The 3-methylaspartase reaction probed using 2H- and 15N-Isotope effects for three substrates: a flip from a concerted to a carbocationic amino-Enzyme elimination mechanism upon changing the C-3 stereochemistry in the substrate from R to S Original Researc

The mechanisms of the elimination of ammonia from (2S,3S)-3-methylaspartic acid, (2S)-aspartic acid and (2S,3R)-3-methylaspartic acid, catalysed by the enzyme l-threo-3-methylaspartase ammonia-lyase (EC 4.3.1.2) have been probed using 15N-isotope effects. The 15N-isotope effects for V/K for both (2S,3S)-3-methylaspartic acid and aspartic acid are 1.0246±0.0013 and 1.0390±0.0031, respectively. The natural substrate, (2S,3S)-3-methylaspartic acid, is eliminated in a concerted fashion such that the Cβ–H and Cα–N bonds are cleaved in the same transition state. (2S)-Aspartic acid appears to follow the same mechanistic pathway, but deprotonation of the conjugate acid of the base for C-3 is kinetically important and influences the extent of 15N-fractionation. (2S,3R)-3-Methylaspartic acid is deaminated via a stepwise carbocationic mechanism. Here we elaborate on the proposed model for the mechanism of methylaspartase and propose that a change in stereochemistry of the substrate induces a change in the mechanism of ammonia elimination.