The stereospecific labilization of the C-4' pro-S hydrogen of pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate is abolished in (Lys258----Ala) aspartate aminotransferase.

Reconstitution of wild-type apoaspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli with [4'-3H]pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate results in stereospecific release of the pro-S C-4' 3H to the solvent. The reaction follows first-order kinetics (t1/2 = 15 min at pH 7.5 and 25 degrees C), its rate constant being similar to that found previously with mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase from chicken (Tobler, H.P., Christen, P., and Gehring, H. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 7105-7108). Substituting the active site residue Lys258 by alanine via site-directed mutagenesis yields a catalytically inactive enzyme (Malcolm, B. A., and Kirsch, J. F. (1985) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 132, 915-921). This mutant enzyme fails to release any measurable 3H from bound [4'-3H]pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate. The data are consistent with earlier proposals that Lys258 is indispensable for the ketimine/aldimine tautomerization, and corroborate the previous conclusion that 3H exchange from enzyme-bound pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate mechanistically corresponds to the deprotonation at C-4' of the ketimine intermediate during the transamination reaction.