Simultaneous transrectal ultrasound and photoacoustic human prostate imaging

Imaging technologies that simultaneously provide anatomical, functional, and molecular information are emerging as an attractive choice for disease screening and management. Since the 1980s, transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) has been routinely used to visualize prostatic anatomy and guide needle biopsy, despite limited specificity. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) provides functional and molecular information at ultrasonic resolution based on optical absorption. Combining the strengths of TRUS and PAI approaches, we report the development and bench-to-bedside translation of an integrated TRUS and photoacoustic (TRUSPA) device. TRUSPA uses a miniaturized capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer array for simultaneous imaging of anatomical and molecular optical contrasts [intrinsic: hemoglobin; extrinsic: intravenous indocyanine green (ICG)] of the human prostate. Hemoglobin absorption mapped vascularity of the prostate and surroundings, whereas ICG absorption enhanced the intraprostatic photoacoustic contrast. Future work using the TRUSPA device for biomarker-specific molecular imaging may enable a fundamentally new approach to prostate cancer diagnosis, prognostication, and therapeutic monitoring.

Lamb Wave Multitouch Ultrasonic Touchscreen

Touchscreen sensors are widely used in many devices such as smart phones, tablets, and laptops with diverse applications. We present the design, analysis, and implementation of an ultrasonic touchscreen system that utilizes the interaction of transient Lamb waves with objects in contact with the screen. It attempts to improve on the existing ultrasound technologies, with the potential of addressing some of the weaknesses of the dominant technologies, such as the capacitive or resistive ones. Compared with the existing ultrasonic and acoustic modalities, among other advantages, it provides the capability of detecting several simultaneous touch points and also a more robust performance. The localization algorithm, given the hardware design, can detect several touch points with a very limited number of measurements (one or two). This in turn can significantly reduce the manufacturing cost.

Physical activity and sitting time in bariatric surgery patients 1-16 years post-surgery

Physical activity (PA) is an important adjunct to bariatric surgery in the treatment of severe obesity; however, patient PA levels prior to and in the short-term following surgery are usually low. Scarce data exist describing PA and sedentary behaviours in the long term following surgery. The objectives were to describe PA and sitting time in bariatric patients 1-16 years post-surgery and assess their associations with patient, surgery and weight-loss characteristics. A total of 398 bariatric patients (73% female; mean age 47 ± 11 years, mean 6 ± 4 years since surgery) completed a telephone questionnaire. Patients reported moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA: # sessions week(-1)  ≥30 min), sitting time (h d(-1)) and change in PA and sitting time vs. pre-surgery (more/same/less). Associations with patient, surgery and weight-loss characteristics were assessed. Only 53% of patients reported ≥1 session week(-1) MVPA, mean sitting time was 7 ± 4 h d(-1), 74% of patients reported more PA and 53% reported less sitting, now vs. pre-surgery. Age, sex, smoking status, pre-surgery body mass index, time-since-surgery and percent excess weight lost were significantly associated with PA and/or sitting outcomes. Patients currently experiencing ≥50% excess weight loss had over three times the odds of reporting ≥1 session week(-1) MVPA (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 3.28 [1.57, 6.89]) and almost four times greater odds of reporting 'more' PA vs. pre-surgery (3.78 [2.15, 6.62]) compared with their less successful counterparts. Results point to low PA and high sedentariness among bariatric patients in the long-term following surgery, associated with several characteristics. Associations with long-term weight management highlight the need for tailored interventions to promote active living in this patient population.

Dissecting the order of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase holoenzyme assembly

Most biological organisms rely upon a DNA polymerase holoenzyme for processive DNA replication. The bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase holoenzyme is composed of the polymerase enzyme and a clamp protein (the 45 protein), which functions as a processivity factor by strengthening the interaction between DNA and the holoenzyme. The 45 protein must be loaded onto DNA by a clamp loader ATPase complex (the 44/62 complex). In this paper, the order of events leading to holoenzyme formation is investigated using a combination of rapid-quench and stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy kinetic methods. A rapid-quench strand displacement assay in which the order of holoenzyme component addition is varied provided data indicating that the rate-limiting step in holoenzyme assembly is associated with the clamp loading process. Pre-steady-state analysis of the clamp loader ATPase activity demonstrated that the four bound ATP molecules are hydrolyzed stepwise during the clamp loading process in groups of two. Clamp loading was examined with stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy from the perspective of the clamp itself, using a site-specific, fluorescently labeled 45 protein. A mechanism for T4 DNA polymerase holoenzyme assembly is proposed in which the 45 protein interacts with the 44/62 complex leading to the hydrolysis of 2 equiv of ATP, and upon contacting DNA, the remaining two ATP molecules bound to the 44/62 complex are hydrolyzed. Once all four ATP molecules are hydrolyzed, the 45 protein is poised on DNA for association with the polymerase to form the holoenzyme.

Recognition of sequence-directed DNA structure by the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I

Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy was used to investigate the influence of sequence-directed DNA structure upon the interaction between the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I and a series of defined oligonucleotide primer/templates. 17/27-mer (primer/template) oligonucleotides containing a dansyl fluorophore conjugated to a modified deoxyuridine residue within the primer strand were used as substrates for binding to Klenow fragment. The time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy decay of the dansyl probe was analyzed in terms of two local environments, either solvent-exposed or buried, corresponding to primer/templates positioned with the primer 3' terminus in the polymerase site or the 3'-5' exonuclease site of the enzyme, respectively. Equilibrium constants for partitioning of DNA between the two sites were evaluated from the anisotropy decay data for primer/templates having different (A + T)-rich sequences flanking the primer 3' terminus. Primer/templates with AAAATG/TTTTAC and CGATAT/GCTATA terminal sequences (the nucleotides on the left refer to the last six bases at the 3' end of the primer, and the nucleotides on the right are the corresponding bases in the template) were bound mostly at the polymerase site. The introduction of single mismatches opposite the primer 3' terminus of these DNA substrates increased their partitioning into the 3'-5' exonuclease site, in accord with the results of an earlier study [Carver, T.E., Hochstrasser, R.A., and Millar, D.P. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 91, 10670-10674]. In contrast, a primer/template with the terminal sequence CAATTT/GTTAAA, containing an A-tract element AATTT, exhibited a surprising preference for binding at the 3'-5' exonuclease site, despite the absence of mismatched bases in the DNA substrate. Interruption of the A-tract with a single AG step, to give the terminal sequence CAGTTT/GTCAAA, reversed the effect of the A-tract, causing the DNA to partition in favor of the polymerase site. Moreover, the presence of a single mismatch opposite the primer 3' terminus was also sufficient to reverse the effect of the A-tract, resulting in a distribution of DNA between polymerase and 3'-5' exonuclease sites that was similar to that observed for the other mismatched DNA substrates. Taken together, these results suggest that the A-tract adopts an unusual conformation that is disruptive to binding at the polymerase site. The effect of the A-tract on binding of DNA to the polymerase site is discussed in terms of the unusual helix structural parameters associated with these sequence elements and the difference between the local geometry of the A-tract and the conformation adopted by duplex DNA within the polymerase cleft. The results of this study show that in addition to base mismatches, Klenow fragment can also recognize irregularities in the helix geometry of perfectly base-paired DNA.

Dissociation of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase and its processivity clamp after completion of Okazaki fragment synthesis

The mechanism of bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase (gp43) and clamp (gp45) protein dissociation from the holoenzyme DNA complex was investigated under conditions simulating the environment encountered upon completion of an Okazaki fragment. Lagging strand DNA synthesis was approximated using a synthetic construct comprised of a doubly biotinylated, streptavidin-bound 62-mer DNA template, paired with complementary primers to generate an internal 12-base gap where the 5'-end primer contained either a 5'-OH (DNA primer) or a 5'-triphosphate (RNA primer) group. Rapid kinetic measurements revealed that upon encountering the blocking primer, the holoenzyme either dissociates from DNA (approximately 40%) or strand-displaces the blocking strand (approximately 60%). The two blocking oligonucleotides (DNA or RNA) induce a 30-50-fold increase in the rate of holoenzyme dissociation, with both polymerase and clamp proteins dissociating simultaneously. Inhibition of ATP hydrolysis by ATP-gamma-S did not have a measurable effect upon holoenzyme dissociation from DNA. The presence of gp32, the single-strand binding protein, caused a small (3-fold) increase in the rate constant for dissociation.

Protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions at the bacteriophage T4 DNA replication fork. Characterization of a fluorescently labeled DNA polymerase sliding clamp

The T4 DNA polymerase holoenzyme is composed of the polymerase enzyme complexed to the sliding clamp (the 45 protein), which is loaded onto DNA by an ATP-dependent clamp loader (the 44/62 complex). This paper describes a new method to directly investigate the mechanism of holoenzyme assembly using a fluorescently labeled cysteine mutant of the 45 protein. This protein possessed unaltered function yet produced substantial changes in probe fluorescence intensity upon interacting with other components of the holoenzyme. These fluorescence changes provide insight into the role of ATP hydrolysis in holoenzyme assembly. Using either ATP or the non-hydrolyzable ATP analog, adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiophosphate), events in holoenzyme assembly were assigned as either dependent or independent of ATP hydrolysis. A holoenzyme assembly mechanism is proposed in which the 44/62 complex mediates the association of the 45 protein with DNA in an ATP-dependent manner not requiring ATP hydrolysis. Upon ATP hydrolysis, the 44/62 complex triggers a conformational change in the 45 protein that may be attributed to the clamp loading onto DNA.

Stoichiometry and DNA unwinding by the bacteriophage T4 41:59 helicase

The bacteriophage T4 41 protein is a replicative helicase that forms a hexamer in the presence of ATP and associates with the T4 59 protein. The stoichiometry of the 41:59 helicase complex and its mechanism for DNA unwinding have been investigated using steady-state and single-turnover kinetics. A partial duplex DNA fork containing two regions of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) of 30 nucleotides each, and 30 base pairs served as the substrate. 59 was found to increase the steady-state unwinding rate of the substrate by 200-fold over the rate of 41 alone. Maximum unwinding occurred when 59 and 41 were equimolar, revealing a 1:1 stoichiometry for the complex. Varying 41 while holding 59 constant resulted in sigmoidal kinetics suggesting strong cooperativity for formation of the 41 hexamer and providing a lower limit for hexamer assembly of 65 nM. Substrates were prepared that contained a biotin-streptavidin block in either the leading or lagging strand of the duplex region of the substrate. The first order rate constant for unwinding was reduced only when the block was placed in the lagging strand of the DNA fork, indicating that the helicase interacts primarily with the lagging DNA strand.

Proofreading DNA: recognition of aberrant DNA termini by the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I

Fluorescence depolarization decays were measured for 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl (dansyl) probes attached internally to 17-mer.27-mer oligonucleotides bound to Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I. The time-resolved motions of the dansyl probes were sensitive indicators of DNA-protein contacts, showing that the protein binds to DNA with two footprints, corresponding to primer termini at either the polymerase or 3'-5' exonuclease sites. We examined complexes of Klenow fragment with DNAs containing various base mismatches. Single mismatches at the primer terminus caused a 3- to 4-fold increase in the equilibrium partitioning of DNA into the exonuclease site; the largest effects were observed for purine-purine mismatches. Two or more consecutive G.G mismatches caused the DNA to bind exclusively at the exonuclease site, with a partitioning constant at least 250-fold greater than that of the corresponding matched DNA sequence. Internal single mismatches produced larger effects than the same mismatch at the primer terminus, with a delta delta G relative to the matched sequence of -1.1 to -1.3 kcal/mol for mismatches located 2, 3, or 4 bases from the primer terminus. Although part of the observed effects may be attributed to the increased melting capacity of the DNA, it appears that the polymerase site also promotes movement of DNA into the exonuclease site by rejecting aberrant primer termini. These effects suggest that the polymerase and exonuclease sites act together to recognize specific errors that distort the primer terminus, such as frameshifts, in addition to proofreading misincorporated bases.

Melting of a DNA helix terminus within the active site of a DNA polymerase

Accurate synthesis of DNA by polymerase is due in part to the selective removal of misincorporated nucleotides by a 3'-5' exonuclease activity (proofreading). Proofreading by an exonuclease domain containing a single-stranded DNA binding site may involve local melting of a duplex DNA substrate. Here we use time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy to analyze the local melting of a DNA duplex terminus induced by the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I. Four oligodeoxynucleotide primer/templates were prepared, each containing the fluorescent adenine analog 2-aminopurine (A*) at the primer 3' terminus, and one of the common DNA bases opposite the A* residue. Fluorescence decays of the duplex DNAs and the single primer oligonucleotide were jointly analyzed using global analysis procedures. Four lifetime components were resolved in the duplex DNAs, representing distinct conformational states of the terminal A* residue: paired A* bases, partially stacked A* bases, and extended A* bases. The variation of the apparent fraction of paired A* bases with temperature was in accord with optical melting data, and the extent of base pairing observed in each duplex was consistent with the base-pairing preferences of A* established in other studies. These results establish that the fluorescence decay characteristics of A* can be used to examine base-pairing interactions at a DNA duplex terminus. Since the fluorescence of A* can be observed without interference from protein amino acid residues, unlike existing methods for monitoring DNA melting transitions, this method was used to examine the extent to which Klenow fragment could induce fraying at each duplex terminus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Kinetics of ligand binding to Pseudoterranova decipiens and Ascaris suum hemoglobins and to Leu-29-->Tyr sperm whale myoglobin mutant

The kinetics of binding of O2, CO, and NO to the octameric, two-domain hemoglobins of the parasitic nematodes Pseudoterranova decipiens and Ascaris suum were determined on nanosecond and picosecond time scales using flash photolysis. The two nematode hemoglobins have very similar kinetic properties. On the picosecond time scale, they exhibit an unusual behavior in showing a geminate reaction with oxygen that is biphasic and dependent on the flash intensity. The geminate reaction with NO is also faster and more complete than for sperm whale myoglobin; however, in contrast to the O2 reaction, it is homogeneous. In addition, the oxygen dissociation rate of P. decipiens hemoglobin, 0.0035 s-1, is as low as that of A. suum hemoglobin, 0.004 s-1 (Gibson, Q. H., and Smith, M. H. (1965) Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. 163, 206-214). A mutant of sperm whale myoglobin suggested by sequence alignment of the nematode hemoglobins, Leu-29-->Tyr, did not have kinetic properties similar to them.

Serine92 (F7) contributes to the control of heme reactivity and stability in myoglobin

The effects of mutation of the conserved serine92 residue to alanine, valine, and leucine in pig myoglobin have been determined. In myoglobin crystal structures, the hydroxyl group of serine92 is within hydrogen-bonding distance of the N delta-H of histidine93, whose N epsilon coordinates the iron atom of the heme prosthetic group. The association equilibrium constants of the ferrous forms of the mutant myoglobins for O2, CO, and methyl and ethyl isocyanide are increased 1.3-13-fold relative to the wild-type protein. The rates of azide association with the mutant ferric proteins at neutral pH are decreased by factors of 2-5 consistent with an increased affinity for the iron-bound water molecule which must be displaced. The dissociation rates for azide appear to be decreased 4-10-fold, suggesting that the affinity of the mutant proteins for this ligand is also higher. Thus, the overall affinities are increased regardless of the chemical nature of the liganded species, indicating that the reactivity of the heme iron itself has been raised. Time courses for association of methyl and ethyl isocyanide at high concentrations show fast and slow phases in which the absorbance at 445 nm drops and then rises, respectively. Comparison of these traces with spectra following the reaction of isocyanide ligands with chelated proton heme in soap micelles indicates that the slow phase is associated with the breaking of the iron-proximal histidine bond and the binding of a second isocyanide species in the proximal heme pocket.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Distal pocket residues affect picosecond ligand recombination in myoglobin. An experimental and molecular dynamics study of position 29 mutants

Time courses for intramolecular NO and O2 recombination to native and three position 29 mutants of sperm whale myoglobins were measured after laser photolysis on picosecond and nanosecond time scales. The rates for the first phase of NO recombination were 1.8, 2.5, 29, and > or = 100 ns-1 for Ala29, Val29, Leu29 (native), and Phe29 myoglobin, respectively, at room temperature. This order is not correlated with the overall association rate constants for NO binding which were all in the range 20-50 x 10(6) M-1 s-1 and is the opposite of that observed for the rate constants for the overall thermal dissociation of NO which were 5.0, 2.8, 0.98, and 0.21 x 10(-4) s-1 for Ala29, Val29, Leu29 (native), and Phe29 myoglobin, respectively, at 20 degrees C. This inverse correlation suggests that photo- and thermally dissociated ligand molecules experience similar kinetic and equilibrium barriers to rebinding. The larger side chains of Leu29 and Phe29 inhibit rapid movement of the ligand away from the iron atom facilitating geminate recombination. The smaller side chains of Val29 and Ala29 increase the space available to the ligand, decreasing the rate of geminate recombination and enhancing complete dissociation. Diffusion of NO in the distal pocket of myoglobin was simulated using a variant of the molecular dynamics program CHARMM that includes the locally enhanced sampling protocol (Elber, R., and Karplus, M. (1991) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 112, 9161-9175; Roitberg, A., and Elber, R. (1991) J. Chem. Phys. 95, 9277-9287) and the x-ray structures of Carver et al. (Carver, T. E., Brantley, R. E., Jr., Singleton, E. W., Arduini, R. M., Quillin, M. L., Phillips, G. N., Jr., and Olson, J. S. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 14443-14450). Both accelerated (5,000 K) and room temperature ligands were used, and comparisons were made between simulations with a complete hydration shell surrounding the protein and those with only eight water molecules near the distal histidine. Photodissociated ligands initially move away from the heme plane, past Leu29, and toward Leu32, Phe33, Ile107, and Ile111. These theoretical results confirm that a complete description of picosecond ligand recombination must include the dynamics of ligand movement in the distal portion of the heme pocket.

A novel site-directed mutant of myoglobin with an unusually high O2 affinity and low autooxidation rate

Mutants of sperm whale myoglobin were constructed at position 29 (B10 in helix notation) to examine the effects of distal pocket size on the rates of ligand binding and autooxidation. Leu29 was replaced with Ala, Val, and Phe using the synthetic gene and Escherichia coli expression system of Springer and Sligar (Springer, B. A., and Sligar, S. G. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 84, 8961-8965). Structures of the ferric forms of Val29 and Phe29, and the oxy form of Phe29 myoglobin were determined to 1.7 A by x-ray crystallography. The ferric mutant proteins are remarkably isomorphous with the wild type protein except in the immediate vicinity of residue 29. Thus, the protein structure in the distal pocket of myoglobin can accommodate either a large "hole" (i.e. Ala or Val) or a large side chain (i.e. Phe) at position 29 without perturbation of tertiary structure. Phe29 oxymyoglobin is also identical to the native oxy protein in terms of overall structure and interactions between the bound O2 and His64, Val68, Phe43, and Ile107. The distance between the nearest side chain atom of residue 29 and the second atom of the bound oxygen molecule is 3.2 A in the Phe29 protein and 4.9 A in native myoglobin. The equilibrium constants for O2 binding to Ala29, Val29, and Leu29 (native) myoglobin are the same, approximately 1.0 x 10(6) M-1 at 20 degrees C, whereas that for the Phe29 protein is markedly greater, 15 x 10(6) M-1. This increase in affinity is due primarily to a 10-fold decrease in the O2 dissociation rate constant for the Phe29 mutant and appears to be the result of stabilizing interactions between the negative portion of the bound O2 dipole and the partially positive edge of the phenyl ring. Increasing the size of residue 29 causes large decreases in the rate of autooxidation of myoglobin: k(ox) = 0.24, 0.23, 0.055, and 0.005 h-1 for Ala29, Val29, Leu29 (native), and Phe29 myoglobin, respectively, in air at 37 degrees C. Thus, the Leu29----Phe mutation produces a reduced protein that is remarkably stable and is expressed in E. coli as 100% MbO2. The selective pressure to conserve Leu29 at the B10 position probably represents a compromise between reducing the rate of autooxidation and maintaining a large enough O2 dissociation rate constant to allow rapid oxygen release during respiration.

Contributions of residue 45(CD3) and heme-6-propionate to the biomolecular and geminate recombination reactions of myoglobin

Overall association and dissociation rate constants were measured at 20 degrees C for O2, CO, and alkyl isocyanide binding to position 45 (CD3) mutants of pig and sperm whale myoglobins and to sperm whale myoglobin reconstituted with protoheme IX dimethyl ester. In pig myoglobin, Lys45(CD3) was replaced with Arg, His, Ser, and Glu; in sperm whale myoglobin, Arg45(CD3) was replaced with Ser and Gly. Intramolecular rebinding of NO, O2, and methyl isocyanide to Arg45, Ser45, Glu45, and Lys45(native) pig myoglobins was measured following 35-ps and 17-ns excitation pulses. The shorter, picosecond laser flash was used to examine ligand recombination from photochemically produced contact pairs, and the longer, nanosecond flash was used to measure the rebinding of ligands farther removed from the iron atom. Mutations at position 45 or esterification of the heme did not change significantly (less than or equal to 2-fold) the overall association rate constants for NO, CO, and O2 binding at room temperature. These data demonstrate unequivocally that Lys(Arg)45 makes little contribution to the outer kinetic barrier for the entry of diatomic gases into the distal pocket of myoglobin, a result that contradicts a variety of previous structural and theoretical interpretations. However, the rates of geminate recombination of NO and O2 and the affinity of myoglobin for O2 were dependent upon the basicity of residue 45. The series of substitutions Arg45, Lys45, Ser45, and Glu45 in pig myoglobin led to a 3-fold decrease in the initial rate for the intramolecular, picosecond rebinding of NO and 4-fold decrease in the geminate rate constant for the nanosecond rebinding of O2. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Analysis of the kinetic barriers for ligand binding to sperm whale myoglobin using site-directed mutagenesis and laser photolysis techniques

Time courses for NO, O2, CO, methyl and ethyl isocyanide rebinding to native and mutant sperm whale myoglobins were measured at 20 degrees C following 17-ns and 35-ps laser excitation pulses. His64 (E7) was replaced with Gly, Val, Leu, Phe, and Gln, and Val68 (E11) was replaced with Ala, Ile, and Phe. For both NO and O2, the effective picosecond quantum yield of unliganded geminate intermediates was roughly 0.2 and independent of the amino acids at positions 64 and 68. Geminate recombination of NO was very rapid; 90% rebinding occurred within 0.5-1.0 ns for all of the myoglobins examined; and except for the Gly64 and Ile68 mutants, the fitted recombination rate parameters were little influenced by the size and polarity of the amino acid at position 64 and the size of the residue at position 68. The rates of NO recombination and ligand movement away from the iron atom in the Gly64 mutant increased 3-4-fold relative to native myoglobin. For Ile68 myoglobin, the first geminate rate constant for NO rebinding decreased approximately 6-fold, from 2.3 x 10(10) s-1 for native myoglobin to 3.8 x 10(9) s-1 for the mutant. No picosecond rebinding processes were observed for O2, CO, and isocyanide rebinding to native and mutant myoglobins; all of the observed geminate rate constants were less than or equal to 3 x 10(8) s-1. The rebinding time courses for these ligands were analyzed in terms of a two-step consecutive reaction scheme, with an outer kinetic barrier representing ligand movement into and out of the protein and an inner barrier representing binding to the heme iron atom by ligand occupying the distal portion of the heme pocket. Substitution of apolar amino acids for His64 decreased the absolute free energies of the outer and inner kinetic barriers and the well for non-covalently bound O2 and CO by 1 to 1.5 kcal/mol, regardless of size. In contrast, the His64 to Gln mutation caused little change in the barrier heights for all ligands, showing that the polar nature of His64 inhibits both the bimolecular rate of ligand entry into myoglobin and the unimolecular rate of binding to the iron atom from within the protein. Increasing the size of the position 68(E11) residue in the series Ala to Val (native) to Ile caused little change in the rate of O2 migration into myoglobin or the equilibrium constant for noncovalent binding but did decrease the unimolecular rate for iron-O2 bond formation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The role of Val68(E11) in ligand binding to sperm whale myoglobin. Site-directed mutagenesis of a synthetic gene

Site-directed mutants of sperm whale myoglobin were prepared to probe the functional role of the highly conserved distal pocket valine residue, Val68(E11). This amino acid was replaced with Ala, Ile, and Phe to examine the effects of the side chain volume at position 68 on ligand binding. Three double mutants were also constructed in which the distal His64(E7) was replaced with Gly and Val68 was replaced with Ala, Ile, and Phe to determine the effects of size at position 68 in the absence of the distal histidine. Association and dissociation rate constants for O2, CO, and alkyl isocyanide binding were measured by stopped-flow rapid mixing, conventional flash, and laser photolysis techniques at pH 7, 20 degrees C. The association rate constants for the binding of all eight ligands to the single mutants decreased in the order Ala68 greater than Val68 (native) greater than Ile68 myoglobin, indicating that the 68(E11) residue is part of the overall kinetic barrier. A similar pattern was observed for the association constants of the double mutants: Gly64/Ala68 greater than Gly64/Val68 greater than Gly64/Ile68. Thus, increasing size of the E11 side chain inhibits the rate of ligand binding even in the absence of histidine at position 64. Substitution of Ala for Val68 had little effect on O2 affinity but did increase the affinities for CO and isocyanide binding. The affinities for all of the ligands were decreased for the Ile68 mutant. The ligand binding affinities for the Gly64/Ala68, Gly64/Val68, and Gly64/Ile68 myoglobins displayed an analogous trend to that of the single mutants, indicating that the equilibrium interactions between the position 64 and 68 side chains and the bound ligand are roughly additive. Both the association rate constants and dissociation rate constants for O2 and isocyanide binding were decreased for the Phe68 mutant myoglobin. These kinetic parameters result in little change in O2 affinity and an increase in isocyanide affinity, relative to the native protein. Thus, the large benzyl side chain of phenylalanine at position 68 inhibits the rate of ligand movement up to and away from the iron atom but not the final bound state.

The effects of amino acid substitution at position E7 (residue 64) on the kinetics of ligand binding to sperm whale myoglobin

Association and dissociation rate constants were measured for O2, CO, and alkyl isocyanide binding to a set of genetically engineered sperm whale myoglobins with site-specific mutations at residue 64 (the E7 helical position). Native His was replaced by Gly, Val, Leu, Met, Phe, Gln, Arg, and Asp using the synthetic gene and expression system developed by Springer and Sligar (Springer, B. A., and Sligar, S. G. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 8961-8965). The His64----Gly substitution produced a sterically unhindered myoglobin that exhibited ligand binding parameters similar to those of chelated protoheme suspended in soap micelles. The order of the association rate constants for isocyanide binding to the mutant myoglobins was Gly64 (approximately 10(7) M-1 s-1) much greater than Val64 approximately Leu64 (approximately 10(6) M-1 s-1) greater than Met64 greater than Phe64 approximately His64 approximately Gln64 (10(5)-10(3) M-1 s-1) and indicates that the barrier to isocyanide entry into the distal pocket is primarily steric in nature. The bimolecular rates of methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, and n-butyl isocyanide binding to the His64----Arg and His64----Asp mutants were abnormally high (1-5 x 10(6) M-1 s-1), suggesting that Arg64 and Asp64 adopt conformations with the charged side chains pointing out toward the solvent creating a less hindered pathway for ligand binding. In contrast to the isocyanide data, the association rate constants for O2 and CO binding exhibited little dependence on the size of the E7 side chain. The values for all the mutants except His64----Gln approached or were larger than those for chelated model heme (i.e. approximately 1 x 10(8) M-1 s-1 for O2 and approximately 1 x 10(7) M-1 s-1 for CO), whereas the corresponding rate parameters for myoglobin containing either Gln64 or His64 were 5- to 10-fold smaller. This result suggests that a major kinetic barrier for O2 and CO binding to native myoglobin may involve disruption of polar interactions between His64 and water molecules found in the distal pocket of deoxymyoglobin. Finally, the rate and equilibrium parameters for O2 and CO binding to the His64----Gln, His64----Val, and His64----Leu mutants were compared to those reported previously for Asian elephant myoglobin (Gln-E7), Aplysia limacina myoglobin (Val-E7), and monomeric Hb II from Glycera dibranchiata (Leu-E7).