The transition state of nucleoside hydrolase from the trypanosome Crithidia fasciculata has been characterized by multiple Vmax/Km kinetic isotope effects with labeled inosine and adenosine as substrates. Nucleoside hydrolase catalyzes the hydrolysis of the N-glycosidic linkage of the commonly occurring purine and pyrimidine nucleosides, with Vmax/Km ranging over 2 orders of magnitude. The kinetic isotope effects for inosine were [1'-3H] = 1.150 +/- 0.006, [2'-3H] = 1.161 +/- 0.003, [1'-14C] = 1.044 +/- 0.004, [9-15N] = 1.026 +/- 0.004, [4'-3H] = 0.992 +/- 0.003, and [5'-3H] = 1.051 +/- 0.003. The magnitude of the kinetic isotope effects for inosine, an equivalent [1'-3H] kinetic isotope effect for the poor substrate adenosine, and the rapid equilibrium random kinetic mechanism [Parkin D, W., Horenstein, B. A., Abdulah, D. R., Estupiñán, B., & Schramm, V. L. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. (in press)] all indicate that the isotope effects are fully expressed. The kinetic and solvent deuterium isotope effects have been used to analyze the transition-state structure using bond energy bond order vibrational analysis. The transition state involves a protonated hypoxanthine leaving group with a C-N glycosidic bond elongated to approximately 2 A. The ribose group contains substantial carbocationic character, unusually strong hyperconjugation of H2', and a bond length of approximately 3 A to the incoming oxygen nucleophile. The remote isotope effect (4'-3H and 5'-3H) and the results of transition-state calculations provide the most detailed description of the steric and bonding properties of an enzyme-stabilized transition state.

The purine salvage pathway of parasitic protozoa is currently considered as a target for drug development because these organisms cannot synthesize purines de novo. Insight into the structure and mechanism of the involved enzymes can aid in the development of potent inhibitors, leading to new curative drugs. Nucleoside hydrolases are key enzymes in the purine salvage pathway of Trypanosomatidae, and they are especially attractive because they have no equivalent in mammalian cells. We cloned, expressed and purified a nucleoside hydrolase from Trypanosoma vivax. The substrate activity profile establishes the enzyme to be a member of the inosine-adenosine-guanosine-preferring nucleoside hydrolases (IAG-NH). We solved the crystal structure of the enzyme at 1.6 A resolution using MAD techniques. The complex of the enzyme with the substrate analogue 3-deaza-adenosine is presented. These are the first structures of an IAG-NH reported in the literature. The T. vivax IAG-NH is a homodimer, with each subunit consisting of ten beta-strands, 12 alpha-helices and three small 3(10)-helices. Six of the eight strands of the central beta-sheet form a motif resembling the Rossmann fold. Superposition of the active sites of this IAG-NH and the inosine-uridine-preferring nucleoside hydrolase (IU-NH) of Crithidia fasciculata shows the molecular basis of the different substrate specificity distinguishing these two classes of nucleoside hydrolases. An "aromatic stacking network" in the active site of the IAG-NH, absent from the IU-NH, imposes the purine specificity. Asp10 is the proposed general base in the reaction mechanism, abstracting a proton from a nucleophilic water molecule. Asp40 (replaced by Asn39 in the IU-NH) is positioned appropriately to act as a general acid and to protonate the purine leaving group. The second general acid, needed for full enzymatic activity, is probably part of a flexible loop located in the vicinity of the active site.

The mechanism of acid and enzymatic hydrolysis of the N-glycosidic bond of AMP has been investigated by fitting experimentally observed kinetic isotope effects [Parkin, D. W., & Schramm, V. L. (1987) Biochemistry (preceding paper in this issue)] to calculated kinetic isotope effects for proposed transition-state structures. The sensitivity of the transition-state calculations was tested by "arying the transition-state structure and comparing changes in the calculated kinetic isotope effects with the experimental values of the isotope effect measurements. The kinetic isotope effects for the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of AMP are best explained by a transition state with considerable oxycarbonium character in the ribose ring, significant bonding remaining to the departing adenine ring, participation of a water nucleophile, and protonation of the adenine ring. A transition-state structure without preassociation of the water nucleophile cannot be eliminated by the data. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the N-glycosidic bond of AMP by AMP nucleosidase from Azotobacter vinelandii was analyzed in the absence and presence of MgATP, the allosteric activator that increases Vmax approximately 200-fold. The transition states for enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis that best explain the kinetic isotope effects involve early SN1 transition states with significant bond order in the glycosidic bond and protonation of the adenine base. The enzyme enforces participation of an enzyme-bound water molecule, which has weak bonding to C1' in the transition state. Activation of AMP nucleosidase by MgATP causes the bond order of the glycosidic bond in the transition state to increase significantly. Hyperconjugation in the ribosyl group is altered by enzymatic stabilization of the oxycarbonium ion. This change is consistent with the interaction of an amino acid on the enzyme. Together, these changes stabilize a carboxonium-like transition-state complex that occurs earlier in the reaction pathway than in the absence of allosteric activator. In addition to the allosteric changes that alter transition-state structure, the presence of other inductive effects that are unobserved by kinetic isotope measurements is also likely to increase the catalytic rate.

. AMP is not a detectable substrate and there is no measurable purine nucleoside phosphorylase activity. 3-Deazaadenosine, 7-deazaadenosine (tubercidin), and formycin B are competitive inhibitors with K is of 1.8, 59, and 13 M, respectively. The K m shows a slight dependence on pH with a pH optimum around 7. The V max /K m data indicate there are two ionizable enzymatic groups, pK a 8.6, required for the formation of the Michaelis complex. The V max data indicate three ionizable groups involved in catalysis. Two essential groups exhibit pK a values of 8.8, and a third group with a pK a of 6.5 increases the V max an additional 10-fold. All three groups must be protonated for optimum catalytic activity.