Structural flexibility, an essential component of the allosteric activation in Escherichia coli glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase

A new crystallographic structure of the free active-site R conformer of the allosteric enzyme glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase from Escherichia coli, coupled with previously reported structures of the T and R conformers, generates a detailed description of the heterotropic allosteric transition in which structural flexibility plays a central role. The T conformer's external zone [Horjales et al. (1999), Structure, 7, 527-536] presents higher B values than in the R conformers. The ligand-free enzyme (T conformer) undergoes an allosteric transition to the free active-site R conformer upon binding of the allosteric activator. This structure shows three alternate conformations of the mobile section of the active-site lid (residues 163-182), in comparison to the high B values for the unique conformation of the T conformer. One of these alternate R conformations corresponds to the active-site lid found when the substrate is bound. The disorder associated with the three alternate conformations can be related to the biological regulation of the K_m of the enzyme for the reaction, which is metabolically required to maintain adequate concentrations of the activator, which holds the enzyme in its R state. Seven alternate conformations for the active-site lid and three for the C-terminus were refined for the T structure using isotropic B factors. Some of these conformers approach that of the R conformer in geometry. Furthermore, the direction of the atomic vibrations obtained with anisotropic B refinement supports the hypothesis of an oscillating rather than a tense T state. The concerted character of the allosteric transition is also analysed in view of the apparent dynamics of the conformers.