Protonation of crotonyl-CoA dienolate by human glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase occurs by solvent-derived protons.

The protonation of crotonyl-CoA dienolate following decarboxylation of glutaconyl-CoA by glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase was investigated. Although it is generally held that the active sites of acyl-CoA dehydrogenases are desolvated when substrate binds, recent evidence has established that water has access to the active site in these binary complexes of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase. The present investigation shows that the dehydrogenase catalyzes (a) a rapid exchange of C-4 methyl protons of crotonyl-CoA with bulk solvent and (b) protonation of crotonyl-CoA dienolate by solvent-derived protons under single turnover conditions. Both of the reactions require the catalytic base, Glu370. These findings indicate that decarboxylation proceeds via a dienolate intermediate. The involvement of water in catalysis by glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase was previously unrecognized and is in conflict with a classically held intramolecular 1,3-prototropic shift for protonation of crotonyl-CoA dienolate.