The thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzyme 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) synthase carries out the condensation of pyruvate as 2-hydroxyethyl donor with D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (D-GAP) as acceptor forming DXP. Toward understanding catalysis of this potential anti-infective drug target, we examined the pathway of the enzyme using steady state and pre-steady state kinetic methods. It was found that DXP synthase stabilizes the ThDP-bound pre-decarboxylation intermediate formed between ThDP and pyruvate (C2α-lactylThDP or LThDP) in the absence of D-GAP, while addition of D-GAP enhanced the rate of decarboxylation by at least 600-fold. We postulate that decarboxylation requires formation of a ternary complex with both LThDP and D-GAP bound, and the central enzyme-bound enamine reacts with D-GAP to form DXP. This appears to be the first study of a ThDP enzyme where the individual rate constants could be evaluated by time-resolved CD spectroscopy, and the results could have relevance to other ThDP enzymes in which decarboxylation is coupled to a ligation reaction. The acceleration of the rate of decarboxylation of enzyme-bound LThDP in the presence of D-GAP suggests a new approach to inhibitor design.

Background: 1-Deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) synthase is a thiamine diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzyme in pathogen isoprenoid biosynthesis and a potential drug target. Results: Tryptophan fluorescence and kinetic analyses show that donor and acceptor substrates bind reversibly and independently to DXP synthase. Conclusion: DXP synthase catalyzes a novel, ThDP-dependent, random sequential mechanism. Significance: Targeting the unique kinetic mechanism of DXP synthase could lead to new anti-infective agents.

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