and Glu234Ala mutant) were investigated based on the QM(DFT)/MM MD approach. The results revealed that deAMPylation was triggered by proton transfer from protonated histidine (His363) to AMPylated threonine, instead of a nucleophilic attack of water molecules adding to the phosphorus of AMP. The free energy barrier of deAMPylation in the wild type (∼17.3kcal/mol) is consistent with that in the Glu234Ala mutant of FICD (∼17.1kcal/mol), suggesting that the alteration of the Glu234 residue does not affect the deAMPylation reaction and indirectly verifying the inducement of deAMPylation in FICD. In the wild type, the proton in the nucleophilic water molecule is transferred to Glu234, whereas it is delivered to Asp367 through the hydrogen-bond network of coordinated water molecules in the Glu234Ala mutant. The present findings were inspirational for understanding the catalytic and inhibitory mechanisms of FICD-mediated AMP transfer, paving the way for further studies on the physiological role of FICD protein.

Structural and mechanistic insights into the cleavage of clustered O-glycan patches-containing glycoproteins by mucinases of the human gut

Mucinases of human gut bacteria cleave peptide bonds in mucins strictly depending on the presence of neighboring O-glycans. The Akkermansia muciniphila AM0627 mucinase cleaves specifically in between contiguous (bis) O-glycans of defined truncated structures, suggesting that this enzyme may recognize clustered O-glycan patches. Here, we report the structure and molecular mechanism of AM0627 in complex with a glycopeptide containing a bis-T (Galβ1-3GalNAcα1-O-Ser/Thr) O-glycan, revealing that AM0627 recognizes both the sugar moieties and the peptide sequence. AM0627 exhibits preference for bis-T over bis-Tn (GalNAcα1-O-Ser/Thr) O-glycopeptide substrates, with the first GalNAc residue being essential for cleavage. AM0627 follows a mechanism relying on a nucleophilic water molecule and a catalytic base Glu residue. Structural comparison among mucinases identifies a conserved Tyr engaged in sugar-π interactions in both AM0627 and the Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron BT4244 mucinase as responsible for the common activity of these two mucinases with bis-T/Tn substrates. Our work illustrates how mucinases through tremendous flexibility adapt to the diversity in distribution and patterns of O-glycans on mucins.

Structure of a bacterial α-1,2-glucosidase defines mechanisms of hydrolysis and substrate specificity in GH65 family hydrolases

Glycoside hydrolase family 65 (GH65) comprises glycoside hydrolases (GHs) and glycoside phosphorylases (GPs) that act on α-glucosidic linkages in oligosaccharides. All previously reported bacterial GH65 enzymes are GPs, whereas all eukaryotic GH65 enzymes known are GHs. In addition, to date, no crystal structure of a GH65 GH has yet been reported. In this study, we use biochemical experiments and X-ray crystallography to examine the function and structure of a GH65 enzyme from Flavobacterium johnsoniae (FjGH65A) that shows low amino acid sequence homology to reported GH65 enzymes. We found that FjGH65A does not exhibit phosphorolytic activity, but it does hydrolyze kojibiose (α-1,2-glucobiose) and oligosaccharides containing a kojibiosyl moiety without requiring inorganic phosphate. In addition, stereochemical analysis demonstrated that FjGH65A catalyzes this hydrolytic reaction via an anomer-inverting mechanism. The three-dimensional structures of FjGH65A in native form and in complex with glucose were determined at resolutions of 1.54 and 1.40 Å resolutions, respectively. The overall structure of FjGH65A resembled those of other GH65 GPs, and the general acid catalyst Glu472 was conserved. However, the amino acid sequence forming the phosphate-binding site typical of GH65 GPs was not conserved in FjGH65A. Moreover, FjGH65A had the general base catalyst Glu616 instead, which is required to activate a nucleophilic water molecule. These results indicate that FjGH65A is an α-1,2-glucosidase and is the first bacterial GH found in the GH65 family.

Structural Insights into the Mechanism of Base Excision by MBD4

DNA glycosylases remove damaged or modified nucleobases by cleaving the N-glycosyl bond and the correct nucleotide is restored through subsequent base excision repair. In addition to excising threatening lesions, DNA glycosylases contribute to epigenetic regulation by mediating DNA demethylation and perform other important functions. However, the catalytic mechanism remains poorly defined for many glycosylases, including MBD4 (methyl-CpG binding domain IV), a member of the helix-hairpin-helix (HhH) superfamily. MBD4 excises thymine from G·T mispairs, suppressing mutations caused by deamination of 5-methylcytosine, and it removes uracil and modified uracils (e.g., 5-hydroxymethyluracil) mispaired with guanine. To investigate the mechanism of MBD4 we solved high-resolution structures of enzyme-DNA complexes at three stages of catalysis. Using a non-cleavable substrate analog, 2′-deoxy-pseudouridine, we determined the first structure of an enzyme-substrate complex for wild-type MBD4, which confirms interactions that mediate lesion recognition and suggests that a catalytic Asp, highly conserved in HhH enzymes, binds the putative nucleophilic water molecule and stabilizes the transition state. Observation that mutating the Asp (to Gly) reduces activity by 2700-fold indicates an important role in catalysis, but probably not one as the nucleophile in a double-displacement reaction, as previously suggested. Consistent with direct-displacement hydrolysis, a structure of the enzyme-product complex indicates a reaction leading to inversion of configuration. A structure with DNA containing 1-azadeoxyribose models a potential oxacarbenium-ion intermediate and suggests the Asp could facilitate migration of the electrophile towards the nucleophilic water. Finally, the structures provide detailed snapshots of the HhH motif, informing how these ubiquitous metal-binding elements mediate DNA binding.

Catalytic mechanism of the mismatch-specific DNA glycosylase methyl-CpG-binding domain 4.

Thymine:guanine base pairs are major promutagenic mismatches occurring in DNA metabolism. If left unrepaired, these mispairs can cause C to T transition mutations. In humans, T:G mismatches are repaired in part by mismatch-specific DNA glycosylases such as methyl-CpG-binding domain 4 (hMBD4) and thymine-DNA glycosylase. Unlike lesion-specific DNA glycosylases, T:G-mismatch-specific DNA glycosylases specifically recognize both bases of the mismatch and remove the thymine but only from mispairs with guanine. Despite the advances in biochemical and structural characterizations of hMBD4, the catalytic mechanism of hMBD4 remains elusive. Herein, we report two structures of hMBD4 processing T:G-mismatched DNA. A high-resolution crystal structure of Asp560Asn hMBD4-T:G complex suggests that hMBD4-mediated glycosidic bond cleavage occurs via a general base catalysis mechanism assisted by Asp560. A structure of wild-type hMBD4 encountering T:G-containing DNA shows the generation of an apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) site bearing the C1'-(S)-OH. The inversion of the stereochemistry at the C1' of the AP-site indicates that a nucleophilic water molecule approaches from the back of the thymine substrate, suggesting a bimolecular displacement mechanism (SN2) for hMBD4-catalyzed thymine excision. The AP-site is stabilized by an extensive hydrogen bond network in the MBD4 catalytic site, highlighting the role of MBD4 in protecting the genotoxic AP-site.

Examining the Mechanism of Phosphite Dehydrogenase with Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanical Free Energy Simulations

The projected decline of available phosphorus necessitates alternative methods to derive usable phosphate for fertilizer and other applications. Phosphite dehydrogenase oxidizes phosphite to phosphate with the cofactor NAD+ serving as the hydride acceptor. In addition to producing phosphate, this enzyme plays an important role in NADH cofactor regeneration processes. Mixed quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical free energy simulations were performed to elucidate the mechanism of this enzyme and to identify the protonation states of the substrate and product. Specifically, the finite temperature string method with umbrella sampling was used to generate the free energy surfaces and determine the minimum free energy paths for six different initial conditions that varied in the protonation state of the substrate and the position of the nucleophilic water molecule. In contrast to previous studies, the mechanism predicted by all six independent strings is a concerted but asynchronous dissociative mechanism in which hydride transfer from the phosphite substrate to NAD+ occurs prior to attack by the nucleophilic water molecule. His292 is identified as the most likely general base that deprotonates the attacking water molecule. However, Arg237 could also serve as this base if it were deprotonated and His292 were protonated prior to the main chemical transformation, although this scenario is less probable. The simulations indicate that the phosphite substrate is monoanionic in its active form and that the most likely product is dihydrogen phosphate. These mechanistic insights may be helpful for designing mutant enzymes or artificial constructs that convert phosphite to phosphate and NAD+ to NADH more effectively.

Excision of 5-Carboxylcytosine by Thymine DNA Glycosylase.

5-Methylcytosine (mC) is an epigenetic mark that is written by methyltransferases, erased through passive and active mechanisms, and impacts transcription, development, diseases including cancer, and aging. Active DNA demethylation involves TET-mediated stepwise oxidation of mC to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, 5-formylcytosine (fC), or 5-carboxylcytosine (caC), excision of fC or caC by thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG), and subsequent base excision repair. Many elements of this essential process are poorly defined, including TDG excision of caC. To address this problem, we solved high-resolution structures of human TDG bound to DNA with cadC (5-carboxyl-2'-deoxycytidine) flipped into its active site. The structures unveil detailed enzyme-substrate interactions that mediate recognition and removal of caC, many involving water molecules. Importantly, two water molecules contact a carboxylate oxygen of caC and are poised to facilitate acid-catalyzed caC excision. Moreover, a substrate-dependent conformational change in TDG modulates the hydrogen bond interactions for one of these waters, enabling productive interaction with caC. An Asn residue (N191) that is critical for caC excision is found to contact N3 and N4 of caC, suggesting a mechanism for acid-catalyzed base excision that features an N3-protonated form of caC but would be ineffective for C, mC, or hmC. We also investigated another Asn residue (N140) that is catalytically essential and strictly conserved in the TDG-MUG enzyme family. A structure of N140A-TDG bound to cadC DNA provides the first high-resolution insight into how enzyme-substrate interactions, including water molecules, are impacted by depleting the conserved Asn, informing its role in binding and addition of the nucleophilic water molecule.

A GAP-GTPase-GDP-Pi Intermediate Crystal Structure Analyzed by DFT Shows GTP Hydrolysis Involves Serial Proton Transfers.

Cell signaling by small G proteins uses an ON to OFF signal based on conformational changes following the hydrolysis of GTP to GDP and release of dihydrogen phosphate (Pi). The catalytic mechanism of GTP hydrolysis by RhoA is strongly accelerated by a GAP protein and is now well defined, but timing of inorganic phosphate release and signal change remains unresolved. We have generated a quaternary complex for RhoA‐GAP‐GDP‐Pi. Its 1.75 Å crystal structure shows geometry for ionic and hydrogen bond coordination of GDP and Pi in an intermediate state. It enables the selection of a QM core for DFT exploration of a 20 H‐bonded network. This identifies serial locations of the two mobile protons from the original nucleophilic water molecule, showing how they move in three rational steps to form a stable quaternary complex. It also suggests how two additional proton transfer steps can facilitate Pi release.

Exposing catalytic versatility of GTPases: taking reaction detours in mutants of hGBP1 enzyme without additional energetic cost.

The catalytic power of enzymes is usually ascribed to a few catalytically competent residues as revealed by site-directed mutagenesis studies in conjunction with biochemical, thermodynamic and structural analyses. Surprisingly, the mutations of such pivotal residues in a GTPase that can hydrolyse GTP even to GMP, namely hGBP1, have been reported to result only in marginal changes of the catalytic rate compared to the wild type. Our large-scale ab initio quantum-mechanical/molecular-mechanical (QM/MM) metadynamics simulations disclose that the replacement of catalytically competent residues by the inert amino acid alanine, S73A and E99A, opens a plethora of molecularly different reaction pathways featuring very similar energy barriers and thus rates. These hitherto unknown reaction channels are established by mechanistically involving far-distant residues using "floating" water molecules, which connect them via hydrogen-bonding bridges to the nucleophilic water molecule, thus allowing for efficient long-distance proton transfer via the Grotthuss mechanism. Given the generic nature of the disclosed detour mechanisms that provide the molecular underpinning of catalytic versatility and thus mutational robustness of hGBP1, it is expected that the same concept is operational for GTPases in a broad sense.

A novel method for chemo-enzymatic synthesis of chitin oligosaccharide catalyzed by the mutant of inverting family GH19 chitinase using 4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl α-chitobioside as a glycosyl donor.

A novel method for the chemo-enzymatic synthesis of chitin oligosaccharide catalyzed by mutants of BcChi-A, an inverting family GH19 chitinase from Bryum coronatum, has been developed using 4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl α-chitobioside [DMT-α-(GlcNAc)2)] as a donor substrate. Based on the glycosynthase derived from BcChi-A, Glu70, which acts as a catalytic base, and Ser102, which fixes a nucleophilic water molecule, were changed to generate several single and double mutants of BcChi-A, which were employed in synthetic reactions. Among the double mutants tested, E70G/S102G, E70G/S102C and E70G/S102A were found to successfully synthesize chitotetraose [(GlcNAc)4] from DMT-α-(GlcNAc)2 and (GlcNAc)2; however, the single mutants, E70G, S102G, S102C and S102A, did not. Among the mutants, E70G/S102A showed the highest synthetic activity. This is the first report of a glycosynthase that employs a dimethoxytriazine-type glycoside as a donor substrate.

Role of AP-endonuclease (Ape1) active site residues in stabilization of the reactant enzyme-DNA complex.

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (Ape1) is an important metal-dependent enzyme in the base excision repair mechanism, responsible for the backbone cleavage of abasic DNA through a phosphate hydrolysis reaction. Molecular dynamics simulations of Ape1 complexed to its substrate DNA performed for models containing 1 or 2 Mg2+ -ions as cofactor located at different positions show a complex with 1 metal ion bound on the leaving group site of the scissile phosphate to be the most likely reaction-competent conformation. Active-site residue His309 is found to be protonated based on pKa calculations and the higher conformational stability of the Ape1-DNA substrate complex compared to scenarios with neutral His309. Simulations of the D210N mutant further support the prevalence of protonated His309 and strongly suggest Asp210 as the general base for proton acceptance by a nucleophilic water molecule.

Nucleophilic Water Capture or Proton Loss: Single Amino Acid Switch Converts δ-Cadinene Synthase into Germacradien-4-ol Synthase.

δ‐Cadinene synthase is a sesquiterpene cyclase that utilises the universal achiral precursor farnesyl diphosphate (FDP) to generate predominantly the bicyclic sesquiterpene δ‐cadinene and about 2 % germacradien‐4‐ol, which is also generated from FDP by the cyclase germacradien‐4‐ol synthase. Herein, the mechanism by which sesquiterpene synthases discriminate between deprotonation and reaction with a nucleophilic water molecule was investigated by site‐directed mutagenesis of δ‐cadinene synthase. If W279 in δ‐cadinene synthase was replaced with various smaller amino acids, the ratio of alcohol versus hydrocarbon product was directly proportional to the van der Waals volume of the amino acid side chain. DCS‐W279A is a catalytically highly efficient germacradien‐4‐ol synthase (k cat/K M=1.4×10−3 μm s−1) that produces predominantly germacradien‐4‐ol in addition to 11 % δ‐cadinene. Water capture is not achieved through strategic positioning of a water molecule in the active site, but through a coordinated series of loop movements that allow bulk water access to the final carbocation in the active site prior to product release.

Structural aspects of nucleotide ligand binding by a bacterial 2H phosphoesterase.

The 2H phosphoesterase family contains enzymes with two His-X-Ser/Thr motifs in the active site. 2H enzymes are found in all kingdoms of life, sharing little sequence identity despite the conserved overall fold and active site. For many 2H enzymes, the physiological function is unknown. Here, we studied the structure of the 2H family member LigT from Escherichia coli both in the apo form and complexed with different active-site ligands, including ATP, 2′-AMP, 3′-AMP, phosphate, and NADP+. Comparisons to the well-characterized vertebrate myelin enzyme 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase (CNPase) highlight specific features of the catalytic cycle and substrate recognition in both enzymes. The role played by the helix α7, unique to CNPases within the 2H family, is apparently taken over by Arg130 in the bacterial enzyme. Other residues and loops lining the active site groove are likely to be important for RNA substrate binding. We visualized conformational changes related to ligand binding, as well as the position of the nucleophilic water molecule. We also present a low-resolution model of E. coli LigT bound to tRNA in solution, and provide a model for RNA binding by LigT, involving flexible loops lining the active site cavity. Taken together, our results both aid in understanding the common features of 2H family enzymes and help highlight the distinct features in the 2H family members, which must result in different reaction mechanisms. Unique aspects in different 2H family members can be observed in ligand recognition and binding, and in the coordination of the nucleophilic water molecule and the reactive phosphate moiety.

Structural and Functional Influence of the Glycine-Rich Loop G302GGGY on the Catalytic Tyrosine of Histone Deacetylase 8.

Histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) catalyzes the hydrolysis of acetyl-l-lysine to yield products l-lysine and acetate through a mechanism in which a nucleophilic water molecule is activated by a histidine general base and a catalytic metal ion (Zn2+ or Fe2+). Acetyl-l-lysine also requires activation by metal coordination and a hydrogen bond with catalytic tyrosine Y306, which also functions in transition state stabilization. Interestingly, Y306 is located in the conserved glycine-rich loop G302GGGY. The potential flexibility afforded by the tetraglycine segment may facilitate induced-fit conformational changes in Y306 between "in" and "out" positions, as observed in related deacetylases. To probe the catalytic importance of the glycine-rich loop in HDAC8, we rigidified this loop by preparing the G302A, G303A, G304A, and G305A mutants and measured their steady state kinetics and determined their X-ray crystal structures. Substantial losses of catalytic efficiency are observed (10-500-fold based on kcat/KM), particularly for G304A HDAC8 and G305A HDAC8. These mutants also exhibit the greatest structural changes for catalytic tyrosine Y306 (1.3-1.7 Å shifts of the phenolic hydroxyl group). Molecular dynamics simulations further indicate that G304 and G305 undergo pronounced structural changes as residue 306 undergoes a transition between "in" and "out" conformations. Thus, the G304A and G305A substitutions likely compromise the position and conformational changes of Y306 required for substrate activation and transition state stabilization. The G302A and G303A substitutions have less severe catalytic consequences, and these substitutions may influence an internal channel through which product acetate is believed to exit.

Peptide Release on the Ribosome Involves Substrate-Assisted Base Catalysis

Termination of protein synthesis on the ribosome involves hydrolysis of the ester bond between the P-site tRNA and the nascent peptide chain. This reaction occurs in the peptidyl transferase center and is triggered by the class I release factors RF1 and RF2 in prokaryotes. Peptidyl-tRNA hydrolysis is pH-dependent, and experimental results suggest that an ionizable group with pKa > 9 is involved in the reaction. The nature of this group is, however, unknown. To resolve this problem, we conducted density functional theory calculations using a large cluster model of the peptidyl transferase center. Our calculations reveal that peptidyl-tRNA hydrolysis occurs via a base-catalyzed mechanism with a predicted activation energy of 15.8 kcal mol–1, which is in good agreement with experimental data. In this mechanism, the P-site A76 2′-OH group is deprotonated and acts as the general base by activating the nucleophilic water molecule. The energy cost of deprotonating the 2′-hydroxyl group at pH 7.5 is estimated to ...

Structural Insight into the Enzymatic Formation of Bacterial Stilbene

In contrast to stilbene biosynthesis by type III polyketide synthase in plants, in bacteria stilbene is produced by the collaboration of two enzymes in Photorhabdus luminescens: the unusual β-ketosynthase StlD catalyzes the condensation of the β-ketoacyl starter with an α,β-unsaturated-acyl substrate (two C-C bond-forming reactions) to produce isopropylstyrylcyclohexanedione, which is subsequently converted to stilbene by the aromatase StlC. Here we report the invitro characterizations of StlD and StlC, and the X-ray crystal structures of StlD. Interestingly, structure-based mutagenesis demonstrated that His302, within the conserved Cys-His-Asn triad, is not essential for the enzyme reaction, while Glu154 functions as a base-catalyst to activate the β-ketoacyl intermediate bound to the catalytic Cys126. The structures also revealed the presence of a putative nucleophilic water molecule activated by hydrogen bond networks with Glu154 and Ser340, suggesting that StlD employs novel catalytic machinery for the condensation of two acyl substrates to produce the cyclohexanedione scaffold.

Phosphodiester hydrolysis computed for cluster models of enzymatic active sites

Computation of phosphodiester hydrolysis in different models with one or two metal ions, representing typical active site architectures of nucleases, reveals an associative mechanism to be favorable in all of the cases studied in this work. Direct attack of the nucleophilic water molecule with proton transfer to the phosphate group is facilitated by an extra positive charge as provided by a metal ion located at the attack site or a positively charged histidine residue, whereas no such contribution can be observed on leaving group departure. A major catalytic effect is found by proton transfer from the nucleophilic water molecule to a histidine–aspartate cluster. Attack of the thus generated hydroxide ion on the phosphate group is just sufficiently stabilized by the metal ions to allow subsequent P–O bond dissociation.

Structure of a Novel Phosphotriesterase from Sphingobium sp. TCM1: A Familiar Binuclear Metal Center Embedded in a Seven-Bladed β-Propeller Protein Fold.

A novel phosphotriesterase was recently discovered and purified from Sphingobium sp. TCM1 (Sb-PTE) and shown to catalyze the hydrolysis of a broad spectrum of organophosphate esters with a catalytic efficiency that exceeds 10(6) M(-1) s(-1) for the hydrolysis of triphenyl phosphate. The enzyme was crystallized and the three-dimensional structure determined to a resolution of 2.1 Å using single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (Protein Data Bank entry 5HRM ). The enzyme adopts a seven-bladed β-propeller protein fold, and three disulfide bonds were identified between Cys-146 and Cys-242, Cys-411 and Cys-443, and Cys-542 and Cys-559. The active site of Sb-PTE contains a binuclear manganese center that is nearly identical to that of the structurally unrelated phosphotriesterase from Pseudomonas diminuta (Pd-PTE). The two metal ions in the active site are bridged to one another by Glu-201 and a water molecule. The α-metal ion is further coordinated to the protein by interactions with His-389, His-475, and Glu-407, whereas the β-metal ion is further liganded to His-317 and His-258. Computational docking of mimics of the proposed pentavalent reaction intermediates for the hydrolysis of organophosphates was used to provide a model for the binding of chiral substrates in the active site of Sb-PTE. The most striking difference in the catalytic properties of Sb-PTE, relative to those of Pd-PTE, is the enhanced rate of hydrolysis of organophosphate esters with substantially weaker leaving groups. The structural basis for this difference in the catalytic properties between Sb-PTE and Pd-PTE, despite the nearly identical binuclear metal centers for the activation of the substrate and nucleophilic water molecule, is at present unclear.

Modeling the Complete Catalytic Cycle of Aspartoacylase.

The complete catalytic cycle of aspartoacylase (ASPA), a zinc-dependent enzyme responsible for cleavage of N-acetyl-l-aspartate, is characterized by the methods of molecular modeling. The reaction energy profile connecting the enzyme-substrate (ES) and the enzyme-product (EP) complexes is constructed by the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) method assisted by the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the QM/MM potentials. Starting from the crystal structure of ASPA complexed with the intermediate analogue, the minimum-energy geometry configurations and the corresponding transition states are located. The stages of substrate binding to the enzyme active site and release of the products are modeled by MD calculations with the replica-exchange umbrella sampling technique. It is shown that the first reaction steps, nucleophilic attack of a zinc-bound nucleophilic water molecule at the carbonyl carbon and the amide bond cleavage, are consistent with the glutamate-assisted mechanism hypothesized for the zinc-dependent hydrolases. The stages of formation of the products, acetate and l-aspartate, and regeneration of the enzyme are characterized for the first time. The constructed free energy diagram from the reactants to the products suggests that the enzyme regeneration, but not the nucleophilic attack of the catalytic water molecule, corresponds to the rate-determining stage of the full catalytic cycle of ASPA.

Mechanism of Germacradien-4-ol Synthase-Controlled Water Capture.

The sesquiterpene synthase germacradiene-4-ol synthase (GdolS) from Streptomyces citricolor is one of only a few known high-fidelity terpene synthases that convert farnesyl diphosphate (FDP) into a single hydroxylated product. Crystals of unliganded GdolS-E248A diffracted to 1.50 Å and revealed a typical class 1 sesquiterpene synthase fold with the active site in an open conformation. The metal binding motifs were identified as D80DQFD and N218DVRSFAQE. Some bound water molecules were evident in the X-ray crystal structure, but none were obviously positioned to quench a putative final carbocation intermediate. Incubations in H218O generated labeled product, confirming that the alcohol functionality arises from nucleophilic capture of the final carbocation by water originating from solution. Site-directed mutagenesis of amino acid residues from both within the metal binding motifs and without identified by sequence alignment with aristolochene synthase from Aspergillus terreus generated mostly functional germacradien-4-ol synthases. Only GdolS-N218Q generated radically different products (∼50% germacrene A), but no direct evidence of the mechanism of incorporation of water into the active site was obtained. Fluorinated FDP analogues 2F-FDP and 15,15,15-F3-FDP were potent noncompetitive inhibitors of GdolS. 12,13-DiF-FDP generated 12,13-(E)-β-farnesene upon being incubated with GdolS, suggesting stepwise formation of the germacryl cation during the catalytic cycle. Incubation of GdolS with [1-2H2]FDP and (R)-[1-2H]FDP demonstrated that following germacryl cation formation a [1,3]-hydride shift generates the final carbocation prior to nucleophilic capture. The stereochemistry of this shift is not defined, and the deuteron in the final product was scrambled. Because no clear candidate residue for binding of a nucleophilic water molecule in the active site and no significant perturbation of product distribution from the replacement of active site residues were observed, the final carbocation may be captured by a water molecule from bulk solvent.