Fluorescent ATP Analogue Research Articles

A nucleotide-binding domain of porcine liver annexin VI. Proteolysis of annexin VI labelled with 8-azido-ATP, purification by affinity chromatography on ATP-agarose, and fluorescence studies.

Porcine liver annexin VI (AnxVI) of Mr 68.000 is an ATP-binding protein as evidenced by specific and saturable UV-dependent labelling with 8-azido-[gamma-32P]ATP or the fluorescent analog of ATP, 2'-(or 3')-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)adenosine triphosphate and by binding of AnxVI to ATP-agarose. These characteristics of purified AnxVI were used to identify and characterize preliminary nucleotide-binding domain of the protein. AnxVI labelled with 8-azido-ATP was subjected to limited proteolysis and the proteolytic fragments of AnxVI that retained the covalently-bound nucleotide were separated by means of gel electrophoresis and visualized by exposure of the gel to a phosphor storage screen. It was found that the AnxVI proteolytic fragments of Mr 34-36.000 and smaller retained the nucleotide. In a reciprocal experiment, AnxVI was digested with proteolytic enzymes and in an ATP eluate from an ATP-agarose column protein fragments of similar Mr to these labelled with 8-azido-ATP were identified. The extent of AnxVI labelling with 8-azido-ATP and the distribution of proteolytic fragments varied upon calcium concentration. These results lead to the conclusion that there is a nucleotide-binding domain within the AnxVI molecule that is functionally similar to the nucleotide-binding domains of other nucleotide-binding proteins. The nucleotide-binding domain is located close to the tryptophan residue 343 of AnxVI and in close vicinity to the Ca2+- and phospholipid-binding sites of the protein. This is confirmed by the observation that the tryptophan fluorescence intensity of AnxVI decreases in the presence of a fluorescence analog of ATP in a calcium-dependent manner, due to the quenching properties of the nucleotide and/or fluorescence energy transfer from AnxVI tryptophan to fluorophore. Both processes were modulated by the presence of phospholipid molecules.

Pathway of ATP hydrolysis by monomeric and dimeric kinesin.

The ATPase mechanism for a monomeric Drosophila kinesin construct, K341, was determined by pre-steady-state kinetic methods and compared to dimeric kinesin, K401. We directly measured the kinetics of binding mantATP (a fluorescent ATP analog) to the microtubule K341 complex, the dissociation of K341 from the microtubule, and release of phosphate and ADP from K341. Measurements of phosphate release kinetics at low salt concentration show that K341 hydrolyzes 18 molecules of ATP per kinesin monomer prior to release from the microtubule. At a higher salt concentration the amplitude of the pre-steady-state burst of phosphate release was reduced to 8 molecules per kinesin monomer. The maximum rate of dissociation of K341 from the microtubule following the addition of ATP was 22 s-1. The rate of mantADP release from the M.K341.mantADP complex increased as a function of tubulin concentration with a second-order rate constant of 11 microM-1 s-1 for K341 binding to the microtubule and reached a maximum rate of mantADP release of 303 s-1. ADP release kinetics were also determined by monitoring the binding of mantATP to K341.ADP and K401.ADP after mixing with microtubules. We show that monomeric kinesin remains associated with the microtubule through multiple rounds of ATP hydrolysis. This apparent processivity implies that one of the functions of the cooperative interaction between the two kinesin heads in dimeric kinesin is for the reactions occurring on one kinesin head to facilitate the release of the adjacent head from the microtubule.

Measurement of ATP turnover during shortening and lengthening of rabbit psoas myofibrils using a fluorescent ATP analog.

In order to study ATP turnover during shortening and lengthening of rabbit psoas myofibrils, we have used fluorescence microscopy in which the displacement of a fluorescent nucleotide analog, 2'(3')-O-[N-[2-[[Cy3] amido] ethyl] carbamoyl]-adenosine 5' triphosphate (Cy3-EDA-ATP) bound to cross-bridge on flash photolysis of caged ATP was measured [Chaen et al. (1997) Biophys. J. 73, 2033-2042]. In the previous paper, we reported that when a myofibril was imposed to shorten with a constant velocity by a piezo-electric actuator, the nucleotide displacement rate constant initially increased to 0.7 s-1 with increasing shortening velocity and then declined with a further increase in shortening velocity. The rate constant during lengthening measured in the present experiment was found to be not significantly affected. These results suggest that the cross-bridge kinetics show a asymmetrical dependence on the mechanical strain in the cross-bridges, namely, the rate constants are not significantly affected at higher strain during lengthening but depend on the lower strain during shortening.

Single Molecule Imaging of Fluorophores and Enzymatic Reactions Achieved by Objective-Type Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy

Imaging of single fluorescent molecules has been achieved in a relatively simple manner using objective-type total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM). Switching from epi-fluorescence microscopy to objective-type TIRFM was achieved by translation of a single mirror in the system. Clear images of single molecules of an orange fluorescent dye, Cy3, were obtained with a fluorescence-to-background ratio of 12, using a conventional high aperture objective (PlanApo, 100 ×, NA 1.4) with ordinary coverslips and immersion oil. This method allowed visualization of single molecules under scanning probe microscopes. Taking advantage of the technique of single molecule imaging, individual ATP turnovers have been visualized with a fluorescent ATP analogue, Cy3-ATP, using a simple experimental strategy. Clear on/off signals were obtained that correspond to the association and dissociation of single Cy3-ATP/ADP molecules with a single myosin head molecule. This method will allow a variety of single-molecular assays of biomolecular functions to be performed using fluorescently labeled substrates, ligands, messengers, and biologically active molecules. Thus, the present technique provides a simple yet powerful and universal tool for researchers to probe the events of single molecules.

The Active Sites of Fructose 6-Phosphate,2-kinase: Fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase from Rat Testis: ROLES OF ASP-128, THR-52, THR-130, ASN-73, AND TYR-197

To investigate the role in catalysis and/or substrate binding of the Walker motif residues of rat testis fructose 6-phosphate, 2-kinase:fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (Fru 6-P,2-kinase:Fru-2,6-Pase), we have constructed and characterized mutant enzymes of Asp-128, Thr-52, Asn-73, Thr-130, and Tyr-197. Replacement of Asp-128 by Ala, Asn, and Ser resulted in a small decrease in Vmax and a significant increase in Km values for both substrates. These mutants exhibited similar pH activity profiles as that of the wild type enzyme. Mutation of Thr-52 to Ala resulted in an enzyme with an infinitely high Km for both substrates and an 800-fold decreased Vmax. Substitution of Asn-73 with Ala or Asp caused a 100- and 600-fold increase, respectively in KFru 6-P with only a small increase in KATP and small changes in Vmax. Mutation of Thr-130 caused small changes in the kinetic properties. Replacement of Tyr-197 with Ser resulted in an enzyme with severely decreased binding of Fru 6-P with 3-fold decreased Vmax. A fluorescent analog of ATP, 2'(3')-O-(N-methylanthraniloyl)ATP (mant-ATP) served as a substrate with Km = 0.64 microM, and Vmax = 25 milliunits/mg and was a competitive inhibitor with respect to ATP. When mant-ATP bound to the enzyme, fluorescence intensity at 440 nm increased. mant-ATP binding of the wild type and the mutant enzymes were compared using the fluorometric method. The Kd values of the T52A and D128N enzymes were infinitely high and could not be measured, while those of the other mutant enzymes increased slightly. These results provide evidence that those amino acids are involved in substrate binding, and they are consistent with the crystallographic data. The results also suggest that Asp-128 does not serve as a nucleophile in catalysis, and since there are no other potential nucleophiles in the active site, we hypothesize that the Fru 6-P,2-kinase reaction is mediated via a transition state stabilization mechanism.

Fluorescent labelling of pyruvate carboxylase with 4-acetamido-4'-(iodacetyl)-aminostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (AIDA) provides a means of monitoring substrate binding.

Pyruvate carboxylase [EC 6.4.1.11 is a biotindependent enzyme that catalyses the carboxylation of pyruvate to form oxaloacetate (for a review see [ 11). The overall reaction proceeds in two stages, in the first stage the biotin prosthetic group is carboxylated by H Q with concomitant cleavage of MgATP. The carboxybiotin then moves to another part of the active site where the carboxyl group is transferred to pyruvate. In addition to the substrates, the reaction also requires free Mg2+ and acetyl CoA is an activator without which, the chicken liver enzyme shows little activity [2]. The chicken liver enzyme used in the experiments described here comprises of four identical subunits of molecular weight = 125 kDa. Each subunit contains one molecule of covalently bound biotin. In the past, efforts have been made to study substrate and effector binding using dye displacement [3] or the fluorescent analogue of ATP i.e. formycin A-5'-mphosphate F P ) [4]. A detailed kinetic study of nucleotide binding was recently carried out using FP [5 ] . Two drawbacks of this approach are that owing to the fluorescence inner-filter effect, near saturation of the enzyme with FlT cannot be achieved and the problems inherent in using a structural analogue as opposed to the actual substrate. A way of enabling the study of substrate and effector binding to be carried out is to covalently label the enzyme in such a way that the label reports the binding. AIDA is a water-soluble, fluorescent, sulphydryl-modifying reagent (Molecular Probes). Chicken liver pyruvate carboxylase was labelled with AIDA by incubating the fluorescent reagent and the enzyme in 1:l molar proportions (in terms of biotin content of the enzymes assayed as described previously [6]). After 30 min incubation, the extent of labelling achieved was 0.96 AIDA molecules per biotin. From the timecourse of the reaction, labelling appeared to occur in a single process. Any unreacted AIDA was then removed by passage of the reaction mixture through Sephadex G-25 as described previously [7]. During the course of the labelling, enzymic activity was monitored with a spectrophotomemc assay to detect oxaloacetate formation [8]. At the point where the extent of labelling was 0.96, the enzyme was found to have retained 67% of its activity relative to a control incubated in the absence of ADA. As can be seen in Fig. 1, pyruvate induces quenching of fluorescence across the spectrum, however there is no marked

Osmotic pressure probe of actin-myosin hydration changes during ATP hydrolysis

Osmotic stress in the 0.5-5 x 10(6) dyne/cm2 range was used to perturb the hydration of actin-myosin-ATP intermediates during steady-state hydrolysis. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) (1000 to 4000 Da), in the 1 to 10 wt% range, which does not cause protein precipitation, did not significantly affect the apparent KM or the Vmax for MgATP hydrolysis by myosin subfragment 1 (S1) alone, nor did it affect the value for the phosphate burst. Consistent with the kinetic data, osmotic stress did not affect nucleotide-induced changes in the fluorescence intensities of S1 tryptophans or of fluorescein attached to Cys-707. The accessibility of the fluorescent ATP analog, epsilon ADP, to acrylamide quenching was also unchanged. These data suggest that none of the steps in the ATP hydrolysis cycle involve substantial hydration changes, which might occur for the opening or closing of the ATP site or of other crevices in the S1 structure. In contrast, KM for the interaction of S1.MgADP.Pi with actin decreased tenfold in this range of osmotic pressure, suggesting that formation of actin.S1.MgADP.Pi involves net dehydration of the proteins. The dehydration volume increases as the size of the PEG is increased, as expected for a surface-excluded osmolyte. The measured dehydration volume for the formation of actin.S1.MgADP.Pi was used to estimate the surface area of the binding interface. This estimate was consistent with the area determined from the atomic structures of actin and myosin, indicating that osmotic stress is a reliable probe of actin.myosin.ATP interactions. The approach developed here should be useful for determining osmotic stress and excluded volume effects in situ, which are much larger than those of typical in vitro conditions.

Kinetic and spectroscopic characterization of fluorescent ribose-modified ATP analogs upon interaction with skeletal muscle myosin subfragment 1.

The interaction of fluorescent ATP analog 2'(3')-O-[N-[2-[3-(5-fluoresceinyl)thioureido]-ethyl]carbamoyl]adenosine 5'-triphosphate (FEDA-ATP) with rabbit skeletal myosin subfragment 1 (S1) and acto-S1 was studied. This and related ATP analogs are potentially useful for determination of the ATPase activity of single myosin filaments using fluorescence microscopy [Sowerby et al. (1993) J. Mol. Biol. 234, 114-123]. However, it is necessary that such analogs mimic ATP in their kinetics of turnover. The apparent second-order association rate constants for FEDA-ATP binding to S1 and for FEDA-ATP-induced dissociation of acto-S1 are about 4 times slower than those for ATP. As with ATP, the hydrolysis step is fast, so that the M.FEDA-ADP.P(i) complex is the major steady-state intermediate. The turnover rate is the same for the 2' and 3' FEDA-ATP derivatives and similar to that of ATP itself. The dissociation rate constant for FEDA-ADP from S1 is identical to that for ADP. Actin-activated turnover is comparable for both FEDA-ATP and ATP. The corresponding rhodamine and sulfoindocyanine, Cy3.18 (Cy3), derivatives also appear to be reasonable analogs. FEDA-ATP binding leads to a 25-40% reduction in fluorescein fluorescence. Spectral properties of the bound nucleotide were explored by trapping FEDA-ADP as its aluminum fluoride complex. The fluorescence quenching is a consequence of a reduction in both absorbance and excited-state lifetime, but there is little change in spectral shape.

Kinetics and motility of the Eg5 microtubule motor.

We have investigated the kinetic properties of the slow plus end directed microtubule (MT) motor Eg5. The recombinantly expressed fusion protein E437GST, containing residues 12-437 of Eg5 fused to the N-terminus of glutathione S-transferase (GST), is dimeric and motile, translocating MTs at an average speed of 0.063 (+/-0.01) micrometers(-1). The kinetics of ATP turnover by E437GST were investigated using the fluorescent ATP analogue methylanthraniloyl-ATP (mantATP). In the absence of MTs, mantADP release from E437GST is slow (0.006 s(-1) in 50 mM NaCl) and rate-limiting. MTs accelerate this kinetic step approximately 850-fold to a maximal rate of 4.94 s(-1). Under these conditions, the steady-state rate of mantATP turnover was 1.92 s(-1), indicating that MT-activated mantADP release accounts for at least 40% of the total cycle time of the motor and is probably rate-limiting. This step is around 10-fold slower in Eg5 than in kinesin, consistent with it limiting the rate of physical stepping in both Eg5 and kinesin. The dissociation constants of the motor in the presence of various nucleotides were determined using MT pelleting assays. ADP stabilizes the weakest bound state of the motor, while ATP, ATP gamma S, AMPPNP, and apyrase all induce a shift toward tighter binding states. Overall, the data indicate that Eg5 displays strong kinetic homologies with the two other well-characterized MT motors, kinesin and non claret disjunctional, suggesting that all kinesin superfamily motors may share the same basic mechanochemistry.

Nucleotide turnover rate measured in fully relaxed rabbit skeletal muscle myofibrils.

Steady state measurements of the ATP turnover rate of myosin crossbridges in relaxed living mammalian muscle or in in vitro systems are complicated by other more rapid ATPase activities. To surmount these problems we have developed a technique to measure the nucleotide turnover rate of fully relaxed myosin heads in myofibrils using a fluorescent analogue of ATP (mant-ATP). Rabbit myofibrils, relaxed in 1.6 mM ATP, were rapidly mixed with an equal volume of solution containing 80 microM mant-ATP and injected into a fluorimeter. As bound ADP is released, a fraction of the myosin active sites bind mant-ATP and fluorescence emission rises exponentially, defining a rate of nucleotide turnover of 0.03 +/- 0.001 s-1 at 25 degrees C (n = 17). This rate was approximately equal to one half that of purified myosin. The turnover rates for myosin and myofibrils increased between 5 degrees and 42 degrees C, reaching 0.16 +/- 0.04 s-1 and 0.06 +/- 0.005 s-1, respectively, at 39 degrees C, the body temperature of the rabbit. If the rate observed for purified myosin occurred in vivo, it would generate more heat than is observed for resting living muscle. When myosin is incorporated into the myofilament lattice, its ATPase activity is inhibited, providing at least a partial explanation for the low rate of heat production by living resting muscle.

Nucleotide-free actin: stabilization by sucrose and nucleotide binding kinetics.

We prepared nucleotide-free actin in buffer containing 48% (w/v) sucrose. Sucrose inhibits the irreversible denaturation of actin that follows nucleotide dissociation [Kasai et al. (1965) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 94, 494-503]. Our conditions removed nucleotide from approximately 80% of the actin. Stabilization of nucleotide-free actin depends on the sucrose concentration. The CD ellipticity (x 10(3) deg cm2 dmol-1) at 222 nm of nucleotide-free actin in 48% sucrose is -3.54. The ellipticity of denatured nucleotide-free actin in dilute buffer is -2.01 and that of native actin is -4.19. In 48% sucrose nucleotide-free actin has 1.12 and native actin has 0.5 solvent-exposed thiol residues. The conformation of native actin is recovered when ATP and Mg2+ are added. Our ability to generate stable nucleotide-free actin permitted us to study the kinetics of nucleotide binding to actin. The observed rate constant of the reaction is linearly dependent on the concentration of epsilon ATP, a fluorescent analog of ATP. The inverse of the association rate constant is proportional to the viscosity of the solvent with an intercept near the origin as expected for a diffusion-limited reaction. The second-order association rate constant for Mg(2+)-ATP and Ca(2+)-ATP binding to nucleotide-free actin in water at 22 degrees C is 5 x 10(6) M-1 s-1. The Smoluchowski collision rate constant for actin and ATP is calculated to be 6.5 x 10(9) M-1 s-1, which makes the "orientation factor" 7.7 x 10(-4). From the ratio of the dissociation and association rate constants, we calculate dissociation equilibrium constants of 1.2 x 10(-9) M for Mg(2+)-ATP-actin, 4.4 x 10(-9) M for Mg(2+)-epsilon ATP-actin, and 1.2 x 10(-10) M for Ca(2+)-ATP-actin.

Kinetic mechanism of adenine nucleotide binding to and hydrolysis by the Escherichia coli Rep monomer. 1. Use of fluorescent nucleotide analogs

The Escherichia coli Rep helicase catalyzes the unwinding of duplex DNA in a reaction that is coupled to ATP binding and hydrolysis. The Rep protein is a stable monomer in the absence of DNA but dimerizes upon binding either single-stranded or duplex DNA, and the dimer appears to be the functionally active form of the Rep helicase. As a first step toward understanding how ATP binding and hydrolysis are coupled energetically to DNA unwinding, we have investigated the kinetic mechanism of nucleotide binding to the Rep monomer (P) using stopped-flow techniques and the fluorescent ATP analogue, 2'(3')-O-(N-methylanthraniloyl-ATP (mantATP). The fluorescence of mantATP is enhanced upon Rep binding due to energy transfer from tryptophan. The results are consistent with the following two-step mechanism, in which the bimolecular association step is followed by a conformational change in the P-mantATP complex: P + mantATP [formula: see text] P-mantATP [formula: see text] (P-mantATP). The following rate and equilibrium constants were determined at 4 degrees C in 20 mM Tris.HCl (pH 7.5), 6 mM NaCl, 5 mM MgCl2, and 10% (v/v) glycerol: k+1 = (1.1 +/- 0.2) x 10(7) M-1 s-1; k-1 = 3.2 (+/- 0.5) s-1; k+2 = 2.9 (+/- 0.5) s-1; k-2 = 0.04 (+/- 0.005) s-1; K1 = k+1/k-1 = (3.4 +/- 0.8) x 10(6) M-1; K2 = k+2/k-2 = 73 (+/- 10); Koverall = K1K2 = (2.30 +/- 0.6) x 10(8) M-1. Similar rate and equilibrium constants are obtained with mantATP gamma S, whereas the apparent rate constant for mantAMPPNP binding is 15-fold lower than for mantATP and equilibrium binding is weaker (Koverall approximately 10(6) M-1). Rep monomer does bind mantATP in the absence of Mg2+ (Koverall approximately 5 x 10(5) M-1), although the four rate constants in the above reaction increase by at least 8-fold (k-1 and k-2 increase by approximately 100- and approximately 1000-fold, respectively). The affinities of Mg2+ for P-mantATP and (P-mantATP)* are 10- and 1000-fold higher than those for nucleotide-free Rep monomer, indicating that the second step in the reaction is associated with a marked increase in Mg2+ affinity. The bound Mg2+ in a (P-mantATP)*-Mg2+ complex dissociates at a rate that is comparable to the rate of mantATP release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Organic anion-transporting ATPase of rat liver. I. Purification, photoaffinity labeling, and regulation by phosphorylation.

An ATP-dependent transport system specific for non-bile acid organic anions such as S-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-glutathione is present in the canalicular plasma membrane of hepatocytes. It has been shown recently that transport of these anions by isolated hepatocytes is modulated by the activity of cellular protein kinase C (Roelofsen, H., Ottenhoff, R., Oude Elferink, R. P., and Jansen, P.L. (1991) Biochem. J. 278, 637-641, 1991). Using a series of affinity chromatography steps, we have purified to apparent homogeneity a 90-kDa glycoprotein which has S-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)glutathione-dependent ATPase activity. As shown by binding to immobilized S-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)glutathione and by photoaffinity labeling with 8-azido-ATP, the binding sites for organic anions and for ATP of the 90-kDa protein are interdependent, a behavior that is consistent with an ATP-dependent transport function. The ATP binding site has been further characterized using a fluorescent ATP analog. The 90-kDa protein was phosphorylated by protein kinase C, and the Vmax (but not the Km) of the S-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)glutathione-dependent ATPase activity increased at least 2-fold upon phosphorylation. On the basis of its enzymatic properties, we propose that the 90-kDa protein is identical with the multispecific organic anion transporter (MOAT) of the hepatic canalicular plasma membrane. The size and oligosaccharide content of the 90-kDa protein indicate that it does not belong to the family of mammalian plasma membrane P-glycoproteins.

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. Nucleotide binding to a synthetic peptide segment from the second predicted nucleotide binding fold.

Previous studies from this laboratory with a 67-amino acid synthetic peptide (P-67) demonstrated directly that the first predicted nucleotide binding fold of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) binds ATP (Thomas, P.J, Shenbagamurthi, P., Ysern, S., and Pedersen, P.L. (1991) Science 251, 555-557). Although mutational analysis within the predicted second nucleotide binding fold indicates that this domain may be functionally important also, direct evidence for nucleotide binding is lacking. Here, we report the design, chemical synthesis, and purification of a 51-amino acid segment (P-51) of the second predicted nucleotide binding fold of CFTR and demonstrate that this peptide binds ATP. P-51 consists of amino acid residues from glutamic acid 1228 through threonine 1278 and contains a motif, GX4GKS, very similar or identical to that found in many nucleotide-binding proteins. The freshly dissolved peptide moves predominantly as a single species upon molecular sieve chromatography and readily binds ATP without eliciting its hydrolysis. P-51 also readily binds the fluorescent ATP analogs TNP-ATP (2'(3')-0-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-adenosine-5'-triphosphate) and TNP-ADP but exhibits much less capacity to bind TNP-AMP. ATP displaces TNP-ATP with a Kd (ATP) of 0.46 mM. In the presence of the denaturant urea, P-51 loses most of its binding capacity indicating that structure is important for binding. Consistent with this conclusion, circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that P-51 has significant secondary structure. Elements of such structure calculated from deconvolution of the circular dichroism spectra compare favorably with those predicted from the program of Chou, P.Y., and Fasman, G.D. (1977) J. Mol. Biol. 115, 135-175. These experiments provide the first direct evidence that the second predicted nucleotide binding fold of CFTR binds ATP and define a 51-amino acid segment within the approximately 150-amino acid fold critical for this function. They also indicate that the beta and gamma phosphate groups of ATP may be important for binding and that the 51-amino acid region studied is not sufficient to catalyze ATP hydrolysis. Finally, as seven different mutations within P-51 are known to cause cystic fibrosis, these studies will be important in future efforts to understand the molecular basis of the disease.

Measurements of ATP binding on the large cytoplasmic loop of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase overexpressed in Escherichia coli

The large cytoplasmic loop of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (LCL), situated between Lys329 and Phe740, is believed to contain both its phosphorylation and ATP binding domains. A cDNA fragment coding for this amino acid sequence was generated in vitro and cloned in vector pQE8 which allowed the overexpression in Escherichia coli of this Ca(2+)-ATPase domain fused with a cluster of 6 histidines at its NH2 terminus. The fusion protein produced in an insoluble form within bacteria was solubilized in 4 M urea, purified on immobilized Ni2+, and then renatured by elimination of urea. More than 4 mg of purified renatured fusion protein was obtained from 500 ml of culture. ATP binding on the refolded protein was demonstrated by two methods: 1) detection of ATP-induced intrinsic fluorescence change and 2) binding of the fluorescent ATP analogue 2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-adenosine-5'-triphosphate (TNP-ATP) and its chase by ATP. It is shown that the LCL protein has one single TNP-ATP binding site having a dissociation constant (Kd) of 1.6-1.9 microM. Both methods yielded a Kd for ATP around 200 microM. Binding of other nucleotides was detected with a sequence of Kd identical to that found for native Ca(2+)-ATPase: ATP < ADP < GTP < AMP < ITP. A Mg2+ binding site was also found on the LCL protein (Kd = 100 microM at pH 7.2). The fluorescence of bound TNP-ATP was found to be highly dependent on Mg2+ binding on this site.

Axonemes paralyzed by the presence of dyneins unable to use ribose-modified ATP.

Substrate analogs are useful for studying the structures of active sites and for distinguishing between similar enzyme activities. Fluorescent ribose-modified ATP analogs were used to investigate the functional differences between dynein ATPases. These analogs reactivate (support the movement of) sea urchin sperm axonemes, yet they do not reactivate wild-type Chlamydomonas axonemes. Surprisingly, the analogs reactivate the axonemes of mutants completely missing the outer arm dyneins. Competition experiments using ATP and these analogs provide strong evidence that the analogs bind to all dynein active sites but fail to release a subset of dyneins from rigor. We suggest that this subset of Chlamydomonas outer arm dyneins unable to use the analogs remains in rigor in the presence of the analogs and paralyzes the axoneme.

Turnover of Fluorescent Nucleoside Triphosphates by Isolated Immobilized Myosin Filaments: Transient Kinetics on the Zeptomole Scale

Recent developments of in vitro motility assays have allowed the sliding velocity and force generation to be measured when a single actin filament interacts with a small number of immobilized myosin molecules. In contrast, the associated ATPase activities have been estimated from the whole population of molecules in the flow cell using steady-state kinetics. For a more unambiguous estimate of the crossbridge step size, it would be desirable to measure the ATPase activity of those molecules actually under observation in the in vitro assay in real time. As a start to solving this formidable problem we have investigated the use of fluorescent ATP analogues as probes to measure the ATPase activity of immobilized myosin filaments. Turnover rates for the substrate analogue, FEDA-ATP (an analogue in which a fluorescein moiety is linked via an ethylenediamine chain to the ribose of ATP) were recorded by displacement of the steady-state intermediate with excess ATP. Using epifluorescence light microscopy, small clumps of rabbit skeletal and scallop striated muscle synthetic thick filaments and single native clam ( Mercenaria) red adductor muscle thick filaments were assayed. The latter filaments contain several thousand myosin molecules and thus they represent the application of transient kinetic methodology on the zeptomole scale. In the presence of Ca 2+, the derived rate constants for FEDA-ATP turnover are close to those expected for the same preparations in solution (0·06 s -1 for rabbit skeletal, 0·2 s -1 for scallop and clam adductor muscle myosins), indicating that immobilization does not have a significant effect on the ATPase activity. In the absence of Ca 2+, molluscan preparations show a slower FEDA-ATP turnover rate but they do not appear as well regulated as in solution. In such microscope assays the observed displacement rate does not reflect the true turnover rate owing to photobleaching, and possibly regulatory light chain depletion. Future developments for extending this assay to the actin-activated state are discussed.

Intramolecular distances within the Ca(2+)-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum as estimated through fluorescence energy transfer between probes.

Fluorescence energy transfer measurements have been carried out to estimate intramolecular distances between probes bound to Ca(2+)-transporting ATPase (Ca(2+)-ATPase) as well as distances between these probes and the phospholipid headgroup. The nucleotide binding site was monitored by using 1,N6-ethenoadenosine 5'-triphosphate, a fluorescent analogue of ATP, and also by labelling Lys515 with fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate. Three different cysteine residues were individually labelled using the following probes: 5-[(2-iodoacetyl)aminoethyl]amino-naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (I-AEDANS), 7-chloro-4-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-Cl) and fluorescent maleimides. The surface of the membrane was labelled by reconstitution with fluorescent phospholipids (fluorescein and rhodamine derivatives). We found a distance of 4.1 nm from the nucleotide binding site to NBD (at Cys344), and the same distance to fluorescent maleimides (at Cys364). The AEDANS label (at Cys670,672) was found separated 3.5 nm from NBD, 4.4 nm from fluorescent maleimides, and 3.9 nm from the lipid matrix. The NBD label was 3.2 nm apart from fluorescent maleimides and 2.2 nm from the lipid matrix. Finally, fluorescent maleimides were found to be located 4.2 nm above the membrane surface. All these distances agree with a molecular model in which NBD is located in the stalk portion of the Ca(2+)-ATPase, near the surface of the membrane, and the rest of the probes are above it, in the globular domain of the protein.

Interaction of ATP analogs with yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinase. Affinity labeling of the hinge region.

Yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinase is inactivated by incubation with pyridoxal 5'-diphospho-5'-adenosine (AdoP2Pxy) [Tamura, J. K., Rakov, R. D. & Gross, R. L. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 4126-4133). Incorporation of 1 mol affinity label/mol enzyme was sufficient for complete inactivation of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase. The substrate ATP affords substantial protection against inactivation. Partial protection is afforded by the substrate glycerate 3-phosphate. When AdoP2Pxy-modified phosphoglycerate kinase was reduced with [3H]NaBH4 and subjected to trypsin hydrolysis, only one radioactive peptide was isolated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The amino acid composition and sequence analysis of the purified radioactive peptide revealed that it spans residues 379-403 of the enzyme and Lys385 specifically reacted with the affinity label. This peptide represents the hinge region between the two domains of the protein, where the active site is also located. The fluorescence intensity of enzyme-bound AdoP2Pxy is enhanced when glycerate 3-phosphate is added, suggesting exposure of the fluorescent probe to a more hydrophobic environment. Another fluorescent analog, anthraniloyl-dATP (ant-dATP), which carries the fluorescent reporter group on the ribose ring, binds to the enzyme at two distinct sites with Kd values of 6 +/- 2 microM and 25 +/- 3 microM, as determined by steady-state anisotropy measurements. Bound ant-dATP was displaced from the enzyme by glycerate 3-phosphate and ATP, as monitored by the fluorescence anisotropy. These results suggest that both fluorescent ATP analogs bind to the active site, which is at the hinge region of the enzyme. Model-building studies showed that when AdoP2Pxy is built into the open form of the enzyme, as described in X-ray studies, the pyridoxyl group of AdoP2Pxy cannot reach Lys385 for Schiff-base formation. Labeled Lys385 is on a beta-turn immediately following helix XII, which was suggested to interact with the nucleotide and become ordered at the active site of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase [Watson, H. C., Walker, N. P. C., Shaw, P. J., Bryant, T. N., Wendell, P. L., Fothergill, L. A., Perkins, R. E., Conroy, S. C., Dobson, M. J., Tuite, M. F., Kinesman, A. J. & Kinesman, S. M. (1982) EMBO J. 1, 1635-1640]. The results presented here suggest that binding of substrates cause significant structural changes in the enzyme.

The binding of the fluorescent ATP analogue 2′(3′)-trinitrophenyladenosine-5′-triphosphate to rat liver fatty acid-binding protein

The less polar fluorescent analogue of ATP, 2′(3′)-trinitrophenyl-5′-triphosphate bound to rat liver fatty acid-binding protein with high affinity ( K d 6.3 × 10 −6 M) and 1:1 molar stoichiometry. This probe bound to the fatty acid binding site of the protein and was displaced by oleic acid and oleoyl CoA. High concentrations of ATP did not cause significant displacement of the fluorescent ATP analogue. Since the anionic part of this molecule is the triphosphate group it is difficult to envisage this group being accommodated at an anion binding site within the non-polar core of this protein as is the case with other fatty acid binding proteins. Therefore it is anticipated that the ligand must bind to liver fatty acid-binding protein with these triphosphate group surface exposed. Caution must be exercised when using the more hydrophobic fluorescent analogue of ATP to investigate the ATP binding properties of proteins.