Enzyme-catalyzed phosphoryl transfer reactions have frequently been suggested to proceed through transition states that are altered from their solution counterparts, with the alterations presumably arising from interactions with active site functional groups. In particular, the phosphate monoester hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase (AP) has been the subject of intensive scrutiny. Recent linear free energy relationship (LFER) studies suggest that AP catalyzes phosphate monoester hydrolysis through a loose transition state, similar to that in solution. To gain further insight into the nature of the transition state and active site interactions, we have determined kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) for AP-catalyzed hydrolysis reactions with several phosphate monoester substrates. The LFER and KIE data together provide a consistent picture for the nature of the transition state for AP-catalyzed phosphate monoester hydrolysis and support previous models suggesting that the enzymatic transition state is similar to that in solution. Moreover, the KIE data provides unique information regarding specific interactions between the transition state and the active site Zn 2+ ions. These results provide strong support for a model in which electrostatic interactions between the bimetallo Zn 2+ site and a nonbridging phosphate ester oxygen atom make a significant contribution to the large rate enhancement observed for AP-catalyzed phosphate monoester hydrolysis.

Iron oxygenases generate elusive transient oxygen species to catalyze substrate oxygenation in a wide range of metabolic processes. Here we resolve the reaction sequence and structures of such intermediates for the archetypal non-heme Fe II and α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase TauD. Time-resolved Raman spectra of the initial species with 16 O 18 O oxygen unequivocally establish the Fe IV ═O structure. 1 H∕ 2 H substitution reveals direct interaction between the oxo group and the C1 proton of substrate taurine. Two new transient species were resolved following Fe IV ═O; one is assigned to the ν FeO mode of an Fe III ─OðHÞ species, and a second is likely to arise from the vibration of a metal-coordinated oxygenated product, such as Fe II ─O─C 1 or Fe II ─OOCR. These results provide direct insight into the mechanism of substrate oxygenation and suggest an alternative to the hydroxyl radical rebinding paradigm.ferric-oxo | ferryl | non-heme iron | oxygenation | transient Raman I nterest in the mechanism of iron oxygenases arises from their roles in an array of critical biological functions ranging from bacterial biodegradation of xenobiotics and recalcitrant compounds to human drug metabolism and cellular regulation. Many heme and non-heme iron oxygenases are believed to share highly oxidized iron-oxo species as central elements in their reaction mechanisms (1, 2). Several transient oxygen intermediates have been studied extensively in heme enzymes, including compound I-type species of cytochrome P450s (3), but the intermediates occurring during substrate oxygenation have not been directly observed. Even less is known about the transient species in the non-heme Fe oxygenases. An Fe IV -oxo intermediate was observed in the Fe II and α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase TauD (4-6), the archetype of this enzyme family (7), and in the related prolyl 4-hydroxylase (8) or the chlorinating enzymes CytC3 and SyrB2 (9, 10). The Fe-oxygen vibration in TauD at 821 cm −1 was assigned to an Fe IV ═O stretching mode, whereas an additional oxygen vibration at 583 cm −1 was not assigned (6). Here, through the use of substrate and media isotopes and varying reaction times, we resolve vibrations associated with three distinct transient oxygen-containing species during TauD catalysis that lead us to propose an alternative to the hydroxyl radical rebinding step that is central to the traditionally accepted mechanism (Fig. 1). ResultsTransient Oxygen Species Detected by Difference Raman Spectroscopy. The time dependence of the TauD reaction with 1 H-and 2 H-taurine was examined by cryogenic continuous-flow Raman spectroscopy (Fig. 2 and Fig. S1). The previously reported oxygen vibrations (6) can be seen as shifts at 825∕788 and 578∕555 cm −1 between the 16 O and 18 O derivatives (for 1 H-taurine, Fig. 2A). Intensities of the isotopic shifts diminished rapidly at longer delay times, although the decay of both species was significantly slower and overall intensities were greater with 2 H-taurine.The 16 O∕ 18 O difference spectra aro...

Taurine/alpha-ketoglutarate (alphaKG) dioxygenase (TauD), an archetype alphaKG-dependent hydroxylase, is a non-heme mononuclear Fe(II) enzyme that couples the oxidative decarboxylation of alphaKG with the conversion of taurine to aminoacetaldehyde and sulfite. The crystal structure of taurine-alphaKG-Fe(II)TauD is known, and spectroscopic studies have kinetically defined the early steps in catalysis and identified a high-spin Fe(IV)-oxo reaction intermediate. The present analysis extends our understanding of TauD catalysis by investigating the steady-state and transient kinetics of wild-type and variant forms of the enzyme with taurine and alternative sulfonates. TauD proteins substituted at residues surrounding the active site were shown to fold properly based on their abilities to form a diagnostic chromophore associated with the anaerobic Fe(II)-alphaKG chelate complex and to generate a tyrosyl radical upon subsequent reaction with oxygen. Steady-state studies of mutant proteins confirmed the importance of His 70 and Arg 270 in binding the sulfonate moiety of taurine and indicated the participation of Asn 95 in recognizing the substrate amine group. The N97A and S158A variants are likely to undergo an increase in hydrophobicity and expansion of the substrate-binding pocket, thus accounting for their decreased K(m) toward pentanesulfonic acid compared to wild-type TauD. Stopped-flow UV-visible spectroscopic examination of the reaction of oxygen with taurine-alphaKG-Fe(II)TauD confirmed a minimal three-step sequence of reactions attributed to Fe(IV)-oxo formation (k(1)), bleaching to the Fe(II) state upon substrate hydroxylation (k(2)), rebinding of excess substrates (k(3)), and indicated that none of the steps exhibit detectable solvent k(H)/k(D) isotope effects. This demonstrates that no protons are involved in the rate-determining step of Fe(IV)-oxo formation, in contrast to heme iron oxygenases. The Fe(IV)-oxo species is likely to be utilized in conversion of the alternative substrates pentanesulfonic acid and 3-N-morpholinopropanesulfonic acid; however, this spectroscopic intermediate was not detected because of the decreased k(1)/k(2) ratio. With taurine, k(1) was shown to depend on the oxygen concentration allowing calculation of a second-order rate constant of 1.58 x 10(5) M(-)(1) s(-)(1) for this irreversible reaction. Stopped-flow analyses of TauD variants provided several insights into how the protein environment influences the rates of Fe(IV)-oxo formation and decay. The Fe(IV)-oxo species was not detected in the N95D or N95A variants because of a reduced k(1)/k(2) ratio, likely related to a decreased substrate-dependent conversion of the six-coordinate to five-coordinate metal site.