Expression of the mitochondrial creatine kinase genes

Mitochondrial Creatine Kinase (MtCK) is responsible for the transfer of high energy phosphate from mitochondria to the cytosolic carrier, creatine, and exists in mammals as two isoenzymes encoded by separate genes. In rats and humans, sarcomere-specific MtCK (sMtCK) is expressed only in skeletal and heart muscle, and has 87% nucleotide identity across the 1257 bp coding region. The ubiquitous isoenzyme of MtCK (uMtCK) is expressed in many tissues with highest levels in brain, gut, and kidney, and has 92% nucleotide identity between the 1254 bp coding regions of rat and human. Both genes are highly regulated developmentally in a tissue-specific manner. There is virtually no expression of sMtCK mRNA prior to birth. Unlike cytosolic muscle CK (MCK) and brain CK (BCK), there is no developmental isoenzyme switch between the MtCKs. Cell culture models representing the tissue-specific expression of either sMtCK or uMtCK are available, but there are no adequate developmental models to examine their regulation. Several animal models are available to examine the coordinate regulation of the CK gene family and include 1) Cardiac Stress by coarctation (sMtCK, BCK, and MCK), 2) Uterus and placenta during pregnancy (uMtCK and BCK), and 3) Diabetes and mitochondrial myopathy (sMtCK, BCK, and MCK). We report the details of these findings, and discuss the coordinate regulation of the genes necessary for high-energy transduction.     

Over-expression, purification and characterization of the oligomerization dynamics of an invertebrate mitochondrial creatine kinase

Mitochondrial creatine kinase (MtCK) plays a central role in energy homeostasis within cells that display high and variable rates of ATP turnover. Vertebrate MtCKs exist primarily as octamers but readily dissociate into constituent dimers under a variety of circumstances. MtCK is an ancient protein that is also found in invertebrates including sponges, the most primitive of all multi-cellular animals. We have cloned, expressed, and purified one of these invertebrate MtCKs from a marine polychaete worm, Chaetopterus variopedatus (CVMtCK). Size exclusion chromatography and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to characterize oligomeric state in comparison with that of octameric chicken sarcomeric isoform (SarMtCK). At protein concentrations >1 mg/ml, CVMtCK was predominantly octameric (>90%). When diluted to 0.1 mg/ml, CVMtCK dissociated into dimers much more rapidly than SarMtCK when observed under identical conditions. The rate of dissociation for both MtCKs increased as temperature rose from 2 to 28 degrees C, and in CVMtCK, fell at higher incubation temperatures. The fraction of octameric CVMtCK at equilibrium increased with temperature and then fell. Temperature transition studies showed that octamers and dimers were rapidly interconvertible on a similar time scale. Importantly, when CVMtCK was converted to the transition state analog complex (TSAC), both size exclusion chromatography and DLS showed that there was minimal dissociation of octamers into dimers while SarMtCK octamers were highly unstable as the TSAC. These results clearly show distinct differences in octamer stability between CVMtCK and SarMtCK, which could impact function under physiological circumstances. Furthermore, the large yield of recombinant protein and high stability of CVMtCK in the TSAC suggest that this protein might be a good target for crystallization efforts.     

Native mitochondrial creatine kinase forms octameric structures. I. Isolation of two interconvertible mitochondrial creatine kinase forms, dimeric and octameric mitochondrial creatine kinase: characterization, localization, and structure-function relationships

The mitochondrial isoform of creatine kinase (Mi-CK, EC 2.7.3.2) purified to homogeneity from chicken cardiac muscle by the mild and efficient technique described in this article was greater than or equal to 99.5% pure and consisted of greater than or equal to 95% of a distinct, octameric Mi-CK protein species, with a Mr of 364,000 +/- 30,000 and an apparent subunit Mr of 42,000. The remaining 5% were dimeric Mi-CK with an apparent Mr of 86,000 +/- 8,000. Octamerization was not due to covalent linkages or intermolecular disulfide bonding. Upon dilution into buffers of low ionic strength and alkaline pH, octameric Mi-CK slowly dissociated in a time-dependent manner (weeks-months) into dimeric Mi-CK. However, the time scale of dimerization was reduced to minutes by the addition to diluted Mi-CK octamers of a mixture of Mg2+, ADP, creatine and nitrate known to induce a transition-state analogue complex (Milner-White, E.J., and Watts, D. C. (1971) Biochem. J. 122, 727-740). The conversion was fully reversible, and octamers were reformed by simple concentrations of Mi-CK dimer solutions to greater than or equal to 1 mg/ml at near neutral pH and physiological salt concentrations in the absence of adenine nucleotide. After separation of the two Mi-CK species by gel filtration, electron microscopic analysis revealed uniform square-shaped particles with a central negative-stain-filled cavity in the octamer fractions and "banana-shaped" structures in the dimer fractions. Mi-CK was localized inside the mitochondria by immunogold labeling with polyclonal antibodies. A dynamic model of the octamer-dimer equilibrium of Mi-CK and the preferential association of the octameric Mi-CK form with the inner mitochondrial membrane is discussed in the context of regulation of Mi-CK activity, mitochondrial respiration, and the CP shuttle.     

Purification of mitochondrial creatine kinase: Two interconvertible forms of the active enzyme

The purification of creatine kinase from beef heart mitochondria is described. The purified enzyme appears as a single band after electrophoresis on SDS gels. Electrophoresis on cellulose acetate followed by staining for creatine kinase activity shows two forms of the enzyme. The slower migrating (m-1) form upon concentration is converted to the more rapidly migrating form (m-2). The reverse conversion occurs if the m-2 is incubated with β-mercaptoethanol. These results are consistent with a reversible oxidation of protein sulfhydryl group (s).     

Conditions for reciprocal conversion of oligomeric forms of heart mitochondrial creatine kinase

A procedure for purifying creatine kinase from bovine heart mitochondria, including enzyme extraction from mitochondria with salt solutions, concentration on cellulose phosphate gel and gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300 has been developed. Using ultracentrifugation in a sucrose density gradient and gel filtration, it was demonstrated that mitochondrial creatine kinase is present in solution as a mixture of two main forms, i. e., an octamer and a dimer. The distribution of the oligomeric forms is not influenced by changes in the ionic strength from 0.02 to 0.25, temperature (5-20 degrees C), freezing-thawing and the nature of monovalent anions (Cl-, NO3-, CH3COO-) and cations (Na+, K+) present in the medium. At pH 6.0, the predominant form is the octamer; an increase in pH induces its dissociation. An equilibrious mixture of the creatine kinase reaction substrates in the presence of Mg2+ also causes octamer dissociation; no dissociation is observed in the absence of Mg2+ or in the presence of one of the substrates. The non-working couple of substrates, Mg-ADP and creatine, causes dissociation of the octamer in the presence of Cl-, but not of CH3COO-. It is assumed that the dissociating effect of the substrates is due to conformational changes in the subunits concomitant with the formation of the creatine kinase active center in the course of catalysis. At physiological concentrations of nucleotide substrates, the degree of octamer dissociation depends on pH, creatine phosphate/creatine ratio and Pi. It is assumed that the above factors may regulate the reversible conversion of the octamer into the dimer in vivo.     

Analysis of functional coupling: mitochondrial creatine kinase and adenine nucleotide translocase

The mechanism of functional coupling between mitochondrial creatine kinase (MiCK) and adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) in isolated heart mitochondria is analyzed. Two alternative mechanisms are studied: 1), dynamic compartmentation of ATP and ADP, which assumes the differences in concentrations of the substrates between intermembrane space and surrounding solution due to some diffusion restriction and 2), direct transfer of the substrates between MiCK and ANT. The mathematical models based on these possible mechanisms were composed and simulation results were compared with the available experimental data. The first model, based on a dynamic compartmentation mechanism, was not sufficient to reproduce the measured values of apparent dissociation constants of MiCK reaction coupled to oxidative phosphorylation. The second model, which assumes the direct transfer of substrates between MiCK and ANT, is shown to be in good agreement with experiments—i.e., the second model reproduced the measured constants and the estimated ADP flux, entering mitochondria after the MiCK reaction. This model is thermodynamically consistent, utilizing the free energy profiles of reactions. The analysis revealed the minimal changes in the free energy profile of the MiCK-ANT interaction required to reproduce the experimental data. A possible free energy profile of the coupled MiCK-ANT system is presented.     

Isoelectric point heterogeneity of the two oligomeric forms of heart mitochondrial creatine kinase

Rabbit heart mitochondrial creatine kinase has been recently shown to exist in two oligomeric forms: a dimer and an octamer, the latter being the form associated with the inner mitochondrial membrane [(1988) Biochem.Biophys. Res. Commun. 153,1310.]. We report here on the determination of the isoelectric points (pI) of the two purified forms by thin layer isoelectric focusing. The pI of the dimer is 8.2 and that of the octamer is 8.8; the former is higher by more than one pH unit than that of the cytoplasmic form MM-CK. It is proposed that the higher pI of the octamer is responsible for its binding to the inner membrane.     

Interaction of creatine kinase and hexokinase with the mitochondrial membranes,and self-association of creatine kinase: crosslinking studies

Summary Covalent coupling of protein by crosslinking reagents have been used to study the interaction of mitochondrial creatine kinase (CKm) and hexokinase (HK) with the mitochondrial membranes.The effects of crosslinkers were studied either by following the inhibition of solubilization of enzymatic activities or by modification of the electrophoretic patterns of proteins solubilized from mitochondria after treatment with different crosslinkers.Dimethylsuberimidate (DMS) efficiently reduced the amount of HK activity solubilized by various agents but it did not modify solubilization of CKm from mitochondria. The effect of DMS on HK solubilization did not result from non specific crosslinking since it did not impede the solubilization of adenylate kinase.Bissuccinimidyl another class of crosslinker has been tested. Ethyleneglycol bis (succinimidyl succinate)(EGS) efficiently reduced HK solubilization, but in addition it induced osmotic stabilization of mitochondria and thus impeded release of soluble or solubilized proteins from the intermembrane space. Furthermore this agent drastically inhibited CKm activity and thus, in a second set of experiments the effect of crosslinkers have been studied by the disappearance of protein bands in the electrophoretic pattern of soluble fractions obtained from mitochondria, the outer membranes of which have been ruptured to allow free release of soluble proteins. Results of these experiments showed that succinimidyl reagents and Cu⁺⁺-Phenanthroline substantially reduced the amount of CKm released from mitochondria and confirmed that bisimidates were ineffective in inhibiting CKm solubilization.In addition crosslinking reagents have been used to study subunits interactions in purified CKm. Our results showed, in contrast with control experiments with a non oligomeric protein (ovalbumin) which did not give rise to polymers, that in the same conditions electrophoresis of crosslinked CKm resolved a set of species with molecular weights roughly equal to integral multiples of the protomer. These results proved that the polymeric form of CKm was an octamer.Abbreviations AK Adenylate Kinase (EC 2.7.4.3) - CKm Mitochondrial Isoenzyme of Creatine Kinase (EC 2.7.3.2) - DMS Dimethyl Suberimidate - DTT Dithiothreitol - EGS Ethylene Glycol bis (succinimidyl succinate) - EGTA Ethylene Glycol bis (aminoethyl ether) - N,N,N,N Tetraacetic acid - G6P Glucose 6 Phosphate, Hepes - N-2 Hydroxyethyl Piperazine N-2 Ethane Sulfonic Acid - HK Hexokinase (EC 2.7.1.1) - MABI methyl 4-Azido Benzoimidate - NaPi Sodium Phosphate - SANPAH N-Succinimidyl 6(4 azido 2 nitrophenylamino) Hexanoate - SDS Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (sodium lauryl sulfate) - Tris Tris (hydroxymethyl) Aminomethane     

Enzyme kinetics of a highly purified mitochondrial creatine kinase in comparison with cytosolic forms

Summary Mitochondrial creatine kinase (CK) purified from canine myocardium showed a single protein band on SDS-PAGE and was free of MMCK. Its amino acid composition was different than MMCK or BBCK and did not react to antiserum to MMCK or BBCK. Using purified mitochondrial, MM and BBCK, the velocity of reaction (V) was estimated for creatine phosphate (CP), creatine (C), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) over a wide range of concentrations including those at V_max. The values for K_m (mM/L) derived from Lineweaver-Burke plots are shown: The affinity of mitochondrial CK for C is much greater than MMCK which is compatible with the energy shuttle hypothesis, namely ATP is converted by mitochondrial CK to CP, and then diffuses to the myofibril for conversion to ATP for utilization.     

Association of chicken mitochondrial creatine kinase with the inner mitochondrial membrane

The stoichiometry and dissociation constant for the binding of homogeneous chicken heart mitochondrial creatine kinase (MiMi-CK) to mitoplasts was examined under a variety of conditions. Salts and substrates release MiMi-CK from mitoplasts in a manner that suggests an ionic interaction. The binding of MiMi-CK to mitoplasts is competitively inhibited by Adriamycin, suggesting that they compete for the same binding site. Fluorescence measurements also show that Adriamycin binds to MiMi-CK so that the effect of Adriamycin on the binding of MiMi-CK to mitoplasts is not simple. Titrating mitoplasts with homogeneous MiMi-CK at different pH values shows a pH-dependent equilibrium involving a group(s) on either the membrane or the enzyme with a pKa = 6. Extrapolating these titrations to infinite MiMi-CK concentration gives 14.6 IU bound/nmol cytochrome aa3 corresponding to 1.12 mol MiMi-CK/mol cytochrome aa3. Chicken heart mitochondria contain, after isolation, 2.86 +/- 0.42 IU/nmol cytochrome aa3. Titrating respiring mitoplasts with carboxyatractyloside gives at saturation 3.3 mol ADP/ATP translocase/mol cytochrome aa3. Therefore, chicken heart mitoplasts can maximally bind about 1 mol of MiMi-CK per 3 mol translocase; in normal chicken heart mitochondria about 1 mol of MiMi-CK is present per 13 mol translocase.     

Isolation and characterization of the gene and cDNA encoding human mitochondrial creatine kinase

Creatine kinase (CK; EC 2.7.3.2) isoenzymes play prominent roles in energy metabolism. Nuclear genes encode three known CK subunits: cytoplasmic muscle (MCK), cytoplasmic brain (BCK), and mitochondrial (MtCK). We have isolated the gene and cDNA encoding human placental MtCK. By using a dog heart MCK cDNA-derived probe, the 7.0-kb EcoRI fragment from one cross-hybridizing genomic clone was isolated and its complete nucleotide sequence determined. A region of this clone encoded predicted amino acid sequence identical to residues 15-26 of the human heart MtCK NH2-terminal protein sequence. The human placental MtCK cDNA was isolated by hybridization to a genomic fragment encoding this region. The human placental MtCK gene contains 9 exons encoding 416 amino acids, including a 38-amino acid transit peptide, presumably essential for mitochondrial import. Residues 1-14 of human placental MtCK cDNA-derived NH2-terminal sequence differ from the human heart MtCK protein sequence, suggesting that tissue-specific MtCK mRNAs are derived from multiple MtCK genes. RNA blot analysis demonstrated abundant MtCK mRNA in adult human ventricle and skeletal muscle, low amounts in placenta and small intestine, and a dramatic increase during in vitro differentiation induced by serum-deprivation in the non-fusing mouse smooth muscle cell line, BC3H1. These findings demonstrate coordinate regulation of MtCK and cytosolic CK gene expression and support the phosphocreatine shuttle hypothesis.     

Velocity of the creatine kinase reaction in the neonatal rabbit heart: role of mitochondrial creatine kinase

To examine the role of changes in the distribution of the creatine kinase (CK) isoenzymes [BB, MB, MM, and mitochondrial CK (mito-CK)] on the creatine kinase reaction velocity in the intact heart, we measured the creatine kinase reaction velocity and substrate concentrations in hearts from neonatal rabbits at different stages of development. Between 3 and 18 days postpartum, total creatine kinase activity did not change, but the isoenzyme distribution and total creatine content changed. Hearts containing 0, 4, or 9% mito-CK activity were studied at three levels of cardiac performance: KCl arrest and Langendorff and isovolumic beating. The creatine kinase reaction velocity in the direction of MgATP production was measured with 31P magnetization transfer under steady-state conditions. Substrate concentrations were measured with 31P NMR (ATP and creatine phosphate) and conventional biochemical analysis (creatine) or estimated (ADP) by assuming creatine kinase equilibrium. The rate of ATP synthesis by oxidative phosphorylation was estimated with oxygen consumption measurements. These results define three relationships. First, the creatine kinase reaction velocity increased as mito-CK activity increased, suggesting that isoenzyme localization can alter reaction velocity. Second, the reaction velocity increased as the rate of ATP synthesis increased. Third, as predicted by the rate equation, reaction velocity increased with the 3-fold increase in creatine and creatine phosphate contents that occurred during development.     

Once again about the functional coupling between mitochondrial creatine kinase and adenine nucleotide translocase

The synthesis of creatine phosphate (CP) by mitochondrial creatine kinase during oxidative phosphorylation was terminated when the mass action ratio of the creatine kinase reaction = [ADP]·[CP][ATP]·[Cr] became equal to the apparent equilibrium constant (K _eq ^app) of this reaction. Subsequent excess of over the K _eq ^app was due to an increase in the ADP concentration in the medium. A comparable increase in the ADP concentration also occurred in the absence of creatine (Cr) in the incubation medium. Increase in the ADP concentration was shown to be associated with a decrease in the rate of oxidative phosphorylation and with a relative increase in the ATPase activity of mitochondria during the incubation. A low concentration of ADP (<30 M) and relatively high concentrations (1-6 mM) of other components of the creatine kinase reaction prevented the detection of the reverse reaction within 10 min after exceeded the K _eq ^app, but the reverse reaction became evident on more prolonged incubation. The reverse reaction was accompanied by a further increase in . Low ADP concentration in the medium was also responsible for the lack of an immediate conversion of the excess creatine phosphate added although > K _eq ^app. The findings are concluded to be in contradiction with the concept of microcompartment formation between mitochondrial creatine kinase and adenine nucleotide translocase.     

Evolutionary analysis for functional divergence of Jak protein kinase domains and tissue-specific genes

Jak (Janus kinase) is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, which plays important roles in signal transduction pathways. The unique feature of Jak is that, in addition to a fully functional tyrosine kinase domain (JH1), Jak possesses a pseudokinase domain (JH2). Although JH2 lost its catalytic function, experimental evidence has shown that this domain may have acquired some new but unknown functions. This apparent functional divergence after the (internal) domain duplication may result in dramatic changes of selective constraints at some sites. We conducted a data analysis to test this hypothesis. Our result shows that shifted selective constraints (or shifted evolutionary rates) between the JH1 and the JH2 domains are statistically significant. Predicted amino acid sites by posterior analysis can be classified into two groups: very conserved in JH1 but highly variable in JH2, and vice versa. Moreover, we have studied the evolutionary pattern of four tissue-specific genes, Jak1, Jak2, Jak3, and Tyk2, which were generated in the early stages of vertebrates. We found that after the (first) gene duplication, site-specific rate shifts between Jak2/Jak3 and Jak1/Tyk are significant, presumably as a consequence of functional divergence among these genes. The implication of our study for functional genomics is discussed.     

Only one of the two interconvertible forms of mitochondrial creatine kinase binds to heart mitoplasts

When analyzed by cellulose acetate electrophoresis, solubilized pig or rabbit heart mitochondrial creatine kinase is shown to exist under two distinct forms. The less cathodic one (form 1) is a dimer and the other having a higher cathodic mobility (form 2) has a molecular weight of about 350 000. The latter form can be converted into the former by incubation at alkaline pH or when the enzyme forms a reactive or an abortive complex with its substrates. This conversion is a reversible phenomenon and is not due to proteolysis. When rabbit heart mitoplasts are treated with the creatine kinase releasing agents, the enzyme is always solubilized as its form 2 and conversion to form 1, when it occurs, always take place after solubilization. Form 2 is also the only form which can be bound to pig or rabbit mitoplasts. Thus form 2 may be the actual form associated with heart mitochondria in vivo.     

Kinetic properties of the octameric and dimeric forms of mitochondrial creatine kinase and physiological role of the enzyme

It has been found that at pH 7.4 and 2 mg/ml protein, bovine heart mitochondrial creatine kinase (CKm) contains less than 10% of the dimer. The constant for the CKm octamer dissociation into dimers, Kd, in the presence of substrates forming an analog of the complex of the transient state was found to be equal to 4.9 10(-17) M3. Using this value, the experimental conditions were chosen so as to achieve a practically complete dissociation of the octamer into dimers. Evidence has been obtained suggesting that the octamer does not dissociate into dimers during the time course of the kinetic experiments; the corresponding kinetic parameters of the CKm octamer and dimer are as follows: KMgATPm = 82 microM and 42 microM; KCrm = 8.1 mM and 3.4 mM; Vf = 61 and 60 micrograms-equiv. H+ min-1 mg-1; KMgADPm = 43 microM and 17 microM, KCPm = 0.68 mM and 0.23 mM; Vr = 162 and 111 micrograms-equiv. H+ min-1 mg-1. The experimental and calculated data shed additional light on the physiological role of CKm.