title: Identification of amino acid residues essential for catalytic activity of gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase from Pseudomonas alcaligenes NCIB 9867.
abstract: Gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase (GDO, EC 1.13.11.4) is a ring cleavage enzyme that utilizes gentisate as a substrate yielding maleylpyruvate as the ring fission product. Mutant GDOs were generated by both random mutagenesis and site-directed mutagenesis of the gene cloned from Pseudomonas alcaligenes NCIB 9867. Alignment of known GDO sequences indicated the presence of a conserved central core region. Mutations generated within this central core resulted in the complete loss of enzyme activity whereas mutations in the flanking regions yielded GDOs with enzyme activities that were reduced by up to 78%. Site-directed mutagenesis was also performed on a pair of highly conserved HRH and HXH motifs found within this core region. Conversion of these His residues to Asp resulted in the complete loss of catalytic activity. Mutagenesis within the core region could have affected quaternary structure formation as well as cofactor binding. A mutant enzyme with increased catalytic activities was also characterized.
authors.affiliation: Programme in Environmental Microbiology, Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, 117597 Singapore.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yeo
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Khoo
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Poh
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D020134:Catalytic Domain / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D049308:Dioxygenases; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016296:Mutagenesis; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D010105:Oxygenases; D049308:Dioxygenases; C026247:gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase