ATP phosphoribosyltransferase
(ATPPRT) catalyzes the first step
of histidine biosynthesis, being allosterically inhibited by the final
product of the pathway. Allosteric inhibition of long-form ATPPRTs
by histidine has been extensively studied, but inhibition of short-form
ATPPRTs is poorly understood. Short-form ATPPRTs are hetero-octamers
formed by four catalytic subunits (HisG
S
) and four regulatory
subunits (HisZ). HisG
S
alone is catalytically active and
insensitive to histidine. HisZ enhances catalysis by HisG
S
in the absence of histidine but mediates allosteric inhibition in
its presence. Here, steady-state and pre-steady-state kinetics establish
that histidine is a noncompetitive inhibitor of short-form ATPPRT
and that inhibition does not occur by dissociating HisG
S
from the hetero-octamer. The crystal structure of ATPPRT in complex
with histidine and the substrate 5-phospho-α-
d
-ribosyl-1-pyrophosphate
was determined, showing histidine bound solely to HisZ, with four
histidine molecules per hetero-octamer. Histidine binding involves
the repositioning of two HisZ loops. The histidine-binding loop moves
closer to histidine to establish polar contacts. This leads to a hydrogen
bond between its Tyr263 and His104 in the Asp101–Leu117 loop.
The Asp101–Leu117 loop leads to the HisZ–HisG
S
interface, and in the absence of histidine, its motion prompts HisG
S
conformational changes responsible for catalytic activation.
Following histidine binding, interaction with the histidine-binding
loop may prevent the Asp101–Leu117 loop from efficiently sampling
conformations conducive to catalytic activation. Tyr263Phe-
Pa
HisZ-containing
Pa
ATPPRT, however, is
less susceptible though not insensitive to histidine inhibition, suggesting
the Tyr263–His104 interaction may be relevant to yet not solely
responsible for transmission of the allosteric signal.