The propionate utilization operons of several bacteria differ from each other in the occurrence of two genes, acnD and prpF, in place of or in addition to the prpD gene encoding an Fe/S-independent 2-methylcitrate dehydratase enzyme. We cloned the acnD and prpF genes from two organisms, Shewanella oneidensis and Vibrio cholerae, and found that, together, the AcnD and PrpF proteins restored the ability of a prpD mutant strain of Salmonella enterica to grow on propionate as a source of carbon and energy. However, neither acnD nor prpF alone was able to substitute for prpD. The AcnD and PrpF proteins were isolated and biochemically analyzed. The AcnD protein required reconstitution of an Fe/S cluster for activity. All detectable AcnD activity was lost after incubation with iron-chelating agents, and no AcnD activity was observed after attempted reconstitution without iron. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and in vitro activity assay data showed that AcnD dehydrated 2-methylcitrate and citrate to 2-methyl-cis-aconitate and cis-aconitate, respectively; AcnD also hydrated cis-aconitate. However, 2-methylisocitrate and isocitrate were not substrates for AcnD, indicating that AcnD only catalyzes the first half of the aconitase-like dehydration reactions. No aconitase-like activity was found for PrpF. It is hypothesized that, in vivo, PrpF is an accessory protein required to prevent oxidative damage of the Fe/S center of active AcnD enzyme or that it may be involved in synthesis or repair of the Fe/S cluster present in AcnD.

The prpB gene of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 encodes a protein with 2-methylisocitrate (2-MIC) lyase activity, which cleaves 2-MIC into pyruvate and succinate during the conversion of propionate to pyruvate via the 2-methylcitric acid cycle. This paper reports the isolation and kinetic characterization of wild-type and five mutant PrpB proteins. Wild-type PrpB protein had a molecular mass of approximately 32 kDa per subunit, and the biologically active enzyme was comprised of four subunits. Optimal 2-MIC lyase activity was measured at pH 7.5 and 50°C, and the reaction required Mg 2؉ ions; equimolar concentrations of Mn 2؉ ions were a poor substitute for Mg 2؉ (28% specific activity). Dithiothreitol (DTT) or reduced glutathione (GSH) was required for optimal activity; the role of DTT or GSH was apparently not to reduce disulfide bonds, since the disulfide-specific reducing agent Tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine hydrochloride failed to substitute for DTT or GSH. The K m of PrpB for 2-MIC was measured at 19 M, with a k cat of 105 s ؊1 . Mutations in the prpB gene were introduced by site-directed mutagenesis based on the active-site residues deemed important for catalysis in the closely related phosphoenolpyruvate mutase and isocitrate lyase enzymes. Residues D58, K121, C123, and H125 of PrpB were changed to alanine, and residue R122 was changed to lysine. Nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that all mutant PrpB proteins retained the same oligomeric state of the wild-type enzyme, which is known to form tetramers. The PrpB K121A , PrpB H125A , and PrpB R122K mutant proteins formed enzymes that had 1,050-, 750-, and 2-fold decreases in k cat for 2-MIC lyase activity, respectively. The PrpB D58A and PrpB C123A proteins formed tetramers that displayed no detectable 2-MIC lyase activity indicating that both of these residues are essential for catalysis. Based on the proposed mechanism of the closely related isocitrate lyases, PrpB residue C123 is proposed to serve as the active site base, and residue D58 is critical for the coordination of a required Mg 2؉ ion.Propionate catabolism in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 (herein referred to as serovar Typhimurium) occurs via the 2-methylcitric acid (2-MC) cycle (Fig. 1) (18). The 2-MC cycle of propionate metabolism was first identified in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica and several years later was found to exist in prokaryotes (8,18,36,37). The prokaryotic enzymes of this pathway have been characterized. PrpE is the propionyl coenzyme A synthetase (14, 17), PrpC is the 2-MC synthase (18, 39), PrpD is the 2-MC dehydratase (8, 15), and PrpB is the 2-methylisocitrate (2-MIC) lyase (7,18). This work focuses on the serovar Typhimurium PrpB enzyme, which catalyzes the cleavage of 2-MIC into pyruvate and succinate (15).Comparisons of the amino acid sequence of the PrpB protein to other protein sequences identified it as a homolog of carboxyphosphonoenolpyruvate (CPEP) mutase, phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) mutase, and isocitrate lyases (ICL) ...