Chemical modification of 3 alpha,20 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase with diethyl pyrocarbonate. Evidence for an essential, highly reactive, lysyl residue

Diethyl pyrocarbonate inactivated the tetrameric 3 alpha,20 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase with second-order rate constants of 1.63 M-1 s-1 at pH 6 and 25 degrees C or 190 M-1 s-1 at pH 9.4 and 25 degrees C. The activity was slowly and partially restored by incubation with hydroxylamine (81% reactivation after 28 h with 0.1 M hydroxylamine, pH 9, 25 degrees C). NADH protected the enzyme against inactivation with a Kd (10 microM) very close to the Km (7 microM) for the coenzyme. The ultraviolet difference spectrum of inactivated vs. native enzyme indicated that a single histidyl residue per enzyme subunit was modified by diethyl pyrocarbonate, with a second-order rate constant of 1.8 M-1 s-1 at pH 6 and 25 degrees C. The histidyl residue, however, was not essential for activity because in the presence of NADH it was modified without enzyme inactivation and modification of inactivated enzyme was rapidly reversed by hydroxylamine without concomitant reactivation. Progesterone, in the presence of NAD+, protected the histidyl residue against modification, and this suggests that the residue is located in or near the steroid binding site of the enzyme. Diethyl pyrocarbonate also modified, with unusually high reaction rate, one lysyl residue per enzyme subunit, as demonstrated by dinitrophenylation experiments carried out on the treated enzyme. The correlation between inactivation and modification of lysyl residues at different pHs and the protection by NADH against both inactivation and modification of lysyl residues indicate that this residue is essential for activity and is located in or near the NADH binding site of the enzyme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Chemical modification of Pseudomonas ochraceae 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxoglutarate aldolase by diethyl pyrocarbonate.

Diethyl pyrocarbonate inactivates Pseudomonas ochraceae 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxoglutarate aldolase [4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxoglutarate pyruvate-lyase: EC 4.1.3.17] by a simple bimolecular reaction. The inactivation is not reversed by hydroxylamine. The pH curve of inactivation indicates the involvement of a residue with a pK of 8.8. Several lines of evidence show that the inactivation is due to the modification of epsilon-amino groups of lysyl residues. Although histidyl residue is also modified, this is not directly correlated to the inactivation. No cysteinyl, tyrosyl, or tryptophyl residue or alpha-amino group is significantly modified. The modification of three lysyl residues per enzyme subunit results in the complete loss of aldolase activity toward various 4-hydroxy-2-oxo acid substrates, whereas oxaloacetate beta-decarboxylase activity associated with the enzyme is not inhibited by this modification. Statistical analysis suggests that only one of the three lysyl residues is essential for activity. l-4-Carboxy-4-hydroxy-2-oxoadipate, a physiological substrate for the enzyme, strongly protects the enzyme against inactivation. Pi as an activator of the enzyme shows no specific protection. The molecular weight of the enzyme, Km for substrate or Mg2+, and activation constant for Pi are virtually unaltered after modification. These results suggest that the modification occurs at or near the active site and that the essential lysyl residue is involved in interaction with the hydroxyl group but not with the oxal group of the substrate.     

Inactivation of Streptomyces subtilisin inhibitory by chemical modifications.

1. The inhibitory activity of an alkaline protease inhibitor, (Streptomyces subtilisin inhibitor) towards subtilisin is found to decrease by photooxidation sensitized by methylene blue with a clear pH dependence, the midpoint of which is about 6.0. 2. Amino acid analyses of photooxidized Streptomyces subtilisin inhibitor indicate that one of the two histidyl residues and the three methionyl residues are destroyed, concomittant with the loss of inhibitory activity. 3. In accordance with this observation, one of the clearly resolved nuclear magnetic resonances from C2-protons of the two histidyl residues is selectively diminished. This histidyl residue, sensitive to photooxidation and giving a proton magnetic resonance peak at lower field, is assigned to His-106 from peptide analyses. 4. Independent modification of methionyl residues by a reaction with H2O2 or Cl2 also decreases the inhibitory activity of Streptomyces subtilisin inhibitor. 5. Modification of lysyl, tyrosyl and tryptophanyl residues by diazonium-1-H-tetrazole does not lead to the loss of the inhibitory activity. 6. The above results indicate that one or more methionyl residue(s) are essential to the inhibitory activity of Streptomyces subtilisin inhibitor, whereas lysyl, tyrosyl and tryptophanyl residues are not essential to the inhibitory activity. Modification of His-106 is also strongly related to the loss of activity, although its distinct participation in the inactivation mechanism has not been demonstrated.     

An essential histidine residue for the activity of UDPglucose 4-epimerase from Kluyveromyces fragilis.

UDPglucose 4-epimerase from Kluyveromyces fragilis was completely inactivated by diethylpyrocarbonate following pseudo-first order reaction kinetics. The pH profile of diethylpyrocarbonate inhibition and reversal of inhibition by hydroxylamine suggested specific modification of histidyl residues. Statistical analysis of the residual enzyme activity and the extent of modification indicated modification of 1 essential histidine residue to be responsible for loss in catalytic activity of yeast epimerase. No major structural change in the quarternary structure was observed in the modified enzyme as shown by the identical elution pattern on a calibrated Sephacryl 200 column and association of coenzyme NAD to the apoenzyme. Failure of the substrates to afford any protection against diethylpyrocarbonate inactivation indicated the absence of the essential histidyl residue at the substrate binding region of the active site. Unlike the case of native enzyme, sodium borohydride failed to reduce the pyridine moiety of the coenzyme in the diethylpyrocarbonate-modified enzyme. This indicated the presence of the essential histidyl residue in close proximity to the coenzyme binding region of the active site. The abolition of energy transfer phenomenon between the tryptophan and coenzyme fluorophore on complete inactivation by diethylpyrocarbonate without any loss of protein or coenzyme fluorescence are also added evidences in this direction.     

Differential modification of specificity in carbonic anhydrase catalysis

Incubation of carbonic anhydrase II with acrolein results in a rapid, time-dependent loss of all but approximately 3-6% of the original catalytic activity toward CO2 hydration and HCO3- dehydration, with the inactivation rate being first-order in both acrolein and the enzyme. The pH dependence of the inactivation rate constant can be adequately described with a function incorporating a pK alpha of 7.15 and a maximal value for kinact [corrected] of 26.2 M-1 min-1, indicating that at least one of the catalytically essential residues that ionizes at this pH is involved in the modification scheme. The amount of residual CO2 hydratase activity is proportional to the molar excess of acrolein over carbonic anhydrase II with 5 histidyl and 3 lysyl residues being subject to alkylation under conditions where [acrolein] to [carbonic anhydrase II] ratio is greater than 100. Because all lysyl residues were shown previously to be amidinated without detectable loss of activity, it was assumed that the modification of one (or more) of the histidines was primarily responsible for the observed inactivation. The number of modified histidyl residues could be related to residual activity by using the statistical analysis of Tsou (Tsou, C.-L. (1962) Sci. Sin. (Engl. Ed.) 11, 1535-1558) which indicates that one essential histidine reacts approximately four times faster than the other (histidyl) residues. In sharp contrast with the phenomenon observed in connection with CO2 hydration and HCO3- dehydration, acrolein improves the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme toward p-nitrophenyl acetate hydrolysis and acetaldehyde hydration, with the relative activity increasing by approximately 12 and 34%, respectively. The widely differing effects imparted by the same reagent represent the first step toward differential control of the specificity of carbonic anhydrase II.     

Evidence for the involvement of histidine at the active site of glutathione S-transferase psi from human liver

The inhibition of catalytic activity of glutathione S-transferase psi (pI 5.5) of human liver by diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) has been studied. It is demonstrated that DEPC causes a concentration dependent inactivation of GST psi with a concomitant modification of 1-1.3 histidyl residues/subunit of the enzyme. This inactivation of GST psi could be reversed by treatment with hydroxylamine. Glutathione afforded complete protection to the enzyme from inactivation by DEPC. It is suggested that a functional histidyl residue is essential for the catalytic activity of the enzyme and that this residue is most likely to be present at or near the glutathione binding site (G-site).     

Arginyl and histidyl groups are essential for organic anion exchange in renal brush-border membrane vesicles

The effect of side chain modification on the organic anion exchanger in the renal brush-border membrane was examined to identify what amino acid residues constitute the substrate binding site. One histidyl-specific reagent, diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC), and 2 arginyl-specific reagents, phenylglyoxal and 2,3-butanedione, were tested for their effect on the specifically mediated transport of p-amino[3H]hippurate (PAH), a prototypic organic anion. The specifically mediated transport refers to the difference in the uptake of [3H]PAH in the absence and presence of a known competitive inhibitor, probenecid, and was examined in brush-border membrane vesicles isolated from the outer cortex of canine kidneys. The experiments were performed utilizing a rapid filtration assay. DEPC, phenylglyoxal, and 2,3-butanedione inactivated the specifically mediated PAH transport, i.e. probenecid inhibitable transport with IC50 values of 160, 710, and 1780 microM, respectively. The rates of PAH inactivation by DEPC and phenylglyoxal were suggestive of multiple pseudo first-order reaction kinetics and were consistent with a reaction mechanism whereby more than 1 arginyl or histidyl residue is inactivated. Furthermore, PAH (5 mM) did not affect the rate of phenylglyoxal inactivation. In contrast, PAH (5 mM) affected the rate of DEPC inactivation. The modification by DEPC was specific for histidyl residues since transport could be restored by treatment with hydroxylamine. The results demonstrate that histidyl and arginyl residues are essential for organic anion transport in brush-border membrane vesicles. We conclude that the histidyl residue constitutes the cationic binding site for the anionic substrate, whereas the arginyl residue(s) serves to guide the substrate to or away from the histidyl site.     

Diethyl pyrocarbonate inactivates CD39/ecto-ATPDase by modifying His-59

Diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) in conditions that favour carbethoxylation of histidyl residues strongly inactivated E-type ATPase activity of a rat lung membrane preparation, as well as ecto-ATPase activity of rat vessels and human Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B lymphocytes. Inactivation of the enzyme (up to 70%) achieved at concentrations of DEPC below 0.5 mM could be fully reversed by 200 mM hydroxylamine at pH 7.5, thus confirming histidine-selective modification. UTP effectively protected the enzyme activity from DEPC inactivation. This was taken to indicate that the conformation adopted by the enzyme molecule upon substrate binding was not compatible with DEPC reaching and/or modifying the relevant histidyl residue. Substrate activation curves were interpreted to show the enzyme molecule to be inactive, at all substrate concentrations tested, when the target histidyl residue had been modified by DEPC. Comparison of known sequences of CD39-like ecto-ATP(D)ases with the results on inactivation by DEPC revealed His-59 and His-251 (according to the human CD39 sequence) as equally possible targets of the inactivating DEPC modification. Potato apyrase lacks a homologue for the former residue, while the latter is preserved in the enzyme sequence. Therefore, this enzyme was exposed to DEPC, and since hydrolysis of ATP and ADP by potato apyrase was insensitive to modification with DEPC, it was concluded that His-59 is the essential residue in CD39 that is affected by DEPC modification in a way that causes inactivation of the enzyme.     

Immunochemical reactivity of native and modified preparations of pig kidney diamine oxidase

This paper describes the antigenicity of pig kidney diamine oxidase [EC 1.4.3.6] and the possible role of constituent amino acids in the epitope structure of the enzyme. The loss of 62% of the biological activity after DAO-anti-DAO antibodies interaction was attributed to the steric hindrance caused by binding of antibody to the enzyme molecule. A gradual loss in antigenicity during ultraviolet (UV) irradiation was observed without any significant conformational change, demonstrating the destruction of antigenic determinants. However, ethoxyformylation of nine histidyl residues with complete inactivation caused no change in immunoreactivity. The results indicate that the antigenic sites and catalytic sites are located at different positions along the polypeptide chain. Moreover, the results of lysine residue modification were suggestive of possible involvement of lysine in the antigenic determinants of DAO.     

Modification of lysyl residues of dihydrofolate reductase with 2,4-pentanedione.

Dihydrofolate reductase (5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate: NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.5.1.3) from an amethopterin-resistant strain of Lactobacillus casei was inactivated by 2,4-pentanedione. The inactivation appears to be due to the specific interaction of 2,4-pentanedione with lysyl residues. Inactivation is concomitant with with the modification of three lysyl residues. Both NADPH and dihydrofolate protect the enzyme against inactivation, suggesting that the critical residue(s) lies at or near their binding sites. Unlike native dihydrofolate reductase, 2,4-pentanedione-modified enzyme does not form binary complexes with either NADPH, dihydrofolate or amethopterin which are stable to gel filtration. Treatment of the modified enzyme with nucleophilic reagents such as hydroxylamine, failed to promote reactivation of the enzyme. Reactivation was achieved following gel filtration at pH 6.0 and was found to be dependent on the degree to which the enzyme was inactivated.     

Yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase. Properties of the histidyl residues.

Reactivity of the histidyl groups of yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase was studied in the absence or presence of substrates. In the absence of substrates about 10 histidine residues were found to react with similar kinetic constants. Phenylalanine at 10(-3) M was found to protect two histidyl residues; increasing the amino acid concentration to 5 . 10(-3) M resulted in the protection of two more histidyl groups. tRNAPhe did not afford any protection to histidine residues, but acylated phenylalanyl-tRNA (Phe-tRNAPhe) protected two of the four histidyl groups already protected by phenylalanine. These results suggest the existence of two different sets of accepting sites for phenylalanine: one specific for the free amino acid, the other one specific for the amino acid linked to the tRNA, but being accessible to free phenylalanine, with a somewhat lower binding constant, ATP was found to mask around four histidyl residues against diethylpyrocarbonate modification. By photoirradiation of enzyme-phenylalanine complex in the presence of rose bengale, a significant amount of amino acid was bound to the alpha subunit (Mr = 73 000) of phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase, confirming that the amino acid binding site is located on this subunit, as previously suggested by modification of thiol groups. Upon irradiation of an enzyme-tRNA complex, almost no covalent binding of tRNA occurred during enzyme inactivation, suggesting that the histidyl residues involved in the enzymic activity are not required for tRNA binding.     

Active site histidine in pig liver aminolevulic acid dehydratase modified by diethylpyrocarbonate and protected by Zn2+ ions

1. The effect of diethylpyrocarbonate (DEP) (0.1-0.35 mM) on the purified pig liver amino-levulic acid dehydratase (ALA-D) containing 0.3 g-atoms Zn/subunit, under different pHs (6.0-7.5), temperature (0-18 degrees C) and time (0-60 min) was studied. 2. Three histidyl residues/subunit were modified by DEP (0.2 mM, pH 6.8), but activity was completely lost after the first one had reacted, indicating the presence of one histidine residue essential for ALA-D catalysis. Reactivation by treatment with hydroxylamine (0.7 mM, pH 7.0) confirmed that only histidine and no other nucleophile amino acids were directly involved in DEP inhibition. 3. Zn ions (0.5 mM) and the substrate ALA (5-10 mM) protected against DEP inactivation, protection was dependent on pH. 4. Sn, Se, Hg, Cd, Mn, Co and Pb (0.01-0.1 mM) did not significantly protect ALA-D against inactivation. 5. It is concluded that the substrate and Zn binding sites and the essential histidyl residues are in close proximity in the active center. It is proposed that in the catalytic synthesis of porphobilinogen from ALA, histidine groups have the specific role of transporting protons from the aqueous media to a hydrophobic active site.     

Chemical modification of pig kidney 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine decarboxylase with diethyl pyrocarbonate. Evidence for an essential histidyl residue

Diethyl pyrocarbonate inhibits pig kidney holo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine decarboxylase with a second-order rate constant of 1170 M-1 min-1 at pH 6.8 and 25 degrees C, showing a concomitant increase in absorbance at 242 nm due to formation of carbethoxyhistidyl derivatives. Activity can be restored by hydroxylamine, and the pH curve of inactivation indicates the involvement of a residue with a pKa of 6.03. Complete inactivation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine decarboxylase requires the modification of 6 histidine residues/mol of enzyme. Statistical analysis of the residual enzyme activity and of the extent of modification shows that, among 6 modifiable residues, only one is critical for activity. Protection exerted by substrate analogues, which bind to the active site of the enzyme, suggests that the modification occurs at or near the active site. The modified inactivated 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine decarboxylase still retains most of its ability to bind substrates. Thus, it may be suggested that the inactivation of enzyme by diethyl pyrocarbonate is not due to nonspecific steric or conformational changes which prevent substrate binding. However, the modified enzyme fails to produce at high pH either an enzyme-substrate complex or an enzyme-product complex absorbing at 390 nm. Considerations on this peculiar feature of the modified enzyme consistent with a catalytic role for the modified histidyl residue are discussed. The overall conclusion of this study may be that the modification of only one histidyl residue of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine decarboxylase inactivates the enzyme and that this residue plays an essential role in the mechanism of action of the enzyme.     

Preparation of azolactoperoxidase. Evidence for the dependence of lactoperoxidase activity on tyrosyl residues

Under suitable conditions (pH 9.0, 40°C), bovine milk lactoperoxidase was irreversibly and completely inactivated by diazotized sulfanilate. The inactivation process was temperature-dependent, the inactivation rate being fast at 30–40°C. Complete inactivation of the enzyme revealed ca. two azotyrosines and one azohistidine per each enzyme molecule. Modification with diethylpyrocarbonate, methyl-4-nitrobenzenesul fonate and rose bengal did not reveal essential histidyl residues. These experiments suggested that the activity of lactoperoxidase depends on two active tyrosyl residues and that the azotizable histidyl residue is not essential for activity.     

Studies of a reactive histidine of dyphosphopyridine nucleotide-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase from bovine heart.

Diphosphopyridine nucleotide-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase from bovine heart was inactivated at neutral pH by bromoacetate and diethyl pyrocarbonate and by photooxidation in the presence of methylene blue or rose bengal. Inactivation by diethyl pyrocarbonate was reversed by hydroxylamine. Loss of activity by photooxidation at pH 7.07 was accompanied by progressive destruction of histidine with time; loss of 83% of the enzyme activity was accompanied by modification of 1.1 histidyl residues per enzyme subunit. The pH-rate profiles of inactivation by photooxidation and by diethyl pyrocarbonate modification showed an inflection point around pH 6.6, in accord with the pK_a for a histidyl residue of a protein. Partial protection against inactivation by photooxidation or diethyl pyrocarbonate was obtained with substrate (manganous isocitrate or magnesium isocitrate) or ADP; the combination of substrate and ADP was more effective than the components singly. As demonstrated by differential enzyme activity assays between pH 6.4 and pH 7.5 with and without 0.67 mm ADP, modification of the reactive histidyl residue of the enzyme caused a preferential loss of the positive modulation of activity by ADP. The latter was particularly apparent when substrate partially protected the enzyme against inactivation by rose bengal-induced photooxidation.     

Arginyl residues in the NADPH-binding sites of phenol hydroxylase

Phenol hydroxylase was inactivated by the arginine reagents 2,3-butanedione, 1,2-cyclohexanedione, and phenylglyoxal. The cosubstrate NADPH, as well as NADP⁺ and several analogues thereof, protected the enzyme against inactivation. Phenol did not protect the activity against any of the reagents used, nor did modification by 2,3-butanedione affect the binding of phenol. We propose the presence of arginyl residues in the binding sites for the adenosine phosphate part of NADPH.     

Histidyl residues at the active site of the Na/succinate cotransporter in rabbit renal brush borders

Summary Mono-, dicarboxylic acid-, andd-glucose transport were measured in brush border vesicles from renal cortex after treatment with reagents known to modify terminal amino, lysyl, -amino, guanidino, serine/threonine, histidyl, tyrosyl, tryptophanyl and carboxylic residues. All three sodium-coupled cotransport systems proved to possess sulfhydryl (and maybe tryptophanyl sulfhydryl, disulfide, thioether and tyrosyl) residues but not at the substrate site or at the allosteric cavity for the Na coion. Histidyl groups seem to be located in the active site of the dicarboxylic transporter in that the simultaneous presence of Na and succinate protects the transporter against the histidyl specific reagent diethylpyrocarbonate. Lithium, which specifically competes for sodium sites in the dicarboxylic acid transporter, substantially blocked the protective effect of Na and succinate. Hydroxylamine specifically reversed the covalent binding of diethylpyrocarbonate to the succinate binding site. The pH dependence of the Na/succinate cotransport is consistent with an involvement of histidyl and sulfhydryl residues. We conclude that a histidyl residue is at, or is close to, the active site of the dicarboxylate transporter in renal brush border membranes.     

Diphtheria toxin: the effect of nitration and reductive methylation on enzymatic activity and toxicity.

Diphtheria toxin is rapidly inactivated upon reaction with tetranitromethane. inactivation is partially prevented in the presence of the substrate NAD. The loss of enzymatic activity and of toxicity is concomitant with the modification of one tyrosyl residue per molecule, located in the fragment A. Completely inactivated toxin (more than 5 nitrotyrosines per molecule) is a good toxin antagonist for HeLa cells binding sites indicating that the integrity of its fragment B is preserved. Methylation of lysyl residues leads to a decrease of toxicity and enzymatic activity but only after the modification of about 20 lysines per molecule. This methylated toxin however can still bind NAD and seems to possess a functional fragment B. Enzymatic site of diphtheria toxin fragment A seems thus to contain one essential tyrosyl residue implicated in the binding of NAD and at least one lysine not implicated in this dinucleotide binding.     

Chemical modification of rat liver arginase

Chemical modifications were used to search for catalytically important residues of rat liver arginase. The results of carbamoylation, nitration and diazotization suggest that lysyl and tyrosyl residues are not involved in the catalytic function of arginase. The modification of 5--6 tryptophanyl residues by N-bromosuccinimide or 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide led to about 90% inhibition of the enzyme activity. Photooxidation of 21 histydyl residues also led to considerable inactivation of arginase. The modification of tryptophanyl and histidyl residues did not cause dissociation of the enzyme into subunits.     

Modification of pyruvate, phosphate dikinase with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate: evidence for a catalytically critical lysine residue

Pyruvate, phosphate dikinase from Bacteroides symbiosus is strongly inhibited by low concentrations of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. The inactivation follows pseudo-first-order kinetics over an inhibitor concentration range of 0.1-2 mM. The inactivation is highly specific since pyridoxine and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate, analogues of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, which lack an aldehyde group, caused little or no inhibition even at high concentrations. The unreduced dikinase-pyridoxal 5'-phosphate complex displays an absorption maxima near 420 nm, typical for Schiff base formation. Following reduction of the Schiff base with sodium borohydride, N6-pyridoxyllysine was identified in the acid hydrolysate. When the enzyme was incubated in the presence of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and reducing agent, the ATP/AMP, Pi/PPi, and pyruvate/phosphoenolpyruvate isotopic exchange reactions were inhibited to approximately the same extent, suggesting that the modification of the lysyl moiety causes changes in the enzyme that affect the reactivity of the pivotal histidyl residue. Phosphorylation of the histidyl group appears to prevent the inhibitor from attacking the lysine residue. On the other hand, addition of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate to the pyrophosphorylated enzyme promotes release of the pyrophosphate and yields the free enzyme which is subject to inhibition.