Electron spin resonance of myosin spin labeled at the S1 thiol groups during hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate

On the addition of Mg²⁺ and ATP the electron spin-resonance spectrum of the spin label, N-(1-oxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl)-iodoacetamide, selectively bound to the S₁ thiol groups of myosin changes from the one characteristic of strong immobilization to one indicating weaker immobilization. The latter spectrum persists during the steady state of hydrolysis of ATP; when hydrolysis is complete it changes to a spectrum identical with that produced by ADP. This third spectrum indicates a mobility between that of the label on myosin in the absence of ATP and that found during the steady state. The same results are obtained with heavy meromyosin or subfragment-1. The appearance of the spectrum typical of the steady state requires the presence of a divalent cation; either Ca²⁺ or Mg²⁺ is effective. It also seems to require hydrolysis of ATP since it is not observed in the absence of activating cations, when hydrolysis has been inhibited with N-ethylmaleimide, or when nonhydrolyzable analogs of ATP are used. One of these, β,γ-imino-adenosinetriphosphate, produces the same spectral change as ADP. These different spectra have been interpreted in terms of the kinetic scheme developed by Lymn and Taylor for native myosin in which the rate-limiting step follows the rapid hydrolysis of the terminal phosphate of ATP. Ourpresent observation of an “initial burst” of P_iliberation with S₁-labeled myosin justifies the application of this scheme. According to this scheme the intermediate responsible for the steady-state spectrum contains the products of ATP hydrolysis but its spectrum is distinct from the complex formed by adding products. This suggests the presence of two spectrally distinct myosin-product complexes. The changes in esr spectra probably reflect localized conformational changes in the head of the myosin molecule. Reducing the pH, temperature, or salt concentration substantially reduces the mobility of the spin labels during the hydrolysis of ATP, suggesting that the conformation of myosin during the steady state may depend on the temperature, pH, and concentration of salt. Alternatively, the spectral changes may be brought about by a change in the relative concentrations of two or more spectrally distinct steady-state intermediates. Changes in these parameters have little or no effect on spectra recorded in the absence of substrate.     

Studies on the amino groups of myosin ATPase. IV. Effects of ATP and its analogs on the spectral properties of trinitrophenylated myosin and its active fragments.

A considerable blue shift was observed in the absorption spectrum of the trinitrophenyl moiety attached to a functional epsilon-lysyl amino group of subfragment-1, heavy meromyosin and myosin on addition of ATP or ATP analogs. The resulting difference spectra showed a maximum at 320 and a minimum at 365 nm. The greatest spectral change was observed with a non-hydrolyzable ATP analog, adenosine 5'-(beta,gamma-imino)triphosphate and it decreased in the order adenosine 5'-(beta,gamma-imino)triphosphate, ATP and ADP. The ATP-induced difference spectrum changed to that of ADP upon the hydrolysis of ATP. The observed spectra were depended on temperature and ionic strength. Difference spectra were produced also by ITP, IDP and pyrophosphate while AMP was practically ineffective. Mg2+ also caused small spectral changes which are not identical with those induced by ATP analogs. On the basis of measurements carried out on a model compound, it is assumed that as a consequence of the reaction of ATP with a myosin head, the environment of the functional lysyl residue becomes less polar, i.e. it becomes buried in the hydrophobic core of the molecule. Changes on addition of ATP or its analogs were observed also in the circular dichroic (CD) spectrum of trinitrophenylated subfragment-1, which also points to conformational changes in the vicinity of the functional lysyl residue.     

Effect of temperature on Ca-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes: ESR studies

Using spin-labeled fatty acid derivatives and maleimide, the effect of temperature on the structural state of various parts of the lipid bilayer of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes and the segmental motion of the Ca-ATPase molecule were investigated. The mobility of the spin probes localized in the hydrophobic zone and the outer part of the SR membrane was shown to increase with a rise in temperature from 4 to 44 degrees C, the temperature of 20 degrees C being critical for these changes. In the presence of ATP, critical changes in the spin probe mobility occur at lower temperatures, while in the presence of ATP and Ca2+ they are observed at 20 degrees C for a spin probe localized in the outer part of the SR membrane. The mobility of a spin probe localized in the hydrophobic part of the membrane increases linearly with a rise in temperature. In the absence of ligands, the segmental motion of Ca-ATPase changes linearly within a temperature range of 10-30 degrees C. However, when ATP alone or ATP and Ca2+ are simultaneously added to the incubation mixture, the protein mobility undergoes critical changes at 20 degrees C. The Arrhenius plots for ATPase activity and Ca2+ uptake rate in SR membrane preparations also have a break at 20 degrees C. It is assumed that changes in the structural state of membrane lipids produce conformational changes in the Ca-ATPase molecule; the enzyme seems to be unsensitive to the structural state of the membrane lipid matrix in the absence of the ligands.     

Study of the binding of substrates and paramagnetic Mn2+ ions with phosphoglycerate kinase by saturating ESR spectra of a spin-labelled protein]

A single SH-group of phosphoglycerate kinase from yeast was modified by mercury-containing spin label. The saturation curves of ESR spectra of the spin-labeled enzyme were studied. The paramagnetic ions of Mn2+ bound to the centre of ion nonspecific binding or active centre in the complex with ATP can influence the saturation of the spin-labeled enzyme. The saturation curves of the ESR signal of the spin-labeled enzyme in the presence of paramagnetic complex of CrATP were studied. It has been demonstrated that the second nonspecific centre of ATP binding is located at the active site of the enzyme (3-phosphoglycerate binding centre).     

Structures of the mono- and divalent metal nucleotide complexes in the myosin ATPase

The structure of both the mono- and the divalent metal nucleotide complexes active in the myosin subfragment 1 ATPase has been determined using the phosphorothioate analogs of ATP in the presence of various cations. Both the Sp and the Rp diastereomers of adenosine 5'-O-(1-thiotriphosphate) (ATP alpha S) were substrates in the presence of Mg2+, Ca2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ as well as with NH4+ and T1+. The Sp/Rp activity ratios obtained were largely independent of the cation. The simplest explanation of these results is that both mono- and divalent cations do not coordinate to the alpha-phosphate group. With adenosine 5'-O-(2-thiotriphosphate) (ATP beta S), essentially only the Sp diastereomer was active with Mg2+ with Sp/Rp ratio of greater 3000. As the divalent metal ion was varied in the series given above, this ratio was progressively lowered to the value of 0.2 found with Cd2+. Similar changes in stereoselectivity were seen with monovalent cations. Thus, with NH4+, an Sp/Rp ratio of 8 was observed, whereas with T1+, this figure was reduced to 0.04. These data indicate that both mono- and divalent cations coordinate to the beta-phosphate group of the nucleoside triphosphate substrate. These results obtained with ATP alpha S and ATP beta S suggest that myosin uses the mono- or divalent cation delta, beta, gamma-bidentate nucleotide chelate as substrate.     

The sulfhydryl groups involved in the active site of myosin B adenosinetriphosphatase. II. Effect of modification of the Sa thiol group on superprecipitation and clearing.

The effect of Sa modification with NEM, which activates Mg2+-ATPase through an enhancement of the association of actin and myosin, was investigated on the superprecipitation, clearing and Mg2+-ITPase of myosin B with reference to the effect of S1-blocking. 1. Superprecipitation induced by ATP was markedly enhanced by Sa-blocking even at high concentrations of Mg2+ and substrate; this may be due to an increase in the affinity of myosin and actin on blocking Sa. 2. Nevertheless, neither ITP-induced superprecipitation nor Mg2+-ITPase was affected by Sa modification. 3. Blocking of S1 brought about the inhibition of ATP- and ITP-induced superprecipitation and Mg2+-ITPase activity, suggesting that S1-blocking decreases the affinity of myosin and actin. 4. Sa-blocked myosin B showed greater resistance to clearing by ATP, especially in the presence of Ca2+ ions, whereas in the clearing response of actomyosin gel to PPi no difference between Sa-blocked and unmodified myosins B was observed. On the other hand, the clearing response of myosin B became more sensitive to both ATP and PPi on blocking S1. Based on the above results and preliminary data suggesting that Sa is located in LMM, the interaction of myosin filaments and actin filaments under physiological conditions is discussed.     

Na,K-dependent adenosine triphosphate phosphohydrolase: activation of the phosphatase reaction by ATP analogs

The effect of N1-substituted analogs of ATP on the hydrolysis of umbelliferone phosphate by Na,K-ATPase has demonstrated: analogs having a negatively charged substituent (N1-oxy- or N1-carbo-methoxy-ATP) and capable of accepting H+ induce an activation similar to that of ATP; N1-methoxy-ATP, containing an uncharged substituent, does not affect the phosphatase reaction at low concentration and inhibits it at higher concentration. It has been assumed that ATP binding to Na,K-ATPase induces formation of a hydrogen bond between the nitrogen atom at the first position of the purine base and appropriate amino acid of active centre, with a subsequent attachment of H+ to ATP, thus facilitating the transition of Na,K-ATPase from the K+- to the Na+-form.     

Inhibition of myosin ATPase by metal fluoride complexes

Magnesium (Mg2+) is the physiological divalent cation stabilizing nucleotide or nucleotide analog in the active site of myosin subfragment 1 (S1). In the presence of fluoride, Mg2+ and MgADP form a complex that traps the active site of S1 and inhibits myosin ATPase. The ATPase inactivation rate of the magnesium trapped S1 is comparable but smaller than the other known gamma-phosphate analogs at 1.2 M-1 s-1 with 1 mM MgCl2. The observed molar ratio of Mg/S1 in this complex of 1.58 suggests that magnesium occupies the gamma-phosphate position in the ATP binding site of S1 (S1-MgADP-MgFx). The stability of S1-MgADP-MgFx at 4 degrees C was studied by EDTA chase experiments but decomposition was not observed. However, removal of excess fluoride causes full recovery of the K+-EDTA ATPase activity indicating that free fluoride is necessary for maintaining a stable trap and suggesting that the magnesium fluoride complex is bonded to the bridging oxygen of beta-phosphate more loosely than the other known phosphate analogs. The structure of S1 in S1-MgADP-MgFx was studied with near ultraviolet circular dichroism, total tryptophan fluorescence, and tryptophan residue 510 quenching measurements. These data suggest that S1-MgADP-MgFx resembles the M**.ADP.Pi steady-state intermediate of myosin ATPase. Gallium fluoride was found to compete with MgFx for the gamma-phosphate site in S1-MgADP-MgFx. The ionic radius and coordination geometry of magnesium, gallium and other known gamma-phosphate analogs were compared and identified as important in determining which myosin ATPase intermediate the analog mimics.     

The effects of ionic conditions, temperature, and chemical modification on the fluorescence of myosin during the steady state of ATP hydrolysis. A comparison of the fluorescnece and electron spin resonance spectra of the spin-labeled enzyme.

The ATP-induced enhancement of the intrinsic fluorescence of myosin and heavy meromyosin (HMM) that persists during the steady state of hydrolysis has been investigated. To compare the substrate-induced changes in fluorescence with those in the electron spin resonance spectrum of the spin-labeled enzyme, we studied the influence of temperature, pH, and ionic strength, as well as the effect of chemical modification (spin labeling) of the SH-1 sulfhydryl groups. Changing the pH between 6 and 9 does not affect the enhancement of fluorescence of myosin or HMM; changing the ionic strength, which could be studied only with HMM, also has no effect; and decreasing the temperature from 20 to 5 degrees slightly diminishes the enhancement with both myosin and HMM. Chemical modification with N-(1-oxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl) iodoacetamide, which blocks the SH-1 thiol groups, reduces the enhancement of fluorescence, induces a strong dependence on ionic strength and pH, and substantially increases the dependence on temperature. The enhancement with labeled myosin or labeled HMM increases with increasing pH, ionic strength, and temperature, closely paralleling the effects of these parameters on the electron spin resonance spectrum of spin-labeled myosin (SEIDEL, J.C. and GERGELY, J. (1973) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 158, 853), suggesting that the same molecular change, induced by ATP and associated with formation of the MADP-P1 complex, underlies both the change in fluorescence and the change in ESR spectrum. Those analogues of ATP that produce the maximal enhancement of fluorescence (WERBER, M., SZENT-GYORGYL, A.G., and FASMAN, G. (1972) Biochemistry 11, 2872) also produce the maximal change in the ESR spectra. Both an amino group at position 6 of the substrate and an unmodified triphosphate chain are required for maximal change in either fluorescence or ESR spectra. The smaller enhancement of fluorescence produced by spin labeling the SH-1 groups persists after the nitroxide has been chemically changed to a diamagnetic species. Thus the small enhancement cannot be attributed to paramagnetic quenching of tryptophan fluorescence by the spin label. An initial burst of phosphate liberation accompanies the hydrolysis of ATP, cytidine 5'-triphosphate, uridine 5'-triphosphate, guanosine 5'-tryphosphate, iosine 5'-triphosphate, 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-tryphosphate, adenosine 5'-tetraphosphate, and tripolyphosphate. The presence or absence of the burst does not correlate with the extent of the spectral change.     

Structure and function of the two heads of the myosin molecule. IV. Physiological functions of various reaction intermediates in myosin adenosinetriphosphatase, studied by the interaction between actomyosin and 8-bromoadenosine triphosphate.

The kinetic properties of the hydrolyses of 8-Br ATP and 8-SCH3 ATP by myosin [EC 3.6.1.3] and actomyosin were compared with those of ATP, and the following results were obtained. The Ca-NTPase activities of myosin using these two ATP analogs as substrates were smaller than that of ATPase, and the NTPase activities toward these analogs were strongly suppressed by EDTA. The Mg-NTPase activities toward these analogs were higher in a medium of high ionic strength than in a medium of low ionic strength, in contrast to the activity of Mg-ATPase. These analogs did not produce any initial burst of Pi liberation, activation of myosin NTPase by F-actin, or superprecipitation of actomyosin. The interactions between 8-Br ATP and HMM, acto-HMM, actomyosin, and myofibrils were studied in detail in the presence of Mg2+ in medium of low ionic strength. The Michaelis constant, Km, and the maximum rate, Vm, of 8-Br ATPase of HMM were 27 muM and 21 min-1, respectively. The fluorescence change of HMM induced by 8-Br ATP also followed the Michaelis-Menten equation, and the Michaelis constant, Kf1, was as low as 4 muM. Acto-HMM and acto-S-1 were fully dissociated by the addition of 8-Br ATP. The relation between the extent of dissociation of acto-HMM and the concentration of 8-Br ATP followed the Michaelis-Menten equation, and the apparent dissociation constant, Kd, was 22 muM. This Kd value is almost equal to the Km value of 8-Br ATPase of HMM described above. Myofibrillar contraction was not supported by 8-Br ATP. It was concluded that in the myosin NTPase reaction with 8-Br ATP as a substrate, M2NTP but not MNDPP is formed in route (1), while MNTP is formed in route (2). It was also concluded that the key intermediate for the actomyosin NTPase reaction is MNDPP, and that dissociation of acto-HMM is induced by the formation of M2NTP and MNTP in routes (1) and (2), respectively.     

Factors influencing interaction of phosphorylated and dephosphorylated myosin with actin

The influence of various factors on the interaction of phosphorylated and dephosphorylated myosin with actin was examined. It was found that the difference between the values of specific activity of the two myosin forms of actin-stimulated Mg2+-ATPase is affected by changes in KCl, MgATP and actin concentration. The effect of increased pH on the differences in the rate of ATP hydrolysis by actomyosin containing phosphorylated myosin as compared with that of the dephosphorylated one, observed in the presence of EGTA, is abolished by addition of Ca2+. Tropomyosin strongly inhibits the actin-stimulated Mg2+-ATPase of phosphorylated myosin (by about 60%). The tropomyosin-troponin complex and native tropomyosin lowered the rate of ATP hydrolysis by actomyosin containing both phosphorylated and dephosphorylated myosin by about of 60% of the value obtained in the absence of those proteins. These results indicate that the change of negative charge on the myosin head due to phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of myosin light chains modulates the actin-myosin interaction at different steps of the ATP hydrolysis cycle. Phosphorylation of myosin seems to be a factor decreasing the rate of ATP hydrolysis by actomyosin under physiological conditions.     

Increased substrate selectivity during transition from Ca2+-activated to K+,EDTA-activated nucleoside triphosphatase activity of heavy meromyosin

A comparison of kinetic parameters (Km(app) and V) of hydrolysis by heavy meromyosin of natural (ATP and ITP) and modified nucleoside triphosphates showed that in the K+, EDTA-ATPase conformation the enzyme exhibited a higher selectivity towards the structure of the substrate nucleoside moiety than in the case of the Ca2+-stimulated nucleoside triphosphatase activity. In the presence of Ca2+, all the N1- and N6-substituted analogs of ATP as well as ITP, etheno-ATP and the dialdehyde derivative of ATP were hydrolyzed at a high rate irrespective of their markedly decreased affinity for heavy meromyosin. In the presence of K+, EDTA the ATPase activity showed a tendency for a total decrease of the analog affinity for nucleoside triphosphates, i.e., the impossibility of tight binding of the substrate phosphate residues to the protein in the absence of bivalent cations, which was concomitant with an increase in the hydrolysis rate. However, it was found that only in N1-substituted analogs any appreciable changes in the substrate properties were absent. All the other nucleoside triphosphates tested (N6-carboxy-methoxy-ATP, N6-(N'-acetylaminoethoxy)-ATP, etheno-ATP, ITP and the dialdehyde derivative of ATP having a rupture in the ribose ring) lost their ability to be hydrolyzed by heavy meromyosin. The experimental results as well as the literature data are suggestive of differences in the spatial structure of the active center in two different myosin conformations associated with a high catalytic activity, i.e., K+, EDTA-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase.     

Helical order in tarantula thick filaments requires the "closed" conformation of the myosin head

Myosin heads are helically ordered on the thick filament surface in relaxed muscle. In mammalian and avian filaments this helical arrangement is dependent on temperature and it has been suggested that helical order is related to ATP hydrolysis by the heads. To test this hypothesis, we have used electron microscopy and image analysis to study the ability and temperature dependence of analogs of ATP and ADP.Pi to induce helical order in tarantula thick filaments. ATP or analogs were added to rigor myofibrils or purified thick filaments at 22 degrees C and 4 degrees C and the samples negatively stained. The ADP.Pi analogs ADP.AlF4 and ADP.Vi, and the ATP analogs ADP.BeFx, AMPPNP and ATPgammaNH2, all induced helical order in tarantula thick filaments, independent of temperature. In the absence of nucleotide, or in the presence of ADP or the ATP analog, ATPgammaS, there was no helical ordering. According to crystallographic and tryptophan fluorescence studies, all of these analogs, except ATPgammaS and ADP, induce the "closed" conformation of the myosin head (in which the gamma phosphate pocket is closed). We suggest that helical order requires the closed conformation of the myosin head but is not dependent on the hydrolysis of ATP.     

Evidence for regulation of lamellipodial and tail contraction of glycerinated chicken embryonic fibroblasts by myosin light chain kinase

Permeabilized cell models of muscle and nonmuscle cells have proven useful for examining the regulation of actin, myosin, and other cytoskeletal proteins during cell contraction. Upon addition of Ca2+ and ATP, glycerinated chick embryonic skin fibroblasts retract their tails and lamellipodia. Ca2+-independent contractions are obtained by preincubation of cell models in Ca2+ ATP gamma S, followed by EGTA and ATP addition, or by addition of trypsin-treated myosin light chain kinase that no longer requires Ca2+ for reactivation. By pretreating cells before glycerination with colchicine, it is possible to study lamellipodial contraction independent of tail contraction. Similar responses to ATP gamma S pretreatment and unregulated myosin light chain kinase are observed in cells that only contain lamellipodia. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis of glycerinated fibroblasts incubated in ATP gamma 35S and Ca2+ shows that only two major proteins are thiophosphorylated, and that one of them, a band that comigrates with the 20K MW light chain of myosin, is thiophosphorylated in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Since the rate of tail contraction is several-fold faster after Ca2+ and ATP gamma S pretreatment or incubation in excess myosin light chain kinase, myosin light chain phosphorylation may be a rate-limiting step during contraction.     

Activating efficiency of Ca2+ and cross-bridges as measured by phosphate analog release

To assess the activating efficiency of Ca2+ and cross-bridges, the release rates of phosphate analogs from skinned fibers were estimated from the recovery of contractility and that of stiffness. Estimations were performed based on the assumptions that contractility was indicative of the population of analog-free myosin heads and that stiffness reflected the population of formed cross-bridges. Aluminofluoride (AlFx) and orthovanadate (Vi) were used as phosphate analogs with mechanically skinned fibers from rabbit psoas muscle. The use of the analogs enabled the functional assessment of activation level in the total absence of ATP. Fibers loaded with the analogs gradually recovered contractility and stiffness in normal plain rigor solution. The addition of Ca2+ to the plain rigor solution significantly accelerated their recovery, whereas ADP had no appreciable effect. ATP plus Ca2+(contracting condition) accelerated the recovery by several tens of times. These results indicate that the cross-bridges formed during contraction have prominent activating efficiency, which is indispensable to attain full activation. A comparison between the activating efficiency evaluated from stiffness and that from contractility suggested that Ca2+ is more potent in accelerating the binding of actin to analog-bound myosin heads whereas cross-bridges mainly accelerate the subsequent analog-releasing step.     

Resolution of conformational states of spin-labeled myosin during steady-state ATP hydrolysis

We have measured the conventional electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of spin-labeled myosin filaments as a function of the nucleotide occupancy of the active site of the enzyme. The probe used was 4-(2-iodoacetamido)-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (IASL), which reacts specifically with sulfhydryl 1 of the myosin head. In the absence of nucleotide, the probe remains strongly immobilized (rigidly attached to the myosin head) so that no nanosecond rotational motions are detectable. When MgADP is added to IASL-labeled myosin filaments (T = 20 degrees C), the probe mobility increases slightly. During steady-state MgADP hydrolysis (T = 20 degrees C), the probe undergoes large-amplitude nanosecond rotational motion. These results are consistent with previous studies of myosin monomers, heavy meromyosin, and myosin subfragment 1. Isoclinic points observed in overlays of sequential EPR spectra recorded during ATP hydrolysis strongly suggest that the probes fall into two motional classes, separated by approximately an order of magnitude in effective rotational correlation time. Both of the observed states are distinct from the conformation of myosin in the absence of nucleotides, and the spectrum of the less mobile population is indistinguishable from that observed in the presence of MgADP. The addition of ADP and vanadate to IASL-myosin gives rise to two motional classes virtually identical with those observed in the presence of ATP, but the relative concentrations of the spin populations are significantly different. We have quantitated the percentage of myosin in each motional state during ATP hydrolysis. The result agrees well with the predicted percentages in the two predominant chemical states in the myosin ATPase cycle. Spectra obtained in the presence of nucleotide analogues permit us to assign the conformational states to specific chemical states. We propose that the two motional classes represent two distinct local conformations of myosin that are in exchange with one another during the ATP hydrolysis reaction cycle.     

Rotational dynamics of spin-labeled F-actin during activation of myosin S1 ATPase using caged ATP.

The most probable source of force generation in muscle fibers in the rotation of the myosin head when bound to actin. This laboratory has demonstrated that ATP induces microsecond rotational motions of spin-labeled myosin heads bound to actin (Berger, C. L. E. C. Svensson, and D. D. Thomas. 1989. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 86:8753-8757). Our goal is to determine whether the observed ATP-induced rotational motions of actin-bound heads are accompanied by changes in actin rotational motions. We have used saturation transfer electron paramagnetic resonance (ST-EPR) and laser-induced photolysis of caged ATP to monitor changes in the microsecond rotational dynamics of spin-labeled F-actin in the presence of myosin subfragment-1 (S1). A maleimide spin label was attached selectively to cys-374 on actin. In the absence of ATP (with or without caged ATP), the ST-EPR spectrum (corresponding to an effective rotational time of approximately 150 microseconds) was essentially the same as observed for the same spin label bound to cys-707 (SH1) on S1, indicating that S1 is rigidly bound to actin in rigor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Nitrogenase of Klebsiella pneumoniae: an MgATP hydrolysing energy transduction system with similarities to actomyosin and p21 ras.

The mechanism of ATP hydrolysis by nitrogenase shows some similarity to that proposed for actomyosin and for GTP hydrolysis by p21 ras. All three systems involve the formation of an active complex from two component proteins, nucleotide-induced changes in protein conformation, energy transduction that in the case of nitrogenase involves a decrease in redox potential of metal centres, and a slow dissociation of the protein complex. Metal ion activation (Mg2+ or Ca2+) and in-line displacement of ADP by H2O without enzyme phosphorylation are also common features. At 5 degrees C, stopped-flow calorimetry shows that the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for endothermic, reversible on-enzyme cleavage of MgATP by nitrogenase and myosin subfragment 1 are remarkably similar. [18O4]Pi-water exchange studies also show that ATP cleavage on nitrogenase and myosin are reversible.     

Study of structural changes of contractile muscle proteins with the aid of polarization ultraviolet fluorescence microscopy. 1. Conformational changes of F-actin in the muscle fiber caused by ATP and its analogs]

Increase of anisotropy of F-actin fluorescence of balanus and rabbit muscle fibers under the influence of ATP, AMP and pyrophosphate in EGTA presence was detected by means of the polarized ultraviolet (UV) fluorescent microscopy methods. The fluorescence anisotropy changes are assumed to be associated with the conformational changes in the actin. ATP cause more noticeable changes of actin structure, than pyrophosphate and AMP. The conformational changes in the actin of balanus and rabbit muscle fibres were similar. ATP and its analogs induced also decrease of UV fluorescence anisotropy of A-band which appears to be associated with conformational changes in myosin. It was siggested that the changes in fluorescence of anisotropy of A-bands are due to structural changes in both HMM and LMM parts of myosin molecule.     

Analysis of nucleotide myosin complexes in skeletal muscle fibres by DSC and EPR

The internal dynamics and thermal unfolding of fibre bundles prepared from rabbit psoas muscle has been studied in the presence of nucleotides by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Using ADP, adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), AMP.PNP and inorganic phosphate analogue orthovanadate (V(i)), AlF(4)(-) and BeF(3)(-), three intermediate states of the ATP hydrolysis cycle were simulated in glycerinated muscle fibres. In the main transition of the DSC pattern, three overlapping endotherms were detected in rigor, four in strongly as well as weakly binding state of myosin to actin. Deconvolution procedure showed that the transition temperature of 67.5 degrees C was the same for rigor and strong binding state of myosin. In contrast, nucleotide binding induced shift of the melting temperatures of 52 degrees C and 67.5 degrees C, appeared a new fourth peak at 74 and 77 degrees C and produced changes in the calorimetric enthalpies. The changes of the parameters of the peak functions suggest global rearrangements of the internal structure in myosin heads in the intermediate states. In the presence of ADP or ATP plus phosphate analogue orthovanadate or beryllium fluoride, aluminium fluoride, the conventional EPR spectra of spin-labeled muscle fibres showed large changes in the ordering of the probe molecules, and a new distribution of spin labels appeared. ATP plus orthovanadate induced the orientation disorder of myosin heads; the random population of spin labels gave evidence of large local conformational and motional changes in the internal structure of myosin heads. Saturation transfer EPR measurements reported increased rotational mobility of spin labels in the presence of ATP plus phosphate analogues corresponding to weakly binding state of myosin to actin.