Crystal structures were determined to 1.8 Å resolution of the glycolytic enzyme fructose-1,6-bis(phosphate) aldolase trapped in complex with its substrate and a competitive inhibitor, mannitol-1,6-bis(phosphate). The enzyme substrate complex corresponded to the postulated Schiff base intermediate and has reaction geometry consistent with incipient C 3 -C 4 bond cleavage catalyzed by Glu-187, which is adjacent to the Schiff base forming Lys-229. Atom arrangement about the cleaved bond in the reaction intermediate mimics a pericyclic transition state occurring in nonenzymatic aldol condensations. Lys-146 hydrogen-bonds the substrate C 4 hydroxyl and assists substrate cleavage by stabilizing the developing negative charge on the C 4 hydroxyl during proton abstraction. Mannitol-1,6-bis(phosphate) forms a noncovalent complex in the active site whose binding geometry mimics the covalent carbinolamine precursor. Glu-187 hydrogen-bonds the C 2 hydroxyl of the inhibitor in the enzyme complex, substantiating a proton transfer role by Glu-187 in catalyzing the conversion of the carbinolamine intermediate to Schiff base. Modeling of the acyclic substrate configuration into the active site shows Glu-187, in acid form, hydrogen-bonding both substrate C 2 carbonyl and C 4 hydroxyl, thereby aligning the substrate ketose for nucleophilic attack by Lys-229. The multifunctional role of Glu-187 epitomizes a canonical mechanistic feature conserved in Schiff base-forming aldolases catalyzing carbohydrate metabolism. Trapping of tagatose-1,6-bis(phosphate), a diastereoisomer of fructose 1,6-bis(phosphate), displayed stereospecific discrimination and reduced ketohexose binding specificity. Each ligand induces homologous conformational changes in two adjacent ␣-helical regions that promote phosphate binding in the active site.Aldolases are ubiquitous enzymes and have been a subject of continuous interest because of their ability to catalyze carboncarbon bond formation in living organisms. Their role is best known in glycolysis, where fructose 1,6-bis(phosphate) (FBP) 1 aldolases (EC 4.1.2.13) promote the reversible cleavage of FBP to triose phosphates, D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP). The class I enzyme uses covalent catalysis, implicating a Schiff base formed between a lysine residue on the enzyme and a ketose substrate. In vertebrates, there are three tissue-specific class I aldolases (aldolase A (found in skeletal muscle and red blood cells), aldolase B (found in liver, kidney, and small intestine), and aldolase C (found in neuronal tissues and smooth muscle)), and they are distinguishable on the basis of immunological and kinetic properties (1). The catalytic mechanism has been extensively studied using class I aldolase A from rabbit muscle, and key intermediates are depicted in Scheme I.In the forward reaction, a reactive lysine residue in the active site attacks the ketose (2) of the acyclic FBP substrate (3, 4). Transient formation of a dipolar tetrahedral carbinolamine with the keto function yi...

Tagatose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase from Streptococcus pyogenes is a class I aldolase that exhibits a remarkable lack of chiral discrimination with respect to the configuration of hydroxyl groups at both C3 and C4 positions. The enzyme catalyzes the reversible cleavage of four diastereoisomers (fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP), psicose 1,6-bisphosphate, sorbose 1,6-bisphosphate, and tagatose 1,6-bisphosphate) to dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate with high catalytic efficiency. To investigate its enzymatic mechanism, high resolution crystal structures were determined of both native enzyme and native enzyme in complex with dihydroxyacetone-P. The electron density map revealed a (␣/␤) 8 fold in each dimeric subunit. Flash-cooled crystals of native enzyme soaked with dihydroxyacetone phosphate trapped a covalent intermediate with carbanionic character at Lys 205 , different from the enamine mesomer bound in stereospecific class I FBP aldolase. Structural analysis indicates extensive active site conservation with respect to class I FBP aldolases, including conserved conformational responses to DHAP binding and conserved stereospecific proton transfer at the DHAP C3 carbon mediated by a proximal water molecule. Exchange reactions with tritiated water and tritium-labeled DHAP at C3 hydrogen were carried out in both solution and crystalline state to assess stereochemical control at C3. The kinetic studies show labeling at both pro-R and pro-S C3 positions of DHAP yet detritiation only at the C3 pro-S-labeled position. Detritiation of the C3 pro-R label was not detected and is consistent with preferential cis-trans isomerism about the C2-C3 bond in the carbanion as the mechanism responsible for C3 epimerization in tagatose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase.Aldolases are crucial enzymes in living organisms because of their role in essential metabolic pathways, such as gluconeogenesis and glycolysis. Their ability to control the stereochemistry of the carbon-carbon bond formation makes them models for de novo preparation of carbohydrates (1) and ideal alternatives to traditional methods in synthetic organic chemistry (2-4). Tagatose-1,6-bisphosphate (TBP) 2 aldolase is an inducible enzyme that, although demonstrating greatest affinity for D-tagatose 1,6-bisphosphate, can also use as substrate the bisphosphorylated D-hexose stereoisomers: sorbose bisphosphate, psicose bisphosphate, and fructose bisphosphate (5). The four sugars are diastereoisomers and differ in stereochemistry at carbon 3 and at carbon 4 with respect to the configuration of their hydroxyl groups. The cleavage of the four sugars produces glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP), whereas the condensation of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and DHAP produces a mixture of the four D-hexoses in Staphylococcus aureus (5).Aldolases are broadly categorized with respect to their catalytic mechanism into two classes. Class I aldolases are characterized by formation of covalent Schiff base intermediates (6 -8), whereas class I...

Tagatose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (EC 4.1.2.40) is situated at the branching of the tagatose-6-phosphate and Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (glycolysis) metabolic pathways, where it catalyzes the reversible cleavage of tagatose-1,6-bisphosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. The recombinant protein from Streptococcus pyogenes was overexpressed in Escherichia coli in its native and selenomethionine-derivative forms and purified using ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Orthorhombic crystals suitable for structural analysis were obtained by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method for both isoforms. The crystals belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 63.7, b = 108.1, c = 238.7 A for the native form and a = 64.1, b = 108.3, c = 239.8 A for the selenomethionine derivative. The asymmetric unit contains four protomers, corresponding to a crystal volume per protein weight (V(M)) of 2.8 A(3) Da(-1) and a solvent content of 56% by volume.

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