Continuous titration of difference absorption upon binding of 4-methylumbelliferyl glycosides to concanavalin A and peanut agglutinin

Synthesis of methyl alpha- and beta-N-dansyl-D-galactosaminides, probes for the combining sites of N-acetyl-D-galactosamine-specific lectins

The synthesis of the methyl alpha- and beta-N-dansyl-D-galactosaminides is described using methyl alpha,beta-2-azido-2-deoxy-D-galactopyranoside as starting material. This was reduced to the corresponding methyl alpha,beta-2-amino-2-deoxy-D-galactopyranoside and then treated with dansyl chloride to yield a mixture of methyl alpha,beta-N-dansyl-D-galactosaminides which was separated into individual anomeric forms by flash chromatography on silica gel. Methyl alpha-N-dansyl-D-galactosaminide was used as a fluorescent indicator ligand in continuous substitution titrations to determine the association constants of nonchromophoric carbohydrates with the N-acetyl-D-galactosamine specific lectin from Erythrina corallodendron.

Metal ion binding to D-xylose isomerase from Streptomyces violaceoruber

The binding of two activating cations, Co2+ and Mg2+, and of one inhibitory cation, Ca2+, to D-xylose isomerase from Streptomyces violaceoruber was investigated. Equilibrium-dialysis and spectrometric studies revealed that the enzyme binds 2 mol of Co2+/mol of monomer. Difference absorption spectrometry in the u.v. and visible regions indicated that the environment of the first Co2+ ion is markedly different from that of the second Co2+ ion. The first Co2+ appears to have a six-co-ordinate. The conformational change induced by binding of Co2+ to the first site is maximum after the addition of 1 equivalent of Co2+ and yields a binding constant greater than or equal to 3.3 x 10(6) M-1. Binding of Co2+ to the second, weaker-binding, site caused a visible difference spectrum. The association constant estimated from Co2+ titrations at 585 nm agrees satisfactorily with the value of 4 x 10(4) M-1 obtained from equilibrium dialysis. Similarly, the enzyme undergoes a conformational change on binding of Mg2+ or Ca2+, the binding constants being estimated as 1 x 10(5) M-1 and 5 x 10(5) M-1 respectively. Competition between the activating Mg2+ and Co2+ and the inhibitory Ca2+ ion for both sites was further evidenced by equilibrium dialysis and by spectral displacement studies.

Binding of simple carbohydrates and some N-acetyllactosamine-containing oligosaccharides to Erythrina cristagalli agglutinin as followed with a fluorescent indicator ligand

Erythrina cristagalli agglutinin, a dimeric lectin [J.L. Iglesias, et al. (1982) Eur. J. Biochem. 123, 247-252] was shown by equilibrium dialysis to be bivalent for 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-galactoside. Upon binding to the lectin, this ligand showed a difference absorption spectrum with two maxima (at 322 and 336 nm) of equal intensity (delta epsilon = 1.2 X 10(3) M-1 cm-1). A similar spectrum with a comparable value of delta epsilon was obtained with 4-methylumbelliferyl-N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosaminide. Binding of methyl-alpha-D-galactoside, lactose, and N-acetyllactosamine all produced small but equally intense protein difference spectra with a maximum (delta epsilon = 2.8 X 10(2) M-1 cm-1) at 291.6 nm. Upon binding of N-dansyl-D-galactosamine to the lectin, there was a fivefold increase in fluorescence intensity of this ligand. The association constant for N-dansyl-D-galactosamine was caused by a very favorable delta S degree of the dansyl group without affecting the strictly carbohydrate-specific character of binding. N-Dansyl-D-galactosamine was employed as a fluorescent indicator ligand in substitution titrations. This involved the use of simple carbohydrates, N-acetyllactosamine, and oligosaccharides which occur in the carbohydrate units of N-glycoproteins; the latter were Gal(beta 1----4)GlcNAc(beta 1----2)Man, Gal(beta 1----4)GlcNAc(beta 1----6)Man, and Gal(beta 1----4)GlcNAc(beta 1----6)[Gal(beta 1----4)GlcNAc(beta 1----2)]Man. The titrations were performed at two temperatures to determine the thermodynamic parameters. In the series N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, methyl-alpha-D-galactoside, and lactose, -delta H degrees increased from 24 to 41 kJ mol-1; it increased further for N-acetyllactosamine and then remained unchanged for the N-acetyllactosamine-containing oligosaccharides (55 +/- 1 kJ mol-1. This indicated that the site specifically accommodated the disaccharide structure with an important contribution of the 2-acetamido group in the penultimate sugar. Beyond this, no additional contacts seemed to be formed. This conclusion also followed from considerations of delta S degrees values which became more unfavorable in the above series (-23 to -101 +/- 4 J mol-1 K-1); the most negative value of delta S degrees was observed with N-acetyllactosamine and the three N-acetyllactosamine-containing oligosaccharides.

Temperature-induced ultraviolet difference absorption spectrometry for determination of enthalpy changes. Binding of 4-methylumbelliferyl glycosides to four lectins

Raising the temperature in a single mixture of a lectin and a chromophoric glycoside allows determination of the binding enthalpy. This is made possible by continuously monitoring the displacement of the complex from its equilibrium concentration with a sensitive difference absorption spectrophotometer. The method is illustrated with the following lectins: concanavalin A, soybean agglutinin, peanut agglutinin and Erythrina cristagalli agglutinin. The ligands are 4-methylumbelliferyl glycosides. The binding enthalpies found range from -60 kJ X mol-1 for the Gal beta 1----3GalNAc-beta glycoside and peanut agglutinin to -30 kJ X mol-1 for a monosaccharide glycoside and the other lectins.

4-Methylumbelliferyl-glycosides as fluorescence probes of sugar-binding sites on lectin molecules: spectral properties and dependence of fluorescence on polarity and viscosity

The spectral properties of 4-methylumbelliferyl-glycosides (MeUmb-glycosides) were investigated in order to assess their usefulness as probes of the microenvironment of sugar binding sites on lectin molecules. It was shown that the abnormally high values for fluorescence polarization of free MeUmb-glycosides (from 0.07 to 0.251) were due neither to their molecular size nor to the blockade of their movement, but to the short lifetimes (less than 0.55 ns) of the excited state of these compounds. Working essentially with two MeUmb-monosaccharides and one MeUmb-disaccharide (MeUmb-alpha-D-galactopyranoside, MeUmb-beta-D-galactopyranoside, and MeUmb-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3-O-(beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-beta-D- galactopyranoside) which were solubilized in various solvents, it was demonstrated that solvent polarity and viscosity definitely affected the fluorescence intensity of MeUmb-glycosides. A low-polarity medium reduced this intensity, and high viscosity enhanced it. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the variations in the fluorescence intensity of MeUmb-glycosides when these compounds were bound to lectins.

Binding of 4-methylumbelliferyl beta-D-galactosyl-(1 leads to 3)-N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosaminide to peanut agglutinin. Characterisation and application in substitution titrations

Binding of 4-methylumbelliferyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3-O-(beta-D-galactopyranosyl) beta-D-galactopyranoside [MeUmb beta Gal(beta 1 leads to 3)GalNAc] to peanut agglutinin was characterized by equilibrium dialysis and by measurement of the increase in ultraviolet absorption or fluorescence of the chromophoric glycoside upon continuous titration with excess of the lectin. All data in the 4-30 degrees C range correspond to delta G = -(26.5 +/- 0.1) kJ mol-1, delta H = -(58.4 +/- 2) kJ mol-1 and delta S = -(107 +/- 8)J mol-1 K-1. Values of the association constants are e.g. K = 2.5 X 10(5) M-1 at 4 degrees C and K = 4.5 X 10(4) M-1 at 25 degrees C. MeUmb beta Gal(beta 1 leads to 3)GalNAc was used as an indicator ligand to determine K values for nonchromophoric carbohydrates by continuous displacement titrations, measuring either fluorescence or difference in absorption of the indicator. The data were analyzed in terms of the general expression for a non-ideal indicator system (as detailed in the appendix). Thus, the values of K are not underestimated. They are K = 4.8 X 10(3) M-1 for methyl alpha-D-galactopyranoside [Me alpha Gal], 2.0 X 10(3) M-1 for methyl beta-D-galactopyranoside [Me beta Gal] and 4.7 X 10(3) M-1 for lactose [Gal(beta 1 leads to 4)Glc], all at 14.5 degrees C. The MeUmb difference absorption spectra resulting from binding of the lectin with MeUmb beta Gal(beta 1 leads to 3)GalNAc and MeUmb beta Gal(beta 1 leads to 4)Glc are larger than for MeUmb beta Gal and MeUmb alpha Gal. These observations are consistent with the extended nature of the combining site of peanut agglutinin.