A novel inorganic pyrophosphatase in Thermococcus onnurineus NA1

The TON-0002 gene, which is in close proximity to the DNA polymerase locus in Thermococcus onnurineus NA1, has been shown to encode an inorganic pyrophosphatase. Its genomic position and function suggest a role for pyrophosphate hydrolysis during DNA polymerization. This is the first report of an inorganic pyrophosphatase belonging to the haloacid dehalogenase superfamily, in which unique residues in motif I and II have been replaced with Trp and Gly, respectively. The optimum pyrophosphatase activity of the recombinant enzyme occurred at pH 6, and it displayed an absolute dependence on divalent metal ions, among which Ni²⁺ was the most efficient. The site-specific mutation of the Gly residue in motif II to Ala or Ser residue exhibited only a slight change in the enzymatic activity and the K_m value.