Crystal structure of aminomethyltransferase in complex with dihydrolipoyl-H-protein of the glycine cleavage system: implications for recognition of lipoyl protein substrate, disease-related mutations, and reaction mechanism

J Biol Chem. 2010 Jun 11;285(24):18684-92. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M110.110718. Epub 2010 Apr 6.

Abstract

Aminomethyltransferase, a component of the glycine cleavage system termed T-protein, reversibly catalyzes the degradation of the aminomethyl moiety of glycine attached to the lipoate cofactor of H-protein, resulting in the production of ammonia, 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate, and dihydrolipoate-bearing H-protein in the presence of tetrahydrofolate. Several mutations in the human T-protein gene are known to cause nonketotic hyperglycinemia. Here, we report the crystal structure of Escherichia coli T-protein in complex with dihydrolipoate-bearing H-protein and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, a complex mimicking the ternary complex in the reverse reaction. The structure of the complex shows a highly interacting intermolecular interface limited to a small area and the protein-bound dihydrolipoyllysine arm inserted into the active site cavity of the T-protein. Invariant Arg(292) of the T-protein is essential for complex assembly. The structure also provides novel insights in understanding the disease-causing mutations, in addition to the disease-related impairment in the cofactor-enzyme interactions reported previously. Furthermore, structural and mutational analyses suggest that the reversible transfer of the methylene group between the lipoate and tetrahydrofolate should proceed through the electron relay-assisted iminium intermediate formation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aminomethyltransferase / chemistry*
  • Arginine / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Catalysis
  • Catalytic Domain
  • Crystallography, X-Ray / methods
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / chemistry*
  • Dimerization
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Folic Acid / chemistry
  • Glycine / chemistry
  • Hyperglycemia / metabolism
  • Imines / chemistry
  • Models, Molecular
  • Mutation*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Imines
  • histone-like protein HU, bacteria
  • Folic Acid
  • Arginine
  • Aminomethyltransferase
  • Glycine

Associated data

  • PDB/3A8I
  • PDB/3A8J
  • PDB/3A8K
  • PDB/3AB9