Lactococcus lactis beta-phosphoglucomutase (beta-PGM) catalyzes the interconversion of beta-d-glucose 1-phosphate (beta-G1P) and beta-d-glucose 6-phosphate (G6P), forming beta-d-glucose 1,6-(bis)phosphate (beta-G16P) as an intermediate. Beta-PGM conserves the core domain catalytic scaffold of the phosphatase branch of the HAD (haloalkanoic acid dehalogenase) enzyme superfamily, yet it has evolved to function as a mutase rather than as a phosphatase. This work was carried out to identify the structural basis underlying this diversification of function. In this paper, we examine beta-PGM activation by the Mg(2+) cofactor, beta-PGM activation by Asp8 phosphorylation, and the role of cap domain closure in substrate discrimination. First, the 1.90 A resolution X-ray crystal structure of the Mg(2+)-beta-PGM complex is examined in the context of previously reported structures of the Mg(2+)-alpha-d-galactose-1-phosphate-beta-PGM, Mg(2+)-phospho-beta-PGM, and Mg(2+)-beta-glucose-6-phosphate-1-phosphorane-beta-PGM complexes to identify conformational changes that occur during catalytic turnover. The essential role of Asp8 in nucleophilic catalysis was confirmed by demonstrating that the D8A and D8E mutants are devoid of catalytic activity. Comparison of the ligands to Mg(2+) in the different complexes shows that a single Mg(2+) coordination site must alternatively accommodate water, phosphate, and the phosphorane intermediate during catalytic turnover. Limited involvement of the HAD family metal-binding loop in Mg(2+) anchoring in beta-PGM is consistent with the relatively loose binding indicated by the large K(m) for Mg(2+) activation (270 +/- 20 microM) and with the retention of activity found in the E169A/D170A double loop mutant. Comparison of the relative positions of cap and core domains in the different complexes indicated that interaction of cap domain Arg49 with the "nontransferring" phosphoryl group of the substrate ligand might stabilize the cap-closed conformation, as required for active site desolvation and alignment of Asp10 for acid-base catalysis. Kinetic analyses of the specificity of beta-PGM toward phosphoryl group donors and the specificity of phospho-beta-PGM toward phosphoryl group acceptors were carried out. The results support a substrate induced-fit mechanism of beta-PGM catalysis, which allows phosphomutase activity to dominate over the intrinsic phosphatase activity. Last, we present evidence that the autophosphorylation of beta-PGM by the substrate beta-G1P accounts for the origin of phospho-beta-PGM in the cell.

Congential disorder of glycosylation type 1a (CDG-1a) is a congenital disease characterized by severe defects in nervous system development. It is caused by mutations in ␣-phosphomannomutase (of which there are two isozymes, ␣-PMM1 and ␣-PPM2).

The haloacid dehalogenase (HAD) superfamily includes a variety of enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of substrate C-Cl, P-C, and P-OP bonds via nucleophilic substitution pathways. All members possess the R/ core domain, and many also possess a small cap domain. The active site of the core domain is formed by four loops (corresponding to sequence motifs 1-4), which position substrate and cofactor-binding residues as well as the catalytic groups that mediate the "core" chemistry. The cap domain is responsible for the diversification of chemistry within the family. A tight -turn in the helix-loophelix motif of the cap domain contains a stringently conserved Gly (within sequence motif 5), flanked by residues whose side chains contribute to the catalytic site formed at the domain-domain interface. To define the role of the conserved Gly in the structure and function of the cap domain loop of the HAD superfamily members phosphonoacetaldehyde hydrolase and -phosphoglucomutase, the Gly was mutated to Pro, Val, or Ala. The catalytic activity was severely reduced in each mutant. To examine the impact of Gly substitution on loop 5 conformation, the X-ray crystal structure of the Gly50Pro phosphonoacetaldehyde hydrolase mutant was determined. The altered backbone conformation at position 50 had a dramatic effect on the spatial disposition of the side chains of neighboring residues. Lys53, the Schiff Base forming lysine, had rotated out of the catalytic site and the side chain of Leu52 had moved to fill its place. On the basis of these studies, it was concluded that the flexibility afforded by the conserved Gly is critical to the function of loop 5 and that it is a marker by which the cap domain substrate specificity loop can be identified within the amino acid sequence of HAD family members.

The β-phosphoglucomutase (β-PGM) of the haloacid dehalogenase enzyme superfamily (HADSF) catalyzes the conversion of β-glucose 1-phosphate (βG1P) to glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) using Asp8 of the core domain active-site to mediate phosphoryl transfer from β-glucose 1,6-(bis)phosphate (βG1,6bisP) to βG1P. Herein we explore the mechanism by which hydrolysis of the β-PGM phosphoAsp8 is avoided during the time that the active site must remain open to solvent in order to allow the exchange of the bound product G6P with the substrate βG1P. Based on structural information, a model of catalysis is proposed in which the general acid/base (Asp10) side chain moves from a position where it forms a hydrogen bond to the Thr16-Ala17 of the domain-domain linker, to a functional position where it forms a hydrogen bond to the substrate leaving-group O and a His20-Lys76 pair of the cap domain. This repositioning of the general acid/base within the core domain active site is coordinated with substrate-induced closure of the cap domain over the core domain. The model predicts that Asp10 is required for general acid/base catalysis and for stabilization of the enzyme in the cap-closed conformation. It also predicts that hinge residue Thr16 plays a key role in productive domain-domain association, that hydrogen bond interaction with the Thr16 backbone amide NH is required to prevent phospho-Asp8 hydrolysis in the cap-open conformation, and that the His20-Lys76 pair plays an important role in substrate-induced cap closure. The model is examined via kinetic analyses of Asp10, Thr16, His20, and Lys76 site-directed mutants. Replacement of the Asp10 by Ala, Ser, Cys, Asn, or Glu resulted in no observable activity. The kinetic consequences of the replacement of linker residue Thr16 with Pro include a reduced rate of Asp8 phosphorylation by βG1,6bisP, a reduced rate of cycling of the phosphorylated enzyme to convert βG1P to G6P, and an enhanced rate of phosphoryl transfer from phospho-Asp8 to water. The X-ray structure of the T16P mutant at 2.7 Å resolution provides a snapshot of the enzyme in an unnatural cap-open conformation where the Asp10 side chain is located in the core-domain active site. The His20 and Lys76 site- * Address correspondence to Debra Dunaway-Mariano email: dd39@unm.edu, phone: 505-277-3383, fax: 505-277-2609 and Karen N. Allen, phone: 617-358-5544, fax: 617-358-5554, email: drkallen@bu.edu. c present address: Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA 1 Abbreviations used are: α-PGM, α-phosphoglucomutase; α-PGM/PMM, dual specificity α-phosphoglucomutase/α-phosphomannomutase; β-PGM, β-phosphoglucomutase; E, β-PGM -Mg 2+ ; E-P, phospho-β-PGM-Mg 2+ ; βG1P, β-D-glucose 1-phosphate; βG1,6bisP, β-D-glucose 1,6-(bis)phosphate; αG1P, α-D-glucose 1-phosphate; αG1,6bisP, α-D-glucose 1,6-(bis)phosphate; PEP, phosphoenol pyruvate; SA, specific activity. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptBiochemistry. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2009 August 6. Published in final edited form as:Biochemistry. Phosp...

This communication reports the X-ray crystal structure of the alpha-d-galactose-1-phosphate complex with that of Lactococcus lactis beta-phosphoglucomutase (beta-PGM) crystallized in the presence of Mg2+ cofactor and the enzyme-to-phosphorus ratio determined by protein and phosphate analyses of the crystalline complex. The 1:1 ratio determined for this complex was compared to the 1:2 ratio determined for the crystals of beta-PGM grown in the presence of substrate and Mg2+ cofactor. This result verifies the published structure assignment of this latter complex as the phosphorane adduct formed by covalent bonding between the active site Asp8 carboxylate to the C(1)phosphorus of the beta-glucose 1,6-bisphosphate ligand and rules out the proposal of a beta-PGM-glucose-6-phosphate-1-MgF3- complex.

Activated Lactococcus lactis -phosphoglucomutase ( PGM) catalyzes the conversion of -Dglucose 1-phosphate ( G1P) derived from maltose to -D-glucose 6-phosphate (G6P). Activation requires Mg 2+ binding and phosphorylation of the active site residue Asp8. Initial velocity techniques were used to define the steady-state kinetic constants k cat ) 177 ( 9 s -1 , K m ) 49 ( 4 µM for the substrate G1P and K m ) 6.5 ( 0.7 µM for the activator -D-glucose 1,6-bisphosphate ( G1,6bisP). The observed transient accumulation of [ 14 C] G1,6bisP (12% at ∼0.1 s) in the single turnover reaction carried out with excess PGM (40 µM) and limiting [ 14 C] G1P (5 µM) and G1,6bisP (5 µM) supported the role of G1,6bisP as a reaction intermediate in the conversion of the G1P to G6P. Single turnover reactions of [ 14 C] G1,-6bisP with excess PGM were carried out to demonstrate that phosphoryl transfer rather than ligand binding is rate-limiting and to show that the G1,6bisP binds to the active site in two different orientations (one positioning the C(1)phosphoryl group for reaction with Asp8, and the other orientation positioning the C(6)phosphoryl group for reaction with Asp8) with roughly the same efficiency. Single turnover reactions carried out with PGM, [ 14 C] G1P, and unlabeled G1,6bisP demonstrated complete exchange of label to the G1,6bisP during the catalytic cycle. Thus, the reorientation of the G1,6bisP intermediate that is required to complete the catalytic cycle occurs by diffusion into solvent followed by binding in the opposite orientation. Published X-ray structures of G1P suggest that the reorientation and phosphoryl transfer from G1,6bisP occur by conformational cycling of the enzyme between the active site open and closed forms via cap domain movement. Last, the equilibrium ratio of G1,6bisP to G1P plus G6P was examined to evidence a significant stabilization of PGM aspartyl phosphate.Phosphoglucomutases catalyze the interconversion of D-glucose 1-phosphate (G1P) 1 and D-glucose 6-phosphate (G6P). Operating in the forward G6P-forming direction, this reaction links polysaccharide phosphorolysis to glycolysis. In the reverse direction, the reaction provides G1P for the biosynthesis of exo-polysaccharides (2). There are two classes of phosphoglucomutases, the R-phosphoglucomutases (RPGM, EC 5.4.2.2), ubiquitous among eucaryotes and procaryotes, and the -phosphoglucomutases ( PGM, EC 5.4.2.6), present in certain bacteria and protists. The two classes of mutases are distinguished by their specificity for R-and -D-glucose phosphates and by their protein-fold family. The rabbit muscle RPGM (3) and the closely related Pseudomonas aeruginosa RPGM/RPMM (4) are members of the phosphohexomutase enzyme superfamily (5), whereas PGM (6) belongs to the haloalkanoic acid (HAD) enzyme superfamily (7). The four-domain RPGM and RPGM/RPMM (∼50 kDa) are approximately twice the size of the twodomain PGM (∼25 kDa).In RPGM (and in RPGM/RPMM), phosphoryl transfer is mediated by an active site serine which forms a stable phosphate ester...

Structure determination of macromolecules often depends on phase improvement and phase extension by use of real-space averaging of electron density related by noncrystallographic symmetry.

The 2-haloalkanoic acid dehalogenase (HAD) family, which contains both carbon and phosphoryl transferases, is one of the largest known enzyme superfamilies. HAD members conserve an R, -core domain that frames the four-loop active-site platform. Each loop contributes one or more catalytic groups, which function in mediating the core chemistry (i.e., group transfer). In this paper, we provide evidence that the number of carboxylate residues on loop 4 and their positions (stations) on the loop are determinants, and therefore reliable sequence markers, for metal ion activation among HAD family members. Using this predictor, we conclude that the vast majority of the HAD members utilize a metal cofactor. Analysis of the minimum requirements for metal cofactor binding was carried out using Mg-(II)-activated Bacillus cereus phosphonoacetaldehyde hydrolase (phosphonatase) as an experimental model for metal-activated HAD members. Mg(II) binding occurs via ligation to the loop 1 Asp12 carboxylate and Thr14 backbone carbonyl and to the loop 4 Asp186 carboxylate. The loop 4 Asp190 forms a hydrogen bond to the Mg(II) water ligand. X-ray structure determination of the D12A mutant in the presence of the substrate phosphonoacetaldehyde showed that replacement of the loop 1 Asp, common to all HAD family members, with Ala shifts the position of Mg(II), thereby allowing innersphere coordination to Asp190 and causing a shift in the position of the substrate. Kinetic analysis of the loop 4 mutants showed that Asp186 is essential to cofactor binding while Asp190 simply enhances it. Within the phosphonatase subfamily, Asp186 is stringently conserved, while either position 185 or position 190 is used to position the second loop 4 Asp residue. Retention of a high level of catalytic activity in the G185D/D190G phosphonatase mutant demonstrated the plasticity of the metal binding loop, reflected in the variety of combinations in positioning of two or three Asp residues along the seven-residue motif of the 2700 potential HAD sequences that were examined.In this paper, we examine metal ion activation of phosphonoacetaldehyde hydrolase (phosphonatase 1 )-catalyzed hydrolysis of phosphonoacetaldehyde (Pald) to orthophosphate and acetaldehyde (Figure 1). Phosphonatase is a member of the 2-haloalkanoate dehalogenase (HAD) enzyme superfamily (1, 2). This is an exceptionally large family of enzymes (∼2700 members), which includes carbon (2-haloalkonoate dehalogenases) and phosphorus hydrolases (ATPases, phosphate monoesterases, and hexose phosphate mutases) (3). The members of this family catalyze nucleophilic substitution reactions at phosphorus or carbon centers, using a conserved Asp carboxylate in covalent catalysis. Like phosphonatase (4), most, but not all, members of the superfamily possess a cap domain, the fold and function of which are variable. The