Reconstitution and properties of the recombinant glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase/CP12/phosphoribulokinase supramolecular complex of Arabidopsis

Calvin cycle enzymes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and phosphoribulokinase (PRK) form together with the regulatory peptide CP12 a supramolecular complex in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) that could be reconstituted in vitro using purified recombinant proteins. Both enzyme activities were strongly influenced by complex formation, providing an effective means for regulation of the Calvin cycle in vivo. PRK and CP12, but not GapA (A(4) isoform of GAPDH), are redox-sensitive proteins. PRK was reversibly inhibited by oxidation. CP12 has no enzymatic activity, but it changed conformation depending on redox conditions. GapA, a bispecific NAD(P)-dependent dehydrogenase, specifically formed a binary complex with oxidized CP12 when bound to NAD. PRK did not interact with either GapA or CP12 singly, but oxidized PRK could form with GapA/CP12 a stable ternary complex of about 640 kD (GapA/CP12/PRK). Exchanging NADP for NAD, reducing CP12, or reducing PRK were all conditions that prevented formation of the complex. Although GapA activity was little affected by CP12 alone, the NADPH-dependent activity of GapA embedded in the GapA/CP12/PRK complex was 80% inhibited in respect to the free enzyme. The NADH activity was unaffected. Upon binding to GapA/CP12, the activity of oxidized PRK dropped from 25% down to 2% the activity of the free reduced enzyme. The supramolecular complex was dissociated by reduced thioredoxins, NADP, 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate (BPGA), or ATP. The activity of GapA was only partially recovered after complex dissociation by thioredoxins, NADP, or ATP, and full GapA activation required BPGA. NADP, ATP, or BPGA partially activated PRK, but full recovery of PRK activity required thioredoxins. The reversible formation of the GapA/CP12/PRK supramolecular complex provides novel possibilities to finely regulate GapA ("non-regulatory" GAPDH isozyme) and PRK (thioredoxin sensitive) in a coordinated manner.     

Modulation,via protein-protein interactions,of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity through redox phosphoribulokinase regulation

The activity of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) embedded in the phosphoribulokinase (PRK).GAPDH.CP12 complex was increased 2-3-fold by reducing agents. This occurred by interaction with PRK as the cysteinyl sulfhydryls (4 SH/subunit) of GAPDH within the complex were unchanged whatever the redox state of the complex. But isolated GAPDH was not activated. Alkylation plus mass spectrometry also showed that PRK had one disulfide bridge and three SH groups per monomer in the active oxidized complex. Reduction disrupted this disulfide bridge to give 2 more SH groups and a much more active enzyme. We assessed the kinetics and dynamics of the interactions between PRK and GAPDH/CP12 using biosensors to measure complex formation in real time. The apparent equilibrium binding constant for GAPDH/CP12 and PRK was 14 +/- 1.6 nm for oxidized PRK and 62 +/- 10 nm for reduced PRK. These interactions were neither pH- nor temperature-dependent. Thus, the dynamics of PRK.GAPDH.CP12 complex formation and GAPDH activity are modulated by the redox state of PRK.     

Involvement of two positively charged residues of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in the assembly process of a bi-enzyme complex involved in CO2 assimilation.

The glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is part of a complex that also includes phosphoribulokinase (PRK) and CP12. We identified two residues of GAPDH involved in protein-protein interactions in this complex, by changing residues K128 and R197 into A or E. K128A/E mutants had a Km for NADH that was twice that of the wild type and a lower catalytic constant, whatever the cofactor. The kinetics of the mutant R197A were similar to those of the wild type, while the R197E mutant had a lower catalytic constant with NADPH. Only small structural changes near the mutation may have caused these differences, since circular dichroism and fluorescence spectra were similar to those of wild-type GAPDH. Molecular modelling of the mutants led to the same conclusion. All mutants, except R197E, reconstituted the GAPDH-CP12 subcomplex. Although the dissociation constants measured by surface plasmon resonance were 10-70-fold higher with the mutants than with wild-type GAPDH and CP12, they remained low. For the R197E mutation, we calculated a 4 kcal/mol destabilizing effect, which may correspond to the loss of the stabilizing effect of a salt bridge for the interaction between GAPDH and CP12. All the mutant GAPDH-CP12 subcomplexes failed to interact with PRK and to form the native complex. The absence of kinetic changes of all the mutant GAPDH-CP12 subcomplexes, compared to wild-type GAPDH-CP12, suggests that mutants do not undergo the conformation change essential for PRK binding.     

Thioredoxin-dependent regulation of photosynthetic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase: autonomous vs. CP12-dependent mechanisms

Regulation of the Calvin–Benson cycle under varying light/dark conditions is a common property of oxygenic photosynthetic organisms and photosynthetic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is one of the targets of this complex regulatory system. In cyanobacteria and most algae, photosynthetic GAPDH is a homotetramer of GapA subunits which do not contain regulatory domains. In these organisms, dark-inhibition of the Calvin–Benson cycle involves the formation of a kinetically inhibited supramolecular complex between GAPDH, the regulatory peptide CP12 and phosphoribulokinase. Conditions prevailing in the dark, i.e. oxidation of thioredoxins and low NADP(H)/NAD(H) ratio promote aggregation. Although this regulatory system has been inherited in higher plants, these phototrophs contain in addition a second type of GAPDH subunits (GapB) resulting from the fusion of GapA with the C-terminal half of CP12. Heterotetrameric A₂B₂-GAPDH constitutes the major photosynthetic GAPDH isoform of higher plants chloroplasts and coexists with CP12 and A₄-GAPDH. GapB subunits of A₂B₂-GAPDH have inherited from CP12 a regulatory domain (CTE for C-terminal extension) which makes the enzyme sensitive to thioredoxins and pyridine nucleotides, resembling the GAPDH/CP12/PRK system. The two systems are similar in other respects: oxidizing conditions and low NADP(H)/NAD(H) ratios promote aggregation of A₂B₂-GAPDH into strongly inactivated A₈B₈-GAPDH hexadecamers, and both CP12 and CTE specifically affect the NADPH-dependent activity of GAPDH. The alternative, lower activity with NADH is always unaffected. Based on the crystal structure of spinach A₄-GAPDH and the analysis of site-specific mutants, a model of the autonomous (CP12-independent) regulatory mechanism of A₂B₂-GAPDH is proposed. Both CP12 and CTE seem to regulate different photosynthetic GAPDH isoforms according to a common and ancient molecular mechanism.     

The C-terminal extension of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase subunit B acts as an autoinhibitory domain regulated by thioredoxins and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide

The regulatory isoform of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a light-activated enzyme constituted by subunits GapA and GapB. The NADPH-dependent activity of regulatory GAPDH from spinach chloroplasts was affected by the redox potential (E(m,7.9), -353 +/- 11 mV) through the action of thioredoxin f. The redox dependence of recombinant GapB (E(m,7.9), -347 +/- 9 mV) was similar to native GAPDH, whereas GapA was essentially redox-insensitive. GapB mutants having one or two C-terminal cysteines mutated into serines (C358S, C349S, C349S/C358S) were less redox-sensitive than GapB. Different mutants with other cysteines substituted by serines (C18S, C274S, C285S) still showed strong redox regulation. Fully active GapB was a tetramer of B-subunits, and, when incubated with NAD, it associated to a high molecular weight oligomer showing low NADPH-dependent activity. The C-terminal GapB mutants (C358S, C349S, C349S/C358S) were active tetramers unable to aggregate to higher oligomers in the presence of NAD, whereas other mutants (C18S, C274S, C285S) again behaved like GapB. We conclude that a regulatory disulfide, between Cys-349 and Cys-358 of the C-terminal extension of GapB, does form in the presence of oxidized thioredoxin. This covalent modification is required for the NAD-dependent association into higher oligomers and inhibition of the NADPH-activity. By leading to GAPDH autoinhibition, thioredoxin and NAD may thus concur to the dark inactivation of the enzyme in vivo.     

Properties of a multimeric protein complex from chloroplasts possessing potential activities of NADPH-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and phosphoribulokinase

A homogeneous multimeric protein isolated from the green alga, Scenedesmus obliquus, has both latent phosphoribulokinase activity and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. The glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was active with both NADPH and NADH, but predominantly with NADH. Incubation with 20 mM dithiothreitol and 1 mM NADPH promoted the coactivation of phosphoribulokinase and NADPH-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, accompanied by a decrease in the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity linked to NADH. The multimeric enzyme had a Mr of 560,000 and was of apparent subunit composition 8G6R. R represents a subunit of Mr 42,000 conferring phosphoribulokinase activity and G a subunit of 39,000 responsible for the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. On SDS-PAGE the Mr-42,000 subunit comigrates with the subunit of the active form of phosphoribulokinase whereas that of Mr-39,000 corresponds to that of NADPH-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The multimeric enzyme had a S20,W of 14.2 S. Following activation with dithiothreitol and NADPH, sedimenting boundaries of 7.4 S and 4.4 S were formed due to the depolymerization of the multimeric protein to NADPH-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (4G) and active phosphoribulokinase (2R). It has been possible to isolate these two enzymes from the activated preparation by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Prolonged activation of the multimeric protein by dithiothreitol in the absence of nucleotide produced a single sedimenting boundary of 4.6 S, representing a mixture of the active form of phosphoribulokinase and an inactive dimeric form of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Algal thioredoxin, in the presence of 1 mM dithiothreitol and 1 mM NADPH, stimulated the depolymerization of the multimeric protein with resulting coactivation of phosphoribulokinase and NADPH-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Light-induced depolymerization of the multimeric protein, mediated by reduced thioredoxin, is postulated as the mechanism of light activation in vivo. Consistent with such a postulate is the presence of high concentrations of the active forms of phosphoribulokinase and NADPH-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in extracts from photoheterotrophically grown algae. By contrast, in extracts from the dark-grown algae the multimeric enzyme predominates.     

Inter-species variation in the oligomeric states of the higher plant Calvin cycle enzymes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and phosphoribulokinase

In darkened leaves the Calvin cycle enzymes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and phosphoribulokinase (PRK) form a regulatory multi-enzyme complex with the small chloroplast protein CP12. GAPDH also forms a high molecular weight regulatory mono-enzyme complex. Given that there are different reports as to the number and subunit composition of these complexes and that enzyme regulatory mechanisms are known to vary between species, it was reasoned that protein-protein interactions may also vary between species. Here, this variation is investigated. This study shows that two different tetramers of GAPDH (an A2B2 heterotetramer and an A4 homotetramer) have the capacity to form part of the PRK/GAPDH/CP12 complex. The role of the PRK/GAPDH/CP12 complex is not simply to regulate the 'non-regulatory' A4 GAPDH tetramer. This study also demonstrates that the abundance and nature of PRK/GAPDH/CP12 interactions are not equal in all species and that whilst NAD enhances complex formation in some species, this is not sufficient for complex formation in others. Furthermore, it is shown that the GAPDH mono-enzyme complex is more abundant as a 2(A2B2) complex, rather than the larger 4(A2B2) complex. This smaller complex is sensitive to cellular metabolites indicating that it is an important regulatory isoform of GAPDH. This comparative study has highlighted considerable heterogeneity in PRK and GAPDH protein interactions between closely related species and the possible underlying physiological basis for this is discussed.     

Novel inhibitors of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase: Covalent modification of NAD-binding site by aromatic thiols

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, EC 1.2.1.12) is a glycolytic enzyme catalyzing the formation of 1,3-diphosphoglycerate from glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and inorganic phosphate. In cooperation with E3 ubiquitin-kinase Siah1, GAPDH directly participates in the apoptotic death of neurons in Parkinson’s disease. Potential GAPDH inhibitors were screened in silico, and three compounds with high affinity to the NAD-binding site and theoretically capable of forming a disulfide bond with amino acid residue Cys149 were found among cysteine and glutathione derivatives. The inhibitory effect of these compounds was tested on GAPDH from rabbit muscles using isothermal calorimetry and kinetic methods. As a result of experimental screening, we selected two compounds that inhibit GAPDH by forming disulfide bonds with the Cys149 residue in the enzyme active site. Since Cys149 is the key residue not only for the catalyzed reaction, but also for interaction with Siah1, the compounds can be assumed to inhibit the formation of the proapoptotic complex GAPDH-Siah1 and therefore have potential effect against Parkinson’s disease.     

Co-existence of two regulatory NADP-glyceraldehyde 3-P dehydrogenase complexes in higher plant chloroplasts.

Light/dark modulation of the higher plant Calvin-cycle enzymes phosphoribulokinase (PRK) and NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NADP- GAPDH-A2B2) involves changes of their aggregation state in addition to redox changes of regulatory cysteines. Here we demonstrate that plants possess two different complexes containing the inactive forms (a) of NADP-GAPDH and PRK and (b) of only NADP-GAPDH, respectively, in darkened chloroplasts. While the 550-kDa PRK/GAPDH/CP12 complex is dissociated and activated upon reduction alone, activation and dissociation of the 600-kDa A8B8 complex of NADP-GAPDH requires incubation with dithiothreitol and the effector 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate. In the light, PRK is therefore completely in its activated state under all conditions, even in low light, while GAPDH activation in the light is characterized by a two-step mechanism with 60-70% activation under most conditions in the light, and the activation of the remaining 30-40% occurring only when 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate levels are strongly increasing. In vitro studies with the purified components and coprecipitation experiments from fresh stroma using polyclonal antisera confirm the existence of these two aggregates. Isolated oxidized PRK alone does not reaggregate after it has been purified in its reduced form; only in the presence of both CP12 and purified NADP-GAPDH, some of the PRK reaggregates. Recombinant GapA/GapB constructs form the A8B8 complex immediately upon expression in E. coli.     

Structure basis for the regulation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity via the intrinsically disordered protein CP12

The reversible formation of a glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH)-CP12-phosphoribulokinase (PRK) supramolecular complex, identified in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, provides light-dependent Calvin cycle regulation in a coordinated manner. An intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) CP12 acts as a linker to sequentially bind GAPDH and PRK to downregulate both enzymes. Here, we report the crystal structures of the ternary GAPDH-CP12-NAD and binary GAPDH-NAD complexes from Synechococcus elongates. The GAPDH-CP12 complex structure reveals that the oxidized CP12 becomes partially structured upon GAPDH binding. The C-terminus of CP12 is inserted into the active-site region of GAPDH, resulting in competitive inhibition of GAPDH. This study also provides insight into how the GAPDH-CP12 complex is dissociated by a high NADP(H)/NAD(H) ratio. An unexpected increase in negative charge potential that emerged upon CP12 binding highlights the biological function of CP12 in the sequential assembly of the supramolecular complex.     

Exploring CP12 binding proteins revealed aldolase as a new partner for the phosphoribulokinase/glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase/CP12 complex--purification and kinetic characterization of this enzyme from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Possible binding proteins of CP12 in a green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, were investigated. We covalently immobilized CP12 on a resin and then used it to trap CP12 partners. Thus, we found an association between CP12 and phosphoribulokinase (EC 2.7.1.19), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.13) and aldolase. Immunoprecipitation with purified CP12 antibodies supported these data. The dissociation constant between CP12 and fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (EC 4.1.2.13) aldolase was measured by surface plasmon resonance and is equal to 0.48 +/- 0.05 mum and thus corroborated an interaction between CP12 and aldolase. However, the association is even stronger between aldolase and the phosphoribulokinase/glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase/CP12 complex and the dissociation constant between them is equal to 55+/-5 nm. Moreover, owing to the fact that aldolase has been poorly studied in C. reinhardtii, we purified it and analyzed its kinetic properties. The enzyme displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and sedoheptulose 1,7-bisphosphate, with a catalytic constant equal to 35 +/- 1 s(-1) and 4 +/- 0.1 s(-1), respectively. The K(m) value for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate was equal to 0.16 +/- 0.02 mm and 0.046 +/- 0.005 mm for sedoheptulose 1,7-bisphosphate. The catalytic efficiency of aldolase was thus 219 +/- 31 s(-1).mm(-1) with fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and 87 +/- 9 s(-1).mm(-1) with sedoheptulose 1,7-bisphosphate. In the presence of the complex, this parameter for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate increased to 310 +/- 23 s(-1).mm(-1), whereas no change was observed with sedoheptulose 1,7-bisphosphate. The condensation reaction of aldolase to form fructose 1,6-bisphosphate was also investigated but no effect of CP12 or the complex on this reaction was observed.     

Nitric oxide-induced S-glutathionylation and inactivation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

S-Nitrosylation of protein thiol groups by nitric oxide (NO) is a widely recognized protein modification. In this study we show that nitrosonium tetrafluoroborate (BF4NO), a NO+ donor, modified the thiol groups of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) by S-nitrosylation and caused enzyme inhibition. The resultant protein-S-nitrosothiol was found to be unstable and to decompose spontaneously, thereby restoring enzyme activity. In contrast, the NO-releasing compound S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) promoted S-glutathionylation of a thiol group of GAPDH both in vitro and under cellular conditions. The GSH-mixed protein disulfide formed led to a permanent enzyme inhibition, but upon dithiothreitol addition a functional active GAPDH was recovered. This S-glutathionylation is specific for GSNO because GSH itself was unable to produce protein-mixed disulfides. During cellular nitrosative stress, the production of intracellular GSNO might channel signaling responses to form protein-mixed disulfide that can regulate intracellular function.     

Conformational selection and folding-upon-binding of intrinsically disordered protein CP12 regulate photosynthetic enzymes assembly

Carbon assimilation in plants is regulated by the reduction of specific protein disulfides by light and their re-oxidation in the dark. The redox switch CP12 is an intrinsically disordered protein that can form two disulfide bridges. In the dark oxidized CP12 forms an inactive supramolecular complex with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and phosphoribulokinase, two enzymes of the carbon assimilation cycle. Here we show that binding of CP12 to GAPDH, the first step of ternary complex formation, follows an integrated mechanism that combines conformational selection with induced folding steps. Initially, a CP12 conformation characterized by a circular structural motif including the C-terminal disulfide is selected by GAPDH. Subsequently, the induced folding of the flexible C-terminal tail of CP12 in the active site of GAPDH stabilizes the binary complex. Formation of several hydrogen bonds compensates the entropic cost of CP12 fixation and terminates the interaction mechanism that contributes to carbon assimilation control.     

Pressure denaturation of phosphorylating glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Bacillus stearothermophilus

The effects of hydrostatic pressure on apo wild-type glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (wtGAPDH) from Bacillus stearothermophilus (B. stearothermophilus) have been studied by fluorescence spectroscopy under pressure from 0.1 to 650 MPa. Unlike yeast GAPDH [Ruan, K. C., and Weber, G. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 2144-2153], denaturation of the tetrameric apo wtGAPDH from B. stearothermophilus is likely to precede dissociation into subunits. As expected, denaturation is accompanied by the loss of enzymatic activity. B. stearothermophilus apo wtGAPDH interfaces are less pressure sensitive than apo yeast GAPDH ones, while NAD does not protect B. stearothermophilus wtGAPDH against denaturation by pressure. The pressure effects on B. stearothermophilus GAPDH whose R and Q-axis interfaces were destabilized by disruption of interfacial hydrogen bonds are similar to that of apo wtGAPDH.     

Properties of two high-molecular-mass forms of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from spinach leaf, one of which also possesses latent phosphoribulokinase activity.

Two high-Mr forms of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from spinach leaf can be separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. One form, the high-Mr glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, resembles an enzyme previously described [Yonuschot, G.R., Ortwerth, B.J. & Koeppe, O.J. (1970) J. Biol. Chem. 245, 4193-4198]. The other, a glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase/phosphoribulokinase complex, is characterised by possession of latent phosphoribulokinase activity, only expressed following incubation with dithiothreitol. This complex is composed not only of subunits A (39.5 kDa) and B (41.5 kDa) characteristic of the high-Mr glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, but also of a third subunit, R (40.5 kDa) comigrating with that from the active phosphoribulokinase of spinach. Incubation of the complex with dithiothreitol markedly stimulated both its phosphoribulokinase and NADPH-dependent dehydrogenase activities. This dithiothreitol-induced activation was accompanied by depolymerisation to give two predominantly NADPH-linked tetrameric glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases (the homotetramer, A4, and the heterotetramer, A2B2) as well as the active dimeric phosphoribulokinase. Incubation of the high-Mr glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase with dithiothreitol promoted complete depolymerisation yielding only the heterotetramer (A2B2). Possible structures suggested for the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase/phosphoribulokinase complex are (A2B2)2A4R2 or (A2B2)(A4)2R2.     

Characterization of native and recombinant A4 glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Kinetic evidence for confromation changes upon association with the small protein CP12.

A4 glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was purified from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and was also overexpressed in Escherichia coli. Both purified A4 tetramers of recombinant and native GAPDH were characterized for the first time. The pH optimum for both native and recombinant enzymes was close to 7.8. The pKs of the residues involved in catalysis indicate that a cysteine and a histidine may take part in catalysis by chloroplast GAPDH, as is the case for glycolytic GAPDH. Native and recombinant GAPDH show Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to their cofactors, NADH and NADPH, with greater specificity for NADPH. The kinetic parameters are similar to those of the heterotetrameric A2B2 spinach chloroplast GAPDH. Native C. reinhardtii and recombinant GAPDHs exhibit a cooperative behavior towards the substrate 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate (BPGA). This positive cooperativity is specific to the C. reinhardtii enzyme, as higher plant A2B2 GAPDHs show Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Native GAPDH has twofold lower catalytic constant and K0.5 for BPGA than recombinant GAPDH. Mass spectrometry analysis of native GAPDH shows that it is a complex of GAPDH and the small protein CP12. In vitro reconstitution assays indicate that the kinetic differences are the result conformation changes of GAPDH upon association with CP12.     

Spontaneous assembly of photosynthetic supramolecular complexes as mediated by the intrinsically unstructured protein CP12

CP12 is a protein of 8.7 kDa that contributes to Calvin cycle regulation by acting as a scaffold element in the formation of a supramolecular complex with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and phosphoribulokinase (PRK) in photosynthetic organisms. NMR studies of recombinant CP12 (isoform 2) of Arabidopsis thaliana show that CP12-2 is poorly structured. CP12-2 is monomeric in solution and contains four cysteines, which can form two intramolecular disulfides with midpoint redox potentials of -326 and -352 mV, respectively, at pH 7.9. Site-specific mutants indicate that the C-terminal disulfide is involved in the interaction between CP12-2 and GAPDH (isoform A(4)), whereas the N-terminal disulfide is involved in the interaction between this binary complex and PRK. In the presence of NAD, oxidized CP12-2 interacts with A(4)-GAPDH (K(D) = 0.18 microm) to form a binary complex of 170 kDa with (A(4)-GAPDH)-(CP12-2)(2) stoichiometry, as determined by isothermal titration calorimetry and multiangle light scattering analysis. PRK is a dimer and by interacting with this binary complex (K(D) = 0.17 microm) leads to a 498-kDa ternary complex constituted by two binary complexes and two PRK dimers, i.e. ((A(4)-GAPDH)-(CP12-2)(2)-(PRK))(2). Thermodynamic parameters indicate that assembly of both binary and ternary complexes is exoergonic although penalized by a decrease in entropy that suggests an induced folding of CP12-2 upon binding to partner proteins. The redox dependence of events leading to supramolecular complexes is consistent with a role of CP12 in coordinating the reversible inactivation of chloroplast enzymes A(4)-GAPDH and PRK during darkness in photosynthetic tissues.     

Misfolded forms of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase interact with GroEL and inhibit chaperonin-assisted folding of the wild-type enzyme

We studied the interaction of chaperonin GroEL with different misfolded forms of tetrameric phosphorylating glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH): (1) GAPDH from rabbit muscles with all SH-groups modified by 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate); (2) O-R-type dimers of mutant GAPDH from Bacillus stearothermophilus with amino acid substitutions Y283V, D282G, and Y283V/W84F, and (3) O-P-type dimers of mutant GAPDH from B. stearothermophilus with amino acid substitutions Y46G/S48G and Y46G/R52G. It was shown that chemically modified GAPDH and the O-R-type mutant dimers bound to GroEL with 1:1 stoichiometry and dissociation constants K(d) of 0.4 and 0.9 muM, respectively. A striking feature of the resulting complexes with GroEL was their stability in the presence of Mg-ATP. Chemically modified GAPDH and the O-R-type mutant dimers inhibited GroEL-assisted refolding of urea-denatured wild-type GAPDH from B. stearothermophilus but did not affect its spontaneous reactivation. In contrast to the O-R-dimers, the O-P-type mutant dimers neither bound nor affected GroEL-assisted refolding of the wild-type GAPDH. Thus, we suggest that interaction of GroEL with certain types of misfolded proteins can result in the formation of stable complexes and the impairment of chaperonin activity.     

Isolation and compositional analysis of a CP12-associated complex of calvin cycle enzymes from Nicotiana tabacum

Two Calvin Cycle enzymes, NAD(P)-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and phosphoribulokinase (PRK) form a multiprotein complex with CP12, a small intrinsically-unstructured protein. Under oxidizing conditions, association with CP12 confers redox-sensitivity to the otherwise redox-insensitive A isoform of GAPDH (GapA) and provides an additional level of down-regulation to the redox-regulated PRK. To determine if CP12-mediated regulation is specific for GAPDH and PRK in vivo, a high molecular weight complex containing CP12 was isolated from tobacco chloroplasts and leaves and its protein composition was characterized. Gel electrophoresis and immunoblot analyses after separation of stromal proteins by size fractionation verified that the GAPDH (both isoforms) and PRK co-migrated with CP12 in dark- but not light-adapted chloroplasts. Nano-liquid-chromatography-mass-spectrometry of the isolated complex identified only CP12, GAPDH and PRK. Since nearly all of the CP12 from darkened chloroplasts migrates with GADPH and PRK as a high molecular mass species, these data indicate that the tight association of tobacco CP12 with GAPDH and PRK is specific and involves no other Calvin Cycle enzymes.