5′-Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) and
5′-methylthioadenosine nucleosidase (MTAN) catalyze the phosphorolysis
and hydrolysis of 5′-methylthioadenosine (MTA), respectively. Both
enzymes have low KM values for their substrates.
Kinetic assays for these enzymes are challenging, as the ultraviolet absorbance
spectra for reactant MTA and product adenine are similar. We report a new assay
using 2-amino-5′-methylthioadenosine (2AMTA) as an alternative substrate
for MTAP and MTAN enzymes. Hydrolysis or phosphorolysis of 2AMTA forms
2,6-diaminopurine, a fluorescent and easily quantitated product. We kinetically
characterize 2AMTA with human MTAP, bacterial MTANs and use 2,6-diaminopurine as
a fluorescent substrate for yeast adenine phosphoribosyltransferase. 2AMTA was
used as the substrate to kinetically characterize the dissociation constants for
three-transition-state analogue inhibitors of MTAP and MTAN. Kinetic values
obtained from continuous fluorescent assays with MTA were in good agreement with
previously measured literature values, but gave smaller experimental errors.
Chemical synthesis from ribose and 2,6-dichloropurine provided crystalline 2AMTA
as the oxalate salt. Chemo-enzymatic synthesis from ribose and 2,6-diaminopurine
produced 2-amino-S-adenosylmethionine for hydrolytic conversion
to 2AMTA. Interaction of 2AMTA with human MTAP was also characterized by
pre-steady-state kinetics and by analysis of the crystal structure in a complex
with sulfate as a catalytically inert analogue of phosphate. This assay is
suitable for inhibitor screening by detection of fluorescent product, for
quantitative analysis of hits by rapid and accurate measurement of inhibition
constants in continuous assays, and pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of the
target enzymes.