Spectroscopic, Steady-State
Kinetic, and Mechanistic
Characterization of the Radical SAM Enzyme QueE, Which Catalyzes a
Complex Cyclization Reaction in the Biosynthesis of 7‑Deazapurines
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Abstract
7-Carboxy-7-deazaguanine (CDG) synthase (QueE) catalyzes
the complex
heterocyclic radical-mediated conversion of 6-carboxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin
(CPH<sub>4</sub>) to CDG in the third step of the biosynthetic pathway
to all 7-deazapurines. Here we present a detailed characterization
of QueE from <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> to delineate the mechanism
of conversion of CPH<sub>4</sub> to CDG. QueE is a member of the radical <i>S</i>-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) superfamily, all
of which use a bound [4Fe-4S]<sup>+</sup> cluster to catalyze the
reductive cleavage of the SAM cofactor to generate methionine and
a 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical (5′-dAdo<sup>•</sup>), which initiates enzymatic transformations requiring hydrogen atom
abstraction. The ultraviolet–visible, electron paramagnetic
resonance, and Mössbauer spectroscopic features of the homodimeric
QueE point to the presence of a single [4Fe-4S] cluster per monomer.
Steady-state kinetic experiments indicate a <i>K</i><sub>m</sub> of 20 ± 7 μM for CPH<sub>4</sub> and a <i>k</i><sub>cat</sub> of 5.4 ± 1.2 min<sup>–1</sup> for the overall transformation. The kinetically determined <i>K</i><sub>app</sub> for SAM is 45 ± 1 μM. QueE is
also magnesium-dependent and exhibits a <i>K</i><sub>app</sub> for the divalent metal ion of 0.21 ± 0.03 mM. The SAM cofactor
supports multiple turnovers, indicating that it is regenerated at
the end of each catalytic cycle. The mechanism of rearrangement of
QueE was probed with CPH<sub>4</sub> isotopologs containing deuterium
at C-6 or the two prochiral positions at C-7. These studies implicate
5′-dAdo<sup>•</sup> as the initiator of the ring contraction
reaction catalyzed by QueE by abstraction of the H atom from C-6 of
CPH<sub>4</sub>