title: The regulatory role of residues 226-232 in phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from maize.
abstract: The regulatory properties of maize phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase were significantly altered by site-directed mutagenesis of residues 226 through 232. This conserved sequence element, RTDEIRR, is part of a surface loop at the dimer interface. Mutation of individual residues in this sequence caused various kinetic changes, including desensitization of the enzyme to key allosteric effectors or alteration of the K(0.5 PEP) for the substrate phosphoenolpyruvate. R231A, and especially R232Q, displayed decreased apparent affinity for the activator glucose-6-phosphate. Apparent affinity for the activator glycine was reduced in D228N and R232Q, while the maximum activation caused by glycine was greatly reduced in R226Q and E229A. R226Q and E229A also showed significantly lower sensitivity to the inhibitors malate and aspartate. E229A exhibited a low K(0.5 PEP), while the K(0.5 PEP )of R232Q was significantly higher than that of wild type. Thus these seven residues are critical determinants of the enzyme's kinetic responses to activators, inhibitors and substrate. The present results support an earlier suggestion that Arg 231 contributes to the binding site of the allosteric activator glucose-6-phosphate, and are consistent with other proposals that the substrate phosphoenolpyruvate allosterically activates the enzyme by binding at or near the glucose-6-phosphate site. The results also suggest that the glycine binding site may be contiguous with the glucose-6-phosphate binding site. Glu 229, which extends from this interface region through the interior of the protein and emerges near the aspartate binding site, may provide a physical link for propagating conformational changes between the allosteric activator and inhibitor binding regions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, California State University, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA.
authors.forename: Jiping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sayegh
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mendez
authors.forename: Laurell
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sward
authors.forename: Norma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Grover
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Waldrop
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grover
mesh_terms: D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005998:Glycine / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008293:Malates / Q000378:metabolism; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D010730:Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D008293:Malates; D001224:Aspartic Acid; C030298:malic acid; D010730:Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase; D005998:Glycine