title: Hydroxynitrile lyase from Hevea brasiliensis: molecular characterization and mechanism of enzyme catalysis.
abstract: (S)-Hydroxynitrile lyase (Hnl) from the tropical rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis is a 29 kDa single chain protein that catalyses the breakdown or formation of a C--C bond by reversible addition of hydrocyanic acid to aldehydes or ketones. The primary sequence of Hnl has no significant homology to known proteins. Detailed homology investigations employing PROFILESEARCH and secondary structure prediction algorithms suggest that Hnl is a member of the alpha/beta hydrolase fold protein family and contains a catalytic triad as functional residues for catalysis. The significance of predicted catalytic residues was tested and confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis and expression of mutant and wild-type proteins in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Based on these data we suggest a mechanistic model for the (S)-cyanohydrin synthesis catalyzed by hydroxynitrile lyase from Hevea brasiliensis.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biochemie und Lebensmittelchemie, Technische Universität Graz, Austria. hasslacher@bkfug.kfunigraz.ac.at
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasslacher
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kratky
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Griengl
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Kohlwein
mesh_terms: D000446:Aldehyde-Lyases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D006867:Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014197:Trees / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D006867:Hydrolases; D000446:Aldehyde-Lyases; C079359:hydroxymandelonitrile lyase