pH-induced changes in G-actin conformation and metal affinity

Metal-induced conformational changes in actin at 20 degrees C have been investigated as a function of pH using actin labeled at Cys-374 with N-(iodoacetyl)-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine. At pH 8, the addition of a high Ca2+ concentration (2 mM) to G-actin gives an instantaneous fluorescence increase while the addition of a high Mg2+ concentration gives both an instantaneous and a slow fluorescence increase. The instantaneous increase is interpreted as divalent cation binding to low-affinity, relatively nonspecific sites, while the slow response is attributed to Mg2+ binding to specific sites of moderate affinity [Zimmerle, C.T., Patane, K., & Frieden, C. (1987) Biochemistry 26, 6545-6552]. The magnitudes of both the instantaneous and slow fluorescence increases associated with Mg2+ addition to G-actin are shown here to decrease as the pH is lowered while the fluorescence of labeled G-actin in the presence of low or moderate Ca2+ concentrations (less than 200 microM) increases. The pH-dependent data suggest that protonation of a single class of residues with an approximate pK of 6.8 alters the immediate environment of the label differently depending upon the cation bound at the moderate-affinity site. The pH-dependent changes in the magnitude of the slow fluorescence response upon Mg2+ addition to Ca2+-actin are not associated with changes in the Mg2+ affinity at the moderate-affinity site but result from protonation altering the fluorescence response to Mg2+ binding. Protonation of this same class of residues is proposed to induce an actin conformation similar to that induced by cation binding at the low-affinity sites.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The kinetics of cytochalasin D binding to monomeric actin

It has been shown previously, using G-actin labeled with N-iodoacetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylene-diamine, that Mg2+ induces a conformational change in monomeric G-actin as a consequence of binding to a tight divalent cation binding site (Frieden, C. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 2882-2886). Using the same fluorescent probe, we show that, subsequent to the Mg2+-induced conformational change, cytochalasin D induces a fluorescence decrease. The data are consistent with a mechanism which proposes that, after Mg2+ binding, cytochalasin D binds and induces a second conformational change which results in overall tight binding of the cytochalasin. The initial binding of cytochalasin D to monomeric actin labeled with the fluorescent probe was found to be 200 microM, and the forward and reverse rate constants for the subsequent conformational change were 350 s-1 and 8 s-1, respectively, with an overall dissociation constant to the Mg2+-induced form of 4.6 microM. The conformational change does not occur in monomeric actin in the presence of Ca2+ rather than Mg2+, but Ca2+ competes with Mg2+ for the tight binding site on the G-actin molecule. Direct binding studies show that actin which has not been labeled with the fluorophore binds cytochalasin D more tightly. The conformational change induced by Mg2+ and cytochalasin D precedes the formation of an actin dimer.     

Fluorescence measurements of the binding of cations to high-affinity and low-affinity sites on ATP-G-actin

The binding of cations to ATP-G-actin has been assessed by measuring the kinetics of the increase in fluorescence of N-acetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)-ethylenediamine-labeled actin. Ca2+ and Mg2+ compete for a single high-affinity site on ATP-G-actin with KD values of 1.5-15 nM for Ca2+ and 0.1-1 microM for Mg2+, i.e. with affinities 3-4 orders of magnitude higher than previously reported (Frieden, C., Lieberman, D., and Gilbert, H. R. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 8991-8993). As proposed by Frieden (Frieden, C. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 2882-2886), the Mg-actin complex undergoes a slow isomerization (Kis = 0.03-0.1) to a higher affinity state (K'D = 4-40 nM). The replacement of Ca2+ by Mg2+ at this high-affinity site causes a slow 10% increase in fluorescence that is 90% complete in about 200 s at saturating concentrations of Mg2+. Independently, Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+ bind to low-affinity sites (KD values of 0.15 mM for Ca2+ and Mg2+ and 10 mM for K+) which causes a rapid 6-8% increase in fluorescence (complete in less than 5 s). We propose that the activation step that converts Ca-G-actin to a polymerizable species upon addition of Mg2+ is the binding of Mg2+ to the low-affinity sites and not the replacement of Ca2+ by Mg2+ at the high-affinity site.     

High affinity divalent cation binding to actin. Effect of low affinity salt binding

Monomeric actin labeled with the fluorescent probe N-iodoacetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine (1,5-I-AEDANS-actin) displays a fast fluorescence intensity increase immediately upon addition of salt and then a slow fluorescence intensity change concurrent with Ca2+/Mg2+ exchange at the high affinity divalent cation binding site on actin. The fast change appears to reflect competitive binding of K+ at low affinity (nonspecific) sites and of Mg2+ or Ca2+ at low and intermediate affinity sites. Binding of cation at the low affinity sites (but apparently not at the intermediate affinity sites) results in an increase in k-Ca and k-Mg and thus a decrease in affinity for divalent cations at the high affinity site. The effect of Mg2+ on k-Ca is twice that of K+ for equal fractional saturations of the low affinity binding, and the effect of K+ and Mg2+ together on k-Ca reflects competitive binding at the low affinity sites. Thus the affinity and kinetics of divalent cation binding at the high affinity site of actin are significantly affected by concurrent cation binding at low affinity sites.     

The effects of Mg2+ at the high-affinity and low-affinity sites on the polymerization of actin and associated ATP hydrolysis

Actin contains a single high-affinity cation-binding site, for which Ca2+ and Mg2+ can compete, and multiple low-affinity cation-binding sites, which can bind Ca2+, Mg2+, or K+. Binding of cations to the low-affinity sites causes polymerization of monomeric actin with either Ca2+ or Mg2+ at the high-affinity site. A rapid conformational change occurs upon binding of cations to the low-affinity sites (G----G) which is apparently associated with the initiation of polymerization. A much slower conformational change (G----G', or G----G' if the low-affinity sites are also occupied) follows the replacement of Ca2+ by Mg2+ at the high-affinity site. This slow conformational change is reflected in a 13% increase in the fluorescence of G-actin labeled with the fluorophore 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzene-2-oxadiazole (NBD-labeled actin). The rate of the ATP hydrolysis that accompanies elongation is slower with Ca-G-actin than with Mg-G'-actin (i.e. with Ca2+ rather than Mg2+ at the high-affinity site) although their rates of elongation are similar. The slow ATP hydrolysis on Ca-F-actin causes a lag in the increase in fluorescence associated with the elongation of actin labeled with the fluorophore N-pyrene iodoacetamide (pyrenyl-labeled actin), even though there is no lag in the elongation rate, because pyrenyl-labeled ATP-F-actin subunits have a lower fluorescence intensity than pyrenyl-labeled ADP-F-actin subunits. The effects of the cation bound to the high-affinity binding site must, therefore, be considered in quantitatively analyzing the kinetics of polymerization of NBD-labeled actin and pyrenyl-labeled actin. Although their elongation rates are not very different, the rate of nucleation is much slower for Ca-G-actin than for Mg-G'-actin, probably because of the slower rate of ATP hydrolysis when Ca2+ is bound to the high-affinity site.     

Differences in G-actin containing bound ATP or ADP: the Mg2+-induced conformational change requires ATP

The role of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) in the Mg2+-induced conformational change of rabbit skeletal muscle G-actin has been investigated by comparing actin containing bound ADP with actin containing bound ATP. As previously described [Frieden, C. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 2882-2886], N-acetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine-labeled G-actin containing ATP undergoes a time-dependent Mg2+-induced fluorescence change that reflects a conformational change in the actin. Addition of Mg2+ to labeled G-actin containing ADP gives no fluorescence change, suggesting that the conformational change does not occur. The fluorescence change can be restored on the addition of ATP. Examination of the time courses of these experiments suggests that ATP must replace ADP prior to the Mg2+-induced change. The Mg2+-induced polymerization of actin containing ADP is extraordinarily slow compared to that of actin containing ATP. The lack of the Mg2+-induced conformational change, which is an essential step in the Mg2+-induced polymerization, is probably the cause for the very slow polymerization of actin containing ADP. On the other hand, at 20 degrees C, at pH 8, and in 2 mM Mg2+, the elongation rate from the slow growing end of an actin filament, measured by using the protein brevin to block growth at the fast growing end, is only 4 times slower for actin containing ADP than for actin containing ATP.     

Effect of pH on the mechanism of actin polymerization

The effect of pH on the Mg2+-induced polymerization of rabbit skeletal muscle G-actin at 20 degrees C was examined. Polymerization data were obtained at various initial concentrations of Mg2+, Ca2+, and G-actin between pH 6 and 7.5. The data were found to fit a kinetic mechanism for actin polymerization previously proposed at pH 8 in which Mg2+ binding at a moderate-affinity site on actin induces an isomerization of the protein enabling more favorable nucleation [Frieden, C. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 2882-2886]. The data also suggest the formation of actin dimers induced by Mg2+ binding is over 2 orders of magnitude more favorable at pH 6 than at pH 8. Little effect on trimer formation is found over this pH range. In addition, the conformation induced by nonspecific binding of metal to low-affinity sites becomes more favorable as the pH is lowered. The critical concentration for filament formation is also decreased at lower pH. The kinetic data do not support fragmentation occurring under any of the conditions examined. Furthermore, as Mg2+ exchange for Ca2+ at a high-affinity site (Kd less than 10(-9) M) fails to alter significantly the polymerization kinetics, Ca2+ release from this site appears unnecessary for either the nucleation or the elongation of actin filaments.     

Tight binding of divalent cations to monomeric actin. Binding kinetics support a simplified model

Using the fluorescent Ca2+ selective chelator Quin2 to induce and measure the dissociation of Ca2+ from actin, we have recently found that actin binds Ca2+ and Mg2+ much more tightly than previously thought (Gershman, L.C., Selden, L.A., and Estes, J.E. (1986) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 135, 607-614). In this report, we show that the kinetics of dissociation of Ca2+ from Ca-actin and Mg2+ from Mg-actin closely parallel the fluorescence changes in 1,5-I-N-iodoacetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine (AEDANS)-actin, suggesting that the 1,5-I-AEDANS-actin fluorescence directly reflects slow first-order cation exchange rather than a slow Mg2+-induced isomerization as originally proposed by Frieden (Frieden, C. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 2882-2886). Measuring divalent cation exchange directly, we have determined the dissociation rate constants for Ca2+ (k-Ca) and Mg2+ (k-Mg), the equilibrium dissociation constants for Ca2+ (KCa), and the ratio of cation binding affinities, KMg/Kca, to actin over the pH range 7-8. We have found that k-Ca is 5-10 times greater than k-Mg and KMg is about 4 times greater than KCa. From the data we calculate the association rate constants for Ca2+ (kCa) and Mg2+ (kMg) to be about 7 X 10(6) M-1 s-1 and 2 X 10(5) M-1 s-1, respectively. kCa appears to be diffusion-limited, but kMg is significantly smaller due to the characteristics of the Mg2+ aquo ion. These findings are consistent with a simple first-order binding model for the tight binding of divalent cations to actin.     

Effect of temperature on the mechanism of actin polymerization

The rate of the Mg2+-induced polymerization of rabbit skeletal muscle G-actin has been measured as as function of temperature at pH 8 by using various concentrations of Mg2+, Ca2+, and G-actin. A polymerization mechanism similar to that proposed at this pH [Frieden, C. (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 6513-6517] was found to fit the data from 10 to 35 degrees C. From the kinetic data, no evidence for actin filament fragmentation was found at any temperature. Dimer formation is the most temperature-sensitive step, with the ratio of forward and reverse rate constants changing 4 orders of magnitude from 10 to 35 degrees C. Over this temperature change, all other ratios of forward and reverse rate constants change 7-fold or less, and the critical concentration remains nearly constant. The reversible Mg2+-induced isomerization of G-actin monomer occurs to a greater extent with increasing temperature, measured either by using N-(iodoacetyl)-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine-labeled actin or by simulation of the full-time course of the polymerization reaction. This is partially due to Mg2+ binding becoming tighter, and Ca2+ binding becoming weaker, with increasing temperature. Elongation rates from the filament-pointed end, determined by using actin nucleated by plasma gelsolin, show a temperature dependence slightly larger than that expected for a diffusion-limited reaction.     

Conformational changes in subdomain 2 of G-actin: fluorescence probing by dansyl ethylenediamine attached to Gln-41.

Gln-41 on G-actin was specifically labeled with a fluorescent probe, dansyl ethylenediamine (DED), via transglutaminase reaction to explore the conformational changes in subdomain 2 of actin. Replacement of Ca2+ with Mg2+ and ATP with ADP on G-actin produced large changes in the emission properties of DED. These substitutions resulted in blue shifts in the wavelength of maximum emission and increases in DED fluorescence. Excitation of labeled actin at 295 nm revealed energy transfer from tryptophans to DED. Structure considerations and Cu2+ quenching experiments suggested that Trp-79 and/or Trp-86 serves as energy donors to DED. Energy transfer from these residues to DED on Gln-41 increased with the replacement of Ca2+ with Mg2+ and ATP with ADP. Polymerization of Mg-G-actin with MgCl2 resulted in much smaller changes in DED fluorescence than divalent cation substitution. This suggests that the conformation of loop 38-52 on actin is primed for the polymerization reaction by the substitution of Ca2+ with Mg2+ on G-actin.     

Role of ATP-bound divalent metal ion in the conformation and function of actin. Comparison of Mg-ATP, Ca-ATP, and metal ion-free ATP-actin

The fluorescence of N-acetyl-N'-(sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine (AEDANS) covalently bound to Cys-374 of actin is used as a probe for different conformational states of G-actin according to whether Ca-ATP, Mg-ATP, or unchelated ATP is bound to the nucleotide site. Upon addition of large amounts (greater than 10(2)-fold molar excess) of EDTA to G-actin, metal ion-free ATP-G-actin is obtained with EDTA bound. Metal ion free ATP-G-actin is characterized by a higher AEDANS fluorescence than Mg-ATP-G-actin, which itself has a higher fluorescence than Ca-ATP-G-actin. Evidence for EDTA binding to G-actin is shown using difference spectrophotometry. Upon binding of EDTA, the rate of dissociation of the divalent metal ion from G-actin is increased (2-fold for Ca2+, 10-fold for Mg2+) in a range of pH from 7.0 to 8.0. A model is proposed that quantitatively accounts for the kinetic data. The affinity of ATP is weakened 10(6)-fold upon removal of the metal ion. Metal ion-free ATP-G-actin is in a partially open conformation, as indicated by the greater accessibility of -SH residues, yet it retains functional properties of polymerization and ATP hydrolysis that appear almost identical to those of Ca-ATP-actin, therefore different from those of Mg-ATP-actin. These results are discussed in terms of the role of the ATP-bound metal ion in actin structure and function.     

Mechanism for nucleotide exchange in monomeric actin

Rabbit skeletal muscle G-actin has been treated to obtain ADP, 1,N6-ethenoadenosine diphosphate (epsilon-ADP), or 1,N6-ethenoadenosine triphosphate (epsilon-ATP) at the nucleotide binding site and either Mg2+ or Ca2+ at high- and moderate-affinity metal binding sites. Apparent rates or rate constants for the displacement of the actin-bound nucleotides by epsilon-ATP or ATP have been obtained by stopped-flow measurements at pH 8 and 20 degrees C of the fluorescence difference between bound and free epsilon-ATP or epsilon-ADP. In the presence of Ca2+, displacement of ADP by epsilon-ATP or epsilon-ADP by ATP is a biphasic process, but in the presence of low (less than 10 microM) Mg2+ concentrations, it is a slow first-order process. At high levels of Mg2+ (greater than 50 microM), low ADP concentrations displace epsilon-ATP from G-actin as a consequence of Mg2+ binding to moderate-affinity sites on the actin. Displacement of epsilon-ATP by ATP in the presence of either Ca2+ or Mg2+ is slow at low ATP concentrations, but the rate is increased by high ATP concentrations. Using ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, we find that nucleotide exchange is affected differently by the removal of Ca2+ from the high-affinity site compared to Ca2+ removal from moderate-affinity sites. A mechanism for the displacement reaction is proposed in which there are two forms of an actin-ADP complex and metal binding influences the ratio of these forms as well as the binding of ATP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Calcium binding to the H+,K(+)-ATPase. Evidence for a divalent cation site that is occupied during the catalytic cycle

The binding and conformational properties of the divalent cation site required for H+,K(+)-ATPase catalysis have been explored by using Ca2+ as a substitute for Mg2+. 45Ca2+ binding was measured with either a filtration assay or by passage over Dowex cation exchange columns on ice. In the absence of ATP, Ca2+ was bound in a saturating fashion with a stoichiometry of 0.9 mol of Ca2+ per active site and an apparent Kd for free Ca2+ of 332 +/- 39 microM. At ATP concentrations sufficient for maximal phosphorylation (10 microM), 1.2 mol of Ca2+ was bound per active site with an apparent Kd for free Ca2+ of 110 +/- 22 microM. At ATP concentrations greater than or equal to 100 microM, 2.2 mol of Ca2+ were bound per active site, suggesting that an additional mole of Ca2+ bound in association with low affinity nucleotide binding. At concentrations sufficient for maximal phosphorylation by ATP (less than or equal to 10 microM), APD, ADP + Pi, beta,gamma-methylene-ATP, CTP, and GTP were unable to substitute for ATP. Active site ligands such as acetyl phosphate, phosphate, and p-nitrophenyl phosphate were also ineffective at increasing the Ca2+ affinity. However, vanadate, a transition state analog of the phosphoenzyme, gave a binding capacity of 1.0 mol/active site and the apparent Kd for free Ca2+ was less than or equal to 18 microM. Mg2+ displaced bound Ca2+ in the absence and presence of ATP but Ca2+ was bound about 10-20 times more tightly than Mg2+. The free Mg2+ affinity, like Ca2+, increased in the presence of ATP. Monovalent cations had no effect on Ca2+ binding in the absence of ATP but dit reduce Ca2+ binding in the presence of ATP (K+ = Rb+ = NH4 + greater than Na+ greater than Li+ greater than Cs+ greater than TMA+, where TMA is tetramethylammonium chloride) by reducing phosphorylation. These results indicate that the Ca2+ and Mg2+ bound more tightly to the phosphoenzyme conformation. Eosin fluorescence changes showed that both Ca2+ and Mg2+ stabilized E1 conformations (i.e. cytosolic conformations of the monovalent cation site(s)) (Ca.E1 and Mg.E1). Addition of the substrate acetyl phosphate to either Ca.E1 or Mg.E1 produced identical eosin fluorescence showing that Ca2+ and Mg2+ gave similar E2 (extracytosolic) conformations at the eosin (nucleotide) site. In the presence of acetyl phosphate and K+, the conformations with Ca2+ or Mg2+ were also similar. Comparison of the kinetics of the phosphoenzyme and Ca2+ binding showed that Ca2+ bound prior to phosphorylation and dissociated after dephosphorylation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Spectroscopic study of conformational changes in subdomain 1 of G-actin: influence of divalent cations.

Temperature dependence of the fluorescence intensity and anisotropy decay of N-(iodoacetyl)-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine attached to Cys374 of actin monomer was investigated to characterize conformational differences between Ca- and Mg-G-actin. The fluorescence lifetime is longer in Mg-G-actin than that in Ca-G-actin in the temperature range of 5-34 degrees C. The width of the lifetime distribution is smaller by 30% in Mg-saturated actin monomer at 5 degrees C, and the difference becomes negligible above 30 degrees C. The semiangle of the cone within which the fluorophore can rotate is larger in Ca-G-actin at all temperatures. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements on maleimide spin-labeled (on Cys374) monomer actin gave evidence that exchange of Ca2+ for Mg2+ induced a rapid decrease in the mobility of the label immediately after the addition of Mg2+. These results suggest that the C-terminal region of the monomer becomes more rigid as a result of the replacement of Ca2+ by Mg2+. The change can be related to the difference between the polymerization abilities of the two forms of G-actin.     

Conformational changes in the vicinity of the N-iodoacetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine attached to the specific thiol of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase throughout the catalytic cycle

In the previous experiment (Suzuki, H., Obara, M., Kuwayama, H., and Kanazawa, T. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 15448-15456), the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles was labeled with N-iodoacetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine without a loss of the catalytic activity. The main labeled site was Cys674. A large monophasic fluorescence drop occurred upon ATP binding to the catalytic site of the Ca2+-activated enzyme in the presence of K+. The present results show that this fluorescence drop is biphasic in the absence of K+. The first and rapid phase of this drop accounts for most of the fluorescence drop. This phase reflects a conformational change in the enzyme.ATP complex. The second and slow phase, being much smaller than the first phase, coincides with phosphoenzyme (EP) isomerization from the ADP-sensitive form to the ADP-insensitive form. This phase disappears when accumulation of ADP-insensitive EP is inhibited by K+ or when EP isomerization is prevented by the N-ethylmaleimide treatment. These results show that this phase reflects a conformational change upon EP isomerization. When free Ca2+ is chelated after EP formation from ATP, the fluorescence intensity is restored to the initial level without Ca2+. This restoration coincides with EP decomposition. This suggests that the fluorescence restoration reflects a conformational change upon hydrolysis of ADP-insensitive EP. This probability is supported by the concurrent occurrence of the Pi-induced fluorescence drop and EP formation from Pi. The results demonstrate that the fluorescence drop upon ATP binding is predominant in the fluorescence change throughout the catalytic cycle.     

The environment of the high-affinity cation binding site on actin and the separation between cation and ATP sites as revealed by proton NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy

The lanthanide ions Lu3+ (diamagnetic) and Gd3+ (paramagnetic broadening probe) were used to displace Ca2+ from the high-affinity cation binding site on G-actin. The effects of these higher-affinity ions on the proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of actin were recorded. The aliphatic proton envelope in the Gd-actin sample exhibited a complex array of changes due to the proximity of Gd to several aliphatic residues. No such changes were observed in the diamagnetic Lu-actin control spectrum. By contrast, the aromatic proton envelope remained largely unaffected in both Gd-actin and Lu-actin samples. However, the adenosine moiety on the actin-bound ATP became increasingly mobilized without the triphosphate chain being released from the ATP binding site. Maximum adenosine mobilization occurred with approximately 1 mol of lanthanide ion bound per mol of actin. The absence of changes in the aromatic proton envelope suggests that the high-affinity cation binding site is in a region well removed from the adenosine moiety of bound ATP as well as any aromatic side-chains. The separation of the ATP and cation sites was further explored using the fluorescent ATP analogues FTP and epsilon-ATP. Tb3+ bound to the high-affinity cation site was found to be separated by 16 A from the FTP chromophore bound to the nucleotide binding site on actin. Since this distance is greater than can be accommodated on a model of the Tb-ATP complex, we conclude that the sites are physically separate. This conclusion was further reinforced by experiments involving the quenching of epsilon-ATP fluorescence by Mn2+.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A conformational change of N-iodoacetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine-labeled sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase upon ATP binding to the catalytic site

Sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles were modified with a fluorescent thiol reagent, N-iodoacetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine. One mol of readily reactive thiols per mol of the Ca2+-ATPase was labeled without a loss of the catalytic activity. The fluorescence of the label increased by 8% upon binding of Ca2+ to the high affinity sites of the enzyme. This fluorescence enhancement probably reflects a conformational change responsible for Ca2+-induced enzyme activation. Upon addition of ATP to the Ca2+-activated enzyme, the fluorescence decreased by 15%. This fluorescence drop and formation of the phosphoenzyme intermediate were determined under the same conditions with a stopped-flow apparatus and a rapid quenching system. The amplitude of the fluorescence drop thus determined was saturated with 3 microM ATP. This shows that the fluorescence drop was caused by ATP binding to the catalytic site. In contrast, the rate of the fluorescence drop was not saturated even with 50 microM ATP. The fluorescence drop coincided with phosphoenzyme formation at 0.5 or 3 microM ATP, but it became much faster than phosphoenzyme formation when the ATP concentration was raised to 100 microM. These results indicate that the ATP-induced fluorescence drop reflects a conformational change in the enzyme.ATP complex. The fluorescence drop was accompanied by a red spectrum shift, which suggests that the label was exposed to a more hydrophilic environment. The electrophoretic analysis of the tryptic digest of the labeled enzyme (10.9 kDa) showed that almost all of the label was located on the 5.2-kDa fragment which includes the carboxyl terminus and the putative ATP-binding domain. The sequencing of the two major labeled peptides, which were isolated from the thermolytic digest of the labeled enzyme, revealed that the labeled site in either of these peptides was Cys674. It seems likely that the label bound to this Cys674 could be involved in the observed fluorescence changes.     

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance and electron paramagnetic resonance studies on skeletal muscle actin indicate that the metal and nucleotide binding sites are separate

The distance separating the high-affinity binding sites of actin for a divalent metal ion and nucleotide was evaluated by using high-resolution proton NMR and EPR spectroscopy. Replacement of the Ca2+ or Mg2+ bound to the high-affinity divalent cation site of G-actin by trivalent lanthanide ions such as La3+, EU3+, or Gd3+ results in an increase in the mobility of the bound ATP as observed in the NMR spectra of G-actin monomers. Little difference was observed between the spectra obtained in the presence of the diamagnetic La3+ control and the paramagnetic ions Eu3+ and Gd3+ which respectively shift and broaden the proton resonances of amino acids in the vicinity of the binding site. Analysis of the NMR spectra indicates that the metal and nucleotide binding sites are separated by a distance of at least 16 A. In the past, the metal and ATP have been widely assumed to bind as a complex. Further verification that the two sites on actin are physically separated was obtained by using an ATP analogue with a nitroxide spin-label bound at the 6' position of the purine ring. An estimate of the distance was made between the site containing the ATP analogue and the paramagnetic ion, Mn2+, bound to the cation binding site. These EPR experiments were not affected by the state of polymerization of the actin. The data obtained by using this technique support the conclusion stated above, namely, that the cation and nucleotide sites on either G- or F-actin are well separated.     

Divalent cation-, nucleotide-, and polymerization-dependent changes in the conformation of subdomain 2 of actin.

Conformational changes in subdomain 2 of actin were investigated using fluorescence probes dansyl cadaverine (DC) or dansyl ethylenediamine (DED) covalently attached to Gln41. Examination of changes in the fluorescence emission spectra as a function of time during Ca2+/Mg2+ and ATP/ADP exchange at the high-affinity site for divalent cation-nucleotide complex in G-actin confirmed a profound influence of the type of nucleotide but failed to detect a significant cation-dependent difference in the environment of Gln41. No significant difference between Ca- and Mg-actin was also seen in the magnitude of the fluorescence changes resulting from the polymerization of these two actin forms. Evidence is presented that earlier reported cation-dependent differences in the conformation of the loop 38-52 may be related to time-dependent changes in the conformation of subdomain 2 in DED- or DC-labeled G-actin, accelerated by substitution of Mg2+ for Ca2+ in CaATP-G-actin and, in particular, by conversion of MgATP- into MgADP-G-actin. These spontaneous changes are associated with a denaturation-driven release of the bound nucleotide that is promoted by two effects of DED or DC labeling: lowered affinity of actin for nucleotide and acceleration of ATP hydrolysis on MgATP-G-actin that converts it into a less stable MgADP form. Evidence is presented that the changes in the environment of Gln41 accompanying actin polymerization result in part from the release of Pi after the hydrolysis of ATP on the polymer. A similarity of this change to that accompanying replacement of the bound ATP with ADP in G-actin is discussed.     

Effect of Ca2+-Mg2+ exchange on the flexibility and/or conformation of the small domain in monomeric actin.

A fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) parameter, f' (defined as the average transfer efficiency, (E), normalized by the actual fluorescence intensity of the donor in the presence of acceptor, F(DA)), was previously shown to be capable of monitoring both changes in local flexibility of the protein matrix and major conformational transitions. The temperature profile of this parameter was used to detect the change of the protein flexibility in the small domain of the actin monomer (G-actin) upon the replacement of Ca2+ by Mg2+. The Cys-374 residue of the actin monomer was labeled with N-iodoacetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine (IAEDANS) to introduce a fluorescence donor and the Lys-61 residue with fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate (FITC) to serve as an acceptor. The f' increases with increasing temperature over the whole temperature range for Mg-G-actin. This parameter increases similarly in the case of Ca-G-actin up to 26 degrees C, whereas an opposite tendency appears above this temperature. These data indicate that there is a conformational change in Ca-G-actin above 26 degrees C that was not detected in the case of Mg-G-actin. In the temperature range between 6 degrees C and 26 degrees C the slope of the temperature profile of f' is the same for Ca-G-actin and Mg-G-actin, suggesting that the flexibility of the protein matrix between the two labels is identical in the two forms of actin.