EXTENT OF PROTON-TRANSFER IN THE TRANSITION-STATES OF THE REACTION CATALYZED BY THE DELTA(5)-3-KETOSTEROID ISOMERASE OF COMAMONAS (PSEUDOMONAS) TESTOSTERONI - SITE-SPECIFIC REPLACEMENT OF THE ACTIVE-SITE BASE,ASPARTATE-38, BY THE WEAKER BASE ALANINE-3-SULFINATE
Cm. Holman et Wf. Benisek, EXTENT OF PROTON-TRANSFER IN THE TRANSITION-STATES OF THE REACTION CATALYZED BY THE DELTA(5)-3-KETOSTEROID ISOMERASE OF COMAMONAS (PSEUDOMONAS) TESTOSTERONI - SITE-SPECIFIC REPLACEMENT OF THE ACTIVE-SITE BASE,ASPARTATE-38, BY THE WEAKER BASE ALANINE-3-SULFINATE, Biochemistry, 33(9), 1994, pp. 2672-2681
Previous studies of the mechanism of the steroid isomerase of Comamona
s (Pseudomonas) testosteroni have identified aspartate 38 as the proto
n porter which transfers the substrate's 4 beta proton to the 6 beta p
osition of the product. Consequently, aspartate 38 functions as a base
in the deprotonation of the substrate to form a dienol or dienolate i
ntermediate, which then undergoes reprotonation from protonated aspart
ate 38 at C-6 beta to give the product. We have tried to characterize
the transition states for the proton transfers by altering the pK(a)'
of aspartate 38 and then determining the effect of the alteration on t
he kinetics of the enzyme. Alteration of the pK(a)' was accomplished b
y replacement of the carboxyl carbon of aspartate 38 by sulfur, a chan
ge which converts the carboxylate group to the much less basic sulfina
te group. Employing Bronsted catalysis theory as applied to the indivi
dual steps of the isomerase mechanism, we find that in the enolization
step of the reaction proton transfer to aspartate 38 is well advanced
in the transition state. In the subsequent ketonization step, proton
transfer from aspartate 38 has barely started when that transition sta
te is reached. A series of mutant KSIs with alternative bases at posit
ion 38 have been constructed using a combination of site-directed muta
genesis and chemical modification: Asp-38 to Glu (D38E), His (D38H), a
nd S-(carboxymethyl)cysteine (D38CMC). While the D38H and D38E mutants
both retain significant isomerase activity, D38CMC is essentially ine
rt. From the results of kinetic experiments it is possible to get a qu
alitative idea of the sensitivity of the enzyme's catalytic ability to
the location of the base responsible for proton transfer.