NMR probes of the spatial arrangement of substrates at the active site of creatine kinase

Abstract

To study the arrangement of substrates at the active site of creatine kinase, we have measured the paramagnetic effects of CrADP, an exchange-incrt paramagnetic analog of MgADP, on the nuclear spin lattice relaxation rates 1 /T1 of the protons of water and the protons and phosphorus nucleus of P-creatine in the presence and absence of rabbit muscle creatine kinase. Relaxivity titrations measuring the paramagnetic effect of CrADP on 1/T1 of water protons at several concentrations of the enzyme in the presence of P-creatine were used to study the binding of CrADP to the enzyme·P-creatine complex. The existence of a ternary enzyme·CrADP-P-creatine complex was confirmed by observing the paramagnetic effects of enzyme-bound CrADP on the 1 /T1 of the 31P nucleus and protons of P-creatine. From the magnitude of paramagnetic effects arising within the enzyme·CrADP·P-creatine complex, using the electron spin relaxation time estimated from the magnetic field dependence of 1 /T1 of fast exchanging water protons, a Cr3+-phosphorus distance of 6.0 Å, and Cr3+-proton distances of 11 and 12 Å, were obtained. These results imply the absence of a direct coordination of the phosphoryl group of P-creatine by the nucleotide-bound metal on creatine kinase but indicate proximity of enzyme-bound substrates and are consistent with van der Waals contact between a phosphoryl oxygen of P-creatine and the hydration sphere of the nucleotide-bound metal. Since the metal ion is coordinated to the γ-phosphoryl group of ATP on the enzyme, the overall migration of the phosphoryl group during phosphoryl transfer is ∼3 Å, toward the nucleotide-bound metal. Creatine kinase failed to catalyze phosphoryl transfer from P-creatine to CrADP as monitored by the disappearance of the 31P NMR signal of P-creatine in a solution containing CrADP, P-creatine and creatine kinase. The ability of an isomer of β,γ-bidentate CrATP to act as a partial substrate and our observation of the absence of phosphoryl transfer from P-creatine to CrADP indicate that metal ion coordination of the transferable phosphoryl group precedes phosphoryl transfer and is a requirement of the creatine kinase reaction.