Labeling of a thiol residue in sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase by pyrene maleimide. Solvent accessibility studied by fluorescence quenching

Sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase was specifically labeled by the fluorescent probe N-(1-pyrene)maleimide which modified 1 mol of a highly reactive thiol residue per mol of ATPase under appropriate conditions, when the probe concentration was varied in the range 0.1-1.5 microM. Addition of inorganic phosphate to the labeling medium increased both the rate of labeling and the number of modified thiol residues. Addition of ATP gave a marked kinetic protection from labeling, suggesting that the label was attached to a protein domain which is sensitive to changes at the catalytic site. Quenching of pyrene fluorescence emission of labeled ATPase by acrylamide and cesium chloride gave linear Stern-Volmer plots. The Stern-Volmer quenching constants of pyrene-ATPase fluorescence were 10 times lower than the constant obtained for acrylamide quenching of the fluorescent adduct of pyrene-maleimide-cystein used as a control, indicating that the pyrene moiety of the probe was considerably shielded from the medium solvent when covalently attached to the ATPase. The efficiency of quenching of pyrene-ATPase fluorescence increased by a significant amount upon addition of 100 microM Ca2+, when compared to the quenching in the presence of a Ca2+ chelator. It suggests that occupancy of the high affinity Ca2+ sites of the ATPase increases the accessibility of medium solvent into hydrophobic domains of the enzyme. The fluorescence lifetime of the solubilized pyrene-ATPase emission was 144-149 ns. The fluorescence polarization of pyrene-ATPase solubilized by nonionic detergent C12E8 was rho = 0.10 and it increased with an increase in the viscosity of the medium yielding a linear Perrin plot. The rotational correlation time for the soluble ATPase was 532 ns, corresponding to the overall rotation of a detergent-pyrene-ATPase particle with radius of 87A.     

Introduction of a specific binding domain on myoglobin surface by new chemical modification

A new myoglobin, reconstituted with a modified zinc protoporphyrin, having a total of four ammonium groups at the terminal of the two propionate side chains was constructed to introduce a substrate binding site. The protein with a positively charged patch on the surface formed a stable complex with negatively charged substrates, such as hexacyanoferrate(III) and anthraquinonesulfonate via an electrostatic interaction. The complexation was monitored by fluorescence quenching due to singlet electron transfer from the photoexcited reconstituted zinc myoglobin to the substrates. The binding properties were evaluated by Stern-Volmer plots from the fluorescence quenching of the zinc myoglobin by a quencher. Particularly, anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonic acid showed a high affinity with a binding constant of 1.5 x 10(5) M(-1) in 10 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. In contrast, the plots upon the addition of anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid at different ionic strengths indicated that the complex was formed not only by an electrostatic interaction but also by a hydrophobic contact. The findings from the fluorescence studies conclude that the present system is a useful model for discussion of electron transfer via non-covalently linked donor-acceptor pairing on the protein surface.     

Protein structural changes accompanying formation of enzymatic transition states: tryptophan environment in ground-state and transition-state analogue complexes of adenosine deaminase

The accessibility of protein tryptophan fluorescence to the quenching agent acrylamide has been studied in adenosine deaminase and in binary complexes of the enzyme with ground-state or transition-state analogues. Although the enzyme contains three tryptophan residues, Stern-Volmer plots are linear with all the fluorescence quenchable at high acrylamide concentrations. Tryptophan fluorescence is less easily quenched in the binary complexes than in the free enzyme, indicating a decrease in the accessibility of these residues. The greatest decrease in accessibility is found for the transition-state analogue complexes. Although the affinities of the transition-state analogues studied span a range of 10(6), the Stern-Volmer constants of the complexes are the same within experimental error. Thus, as measured by this technique, changes in enzyme conformation accompanying formation of these complexes are similar for all transition-state analogues. Resonance energy transfer from tryptophan as donor to ligand as acceptor successfully explains the differing abilities of ligands to quench the enzyme's intrinsic fluorescence upon formation of complexes in the absence of acrylamide. On the basis of Forster distance calculations, it is likely that the residues partially quenched upon formation of transition-state analogue complexes are distant from the active site.     

Tryptophan fluorescence of mitochondrial complex III reconstituted in phosphatidylcholine bilayers

The tryptophan intrinsic fluorescence of mitochondrial complex III reconstituted in phosphatidylcholine bilayers was examined at different temperatures. Absorption and emission maxima occur at 277 and 332 nm, irrespective of temperature or lipid:protein ratio even if there are indications (from fluorescence quenching) of protein conformational changes as a function of lipid:protein ratio. Low values of Trp fluorescence quantum yield in complex III (0.008-0.010) are probably due to the neighborhood of the heme groups. The temperature-dependent decrease of fluorescence intensity is nonlinear; the corresponding Arrhenius plots show "breaks" or discontinuities that could be interpreted as thermally dependent changes in protein conformation. However, no temperature-dependent changes in fluorescence quenching have been observed that may be related to protein conformational changes. In addition, Arrhenius plots of the fluorescence intensity of simple molecules, such as Trp or 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate in the presence of aqueous phospholipid dispersions, also show breaks in the same temperature range. Stern-Volmer plots of acrylamide and iodide quenching were also nonlinear, indicating large differences in quenching constants for the various tryptophanyl residues. The quenching results also suggest that, at high lipid:protein ratios, the microviscosity of the protein matrix is higher than that in lipid-poor systems. Comparison of quenching efficiencies of iodide and acrylamide suggest that no significant fraction of the fluorophores occurs in the neighborhood of charged residues.     

Temperature studies of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase binding to liposomes using fluorescence technique.

Interaction of rabbit muscle glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase with negatively charged liposomes was investigated as a function of temperature. This interaction affects the temperature-dependent conformational transition in the enzyme and exerts stabilizing effect on the protein structure. It can be seen from the fluorescence quenching experiments that the accessibility of tryptophanyl residues and isoindol probe fluorophores (covalently bound with the protein amino groups) for a dynamic quencher, acrylamide, is altered upon binding. This accessibility represented by effective quenching constant (Keff) strongly depends on temperature for unmodified enzyme and for the enzyme adsorbed on liposomes, it is nearly constant over a wide range of temperatures.     

Interaction between aurovertin and adenine nucleotide binding sites on mitochondrial F1-ATPase and the isolated beta subunit

The effect of aurovertin on the binding parameters of ADP and ATP to native F1 from beef heart mitochondria in the presence of EDTA has been explored. Three exchangeable sites per F1 were titrated by ADP and ATP in the absence or presence of aurovertin. Curvilinear Scatchard plots for the binding of both ADP and ATP were obtained in the absence of aurovertin, indicating one high affinity site (Kd for ADP = 0.6-0.8 microM; Kd for ATP = 0.3-0.5 microM) and two lower affinity sites (Kd for ADP = 8-10 microM; Kd for ATP = 7-10 microM). With a saturating concentration of aurovertin capable of filling the three beta subunits of F1, the curvilinearity of the Scatchard plots was decreased for ATP binding and abolished for ADP binding, indicating homogeneity of ADP binding sites in the F1-aurovertin complex (Kd for ADP = 2 microM). When only the high affinity aurovertin site was occupied, maximal enhancement of the fluorescence of the F1-aurovertin complex was attained with 1 mol of ADP bound per mol of F1 and maximal quenching for 1 mol of ATP bound per mol of F1. When the F1-aurovertin complex was incubated with [3H]ADP followed by [14C]ATP, full fluorescence quenching was attained when ATP had displaced the previously bound ADP. In the case of the isolated beta subunit, both ADP and ATP enhanced the fluorescence of the beta subunit-aurovertin complex. The Kd values for ADP and ATP in the presence of EDTA were 0.6 mM and 3.7 mM, respectively; MgCl2 decreased the Kd values to 0.1 mM for both ADP and ATP. It is postulated that native F1 possesses three equivalent interacting nucleotide binding sites and exists in two conformations which are in equilibrium and recognize either ATP (T conformation) or ADP (D conformation). The negative interactions between the nucleotide binding sites of F1 are strongest in the D conformation. Upon addition of aurovertin, the site-site cooperativity between the beta subunits of F1 is decreased or even abolished.     

Analysis of fluorescence quenching of ribosome-bound virginiamycin S

The two virginiamycin components VM and VS interact synergistically with bacterial ribosomes in vitro and in vivo. Ribosome affinity for virginiamycin S increases about 10-fold upon incubation with virginiamycin M. This effect has been previously traced by spectrofluorimetric measurement based on the enhancement of virginiamycin S fluorescence upon its binding to the 50 S ribosomal subunit. In the present work the action of two virginiamycin S fluorescence quenchers, acrylamide and iodide, has been explored to gather information about the accessibility of ribosome-bound virginiamycin S and the variation of the accessibility level in the presence of virginiamycin M. Both acrylamide (non-ionized quencher) and iodide (ionized quencher) proved powerful quenchers of free virginiamycin S solutions. Since a comparable effect was obtained on 3- hydroxypicolinamide , the latter was indicated as the part of the molecule involved in the fluorescence effect. Fluorescence quenching by either agent was of the dynamic, i.e. collisional, type. Such an inference was based on the fact that these quenchers merely modified the emission spectrum (not the absorption spectrum), the bimolecular rate constant for the quenching process decreased linearly with the viscosity of the medium (static-type quenching is viscosity-independent), and that linear Stern-Volmer plots were obtained. The quenching ability of both agents underwent a sharp decrease in the presence of ribosomes; however, the Stern-Volmer equation was followed only in the case of acrylamide, whereas Lehrer 's relationship had to be applied in the case of iodide. When ribosomes were incubated with virginiamycin M, the fluorescence quenching ability of acrylamide and iodide was significantly reduced. Conclusions are as follows: a) the 3- hydroxypicolinyl residue of virginiamycin S is buried within an open well on the ribosome surface and is likely to be involved in the interaction with the binding site; b) the accessibility to the well is partly controlled by electrostatic forces; c) interaction of ribosomes with virginiamycin M entails a conformational change whereby the access to the well is reduced. These findings provide a molecular explanation for the previously observed increase of the association constant of virginiamycin S to ribosomes incubated with virginiamycin M which was found to be due to the decrease of the dissociation rate constant (the association rate constant remains practically the same).     

Determination of four apparent mercury interaction sites in photosystem II by using a new modification of the Stern-Volmer analysis

We used the Stern-Volmer method to analyze the mercury fluorescence quenching effect in the green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta. To this end, we introduced a new modification of the Stern-Volmer equation on the basis of the Lineweaver-Burk analysis used to characterize allosteric enzyme activity. This modification was useful to determine the Stern-Volmer constant, the parameter indicating the fraction of PSII fluorescence susceptible to the mercury quenching effect (Fs), and to estimate the apparent number of mercury binding sites (Napp = 3.72) on PSII which affect the variable fluorescence. This value of Napp indicates the possibility of four mercury binding sites in the PSII complex. We suggested that this may be related to the mercury inhibition of the oxygen-evolving complex containing four Mn active sites.     

Analysis of inhibitor binding to the mitochondrial cytochrome c reductase by fluorescence quench titration. Evidence for a 'catalytic switch' at the Qo center

The binding characteristics of inhibitors of the mitochondrial cytochrome c reductase were studied by fluorescence quench titration. Based on the standard binding equation, the applied numerical method allowed the online recorded titration curves to be interpreted by fitting the Kd, the number of binding sites, and the specific fluorescence of the free and the bound inhibitor. For the Qi center, 2-n-nonyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide and for the Qo center (E)-beta-methoxyacrylate-stilbene (MOA-stilbene) were used as fluorescing inhibitors. The experiments could be extended to other, non-fluorescing inhibitors by competition analysis. Using this method we were able to compare the binding behaviour of Qi and Qo center inhibitors under different redox states of the enzyme using the same experimental set up. We studied the competition between inhibitors of the cytochrome c reductase representative for all subgroups and demonstrated that at least three inhibitor binding sites exist, two located in the Qo center, one located in the Qi center. Determination of the dissociation constants of the oxidized, the partially reduced and the fully reduced enzyme showed that inhibitor binding at the Qi center is not redox-dependent. In contrast, the binding of MOA-stilbene to the Qo center is decreased after reduction of the iron-sulfur center and cytochrome c1, whereas this redox change increases the affinity for a Qo center inhibitor of the hydroxynaphthoquinone type, 3-n-undecyl-2-hydroxynaphthoquinone. From these results, aware of the fact that the inhibitory mechanism at the Qo center is a non-competitive one, we made the hypothesis of a 'catalytic switch' to explain both the bifurcation of electron flow and the inhibition at the Qo center. A steric blockage of one of two conformational states could serve as a cogent explanation for the great structural variability of the inhibitors and differential effects on the redox centers exerted by the inhibitors. Moreover, the proposed 'switch' gives some insight into other experimental results which are difficult to explain with the ubiquinone cycle as currently formulated.     

Human placental alkaline phosphatase. An improved purification procedure and kinetic studies.

An improved method for the purification of human placental alkaline phosphatase is described. The partially purified enzyme from Sigma was further purified by successive Concanavalin A-Sepharose and Q-Sepharose chromatography. The whole procedure may be completed in one working day. Highly purified enzyme was obtained with a 39% yield. The intrinsic fluorescence of the enzyme decreased at elevated temperature. The conformation of the enzyme molecule was studied by the fluorescence quenching technique. Upward Stern-Volmer plots were obtained for the quenching data which suggested that, in addition to collisional quenching, static quenching was involved in the quenching mechanism. The dynamic and static quenching constants were found to be 0.7 +/- 0.16 M-1 and 0.44 +/- 0.1 M-1, respectively, using acrylamide as the quenching agent. The corresponding values were 0.43 +/- 0.23 M-1 and 0.84 +/- 0.18 M-1, respectively, with KI as the quenching agent. Mg2+ and PO4(3-) induced protein conformational changes which altered both the dynamic and static quenching constants. Mg2+ was found to be a non-essential activator for the placental alkaline-phosphatase-catalyzed hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl phosphate. At pH 9.8, Mg2+ increased Vmax by 1.2-fold without affecting the Kd of the substrate. The tetranitromethane-modified enzyme showed slower migration toward the anode on electrophoresis and increased Kd for Mg2+.     

Immunoaffinity purification and fluorescence studies of human adenosine deaminase

Human thymus adenosine deaminase was isolated by using a monoclonal antibody affinity column. The highly purified enzyme produced by this rapid, efficient procedure had a molecular weight of 44,000. Quenching of the intrinsic protein fluorescence by small molecules was used to probe the accessibility of tryptophan residues in the enzyme and enzyme-inhibitor complexes. The fluorescence emission spectrum of human adenosine deaminase at 295-nm excitation had a maximum at about 335 nm and a quantum yield of 0.03. Addition of polar fluorescence quenchers, iodide and acrylamide, shifted the peak to the blue, and the hydrophobic quencher trichloroethanol shifted the peak to the red, indicating that the emission spectrum is heterogeneous. The fluorescence quenching parameters obtained for these quenchers reveal that the tryptophan environments in the protein are relatively hydrophobic. Binding of both ground-state and transition-state analogue inhibitors caused decreases in the fluorescence intensity of the enzyme, suggesting that one or more tryptophans may be near the active site. The kinetics of the fluorescence decrease were consistent with a slow conformational alteration in the transition-state inhibitor complexes. Fluorescence quenching experiments using polar and nonpolar quenchers were also carried out for the enzyme-inhibitor complexes. The quenching parameters for all enzyme-inhibitor complexes differed from those for the uncomplexed enzyme, suggesting that inhibitor binding causes changes in the conformation of adenosine deaminase. For comparison, parallel quenching studies were performed for calf adenosine deaminase in the absence and presence of inhibitors. While significant structural differences between adenosine deaminase from the two sources were evident, our data indicate that both enzymes undergo conformational changes on binding ground-state and transition-state inhibitors.     

The interaction of vanadate ions with the Ca-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum

The interaction of vanadate ions with the Ca-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles was studied in a native and a fluorescein-labeled ATPase preparation (Pick, U., and Karlish, S. J. D. (1980) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 626, 255-261). Vanadate induced a fluorescence enhancement in a fluorescein-labeled enzyme, indicating that it shifts the equilibrium between the two conformational states of the enzyme by forming a stable E2-Mg-vanadate complex (E2 is the low affinity Ca2+ binding conformational state of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase). Indications for tight binding of vanadate to the enzyme (K1/2 = 10 microM) in the absence of Ca2+ and for a slow dissociation of vanadate from the enzyme in the presence of Ca2+ are presented. The enzyme-vanadate complex was identified by the appearance of a time lag in the onset of Ca2+ uptake and by a slowing of the fluorescence quenching response to Ca2+. Ca2+ prevented the binding of vanadate to the enzyme. Pyrophosphate (Kd = 2 mM) and ATP (Kd = 25 microM) competitively inhibited the binding of vanadate, indicating that vanadate binds to the low affinity ATP binding site. Binding of vanadate inhibited the high affinity Ca2+ binding to the enzyme at 4 degrees C. Vanadate also inhibited the phosphorylation reaction by inorganic phosphate (Ki = 10 microM) but had no effect on the phosphorylation by ATP. It is suggested that vanadate binds to a special region in the low affinity ATP binding site which is exposed only in the E2 conformation of the enzyme in the absence of Ca2+ and which controls the rate of the conformation transition in the dephosphorylated enzyme. The implications of these results to the role of the low affinity ATP binding sites are discussed.     

Effect of metal ions on the fluorescence of leucine aminopeptidase and its dansyl-peptide substrates

The effect of Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Mg(II), and Mn(II) on the fluorescence of porcine kidney cytosol leucine aminopeptidase and three of its dansyl(Dns) peptide substrates, Leu-Gly-NHNH-Dns, Leu-Gly-NH(CH2)2NH-Dns, and Leu-Gly-NH(CH2)6NH-Dns, has been investigated. These five metal ions were chosen for study because each binds to the regulatory metal binding site of leucine aminopeptidase. Since the binding is relatively weak, kinetic studies of the different metalloderivatives of the enzyme are normally carried out in the presence of large molar excesses of these metal ions that can potentially affect both the enzyme and substrate. The fluorescence of all of the dansyl-peptides, as well as several other dansyl species, is quenched by Ni(II) and Cu(II), but not by Mg(II), Mn(II), or Zn(II). The absorption spectra of these dansyl substrates are also perturbed by Ni(II) and Cu(II). The rate at which maximal quenching for some dansyl species is attained after mixing with Ni(II) and Cu(II) is slow and the quenching is reversed on addition of EDTA. These results indicate that the quenching is the result of complex formation between the fluorophores and these metal ions. The association constants for the metal complexes have been determined from Stern-Volmer plots. In addition to complex formation, Ni(II) and Cu(II) cause the degradation of Leu-Gly-NHNH-Dns through a two step mechanism involving loss of dansic acid. Ni(II) and Cu(II) also partially quench the fluorescence of leucine aminopeptidase through contact with its surface accessible Trp residues. These observations indicate that care must be taken in stopped flow fluorescence studies of reactions between this enzyme and its dansyl substrates to avoid adverse effects brought about by Ni(II) and Cu(II).     

Exploring the interaction between tyrphostin 9 and human serum albumin using biophysical and computational methods

Abstract

Tyrphostin 9 (Tyr 9) is a potent platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) inhibitor, which induces apoptosis in various cancer cell types. The binding of Tyr 9 to the major transport protein, human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated using several spectroscopic techniques and molecular docking method. Fluorescence quenching titration results showed progressive decrease in the protein fluorescence with increasing drug concentrations. A decreasing trend of the Stern-Volmer constant, K _sv with increasing temperature characterized the drug-induced quenching as static quenching, thus pointed towards the formation of Tyr 9–HSA complex. The binding constant of Tyr 9–HSA interaction was found to lie within the range 3.48–1.69?×?10⁵ M^?1 at three different temperatures, i.e. 15 °C, 25 °C and 35?°C, respectively and suggested intermediate binding affinity between Tyr 9 and HSA. The drug–HSA complex seems to be stabilized by hydrophobic forces, van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds, as suggested from the thermodynamic data as well as molecular docking results. The far-UV and the near-UV CD spectral results showed slight alteration in the secondary and tertiary structures, respectively, of the protein upon Tyr 9 binding. Interaction of Tyr 9 with HSA also produced microenvironmental perturbations around protein fluorophores, as evident from the three-dimensional fluorescence spectral results but increased protein’s thermal stability. Both competitive drug binding results and molecular docking analysis suggested Sudlow’s Site I of HSA as the preferred Tyr 9 binding site.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma     

Ubiquinone accumulates in the mitochondria of yeast mutated in the ubiquinone binding protein, Qcr8p

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the trans-membrane helix of Qcr8p, the ubiquinone binding protein of complex III, contributes to the Q binding site. In wild-type cells, residue 62 of the helix is non-polar (proline). Substitution of proline 62 with a polar, uncharged residue does not impair the ability of the cells to respire, complex III assembly is unaffected, ubiquinone occupancy of the Q binding site is unchanged, and mitochondrial ubiquinone levels are in the wild-type range. Substitution with a +1 charged residue is associated with partial respiratory competence, impaired complex III assembly, and loss of cytochrome b. Although ubiquinone occupancy of the Q binding site is similar to wild-type, total mitochondrial ubiquinone doubled in these mutants. Mutants with a +2 charged substitution at position 62 are unable to respire. These results suggest that the accumulation of ubiquinone in the mitochondria may be a compensatory mechanism for impaired electron transport at cytochrome b.     

Detection of conformational changes in chloroplast coupling factor 1 by 8-anilino-1-naphthalene-sulphonate fluorescence changes

Chloroplast coupling factor 1 (CF1) contains a high-affinity binding site for 8-anilino-1-napthalene sulphonate (ANS,Kd = 5-6 microM). The binding of ANS to the enzyme is associated with a fluorescence enhancement and a blue-shift in the emission spectrum. ANS only slightly inhibits ATP hydrolysis by CF1. Adenine nucleotides and inorganic phosphate induce a fast ANS fluorescence quenching of about 50% which is due to a decrease in the affinity of the enzyme for ANS (Kd increases from 6 microM to 22 microM) and in the fluorescence quantum yield of the bound probe (by 33%) but not in the number of ANS sites (n = 1). Conversely, Mg and Ca ions induce a fluorescence enhancement of bound ANS. Inactivation of the enzyme enhances ANS fluorescence, eliminates the response to adenine nucleotides and inorganic phosphate but increases the response to divalent metals. The affinity of latent CF1 for ADP (Kd = 12 microM) is considerably higher than for ATP (Kd = 95 microM) in buffer containing EDTA. The Kd for inorganic phosphate is 140 microM. Mg increases the apparent affinity for ATP (Kd = 28 microM) but not for ADP or Pi. Binding of ATP to the tight-sites does not inhibit the ADP or Pi-induced fluorescence quenching but decreases the affinity for ADP (Kd = 34 microM) and for inorganic phosphate (Kd = 320 microM). These results suggest that the ADP and phosphate binding sites are different but not independent from the tight sites. Activation of a Mg-specific ATPase in CF1 by octyl glucoside decreases the affinity for ADP and inorganic phosphate by about threefold but increases the affinity for ATP. ATPase activation of CF1 also increases the Ki for ADP inhibition of ATP hydrolysis. ATPase activation also influences the ANS responses to Ca and Mg. Ca-ATPase activation increases the fluorescence enhancement and the apparent affinity for Ca whereas Mg-ATPase activation specifically increases the Mg-induced fluorescence enhancement. The fluorescence of CF1-bound ANS is enhanced by Dio-9 and quenched by phloridzin, quercetin, Nbf-Cl and FITC. Nbf-Cl and FITC completely inhibit the ADP-induced fluorescence quenching whereas Dio-9 inhibits the Mg-induced fluorescence enhancement. ANS does not relieve the quercetin or phloridzin inhibition of ATP hydrolysis indicating that these inhibitors do not compete with ANS for a common binding site. ANS may be used, therefore, as a sensitive probe to detect conformational changes in CF1 in response to activation or inactivation and to binding of substrates and of inhibitors.     

Hydrophobic surfaces of tubulin probed by time-resolved and steady-state fluorescence of nile red

Binding of Nile Red to tubulin enhances and blue-shifts fluorescence emission to about 623 nm with a "shoulder" around 665 nm. Binding is reversible and saturable with an apparent Kd of approximately 0.6 microM. Nile Red does not alter tubulin polymerization, and polymerization in 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (Mes) buffer does not alter the spectrum of the Nile Red-tubulin complex. In contrast, polymerization in glutamate buffer results in a red shift, reduction of intensity, and a decrease in lifetime, suggesting an increase in "polarity" of the binding environment. Lifetimes of 4.5 and 0.6 ns fluorescence in Mes buffer are associated with the 623-nm peak and the 665-nm shoulder, respectively. Indirect excitation spectra for these components are distinct and the 4.5-ns component exhibits tryptophan to Nile Red energy transfer. Acrylamide quenching yields linear Stern-Volmer plots with unchanged lifetimes, indicating static quenching. Apparent quenching constants are wavelength-dependent; global analysis reveals a quenchable component corresponding to the 4.5 ns component and an "unquenchable" component superposing the 0.6-ns spectrum. Analysis of anisotropy decay required an "associative" model which yielded rotational correlation times of greater than 50 ns for the 4.5-ns lifetime and 0.3 ns for the 0.6-ns lifetime. Dilution of tubulin in Mes results in an apparent red shift of emission without lifetime changes, due only to loss of the 623-nm component. These data are reconciled in terms of a model with two binding sites on the tubulin dimer. The more "nonpolar" site is located in a region of subunit-subunit contact which accounts for the fluorescence changes upon dilution; this permits estimation of a subunit dissociation constant of 1 microM.     

Lifetime and quenching of tryptophan fluorescence in whiting parvalbumin

The fluorescence lifetime of the single tryptophan in whiting parvalbumin has been measured by time-correlated single-photon counting. In the presence of saturating calcium, greater than 2 mol/mol of protein, the decay of fluorescence is accurately single exponential with a lifetime of 4.6 ns (0.1 M KCl, 20 mM borate, 1 mM dithiothreitol, 20 degrees C, pH 9). Upon complete removal of calcium from parvalbumin with ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid the emission decay becomes biphasic, and a second more rapid decay process with a lifetime of 1.3 ns comprising approximately 18% of the fluorescence emission at 350 nm is observed. The fluorescence emission of the calcium-saturated form is not measurably quenched by iodide. In contrast, upon complete removal of calcium, the fluorescence is completely quenchable as shown by extrapolation of the data to infinite iodide concentration. These results indicate that there is a large increase in the accessibility of the tryptophan residue in the protein to solvent upon removal of calcium. Stern-Volmer plots of the quenching data are nonlinear and indicate that there is more than one quenchable conformation of the calcium-free protein. The lifetime and quenching results are consistent with the presence of significant concentrations of only two stoichiometric species, apoparvalbumin and parvalbumin--Ca2, at partial occupancy of the calcium binding sites.     

Accessibility of tryptophan residues in Na,K-ATPase

The accessibility of the tryptophans in dog kidney Na,K-ATPase was studied with the technique of quenching by acrylamide. By use of a modified Stern-Volmer equation, fa, the effective fraction of tryptophans most exposed to quencher, and Ka, the effective quenching constant, were calculated. The direct Stern-Volmer plots are nonlinear under nondenaturing conditions, indicating that the tryptophan residues are unequally accessible to quencher. Modified Stern-Volmer plots revealed marked differences in the exposure of tryptophans in the E1 and E2 states. In the presence of Na or ADP, ligands that stabilize E1, these plots curve downward, indicating that the in addition to buried (unquenched) tryptophans, there is a heterogeneous class of tryptophans. In the presence of K or ouabain, conditions that favor E2, the modified Stern-Volmer plots are linear, consistent with a homogeneous population of tryptophans. Treatment with chymotrypsin to block the E1 to E2 transition results in a new set of quenching parameters which are unchanged with Na or K. Even after detergent denaturation (1% sodium dodecyl sulfate for 30 min), Stern-Volmer plots are nonlinear, and a significant fraction of tryptophan residues remain inaccessible to quencher. Denaturation with urea or guanidine HCl plus dithiothreitol increases the fraction of quenchable fluorescence even more, but still a small fraction, about 7-13%, is buried. The observed changes in exposure of the tryptophan residues would seem to account for the differences in intrinsic fluorescence seen on adding K and Na to Na,K-ATPase. The present results provide new evidence that a significant rearrangement of amino acid residues results from the E1 to E2 transition. Furthermore, a region of the molecule is inaccessible even after denaturation; this may correspond to highly hydrophobic stretches that are normally buried in the membrane.     

Spectroscopic studies of arsenic(III) binding to Escherichia coli RI methyltransferase and to two mutants, C223S and W183F.

The interactions of an arsenic (III) reagent, (CH3)2AsSCH2CONH2, with two Escherichia coli RI methyltransferase mutants, W183F and C223S, have been studied by phosphorescence, optically detected magnetic resonance, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The phosphorescence spectrum of the W183F mutant containing only one tryptophan at position 225 reveals a single 0,0-band that is red-shifted by 9.8 nm upon binding of As(III). Fluorescence titration of W183F with (CH3)2AsSCH2CONH2 produces a large tryptophan fluorescence quenching. Analysis of the quenching data points to a single high-affinity As(III) binding site that is associated with the fluorescence quenching. Triplet-state kinetic measurements performed on the perturbed tryptophan show large reductions in the lifetimes of the triplet sublevels, especially that of the T chi sublevel. As(III) binding to the enzyme at a site very close to the Trp225 residue induces an external heavy-atom effect, showing that the perturber atom is in van der Waals contact with the indole chromophore. In the case of the C223S mutant, a single tryptophan 0,0-band also is observed in the phosphorescence spectrum, but no change occurs upon addition of the As(III) reagent. Fluorescence titration of C223S with As(III) shows essentially no quenching of tryptophan fluorescence, in contrast with W183F. These results, along with previous triplet-state and biochemical studies on the wild-type enzyme [Tsao, D. H.H., & Maki, A. H. (1991) Biochemistry 30, 4565-4572], show that As(III) binds with high affinity to the Cys223 residue and that the Trp225 side chain is located close enough to that of Cys223 to produce a heavy-atom perturbation when As(III) is bound.