Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) primarily catalyzes the conversion between
lactic acid and
pyruvate, serving as a key
enzyme in the aerobic glycolysis pathway of
sugar in
tumor cells. LDHA plays a crucial role in the occurrence, development, progression, invasion,
metastasis, angiogenesis, and immune escape of
tumors. Consequently, LDHA not only serves as a
biomarker for
tumor diagnosis and prognosis but also represents an ideal target for
tumor therapy. Although LDHA inhibitors show great therapeutic potential, their development has proven to be challenging. In the development of LDHA inhibitors, the key active sites of LDHA are emphasized. Nevertheless, there is a relative lack of research on the
amino acid residues around the active center of LDHA. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the
amino acid residues around the active center of LDHA. Through structure comparison analysis, five key
amino acid residues (Ala30, Met41, Lys131, Gln233, and Ala259) were identified. Subsequently, the effects of these five residues on the enzymatic properties of LDHA were investigated using site-directed mutagenesis. The results revealed that the catalytic activities of the five mutants varied to different degrees in both the reaction from
lactic acid to
pyruvate and
pyruvate to
lactic acid. Notably, the catalytic activities of LDHAM41G and LDHAK131I were improved, particularly in the case of LDHAK131I. The results of the molecular dynamics analysis of LDHAK131I explained the reasons for this phenomenon. Additionally, the optimum temperature of LDHAM41G and LDHAQ233M increased from 35 °C to 40 °C, whereas in the reverse reaction, the optimum temperature of LDHAM41G and LDHAK131I decreased from 70 °C to 60 °C. These findings indicate that Ala30, Met41, Lys131, Gln233, and Ala259 exert diverse effects on the catalytic activity and optimum temperature of LHDA. Therefore, these
amino acid residues, in addition to the key catalytic site of the active center, play a crucial role. Considering these residues in the design and screening of LDHA inhibitors may lead to the development of more effective inhibitors.