Bacillus licheniformis trehalose-6-phosphate hydrolase structures suggest keys to substrate specificity

Trehalose-6-phosphate hydrolase (TreA) belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 13 (GH13) and catalyzes the hydrolysis of trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P) to yield glucose and glucose 6-phosphate. The products of this reaction can be further metabolized by the energy-generating glycolytic pathway. Here, crystal structures of Bacillus licheniformis TreA (BlTreA) and its R201Q mutant complexed with p-nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (R201Q–pPNG) are presented at 2.0 and 2.05 Å resolution, respectively. The overall structure of BlTreA is similar to those of other GH13 family enzymes. However, detailed structural comparisons revealed that the catalytic site of BlTreA contains a long loop that adopts a different conformation from those of other GH13 family members. Unlike the homologous regions of Bacillus cereus oligo-1,6-glucosidase (BcOgl) and Erwinia rhapontici isomaltulose synthase (NX-5), the surface potential of the BlTreA active site exhibits a largely positive charge contributed by the four basic residues His281, His282, Lys284 and Lys292. Mutation of these residues resulted in significant decreases in the enzymatic activity of BlTreA. Strikingly, the ²⁸¹HHLK²⁸⁴ motif and Lys292 play critical roles in substrate discrimination by BlTreA.