Binary enzyme-NAD Research Articles

Comparative molecular dynamic simulations of wild type and Thr114Val mutated Scaptodrosophila lebanonensis alcohol dehydrogenase

Enzyme kinetics studies have shown that Scaptodrosophila lebanonensis alcohol dehydrogenase (SlADH) and other drosophilid alcohol dehydrogenases function by a compulsory-ordered mechanism where the coenzyme binds to the free enzyme, and that a proton is released upon formation of the binary enzyme-NAD+ complex. A proton relay mechanism for the proton abstraction has been suggested that includes an eight-membered chain of water molecules connecting the active site with the bulk solvent. Thr114 bridges between two water molecules in the water chain. In a previous structural and enzyme kinetic study of a Thr114 Val mutant of SlADH, we showed that an intact water chain is essential for full enzyme activity. In the present study, comparative molecular dynamic (MD) simulations of the wild type and the SlADHT114V were performed. The simulations showed differences in hydrogen bonding properties and dynamics between the wild type and the SlADHT114V. Differences in molecular dynamical behaviour were seen in the loop of importance for binding the nicotinamide part of NAD+, in the region important for binding the adenine part of NAD+, and in the region of the amino acid at position 114. The substrates also had more freedom for conformational changes in active site of the wild type SlADH than of the SlADHT114V. The differences in hydrogen bonding properties and MDs between the wild type and mutant could not have been observed from the X-ray crystal structures only.

An intact eight‐membered water chain in drosophilid alcohol dehydrogenases is essential for optimal enzyme activity

All drosophilid alcohol dehydrogenases contain an eight-member water chain connecting the active site with the solvent at the dimer interface. A similar water chain has also been shown to exist in other short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) enzymes, including therapeutically important SDRs. The role of this water chain in the enzymatic reaction is unknown, but it has been proposed to be involved in a proton relay system. In the present study, a connecting link in the water chain was removed by mutating Thr114 to Val114 in Scaptodrosophila lebanonensis alcohol dehydrogenase (SlADH). This threonine is conserved in all drosophilid alcohol dehydrogenases but not in other SDRs. X-ray crystallography of the SlADH(T114V) mutant revealed a broken water chain, the overall 3D structure of the binary enzyme-NAD(+) complex was almost identical to the wild-type enzyme (SlADH(wt) ). As for the SlADH(wt) , steady-state kinetic studies revealed that catalysis by the SlADH(T114V) mutant was consistent with a compulsory ordered reaction mechanism where the co-enzyme binds to the free enzyme. The mutation caused a reduction of the k(on) velocity for NAD(+) and its binding strength to the enzyme, as well as the rate of hydride transfer (k) in the ternary enzyme-NAD(+) -alcohol complex. Furthermore, it increased the pK(a) value of the group in the binary enzyme-NAD(+) complex that regulates the k(on) velocity of alcohol and alcohol-competitive inhibitors. Overall, the results indicate that an intact water chain is essential for optimal enzyme activity and participates in a proton relay system during catalysis.

Theoretical Calculations of the Catalytic Triad in Short-Chain Alcohol Dehydrogenases/Reductases

Three highly conserved active site residues (Ser, Tyr, and Lys) of the family of short-chain alcohol dehydrogenases/reductases (SDRs) were demonstrated to be essential for catalytic activity and have been denoted the catalytic triad of SDRs. In this study computational methods were adopted to study the ionization properties of these amino acids in SDRs from Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila lebanonensis. Three enzyme models, with different ionization scenarios of the catalytic triad that might be possible when inhibitors bind to the enzyme cofactor complex, were constructed. The binding of the two alcohol competitive inhibitors were studied using automatic docking by the Internal Coordinate Mechanics program, molecular dynamic (MD) simulations with the AMBER program package, calculation of the free energy of ligand binding by the linear interaction energy method, and the hydropathic interactions force field. The calculations indicated that deprotonated Tyr acts as a strong base in the binary enzyme-NAD + complex. Molecular dynamic simulations for 5 ns confirmed that deprotonated Tyr is essential for anchoring and orientating the inhibitors at the active site, which might be a general trend for the family of SDRs. The findings here have implications for the development of therapeutically important SDR inhibitors.

Catalytic mechanism of Zn2+-dependent polyol dehydrogenases: kinetic comparison of sheep liver sorbitol dehydrogenase with wild-type and Glu154→Cys forms of yeast xylitol dehydrogenase

Co-ordination of catalytic Zn2+ in sorbitol/xylitol dehydrogenases of the medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily involves direct or water-mediated interactions from a glutamic acid residue, which substitutes a homologous cysteine ligand in alcohol dehydrogenases of the yeast and liver type. Glu154 of xylitol dehydrogenase from the yeast Galactocandida mastotermitis (termed GmXDH) was mutated to a cysteine residue (E154C) to revert this replacement. In spite of their variable Zn2+ content (0.10-0.40 atom/subunit), purified preparations of E154C exhibited a constant catalytic Zn2+ centre activity (kcat) of 1.19+/-0.03 s(-1) and did not require exogenous Zn2+ for activity or stability. E154C retained 0.019+/-0.003% and 0.74+/-0.03% of wild-type catalytic efficiency (kcat/K(sorbitol)=7800+/-700 M(-1) x s(-1)) and kcat (=161+/-4 s(-1)) for NAD+-dependent oxidation of sorbitol at 25 degrees C respectively. The pH profile of kcat/K(sorbitol) for E154C decreased below an apparent pK of 9.1+/-0.3, reflecting a shift in pK by about +1.7-1.9 pH units compared with the corresponding pH profiles for GmXDH and sheep liver sorbitol dehydrogenase (termed slSDH). The difference in pK for profiles determined in 1H2O and 2H2O solvent was similar and unusually small for all three enzymes (approximately +0.2 log units), suggesting that the observed pK in the binary enzyme-NAD+ complexes could be due to Zn2+-bound water. Under conditions eliminating their different pH-dependences, wild-type and mutant GmXDH displayed similar primary and solvent deuterium kinetic isotope effects of 1.7+/-0.2 (E154C, 1.7+/-0.1) and 1.9+/-0.3 (E154C, 2.4+/-0.2) on kcat/K(sorbitol) respectively. Transient kinetic studies of NAD+ reduction and proton release during sorbitol oxidation by slSDH at pH 8.2 show that two protons are lost with a rate constant of 687+/-12 s(-1) in the pre-steady state, which features a turnover of 0.9+/-0.1 enzyme equivalents as NADH was produced with a rate constant of 409+/-3 s(-1). The results support an auxiliary participation of Glu154 in catalysis, and possible mechanisms of proton transfer in sorbitol/xylitol dehydrogenases are discussed.

Role of Inhibitor Aliphatic Chain in the Thermodynamics of Inhibitor Binding to Escherichia coli Enoyl-ACP Reductase and the Phe203Leu Mutant: A Proposed Mechanism for Drug Resistance

The antibacterial target enoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductase is a homotetrameric enzyme that catalyzes the last reductive step of fatty acid biosynthesis. In the present paper, four 2-(2-hydroxyphenoxy)phenol inhibitors, wherein the 4-position substituent varied from H to n-propyl, were studied to determine the contribution of the aliphatic chain to the binding to the wild-type (wt) enoyl-ACP reductase from Escherichia coli (FabI) and a drug-resistant mutant, (F203L)FabI, in which phenylalanine 203 is mutated to leucine. Thermodynamic parameters of ternary complex formation (enzyme-NAD(+)-inhibitor) were determined by isothermal titration calorimetry. The inhibitor affinity to wt FabI and (F203L)FabI increases with increasing aliphatic chain length, although the corresponding affinity for (F203L)FabI is lower, and also, it shows no detectable binding to the 4-H inhibitor. A distinguishing feature of inhibitor binding to either binary enzyme-NAD(+) complex is the apparent negative cooperativity for binding to the tetramer with half-site occupancy. For both enzymes, binding is enthalpy, DeltaH, driven. However, binding DeltaH becomes less favorable with increasing aliphatic chain length. Increases in affinity are found to be exclusively due to favorable changes in solvation entropy. Incremental changes in thermodynamic parameters within the series of inhibitors binding to wt FabI and (F203L)FabI are approximately the same. However, absolute differences between the two enzymes for binding to a given inhibitor are significant, suggesting different binding modes. This finding, coupled with a binding site conformation that is likely to be more rigid in the mutant, appears to result in the drug resistance of (F203L)FabI.

The catalytic triad in Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase: pH, temperature and molecular modelling studies

Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase belongs to the short chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family which lack metal ions in their active site. In this family, it appears that the three amino acid residues, Ser138, Tyr151 and Lys155 have a similar function as the catalytic zinc in medium chain dehydrogenases. The present work has been performed in order to obtain information about the function of these residues. To obtain this goal, the pH and temperature dependence of various kinetic coefficients of the alcohol dehydrogenase from Drosophila lebanonensis was studied and three-dimensional models of the ternary enzyme-coenzyme-substrate complexes were created from the X-ray crystal coordinates of the D. lebanonensis ADH complexed with either NAD + or the NAD +-3-pentanone adduct. The k on velocity for ethanol and the ethanol competitive inhibitor pyrazole increased with pH and was regulated through the ionization of a single group in the binary enzyme-NAD + complex, with a Δ H ion value of 74(±4) kJ/mol (18(±1) kcal/mol). Based on this result and the constructed three-dimensional models of the enzyme, the most likely candidate for this catalytic residue is Ser138. The present kinetic study indicates that the role of Lys155 is to lower the p K a values of both Tyr151 and Ser138 already in the free enzyme. In the binary enzyme-NAD + complex, the positive charge of the nicotinamide ring in the coenzyme further lowers the p K a values and generates a strong base in the two negatively charged residues Ser138 and Tyr151. With the OH group of an alcohol close to the Ser138 residue, an alcoholate anion is formed in the ternary enzyme NAD + alcohol transition state complex. In the catalytic triad, along with their effect on Ser138, both Lys155 and Tyr151 also appear to bind and orient the oxidized coenzyme.

The catalytic reaction and inhibition mechanism of Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase: observation of an enzyme-bound NAD-ketone adduct at 1.4 Å resolution by X-ray crystallography

Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase (DADH) is an NAD +-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes/ketones. DADH is the member of the short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases family (SDR) for which the largest amount of biochemical data has been gathered during the last three decades. The crystal structures of one binary form (NAD +) and three ternary complexes with NAD + ·acetone, NAD + ·3-pentanone and NAD + ·cyclohexanone were solved at 2.4, 2.2, 1.4 and 1.6 Å resolution, respectively. From the molecular interactions observed, the reaction mechanism could be inferred. The structure of DADH undergoes a conformational change in order to bind the coenzyme. Furthermore, upon binding of the ketone, a region that was disordered in the apo form (186–191) gets stabilized and closes the active site cavity by creating either a small helix (NAD + ·acetone, NAD + ·3-pentanone) or an ordered loop (NAD + ·cyclohexanone). The active site pocket comprises a hydrophobic bifurcated cavity which explains why the enzyme is more efficient in oxidizing secondary aliphatic alcohols (preferably R form) than primary ones. Difference Fourier maps showed that the ketone inhibitor molecule has undergone a covalent reaction with the coenzyme in all three ternary complexes. Due to the presence of the positively charged ring of the coenzyme (NAD +) and the residue Lys155, the amino acid Tyr151 is in its deprotonated (tyrosinate) state at physiological pH. Tyr151 can subtract a proton from the enolic form of the ketone and catalyze a nucleophilic attack of the C α atom to the C4 position of the coenzyme creating an NAD-ketone adduct. The binding of these NAD-ketone adducts to DADH accounts for the inactivation of the enzyme. The catalytic reaction proceeds in a similar way, involving the same amino acids as in the formation of the NAD-ketone adduct. The p K a value of 9–9.5 obtained by kinetic measurements on apo DADH can be assigned to a protonated Tyr151 which is converted to an unprotonated tyrosinate (p K a 7.6) by the influence of the positively charged nicotinamide ring in the binary enzyme-NAD + form. pH independence during the release of NADH from the binary complex enzyme-NADH can be explained by either a lack of electrostatic interaction between the coenzyme and Tyr151 or an apparent p K a value for this residue higher than 10.0.

Drosophila lebanonensis alcohol dehydrogenase: pH dependence of the kinetic coefficients

The alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) from Drosophila lebanonensis shows 82% positional identity to the alcohol dehydrogenases from Drosophila melanogaster. These insect ADHs belong to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family which lack metal ions in their active site. In this family, it appears that the function of zinc in medium chain dehydrogenases has been replaced by three amino acids, Ser 138, Tyr 151 and Lys 155. The present work on D. lebanonensis ADH has been performed in order to obtain information about reaction mechanism, and possible differences in topology and electrostatic properties in the vicinity of the catalytic residues in ADHs from various species of Drosophila. Thus the pH dependence of various kinetic coefficients has been studied. Both in the oxidation of alcohols and in the reduction of aldehydes, the reaction mechanism of D. lebanonensis ADH in the pH 6–10 region was consistent with a compulsory ordered pathway, with the coenzymes as the outer substrates. Over the entire pH region, the rate limiting step for the oxidation of secondary alcohols such as propan-2-ol was the release of the coenzyme product from the enzyme-NADH complex. In the oxidation of ethanol at least two steps were rate limiting, the hydride transfer step and the dissociation of NADH from the binary enzyme-NADH product complex. In the reduction of acetaldehyde, the rate limiting step was the dissociation of NAD + from the binary enzyme-NAD + product complex. The pH dependences of the k on velocity curves for the two coenzymes were the opposite of each other, i.e. k on increased for NAD + and decreased for NADH with increasing pH. The two curves appeared complex and the k on velocity for the two coenzymes seemed to be regulated by several groups in the free enzyme. The k on velocity for ethanol and the ethanol competitive inhibitor pyrazole increased with pH and was regulated through the ionization of a single group in the binary enzyme-NAD + complex, with a p K a value of 7.1. The k on velocity for acetaldehyde was pH independent and showed that in the enzyme-NADH complex, the p K a value of the catalytic residue must be above 10. The k off velocity of NAD + appeared to be partly regulated by the catalytic residue, and protonation resulted in an increased dissociation rate. The k off velocity for NADH and the hydride transfer step was pH independent. In D. lebanonensis ADH, the p K a value of the catalytic residue was 0.5 pH units lower than in the ADH S alleloenzyme from D. melanogaster. Thus it can be concluded that while most of the topology of the active site is mainly conserved in these two distantly related enzymes, the microenvironment and electrostatic properties around the catalytic residues differ.

The pH variation of steady-state kinetic parameters of site-specific Co(2+)-reconstituted liver alcohol dehydrogenase. A mechanistic probe for the assignment of metal-linked ionizations.

To identify ionizations of the active site metal-bound water in horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (alcohol:NAD+ oxidoreductase; EC 1.1.1.1), the pH, solvent isotope, temperature, and anion dependences of the steady-state kinetic parameters kcat and kcat/KM have been evaluated under initial velocity conditions for the native and the active site-specific Co(2+)-reconstituted enzyme. In the oxidation of benzyl alcohol, a bell-shaped pattern of four prototropic equilibria was observed under conditions of saturating concentrations of NAD+. It is shown that the ionizations governing kcat (pK1 congruent to 6.7, pK2 congruent to 10.6) belong to the ternary enzyme-NAD(+)-alcohol complex, whereas the ionizations governing kcat/KM (pK1' congruent to 7.5, pK2' congruent to 8.9) belong to the binary enzyme-NAD+ complex. The ionizations pK1 and pK1' are not influenced by metal substitution and are ascribed to His-51 on the basis of experimental estimates of their associated enthalpies of ionization. On the other hand, pK2 and pK2' are significantly decreased (delta pKa congruent to 1.0) in the Co(2+)-enzyme and are attributed to the active site metal-bound water molecule. The shape of the pH profiles requires that the metal ion coordinates a neutral water molecule in the ternary enzyme-NAD(+)-alcohol complex under physiological conditions. The possible catalytic role of the water molecule within a pentacoordinate metal ion complex in the active site is discussed.

Drosophila melanogaster alcohol dehydrogenase. Biochemical properties of the NAD+-plus-acetone-induced isoenzyme conversion.

The NAD+ + acetone-induced isoenzyme conversion of the Drosophila melanogaster AdhS alleloenzyme was studied. Absorption and fluorescence spectra as well as electrophoretic and kinetic methods show that the conversion process proceeds through three steps. Initially a binary enzyme-NAD+ complex is formed, followed by a ternary enzyme-NAD+-acetone complex with a KEO,Ac of 1.7 M. The last step is a rate-limiting irreversible process in which NAD+ and acetone are covalently linked to the enzyme. A Vm of 2.4 min-1 was obtained at pH 8.6.

Neutral metal-bound water is the base catalyst in liver alcohol dehydrogenase.

The catalytic role of the active site metal-water complex in horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (alcohol:NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.1) is investigated on the basis of a comparative analysis of the pH dependence of steady-state kinetic parameters of the native and active-site-specific Co2+-reconstituted enzyme and on the basis of assignment of the coordination environment of the Co2+ by electron paramagnetic resonance methods. The pH dependence of the kinetic parameters for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol reveals two ionizations (pK1 approximately equal to 6.7; pK2 approximately equal to 10.6) that govern kcat and belong to the ternary enzyme-NAD+-alcohol complex and two ionizations (pK1' approximately equal to 7.5; pK2' approximately equal to 8.9) that govern kcat/Km and belong to the binary enzyme-NAD+ complex. The ionizations pK2 and pK2' decrease by 0.5-1 pK alpha unit upon replacement of the active site Zn2+ by Co2+. A similar metal ion dependence of pK2 and pK2' is observed for the oxidation of 2-propanol. We attribute these ionizations to a metal-bound water molecule. The zero-field splitting energy of the Co2+ in the binary enzyme-NADH complex and the ternary enzyme-NADH-CF3CH2OH complex is approximately equal to 22 cm-1, indicative of a pentacoordinate species. Binding of a water molecule to the metal ion as the fifth ligand in the ternary enzyme-NADH-CF3CH2OH complex is confirmed on the basis of magnetic interactions of H2(17)O with Co2+. The results indicate that the active site metal ion in catalytically competent ternary enzyme-coenzyme-substrate complexes is pentacoordinate and is ligated by a neutral water molecule in the physiological pH range. We suggest that the neutral metal-bound water molecule serves as the base catalyst for proton abstraction in alcohol oxidation.

The catalytically competent coordination environment of the active site metal ion of liver alcohol dehydrogenase

The coordination environment of the active site metal ion of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase is investigated by EPR and steady-state kinetic methods with use of the native (ZnLADH) and the active site specific Co 2+-reconstituted enzyme (COLADH) described by Zeppezauer and coworkers [1]. The pH dependence of kinetic parameters for the oxidation of benzylalcohol reveals two ionizations (pK 1∼6.7; pK 2∼ 10.6) that govern k cat and belong to the ternary enzyme-NAD +-alcohol complex and two ionizations (pK' 1∼ 7.5; pK' 2∼ 8.9) that govern k cat/K m and belong to the binary enzyme-NAD + complex. Only pK 2 and PK' 2 are substantially influenced by metal substitution. Comparable results are observed for the oxidation of isopropanol. We attribute these ionizations to metal-bound water that occur separately at the ternary and binary complex level in the course of alcohol oxidation. In parallel studies from this laboratory [2, 3], we have demonstrated that the magnitude of the zero-field splitting (ZFS) on the high-spin Co 2+ ion falls into three ranges according to coordination number: 0–13 cm −1 for tetracoordinate; 20–60 cm −1 for penta-coordinate; and 90–310 cm −1 for hexa-coordinate environments. We have determined the ZFS energy (2 D) of the Co 2+ ion in a variety of binary and ternary complexes of CoLADH to assign the coordinates number of the active site metal ion. The results are 9.3 cm −1 (CoLADH); 3.1 cm −1 (CoLADH-CF 3CH 2OH); 13 cm −1 (CoLADHNADH.N,N-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde); and 8.3 cm −1 (CoLADH-tetrahydroNADH), indicative of tetracoordinate sites, while the ZFS constants of the CoLADH-NADH, CoLADH-NADH-benzylalcohol, CoLADH-NADH-CF 3CH 2OH, and CoLADH-NAD +CF 3CH 2OH complexes are >20 cm −1, indicative of pentacoordinate environments. The results taken together indicate that the active site metal ion is pentacoordinate in catalytically component reaction intermediates and is ligated by a neutral water molecule in the physiologically active ternary enzymeNAD +alcohol complex. We suggest that the neutral metal-bound water molecule serves as the base catalyst for abstraction of the proton from the alcoholic hydroxyl group of the substrate. We present a mechanism for the catalytic action of LADH consistent with these observations and indicate how the metal-bound water molecule may modulate the Lewis acid reactivity of the active site metal to control the catalytic action of LADH. (Supported by NIH grant GM 21900).

Kinetics and reaction mechanism of potassium-activated aldehyde dehydrogenase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Data from steady-state kinetic analysis of yeast K+-activated aldehyde dehydrogenase are consistent with a ternary complex mechanism. Evidence from alternative substrate analysis and product-inhibition studies supports an ordered sequence of substrate binding in which NAD+ is the leading substrate. A preincubation requirement for NAD+ for maximum activity is also consistent with the importance of a binary enzyme-NAD+ complex. Dissociation constant for enzyme-NAD+ complex determined kinetically is in reasonable agreement with that determined by direct binding. The order of substrate addition proposed here differs from that proposed for a yeast aldehyde dehydrogenase previously reported. Different methods of purification produced an enzyme that showed similar kinetic characteristics to those reported here.

PH-dependent conformational states of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase.

The quenching of liver alcohol dehydrogenase protein fluorescence at alkaline pH indicates two conformational states of the enzyme with a pKa of 9.8+/-0.2, shifted to 10.6+/-0.2 in D2O. NAD+ and 2-p-toluidinonaphthalene-6-sulfonate, a fluorescent probe competitive with coenzyme, bind to the acid conformation of the enzyme. The pKa of the protein-fluorescence quenching curve is shifted toward 7.6 in the presence of NAD+, and the ternary complex formation with NAD+ and trifluoroethanol results in a pH-independent maximal quench. At pH (pD) 10.5, the rate constant for NAD+ binding was 2.6 times faster in D2O2 than in H2O due to the shift of the pKa. Based on these results, a scheme has been proposed in which the state of protonation of an enzyme functional group with a pKa of 9.8 controls the conformational state of the enzyme. NAD+ binds to the acid conformation and subsequently causes another conformational change resulting in the perturbation of the pKa to 7.6. Alcohol then binds to the unprotonated form of the functional group with a pKa of 7.6 in the binary enzyme-NAD+ complex and converts the enzyme to the alkaline conformation. Thus, at neutral pH liver alcohol dehydrogenase undergoes two conformational changes en route to the ternary complex in which hydride transfer occurs.

Specific Interactions of 3-Phosphoglyceroyl-glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase with Coenzymes

The binding of oxidized and reduced coenzyme (NAD+ and NADH) to 3-phosphoglyceroyl-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase has been studied spectrophotometrically and fluorimetrically. The binding of NAD+ to the acylated sturgeon enzyme is characterized by a significant quenching of the enzyme fluorescence (about 25%) and the induction of a difference spectrum in the ultraviolet absorbance region of the enzyme. Both of these spectroscopic properties are quantitatively distinguishable from those of the corresponding binary enzyme-NAD+ complex. Binding isotherms estimated by gel filtration of the acylated enzyme are in close agreement to those obtained by spectrophotometric and fluorimetric titrations. Up to four NAD+ molecules are bound to the enzyme tetramer. No anticooperativity can be detected in the binding of oxidized coenzyme, which is well described on the basis of a single class of four binding sites with a dissociation constant of 25 muM at 10 degrees C, pH 7.0. The binding of NADH to the acylenzyme has been characterized spectrophotometrically. The absorption band of the dihydronicotinamide moiety of the coenzyme is blue-shifted to 335 nm with respect to free NADH. In addition, a large hypochromicity (23%) is observed together with a significant increase of the bandwidth at half height of this absorption band. This last property is specific to the acylenzyme-DADH complex, since it disappears upon arsenolysis of the acylenzyme. The binding affinity of NADH to the acylated enzyme has been estimated by performing simultaneous spectrophotometric and fluorimetric titrations of the NADH appearance upon addition of NAD+ to a mixture of enzyme and excess glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. In contrast to NAD+, the reduced coenzyme NADH appears to be relatively strongly bound to the acylated enzyme, the dissociation constant of the acylenzyme-NADH complex being estimated as 2.0 muM at 25 degrees C. In addition a large quenching of the NADH fluorescence (about 83%) is observed. The comparison of the dissociation constants of the coenzyme-acylenzyme complexes and the corresponding Michaelis constants suggests a reaction mechanism of the enzyme in which significant formation and dissociation of NAD+-acylenzyme and NADH-acylenzyme complexes occur. Under physiological conditions the activity of the enzyme can be regulated by the ratio of oxidized and reduced coenzymes. Possible reasons for the lack of anticooperativity in coenzyme binding to the acylated form of the enzyme are discussed.