Molecular aspects of the inactivation of tryptophanyl transfer ribonucleic acid synthetase by N-ethylmaleimide.

The tryptic maps of tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase from beef pancreas show that the 8 cysteinyl residues of the enzyme subunit are located, 2 by 2, on four different peptides. The kinetics of the incorporation of radioactivity from N-[ethyl-14C]ethylmaleimide into these peptides are compared in this paper with the kinetics of the changes of the catalytic properties of the enzyme occurring during alkylation. This comparison allows the identification of (a) the peptide carrying the cysteinyl residues located on the surface of the molecule, (b) the peptide carrying the deeply buried residues unmasked by the dissociation of the subunits, and (c) the peptide carrying the --SH group located in the vicinity of the binding site of tryptophan. The fourth peptide is shown to have a great sensitivity to pH with respect to the reactivity of its cysteinyl residues toward N-ethylmaleimide. The same unusual pH dependence is found for the rate of quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence of the protein during the alkylation, suggesting a strong sensitivity of the conformation of tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase to pH in the range of 7 to 9.     

Identification of a cysteine residue in the active site of nitroalkane oxidase by modification with N-ethylmaleimide

The flavoprotein nitroalkane oxidase catalyzes the oxidative denitrification of primary or secondary nitroalkanes to the corresponding aldehydes or ketones with production of hydrogen peroxide and nitrite. The enzyme is irreversibly inactivated by treatment with N-ethylmaleimide at pH 7. The inactivation is time-dependent and shows first-order kinetics for three half-lives. The second-order rate constant for inactivation is 3.4 +/- 0.06 m(-)(1) min(-)(1). The competitive inhibitor valerate protects the enzyme from inactivation, indicating an active site-directed modification. Comparison of tryptic maps of enzyme treated with N-[ethyl-1-(14)C]maleimide in the absence and presence of valerate shows a single radioactive peptide differentially labeled in the unprotected enzyme. The sequence of this peptide was determined to be LLNEVMCYPLFDGGNIGLR using Edman degradation and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The cysteine residue was identified as the site of alkylation by ion trap mass spectrometry.     

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.     

Reactive sulfhydryl groups of sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase. III. Identification of cysteine residues whose modification with N-ethylmaleimide leads to loss of the Ca2+-transporting activity

The reactive sulfhydryl group (SHD) (Kawakita et al. (1980) J. Biochem. 87, 609-617) which is essential for the decomposition of the E-P intermediate of Ca2+-transporting ATPase of the rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum has been identified. One sample of sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes was reacted for 3 min with 0.4 mM N-[3H]ethylmaleimide at pH 7.0 at 30 degrees C to a labeling density of 1 mol/mol ATPase without loss of the Ca2+-transporting activity. Another sample of the membranes was treated similarly with non-radioactive N-ethylmaleimide and then labeled with 0.4 mM N-ethyl[14C]maleimide for 17 min. An extensive loss of the Ca2+-transporting activity occurred during the period of this radio-labeling, thus substantiating the 14C-labeling of SHD. The labeled membranes were digested by thermolysin, and the labeled peptides were fractionated by gel filtration and reversed-phase HPLC. Two major radioactive peptides were present in both 3H- and 14C-labeled thermolytic digests, and each of the major components of 14C-labeled peptides had a counterpart in the major components of 3H-labeled peptides which behaved identically on HPLC. The major 14C-labeled peptides were purified and found to be identical with the two SHN peptides, TL-I and TL-II (Saito-Nakatsuka et al. (1987) J. Biochem. 101, 365-376), and 0.5 mol/mol ATPase each of Cys344 and Cys364 was assigned as SHD. It seems that the Ca2+-transport system retains its activity while either of the two Cys residues is unoccupied, but loses it when both of them are modified with N-ethylmaleimide.     

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase of Escherichia coli K-12. N- and C-terminal sequences and tentative assignment of the catalytically essential cysteine residue

The N- and C-terminal amino acid sequences of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase [EC 4.1.1.31] from Escherichia coli K-12 were determined to establish the primary structure deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the cloned gene for the enzyme (Fujita, N., Miwa, T., Ishijima, S., Izui, K., & Katsuki, H. (1984) J. Biochem. 95, 909-916). As predicted from the nucleotide sequence, two polypeptides were produced upon treatment with hydroxylamine, which specifically cleaves the Asn-Gly bond, and their amino acid compositions were also in accordance with those predicted. The tryptic peptides which contained cysteine residues labeled with a fluorescent reagent, N-[7-(dimethylamino)-4-methylcoumarinyl]maleimide, were isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography and partially sequenced. All of them could be assigned on the deduced primary structure. The modified cysteine residues were Cys-157, Cys-385, Cys-458, Cys-568, Cys-665, and Cys-754. Furthermore, the essential cysteine residue which is presumably located at or near the active site was tentatively identified as Cys-568, since it was consistently protected against the modification by 2-phospholactate, a substrate analog.     

Evidence for sulfhydryl groups at the active site of catechol-O-methyltransferase.

Earlier studies using affinity labeling reagents have suggested the existence of two nucleophilic groups at the active site of catechol-O-methyltransferase (S-adenosyl-L-methionine:catechol O-methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.6). Both nucleophilic residues are critical for catalytic activity. In an effort to elucidate the nature of these residues and to further characterize the relationship between the chemical structure and the catalytic function of this enzyme, inactivation studies using N-ethylmaleimide were undertaken. Inactivation of the enzyme by N-ethylmaleimide under pseudo first-order conditions exhibited a non-linear relationship between the log of the fraction of enzyme activity remaining and preincubation time. Kinetic analysis of this inactivation process suggested the modification by N-ethylmaleimide of two residues at the active site of the enzyme, both crucial for catalytic activity. Detailed analysis of the inactivation process including substrate protection studies, pH profiles of inactivation, and incorporation studies using N-ethyl[2,3-14C2]maleimide provided additional evidence to support this conclusion.     

Cysteinyl peptides of pig heart NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase that are modified upon inactivation by N-ethylmaleimide

Pig heart NADP-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase is inactivated by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) (Colman, R. F., and Chu, R. (1970) J. Biol. Chem. 245, 601-607), and is completely protected against inactivation, but not against the incorporation of NEM, by isocitrate plus Mn2+. We have now treated the enzyme with [3H]NEM in the absence and presence of isocitrate plus Mn2+, digested it with trypsin, and isolated and sequenced the labeled Cys peptides. In the inactive enzyme, two major peptides, SSGGFVWACK and DLAGCIHGLSNVK, and two minor peptides, CATITPDEAR and EPIICK, were labeled at Cys. Upon reaction with [3H]NEM in the presence of isocitrate plus Mn2+, full catalytic activity was retained and only DLAGCIHGLSNVK was labeled; the Cys of this peptide is therefore not essential for catalysis. The modification of SSGGFVWACK appears to be the major cause of inactivation by NEM. The Cys in SSGGFVWACK may have a catalytic role, most likely in the strengthened binding of Mn2+ in the presence of isocitrate. Isocitrate dehydrogenase was carboxymethylated under denaturing conditions with [14C]iodoacetate and digested with trypsin; 6 unique labeled Cys peptides, containing 6 unique Cys residues, were purified and sequenced. Six corresponding peptides were isolated from enzyme treated under denaturing conditions with [3H]NEM. These results eliminate the previous uncertainty regarding the number of Cys residues in the enzyme. A comparison of the sequences of the NH2-terminal 30 residues and the 6 Cys peptides of the pig heart NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase with the Escherichia coli NADP enzyme provides evidence for great dissimilarity between the two enzymes.     

Glucosamine synthetase from Escherichia coli: purification, properties, and glutamine-utilizing site location

L-Glutamine:D-fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (glucosamine synthetase) has been purified to homogeneity from Escherichia coli. A subunit molecular weight of 70,800 was estimated by gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. Pure glucosamine synthetase did not exhibit detectable NH3-dependent activity and did not catalyze the reverse reaction, as reported for more impure preparations [Gosh, S., Blumenthal, H. J., Davidson, E., & Roseman, S. (1960) J. Biol. Chem. 235, 1265]. The enzyme has a Km of 2 mM for fructose 6-phosphate, a Km of 0.4 mM for glutamine, and a turnover number of 1140 min-1. The amino-terminal sequence confirmed the identification of residues 2-26 of the translated E. coli glmS sequence [Walker, J. E., Gay, J., Saraste, M., & Eberle, N. (1984) Biochem. J. 224, 799]. Methionine-1 is therefore removed by processing in vivo, leaving cysteine as the NH2-terminal residue. The enzyme was inactivated by the glutamine analogue 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON) and by iodoacetamide. Glucosamine synthetase exhibited half-of-the-sites reactivity when incubated with DON in the absence of fructose 6-phosphate. In its presence, inactivation with [6-14C]DON was accompanied by incorporation of 1 equiv of inhibitor per enzyme subunit. From this behavior, a dimeric structure was tentatively assigned to the native enzyme. The site of reaction with DON was the NH2-terminal cysteine residue as shown by Edman degradation.     

Yeast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Evidence that subunit cooperativity in catalysis can be controlled by the formation of a complex with phosphoglycerate kinase

Sepharose-bound tetrameric, dimeric and monomeric forms of yeast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were prepared, as well as immobilized hybrid species containing (by selective oxidation of an active center cysteine residue with H2O2) one inactivated subunit per tetramer or dimer. The catalytic properties of these enzyme forms were compared in the forward reaction (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate oxidation) and reverse reaction (1,3-bisphosphoglycerate reductive dephosphorylation) under steady-state conditions. In the reaction of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate oxidation, immobilized monomeric and tetrameric forms exhibited similar specific activities. The hybrid-modified dimer contributed on half of the total activity of a native dimer. The tetramer containing one modified subunit possessed 75% of the activity of an unmodified tetramer. In the reaction of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate reductive dephosphorylation, the specific activity of the monomeric enzyme species was nearly twice as high as that of the tetramer, suggesting that only one-half of the active centers of the oligomer were acting simultaneously. Subunit cooperativity in catalysis persisted in an isolated dimeric species. The specific activity of a monomer associated with a peroxide-inactivated monomer in a dimer was equal to that of an isolated monomeric species and twice as high as that of a native immobilized dimer. The specific activity of subunits associated with a peroxide-inactivated subunit in a tetramer did not differ from that of a native immobilized tetramer; this indicates that interdimeric interactions are involved in catalytic subunit cooperativity. A complex was formed between the immobilized glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and soluble phosphoglycerate kinase. Three monomers of phosphoglycerate kinase were bound per tetramer of the dehydrogenase and one per dimer. Evidence is presented that if the reductive dephosphorylation of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate proceeds in the phosphoglycerate kinase - glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase complex, all active sites of the latter enzyme act independently, i.e. subunit cooperativity is abolished.     

Identification of Lys116 as the target of N-ethylmaleimide inactivation of ferredoxin:NADP+ oxidoreductase

Oxidized ferredoxin:NADP+ oxidoreductase (FNR) was slowly and irreversibly inactivated by N-ethylmaleimide. Complete protection against inactivation was afforded by saturating concentrations of NADP+. In the presence of NADPH, a rapid inhibition of the enzyme ensued; however, this inhibition was found to be reversible. In the tryptic map of the flavoprotein, modified with N-ethyl[2,3-14C]maleimide in oxidizing conditions, a unique radioactive peptide was found. Its sequence comprised residues 110-117 of the enzyme: Lys116 was shown to be the residue alkylated by N-ethylmaleimide. It is noteworthy that the same residue of FNR was found to be modified by 5-dimethylaminoaphthalene-1-sulfonyl(dansyl) chloride at the putative NADP(H)-binding site [Cidaria, D., Biondi, P. A., Zanetti, G. & Ronchi, S. (1985) Eur. J. Biochem. 146, 295-299]. Furthermore, the data reported here demonstrate that the sulfhydryl groups of FNR are not involved in enzyme inactivation by N-ethylmaleimide.     

Primary structure of peptides from bovine brain glutamine synthetase. Comparison with sequences of glutamine synthetases from other organisms

An analysis of the covalent structure of bovine brain glutamine synthetase has been initiated. Cyanogen bromide and tryptic digests have yielded peptides accounting for most of the polypeptide subunit, and sequence analysis has placed in order over half of the amino acids within these peptides. The amino terminus is acetylated and has the following partial sequence: Ac(H, S3, A2, T)-L-B-K-G-I-K-Z-V-Y-M. The carboxyl-terminal sequence is: A-L-P-Q-G-D-K-V-Q-A-M. The peptides isolated from bovine glutamine synthetase show a high degree of homology with peptides isolated from ovine and porcine brain glutamine synthetases. In contrast to the sequence homologies of the proteins from eukaryotic sources, there are no obvious amino acid sequence homologies between bovine brain glutamine synthetase and any prokaryotic glutamine synthetase. Bovine brain glutamine synthetase is inactivated by phenylglyoxal and N-ethylmaleimide. In both cases catalytic activity is protected by the presence of ATP, suggesting the presence of arginine and cysteine residues at or near the ATP binding site.     

Allosteric interaction of nucleotides and tRNA(ala) with E. coli alanyl-tRNA synthetase

Alanyl-tRNA synthetase, a dimeric class 2 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, activates glycine and serine at significant rates. An editing activity hydrolyzes Gly-tRNA(ala) and Ser-tRNA(ala) to ensure fidelity of aminoacylation. Analytical ultracentrifugation demonstrates that the enzyme is predominately a dimer in solution. ATP binding to full length enzyme (ARS875) and to an N-terminal construct (ARS461) is endothermic (ΔH = 3-4 kcal mol(-1)) with stoichiometries of 1:1 for ARS461 and 2:1 for full-length dimer. Binding of aminoacyl-adenylate analogues, 5'-O-[N-(L-alanyl)sulfamoyl]adenosine (ASAd) and 5'-O-[N-(L-glycinyl)sulfamoyl]adenosine (GSAd), are exothermic; ASAd exhibits a large negative heat capacity change (ΔC(p) = 0.48 kcal mol(-1) K(-1)). Modification of alanyl-tRNA synthetase with periodate-oxidized tRNA(ala) (otRNA(ala)) generates multiple, covalent, enzyme-tRNA(ala) products. The distribution of these products is altered by ATP, ATP and alanine, and aminoacyl-adenylate analogues (ASAd and GSAd). Alanyl-tRNA synthetase was modified with otRNA(ala), and tRNA-peptides from tryptic digests were purified by ion exchange chromatography. Six peptides linked through a cyclic dehydromoropholino structure at the 3'-end of tRNA(ala) were sequenced by mass spectrometry. One site lies in the N-terminal adenylate synthesis domain (residue 74), two lie in the opening to the editing site (residues 526 and 585), and three (residues 637, 639, and 648) lie on the back side of the editing domain. At least one additional modification site was inferred from analysis of modification of ARS461. The location of the sites modified by otRNA(ala) suggests that there are multiple modes of interaction of tRNA(ala) with the enzyme, whose distribution is influenced by occupation of the ATP binding site.     

Affinity labeling of bovine adrenal 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/steroid isomerase by 5'-[p-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl]adenosine

Incubation of bovine adrenal 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/steroid isomerase with 5'-[p-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl]adenosine (5'-FSBA) results in the inactivation of the 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme activity following pseudo-first-order kinetics. A double-reciprocal plot of 1/kobs versus 1/[5'-FSBA] yields a straight line with a positive y intercept, indicative of reversible binding of the inhibitor prior to an irreversible inactivation reaction. The dissociation constant (Kd) for the initial reversible enzyme-inhibitor complex is estimated at 0.533 mM, with k2 = 0.22 min-1. The irreversible inactivation could be prevented by the presence of NAD+ during the incubation, indicating that 5'-FSBA inactivates the 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity by reacting at the NAD+ binding site. Although the enzyme was inactivated by incubation with 5'-FSBA, no incorporation of the inhibitor was found in labeling studies using 5'-[p-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyl] [14C]adenosine. However, the inactivation of 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity caused by incubation with 5'-FSBA could be completely reversed by the addition of dithiothreitol. This indicates the presence of at least two cysteine residues at or in the vicinity of the NAD+ binding site, which may form a disulfide bond catalyzed by the presence of 5'-FSBA. The intramolecular cysteine disulfide bridge was found between the cysteine residues in the peptides 274EWGFCLDSR282 and 18IICLLVEEK26, by comparing the [14C]iodoacetic acid labeling before and after recovering the enzyme activity upon the addition of dithiothreitol.     

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.     

Inactivation of Coprinus cinereus peroxidase by 4-chloroaniline during turnover: comparison with horseradish peroxidase and bovine lactoperoxidase

The peroxidase from Coprinus cinereus (CPX) catalyzed oxidative oligomerization of 4-chloroaniline (4-CA) forming several products: N-(4-chlorophenyl)-benzoquinone monoamine (dimer D), 4,4'-dichloroazobenzene (dimer E); 2-(4-chloroanilino)-N-(4-chlorophenyl)-benzoquinone (trimer F); 2-amino-5-chlorobenzoquinone-di-4-chloroanil (trimer G); 2-(4-chloroanilino)-5-hydroxybenzoquinone-di-4-chloroanil (tetramer H) and 2-amino-5-(-4-chlroanilino)-benzoquinone-di-4-chloroanil (tetramer 1). In the presence of 4-CA and H2O2, CPX was irreversibly inactivated within 10 min. Inactivation of CPX in the presence of H2O2 was a time-dependent, first-order process when the concentration of 4-CA was varied between 0 and 2.5 mM. The apparent dissociation constant (Ki) for CPX and 4-CA was 0.71 mM. The pseudo-first order rate constant for inactivation (k(inact)), was 1.15 x 10(-2) s(-1). Covalent incorporation of 20 mole 14C-4-CA per mole of inactivated CPX was observed. The partition ratio was about 2200 when either 4-CA or H2O2 was used as the limiting substrate. These results show that 4-CA is a metabolically activated inactivator (i.e. a suicide substrate). Unmodified heme and hydroxymethyl heme were isolated from native, 4-CA-inactivated and H2O2-incubated CPX. Inactivation resulted in significant losses in both heme contents. Analysis of tryptic peptides from 4-CA-inactivated CPX by MALDI-TOF/ MS and UV-VIS spectrophotometry suggested that trimer G and tetramer H were the major 4-CA derivatives that were covalently bound, including to a peptide (MGDAGF-SPDEVVDLLAAHSLASQEGLNSAIFR) containing the heme binding site. These studies show that heme destruction and covalent modification of the polypeptide chain are both important for the inactivation of CPX. These results were compared with similar studies on 4-CA-inactivated horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and bovine lactoperoxidase (LPO) during the oxidation of 4-CA.     

The amino acid sequence around the active-site cysteine and histidine residues, and the buried cysteine residues in ficin

Ficin that had been prepared from the latex of Ficus glabrata by salt fractionation and chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose was completely and irreversibly inhibited with 1,3-dibromo[2-(14)C]acetone and then treated with N-(4-dimethylamino-3,5-dinitrophenyl)maleimide in 6m-guanidinium chloride. After reduction and carboxymethylation of the labelled protein, it was digested with trypsin and alpha-chymotrypsin. Two radioactive peptides and two coloured peptides were isolated chromatographically and their sequences determined. The radioactive peptides revealed the amino acid sequences around the active-site cysteine and histidine residues and showed a high degree of homology with the omino acid sequence around the active-site cysteine and histidine residues in papain. The coloured peptides allowed the amino acid sequence around the buried cysteine residue in ficin to be determined.     

Presence and quantity of dehydroalanine in histidine ammonia-lyase from Pseudomonas putida

Dehydroalanine is present in the histidine ammonia-lyase (histidase) from Pseudomonas putida ATCC 12633 as shown by reaction of purified enzyme with K14CN or NaB3H4 and subsequent identification of [14C]aspartate or [3H]alanine, respectively, following acid hydrolysis of the labeled protein. When labeling with cyanide was conducted under denaturing conditions, 4 mol of [14C]cyanide was incorporated per mol of enzyme (Mr 220 000), equivalent to one dehydroalanine residue being modified per subunit in this protein composed of four essentially identical subunits. In native enzyme, inactivation of catalytic activity by cyanide was complete when 1 mol of [14C]cyanide had reacted per mol of histidase, suggesting that modification of any one of the four dehydroalanine residues in the tetrameric enzyme was sufficient to prevent catalysis at all sites. Loss of activity on treatment with cyanide could be blocked by the addition of the competitive inhibitor cysteine or substrate if Mn2+ was also present. Cross-linking of native enzyme with dimethyl suberimidate produced no species larger than tetramer, thereby eliminating the possibility that an aggregation phenomenon might explain why only one-fourth of the dehydroalanyl residues was modified by cyanide during inactivation. A labeled tryptic peptide was isolated from enzyme inactivated with [14C]cyanide. Its composition was different from that of a tryptic peptide previously isolated from other histidases and shown to contain a highly reactive and catalytically important cysteine residue. Such a finding indicates the dehydroalanine group is distinct from the active site cysteine. Treatment of crude extracts with [14C]cyanide and purification of the inactive enzyme yielded labeled protein that release [14C]aspartate on acid hydrolysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Preparation of active hybrid enzymes composed of the native and chemically inactivated aspartase subunits from Escherichia coli

The hybridization of the native and chemically inactivated aspartase from Escherichia coli was studied. Preparations of the tetrameric enzyme obtained by mixing the native and N-ethylmaleimide (NEM)-inactivated aspartase in 4 M guanidine-HCl followed by 51-fold dilution at room temperature retained catalytic activity. Affinity chromatography on AF-Red TOYO-PEARL separated several active components in the hybridized preparations, and the presence of [14C]NEM-inactivated subunits in the active hybrids was demonstrated. The addition of the native aspartase to Sepharose-bound NEM-inactivated enzyme in 4 M guanidine-HCl resulted in the formation of an immobilized enzyme with enzyme activity. The specific activity of the various hybrids, composed of unmodified and [14C]NEM-inactivated subunits, was roughly proportional to the number of unmodified subunits in each tetramer. Furthermore, when reversible denaturation was conducted on mixtures of the native and NEM-inactivated enzyme at various proportions, the enzyme activity recovered was proportional to the amount of the native enzyme added. These results strongly suggest that each subunit makes an independent contribution to the overall enzyme activity regardless of the presence of other subunits in the same molecule. The theoretical and practical implications of this work are discussed.     

Modulation of rat liver S-adenosylmethionine synthetase activity by glutathione.

Rat liver S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) synthetase appears as high-M(r) (tetramer) and low-M(r) (dimer) forms. Both are inhibited in the presence of GSSG at pH 8. The calculated Ki values are 2.14 and 4.03 mM for the high- and low-M(r) forms, respectively. No effect on enzyme activity was observed in the presence of GSH, but modulation of inhibition by GSSG can be obtained by addition of GSH. At a total glutathione concentration (GSH + GSSG) of 10 mM, a KOX of 1.74 was calculated for the high-M(r) form, whereas this constant was 2.85 for the low-M(r) AdoMet synthetase. No incorporation of [35S]GSSG was observed in either of the enzyme forms, and inhibition of enzyme activity was correlated with dissociation of both AdoMet synthetases to a monomer. The data obtained in the presence of GSSG seem to suggest that oxidation leads to the formation of an intrasubunit disulfide. The possible regulation of AdoMet synthetase activity by the GSH/GSSG ratio is discussed, as well as its in vivo significance.     

Revised mechanism for inactivation of mitochondrial monoamine oxidase by N-cyclopropylbenzylamine

A mechanism previously proposed for inactivation of monoamine oxidase (MAO) by N-cyclopropylbenzylamine (N-CBA) [Silverman, R. B., & Hoffman, S. J. (1980) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 102, 884-886] is revised. Inactivation of MAO by N-[1-3H]CBA results in incorporation of about 3 equiv of tritium into the enzyme and release of [3H]acrolein. Treatment of inactivated enzyme with benzylamine, a reactivator for N-CBA-inactivated MAO, releases only 1 equiv of tritium as [3H]acrolein concomitant with reactivation of the enzyme. Even after MAO is inactivated by N-[1-3H]CBA, the reaction continues. At pH 7.2, a linear release of [3H]acrolein is observed for 70 h, which produces 55 equiv of [3H]acrolein while 2.3 equiv of tritium is incorporated into the enzyme. At pH 9, only 3.5 equiv of [3H]acrolein is detected in solution after 96 h, but 40 equiv of tritium is incorporated into the enzyme, presumably as a result of greater ionization of protein nucleophiles at the higher pH. N-[1-3H]Cyclopropyl-alpha-methylbenzylamine (N-C alpha MBA) produces the same adduct as N-CBA but gives only 1-1.35 equiv of tritium bound after inactivation of the enzyme. Denaturation of labeled enzyme results in reoxidation of the flavin without release of tritium, indicating attachment is not to the flavin but rather to an amino acid residue. Enzyme inactivated with N-[1-3H]C alpha MBA is reactivated by benzylamine with the release of 1 equiv of [3H]acrolein, which must have come from an adduct attached to an active site amino acid residue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)