PNNL

Abstract

Hydrogen bonded histidine-aspartate (His-Asp) pairs are critical constituents in several key enzymatic reactions. To date, the role that these pairs play in catalysis is best understood in serine and trypsin-like proteases, where structural and biochemical NMR studies have revealed important pKa values and hydrogen-bonding patterns within the catalytic pocket. However, the role of the His-Asp pair in metal-assisted catalysis is less clear. Here, we apply liquid state NMR to investigate the role of a critical histidine of apurinic endonuclease 1 (Ape1), a human DNA repair enzyme that cleaves adjacent to abasic sites in DNA using one or more divalent cations and an active site His-Asp pair. The studies within suggest that the Ape1 His- Asp pair functions as neither a general base catalyst nor a metal ligand. Rather, the pair likely stabilizes the pentavalent transition state necessary for phospho-transfer.