Michael A Moxley

University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

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Publications (7)30.56 Total impact

  • Article: The three-dimensional structural basis of type II hyperprolinemia.
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    ABSTRACT: Type II hyperprolinemia is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency in Δ(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH; also known as ALDH4A1), the aldehyde dehydrogenase that catalyzes the oxidation of glutamate semialdehyde to glutamate. Here, we report the first structure of human P5CDH (HsP5CDH) and investigate the impact of the hyperprolinemia-associated mutation of Ser352 to Leu on the structure and catalytic properties of the enzyme. The 2. 5-Å-resolution crystal structure of HsP5CDH was determined using experimental phasing. Structures of the mutant enzymes S352A (2.4 Å) and S352L (2.85 Å) were determined to elucidate the structural consequences of altering Ser352. Structures of the 93% identical mouse P5CDH complexed with sulfate ion (1.3 Å resolution), glutamate (1.5 Å), and NAD(+) (1.5 Å) were determined to obtain high-resolution views of the active site. Together, the structures show that Ser352 occupies a hydrophilic pocket and is connected via water-mediated hydrogen bonds to catalytic Cys348. Mutation of Ser352 to Leu is shown to abolish catalytic activity and eliminate NAD(+) binding. Analysis of the S352A mutant shows that these functional defects are caused by the introduction of the nonpolar Leu352 side chain rather than the removal of the Ser352 hydroxyl. The S352L structure shows that the mutation induces a dramatic 8-Å rearrangement of the catalytic loop. Because of this conformational change, Ser349 is not positioned to interact with the aldehyde substrate, conserved Glu447 is no longer poised to bind NAD(+), and Cys348 faces the wrong direction for nucleophilic attack. These structural alterations render the enzyme inactive.
    Journal of Molecular Biology 04/2012; 420(3):176-89. · 4.00 Impact Factor
  • Article: The Three-Dimensional Structural Basis of Type IIHyperprolinemia
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Type IIhyperprolinemia is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency in Δ1- pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH, aka ALDH4A1), the aldehyde dehydrogenase that catalyzes the oxidation of glutamate semialdehyde to glutamate. Here we report the first structure of human P5CDH and investigate the impact of the hyperprolinemia-associated mutation of Ser352 to Leu on the structure and catalytic properties of the enzyme. The 2.5 Å resolution crystal structure of human P5CDH was determined using experimental phasing. Structures of the mutant enzymes S352A (2.4 Å) and S352L (2.85 Å) were determined to elucidate the structural consequences of altering Ser352. Structures of the 93%-identical mouse P5CDH complexed with sulfate ion (1.3 Å resolution), glutamate (1.5 Å), and NAD+ (1.5 Å) were determined to obtain high resolution views of the active site. Together, the structures show that Ser352 occupies a hydrophilic pocket and is connected via water-mediated hydrogen bonds to catalytic Cys348. Mutation of Ser352 to Leu is shown to abolish catalytic activity and eliminate NAD+binding. Analysis of the S352A mutant shows that these functional defects are caused by the introduction of the nonpolar Leu352 side chain rather than the removal of the Ser352 hydroxyl. The S352L structure shows that the mutation induces a dramatic 8-Å rearrangement of the catalytic loop. Because of this conformational change, Ser349 is not positioned to interact with the aldehyde substrate, conserved Glu447 is no longer poised to bind NAD+, and Cys348 faces the wrong direction for nucleophilic attack. These structural alterations render the enzyme inactive.
    Journal of Molecular Biology 04/2012; · 4.00 Impact Factor
  • Article: The Three-Dimensional Structural Basis of Type II Hyperprolinemia
    Journal of Molecular Biology 04/2012; · 4.00 Impact Factor
  • Article: The Three-Dimensional Structural Basis of Type IIHyperprolinemia
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Type IIhyperprolinemia is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a deficiency in Δ1- pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase (P5CDH, aka ALDH4A1), the aldehyde dehydrogenase that catalyzes the oxidation of glutamate semialdehyde to glutamate. Here we report the first structure of human P5CDH and investigate the impact of the hyperprolinemia-associated mutation of Ser352 to Leu on the structure and catalytic properties of the enzyme. The 2.5 Å resolution crystal structure of human P5CDH was determined using experimental phasing. Structures of the mutant enzymes S352A (2.4 Å) and S352L (2.85 Å) were determined to elucidate the structural consequences of altering Ser352. Structures of the 93%-identical mouse P5CDH complexed with sulfate ion (1.3 Å resolution), glutamate (1.5 Å), and NAD+ (1.5 Å) were determined to obtain high resolution views of the active site. Together, the structures show that Ser352 occupies a hydrophilic pocket and is connected via water-mediated hydrogen bonds to catalytic Cys348. Mutation of Ser352 to Leu is shown to abolish catalytic activity and eliminate NAD+binding. Analysis of the S352A mutant shows that these functional defects are caused by the introduction of the nonpolar Leu352 side chain rather than the removal of the Ser352 hydroxyl. The S352L structure shows that the mutation induces a dramatic 8-Å rearrangement of the catalytic loop. Because of this conformational change, Ser349 is not positioned to interact with the aldehyde substrate, conserved Glu447 is no longer poised to bind NAD+, and Cys348 faces the wrong direction for nucleophilic attack. These structural alterations render the enzyme inactive.
    Journal of Molecular Biology 01/2012; · 4.00 Impact Factor
  • Article: Steady-state kinetic mechanism of the proline:ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity of proline utilization A (PutA) from Escherichia coli.
    Michael A Moxley, John J Tanner, Donald F Becker
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    ABSTRACT: The multifunctional proline utilization A (PutA) flavoenzyme from Escherichia coli performs the oxidation of proline to glutamate in two catalytic steps using separate proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) and Δ(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) dehydrogenase domains. In the first reaction, the oxidation of proline is coupled to the reduction of ubiquinone (CoQ) by the PRODH domain, which has a β(8)α(8)-barrel structure that is conserved in bacterial and eukaryotic PRODH enzymes. The structural requirements of the benzoquinone moiety were examined by steady-state kinetics using CoQ analogs. PutA displayed activity with all the analogs tested; the highest k(cat)/K(m) was obtained with CoQ(2). The kinetic mechanism of the PRODH reaction was investigated use a variety of steady-state approaches. Initial velocity patterns measured using proline and CoQ(1), combined with dead-end and product inhibition studies, suggested a two-site ping-pong mechanism for PutA. The kinetic parameters for PutA were not strongly influenced by solvent viscosity suggesting that diffusive steps do not significantly limit the overall reaction rate. In summary, the kinetic data reported here, along with analysis of the crystal structure data for the PRODH domain, suggest that the proline:ubiquinone oxidoreductase reaction of PutA occurs via a rapid equilibrium ping-pong mechanism with proline and ubiquinone binding at two distinct sites.
    Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 12/2011; 516(2):113-20. · 2.93 Impact Factor
  • Article: Rapid reaction kinetics of proline dehydrogenase in the multifunctional proline utilization A protein.
    Michael A Moxley, Donald F Becker
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    ABSTRACT: The multifunctional proline utilization A (PutA) flavoenzyme from Escherichia coli catalyzes the oxidation of proline to glutamate in two reaction steps using separate proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) and Δ(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) dehydrogenase domains. Here, the kinetic mechanism of PRODH in PutA is studied by stopped-flow kinetics to determine microscopic rate constants for the proline:ubiquinone oxidoreductase mechanism. Stopped-flow data for proline reduction of the flavin cofactor (reductive half-reaction) and oxidation of reduced flavin by CoQ(1) (oxidative half-reaction) were best-fit by a double exponential from which maximum observable rate constants and apparent equilibrium dissociation constants were determined. Flavin semiquinone was not observed in the reductive or oxidative reactions. Microscopic rate constants for steps in the reductive and oxidative half-reactions were obtained by globally fitting the stopped-flow data to a simulated mechanism that includes a chemical step followed by an isomerization event. A microscopic rate constant of 27.5 s(-1) was determined for proline reduction of the flavin cofactor followed by an isomerization step of 2.2 s(-1). The isomerization step is proposed to report on a previously identified flavin-dependent conformational change [Zhang, W. et al. (2007) Biochemistry 46, 483-491] that is important for PutA functional switching but is not kinetically relevant to the in vitro mechanism. Using CoQ(1), a soluble analogue of ubiquinone, a rate constant of 5.4 s(-1) was obtained for the oxidation of flavin, thus indicating that this oxidative step is rate-limiting for k(cat) during catalytic turnover. Steady-state kinetic constants calculated from the microscopic rate constants agree with the experimental k(cat) and k(cat)/K(m) parameters.
    Biochemistry 12/2011; 51(1):511-20. · 3.42 Impact Factor
  • Article: Flavin redox switching of protein functions.
    Donald F Becker, Weidong Zhu, Michael A Moxley
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    ABSTRACT: Flavin cofactors impart remarkable catalytic diversity to enzymes, enabling them to participate in a broad array of biological processes. The properties of flavins also provide proteins with a versatile redox sensor that can be utilized for converting physiological signals such as cellular metabolism, light, and redox status into a unique functional output. The control of protein functions by the flavin redox state is important for transcriptional regulation, cell signaling pathways, and environmental adaptation. A significant number of proteins that have flavin redox switches are found in the Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain family and include flavoproteins that act as photosensors and respond to changes in cellular redox conditions. Biochemical and structural studies of PAS domain flavoproteins have revealed key insights into how flavin redox changes are propagated to the surface of the protein and translated into a new functional output such as the binding of a target protein in a signaling pathway. Mechanistic details of proteins unrelated to the PAS domain are also emerging and provide novel examples of how the flavin redox state governs protein-membrane interactions in response to appropriate stimuli. Analysis of different flavin switch proteins reveals shared mechanistic themes for the regulation of protein structure and function by flavins.
    Antioxidants & Redox Signaling 10/2010; 14(6):1079-91. · 8.20 Impact Factor