Chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NADP): amino acid sequence of the subunits from isoenzyme I and structural relationship with isoenzyme II

Structure of photosynthetic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (isoform A4) from Arabidopsis thaliana in complex with NAD

The crystal structure of the A(4) isoform of photosynthetic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) from Arabidopsis thaliana, expressed in recombinant form and complexed with NAD, is reported. The crystals, which were grown in 2.4 M ammonium sulfate and 0.1 M sodium citrate, belonged to space group I222. The asymmetric unit includes ten subunits, i.e. two independent tetramers plus a dimer that generates a third tetramer by a crystallographic symmetry operation. The crystal structure was solved by molecular replacement and refined to an R factor of 23.7% and an R(free) factor of 28.9% at 2.6 A resolution. In the final model, each subunit binds one NAD(+) molecule and two sulfates, which occupy the P(s) and the P(i) anion-binding sites. Detailed knowledge of this structure is instrumental for structural investigation of supramolecular complexes of A(4)-GAPDH, phosphoribulokinase and CP12, which are involved in the regulation of photosynthesis in the model plant A. thaliana.

Thioredoxin-dependent regulation of photosynthetic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase: autonomous vs. CP12-dependent mechanisms

Regulation of the Calvin-Benson cycle under varying light/dark conditions is a common property of oxygenic photosynthetic organisms and photosynthetic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is one of the targets of this complex regulatory system. In cyanobacteria and most algae, photosynthetic GAPDH is a homotetramer of GapA subunits which do not contain regulatory domains. In these organisms, dark-inhibition of the Calvin-Benson cycle involves the formation of a kinetically inhibited supramolecular complex between GAPDH, the regulatory peptide CP12 and phosphoribulokinase. Conditions prevailing in the dark, i.e. oxidation of thioredoxins and low NADP(H)/NAD(H) ratio promote aggregation. Although this regulatory system has been inherited in higher plants, these phototrophs contain in addition a second type of GAPDH subunits (GapB) resulting from the fusion of GapA with the C-terminal half of CP12. Heterotetrameric A(2)B(2)-GAPDH constitutes the major photosynthetic GAPDH isoform of higher plants chloroplasts and coexists with CP12 and A(4)-GAPDH. GapB subunits of A(2)B(2)-GAPDH have inherited from CP12 a regulatory domain (CTE for C-terminal extension) which makes the enzyme sensitive to thioredoxins and pyridine nucleotides, resembling the GAPDH/CP12/PRK system. The two systems are similar in other respects: oxidizing conditions and low NADP(H)/NAD(H) ratios promote aggregation of A(2)B(2)-GAPDH into strongly inactivated A(8)B(8)-GAPDH hexadecamers, and both CP12 and CTE specifically affect the NADPH-dependent activity of GAPDH. The alternative, lower activity with NADH is always unaffected. Based on the crystal structure of spinach A(4)-GAPDH and the analysis of site-specific mutants, a model of the autonomous (CP12-independent) regulatory mechanism of A(2)B(2)-GAPDH is proposed. Both CP12 and CTE seem to regulate different photosynthetic GAPDH isoforms according to a common and ancient molecular mechanism.

Regulation of photosynthetic GAPDH dissected by mutants

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) of higher plants catalyzes an NADPH-consuming reaction, which is part of the Calvin cycle. This reaction is regulated by light via thioredoxins and metabolites, while a minor NADH-dependent activity is constant and constitutive. The major native isozyme is formed by A- and B-subunits in stoichiometric ratio (A2B2, A8B8), but tetramers of recombinant B-subunits (GapB) display similar regulatory features to A2B2-GAPDH. The C-terminal extension (CTE) of B-subunits is essential for thioredoxin-mediated regulation and NAD-induced aggregation to partially inactive oligomers (A8B8, B8). Deletion mutant B(minCTE) is redox insensitive and invariably tetrameric, and chimeric mutant A(plusCTE) acquired redox sensitivity and capacity to aggregate to very large oligomers in presence of NAD. Redox regulation principally affects the turnover number, without significantly changing the affinity for either 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate or NADPH. Mutant R77A of GapB, B(R77A), is down-regulated and mimics the behavior of oxidized GapB under any redox condition, whereas mutant B(E362Q) is constantly up-regulated, resembling reduced GapB. Despite their redox insensitivity, both B(R77A) and B(E362Q) mutants are notably prone to aggregate in presence of NAD. Based on structural data and current functional analysis, a model of GAPDH redox regulation is presented. Formation of a disulfide in the CTE induces a conformational change of the GAPDH with repositioning of the terminal amino acid Glu-362 in the proximity of Arg-77. The latter residue is thus distracted from binding the 2'-phosphate of NADP, with the final effect that the enzyme relaxes to a conformation leading to a slower NADPH-dependent catalytic activity.

Dual coenzyme specificity of photosynthetic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase interpreted by the crystal structure of A4 isoform complexed with NAD

Photosynthetic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) of Spinacia oleracea belongs to a wide group of GAPDHs found in most organisms displaying oxygenic photosynthesis, including cyanobacteria, green and red algae, and higher plants. As a major catalytic difference with respect to glycolytic GAPDH, photosynthetic GAPDH exhibits dual cofactor specificity toward pyridine nucleotides with a preference for NADP(H). Here we report the crystal structure of NAD-complexed recombinant A(4)-GAPDH (NAD-A(4)-GAPDH) from Spinacia oleracea, expressed in Escherichia coli. Its superimposition onto native A(4)-GAPDH complexed with NADP (NADP-A(4)-GAPDH) pinpoints specific conformational changes resulting from cofactor replacement. In photosynthetic NAD-A(4)-GAPDH, the side chain of Asp32 is oriented toward the coenzyme to interact with the adenine ribose diol, similar to glycolytic GAPDHs (NAD-specific). On the contrary, in NADP-A(4)-GAPDH Asp32 moves away to accommodate the additional 2'-phosphate group of the coenzyme and to minimize electrostatic repulsion. Asp32 rotation is allowed by the presence of the small residue Ala40, conserved in most photosynthetic GAPDHs, replacing bulky amino acid side chains in glycolytic GAPDHs. While in NADP-A(4)-GAPDH two amino acids, Thr33 and Ser188, are involved in hydrogen bonds with the 2'-phosphate group of NADP, in the NAD-complexed enzyme these interactions are lacking. The crystallographic structure of NAD-A(4)-GAPDH highlights that four residues, Thr33, Ala40, Ser188, and Ala187 (Leu, Leu, Pro, and Leu respectively, in glycolytic Bacillus stearothermophilus GAPDH sequence) are of primary importance for the dual cofactor specificity of photosynthetic GAPDH. These modifications seem to trace the minimum evolutionary route for a primitive NAD-specific GAPDH to be converted into the NADP-preferring enzyme of oxygenic photosynthetic organisms.

The C-terminal extension of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase subunit B acts as an autoinhibitory domain regulated by thioredoxins and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide

The regulatory isoform of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a light-activated enzyme constituted by subunits GapA and GapB. The NADPH-dependent activity of regulatory GAPDH from spinach chloroplasts was affected by the redox potential (E(m,7.9), -353 +/- 11 mV) through the action of thioredoxin f. The redox dependence of recombinant GapB (E(m,7.9), -347 +/- 9 mV) was similar to native GAPDH, whereas GapA was essentially redox-insensitive. GapB mutants having one or two C-terminal cysteines mutated into serines (C358S, C349S, C349S/C358S) were less redox-sensitive than GapB. Different mutants with other cysteines substituted by serines (C18S, C274S, C285S) still showed strong redox regulation. Fully active GapB was a tetramer of B-subunits, and, when incubated with NAD, it associated to a high molecular weight oligomer showing low NADPH-dependent activity. The C-terminal GapB mutants (C358S, C349S, C349S/C358S) were active tetramers unable to aggregate to higher oligomers in the presence of NAD, whereas other mutants (C18S, C274S, C285S) again behaved like GapB. We conclude that a regulatory disulfide, between Cys-349 and Cys-358 of the C-terminal extension of GapB, does form in the presence of oxidized thioredoxin. This covalent modification is required for the NAD-dependent association into higher oligomers and inhibition of the NADPH-activity. By leading to GAPDH autoinhibition, thioredoxin and NAD may thus concur to the dark inactivation of the enzyme in vivo.

Crystal structure of the non-regulatory A(4 )isoform of spinach chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase complexed with NADP

Here, we report the first crystal structure of a photosynthetic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) complexed with NADP. The enzyme, purified from spinach chloroplasts, is constituted of a single type of subunit (A) arranged in homotetramers. It shows non-regulated NADP-dependent and NAD-dependent activities, with a preference for NADP. The structure has been solved to 3.0 A resolution by molecular replacement. The crystals belong to space group C222 with three monomers in the asymmetric unit. One of the three monomers generates a tetramer using the space group 222 point symmetry and a very similar tetramer is generated by the other two monomers, related by a non-crystallographic symmetry, using a crystallographic 2-fold axis. The protein reveals a large structural homology with known GAPDHs both in the cofactor-binding domain and in regions of the catalytic domain. Like all other GAPDHs investigated so far, the A(4)-GAPDH belongs to the Rossmann fold family of dehydrogenases. However, unlike most dehydrogenases of this family, the adenosine 2'-phosphate group of NADP does not form a salt-bridge with any positively charged residue in its surroundings, being instead set in place by hydrogen bonds with a threonine residue belonging to the Rossmann fold and a serine residue located in the S-loop of a symmetry-related monomer. While increasing our knowledge of an important photosynthetic enzyme, these results contribute to a general understanding of NADP versus NAD recognition in pyridine nucleotide-dependent enzymes. Although the overall structure of A(4)-GAPDH is similar to that of the cytosolic GAPDH from bacteria and eukaryotes, the chloroplast tetramer is peculiar, in that it can actually be considered a dimer of dimers, since monomers are bound in pairs by a disulphide bridge formed across Cys200 residues. This bridge is not found in other cytosolic or chloroplast GAPDHs from animals, bacteria, or plants other than spinach.

Two-cistron system overexpression of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase subunit B and B-derivatives from spinach in Escherichia coli

A gene coding for the subunit B (GapB) of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from spinach and its two derivatives (GapBc) lacking the GapB-specific C-terminal extension have been cloned by RT-PCR. These three genes have been overexpressed with full activity in Escherichia coli when a two-cistron expression system controlled by an inducible promoter P(trc) is used. With a suitable base composition of the first cistron, the expression level of GapB and the derivatives GapBc are expressed up to 15-20% of the total cell protein and around 20 mg of recombinant GapBcs with full activity are purified from 1 liter of cultured bacteria. The specific activity of the two derivatives GapBc (40-60 u/mg) is similar to that of GapA (50-70 u/mg) and lower than that of reported GapBc derivative (E. Baalmann, R. Scheibe, R. Cerff, and W. Martin, 1996, Plant Mol. Biol. 32, 505-513).

Crystal structure of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus

The enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) from the archaea shows low sequence identity (16-20%) with its eubacterial and eukaryotic counterparts. The crystal structure of the apo GAPDH from Sulfolobus solfataricus has been determined by multiple isomorphous replacement at 2.05 A resolution. The enzyme has several differences in secondary structure when compared with eubacterial GAPDHs, with an overall increase in the number of alpha-helices. There is a relocation of the active-site residues within the catalytic domain of the enzyme. The thermostability of the S. solfataricus enzyme can be attributed to a combination of an ion pair cluster and an intrasubunit disulphide bond.

Pea chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase has uracil glycosylase activity

Pea (Pisum sativum) chloroplastic glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.13) was tested for uracil DNA glycosylase activity. It was found that both the chloroplast and the recombinant subunit B dehydrogenases remove uracil from poly(dA[3H]dU). The glycosylase activity of the recombinant subunit B enzyme and that of a truncated form corresponding in length to subunit A were associated with the dehydrogenase activity in gel-filtration experiments. Both activities of the chloroplast enzyme were inhibited by antisera raised against recombinant subunit B, and both activities of the recombinant subunit B enzyme were inhibited by antisera raised against pea chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase. Antisera raised against Escherichia coli uracil glycosylase did not affect the glycosylase activity of the recombinant subunit B enzyme. The glycosylase pH activity profile of the chloroplast dehydrogenase was unique. It is distinct from the dehydrogenase pH activity profile and from the pH activity profiles of other plant glycosylases. The glycosylase activity, but not the dehydrogenase activity, of the recombinant subunit B enzyme was inhibited by uracil. Pyridine nucleotides stimulated the glycosylase activity. To our knowledge this is the first example of a nonhuman glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase, and of an NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase, that exhibits uracil glycosylase activity.

Subunit composition and oligomer stability of oat beta-glucosidase isozymes

Oat beta-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) has two isomeric forms, type I and type II, which are composed of 60 kDa peptides. To study the subunit composition and the stability of multimeric structure, the type I and II were purified from the primary leaves and coleoptiles of the etiolated oat seedlings where the isozymes are expressed organ-specifically. The monomers of the isozymes were isolated by urea-denatured gel electrophoresis followed by electroblotting. N-Terminal amino acid sequencing of the monomers indicated that the type I consisted of a peptide of ALESAKQVKPWQVPKRDWFP (As-Glu 1), and the type II having a peptide of ALESGKLKPWQIPKRDWFP (As-Glu 2) and As-Glu 1 in 1:1 ratio. The C-terminal amino acid of the As-Glu 1 was alanine and that of the As-Glu 2 was lysine. The As-Glu 2 was more negatively charged than the As-Glu 1. The type I isozyme is thus homomultimer of As-Glu 1 monomer and the type II heteromultimer of As-Glu 1 and As-Glu 2 monomers in 1:1 ratio. Partial denaturation of the multimers with urea and CaCl2 broke down the higher multimers to the lower multimers, which were in turn dissociated into homodimers and heterodimer. Denaturation study with urea and CaCl2 indicate that the higher multimers of the homooligomeric type I were more stable than those of the heterooligomeric type II and that hydrophobic interactions were important in the multimer formation. The homodimers were found to be more stable than the heterodimer. These results indicate that different combinations of the As-Glu 1 and As-Glu 2 monomers form the two isozymes of oat beta-glucosidase with different enzymatic properties and structural stability.

A crystallographic comparison between mutated glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases from Bacillus stearothermophilus complexed with either NAD+ or NADP+

Mutations have been introduced in the cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) from Bacillus stearothermophilus in order to convert its cofactor selectivity from a specificity towards NAD into a preference for NADP. In the B-S mutant, five mutations (L33T, T34G, D35G, L187A, P188S) were selected on the basis of a sequence alignment with NADP-dependent chloroplastic GAPDHs. In the D32G-S mutant, two of the five mutations mentioned above (L187A, P188S) have been used in combination with another one designed from electrostatic considerations (D32G). Both mutants exhibit a dual-cofactor selectivity at the advantage of either NAD (B-S) or NADP (D32G-S). In order to analyse the cofactor-binding site plasticity at the molecular level, crystal structures of these mutants have been solved, when complexed with either NAD+ (D32G-Sn, resolution 2.5 A, R = 13.9%; B-Sn, 2.45 A, 19.3%) or NADP+ (D32G-Sp, 2.2 A, 19.2%; B-Sp, 2.5 A, 14.4%). The four refined models are very similar to that of the wild-type GAPDH and as expected resemble more closely the holo form than the apo form. In the B-S mutant, the wild-type low affinity for NADP+ seems to be essentially retained because of repulsive electrostatic contacts between the extra 2'-phosphate and the unchanged carboxylate group of residue D32. Such an antideterminant effect is not well compensated by putative attractive interactions which had been expected to arise from the newly-introduced side-chains. In this mutant, recognition of NAD+ is slightly affected with respect to that known on the wild-type, because mutations only weakly destabilize hydrogen bonds and van der Waals contacts originally present in the natural enzyme. Thus, the B-S mutant does not mimic efficiently the chloroplastic GAPDHs, and long-range and/or second-layer effects, not easily predictable from visual inspection of three-dimensional structures, need to be taken into account for designing a true "chloroplastic-like" mutant of cytosolic GAPDH. In the case of the D32G-S mutant, the dissociation constants for NAD+ and NADP+ are practically reversed with respect to those of the wild-type. The strong alteration of the affinity for NAD+ obviously proceeds from the suppression of the two wild-type hydrogen bonds between the adenosine 2'- and 3'-hydroxyl positions and the D32 carboxylate group. As expected, the efficient recognition of NADP+ is partly promoted by the removal of intra-subunit electrostatic repulsion (D32G) and inter-subunit steric hindrance (L187A, P188S). Another interesting feature of the reshaped NADP+-binding site is provided by the local stabilization of the extra 2'-phosphate which forms a hydrogen bond with the side-chain hydroxyl group of the newly-introduced S188. When compared to the presently known natural NADP-binding clefts, this result clearly demonstrates that an absolute need for a salt-bridge involving the 2'-phosphate is not required to switch the cofactor selectivity from NAD to NADP. In fact, as it is the case in this mutant, only a moderately polar hydrogen bond can be sufficient to make the extra 2'-phosphate of NADP+ well recognized by a protein environment.

CP12: a small nuclear-encoded chloroplast protein provides novel insights into higher-plant GAPDH evolution

Higher-plant chloroplast NAD(P)-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NAD(P)-GAPDH; EC 1.2.1.13) is composed of two different nuclear-encoded subunits, GAPA and GAPB, forming the highly active heterotetrameric A2B2 enzyme. The main difference between these two subunits is a C-terminal extension of about 30 amino acid residues of GAPB. We present cDNA clones for a nuclear-encoded chloroplast protein from pea, spinach and tobacco, which we have named CP12. The mature protein consists of only 74, 75 and 76 amino acid residues, respectively and contains two domains with significant homology to the C-terminal extension of GAPB. Affinity chromatography approaches reveal also a specific interaction between CP12 and chloroplast GAPDH. Northern blot analysis indicates that CP12 is, like plastid GAPDH, expressed in green and also in etiolated leaves. Further homology is observed between CP12 and ORF3, an open reading frame located in the hox gene cluster of Anabaena variabilis. This gene cluster encodes the subunits of the bidirectional NADP(+)-dependent [NiFeS] dehydrogenase. We propose therefore a common evolutionary origin of CP12 and higher-plant chloroplast GAPDH subunit GAPB from the cyanobacterial ORF3.

Functional studies of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase subunits A and B expressed in Escherichia coli: formation of highly active A4 and B4 homotetramers and evidence that aggregation of the B4 complex is mediated by the B subunit carboxy terminus

Chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (phosphorylating, E.C. 1.2.1.13) (GAPDH) of higher plants exists as an A2B2 heterotetramer that catalyses the reductive step of the Calvin cycle. In dark chloroplasts the enzyme exhibits a molecular mass of 600 kDa, whereas in illuminated chloroplasts the molecular mass is altered in favor of the more active 150 kDa form. We have expressed in Escherichia coli proteins corresponding to the mature A and B subunits of spinach chloroplast GAPDH (GapA and GapB, respectively) in addition to a derivative of the B subunit lacking the GapB-specific C-terminal extension (CTE). One mg of each of the three proteins so expressed was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity with conventional methods. Spinach GapA purified from E. coli is shown to be a highly active homotetramer (50-70 U/mg) which does not associate under aggregating conditions in vitro to high-molecular-mass (HMM) forms of ca. 600 kDa. Since B4 forms of the enzyme have not been described from any source, we were surprised to find that spinach GapB purified from E. coli was active (15-35 U/mg). Spinach GapB lacking the CTE purified from E. coli is more highly active (130 U/mg) than GapB with the CTE. Under aggregating conditions, GapB lacking the CTE is a tetramer that does not associate to HMM forms whereas GapB with the CTE occurs exclusively as an aggregated HMM form. The data indicate that intertetramer association of chloroplast GAPDH in vitro occurs through GapB-mediated protein-protein interaction.

C-terminal truncation of spinach chloroplast NAD(P)-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase prevents inactivation and reaggregation

Chloroplast NAD(P)-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NAD(P)-GAPDH; EC 1.2.1.13) consists of two types of subunits: GapA and GapB, which are rather similar, except that GapB carries an unique C-terminal sequence extension. Here, we report evidence that this sequence extension might be responsible for aggregation and dark inactivation of the enzyme in vivo. Recently, it had been demonstrated that upon limited proteolysis of the purified 600 kDa enzyme, using the Staphylococcus aureus V8 endoproteinase (Zapponi et al. (1993) Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler 374, 395-402), the C-terminus of GapB can be removed, giving rise to the 150 kDa form. Based on these findings, we analyzed the changed catalytic properties of the enzyme after proteolysis and its ability to reaggregate. The time-course of proteolysis is paralleled by a strong increase in enzyme activity and the appearance of the tetrameric enzyme form, the increase of apparent activity preceding disaggregation. The proteolyzed enzyme is characterized by its increased affinity towards the substrate 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate and thus resembles the fully activated intact enzyme. In contrast to the effector-mediated activation of the intact enzyme, both proteolytic activation and the resulting disaggregation of the high-molecular-weight form cannot be reversed, even by incubation with NAD.

Characterization of the two unique human anti-flavin monoclonal immunoglobulins

Form A of two previously described human monoclonal anti-riboflavin IgGs, the GAR [Farhangi, M. & Osserman, E. F. (1976) N. Engl. J. Med. 294, 177-183] and DOT [Merlini, G., Bruening, R., Kyle, R. & Osserman, E. F. (1990) Mol. Immunol. 27, 385-394], has been characterized in terms of binding properties and primary structure. Both forms were isolated as immunocomplexes with bound riboflavin and gave a reconstitutable apoprotein. The riboflavin-reconstituted IgGs showed a similar visible absorption spectrum, with a marked resolution of the 445-nm band and a ratio 445-nm/370-nm peaks of 1.13 for DOT and 1.19 for GAR. Both proteins bind riboflavin, FMN and FAD with a molar ratio ligand/protein of 2:1. DOT and GAR share a very similar affinity for the flavinic ligands; the Kd values for riboflavin and FMN are in the range 1 nM; that for FAD is an order of magnitude higher. DOT and GAR do not form an adduct between the nucleophilic group sulfite and the N(5) position of the flavin, and do not stabilize any flavinic semiquinone during reduction with the xantine/xantine oxidase benzylviologen system. The primary structure of fragment antigen binding (Fab) DOT and heavy-chain variable region (VH) GAR determined in the present study and that already known for the light-chain variable region (VL) GAR [Kiefer, C. R., McGuire, B. S., Osserman, E. F. & Garver, F. A. (1983) J. Immunol. 131, 1871-1875] evidenced that the two IgGs are assembled with VL and VH chains of different subgroups; a lambda III/HIII pair in GAR, and a lambda II/HI pair in DOT. Although less similar each other than to the counterparts of the same subclasses, DOT and GAR share an exclusive identity in the VH CDR3 region.

Mechanism of light modulation: identification of potential redox-sensitive cysteines distal to catalytic site in light-activated chloroplast enzymes

Light-dependent reduction of target disulfides on certain chloroplast enzymes results in a change in activity. We have modeled the tertiary structure of four of these enzymes, namely NADP-linked glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase, NADP-linked malate dehydrogenase, sedoheptulose bisphosphatase, and fructose bisphosphatase. Models are based on x-ray crystal structures from non-plant species. Each of these enzymes consists of two domains connected by a hinge. Modeling suggests that oxidation of two crucial cysteines to cystine would restrict motion around the hinge in the two dehydrogenases and influence the conformation of the active site. The cysteine residues in the two phosphatases are located in a region known to be sensitive to allosteric modifiers and to be involved in mediating structural changes in mammalian and microbial fructose bisphosphatases. Apparently, the same region is involved in covalent modification of phosphatase activity in the chloroplast.

Purification and some properties of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Synechococcus sp

Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.13) was purified 386 fold to apparent homogeneity from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. grown at optimum light intensities in batch cultures. The molecular mass of the tetrameric form of the enzyme was 160 kDa as determined by gel filtration and sucrose gradient centrifugation in a phosphate buffer containing DTT. The pH optimum for the oxidation of NADPH was broad (6-8) and the enzyme had a pI of 4.5. The turnover number was 36,000 min-1 at 40 degrees C. The activation energy was 12.4 Kcal for t > 29 degrees C and 20.6 Kcal for t < 29 degrees C. The specific absorption coefficient, A 1% 1cm 280 mm of the pure enzyme in phosphate buffer at pH 6.8 was 15.2. By SDS gel electrophoresis molecular masses of 78 kDa and 39 kDa were found, indicating that the purified enzyme is a tetramer, probably a homotetramer. When Tris was used as buffer in the homogenization and phosphate and DTT were omitted, a high molecular form with a molecular mass above 500 kDa was found. This form was less active than the purified tetrameric form. Acetone and other organic solvents stimulated the native enzyme several fold.

Determinants of coenzyme specificity in glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase: role of the acidic residue in the fingerprint region of the nucleotide binding fold

On the basis of the three-dimensional structure of the glycolytic NAD-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and of sequence comparison with the photosynthetic NAD(P)-dependent GAPDH of the chloroplast, a series of mutants of GAPDH from Bacillus stearothermophilus have been constructed. The results deduced from kinetic and binding studies suggest that the absence of activity of the wild-type GAPDH with NADP as a cofactor is the consequence of at least three factors: (1) steric hindrance, (2) electrostatic repulsion between the charged carboxyl group of Asp32 and the 2'PO4, and (3) structural determinants at the subunit interface of the tetramer. The best value for kcat/KM and KD for NADP was observed for the D32A-L187A-P188S mutant. This triple mutation leads to a switch in favor of NADP specificity but with a kcat/KM ratio 50- and 80-fold less than that observed for the wild type with NAD and for the chloroplast GAPDH with NADP, respectively. Substituting the invariant chloroplastic Thr33-Gly34-Gly35 for the B. stearothermophilus Leu33-Thr34-Asp35 residues on the double mutant Ala187-Ser188 does not improve significantly the affinity for NADP while substituting Ala32 for Asp32 on the double mutant does. Clearly, other subtle adjustments in the adenosine subsite are needed to reconcile the presence of the carboxylate group of Asp32 and the 2'-phosphate of NADP. Kinetic studies indicate a change of the rate-limiting step for the mutants. This could be the consequence of an incomplete apo-holo transition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Limited proteolysis of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NADP) from Spinacia oleracea

The structural and functional properties of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-P-dehydrogenase I (D-Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate: NADP oxidoreductase (phosphorylating) EC 1.2.1.13) from Spinacia oleracea were investigated by limited proteolysis. The enzyme is insensitive to trypsin and chymotrypsin, while Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease cleaves the C-terminal region of its subunits. Subunit A (36 kDa) is only partially cleaved at Glu 317. No intact subunit B (39 kDa) is found at the end of the proteolytic experiment: two forms are originated from this subunit which is cleaved at Glu 342 and Glu 320. Proteolytic cleavage at these sites does not significantly alter enzymatic activity, but leads to destabilization of the protein. Unlike the intact parent enzyme (600 kDa) the cleaved enzyme behaves as a 150-kDa species in size exclusion chromatography.

Properties of two high-molecular-mass forms of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from spinach leaf, one of which also possesses latent phosphoribulokinase activity

Two high-Mr forms of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from spinach leaf can be separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. One form, the high-Mr glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, resembles an enzyme previously described [Yonuschot, G.R., Ortwerth, B.J. & Koeppe, O.J. (1970) J. Biol. Chem. 245, 4193-4198]. The other, a glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase/phosphoribulokinase complex, is characterised by possession of latent phosphoribulokinase activity, only expressed following incubation with dithiothreitol. This complex is composed not only of subunits A (39.5 kDa) and B (41.5 kDa) characteristic of the high-Mr glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, but also of a third subunit, R (40.5 kDa) comigrating with that from the active phosphoribulokinase of spinach. Incubation of the complex with dithiothreitol markedly stimulated both its phosphoribulokinase and NADPH-dependent dehydrogenase activities. This dithiothreitol-induced activation was accompanied by depolymerisation to give two predominantly NADPH-linked tetrameric glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenases (the homotetramer, A4, and the heterotetramer, A2B2) as well as the active dimeric phosphoribulokinase. Incubation of the high-Mr glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase with dithiothreitol promoted complete depolymerisation yielding only the heterotetramer (A2B2). Possible structures suggested for the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase/phosphoribulokinase complex are (A2B2)2A4R2 or (A2B2)(A4)2R2.