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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1992 Jul 15;89(14):6328–6332. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.14.6328

Mutational and nucleotide sequence analysis of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase from Rhodobacter capsulatus.

M W Sganga 1, R R Aksamit 1, G L Cantoni 1, C E Bauer 1
PMCID: PMC49494  PMID: 1631127

Abstract

The genetic locus ahcY, encoding the enzyme S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase (EC 3.3.1.1) from the bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus, has been mapped by mutational analysis to within a cluster of genes involved in regulating the induction and maintenance of the bacterial photosynthetic apparatus. Sequence analysis demonstrates that ahcY encodes a 51-kDa polypeptide that displays 64% sequence identity to its human homolog. Insertion mutants in ahcY lack detectable S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase activity and, as a consequence, S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine accumulates in the cells, resulting in a 16-fold decrease in the intracellular ratio of S-adenosyl-L-methionine to S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine as compared to wild-type cells. The ahcY disrupted strain fails to grow in minimal medium; however, growth is restored in minimal medium supplemented with methionine or homocysteine or in a complex medium, thereby indicating that the hydrolysis of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine plays a key role in the metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids. The ahcY mutant, when grown in supplemented medium, synthesizes significantly reduced levels of bacteriochlorophyll, indicating that modulation of the intracellular ratio of S-adenosyl-L-methionine to S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine may be an important factor in regulating bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis.

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Selected References

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