title: Reversible stepwise mechanism involving a carbanion intermediate in the elimination of ammonia from L-histidine catalyzed by histidine ammonia-lyase.
abstract: L-Histidine labeled with deuterium at the C-5' position of the imidazole ring, L-[5'-2H]histidine (His-5'-D), was used as a probe for investigating a stepwise reversible mechanism via a carbanion intermediate in the elimination of ammonia catalyzed by histidine ammonia-lyase (EC 4.3.1.3). The labeled L-histidine (His-5'-D) (2.45 mM) was incubated with histidine ammonia-lyase (200 units) from Pseudomonas fluorescens at pH 7.0 or 9.0 at 25.0 degrees C for 24 h. The time course of the reaction was examined to determine the rates of enzyme-catalyzed hydrogen exchange at C-5' of L-histidine and urocanic acid. The finding of the enzyme-catalyzed hydrogen exchange at C-5' of both L-histidine and urocanic acid in the presence of L-histidine provided a rational explanation for a stepwise reversible mechanism via a carbanion intermediate in the elimination reaction. The rate of increase in the concentration of urocanic acid exchanged with hydrogen (UA-5'-H) did not depend on the formation rate of urocanic acid and UA-5'-H was continuously formed at a constant rate (25.6 microM/h) even after the completion of urocanic acid formation. These observations suggested the presence of the reversible reaction of urocanic acid and a carbanion intermediate. Since there was only a minor contribution for the formation of UA-5'-H from L-histidine exchanged with solvent hydrogen (His-5'-H), the main pathway in the enzymatic reaction of His-5'-D must be the formation of UA-5'-D via a carbanion intermediate (carbanion-D). Regeneration of the carbanion-D from UA-5'-D by its reverse reaction and subsequent hydrogen incorporation at C-5' would contribute to a large extent for the formation of UA-5'-H. The stability of carbanion was also demonstrated to be approximately three times higher at pH 7.0 than at pH 9.0.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacy, Tokyo College of Pharmacy, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Furuta
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shibasaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kasuya
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D006639:Histidine / Q000378:metabolism*; D006638:Histidine Ammonia-Lyase / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013552:Swine; D014560:Urocanic Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006639:Histidine; D000641:Ammonia; D006638:Histidine Ammonia-Lyase; D014560:Urocanic Acid