Role of arginine 138 in the catalysis and regulation of Escherichia coli dihydrodipicolinate synthase.

In plants and bacteria, the branch point of (S)-lysine biosynthesis is the condensation of (S)-aspartate-beta-semialdehyde [(S)-ASA] and pyruvate, a reaction catalyzed by dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS, EC 4.2.1.