Kinetic studies on the reactions catalyzed by chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydrogenase from Aerobacter aerogenes

Steady-state kinetic techniques have been used to investigate each of the reactions catalyzed by the bifunctional enzyme, chorismate mutase-prephenate dehydrogenase, from Aerobacter aerogenes. The results of steady-state velocity studies in the absence of products, as well as product and dead-end inhibition studies, suggest that the prephenate dehydrogenase reaction conforms to a rapid equilibrium random mechanism which involes the formation of two dead-end complexes, viz, enzyme-NADH-prephenate and enzyme-NAD+-hydroxyphenylpyruvate. Chorismate functions as an activator of the dehydrogenase while both prephenate and hydroxyphenylpyruvate acted as competitive inhibitors in the mutase reaction. By contrast. bpth NAD+ and NADH function as activators of the mutase. Values of the kinetic parameters associated with the mutase and dehydrogenase reactions have been determined and the results discussed in terms of possible relationships between the catalytic sites for the two reactions. The data appear to be consistent with the enzyme having either a single site at which both reactions occur or two separate sites which possess similar kinetic properties.