Substitution of the urease active site carbamate by dithiocarbamate and vanadate

Urease possesses a dinuclear nickel active site with the metals bridged by a carbamylated lysine residue. In vitro activation of apoprotein (Apo) is achieved by incubation with Ni(II) and bicarbonate as a source of CO2. Analogues of CO2 and bicarbonate were examined for their effects on the Apo activation process. While SO2 had little effect, CS2 was shown to inhibit Apo activation via its ability to substitute for CO2 to yield an inactive dithiocarbamate-containing protein. Sulfur-to-Ni charge-transfer transitions arising from this species yielded an electronic absorption band at 324 nm with a shoulder at 382 nm. Borate, sulfate, phosphate, and molybdate had essentially no effect on Apo activation and did not substitute for bicarbonate, while treatment of Apo with Ni(II) plus vanadate led to the production of active urease containing two Ni and one V per active site. Vanadate-dependent activation of Apo resembled the normal activation process in terms of concentration of anion required, optimal pH, and incubation time needed. Furthermore, the UV-visible spectrum, maximal specific activity [386 +/- 26 U.(mg of protein)-1], Km (1.83 +/- 0.20 mM urea), and pH dependence for the vanadate-containing urease were essentially identical to properties observed for bicarbonate-activated enzyme. Vanadate-activated Apo is proposed to possess a vanadylated lysine that bridges the two Ni ions comprising its metallocenter.