title: Beta-elimination of indole from L-tryptophan catalyzed by bacterial tryptophan synthase: a comparison between reactions catalyzed by tryptophanase and tryptophan synthase.
abstract: Although tryptophan synthase catalyzes a number of pyridoxal phosphate dependent beta-elimination and beta-replacement reactions that are also catalyzed by tryptophanase, a principal and puzzling difference between the two enzymes lies in the apparent inability of tryptophan synthase to catalyze beta-elimination of indole from L-tryptophan. We now demonstrate for the first time that the beta 2 subunit and the alpha 2 beta 2 complex of tryptophan synthase from Escherichia coli and from Salmonella typhimurium do catalyze a slow beta-elimination reaction with L-tryptophan to produce indole, pyruvate, and ammonia. The rate of the reaction is about 10-fold higher in the presence of the alpha subunit. The rate of indole production is increased about 4-fold when the aminoacrylate produced is converted to S-(hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine by a coupled beta-replacement reaction with beta-mercaptoethanol. The rate of L-tryptophan cleavage is also increased when the indole produced is removed by extraction with toluene or by condensation with D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to form indole-3-glycerol phosphate in a reaction catalyzed by the alpha subunit of tryptophan synthase. The amount of L-tryptophan cleavage is greatest in the presence of both beta-mercaptoethanol and D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, which cause the removal of both products of cleavage. The cleavage reaction is not due to contaminating tryptophanase since the activity is not inhibited by (3R)-2,3-dihydro-L-tryptophan, a specific inhibitor of tryptophanase, but is inhibited by (3S)-2,3-dihydro-L-tryptophan, a specific inhibitor of tryptophan synthase. The cleavage reaction is also inhibited by D-tryptophan, the product of a slow racemization reaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology*; D007211:Indoles / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008190:Lyases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000201:enzymology*; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000378:metabolism*; D014367:Tryptophan Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D014368:Tryptophanase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007211:Indoles; C030374:indole; D014364:Tryptophan; D008190:Lyases; D014368:Tryptophanase; D014367:Tryptophan Synthase