An active-site lysine in avian liver phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase

The participation of lysine in the catalysis by avian liver phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase was studied by chemical modification and by a characterization of the modified enzyme. The rate of inactivation by 2,4-pentanedione is pseudo-first-order and linearly dependent on reagent concentration with a second-order rate constant of 0.36 +/- 0.025 M-1 min-1. Inactivation by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate of the reversible reaction catalyzed by phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase follows bimolecular kinetics with a second-order rate constant of 7700 +/- 860 M-1 min-1. A second-order rate constant of inactivation for the irreversible reaction catalyzed by the enzyme is 1434 +/- 110 M-1 min-1. Treatment of the enzyme with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate gives incorporation of 1 mol of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate per mole of enzyme or one lysine residue modified concomitant with 100% loss in activity. A stoichiometry of 1:1 is observed when either the reversible or the irreversible reactions catalyzed by the enzyme are monitored. A study of kobs vs pH suggests this active-site lysine has a pKa of 8.1 and a pH-independent rate constant of inactivation of 47,700 M-1 min-1. The phosphate-containing substrates IDP, ITP, and phosphoenolpyruvate offer almost complete protection against inactivation by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. Modified, inactive enzyme exhibits little change in Mn2+ binding as shown by EPR. Proton relaxation rate measurements suggest that pyridoxal 5'-phosphate modification alters binding of the phosphate-containing substrates. 31P NMR relaxation rate measurements show altered binding of the substrates in the ternary enzyme.Mn2+.substrate complex. Circular dichroism studies show little change in secondary structure of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate modified phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. These results indicate that avian liver phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase has one reactive lysine at the active site and it is involved in the binding and activation of the phosphate-containing substrates.     

Inactivation of chicken mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase by o-phthalaldehyde

Chicken liver mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase is inactivated by o-phthalaldehyde. The inactivation followed pseudo first-order kinetics, and the second-order rate constant for the inactivation process was 29 M-1 s-1 at pH 7.5 and 25 degrees C. The modified enzyme showed maximal fluorescence at 427 nm upon excitation at 337 nm, consistent with the formation of isoindole derivatives by the cross-linking of proximal cysteine and lysine residues. Activities in the physiologic reaction and in the oxaloacetate decarboxylase reaction were lost in parallel upon modification with o-phthalaldehyde. Plots of (percent of residual activity) versus (mol of isoindole incorporated/mol of enzyme) were biphasic, with the initial loss of enzymatic activity corresponding to the incorporation of one isoindole derivative/enzyme molecule. Complete inactivation of the enzyme was accompanied by the incorporation of 3 mol of isoindole/mol of enzyme. beta-Sulfopyruvate, an isoelectronic analogue of oxaloacetate, completely protected the enzyme from reacting with o-phthalaldehyde. Other substrates provided protection from inactivation, in decreasing order of protection: oxaloacetate greater than phosphoenolpyruvate greater than MgGDP, MgGTP greater than oxalate. Cysteine 31 and lysine 39 have been identified as the rapidly reacting pair in isoindole formation and enzyme inactivation. Lysine 56 and cysteine 60 are also involved in isoindole formation in the completely inactivated enzyme. These reactive cysteine residues do not correspond to the reactive cysteine residue identified in previous iodoacetate labeling studies with the chicken mitochondrial enzyme (Makinen, A. L., and Nowak, T. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 12148-12157). Protection experiments suggest that the sites of o-phthalaldehyde modification become inaccessible when the oxaloacetate/phosphoenolpyruvate binding site is saturated, and sequence analyses indicate that cysteine 31 is located in the putative phosphoenolpyruvate binding site.     

The presence of functional arginine residues in phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (ATP:oxaloacetate carboxy-lyase (transphosphorylating), EC 4.1.1.49) is completely inactivated by phenylglyoxal and 2,3-butanedione in borate buffer at pH 8.4, with pseudo-first-order kinetics and a second-order rate constant of 144 min-1 X M-1 and 21.6 min-1 X M-1, respectively. Phosphoenolpyruvate, ADP and Mn2+ (alone or in combination) protect the enzyme against inactivation, suggesting that the modification occurs at or near to the substrate-binding site. Almost complete restoration of activity was obtained when a sample of 2,3-butanedione-inactivated enzyme was freed of excess modifier and borate ions, suggesting that only arginyl groups are modified. The changes in the rate of inactivation in the presence of substrates and Mn2+ were used to determine the dissociation constants for enzyme-ligand complexes, and values of 23 +/- 3 microM, 168 +/- 44 microM and 244 +/- 54 microM were found for the dissociation constants for the enzyme-Mn2+, enzyme-ADP and enzyme-phosphoenolpyruvate complexes, respectively. Based on kinetic data, it is shown that 1 mol of reagent must combine per enzyme active unit in order to inactivate the enzyme. Complete inactivation of the carboxykinase can be correlated with the incorporation of 3-4 mol [7-14C]phenylglyoxal per mol of enzyme subunit. Assuming a stoichiometry of 1:1 between phenylglyoxal incorporation and arginine modification, our results suggest that the modification of only two of the three to four reactive arginine residues per phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase subunit is responsible for inactivation.     

Arginine residues at the active site of avian liver phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase

The presence of arginine at the active site of avian liver phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase was studied by chemical modification followed by a characterization of the modified enzyme. The arginine-specific reagents phenylglyoxal, 2,3-butanedione, and 1,2-cyclohexanedione all irreversibly inhibit the enzyme with second-order rate constants of 3.42 M-1 min-1, 3.13 M-1 min-1 and 0.313 M-1 min-1, respectively. The substrates phosphoenolpyruvate, IDP, and the activator Mn2+ offer little to modest protection from inhibition. Either CO2 or CO2 in the presence of any of the other substrates elicited potent protection against modification. Protection by CO2 against modification by phenylglyoxal or 1,2-cyclohexanedione gave a biphasic pattern. Rapid loss in activity to 40-60% occurred, followed by a very slow loss. Kinetics of inhibition suggest that the modification of arginine is specific and leads to loss of enzymatic activity. Substrate protection studies indicate an arginine residue(s) at the CO2 site of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. Apparently no arginine residues are at the binding site of the phosphate-containing substrates. Partially inactive (40-60% activity) enzyme, formed in the presence of CO2, has a slight change of its kinetic constants, and no alteration of its binding parameters or secondary structure as demonstrated by kinetic, proton relaxation rate, and circular dichroism studies. Labeling of enzyme with [(7-)14C]phenylglyoxal in the presence of CO2 (40-60% activity) showed 2 mol of phenylglyoxal/enzyme or 1 arginine or cysteine residue modified. Labeling of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in the absence of CO2 yielded 6 mol of label/enzyme. Labeling results indicate that avian phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase has 2 or 3 reactive arginine residues out of a total of 52 and only 1 or 2 are located at the active site and are involved in CO2 binding and activation.     

Involvement of thiol groups in the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from maize leaves

Purified maize leaf phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) was completely inactivated by several thiol-modifying reagents, including, CuCl₂, CdCl₂ and N-ethylmaleimide. The inactivation by CuCl₂ could be reversed by dithiothreitol, suggesting the involvement of vicinal dithiols in the inactivation process.Complete inactivation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase was correlated with the incorporation of two mol (³H)N-ethylmaleimide per 100-kilodalton subunit. The total protection of the enzyme against N-ethylmaleimide inactivation afforded by the substrate, phosphoenolpyruvate, was correlated with the protection of one mol (³H)N-ethylmaleimide reactive residue per mol subunit.The complete inactivation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase by N-ethylmaleimide and the protection afforded by phosphoenolpyruvate against modification suggest the presence of an essential cysteine residue in the catalytic site of the C₄ leaf enzyme.Abbreviations PEP, phosphoenolpyruvate - Mops, 4-morpholinepropanesulphonic acid (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Fundación M. Lillo y U.N. de Rosario).     

Formation of an intramolecular cystine disulfide during the reaction of 8-azidoguanosine 5'-triphosphate with cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) causes inactivation without photolabeling

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) (PEPCK) specifically utilizes a guanosine or inosine nucleotide as a substrate, yet it does not share extended sequence homology with other GTP-binding proteins, and the molecular basis for its nucleotide specificity is not understood. In an effort to locate the enzyme's nucleotide-binding site, we have studied the interaction of cytosolic PEPCK from rat liver with the photoprobe 8-azidoGTP, which fulfills the criteria of a specific photoaffinity label for PEPCK. The photoprobe binds reversibly to the enzyme prior to modification and at low concentrations causes greater than 60% inactivation (Ki = 1.2 microM). GTP provides nearly complete protection against inactivation by 8-azidoGTP, whereas phosphoenolpyruvate and metal ions provide partial protection. In addition, the photoprobe is a substrate for the enzyme and has a Km similar to that for GTP. However, the extent of covalent modification by [32P]8-azidoGTP as measured by three independent techniques is significantly lower than the extent of enzyme inactivation. Further investigation of this anomaly has revealed that the loss in enzymatic activity is caused by modification of a critical cysteine residue in a reaction that does not terminate with covalent attachment of the photolabel. Quantitation of the total free thiols of modified PEPCK shows that 2 mol of cysteine is lost per mole of inactivated enzyme. These results indicate that the photoinactivation of PEPCK by 8-azidoGTP is caused by the formation of an intramolecular cystine disulfide bridge, thus providing evidence for the existence of a pair of proximal cysteine residues within the GTP-binding site. The interaction of cysteine residues with the reactive photogenerated derivatives of 8-azidopurines is discussed.     

Reactivity of cysteinyl,arginyl, and lysyl residues ofEscherichia coli phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase against group-specific chemical reagents

Calcium-activated phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase fromEscheria coli is not inactivated by a number of sulfhydryl-directed reagents [5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate), iodoacetate, N-ethylmaleimide, N-(1-pyrenyl)maleimide or N-(iodoacetyl)-N′-(5-sulfo-l-naphthylethylenediamine)], unlike phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase from other organisms. On the other hand, the enzyme is rapidly inactivated by the arginyl-directed reagents 2,3-butanedione and 1-pyrenylglyoxal. The substrates, ADP plus PEP in the presence of Mn²⁺, protect the enzyme against inactivation by the diones. Quantitation of pyrenylglyoxal incorporation indicates that complete inactivation correlates with the binding of one inactivator molecule per mole of enzyme. Chemical modification by pyridoxal 5′-phosphate also produces inactivation of the enzyme, and the labeled protein shows a difference spectrum with a peak at 325 nm, characteristic of a pyridoxyl derivative of lysine. The inactivation by this reagent is also prevented by the substrates. Binding stoichiometries of 1.25 and 0.30mol of reagent incorporated per mole of enzyme were found in the absence and presence of substrates, respectively. The results suggest the presence of functional arginyl and lysyl residues in or near the active site of the enzyme, and indicate lack of reactive functional sulfhydryl groups.     

Histidine 268 in 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonic acid 7-phosphate synthase plays the same role as histidine 202 in 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid 8-phosphate synthase

The enzyme 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate (DAH 7-P) synthase (Phe) is inactivated by diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC). The inactivation is first order with respect to enzyme and DEPC concentrations with a pseudo-second order rate constant of inactivation by DEPC of 4.9 +/- 0.8 m(-1) s(-1) at pH 6.8 and 4 degrees C. The dependence of inactivation on pH and the spectral features of enzyme modified at specific pH values imply that both histidine and cysteine residues are modified, which is confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis. Analysis of the chemical modification data indicates that one histidine is essential for activity. DAH 7-P synthase (Phe) is protected against DEPC inactivation by phosphoenolpyruvate, whereas d-erythrose 4-phosphate offers only minimal protection. The conserved residues H-172, H-207, H-268, and H-304 were individually mutated to glycine. The H304G and H207G mutants retain some level of activity, whereas the H268G and H172G mutants are virtually inactive. A comparison of the circular dichroism spectra of wild-type enzyme and the various mutants demonstrates that H-172 may play a structural role. Comparison of the UV spectra of the H268G and wild-type enzymes saturated with Cu(2+) indicates that the metal-binding site of the H268G mutant resembles that of the wild-type enzyme. The residue H-268 may play a catalytic role based on the site-directed mutagenesis and spectroscopic studies. Cysteine 61 appears to influence the pK(a) of H-268 in the wild-type enzyme. The pK(a) of H-268 increases from 6.0 to 7.0 following mutation of C-61 to glycine.     

Affinity labeling of Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase with the 2',3'-dialdehyde derivative of ATP

Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase [ATP:oxaloacetate carboxy-lyase (transphosphorylating), EC 4.1.1.49] is completely inactivated by the 2',3'-dialdehyde derivative of ATP (oATP) in the presence of Mn2+. The dependence of the pseudo-first-order rate constant on reagent concentration indicates the formation of a reversible complex with the enzyme (Kd = 60 +/- 17 microM) prior to covalent modification. The maximum inactivation rate constant at pH 7.5 and 30 degrees C is 0.200 +/- 0.045 min-1. ATP or ADP plus phosphoenolpyruvate effectively protect the enzyme against inactivation. oATP is a competitive inhibitor toward ADP, suggesting that oATP interacts with the enzyme at the substrate binding site. The partially inactivated enzyme shows an unaltered Km but a decreased V as compared with native phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. Analysis of the inactivation rate at different H+ concentrations allowed estimation of a pKa of 8.1 for the reactive amino acid residue in the enzyme. Complete inactivation of the carboxykinase can be correlated with the incorporation of about one mole of [8-14C]oATP per mole of enzyme subunit. The results indicate that oATP can be used as an affinity label for yeast phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase.     

Phenylglyoxal modification of cardiac myosin S-1. Evidence for essential arginine residues at the active site.

The role of arginine residues in the catalytic activity of cardiac myosin subfragment-1 (S-1) was investigated by selective modification with phenylglyoxal. Incorporation of about 2.8 mol of phenylglyoxal/mol of S-1 decreased Ca2+-ATPase activity about 50%. Gelation of the protein occurred at about 70% inactivation; however, extrapolation to complete inactivation indicated that loss of activity correlated with modification of about 4 arginyls/mol. Partial inactivation of S-1 with phenylglyoxal also decreased MgADP binding markedly. When S-1 was modified in the presence of 5 mM MgADP, only 2 arginyls/mol were blocked and there was almost complete protection against loss of Ca2+-ATPase activity and ability to bind MgADP. Similar protection against inactivation by phenylglyoxal was obtained with MgATP or sodium pyrophosphate, but not with MgAMP or magnesium adenosine. These results suggest that 2 arginyls/myosin head are important for enzymatic activity, possibly serving as attachment points between enzyme and substrate. These essential arginyls were localized to a 17,000-dalton cyanogen bromide peptide from the heavy chain fragment of S-1.     

o-Phthalaldehyde as a probe in the active site of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase

Modification of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) resulted in rapid and irreversible inactivation exhibiting biphasic reaction kinetics. The kinetic analysis and correlation of spectral changes with activity indicated that inactivation by OPA results from the modification of two lysine and two cysteine residues per subunit of the enzyme. PEP plus Mg2+ offered substantial protection against modification. Some of the effectors also gave appreciable protection against modification indicating that the residues may be located at or close to the active site. Thus, the results indicate formation of two isoindoles showing the proximity of the essential lysine and cysteine residues at the active site.     

A histidine residue at the active site of avian liver phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase

The histidine-selective reagents diethylpyrocarbonate (DEPC) and dimethylpyrocarbonate were used to study active site residues of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. Both reagents show pseudo first-order inhibition of enzyme activity at 22 +/- 1 degree C with calculated second-order rate constants of 2.8 and 4.6 M-1 s-1, respectively. The inhibition appears partially reversible. Substrates affect the rate of inhibition: KHCO3 enhances the rate, Mn2+ has little effect, and phosphoenolpyruvate decreases the rate. The best protection is obtained by IDP or IDP and Mn2+. The kinetic studies show that modification of histidine is specific and leads to loss of enzymatic activity. Two histidines per enzyme are modified by DEPC, as measured by an absorption change at 240 nm, in the absence of substrate, leading to loss in activity. One histidine per molecule is modified in the presence of KHCO3, giving inactivation. Cysteine and lysine residues are not affected. A study of the inhibition rate constant as a function of pH gives a pKa of 6.7. Enzyme modified by DEPC in the absence of substrate (1% remaining activity) shows no binding of ITP or of phosphoenolpyruvate to the enzyme.Mn2+ complex as studied by proton relaxation rates. When enzyme is modified in the presence of KHCO3 (44% remaining activity), ITP and KHCO3 bind to the enzyme.Mn2+ complex similarly to the binding to native enzyme. Phosphoenolpyruvate binding to modified enzyme.Mn results in an enhancement of proton relaxation rates rather than the decrease observed with native enzyme.Mn. The CD spectra of histidine-modified enzyme show a decrease in alpha-helical and random structure with an increase in anti-parallel beta-sheet structure compared to native enzyme. These results show that avian phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase has 2 histidine residues which are reactive with DEPC and dimethylpyrocarbonate, and one of the 15 histidine residues in the protein is at or near the phosphoenolpyruvate binding site and is involved in catalysis.     

Essential cysteines in 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli. Analysis by chemical modification and site-directed mutagenesis of the phenylalanine-sensitive isozyme.

The phenylalanine-sensitive isozyme of 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli was inactivated by the sulfhydryl modifying reagents 5,5-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate), bromopyruvate, and N-ethylmaleimide and protected from inactivation by the presence of its metal activator, Mn2+, and substrate, phosphoenolpyruvate. Inactivation by 5,5-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate) was correlated with modification of two of the seven cysteine sulfhydryls of the enzyme monomer. The kinetics of 5,5-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate) modification were altered significantly and distinctively by both substrates (phosphoenolpyruvate and erythrose 4-phosphate), by Mn2+, and by L-phenylalanine, suggesting that ligand binding has significant effects on the conformation of the enzyme. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to create multiple substitutions at the two invariant cysteine residues of the polypeptide, Cys-61 and Cys-328. Analysis of purified mutant enzymes indicated that Cys-61 is essential for catalytic activity and for metal binding. Cys-328 was found to be nonessential for catalytic activity, although mutations at this position had significant negative effects on Vmax, KmMn, and KmPEP.     

Affinity labeling of phosphoglycerate kinase by 5'-[p-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl]-1,N6-ethenoadenosine

Yeast phosphoglycerate kinase is irreversibly inactivated upon incubation with 5'-[p-(fluorosulfonyl)-benzoyl]-1-N6-ethenoadenosine (5'-FSB epsilon A), an analogue to the nucleotide substrate. Marked protection against inactivation occurs with MgATP, ATP, MgADP, ADP, and 3-phosphoglycerate, suggesting that a part of the catalytic center is modified. The time dependence of the inactivation is characterized by a nonlinear kinetic profile. Curve fitting of various models for ligand binding to the enzyme suggested a two-site model. Modification of one of the sites appears to protect the catalytically essential site from modification. Stoichiometric studies show that the relationship between moles of 5'-FSB epsilon A incorporated per mole of enzyme and the residual enzymatic activity also shows nonlinear behavior. An extrapolated value of 1.5 mol of bound label/mol of enzyme corresponds to complete inactivation. The apparent overall pseudo first-order rate constant for the reaction between phosphoglycerate kinase and 5'-FSB epsilon A, as well as the separate rate constants for the modification, exhibit saturation behavior with respect to the concentration of 5'-FSB epsilon A, indicative of a rapid reversible binding of the reagent to the enzyme prior to modification.     

Modification of the ATP inhibitory site of the Ascaris suum phosphofructokinase results in the stabilization of an inactive T state.

Treatment of the Ascaris suum phosphofructokinase (PFK) with 2',3'-dialdehyde ATP (oATP) results in an enzyme form that is inactive. The conformational integrity of the active site, however, is preserved, suggesting that oATP modification locks the PFK into an inactive T state that cannot be activated. A rapid, irreversible first-order inactivation of the PFK is observed in the presence of oATP. The rate of inactivation is saturable and gives a KoATP of 1.07 +/- 0.27 mM. Complete protection against inactivation is afforded by high concentrations of ATP, and the dependence of the inactivation rate on the concentration of ATP gives a Ki of 326 +/- 26 microM for ATP which is 22-fold higher than the Km for ATP at the catalytic site but close to the binding constant for ATP to the inhibitory site. Fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, and AMP provide only partial protection against modification. The pH dependence of the inactivation rate gives a pKa of 8.4 +/- 0.1. Approximately 2 mol of [3H]oATP is incorporated into a subunit of PFK concomitant with 90% loss of activity, and ATP prevents the derivatization of 1 mol/subunit. The oATP-modified enzyme is not activated by AMP or fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. oATP has no effect on the activity of a desensitized form of PFK in which the ATP inhibitory site is modified with diethyl pyrocarbonate but with the active site intact [Rao, G.S.J., Wariso, B.A., Cook, P.F., Hofer, H.W., & Harris, B.G. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 14068-14073].(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Cysteinyl peptides of rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase labeled by the affinity label 8-[(4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)thio]adenosine 5'-triphosphate

The affinity label 8-[(4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)thio]adenosine 5'-triphosphate (8-BDB-TA-5'-TP) reacts covalently with rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase, incorporating 2 mol of reagent/mol of enzyme subunit upon complete inactivation. Protection against inactivation is provided by phosphoenolpyruvate, K+, and Mn2+ and only 1 mol of reagent/mol of subunit is incorporated [DeCamp, D.L., Lim, S., & Colman, R.F. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 7651-7658]. We have now identified the resultant modified residues. After reaction with 8-BDB-TA-5'-TP at pH 7.0, modified enzyme was incubated with [3H]NaBH4 to reduce the carbonyl groups of enzyme-bound 8-BDB-TA-5'-TP and to introduce a radioactive tracer into the modified residues. Following carboxymethylation and digestion with trypsin, the radioactive peptides were separated on a phenylboronate agarose column followed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography in 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid with an acetonitrile gradient. Gas-phase sequencing gave the cysteine-modified peptides Asn162-Ile-Cys-Lys165 and Cys151-Asp-Glu-Asn-Ile-Leu-Trp-Leu-Asp-Tyr-Lys161, with a smaller amount of Asn43-Thr-Gly-Ile-Ile-Cys-Thr-Ile-Gly-Pro-Ala-Ser-Arg55. Reaction in the presence of the protectants phosphoenolpyruvate, K+, and Mn2+ yielded Asn-Ile-Cys-Lys as the only labeled peptide, indicating that inactivation is caused by modification of Cys151 and Cys48.     

Chemical modification of chalcone isomerase by diethyl pyrocarbonate: histidine residues are not essential for catalysis

Chalcone isomerase form soybean is inactivated by treatment with diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEP). The competitive inhibitor 4',4-dihydroxychalcone provides kinetic protection against inactivation by DEP with a binding constant at the site of protection in agreement with its binding constant at the active site. Very high concentrations of the competitive inhibitors 4',4-dihydroxychalcone or morin hydrate offer a 10- to 40-fold maximal protection, suggesting a second slower mechanism for inactivation which cannot be prevented by blockage of the active site. Blockage of the only cysteine residue in chalcone isomerase with p-mercuribenzoate does not affect the rate constant for DEP-dependent inactivation and indicates that the modification of the cysteine residue is not responsible for the activity loss observed in the presence of DEP. Treatment of inactivated enzyme with hydroxylamine does not restore catalytic activity, indicating that the modification of histidine or tyrosine residues is not responsible for the activity loss. All five histidines of chalcone isomerase are modified by DEP at pH 5.7 and ionic strength 1.0 M. The rate constant for the modification of the histidine residues of chalcone isomerase is close to that for the reaction of N-acetyl histidine with DEP, indicating that the histidine residues are quite accessible to the modifying reagent. The rate of histidine modification is the same in native enzyme, in urea-denatured enzyme, and in the presence of a competitive inhibitor. In the presence of the competitive inhibitor morin hydrate, all of the histidine residues of chalcone isomerase can be modified without significant loss in catalytic activity. These results demonstrate that the histidine residues of chalcone isomerase are not essential for catalysis and therefore cannot function as nucleophilic catalysts as previously proposed.     

Inactivation of pig heart NADP-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase by two affinity reagents is due to reaction with a cysteine not essential for function.

Pig heart NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase is 65% inactivated by 3-bromo-2-ketoglutarate (Ehrlich, R.S., and Colman, R.F., 1987, J. Biol. Chem. 262, 12,614-12,619) and 90% inactivated by 2-(4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutylthio)-1,N6- ethenoadenosine 2',5'-bisphosphate (2-BDB-T epsilon A-2',5'-DP) (Bailey, J.M., and Colman, R.F., 1987, J. Biol. Chem. 262, 12,620-12,626). Both inactivation reactions result in enzyme with an incorporation of 1.0 mol reagent/mol enzyme dimer and both modified enzymes bind only 1.0 mol manganous isocitrate or NADPH/mol enzyme dimer as compared to 2.0 mol manganous isocitrate or NADPH/mol enzyme dimer for unmodified enzyme. The inactivation reactions, which occur at or near the nucleotide binding site, are mutually exclusive. Reaction with either affinity reagent led to the isolation of the same modified triskaidekapeptide, DLAGXIHGLSNVK. We have isolated from isocitrate dehydrogenase a peptide, DLAGCIHGLSNVK, that had been modified by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) with no loss of enzymatic activity. We now show that enzyme modified by NEM in the presence of isocitrate plus Mn2+ retains full catalytic activity but is not inactivated by either of the affinity reagents; thus, all three reagents appear to react at the same site. The analysis of HPLC tryptic maps of isocitrate dehydrogenase treated under denaturing conditions with iodo[3H]acetic acid or [3H]NEM demonstrates that both bromoketoglutarate and 2-BDB-T epsilon A-2',5'-DP react with the cysteine residue of DLAGCIHGLSNVK. We conclude that the cysteine of this triskaidekapeptide is close to the coenzyme binding site but is not essential for catalytic function.     

Chemical modification of histidine, tyrosine, tryptophan and cysteine residues in carp (Cyprinus carpio) muscle enolase

Enolase from carp (Cyprinus Carpio) muscle was modified by diethylpyrocarbonate, tetranitromethane, N-bromosuccinimide and 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). The extent and rate of modification and its effect on the enzyme activity were determined. Modification of histidine, tyrosine and tryptophan residues caused complete inactivation of the enzyme; Mg2+ as well as 2-phosphoglycerate markedly altered the rates of modification and inactivation. The above-mentioned amino acid residues seem to be essential for the functioning of muscle enolases. Modification of cysteine residues had no effect on the enolase activity.     

Reactivity of the essential thiol of Klebsiella aerogenes urease. Effect of pH and ligands on thiol modification

The kinetics of Klebsiella aerogenes urease inactivation by disulfide and alkylating agents was examined and found to follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. Reactivity of the essential thiol is affected by the presence of substrate and competitive inhibitors, consistent with a cysteine located proximal to the active site. In contrast to the results observed with other reagents, the rate of activity loss in the presence of 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) saturated at high reagent concentrations, indicating that DTNB must first bind to urease before inactivation can occur. The pH dependence for the rate of urease inactivation by both disulfide and alkylating agents was consistent with an interaction between the thiol and a second ionizing group. The resulting macroscopic pKa values for the 2 residues are less than 5 and 12. Spectrophotometric studies at pH 7.75 demonstrated that 2,2'-dithiodipyridine (DTDP) modified 8.5 +/- 0.2 mol of thiol/mol of enzyme or 4.2 mol of thiol/mol of catalytic unit. With the slow tight binding competitive inhibitor phenyl-phosphorodiamidate (PPD) bound to urease, 1.1 +/- 0.1 mol of thiol/mol of catalytic unit were protected from modification. PPD-bound DTDP-modified urease could be reactivated by dialysis, consistent with the presence of one thiol per active site. Analogous studies at pH 6.1, using the competitive inhibitor phosphate, confirmed the presence of one protected thiol per catalytic unit. Under denaturing conditions, 25.5 +/- 0.3 mol of thiol/mol of enzyme (Mr = 211, 800) were modified by DTDP.