title: Cysteine sulfinate desulfinase, a NIFS-like protein of Escherichia coli with selenocysteine lyase and cysteine desulfurase activities. Gene cloning, purification, and characterization of a novel pyridoxal enzyme.
abstract: Selenocysteine lyase (EC 4.4.1.16) exclusively decomposes selenocysteine to alanine and elemental selenium, whereas cysteine desulfurase (NIFS protein) of Azotobacter vinelandii acts indiscriminately on both cysteine and selenocysteine to produce elemental sulfur and selenium respectively, and alanine. These proteins exhibit some sequence homology. The Escherichia coli genome contains three genes with sequence homology to nifS. We have cloned the gene mapped at 63.4 min in the chromosome and have expressed, purified to homogeneity, and characterized the gene product. The enzyme comprises two identical subunits with 401 amino acid residues (Mr 43,238) and contains pyridoxal 5'-phosphate as a coenzyme. The enzyme catalyzes the removal of elemental sulfur and selenium atoms from L-cysteine, L-cystine, L-selenocysteine, and L-selenocystine to produce L-alanine. Because L-cysteine sulfinic acid was desulfinated to form L-alanine as the preferred substrate, we have named this new enzyme cysteine sulfinate desulfinase. Mutant enzymes having alanine substituted for each of the four cysteinyl residues (Cys-100, Cys-176, Cys-323, and Cys-358) were all active. Cys-358 corresponds to Cys-325 of A. vinelandii NIFS, which is conserved among all NIFS-like proteins and catalytically essential (Zheng, L., White, R. H., Cash, V. L., and Dean, D. R. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 4714-4720), is not required for cysteine sulfinate desulfinase. Thus, the enzyme is distinct from A. vinelandii NIFS in this respect.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbial Biochemistry, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mihara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurihara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Soda
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Esaki
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D013437:Carbon-Sulfur Lyases; D002384:Catalysis; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008190:Lyases / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D015091:beta-Alanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D015091:beta-Alanine; C006977:3-chloroalanine; D008190:Lyases; D013437:Carbon-Sulfur Lyases; C080546:cysteine desulfurase; C108137:cysteine sulfinate desulfinase; C034278:selenocysteine lyase