Measurement of positional isotope exchange rates in enzyme-catalyzed reactions by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry: application to argininosuccinate synthetase

Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) has been used to measure positional isotope exchange rates in enzyme-catalyzed reactions. The technique has been applied to the reactions catalyzed by acetyl-CoA synthetase and argininosuccinate synthetase. The FAB technique is also able to quantitatively determine the oxygen-18 or oxygen-17 content of nucleotides on as little as 10 nmol of material with no prior derivatization. Acetyl-CoA synthetase has been shown by FAB-MS to catalyze the positional exchange of an oxygen-18 of ATP from the beta-nonbridge position to the alpha beta-bridge position in the presence of acetate. These results are consistent with acetyl adenylate as a reactive intermediate in this reaction. Argininosuccinate synthetase was shown not to catalyze a positional isotope exchange reaction designed to test for the formation of citrulline adenylate as a reactive intermediate. Argininosuccinate synthetase was also found not to catalyze the transfer of oxygen-18 from [ureido-18O]citrulline to the alpha-phosphorus of ATP in the absence of added aspartate. This experiment was designed to test for the transient formation of carbodiimide as a reactive intermediate. These results suggest that either argininosuccinate synthetase does not catalyze the formation of citrulline adenylate or the enzyme is able to completely suppress the rotation of the phosphoryl groups of PPi.     

Stereochemical probes of the argininosuccinate synthetase reaction

The stereochemical course of the argininosuccinate synthetase reaction has been determined. The SP isomer of [alpha-17O,alpha-18O,alpha beta-18O]ATP is cleaved to (SP)-[16O,17O,18O]AMP by the action of argininosuccinate synthetase in the presence of citrulline and aspartate. The overall stereochemical transformation is therefore net inversion, and thus the enzyme does not catalyze the formation of an adenylylated enzyme intermediate prior to the synthesis of citrulline adenylate. The RP isomer of adenosine 5'-O-(2-thiotriphosphate) (ATP beta S) is a substrate in the presence of Mg2+, but the SP isomer is a substrate when Cd2+ is used as the activating divalent cation. Therefore, the lambda screw sense configuration of the beta,gamma-bidentate metal--ATP complex is preferred by the enzyme as the actual substrate. No significant discrimination could be detected between the RP and SP isomers of adenosine 5'-O-(1-thiotriphosphate) (ATP alpha S) when Mg2+ or Mn2+ are used as the divalent cation. Argininosuccinate synthetase has been shown to require a free divalent cation for full activity in addition to the metal ion needed to complex the ATP used in the reaction.     

Pre-steady-state and steady-state kinetic analysis of the low molecular weight phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatase from bovine heart.

The complete time course of the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate catalyzed by the low molecular weight (acid) phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatase from bovine heart was elucidated and analyzed in detail. Burst titration kinetics were demonstrated for the first time with this class of enzyme. At pH 7.0, 4.5 degrees C, a transient pre-steady-state "burst" of p-nitrophenol was formed with a rate constant of 48 s-1. The burst was effectively stoichiometric and corresponded to a single enzyme active site/molecule. The burst was followed by a slow steady-state turnover of the phosphoenzyme intermediate with a rate constant of 1.2 s-1. Product inhibition studies indicated an ordered uni-bi kinetic scheme for the hydrolysis. Partition experiments conducted for several substrates revealed a constant product ratio. Vmax was constant for these substrates, and the overall rate of hydrolysis was increased greatly in the presence of alcohol acceptors. An enzyme-catalyzed 18O exchange between inorganic phosphate and water was detected and occurred with kcat = 4.47 x 10(-3) s-1 at pH 5.0, 37 degrees C. These results were all consistent with the existence of a phosphoenzyme intermediate in the catalytic pathway and with the breakdown of the intermediate being the rate-limiting step. The true Michaelis binding constant Ks = 6.0 mM, the apparent Km = 0.38 mM, and the rate constants for phosphorylation (k2 = 540 s-1) and dephosphorylation (k3 = 36.5 s-1) were determined under steady-state conditions with p-nitrophenyl phosphate at pH 5.0 and 37 degrees C in the presence of phosphate acceptors. The energies of activation for the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis at pH 5.0 and 7.0 were 13.6 and 14.1 kcal/mol, respectively. The activation energy for the enzyme-catalyzed medium 18O exchange between phosphate and water was 20.2 kcal/mol. Using the available equilibrium and rate constants, an energetic diagram was constructed for the enzyme-catalyzed reaction.     

An ATP-linked structural change in protein kinase A precedes phosphoryl transfer under physiological magnesium concentrations

The kinetic mechanism for the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A was evaluated using physiological concentrations of free magnesium (0.5 mM) and a rapid quench flow technique. When the enzyme is pre-equilibrated with ATP, the peptide substrate, LRRASLG (Kemptide), is phosphorylated in a biphasic manner with a rapid, exponential "burst" phase (kb) followed by a slower, linear phase (kL) that corresponds to the steady-state kinetic rate. Both the amplitude and the substrate-rate dependence of the initial, burst phase indicate that the rate of phosphoryl transfer is fast (approximately 500 s-1) and does not limit turnover (45 s-1). Viscosity studies indicate that, while Kemptide is in rapid equilibrium, ATP does not exchange rapidly with the active site and kcat/KATP is limited by the rate constant for nucleotide encounter. When the pre-steady-state kinetic experiments are initiated with ATP, a lag phase is observed at low ATP concentrations consistent with rate-limiting association. At high ATP concentrations (>1 mM), a burst phase is observed but the rate and amplitude are low on the basis of the bimolecular rate constant for ATP association and the rate constant for phosphoryl transfer. The kinetic data indicate that the phosphoryl transfer step is fast at physiological magnesium concentrations, but an ATP-linked conformational change precedes this step, limiting the burst phase rate constant. Simulations of the pre-steady-state kinetic transients indicate that turnover (45 s-1) is limited both by net product release (70 s-1) and by this structural change (170 s-1). This structural change may also occur at high free magnesium concentrations, but it must be significantly faster than 170 s-1 and, consequently, not rate-limiting for turnover (kcat = 20 s-1 at 10 mM free Mg2+). We propose that this conformational event is an obligatory component of the kinetic pathway and includes a movement of the catalytic residues necessary for supporting phosphoryl group donation.     

Structures of argininosuccinate synthetase in enzyme-ATP substrates and enzyme-AMP product forms: stereochemistry of the catalytic reaction

Argininosuccinate synthetase reversibly catalyzes the ATP-dependent condensation of a citrulline with an aspartate to give argininosuccinate. The structures of the enzyme from Thermus thermophilus HB8 complexed with intact ATP and substrates (citrulline and aspartate) and with AMP and product (argininosuccinate) have been determined at 2.1- and 2.0-A resolution, respectively. The enzyme does not show the ATP-induced domain rotation observed in the enzyme from Escherichia coli. In the enzyme-substrate complex, the reaction sites of ATP and the bound substrates are adjacent and are sufficiently close for the reaction to proceed without the large conformational change at the domain level. The mobility of the triphosphate group in ATP and the side chain of citrulline play an important role in the catalytic action. The protonated amino group of the bound aspartate interacts with the alpha-phosphate of ATP and the ureido group of citrulline, thus stimulating the adenylation of citrulline. The enzyme-product complex explains how the citrullyl-AMP intermediate is bound to the active site. The stereochemistry of the catalysis of the enzyme is clarified on the basis of the structures of tAsS (argininosuccinate synthetase from T. thermophilus HB8) complexes.     

Formation and utilization of formyl phosphate by N10-formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase: evidence for formyl phosphate as an intermediate in the reaction

N10-Formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase from bacteria and yeast catalyzes a slow formate-dependent ADP formation in the absence of H4folate. The synthesis of formyl phosphate by the enzyme was detected by trapping the intermediate as formyl hydroxamate. That the "formate kinase" activity was part of the catalytic center of N10-formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase was shown by demonstrating coordinate inactivation of the "kinase" and synthetase activities by heat and a sulfhydryl reagent, similar effects of monovalent cations, similar Km values for substrates, and similar Ki values for the inhibitor phosphonoacetaldehyde for both activities. The relative rates of the kinase activities for the bacterial and yeast enzymes are about 10(-4) and 4 x 10(-6) of their respective synthetase activities. These slow rates for the kinase reaction can be explained by the slow dissociation of ADP and formyl phosphate from the enzyme. This conclusion is supported by rapid-quench studies where a "burst" of ADP formation (6.4 s-1) was observed that is considerably faster than the steady-state rate (0.024 s-1). The demonstration of enzyme-bound products by a micropartition assay and the lack of a significant formate-stimulated exchange between ADP and ATP provide further evidence for the slow release of the products from the enzyme. The synthesis of N10-CHO-H4folate when H4folate was added to the E-formyl phosphate-ADP complex is also characterized by a "burst" of product formation. The rate of this burst phase at 5 degrees C occurs with a rate constant of 18 s-1 compared to 14 s-1 for the overall reaction at the same temperature. These results provide further evidence for formyl phosphate as an intermediate in the reaction and are consistent with the sequential mechanism of the normal catalytic pathway. Positional isotope exchange experiments using [beta,gamma-18O]ATP showed no evidence for exchange during turnover experiments in the presence of either H4folate or the competitive inhibitor pteroyltriglutamate. The absence of scrambling of the 18O label as observed by 31P NMR suggests that the central complex may impose restraints to limit free rotation of the P beta oxygens of the product ADP.     

Synchronization of the three reaction centers within carbamoyl phosphate synthetase

Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase from E. coli catalyzes the synthesis of carbamoyl phosphate through a series of four reactions occurring at three active sites connected by a molecular tunnel of 100 A. To understand the mechanism for coordination and synchronization among the active sites, the pre-steady-state time courses for the formation of phosphate, ADP, glutamate, and carbamoyl phosphate were determined. When bicarbonate and ATP were rapidly mixed with CPS, a stoichiometric burst of acid-labile phosphate and ADP was observed with a formation rate constant of 1100 min(-)(1). The burst phase was followed by a linear steady-state phase with a rate constant of 12 min(-)(1). When glutamine or ammonia was added to the initial reaction mixture, the magnitude and the rate of formation of the burst phase for either phosphate or ADP were unchanged, but the rate constant for the linear steady-state phase increased to an average value of 78 min(-)(1). These results demonstrate that the initial phosphorylation of bicarbonate is independent of the binding or hydrolysis of glutamine. The pre-steady-state time course for the hydrolysis of glutamine in the absence of ATP exhibited a burst of glutamate formation with a rate constant of 4 min(-)(1) when the reaction was quenched with base. In the presence of ATP and bicarbonate, the rate constant for the formation of the burst of glutamate was 1100 min(-)(1). The hydrolysis of ATP thus enhanced the hydrolysis of glutamine by a factor of 275, but there was no effect by glutamine on the initial phosphorylation of bicarbonate. The pre-steady-state time course for the formation of carbamoyl phosphate was linear with an overall rate constant of 72 min(-)(1). The absence of an initial burst of carbamoyl phosphate formation eliminates product release as a rate-determining step for CPS. Overall, these results have been interpreted to be consistent with a mechanism whereby the phosphorylation of bicarbonate serves as the initial trigger for the rest of the reaction cascade. The formation of the carboxy phosphate intermediate within the large subunit must induce a conformational change to the active site of the small subunit that enhances the hydrolysis of glutamine. Thus, ammonia is not released into the molecular tunnel until the activated bicarbonate is ready to form carbamate. The rate-limiting step for the steady-state assembly of carbamoyl phosphate is either the formation, migration, or phosphorylation of the carbamate intermediate.     

Steady-state,Pre-steady-state,and Single-turnover Kinetic Measurement for DNA Glycosylase Activity

Human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) excises the mutagenic oxidative DNA lesion 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG) from DNA. Kinetic characterization of OGG1 is undertaken to measure the rates of 8-oxoG excision and product release. When the OGG1 concentration is lower than substrate DNA, time courses of product formation are biphasic; a rapid exponential phase (i.e. burst) of product formation is followed by a linear steady-state phase. The initial burst of product formation corresponds to the concentration of enzyme properly engaged on the substrate, and the burst amplitude depends on the concentration of enzyme. The first-order rate constant of the burst corresponds to the intrinsic rate of 8-oxoG excision and the slower steady-state rate measures the rate of product release (product DNA dissociation rate constant, k_off). Here, we describe steady-state, pre-steady-state, and single-turnover approaches to isolate and measure specific steps during OGG1 catalytic cycling. A fluorescent labeled lesion-containing oligonucleotide and purified OGG1 are used to facilitate precise kinetic measurements. Since low enzyme concentrations are used to make steady-state measurements, manual mixing of reagents and quenching of the reaction can be performed to ascertain the steady-state rate (k_off). Additionally, extrapolation of the steady-state rate to a point on the ordinate at zero time indicates that a burst of product formation occurred during the first turnover (i.e. y-intercept is positive). The first-order rate constant of the exponential burst phase can be measured using a rapid mixing and quenching technique that examines the amount of product formed at short time intervals (<1 sec) before the steady-state phase and corresponds to the rate of 8-oxoG excision (i.e. chemistry). The chemical step can also be measured using a single-turnover approach where catalytic cycling is prevented by saturating substrate DNA with enzyme (E>S). These approaches can measure elementary rate constants that influence the efficiency of removal of a DNA lesion.     

Yeast argininosuccinate synthetase. Purification; structural and kinetic properties.

Yeast argininosuccinate synthetase has been purified to homogeneity. The enzyme was found to have a molecular weight of 228,000 as determined by gel sieving. It is composed of identical subunits of Mr 49,000 as shown by gel electrophoresis. The quaternary structure as determined by cross-linking of the subunits with glutaraldehyde, followed by gel electrophoresis with dodecylsulfate, is tetrameric. The saturation functions by citrulline and aspartate are hyperbolic; with MgATP as the variable substrate a sigmoid character, dependent on the concentration of citrulline, aspartate, argininosuccinate and arginine, was observed. The positive cooperativity is reduced by increasing concentrations of citrulline and aspartate; it is increased by argininosuccinate and arginine. Kinetic analysis provided evidence for a random addition of substrates. Initial velocity studies as well as product and dead-end inhibition studies comply with a rapid-equilibrium random model, except for the interconversion of the central quaternary complexes; the different kinetic constants have been established on the basis. Yeast argininosuccinate synthetase has a double metabolic function: anabolic in the biosynthesis of arginine, catabolic as the first enzyme of citrulline utilization as nitrogen source. The kinetic properties of the enzyme point to a physiologically well-adjusted activity for both roles and to an economic and efficient utilization of ATP.     

Effects of oligomycin on the partial reactions of the sodium plus potassium-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase

The effects on phosphoenzyme (E-P) formation of ligands which activate Electrophorus (Na,K)-ATPase were investigated in the presence of oligomycin. When the enzyme was allowed to bind oligomycin in the presence of NaCl and MgCl2, subsequent addition of ATP plus KCl produced a monoexponential time course of E-P formation with a rate of 56 s-1, similar to the rate obtained in the uninhibited enzyme phosphorylated by ATP in the absence of KCl. Pi liberation under these conditions was slow and showed no initial burst phase, consistent with the inhibitory effect oligomycin has on the E1-P to E2-P conformational transition. Addition to KCl to a preincubation medium containing oligomycin, NaCl, and MgCl2 had no further effect on E-P formation. However, equilibration with oligomycin, KCl, and MgCl2 prior to the addition of NaCl plus ATP gave a much slower rate of E-P formation (5 s-1) and resulted in an initial rapid release of Pi similar to that found in the uninhibited enzyme. The slow increase in E-P level observed after incubation with oligomycin, KCl, and MgCl2 may be due to secondary formation of an inhibition complex following rapid binding of oligomycin. In contrast to the monophasic behavior which resulted from pre-exposure to NaCl or KCl, preincubation with oligomycin in the presence of MgCl2 plus Tris or Tris alone gave a biphasic pattern of E-P formation in which about 50% of the intermediate accumulated at a rate of 56 s-1 and the remainder at a rate of 5 s-1. In addition, the Pi burst amplitude was reduced, indicating partial inhibition of the enzyme. These results suggest that in the absence of Na+ and K+ only half of the enzyme is inhibited by oligomycin while the remainder undergoes inhibition subsequent to initiation of phosphorylation. Since the oligomycin concentration was saturating, the partial inhibition reflected in the biphasic pattern of E-P formation may be due to half-of-the-sites reactivity in which only half of the subunits bind oligomycin in the absence of monovalent cations.     

Phosphorylation of the calcium-transporting adenosinetriphosphatase by lanthanum ATP: rapid phosphoryl transfer following a rate-limiting conformational change

The calcium-transport ATPase (CaATPase) of rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum preincubated with 0.02 mM Ca2+ (cE.Ca2) is phosphorylated upon the addition of 0.25 mM LaCl3 and 0.3 mM [gamma-32P]ATP with an observed rate constant of 6.5 s-1 (40 mM MOPS, pH 7.0, 100 mM KCl, 25 degrees C). La.ATP binds to cE.Ca2 with a rate constant of 5 X 10(6) M-1 s-1, while ATP, Ca2+, and La3+ dissociate from cE.Ca2.La.ATP at less than or equal to 1 s-1. The reaction of ADP with phosphoenzyme (EP) formed from La.ATP is biphasic. An initial rapid loss of EP is followed by a slower first-order disappearance, which proceeds to an equilibrium mixture of EP.ADP and nonphosphorylated enzyme with bound ATP. The fraction of EP that reacts in the burst (alpha) and the first-order rate constant for the slow phase (kb) increase proportionally with increasing concentrations of ADP to give maximum values of 0.34 and 65 s-1, respectively, at saturating ADP (KADPS = 0.22 mM). The burst represents rapid phosphoryl transfer and demonstrates that ATP synthesis and hydrolysis on the enzyme are fast. The phosphorylation of cE.Ca2 by La.ATP at 6.5 s-1 and the kinetics for the reaction of EP with ADP are consistent with a rate-limiting conformational change in both directions. The conformational change converts cE.Ca2.La.ATP to the form of the enzyme that is activated for phosphoryl transfer, aE.Ca2.La.ATP, at 6.5 s-1; this is much slower than the analogous conformational change at 220 s-1 with Mg2+ as the catalytic ion [Petithory & Jencks (1986) Biochemistry 25, 4493]. The rate constant for the conversion of aE.Ca2.La.ATP to cE.Ca2.La.ATP is 170 s-1. ATP does not dissociate measurably from aE.Ca2.La.ATP. Labeled EP formed from cE.Ca2 and La.ATP with leaky vesicles undergoes hydrolysis at 0.06 s-1. It is concluded that the reaction mechanism of the CaATPase is remarkably similar with Mg.ATP and La.ATP; however, the strong binding of La.ATP slows both the conformational change that is rate limiting for EP formation and the dissociation of La.ATP. An interaction between La3+ at the catalytic site and the calcium transport sites decreases the rate of calcium dissociation by greater than 60-fold. When cE-Ca2 is mixed with 0.3 mM ATP and 1.0 mM Cacl2, the phosphoenzyme is formed with an observed rate constant of 3 s-1. The phosphoenzyme formed from Ca.ATP reacts with 2.0 mM ADP and labeled ATP with a rate constant of 30 s-1; there may be a small burst (alpha less than or equal to 0.05).     

Identification of fumonisin B1 as an inhibitor of argininosuccinate synthetase using fumonisin affinity chromatography and in vitro kinetic studies

Fumonisin B1, a fungal mycotoxin that grows on corn and other agricultural products, alters sphingolipid metabolism by inhibiting ceramide synthase. The precise mechanism of fumonisin B1 toxicity has not been completely elucidated; however, a central feature in the cytotoxicity is alteration of sphingolipid metabolism through interruption of de novo ceramide synthesis. An affinity column consisting of fumonisin B1 covalently bound to an HPLC column matrix was used to isolate a rat liver protein that consistently bound to the column. The protein was identified as argininosuccinate synthetase by protein sequencing. The enzyme-catalyzed formation of argininosuccinic acid from citrulline and aspartate by recombinant human and rat liver argininosuccinate synthetase was inhibited by fumonisin B1. Fumonisin B1 showed mixed inhibition against citrulline, aspartate, and ATP to the enzyme. Fumonisin B1 had a Ki' of approximately 6 mM with the recombinant human argininosuccinate synthase and a Ki' of 35 mM with a crude preparation of enzyme prepared from rat liver. Neither tricarballylic acid nor hydrolyzed fumonisin B1 inhibited recombinant human argininosuccinate synthetase. This is the first demonstration of fumonisin B1 inhibition of argininosuccinate synthethase, a urea cycle enzyme, which adds to the list of enzymes that are inhibited in vitro by fumonisin B1 (ceramide synthase, protein serine/threonine phosphatase). The extent of the inhibition of argininosuccinate synthetase in cells, and the possible role of this enzyme inhibition in the cellular toxicity of FB1, remains to be established.     

Kinetics of the interaction of N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate with the catalytic subunit of aspartate transcarbamoylase. A slow conformational change subsequent to binding

The binding of the bisubstrate ligand N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartate (PALA) to the active sites of both the free catalytic subunit of aspartate transcarbamoylase and the intact holoenzyme causes conformational changes which have been studied extensively. However, no kinetic information has been available about the sequence of events occurring during the formation or dissociation of the complexes. Stopped flow kinetics, 31P saturation transfer NMR spectroscopy, and presteady-state kinetics were used to monitor the interaction of PALA with the catalytic subunit (or a derivative containing nitrotyrosyl chromophores which served as spectral probes). The various experimental approaches lead to a mechanism that includes a rapid binding of PALA with an "on" rate of about 10(8)M-1s-1 and an "off" rate of 28 s-1, followed by a much slower isomerization of the complex with a forward rate constant of 0.18 s-1. Analysis of the presteady-state bursts of enzyme activity when the protein is added to a mixture of substrates and PALA and of the lag in activity when the PALA complex with catalytic subunit is added to substrates yielded a rate constant for the reverse isomerization of 0.018s-1. Thus, the conformational change subsequent to PALA binding leads to a 10-fold increase in the equilibrium constant for complex formation. Stopped flow kinetic measurements of the spectral change resulting from mixing the complex of PALA and nitrated protein with native enzyme showed a slow process with a t1/2 of about 11 s, whereas 31P saturation transfer NMR experiments yielded at t1/2 of about 260 ms for the dissociation of PALA from the complex. This apparent disparity is understood in terms of the two-step binding scheme where rapid dissociation of the initial ligand X enzyme complex is measured by the NMR technique and the slow isomerization of the complex is responsible for the bulk of the stopped flow signal.     

Slow dissociation of ATP from the calcium ATPase

The acyl-phosphate intermediate of the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase reaction, formed in a brief incubation of vesicular enzyme with 5 microM [gamma-32P]ATP and calcium, reacts biphasically with added ADP (pH 7.0, 25 degrees C, 100 mM KCl, 5 mM MgSO4). Both the burst size and the rate constant for the slow phase increase with increasing ADP concentration in the way that is expected if the burst represents very rapid formation of an equilibrium amount of enzyme-bound ATP and the slow phase represents rate-limiting dissociation of ATP. Also consistent with this interpretation are the slow labeling of phosphoenzyme under conditions in which unlabeled ATP must dissociate first and the observation of a burst of ATP formation on ADP addition to phosphoenzyme. Values of the equilibrium constants for ADP dissociation from phosphoenzyme (0.75 mM), for ATP formation on the enzyme (2.3), and for the ATP dissociation rate constant (37 s-1) were obtained from a quantitative analysis of the data.     

Enzyme hyperspecificity. Rejection of threonine by the valyl-tRNA synthetase by misacylation and hydrolytic editing.

Valyl-tRNA synthetase from Bacillus stearothermophilus activates thereonine and forms a 1:1 complex with threonyl adenylate, but it does not catalyze the net formation of threonyl-tRNAVal at pH 7.78 and 25 degrees C in the quenched flow apparatus it decomposes at a rate constant of 36s-1. During this process there is a transient formation of Thr-tRNAVal reaching a maximum at 25 ms and rapidly falling to zero after 150 ms. At the peak, 22% of the (14C) threonine from the complex is present as (14C) Thr-tRNA. The reaction may be quenched with phenol and the partially mischarged tRNA isolated. The enzyme catalyzes its hydrolysis with a rate constant of 40s-1. The data fit a kinetic scheme in which 62% of the threonine from the threonyl adenylate is transferred to the tRNA. This may be compared with the rate constant of 12s-1 at which 84% of the valine is transferred to tRNAVal from the enzyme-bound valyl adenylate, and the rate constant of 0.015s-1 for the subsequent hydrolysis of Val-tRNAVal. Inhibition studies indicate a distinct second site for hydrolysis. The translocation of the aminoacyl moiety between the two sites could be mediated by a transfer between the 2'-and 3'-OH groups of the terminal adenosine fo the tRNA. The hyperspecificity of the enzyme is based on discriminating between the two competing substrates twice: once against the undesired substrate in the synthetic step, and once against the desired substrate in the destructive step.     

Kinetic mechanism of argininosuccinate synthetase

The kinetic mechanism of bovine liver argininosuccinate synthetase has been determined at pH 7.5. The initial velocity and product and dead-end inhibition patterns are consistent with the ordered addition of MgATP, citrulline, and aspartate, followed by the ordered release of argininosuccinate, MgPPi, and AMP. The mechanism is also in accord with the formation of citrulline-adenylate as a reactive intermediate [O. Rochovansky, and S. Ratner, (1967) J. Biol. Chem. 242, 3839-3849]. No evidence was obtained for nonlinear double-reciprocal plots with any of the three substrates.     

Transient kinetics of nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase from bovine heart mitochondria.

Pre-steady-state studies of the isocitrate dehydrogenase reaction show that the rate constant for the hydride-transfer step is above 990s-1, and that both subunits of the enzyme are simulataneously active. After the fast formation of NADPH in amounts equivalent to the enzyme subunit concentration, the rate of NADPH formation is equal to the steady-state rate if the enzyme has been preincubated with isocitrate and Mg2+. If the enzyme has been preincubated with NADP+ and Mg2+, in 0.05 M-triethanolamine chloride buffer, pH 7.0, with the addition of 0.1 M-NaCl, the amount of NADPH formed in the fast phase is only 60% of the enzyme subunit concentration, and the turnover rate is at first lower than the steady-state rate. In 0.05 M-triethanolamine chloride buffer, pH 7.0, if the enzyme is preincubated with NADP+ or NADPH, the turnover rate increases 3-fold to reach the steady-state rate after about 5 s. Preincubation of the enzyme with isocitrate and Mg2+ abolishes this lag phase, the steady-state rate being reached at once. It is suggested that the enzyme exists in at least two conformational forms with different activities, and that the lag phase represents the transition (k = 0.4s-1) from a form with low activity to the fully active enzyme, induced by the binding of isocitrate and Mg2+.     

Mode of interaction of aminooxy compounds with sheep liver serine hydroxymethyltransferase

The interaction of aminooxy compounds such as aminooxyacetate (AAA), L-canaline, and hydroxylamine with sheep liver serine hydroxymethyltransferase (EC 2.1.2.1) was studied by absorption spectra and stopped-flow spectrophotometry and compared with the unique feature of interaction of O-amino-D-serine (OADS) with the enzyme [Baskaran, N., Prakash, V., Appu Rao, A. G., Radhakrishnan, A. N., Savithri, H. S., & Appaji Rao, N. (1989) Biochemistry (preceding paper in this issue)]. The reaction of AAA (0.5 mM) with the Schiff base of the enzyme resulted in the formation of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) and was biphasic with rate constants of 191 and 19 s-1. The formation of the PLP-AAA oxime measured by decrease in absorbance at 388 nm on interaction of AAA with the enzyme had a rate constant of 5.2 M-1 s-1. On the other hand, the reaction of L-canaline with the enzyme was slower as measured by the disruption of enzyme-Schiff base than the reaction of OADS and AAA. In contrast, the formation of PLP as an intermediate could not be detected upon the interaction of hydroxylamine with the enzyme. The reaction of D-cycloserine with the enzyme was much slower (1.6 x 10(2) M-1 s-1) than the aminooxy compounds. These observations indicate that the aminooxy compounds that are structural analogues of serine (OADS, AAA, and canaline) formed PLP as an intermediate prior to the formation of oxime, whereas with hydroxylamine such an intermediate could not be detected.     

Effects of the ligands of beef tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase on the elementary steps of the tRNA(Trp) aminoacylation

Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase catalyzed formation of Trp-tRNA(Trp) has been studied by mixing tRNA(Trp) with a preformed bis(tryptophanyl adenylate)-enzyme complex in the 0-60-ms time range, on a quenched-flow apparatus. Analyzing the data gives an association rate constant ka = (1.22 +/- 0.47) X 10(8) M-1 S-1, a dissociation rate constant kd = 143 +/- 73 S-1, and a dissociation constant Kd = 1.34 +/- 0.80 microM for tRNA(Trp). The maximum rate constant of tryptophan transfer to tRNA(Trp) is kt = 33 +/- 3 S-1. When starting the aminoacylation reaction with a mono(tryptophanyl adenylate)-enzyme complex, one obtains different kinetic profiles than when using a bis(tryptophanyl adenylate)-enzyme complex. Over a 0-400-ms time range, the monoadenylate-enzyme complex yields an apparent first-order reaction, while the bis-adenylate-enzyme complex yields a biphasic aminoacylation of tRNA(Trp). Analysis of Trp-tRNA(Trp) formation from both complexes according to simple reaction schemes shows that the dissociation of tRNA(Trp) from an enzyme subunit carrying no adenylate is 6.9-fold slower than from an enzyme subunit carrying an adenylate. The apparent rate constant of dissociation of nascent tryptophanyl-tRNA(Trp) is 4.9 S-1 in the absence of free tryptophan, which is much slower than its rate of formation (33 S-1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Binding of Ca2+ to the calcium adenosinetriphosphatase of sarcoplasmic reticulum

The binding of Ca2+ and the resulting change in catalytic specificity that allows phosphorylation of the calcium ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum by ATP were examined by measuring the amount of phosphoenzyme formation from [32P]ATP, or 45Ca incorporation into vesicles, after the simultaneous addition of ATP and EGTA at different times after mixing enzyme and Ca2+ (25 degrees C, pH 7.0, 5 mM MgSO4, 0.1 M KCl). A "burst" of calcium binding in the presence of high [Ca2+] gives approximately 12% phosphorylation and internalization of two Ca2+ at very short times after the addition of Ca2+ with this assay. This shows that calcium binding sites are available on the cytoplasmic-facing side of the free enzyme. Calcium binding to these sites induces the formation of cE.Ca2, the stable high-affinity form of the enzyme, with k = 40 s-1 at saturating [Ca2+] and a half-maximal rate at approximately 20 microM Ca2+ (from Kdiss = 7.4 X 10(-7) M for Ca.EGTA). The formation of cE.Ca2 through a "high-affinity" pathway can be described by the scheme E 1 in equilibrium cE.Ca1 2 in equilibrium cE.Ca2, with k1 = 3 X 10(6) M-1 s-1, k2 = 4.3 X 10(7) M-1 s-1, k-1 = 30 s-1, k-2 = 60 s-1, K1 = 9 X 10(-6) M, and K2 = 1.4 X 10(-6) M. The approach to equilibrium from E and 3.2 microM Ca2+ follows kobsd = kf + kr = 18 s-1 and gives kf = kr = 9 s-1. The rate of exchange of 45Ca into the inner position of cE.Ca2 shows an induction period and is not faster than the approach to equilibrium starting with E and 45Ca. The dissociation of 45Ca from the inner position of cE.45Ca.Ca in the presence of 3.2 microM Ca2+ occurs with a rate constant of 7 s-1. These results are inconsistent with a slow conformational change of free E to give cE, followed by rapid binding-dissociation of Ca2+.