The X-ray structure of tyrosine phenol-lyase (TPL) complexed with a substrate analog, 3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid, shows that Arg 381 is located in the substrate binding site, with the side-chain NH1 4.1 A from the 4'-OH of the analog. The structure has been deduced at 2.5 A resolution using crystals that belong to the P2(1)2(1)2 space group with a = 135.07 A, b = 143.91 A, and c = 59.80 A. To evaluate the role of Arg 381 in TPL catalysis, we prepared mutant proteins replacing arginine with alanine (R381A), with isoleucine (R381I), and with valine (R381V). The beta-elimination activity of R381A TPL has been reduced by 10(-4)-fold compared to wild type, whereas R381I and R381V TPL exhibit no detectable beta-elimination activity with L-tyrosine as substrate. However, R381A, R381I, and R381V TPL react with S-(o-nitrophenyl)-L-cysteine, beta-chloro-L-alanine, O-benzoyl-L-serine, and S-methyl-L-cysteine and exhibit k(cat) and k(cat)/Km values comparable to those of wild-type TPL. Furthermore, the Ki values for competitive inhibition by L-tryptophan and L-phenylalanine are similar for wild-type, R381A, and R381I TPL. Rapid-scanning-stopped flow spectroscopic analyses also show that wild-type and mutant proteins can bind L-tyrosine and form quinonoid complexes with similar rate constants. The binding of 3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid to wild-type TPL decreases at high pH values with a pKa of 8.4 and is thus dependent on an acidic group, possibly Arg404, which forms an ion pair with the analog carboxylate, or the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate Schiff base. R381A TPL shows only a small decrease in k(cat)/Km for tyrosine at lower pH, in contrast to wild-type TPL, which shows two basic pKas with an average value of about 7.8. Thus, it is possible that Arg 381 is one of the catalytic bases previously observed in the pH dependence of k(cat)/Km of TPL with L-tyrosine [Kiick, D. M., & Phillips. R. S. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 7333-7338], and hence Arg 381 is at least partially responsible for the substrate specificity of TPL.

Thr-124 and Phe-448 are located in the active site of Citrobacter freundii tyrosine phenol-lyase (TPL) near the phenol ring of a bound substrate analogue, 3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid [Sundararaju, Antson, Phillips, Demidkina, Barbolina, Gollnick, Dodson and Wilson (1997) Biochemistry 36, 6502-6510]. Thr-124 is replaced by Asp and Phe-448 is replaced by His in the crystal structure of a structurally similar enzyme, Proteus vulgaris tryptophan indole-lyase, which has 50% identical residues. Hence, Thr-124 and Phe-448 in TPL were mutated to Ala or Asp, and His, respectively, in order to probe the role of these residues in the reaction specificity for L-Tyr. These mutant enzymes have little or no beta-elimination activity with L-Tyr or 3-fluoro-L-Tyr as a substrate, but retain significant elimination activity with S-(o-nitrophenyl)-L-cysteine, S-alkyl-L-cysteines and beta-chloroalanine. Furthermore, the binding of L-Tyr and other non-substrate amino acids is not significantly affected by the mutations. The mutant TPLs form intermediates in rapid-scanning stopped-flow experiments with L-Phe, L-Tyr and L-Trp, similar to those seen with wild-type TPL. These results demonstrate that Thr-124 and Phe-448 are necessary for the reaction specificity of TPL for L-Tyr, and probably play a role in the elimination stage of the reaction mechanism. Thr-124 is within hydrogen-bonding distance of the phenolic group of the bound substrate, and may help to orientate the ring for beta-elimination to occur. Phe-448 may be important to allow the formation of the closed conformation during the reaction.