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H F Gilbert

Publications and source records attributed to H F Gilbert.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Anti-chaperone behavior of BiP during the protein disulfide isomerase-catalyzed refolding of reduced denatured lysozyme.

Folding catalysts of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), such as protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), accelerate the slow chemical steps, such as disulfide bond formation, that accompany protein folding. Molecular chaperones of the ER, notably the heavy chain-binding protein, BiP (grp78), bind and release unfolded proteins in an ATP-dependent fashion. In vitro, the fate of reduced, denatured lysozyme is dependent on whether the substrate interacts first with BiP or PDI. Depending on the ratio of PDI to substrate and order in which the components of the reaction are mixed, PDI can exhibit a foldase/chaperone activity, which increases the rate and extent of lysozyme refolding, or it can function as an anti-chaperone that promotes the formation of inactive, disulfide-linked lysozyme aggregates (Puig, A., and Gilbert, H.F. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 7764-7771). Reduced, denatured lysozyme, but not the native protein, interacts with BiP and efficiently stimulates its peptide-dependent ATPase activity. When present at substoichiometric amounts, BiP, like PDI, facilitates the formation of large, inactive lysozyme aggregates that are non-covalently associated with BiP. BiP and PDI compete for a limited number of sites in these insoluble aggregates. If BiP is present at a high molar excess, the chaperone binds unfolded lysozyme and inhibits its aggregation by maintaining it in a soluble, yet inactive, conformation, both in the presence or absence of ATP. Increasing concentrations of BiP decrease the extent, but not the initial rate, of refolding, suggesting that BiP and PDI compete for unfolded lysozyme and that the BiP-lysozyme complex is not a very good substrate for PDI either in the presence or absence of ATP. Depending on the BiP and PDI concentrations, unfolded lysozyme may either be efficiently refolded into the native conformation in a PDI-catalyzed reaction, or it may form both soluble and insoluble BiP-lysozyme complexes. In vitro, PDI- and BiP-facilitated aggregation, as well as the competition of the two proteins for substrate, reproduces many of the features of the quality control system of the ER.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

The role of the thiol/disulfide centers and peptide binding site in the chaperone and anti-chaperone activities of protein disulfide isomerase.

The complexity of protein folding is often aggravated by the low solubility of the denatured state. The inefficiency of the oxidative refolding of reduced, denatured lysozyme results from a kinetic partitioning of the unfolded protein between pathways leading to aggregation and pathways leading to the native structure. Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), a resident foldase of the endoplasmic reticulum, catalyzes the in vitro oxidative refolding of reduced, disulfide-containing proteins, including denatured lysozyme. Depending on the concentrations of foldase and denatured substrate and the order in which they are added to initiate folding, PDI can exhibit either a chaperone activity or an anti-chaperone activity (Puig, A., and Gilbert, H. F. (1994) J. Biol. Chem 269, 7764-7771). PDI's chaperone activity leads to quantitative recovery of native lysozyme. Its anti-chaperone activity diverts substrate away from productive folding and facilitates disulfide cross-linking of lysozyme into large, inactive aggregates that specifically incorporate PDI. A mutant PDI (NmCm-PDI), in which both the N- and C-terminal active site cysteines have been changed to serines, loses all chaperone activity and behaves as an anti-chaperone at all substrate and PDI concentrations tested. The dithiol/disulfide sites of PDI are essential for the chaperone activity observed at high PDI concentrations, but they are not required for the anti-chaperone activity found at low PDI concentrations. Inactivation of PDI's peptide/protein binding site by a specific photoaffinity label (Noiva, R., Freedman, R. B., and Lennarz, W. J. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 19210-19217) inhibits the disulfide isomerase and chaperone activity, but the protein still retains its anti-chaperone activity. In a glutathione redox buffer, lysozyme-PDI aggregates are disulfide cross-linked; however, disulfide cross-linking is not required for aggregate formation or for the incorporation of PDI into the aggregates. Although both the peptide binding site and the catalytic active sites of PDI are required for chaperone and disulfide isomerase activity, neither of these sites are involved in PDI's anti-chaperone activity. PDI's anti-chaperone activity could serve as a quality control device by providing an efficient mechanism to retain misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (Marquardt, T., and Helenius, A. (1992) J. Cell. Biol. 117, 505-513).

Animals↗

Protein disulfide isomerase exhibits chaperone and anti-chaperone activity in the oxidative refolding of lysozyme.

Reduced, denatured lysozyme tends to aggregate at neutral pH, and competition between productive folding and aggregation substantially reduces the efficiency of refolding (Goldberg, M.E., Rudolph, R., and Jaenicke, R. (1991) Biochemistry 30, 2790-2797). Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), a catalyst of oxidative protein folding, has a variety of effects on the yield of native lysozyme during the oxidative refolding of the reduced, denatured protein. Depending on the concentration of lysozyme, the concentration of PDI, and the order in which lysozyme and PDI are added to initiate folding, PDI can produce a substantial increase or a substantial decrease in the recovery of native lysozyme, when compared with the uncatalyzed reaction. In the presence of a glutathione redox buffer, denatured lysozyme (1-10 microM) partitions almost equally between productive folding leading to native lysozyme (50-63%) and non-productive fates including the formation of disulfide cross-linked aggregates. At the higher lysozyme concentrations examined (5-10 microM), substoichiometric concentrations of PDI (0.5-1 microM) exhibit "anti-chaperone" activity; PDI actively diverts most of the denatured lysozyme away from productive folding so that only 17 +/- 9% of the lysozyme is recovered as native enzyme. PDI's anti-chaperone activity results in extensive intermolecular disulfide crosslinking of lysozyme into large, inactive aggregates. On the other hand, if PDI is initially present at a large molar excess (5-10-fold) when denatured lysozyme is diluted to initiate folding, PDI demonstrates a chaperone-like activity that prevents aggregate formation and promotes correct folding. When PDI's chaperone activity is dominant, virtually all of the denatured lysozyme is correctly folded. The schizophrenic chaperone/anti-chaperone nature of PDI activity accounts for a number of observations on in vivo protein folding, including the necessity for maintaining a high concentration of PDI in the endoplasmic reticulum and the formation of disulfide cross-linked aggregates in the endoplasmic reticulum during the expression of disulfide-containing proteins (deSilva, A., Braakman, I., and Helenius, A. (1993) J. Cell. Biol. 120, 647-655).

Animals↗

Catalysis of protein folding by agarose-immobilized protein disulfide isomerase.

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) catalyzes the formation and rearrangement of disulfide bonds during protein folding. PDI coupled to cyanogen bromide-activated agarose retains its catalytic activity, and a column of this material increases both the rate and the yield for folding disulfide-containing proteins. For reduced, denatured ribonuclease, the overall yield of fully active ribonuclease isolated from the PDI column in one pass was 85-98% of the applied protein. Under the same conditions in the absence of PDI, ribonuclease regained only 16% of its native activity. The oxidative folding of reduced denatured lysozyme is complicated by aggregation so that in the absence of PDI optimal yields of only < or = 25% are obtained at lysozyme concentrations of 1.6 mg/ml. When reduced, denatured lysozyme (1.6 mg/ml) is passed over a PDI column in 1-2 M urea in the presence of a glutathione redox buffer, the specific activity of the recovered lysozyme is identical to that of the native enzyme and the total recovery of the applied protein is 50-65%.

Animals↗

Protein chaperones and protein folding.

A universal strategy for obtaining maximal protein expression or refolding remains elusive; however, headway has been made toward understanding these processes in vivo. The observation of reversible protein aggregation, asymmetry in protein-chaperone complexes, redox effects on disulfide formation, and the sequential involvement of multiple chaperones and foldases may suggest new approaches. Such new approaches include immobilized catalysts and manipulation of the bacterial periplasm.

Animals↗

Guanidine hydrochloride stabilization of a partially unfolded intermediate during the reversible denaturation of protein disulfide isomerase.

The reversible denaturation of protein disulfide isomerase proceeds through intermediates that are stabilized by interaction with guanidine hydrochloride. At pH 7.5, the equilibrium denaturation by urea is completely reversible and the transition can be reasonably well-described by a two-state model involving only native and denatured forms. In comparison, the equilibrium denaturation by guanidine hydrochloride occurs in two distinct steps. In the presence of a low constant amount of guanidine hydrochloride (0.5-1.4 M), urea denaturation also becomes biphasic, suggesting the accumulation of an intermediate species that is stabilized by specific interaction with guanidine hydrochloride but not by high concentrations of other salts or other denaturants.

Animals↗

Oxidative inactivation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase and subunit cross-linking involve different dithiol/disulfide centers.

Rat liver microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase (HMGR) is extremely sensitive to oxidative inactivation by low concentrations (micromolar) of glutathione disulfide (GSSG) even in the presence of millimolar concentrations of glutathione (GSH). Inactivation involves the formation of an intramolecular protein-SS-protein disulfide in thiol/disulfide redox equilibrium with the reduced, active enzyme (Cappel, R.E., and Gilbert, H.F. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 12204-12212). In the absence of dithiothreitol, HMGR oxidation has been previously shown to cross-link the microsomal enzyme into a covalent dimer (Ness, G.C., McCreery, M.J., Sample, C.E., Smith, M., and Pendelton, L.C. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 12391-12393). Examination of the extent of HMGR cross-linking and residual HMGR activity in microsomes equilibrated with glutathione redox buffers establishes that inactivation and cross-linking result from oxidation of different dithiol pairs. The thiol/disulfide oxidation potential (K(ox)) for the oxidative inactivation of HMGR, E(SH)2,active + GSSG<-->E(S-S)inactive + 2 GSH, is 0.67 +/- 0.07 M. However, the equilibrium constant for HMGR cross-linking, E(SH)2,monomer + GSS<-->E(S-S)dimer + 2 GSH, is 0.19 +/- 0.02 M, significantly lower than that for inactivation (p < 0.001). Because of the significantly different oxidation potentials and the lack of a linear relationship between cross-linking and inactivation, the two processes must involve two different sets of vicinal dithiols. HMGR becomes 5-10-fold more difficult to oxidize in the presence of saturating levels of the substrate, HMG-CoA. Both inactivation and cross-linking exhibit significantly lower oxidation potentials in the presence of this substrate, 0.072 +/- 0.01 and 0.047 +/- 0.007 M, respectively. The decrease in oxidation potential caused by substrate binding is observed for both inactivation and cross-linking, showing that both processes are affected by the binding of substrate to the enzyme. The dithiols involved in HMGR subunit cross-linking are 2-3-fold more difficult to oxidize than the dithiols that affect the enzyme activity. Thus, the observation of partial cross-linking of HMGR in vivo would imply that conditions are sufficiently oxidizing to result in significant enzyme inactivation. The extreme thermodynamic sensitivity of HMGR to oxidative inactivation and cross-linking in glutathione redox buffers that span the physiological redox state implies that thiol/disulfide redox state changes could provide a mechanism for regulating the activity and/or stability of this enzyme.

Animals↗

Conserved residues flanking the thiol/disulfide centers of protein disulfide isomerase are not essential for catalysis of thiol/disulfide exchange.

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) catalyzes the oxidative folding of proteins containing disulfide bonds by increasing the rate of disulfide bond rearrangements which normally occur during the folding process. The amino acid sequences of the N- and C-terminal redox active sites (PWCGHCK) in PDI are completely conserved from yeast to man and display considerable identity with the redox-active center of thioredoxin (EWCGPCK). Available data indicate that the two thiol/disulfide centers of PDI can function independently in the isomerase reaction and that the cysteine residues in each active site are essential for catalysis. To evaluate the role of residues flanking the active-site cysteines of PDI in function, a variety of mutations were introduced into the N-terminal active site of PDI within the context of both a functional C-terminal active site and an inactive C-terminal active site in which serine residues replaced C379 and C382. Replacement of non-cysteine residues (W34 to Ser, G36 to Ala, and K39 to Arg) resulted in only a modest reduction in catalytic activity in both the oxidative refolding of RNase A and the reduction of insulin (10-27%), independent of the status of the C-terminal active site. A somewhat larger effect was observed with the H37P mutation where approximately 80% of the activity attributable to the N-terminal domain (approximately 40%) was lost. However, the H37P mutant N-terminal site expressed within the context of an inactive C-terminal domain exhibits 30% activity, approximately 70% of the activity of the N-terminal site alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Effect of protein and peptide inhibitors on the activity of protein disulfide isomerase.

The protein disulfide isomerase catalyzed reduction of insulin by glutathione is inhibited by peptides of various length and amino acid composition. Peptide inhibitors are competitive against insulin and noncompetitive against GSH, consistent with a sequential rather than a double displacement mechanism. Peptides of unrelated primary sequence that do not contain cysteine inhibit the GSH-insulin transhydrogenase activity of PDI, and the affinity of these peptides toward the enzyme is largely dependent on the peptide length rather than composition, hydrophobicity, or charge. Cysteine-containing peptides are 4-8-fold better inhibitors than non-cysteine-containing peptides of the same length, suggesting a cysteine-specific component to the interaction with the enzyme. Oxidized insulin chain B also inhibits the oxidative folding of reduced ribonuclease in a glutathione redox buffer with an inhibition constant that is comparable to that observed for the inhibition of insulin reduction, suggesting a similar if not identical binding site for the catalysis of oxidative protein folding and the reduction of insulin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Catalysis of the oxidative folding of ribonuclease A by protein disulfide isomerase: dependence of the rate on the composition of the redox buffer.

The velocity of the oxidative renaturation of reduced ribonuclease A catalyzed by protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is strongly dependent on the composition of a glutathione/glutathione disulfide redox buffer. As with the uncatalyzed, glutathione-mediated oxidative folding of ribonuclease, the steady-state velocity of the PDI-catalyzed reaction displays a distinct optimum with respect to both the glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) concentrations. Optimum activity is observed at [GSH] = 1.0 mM and [GSSG] = 0.2 mM. The apparent kcat at saturating RNase concentration is 0.46 +/- 0.05 mumol of RNase renatured min-1 (mumol of PDI)-1 compared to the apparent first-order rate constant for the uncatalyzed reaction of 0.02 +/- 0.01 min-1. Changes in GSH and GSSG concentration have a similar effect on the rate of both the PDI-catalyzed and uncatalyzed reactions except under the more oxidizing conditions employed, where the catalytic effectiveness of PDI is diminished. The ratio of the velocity of the catalyzed reaction to that of the uncatalyzed reaction increases as the quantity [GSH]2/[GSSG] increases and approaches a constant, limiting value at [GSH]2/[GSSG] greater than 1 mM, suggesting that a reduced, dithiol form of PDI is required for optimum activity. As long as the glutathione redox buffer is sufficiently reducing to maintain PDI in an active form [( GSH]2/[GSSG] greater than 1 mM), the rate acceleration provided by PDI is reasonably constant, although the actual rate may vary by more than an order of magnitude. PDI exhibits half of the maximum rate acceleration at a [GSH]2/[GSSG] of 0.06 +/- 0.01 mM.

Glutathione↗

Catalysis of the oxidative folding of ribonuclease A by protein disulfide isomerase: pre-steady-state kinetics and the utilization of the oxidizing equivalents of the isomerase.

At low concentrations of a glutathione redox buffer, the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) catalyzed oxidative renaturation of reduced ribonuclease A exhibits a rapid but incomplete activation of ribonuclease, which precedes the steady-state reaction. This behavior can be attributed to a GSSG-dependent partitioning of the substrate, reduced ribonuclease, between two classes of thiol/disulfide redox forms, those that can be converted to active ribonuclease at low concentrations of GSH and those that cannot. With catalytic concentrations of PDI and near stoichiometric concentrations of glutathione disulfide, approximately 4 equiv (2 equiv of ribonuclease disulfide) of GSH are formed very rapidly followed by a slower formation of GSH, which corresponds to an additional 2 disulfide bond equiv. The rapid formation of RNase disulfide bonds and the subsequent rearrangement of incorrect disulfide isomers to active RNase are both catalyzed by PDI. In the absence of GSSG or other oxidants, disulfide bond equivalents of PDI can be used to form disulfide bonds in RNase in a stoichiometric reaction. In the absence of a glutathione redox buffer, the rate of reduced ribonuclease regeneration increases markedly with increasing PDI concentrations below the equivalence point; however, PDI in excess over stoichiometric concentrations inhibits RNase regeneration.

Enzyme Activation↗

Inhibition of glutathione disulfide reductase by glutathione.

Rat-liver glutathione disulfide reductase is significantly inhibited by physiological concentrations of the product, glutathione. GSH is a noncompetitive inhibitor against GSSG and an uncompetitive inhibitor against NADPH at saturating concentrations of the fixed substrate. In both cases, the inhibition by GSH is parabolic, consistent with the requirement for 2 eq. of GSH in the reverse reaction. The inhibition of GSSG reduction by physiological levels of the product, GSH, would result in a significantly more oxidizing intracellular environment than would be realized in the absence of inhibition. Considering inhibition by the high intracellular concentration of GSH, the steady-state concentration of GSSG required to maintain a basal glutathione peroxidase flux of 300 nmol/min/g in rat liver is estimated at 8-9 microM, about 1000-fold higher than the concentration of GSSG predicted from the equilibrium constant for glutathione reductase. The kinetic properties of glutathione reductase also provide a rationale for the increased glutathione (GSSG) efflux observed when cells are exposed to oxidative stress. The resulting decrease in intracellular GSH relieves the noncompetitive inhibition of glutathione reductase and results in an increased capacity (Vmax) and decreased Km for GSSG.

Animals↗

Assessment of the antioxidant/prooxidant status of murine skin following topical treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and throughout the ontogeny of skin cancer. Part II: Quantitation of glutathione and glutathione disulfide.

Tissue glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) contents were quantitated in the skins of female SENCAR mice following the topical application of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), and in the skin tumors generated by an initiation-promotion protocol. Total epidermal GSHt (GSH + GSSG) and GSSG contents were not reproducibly and significantly altered 0.5, 4 or 24 h after one or four topical applications of 1 microgram TPA, relative to the values obtained in age-matched, solvent-treated mice. Similar findings held for dermal GSHt at all times of analyses, and for dermal GSSG contents 0.5 and 4 h after TPA application. However, dermal GSSG contents were slightly elevated 24 h after TPA application. The GSHt and GSSG contents of skins initiated with 10 nmol 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) and harvested 17, 29 and 37 days after the cessation of chronic treatment with acetone (14 weeks, twice a week) were comparable to the values measured in age-matched, non-treated skins. In contrast, GSHt contents of papillomas harvested 17, 29 and 37 days after the cessation of chronic treatment with 1 microgram TPA (14 weeks, twice a week) were 2- to 4-fold greater than the values measured in non-treated mice, and DMBA-initiated, acetone-promoted mice, and the non-tumorous tissue adjacent to the papillomas. Comparable changes did not occur in papilloma GSSG contents. GSHt contents in squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) were twice the values measured in papillomas and 5- to 8-fold greater than the values measured in non-treated skins, and the non-tumorous tissue adjacent to SCC. Similarly, GSSG contents in SCC were elevated multifold relative to papillomas, non-treated skin and the non-tumorous tissue adjacent to SCC. Epidermal cell suspensions prepared by the trypsin-flotation procedure retained less than 2% of their original GSHt content and had reduced GSHt/GSSG ratios. Collectively these studies suggest that (i) if promoting doses of TPA induce oxidative stress in murine epidermis, it cannot be detected by measurements of GSH/GSSG; (ii) the antioxidant capacity of epidermal cells prepared by the trypsin-flotation procedure is severely compromised; and (iii) GSHt contents progressively increase during skin tumor ontogeny.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene↗

The effects of NADPH and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA on the thiol/disulfide redox behavior of rat liver microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase.

Microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase isolated from the livers of rats fed a diet containing cholestyramine (HMGR-C) is oxidized to a protein-SS-protein disulfide via a thermodynamically favorable thiol/disulfide exchange in glutathione redox buffers which approach the normal in vivo redox poise. In the presence of either substrate (NADPH or 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA), the equilibrium thiol/disulfide redox behavior of HMGR-C is substantially different than that observed in the absence of substrates or in the presence of both substrates. NADPH present during redox equilibrium in a glutathione redox buffer decreases the equilibrium constant for formation of the protein-SS-protein disulfide (Kox,i) from 0.55 +/- 0.07 M to 0.18 +/- 0.02 M and increases the Kox,m for formation of an inactive protein-SS-glutathione mixed disulfide from less than 1 to 6 +/- 1. The presence of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA during redox equilibrium has a similar effect, decreasing the Kox,i for protein-SS-protein disulfide formation to 0.10 +/- 0.02 M and increasing the Kox,m for protein-SS-glutathione mixed disulfide formation to 3.8 +/- 0.9. A three-state model is developed which describes the simultaneous accumulation of protein-SS-protein and protein-SS-glutathione mixed disulfides at redox equilibrium with glutathione redox buffers. Because of the different redox behavior of the free and substrate-liganded forms of the enzyme, addition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA or NADPH to HMGR-C at redox equilibrium results in increased reduction and activation of the enzyme.

Acyl Coenzyme A↗

The metabolic consequences of hydroperoxide perfusion on the isolated rat heart.

Perfusion of rat hearts with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer containing low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide or t-butylhydroperoxide (50-500 microM) caused an imbalance in the relative synthesis versus utilization rates of ATP, leading to a net hydrolysis of ATP and phosphocreatine. Hydrogen peroxide also caused an 80% inactivation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, resulting in an inhibition of glycolysis and a rapid accumulation of sugar phosphates as detected with 31P-NMR spectroscopy. This inhibition was partially reversible with peroxide-free perfusion, resulting in a cessation of high-energy-phosphate hydrolysis and a decrease in the accumulated inorganic phosphate and sugar phosphate. t-Butylhydroperoxide toxicity was irreversible. Providing an alternative, non-glycolytic substrate (butyrate) did not protect against the toxicity of hydrogen peroxide, but altered the relative importance of sugar phosphate formation versus ATP hydrolysis. Experiments with heart homogenates in vitro suggest that the inhibition of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is a consequence of a direct reaction of the enzyme with hydrogen peroxide or one of its metabolites. Hearts subjected to total global ischemia (10-20 min), followed by reperfusion with oxygenated buffer, showed no detectable inactivation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, indicating that ischemia and reperfusion do not result in the production of high global concentrations of hydrogen peroxide.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Catalysis of thiol/disulfide exchange: single-turnover reduction of protein disulfide-isomerase by glutathione and catalysis of peptide disulfide reduction.

Protein disulfide-isomerase, a protein localized to the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum of eukaryotic cells, catalyzes the posttranslational formation and rearrangement of protein disulfide bonds. As isolated from bovine liver, the enzyme contains 0.8 free sulfhydryl group per mole of protein monomer and 3.1 disulfide bonds. Single-turnover experiments in which the disulfide bonds of the native enzyme are reduced by glutathione reveal three distinct reduction steps corresponding to the sequential reduction of the three disulfide bonds. The fastest disulfide to be reduced undergoes a change in the rate-determining step with increasing GSH concentration from a step which is second-order with respect to GSH concentration to a step which is first-order in GSH concentration. The disulfide which is reduced at an intermediate rate displays kinetics that are first-order in GSH concentration, and the slowest disulfide to be reduced exhibits kinetics which are second-order in GSH concentration. The enzyme catalyzes the steady-state reduction of a disulfide-containing hexapeptide (CYIQNC) by GSH. Initial velocity kinetic experiments are consistent with a sequential addition of the substrates to the enzyme. Saturation behavior is not observed at high levels of both substrates (Km for GSH much greater than 14 mM, Km for CYIQNC much greater than 1 mM). Only one of the three disulfides appears to be kinetically competent in the steady-state reduction of CYIQNC by GSH. The second-order thiol/disulfide exchange reactions catalyzed by the enzyme are 400-6000-fold faster than the corresponding uncatalyzed reactions.

Catalysis↗

Examination of the role of thiolimidate formation in the cleavage of acetoacetyl-CoA catalyzed by thiolase I from porcine heart.

The potential contribution of thiolimidate formation to the increased kinetic acidity of the alpha-proton of acetyl-CoA in the carbon-carbon bond forming reaction catalyzed by 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (thiolase I) from porcine heart was assessed by chemical modification and isotope exchange experiments. Thiolase is only partially inactivated after the chemical modification of lysine residues by reductive methylation, pyridoxal phosphate, or o-phthaldehyde (specific for vicinal lysine and cysteine). The thiolase-catalyzed formation of acetyl-CoA from acetoacetyl-CoA and CoASH in 18OH2 is not accompanied by the appearance of 18O in the acetyl-CoA product. These experiments effectively rule out participation of thiolimidate formation in the thiolase reaction. Other mechanisms must be employed to facilitate the abstraction of the alpha-proton of acetyl-CoA by thiolase I.

Acetyl Coenzyme A↗