The importance of hinge sequence for loop function and catalytic activity in the reaction catalyzed by triosephosphate isomerase.

We have determined the sequence requirements for the N-terminal protein hinge of the active-site lid of triosephosphate isomerase. The codons for the hinge (PVW) were replaced with a genetic library of all possible 8000 amino acid combinations. The most active of these 8000 mutants were selected using in vivo complementation of a triosephosphate isomerase-deficient strain of Escherichia coli, DF502. Approximately 0.3 % of the mutants complement DF502 with an activity that is between 10 and 70 % of wild-type activity. They all contain Pro at the first position. Furthermore, the sequences of these hinge mutants reveal that hydrophobic packing is very important for efficient formation of the enediol intermediate. However, the reduced catalytic activities observed are not due to increased rates of loop opening. To explore the relationship between the N-terminal and C-terminal hinges, three semi-active mutants from the N-terminal hinge selection experiment (PLH, PHS and PTF), and six active C-terminal hinge mutants from previous work (NSS, LWA, YSL, KTK, NPN, KVA) were combined to form 18 "double-hinge" mutants. The activities of these mutants suggest that the N-terminal and C-terminal hinge structures affect one another. It appears that specific side-chain interactions are important for forming a catalytically active enzyme, but not for preventing release of the unstable enediol intermediate from the active site of the enzyme. The independence of intermediate release on amino acid sequence is consistent with the absence of a "universal" hinge sequence in structurally related enzymes.