Ammonia Transport in E. coli Asparagine Synthetase B

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

Asparagine synthetase is the enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of the amino acid Asparagine, an important component of proteins in all organisms. This enzyme has been isolated and studied from a variety of sources, and recently the crystal structure of the bacterial form of the enzyme has been elucidated. The crystal structure illustrated that there was a channel that kept one of the highly reactive intermediates of the reaction from interacting and becoming inactive through reaction with water in the solvent. This mode of protecting enzyme intermediates from solvent inactivation has been reported for other cases over the last decade. In none of these cases, however, has the mechanism of the transport been elucidated. This project will utilize bacterial Asparagine Synthetase as a model for reactive intermediate transport. It involves an experimental approach to describe the components of the transport process. Elucidating the chemical components required for the channeling of intermediates will enable researchers to understand the chemistry of transport and to allow for design of novel coupled enzyme activities.