Intersubunit structure within heterodimers of medium-chain prenyl diphosphate synthases. Formation of a hybrid-type heptaprenyl diphosphate synthase

J Biochem. 1998 Oct;124(4):790-7. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a022181.

Abstract

Among prenyltransferases that catalyze the sequential condensation of isopentenyl diphosphate with allylic diphosphate to produce prenyl diphosphates with various chain lengths and stereochemistries, medium-chain prenyl diphosphate synthases are exceptional in that they comprise two dissociable heteromeric protein components. These components exist without binding with each other under physiological conditions, and neither of them has any prenyltransferase activity by itself. In order to elucidate the precise molecular mechanism underlying expression of the catalytic function by such a unique two-component system, we examined the possibility of forming a hybrid between two of the components of three different medium-chain prenyl diphosphate synthases, components I and II of heptaprenyl diphosphate synthase from Bacillus subtilis, components I' and II' of heptaprenyl diphosphate synthase from Bacillus stearothermophilus, and components A and B of hexaprenyl diphosphate synthase from Micrococcus luteus B-P 26. As a result, only the hybrid-type combination of component I and component II' gave distinct prenyltransferase activity. The hybrid-type enzyme catalyzed the synthesis of heptaprenyl diphosphate and showed moderate heat stability, which lay between those of the natural enzymes from B. subtilis and B. stearothermophilus. There is no possibility of forming a hybrid between the heptaprenyl and hexaprenyl diphosphate synthases.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / biosynthesis
  • Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / chemistry*
  • Alkyl and Aryl Transferases / genetics*
  • Bacillus subtilis / enzymology*
  • Bacillus subtilis / genetics
  • Binding Sites
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Dimerization
  • Escherichia coli / enzymology
  • Geobacillus stearothermophilus / enzymology*
  • Geobacillus stearothermophilus / genetics
  • Kinetics
  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Micrococcus luteus / enzymology*
  • Micrococcus luteus / genetics
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Multimerization
  • Recombinant Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Alkyl and Aryl Transferases
  • trans-hexaprenyltranstransferase