The ydj gene cluster is found in 80% of sequenced Escherichia coli genomes and other closely related species in the human microbiome. On the basis of the annotations of the enzymes located in this cluster, it is expected that together they catalyze the catabolism of an unknown carbohydrate. The focus of this investigation is on YdjI, which is in the ydj gene cluster of E. coli K-12. It is predicted to be a class II aldolase of unknown function. Here we describe a structural and functional characterization of this enzyme. YdjI catalyzes the hydrogen/deuterium exchange of the pro-S hydrogen at C3 of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP). In the presence of DHAP, YdjI catalyzes an aldol condensation with a variety of aldo sugars. YdjI shows a strong preference for higher-order (seven-, eight-, and nine-carbon) monosaccharides with specific hydroxyl stereochemistries and a negatively charged terminus (carboxylate or phosphate). The best substrate is L-arabinuronic acid with an apparent k cat of 3.0 s −1 . The product, L-glycero-L-galacto-octuluronate-1-phosphate, has a k cat /K m value of 2.1 × 10 3 M −1 s −1 in the retro-aldol reaction with YdjI. This is the first recorded synthesis of L-glycero-L-galacto-octuluronate-1-phosphate and six similar carbohydrates. The crystal structure of YdjI, determined to a nominal resolution of 1.75 Å (Protein Data Bank entry 6OFU), reveals unusual positions for two arginine residues located near the active site. Computational docking was utilized to distinguish preferable binding orientations for L-glycero-L-galacto-octuluronate-1-phosphate. These results indicate a possible alternative binding orientation for L-glycero-L-galacto-octuluronate-1-phosphate compared to that observed in other class II aldolases, which utilize shorter carbohydrate molecules.

How bacteria sense and respond to nitrogen levels are central questions in microbial physiology. In Gram-positive bacteria, nitrogen homeostasis is controlled by an operon encoding glutamine synthetase (GS), a dodecameric machine that assimilates ammonium into glutamine, and the GlnR repressor. GlnR detects nitrogen excess indirectly by binding glutamine-feedback-inhibited-GS (FBI-GS), which activates its transcription-repression function. The molecular mechanisms behind this regulatory circuitry, however, are unknown. Here we describe biochemical and structural analyses of GS and FBI-GS-GlnR complexes from pathogenic and non-pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria. The structures show FBI-GS binds the GlnR C-terminal domain within its active-site cavity, juxtaposing two GlnR monomers to form a DNA-binding-competent GlnR dimer. The FBI-GS-GlnR interaction stabilizes the inactive GS conformation. Strikingly, this interaction also favors a remarkable dodecamer to tetradecamer transition in some GS, breaking the paradigm that all bacterial GS are dodecamers. These data thus unveil unique structural mechanisms of transcription and enzymatic regulation.

Glucosamine/glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase or GlmA catalyzes the transfer of an acetyl group from acetyl CoA to the primary amino group of glucosamine. The enzyme from Clostridium acetobutylicum is thought to be involved in cell wall rescue. In addition to glucosamine, GlmA has been shown to function on di- and trisaccharides of glucosamine as well. Here we present a structural and kinetic analysis of the enzyme. For this investigation, eight structures were determined to resolutions of 2.0 Å or better. The overall three-dimensional fold of GlmA places it into the tandem GNAT superfamily. Each subunit of the dimer folds into two distinct domains which exhibit high three-dimensional structural similarity. Whereas both domains bind acetyl CoA, it is the C-terminal domain that is catalytically competent. On the basis of the various structures determined in this investigation, two amino acid residues were targeted for further study: Asp 287 and Tyr 297. Although their positions in the active site suggested that they may play key roles in catalysis by functioning as active site bases and acids, respectively, this was not borne out by characterization of the D287N and Y297F variants. The kinetic properties revealed that both residues were important for substrate binding but had no critical roles as acid/base catalysts. Kinetic analyses also indicated that GlmA follows an ordered mechanism with acetyl CoA binding first followed by glucosamine. The product N-acetylglucosamine is then released prior to CoA. The investigation described herein provides significantly new information on enzymes belonging to the tandem GNAT superfamily.