Stereospecific labilization of the C-4' pro-S hydrogen of pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate in aspartate aminotransferase.

In the course of a half-reaction of enzymic transamination, the aldimine adduct formed between the coenzyme pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and the amino acid substrate tautomerizes to the ketimine intermediate which is then hydrolyzed to the oxo acid product and the pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate form of the enzyme. In the reverse half-reaction the tautomerization is initiated by the removal of a proton from the pro-S position at C-4' of the PMP moiety of the ketimine intermediate. The present study investigates the question whether the pro-S hydrogen at C-4' of PMP is labilized by its active site environment independently of the formation of the ketimine intermediate, i.e. in the absence of substrate. Reconstitution of apoaspartate aminotransferase (mitochondrial isoenzyme from chicken) with [4'-3H] PMP results indeed in a stereospecific exchange of pro-S 3H with solvent water. The exchange follows first order kinetics (t 1/2 = 23 min at pH 7.5 and 25 degrees C). Unbound PMP showed no measurable exchange. Rigorous control experiments excluded the possibility that the observed exchange was due to a transamination reaction of the enzyme with contaminating oxo acid substrates. The newly observed stereospecific exchange reaction allows to investigate the acid/base properties of C-4' and the modulating effects of its active site environment independently of the preceding and following steps of enzymic transamination.