Mechanism of adenylate kinase: Site-directed mutagenesis versus x-ray and NMR

Controversy is an integral part of scientific research and is often a precursor to the truth. However, this lesson has been learned in a very hard way in the case of the structure-function relationship of adenylate kinase (AK), which catalyzes the interconversion between MgATP+AMP and MgADP+ADP. While this small kinase has been considered a model kinase and the enzyme-substrate interaction of AK was among the first investigated by X-ray crystallography and NMR the substrate binding sites deduced from the early studies by these two powerful techniques (termed the X-ray model and the NMR model, respectively) were dramatically different. Ironically, both models have had substantial impact on researchers in related fields. The problems have finally been dealt with since 1987 by the interplay between site-directed mutagenesis, X-ray, and NMR. The purpose of this review is not only to summarize the current knowledge in the structure-function relationship of adenylate kinase but also to accurately document and critically analyze historical developments in the hope that history will not be repeated