N-acetyl glutamate kinase (NAGK) is a key enzyme in the synthesis of L-arginine, and L-arginine-sensitive NAGK typically has hexameric architecture. Defining the relationship between this architecture and L-arginine inhibition can provide a foundation to identify the key amino acids involved in the allosteric regulation network of L-arginine. In the present study, the key amino acids in the N-terminal helix (N-helix) of Corynebacterium glutamicum (Cg) NAGK required for hexamer formation were determined using structural homology modeling and site-directed mutagenesis. It was also verified that hexameric architecture is required for the positive cooperativity of inhibition by L-arginine and for efficient catalysis, but that it is not the determinant of inhibition by L-arginine. Monomeric mutants retained a similar sensitivity to L-arginine as the hexameric form, indicating that monomers contain an independent, sensitive signal transduction network of L-arginine to mediate allosteric regulation. Mutation studies of CgNAGKs also revealed that amino acid residues 18-23 of the N-helix are required for inhibition by L-arginine, and that E19 may be an essential amino acid influencing the apparent affinity of L-arginine. Collectively, these studies may illuminate the basic mechanism of metabolic homeostasis of C. glutamicum.
Keywords: Hexameric architecture; Homology modeling; L-arginine inhibition; N-acetyl glutamate kinase.