The transported cations impose differences in the thermostability of the gastric H,K-ATPase. A kinetic analysis.

This work analyses the thermostability of a membrane protein, the gastric H,K-ATPase, by means of a detailed kinetic characterization of its inactivation process, which showed to exhibit first-order kinetics. We observed parallel time courses for the decrease of ATPase activity, the decrease of the autophosphorylation capacity and the loss of tertiary structure at 49 °C. Higher temperatures were required to induce a significant change in secondary structure. The correspondence between the kinetics of Trp fluorescence measured at 49 °C and the decrease of the residual activity after heating at that temperature, proves the irreversibility of the inactivation process. Inactivation proceeds at different rates in E1 or E2 conformations. The K+-induced E2 state exhibits a lower inactivation rate; the specific effect is exerted with a K0.5 similar to that found at 25 °C, providing a further inkling that K+ occlusion by the H,K-ATPase is not really favoured. Increasing [H+] from pH 8 to pH 7, which possibly shifts the protein to E1, produces a subtle destabilizing effect on the H,K-ATPase. We performed a prediction of potential intramolecular interactions and found that the differential stability between E1 and E2 may be mainly explained by the higher number of hydrophobic interactions in the α- and ß-subunits of E2 conformation.

The interaction of Na+, K+, and phosphate with the gastric H,K-ATPase. Kinetics of E1-E2 conformational changes assessed by eosin fluorescence measurements.

H,K-ATPase and Na,K-ATPase show the highest degree of sequence similarity among all other members of the P-type ATPases family. To explore their common features in terms of ligand binding, we evaluated conformational transitions due to the binding of Na+, K+ and Pi in the H,K-ATPase, and compared the results with those obtained for the Na,K-ATPase. This work shows that eosin fluorescence time courses provide a reasonably precise method to study the kinetics of the E1-E2 conformational changes in the H,K-ATPase. We found that, although Na+ shifts the equilibrium toward the E1 conformation and seems to compete with H+ in ATPase activity assays, it was neither possible to isolate a Na+-occluded state, nor to reveal an influx of Na+ related to H,K-ATPase activity. The high rate of the E2K â†’ E1 transition found for the H,K-ATPase, which is not compatible with the presence of a K+-occluded form, agrees with the negligible level of occluded Rb+ (used as a K+ congener) found in the absence of added ligands. The use of vanadate and fluorinated metals to induce E2P-like states increased the level of occluded Rb+ and suggests that-during dephosphorylation-the probability of K+ to remain occluded increases from the E2P-ground to the E2P-product state. From kinetic experiments we found an unexpected increase in the values of kobs for E2P formation with [Pi]; consequently, to obey the Albers-Post model, the binding of Pi to the E2 state cannot be a rapid-equilibrium reaction.

Molecular design of Mycoplasma hominis Vaa adhesin.

The variable adherence-associated (Vaa) adhesin of the opportunistic human pathogen Mycoplasma hominis is a surface-exposed, membrane-associated protein involved in the attachment of the bacterium to host cells. The molecular masses of recombinant 1 and 2 cassette forms of the protein determined by a light-scattering (LS) method were 23.9 kD and 36.5 kD, respectively, and corresponded to their monomeric forms. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy of the full-length forms indicated that the Vaa protein has an alpha-helical content of approximately 80%. Sequence analysis indicates the presence of coiled-coil domains in both the conserved N-terminal and antigenic variable C-terminal part of the Vaa adhesin. Experimental results obtained with recombinant proteins corresponding to the N- or C-terminal parts of the shortest one-cassette form of the protein were consistent with the hypothesis of two distinct coiled-coil regions. The one-cassette Vaa monomer appears to be an elongated protein with a axial shape ratio of 1:10. Analysis of a two-cassette Vaa type reveals a similar axial shape ratio. The results are interpreted in terms of the topological organization of the Vaa protein indicating the localization of the adherence-mediating structure.

Protonation-dependent inactivation of Na,K-ATPase by hydrostatic pressure developed at high-speed centrifugation.

Irreversible inactivation of membranous Na,K-ATPase by high-speed centrifugation in dilute aqueous solutions depends markedly on the protonation state of the protein. Pig kidney Na,K-ATPase is irreversibly inactivated at pH 5 but is fully protected at pH 7 and above. Shark rectal gland Na,K-ATPase is irreversibly inactivated at neutral or acidic pH and partially protected at an alkaline pH. The overall Na,K-ATPase activity and the K-dependent pNPPase activity were denatured in parallel. Cryoprotectants such as glycerol or sucrose at concentrations of 25-30% fully protect both enzymes against inactivation. The specific ligands NaCl and KCl protect the Na,K-ATPase activity partially and the pNPPase activity fully at concentrations of 0.2-0.3 M. Electron microscope analysis of the centrifuged Na,K-ATPase membranes revealed that the ultrastructure of the native membranes is preserved upon inactivation. It was also observed that the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase and hog gastric H, K-ATPase are susceptible to inactivation by high-speed centrifugation in a pH-dependent fashion. H,K-ATPase is protected at alkaline pH, whereas Ca-ATPase is protected only in the neutral pH range.

Conformational changes of transcobalamin induced by aquocobalamin binding. Mechanism of substitution of the cobalt-coordinated group in the bound ligand.

Binding of aquo-, cyano-, or azidocobalamin (Cbl.OH(2), Cbl.CN, and Cbl.N(3), respectively) to the recombinant human transcobalamin (TC) and haptocorrin from human plasma was investigated via stopped-flow spectroscopy. Association of cobalamins with haptocorrin always proceeded in one step. TC, however, displayed a certain selectivity for the ligands: Cbl.CN or Cbl.N(3) bound in one step with k(+1) = 1 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) (20 degrees C), whereas binding of Cbl.OH(2) under the same conditions occurred in two steps with k(+1) = 3 x 10( 7) M(-1) s(-1) (E(a) = 30 kJ/mol) and k(+2) = 0.02 s(-1) (E(a) = 120 kJ/mol). The second step of Cbl.OH(2) binding was interpreted as a transformation of the initial "open" intermediate TC.Cbl.OH(2) to the "closed" conformation TC(Cbl) with displaced water. The backward transition from the closed to the open conformation was the reason for the identical rate-limiting steps during substitution of H(2)O in TC.Cbl.OH(2) for cyanide or azide according to the reaction TC(Cbl) --> TC.Cbl.OH(2) + CN(-)/N(3)(-). The cyano and azido forms of holo-TC which were produced behaved as the open proteins. Different conformations of holo-TC, determined by the nature of the active group in the bound Cbl, may direct transportation of cobalamins in the organism.

E2P phosphoforms of Na,K-ATPase. II. Interaction of substrate and cation-binding sites in Pi phosphorylation of Na,K-ATPase.

In this investigation the effects of alkali cations on the transient kinetics of Na,K-ATPase phosphoenzyme formation from either ATP (E2P) or Pi (E'2P) were characterized by chemical quench methods as well as by stopped-flow RH421 fluorescence experiments. By combining the two methods it was possible to characterize the kinetics of Na, K-ATPase from two sources, shark rectal glands and pig kidney. The rate of the spontaneous dephosphorylation of E2P and E'2P was identical with a rate constant of about 1.1 s-1 at 20 degreesC. However, whereas dephosphorylation of E2P formed from ATP was strongly stimulated by K+, dephosphorylation of E'2P formed from Pi in the absence of alkali cations was K+-insensitive, although in pig renal enzyme K+ binding to E'2P could be demonstrated with RH421 fluorescence. It appears, therefore, that in pig kidney enzyme the rapid binding of K+ to E'2P was followed by a slow transition to a nonfluorescent form. For shark enzyme the K+-induced decrease of RH421 fluorescence of Pi phosphorylated enzyme was due to K+ binding to the dephosphoenzyme (E1), thus shifting the equilibrium away from E'2P. When Pi phosphorylation was performed with enzyme equilibrated with K+ or its congeners Tl+, Rb+, and Cs+ but not with Na+ or Li+, both the phosphorylation and the dephosphorylation rates were considerably increased. This indicates that binding of cations modifies the substrate site in a cation-specific way, suggesting an allosteric interaction between the conformation of the cation-binding sites and the phosphorylation site of the enzyme.

E2P phosphoforms of Na,K-ATPase. I. Comparison of phosphointermediates formed from ATP and Pi by their reactivity toward hydroxylamine and vanadate.

The properties of Na,K-ATPase phosphoenzymes formed either from ATP in the presence of Mg2+ and Na+ or from Pi in the absence of alkali cations were investigated by biochemical methods and spectrofluorometry employing the styryl dye RH421. We characterized the phosphoenzyme species by their reaction to N-methyl hydroxylamine, which attacks specifically the protein-phosphate bond. We studied reactions of the phospho- and dephospho-enzymes with vanadate, which is a transition-state analogue of phosphate in this enzyme. On the basis of substantial differences in the properties of the phosphoenzyme species formed either from ATP or Pi, especially in their reactivity to N-methyl hydroxylamine, it is suggested that the two phosphoenzyme species are two subconformations of the E2P phosphoform. Analysis of the RH421 fluorescence responses under a variety of experimental conditions and comparing different enzyme sources suggested that the increase of RH421 fluorescence induced by inorganic phosphate in the absence of alkali cations is associated with the formation of the covalent acyl-phosphate bond.

Fluorescent styryl dyes as probes for Na,K-ATPase reaction mechanism: significance of the charge of the hydrophilic moiety of RH dyes.

The fluorescence responses of a series of potential-sensitive styryl-based dyes (either zwitterionic RH160, RH421, di-4-ANEPPS, or positively charged RH795, RH414, RH461) to phosphorylation of Na,K-ATPase from ATP or inorganic phosphate, and ouabain binding to phospho- or dephosphoforms, have been characterized and compared in broken membrane preparations of the enzyme. Zwitterionic dyes were more sensitive to molecular events in the Na,K-ATPase reaction cycle than positively charged dyes, but the net charge did not affect the sensitivity of the dyes to a transmembrane electric field. The major part of the response of the zwitterionic dyes to formation of phosphoenzymes was due to a change in the quantum yield of fluorescence. Computer modeling of dyes with identical chromophore structure, and experimental characterization of their optical properties in bulk solvents, revealed two general trends: (1) the absorption maximum of the zwitterionic dye was blue-shifted with respect to the positively charged dye; (2) the quantum yield of the zwitterionic dye was higher and the fluorescence lifetime was longer than that for the positively charged dye. Spectral properties of the dyes in the membrane depended on the presence of Na,K-ATPase. We suggest, that (1) electrostatic interactions between the enzyme and the hydrophilic headgroup of the dye by changing the charge of hydrophilic moiety and thus modifying the net charge of the dye molecule cause both the spectral shifts and the changes in the quantum yield, and (2) interactions between the styryl dyes and the Na,K-ATPase depend on the conformational state of the enzyme.

Influence of intramembrane electric charge on Na,K-ATPase.

Effects of lipophilic ions, tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP+) and tetraphenylboron (TPB-), on interactions of Na+ and K+ with Na,K-ATPase were studied with membrane-bound enzyme from bovine brain, pig kidney, and shark rectal gland. Na+ and K+ interactions with the inward-facing binding sites, monitored by eosin fluorescence and phosphorylation, were not influenced by lipophilic ions. Phosphoenzyme interactions with extracellular cations were evaluated through K(+)-, ADP-, and Na(+)-dependent dephosphorylation. TPP+ decreased: 1) the rate of transition of ADP-insensitive to ADP-sensitive phosphoenzyme, 2) the K+ affinity and the rate coefficient for dephosphorylation of the K-sensitive phosphoenzyme, 3) the Na+ affinity and the rate coefficient for Na(+)-dependent dephosphorylation. Pre-steady state phosphorylation experiments indicate that the subsequent occlusion of extracellular cations was prevented by TPP+. TPB- had opposite effects. Effects of lipophilic ions on the transition between phosphoenzymes were significantly diminished when Na+ was replaced by N-methyl-D-glucamine or Tris+, but were unaffected by the replacement of Cl- by other anions. Lipophilic ions affected Na-ATPase, Na,K-ATPase, and p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities in accordance with their effects on the partial reactions. Effects of lipophilic ions appear to be due to their charge indicating that Na+ and K+ access to their extracellular binding sites is modified by the intramembrane electric field.

[The effect of temperature and pH on ATP hydrolysis of Na,K-ATPase in duck salt glands]. / Vliianie temperatury i pH na gidroliz ATP Na,K-ATPazoi solevykh zhelez utki.

The shape of the substrate curve for duck salt gland Na,K-ATPase during ATP hydrolysis depends on incubation conditions. Under optimal conditions (pH 7.4, 37 degrees C) this curve has an intermediate plateau at 0.7-0.9 mM ATP. Both the acidification of the medium and the decrease in the incubation temperature below 20 degrees C transforms this dependence into a simple hyperbole which is characteristic of the hydrolysis of other substrates (GTP or UTP) under optimal conditions. Recently it has been suggested that the deviation from the Michaelis-Menten kinetics during Na,K-ATPase operation is due to the formation of short-living oligomers in the course of the ATP hydrolyzing cycle. The results obtained are interpreted in terms of possible effects of temperature and pH on the interprotomer interaction in the oligomeric complexes of Na,K-ATPase.

[Nonhyperbolic kinetics of Na,K-ATPase--a new viewpoint]. / Negiperbolicheskaia kinetika Na,K-ATPazy--novyi vzgliad na problemy.

The kinetics of the 130 kDa monomer obtained by treatment of duck salt gland Na,K-ATPase with C12E8 was compared with that of the membrane-bound enzyme. The shapes of the substrate-velocity curves for the membrane-bound and solubilized forms were quite different: a hyperbolic one for the monomeric Na,K-ATPase and a nonhyperbolic one for the native enzyme. A reaction scheme for ATP hydrolysis based on a comparative analysis of kinetic properties of these two forms is proposed. Experimental evidence in favour of this hypothesis is presented.

The mechanism of the modifying effect of ATP on Na(+)-K+ ATPase.

On the basis of a review of the literature and a study of the molecular and kinetic properties of Na(+)-K+ ATPase, a model is proposed that explains the regulation of the activity of the enzyme by ATP in terms of an acceleration of the E2----E1 transition. It is presumed that the transition occurs via a short-lived oligomer whose formation is accelerated by ATP. In the context of this model, the non-Michaelis-Menton kinetics of the enzyme can be explained by interprotomer interactions. After solubilization of the enzyme with octaethylene glycol dodecyl ether, the hydrolysis of ATP follows ordinary Michaelis-Menton kinetics. The validity of the model is also supported by radiation-inactivation experiments with a nucleotide (GTP) which does not accelerate the E2----E1 transition, as well as by experiments with a low concentration of ATP. In both situations, the size of the molecular target corresponds to the monomeric form of the enzyme.

Comparison of the kinetic properties of membrane-bound and solubilized Na,K-ATPase.

Substrate-velocity curve for Na,K-ATPase under optimal conditions is described as a curve with intermediary plateau. C12E2 treatment of the enzyme changes its kinetic behaviour. The substrate-velocity curve transforms into hyperbolic one and the Km value for the solubilized enzyme approaches the Km value for the first phase of the complex curve. The experimental substrate-velocity curves obtained for Na,K-ATPase under different conditions were analyzed on the basis of the sum of Michaelis and Hill equations and the kinetic scheme for the enzyme was proposed. This model suggests that at the definite step of the reaction cycle the short-living oligomer is formed which can bind ATP with higher affinity thus accelerating E2----E1 transition. Several additional experimental facts that prove the hypothesis are presented.

Na,K-ATPase: radiation inactivation studies.

Na,K-ATPase from duck salt gland and ox brain in the membrane-bound or solubilized form was studied by the radiation inactivation technique using ATP, CTP, GTP or p-NPP as substrates. The values of radiation inactivation size (RIS) were compared with the target size (TS) for the alpha-subunit of the enzyme obtained by an independent method as well as with analytical centrifugation data obtained for C12E8-solubilized enzyme. It was concluded that during ATP (CTP) hydrolysis the enzyme operates as an oligomeric structure; the complex formation requires the presence of K+ and adenosine triphosphate binding to the sites with a low affinity for the nucleotide. Specially designed experiments revealed that the degree of enzyme oligomerization increases with an increase in the microviscosity of the membrane lipid environment.

[The regulation of Na, K-ATPase activity by the substrate]. / Reguliatsiia aktivnosti Na, K-ATFazy substratom.

The mechanism of functioning of Na, K-ATPase system is considered, the peculiarities of hydrolysis in different substrates are described. The experimental results testify to the role of substrate structure in E2----E1-transition, Na+ transport, K(+)-dependent phosphatase activity and quaternary structure of enzyme. The regulatory role of molecular organization of Na, K-ATPase in ion transport is discussed.