The reaction of rabbit muscle creatine kinase with diethyl pyrocarbonate

Relating structure to mechanism in creatine kinase

Found in all vertebrates, creatine kinase catalyzes the reversible reaction of creatine and ATP forming phosphocreatine and ADP. Phosphocreatine may be viewed as a reservoir of "high-energy phosphate" which is able to supply ATP, the primary energy source in bioenergetics, on demand. Consequently, creatine kinase plays a significant role in energy homeostasis of cells with intermittently high energy requirements. The enzyme is of clinical importance and its levels are routinely used as an indicator of myocardial and skeletal muscle disorders and for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. First identified in 1928, the enzyme has undergone intensive investigation for over 75 years. There are four major isozymes, two cytosolic and two mitochondrial, which form dimers and octamers, respectively. Depending on the pH, the enzyme operates by a random or an ordered bimolecular mechanism, with the equilibrium lying towards phosphocreatine production. Evidence suggests that conversion of creatine to phosphocreatine occurs via the in-line transfer of a phosphoryl group from ATP. A recent X-ray structure of creatine kinase bound to a transition state analog complex confirmed many of the predictions based on kinetic, spectroscopic, and mutagenesis studies. This review summarizes and correlates the more significant mechanistic and structural studies on creatine kinase.

Mutagenesis of two acidic active site residues in human muscle creatine kinase: implications for the catalytic mechanism

Creatine kinase (CK) catalyzes the reversible phosphorylation of the guanidine substrate, creatine, by MgATP. Although several X-ray crystal structures of various isoforms of creatine kinase have been published, the detailed catalytic mechanism remains unresolved. A crystal structure of the CK homologue, arginine kinase (AK), complexed with the transition-state analogue (arginine-nitrate-ADP), has revealed two carboxylate amino acid residues (Glu225 and Glu314) within 2.8 A of the proposed transphosphorylation site. These two residues are the putative catalytic groups that may promote nucleophilic attack by the guanidine amino group on the gamma-phosphate of ATP. From primary sequence alignments of arginine kinases and creatine kinases, we have identified two homologous creatine kinase acidic amino acid residues (Glu232 and Asp326), and these were targeted for examination of their potential roles in the CK mechanism. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we have made several substitutions at these two positions. The results indicate that of these two residues the Glu232 is the likely catalytic residue while Asp326 likely performs a role in properly aligning substrates for catalysis.

Creatine kinase isoenzymes specificities: histidine 65 in human CK-BB, a role in protein stability, not in catalysis

Creatine kinases (CK) play a prominent role in cell energy distribution through an energy shuttle between mitochondria and other organelles. Human brain CK was cloned and overexpressed in COS-7 cells. We then deleted His-65 and/or Pro-66 situated near the center of a flexible loop as shown by X-ray crystallography on mitochondrial and cytosolic CK. The DeltaH65 mutant had nearly the same affinity for its substrates as wild isoenzyme, but its stability was very low. Unlike DeltaH65, DeltaH65P66 had a eightfold decreased affinity for creatine phosphate and was unable to dephosphorylate cyclocreatine phosphate. Our results demonstrate that, despite an overall similar shape of the proteins, this loop accounts for some subtle differences in isoenzyme functions.

Reactivation kinetics of 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid)-modified creatine kinase reactivated by dithiothreitol

The reduction of 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid)-modified creatine by dithiothreitol has been studied using the kinetic theory of the substrate reaction during modification of enzyme activity as previously described by C.L. Tsou (Adv. Enzymol. Rel. Areas Mol. Biol. 61 (1988) 381-436). The results show that the modified creatine kinase can be fully reactivated by an excess concentration of dithiothreitol in a monophasic kinetic course. The presence of ATP or the transition-state analogue markedly slows the apparent reactivation rate constant, while creatine shows no effect. The substrates creatine-ADP-Mg2+ can induce conformational changes of the modified enzyme but adding NO-3 cannot induce further changes that occur with the native enzyme. The reactive cysteines' location and role in the catalysis of creatine kinase are discussed. It is suggested that the cysteine may be located in the hinge area of the two domains of creatine kinase. The reactive cysteine of creatine kinase may play an important role not in the binding to the transition-state analogue but in the conformational changes caused by the transition-state analogue.

Rabbit muscle creatine kinase: consequences of the mutagenesis of conserved histidine residues

Creatine kinase (CK; EC 2.7.3.2) catalyzes the reversible conversion of creatine and MgATP to phosphocreatine and MgADP. In the absence of an X-ray crystal structure, we have used the sequence homology of creatine kinases and other guanidino kinases from a variety of sources to identify the conserved histidine residues in rabbit muscle CK, as well as to try to pinpoint a reactive histidine that has been implicated in the active site. This residue has been proposed to act as a general acid/base catalyst assisting in the phosphoryl transfer mechanism [Cook et al. (1981) Biochemistry 20, 1204-1210]. There are 17 histidine residues in rabbit muscle CK, and of these, only five have been conserved in all guanidino kinase sequences published to date [Mühlebach et al. (1994) Mol. Cell. Biochem. 133, 245-62]. In rabbit muscle CK, these residues are H96, H105, H190, H233, and H295. We have carried out site-specific mutagenesis of these five histidine residues, replacing each with an asparagine. Each of these mutants exhibited enzymatic activity but to varying degrees. The H105N, H190N, and H233N mutants displayed specific activities similar to that of the wild-type enzyme. H96N has high activity, but appears to be quite unstable, losing catalytic activity upon cell lysis by sonication and/or chromatographic steps involved in purification. H295N shows a significantly reduced catalytic activity relative to the native enzyme, due to marked decreases in kcat and the affinities for both substrates. Each of the five mutants is inactivated by diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEP), and inactivation is reversible upon incubation with hydroxylamine. However, only H295N shows a dramatically reduced rate of inactivation relative to native CK, consistent with H295 being the residue modified by DEP in the native enzyme. These intriguing results indicate that four of the conserved histidines (H96, H105, H295, and H233) are not essential for activity, and while H295 may be at the active site of CK, it is unlikely to play the role of a general acid/base catalyst.

Photoaffinity labeling of creatine kinase with 2-azido- and 8-azidoadenosine triphosphate: identification of two peptides from the ATP-binding domain

Two different analogs of ATP, [gamma-32P]2N3ATP and and [gamma-32P]8N3ATP, were used to photoaffinity label the MM and BB isoforms of rabbit cytosolic creatine kinase. Evidence that photoinsertion was within the ATP-binding domain was as follows: (1) Assays for creatine phosphate production demonstrated that [gamma-32]2N3ATP and [gamma-32P]8N3ATP are substrates for creatine kinase. (2) Enzymatic activity was inhibited by photolabeling with either analog. (3) Saturation of photoinsertion was observed for both analogs. Half-maximal saturation was observed at 5 microM [gamma-32P]2N3ATP or 12 microM (gamma-32P]8N3ATP. (4) Photoinsertion of both probes could be decreased by micromolar levels of ATP. Immobilized Al3+ affinity chromatography and HPLC were used to isolate the peptides modified by these probes. Overlapping sequence analysis of the isolated peptides from the tryptic and chymotryptic digests of the photolabeled MM isoform revealed that [gamma-32P]8N3ATP photoinserted into the peptide region corresponding to Val279-Arg291, whereas [gamma-32P]2N3-ATP photoinserted into Val236-Lys241. The corresponding peptide (Ile279-Arg291 and Val236-Lys241) from the BB isoform were shown to be selectively modified. We conclude that amino acid residues within the peptide regions 236-241 and 279-291 of rabbit cytosolic creatine kinase are localized within the binding domain for the adenine moiety of ATP. The results also demonstrate the effectiveness and selectivity of Al3+ as the chelating agent in immobilized metal affinity chromatography for the isolation of photolabeled peptides as well as its potential to enhance retention of radiolabel during HPLC.

Determination of the catalytic site of creatine kinase by site-directed mutagenesis

Site-directed mutagenesis was used to alter the amino-acid residues at the presumed catalytic site Cys-283 and ATP binding site Asp-340 of human creatine kinase B cDNA. In addition, a highly conserved arginine residue, Arg-292, was also mutated. Transfection of 0.1 to 1 microgram of recombinant plasmid into COS cells produced increasing creatine kinase activity in the cell lysate. The expression of mutant Cys283-Tyr and Cys283-Ser resulted in complete abolition of homodimer BB isoform enzymatic activity without alteration of the capacity for dimerization. Expression of mutants Arg292-His, Arg292-Leu, and Arg292-Gln produced non-functional homodimers, whereas expression of mutant Arg292-Lys produced a homodimer with enzymatic activity that was 42% of the enzymatic activity of the wild type. Expression of the Asp340-Glu mutant creatine kinase did not alter enzyme activity as compared to the wild type. Following heterodimerization, there was inhibition of the normal subunit by the mutant subunit, for both the BB and the MB dimer. The results showed residues Cys-283 and Arg-292 are essential for enzyme catalysis. The best fit model for the dimer is one in which there is close apposition of the two catalytic sites. The interaction of the individual subunits during dimerization provides a molecular approach for dominant negative modulation of the creatine kinase isozyme system in future genetic manipulative experiments.

Nuclear overhauser effect studies on the conformation of magnesium adenosine 5'-triphosphate bound to rabbit muscle creatine kinase

Nuclear Overhauser effects were used to determine interproton distances on MgATP bound to rabbit muscle creatine kinase. The internuclear distances were used in a distance geometry program that objectively determines both the conformation of the bound MgATP and its uniqueness. Two classes of structures were found that satisfied the measured interproton distances. Both classes had the same anti glycosidic torsional angle (chi = 78 +/- 10 degrees) but differed in their ribose ring puckers (O1'-endo or C4'-exo). The uniqueness of the glycosidic torsional angle is consistent with the preference of creatine kinase for adenine nucleotides. One of these conformations of MgATP bound to creatine kinase is indistinguishable from the conformation found for Co(NH3)4ATP bound to the catalytic subunit of protein kinase, which also has a high specificity for adenine nucleotides [chi = 78 +/- 10 degrees, O1'-endo; Rosevear, P.R., Bramson, H.N., O'Brian, C., Kaiser, E.T., & Mildvan, A.S. (1983) Biochemistry 22, 3439]. Distance geometry calculations also suggest that upper limit distances, when low enough (less than or equal to 3.4 A), can be used instead of measured distances to define, within experimental error, the glycosidic torsional angle of bound nucleotides. However, this approach does not permit an evaluation of the ribose ring pucker.

Chemical modification of liquefying alpha-amylase: role of tyrosine residues at its active center

Liquefying alpha-amylase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens was inactivated by treatment with tetranitromethane and N-acetylimidazole. The loss of activity occurred with modification of five tyrosine residues. Preincubation of the enzyme with either the substrate or the competitive inhibitor at saturating levels provided complete protection against inactivation. However, the presence of substrate/inhibitor in the reaction mixture protected only two of the five modifiable tyrosine residues, suggesting the involvement of only two tyrosine residues at the active center. This was confirmed when hydroxylamine treatment of the acetylated enzyme fully restored the enzymatic activity. Both nitration and acetylation increased the apparent Km of the enzyme for soluble starch, which indicated that the tyrosine residues are involved in substrate binding. Reduction of nitrotyrosine residues to aminotyrosine residues failed to restore the enzymatic activity. So, the loss of activity on modification of tyrosine residues was ascribed to conformational perturbances and not simply to the changes in the ionic character of tyrosine residues.

An essential tryptophan residue for rabbit muscle creatine kinase

The tryptophan residues in rabbit muscle creatine kinase (ATP:creatine N-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.3.2) have been modified by dimethyl(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl) sulfonium bromide after reversible protection of the reactive SH groups. The modification of two tryptophan residues as measured by spectrophotometric titration leads to complete loss of enzymatic activity. Control experiments show that reversible protection of the reactive SH groups as S-sulfonates followed by reduction results in nearly quantitative recovery of enzyme activity. The presence of a 410 nm absorption maximum and the decrease in fluorescence of the modified enzyme indicate the modification of tryptophan residues. At the same time, SH determinations after reduction of the modified enzyme show that the reagent has not affected the protected SH groups. Quantitative treatment of the data (Tsou, C.-L. (1962) Sci. Sin. 11, 1535 1558) shows that among the tryptophan residues modified, one is essential for its catalytic activity. The presence of substrates partially protects the modification of tryptophan residues as well as the inactivation, suggesting that the essential tryptophan residue is situated at the active site of this enzyme.

The effect of limited proteolysis on rabbit muscle creatine kinase

Creatine kinase from rabbit muscle is inactivated by limited proteolysis with proteinase K from Tritirachium album. Gel-filtration and cross-linking studies showed that the limited proteolysis did not affect the molecular weight of the enzyme under non-denaturing conditions, but did cause changes in the reactivity of the reactive thiol group on each subunit and in the ability of the enzyme to form a 'transition-state analogue' complex in the presence of magnesium acetate plus ADP plus creatinine plus NaNO3.

Modification of enoyl-CoA hydratase using diethyl pyrocarbonate

Diethyl pyrocarbonate inactivates enoyl-CoA hydratase (L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA hydro-lyase, EC 4.2.1.17) with a second-order rate constant of 1.3 M-1 X s-1. Partial protection is given against inactivation by the substrate analogue acetoacetyl-CoA. The single histidine per enzyme subunit is completely modified at a rate considerably faster than inactivation, and enzymatic activity is not restored by treatment with hydroxylamine. No tyrosine, cysteine or tryptophan residues are modified by diethyl pyrocarbonate. However, out of the 22 amino groups per subunit, 2-5 groups do react with diethyl pyrocarbonate, as shown by difference titration with methyl [1-14C]-acetimidate. Destruction of N-terminal serine residue by periodate oxidation lowers, but does not abolish enzyme activity. Experiments using 3H-labelled diethyl pyrocarbonate show that the loss of 85% of the original activity is accompanied by the incorporation of approx. three carbethoxy groups. One amino acid residue reacts much faster than the others, and is not essential for activity. Of the next two groups reacting, one is apparently essential for activity. Modification with diethyl pyrocarbonate does not lead to any gross changes in the structure of the enzyme. These experiments taken together show that, in contrast to other hydratases, histidine is not involved in the catalytic mechanism of enoyl-CoA hydratase, and suggest that a single residue is important for activity.