Chorismate is the end-product of the shikimate pathway for biosynthesis of carbocyclic aromatic compounds in plants, bacteria, fungi, and some parasites. Anthranilate synthase (AS), 4-amino-4-deoxychorismate synthase (ADCS), and isochorismate synthase (IS) are homologous enzymes that carry out the initial transformations on chorismate in the biosynthesis of tryptophan, p-aminobenzoate, and enterobactin, respectively, and are expected to share a common mechanism. Poor binding to ADCS of two potential transition state analogues for addition of a nucleophile to C6 of chorismate implies that it, like AS and IS, initiates reaction by addition of a nucleophile to C2. Molecular modeling based on the X-ray structures of AS and ADCS suggests that the active site residue K274 is the nucleophile employed by ADCS to initiate the reaction, forming a covalent intermediate. The K274A and K274R mutants were shown to have 265- and 640-fold reduced k(cat) values when PabA (the cognate amidotransferase) + glutamine are used as the nitrogen source. Under conditions of saturating chorismate and NH(4)(+), ADCS and the K274A mutant have identical k(cat) values, suggesting the participation of NH(4)(+) as a rescue agent. Such participation was confirmed by the buildup of 2-amino-2-deoxyisochorismate in the reactions of the K274A mutant but not ADCS, when either NH(4)(+) or PabA + glutamine is used as the nitrogen source. Additionally, the inclusion of ethylamine in the reactions of K274A yields the N-ethyl derivative of 2-amino-2-deoxyisochorismate. A unifying mechanism for AS, ADCS, and IS entailing nucleophile addition to C2 of chorismate in an S(N)2' ' process is proposed.

Chorismate-utilizing enzymes catalyze diverse reactions, providing critical physiological functions unique to plants, bacteria, fungi, and some parasites. Their absence in animals makes them excellent targets for antimicrobials and herbicides. 4-Amino-4-deoxychorismate synthase (ADCS) catalyzes the first step in folate biosynthsis and shares a common core mechanism with isochorismate synthase (IS) and anthranilate synthase (AS), in which nucleophile addition at C2 initiates these reactions. Evidence was presented previously [He, Z., Stigers Lavoie, K. D., Bartlett, P. A., and Toney, M. D. (2004) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126, 2378-2385] that K274 is the nucleophile in ADCS, implying formation of a covalent intermediate. Herein, we report the direct detection of this covalent intermediate formed in ADCS-catalyzed reactions by ESI-MS. Difference spectra show the covalent intermediate has an absorption maximum at 310 nm. This was used to study the pre-steady-state kinetics of covalent intermediate formation under various conditions. Additionally, E258 in ADCS was shown to be critical to formation of the covalent intermediate by acting as a general acid catalyst for loss of the C4 hydroxyl group. The E258A/D mutants both exhibit very low activity. Acetate is a poor chemical rescue agent for E258D but an excellent one for E258A, with a 20000-fold and 3000-fold rate increase for Gln-dependent and NH(4)(+)-dependent activities, respectively. Lastly, A213 in IS (structurally homologous to K274 in ADCS) was changed to lysine in an attempt to convert IS to an ADCS-like enzyme. HPLC studies support the formation of a covalent intermediate with this mutant.

4-Amino-4-deoxychorismate synthase (ADCS) catalyzes the first step in the conversion of chorismate into p-aminobenzoate, which is incorporated into folic acid. We aim to discover compounds that inhibit ADCS and serve as leads for a new class of antimicrobial compounds. This report presents (1) synthesis of a mass-tag encoded library based on a "staged" design, (2) massively parallel fluorescence-based on-bead screening, (3) rapid structural identification of hits, and (4) full kinetic analysis of ADCS. All inhibitors are competitive against chorismate and Mg(2+). The most potent ADCS inhibitor identified has a K(i) of 360 microM. We show that the combinatorial diversity elements add substantial binding affinity by interacting with residues outside of but proximal to the active site. The methods presented here constitute a paradigm for inhibitor discovery through active site targeting, enabled by rapid library synthesis, facile massively parallel screening, and straightforward hit identification.