No abstract

The sequences and three-dimensional structures of the galactokinase, homoserine kinase, mevalonate kinase, and phosphomevalonate kinase (GHMP) family were compared to identify highly conserved surface residues. The functions of these solvent-accessible residues were assessed by determining the effects of their substitution, via mutagenesis, on the initial-rate parameters of a representative member of the GHMP kinase family, phosphomevalonate kinase from Streptococcus pneumoniae. What emerges from this study is a profile of the conserved surface-linked functions of the family. Certain substitutions produce highly selective effects on the steady-state affinity of a particular substrate, while one residue, Asp150, appears to be a pure k(cat) effector. Substitutions elsewhere affect multiple initial-rate parameters with varying, and sometimes compensatory, patterns. An alpha-helix that repositions during catalysis was substituted along its length to assess how its different segments contribute to catalysis-the substrate-proximal edge of the helix affects ATP recognition and k(cat), while the distal edge affects recognition of both substrates without affecting turnover. GHMP kinase mutations at the conserved surface residues corresponding to Ser291 and Ala293 in phosphomevalonate kinase are linked to mevalonic acid deficiency, which can lead to early fatality, and galactokinase deficiency, which causes cataracts. Our results suggest that the molecular basis for this particular galactokinase deficiency is an increase in the K(m) for galactose.

The sulfate activation pathway is essential for the assimilation of sulfate and, in many bacteria, is comprised of three reactions: the synthesis of adenosine 5-phosphosulfate (APS), the hydrolysis of GTP, and the 3-phosphorylation of APS to produce 3-phosphoadenosine 5-phosphosulfate (PAPS), whose sulfuryl group is reduced or transferred to other metabolites. The entire sulfate activation pathway is organized into a single complex in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although present in many bacteria, these tripartite complexes have not been studied in detail. Initial rate characterization of the mycobacterial system reveals that it is poised for extremely efficient throughput: at saturating ATP, PAPS synthesis is 5800 times more efficient than APS synthesis. The APS kinase domain of the complex does not appear to form the covalent E⅐P intermediate observed in the closely related APS kinase from Escherichia coli. The stoichiometry of GTP hydrolysis and APS synthesis is 1:1, and the APS synthesis reaction is driven 1.1 ؋ 10 6 -fold further during GTP hydrolysis; the system harnesses the full chemical potential of the hydrolysis reaction to the synthesis of APS. A key energycoupling step in the mechanism is a ligand-induced isomerization that enhances the affinity of GTP and commits APS synthesis and GTP hydrolysis to the completion of the catalytic cycle. Ligand-induced increases in guanine nucleotide affinity observed in the mycobacterial system suggest that it too undergoes the energycoupling isomerization.The sulfate activation pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is organized into a single complex that consists of three catalytic activities: an adenylyl-transferase (ATP sulfurylase), encoded by cysD, that catalyzes nucleophilic attack of sulfate at the ␣-phosphorous of ATP to produce adenosine 5Ј-phosphosulfate (APS); 1 a GTPase, encoded by cysN (a member of the EF-Tu family) (1, 2), whose activity is linked to the kinetics and energetics of the ATP sulfurylase reaction; and APS kinase, located at the C terminus of the cysN subunit, that phosphorylates APS at the 3Ј-hydroxyl to produce 3Ј-phosphoadenosine 5Ј-phosphosulfate (PAPS) (Reactions 1-3, respectively).The M. tuberculosis and Escherichia coli cysD and cysN sequences share considerable similarity; however, the E. coli APS kinase is expressed as a separate polypeptide, rather than a CysN domain. The organism-dependent fusion of the early cysteine biosynthetic enzymes is particularly interesting, given that the E. coli

Triflumezopyrim insect control will provide a powerful tool for control of hopper species in rice throughout Asia. Dicloromezotiaz can provide a useful control tool for lepidopteran pests, with an underexploited mode of action among these pests. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

The toll that Streptococcus pneumoniae exacts on the welfare of humanity is enormous. This organism claims the lives of approximately 3700 people daily, the majority of whom are children below the age of 5, and the situation could worsen due to the increasing incidence of pernicious, multiple-antibiotic-resistant strains. Here we report the discovery and characterization of a new allosteric site, shown to be absent in humans, that can be used to switch off an essential pathway in S. pneumoniae, the mevalonate pathway. Diphosphomevalonate (DPM), an intermediate in the pathway, binds with high affinity (K(d) = 530 nM) to mevalonate kinase, the first enzyme in the pathway, and inactivates it. Steady-state and equilibrium binding measurements reveal that DPM binding is noncompetitive versus substrates. DPM binds at an allosteric site, and inhibition cannot be overcome by an increasing substrate concentration. The DPM-binding site is a promising target for the development of new antimicrobial agents.