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There is substantial genetic variation for drought adaption in pearl millet in terms of traits controlling plant water use. It is important to understand genomic regions responsible for these traits. Here, F7 recombinant inbred lines were used to identify quantitative trait loci ( QTL) and allelic interactions for traits affecting plant water use, and their relevance is discussed for crop productivity in water-limited environments. Four QTL contributed to increased transpiration rate under high vapour pressure deficit ( VPD) conditions, all with alleles from drought-sensitive parent ICMB 841. Of these four QTL, a major QTL (35.7%) was mapped on linkage group ( LG) 6. The alleles for 863B at this QTL decreased transpiration rate and this QTL co-mapped to a previously detected LG 6 QTL, with alleles from 863B for grain weight and panicle harvest index across severe terminal drought stress environments. This provided additional support for a link between water saving from a lower transpiration rate under high VPD and drought tolerance. 863B alleles in this same genomic region also increased shoot weight, leaf area and total transpiration under well-watered conditions. One unexpected outcome was reduced transpiration under high VPD (15%) from the interaction of two alleles for high VPD transpiration ( LG 6 (B), 40.7) and specific leaf mass and biomass ( LG 7 (A), 35.3), (A, allele from ICMB 841, B, allele from 863B, marker position). The LG 6 QTL appears to combine alleles for growth potential, beneficial for non-stress conditions, and for saving water under high evaporative demand, beneficial under stressful conditions. Mapping QTL for water-use traits, and assessing their interactions offers considerable potential for improving pearl millet adaptation to specific stress conditions through physiology-informed marker-assisted selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) from Bacillus stearothermophilus (bsSHMT) is a pyridoxal 5′-phosphate-dependent enzyme that catalyses the conversion ofl-serine and tetrahydrofolate to glycine and 5,10-methylene tetrahydrofolate. In addition, the enzyme catalyses the tetrahydrofolate-independent cleavage of 3-hydroxy amino acids and transamination. In this article, we have examined the mechanism of the tetrahydrofolate-independent cleavage of 3-hydroxy amino acids by SHMT. The three-dimensional structure and biochemical properties of Y51F and Y61A bsSHMTs and their complexes with substrates, especiallyl- allo-Thr, show that the cleavage of 3-hydroxy amino acids could proceed via Cα proton abstraction rather than hydroxyl proton removal. Both mutations result in a complete loss of tetrahydrofolate-dependent and tetrahydrofolate-independent activities. The mutation of Y51 to F strongly affects the binding of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate, possibly as a consequence of a change in the orientation of the phenyl ring in Y51F bsSHMT. The mutant enzyme could be completely reconstituted with pyridoxal 5′-phosphate. However, there was an alteration in the λmax value of the internal aldimine (396 nm), a decrease in the rate of reduction with NaCNBH3 and a loss of the intermediate in the interaction with methoxyamine (MA). The mutation of Y61 to A results in the loss of interaction with Cα and Cβ of the substrates. X-Ray structure and visible CD studies show that the mutant is capable of forming an external aldimine. However, the formation of the quinonoid intermediate is hindered. It is suggested that Y61 is involved in the abstraction of the Cα proton from 3-hydroxy amino acids. A new mechanism for the cleavage of 3-hydroxy amino acids via Cα proton abstraction by SHMT is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acetylornithine aminotransferase (AcOAT) is one of the key enzymes involved in arginine metabolism and catalyzes the conversion of N-acetylglutamate semialdehyde to N-acetylornithine (AcOrn) in the presence of L-glutamate. It belongs to the Type I subgroup II family of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes. E. coli biosynthetic AcOAT (eAcOAT) also catalyzes the conversion of N-succinyl- L-2-amino-6-oxopimelate to N-succinyl- L,L-diaminopimelate, one of the steps in lysine biosynthesis. In view of the critical role of AcOAT in lysine and arginine biosynthesis, structural studies were initiated on the enzyme from S. typhimurium (sAcOAT). The Km and kcat/Km values determined with the purified sAcOAT suggested that the enzyme had much higher affinity for AcOrn than for ornithine (Orn) and was more efficient than eAcOAT. sAcOAT was inhibited by gabaculine (Gcn) with an inhibition constant (Ki) of 7 μM and a second-order rate constant (k2) of 0.16 mM−1 s−1. sAcOAT, crystallized in the unliganded form and in the presence of Gcn or L-glutamate, diffracted to a maximum resolution of 1.90 Å and contained a dimer in the asymmetric unit. The structure of unliganded sAcOAT showed significant electron density for PLP in only one of the subunits (subunit A). The asymmetry in PLP binding could be attributed to the ordering of the loop Lαk-βm in only one subunit (subunit B; the loop from subunit B comes close to the phosphate group of PLP in subunit A). Structural and spectral studies of sAcOAT with Gcn suggested that the enzyme might have a low affinity for PLP-Gcn complex. Comparison of sAcOAT with T. thermophilus AcOAT and human ornithine aminotransferase suggested that the higher specificity of sAcOAT towards AcOrn may not be due to specific changes in the active site residues but could result from minor conformational changes in some of them. This is the first structural report of AcOAT from a mesophilic organism and could serve as a basis for drug design as the enzyme is important for bacterial cell wall biosynthesis. Proteins 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) belongs to the α-family of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate-dependent enzymes and catalyzes the reversible conversion ofl-Ser and tetrahydrofolate to Gly and 5,10-methylene tetrahydrofolate. 5,10-Methylene tetrahydrofolate serves as a source of one-carbon fragment in many biological processes. SHMT also catalyzes the tetrahydrofolate-independent conversion ofl- allo-Thr to Gly and acetaldehyde. The crystal structure of Bacillus stearothermophilus SHMT (bsSHMT) suggested that E53 interacts with the substrate,l-Ser and tetrahydrofolate. To elucidate the role of E53, it was mutated to Q and structural and biochemical studies were carried out with the mutant enzyme. The internal aldimine structure of E53QbsSHMT was similar to that of the wild-type enzyme, except for significant changes at Q53, Y60 and Y61. The carboxyl of Gly and side chain ofl-Ser were in two conformations in the respective external aldimine structures. The mutant enzyme was completely inactive for tetrahydrofolate-dependent cleavage ofl-Ser, whereas there was a 1.5-fold increase in the rate of tetrahydrofolate-independent reaction withl- allo-Thr. The results obtained from these studies suggest that E53 plays an essential role in tetrahydrofolate/5-formyl tetrahydrofolate binding and in the proper positioning of Cβ ofl-Ser for direct attack by N5 of tetrahydrofolate. Most interestingly, the structure of the complex obtained by cocrystallization of E53QbsSHMT with Gly and 5-formyl tetrahydrofolate revealed the gem-diamine form of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate bound to Gly and active site Lys. However, density for 5-formyl tetrahydrofolate was not observed. Gly carboxylate was in a single conformation, whereas pyridoxal 5′-phosphate had two distinct conformations. The differences between the structures of this complex and Gly external aldimine suggest that the changes induced by initial binding of 5-formyl tetrahydrofolate are retained even though 5-formyl tetrahydrofolate is absent in the final structure. Spectral studies carried out with this mutant enzyme also suggest that 5-formyl tetrahydrofolate binds to the E53QbsSHMT-Gly complex forming a quinonoid intermediate and falls off within 4 h of dialysis, leaving behind the mutant enzyme in the gem-diamine form. This is the first report to provide direct evidence for enzyme memory based on the crystal structure of enzyme complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acetylornithine aminotransferase (AcOAT) is a type I pyridoxal 5′-phosphate-dependent enzyme catalyzing the conversion of N-acetylglutamic semialdehyde to N-acetylornithine in the presence of α-ketoglutarate, a step involved in arginine metabolism. In Escherichia coli, the biosynthetic AcOAT also catalyzes the conversion of N-succinyl-l-2-amino-6-oxopimelate to N-succinyl-l,l-diaminopimelate, one of the steps in lysine biosynthesis. It is closely related to ornithine aminotransferase. AcOAT was cloned from Salmonella typhimurium and E. coli, overexpressed in E. coli and purified using Ni–NTA affinity column chromatography. The enzymes crystallized in the presence of gabaculine. Crystals of E. coli AcOAT (eAcOAT) only diffracted X-rays to 3.5 Å and were twinned. The crystals of S. typhimurium AcOAT (sAcOAT) diffracted to 1.9 Å and had a dimer in the asymmetric unit. The structure of sAcOAT was solved by the molecular-replacement method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diaminopropionate (DAP) ammonia lyase (a PLP-dependent enzyme; EC 4.3.1.15) catalyzes the alpha,beta-elimination reaction of both L- and D-alpha,beta-diaminopropionate to form pyruvate and ammonia. Escherichia coli DAP ammonia lyase gene was cloned and overexpressed in E. coli and the protein was purified to homogeneity and crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion technique. Crystals of two different morphologies were obtained, one of which belonged to the tetragonal space group P4(1)2(1)2 (or P4(3)2(1)2), with unit-cell parameters a = b = 86.01, c = 209.56 A, and the other to the monoclinic space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 87.78, b = 94.35, c = 96.02 A, beta = 109.73 degrees. The tetragonal crystals diffracted X-rays to 3.0 A resolution, while diffraction from the monoclinic form extended to 2.5 A. Complete X-ray diffraction data sets have been collected for both crystal forms.