Aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase from trichomonas vaginalis. Identity of aspartate aminotransferase and aromatic amino acid aminotransferase.
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ABSTRACT: Aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase from the anaerobic protozoon Trichomonas vaginalis was purified to homogeneity and characterized. It is a dimeric protein of overall Mr approx. 100000. Only a single isoenzyme was found in T. vaginalis. The overall molecular and catalytic properties have features in common with both the vertebrate cytoplasmic and mitochondrial isoenzymes. The purified aspartate aminotransferase from T. vaginalis showed very high rates of activity with aromatic amino acids as donors and 2-oxoglutarate as acceptor. This broad-spectrum activity was restricted to aromatic amino acids and aromatic 2-oxo acids, and no significant activity was seen with other common amino acids, other than with the substrates and products of the aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase reaction. Co-purification and co-inhibition, by the irreversible inhibitor gostatin, of the aromatic amino acid aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities, in conjunction with competitive substrate experiments, strongly suggest that a single enzyme is responsible for both activities. Such high rates of aromatic amino acid aminotransferase activity have not been reported before in eukaryotic aspartate aminotransferase.
Project description:The genes encoding aromatic aminotransferase II (AroAT II) and aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT) from Pyrococcus furiosus have been identified, expressed in Escherichia coli and the recombinant proteins characterized. The AroAT II enzyme was specific for the transamination reaction of the aromatic amino acids, and uses a-ketoglutarate as the amino acceptor. Like the previously characterized AroAT I, AroAT II has highest efficiency for phenylalanine (k(cat)/Km = 923 s(-1) mM(-1)). Northern blot analyses revealed that AroAT I was mainly expressed when tryptone was the primary carbon and energy source. Although the expression was significantly lower, a similar trend was observed for AroAT II. These observations suggest that both AroATs are involved in amino acid degradation. Although AspAT exhibited highest activity with aspartate and alpha-ketoglutarate (k(cat) approximately 105 s(-1)), it also showed significant activity with alanine, glutamate and the aromatic amino acids. With aspartate as the amino donor, AspAT catalyzed the amination of alpha-ketoglutarate, pyruvate and phenyl-pyruvate. No activity was detected with either branched-chain amino acids or alpha-keto acids. The AspAT gene (aspC) was expressed as a polycistronic message as part of the aro operon, with expression observed only when the aromatic amino acids were absent from the growth medium, indicating a role in the biosynthesis of the aromatic amino acids.
Project description:The aromatic amino acids (AAAs) phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan are basic protein units and precursors of diverse specialized metabolites that are essential for plant growth. Despite their significance, the mechanisms that regulate AAA homeostasis remain elusive. Here, we identified a cytosolic aromatic aminotransferase, REVERSAL OF SAV3 PHENOTYPE 1 (VAS1), as a suppressor of arogenate dehydrogenase 2 (adh2) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Genetic and biochemical analyses determined that VAS1 uses AAAs as amino donors, leading to the formation of 3-carboxyphenylalanine and 3-carboxytyrosine. These pathways represent distinct routes for AAA metabolism that are unique to specific plant species. Furthermore, we show that VAS1 is responsible for cytosolic AAA biosynthesis, and its enzymatic activity can be inhibited by 3-carboxyphenylalanine. These findings provide valuable insights into the crucial role of VAS1 in producing 3-carboxy AAAs, notably via recycling of AAAs in the cytosol, which maintains AAA homeostasis and allows plants to effectively coordinate the complex metabolic and biosynthetic pathways of AAAs.
Project description:Streptococcus mutans, a facultatively aerobic and Gram-positive bacterium, is the primary causative agent of dental caries and contributes to the multispecies biofilm known as dental plaque. In this study, the aromatic-amino-acid aminotransferase from Streptococcus mutans (SmAroAT) was recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli. An effective purification protocol was established. The recombinant protein was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method with PEG 3350 as the primary precipitant. The crystal structure of SmAroAT was solved at 2.2 Å resolution by the molecular-replacement method. Structural analysis indicated that the proteins of the aromatic-amino-acid aminotransferase family have conserved structural elements that might play a role in substrate binding. These results may help in obtaining a better understanding of the catabolism and biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids.
Project description:Aspergillus fumigatus is a saprophytic ubiquitous fungus whose spores can trigger reactions such as allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis or the fatal invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. To survive in the lungs, the fungus must adapt to a hypoxic and nutritionally restrictive environment, exploiting the limited availability of aromatic amino acids (AAAs) in the best possible way, as mammals do not synthesize them. A key enzyme for AAAs catabolism in A. fumigatus is AroH, a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent aromatic aminotransferase. AroH was recently shown to display a broad substrate specificity, accepting L-kynurenine and α-aminoadipate as amino donors besides AAAs. Given its pivotal role in the adaptability of the fungus to nutrient conditions, AroH represents a potential target for the development of innovative therapies against A. fumigatus-related diseases. We have solved the crystal structure of Af-AroH at 2.4 Å resolution and gained new insight into the dynamics of the enzyme's active site, which appears to be crucial for the design of inhibitors. The conformational plasticity of the active site pocket is probably linked to the wide substrate specificity of AroH.
Project description:The rise in the frequency of nosocomial infections is becoming a major problem for public health, in particular in immunocompromised patients. Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungus normally present in the environment directly responsible for lethal invasive infections. Recent results suggest that the metabolic pathways related to amino acid metabolism can regulate the fungus-host interaction and that an important role is played by enzymes involved in the catabolism of L-tryptophan. In particular, in A. fumigatus L-tryptophan regulates Aro genes. Among them, AroH encodes a putative pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent aminotransferase. Here we analyzed the biochemical features of recombinant purified AroH by spectroscopic and kinetic analyses corroborated by in silico studies. We found that the protein is dimeric and tightly binds the coenzyme forming a deprotonated internal aldimine in equilibrium with a protonated ketoenamine form. By setting up a new rapid assay method, we measured the kinetic parameters for the overall transamination of substrates and we demonstrated that AroH behaves as an aromatic amino acid aminotransferase, but also accepts L-kynurenine and α-aminoadipate as amino donors. Interestingly, computational approaches showed that the predicted overall fold and active site topology of the protein are similar to those of its yeast ortholog, albeit with some differences in the regions at the entrance of the active site, which could possibly influence substrate specificity. Should targeting fungal metabolic adaptation be of therapeutic value, the results of the present study may pave the way to the design of specific AroH modulators as potential novel agents at the host/fungus interface.
Project description:As a potential drug to treat neurological diseases, the mechanism-based inhibitor (S)-4-amino-4,5-dihydro-2-furancarboxylic acid (S-ADFA) has been found to inhibit the γ-aminobutyric acid aminotransferase (GABA-AT) reaction. To circumvent the difficulties in structural studies of a S-ADFA-enzyme complex using GABA-AT, l-aspartate aminotransferase (l-AspAT) from Escherichia coli was used as a model PLP-dependent enzyme. Crystal structures of the E. coli aspartate aminotransferase with S-ADFA bound to the active site were obtained via cocrystallization at pH 7.5 and 8. The complex structures suggest that S-ADFA inhibits the transamination reaction by forming adducts with the catalytic lysine 246 via a covalent bond while producing 1 equiv of pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate (PMP). Based on the structures, formation of the K246-S-ADFA adducts requires a specific initial binding configuration of S-ADFA in the l-AspAT active site, as well as deprotonation of the ε-amino group of lysine 246 after the formation of the quinonoid and/or ketimine intermediate in the overall inactivation reaction.