Elementary processes of the magnesium ion-dependent adenosine triphosphatase activity of heavy meromyosin. A transient kinetic approach to the study of kinases and adenosine triphosphatases and a colorimetric inorganic phosphate assay in situ

Free creatine available to the creatine phosphate energy shuttle in isolated rat atria

To measure the actual percentage of intracellular free creatine participating in the process of energy transport, the incorporation of [1-14C]creatine into the "free" creatine and phosphocreatine (PCr) pools in spontaneously beating isolated rat atria, under various conditions, was examined. The atria were subjected to three consecutive periods, control, anoxia, and postanoxic recovery, in medium containing tracers of [1-14C]creatine. The tissue content and specific activity of creatine and PCr were determined at the end of each period. The higher specific activity found for tissue PCr (1.87 times) than creatine, independent of the percentage of total intracellular creatine that was present as free creatine, provides evidence for the existence of two separate pools of free creatine. Analysis of the data shows that in the normal oxygenated state approximately equal to 9% of the total intracellular creatine is actually free to participate in the process of energy transport (shuttle pool). About 36% of the total creatine is bound to unknown intracellular components and the rest exists as PCr. The creatine that was taken up and the creatine that was released from the breakdown of PCr have much greater access to the site of phosphorylation than the rest of the intracellular creatine. A sharp increase in the specific activity of residual PCr on prolongation of anoxic time was also observed. This provides evidence for a nonhomogeneous pool of PCr, for the most recently formed (radioactive) PCr appeared to be hydrolyzed last.

Relaxation of muscle fibers with adenosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (ATP[gamma S]) and by laser photolysis of caged ATP[gamma S]: evidence for Ca2+-dependent affinity of rapidly detaching zero-force cross-bridges

The relationship between the mechanical and biochemical states of the muscle cross-bridge cycle and the control of contraction were investigated by using the nucleotide analogs adenosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (ATP[gamma S]) and caged ATP[gamma S] [the O-1(2-nitrophenyl)ethyl P3-ester of ATP[gamma S]]. ATP[gamma S] interacts with actomyosin in a manner similar to ATP but is hydrolyzed (by a factor of 500) more slowly. Generation of ATP[gamma S] by photolysis of caged ATP[gamma S] within a permeabilized fiber in rigor in the absence of Ca2+ relaxed tension and stiffness as occurs with ATP. The transient rise in tension prior to final relaxation observed with photolysis of caged ATP was absent with caged ATP[gamma S]. This result suggests that following detachment of a cross-bridge, ATP is normally hydrolyzed before force generation. In the presence of Ca2+, photolysis of caged ATP[gamma S] within rigor fibers caused tension to relax fully but significant stiffness remained. Stiffness also developed without concomitant tension when Ca2+ concentration was raised from less than 1 nM to 30 microM in the presence of ATP[gamma S]. The amplitude of the tension response to ramp stretches in the presence of Ca2+ and ATP[gamma S] increased with ramp stretch velocity, suggesting that the cross-bridges have detachment rate constants extending into the 10(3) s-1 range. The results provide evidence that the Ca2+-regulatory system can directly control attachment of cross-bridges into states before the power stroke.

Role of nucleotide hydrolysis in the polymerization of actin and tubulin

Here is presented a short survey of the main aspects of the involvement of nucleotide hydrolysis in the polymerization of actin and microtubules: 1) XTP hydrolysis is not tightly coupled to the polymerization process; XTP hydrolysis and phosphate release generate an unstable XDP-polymer which is maintained at steady state, in the presence of XTP, by terminal XTP-subunits; this feature can generate patterns of phase transitions of the polymer between stable and unstable conformations; 2) Interactions between subunits are involved in the mechanism of XTP hydrolysis; 3) XTP cleavage on the polymer is followed by the slow release of Pi; the structural and thermodynamic characteristics of the transient XDP-Pi-polymer may play a crucial role in the regulation of the dynamics of microtubules and actin filaments.

Measurement of Pi dissociation from actin filaments following ATP hydrolysis using a linked enzyme assay

Using glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and phosphoglycerate kinase as a linked enzyme assay for determination of free inorganic phosphate, as described by Trentham et al. (1972, Biochem. J. 126, 635-644) we have been able to monitor the time course of Pi release from F-actin following ATP hydrolysis that accompanies ATP-actin polymerization. The rate constant for Pi dissociation from Mg-F-actin is 0.006 s-1 at 25 degrees C and pH 7.8, both in the presence of 1 mM Mg and 0.1 M KCl + 1 mM Mg. This result confirms the existence of ADP-Pi-F-actin as a major intermediate in the polymerization of ATP-actin (Carlier and Pantaloni, 1986, Biochemistry 25, 7789-7792). The method is potentially useful for other enzymes hydrolyzing triphosphate nucleotides, provided that the rate of Pi release is appreciably lower than 0.1 s-1.

MgATPase activity of myosin subfragment 1. The dimer is more active than the monomer

The MgATPase activity of the rabbit skeletal myosin subfragment 1 (S1), in the steady state, was measured by means of the intrinsic fluorescence of tryptophan. This technique gave results similar to those obtained by other methods (linked or radioactive assays). The activity was measured under conditions that effect the monomer/dimer ratio. It is shown that there is a close correlation between MgATPase activity and the proportion of dimer. At 20 degrees C, for pH 6.9 to 8.1 and for [KCl] less than or equal to 1 M, the observed activity (kobs) can be linearly related to the proportion of dimer (Ed/Eo) by: kobs(s-1) = 0.016-7 X 10(-3)[KCl] + 0.031(Ed/Eo), where [KCl] is expressed in M. We deduce that, at 20 degrees C and for [KCl] = 0 M, the activity of the monomer is kmobs = 0.016 s-1 (Ed/Eo = 0) and that of the dimer kdobs = 0.047 s-1 (Ed/Eo = 1), i.e. a ratio kdobs/kmobs approximately equal to 3. Beyond pH approximately equal to 8.3, the activities of both the monomer and the dimer increased steeply with increasing pH value. In the standard conditions (pH 8.0, [KCl] = 0 to 100 mM), S1 is mainly in the form of a dimer, and such conditions are not appropriate for study of the S1 monomer. For studying the pure monomer, the conditions required at 20 degrees C and in bis-Tris-propane are: S1 concentration approximately equal to 0.2 mg/ml, pH 6.9 to 7.8, [KCl] approximately equal to 300 mM. For studying the pure dimer, the conditions required are: S1 concentration greater than or equal to 0.2 mg/ml, pH 7.8 to 8.1 and [KCl] approximately equal to 0. In both cases the MgATP concentration is about 50 microM. Finally, if great care is taken concerning the age of the S1 solutions and the evaluation of the proportion of dimer, the values of kobs are extremely precise: the uncertainty regarding the values of kobs, as determined by means of intrinsic fluorescence, does not exceed +/- 0.001 s-1. Beyond this error bar conditions are uncontrolled.

Rabbit skeletal myosin heads in solution, as observed by ultracentrifugation and freeze-fracture electron microscopy: dimerization and maximum chord

The use of analytical ultracentrifugation and freeze-fracture electron microscopy in solution allowed us to observe the monomeric and dimeric forms of Mg.71. This subfragment of the myosin molecule contains the LC2 light chain and is comparable to a "native" myosin head. Sedimentation-diffusion equilibrium ultracentrifugation shows that it is necessary to use slightly different conditions in order to obtain a pure Mg.S1 dimer, as compared to the case of chymotryptic S1 (LC2-free S1). For example, in a buffer leading to a complete dimerization of chymotryptic S1, Mg.S1 is only in the form of a monomer-dimer mixture, with comparable proportions of monomer and dimer. The freeze-fracture technique, applied to solutions containing Mg.S1 or chymotryptic S1, revealed that the monomeric species both have the same maximum chord (about 120 A) and that both dimeric species also have the same maximum chord (about 250 A). The maximum chord of the monomer is comparable to the surface-to-surface spacing between the myosin and actin filaments, in a fiber at the slack length. In sharp contrast this chord is higher than this spacing in a stretched fiber. The consequences of this fact are discussed, with particular reference to the sarcomere length-tension relationship.

Muscle contraction and free energy transduction in biological systems

Muscle contraction occurs when the actin and myosin filaments in muscle are driven past each other by a cyclic interaction of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and actin with cross-bridges that extend from myosin. Current biochemical studies suggest that, during each adenosine triphosphatase cycle, the myosin cross-bridge alternates between two main conformations, which differ markedly in their strength of binding to actin and in their overall structure. Binding of ATP to the cross-bridge induces the weak-binding conformation, whereas inorganic phosphate release returns the cross-bridge to the strong-binding conformation. This cross-bridge cycle is similar to the kinetic cycle that drives active transport and illustrates the general principles of free energy transduction by adenosine triphosphatase systems.

Energy transport from mitochondria to myofibril by a creatine phosphate shuttle in cardiac cells

In hyperpermeable cardiac cells, in which the surface membrane has been made highly permeable to small molecules and ions, resting tension increases when the concentration of ATP falls below 200 microM. Peak resting tension occurs in 10 microM ATP and equals 60% of maximum Ca-activated force in 5 mM ATP. The mitochondria in hyperpermeable cells can maintain an ATP concentration above 200 microM if supplied with O2, substrate, ADP, and inorganic phosphate (Pi). Removal of ATP from the bathing solution does not increase resting tension as long as creatine phosphate is present. However O2, substrate, and Pi cannot lower resting tension in the absence of ATP and creatine phosphate. These results are interpreted as evidence for adenine nucleotide tightly bound to the myofibrils and a creatine phosphate shunt of energy from the mitochondria to the myofibrils.

The process in which nucleotide is buried into the active site of heavy meromyosin

The process in which nucleotide is buried into the active site of heavy meromyosin was studied with stopped-flow apparatus by monitoring the time-course of the large fluorescence increase of 1,N6-ethenoadenosine triphosphate (epsilon-ATP) when it binds from acrylamide-containing solutions. We have recently reported that free epsilon-ATP fluorescence is effectively quenched by acrylamide while bound epsilon-ATP is resistant to quenching by acrylamide. In the present study it was found that in the first step the phosphate moiety binds at a high rate, while the adenine moiety is still on the rim of the active site; the adenine moiety is then pulled into a crevice, and finally epsilon-ATP hydrolysis occurs.

Interaction of ADP and magnesium with the active site of myosin subfragment-1 observed by reactivity changes of the critical thiols and by direct binding methods at low and high ionic strength

Comprehensive binding studies using direct and indirect methods yield stoichiometry and affinities for the binding of Mg X ADP and uncomplexed ADP to the active site of myosin subfragment-1. Additionally, the binding parameters for Mg2+ in the ternary complex protein X Mg X ADP are presented for the first time. The indirect method makes use of reactivity changes of the critical thiol-1 and thiol-2 groups, which occur upon the binding of the ligand at the active site. The affinity constants derived by this method are corroborated by two independent direct methods, equilibrium dialysis and centrifugation transport. For Mg2+, ADP and Mg X ADP just one mole of ligand binds/mole subfragment-1. The affinity of Mg X ADP at low ionic strength is 2.1 X 10(6) M-1 and only five-times lower in the absence of Mg2+. In the ternary complex Mg2+ has a low affinity of 4.1 X 10(4) M-1. At high ionic strength the uncomplexed ADP binds with a 43-times-lower affinity than Mg X ADP, whose affinity is 6.9 X 10(5) M-1. In this case Mg2+ interacts in the ternary complex with the higher affinity of 3.2 X 10(5) M-1, implying that at high salt concentration it plays a more prominent role in anchoring ADP at the active site.

Pyruvate as a fluorescence quencher: a new spectroscopic assay for pyruvate reactions

Pyruvate ion, which is biologically ubiquitous and participates in many metabolic reactions, was found to be an effective quencher of fluorescence. Compared to other negatively charged quenchers such as I-, pyruvate is not toxic to proteins. By adding an inert, long-lived fluorophore to systems transacting pyruvate, it is possible to estimate activity by measuring the time course of the change in pyruvate quenching of the fluorophore. The procedure is illustrated by measuring the myosin subfragment-1 ATPase activity with a high sensitivity.

Circular dichroic spectra of 6-thioguanosine nucleotides and their complexes with myosin subfragment 1

The circular dichroic spectra of the thione form of 2-amino-6-mercapto-9 beta-ribofuranosylpurine 5'-triphosphate (thioGTP), thioGDP, thioGTP(gamma S), thioGMP-P(NH)P, and 6-mercapto-9 beta-ribofuranosylpurine 5'-diphosphate (thioIDP) and their complexes with myosin subfragment 1 and heavy meromyosin have been measured between 300 and 400 nm. The free nucleotides have a weak negative circular dichroic spectral peak at their absorption maxima, with a longer wavelength shoulder. On binding to the proteolytic fragments of myosin, the negative peak in enhanced approximately 10-fold and a longer wavelength positive peak appears. These effects are attributed to a change in the stereochemical structure of the nucleotide and specific interactions within the nucleotide binding site. All four thioguanosine nucleotides give these spectral changes although minor significant differences do occur. The CD spectra of the subfragment 1 steady-state complexes with thioGTP and thioGTP(gamma S) are similar to each other but different from the complexes of subfragment 1 with thioGDP and thioGMP-P(NH)P. Interactions between nucleotides in the complexes are excluded by a study of their spectra in 2-propanol when base stacking occurs. This is the first investigation where circular dichroism has been used to determine structural differences between different myosin--nucleotide states and provides evidence that the nucleotide in the gamma S bound state is similar to that of the triphosphate bound state.

Interactions of dynein arms with b subfibers of Tetrahymena cilia: quantitation of the effects of magnesium and adenosine triphosphate

Tetrahymena 30S dynein was extracted with 0.5 M KCl and tested for retention of several functional properties associated wtih its in situ force-generating capacity. The dynein fraction will rebind to extracted outer doublets in the presence of Mg2+ to restore dynein arms. The arms attach at one end to the A subfiber and form bridges at the other end to the B subfiber of an adjacent doublet. Recombined arms retain an ATPase activity that remains coupled to potential generation of interdoublet sliding forces. To examine important aspects of the dynein-tubulin interaction that we presume are directly related to the dynein force-generating cross-bridge cycle, a simple and quantitative spectrophotometric assay was devised for monitoring the associations between isolated 30S dynein and the B subfiber. Utilizing this assay, the binding of dynein to B subfibers was found to be dependent upon divalent cations, saturating at 3 mM Mg2+. Micromolar concentrations of MgATP2- cause the release of dynein from the B subfiber; however, not all of the dynein bound under these conditions is released by ATP. ATP-insensitive dynein binding results from dynein interactions with non-B-tubule sites on outer-doublet and central-pair microtubules and from ATP-insensitive binding to sites on the B subfiber. Vanadate over a wide concentration range (10(-6)-10(-3) M) has no effect on the Mg2+-induced binding of dynein or its release by MgATP2-, and was used to inhibit secondary doublet disintegration in the suspensions. In the presence of 10 microM vanadate, dynein is maximally dissociated by MgATP2- concentrations greater than or equal to 1 microM with half-maximal release at 0.2 microM. These binding properties of isolated dynein arms closely resemble the cross-bridging behavior of in situ dynein arms reported previously, suggesting that quantitative studies such as those presented here may yield reliable information concerning the mechanism of force generation in dynein-microtubule motile systems. The results also suggest that vanadate may interact with an enzyme-product complex that has a low affinity for tubulin.

The kinetics of effector binding to phosphofructokinase. The allosteric conformational transition induced by 1,N6-ethenoadenosine triphosphate

1. The fluorescent ATP analogue 1,N6-etheno-ATP is a good substrate and an efficient allosteric inhibitor of rabbit skeletal-muscle phosphofructokinase. 2. Fluorescence energy transfer occurs between bound 1,N6-etheno-ATP and phosphofructokinase. 1,N6-Etheno-ATP fluorescence is enhanced, intrinsic protein fluorescence is quenched, and the excitation spectrum of 1,N6-etheno-ATP fluorescence is characteristic of protein absorption. 3. The binding reaction of 1,N6-etheno-ATP observed by stopped-flow fluorimetry is biphasic. The fast phase results from binding to the catalytic site alone. The slow phase results from the allosteric transition of the R conformation into the T conformation induced by the binding of 1,N6-etheno-ATP to the regulatory site. 4. The fluorescence signal that allows the transition of the R conformation into the T conformation to be observed does not arise from 1,N6-etheno-ATP bound to the regulatory site. It arises instead from 1,N6-etheno-ATP bound to the catalytic site as a consequence of changes at the catalytic site caused by the transition of the R conformation into the T conformation. 5. In the presence of excess of Mg2+, the affinity of 1,N6-etheno-ATP for the regulatory site is very much greater in the T state than in the R state.

Hydrolytically induced allosteric change in the heavy chain of intact myosin involving nonessential thiol groups

The two globular head portions, each bearing an active site, contain an uncleaved heavy chain when isolated by chymotrypsin from intact myosin. By specific labeling with radioactive N-ethylmaleimide the essential thiol 1 and thiol 2 groups were found to reside in this heavy chain. In intact myosin nonessential thiol 3 groups become the most reactive during ATP hydrolysis above 15 degrees C. These thiol 3 groups are located in a portion of the myosin heavy chain which appears as a fragment with an apparent molecular weight of 11 000 during proteolysis. The facts that this fragment is produced in an almost 1: 1 molar ratio with the head heavy chain and that it bears unblocked N-terminal amino groups whereas the heavy chain does not and is not contained in the rod portion of the myosin molecule indicate that it may orginate from the heavy chains in the neck region where the heads are joined to the rod. Since this fragment is removed by ion-exchange chromatography, it is not part of the functioning head and hence not involved in the active site. As its nonessential thiol 3 groups are rendered the most reactive of all thiol groups in the enzyme-product complex M**ADP.Pi, the hydrolytic step induces an allosteric conformational change in the neck region of intact myosin.

The binding constant of ATP to myosin S1 fragment

The extent of ATP synthesis from ADP and Pi at the active centre of myosin subfragment 1 has been reinvestigated. The results have been interpreted using a treatment which is not dependent on the number or nature of the intermediates in the ATPase mechanism. An average value for the binding constant of ATP of (3.25 +/- 0.96) X 10(11) M-1 at pH 8.0 23 degrees C and ionic strength 0.12 M was obtained. Additional evidence is given to confirm that synthesis at the active site has been investigated.

The interaction of chromophoric nucleotides with subfragment 1 of myosin

The interaction of a series of chromophoric nucleotides derived from 6-mercapto-9-beta-ribofuranosylpurine (thioinosine, thiol) and 2-amino-6-mercapto-9-beta-ribofuranosyl-purine (thioguanosine, thioG) with myosin subfragment 1 isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle was investigated kinetically and spectroscopically. The Mg2+-dependent hydrolyses of thioITP and thioGTP are catalysed by subfragment 1 and probably proceed by a similar mechanism as for ATP hydrolysis, although with different rate constants. For example, the binary thioGDP-protein complex only comprises 8% of the steady-state intermediate of the thioGTPase at 5 degrees C and pH 6.5. Long-lived analogues of intermediates of the thioGTPase were generated by using thioGTP(gammaS) [thioguanosine 5'-(3-thio)-triphosphate], thioGMP-P(NH)P (5'-thioguanylylimidodiphosphate) and thioGDP. The near-u.v. spectra of the thioguanosine nucleotides bound to subfragment 1 were measured and showed that in all cases the purine ring is bound to the protein in a hydrophobic environment, although the pK of the purine thiol group only increases by 0.2-0.3. ThioGTP caused glycerinated rabbit psoas muscle to contract, but in contrast with thioITP was not able to relax muscle. The applications of these chromophoric nucleotides for investigating the mechanism of muscle contraction and other biological systems, particularly those involving guanosine nucleotide regulation, are discussed.

The magnesium-ion-dependent adenosine triphosphatase of bovine cardiac Myosin and its subfragment-1

The kinetics of the Mg2+-dependent ATPase (adenosine triphosphatase) activity of bovine cardiac myosin and its papain subfragment-1 were studied by using steady-state and pre-steady-state techniques, and results were compared with published values for the corresponding processes in the ATPase mechanism of rabbit skeletal-muscle myosin subfragment-1. The catalytic-centreactivity for cardiac subfragment-1 is 0.019s-1, which is less than one-third of that determined for the rabbit protein. The ATP-induced isomerization process, measured from enhancement of protein fluorescence on substrate binding, is similarly decreased in rate, as is also the isomerization process associated with ADP release. However, the equilibrium constant for ATP cleavage, measured by quenched-flow by using [gamma-32P]ATP, shows little difference in the two species. Other experiments were carried out to investigate the rate of association of actin with subfragment-1 by light-scattering changes and also the rate of dissociation of the complex by ATP. The dissociation rate increases with increasing substrate concentration, to a maximum at high ATP concentrations, with a rate constant of about 2000s-1. It appears that isomerization processes which may involve conformational changes have substantially lower rate constants for the cardiac proteins, whereas equilibrium constants for substrate binding and cleavage are not significantly different. These differences may be related to the functional properties of these myosins in their different muscle types. Kinetic heterogeneity has been detected in both steady-state and transient processes, and this is discussed in relation to the apparent chemical homogeneity of cardiac myosin.

Affinity chromatographic preparation of arterial heavy meromyosin subfragment-1

Heavy meromyosin subfragment-1 (HMM S-1) was prepared by papain digestion of arterial myosin or actomyosin and was purified by agarose-ATP affinity chromatography. Proteolysis of crude arterial myosin suspensions was preceded by solubilization. HMM-S-1 thus obtained consisted mainly of a 90,000 dalton polypeptide and fully retained the K+- and Ca2+-ATPase of the parent myosin. Its affinity to agarose-ATP was comparable to that of skeletal muscle HMM S-1.

Pre-steady-state kinetic evidence for a cyclic interaction of myosin subfragment one with actin during the hydrolysis of adenosine 5'-triphosphate

A single cycle of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis by a complex of actin and myosin subfragment one (acto-S-1) was studied in a stopped-flow apparatus at low temperature and low ionic strength, using light scattering to monitor the interaction of S-1 with actin and fluorescence to detect the formation of fluorescent intermediates. Our results show that the addition of a stoichiometric concentration of ATP to the acto-S-1 causes a cycle consisting of first, a rapid dissociation of the S-1 from actin by ATP; second, a slower fluorescence change in the S-1 that may be related to the initial phosphate burst; and third, a much slower rate limiting recombination of the S-1 with actin. This latter step equals the acto-S-1 steady-state adenosine 5'-triphosphatase (ATPase) rate at both low and high actin concentrations, and like the steady-state ATPase levels off at a V max of 0.9s-1 at high actin concentration. Therefore, the release of adenosine 5'-diphosphate and inorganic phosphate is not the rate-limiting step in the acto-S-1 ATPase. Rather, a slow first-order step corresponding to the previously postulated transition from the refractory to the nonrefractory state precedes the rebinding of the S-1 to the actin during each cycle of ATP hydrolysis.

Is the chemomechanical energy transformation reversible?

In glycerol-extracted insect fibrillar muscle suspended in ATP salt solution the incorporation of 32Pi into ATP was studied during the performance of positive or negative oscillatory work and under a variety of mechanical and ionic conditions. An increase in calcium ion concentration from 10(-8)--10(-5) M increased the incorporation rate in proportion to the increase in ATPase activity, mean tension and immediate stiffness, which is a measure of the extent of actin-myosin interaction. Sinusoidal stretches (at 1% Lo) performed at 5 Hz induced the fibres to perform optimal positive oscillatory work and it caused a doubling of the incorporation rate (ant ATPase activity). A decrease or increase of the frequency below or above the optimum of 5 Hz always decreased the power output as well as the incorporation rate which, however, was still noticeable even under conditions where work was done on the fibres. A similar frequency dependence was found when square-wave rather than sinusoidal stretches were applied and this effect could be related to the finding that the rate of stretch-induced incorporation was highest shortly after stretching and then declined to low values (after about 100 ms). These results suggest the formation of an energy-rich intermediate (actomyosin-ADP?) during the contraction process induced by stretching and this intermediate must be assumed to accumulate transiently after stretching.

(Na+, K+)-activated adenosinetriphosphatase of axonal membranes, cooperativity and control. Steady-state analysis

1. The ATP sites. Homotropic interactions between ATP sites have been studied in a very large range of Na+ and K+ concentrations. The ( Na+, K+)-activated ATPase displays Michaelis-Menten kinetics for ATP under standard concentration conditions of Na+ (100 mM) and K+ (10 mM). The steady-state kinetics behavior changes at very low concentrations of K+ where negative cooperativity is observed. The existence of a high affinity and a low affinity site for ATP was clearly demonstrated from the study of the ATP stimulated hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylphosphate in the presence of Na+ and K+. The ratio of apparent affinities of high and low affinity sites for ATP is 86 at pH 7.5. 2. The Na+ sites. The binding of Na+ to its specific stimulatory sites (internal sites) is characterized by positive cooperativity with a Hill coefficient n(H(Na+))=2.0. Homotropic interactions between Na+ sites are unaffected by variations of the K+ concentration. 3. The K+ sites. (a) Binding of K+ to the (external) stimulatory site of the ATPase has been analyzed by following the (Na+, K+)-ATPase activity as well as the p-nitrophenylphosphatase activity in the presence of Na+ and K+ (with or without ATP). Binding is characterized by a Hill coefficient of 1.0 and a K(0.5(K+))=0.1 to 0.8 mM. The absence of positive or negative cooperativity persists between 5 mM and 100 mM Na+. (b) The analysis of the p-nitrophenylphosphatase or of the 2, 4 dinitrophenylphosphatase activity in the presence of K+ alone indicates the existence of low affinity sites for K+ with positive homotropic interactions. The characteristics of stimulation in that case are, K(0.5)=5 mM, n(H)=1.9. The properties of this family of site(s) are the following: firstly, saturation of the low affinity site(s) by K+ prevents ATP binding to its high affinity internal site. Secondly, saturation of the low affinity sites for K+ prevents binding of Na+ to its internal sites. Thirdly, this family of sites disappears in the presence of ATP, p-nitrophenylphosphate or of both substrates, when Na+ binds to its internal sites. Na+ binding to its specific stimulatory sites provokes the formation of the high affinity type of site for K+. 4. Mg2+ stimulation of the (Na+, K+)-ATPase is characterized by a Hill coefficient n(H(Mg2+))=1.0 and a K(0.5(Mg2+))=1 mM stimulation is essentially a V effect. Heterotropic effects between binding of Mg2+ and substrate to their respective sites are small. Heterotropic interactions between the Ms2+, Na+ and K+ sites are also small. 5. The fluidity of membrane lipids also controls the (Na+, K+)-ATPase activity. Phase transitions or separations in the membrane hardly affect recognition properties of substrates, Na+, K+ and Mg2+ for their respective sites on both sides of the membrane. Only the rate of the catalytic transformation is affected.

Kinetic analysis of ATPase mechanisms

At even the simplest level we can expect an ATPase mechanism to comprise the following four steps: the binding of ATP, the reaction of ATP with water on the enzyme, and the release of the products ADP and P1. So at the outset techniques are needed to investigate these four processes. The range of techniques needed is soon extended once questions are asked about the role of protons and metal ions, the possibility of a multistep hydrolytic process, multistep substrate and product binding processes, and protein–lipid or protein–protein interactions. Since ATPases and ATP synthases are almost universally involved in some form of energy transduction there is a particular need in an ATPase or ATP synthase reaction to evaluate the equilibrium constants of the steps in the mechanism and to investigate the possibility of alternate reaction pathways. The nature of the coupling process by the protein of the chemical reactions of ATP to the other energetic process, be it muscle contraction, active transport, respiration or photosynthesis, is likewise of profound interest. Finally we would like to know as much as possible about the ATPase or ATP synthase mechanism during the period when the various forms of energy transduction are occurring.

Affinity chromatography of heavy meromyosin subfragment-1 reacted with thiol reagents

Separation of heavy meromyosin subfragment-1 treated with N-ethyl maleimide (MalNEt) into native -SH1- and -(SH1, SH2)-blocked protein populations could be achieved by affinity chromatography on agarose-ATP columns in the presence of Mg2+ or Ca2+. Covalent bridging of the two -SH groups by p-phenylenedimaleimide gave a product which has the same affinity of binding to ATP columns as the doubly blocked MalNEt preparation. Treatment with p-phenylenedimaleimide abolished binding to immobilized F-actin columns, whereas modifications by MalNEt did not affect adsorption by this chromatographic medium. Affinity chromatography on immobilized nucleotide and actin columns is suggested as an analytical tool in the study of the involvement of thiol groups in the myosin active site and its conformation.

Reciprocal reactivities of specific thiols when actin binds to myosin

We report measurements of the reactivity (degree of labeling, as mole of ligand per mole of protein, at constant exposure time) of the reactive thiol, "SH1", of a subfragment of myosin (S-1), and of Cys-10 of F-actin under various conditions, using N-iodo-[3H]acetyl-N-(1-sulfo-5-naphthyl)ethylenediamine, a fluorescent radioactive iodoacetamide analog. When either ADP or adenyloyl imidodiphosphate (simulating unhydrolyzed ATP) is bound to the enzymatic site of S-1, the reactivity of "SH1" is slightly enhanced, but when active ATPase is going on, reactivity is reduced by about a third, presumably due to the species, (S-1) ADP,Pi. The reactivity of Cys-10 alone is very low. When the complex, (S-1)-F-actin, is formed, the reactivity of SH1 is strongly decreased, and the reactivity of Cys-10 is strongly increased. The foregoing results explain our further observation (on glycerol-treated rabbit psoas fibers) that when fibers labeled in relaxation solution are compared with fibers labeled in rigor solution, myosin is more reactive and actin is less reactive, in the former case; alpha-actinin and C-protein are also less reactive in the former case.

Radioactive labeling and location of specific thiol groups in myosin from fast, slow and cardiac muscles

1. Based on incorporation of radioactively labeled N-ethylmaleimide, the readily reactive thiol groups of isolated myosin (EC 3.6.1.3) from fast, slow and cardiac muscles could be classified into 3 types. All 3 myosins contain 2 thiol-1, 2 thiol-2 and a variable number of thiol-3 groups per molecule. Both thiol-1 and thiol-2 groups which are essential for functioning of the K+-stimulated ATPase, are located in the heavy chains in all 3 myosin types. 2. The variation in the incorporation pattern of N-ethylmaleimide over the 3 thiol group classes under steady-state conditions of Mg(2+) - ATP hydrolysis allowed different conformations of some reaction intermediates to be characterized. In all 3 types of myosin the hydrolytic cycle of Mg(2+) - ATP was found to be controlled by the same step at 25 degrees C. In all three cases, this rate-limiting step is changed in the same way by lowereing temperature. 3. Using the chemically determined molecular weights for myosin light chains, their stoichiometry was found on the basis of sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis to be 1.2 : 2.1 : 0.8 for light chain-1: light chain-2:light chain-3 per molecule of fast myosin, 2.0 : 1.9 for light chain-1:light chain-2 per molecule of slow myosin and 1.9 : 1.9 for light chain-1:light chain-2 per molecule of cardiac myosin. This qualitative difference in light subunit composition between the fast and the two types of slow myosin is not reflected in the small variations of the characteristics exhibited by the isolated myosins, but rather seems to be connected with their respective myofibrillar ATPase activities.

Conformational change and cooperativity in actin filaments free of tropomyosin

The decrease in amplitude of the electron spin resonance spectrum of the cysteine-bound spin-label, 3-(maleimidomethyl)-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-1-pyrrolidinoxyl, brought about by the magnetic interaction with tightly bound manganous ion, was used as a probe of conformational change in actin on binding myosin. The magnitude of this "spin--spin" interaction first decreased then increased on increasing saturation of the actin filament with heavy meromyosin subfragment-1. That the "spin--spin" interaction occurred between spins of adjacent monomers was demonstrated by the observation that the change in magnitude of the "spin--spin" interaction was maintained on binding of heavy meromyosin subfragment-1 to copolymers in which actin monomers containing both manganous ion and spin label were diluted 7-fold with native actin monomers. These data provide evidence for a conformational change in actin on interacting with heavy meromyosin subfragment-1. Further, the fact that not only the magnitude but also the sense of the change in the "spin--spin" interaction is a function of increasing saturation with heavy meromyosin subfragment-1 indicates that the monomers of the actin filament are capable of cooperative interaction in the absence of tropomyosin.

Temperature-induced transitions in the conformation of intermediates in the hydrolytic cycle of myosin

The conformations of the transitory intermediates of the myosin ATPase occurring during the hydrolytic cycle, enzyme without ligand, enzyme-substrate complex and two different forms of enzyme-product complex, have been characterized in terms of numbers and classes of reactive thiol groups based on incorporation of radioactively labeled alkylation reagent. The techniques employed allowed this to be done under steady-state conditions in the presence of high ligand concentrations on intact myosin from rabbit fast skeletal muscles at low ionic strength where the protein is in the gel state as it is in muscle. The binding of a divalent cation (Mg2+ or Ca2+) nucleotide complex exposes thiol-1 as well as thiol-2 groups. The long-lived ATPase intermediate occurring at temperatures above 10 degrees C adopts the same conformation with Mg2+ and Ca2+ ions. This intermediate does not protect the thiol-1 and thiol-2 groups but exposes a number of thiol-3 groups which seem to be located distant from the active site. The conformation of the intermediate prevailing in the presence of ATP changes with lowering temperature below 10 degrees C and is identical with that found in the presence of ADP at 0 degree C indicating a change in the rate-limiting step of the hydrolytic cycle. In the absence of divalent cations no such temperature-dependent change in conformation was observed. Evaluation of the activation entropies shows that the structure of the long-lived intermediate occurring above 10 degrees C in the presence of Mg2+ ions goes through a transformation from low to high order at around 20 degrees C. In the case of the monovalent-cation-stimulated ATPase a constant activation energy of around 70 kJ/mol, typical of many enzyme reactions, was found over the entire temperature range from 0--35 degrees C.