EN
Mouse thymidylate synthase R209K (a mutation corresponding to R218K in Lactobacillus casei), overexpressed in thymidylate synthase-deficient Escherichia coli strain, was poorly soluble and with only feeble enzyme activity. The mutated protein, incubated with FdUMP and N5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate, did not form a complex stable under conditions of SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The reaction catalyzed by the R209K enzyme (studied in a crude extract), compared to that catalyzed by purified wild-type recombinant mouse thymidylate synthase, showed the Km value for dUMP 571-fold higher and Vmax value over 50-fold (assuming that the mutated enzyme constituted 20% of total crude extract protein) lower. Thus the ratios kcat,R209K/kcat,'wild' and (kcat, R209K/Km, R209K dUMP)/ (kcat, 'wild'/Km, 'wild' dUMP) were 0.019 and 0.000032, respectively, documenting that mouse thymidylate synthase R209, similar to the corresponding L. casei R218, is essential for both dUMP binding and enzyme reaction.