Stereospecificity of sodium borohydride reduction of Schiff bases at the active site of aspartate aminotransferase

Sodium boro[3H]hydride treatment of holoaspartate aminotransferase results in the reduction of the Schiff's base formed between pyridoxal phosphate and Lys 258. Treatment of the reduced enzyme with papain followed by acid hydrolysis liberates epsilon-N-[3H]pyridoxyl lysine which is degraded to [3H]pyridoxamine diHCl and stereochemically analyzed with apoaspartate aminotransferase. Sodium boro[3H]hydride treatment of active site carbamylated aspartate aminotransferase reconstituted with pyridoxyl phosphate and sodium aspartate results in the trapping of an enzyme x substrate complex through the reduction of the Schiff's base formed between pyridoxal phosphate and aspartate. Active site bound N-[3H]pyridoxyl aspartate is liberated by treatment with papain and degraded to [3H]pyridoxamine diHCl for stereochemical analysis. Borohydride reduction of the holoenzyme occurs from the re face of the pyridoxal phosphate Lys 258 Schiff's base. Similarly, reduction of active site carbamylated enzyme x substrate complex occurs from the re face of the pyridoxal phosphate-aspartate Schiff's base. These results indicate that when active site carbamylated enzyme binds substrate to pyridoxal phosphate it does so stereospecifically and without changing the face of the Schiff base that is available for reduction as compared to native enzyme.