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Kemp eliminases represent the most successful class of computationally designed enzymes, with rate accelerations of up to 10 9 -fold relative to the rate of the same reaction in aqueous solution. Nevertheless, several other systems such as micelles, catalytic antibodies, and cavitands are known to accelerate the Kemp elimination by several orders of magnitude. We found that the naturally occurring enzyme ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) also catalyzes the Kemp elimination. Surprisingly, mutations of D38, the residue that acts as a general base for its natural substrate, produced variants that catalyze the Kemp elimination up to 7000-fold better than wild-type KSI does, and some of these variants accelerate the Kemp elimination more than the computationally designed Kemp eliminases. Analysis of the D38N general base KSI variant suggests that a different active site carboxylate residue, D99, performs the proton abstraction. Docking simulations and analysis of inhibition by active site binders suggest that the Kemp elimination takes place in the active site of KSI and that KSI uses the same catalytic strategies of the computationally designed enzymes. In agreement with prior observations, our results strengthen the conclusion that significant rate accelerations of the Kemp elimination can be achieved with very few, nonspecific interactions with the substrate if a suitable catalytic base is present in a hydrophobic environment. Computational design can fulfill these requirements, and the design of more complex and precise environments represents the next level of challenges for protein design.

We compared the binding affinities of ground state analogues for bacterial ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) with a wild-type anionic Asp general base and with uncharged Asn and Ala in the general base position to provide a measure of potential ground state destabilization that could arise from the close juxtaposition of the anionic Asp and hydrophobic steroid in the reaction's Michaelis complex. The analogue binding affinity increased ~1 order of magnitude for the Asp38Asn mutation and ~2 orders of magnitude for the Asp38Ala mutation, relative to the affinity with Asp38, for KSI from two sources. The increased level of binding suggests that the abutment of a charged general base and a hydrophobic steroid is modestly destabilizing, relative to a standard state in water, and that this destabilization is relieved in the transition state and intermediate in which the charge on the general base has been neutralized because of proton abstraction. Stronger binding also arose from mutation of Pro39, the residue adjacent to the Asp general base, consistent with an ability of the Asp general base to now reorient to avoid the destabilizing interaction. Consistent with this model, the Pro mutants reduced or eliminated the increased level of binding upon replacement of Asp38 with Asn or Ala. These results, supported by additional structural observations, suggest that ground state destabilization from the negatively charged Asp38 general base provides a modest contribution to KSI catalysis. They also provide a clear illustration of the well-recognized concept that enzymes evolve for catalytic function and not, in general, to maximize ground state binding. This ground state destabilization mechanism may be common to the many enzymes with anionic side chains that deprotonate carbon acids.

Computational studies are performed to analyze the physical properties of hydrogen bonds donated by Tyr16 and Asp103 to a series of substituted phenolate inhibitors bound in the active site of ketosteroid isomerase (KSI). As the solution pK(a) of the phenolate increases, these hydrogen bond distances decrease, the associated nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts increase, and the fraction of protonated inhibitor increases, in agreement with prior experiments. The quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical calculations provide insight into the electronic inductive effects along the hydrogen bonding network that includes Tyr16, Tyr57, and Tyr32, as well as insight into hydrogen bond coupling in the active site. The calculations predict that the most-downfield NMR chemical shift observed experimentally corresponds to the Tyr16-phenolate hydrogen bond and that Tyr16 is the proton donor when a bound naphtholate inhibitor is observed to be protonated in electronic absorption experiments. According to these calculations, the electronic inductive effects along the hydrogen bonding network of tyrosines cause the Tyr16 hydroxyl to be more acidic than the Asp103 carboxylic acid moiety, which is immersed in a relatively nonpolar environment. When one of the distal tyrosine residues in the network is mutated to phenylalanine, thereby diminishing this inductive effect, the Tyr16-phenolate hydrogen bond becomes longer and the Asp103-phenolate hydrogen bond shorter, as observed in NMR experiments. Furthermore, the calculations suggest that the differences in the experimental NMR data and electronic absorption spectra for pKSI and tKSI, two homologous bacterial forms of the enzyme, are due predominantly to the third tyrosine that is present in the hydrogen bonding network of pKSI but not tKSI. These studies also provide experimentally testable predictions about the impact of mutating the distal tyrosine residues in this hydrogen bonding network on the NMR chemical shifts and electronic absorption spectra.

In order to gain insight into the catalytic mechanism of Fe-type nitrile hydratases (NHase), the pH and temperature dependence of the kinetic parameters k cat, K m, and k cat/ K m along with the solvent isotope effect were examined for the Fe-type NHase from Comamonas testosteroni Ni1 ( CtNHase). CtNHase was found to exhibit a bell-shaped curve for plots of relative activity vs pH over pH values 4-10 for the hydration of acrylonitrile and was found to display maximal activity at pH approximately 7.2. Fits of these data provided a p K ES1 value of 6.1 +/- 0.1, a p K ES2 value of 9.1 +/- 0.2 ( k' cat = 10.1 +/- 0.3 s (-1)), a p K E1 value of 6.2 +/- 0.1, and a p K E2 value of 9.2 +/- 0.1 ( k' cat/ K' m of 2.0 +/- 0.2 s (-1) mM (-1)). Proton inventory studies indicate that two protons are transferred in the rate-limiting step of the reaction at pH 7.2. Since CtNHase is stable to 25 degrees C, an Arrhenius plot was constructed by plotting ln( k cat) vs 1/ T, providing an E a of 33.3 +/- 1.5 kJ/mol. Delta H degrees of ionization values were also determined, thus helping to identify the ionizing groups exhibiting the p K ES1 and p K ES2 values. Based on Delta H degrees ion data, p K ES1 is assigned to betaTyr68 while p K ES2 is assigned to betaArg52, betaArg157, or alphaSer116 (NHases are alpha 2beta 2 heterotetramers). Given the strong similarities in the kinetic data obtained for both Co- and Fe-type NHase enzymes, both types of NHase enzymes likely hydrate nitriles in a similar fashion.

The enzyme 3beta/17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta/17beta-HSD) is a steroid-inducible component of the Gram-negative bacterium Comamonas testosteroni. It catalyzes the reversible reduction/dehydrogenation of the oxo/beta-hydroxy groups at positions 3 and 17 of steroid compounds, including hormones and isobile acids. Crystallographic analysis at 1.2 A resolution reveals the enzyme to have nearly identical subunits that form a tetramer with 222 symmetry. This is one of the largest oligomeric structures refined at this resolution. The subunit consists of a monomer with a single-domain structure built around a seven-stranded beta-sheet flanked by six alpha-helices. The active site contains a Ser-Tyr-Lys triad, typical for short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDR). Despite their highly diverse substrate specificities, SDR members show a close to identical folding pattern architectures and a common catalytic mechanism. In contrast to other SDR apostructures determined, the substrate binding loop is well-defined. Analysis of structure-activity relationships of catalytic cleft residues, docking analysis of substrates and inhibitors, and accessible surface analysis explains how 3beta/17beta-HSD accommodates steroid substrates of different conformations.

Ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) from Comamonas testosteroni is a homodimeric enzyme with 125 amino acids in each monomer catalyzing the allylic isomerization reaction at rates comparable to the diffusion limit. Kinetic analysis of KSI refolding has been carried out to understand its folding mechanism. The refolding process as monitored by fluorescence change revealed that the process consists of three steps with a unimolecular fast, a bimolecular intermediate, and most likely unimolecular slow phases. The fast refolding step might involve the formation of structured monomers with hydrophobic surfaces that seem to have a high binding capacity for the amphipathic dye 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate. During the refolding process, KSI also generated a state that can bind equilenin, a reaction intermediate analogue, at a very early stage. These observations suggest that the KSI folding might be driven by the formation of the apolar active-site cavity while exposing hydrophobic surfaces. Since the monomeric folding intermediate may contain more than 83% of the native secondary structures as revealed previously, it is nativelike taking on most of the properties of the native protein. Urea-dependence analysis of refolding revealed the existence of folding intermediates for both the intermediate and slow steps. These steps were accelerated by cyclophilin A, a prolyl isomerase, suggesting the involvement of a cis-trans isomerization as a rate-limiting step. Taken together, we suggest that KSI folds into a monomeric intermediate, which has nativelike secondary structure, an apolar active site, and exposed hydrophobic surface, followed by dimerization and prolyl isomerizations to complete the folding.

The backbone dynamics of Delta(5)-3-ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) from Pseudomonas testosteroni has been studied in free enzyme and its complex with a steroid ligand, 19-nortestosterone hemisuccinate (19-NTHS), by (15)N relaxation measurements. The relaxation data were analyzed using the model-free formalism to extract the model-free parameters (S(2), tau(e), and R(ex)) and the overall rotational correlation time (tau(m)). The rotational correlation times were 19.23 +/- 0.08 and 17.08 +/- 0.07 ns with the diffusion anisotropies (D( parallel)/D( perpendicular)) of 1.26 +/- 0.03 and 1.25 +/- 0.03 for the free and steroid-bound KSI, respectively. The binding of 19-NTHS to free KSI causes a slight increase in the order parameters (S(2)) for a number of residues, which are located mainly in helix A1 and strand B4. However, the majority of the residues exhibit reduced order parameters upon ligand binding. In particular, strands B3, B5, and B6, which have most of the residues involved in the dimer interaction, have the reduced order parameters in the steroid-bound KSI, indicating the increased high-frequency (pico- to nanosecond) motions in the intersubunit region of this homodimeric enzyme. Our results differ from those of previous studies on the backbone dynamics of monomeric proteins, in which high-frequency internal motions are typically restricted upon ligand binding.

Ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) is one of the most proficient enzymes catalyzing an allylic isomerization reaction at a diffusion-controlled rate. In this study of KSI, we have detailed the structures of its active site, the role of various catalytic residues, and have explained the origin of the its fast reactivity by carrying out a detailed investigation of the enzymatic reaction mechanism. This investigation included the X-ray determination of 15 crystal structures of two homologous enzymes in free and complexed states (with inhibitors) and extensive ab initio calculations of the interactions between the active sites and the reaction intermediates. The catalytic residues, through short strong hydrogen bonds, play the role of charge buffer to stabilize the negative charge built up on the intermediates in the course of the reaction. The hydrogen bond distances in the intermediate analogues are found to be about 0.2 A shorter in the product analogues both experimentally and theoretically.

Equilibrium and kinetic analyses have been carried out to elucidate the folding mechanism of homodimeric ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) from Comamonas testosteroni. The folding of KSI was reversible since the activity as well as the fluorescence and CD spectra was almost completely recovered after refolding. The equilibrium unfolding transitions monitored by fluorescence and CD measurements were almost coincident with each other, and the transition midpoint increased with increasing protein concentration. This suggests that the KSI folding follows a simple two-state mechanism consisting of native dimer and unfolded monomer without any thermodynamically stable intermediates. Sedimentation equilibrium analysis and size-exclusion chromatography of KSI at different urea concentrations supported the two-state model without any evidence of folded monomeric intermediates. Consistent with the two-state model, (1)H-(15)N HSQC spectra obtained for KSI in the unfolding transition region could be reproduced by a simple addition of the spectra of the native and the unfolded KSI. The KSI refolding kinetics as monitored by fluorescence intensity could be described as a fast first-order process followed by a second-order and a subsequent slow first-order processes with rate constants of 60 s(-)(1), 5.4 x 10(4) M(-)(1).s(-)(1), and 0.017 s(-)(1), respectively, at 0.62 M urea, suggesting that there may be a monomeric folding intermediate. After a burst phase that accounts for >83% of the total amplitude, the negative molar ellipticity at 225 nm increased slowly in a single phase at a rate comparable to that of the bimolecular intermediate step. The kinetics of activity recovery from the denatured state were markedly dependent upon the protein concentration, implying that the monomers are not fully active. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the dimerization induces KSI to fold into the complete structure and is crucial for maintaining the tertiary structure to perform efficient catalysis.

cis-2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl dehydrogenase (BphB) from Comamonas testosteroni strain B-356 is the second enzyme of the biphenyl/polychlorinated biphenyl degradation pathway. Based on the crystal structure of a related BphB, three conserved residues, Ser142, Tyr155, and Lys159, have been suggested to function as a "catalytic triad" as for other members of the short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family. In this study, substitution of each triad residue was examined in BphB. At pH 9.0, turnover numbers relative to wild-type enzyme were as follows: Y155F, 0.1%; S142A, 1%; and K159A, 10%. Although the Michaelis constants of K159A and S142A for cis-2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl increased about 20-fold, relatively little change was observed in the K(m) for dinucleotide. The K159A mutant, which showed little dehydrogenase activity at pH 7, was sharply activated by increasing the pH, reaching almost 25% of the activity of the wild-type enzyme at pH 9. 8. These three residues are therefore critical for BphB activity, as suggested by the crystal structure and similarity to other SDR family members. In addition, BphB showed a strong preference for NAD(+) over NADP(+), with a 260-fold higher specificity constant (k(cat)/K(m)). Evidence is presented that the inefficient use of NADP(+) by BphB might partly be due to the presence of an aspartate residue at position 36.

3-oxo-Delta(5)-steroid isomerase (KSI) from Comamonas (Pseudomonas) testosteroni catalyzes the isomerization of beta,gamma-unsaturated 3-oxosteroids to their conjugated isomers through an intermediate dienolate. Residue Asp-38 (pK(a) 4.57) acts as a base to abstract a proton from C-4 of the substrate to form an intermediate dienolate, which is then reprotonated on C-6. Both Tyr-14 (pK(a) 11.6) and Asp-99 (pK(a) >/= 9.5) function as hydrogen-bond donors to O-3 of the steroid, helping to stabilize the transition states. Mutation of the active-site base Asp-38 to the weakly basic Asn (D38N) has previously been shown to result in a >10(8)-fold decrease of catalytic activity. In this work, we describe the preparation and kinetic analysis of the Ala-38 (D38A) mutant. Unexpectedly, D38A has a catalytic turnover number (k(cat)) that is ca. 10(6)-fold greater than the value for D38N and only about 140-fold less than that for wild type. Kinetic studies as a function of pH show that D38A-catalyzed isomerization involves two groups, with pK(a) values of 4.2 and 10.4, respectively, in the free enzyme, which are assigned to Asp-99 and either Tyr-14 or Tyr-55. A mechanism for D38A is proposed in which Asp-99 is recruited as the catalytic base, with stabilization of the intermediate dienolate ion and the flanking transition states provided by hydrogen bonding from both Tyr-14 and Tyr-55. This mechanism is supported by the lack of detectable activity of the D38A/D99N, D38A/Y14F, and D38A/Y55F double mutants.

3-Oxo-Delta(5)-steroid isomerase (KSI) catalyzes the isomerization of a variety of 3-oxo-Delta(5)-steroids to their conjugated Delta(4) isomers. The mechanism involves sequential enolization and ketonization, with Asp-38 acting to transfer a proton from C-4 to C-6 through a dienol(ate) intermediate. We have previously proposed that this intermediate is anionic, with stabilization provided from direct hydrogen bonding from Tyr-14 and Asp-99 to the oxygen of the steroid. In this work, we analyze the binding of substituted 2-naphthols, which are analogues of the intermediate dienol, to the D38E KSI mutant and the corresponding double mutants lacking one of the two electrophilic groups (D38E/Y14F and D38E/D99A). The binding of these naphthols to the mutant KSIs at pH 7 is described by the modified Bronsted equation: log K(D) = alpha(pK(a)) + constant, where K(D) is the dissociation constant of the complex. The high value of alpha for D38E (alpha = 0.87 +/- 0.06) indicates that the negative charge in these D38E-naphthol complexes is localized almost exclusively on the bound ligand. In contrast, values of alpha for the double mutants (alpha = 0.28 +/- 0.02 for D38E/Y14F and alpha = 0.25 +/- 0.02 for D38E/D99A) are consistent with very little negative charge on the oxygen of the bound naphthol. Ultraviolet spectra of 5-nitro-2-naphthol and the fluorescence spectra of equilenin bound to these mutants support this interpretation. Extrapolation of these results to the intermediate in the catalytic reaction suggests that for the reaction with D38E, the intermediate is a negatively charged dienolate with hydrogen bonding from both Tyr-14 and Asp-99. Removal of either one of these H-bond donors (Tyr-14 or Asp-99) causes destabilization of the anion and results in a dienol enzyme-intermediate complex rather than a dienolate.