The kinetic parameters for activation
of yeast triosephosphate
isomerase (ScTIM), yeast orotidine monophosphate
decarboxylase (ScOMPDC), and human liver glycerol
3-phosphate dehydrogenase (hlGPDH) for catalysis
of reactions of their respective phosphodianion truncated substrates
are reported for the following oxydianions: HPO32–, FPO32–, S2O32–, SO42– and HOPO32–. Oxydianions bind weakly to these unliganded
enzymes and tightly to the transition state complex (E·S‡), with intrinsic oxydianion Gibbs binding free energies
that range from −8.4 kcal/mol for activation of hlGPDH-catalyzed reduction of glycolaldehyde by FPO32– to −3.0 kcal/mol for activation of ScOMPDC-catalyzed decarboxylation of 1-β-d-erythrofuranosyl)orotic acid by HOPO32–. Small differences in the specificity of the different oxydianion
binding domains are observed. We propose that the large −8.4
kcal/mol and small −3.8 kcal/mol intrinsic oxydianion binding
energy for activation of hlGPDH by FPO32– and S2O32–, respectively, compared with activation of ScTIM
and ScOMPDC reflect stabilizing and destabilizing
interactions between the oxydianion −F and −S with the
cationic side chain of R269 for hlGPDH. These results
are consistent with a cryptic function for the similarly structured
oxydianion binding domains of ScTIM, ScOMPDC and hlGPDH. Each enzyme utilizes the interactions
with tetrahedral inorganic oxydianions to drive a conformational change
that locks the substrate in a caged Michaelis complex that provides
optimal stabilization of the different enzymatic transition states.
The observation of dianion activation by stabilization of active caged
Michaelis complexes may be generalized to the many other enzymes that
utilize substrate binding energy to drive changes in enzyme conformation,
which induce tight substrate fits.