The ‘gating’ residues Ile199 and Tyr326 in human monoamine oxidase B function in substrate and inhibitor recognition Erika M. Milczek1,*, Claudia Binda2, Stefano Rovida2, Andrea Mattevi2 and Dale E. Edmondson1 1 Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA 2 Department of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pavia, Italy Keywords The major structural difference between human monoamine oxidases A dipartite to monopartite cavity conversion; (MAO A) and B (MAO B) is that MAO A has a monopartite substrate inhibitor specificity; monoamine oxidase B; cavity of 550 A˚3 volume and MAO B contains a dipartite cavity struc- mutations of gating residues; structure of ture with volumes of 290 A˚3 (entrance cavity) and 400 A˚3 (substrate methylene blue complex cavity). Ile199 and Tyr326 side chains separate these two cavities in MAO Correspondence B. To probe the function of these gating residues, Ile199Ala and Ile199Ala- D. E. Edmondson, Department of Tyr326Ala mutant forms of MAO B were investigated. Structural data on Biochemistry, Emory University, 1510 the Ile199Ala MAO B mutant show no alterations in active site geometries Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA compared with wild-type enzyme while the Ile199Ala-Tyr326Ala MAO B Fax: +1 404 727 2738 mutant exhibits alterations in residues 100–103 which are part of the loop Tel: +1 404 727 5972 gating the entrance to the active site. Both mutant enzymes exhibit catalytic E-mail:
[email protected] properties with increased amine KM but unaltered kcat values. The altered *Present address KM values on mutation are attributed to the influence of the cavity struc- Department of Chemistry, Princeton ture in the binding and subsequent deprotonation of the amine substrate.