Preparation Of Apoenzyme Research Articles

Enzyme Activation with a Synthetic Catalytic Co-enzyme Intermediate: Nucleotide Methylation by Flavoenzymes.

To facilitate production of functional enzymes and to study their mechanisms, especially in the complex cases of coenzyme-dependent systems, activation of an inactive apoenzyme preparation with a catalytically competent coenzyme intermediate is an attractive strategy. This is illustrated with the simple chemical synthesis of a flavin-methylene iminium compound previously proposed as a key intermediate in the catalytic cycle of several important flavoenzymes involved in nucleic acid metabolism. Reconstitution of both flavin-dependent RNA methyltransferase and thymidylate synthase apoproteins with this synthetic compound led to active enzymes for the C5-uracil methylation within their respective transfer RNA and dUMP substrate. This strategy is expected to be of general application in enzymology.

Enzyme Activation with a Synthetic Catalytic Co‐enzyme Intermediate: Nucleotide Methylation by Flavoenzymes

AbstractTo facilitate production of functional enzymes and to study their mechanisms, especially in the complex cases of coenzyme‐dependent systems, activation of an inactive apoenzyme preparation with a catalytically competent coenzyme intermediate is an attractive strategy. This is illustrated with the simple chemical synthesis of a flavin‐methylene iminium compound previously proposed as a key intermediate in the catalytic cycle of several important flavoenzymes involved in nucleic acid metabolism. Reconstitution of both flavin‐dependent RNA methyltransferase and thymidylate synthase apoproteins with this synthetic compound led to active enzymes for the C5‐uracil methylation within their respective transfer RNA and dUMP substrate. This strategy is expected to be of general application in enzymology.

Product-assisted Catalysis as the Basis of the Reaction Specificity of Threonine Synthase

Threonine synthase (TS), which is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme, catalyzes the elimination of the γ-phosphate group from O-phospho-L-homoserine (OPHS) and the subsequent addition of water at Cβ to form L-threonine. The catalytic course of TS is the most complex among the PLP enzymes, and it is an intriguing problem how the elementary steps are controlled in TS to carry out selective reactions. When L-vinylglycine was added to Thermus thermophilus HB8 TS in the presence of phosphate, L-threonine was formed with k(cat) and reaction specificity comparable with those when OPHS was used as the substrate. However, in the absence of phosphate or when sulfate was used in place of phosphate, only the side reaction product, α-ketobutyrate, was formed. Global analysis of the spectral changes in the reaction of TS with L-threonine showed that compared with the more acidic sulfate ion, the phosphate ion decreased the energy levels of the transition states of the addition of water at the Cβ of the PLP-α-aminocrotonate aldimine (AC) and the transaldimination to form L-threonine. The x-ray crystallographic analysis of TS complexed with an analog for AC gave a distinct electron density assigned to the phosphate ion derived from the solvent near the Cβ of the analog. These results indicated that the phosphate ion released from OPHS by γ-elimination acts as the base catalyst for the addition of water at Cβ of AC, thereby providing the basis of the reaction specificity. The phosphate ion is also considered to accelerate the protonation/deprotonation at Cγ.

What is the role of the second "structural" NADP+-binding site in human glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase?

Human glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, purified after overexpression in E. coli, was shown to contain one molecule/subunit of acid-extractable "structural" NADP+ and no NADPH. This tightly bound NADP+ was reduced by G6P, presumably following migration to the catalytic site. Gel-filtration yielded apoenzyme, devoid of bound NADP+ but, surprisingly, still fully active. Mr of the main component of "stripped" enzyme by gel filtration was approximately 100,000, suggesting a dimeric apoenzyme (subunit Mr = 59,000). Holoenzyme also contained tetramer molecules and, at high protein concentration, a dynamic equilibrium gave an apparent intermediate Mr of 150 kDa. Fluorescence titration of the stripped enzyme gave the K d for structural NADP+ as 37 nM, 200-fold lower than for "catalytic" NADP+. Structural NADP+ quenches 91% of protein fluorescence. At 37 degrees C, stripped enzyme, much less stable than holoenzyme, inactivated irreversibly within 2 d. Inactivation at 4 degrees C was partially reversed at room temperature, especially with added NADP+. Apoenzyme was immediately active, without any visible lag, in rapid-reaction studies. Human G6PD thus forms active dimer without structural NADP+. Apparently, the true role of the second, tightly bound NADP+ is to secure long-term stability. This fits the clinical pattern, G6PD deficiency affecting the long-lived non-nucleate erythrocyte. The Kd values for two class I mutants, G488S and G488V, were 273 nM and 480 nM, respectively (seven- and 13-fold elevated), matching the structural prediction of weakened structural NADP+ binding, which would explain decreased stability and consequent disease. Preparation of native apoenzyme and measurement of Kd constant for structural NADP+ will now allow quantitative assessment of this defect in clinical G6PD mutations.

A Study on p-Hydroxybenzoate Hydroxylase from Pseudomonas fluorescens

Conventional methods to prepare the apoenzyme of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase from Pseudomonas fluorescens yield an inhomogeneous apoenzyme with respect to the reconstitutable activity. To overcome this problem the holoenzyme was bound covalently to a Sepharose–5,5′-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoate) column via the reactive sulfhydryl group of the enzyme. The prosthetic group FAD was removed at neutral pH by addition of a high concentration of KBr and urea to the elution buffer. The holoenzyme can be reconstituted while the apoenzyme is still bound to the column or the apoenzyme can be isolated in the free state. The yield of apoenzyme was between 90% and 95% of the starting enzyme. The degree of reconstitution of holoenzyme is better than 95% of the original activity. The apoenzyme is stable for a long period of time as an ammonium sulfate precipitate. The relative molecular mass of the apoenzyme is 43000 per polypeptide chain. The apoenzyme exists mainly as a dimer in solution. During the preparation of the apoenzyme the substrate p-hydroxybenzoate protects the apoenzyme from inactivation, indicating complex formation. The dissociation constant for the apoenzyme-substrate complex was determined to be about 30 μM. The apoenzyme also forms a complex with NADPH. The dissociation constant (∼ 12 μM) of this complex is about a factor of ten smaller than that of the holoenzyme (∼ 120 μM). The dissociation constant of the apoenzyme-NADPH complex is strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength of the solution. The dissociation constant of the holoenzyme into its constituents is 45 nM. The association rate constant calculated from kinetic experiments is 4.1 × 104 M−1 s−1. The calculated dissociation rate constant is 1.85 × 10−3 s−1, indicating that the holoenzyme possesses a high stability which is governed by the low dissociation rate constant. The method of preparation of apoenzyme can also be used to separate enzyme molecules where the reactive SH group has been oxidized by air from enzyme molecules still containing the original SH group. This separation technique is in particular useful when quantitative labelling of the SH group is required.

The Catalytic Role of Glutamate 151 in the Leucine Aminopeptidase from Aeromonas proteolytica

Glutamate 151 has been proposed to act as the general acid/base during the peptide hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by the co-catalytic metallohydrolase from Aeromonas proteolytica (AAP). However, to date, no direct evidence has been reported for the role of Glu-151 during catalytic turnover by AAP. In order to elucidate the catalytic role of Glu-151, altered AAP enzymes have been prepared in which Glu-151 has been substituted with a glutamine, an alanine, and an aspartate. The Michaelis constant (K(m)) does not change upon substitution to aspartate or glutamine, but the rate of the reaction changes drastically in the following order: glutamate (100% activity), aspartate (0.05%), glutamine (0.004%), and alanine (0%). Examination of the pH dependence of the kinetic constants k(cat) and K(m) revealed a change in the pK(a) of a group that ionizes at pH 4.8 in recombinant leucine aminopeptidase (rAAP) to 4.2 for E151D-AAP. The remaining pK(a) values at 5.2, 7.5, and 9.9 do not change. Proton inventory studies indicate that one proton is transferred in the rate-limiting step of the reaction at pH 10.50 for both rAAP and E151D-AAP, but at pH 6.50 two protons and general solvation effects are responsible for the observed effects in the reaction catalyzed by rAAP and E151D-AAP, respectively. Based on these data, Glu-151 is intrinsically involved in the peptide hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by AAP and can be assigned the role of a general acid and base.

Contribution of Lys276 to the conformational flexibility of the active site of glutamate decarboxylase from Escherichia coli.

Glutamate decarboxylase is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme responsible for the irreversible alpha-decarboxylation of glutamate to yield 4-aminobutyrate. In Escherichia coli, as well as in other pathogenic and nonpathogenic enteric bacteria, this enzyme is a structural component of the glutamate-based acid resistance system responsible for cell survival in extremely acidic conditions (pH < 2.5). The contribution of the active-site lysine residue (Lys276) to the catalytic mechanism of E. coli glutamate decarboxylase has been determined. Mutation of Lys276 into alanine or histidine causes alterations in the conformational properties of the protein, which becomes less flexible and more stable. The purified mutants contain very little (K276A) or no (K276H) cofactor at all. However, apoenzyme preparations can be reconstituted with a full complement of coenzyme, which binds tightly but slowly. The observed spectral changes suggest that the cofactor is present at the active site in its hydrated form. Binding of glutamate, as detected by external aldimine formation, occurs at a very slow rate, 400-fold less than that of the reaction between glutamate and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate in solution. Both Lys276 mutants are unable to decarboxylate the substrate, thus preventing detailed investigation of the role of this residue on the catalytic mechanism. Several lines of evidence show that mutation of Lys276 makes the protein less flexible and its active site less accessible to substrate and cofactor.

Molecular mechanism for catalysis by a new zinc-enzyme, dopachrome tautomerase.

Dopachrome tautomerase (DCT; EC 5.3.3.12) catalyses the conversion of L-dopachrome into 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid in the mammalian eumelanogenic biosynthetic pathway. This enzyme, also named TRP2, belongs to a family of three metalloenzymes termed the tyrosinase-related proteins (TRPs). It is well known that tyrosinase has copper in its active site. However, the nature of the metal ion in the active site of DCT is under discussion. Whereas theoretical predictions based on similarity between the protein sequences of the TRPs suggest the presence of copper, the different inhibition pattern of DCT with some metal chelators compared with that of tyrosinase suggests that the nature of the metal ion could differ. Direct estimations of the metal content in purified DCT preparations show the presence of around 1.5 Zn atoms/molecule and the absence of copper. Apoenzyme preparation by treatment of DCT with cyanide or o-phenanthroline followed by reconstitution experiments of tautomerase activity in the presence of different ions confirmed that the metal cofactor for the DCT active site is zinc. Our results are consistent with Zn2+ chelation by the highly conserved histidine residues homologous to the histidines at the classical copper-binding sites in tyrosinase. This finding accounts for the reaction catalysed by DCT, i.e. a tautomerization, versus the copper-mediated oxidations catalysed by tyrosinase. Based on the predicted tetrahedrical coordination of the zinc ions in the enzyme active site, a molecular mechanism for the catalysis of L-dopachrome tautomerization is proposed. From the present data, the existence of additional ligands for metal ions other than zinc in the DCT molecule, such as the proposed cysteine iron-binding sites, cannot be completely ruled out. However, if such sites exist, they could be subsidiary binding sites, whose function would be likely to stabilize the protein.

Manganese(II)-Dependent Extradiol-Cleaving Catechol Dioxygenase from Arthrobacter globiformis CM-2

A manganese-dependent 3,4-dihydroxyphenylactate 2,3-dioxygenase from Arthrobacter globiformis strain CM-2 (MndD) cloned in Escherichia coli has been purified to homogeneity. Sedimentation equilibrium analysis indicates an alpha 4 homotetrameric holoenzyme structure (4 x 38,861 Da). Steady-state kinetic analysis of MndD with a variety of substrates and inhibitors yields very similar relative rates to the known Fe(II)- and Mn(II)-dependent 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate 2,3-dioxygenases from Pseudomonas ovalis and Bacillus brevis, respectively. Yet, unlike the Fe(II)-dependent enzyme, MndD retains almost all activity in the presence of H2O2 and CN- and is inactivated by Fe(II). ICP emission analysis confirms the presence of 3.0 +/- 0.2 g-atoms Mn (and only 0.7 +/- 0.2 g-atoms Fe) per tetrameric holoenzyme molecule. Comparison of MndD samples with varying metal content, including an apo and partial-apo enzyme preparation, shows a strong positive correlation between specific activity and Mn content. EPR spectra of MndD as isolated exhibit a nearly isotropic g = 2.0 signal having 6-fold hyperfine splitting (A = 95 G) typical of octahedrally coordinated Mn(II) in a protein. Quantitation of the EPR spin yields 3.4 +/- 0.3 g-atoms of Mn(II) per holoenzyme. When exposed anaerobically to its natural substrate, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate (3,4-DHPA), the EPR spectrum undergoes a dramatic change characterized by the attenuation of the g = 2 signal and the appearance of new signals at g = 1.2, 2.9, 4.3, and 16. The g = 4.3 signal displays 6-fold hyperfine splitting (A = 95 G) that unambiguously assigns it to the Mn(II) center. The appearance of these new signals indicates a large increase in zero-field splitting suggestive of a change in ligand coordination to the Mn(II) center. Similarly perturbed signals are seen in the EPR spectra of MndD complexed with the comparably active substrate analog, D,L-3,4-dihydroxymandelate, or the tight-binding inhibitor, p-nitrocatechol, but not in the complexes with weaker binding substrates and inhibitors. The fact that only strong-binding substrates and inhibitors significantly perturb the Mn(II) EPR signal strongly suggests that the substrate coordinates to the Mn(II) center in the catalytic pathway.

Affinity probing of flavin binding sites. 1. Covalent attachment of 8-(methylsulfonyl)FAD to pig heart lipoamide dehydrogenase.

8-(Methylsulfonyl)FAD reacts with a single cysteine residue (Cys449) in pig apolipoamide dehydrogenase to generate a flavinylated enzyme containing covalently bound 8-(cysteinyl)FAD. Competitive behavior is observed in reconstitution reactions containing both FAD and 8-(methylsulfonyl)FAD. Covalently bound 8-(cysteinyl)FAD is shielded from solvent, as judged by spectral comparison with model 8-(alkylthio)-flavins in various solvents. Flavinylated lipoamide dehydrogenase is monomeric and catalytically inactive. Cys449 is located in the interface domain, near the active site histidine (His452). As shown previously, Cys449 is oxidized when native enzyme is treated with cupric ions. Cys449 is close to the isoalloxazine ring of FAD in native enzyme, as judged by alignment of the pig sequence with the structure of the homologous enzyme from Azotobacter vinelandii. The residue corresponding to Cys449 in A. vinlandii lipoamide dehydrogenase (Val447) is about 9 A from the carbonyl oxygen at C(2) in the pyrimidine ring of FAD. Approximation of a substituent at position 8 in FAD with Cys449 requires a 180 degrees flip of the isoalloxazine ring as compared with its orientation in the native structure. The different flavin orientation can explain the absence of dimerization and catalytic activity. Using the same method of apoenzyme preparation, noncovalent binding was observed with 8-chloroFAD, a less reactive flavin analogue. Relatively nonspecific covalent incorporation was observed with 8-chloroFAD when apoenzyme was prepared by an older method used in previous studies with this derivative [Moore, E.G., Cardemil, E., & Massey, V. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 6413-6422].

The effect of metal ions on the activity and thermostability of the extracellular proteinase from a thermophilic Bacillus, strain EA.1.

The proteinase from the extremely thermophilic Bacillus strain EA.1 exhibits maximum stability at a pH of approx. 6.5. In the presence of calcium ions the half-life at 95 degrees C of the enzyme at this pH was 17 min, and loss of activity followed first-order decay kinetics. The role of metal ions in the activity and stability of the enzyme was studied using the holoenzyme, the metal-depleted apoenzyme, and a zinc-enriched apoenzyme preparation. Zinc and calcium ions were the preferred bivalent cations for the active site and stabilization site(s) respectively. Stabilization by metal ions was not in itself a highly stringent process, but ions other than calcium which stabilized the enzyme generally had a concomitant inhibitory effect on activity. Inhibition and stabilization of the enzyme by cations were concentration-dependent effects and certain ions activated the apoenzyme but not the holoenzyme. Manganese(II) ions conferred some stability and also activated the enzyme, but in the latter case were not as effective as zinc ions. The results are discussed with reference to the ionic radii, co-ordination number and preferred ligand donors of the ions. Mercury(II) ions severely compromised enzyme activity and stability, and the effects of thiol-reactive agents suggest that thiol groups also have a role in enzyme integrity.

Rabbit muscle tetrameric d-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is locked in the asymmetric state by chemical modification of a single arginine per subunit

Modification of a single arginine residue per subunit of rabbit muscle tetrameric d-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase by 2,3-butanedione converts the enzyme into the form which retains 5–7% of the original activity and manifests cooperative properties that are absent in the native enzyme. It exhibits half-of-the-sites reactivity towards the natural substrate d-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate. Titration of the modified enzyme with DTNB reveals only two instantaneously reacting SH groups, the total amount of SH groups approaching nine per tetramer. In the presence of 8 M urea, an additional seven SH groups become accessible to DTNB. This suggests that the arginine modification imposes some conformational constraints which affect the microenvironment of the active site cysteine residues in two subunits of the tetramer. The changes do not influence the interaction between the essential cysteine residue and NAD + which is responsible for the change transfer complex formation, since the molar extinction coefficient of the apoenzyme-NAD + complex, ε 360, was not altered upon the arginine modification. The native and modified apoenzyme preparations bound NAD + with similar affinities, the number of coenzyme binding sites being close to four in the case of the native enzyme and about three with the modified one. The apparent p K values of Cys-149 within the functioning active centers of the tetramer were determined from the pH profiles of the inactivation rates in presence of iodoacetamide. The apparent p K a of the essential thiols was found to change upon enzyme modification from 9.44 to 10.07 in the apoenzyme and from 9.17 to 9.36 in the holoenzyme. The apparent p K a of the arginine residue determined from the pH dependence of the inactivation rate was equal to 9.0 and did not change upon apo-halo enzyme transition.

Determination of plasma pyridoxal 5′-phosphate by an enzymatic-high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure

An enzymatic-HPLC procedure for the determination of plasma pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) has been established. The assay is based on the decarboxylation of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine using Streptococcus tyrosine decarboxylase apoenzyme, which requires PLP as cofactor. The product of the enzyme reaction, dopamine, is measured by Coulochem electrochemical detection with a series of oxidizing and then reducing electrodes. Trace amounts of PLP in the apoenzyme preparation were removed with the aid of cysteine-sulfinic acid and gel filtration. The detection limit for PLP by this method is 50 p m in plasma.

The state of cluster SH and S2- of aconitase during cluster interconversions and removal. A convenient preparation of apoenzyme.

During the interconversion of the various cluster types observed in aconitase ([4Fe-4S]1+,2+, [3Fe-4S]0,1+, cubane, or linear types) and production of apoenzyme, changes int he state of the sulfur ligands (RSH and S2-) are bound to occur. We have attempted to obtain information on such changes by interception of SH groups and/or by analysis of the resulting cluster or apoprotein for various forms of sulfur and enzymatic activity. During cluster interconversions no evidence was obtained for changes in SH titer that could be associated with cluster ligands. We conclude from this that the ligand exchange at the cluster is too rapid to allow trapping even by SH reagents of low Mr. The possibility that released SH becomes buried in the protein structure and unreactive cannot be entirely discounted. On formation of the apoenzyme by oxidation with ferricyanide, four SH groups per molecule became unavailable for reaction with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid); instead, while the holoenzyme contains no disulfides or S(0), two di- or polysulfides were found in the apoenzyme indicating that, on an average, four SH groups and three of the original four S(2-) ligands are trapped as RS-Sx-SR. In agreement with this conclusion is the fact that the apoenzyme can be reconstituted without addition of S(2-). A convenient preparative procedure for reconstitutable apoenzyme in 75% yield is [3Fe-4S] and [4Fe-4S] clusters with a variety of combinations of iron and sulfur isotopes as required for Mössbauer, resonance Raman, and electron nuclear double resonance studies.

A simple preparation method for apoaspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli B, and its application for the assay of pyridoxal and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate.

A simple and rapid preparation method for apoaspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli B was developed. A crude extract of the bacterial cells was treated batchwise with DEAE-cellulose. The enzyme fraction obtained was then applied to a pyridoxamine-Sepharose column. Apoaspartate aminotransferase was eluted with 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), and found to be electrophoretically homogeneous. The apoenzyme preparation thus obtained showed very low holoenzyme activity (only 0.4% of the activity seen in the fully saturated condition with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate) and was successfully used for assaying pyridoxal and pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate.

Coenzyme active site occupancy as an indicator of independence of the subunits of mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase.

The enzyme, aspartate aminotransferase, is a dimer consisting of two identical subunits which contain overlapping subunit regions ( Eichele , G., Ford, G.C., Glor , M., Jansonius , J.N., Mavrides , C., and Christen , P. (1979) J. Mol. Biol. 133, 161-180), suggesting the possibility of subunit interactions. The structurally similar cytosolic isozyme exhibits noncooperative binding of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate ( Boettcher , M., and Martinez -Carrion, M. (1975) Biochemistry 14, 4528-4531; Relimpio , A., Iriarte , A., Chlebowski , J.F., and Martinez -Carrion, M. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 4478-4488) in which the apoenzyme/holoenzyme hybrid dimer shows a distinctive thermal stability. Using a nonequilibrium isoelectric focusing technique, it can be shown that mitochondrial aspartate aminotransferase also binds cofactor in a noncooperative random fashion. However, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms show different characteristics from the cytosolic form. These differences are interpreted in terms of unique subunit interactions in this isozyme. Heating to the various DSC transition temperatures shows that the anomalous DSC thermograms in partially coenzyme-saturated apoenzyme preparations are due to a selective dissociation of apoenzyme subunits into monomers which are irreversibly denatured. The remaining holoenzyme monomers reassociate and form stable holoenzyme dimers. The net result is retention of the initial concentration of holoenzyme subunits present in any given mixture. Random occupancy of active sites and similar electrophoretic and DSC patterns upon heating of partially saturated apoenzyme preparations is observed whether the coenzyme, pyridoxal phosphate or pyridoxamine phosphate alone, or borohydride-reduced Schiff's bases of coenzyme-substrate analogue derivatives are used as active site directed ligands. The latter resemble covalent enzyme-substrate intermediates.

Preparation and properties of apoenzyme of nitrate reductases from wild-type and nit-3 mutant of Neurospora crassa

A method of preparing molybdenum-free apoenzyme of nitrate reductase (NADPH: nitrate oxidoreductase, EC 1.6.6.3) from wild-type or mutant nit-3 strain of Neurospora crassa was devised. Nitrate reductase and its tungsten or vanadium analog were partially purified, treated with 4–5 M urea, 0.2 M potassium phosphate buffer (pH 8.0), 5 mM EDTA and 1–2 mg/ml bovine serum albumin for short periods, and desalted by Sephadex G-10 gel filtration. Urea-treated preparations lost the enzyme activities, but they had the function of ‘apoenzyme’: native nitrate reductase activities could be restored by incubation with molybdenum cofactor. Molecular weights of urea-treated wild-type and nit-3 nitrate reductases were found to be one-half of the native enzymes’. These results supported the model of nitrate reductase consisting of two identical subunits and nit-1 enzyme being apoenzyme of wild-type nitrate reductase.

Reactivation of substrate-inactivated brain glutamate decarboxylase.

The effects of ATP and inorganic phosphate (Pi) on the reactivation of glutamate apodecarboxylase by its cofactor pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (pyridoxal-P) was studied. Apoenzyme was prepared by preincubation with glutamate. Apoenzyme prepared with glutamate alone was reactivated slowly and incompletely by adding a saturating concentration of pyridoxal-P (20 microM). Reactivation was slightly enhanced by 1-10 mM Pi. Reactivation by pyridoxal-P plus Pi was greatly enhanced by the presence of low concentrations (less than 100 microM) of ATP during the preparation of apoenzyme with glutamate. Reactivation was much lower if Pi was omitted. Enhancement of reactivation by ATP was due to its effect during apoenzyme formation, since ATP did not enhance reactivation if added only during reactivation and since the enhancing effect persisted after the removal of free ATP by chromatography on Sephadex G-25 after apoenzyme preparation and before reactivation. Reactivation was inhibited by high concentrations of ATP (greater than 100 microM), possibly by competition of ATP for the cofactor binding site. Four factors (glutamate, pyridoxal-P, ATP, and Pi) control a cycle of inactivation and reactivation that appears to be important in the regulation of brain glutamate decarboxylase.

Yeast aspartate aminotransferase: preparation of the apoenzyme and its interaction with coenzyme analogues

Affinity chromatography of yeast aspartate aminotransferase [ l-aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.1] on N′( ω-aminohexyl) pyridoxamine-5-phosphate Sepharose 4B is reported. The specific activity of the enzyme obtained, fully activated with pyridoxal-5-phosphate, was higher than that of previous preparations but the yield of purified enzyme was poor. Purification using DEAE-cellulose gave a higher yield of enzyme with lower specific activity. This preparation contained an appreciable amount of the holoenzyme. Use of sodium borohydride permitted the preparation of apoenzyme containing only 1.4% of the holo-form. Four coenzyme analogues were synthesized. These were the N′-acetyl-, the N′-methyl- and the N′-benzyloxycarbonylglycyl-pyridoxamine-5-phosphate and the O-acetylpyridoxal-5-phosphate. The three N′-substituted pyridoxamine-5-phosphate derivatives were all effective inhibitors of the enzyme, while the O-acetylpyridoxal-5-phosphate bound to the apoenzyme and gave an active enzyme.

53] Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from rabbit muscle

Publisher Summary The rabbit muscle is one of the most frequently used sources for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. This chapter describes the assay method and properties of the enzyme, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, isolated from the rabbit muscle. Classical isolation procedures involve the high solubility of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide kinase (NAD + )-containing enzyme in (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solutions; several recrystallization steps from concentrated (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 solutions at pH values above 8.0 are also involved. The steps involved in the purification procedure of the enzyme are (1) the extraction of the rabbit muscle, (2) ammonium sulfate fractionation, and (3) chromatography. The preparation of holoenzyme, apoenzyme, and tetra (3-phosphoglyceroyl) enzyme are also discussed in the chapter. The specific activity of the enzyme prepared is about 185 units per milligram of protein. The enzyme migrates as a single band in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and has a molecular weight of 145,000. It contains 3.8–4.0 highly reactive cysteine residues, as determined with dithionitrobenzoate, and can bind 4.0 molecules of NAD + or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase (NADH) per enzyme molecule.