ABSTRACTShikimate kinase (EC2.7.1.71) is a committed enzyme in the seven-step biosynthesis of chorismate, a major precursor of aromatic amino acids and many other aromatic compounds. Genes for all enzymes of the chorismate pathway except shikimate kinase are found in archaeal genomes by sequence homology to their bacterial counterparts. In this study, a conserved archaeal gene (gi‖1500322 inMethanococcus jannaschii) was identified as the best candidate for the missing shikimate kinase gene by the analysis of chromosomal clustering of chorismate biosynthetic genes. The encoded hypothetical protein, with no sequence similarity to bacterial and eukaryotic shikimate kinases, is distantly related to homoserine kinases (EC2.7.1.39) of the GHMP-kinase superfamily. The latter functionality inM. jannaschiiis assigned to another gene (gi‖1591748), in agreement with sequence similarity and chromosomal clustering analysis. Both archaeal proteins, overexpressed inEscherichia coliand purified to homogeneity, displayed activity of the predicted type, with steady-state kinetic parameters similar to those of the corresponding bacterial kinases:Km,shikimate= 414 ± 33 μM,Km,ATP= 48 ± 4 μM, andkcat= 57 ± 2 s−1for the predicted shikimate kinase andKm,homoserine= 188 ± 37 μM,Km,ATP= 101 ± 7 μM, andkcat= 28 ± 1 s−1for the homoserine kinase. No overlapping activity could be detected between shikimate kinase and homoserine kinase, both revealing a >1,000-fold preference for their own specific substrates. The case of archaeal shikimate kinase illustrates the efficacy of techniques based on reconstruction of metabolism from genomic data and analysis of gene clustering on chromosomes in finding missing genes.
摘要
莽草酸激酶(
EC2.7.1.71)是雏
菊酸七步
生物合成过程中的一个重要酶,雏
菊酸是芳香族
氨基酸和许多其他芳香族化合物的主要前体。除了
莽草酸激酶之外,所有雏菊酯途径酶的
基因都可以通过与细菌同源
基因的序列同源性在古细菌
基因组中找到。在本研究中,通过对雏
菊酸盐
生物合成
基因的染色体聚类分析,确定了一个保守的古细菌
基因(Methanococcus jannaschii 的 gi‖1500322)为缺失的雏
菊酸盐激酶
基因的最佳候选者。所编码的假定性蛋白与细菌和真核
生物的
莽草酸激酶没有序列相似性,但与 GHMP 激酶超家族的高
丝氨酸激酶(
EC2.7.1.39)关系密切。与序列相似性和染色体聚类分析一致,后者在 M. jannaschii 中被归入另一个
基因(gi‖1591748)。这两种古
生物蛋白在大肠杆菌中过度表达并纯化后,都显示出预测类型的活性,其稳态动力学参数与相应的细菌激酶相似:预测的
莽草酸激酶的 Km,shikimate= 414 ± 33 μM,Km,
ATP= 48 ± 4 μM,kcat= 57 ± 2 s-1;高
丝氨酸激酶的 Km,homoserine= 188 ± 37 μM,Km,
ATP= 101 ± 7 μM,kcat= 28 ± 1 s-1。在
莽草酸激酶和高
丝氨酸激酶之间检测不到重叠的活性,两者都显示出对各自特定底物的1000倍偏好。古细菌
莽草酸激酶的例子说明了基于
基因组数据重建代谢和染色体上
基因聚类分析的技术在寻找缺失
基因方面的功效。