gamma-Butyrobetaine hydroxylase. Structural characterization of the Pseudomonas enzyme.

gamma-Butyrobetaine hydroxylase is a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase that catalyzes the hydroxylation of gamma-butyrobetaine to carnitine, the last step in the biosynthesis of carnitine from lysine. The primary structure of the enzyme from Pseudomonas sp. AK1 has been determined. Sequence analysis of the intact protein and of peptides from essentially three different digests established the presence of a peptide chain containing 383 residues, and an N-terminal truncated form of 382 residues. The two chains have molecular masses of 43,321 Da and 43,207 Da, respectively, and are identical except for the presence or absence of an N-terminal asparagine residue; the shorter form starts with an alanine residue. In preparations of the dimeric protein, the two chains occur in an approximate ratio of 1:1. There are nine cysteine residues and 13 histidine residues, i.e. amino acids which have been postulated as ligands for iron binding. In spite of functional similarities, there appears to be no clear sequence similarities with any of the other mammalian 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases so far characterized.

Characterization of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase. Primary structure of the Pseudomonas enzyme.

The primary structure of Pseudomonas 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase was determined. Sequence degradation of the intact protein and of peptides from three different digests of the carboxymethylated protein established a 357-residue polypeptide chain with a free alpha-amino group. Hydroxylamine cleavage at a single Asn-Gly sequence was useful. Comparisons with known structures in data banks revealed no close relationship with other characterized proteins. The human enzyme has a related composition, suggesting that also the eukaryotic form belongs to this protein type, but with a blocked N-terminus like in many other eukaryotic intracellular proteins. Secondary structure predictions suggest an alpha/beta mixed structure, fairly typical of globular proteins, without long segments of hydrophobicity or charge, although a region in the middle of the C-terminal third of the subunit appears to have the most extreme properties. A ferric centre, correlating with enzyme activity and absorbance at 595 nm, has previously been assigned to tyrosinate coordination. The Tyr and His distributions, and the position of a single Cys residue, all suggest a few likely sites, outside the C-terminal segment, for this centre.

On 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase of adult frog liver.

1. It has been reported that 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.27) activity in the liver from Rana esculenta is present only after autolysis of trypsin digestion, which releases a heat-and acid-stable inhibitor of low molecular mass. 2. Attempts to demonstrate similar effects with the liver enzyme from adult Rana pipiens were unsuccessful. Trypsin had only an inhibitory effect on the enzyme activity in crude extracts. 3. Both untreated and trypsin-treated enzyme had a molecular mass of about 100,000 daltons as determined by gel filtration. The pI was around pH 4.6. One pH-optimum between pH 7 and 8 was observed. 4. At pH 7.5 and 37 degrees C the basal enzyme activity was 1.3 mumol/min per g of protein. It was increased six-fold by a reductant in the presence of catalase. Fe2+ (50 muM) increased the activity further 1.6-fold when the reaction was carried out in Tris-HCl buffer, but not in potassium phosphate buffer. 5. The Km for 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate was 50 muM and the Vmax was around 10 mumol/min per g of soluble protein with reductively activated enzyme. 6. Substrate inhibition was observed above 20 muM concentrations of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate.