Ligand geometry of the ternary complex of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase from rotational-echo double-resonance NMR.

The 46-kDa enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase catalyzes the condensation of shikimate 3-phosphate (S3P) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to form EPSP. The reaction is inhibited by N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine (Glp), which, in the presence of S3P, binds to EPSP synthase to form a stable ternary complex. As part of a solid-state NMR characterization of this structure, we have used dipolar recovery at the magic angle (DRAMA) and rotational-echo double resonance (REDOR) to determine intra- and interligand internuclear distances. DRAMA was used to determine the single 31P-31P distance, while REDOR was used to determine one 31P-15N distance and five 31P-13C distances. These experimental distances were used as restraints in molecular dynamics simulations of an S3P-Glp complex to examine the geometry of the two ligands relative to one another in the ternary complex. The simulations were compared to unrestrained simulations of the EPSP synthase tetrahedral intermediate and its phosphonate analog. The results suggest that Glp is unlikely to bind in the same fashion as PEP, a conclusion that is consistent with recent studies that have questioned the role of Glp as a transition-state or intermediate analog.