Purification and kinetic properties of human erythrocyte Mg2+-dependent inorganic pyrophosphatase

Inorganic pyrophosphatase (pyrophosphate phosphohydrolase, EC 3.6.1.1) from human erythrocyte hemolysates has been purified up to 10 000-fold. The purified enzyme is homogenous and has a specific activity of 79.75 mumol PPi hydrolysed.min-1.mg-1 at pH 8 and 37 degrees C. It was confirmed that it is a dimer with a molecular weight of 42 000, composed of two identical protomers. From kinetic studies, it is proposed that human erythrocyte inorganic pyrophosphatase activity depends on free Mg2+ concentration in different ways. This ion constitutes part of the substrate (the Mg.PPi complex; Km = 1.4.10(-4) M) and probably acts as an allosteric activator (kinetic activation constant: KMg2+a = 7.5.10(-4) M). Equilibrium binding studies performed in the absence of PPi showed 4 binding sites for Mg2+, all having the same high affinity (dissociation constant: KMg2+d = 4.10(-6) M). Since the concentration of free Mg2+ in red blood cells is very low and may vary with the oxygenation state, it is likely that in vivo erythrocyte pyrophosphatase activity is regulated.     

Reversible inactivation of rat liver inorganic pyrophosphatase by substrate and its analogs.

Dissociation of Mg2+ from one of the two metal-binding sites whose occupancy is absolutely required for catalysis by rat liver inorganic pyrophosphatase is a slow reaction (tau 1/2 = 3 h). Polycarboxylic Mg2+ complexons markedly accelerate this process due to their binding with Mg2+ on the enzyme. PPi, ATP and a number of diphosphonate analogs of PPi also bind with Mg2+ on the enzyme with concomitant decrease in enzyme activity by 75% but do not release the bound Mg2+. The resulting ternary complex rapidly (tau 1/2 of several seconds) dissociates upon dilution into substrate-free medium. PPi and imidodiphosphate, which are substrates for pyrophosphatase, decrease the rate of reactivation by at least two orders of magnitude. The results can be explained by existence of two interconvertible forms of the enzyme, of which one is inactive and is stabilized by substrate or its analogs.     

Stabilization of the enzyme--substrate complex of the mutant Asp-67Asn inorganic pyrophosphatase from Escherichia coli by fluoride ions

Magnesium-supported PPi hydrolysis by the mutant Asp-67Asn E. coli pyrophosphatase at saturating PPi and metal-activator concentrations in the presence of NaF is followed by a gradual decrease in the initial rate of PPi hydrolysis. The reaction occurs in two steps: first a complex containing enzyme, pyrophosphate, magnesium, and fluoride ions is immediately formed, then its conformation changes slowly. This enzyme--substrate complex stabilized by fluoride is partially active and can be isolated by the removal of excess fluoride by gel-filtration.     

Inhibition of inorganic pyrophosphatase of animal mitochondria by calcium

Calcium ion is an uncompetitive inhibitor of the inorganic pyrophosphatases of bovine heart and rat liver mitochondria with respect to substrate MgPPi at pH 8.5 and a non-competitive inhibitor of the former enzyme at pH 7.2. The concentration of Ca2+ required to decrease the maximal velocities for both enzymes at pH 8.5, 0.4 mM Mg2+ was about 10 microM. The inhibition results from the binding of two Ca2+ ions to both free enzymes and their complexes with the substrate. The results suggest that Ca2+ regulates pyrophosphatase activity and hence PPi level in mammalian mitochondria.     

Catalytic properties of the inorganic pyrophosphatase in rat liver mitochondria.

Intact rat liver mitochondria have very low hydrolytic activity, if any, toward exogenous pyrophosphate. The activity can be unmasked by making mitochondria permeable to PPi by toluene treatment or disrupting them with detergents or ultrasound, indicating that the active site of pyrophosphatase is located in the matrix. Initial rates of PPi hydrolysis by toluene-permeabilized mitochondria and purified pyrophosphatase were found to depend in a similar manner on PPi and Mg2+ concentrations. The simplest model consistent with the data in both cases implies that the reaction proceeds through two pathways and requires MgPPi as the substrate and, at least, one Mg2+ ion as the activator. In the presence of 0.4 mM Mg2+ (physiological concentration), the inhibition constant for Ca2+ is 12 microM and the enzyme activity is, at least, 50% maximal. The results suggest that the activity of pyrophosphatase in mitochondria is high enough to keep free PPi concentration at a level close to that at equilibrium.     

Kinetic and structural properties of inorganic pyrophosphatase from the pathogenic bacterium Helicobacter pylori

Inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase) catalyzes the hydrolysis of pyrophosphate (PPi) to orthophosphate (Pi) and controls the level of PPi in cells. PPase plays an essential role in energy conservation and provides the energy for many biosynthetic pathways. The Helicobacter pylori pyrophosphatase (HpPPase) gene was cloned, expressed, purified, and found to have a molecular weight of 20 kDa. The K(m) and V (max) of HpPPase were determined as 214.4 microM and 594 micromol Pi min(-1) mg(-1), respectively. PPi binds Mg(2+) to form a true substrate that activates the enzyme. However, free PPi could be a potent inhibitor for HpPPase. The effects of the inhibitors NaF, ATP, iminodiphosphate, and N-ethylmaleimide on HpPPase activity were evaluated. NaF showed the highest inhibition of the enzyme. Crystal structures of HpPPase and the PPi-HpPPase complex were determined. HpPPase comprises three alpha-helices and nine beta-strands and folds as a barrel structure. HpPPase forms a hexamer in both the solution and crystal states, and each monomer has its own PPi-binding site. The PPi binding does not cause a significant conformational change in the PPi-HpPPase complex, which might represent an inhibition state for HpPPase in the absence of a divalent metal ion.     

Catalytic properties of inorganic pyrophosphatase in rat liver mitochondria]

Intact rat liver mitochondria possess a very low hydrolytic activity, if any, towards exogenous pyrophosphate. This activity can be unmasked by making mitochondria permeable to PPi by toluene treatment or by disrupting them with detergents or ultrasound, thus indicating that the active site of pyrophosphatase is localized in the matrix. The initial rates of PPi hydrolysis of toluene-permeabilized mitochondria and purified pyrophosphatase were found to depend, in a similar manner, on PPi and Mg2+ concentrations. The simplest model consistent with these data in both cases implies that the reaction proceeds via two pathways and requires MgPPi as substrate and at least one Mg2+ ion as activator. In the presence of 0.4 mM Mg2+ (physiological concentration) the inhibition constant for Ca2+ is 12 microM and the enzyme activity is no less than 50% of the maximal one. The data obtained suggest that the activity of pyrophosphatase in mitochondria is high enough to keep free PPi concentration at a level close to the equilibrium one.     

Aluminum ions are required for stabilization and inhibition of hepatic microsomal glucose-6-phosphatase by sodium fluoride

Stabilization and inhibition of hepatic microsomal glucose-6-P phosphohydrolase (EC 3.1.3.9) by F- requires the presence of Al3+ ions. At millimolar concentrations, reagent grade NaF inhibited glucose-6-P hydrolysis and protected the enzyme against inactivation induced by heat in the presence of 0.025% (w/v) Triton X-100 or by reaction of the catalytic site with the histidine-specific reagent, diethyl pyrocarbonate. The presence of millimolar EDTA in all test systems abolished the effectiveness of NaF, yet EDTA by itself was without significant influence on the kinetics of phosphohydrolase reaction, the thermal stability of the enzyme or its reactivity with diethyl pyrocarbonate. Although ultrapure NaF was ineffectual in all test systems, its potency as a competitive inhibitor or protective agent was markedly increased by micromolar AlCl3 or when assays were carried out in flint glass test tubes. The latter response is explained by the well documented ability of fluoride solutions to extract Al3+ from glass at neutral pH. Our analysis indicates that the effectiveness of fluoride in all test systems derives from the formation of a specific complex with Al3+, most likely Al(F)4-. The apparent dissociation constant for interaction of the enzyme and Al(F)4- is 0.1 microM. The combination of NaF and AlCl3 holds promise as an unusually effective and versatile means to stabilize this notoriously labile enzyme during efforts to purify it.     

Kinetic models for the action of cytosolic and mitochondrial inorganic pyrophosphatases of rat liver

Initial rates of PPi hydrolysis by cytosolic and mitochondrial inorganic pyrophosphatases of rat liver have been measured in the presence of 0.2-100 microM MgPPi and 0.01-50 mM Mg2+ at pH 7.2 to 9.3. The apparently simplest model consistent with the data for both enzymes implies that they bind substrate, in the form of MgPPi, and three Mg2+ ions, of which two are absolutely required for activity. The third metal ion facilitates substrate binding but decreases maximal velocity for the cytosolic enzyme, while substrate binding is only modulated for the mitochondrial enzyme. The model is also applicable to bovine heart mitochondrial pyrophosphatases. The active form of the substrate for the cytosolic pyrophosphatase is MgP2O7(-2); the catalytic and metal-binding steps require a protonated group with pKa = 9.2 and an unprotonated group with pKa = 8.8, respectively. The results indicate that the mitochondrial pyrophosphatase is more sensitive to variations of Mg2+ concentration in rat liver cells than is the cytosolic one.     

Detection and characterization of an additional site for binding of substrate and its analogs by inorganic pyrophosphatase

Phosphate, pyrophosphate, imidodiphosphate, EDTA and tripolyphosphate increase the rate constant for dissociation of the inorganic pyrophosphatase-substrate intermediate formed after cessation of the reaction by fluoride. The effect is enhanced in the given order 19-fold, the dependence of this effect on ligand concentration being hyperbolic. The values of the dissociation constants of the enzyme-ligand complexes lie within the concentration range of 0.16-1.0 mM. At high concentrations of Na2+ added simultaneously with the ligands this effect is decreased. The value of tau 1/2 for Pi binding to the enzyme-substrate compound is 0.15 min. The data obtained suggest that pyrophosphatase contains an anion ligand binding site, differing from that of the active one. This site does not affect the hydrolytic function of pyrophosphatase, as can be evidenced from the fact that Pi (9.5 mM) does not change the rate of enzymatic cleavage of PPi.     

Inactivation of Na+, K+ -ATPase from cattle brain by sodium fluoride

The influence of the physiological ligands and modifiers on the plasma membrane Na+, K+ -ATPase from calf brain inactivation by sodium fluoride (NaF) is studied. ATP-hydrolyzing activity of the enzyme was found to be more stable as to NaF inhibition than its K+ -pNPPase activity. The activatory ions of Na+, K+ -ATPase have different effects on the process of the enzyme inhibition by NaF. K+ intensifies inhibition, but Na+ does not affect it. An increase of [Mg2+free] in the incubation medium (from 0.5 to 3.0 mM) rises the sensitivity of Na+, K+ -ATPase to NaF inhibition. But an increase of [ATP] from 0.3 to 1.5 mM has no effect on this process. Ca and Mg ions modify Na+, K+ -ATPase inhibition by fluoride differently. Ca2+free levels this process, and Mg2+free on the contrary increases it. In the presence of Ca ions and in the neutral-alkaline medium (pH 7.0-8.5) the recovery of activity of the transport ATPase inhibited by-NaF takes place. Sodium citrate also protects both ATP-hydrolizing and K-pNPPase activity of the Na+, K+ -ATPase from NaF inhibition. Under the modifing membranous effects (the treatment of plasma membranes by Ds-Na and digitonin) the partial loss of Na+, K+ -ATPase sensitivity to NaF inhibition is observed. It is concluded that Na+, K+ -ATPase inactivation by NaF depends on the influence of the physiological ligands and modifiers as well as on the integrity of membrane structure.     

Purification and characterization of a novel 4-methyleneglutamine synthetase from germinated peanut cotyledons (Arachis hypogaea)

A newly detected amide synthetase, designated 4-methyleneglutamine synthetase, has been partially purified from extracts of 5- to 7-day germinated peanut cotyledons (Arachis hypogaea). Purification steps include fractionation with protamine sulfate and ammonium sulfate followed by column chromatography on Bio-Gel and DEAE-cellulose; synthetase purified over 300-fold is obtained. The enzyme has a molecular weight estimated to be approximately 250,000 and a broad pH optimum with maximal activity at approximately pH 7.5. Maximal rates of activity are obtained with NH+4 (Km = 3.7 mM) as the amide donor and the enzyme is highly specific for 4-methylene-L-glutamic acid (Km = 2.7 mM) as the amide acceptor. Product identification and stoichiometric studies establish the reaction catalyzed to be: 4-methyleneglutamic acid + NH4+ + ATP Mg2+----4-methyleneglutamine + AMP + PPi. PPi accumulates only when F- is added to inhibit pyrophosphatase activity present in synthetase preparations. This enzymatic activity is completely insensitive to the glutamine synthetase inhibitors, tabtoxinine-beta-lactam and F-, and is only partially inhibited by methionine sulfoximine. It is, however, inhibited by added pyrophosphate in the presence of F- as well as by certain divalent metal ions (other than Mg2+) including Hg2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, and Ca2+. All data obtained indicate that this newly detected synthetase is distinct from the well-known glutamine and asparagine synthetases.     

Methanococcus jannaschii ORF mj0608 codes for a class C inorganic pyrophosphatase protected by Co(2+) or Mn(2+) ions against fluoride inhibition

Openreading frame mj0608 of the Methanococcus jannaschii genome, recognized by its sequence similarity to that of the gene coding for class C inorganic pyrophosphatase in Bacillus subtilis, was cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The protein was purified and characterized by SDS-PAGE, M(r), and N-terminal sequence. Under suitable conditions it catalyzed the specific hydrolysis of PPi at about 600 micromol x min(-1) x mg(-1) at 25 degrees C, and at 8000 micromol x min(-1) x mg(-1) at 85 degrees C. Therefore this protein is a specific inorganic pyrophosphatase. The activities of Mg(2+), Mn(2+), Co(2+), and Zn(2+) ions as cofactors for hydrolysis of PPi were compared at pH 7.5 and 9.0. Unlike the class C pyrophosphatase of B. subtilis, this enzyme required no prior activation by low concentrations of Mn(2+) or Co(2+) ions. However, prior exposure to these ions afforded striking protection against inhibition by sodium fluoride, to which the enzyme was otherwise very sensitive.     

Comparative kinetic studies on the two interconvertible forms of Streptococcus faecalis inorganic pyrophosphatase.

In this work the two interconvertible forms of inorganic pyrophosphatase (EC 3.6.1.1) of Streptococcus faecalis were shown to differ in kinetics. The highly active form of the enzyme was more sensitive to the changes in the Mg2+ concentration, and thus also more sensitive to the inhibition caused by ATP, which competes with PPi for the chelation of Mg2+ ions. We have previously described a kinetic model for the less-active form of S. faecalis inorganic pyrophosphatase [Lahti & Jokinen (1985) Biochemistry 24, 3526-3530]. The kinetic model of the highly active enzyme form is proposed to be a modification of the model of the less-active form in which enzyme activation by free Mg2+ is necessary for the reaction to occur. In this model the enzyme exists in two states, referred to as R- and T-states. In the absence of ligands the enzyme is in the T-state. R-state, i.e. the catalytically active state, exists only in the presence of free Mg2+. Mg1PPi2- is the primary substrate, and free pyrophosphate is a weak inhibitor that cannot serve as a substrate for the highly active form of S. faecalis inorganic pyrophosphatase. This model closely resembles that previously presented for yeast inorganic pyrophosphatase.     

The formation of enzyme-bound and medium pyrophosphate and the molecular basis of the oxygen exchange reaction of yeast inorganic pyrophosphatase.

Yeast inorganic pyrophosphatase, with 10 mM 32Pi and 10 mM Mg2+ present at pH 7.3 TO 7.6, rapidly forms enzyme-bound pyrophosphate equivalent to about 5% of the total catalytic sties on the two enzyme subunits. The enzyme thus appears to bind PPi so as to favor thermodynamically its formation from Pi. The enzyme catalyzes a measurable equilibrium formation of free PPi at a much slower rate. Under similar conditions, the enzyme catalyzes a rapid exchange of oxygen atoms between Pi and water with the relative activation by metals being Mg2+ greater than Zn2+ greater than Co2+ greater than Mn2+. Millisecond mixing and quenching experiments demonstrate that the rate of formation and cleavage of the enzyme-bound PPi is rapid enough to explain most or all of the oxygen exchange reaction.     

Inhibition of the Na,K-ATPase by fluoride. Parallels with its inhibition of the sarcoplasmic reticulum CaATPase.

Addition of lithium fluoride to a suspension of Na,K-ATPase undergoing turnover produced a slow (minutes) complete loss of ouabain-sensitive ATPase activity. Persistence of the effect in the presence of deferoxamine showed that fluoride inhibits independent of aluminum. The time course of onset of inhibition was adequately fit by a function corresponding to a monophasic transformation with a pseudo first-order rate constant (k(obs)). This constant varied hyperbolically with [Mg2+] (half-maximal effect at 9 mM Mg2+), whereas it increased with no sign of approaching saturation as the square of [F-], implying that inhibition requires binding of two fluorides/ATPase. The value of k(obs) was found to be increased by greater than 10-fold in the presence of potassium ([K+]1/2 = 0.6 mM) or ouabain. Sodium, ATP, and ADP, which favor the E1 form of the enzyme, had a protective effect. These results implicate the potassium-occluded MgE2(K2) complex as the main fluoride-susceptible form. Protection by Pi and orthovanadate suggests that fluoride exerts its effect at the phosphorylation site. Inhibition was reversible, although slowly, with t1/2 = 7 h at 37 degrees C. Sodium greatly accelerated reversal (t1/2 = 3 min with 150 mM Na+ present), and potassium antagonized this acceleration. The value of k(obs) for reactivation increased steeply with [Na+], with the sodium dependence being about the same at pH 8.0 as at pH 7.4. All of these effects have parallels to effects of fluoride on the sarcoplasmic reticulum CaATPase (Murphy, A. J., and Coll, R. J. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 5229-5235).     

Isolation and catalytic properties of the soluble monomeric form of inorganic pyrophosphatase from baker's yeast

Data from sedimentation analysis suggest that modification of about 40% of free amino groups of inorganic pyrophosphatase by maleic anhydride, pH 10.5, results in a loss of the enzyme ability to form dimers at neutral values of pH. The specific activity of monomeric pyrophosphatase is 50-80% of that of the dimeric form. The monomer has a pH optimum of about 7, requires metal ions for activation of both enzyme and substrate and is capable of exergonic synthesis of PPi in the active center. The enzyme binding to PPi is strongly stabilized by fluoride. The experimental data indicate that the individual subunit of inorganic pyrophosphatase possesses all the main catalytic properties of native dimeric molecule.     

Kinetics and thermodynamics of catalysis by the inorganic pyrophosphatase of Escherichia coli in both directions

Combined evidence obtained from the measurements of pyrophosphate hydrolysis and synthesis, oxygen exchange between phosphate and water, enzyme-bound pyrophosphate formation and Mg2+ binding enabled us to deduce the overall scheme of catalysis by Escherichia coli inorganic pyrophosphatase in the presence of Mg2+. We determined the equilibrium constants for Mg2+ binding to various enzyme species and forward and reverse rate constants for the four steps of the catalytic reaction, namely, binding/release of PPi, hydrolysis/synthesis of PPi and successive binding/release of two Pi molecules. Catalysis by the E. coli enzyme in both directions, in contrast to baker's yeast pyrophosphatase, occurs via a single pathway, which requires the binding of Mg2+ to the sites of four types. Three of them can be filled in the absence of the substrates, and the affinity of one of them to Mg2+ is increased by two orders of magnitude in the enzyme-substrate complexes. The distribution of 18O-labelled phosphate isotopomers during the exchange indicated that hydrolysis of pyrophosphate in the active site is appreciably reversible. The equilibrium constant for this process estimated from direct measurements is 5.0. The ratio of the maximal velocities of pyrophosphate hydrolysis and synthesis is 69. The rate of the synthesis is almost entirely determined by the rate of the release of pyrophosphate from the enzyme. In the hydrolytic reaction, enzyme-bound pyrophosphate hydrolysis and successive release of two phosphate molecules proceed with nearly equal rate constants.     

ATP sulfurylase-dependent assays for inorganic pyrophosphate: applications to determining the equilibrium constant and reverse direction kinetics of the pyrophosphatase reaction, magnesium binding to orthophosphate, and unknown concentrations of pyrophosphate

A continuous, coupled, spectrophotometric assay is described in which the enzyme ATP sulfurylase is employed to measure the concentration of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) at equilibrium with known concentrations of inorganic orthophosphate (Pi) in the presence of excess inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPitase). In agreement with previous reports, the apparent equilibrium constant (Keq,app) of the PPi hydrolysis reaction was shown to decrease as the concentration of Mg2+ is increased. At pH 7.3, 30 degrees C, in the presence of 150 mM NaCl and 1 mM free Mg2+, Keq,app (calculated as [Pi]t2/[PPi]t) was 1950. Measurements of Keq,app at different total concentrations of Mg2+ and Pi permitted the determination of K0, the dissociation constant of the Mg-Pi complex. In 0.05 M Tris-Cl, pH 8.0, at 30 degrees C, K0 was 3.6 mM. In the presence of excess ATP sulfurylase, yeast PPitase catalyzed PPi formation from Pi with a specific activity (Vmax) of 9 units X mg protein-1 at pH 8.0, 30 degrees C, and 1 mM free Mg2+. Half-maximum reverse reaction velocity was observed at a total Pi concentration of 18 mM. (Under the same conditions, Vmax of the PPi hydrolysis reaction was 530 units X mg protein-1.) A radiochemical end point ("reaction-to-completion") assay for measuring unknown concentrations of PPi was devised. In the presence of excess 35S-adenosine-5'-phosphosulfate ([35S]APS) as the cosubstrate, 35SO2-4 formation was stoichiometric with added PPi. (The 35SO2-4 and [35S]APS are separated by adsorption of the latter onto charcoal.) The sensitivity of the assay can be adjusted by varying the specific radioactivity of the [35S]APS. In the absence of interfering substances, as little as 2 pmol of PPi per 1.0 ml assay volume can be measured. The sensitivity of the assay is reduced in the presence of ATP plus perchlorate (which synergistically inhibit the enzyme). However, if the bulk of the ATP is removed from perchloric acid extracts of tissues with glucose and hexokinase, initial intracellular levels as low as 1 microM can be measured. The possibility that most of the cellular PPi extracted with perchloric acid was originally enzyme bound is discussed.     

Kinetic studies on the interactions of two forms of inorganic pyrophosphatase of heart mitochondria with physiological ligands

A scheme of interactions of Mg2+ ions and their 1:1 complex with PPi (PPiMg') with two forms of inorganic pyrophosphatase isolated from beef heart mitochondria has been deduced from the analysis of enzyme kinetics at pH varying from 5.6 to 8.5. The scheme implies the existence of two catalytically important metal-binding sites on the enzyme. The two enzyme forms differ in maximal velocity and affinity for the metal activator. The pH dependence of kinetic parameters suggests that the active form of the substrate is MgP2O2-7. Ca2+ ions strongly inhibit pyrophosphatase activity and the corresponding Hill coefficient is 1.5. Phosphate and ATP are weak inhibitors of pyrophosphatase of the competitive and noncompetitive type respectively. The results show that these forms of mitochondrial pyrophosphatase are similar to pyrophosphatases isolated from other sources.