Promiscuous Yet Specific: A Methionine–Aromatic Interaction Drives the Reaction Scope of the Family 1 Glycosyltransferase <i>Gm</i> UGT88E3 from Soybean
R. Boer, Dan Ethan Herlev Hvid, Elisa Davail, Dovydas Vaitkus, Jens Ø. Duus, Ditte Hededam Welner, David Tezé
Abstract
Family 1 glycosyltransferases (GT1s, UGTs) catalyze the regioselective glycosylation of natural products in a single step. We identified Gm UGT88E3 as a particularly promising biocatalyst able to produce a variety of pure, single glycosidic products from polyphenols with high chemical yields. We investigated this particularly desirable duality toward specificity, i.e., promiscuous toward acceptors while regiospecific. Using high-field NMR, kinetic characterization, molecular dynamics simulations, and mutagenesis studies, we uncovered that the main molecular determinant of Gm UGT88E3 specificity is a methionine–aromatic bridge, an interaction often present in protein structures but never reported for enzyme–substrate interactions. Here, mutating Met127 led to inactive proteins or 100-fold reduced activity.