The effect of Zn2+ on Pelodiscus sinensis creatine kinase: unfolding and aggregation studies

We studied the effects of Zn²⁺ on creatine kinase from the Chinese soft-shelled turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis (PSCK). Zn²⁺ inactivated the activity of PSCK (IC₅₀?=?.079?±?.004?mM) following first-order kinetics consistent with multiple phases. The spectrofluorimetry results showed that Zn²⁺ induced significant tertiary structural changes of PSCK with exposure to hydrophobic surfaces and that Zn²⁺ directly induced PSCK aggregation. The addition of osmolytes such as glycine, proline, and liquaemin successfully blocked PSCK aggregation, recovering the conformation and activity of PSCK. We measured the ORF gene sequence of PSCK by rapid amplification of cDNA end and simulated the 3D structure of PSCK. The results of molecular dynamics simulations showed that eight Zn²⁺ bind to PSCK and one Zn²⁺ is predicted to bind in a plausible active site of creatine and ATP. The interaction of Zn²⁺ with the active site could mostly block the activity of PSCK. Our study provides important insight into the action of Zn²⁺ on PSCK as well as more insights into the PSCK folding and ligand-binding mechanisms, which could provide important insight into the metabolic enzymes of P. sinensis.