Structure and mutagenic conversion of E1 dehydrase: at the crossroads of dehydration, amino transfer, and epimerization.

Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate (PMP) are highly versatile coenzymes whose importance is well recognized. The capability of PLP/PMP-dependent enzymes to catalyze a diverse array of chemical reactions is attributed to fine-tuning of the cofactor-substrate interactions in the active site. CDP-6-deoxy-L-threo-D-glycero-4-hexulose 3-dehydrase (E1), along with its reductase (E3), catalyzes the C-3 deoxygenation of CDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose to form the dehydrated product, CDP-4-keto-3,6-dideoxy- d-glucose, in the ascarylose biosynthetic pathway. This product is the progenitor to most 3,6-dideoxyhexoses, which are the major antigenic determinants of many Gram-negative pathogens. The dimeric [2Fe-2S] protein, E 1, cloned from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, is the only known enzyme whose catalysis involves the direct participation of PMP in one-electron redox chemistry. E1 also contains an unusual [2Fe-2S] cluster with a previously unknown binding motif (C-X 57-C-X 1-C-X 7-C). Herein we report the first X-ray crystal structure of E1, which exhibits an aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) fold. A comparison of the E1 active site architecture with homologous structures uncovers residues critical for the dehydration versus transamination activity. Site-directed mutagenesis of four E1 residues, D194H, Y217H, H220K, and F345H, converted E 1 from a PMP-dependent dehydrase to a PLP/glutamate-dependent aminotransferase. The E1 quadruple mutant, having been conferred this altered enzyme activity, can transaminate the natural substrate to CDP-4,6-dideoxy-4-amino-D-galactose without E3. Taken together, these results provide the molecular basis of the functional switch of E1 toward dehydration, epimerization, and transamination. The insights gained from these studies can be used for the development of inhibitors of disease-relevant PLP/PMP-dependent enzymes.