Abstract
Amino acid racemases are enzymes that invert the α-carbon stereochemistry of amino acids (AAs), interconverting amino acids between their L- and D-enantiomers in a reversible reaction. In bacteria, they are known to have catabolic physiological functions but are also involved in the synthesis of many D-AAs, including D-glutamate and D-alanine, which are necessary components of the peptidoglycan layer of the bacterial cell wall. As such, amino acid racemases represent significant targets for the development of bactericidal compounds. Amino acid racemases are also regarded by the biotechnological industry as important catalysts for the production of economically relevant D-AAs. Here, we provide a detailed protocol using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrophenyl-5-L-alanine amide (FDAA, also Marfey’s reagent) for the characterization of novel amino acid racemases. The protocol described here was designed to obtain accurate kinetic parameters (kcat, KM values). Enzyme concentrations and reaction times were optimized so as to minimize the reverse reaction, which can confound results when measuring racemase reactions.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-5-2014
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.1112
Funding Information
This work was supported in part by grant 2011-67020-30195 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Repository Citation
Radkov, Atanas D. and Moe, Luke A., "Amino Acid Racemase Enzyme Assays" (2014). Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications. 123.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/pss_facpub/123
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Bio-protocol, v. 4, issue 9, p. 1-5.
Copyright © 2014 The Authors; exclusive licensee Bio-protocol LLC.
The publisher has granted the permission for posting the article here.