Site-directed mutagenesis and over expression of aroG gene of Escherichia coli K-12.

3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthetase is one of the key enzymes, which catalyzes the first step in the aromatic amino acid biosynthetic pathway and yields the three amino acids tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine. In Escherichia coli (E. coli), three differently regulated DAHP synthases carry out the first regulated step in the aromatic amino acid biosynthetic pathway. The three DAHP synthases encoded by the genes aroG, aroF and aroH are inhibited by phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan, respectively. In this work, the aroG gene was cloned and mutated by site-directed mutagenesis using splicing overlap extension PCR (SOE-PCR) technique. The feedback-resistant DAHP synthase encoded by aroG was achieved by replacing the residue Leu175 of aroG with Asp as to increase net carbon flow down the common pathway. SDS-PAGE which was used to access the protein expression level of aroGM showed the strain harbored mutated aroGM gene achieve over-expression compared to strain contain empty plasmid pET-28b (+).

Heterologous expression and characterization of soluble recombinant 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Actinosynnema pretiosum ssp. auranticum ATCC31565 through co-expression with Chaperones in Escherichia coli.

3-Deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (DAHPS), (EC 2.5.1.54) catalyzes the first step of the shikimate pathway, the route for the biosynthesis of aromatic compounds in plants and microbes. In Actinosynnema pretiosum, the aroF gene (GenBank: AF056968.1) encodes DAHPS to condensate phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) and d-erythrose 4-phosphate (E4P) to generate DAHP. In this study, a recombinant pET28a-aroF plasmid was constructed and A. pretiosum DAHPS was successfully expressed in soluble form by co-expression with chaperonins GroEL/GroES in Escherichia coli. The purification and kinetic characterization of the expressed protein were then investigated. The DAHPS originated from A. pretiosum demonstrated a pronounced substrate inhibition by PEP but was not sensitive to E4P. The purified enzyme was completely inactivated by EDTA but potently activated by several bivalent metal ions, especially Mn(2+) and Co(2+).

DAHP synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv: cloning, expression, and purification of functional enzyme.

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains the leading cause of mortality due to a bacterial pathogen. According to the 2004 Global TB Control Report of the World Health Organization, there are 300,000 new cases per year of multi-drug resistant strains (MDR-TB), defined as resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin, and 79% of MDR-TB cases are now "super strains," resistant to at least three of the four main drugs used to treat TB. Thus there is a need for the development of effective new agents to treat TB. The shikimate pathway is an attractive target for the development of antimycobacterial agents because it has been shown to be essential for the viability of M. tuberculosis, but absent from mammals. The M. tuberculosis aroG-encoded 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase (mtDAHPS) catalyzes the first committed step in this pathway. Here we describe the PCR amplification, cloning, and sequencing of aroG structural gene from M. tuberculosis H37Rv. The expression of recombinant mtDAHPS protein in the soluble form was obtained in Escherichia coli Rosetta-gami (DE3) host cells without IPTG induction. An approximately threefold purification protocol yielded homogeneous enzyme with a specific activity value of 0.47U mg(-1) under the experimental conditions used. Gel filtration chromatography results demonstrate that recombinant mtDAHPS is a pentamer in solution. The availability of homogeneous mtDAHPS will allow structural and kinetics studies to be performed aiming at antitubercular agents development.

Redox regulation of Arabidopsis 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase.

The cDNA for 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase of Arabidopsis encodes a polypeptide with an amino-terminal signal sequence for plastid import. A cDNA fragment encoding the processed form of the enzyme was expressed in Escherichia coli. The resulting protein was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The enzyme requires Mn(2+) and reduced thioredoxin (TRX) for activity. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) TRX f has an apparent dissociation constant for the enzyme of about 0.2 microM. The corresponding constant for TRX m is orders of magnitude higher. In the absence of TRX, dithiothreitol partially activates the enzyme. Upon alkylation of the enzyme with iodoacetamide, the dependence on a reducing agent is lost. These results indicate that the first enzyme in the shikimate pathway of Arabidopsis appears to be regulated by the ferredoxin/TRX redox control of the chloroplast.

Microbial origin of plant-type 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthases, exemplified by the chorismate- and tryptophan-regulated enzyme from Xanthomonas campestris.

Enzymes performing the initial reaction of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis, 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate (DAHP) synthases, exist as two distinct homology classes. The three classic Escherichia coli paralogs are AroA(I) proteins, but many members of the Bacteria possess the AroA(II) class of enzyme, sometimes in combination with AroA(I) proteins. AroA(II) DAHP synthases until now have been shown to be specifically dedicated to secondary metabolism (e.g., formation of ansamycin antibiotics or phenazine pigment). In contrast, here we show that the Xanthomonas campestris AroA(II) protein functions as the sole DAHP synthase supporting aromatic amino acid biosynthesis. X. campestris AroA(II) was cloned in E. coli by functional complementation, and genes corresponding to two possible translation starts were expressed. We developed a 1-day partial purification method (>99%) for the unstable protein. The recombinant AroA(II) protein was found to be subject to an allosteric pattern of sequential feedback inhibition in which chorismate is the prime allosteric effector. L-Tryptophan was found to be a minor feedback inhibitor. An N-terminal region of 111 amino acids may be located in the periplasm since a probable inner membrane-spanning region is predicted. Unlike chloroplast-localized AroA(II) of higher plants, X. campestris AroA(II) was not hysteretically activated by dithiols. Compared to plant AroA(II) proteins, differences in divalent metal activation were also observed. Phylogenetic tree analysis shows that AroA(II) originated within the Bacteria domain, and it seems probable that higher-plant plastids acquired AroA(II) from a gram-negative bacterium via endosymbiosis. The X. campestris AroA(II) protein is suggested to exemplify a case of analog displacement whereby an ancestral aroA(I) species was discarded, with the aroA(II) replacement providing an alternative pattern of allosteric control. Three subgroups of AroA(II) proteins can be recognized: a large, central group containing the plant enzymes and that from X. campestris, one defined by a three-residue deletion near the conserved KPRS motif, and one possessing a larger deletion further downstream.

Structure of 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli: comparison of the Mn(2+)*2-phosphoglycolate and the Pb(2+)*2-phosphoenolpyruvate complexes and implications for catalysis.

The crystal structure of the phenylalanine-regulated 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (DAHPS) from Escherichia coli in complex with Mn(2+) and the substrate analog, 2-phosphoglycolate (PGL), was determined by molecular replacement using X-ray diffraction data to 2.0 A resolution. DAHPS*Mn*PGL crystallizes in space group C2 (a=210.4 A, b=53.2 A, c=149.4 A, beta=116.1 degrees ) with its four (beta/alpha)(8) barrel subunits related by non-crystallographic 222 symmetry. The refinement was carried out without non-crystallographic symmetry restraints and yielded agreement factors of R=20.9 % and R(free)=23.9 %. Mn(2+), the most efficient metal activator, is coordinated by the same four side-chains (Cys61, His268, Glu302 and Asp326) as is the poorly activating Pb(2+). A fifth ligand is a well-defined water molecule, which is within hydrogen bonding distance to an essential lysine residue (Lys97). The distorted octahedral coordination sphere of the metal is completed by PGL, which replaces the substrate, 2-phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), in the active site. However, unlike PEP in the Pb*PEP complex, PGL binds the Mn(2+) via one of its carboxylate oxygen atoms. A model of the active site is discussed in which PEP binds in the same orientation as does PGL in the DAHPS*Mn*PGL structure and the phosphate of E4P is tethered at the site of a bound sulfate anion. The re face of E4P can be positioned to interact with the si face of PEP with only small movement of the protein.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (tyrosine inhibitable) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (E.C. 4.1.2.15) catalyses the first step in the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids: the condensation of phophoenolpyruvate and erythrose 4-phosphate to 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate. Diffraction-quality crystals of the tyrosine-inhibitable form of the enzyme from Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been obtained by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method in the presence of polyethylene glycol. The crystals belong to the triclinic space group P1, with unit-cell parameters a = 81.5, b = 94.0, c = 104.6 A, alpha = 65.5, beta = 85.2, gamma = 75.0 degrees, and can be flash-cooled using glycerol as a cryoprotectant. A data set to 2.3 A has been collected at 120 K.

Metal-catalyzed oxidation of phenylalanine-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli: inactivation and destabilization by oxidation of active-site cysteines.

The in vitro instability of the phenylalanine-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase [DAHPS(Phe)] from Escherichia coli has been found to be due to a metal-catalyzed oxidation mechanism. DAHPS(Phe) is one of three differentially feedback-regulated isoforms of the enzyme which catalyzes the first step of aromatic biosynthesis, the formation of DAHP from phosphoenolpyruvate and D-erythrose-4-phosphate. The activity of the apoenzyme decayed exponentially, with a half-life of about 1 day at room temperature, and the heterotetramer slowly dissociated to the monomeric state. The enzyme was stabilized by the presence of phosphoenolpyruvate or EDTA, indicating that in the absence of substrate, a trace metal(s) was the inactivating agent. Cu2+ and Fe2+, but none of the other divalent metals that activate the enzyme, greatly accelerated the rate of inactivation and subunit dissociation. Both anaerobiosis and the addition of catalase significantly reduced Cu2+-catalyzed inactivation. In the spontaneously inactivated enzyme, there was a net loss of two of the seven thiols per subunit; this value increased with increasing concentrations of added Cu2+. Dithiothreitol completely restored the enzymatic activity and the two lost thiols in the spontaneously inactivated enzyme but was only partially effective in reactivation of the Cu2+-inactivated enzyme. Mutant enzymes with conservative replacements at either of the two active-site cysteines, Cys61 or Cys328, were insensitive to the metal attack. Peptide mapping of the Cu2+-inactivated enzyme revealed a disulfide linkage between these two cysteine residues. All results indicate that DAHPS(Phe) is a metal-catalyzed oxidation system wherein bound substrate protects active-site residues from oxidative attack catalyzed by bound redox metal cofactor. A mechanism of inactivation of DAHPS is proposed that features a metal redox cycle that requires the sequential oxidation of its two active-site cysteines.

The two 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase isoenzymes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae show different kinetic modes of inhibition.

Activity of the tyrosine-inhibitable 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (EC 4.1.2.15) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae that was encoded by the ARO4 gene cloned on a high-copy-number plasmid was enhanced 64-fold as compared to the wild-type. The enzyme was purified to apparent homogeneity from the strain that harbored this recombinant plasmid. The estimated molecular weight of 42,000 of the enzyme corresponded to the calculated molecular mass of 40 kDa deduced from the DNA sequence. The enzyme could be inactivated by EDTA in a reaction that was reversed by several bivalent metal ions; presumably a metal cofactor is required for enzymatic catalysis. The Michaelis constant of the enzyme was 125 microM for phosphoenolpyruvate and 500 microM for erythrose 4-phosphate. The rate constant was calculated as 6 s-1, and kinetic data indicated a sequential mechanism of the enzymatic reaction. Tyrosine was a competitive inhibitor with phosphoenolpyruvate as substrate of the enzyme (Ki of 0.9 microM) and a noncompetitive inhibitor with erythrose 4-phosphate as substrate. This is in contrast to the ARO3-encoded isoenzyme, where phenylalanine is a competitive inhibitor with erythrose 4-phosphate as a substrate of the enzyme and a noncompetitive inhibitor with phosphoenolpyruvate as substrate.

Overexpression, purification, and characterization of tyrosine-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonic acid 7-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli.

An overexpression system (pCR105) for DAHP synthase (Tyr) was constructed by cloning the aroF gene at the NdeI site of the pET-22b(+) translation vector, a plasmid expression vector that contains the T7 lac promoter. The enzyme was overexpressed, purified to > 90% purity (by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis), and characterized. The protein was overexpressed at a level of 58% the total soluble cell protein (based on enzymatic activities). About 244 mg of pure enzyme was obtained from a 2-liter cell culture. So far, this is the highest yield reported for the isozyme DAHP synthase (Tyr). The enzyme showed a bell-shaped pH-activity profile, with a pH optimum at pH 7.0-7.5 and pK values of 6.10 and 8.92. Inhibition of the enzyme by tyrosine was specific with 50% inhibition observed at 9 microM tyrosine, pH 7.0. The specific activity of the enzyme increased with added metal and metal sensitivity increased with purity of the enzyme. Only substoichiometric amounts of Cu, Fe, and Zn were found in the pure enzyme and this result is consistent with sensitivity of the enzyme to added metal. Although treatment with EDTA inactivated the enzyme almost completely, the activity of the apoenzyme was restored to differing extents by a variety of metals including Mn2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, Mg2+, and Zn2+. Both Fe2+ and Cu2+ only partially reactivated EDTA-treated enzyme. Reconstitution of EDTA-treated enzyme with either Cd2+ or Mn2+ gave 1 mol of metal per mole of enzyme monomer. KCN inactivated the enzyme to only 80% and added metals reactivated the CN-treated enzyme only to a small extent. These results confirm the importance of the metal in the enzymatic reaction.

Evidence for a novel class of microbial 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2), Streptomyces rimosus and Neurospora crassa.

The tryptophan-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthases from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2), Streptomyces rimosus and Neurospora crassa have been purified to homogeneity. All three enzymes have a subunit Mr of 54,000. The S. coelicolor DAHP synthase was physically and kinetically characterized and the N-terminal amino acid sequence was obtained. The N-terminal amino acid sequence could not be obtained for the enzymes from S. rimosus and N. crassa, their N-termini apparently being blocked. However, following proteolytic digestion, internal amino acid sequences were obtained from both enzymes. A comparison with the known DAHP synthase sequences indicated that these DAHP synthases are unrelated to other microbial DAHP synthase sequences but are similar to plant DAHP synthases. Up until now, two distinct classes of DAHP synthase have been described, one comprising exclusively enzymes from plants, the other restricted to enzymes from micro-organisms. These studies indicate that the class containing the plant DAHP synthases also contains enzymes from a microbial eukaryote and from several bacteria.

Purification, crystallization, and preliminary crystallographic analysis of 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli.

The phenylalanine-regulated isozyme of 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (DAHPS) from Escherichia coli, its binary complexes with either substrate, phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), or feedback inhibitor, Phe, and its ternary complexes with either PEP or Phe plus metal cofactor (either Mn2+, Cd2+, or Pb2+) were crystallized from polyethylglycol (PEG) solutions. All crystals of the DAHPS without Phe belong to space group C2, with cell parameters a = 213.5 A, b = 54.3 A, c = 149.0 A, beta = 116.6 degrees. All crystals of the enzyme with Phe also belong to space group C2, but with cell parameters a = 297.1 A, b = 91.4 A, c = 256.5 A, and beta = 148.2 degrees.

Chorismate mutase and 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase of the methylotrophic actinomycete Amycolatopsis methanolica.

Chorismate mutase (CM) and 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase (DS) are key regulatory enzymes in L-Phe and L-Tyr biosynthesis in Amycolatopsis methanolica. At least two CM proteins, CMIa and CMIb, are required for the single chorismate mutase activity in the wild type. Component CMIa (a homodimeric protein with 16-kDa subunits) was purified to homogeneity (2,717-fold) and kinetically characterized. The partially purified CMIb preparation obtained also contained the single DS (DSI) activity detectable in the wild type. The activities of CMIa and CMIb were inhibited by both L-Phe and L-Tyr. DSI activity was inhibited by L-Trp, L-Phe, and L-Tyr. A leaky L-Phe-requiring auxotroph, mutant strain GH141, grown under L-Phe limitation, possessed additional DS (DSII) and CM (CMII) activities. Synthesis of both CMII and DSII was repressed by L-Phe. An ortho-DL-fluorophenylalanine-resistant mutant of the wild type (strain oFPHE83) that had lost the sensitivity of DSII and CMII synthesis to L-Phe repression was isolated. DSII was partially purified (a 42-kDa protein); its activity was strongly inhibited by L-Tyr. CMII was purified to homogeneity (93.6 fold) and characterized as a homodimeric protein with 16-kDa subunits, completely insensitive to feedback inhibition by L-Phe and L-Tyr. The activity of CMII was activated by CMIb; the activity of CMII plus CMIb was again inhibited by L-Phe and L-Tyr. A tightly blocked L-Phe- plus L-Tyr-requiring derivative of mutant strain GH141, GH141-19, that had lost both CMIa and CMII activities was isolated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Purification and characterization of 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Streptomyces rimosus.

A purification scheme for 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (EC 4.1.2.15) from Streptomyces rimosus is presented. A four-step procedure involving conventional chromatography and FPLC led to a 2700-fold enrichment of the enzyme activity present in crude extracts. Enzyme prepared by this procedure was judged to be 97% homogeneous by densitometry of a Coomassie-blue-stained polyacrylamide gel. A novel, sensitive, coupled assay was used to follow the purification. The Michaelis constants of the purified enzyme are 6.7 microM and 2.6 microM for phospho enol pyruvate and erythrose 4-phosphate, respectively. These values are one to two orders of magnitude lower than the Km values reported for partially purified enzyme from other Streptomycetes. A number of potential metabolic effectors were tested for their ability to inhibit the purified enzyme. Tryptophan was found to be a partial inhibitor and appeared to bind to the enzyme cooperatively.

Purification and properties of tryptophan-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli.

The aroH gene of Escherichia coli, which encodes the tryptophan-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase isoenzyme of the common aromatic biosynthetic pathway, was cloned behind the tac promoter in expression plasmid pKK223-3. The enzyme was overexpressed, purified to homogeneity, and characterized. The native enzyme was found to be a dimeric metalloprotein containing 0.3 mol of iron per mol of subunit and variable amounts of zinc. The activity of the native enzyme was stimulated two- to threefold when assayed in the presence of Fe2+ ions. Pretreatment of the enzyme with Fe2+ also resulted in activation, accompanied by an equivalent increase in iron content. Treatment of the enzyme with chelating agents led to inactivation, which was fully reversed by the presence of Fe2+ in the assay mixture. The native enzyme exhibited a unique absorption profile, having a shoulder of absorbance on the aromatic band with a maximum around 350 nm and a broad, weak band with a maximum around 500 nm. Treatment of the enzyme with Fe2+ enhanced the absorbance at 350 nm and eliminated the band at 500 nm. Treatment with reducing agents caused the disappearance of both bands and destabilized the enzyme. Feedback regulation of the activity of the enzyme was specific for tryptophan, with maximum inhibition at about 70%.

Regulation of the Salmonella typhimurium aroF gene in Escherichia coli.

The Salmonella typhimurium aroF gene, encoding the tyrosine-sensitive 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase, was localized to a chromosomal PstI fragment by Southern blotting with an Escherichia coli aroF probe. This fragment was cloned by screening a plasmid library for complementation of an E. coli aroF mutant. The nucleotide sequence of S. typhimurium aroF was determined and compared with its E. coli homolog. The nucleotide sequences are 85.1% identical, and the corresponding amino acid sequences are 96.1% identical. The E. coli genes encoding the three DAHP synthase isoenzymes are evolutionarily more distant from one another than are the homologous aroF genes of E. coli and S. typhimurium. The S. typhimurium aroF regulatory region contains three imperfect palindromes, two upstream of the promoter and one overlapping the promoter, that are nearly identical to operators aroFo1, aroFo2, and TyrR box 1 of E. coli. The aroFo1 and aroFo2 sequences of the two organisms are each separated by three turns of the DNA helix with no sequence similarity. The 5' ends of the aroF transcripts for both organisms contain untranslated regions with potential stem-loop structures. Translational fusions of the aroF regulatory regions to lacZ were constructed and then introduced in single copy into the E. coli chromosome. beta-Galactosidase assays for tyrR-mediated regulation of aroF-lacZ expression revealed that the E. coli TyrR repressor apparently recognizes the operators of both organisms with about equal efficiency.

Purification and properties of the 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (phenylalanine-inhibitable) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The phenylalanine-inhibitable 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate (dHp1P) synthase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been purified to apparent homogeneity by a 1250-fold enrichment of the enzyme activity present in wild-type crude extracts, employing an overproducing strain. The estimated molecular mass of 42 kDa corresponds to the calculated molecular mass of 42.13 kDa deduced from the previously determined primary sequence. Gel filtration indicates that the active enzyme is a monomer. The enzyme is an Fe protein and is inactivated by EDTA in a reaction which is reversible by several bivalent metal ions. The Michaelis constant of the enzyme is 18 microM for phosphoenolpyruvate (P-pyruvate) and 130 microM for erythrose 4-phosphate (Ery4P) and the rate constant was calculated as 10 s-1. Inhibition by phenylalanine is competitive with respect to erythrose 4-phosphate and non-competitive to phosphoenolpyruvate, with a Ki of 10 microM.

Is the first enzyme of the shikimate pathway, 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (tyrosine sensitive), a copper metalloenzyme?

3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (tyrosine sensitive) was purified from Escherichia coli carrying the plasmid pKB45. Enzyme of high specific catalytic activity (70 mu/mg) was obtained from cells grown only to the early log phase. The purified protein contained Cu(II) and showed an absorption band at 350 nm. Metal-free, catalytically inactive apoenzyme could be produced by dialysis against cyanide ion, and the holoenzyme could be reconstituted in terms of both catalytic activity and A350 by the binding of one Cu(II) ion per enzyme subunit. Zn(II) also reactivated the apoenzyme to about 50% of the level seen with Cu(II), although in this case no band appeared at 350 nm. In contrast to earlier reports that the enzyme contains substoichiometric levels of iron, insignificant amounts of iron were found in the isolated enzyme, and neither Fe(II) nor FE(III) regenerated either an absorption band at 350 nm or any catalytic activity from the apoenzyme. The evident preference of the enzyme as isolated for (Cu)II suggests that the synthase might naturally be a copper metalloenzyme.

Purification and properties of DAHP synthase from Nocardia mediterranei.

3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase, the first enzyme of the shikimate pathway was isolated from Nocardia mediterranei. It has a molecular weight of approx. 135,000, and four identical subunits, each with a molecular weight of 35,000. The Km values for phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) and D-erythrose 4-phosphate (E-4-P) were 0.4 and 0.25 mM, respectively, and kinetic study showed that LTrp inhibited DAHP synthase activity, but was not competitive with respect to PEP or E-4-P. The enzyme activity was inhibited by excess of E-4-P added in the incubation system. D-ribose 5-phosphate (R-5-P), D-glucose 6-phosphate (G-6-P) or D-sedoheptulose 7-phosphate (Su-7-P) etc. inhibited DAHP synthase in cell-free extract, but on partially purified enzyme no inhibitory effect was detected. The indirect inhibition of R-5-P and other sugar phosphates was considered to be due to the formation of E-4-P catalyzed by the related enzymes present in cell-free extract.