Novel substrate specificity of glutathione synthesis enzymes from Streptococcus agalactiae and Clostridium acetobutylicum

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2007 Jan 12;352(2):351-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2006.11.016. Epub 2006 Nov 13.

Abstract

Glutathione (GSH) is synthesized by gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (gamma-GCS) and glutathione synthetase (GS) in living organisms. Recently, bifunctional fusion protein, termed gamma-GCS-GS catalyzing both gamma-GCS and GS reactions from gram-positive firmicutes Streptococcus agalactiae, has been reported. We revealed that in the gamma-GCS activity, S. agalactiae gamma-GCS-GS had different substrate specificities from those of Escherichia coli gamma-GCS. Furthermore, S. agalactiae gamma-GCS-GS synthesized several kinds of gamma-glutamyltripeptide, gamma-Glu-X(aa)-Gly, from free three amino acids. In Clostridium acetobutylicum, the genes encoding gamma-GCS and putative GS were found to be immediately adjacent by BLAST search, and had amino acid sequence homology with S. agalactiae gamma-GCS-GS, respectively. We confirmed that the proteins expressed from each gene showed gamma-GCS and GS activity, respectively. C. acetobutylicum GS had broad substrate specificities and synthesized several kinds of gamma-glutamyltripeptide, gamma-Glu-Cys-X(aa). Whereas the substrate specificities of gamma-GCS domain protein and GS domain protein of S. agalactiae gamma-GCS-GS were the same as those of S. agalactiae gamma-GCS-GS.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Clostridium acetobutylicum / classification
  • Clostridium acetobutylicum / enzymology*
  • Enzyme Activation
  • Glutathione / chemistry*
  • Glutathione Synthase / chemistry*
  • Species Specificity
  • Streptococcus agalactiae / classification
  • Streptococcus agalactiae / enzymology*
  • Substrate Specificity

Substances

  • Glutathione Synthase
  • Glutathione