Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase of Escherichia coli. Studies on multiple conformational states elicited by allosteric effectors with a fluorescent probe, 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate

Multiple conformations in solution of the maize C4-phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase isozyme

The photosynthetic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase isozyme from C₄ plants (PEPC-C₄) has a complex allosteric regulation, involving positive cooperativity in binding the substrate phosphoenolpyruvate as well as positive and negative allosteric effectors. Besides the proposed R- and T-states, previous kinetic results suggested functionally relevant different R-states of the maize enzyme (ZmPEPC-C₄) elicited by PEP or its two kinds of activators, glucose 6-phosphate or glycine. To detect these different R-state conformations, we used as conformational probes the fluorescence of 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS), near-UV circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and limited proteolysis by trypsin. Phosphoenolpyruvate and malate binding caused distinct concentration-dependent fluorescence changes of ZmPEPC-C₄/ANS, suggesting that they elicited conformational states different from that of the free enzyme, while glucose 6-phosphate or glycine binding did not produce fluorescence changes. Differences were also observed in the near UV CD spectra of the enzyme, free or complexed with its substrate or allosteric effectors. Additionally, differences in the trypsin-digestion fragmentation patterns, as well as in the susceptibility of the free and complexed enzyme to digestion and digestion-provoked loss of activity, provided evidence of several ZmPEPC-C₄ conformations in solution elicited by the substrate and the allosteric effectors. Using the already reported ZmPEPC-C₄ crystal structures and bioinformatics methods, we predicted that the most probable trypsin-cleavage sites are located in superficial flexible regions, which seems relevant for the protein dynamics underlying the function and allosteric regulation of this enzyme. Together, our findings agree with previous kinetic results, shed light on this enzyme's complex allosteric regulation, and place ZmPEPC-C₄ in the growing list of allosteric enzymes possessing an ensemble of closely related R-state conformations.

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PEP or malate binding produce distinct changes in ZmPEPC-C₄/ANS fluorescence.

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Different near-UV CD spectra of the free enzyme or of the enzyme complexes were observed.

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PEP or effectors binding produce distinctive ZmPEPC-C₄ trypsin-fragmentation patterns.

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Our results support several ligand-induced ZmPEPC-C₄ conformational states in solution.

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Predicted trypsin-cleavage sites are at flexible loops, which probably participate in ZmPEPC-C₄ function and regulation.

Proinsulin lacking the A7-B7 disulfide bond, Ins2Akita, tends to aggregate due to the exposed hydrophobic surface

A single mutation (C96Y) in the Ins2 gene, which disrupts the A7-B7 disulfide bond, causes the diabetic phenotype in Akita mice. We biochemically analyzed the conformation of wild-type and Akita mutant recombinant proinsulins. Gel filtration chromatography and dynamic light scattering revealed that the apparent size of the mutant proinsulin molecules was significantly larger than that of wild-type proinsulin, even in the absence of intermolecular disulfide bonds. Titration with a hydrophobic probe, 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate, demonstrated that the mutant proinsulin was more hydrophobic than the wild type. In addition, circular dichroism studies revealed that the conformation of the mutant proinsulin was less stable than the wild type, which is consistent with the observation that hydrophobic residues are exposed on the surface of the proinsulin molecules. Studies with antiserum against the C-peptide of proinsulin indicated that the mutant proinsulin had an immunoreactivity that was at least one-tenth weaker than wild-type proinsulin, suggesting that the C-peptide of mutant proinsulin is buried inside the aggregate of the proinsulin molecule. These findings indicate that increased hydrophobicity of mutant proinsulin facilitates aggregate formation, providing a clue to the dominant negative effect in the Akita mouse.

Acetyl coenzyme A stimulates RNA polymerase II transcription and promoter binding by transcription factor IID in the absence of histones

Protein acetylation has emerged as a means of controlling levels of mRNA synthesis in eukaryotic cells. Here we report that acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) stimulates RNA polymerase II transcription in vitro in the absence of histones. The effect of acetyl-CoA on basal and activated transcription was studied in a human RNA polymerase II transcription system reconstituted from recombinant and highly purified transcription factors. Both basal and activated transcription were stimulated by the addition of acetyl-CoA to transcription reaction mixtures. By varying the concentrations of general transcription factors in the reaction mixtures, we found that acetyl-CoA decreased the concentration of TFIID required to observe transcription. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting revealed that acetyl-CoA increased the affinity of the general transcription factor TFIID for promoter DNA in a TBP-associated factor (TAF)-dependent manner. Interestingly, acetyl-CoA also caused a conformational change in the TFIID-TFIIA-promoter complex as assessed by DNase I footprinting. These results show that acetyl-CoA alters the DNA binding activity of TFIID and indicate that this biologically important cofactor functions at multiple levels to control gene expression.

Fluorescent probe study with 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate on acetylglutamate activation, ATP binding and conformational changes of the rat liver carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase

The activity and stability of carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase (EC 6.3.4.16) may involve hydrophobic and ionic bonds within the enzyme. The 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS) equilibrium binding method with hydrophobic and ionic sites in enzymes, therefore, seemed suitable for the study of the acetylglutamate activation and ATP binding of the enzyme. The enzyme had a high affinity for the dye but low fluorescent yields. The enzyme had 32-88 ANS binding sites, depending on combination with ATP and acetylglutamate, and individual affinity constants for each combination. Despite the large number of binding sites, the acetylglutamate and ATP concentrations for half-maximal fluorescent change (10-40 microM) corresponded to the high-affinity bound ATP (ATPB) and acetylglutamate Kd values. In kinetic studies, ANS competed with ATP or acetylglutamate. The extrapolated ANS Ki values for ATP or acetylglutamate were both 35 microM. This value agreed with the ANS Kd value of the enzyme X ATP conformation, indicating that this was the conformation competed for by ANS. Since ANS did not influence the HCO3-dependent ATPase, ANS was concluded to compete with the ATPB binding conformation and transitional changes. This study suggests that part of the activator role of acetylglutamate may be to change the tertiary structure of the enzyme to induce hydrophobic sites which are accessible to ANS and possibly at the ATPB site.

Conformational changes associated with the reversible cold inactivation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase

Crystalline ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (3-phospho-D-glycerate carboxy-lyase (dimerising), EC 4.1.1.39) isolated from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) leaf homogenates is partially inactivated by cold treatment and fully reactivated by simple heating in the absence of sulfhydryl reagents and effectors. Since the reversible cold inactivation of this bifunctional enzyme does not involve a gross change in the association state of subunits, a subtle conformational change induced by low temperatures was implicated (Chollet, R. and Anderson, L.L. (1976) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 176, 344-351). Chemical modification of the cold-inactivated and heat-reactivated enzymes by 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate) and p-mercuribenzoate at 25 degrees C revealed no difference in the number of free -SH groups per mol protein. However, the reactivity of the sulfhydryl residues on the inactivated protein was considerably greater than that of the reactivated enzyme. Pretreatment of the two proteins with sodium dodecyl sulfate completely abolished the difference in -SH reactivity, indicating its dependence on protein conformation. Both the cold-inactivated and heat-reactivated enzymes enhanced the fluorescence intensity of 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) and caused a blue shift of the emission maximum from 510 to 472 nm. When the inactivated enzyme was reactivated by heating, the increase in catalytic activity was closely paralleled by a concomitant decrease in the fluorescence intensity of the ANS - protein complex at 25 degrees C. Fluorescence titration experiments revealed that the decrease in fluorescence intensity accompanying heat reactivation of the inactivated enzyme was due to a reduction in the number of hydrophobic sites available for ANS binding rather than to a change in the dissociation constant of the ANS - protein complex. These results indicate that the reversible cold inactivation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase is associated with a reversible change in the conformation of the protein. This cold-induced conformational change resluts in a greater exposure of sulfhydryl groups and hydrophobic regions to the external environment and is closely paralleled by changes in the catalytic activity of the protein. By analogy to other oligomeric enzymes also subject to reversible cold inactivation, perhaps low temperatures induce a partial dissociation of the octameric structure of the hydrophobic catalytic subunits, but complete dissociation is arrested in some unknown manner by the small hydrophilic subunits.