Inactivation of Escherichia coli acetate kinase by N-ethylmaleimide. Protection by substrates and products

Acetate kinase (ATP:acetate phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.2.1) from Escherichia coli exhibited a time-dependent loss of activity when incubated with N-ethylmaleimide at micromolar concentrations. However, prolonged incubation did not eliminate all catalytic activity and generally about 15% of its initial activity remained. When incubated with 7.2 microM N-ethylmaleimide, acetate kinase was inactivated with a rate constant of 0.063 min-1. Adenine nucleotides, ATP, ADP and AMP, protected the enzyme against such inactivation, but acetate up to 3.0 M and in the presence of 0.2 M MgCl2 and acetyl phosphate at 24 mM did not interfere with the rate of inactivation. While both acetate and acetyl phosphate did not affect the protection rendered by AMP, the presence of acetyl phosphate altered ADP protection. However, both substrates prevented ATP from protecting the enzyme. These data suggest that the binding sites for acetate and acetyl phosphate are different from that of the adenosine binding domain, but are in close vicinity to the phosphoryl binding regions of the nucleotides.     

Characterization of the acetate binding pocket in the Methanosarcina thermophila acetate kinase

Acetate kinase catalyzes the reversible magnesium-dependent synthesis of acetyl phosphate by transfer of the ATP gamma-phosphoryl group to acetate. Inspection of the crystal structure of the Methanosarcina thermophila enzyme containing only ADP revealed a solvent-accessible hydrophobic pocket formed by residues Val(93), Leu(122), Phe(179), and Pro(232) in the active site cleft, which identified a potential acetate binding site. The hypothesis that this was a binding site was further supported by alignment of all acetate kinase sequences available from databases, which showed strict conservation of all four residues, and the recent crystal structure of the M. thermophila enzyme with acetate bound in this pocket. Replacement of each residue in the pocket produced variants with K(m) values for acetate that were 7- to 26-fold greater than that of the wild type, and perturbations of this binding pocket also altered the specificity for longer-chain carboxylic acids and acetyl phosphate. The kinetic analyses of variants combined with structural modeling indicated that the pocket has roles in binding the methyl group of acetate, influencing substrate specificity, and orienting the carboxyl group. The kinetic analyses also indicated that binding of acetyl phosphate is more dependent on interactions of the phosphate group with an unidentified residue than on interactions between the methyl group and the hydrophobic pocket. The analyses also indicated that Phe(179) is essential for catalysis, possibly for domain closure. Alignments of acetate kinase, propionate kinase, and butyrate kinase sequences obtained from databases suggested that these enzymes have similar catalytic mechanisms and carboxylic acid substrate binding sites.     

Purification and properties of an acetate kinase from Rhodopseudomonas palustris

An acetate kinase from the photolithoautotrophically grown purple bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris was purified to apparent homogeneity by use of high resolving liquid chromatography steps. The monomeric enzyme was characterized by a relative molecular mass of 46,500 and an isoelectric point of 4.9. There was an absolute requirement for divalent metal ions in the enzymatic reaction. Mg2+ and Mn2+ were the most activating cations. The acetate kinase used pyrimidine and purine nucleotides almost equally well as phosphoryl donors. The enzyme phosphorylated acetate, propionate, butyrate and isobutyrate. ATP and acetate revealed the lowest apparent Km values and seemed to act as the favoured substrates. The apparent Km values for ATP formation were considerable lower than those for the formation of acetyl phosphate. The activation energy Ea = 21 kJ/mol of the acetyl phosphate formation was determined by application of Arrhenius plots.     

Direct Detection of the Acetate-forming Activity of the Enzyme Acetate Kinase

Acetate kinase, a member of the acetate and sugar kinase-Hsp70-actin (ASKHA) enzyme superfamily^1-5, is responsible for the reversible phosphorylation of acetate to acetyl phosphate utilizing ATP as a substrate. Acetate kinases are ubiquitous in the Bacteria, found in one genus of Archaea, and are also present in microbes of the Eukarya⁶. The most well characterized acetate kinase is that from the methane-producing archaeon Methanosarcina thermophila^7-14. An acetate kinase which can only utilize PP_i but not ATP in the acetyl phosphate-forming direction has been isolated from Entamoeba histolytica, the causative agent of amoebic dysentery, and has thus far only been found in this genus^15,16.In the direction of acetyl phosphate formation, acetate kinase activity is typically measured using the hydroxamate assay, first described by Lipmann^17-20, a coupled assay in which conversion of ATP to ADP is coupled to oxidation of NADH to NAD⁺ by the enzymes pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase^21,22, or an assay measuring release of inorganic phosphate after reaction of the acetyl phosphate product with hydroxylamine²³. Activity in the opposite, acetate-forming direction is measured by coupling ATP formation from ADP to the reduction of NADP⁺ to NADPH by the enzymes hexokinase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase²⁴.Here we describe a method for the detection of acetate kinase activity in the direction of acetate formation that does not require coupling enzymes, but is instead based on direct determination of acetyl phosphate consumption. After the enzymatic reaction, remaining acetyl phosphate is converted to a ferric hydroxamate complex that can be measured spectrophotometrically, as for the hydroxamate assay. Thus, unlike the standard coupled assay for this direction that is dependent on the production of ATP from ADP, this direct assay can be used for acetate kinases that produce ATP or PP_i.     

Purification and characterization of two extremely thermostable enzymes, phosphate acetyltransferase and acetate kinase, from the hyperthermophilic eubacterium Thermotoga maritima

Phosphate acetyltransferase (PTA) and acetate kinase (AK) of the hyperthermophilic eubacterium Thermotoga maritima have been purified 1,500- and 250-fold, respectively, to apparent homogeneity. PTA had an apparent molecular mass of 170 kDa and was composed of one subunit with a molecular mass of 34 kDa, suggesting a homotetramer (alpha4) structure. The N-terminal amino acid sequence showed significant identity to that of phosphate butyryltransferases from Clostridium acetobutylicum rather than to those of known phosphate acetyltransferases. The kinetic constants of the reversible enzyme reaction (acetyl-CoA + Pi -->/<-- acetyl phosphate + CoA) were determined at the pH optimum of pH 6.5. The apparent Km values for acetyl-CoA, Pi, acetyl phosphate, and coenzyme A (CoA) were 23, 110, 24, and 30 microM, respectively; the apparent Vmax values (at 55 degrees C) were 260 U/mg (acetyl phosphate formation) and 570 U/mg (acetyl-CoA formation). In addition to acetyl-CoA (100%), the enzyme accepted propionyl-CoA (60%) and butyryl-CoA (30%). The enzyme had a temperature optimum at 90 degrees C and was not inactivated by heat upon incubation at 80 degrees C for more than 2 h. AK had an apparent molecular mass of 90 kDa and consisted of one 44-kDa subunit, indicating a homodimer (alpha2) structure. The N-terminal amino acid sequence showed significant similarity to those of all known acetate kinases from eubacteria as well that of the archaeon Methanosarcina thermophila. The kinetic constants of the reversible enzyme reaction (acetyl phosphate + ADP -->/<-- acetate + ATP) were determined at the pH optimum of pH 7.0. The apparent Km values for acetyl phosphate, ADP, acetate, and ATP were 0.44, 3, 40, and 0.7 mM, respectively; the apparent Vmax values (at 50 degrees C) were 2,600 U/mg (acetate formation) and 1,800 U/mg (acetyl phosphate formation). AK phosphorylated propionate (54%) in addition to acetate (100%) and used GTP (100%), ITP (163%), UTP (56%), and CTP (21%) as phosphoryl donors in addition to ATP (100%). Divalent cations were required for activity, with Mn2+ and Mg2+ being most effective. The enzyme had a temperature optimum at 90 degrees C and was stabilized against heat inactivation by salts. In the presence of (NH4)2SO4 (1 M), which was most effective, the enzyme did not lose activity upon incubation at 100 degrees C for 3 h. The temperature optimum at 90 degrees C and the high thermostability of both PTA and AK are in accordance with their physiological function under hyperthermophilic conditions.     

Acetate kinase from Veillonella alcalescens. Regulation by succinate and substrates.

The kinetic properties of acetate kinase from Veillonella alcalescens were investigated. In the presence of high concentrations of nucleotide both forward and reverse reactions were observed. In the presence of succinate the degree of cooperativity between subunits of the homodimer decreased, i.e. the Hill coefficient, n, decreased from 2.5 to 1.4 for acetyl phosphate in the presence of succinate. At low substrate concentrations hyperbolic kinetic data were observed with succinate. We have proposed a modified version of the concerted symmetry model to describe the kinetics observed with this enzyme. The primary differentiating feature of the proposed model is the requirement for activator ligand binding for catalysis. In the absence of succinate, the substrate (acetate or acetyl phosphate) also functions as an activating ligand.     

Evidence for an essential arginine residue at the active site of Escherichia coli acetate kinase

Escherichia coli acetate kinase (ATP: acetate phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.2.1.) was inactivated in the presence of either 2,3-butanedione in borate buffer or phenylglyoxal in triethanolamine buffer. When incubated with 9.4 mM phenylglyoxal or 5.1 mM butanedione, the enzyme lost its activity with an apparent rate constant of inactivation of 0.079 min-1, respectively. The loss of enzymatic activity was concomitant with the loss of an arginine residue per active site. Phosphorylated substrates of acetate kinase, ATP, ADP and acetylphosphate as well as AMP markedly decreased the rate of inactivation by both phenylglyoxal and butanedione. Acetate neither provided any protection nor affected the protection rendered by the adenine nucleotides. However, it interfered with the protection afforded by acetylphosphate. These data suggest that an arginine residue is located at the active site of acetate kinase and is essential for its catalytic activity, probably as a binding site for the negatively charged phosphate group of the substrates.     

Crystal structures of ADP and AMPPNP-bound propionate kinase (TdcD) from Salmonella typhimurium: comparison with members of acetate and sugar kinase/heat shock cognate 70/actin superfamily

Recently, it has been shown that l-threonine can be catabolized non-oxidatively to propionate via 2-ketobutyrate. Propionate kinase (TdcD; EC 2.7.2.-) catalyses the last step of this metabolic process by enabling the conversion of propionyl phosphate and ADP to propionate and ATP. To provide insights into the substrate-binding pocket and catalytic mechanism of TdcD, the crystal structures of the enzyme from Salmonella typhimurium in complex with ADP and AMPPNP have been determined to resolutions of 2.2A and 2.3A, respectively, by molecular replacement using Methanosarcina thermophila acetate kinase (MAK; EC 2.7.2.1). Propionate kinase, like acetate kinase, contains a fold with the topology betabetabetaalphabetaalphabetaalpha, identical with that of glycerol kinase, hexokinase, heat shock cognaten 70 (Hsc70) and actin, the superfamily of phosphotransferases. The structure consists of two domains with the active site contained in a cleft at the domain interface. Examination of the active site pocket revealed a plausible structural rationale for the greater specificity of the enzyme towards propionate than acetate. This was further confirmed by kinetic studies with the purified enzyme, which showed about ten times lower K(m) for propionate (2.3 mM) than for acetate (26.9 mM). Comparison of TdcD complex structures with those of acetate and sugar kinase/Hsc70/actin obtained with different ligands has permitted the identification of catalytically essential residues involved in substrate binding and catalysis, and points to both structural and mechanistic similarities. In the well-characterized members of this superfamily, ATP phosphoryl transfer or hydrolysis is coupled to a large conformational change in which the two domains close around the active site cleft. The significant amino acid sequence similarity between TdcD and MAK has facilitated study of domain movement, which indicates that the conformation assumed by the two domains in the nucleotide-bound structure of TdcD may represent an intermediate point in the pathway of domain closure.     

The anaerobic formation of propionic acid in the mitochondria of the lugwormArenicola marina

Summary The anaerobic transformation of malate and succinate into propionate was demonstrated in homogenates and mitochondria isolated from the body wall musculature ofArenicola marina, a facultative anaerobic polychaete. Synthesis of propionate from succinate was enhanced by the addition of malate and ADP. In the presence of malate, acetate was formed in addition to propionate. Maximal quantities of both fatty acids were produced by mitochondria incubated with malate, succinate, and ADP. Since the rate of propionate production in this case was about the same as in homogenates when related to fresh weight, it is concluded that the enzymatic system involved is localized exclusively in the mitochondria. The rate of propionate production is correlated with the concentration of succinate, saturation being reached at about 5 mM. In tracer experiments using (methyl-¹⁴C)-malonyl-CoA, 2,3-¹⁴C-succinate, and 1-¹⁴C-propionate as precursors, the pathway of the transformation of succinate into propionate was examined. The results indicate that methylmalonyl-CoA is an intermediary product. It was shown that the synthesis of propionate from succinate is coupled to the formation of ATP. The ratio ATP/propionate was 0.76. Dinitrophenol had only a slight effect on this ratio, although the utilization of succinate was inhibited considerably. It is concluded that in vivo substrate level phosphorylation occurs equimolar to the formation of propionate from succinate.Abbreviations Ap ₅ A P₁,P₅-di(adenosine-5-)pentaphosphate - DNP 2,4-dinitrophenol - mma methylmalonic acid - mm-CoA methylmalonyl-CoA Enzymes EC 6.2.1.1 Acetate thiokinase (AMP) - EC 3.6.1.3 actomyosin ATPase - EC 2.7.4.3 adenylate kinase - EC 2.8.3.1 CoA transferase - EC 2.7.1.1 hexokinase - EC 2.1.3.1 methylmalonyl-CoA carboxyltransferase - EC 5.4.99.1 methylmalonyl-CoA isomerase - EC 5.1.99.1 methylmalonyl-CoA racemase - EC 6.4.1.3 propionyl-CoA carboxylase - EC 1.2.4.1 pyruvate dehydrogenase Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Gr 456/6     

ATP synthesis in a succinate decarboxylase system from Fasciola hepatica mitochondria

Köhler P. B.,Ryant C. and Behm Carolyn A. 1978. ATP synthesis in a succinate decarboxylase system from Fasciola hepatica mitochondria. International Journal for Parasitology8: 399–404. Succinate decarboxylation was measured by the formation of ¹⁴CO₂ from 1,4-¹⁴C-succinate in a particle free, dialysed mitochondrial extract from liver fluke. It has an absolute requirement for Mg²⁺ and CoA. ATP, ADP and inorganic phosphate are essential for optimal activity. Ap₅A, an inhibitor of adenylate kinase, and glutathione are also necessary. GTP supports decarboxylation as well as ATP, provided ADP is also present. The formation of CO₂ and propionate greatly exceeds the amount of ATP and CoA initially present in the reaction mixture. A net, substrate-level phosphorylation of ADP occurs, the amount of ATP formed being equivalent to the production of CO₂ or propionate. This system is inhibited in flukes incubated in vitro with mebendazole.It is concluded that ATP is required to spark the fermentation system when succinate is the initial substrate and intermediate substrates are absent; that the terminal step in propionate formation is catalysed by a transferase which transfers CoA from propionyl CoA to succinate; and that ATP formation is coupled to the decarboxylation of methylmalonyl-CoA. A reaction scheme is presented.     

Biochemical and Kinetic Characterization of the Recombinant ADP-Forming Acetyl Coenzyme A Synthetase from the Amitochondriate Protozoan Entamoeba histolytica

Entamoeba histolytica, an amitochondriate protozoan parasite that relies on glycolysis as a key pathway for ATP generation, has developed a unique extended PP_i-dependent glycolytic pathway in which ADP-forming acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase (ACD; acetate:CoA ligase [ADP-forming]; EC 6.2.1.13) converts acetyl-CoA to acetate to produce additional ATP and recycle CoA. We characterized the recombinant E. histolytica ACD and found that the enzyme is bidirectional, allowing it to potentially play a role in ATP production or in utilization of acetate. In the acetate-forming direction, acetyl-CoA was the preferred substrate and propionyl-CoA was used with lower efficiency. In the acetyl-CoA-forming direction, acetate was the preferred substrate, with a lower efficiency observed with propionate. The enzyme can utilize both ADP/ATP and GDP/GTP in the respective directions of the reaction. ATP and PP_i were found to inhibit the acetate-forming direction of the reaction, with 50% inhibitory concentrations of 0.81 ± 0.17 mM (mean ± standard deviation) and 0.75 ± 0.20 mM, respectively, which are both in the range of their physiological concentrations. ATP and PP_i displayed mixed inhibition versus each of the three substrates, acetyl-CoA, ADP, and phosphate. This is the first example of regulation of ACD enzymatic activity, and possible roles for this regulation are discussed.     

Effect of ADP on the rate of acetyl phosphate hydrolysis by the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum

Hydrolysis of acetyl phosphate is inhibited by high concentrations of Pi and MgCl2, probably due to an increase in the steady-state level of phosphoenzyme formed from Pi in the medium. A dual effect of ADP during steady-state hydrolysis of acetyl phosphate was observed. ADP inhibited hydrolysis in the presence of 5 mM MgCl2 and no added Pi, whereas it stimulated hydrolysis when phosphoenzyme formation by Pi was favored by including 6 mM Pi and 20 mM MgCl2 in the assay medium. ATP inhibited acetyl phosphate hydrolysis in both of these assay media. When phosphoenzyme formation by Pi in the presence of acetyl phosphate was stimulated at Ca2+ concentrations sufficient to saturate the low-affinity Ca2+-binding sites, ADP stimulated acetyl phosphate hydrolysis and also promoted ATP synthesis by reversal of the catalytic cycle. The rate of ATP synthesis was dependent on ADP, Pi and Ca2+. Phosphoenzyme formation by Pi and MgCl2, whether in the absence of Ca2+ and acetyl phosphate, or during acetyl phosphate hydrolysis, was inhibited by ADP and ATP. These results suggest that ADP interacts with different intermediates of the catalytic cycle and that expression of inhibition or activation of acetyl phosphate hydrolysis depends on the steady-state level of phosphoenzyme formed by Pi.     

Inorganic phosphate-dependent ADP binding on the chloroplast coupling factor and its participation in ATP synthesis

ADP binding brought about by inorganic phosphate addition (Pi-dependent ADP binding) on membrane-bound chloroplast coupling factor was studied and the following results were obtained. Under energization by illumination or by acid-base transition, Pi brought about the binding of ADP with an apparent Km value of 0.22 mM. This effect of Pi was lost rapidly after turning the light off or after acid to base transition, concomitant with the loss of ATP synthesizing activity. Pi-dependent ADP binding was inhibited by phlorizin to nearly the same extent as was ATP synthesis. The inhibitory effects of phlorizin on both the Pi-dependent ADP binding and ATP synthesis increased with the decrease of Pi concentration. These results suggest that the Pi-dependent ADP binding reaction participates in the ATP synthesis reaction and that phlorizin inhibits the P1 binding process.     

Carbamate kinase of Lactobacillus buchneri NCDO110. I. Purification and properties

Carbamate kinase has been prepared from Lactobacillus buchneri NCDO110. An approximately 91-fold increase in the specific activity of the enzyme was achieved. The purified extract exhibited a single band following polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The apparent molecular weight as determined by gel electrophoresis was about 97,000. The enzyme is stable for 2 weeks at -20 degrees C. Maximum enzymatic activity was observed at 30 degrees C and pH 5.4 in 0.1 M acetate buffer. L. buchneri carbamate kinase requires Mg2+ or Mn2+; its activity is higher with Mn2+. The activation energy of the reaction was 4078 cal mol-1 for the reaction with Mn2+ and 3059 cal mol-1 for the reaction with Mg2+. From a Dixon plot a pK value of 4.8 was calculated. The apparent Km values for ADP with Mg2+ or Mn2+ were 0.71 X 10(-3) and 1.17 X 10(-3) M, respectively, and the apparent Km values for carbamyl phosphate with Mg2+ or Mn2+ were 1.63 X 10(-3) and 1.53 X 10(-3) M, respectively. ATP and CTP acted as inhibitors of this reaction and the following values were obtained: Ki (ATP)Mg2+ = 9.4 mM, Ki (ATP)Mn2+ = 6.2 mM, and Ki (CTP)Mg2+ = 4.4 mM.     

Studies on the mechanism of oxidative phosphorylation. ADP promotion of GDP phosphorylation

The process of ATP or GTP synthesis by bovine heart submitochondrial particles involves the binding of ADP or GDP to 3 exchangeable sites I, II, and III, and only upon substrate occupation of site III does rapid ATP or GTP synthesis take place. The dissociation constants determined for ADP were KADPI less than or equal to 10(-8) M, KADPII approximately 10(-7) M, and KADPIII (equivalent to apparent KADPm), approximately 3 x 10(-6) M in the low Km mode and KADPIII approximately 150 x 10(-6) M in the high Km mode. For GDP, these constants were KGDPI approximately 10(-6)-10(-5) M, KGDPII approximately 10(-4) M, and KGDPIII approximately 10(-3) M when NADH was the respiratory substrate (Matsuno-Yagi, A., and Hatefi, Y. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 82-88). Because of its low affinity for the above binding sites, GDP at micromolar concentrations does not lead to GTP synthesis. However, as shown in this paper, micromolar [GDP] undergoes phosphorylation in the presence of micromolar concentrations of ADP. Under these conditions, both ATP and GTP are synthesized. GDP inhibits ATP synthesis with KGDPi congruent to 7 microM, while ADP promotes GTP synthesis in a reaction that requires inorganic phosphate (apparent KPim = 2-3 mM) and is inhibited by uncouplers and inhibitors of the ATP synthase complex. The ADP-promoted GTP synthesis exhibited an "apparent" KGDPm = 4 microM and an "apparent" Vmax = 11 nmol of GTP (min.mg of protein)-1. These results were interpreted to mean that (a) micromolar [ADP] occupies sites I and II, allowing site III to bind and phosphorylate GDP, and (b) the KGDPm and Vmax calculated under these conditions represent values for the low Km-low Vmax mode of GTP synthesis, which in the absence of ADP is not detectable because of the positive cooperativity phase of GTP synthesis with the high KGDPII approximately 10(-4) M.     

Regulation of the pyruvate kinase from Alcaligenes eutrophus H 16 in vitro and in vivo.

The biosynthesis of the enzyme pyruvate kinase (E.C. 2.7.1.40) of Alcaligenes eutrophus (Hydrogenomonas eutropha) H 16 was influenced by the carbon and energy source. After growth on gluconate the specific enzyme activity was high while acetate grown cells exhibited lower activities (340 and 55 mumoles/min-g protein, respectively). The pyruvate kinase from autotrophically grown cells was purified 110-fold. The enzyme was characterized by homotropic cooperative interactions with the substrate phosphoenolpyruvate, the activators AMP, ribose 5-phosphate, glucose-6-phosphate and the inhibitor ortho-phosphate. In addition to phosphate ATP caused inhibition but in this case nonsigmoidal kinetics was obtained. The half maximal substrate saturation constant S0.5 for phosphoenolpyruvate in the absence of any effectors was 0.12 mM, in the presence of 1 mM ribose-5-phosphate 0.07 mM, and with 9 mM phosphate 0.67 mM. The corresponding Hill values were 0.96, 1.1 and 2.75. The ADP saturation curve was hyperbolic even in the presence of the effectors, the Km value was 0.14 mM ADP. When the known intracellular metabolite concentrations in A. eutrophus H 16 were compared with the regulatory sensitivity of the enzyme, it appeared that under the conditions in vivo the inhibition by ATP was more important than the regulation by the allosteric effectors.     

One-pot enzymatic production of dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose from dTMP and glucose-1-phosphate

An enzymatic production method for dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose, a key intermediate of various deoxysugars in antibiotics, was developed starting from dTMP, acetyl phosphate, and glucose-1-phosphate. Four enzymes, i.e., TMP kinase, acetate kinase, dTDP-glucose synthase, and dTDP-D-glucose 4,6-dehydratase' were overexpressed using T7 promoter system in the E. coli BL21 strain, and the dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose was synthesized by using the enzyme extracts in one-pot batch system. When 20 mM dTMP of initial concentration was used, Mg2+ ion, acetyl phosphate, and glucose-1-phosphate concentrations were optimized. About 95% conversion yield of dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose was obtained based on initial dTMP concentration at 20 mM dTMP, 1 mM ATP, 60 mM acetyl phosphate, 80 mM glucose-1-phosphate, and 20 mM MgCl(2). The rate-limiting step in this multiple enzyme reaction system was the dTDP-glucose synthase reaction. Using the reaction scheme, about 1 gram of purified dTDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-D-glucose was obtained in an overall yield of 81% after two-step purification, i.e., anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration.     

Some total and partial reactions of Na+/K+-ATPase using ATP and acetyl phosphate as a substrate

Acetyl phosphate, as a substrate of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, was further characterized by comparing its effects with those of ATP on some total and partial reactions carried out by the enzyme. In the absence of Mg2+ acetyl phosphate could not induce disocclusion (release) of Rb+ from E2(Rb); nor did it affect the acceleration of Rb+ release by non-limiting concentrations of ADP. In K+-free solutions and at pH 7.4 sodium ions were essential for ATP hydrolysis by (Na+ + K+)-ATPase; when acetyl phosphate was the substrate a hydrolysis (inhibited by ouabain) was observed in the presence and absence of Na+. In liposomes with (Na+ + K+)-ATPase incorporated and exposed to extravesicular (intracellular) Na+, acetyl phosphate could sustain a ouabain-sensitive Rb+ efflux; the levels of that flux were similar to those obtained with micromolar concentrations of ATP. When the liposomes were incubated in the absence of extravesicular Na+ a ouabain-sensitive Rb+ efflux could not be detected with either substrate. Native (Na+ + K+)-ATPase was phosphorylated at 0 degrees C in the presence of NaCl (50 mM for ATP and 10 mM for acetyl phosphate); after phosphorylation had been stopped by simultaneous addition of excess trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N',N' tetraacetic acid and 1 M NaCl net synthesis of ATP by addition of ADP was obtained with both phosphoenzymes. The present results show that acetyl phosphate can fuel the overall cycle of cation translocation by (Na+ + K+)-ATPase acting only at the catalytic substrate site; this takes place via the formation of phosphorylated intermediates which can lead to ATP synthesis in a way which is indistinguishable from that obtained with ATP.     

Acetyl phosphate as a substrate for the calcium ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum

Acetyl phosphate is hydrolyzed by the calcium ATPase of leaky sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles from rabbit skeletal muscle with Km = 6.5 mM and kcat = 7.9 s-1 in the presence of 100 microM calcium (180 mM K+, 5 mM MgSO4, pH 7.0, 25 degrees C). In the absence of calcium, hydrolysis is 6% of the calcium-dependent rate at low and 24% at saturating concentrations of acetyl phosphate. Values of K0.5 for calcium are 3.5 and 2.2 microM (n = 1.6) in the presence of 1 and 50 mM acetyl phosphate, respectively; inhibition by calcium follows K0.5 = 1.6 mM (n approximately 1.1) with 50 mM acetyl phosphate and K0.5 = 0.5 mM (n approximately 1.3) with 1.5 mM ATP. The calcium-dependent rate of phosphoenzyme formation from acetyl phosphate is consistent with Km = 43 mM and kf = 32 s-1 at saturation; decomposition of the phosphoenzyme occurs with kt = 16 s-1. The maximum fraction of phosphoenzyme formed in the steady state at saturating acetyl phosphate concentrations is 43-46%. These results are consistent with kc congruent to 30 s-1 for binding of Ca2+ to E at saturating [Ca2+], to give cE.Ca2, in the absence of activation by ATP. Phosphoenzyme formed from ATP and from acetyl phosphate shows the same biphasic reaction with ADP, rate constants for decomposition that are the same within experimental error, and similar or identical activation of decomposition by ATP. It is concluded that the reaction pathways for acetyl phosphate and ATP in the presence of Ca2+ are the same, with the exception of calcium binding and phosphorylation; an alternative, faster route that avoids the kc step is available in the presence of ATP. The existence of three different regions of dependence on ATP concentration for steady state turnover is confirmed; activation of hydrolysis at high ATP concentrations involves an ATP-induced increase in kt.