Structural insights into the catalytic active site and activity of human Nit2/ω-amidase: kinetic assay and molecular dynamics simulation.

ABSTRACT: Human nitrilase-like protein 2 (hNit2) is a putative tumor suppressor, recently identified as ω-amidase. hNit2/ω-amidase plays a crucial metabolic role by catalyzing the hydrolysis of α-ketoglutaramate (the α-keto analog of glutamine) and α-ketosuccinamate (the α-keto analog of asparagine), yielding α-ketoglutarate and oxaloacetate, respectively. Transamination between glutamine and α-keto-γ-methiolbutyrate closes the methionine salvage pathway. Thus, hNit2/ω-amidase links sulfur metabolism to the tricarboxylic acid cycle. To elucidate the catalytic specificity of hNit2/ω-amidase, we performed molecular dynamics simulations on the wild type enzyme and its mutants to investigate enzyme-substrate interactions. Binding free energies were computed to characterize factors contributing to the su

SUBMITTER: Chien CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3406660 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature