Mechanism of hydride transfer during the reduction of 3-acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide by NADH catalyzed by the pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase of Escherichia coli

Abstract

The pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase is a proton pump which catalyzes the reversible transfer of a hydride ion equivalent between NAD + and NADP + coupled to translocation of protons across the cytoplasmic membrane. The enzyme also catalyzes the reduction of the NAD + analog 3-acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide (AcPyAD +) by NADH. It has been proposed (Hutton et al. (1994) Eur. J. Biochem. 219, 1041–1051) that this reaction requires NADP(H) as an intermediate. Thus, NADP + bound at the NADP(H)-binding site on the transhydrogenase would be reduced by NADH and reoxidized by AcPyAD + binding alternately to the NAD(H)-binding site. The reduction of AcPyAD + by NADPH would be a partial reaction in the reduction of AcPyAD + by NADH. Using cytoplasmic membrane vesicles from mutants having elevated activities for transhydrogenation of AcPyAD + by NADH in the absence of added NADP(H), the kinetics of reduction of AcPyAD + by NADH and NADPH have been compared. The K m values for the reductants NADPH and NADH over a range of mutants, and for the non-mutant enzyme, differed to a much lesser degree than the K m for AcPyAD + in the two reactions. The K m AcPyAD values for the transhydrogenation of AcPyAD + by NADH were over an order of magnitude greater than those for the transhydrogenation of AcPyAD + by NADPH. It is unlikely that AcPyAD + binds at the same site in both reactions. A plausible explanation is that this substrate binds to the NADP(H)-binding site for transhydrogenation by NADH. Thus, a hydride equivalent can be transferred directly between NADH and AcPyAD + under these conditions.