Importance of product inhibition in the kinetics of the acylase hydrolysis reaction by differential stopped flow microcalorimetry

Binding of Ca2+ and Zn2+ to factor IX/X-binding protein from venom of Agkistrodon halys Pallas: stabilization of the structure during GdnHCl-induced and thermally induced denaturation

Coagulation factor IX/coagulation factor X binding protein from the venom of Agkistrodon halys Pallas (AHP IX/X-bp) is a unique coagulation factor IX/coagulation factor X binding protein (IX/X-bp). Among all IX/X-bps identified, only AHP IX/X-bp is a Ca(2+)- and Zn(2+)-binding protein. The binding properties of Ca(2+) and Zn(2+) ions binding to apo-AHP IX/X-bp and their effects on the stability of the protein have been investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry, fluorescence spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The results show that AHP IX/X-bp has two metal binding sites, one specific for Ca(2+) with lower affinity for Zn(2+) and one specific for Zn(2+) with lower affinity for Ca(2+). The bindings of Ca(2+) and Zn(2+) in the two sites are entropy- and enthalpy-driven. The binding affinity of AHP IX/X-bp for Zn(2+) is 1 order of magnitude higher than for Ca(2+) for either high-affinity binding or low-affinity binding, which accounts for the existence of one Zn(2+) in the purified AHP IX/X-bp. Guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl)-induced and thermally induced denaturations of Ca(2+)-Ca(2+)-AHP IX/X-bp, Zn(2+)-Zn(2+)-AHP IX/X-bp, and Ca(2+)-Zn(2+)-AHP IX/X-bp are all a two-state processes with no detectable intermediate state(s), indicating the Ca(2+)/Zn(2+)-induced tight packing of the protein. Ca(2+) and Zn(2+) increase the structural stability of AHP IX/X-bp against GdnHCl or thermal denaturation to a similar extent. Although Ca(2+) and Zn(2+) have no obvious effect on the secondary structure of AHP IX/X-bp, they induce different rearrangements in local conformation. The Zn(2+)-stabilized specific conformation of AHP IX/X-bp may be helpful to its recognition of the structure of coagulation factor IX. This work suggests that in vitro, Ca(2+) plays a structural rather than an active role in the anticoagulation of AHP IX/X-bp, whereas Zn(2+) plays both structural and active roles in the anticoagulation. In blood, Ca(2+) binds to AHP IX/X-bp and stabilizes its structure, whereas Zn(2+) cannot bind to AHP IX/X-bp owing to the low Zn(2+) concentration. AHP IX/X-bp prolongs the clotting time in vivo through its binding only with coagulation factor X/activated coagulation factor X.

Mg(II)-induced binding of factor IX-binding protein from the venom of Agkistrodon Halys Pallas with factor Xa

Factor IX-binding protein (AHP IX-bp), a Ca2+- and Zn2+-binding protein from the venom of Agkistrodon Halys Pallas was reported to bind specifically with factor IX in a Zn2+-dependent manner. Here we have purified AHP IX-bp by a simple two-step of chromatography procedure and found that AHP IX-bp also binds factor Xa (FXa) with high binding-affinity in a Mg2+-dependent manner. Although Mg2+ ions have a significantly low binding-affinity for apo-AHP IX-bp as determined by isothermal titration calorimetry, they can induce the binding of apo-AHP IX-bp with FXa even in the absence of Ca2+ as determined by native PAGE and surface plasmon resonance. Mg2+ ions are required to maintain in vivo function of FX Gla domain for its recognition of AHP IX-bp. Both Ca2+ and Zn2+ ions fail to induce the binding between apo-AHP IX-bp and FXa. The abundant Mg2+ ions in blood play an important role in the anticoagulation of AHP IX-bp.

Identification of an unusual AT(D)Pase-like activity in multifunctional NAD glycohydrolase from the venom of Agkistrodon acutus

NAD-glycohydrolases (NADases) are ubiquitous enzymes that possess NAD glycohydrolase, ADPR cyclase or cADPR hydrolase activity. All these activities are attributed to the NADase-catalyzed cleavage of C-N glycosyl bond. AA-NADase purified from the venom of Agkistrodon acutus is different from the known NADases, for it consists of two chains linked with disulfide-bond(s) and contains one Cu(2+) ion. Here, we show that AA-NADase is not only able to cleave the C-N glycosyl bond of NAD to produce ADPR and nicotinamide, but also able to cleave the phosphoanhydride linkages of ATP, ADP and AMP-PNP to yield AMP. AA-NADase selectively cleaves the P-O-P bond of ATP, ADP and AMP-PNP without the cleavage of P-O-P bond of NAD. The hydrolysis reactions of NAD, ATP and ADP catalyzed by AA-NADase are mutually competitive. ATP is the excellent substrate for AA-NADase with the highest specificity constant k(cat)/K(m) of 293+/-7mM(-1)s(-1). AA-NADase catalyzes the hydrolysis of ATP to produce AMP with an intermediate ADP. AA-NADase binds with one AMP with high affinity determined by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). AMP is an efficient inhibitor against NAD. AA-NADase has so far been identified as the first unique multicatalytic enzyme with both NADase and AT(D)Pase-like activities.

Measurement of aminoacylases

The unit describes the assays for aminoacylase activity, with specific emphasis on aminoacylase III. The methods are based on the determination of deacetylated products of the aminoacylase-catalyzed reactions in fluorescence and absorbance assays. The unit also provides methods for isolation of the aminoacylase III from tissues and bacterial or mammalian cells and subsequent purification and analysis.

Weak activity of haloalkane dehalogenase LinB with 1,2,3-trichloropropane revealed by X-Ray crystallography and microcalorimetry

1,2,3-Trichloropropane (TCP) is a highly toxic and recalcitrant compound. Haloalkane dehalogenases are bacterial enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of a carbon-halogen bond in a wide range of organic halogenated compounds. Haloalkane dehalogenase LinB from Sphingobium japonicum UT26 has, for a long time, been considered inactive with TCP, since the reaction cannot be easily detected by conventional analytical methods. Here we demonstrate detection of the weak activity (k(cat) = 0.005 s(-1)) of LinB with TCP using X-ray crystallography and microcalorimetry. This observation makes LinB a useful starting material for the development of a new biocatalyst toward TCP by protein engineering. Microcalorimetry is proposed to be a universal method for the detection of weak enzymatic activities. Detection of these activities is becoming increasingly important for engineering novel biocatalysts using the scaffolds of proteins with promiscuous activities.

Probing fast kinetics in complex fluids by combined rapid mixing and small-angle X-ray scattering

Stopped-flow mixing coupled to small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is an established technique for investigating structural kinetics in solution down to the millisecond range. More recently, the emphasis has shifted to the sub-millisecond range using continuous flow microfluidic mixing devices. The aim of this article is to review the present status and limitations when applying mixing techniques to a wide range of soft matter and biological systems. In the case of SAXS, special consideration of the mixing quality is necessary for a quantitative description of the scattered intensity. This is demonstrated through two representative examples involving protein refolding and micellar self-assembly.

Flow microcalorimetric study of butyrylcholinesterase kinetics and inhibition

The enzymatic hydrolysis of butyrylcholine, catalyzed by horse serum butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8), was studied at 37 degrees C in Tris buffer (pH 7.5) by flow microcalorimetry. A convolution procedure, using the Gamma distribution to represent the impulse response of the calorimeter, was developed to analyze the microcalorimetric curves. After correction for buffer protonation, the hydrolysis reaction was found to be slightly endothermic, with Delta H=+9.8 kJ mol(-1). Enzyme kinetics was studied with both the differential and integrated forms of the Michaelis equation with equivalent results: Michaelis constant K(m)=3.3mM, catalytic constant k(cat)=1.7 x 10(3)s(-1), bimolecular rate constant k(s)=5.1 x 10(5)M(-1)s(-1). The reaction product, choline, was found to be a competitive inhibitor with a dissociation constant K(i)=9.1mM. Betaine had a slightly higher affinity for the enzyme, but the inhibition was only partial. This study confirms the usefulness of microcalorimetry for the kinetic study of enzymes and their inhibitors.

Importance of product/reactant equilibration in the kinetics of the phosphoglucose isomerization reaction by differential stopped flow microcalorimetry

The kinetics for the isomerization of fructose-6-phosphate to glucose-6-phosphate (F6P --> G6P) by baker's yeast phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) with regard to k(cat) and K(m) were determined from analysis of differential stopped flow microcalorimeter measurements using the integrated form of the Michaelis-Menten rate equation. Values for K(m) (F6P --> G6P) that were determined at pH 8.0 and ionic strength 0.1M at 293.4, 298.4, 303.4, and 311.5K exhibited a linear dependence on the substrate concentration at each temperature because of the substrate-product equilibrium. The minimum values for K(m) ranged from 2.62+/-0.55 mM at 293.4K to 7.8+/-4.8mM at 311.5K and were the same as the minimum values for the reverse reaction (G6P --> F6P) at 293.4 K and 298.4 K. Minimum values for k(cat) increased with temperature, from 2.78+/-0.34s(-1) at 293.4K to 11.4+/-1.0s(-1) at 311.5K, and for the reverse reaction, G6P --> F6P, from 0.852+/-0.086 s(-1) at 293.4K to 1.46+/-0.06s(-1) at 298.4K. The enzyme efficiency at 311.5K is close to the collision rate for a diffusion-controlled process in solution. The [F6P]/[G6P] equilibrium constants were determined from comparison of the values of k(cat) in both directions and were 0.307+/-0.053 at 293.4K and 0.395+/-0.033 at 298.4K. The heats of reaction in the F6P --> G6P direction increased from -8.96+/-0.26 kJmol(-1) at 311.5K to -8.27+/-0.40 kJmol(-1) at 293.4K, a value in fair agreement with 7.01+/-0.32 kJmol(-1) in the opposite G6P --> F6P direction.

A survey of the year 2002 literature on applications of isothermal titration calorimetry

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is becoming widely accepted as a key instrument in any laboratory in which quantification of biomolecular interactions is a requisite. The method has matured with respect to general acceptance and application development over recent years. The number of publications on ITC has grown exponentially over the last 10 years, reflecting the general utility of the method. Here all the published works of the year 2002 in this area have been surveyed. We review the broad range of systems to which ITC is being directed and classify these into general areas highlighting key publications of interest. This provides an overview of what can be achieved using this method and what developments are likely to occur in the near future.

Temperature dependence of the kinetics of the acylase hydrolysis reaction by differential stopped flow microcalorimetry

The rates of the hydrolysis of N-acetylglycine, N-acetyl-L-methionine, and N-acetyl-L-phenylalanine by porcine acylase I in 0.1M phosphate buffer, which is inhibited by acetate product formation, were monitored calorimetrically at temperatures between 15.2 and 45.3 degrees C by a differential stopped-flow microcalorimeter. Since the acylase is thermally stable and the pH of the phosphate buffer changes by less than 0.01 pH units over this temperature range, any temperature effect on the hydrolysis reaction can be attributed to the effect of temperature on the kinetics of the reaction. Analysis of the integrated heat released by the reaction as a function of time with regard to the integrated Michaelis-Menten equation yields apparent values for k(cat) and apparent values for Km that depend on the product inhibition constant. The apparent values for Km also exhibited a dependence on the initial substrate concentration because of the acetate product inhibition at each temperature. By assuming that the inhibition constant is independent of temperature over this temperature range and from extrapolation of Km to its value at zero substrate concentration, intrinsic values of Km and k(cat) were determined over the temperature range from 15.2 to 45.3 degrees C. The intrinsic values of Km exhibited very little variation over this temperature range while the intrinsic values of k(cat) exhibited an increase over the same temperature range. The heats of reaction also exhibited an increase with temperature over this range with an average heat capacity change of -94 Jmol(-1)K(-1) for the three substrates.