Creatine kinase-catalyzed ATP-phosphocreatine exchange: comparison of 31P-NMR saturation transfer technique and radioisotope tracer methods

Temperature dependence of the creatine kinase reaction measured in rat brain in vivo by31P NMR saturation transfer

Creatine kinase (CK) catalyzes the reversible phosphorylation of MgADP by phosphocreatine and thus regulates cellular concentrations of ADP and ATP. The temperature dependence of this reaction has been determined in rat brain in vivo between 30 and 40°C using31P NMR saturation transfer measurements. The pseudo-first-order rate constant for the forward CK reaction, kf, varies little with temperature over this range, with an apparent activation energy Ea= 14.2 ± 4.9 kJ/mol. This is considerably lower than the values of Eafor isolated CK enzymes. However, when changes in [MgADP] and [H+] with temperature are considered, a substrate concentration-independent value of Ea= 65.3 ± 9.7 kJ/mol is obtained for the maximum forward reaction velocity Vmax. This agrees well with literature values for the isolated brain-type isoform of CK.Key words: creatine kinase, activation energy, temperature, brain, rat.

Determination of mitochondrial creatine kinase fluxes in intact heart mitochondria using 31P-saturation transfer nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Forward (-->ATP) and reverse (-->CrP) fluxes through the creatine kinase reaction were determined in isolated rat and bovine heart mitochondria and with soluble MM-CK from rabbit skeletal muscle, using 31P-saturation transfer NMR. With soluble MM-CK forward and reverse fluxes were identical in the absence and presence of BSA or rat liver mitochondria. Addition of liver mitochondria decreased fluxes with increasing mitochondria concentration. The fluxf/Vmax(f) ratio was 0.006 with 10 mg BSA and 0.04 with 10 mg rat liver mitochondria, respectively. With heart mitochondria, fluxr was considerably higher than fluxf and the fluxf/Vmax(f) ratio was 1.7 for rat heart and 0.22 for bovine heart. It is concluded that in the presence of isolated mitochondria, the flux through the creatine kinase is driven by the mitochondrial ATP-ADP turnover. Therefore the fluxf/Vmax(f) ratio is highest for rat heart mitochondria with a high ATP-ADP turnover, intermediate for bovine heart mitochondria and low for MM-CK in the presence of liver mitochondria. It is lowest with MM-CK alone, where the creatine kinase reaction is at equilibrium and external ATP-ADP turnover is absent. The higher reverse than forward fluxes of mitochondrial creatine kinase determined at steady state by saturation transfer NMR, are caused mainly by a high ATP<-->Pi exchange in heart mitochondria preparations, having a high ATPase activity, compared to liver mitochondria.

Kinetics of creatine kinase in an experimental model of low phosphocreatine and ATP in the normoxic heart

To study the dependence of the forward flux of creatine kinase (CK) on its substrates and products we designed an acute normoxic model of steady-state depletion of phosphocreatine (PCr) and adenylate in the isovolumic acetate-perfused rat heart. Various concentrations of PCr and ATP were induced by prior perfusion with 2 deoxy-D-glucose in the presence of insulin. The apparent rate constant (k(f)) and the forward CK flux were measured under metabolic and contractile steady state by progressive saturation-transfer 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). At high adenylate content CK flux was constant for a twofold reduction in PCr concentration ([PCr]); CK flux was 6.3 +/- 0.6 mM/s (vs. 6.5 +/- 0.2 mM/s in control) because of a doubling of k(f). Although, at the lowest ATP concentration and [PCr], CK flux was reduced by 50%, it nevertheless always remained higher than ATP synthesis estimated by parallel oxygen consumption measurement. NMR-measured flux was compared with the flux computed under the hypothesis of CK equilibrium. CK flux could not be fully predicted by the concentrations of CK metabolites. This is discussed in terms of metabolite and CK isozyme compartmentation.

The in vitro kinetics of mitochondrial and cytosolic creatine kinase determined by saturation transfer 31P-NMR

Michaelis- and dissociation constants of sarcomeric mitochondrial creatine kinase (Mi(b)-CK) in solution were determined by enzyme assay and compared to those of cytosolic MM-CK under identical conditions at pH 7.4 and 25 degrees C. Saturation transfer 31P-NMR was used to determine the steady state fluxes mediated by Mi-CK and MM-CK in solution. The NMR detected fluxes of both Mi-CK and MM-CK exhibited, as expected, a linear dependence on Vmax (Vmax range 0-9 mM.s-1). Interestingly, the oligomeric state of Mi-CK, with the Mi-CK octamer/dimer ratio ranging from 2 to 9, did not have a significant effect on the flux/Vmax ratio. Furthermore, the flux/Vmax ratio of Mi-CK was twice as high as that of MM-CK under similar conditions (flux/Vmax for Mi-CK was 0.31 and for MM-CK was 0.15). This difference was primarily due to a 4-fold higher apparent affinity for MgADP of Mi-CK compared to MM-CK (K(m)(MgADP) = 22 +/- 9 microM and 80 +/- 17 microM, resp.). The NMR observed fluxes were in agreement with the fluxes as calculated from the rate equation, using the appropriate metabolite concentrations and the kinetic constants from the spectrophotometric assays. Thus we conclude, that Mi-CK and MM-CK, when in solution, catalyse an exchange-reaction, the flux of which is fully observable by saturation transfer 31P-NMR.

Combination of 31P-NMR magnetization transfer and radioisotope exchange methods for assessment of an enzyme reaction mechanism: rate-determining steps of the creatine kinase reaction

The theoretical analysis of a reversible enzyme reaction performed in this work shows that the 31P-NMR magnetization (saturation) transfer technique combined with a radioisotope exchange method may potentially provide information on the position of rate-determining step(s). It depends on chemical shifts of NMR signals of nuclei of interest in free and enzyme-bound forms of substrate(s) and product(s) of the reaction. The creatine kinase reaction (MgATP + creatine----MgADP + P-creatine) has been used as a model. Chemical shifts of 31P in binary, ternary and transitional state substrate-enzyme complexes have been estimated by the variable frequency saturation transfer (VFST) method. This method is based on selective irradiation of numerous points in the spectrum and observation of changes in the intensity of visible line(s) which occur due to chemical exchange between it and lines which are not visible in the routine spectrum. Also, dissociation rate constants of MgADP-containing complexes were determined. Magnetization exchange rates, P-creatine----[gamma-P]MgATP and [beta-P]MgADP----[beta-P]MgATP, were compared with radioisotope exchange rates, [gamma-32P-MgATP----P-creatine and [3H]MgADP----MgATP at different [P-creatine]/[creatine] ratios and at different temperatures. All these exchange rates were close to each other at 30-37 degrees C and [PCr]/[Cr] ratios lower than 2. It is concluded that phosphoryl group transfer is the rate-determining step of the overall creatine kinase reaction under these conditions. However, at lower temperatures (below 25 degrees C) or at high [PCr]/[Cr] ratios ([ADP] less than 20 microM) the rate-determining step seems to be shifted toward dissociation of nucleotide substrates from enzyme-substrate complexes, since exchange rates became significantly different. This approach is useful for analysis of mechanism of enzymatic reactions and also can be applied to non-enzymatic reactions and evaluation of small rapidly exchangeable metabolite pools.

Dependence upon high-energy phosphates of the effects of inorganic phosphate on contractile properties in chemically skinned rat cardiac fibres

The effects of inorganic phosphate (Pi) on mechanical properties of Triton X100 treated ventricular fibres have been studied in different substrate conditions. In the presence of both MgATP and phosphocreatine, increasing concentrations of Pi progressively decreased maximal active force, up to 50-60% at 20 mM Pi. The reduction in stiffness was slightly less. These effects appeared nearly independent of the diameter of the preparations. 20 mM Pi decreased Ca sensitivity of the myofilaments and increased the Hill coefficient of the tension/pCa relationship; furthermore, the time constant of tension recovery was decreased from 12.9 to 8.9 ms suggesting that the cycling rate of cross-bridges was increased in the presence of Pi. When MgATP was regenerated by the myofilament bound creatine kinase in the presence of phosphocreatine, Pi was less efficient in decreasing the maximal tension and it weakened the relaxing effect of MgATP upon rigor tension. These effects are related to the inhibition of creatine kinase by Pi. The effects of Pi on maximal force and kinetics of contraction were antagonized by the effects of a decrease in phosphocreatine. The results are discussed in terms of the antagonistic role of Pi increase and phosphocreatine decrease upon contractile properties of myofilaments during hypoxia in heart muscle.