Substrate Binding of avian liver prenyltransferase

Prenyltransferase (farnesyl pyrophosphate synthetase) was purified from avian liver and characterized by Sephadex and sodium dodecyl sulfate gel chromatography, peptide mapping, and end-group analysis. The enzyme is 85 800 +/- 4280 daltons and consists of two identical subunits as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis, peptide mapping, and end-group analysis. Chemical analysis of the protein revealed no lipid or carbohydrate components. Avian prenyltransferase synthesizes farnesyl pyrophosphate from either dimethylallyl or geranyl pyrophosphate and isopentenyl pyrophosphate. A lower rate of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthesis from farnesyl pyrophosphate and isopentenyl pyrophosphate was also demonstrated. Michaelis constants for farnesyl pyrophosphate synthesis are 0.5 muM for both isopentenyl pyrophosphate and geranyl pyrophosphate. The V max for the reaction is 1990 nmol min-1 mg-1 (170 mol min-1 mol-1 enzyme). Substrate inhibition by isopentenyl pyrophosphate is evident at high isopentenyl pyrophosphate and low geranyl pyrophosphate concentrations. Michaelis constants for geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthesis are 9 muM for farnesyl pyrophosphate and 20 muM for isopentenyl pyrophosphate. The Vmax is 16 nmol min-1 mg-1 (1.4 mol min-1 mol-1 enzyme). Two moles of each of the allylic substrates is bound per mol of enzyme. The apparent dissociation constants for dimethylallyl, geranyl, and farnesyl pyrophosphates are 1.8, 0.17, and 0.73 muM, respectively. Dimethylallyl and geranyl pyrophosphates bound competitively to prenyltransferase with one-for-one displacement. Four moles of isopentenyl pyrophosphate was bound per mole of enzyme. Citronellyl pyrophosphate, an analogue of geranyl pyrophosphate, was competitive with the binding of 2 of the 4 mol of isopentenyl pyrophosphate bound. The data are interpreted to indicate that each subunit of avian liver prenyltransferase has a single allylic binding site accommodating dimethylallyl, geranyl, and farnesyl pyrophosphates, and one binding site for isopentenyl pyrophosphate. In the absence of an allylic pyrophosphate or analogue, isopentenyl pyrophosphate also can bind to the allylic site.