Conformational cycling in β-phosphoglucomutase catalysis:: Reorientation of the β-D-glucose 1,6-(bis) phosphate intermediate

Activated Lactococcus lactis beta-phosphoglucomutase (beta PGM) catalyzes the conversion of beta-D-glucose 1-phosphate (beta G1P) derived from maltose to beta-D-glucose 6-phosphate (G6P). Activation requires Mg2+ binding and phosphorylation of the active site residue Asp8. Initial velocity techniques were used to define the steady-state kinetic constants k(cat) = 177 +/- 9 s(-1), K-m = 49 +/- 4 mu M for the substrate, beta G1P and K-m = 6.5 +/- 0.7 mu M for the activator beta-D-glucose 1,6-bisphosphate (beta G1,6bisP). The observed transient accumulation of [C-14]beta G1,6bisP (12% at similar to 0.1 s) in the single turnover reaction carried out with excess beta PGM (40 mu M) and limiting [C-14]beta G1P (5 mu M) and beta G1,6bisP (5 mu M) supported the role of beta G1,6bisP as a reaction intermediate in the conversion of the, G1P to G6P. Single turnover reactions of [C-14]beta G1,6bisP with excess, beta PGM were carried out to demonstrate that phosphoryl transfer rather than ligand binding is rate-limiting and to show that the beta G1,6bisP binds to the active site in two different orientations (one positioning the C(1) phosphoryl group for reaction with Asp8, and the other orientation positioning the C(6) phosphoryl group for reaction with Asp8) with roughly the same efficiency. Single turnover reactions carried out with beta PGM, [C-14]beta G1P, and unlabeled beta G1,6bisP demonstrated complete exchange of label to the beta G1,6bisP during the catalytic cycle. Thus, the reorientation of the beta G1,6bisP intermediate that is required to complete the catalytic cycle occurs by diffusion into solvent followed by binding in the opposite orientation. Published X-ray structures of beta G1P suggest that the reorientation and phosphoryl transfer from beta G1,6bisP occur by conformational cycling of the enzyme between the active site open and closed forms via cap domain movement. Last, the equilibrium ratio of beta G1,6bisP to beta G1P plus G6P was examined to evidence a significant stabilization of beta PGM aspartyl phosphate.