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Mutation of Gly-444 inactivates the S. pombe malic enzyme

M Viljoen1, M van der Merwe, R E Subden

  • 1Department of Microbiology, University of Stellenbosch, Matieland, South Africa.

FEMS Microbiology Letters
|November 11, 1998
PubMed

Insights

A single mutation in the malic enzyme gene (mae2-) of Schizosaccharomyces pombe caused a loss of enzyme activity. This glycine residue is highly conserved across species, indicating its crucial role in enzyme function.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Enzymology

Background:

  • Malic enzymes are crucial for cellular metabolism.
  • Understanding enzyme function requires identifying key residues.
  • A mutant malic enzyme gene (mae2-) in Schizosaccharomyces pombe showed significantly reduced activity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the genetic basis for the loss of malic enzyme activity.
  • To investigate the functional significance of conserved residues in malic enzymes.

Main Methods:

  • Cloning of the mutant malic enzyme gene (mae2-).
  • DNA sequencing to identify mutations.
  • Sequence comparison across various malic and malolactic enzymes.

Main Results:

  • A single point mutation (G to A at nucleotide 1331) was identified in mae2-.
  • This mutation changed glycine at position 444 (Gly-444) to aspartate.
  • Gly-444 is located in a highly conserved Region H and is invariant across 27 malic enzymes and 3 bacterial malolactic enzymes.

Conclusions:

  • The identified mutation is responsible for the loss of malic enzyme activity.
  • The absolute evolutionary conservation of Gly-444 highlights its critical importance for enzymatic function.
  • This finding contributes to understanding the structure-function relationship of malic enzymes.

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