Porcine Cytosolic Aspartate Aminotransferase Research Articles

NMR studies of 1H resonances in the 10-18-ppm range for aspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli.

We have recorded 500-MHz 1H NMR spectra in the 10-18-ppm range for aspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli and for three specific mutant forms. Histidine 143 has been replaced by either alanine or asparagine. In the third mutant, tryptophan 140 has been replaced by phenylalanine. The NMR spectrum of the native enzyme is very similar to that of porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase in the most downfield region. However, the resonances of the proton on the ring nitrogen of the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (peak A) and on the His-143 imidazole ring (peak B) of the E. coli enzyme are broader and more readily lost at low pH or higher temperatures than those of the porcine enzyme. The possible role of tautomerism in promoting such broadening is discussed. In the histidine mutant proteins, peak A of the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate form is too broad to see under most conditions but is clearly present in the pyridoxamine phosphate form. Peak B is missing in the 2 histidine mutants. Observation of nuclear Overhauser effects further confirms the identity of B as the resonance of HN epsilon 2 of His-143 and that of peak D at approximately 11.8 ppm as HN epsilon 2 of His-189. The mutant spectra also provide insight into electronic interactions between groups in and near the active site which confirm and supplement conclusions drawn from spectra of porcine cAspAT. While no clear loss of a peak was observed for the Trp-140 mutant in its free form, the spectrum of the succinate complex lacked a strong band at 11.26 ppm. This may represent the Trp-140 indole NH proton which has been shifted downfield by binding to a succinate carboxylate group. While our results confirm the basic similarity of cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase and E. coli aspartate aminotransferase 1H NMR spectra, they also point out differences that may be useful in identifying resonances. A large number of mutant proteins have been prepared for the E. coli enzyme. The present results provide essential information for future study of these mutants and for study of NMR spectra of isotopically labeled enzyme.

NMR studies of 1H resonances in the 10-18-ppm range for cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase.

Continuing a previous investigation (Kintanar, A., Metzler, C. M., Metzler, D. E., and Scott, R. D. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 17222-17229), we have recorded 1H NMR spectra at 500 MHz in the 10-18-ppm range for the 93-kDa porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase and for four specific mutant forms of the enzyme in which histidine 68 has been replaced by lysine or histidine 143, 189, or 193 has been replaced by glutamine. We have correlated resonances for apoenzyme, pyridoxamine and pyridoxal phosphate forms, and dicarboxylate complexes and have assigned imidazole NH resonances of active site histidines. The chemical shifts of several resonances undergo pH-dependent changes around the pKa of the Schiff base proton at the active site. Other resonances shift upon binding of dicarboxylates or other ligands. Phosphate or carboxylate ions, which can also occupy the site of the substrate's alpha-carboxylate, cause rapid exchange of the Schiff base proton. Although most resonances in the 10-18-ppm range disappear rapidly in D2O, a few are retained for months in the presence of the dicarboxylate inhibitor glutarate. We demonstrate that changes in chemical shifts and in exchange rates are sensitive indicators of electronic interactions of the enzyme with ligands and of conformational change. Nuclear Overhauser effects from NH protons have allowed us to identify resonances of CH protons of the imidazole rings of histidines 143, 189, and 193. Observed and predicted chemical shifts have been compared. We conclude that the net charge on this histidine cluster is zero but that some negative charge from the aspartate 222 carboxylate is donated inductively into the histidine 143 ring. Studies of the related enzyme from Escherichia coli are provided in an accompanying paper (Metzler, D. E., Metzler, C. M., Scott, R. D., Mollova, E. T., Kagamiyama, H., Yano, T., Kuramitsu, S., Hayashi, H., Hirotsu, K., and Miyahara, I. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 28027-28033). Our approach should be applicable to the study of active sites of a broad range of relatively large proteins.

Functional role of the amino-terminal mobile segment in catalysis by porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase. Critical importance of Val17 and Phe18 for productive binding of substrates.

A notable feature of porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase is the closure of the active site cleft by a mobile amino-terminal segment (residues 15-40) upon binding substrate. The functional roles of Val17 and Phe18, residues that are part of the mobile loop, have been studied in the site-directed mutants in which the size and hydrophobic nature of these residues have been changed. Absorption, circular dichroism spectra, susceptibility to protease 401, and thermal stability did not differ appreciably between wild type and mutant enzymes. In the overall transamination between aspartate and 2-oxoglutarate, V17A represented a typical Km mutant while V17I retained the substrate binding affinity fairly well. In contrast, replacement of Phe18 by Ala resulted in a large decrease in both catalytic rate and binding affinity for substrates. F18W, F18Y, and F18H showed a moderate decrease in kcat and a considerable increase in Km values. Single-turnover reactions with four individual substrates yielded analogous results to those obtained for the overall reaction and, in addition, revealed that k/Kd values of mutants F18A and F18H were over 10 times lower for C5 substrates (glutamate and 2-oxoglutarate) than those for C4 substrates (aspartate and oxalacetate). All mutant enzymes showed variously increased Kd values for substrate analogs such as 2-methylaspartate, succinate, and glutarate. 1H NMR observations of F18H, in which His18 served as a built-in probe, were in accord with the behavior that would be expected from the conformational transition. We conclude that, although Val17 and Phe18 may not be essential for catalysis, the presence of a bulky residue of appropriate size at each position is critical for productive binding of substrate.

Functional roles of valine 37 and glycine 38 in the mobile loop of porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase.

The functional roles of Val37 and Gly38 in porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase have been studied in the site-directed mutants V37A, G38A, and G38S where the size and hydrophobic character of these residues has been altered. Previous x-ray studies have shown that Val37 and Gly38, which are part of a flexible loop, interact directly with bound substrate. From x-ray and solution experiments we find that the V37A, G38A, and G38S mutations do not cause significant perturbations to the unliganded enzyme. Replacing Val37 with a less bulky alanine residue does not affect the maximal catalytic rate (kcat), but it does increase significantly the Michaelis constants for substrates in the overall transamination reaction between aspartate and 2-oxoglutarate. On the other hand, replacing Gly38 with alanine or serine results in striking decreases in kcat to 5 and 0.6%, respectively, of the value observed for the wild-type enzyme, as well as in considerable increases in Km values. Consequently, the catalytic competence, kcat/Km, decreases by 3 orders of magnitude for G38A and by 4 orders of magnitude for G38S. Single turnover reactions of G38A and G38S with four individual substrates (aspartate, glutamate, oxalacetate, and 2-oxoglutarate) are characterized by kinetic parameters that are largely consistent with those of the overall reaction. In addition, the mutations at position 38 impair more seriously the catalytic competence of the enzyme toward C5-substrates than toward C4-substrates. We conclude that Gly38 is probably required for proper function of the enzyme because it permits a high level of flexibility for the 36-39 peptide, which in turn allows the essential substrate-induced movement of the small domain.

Cloning and sequence analysis of a cdna encoding bovine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase

1. 1. Complementary DNA encoding cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase was isolated from an adult bovine heart library. 2. 2. The amino add sequence deduced for the protein (412 amino acids) is extremely similar (> 94% identity) to that of porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase but interesting differences were noticed comparing the position of cysteine residues.

Structural and functional role of the amino-terminal region of porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase: Catalytic and structural properties of enzyme derivatives truncated on the amino-terminal side

In porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase, a dimeric enzyme, the amino-terminal region anchoring onto the neighboring subunit is linked to the adjoining floppy peptide segment (residues 12-47), an integral part of the small domain whose facile movement upon substrate binding is a striking induced fit feature of this enzyme. To assess the contribution by the amino-terminal region to small domain movement and protein stability, a series of enzyme derivatives truncated on the amino-terminal side (residues 1-9) was prepared by using oligonucleotide-directed in vitro mutagenesis. Deletion of residues 1-3 showed no effect on catalytic activity and heat stability. Del 1-5 mutant enzyme with an extra methionine at position 5 showed only 43% of the kappa cat value (in the overall transamination) of the wild-type enzyme. Further deletion up to residue 9 resulted in a slight decrease in kappa cat values. Del 1-9 mutant enzyme still retained a kappa cat value of 33% that of wild-type enzyme. Km values for aspartate and 2-oxoglutarate increased sharply upon deletion of residues 1-9. Accordingly, Del 1-9 mutant enzyme showed a striking decrease in the kappa cat/Km value, to only 2% of that for the wild-type enzyme. Deletion of amino-terminal residues 1-9 resulted also in a large decrease in thermostability and in an enhanced susceptibility to limited proteolysis by protease 401, which is known to cleave at Leu20 of the wild-type enzyme. These findings indicate that an increase in the conformational freedom of the floppy segment (residues 12-47) would occur upon the loss of most of the anchorage region, thereby presenting an entropic barrier to conformational changes that facilitate substrate binding with high affinity.

Porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase reconstituted with [4'-13C]pyridoxal phosphate. pH and ligand-induced changes of the coenzyme observed by carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy

Apoenzyme samples of aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT) purified from the cytosolic fraction of pig heart were reconstituted with [4'-13C]pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (pyridoxal-P). The 13C NMR spectra of AspAT samples thus generated established the chemical shift of 165.3 ppm for C4' of the coenzyme bound as an internal aldimine with lysine 258 of the enzyme at pH 5. In the absence of ligands the chemical shift of C4' was shown to be pH dependent, shifting 5 ppm upfield to a constant value of 160.2 ppm above pH 8, the resulting pKa of 6.3 in agreement with spectrophotometric titrations. The addition of the competitive inhibitor succinate to the internal aldimine raises the pKa of the imine to 7.8, consistent with the theory of charge neutralization in the active site. In the presence of saturating concentrations of 2-methylaspartic acid the C4' signal of the coenzyme was shown to be invariant with pH and located at 162.7 ppm, midway between the observed chemical shifts of the protonated and unprotonated forms of the internal aldimine. The intermediate chemical shift of the external aldimine complex is thought to reflect the observation of an equilibrium mixture composed of roughly equal populations of the protonated ketoenamine and a dipolar anion species, corresponding to their respective spectral bands at 430 and 360-370 nm. Conversion to the pyridoxamine form was accomplished via reaction of the internal aldimine with L-cysteinesulfinate or by reduction with sodium borohydride, and the resulting C4' chemical shifts were identified by difference spectroscopy. Finally, the line widths of the C4' resonance under the various conditions were measured and qualitatively compared. The results are discussed in terms of the current mechanism and molecular models of the active site of AspAT.

A convenient continuous-rate spectrophotometric method for determination of amino acid substrate specificity of aminotransferases: Application to isoenzymes of aspartate aminotransferase

A continuous-rate spectrophotometric procedure is presented for determination of the amino acid substrate specificity of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent aminotransferases. The reaction utilizes a glutamate dehydrogenase- and diaphorase-coupled enzyme system; the rate of formazan dye produced is related to enzyme activity at 500 nm. Of 20 amino acids examined with this assay, only l-aspartate and l-glutamate were found to be substrates for human and porcine cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.1). l-Tyrosine was found to be a significant substrate for the human liver mitochondrial enzyme.