A reaction mechanism from steady state kinetic studies for O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase from Salmonella typhimurium LT-2.

It has been determined from steady state kinetic studies using the sulfide ion selective electrode that O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase catalyzes a Bi Bi Ping Pong reaction between O-acetyl-L-serine and sulfide. Both O-acetyl-L-serine (OAS) and sulfide exhibit strong competitive substrate inhibition. A fit of all the data to the equation for the mechanism yields KOAS = 0.149 +/- 0.059 mM and KIOAS = 46.91 +/- 10.06 mM for O-acetyl-L-serine and KS2- = 0.066 +/- 0.004 mM and KIS2- = 0.013 +/- 0.006 mM for sulfide. Product inhibition studies varying either substrate at changing fixed levels of cysteine demonstrate that cysteine combines with enzyme at two places along the reaction sequence to produce inhibition with KiCys = 1.048 +/- 0.048 mM and KICys = 11.4 +/- 0.5 mM. Relatively high concentrations of acetate are required to produce inhibition and at least part of the acetate inhibition is due to ionic strength. However, the ability of acetate to reverse the spectral shift produced from the binding of O-acetyl-L-serine to enzyme and the isotope exchange between [14C]acetate and O-acetyl-L-serine does demonstrate that the O-acetyl-L-serine to acetate half-reaction is reversible. There is some doubt as to the specificity of acetate as a product inhibitor, since propionate can also be used to reverse the spectral shift. Spectral studies using ths spectral shift produced from binding O-acetyl-L-serine to enzyme confirms the assignment of a ping-pong mechanism since the spectral intermediate produced is alpha-aminoacrylic acid in Schiff base with pyridoxal phosphate and, therefore, the acetyl moiety has been beta eliminated. Isotope exchange has been demonstrated for both the O-acetyl-L-serine to acetate and sulfide to cysteine half-reactions which also confirms a ping-pong mechanism.