Purification of creatine kinase from beef heart mitochondria]

53-fold purified creatine kinase is isolated from beef heart mitochondria by phosphate buffer extraction followed by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and KM-cellulose and preparative electrophoresis in phosphate buffer density gradient. The purified enzyme was homogenous under electrophoresis in agarose gel and moved to cathode. The enzyme did not enter into separating gel under disc electrophoresis in conditions for the separation of neutral anc acid proteins, while under conditions for separating alkaline proteins it produced five fractions. The stability of creatine kinase under storage considerably decreased after the purification.     

The structural features of beef heart mitochondrial creatine kinase.

Two forms of mitochondrial creatine kinase (Mi-CK) having Mr 320 kDa and 240 kDa as determined by gel-filtration on Sephacryl S-300 in 0.1 M Tris-HCl pH 7.4 were investigated. The sedimentation coefficient values for these two forms were found to be identical and equal to 12.3 S. When studied by electron microscopy the main type of images for the 320 kDa and 240 kDa Mi-CK appeared as annular particles, 12-14 nm in diameter, with a well-detected subunit structure and a central hollow, 3-4nm in diameter filled with the dye. The results of the averaging of the main type of individual Mi-CK images and particles of the two-dimensional crystal layer point to the overall geometry of the Mi-CK molecule structure as containing eight subunits arranged by a 4-fold symmetry around the central hollow. It may be that the eight identical subunits of crystalline Mi-CK are arranged with a P422 symmetry. However in both cases the averaged main images do not show a mirror symmetry. The multiplicity of the observed projections close to annular one provides additional evidence in favour of the great lability and structural mobility of the Mi-CK subunits. It allows to assume that two forms (320 kDa and 240 kDa) are not the different oligomers but they are two functionally distinct conformational states of octameric molecule of Mi-CK.     

Properties of creatine kinase from skeletal muscle mitochondria

Creatine kinase from pigeon breast muscle was obtained in a homogeneous (as evidenced from polyacrylamide gel SDS electrophoresis) state. The molecular mass of the enzyme monomer is 43,000. Ultracentrifugation in a sucrose density gradient and gel filtration revealed that the enzyme is present in solution as a mixture of two major forms, i.e., octamer and dimer, which differ in their activity. The decrease of ionic strength from 0.25 to 0.02 results in reversible dissociation of the octameric form. A temperature rise from 5 degrees to 20 degrees C or the nature of monovalent anions (e.g., Cl-, CH3COO-, NO3-) and cations (K+, Na+) present in the medium do not influence the distribution of oligomeric forms. At pH 6.0 the major form is represented by the octamer; its dissociation is caused by an increase of pH. The octamer dissociation occurs in a mixture of substrates of the creatine kinase reaction in the presence of Mg2+; no such dissociation is observed in the absence of Mg2+ and in the presence of each of the reaction substrates. The non-interacting pair of substrates--ADP and creatine--causes the dissociation of the octamer in the presence of nitrate ions but not acetate. It is concluded that the dissociating effect of substrates is due to the conformational changes of subunits during catalysis. At physiological concentrations of nucleotide substrates the degree of octamer dissociation depends on the ratio of creatine phosphate and creatine concentrations, as well as on the presence of chlorine and phosphate ions. A qualitative estimation of the rate of pH- and substrate-dependent dissociation of creatine kinase octamer revealed that under the given experimental conditions the pH-dependent dissociation is completed within hours, whereas the substrate-dependent one--within seconds or minutes. According to its properties, mitochondrial creatine kinase from pigeon breast muscle is close to its bovine heart counterpart; the observed differences were found to be quantitative.     

Essential arginine residues in tryptophanase from Escherichia coli.

Tryptophanase from Escherichia coli B/1t7-A is inactivated by the arginine-specific reagent, phenylglyoxal, in potassium phosphate buffer at pH 7.8 AND 25 degrees. Apo- and holoenzyme are inactivated at the same rate, and inactivation of both is correlated with modification of 2 arginine residues/tryptophanase monomer. Substrate analogs having a carboxyl group protect the holoenzyme against both inactivation and arginine modification but have no effect on the inactivation or modification of the apoenzyme. Phenylglyoxal-modified apotryptophanase retains the capacity to bind the coenzyme, pyridoxal-P, but the spectrum of this reconstituted species differs from that of native holotryptophanase. Neither this reconstituted species nor the phenyglyoxal-modified holoenzyme shows the 500 nm absorption characteristic of the native enzyme when substrates are added. These results demonstrate a requirement for specific arginine residues for substrate binding and are discussed in the context of the known conformational and spectal forms of tryptophanase with regard to a possible role for arginine residues in formation of a catalytically effective enzyme-pyridoxal-P complex.     

Proteolytic susceptibility of creatine kinase isozymes and arginine kinase

The time course and dose-response to proteolysis of three dimeric isozymes of creatine kinase, CK-MM (muscle), CK-BB (brain), and CK-MB (heart) and the homologous monomer, arginine kinase were compared. Chymotrypsin and trypsin cause a rapid and significant loss of intact CK-BB, but limited hydrolysis of CK-MM. After 1h of hydrolysis by chymotrypsin, 80% of CK-MM is intact as judged by quantification of monomers after electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. While 50% of the intact monomers of CK-MB remain under these conditions, no CK-BB monomers are detected. These results indicate that treatment with chymotrypsin leads to a CK-MB devoid of the B-subunit. When treated with trypsin for 1h, CK-MM is totally resistant to hydrolysis and all CK-BB is highly degraded. However, CK-MB exhibits approximately 90% intact monomers, indicating survival of intact B-subunit in CK-MB. This suggests that heterodimerization of a B-subunit with an M-subunit may have a protective effect against hydrolysis by trypsin. In view of the considerably larger number of potentially tryptic sensitive sites on the muscle isozyme, the resistance of CK-MM and susceptibility of CK-BB dimers to trypsin implies that differences in subunit tertiary structure are a factor in proteolysis of the homodimeric isozymes. Arginine kinase is rapidly degraded by trypsin, but is minimally affected by chymotrypsin. The finding that both a monomeric (arginine kinase) and dimeric (CK-BB) phosphagen kinase are highly susceptible to proteolysis by trypsin indicates that quaternary structure is not, in and of itself, an advantage in resistance to proteolysis. Since both arginine kinase and muscle creatine kinase are resistant to chymotryptic hydrolysis, it seems unlikely that in general, the increased packing density, which may result from dimerization can account for the stability of CK-MM towards trypsin.     

Determination of molar content of creatine kinase in heart mitochondria by SH-reagents

The maximal content of mitochondrial isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK) in rat heart mitochondria does not exceed 12.5 moles per mole of ATP-ADP translocase. This value was obtained by titration of mitochondrial CK activity in aged mitochondria by 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate) (DTNB) and 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) and by a more complex and accurate method. The essential thiol groups of membrane-bound mitochondrial CK (and its enzymic activity) can be specifically protected by phosphocreatine (12 mM) + ADP (1-5 mM) against inactivation by DTNB. Mitochondria with protected SH-groups of CK and with groups inactivated by DTNB were repeatedly incubated with DTNB under identical conditions and the number of additionally reacted sulfhydryl groups and the changes in CK activity were measured. The differences in the number of additionally reacted SH-groups correlated with the changes in the CK activity, which made it possible to calculate the molar ratios of mitochondrial CK to cytochrome c oxidase and ATP-ADP translocase (2.16 +/- (0.4): 1:2, respectively).     

The effect of inorganic phosphate on creatine kinase in respiring rat heart mitochondria

The ability of creatine to stimulate the respiration of rat heart mitochondria in vitro is reversibly affected by the concentration of inorganic phosphate. The rate of oxygen consumption due to post-ADP state-4 respiration in the presence of 20 mm creatine is reduced significantly when the potassium phosphate concentration is raised from 5 to 20 mm. State-3 respiration is reduced only by potassium phosphate concentrations higher than 20 mm. The rate of synthesis of creatine phosphate is also affected by phosphate concentration, and the apparent K_m of the coupled reactions for ADP is significantly higher at 25 mm phosphate as compared to that at 5 mm phosphate. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that inorganic phosphate acts as an effector molecule, regulating creatine phosphate synthesis by favoring the dissociation of mitochondrial creatine kinase from the mitochondrial membrane. Such regulation may be important in the case of cells undergoing partial or severe ischemia, where changes in phosphate concentration within this range have been reported.     

The role of creatine kinase and arginine kinase in muscle.

Arginine and creatine kinase activities in different muscles are compared with calculated maximum rates of ATP turnover. The magnitude of the kinase activities decreases in the following order: anaerobic muscles and vertebrate skeletal muscles greater than heart muscle greater than insect flight muscle. The maximum activity of phosphagen kinases (i.e. creatine kinase and arginine kinase), in the direction of phosphagen formation, is lower than the calculated maximum rate of ATP turnover in insect flight muscle or rat heart.     

Essential arginine residues in the nitrate uptake system from corn seedling roots

Three dicarbonyl reagents were used to demonstrate the presence of an essential arginine residue in the NO₃⁻ uptake system from corn seedling roots (Zea mays L., Golden Cross Bantam). Incubation of corn seedlings with 2,3-butanedione (0.125-1.0 millimolar) and 1,2-cyclohexanedione (0.5-4.0 millimolar) in the presence of borate or with phenylglyoxal (0.25-2.0 millimolar) at pH 7.0 and 30°C resulted in a time-dependent loss of NO₃⁻ uptake following pseudo-first-order kinetics. Second-order rate constants obtained from slopes of linear plots of pseudo-first-order rate constants versus reagent concentrations were 1.67 × 10⁻², 0.68 × 10⁻², and 1.00 × 10⁻² millimolar per minute for 2,3-butanedione, 1,2-cyclohexanedione, and phenylglyoxal, respectively, indicating the faster rate of inactivation with 2,3-butanedione at equimolar concentration. Double log plots of pseudo-first-order rate constants versus reagent concentrations yielded slope values of 1.031 (2,3-butanedione), 1.004 (1,2-cyclohexanedione), and 1.067 (phenylglyoxal), respectively, suggesting the modification of a single arginine residue. The effectiveness of the dicarbonyl reagents appeared to increase with increasing medium pH from 5.5 to 8.0. Unaltered K_m and decreased V_max in the presence of reagents indicate the inactivation of the modified carriers with unaltered properties. The results thus obtained indicate that the NO₃⁻ transport system possesses at least one essential arginine residue.