Ornithine transcarbamylase from Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC 14468: purification, properties, and reaction mechanism

Abstract

Ornithine transcarbamylase (EC 2.1.3.3) has been purified 980-fold from Mycobacterium smegmatis and has a molecular weight of 116 000. Initial velocity determinations indicated that the reaction proceeds via a sequential kinetic mechanism. The limiting Michaelis constants for carbamyl phosphate (KmA) and ornithine (KmB) and the dissociation constant for carbamyl phospate (Kia) were found to be 0.20, 0.25, and 0.07 mM, respectively. Ornithine at higher concentrations acted as an uncompetitive inhibitor when carbamyl phosphate was the variable substrate. Phosphate was a competitive inhibitor with carbamyl phosphate as variable substrate and showed noncompetitive or mixed type inhibition when ornithine was the variable substrate. Norvaline acted as a competitive inhibitor with ornithine as variable substrate and as an uncompetitive inhibitor when carbamyl phophate was the variable substrate. Such inhibitory patterns are characteristic of reactions that proceed via sequential ordered mechanisms. Although the enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by arginine, several arginine analogs had no effect on the enzyme activity. The results suggest that, even though the enzyme from M. smegmatis is unique in the sense that it is feedback inhibited by arginine, the reaction mechanism is similar to the ornithine transcarbamylase isolated from other microorganisms.