Substrate-protein interaction in tryptophanase from Bacillus alvei. Kinetic and spectral evaluations

This investigation studied the substrate protein interaction of the alpha, beta elimination reaction in tryptophanase (EC 4.1.99.1). The results of this work are 2-fold. (a) The presence of multiple enzyme sites was found to be related to the observed kinetic patterns of inhibition. Indole analogues caused competitive inhibition in the tryptophanase reaction and noncompetitive inhibition in the dehydratase reaction. Inhibition patterns of alanine for these activities were reserved. (b) Under some conditions, compounds which bind presumably at the indole site modified the spectral and fluorescent characteristics of the enzyme. The addition of anthranilate to the enzyme resulted in a broad absorption band around 350 nm. This absorption band was distinct from that formed by alanine addition. Based on absorption data, both of these compounds could be bound simultaneously. The optical activity of tryptophanase was reported for the first time. Indole analogues caused greater conformational alterations in the circular dichroism spectra than 3-carbon analogues. The calculated anisotrophy factors, as well as fluorescent quenching data, suggest a more direct interaction between indole analogues and pyridoxal-P than between 3-carbon compounds that the coenzyme. It is proposed that the indole site is the dominant recognition site. The data are consistent with the three-dimensional aspects of space-filling models of Schiff's bases evaluated in terms of multiple site binding.