title: Promiscuous partitioning of a covalent intermediate common in the pentein superfamily.
abstract: Many enzymes in the pentein superfamily use a transient covalent intermediate in their catalytic mechanisms. Here we trap and determine the structure of a stable covalent adduct that mimics this intermediate using a mutant dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase and an alternative substrate. The interactions observed between the enzyme and trapped adduct suggest an altered angle of attack between the nucleophiles of the first and second half-reactions of normal catalysis. The stable covalent adduct is also capable of further reaction. Addition of imidazole rescues the original hydrolytic activity. Notably, addition of other amines instead yields substituted arginine products, which arise from partitioning of the intermediate into the evolutionarily related amidinotransferase reaction pathway. The enzyme provides both selectivity and catalysis for the amidinotransferase reaction, underscoring commonalities among the reaction pathways in this mechanistically diverse enzyme superfamily. The promiscuous partitioning of this intermediate may also help to illuminate the evolutionary history of these enzymes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Linsky
authors.forename: Arthur F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Monzingo
authors.forename: Everett M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: Jon D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Robertus
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fast
mesh_terms: D002384:Catalysis; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004798:Enzymes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes