The role of calcium in the hydrolysis of the organophosphate paraoxon by human serum A-esterase.

Human serum A-esterase is a calcium-dependent enzyme that hydrolyzes the organophosphate paraoxon by an Ordered Uni Bi kinetic mechanism. Incubation of various concentrations of calcium chloride with human serum A-esterase resulted in corresponding changes in appk3 and appE for the reaction, while appk2 was unaffected. Carboxyglutamic acid (CAG) prevented calcium chloride from altering appk3, but not appE. Similarly CAG reduced the calcium-stimulated nonenzymatic hydrolysis of paraoxon, as well as the calcium-stimulated de-phosphorylation of chymotrypsin phosphorylated by paraoxon. These results suggest that calcium plays two roles in the hydrolysis of paraoxon by A-esterase. Firstly, calcium is required in order to maintain an active site. In this capacity calcium might participate directly in the catalytic reaction, or it might be required in order to maintain the appropriate confirmation of the active site. And secondly, free calcium (or calcium weakly associated with A-esterase) facilitates the removal of diethyl phosphate from A-esterase, probably by polarizing the P = O bond of the diethyl phosphate-A-esterase intermediate, thereby rendering phosphorus more susceptible to nucleophilic attack by hydroxide ions.