Abstract
The activated CO2 intermediate formed in the reaction catalyzed by glutamine-dependent carbamyl phosphate synthetase [of Escherichia coli] was identified as carbonic-phosphoric anhydride through the use of 2 independent procedures. The carboxy phosphate intermediate was reduced to formate by treatment with KBH4. Although free CO2 and the enzyme-bound activated CO2 are reduced to formic acid by borohydride, it was possible to selectively introduce a 14C label into the enzyme-bound activated CO2 and thus into the formic acid derived from it. Such [14C]formate formation required the presence of ATP, KCl and the enzyme, and evidence was obtained that the [14C]formate found is not derived from carbamyl phosphate or from bicarbonate bound nonspecifically to the enzyme. When the enzyme was treated with L-2-amino-4-oxo-5-chloropentanoate (or cyanate), the formation of [14C]-formate was increased .apprx. 2-fold, a finding consistent with the previous observation that such treatment effects a similar increase in the bicarbonate-dependent cleavage of ATP catalyzed by the enzyme. When reaction mixtures containing the enzyme, [.gamma.-32P]ATP and [14C]bicarbonate were methylated by treatment with diazomethane, a labeled compounds was formed which cochromatographed with authentic trimethyl carboxy phosphate. Equimolar quantities of 14C and 32P were incorporated into the intermediate, thus confirming its identification as carboxy phosphate. Nonenzymatic transphosphorylation from ATP to bicarbonate to form carboxy phosphate was also detected by diazomethane trapping.

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