Gottfried K. Schroeder

Free-flow electrophoresis for top-down proteomics by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

High‐efficiency prefractionation of complex protein mixtures is critical for top‐down proteomics, i.e., the analysis of intact proteins by MS. Free‐flow electrophoresis (FFE) can be used for IEF to separate proteins within a pH gradient according to their pIs. In an FFE system, this separation is performed entirely in the liquid phase, without the need for particulate chromatographic media, gels, or membranes. Herein, we demonstrated the compatibility of IEF‐FFE with ESI‐Fourier transform ICR MS (ESI‐FTICR‐MS) for top‐down experiments. We demonstrated that IEF‐FFE of intact proteins were highly reproducible between FFE instruments, between laboratories, and between analyses. Applying native (0.2% hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose) IEF‐FFE to an enzyme resulted in no decrease in enzyme activity; applying either native or denaturing (8 M urea) IEF‐FFE to a four‐protein mixture with different pIs resulted in isolation of each protein into separate fractions in a 96‐well plate. After desalting, each protein was sequenced by top‐down MS/MS. As an application of this technique, chicken erythrocyte histone H2A‐IV and its major modified forms were enriched by IEF‐FFE. Top‐down analysis revealed Lys‐5 to be a major acetylation site, in addition to N‐terminal acetylation.

Reaction of cis-3-Chloroacrylic Acid Dehalogenase with an Allene Substrate, 2,3-Butadienoate: Hydration Via an Enamine

cis-3-Chloroacrylic acid dehalogenase (cis-CaaD) catalyzes the hydrolytic dehalogenation of cis-3-haloacrylates to yield malonate semialdehyde. The enzyme processes other substrates including an allene (2,3-butadienoate) to produce acetoacetate. In the course of a stereochemical analysis of the cis-CaaD-catalyzed reaction using this allene, the enzyme was unexpectedly inactivated in the presence of NaBH(4) by the reduction of a covalent enzyme-substrate bond. Covalent modification was surprising because the accumulated evidence for cis-CaaD dehalogenation favored a mechanism involving direct substrate hydration mediated by Pro-1. However, the results of subsequent mechanistic, pre-steady state and full progress kinetic experiments are consistent with a mechanism in which an enamine forms between Pro-1 and the allene. Hydrolysis of the enamine or an imine tautomer produces acetoacetate. Reduction of the imine species is likely responsible for the observed enzyme inactivation. This is the first reported observation of a tautomerase superfamily member functioning by covalent catalysis. The results may suggest that some fraction of the cis-CaaD-catalyzed dehalogenation of cis-3-haloacrylates also proceeds by covalent catalysis.

Kinetic, crystallographic, and mechanistic characterization of TomN: elucidation of a function for a 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase homologue in the tomaymycin biosynthetic pathway.

The biosynthesis of the C ring of the antitumor antibiotic agent, tomaymycin, is proposed to proceed through five enzyme-catalyzed steps from l-tyrosine. The genes encoding these enzymes have recently been cloned and their functions tentatively assigned, but there is limited biochemical evidence supporting the assignments of the last three steps. One enzyme, TomN, shows 58% pairwise sequence similarity with 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase (4-OT), an enzyme found in a catabolic pathway for aromatic hydrocarbons. The TomN sequence includes three amino acids (Pro-1, Arg-11, and Arg-39) that have been identified as critical catalytic residues in 4-OT. However, the proposed substrate for TomN is very different from that processed by 4-OT. To establish the function and mechanism of TomN and its relationship with 4-OT, we conducted kinetic, mutagenic, and structural studies. The kinetic parameters for TomN, and four alanine mutants, P1A, R11A, R39A, and R61A, were determined using 2-hydroxymuconate, the substrate for 4-OT. The TomN-catalyzed reaction using this substrate compares favorably to that of 4-OT. In addition, the kinetic parameters for the P1A, R11A, and R39A mutants of TomN parallel the trends observed for the corresponding 4-OT mutants, implicating an analogous mechanism. A high-resolution crystal structure (1.4 Å) of TomN shows that the overall structure and the active site region are highly similar to those of 4-OT with a root-mean-square deviation of 0.81 Å. Moreover, key active site residues are positionally conserved. The combined results suggest that the tentative assignment for TomN and the proposed sequence of events in the biosynthetic pathway leading to the formation of the C ring of tomaymycin might not be correct. An alternative pathway that awaits biochemical confirmation is proposed.

The rate of spontaneous cleavage of the glycosidic bond of adenosine

Previous estimates of the rate of spontaneous cleavage of the glycosidic bond of adenosine were determined by extrapolating the rates of the acid- and base-catalyzed reactions to neutral pH. Here we show that cleavage also proceeds through a pH-independent mechanism. Rate constants were determined as a function of temperature at pH 7 and a linear Arrhenius plot was constructed. Uncatalyzed cleavage occurs with a rate constant of 3.7x10(-12)s(-1) at 25 degrees C, and the rate enhancement generated by the corresponding glycoside hydrolase is approximately 5x10(12)-fold.

Pre-Steady-State Kinetic Analysis of cis-3-Chloroacrylic Acid Dehalogenase: Analysis and Implications

Isomer-specific 3-chloroacrylic acid dehalogenases catalyze the hydrolytic dehalogenation of the cis- and trans-isomers of 3-chloroacrylate to yield malonate semialdehyde. These reactions represent key steps in the degradation of the nematocide, 1,3-dichloropropene. The kinetic mechanism of cis-3-chloroacrylic acid dehalogenase (cis-CaaD) has now been examined using stopped-flow and chemical-quench techniques. Stopped-flow analysis of the reaction, following the fluorescence of an active site tryptophan, is consistent with a minimal three-step model involving substrate binding, chemistry, and product release. Chemical-quench experiments show burst kinetics, indicating that product release is at least partially rate limiting. Global fitting of all of the kinetic results by simulation is best accommodated by a four-step mechanism. In the final kinetic model, the enzyme binds substrate with an immediate isomerization to an alternate fluorescent form and chemistry occurs, followed by the ordered release of two products, with the release of the first product as the rate-limiting step. Bromide ion is a competitive inhibitor of the reaction indicating that it binds to the free enzyme rather than to the enzyme with one product still bound. This observation suggests that malonate semialdehyde is the first product released by the enzyme (rate limiting), followed by halide. A comparison of the unliganded cis-CaaD crystal structure with that of an inactivated cis-CaaD where the prolyl nitrogen of Pro-1 is covalently attached to (R)-2-hydroxypropanoate provides a possible explanation for the isomerization step. The structure of the covalently modified enzyme shows that a seven-residue loop comprised of residues 32-38 is closed down on the active site cavity where the backbone amides of two residues (Phe-37 and Leu-38) interact with the carboxylate group of the adduct. In the unliganded form, the same loop points away from the active site cavity. Similarly, substrate binding may cause this loop to close down on the active site and sequester the reaction from the external environment.

Synthesis and conformational analysis of locked carbocyclic analogues of 1,3-diazepinone riboside, a high-affinity cytidine deaminase inhibitor.

Cytidine deaminase (CDA) catalyzes the deamination of cytidine via a hydrated transition-state intermediate that results from the nucleophilic attack of zinc-bound water at the active site. Nucleoside analogues where the leaving NH3 group is replaced by a proton and prevent conversion of the transition state to product are very potent inhibitors of the enzyme. However, stable carbocyclic versions of these analogues are less effective as the role of the ribose in facilitating formation of hydrated species is abolished. The discovery that a 1,3-diazepinone riboside (4) operated as a tight-binding inhibitor of CDA independent of hydration provided the opportunity to study novel inhibitors built as conformationally locked, carbocyclic 1,3-diazepinone nucleosides to determine the enzyme’s conformational preference for a specific form of sugar pucker. This work describes the synthesis of two target bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane nucleosides, locked as north (5) and south (6) conformers, as well as a flexible analogue (7) built with a cyclopentane ring. The seven-membered 1,3-diazepinone ring in all the three targets was built from the corresponding benzoyl-protected carbocyclic bis-allyl ureas by ring-closing metathesis. The results demonstrate CDA’s binding preference for a south sugar pucker in agreement with the high-resolution crystal structures of other CDA inhibitors bound at the active site.

A Pre-Steady State Kinetic Analysis of the αY60W mutant of trans-3-Chloroacrylic Acid Dehalogenase: Implications for the Mechanism of the Wild-type Enzyme

The bacterial degradation of the nematicide 1,3-dichloropropene, an isomeric mixture, requires the action of trans- and cis-3-chloroacrylic acid dehalogenase (CaaD and cis-CaaD, respectively). Both enzymes are tautomerase superfamily members and share a core catalytic mechanism for the hydrolytic dehalogenation of the respective isomer of 3-haloacrylate. The observation that cis-CaaD requires two additional residues raises the question of how CaaD conducts a comparable reaction with fewer catalytic residues. As part of an effort to determine the basis for the apparently simpler CaaD-catalyzed reaction, the kinetic mechanism was determined by stopped-flow and chemical-quench techniques using a fluorescent mutant form of the enzyme, αY60W-CaaD, and trans-3-bromoacrylate as the substrate. The data from these experiments as well as bromide inhibition studies are best accommodated by a six-step model that provides individual rate constants for substrate binding, chemistry, and a proposed conformational change occurring after chemistry followed by release of malonate semialdehyde and bromide. The conformational change and product release rates are comparable, and together they limit the rate of turnover. The kinetic analysis and modeling studies validate the αY60W-CaaD mutant as an accurate reporter of active site events during the course of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction. The kinetic mechanism for the αY60W-CaaD-catalyzed reaction is comparable to that obtained for the cis-CaaD-catalyzed reaction. The kinetic model and the validated αY60W-CaaD mutant set the stage for an analysis of active site mutants to explore the contributions of individual catalytic residues and the basis for the simplicity of the reaction.

Synthesis of conformationally locked carbocyclic 1,3-diazepinone nucleosides as inhibitors of cytidine deaminase.

We synthesized a series of carbocyclic nucleoside inhibitors of cytidine deaminase (CDA) based on a seven-membered 1,3-diazepin-2-one moiety. In the key step, the seven-membered ring was formed by a ring-closing-metathesis reaction. Therefore, the bis-allyl-urea moiety had to be protected by benzoylation in order to obtain an orientation suitable for ring closure. To our surprise, the analogue built on a flexible sugar template (4) showed a 100-fold stronger inhibition of CDA than the derivative with the preferred south-conformation.

Contrasting Behavior of Conformationally Locked Carbocyclic Nucleosides of Adenosine and Cytidine as Substrates for Deaminases

In addition to the already known differences between adenosine deaminase (ADA) and cytidine deaminase (CDA) in terms of their tertiary structure, the sphere of Zn+2 coordination, and their reverse stereochemical preference, we present evidence that the enzymes also differ significantly in terms of the North/South conformational preferences for their substrates and the extent to which the lack of the O(4′) oxygen affects the kinetics of the enzymatic deamination of carbocyclic substrates. The carbocyclic nucleoside substrates used in this study have either a flexible cyclopentane ring or a rigid bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane scaffold.

A mutational analysis of the active site loop residues in cis-3-Chloroacrylic acid dehalogenase.

cis-3-Chloroacrylic acid dehalogenase (cis-CaaD) from Pseudomonas pavonaceae 170 and a homologue from Corynebacterium glutamicum designated Cg10062 are 34% identical in sequence (54% similar). The former catalyzes a key step in a bacterial catabolic pathway for the nematocide 1,3-dichloropropene, whereas the latter has no known biological activity. Although Cg10062 has the six active site residues (Pro-1, His-28, Arg-70, Arg-73, Tyr-103, and Glu-114) that are critical for cis-CaaD activity, it shows only a low level cis-CaaD activity and lacks the specificity of cis-CaaD: Cg10062 processes both isomers of 3-chloroacrylate with a preference for the cis isomer. The basis for these differences is unknown, but a comparison of the crystal structures of the enzymes covalently modified by an adduct resulting from their incubation with the same inhibitor offers a possible explanation. A six-residue active site loop in cis-CaaD shows a conformation strikingly different from that observed in Cg10062: the loop closes down on the active site of cis-CaaD, but not on that of Cg10062. To examine what this loop might contribute to cis-CaaD catalysis and specificity, the residues were changed individually to those found in Cg10062. Subsequent kinetic and mechanistic analysis suggests that the T34A mutant of cis-CaaD is more Cg10062-like. The mutant enzyme shows a 4-fold increase in Km (using cis-3-bromoacrylate), but not to the degree observed for Cg10062 (687-fold). The mutation also causes a 4-fold decrease in the burst rate (compared to that of wild-type cis-CaaD), whereas Cg10062 shows no burst rate. More telling is the reaction of the T34A mutant of cis-CaaD with the alternate substrate, 2,3-butadienoate. In the presence of NaBH4 and the allene, cis-CaaD is completely inactivated after one turnover because of the covalent modification of Pro-1. The same experiment with Cg10062 does not result in the covalent modification of Pro-1. The different outcomes are attributed to covalent catalysis (using Pro-1) followed by hydrolysis of the enamine or imine tautomer in cis-CaaD versus direct hydration of the allene to yield acetoacetate in the case of Cg10062. The T34A mutant shows partial inactivation, requiring five turnovers of the substrate per monomer, which suggests that the direct hydration route is favored 80% of the time. However, the mutation does not alter the stereochemistry at C-2 of [2-D]acetoacetate when the reaction is conducted in D2O. Both cis-CaaD and the T34 mutant generate (2R)-[2-D]acetoacetate, whereas Cg10062 generates mostly the 2S isomer. The combined observations are consistent with a role for the loop region in cis-CaaD specificity and catalysis, but the precise role remains to be determined.