Kinetic studies of the unfolding-refolding of horse muscle phosphoglycerate kinase induced by guanidine hydrochloride

Correlation between conformational stability of the ternary enzyme-substrate complex and domain closure of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase

3-phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) is a typical two-domain hinge-bending enzyme with a well-structured interdomain region. The mechanism of domain-domain interaction and its regulation by substrate binding is not yet fully understood. Here the existence of strong cooperativity between the two domains was demonstrated by following heat transitions of pig muscle and yeast PGKs using differential scanning microcalorimetry and fluorimetry. Two mutants of yeast PGK containing a single tryptophan fluorophore either in the N- or in the C-terminal domain were also studied. The coincidence of the calorimetric and fluorimetric heat transitions in all cases indicated simultaneous, highly cooperative unfolding of the two domains. This cooperativity is preserved in the presence of substrates: 3-phosphoglycerate bound to the N domain or the nucleotide (MgADP, MgATP) bound to the C domain increased the structural stability of the whole molecule. A structural explanation of domain-domain interaction is suggested by analysis of the atomic contacts in 12 different PGK crystal structures. Well-defined backbone and side-chain H bonds, and hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions between side chains of conserved residues are proposed to be responsible for domain-domain communication. Upon binding of each substrate newly formed molecular contacts are identified that firstly explain the order of the increased heat stability in the various binary complexes, and secondly describe the possible route of transmission of the substrate-induced conformational effects from one domain to the other. The largest stability is characteristic of the native ternary complex and is abolished in the case of a chemically modified inactive form of PGK, the domain closure of which was previously shown to be prevented [Sinev MA, Razgulyaev OI, Vas M, Timchenko AA & Ptitsyn OB (1989) Eur J Biochem180, 61-66]. Thus, conformational stability correlates with domain closure that requires simultaneous binding of both substrates.

Role of loops in the folding and stability of yeast phosphoglycerate kinase

Yeast phosphoglycerate kinase (yPGK) is a monomeric two domain protein used as folding model representative of large proteins. We inserted short unstructured sequences (four Gly or four Thr) into the connections between secondary structure elements and studied the consequences of these insertions on the folding process and stability of yPGK. All the mutated proteins can refold efficiently. The effect per residue on stability is larger for the first inserted residue. Insertion in two long betaalpha loops (at residue positions 71 and 129) is more destabilizing than an insertion in a short alphabeta loop (at residue position 89) located on the opposite side of the N-terminal domain. The effect on stability is mainly due to a large increase of the unfolding rate rather than a decrease of the folding rate. This suggests that these connections between secondary structure elements do not play an active role in directing the folding process. Insertion into the short alphabeta loop (position 89) has limited effects on stability and results in the detection of a kinetic phase not previously seen with the wild-type protein, suggesting that insertions in this particular loop do qualitatively affect the folding process without a large effect on folding efficiency. For the two long betaalpha loops (positions 71 and 129) located in the inner surface of the N-terminal domain, the effects on stability are possibly associated with decoupling of the two domains as observed by differential scanning calorimetry during thermal unfolding.

Sequential domain refolding of pig muscle 3-phosphoglycerate kinase: kinetic analysis of reactivation

BACKGROUND

Slow refolding of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase is supposed to be caused mainly by its domain structure: folding of the C-terminal domain and/or domain pairing has been suggested to be the rate-limiting step. A slow isomerization has been observed during refolding of the isolated C-terminal proteolytic fragment (larger than the C-domain of about 22 kDa by 5 kDa) of the pig muscle enzyme. Here, the role of this step in the reformation of the active enzyme species is investigated.

RESULTS

The time course of reactivation during refolding of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase or its complementary proteolytic fragments (residues 1-155 and 156-416) exhibits a pronounced lag-phase indicating the formation of an inactive folding intermediate. The whole process, which leads to a high (60-85%) recovery of the enzyme activity, can be described by two consecutive first-order steps (with rate constants 0.012+/-0.0035 and 0.007+/-0.0020 s(-1)). A prior renaturation of the C-fragment restores MgATP binding by the C-domain and abolishes the faster step, allowing the separate observation of the slower step. In accordance with this, refolding of the C-domain as monitored by a change in Trp fluorescence occurs at a rate similar to that of the faster step.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to the previously observed slow refolding step (0.012 s(-1)) within the C-domain, the occurrence of another slow step (0.007 s(-1)), probably within the N-domain, is detected. The independence of the folding of the C-domain is demonstrated whereas, from the comparative kinetic analysis, independent folding of the N-domain looks less probable. Our data are more compatible with a sequential, rather than random, mechanism and suggest that folding of the C-domain, leading to an inactive intermediate, occurs first, followed by folding of the N-domain.

Recombinant phosphoglycerate kinase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima: catalytic, spectral and thermodynamic properties

Recombinant phosphoglycerate kinase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima (TmPGK) has been expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity applying heat incubation of the crude extract at 80 degreesC, ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The biochemical, catalytic and spectral properties were compared with those of the natural enzyme and found to be identical. As shown by SDS-PAGE, ultracentrifugal analysis and gel filtration chromatography, the enzyme is a 43 kDa monomer. At neutral pH, the guanidinium chloride (GdmCl) and temperature-induced denaturation transitions reveal two-state behaviour with high cooperativity. As taken from the temperature dependence of the free energy of unfolding at zero GdmCl concentration and pH 7, optimum stability is observed at approximately 30 degreesC. The difference in the free energies of stabilization for the enzymes from yeast and Thermotoga amounts to Delta DeltaG=85 kJ/mol. The extrapolated temperatures of cold and heat-denaturation are about -10 and +85 degreesC. This indicates that the stability profile of TmPGK is shifted to higher free energy values and broadened over a wider temperature range, compared to that observed for PGKs from mesophiles or moderately thermophiles. In order to achieve cold or heat-denaturation, GdmCl concentrations of approximately 1.8 or approximately 0.9 M are required. Due to a kinetic intermediate on the pathway of cold denaturation, equilibration in the transition range takes exceedingly long.

Repulsive interparticle interactions in a denatured protein solution revealed by small angle neutron scattering

In order to investigate the effect of concentration in biological processes such as protein folding, small angle neutron scattering measurements were used to determine the second virial coefficient of solutions of both native and strongly denatured phosphoglycerate kinase and the radius of gyration of the protein at zero concentration. The value of the second virial coefficient is a good probe of the non-ideality of a solution. The present results show that the unfolding of the protein leads to a drastic change in the repulsive intermolecular interactions. We conclude that these interactions are due mainly to the behaviour of the denatured polypeptide chain as an excluded volume polymer.

Cold denaturation of yeast phosphoglycerate kinase: kinetics of changes in secondary structure and compactness on unfolding and refolding

Under mildly destabilizing conditions (0.7 M GuHCl), phosphoglycerate kinase from yeast undergoes a reversible two-step equilibrium unfolding transition when the temperature is lowered from 30 to 1 degree C (Griko, Y. V., Venyaminov, S. Y., & Privalov, P. L. (1989) FEBS Lett. 244, 276-278). The kinetics of the changes in compactness and secondary structure have been studied by means of dynamic light scattering and far-UV circular dichroism, respectively. It turned out that unfolding and refolding after an appropriate temperature jump (T-jump) was performed proceeded in substantially different ways. After a T-jump from 30 to 1 degree C, a multiphasic unfolding behavior was observed, reflecting the independent unfolding of the N-terminal and C-terminal domains with time constants of about 7 and 45 min, respectively. A remarkable feature of the unfolding process is the simultaneous change of compactness and secondary structure. Refolding after a T-jump from 1 degree C to higher temperatures occurs in two stages. At the first stage an appreciable amount of secondary structure is formed rapidly within the dead time of the T-jump, while the overall dimensions of the polypeptide chain remain essentially unchanged. Thus, an extended folding intermediate is formed at an early stage of folding. Further information of secondary structure proceeds slowly within a time range of minutes in parallel with the increase of compactness. At 30 degrees C, both domains refold simultaneously, while at 15 degrees C, independent folding can be observed. These findings are discussed with respect to predictions of existing models of folding.

Characterization of an intermediate in the folding pathway of phosphoglycerate kinase: chemical reactivity of genetically introduced cysteinyl residues during the folding process

The unfolding-refolding kinetics of yeast phosphoglycerate kinase were studied using the chemical reactivity of genetically introduced cysteinyl residues as conformational probes and far-ultraviolet circular dichroism. A unique internal cysteinyl residue was introduced in several mutants at selected positions in the N- and C-domains. The cysteinyl residues were at positions 97 (the unique cysteinyl residue of the wild-type enzyme), 183 in the N-domain, 285 and 324 in the C-domain. A similar strategy has been used to study the unfolding-refolding transition under equilibrium conditions [Ballery et al. (1990) Protein Eng. 3, 199-204]. Except for the mutant C97A,A183C, whose cysteinyl residue is located at the domain interface, three labeling phases were observed during the refolding process, indicating the presence of three species, the unfolded, intermediate, and folded proteins. The comparison of the data obtained following the accessibility of the thiol group to 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate) and ellipticity at 218 nm indicated that all mutants have the same folding pathway and allowed us to characterize the intermediate. In this species, each domain appeared to have a high content of secondary structure but a flexible tertiary structure; this intermediate, which had the characteristics of a molten globule, remained in fluctuating equilibrium with a widely unfolded form. The same folding intermediate was detected for mutant C97A,A183C; however, the cysteinyl residue being totally accessible to the reagent, it is likely that in this intermediate the interdomain interactions are not established. Domain pairing and formation of the native tertiary structure occur simultaneously in the slow phase of refolding. The validity and limitations of the methodology are discussed.

The slow-refolding step of phosphoglycerate kinase as monitored by pulse proteolysis

The kinetics of refolding of yeast phosphoglycerate kinase were studied by following the variation in circular dichroism at 218 nm, the recovery of enzyme activity, and the susceptibility to proteolysis by trypsin and V8-protease. A very rapid phase followed by a slower one was detected by circular dichroism, which revealed the formation of secondary structures. The slower phase, with a macroscopic rate constant of 0.35 min-1, was also detected by the susceptibility of the enzyme to both proteases. It was shown that cleavage sites located in the hinge region, in a part of the C-domain and, to a lesser extent, in a region of the N-domain, which are accessible in the intermediate state, became inaccessible during the slow-refolding step of the molecule. These results demonstrate, on the one hand, the role of domains as folding intermediates, and, on the other hand, the locking of the domain structure and the domain pairing that occurs during the slow-refolding step with a rate constant of 0.35 min-1. The return of the enzyme activity occurred in a slower last step upon conformational readjustments induced by domain interactions.

The molecular basis of cooperativity in protein folding. Thermodynamic dissection of interdomain interactions in phosphoglycerate kinase

In the presence of guanidine hydrochloride, phosphoglycerate kinase from yeast can be reversibly denatured by either heating or cooling the protein solution above or below room temperature [Griko, Y. V., Venyaminov, S. Y., & Privalov, P. L. (1989) FEBS Lett. 244, 276-278]. The heat denaturation of PGK is characterized by the presence of a single peak in the excess heat capacity function obtained by differential scanning calorimetry. The transition curve approaches the two-state mechanism, indicating that the two domains of the molecule display strong cooperative interactions and that partially folded intermediates are not largely populated during the transition. On the contrary, the cold denaturation is characterized by the presence of two peaks in the heat capacity function. Analysis of the data indicates that at low temperatures the two domains behave independently of each other. The crystallographic structure of PGK has been used to identify the nature of the interactions between the two domains. These interactions involve primarily the apposition of two hydrophobic surfaces of approximately 480 A2 and nine hydrogen bonds. This information, in conjunction with experimental thermodynamic values for hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding interactions and statistical thermodynamic analysis, has been used to quantitatively account for the folding/unfolding behavior of PGK. It is shown that this type of analysis accurately predicts the cooperative behavior of the folding/unfolding transition and its dependence on GuHCl concentration.

Refolding kinetics of pig muscle and yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinases and of their proteolytic fragments

The time course of refolding of both pig muscle and yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (molecular masses about 47 kDa), as well as their proteolytic C-terminal fragments (30 and 33 kDa, respectively) has been investigated. Very similar refolding kinetics (with half-time between 80-120 s, at 20 degrees C) were observed by fluorescence and ultraviolet absorbance spectroscopy, as well as by activity measurements, for the intact enzyme from both sources. This time course appears not to depend on the time the protein spends in the unfolded state, i.e. it is certainly not controlled by proline isomerization. Furthermore, after removal of a large N-terminal part (molecular mass of about 18 kDa for pig muscle enzyme or 13 kDa for yeast enzyme) of the molecule by proteolysis, refolding of the remaining C-terminal fragment of both proteins follows kinetics virtually indistinguishable from those of the intact protein molecule.

How does protein synthesis give rise to the 3D-structure?

The recent experimental data on stages and kinetic intermediates in protein folding are reviewed. It is emphasized that these data are consistent with the 'framework model' proposed by the author in 1973. The model implies that protein folds by stage mechanism (secondary structure - molten) globule state - native state) in such a way that the results of previous stages are not reconsidered in subsequent ones. Arguments are presented that both these hypotheses and available experimental data do not contradict the assumption that native structures of at least small proteins are nevertheless under thermodynamic rather than kinetic control i.e. correspond to global minima of free energy.

Endurance-training induced changes in skeletal muscle phosphoglycerate kinase of old Wistar rats

Sufficiently intense, long-term, endurance training has been shown in several studies to induce a variety of adaptations in skeletal muscle, including a substantial restoration of the activities of several muscle enzymes which are known to be modified during biological aging. This activity-restoration may reflect either an increase in the amounts of enzyme proteins or an enhancement of the specific activities of these molecules. The present study examined the effect of long-term endurance training on the status of phosphoglycerate kinase in skeletal muscle of old rats, as compared with the enzyme isolated either from non-trained old or young animals. The kinetics of heat inactivation, which differ markedly between young and old forms of phosphoglycerate kinase, were used as a sensitive probe for the status of the enzyme. The results reveal a remarkable similarity between the heat inactivation patterns of phosphoglycerate kinase from the muscle of old, exercise-trained rats and enzyme purified from young animals, while enzyme samples isolated from sedentary old animals are significantly more heat-stable. Adaptation to endurance-training is thus evident at the molecular level, and maintains phosphoglycerate kinase in its young form. The aging of this enzyme has been previously shown to involve only conformational changes, which develop following a reversible partial oxidation of reactive cysteine residues. Whether the adaptation of the enzyme to endurance-training results from enhancement in its turnover rate (i.e., dwell time in the cell becoming too short for modifications to develop) or is due to increased protection against oxidation (being the first step in the enzyme's aging) remains to be studied.

Unfolding-refolding of the domains in yeast phosphoglycerate kinase: comparison with the isolated engineered domains

The role of domains as folding units was investigated with a two-domain protein, yeast phosphoglycerate kinase. Each of the domains was produced independently by site-directed mutagenesis. It has been previously demonstrated by several criteria that these domains are able to fold in vivo into a quasi-native structure [Minard et al. (1989a) Protein Eng. 3, 55-60; Fairbrother et al. (1989) Protein Eng. 3, 5-11]. In the present study, the reversibility of the unfolding-refolding process induced by guanidine hydrochloride was investigated for the intact protein and the isolated domains. The transitions were followed by circular dichroism for both domains and the intact protein and by the variations in enzyme activity for the intact protein. Tryptophan residues were used as intrinsic conformational probes of the C-domain. An extrinsic fluorescent probe, N-[[(iodoacetyl)amino]ethyl]-8-naphthylamine-1-sulfonic acid (IAEDANS), was bound to the unique cysteinyl residue Cys97 to observe the conformational events in the N-domain. The unfolding-refolding transitions of each domain in the intact protein and in the isolated domains prepared by site-directed mutagenesis were compared. It was shown that the two domains are able to refold in a fully reversible process. A hyperfluorescent intermediate was detected during the folding of both the isolated C-domain and the intact yeast phosphoglycerate kinase. The stability of each isolated domain was found to be similar, the free energy of unfolding being approximately half that of the intact molecule.

Flexibility and folding of phosphoglycerate kinase

Flexibility and folding of phosphoglycerate kinase, a two-domain monomeric enzyme, have been studied using a wide variety of methods including theoretical approaches. Mutants of yeast phosphoglycerate kinase have been prepared in order to introduce cysteinyl residues as local probes throughout the molecule without perturbating significantly the structural or the functional properties of the enzyme. The apparent reactivity of a unique cysteine in each mutant has been used to study the flexibility of PGK. The regions of larger mobility have been found around residue 183 on segment beta F in the N-domain and residue 376 on helix XII in the C-domain. These regions are also parts of the molecule which unfold first. Ligand binding induces conformational motions in the molecule, especially in the regions located in the cleft. Moreover, the results obtained by introducing a fluorescent probe covalently linked to a cysteine are in agreement with the helix scissor motion of helices 7 and 14 assumed by Blake to direct the hinge bending motion of the domains during the catalytic cycle. The folding process of both horse muscle and yeast phosphoglycerate kinases involves intermediates. These intermediates are more stable in the horse muscle than in the yeast enzyme. In both enzymes, domains behave as structural modules capable of folding and stabilizing independently, but in the horse muscle enzyme the C-domain is more stable and refolds prior to the N-domain, contrary to that which has been observed in the yeast enzyme. A direct demonstration of the independence of domains in yeast phosphoglycerate kinase has been provided following the obtention of separated domains by site-directed mutagenesis. These domains have a native-like structure and refold spontaneously after denaturation by guanidine hydrochloride.

Reactivation of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase from its unfolded proteolytic fragments

Limited trypsinolysis of pig muscle 3-phosphoglycerate kinase yielded a nicked enzyme without loss of catalytic activity [Jiang, S. X. & Vas, M. (1988) FEBS Lett. 231, 151-154]. The reactivation rate of the nicked enzyme after denaturation does not differ substantially from the reactivation rate of the denatured intact enzyme: t 1/2 varies between 70-110 s at 25 degrees C, pH 7.0 in both cases. Thus, the absence of a covalent linkage between the two proteolytic fragments of the enzyme molecule apparently does not affect the refolding. The two proteolytic fragments can be separated by FPLC under denaturing conditions. Fluorescence spectra of the isolated fragments may indicate that the tryptic cleavage site is within the N-terminal domain. Thus, the larger fragment (molecular mass about 30 kDa) probably contains the whole nucleotide-binding C-terminal domain plus a small part of the N-terminal domain. The inactive isolated fragments were used in renaturation experiments to study the reassembly of active 3-phosphoglycerate kinase. Kinetic measurements revealed the presence of a bimolecular rate-limiting step of reactivation. Separate preincubation of the fragments under renaturing conditions did not cause substantial acceleration of reactivation. This implies that assembly of the separate structural units (possibly domains) may limit the reactivation of the intact enzyme.

Age-related modifications in rat cardiac phosphoglycerate kinase. Rejuvenation of the old enzyme by unfolding-refolding

The occurrence of age-related modifications in functional and structural properties of several enzymes has been documented; however, the molecular basis of this phenomenon is still mostly unexplained. In the present work a comparative study of phosphoglycerate kinase preparations isolated from hearts of young and old rats was undertaken. Marked age-related effects were revealed in the heat-inactivation kinetics of the enzyme, similar to the ones previously found in purified muscle phosphoglycerate kinase. In view of the previously reported failure of immunotitration to distinguish between phosphoglycerate kinase forms in crude heart extracts from young and old rats, it appears likely that the modifications in old rat heart phosphoglycerate kinase are in a domain which is not involved in antibody binding, and may be localized in the interior of the enzyme. These age-related modifications were completely relieved by extensive unfolding of the enzyme in 2 M guanidine hydrochloride, followed by enzyme reactivation upon dilution of the denaturant. The refolding products of young and old enzymes displayed identical heat-inactivation kinetics as native young phosphoglycerate kinase. It is concluded that the age-related alterations in rat cardiac phosphoglycerate kinase, like those found in the muscle enzyme, are purely conformational and hence develop postsynthetically.

Survey of the folding pathway of a two-domain protein phosphoglycerate kinase

The role of structural domains as folding units in the folding process which generates an active enzyme, is considered through several studies on phosphoglycerate kinase, a two-domain enzyme which catalyzes the first step of ATP production in glycolysis. The folding pathway was found to be a complex multi-step process, the C-terminal domain being more stable folding first. Inactive species originating from an intermediate in the folding pathway have been identified. Isolated domains recently obtained using genetic engineering are under investigation in our laboratory; this might probably allow to understand the way by which the N-terminal domain reaches its final native conformation and interacts with the other domain.

Folding of the nascent peptide chain into a biologically active protein

The refolding of denatured proteins with complete sequences may not be fast enough to account for the in vivo folding of growing peptide chains during biosynthesis. As some peptide fragments have secondary structures not unlike those of the corresponding segments in the intact molecules and native disulfide bonds of some proteins can form cotranslationally, it is suggested that the folding of the nascent chain begins early during synthesis. However, further adjustments may be necessary during chain elongation and after posttranslational modifications of the completed peptide chain to generate the native conformation of a biologically active protein.

The beta 2-adrenergic receptors of human epidermoid carcinoma cells bear two different types of oligosaccharides which influence expression on the cell surface

The beta 2-adrenergic receptors of the human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells reside on two polypeptide chains revealed by photoaffinity labelling with [125I]iodocyanopindolol-diazirine. These proteins correspond to two distinct populations of N-asparagine-linked glycoproteins: the 55-52 kDa molecules are associated with complex carbohydrate chain(s), the 65-63 kDa component with polymannosidic carbohydrate chain(s). Both types of receptors are present in preconfluent cells, but only the polymannosidic type is found in the postconfluent cells. Moreover, complex chains appear to be associated with the receptors with the highest affinity for (-)-isoproterenol and polymannosidic chains with the receptors with the lowest affinity for this agonist. the carbohydrate moiety of the beta-adrenergic receptor is involved in the expression and function of the beta 2-adrenergic receptors at the surface of the A431 cells, since tunicamycin and monensin, complete and partial inhibitors of glycosylation respectively, diminish the number of binding sites at the cell surface and increase the total number of sites in the cell. In these conditions a diminution of cyclic AMP accumulation is also observed.

The effect of phosphate on the unfolding-refolding of phosphoglycerate kinase induced by guanidine hydrochloride

Phosphate ions were found to stabilize the native structure of phosphoglycerate kinase without modifying the folding pathway. The transition curves obtained from different signals: enzyme activity, ellipticity at 220 nm and fluorescence intensity at 336 nm (excitation at 292 nm) are shifted to smaller guanidine hydrochloride cm values in the absence of phosphate. The kinetic characteristics are qualitatively similar, unfolding rate constants being slightly smaller in the presence of phosphate. The mechanism by which the native structure of phosphoglycerate kinase is stabilized by phosphate probably occurs upon specific phosphate binding to the nucleotide beta- or gamma-phosphate binding site of nucleotides.

Reversal of age-related effects in rat muscle phosphoglycerate kinase

Rat muscle phosphoglycerate kinase is one of several enzymes in which age-related effects have been identified. Thus, samples of this enzyme isolated from old rats display a greatly increased heat stability as compared with enzyme isolated from young animals. Previous studies detected no differences in the sequence of amino acids or in the net charge between the young and old forms of the enzyme and it was concluded that the age-related structural modifications are purely conformational. The present study was conducted with the aim of critically testing this hypothesis. To this end, samples of phosphoglycerate kinase purified from skeletal muscle of young and old rats were unfolded by an 18-hr incubation in a 2 M guanidine hydrochloride solution at 4 degrees C, a treatment that results in extensive loss of the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme. A complete reactivation of both enzymes was achieved by dilution of the unfolded enzyme solutions into a large excess of denaturant-free buffer followed by 4 hr of incubation at 25 degrees C. The reactivation kinetics of the unfolded young and old enzymes were practically identical and the refolded products, compared using heat-inactivation kinetics as a sensitive probe, were found to be identical. Moreover, their heat inactivation coincided with that of young untreated phosphoglycerate kinase. These results demonstrate the reversibility of age-related effects at the molecular level and provide strong support for the hypothesis that the modifications in phosphoglycerate kinase in old muscle are purely conformational and, hence, clearly postsynthetic.

Quasi-irreversibility in the unfolding-refolding transition of phosphoglycerate kinase induced by guanidine hydrochloride

The reversibility of the unfolding-refolding transition of horse muscle phosphoglycerate kinase, induced by guanidine hydrochloride (Gdn X HCl), was studied using the regain of enzyme activity as a probe of the native structure. An irreversibility in the reactivation process was detected when the protein was incubated in a critical concentration of denaturant (0.7 +/- 0.1 M Gdn X HCl). This apparent irreversibility was observed for the unfolding process (N----D) as well as for the refolding process (D----N). The formation of the trough followed biphasic kinetics at 23 degrees C, the first phase obeying a first-order reaction corresponded to an isomerization of an intermediate; the second phase, protein-concentration-dependent, was suppressed by lowering the temperature to 4 degrees C. The structural properties of the inactive species were studied; all the beta structures were recovered, but about 29% of the helical structures remained unfolded, and two SH groups were buried. Simulated kinetics were compared with the experimental results and were used to extend the minimum folding scheme previously proposed from equilibrium and kinetic studies [Betton et al. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 6654-6661; Betton et al. (1985) Biochemistry 24, 4570-4577]. The intermediates trapped under these conditions were structured but devoid of catalytic activity. Taking into account the structural properties of these species, the nature of the interactions involved in their formation and stabilization is discussed.

Influence of modifying agents on enzyme inactivation studies. An analysis using a series mechanism and a form of the hill-type equations

A series deactivation model is utilized to theoretically examine the influence of different modifying agents on enzyme deactivation kinetics. A form of the Hill-type equation is used to describe the effect of the modifying agents on the model parameters. Modification-induced inactivation equations are presented for the acetylation and succinylation of E. Coli asparaginase, for the site-specific reagent and substrate modification of flavocytochrome b(2) from Baker's yeast, and for the guanidinium chloride inactivation of cathepsin D. The analysis of more data for these and other enzymes would help further substantiate the technique presented and enhance the applicability of the model.