Involvement of the carboxyl groups of glutathione in the catalytic mechanism of human glutathione transferase A1-1.

The present study proposes the participation of both carboxylate groups of the glutathione molecule as functional entities in the catalytic apparatus of human glutathione transferase (GST) A1-1. Functional studies in combination with structural data provide evidence for the alpha-carboxylate of the Glu residue of glutathione acting as a proton acceptor in the catalytic mechanism. The Glu carboxylate is hydrogen-bonded to a protein hydroxyl group and a main-chain NH, as well as to a water molecule of low mobility in the active site region. The Glu alpha-carboxylate of glutathione is bound in a similar manner to the active sites of mammalian glutathione transferases of classes Alpha, Mu, and Pi, for which three-dimensional structures are known. Mutation of the hydroxyl group that is hydrogen-bonded to the alpha-carboxylate of the Glu residue of glutathione (Thr68->Val) caused a shift of the pH dependence of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction, suggesting that the acidic limb of the pH-activity profile reflects the ionization of the carboxylate of the Glu residue of glutathione. The second carboxylate group of glutathione, which is part of its Gly residue, interacts with two Arg side chains in GST A1-1. One of these residues (Arg45) may influence an ionic interaction (Arg221/Asp42), which appears to contribute to binding of the second substrate by fixing the C-terminal alpha-helix as a lid over the active site. Removal of the Gly residue from the glutathione molecule caused a 13-fold increase in the KM value for the electrophilic substrate. Thus, the Gly carboxylate of glutathione, by way of influencing the topology of the active site, contributes to the binding of the second substrate of the enzyme. Consequently, the glutathione molecule has several functions in the glutathione transferase catalyzed reactions, not only as a substrate providing the thiol group for different types of chemical reactions but also as a substrate contributing a carboxylate that acts as a proton acceptor in the catalytic mechanism and a carboxylate that modulates binding of the second substrate to the enzyme.