title: Activity and structure of the active-site mutants R386Y and R386F of Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase.
abstract: Arginine-386, the active-site residue of Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.1) that binds the substrate alpha-carboxylate, was replaced with tyrosine and phenylalanine by site-directed mutagenesis. This experiment was undertaken to elucidate the roles of particular enzyme-substrate interactions in triggering the substrate-induced conformational change in the enzyme. The activity and crystal structure of the resulting mutants were examined. The apparent second-order rate constants of both of these mutants are reduced by more than 5 orders of magnitude as compared to that of wild-type enzyme, though R386Y is slightly more active than R386F. The 2.5-A resolution structure of R386F in its native state was determined by using difference Fourier methods. The overall structure is very similar to that of the wild-type enzyme in the open conformation. The position of the Phe-386 side chain, however, appears to shift with respect to that of Arg-386 in the wild-type enzyme and to form new contacts with neighboring residues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Danishefsky
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Onnufer
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Petsko
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ringe
mesh_terms: D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001665:Binding Sites; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology*; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D011487:Protein Conformation; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases