Site-directed mutagenesis of yeast C1-tetrahydrofolate synthase: analysis of an overlapping active site in a multifunctional enzyme

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Abstract
C1-tetrahydrofolate (THF) synthase is a trifunctional protein possessing the activities 10-formyl-THF synthetase, 5,10-methenyl-THF cyclohydrolase, and 5,10-methylene-THF dehydrogenase. The current model divides this protein into two functionally independent domains with dehydrogenase/cyclohydrolase activities sharing an overlapping active site on the N-terminal domain and synthetase activity associated with the C-terminal domain. Previous chemical modification studies on C1-THF synthase from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae indicated at least two cysteinyl residues involved in the dehydrogenase/cyclohydrolase reactions [Appling, D. R., and Rabinowitz, J. C. (1985) Biochemistry 24, 3540-3547]. In the present work, site-directed mutagenesis of the S. cerevisiae ADE3 gene, which encodes C1-THF synthase, was used to individually change each cysteine contained within the dehydrogenase/cyclohydrolase domain (Cys-11, Cys-144, and Cys-257) to serine. The resulting proteins were overexpressed in yeast and purified for kinetic analysis. Site-specific mutations in the dehydrogenase/cyclohydrolase domain did not affect synthetase activity, consistent with the proposed domain structure. The C144S and C257S mutations result in 7- and 2-fold increases, respectively, in the dehydrogenase Km for NADP+. C144S lowers the dehydrogenase maximal velocity roughly 50% while C257S has a maximal velocity similar to that of the wild type. Cyclohydrolase catalytic activity is reduced 20-fold by the C144S mutation but increased 2-fold by the C257S mutation. Conversion of Cys-11 to serine has a negligible effect on dehydrogenase/cyclohydrolase activity. A double mutant, C144S/C257S, results in catalytic properte is roughly multiplicative of the individual mutations. In addition, the 5'' end of ADE3 mRNA was mapped in yeast grown under conditions which repress or derepress C1-THF synthase transcription. Four major transcription initiation sites are observed in both cases (-27, -30, -38, -42); however, the relative frequency of initiation at these sites differs between the repressed and derepressed states.