Publications by authors named "William Karsten"

Dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS) catalyzes the first committed step in the lysine-biosynthetic pathway converting pyruvate and L-aspartate-β-semialdehyde to dihydrodipicolinate. Kinetic studies indicate that the pyruvate analog (S)-2-bromopropionate inactivates the enzyme in a pseudo-first-order process. An initial velocity pattern indicates that (S)-2-bromopropionate is a competitive inhibitor versus pyruvate, with an inhibition constant of about 8 mM.

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Dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS) catalyzes the first step in the biosynthetic pathway for production of l-lysine in bacteria and plants. The enzyme has received interest as a potential drug target owing to the absence of the enzyme in mammals. The DHDPS reaction is the rate limiting step in lysine biosynthesis and involves the condensation of l-aspartate-β-semialdehyde and pyruvate to form 2, 3-dihydrodipicolinate.

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Dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS) catalyzes the first step in the pathway for the biosynthesis of L-lysine in most bacteria and plants. The substrates for the enzyme are pyruvate and L-aspartate-β-semialdehyde (ASA). The product of the reaction was originally proposed to be 2,3-dihydrodipicolinate (DHDP), but has now generally been assumed to be (4S)-4-hydroxy-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-(2S)-dipicolinate (HTPA).

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The enzyme dihydrodipicolinate reductase (DHDPR) is a component of the lysine biosynthetic pathway in bacteria and higher plants. DHDPR catalyzes the NAD(P)H dependent reduction of 2,3-dihydrodipicolinate to the cyclic imine L-2,3,4,5,-tetrahydropicolinic acid. The dapB gene that encodes dihydrodipicolinate reductase has previously been cloned, but the expression of the enzyme is low and the purification is time consuming.

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The amino acid L-lysine is synthesized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae via the α-aminoadipate pathway. An as yet unidentified PLP-containing aminotransferase is thought to catalyze the formation of α-aminoadipate from α-ketoadipate in the L-lysine biosynthetic pathway that could be the yeast Aro8 gene product. A screen of several different amino acids and keto-acids showed that the enzyme uses L-tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, α-ketoadipate, and L-α-aminoadipate as substrates.

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O-Acetylserine sulfhydrylase is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the final step in the cysteine biosynthetic pathway in enteric bacteria and plants, the replacement of the beta-acetoxy group of O-acetyl-L-serine (OAS) by a thiol to give L-cysteine. Previous studies of the K41A mutant enzyme showed L-methionine bound in an external Schiff base (ESB) linkage to PLP as the enzyme was isolated. The mutant enzyme exists in a closed form, optimizing the orientation of the cofactor PLP and properly positioning active site functional groups for reaction.

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Background: The enzyme L-serine-glyoxylate aminotransferase (SGAT) from Hyphomicrobium methylovorum is a PLP-containing enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of L-serine and glyoxylate to hydroxypyruvate and glycine. The cloned enzyme expressed in Escherichia coli is isolated as a mixture of the E:PLP and E:PMP forms. The PLP form of the enzyme has a maximum absorbance at 413 nm.

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The NAD-malic enzyme catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of l-malate. Structures of the enzyme indicate that arginine 181 (R181) is within hydrogen bonding distance of the 1-carboxylate of malate in the active site of the enzyme and interacts with the carboxamide side chain of the nicotinamide ring of NADH, but not with NAD+. Data suggested R181 might play a central role in binding and catalysis in malic enzyme, and it was thus changed to lysine and glutamine to probe its potential function.

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An isothermal titration calorimetric study of the binding of substrates and inhibitors to different complexes of tartrate dehydrogenase (TDH) from Pseudomonas putida was carried out. TDH catalyzes the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent oxidative decarboxylation of d-malate and has an absolute requirement for both a divalent and monovalent metal ion for activity. The ligands Mn(2+), meso-tartrate, oxalate, and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) bound to all TDH complexes with a stoichiometry of 1 per enzyme dimer.

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Serine-glyoxylate aminotransferase (SGAT) from Hyphomicrobium methylovorum is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of L-serine and glyoxylate to hydroxypyruvate and glycine. The primary deuterium isotope effect using L-serine 2-D is one on (V/K)serine and V in the steady state. Pre-steady-state experiments also indicate that there is no primary deuterium isotope effect with L-serine 2-D.

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The pH dependence of kinetic parameters of several active site mutants of the Ascaris suum NAD-malic enzyme was investigated to determine the role of amino acid residues likely involved in catalysis on the basis of three-dimensional structures of malic enzyme. Lysine 199 is positioned to act as the general base that accepts a proton from the 2-hydroxyl of malate during the hydride transfer step. The pH dependence of V/K(malate) for the K199R mutant enzyme reveals a pK of 5.

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The kinetic mechanism of activation of the mitochondrial NAD-malic enzyme from the parasitic roundworm Ascaris suum has been studied using a steady-state kinetic approach. The following conclusions are suggested. First, malate and fumarate increase the activity of the enzyme in both reaction directions as a result of binding to separate allosteric sites, i.

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The crystal structure of the mitochondrial NAD-malic enzyme from Ascaris suum, in a quaternary complex with NADH, tartronate, and magnesium has been determined to 2.0-A resolution. The structure closely resembles the previously determined structure of the same enzyme in binary complex with NAD.

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Tartrate dehydrogenase catalyzes the divalent metal ion- and NAD-dependent oxidative decarboxylation of D-malate to yield CO(2), pyruvate, and NADH. The enzyme also catalyzes the metal ion-dependent oxidation of (+)-tartrate to yield oxaloglycolate and NADH. pH-rate profiles and isotope effects were measured to probe the mechanism of this unique enzyme.

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