Active site phosphohistidine peptides from red cell bisphosphoglycerate synthase and yeast phosphoglycerate mutase

Bisphosphoglycerate synthase (glycerate-1,3-P2 yields glycerate-2,3-P2) and phosphoglycerate mutase (glycerate-3-P formed from glycerate-2-P) are both phosphorylated by substrates at a histidine residue forming covalent intermediates which have been shown to function in the phosphoryl transfer reactions catalyzed by these enzymes (Rose, Z. B., and Dube, S. (1976) J. Biol. Chem. 251, 4817--4822). We have phosphorylated bisphosphoglycerate synthase from horse red blood cells with [U-32P]glycerate-2,3-P2, digested with trypsin, and purified the phosphopeptide. The amino acid sequence of the phosphohistidine peptide has been determined to be: His-Gly-Gln-Gly-Ala-Trp-Asn-Lys. In like manner, a phosphohistidyl peptide has now been purified from yeast phosphoglycerate mutase, for which the amino acid sequence is known (Winn, S. I., Watson, H. C., Fothergill, L. A., and Harkins, R. N. (1977) Biochem. Soc. Trans. 5, 657-659). The amino acid composition of the phosphopeptide indicates that histidine-8 was phosphorylated. The sequence of this peptide is closely homologous with the active site peptide from bisphosphoglycerate synthase. In yeast phosphoglycerate mutase, the denatured phosphoenzyme hydrolyzes with a single rate constant of 2.02 X 10(-4) s-1 at pH 3, 45 degrees C. The relevance of these observations to the enzymatic mechanism is discussed.