title: The stereoselectivity and catalytic properties of Xanthobacter autotrophicus 2-[(R)-2-Hydroxypropylthio]ethanesulfonate dehydrogenase are controlled by interactions between C-terminal arginine residues and the sulfonate of coenzyme M.
abstract: 2-[(R)-2-Hydroxypropylthio]ethanesulfonate (R-HPC) dehydrogenase (DH) catalyzes the reversible oxidation of R-HPC to 2-(2-ketopropylthio)ethanesulfonate (2-KPC) in a key reaction in the bacterial conversion of chiral epoxides to beta-keto acids. R-HPCDH is highly specific for the R-enantiomer of HPC, while a separate enzyme, S-HPCDH, catalyzes the oxidation of the corresponding S-enantiomer. In the present study, the features of substrate and enzyme imparting stereospecificity have been investigated for R-HPCDH. S-HPC was a substrate for R-HPCDH with a K(m) identical to that for R-HPC but with a k(cat) 600 times lower. Achiral 2-propanol and short-chain (R)- and (S)-2-alkanols were substrates for R-HPCDH. For (R)-alkanols, as the carbon chain length increased, K(m) decreased, with the K(m) for (R)-2-octanol being 1700 times lower than for 2-propanol. At the same time, k(cat) changed very little and was at least 90% lower than k(cat) for R-HPC and at least 22 times higher than k(cat) for S-HPC. (S)-2-Butanol and (S)-2-pentanol were substrates for R-HPCDH. The K(m) for (S)-2-butanol was identical to that for (R)-2-butanol, while the K(m) for (S)-2-pentanol was 7.5 times higher than for (R)-2-pentanol. Longer chain (S)-2-alkanols were sufficiently poor substrates for R-HPCDH that kinetic parameters could not be determined. Mutagenesis of C-terminal arginine residues of R-HPCDH revealed that R152 and R196 are essential for effective catalysis with the natural substrates R-HPC and 2-KPC but not for catalysis with 2-alkanols or ketones as substrates. Short-chain alkylsulfonates and coenzyme M (2-mercaptoethanesulfonate) were found to modify the kinetic parameters for 2-butanone reduction by R-HPCDH in a saturable fashion, with the general effect of increasing k(cat), decreasing K(m), and increasing the enantioselectivity of 2-butanone reduction to a theoretical value of 100% (S)-2-butanol. The modulating effects of ethanesulfonate and propanesulfonate provided thermodynamic binding constants close to K(m) for the natural substrates R-HPC and 2-KPC. The effects of alkylsulfonates on modulating the enantioselectivity and kinetic properties of R-HPCDH were abolished in R152A and R196A mutants but not in mutants of other C-terminal arginine residues. Collectively, the results suggest that interactions between the sulfonate of CoM and specific arginine residues are key to the enantioselectivity and catalytic efficiency of R-HPCDH. A model is proposed wherein sulfonate-arginine interactions within an alkylsulfonate binding pocket control the catalytic properties of R-HPCDH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-0300, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ensign
mesh_terms: D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000438:Alcohols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D000476:Alkanesulfonates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism*; D001665:Binding Sites; D002074:Butanones / Q000378:metabolism; D002384:Catalysis; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D007700:Kinetics; D015080:Mesna / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D020584:Xanthobacter / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D000476:Alkanesulfonates; D002074:Butanones; C002634:ethane sulfonate; C005222:methylethyl ketone; D001120:Arginine; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases; C450599:2-hydroxypropylthioethanesulfonate dehydrogenase, Xanthobacter; D015080:Mesna