Biomedical subjects

P Cioni

Publications and source records attributed to P Cioni.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Experimental and simulative dissociation of dimeric Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase doubly mutated at the intersubunit surface.

The equilibrium properties of dimeric Photobacterium leiognathi Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase mutant bearing two negative charges in the amino acid clusters at the association interface has been studied, experimentally and computationally, and compared to those of the native enzyme. Pressure-dependent dissociation is observed for the mutant, as observed by the fluorescence shift of the unique tryptophan residue located at the intersubunit surface. The spectral shift occurs slowly, reaching a plateau after 15-20 min, and is fully reversible. Measurement of the degree of dissociation allows us to calculate the standard volume variation upon association and the dissociation constant at atmospheric pressure. On the other hand the native protein is undissociable at any pressure. In the simulative approach, the dissociation free energy has been calculated through the blue moon calculation method for the case of a multidimensional reaction coordinate, corrected for the rotational contribution within the semiclassical approximation for a free rigid-body rotor. The scheme permits to define a definite path for the rupture of the dimer and to calculate the effective force involved in the process. The calculated free energy difference is close to the experimental one, and the value obtained for the mutant is well below that obtained for the native protein, indicating that the theoretical reaction scheme is able to reproduce the experimental trend. Moreover, we find that, when the separation distance increases, the protein structure of the monomer is stable in line with the fast recovery of the original fluorescence properties after decompression, which excludes the presence of partly unfolded intermediates during the dimer-monomer transition.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed2003

Active-site copper and zinc ions modulate the quaternary structure of prokaryotic Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase.

The influence of the constitutive metal ions on the equilibrium properties of dimeric Photobacterium leiognathi Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase has been studied for the wild-type and for two mutant protein forms bearing a negative charge in the amino acid clusters at the dimer association interface. Depletion of copper and zinc dissociates the two mutant proteins into monomers, which reassemble toward the dimeric state upon addition of stoichiometric amounts of zinc. Pressure-dependent dissociation is observed for the copper-depleted wild-type and mutated enzymes, as monitored by the fluorescence shift of a unique tryptophan residue located at the subunit association interface. The spectral shift occurs slowly, reaching a plateau after 15-20 minutes, and is fully reversible. The recovery of the original fluorescence properties, after decompression, is fast (less than four minutes), suggesting that the isolated subunit has a relatively stable structure, and excluding the presence of stable intermediates during the dimer-monomer transition. The dimer dissociation process is still incomplete at 6.5 kbar for the copper-depleted wild-type and mutated enzymes, at variance with what is generally observed for oligomeric proteins that dissociate below 3 kbar. Measurement of the degree of dissociation, at two different protein concentrations, allows us to calculate the standard volume variation upon association, Delta V, and the dissociation constant K(d0), at atmospheric pressure, (25 ml/mol and 3 x 10(-7)M, respectively). The holoprotein is fully dimeric even at 6.5 kbar, which allows us to evaluate a lower Delta G degrees limit of 11.5 kcal/mol, corresponding to a dissociation constant K(d0)<10(-9)M.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2001

Dynamic features of the subunit interface of Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase as probed by tryptophan phosphorescence.

As part of the more general inquiry on the molecular basis of specific recognition between macromolecules, the subunit-subunit interface structure of dimeric superoxide dismutase from Photobacterium leiognathi has been probed selectively by the phosphorescence emission of Trp-73, located at the subunit contact region. Copper at the catalytic site was found to quench completely the delayed emission and therefore all studies were conducted with the copper-free or Cd(2+)-substituted protein. The spectrum at 140 K is diagnostic for an indole ring located in a hydrophobic environment whereas a degree of spectral broadening indicates that the local structure is not unique. Environmental heterogeneity is confirmed by the nonuniform phosphorescence decay in buffer, at 274 K, with lifetime components of 44 and 20 ms of practically equal amplitude. Information on the flexibility of the interface region was gathered from both the intrinsic lifetime and the accessibility of acrylamide to the site of the chromophore. The magnitude of the intrinsic lifetime, its temperature dependence, and the accessibility to solutes like acrylamide describe a tight dimeric structure in which hydrophobic interactions seem to play an important role. In particular the acrylamide bimolecular rate constant is 1.4 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) and indicates highly hindered diffusion of the solute through the interface region. Cd(2+) complexation to the apoprotein caused no detectable changes in protein conformation although the metal was able to influence the flexibility of the Trp-73 environment, indicating the occurrence of a long-range communication between the intersubunit surface and the active site, which is more than 16 A away.

Copper↗

PubMed2001

Dynamics-function correlation in Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase: a spectroscopic and molecular dynamics simulation study.

A single mutation (Val29-->Gly) at the subunit interface of a Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase dimer leads to a twofold increase in the second order catalytic rate, when compared to the native enzyme, without causing any modification of the structure or the electric field distribution. To check the role of dynamic processes in this catalytic enhancement, the flexibility of the dimeric protein at the subunit interface region has been probed by the phosphorescence and fluorescence properties of the unique tryptophan residue. Multiple spectroscopic data indicate that Trp83 experiences a very similar, and relatively hydrophobic, environment in both wild-type and mutant protein, whereas its mobility is distinctly more restrained in the latter. Molecular dynamics simulation confirms this result, and provides, at the molecular level, details of the dynamic change felt by tryptophan. Moreover, the simulation shows that the loops surrounding the active site are more flexible in the mutant than in the native enzyme, making the copper more accessible to the incoming substrate, and being thus responsible for the catalytic rate enhancement. Evidence for increased, dynamic copper accessibility also comes from faster copper removal in the mutant by a metal chelator. These results indicate that differences in dynamic, rather than structural, features of the two enzymes are responsible for the observed functional change.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Oxygen and acrylamide quenching of protein phosphorescence: correlation with protein dynamics.

Oxygen quenching of protein phosphorescence and activation enthalpies for the structural fluctuations underlying O2 and acrylamide diffusion were determined for RNase T1, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and beta-lactoglobulin, which have the phosphorescing residues located in relatively solvent-exposed and flexible regions of the polypeptide. The results, compared with those obtained for proteins characterised by a very rigid environment, established that kqO2 was directly correlated to the flexibility of the protein matrix surrounding the chromophore. While the migration of acrylamide was characterised by delta H(double dagger), which was strongly dependent on the fluidity of the structure about the Trp residue, the values of the activation enthalpies for the oxygen migration of all the proteins studied were rather similar, approximately 10 kcal mol(-1), in spite of the depth of the chromophore and the rigidity of its environment. The implications of these findings for the migration of small solutes inside proteins have been discussed.

Acrylamide↗

PubMed1999

Pressure/temperature effects on protein flexibilty from acrylamide quenching of protein phosphorescence.

Pressure is an effective modulator of protein structure and biological function. The influence of hydrostatic pressure (</=3 kbar, 10-50 degrees C) on conformational dynamics was assessed from the rate of migration of acrylamide through the protein interior. Migration rates in apoazurin, alcohol dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase were obtained from the phosphorescence quenching rate constant (kq) of the deeply buried Trp residues. The dominant effect of applied pressure is to slow the diffusion process, although at low temperature, high pressure may also accelerate it. For apoazurin, alcohol dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase the activation free volumes, DeltaV(obs), derived from the pressure-dependence of kq, ranges from +10, +16 and +20 ml mol(-1)at 50 degrees C to -20, +5 and 0 ml mol(-1)at 10 degrees C, respectively. Analysing DeltaV(obs) in terms of a positive contribution from cavity expansion and a negative one from peptide hydration, the results emphasise that whereas at warm temperature the formation of cavities plays a dominant role in the migration process, at low temperature the required flexibility may be conferred by internal protein hydration. The relatively small magnitude of both DeltaV(obs) and the activation enthalpy (DeltaH=10-20 kcal mol(-1)) indicates that acrylamide diffusion jumps inside these proteins appear to involve relatively small amplitude structural fluctuations not requiring major unfolding-like transitions. The implication of these findings for the thermodynamic stability of proteins under pressure is discussed.

Acrylamide↗

PubMed1998

Phosphorescence emission of 7-azatryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptophan in fluid solutions and in alpha2 RNA polymerase.

The tryptophan analogues 7-azaindole (7-Aza W) and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-OH W) have a significant absorbance between 310-320 nm, which allows them to act as selective luminescence probes in protein mixtures containing a large number of tryptophan residues. To assess the potential of their phosphorescence emission in probing the nature of protein environments the delayed emission was examined as a function of temperature and solvent viscosity. Whereas in low temperature (135 K) propylene glycol/buffer glasses the phosphorescence of both 7-aza W and 5-OH W is structured, intense and exhibit a lifetime of a few seconds, above the glass transition temperature (180 K) the delayed emission is considerably quenched. Temperature profiles show that as the solvent is more fluid the phosphorescence of 5-OH W becomes red shifted, poorly structured and the triplet lifetime drops steeply reaching 29 micro(s) in buffer at 274 K. For 7-aza W the alterations are more drastic and no phosphorescence could be detected above 193 K. This implies that in fluid aqueous media the excited triplet state of these analogues is deactivated by vary efficient nonradiative processes. The quenching of 5-OH phosphorescence is not prevented even when the chromophore is inserted in a solvent protected protein environment. Indeed, substitution of the single Trp of a2 RNA Polymerase, which according to its relatively low phosphorescence lifetime at ambient temperature is substantially shielded from the solvent, with 5-OH did not inhibit the quenchability of the latter. Knowledge of the quenching mechanisms is therefore needed for this emission to report on the nature of the protein environment.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗

PubMed1998

Alteration of the intramolecular dynamics of glycogen phosphorylase b by allosteric ligands.

Phosphorylase b (E.C. 2.4.1.1), prepared from rabbit skeletal muscle, was used to study whether the binding of allosteric ligands modifies the intramolecular dynamics of the protein matrix. Protein dynamics were monitored through the fluorescence and phosphorescence parameters of the 12 tryptophan (Trp) residues (one monomer) of the enzyme. The phosphorescence lifetime was measured at room temperature both in the absence and the presence of ligands. The addition of an allosteric inhibitor (ATP) decreased the lifetime, while the presence of activator (AMP) and/or substrate (G-1-P) had no detectable effect. The lifetime data allow us to conclude that the environment of the buried tryptophans becomes more flexible upon the binding of ATP, while the other ligands did not induce such change. The ATP-induced perturbation was also examined by the quenching of Trp fluorescence by acrylamide. The quenching parameters did not show any change, suggesting that the effect of ATP is localized to the vicinity of the phosphorescent Trp residues.

Allosteric Site↗

PubMed1997

Pressure-induced dissociation of yeast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase: heterogeneous kinetics and perturbations of subunit structure.

In studies of pressure-induced subunit dissociation of oligomeric proteins, the thermodynamic dissociation constant and the dissociation volume change are derived by assuming that high pressure itself does not significantly perturb the structure of both oligomer and isolated subunit. In this report, the intrinsic phosphorescence emission of Trp reveals that high-pressure dissociation of tetrameric yeast glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase results in a dramatic shortening of the phosphorescence lifetime, from 300 to less than 2 ms, that is consistent with a profound loosening of the polypeptide structure about the phosphorescence probe. On pressure release, subunit reassociation occurs readily whereas recovery of the native phosphorescence properties is a very slow, thermally activated, process which goes hand in hand with the recovery of the catalytic activity. Further, the comparison between the kinetic traces that describe the degree of dissociation and the change in phosphorescence lifetime, at various applied pressures, has established the following: (1) that high pressure plays a direct role on the structural rearrangement, the extent of which increases with pressure; (2) that the conformational change in the monomer is concomitant with, or follows closely after, the break up of the tetramer, in any case long before an apparent tetramer-monomer equilibrium is established; (3) that native tetramers are highly heterogeneous with regard to their rate of dissociation. The influence of temperature, of protein concentration, of binding of NAD+, and of the addition of 2 M urea on the dissociation/phosphorescence kinetic profiles was also examined. The complications arising from these conformational changes for the derivation of the dissociation free energy change as well as their relevance for understanding the lack of concentration dependence of the degree of dissociation are discussed.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed1996

Pressure effects on the structure of oligomeric proteins prior to subunit dissociation.

In studies of pressure-induced subunit dissociation of protein aggregates, now widely used to evaluate the association free energy, entropy and enthalpy of very stable complexes, it is assumed that high pressure does not influence their structure/thermodynamic parameters and that some peculiarities of these equilibria, such as the decrease in subunit affinity at larger degrees of dissociation (alpha) and hysteresis in alpha/pressure diagrams are imputable to the slow conformational drift of isolated subunits. To test this premise, the conformation of dimeric alcohol dehydrogenase from horse liver and alkaline phosphatase from Escherichia coli was monitored as a function of pressure (up to 3 kbar) and temperature (0 to 50 degrees C) by means of the intrinsic Trp fluorescence and phosphorescence emission and binding of the 1-anilinonaphatalene-8-sulphonic acid (ANS) fluorophore. The results show a distinct influence of high pressure on the native dimers whose changes in conformation may, depending on whether or not these alterations are promptly reversed, be distinguished in elastic and inelastic changes. Elastic changes are ubiquitous and refer to pronounced modulations of the phosphorescence lifetime which is a monitor of the internal flexibility of the macromolecules. They attest to a tightening of the globular structure in the lower pressure range (below 1.5 kbar) as opposed to an increased fluidity in the higher range. The trend is similar between the two proteins and the tightening/loosening effect is fully consistent with the role that internal cavities and hydration of polypeptide is expected to play in determining the compressibility of these biopolymers. Inelastic perturbations reveal a more profound loosening of the globular fold and were observed only with alcohol dehydrogenase under conditions (low temperature (t < 10 degrees C) and high pressure (p > 2.5 kbar)) that favour protein hydration. They involve slow consecutive reactions that produce drastic reductions in phosphorescence lifetime, spectral red shifts, quenching of fluorescence and phosphorescence emission and modulation of ANS binding. Judging from the full protection afforded by glycerol as cosolvent, or the remarkable enhancement caused by modest concentrations of urea, the driving force of these perturbations appears to be pressure-induced hydration of the protein. Inelastic conformational changes are accompanied by a slow and often incomplete recovery of enzymatic activity. The characteristic times of these processes, their pressure dependence and the slow, thermally activated, reversibility are discussed in the light of hysteresis phenomena and changes of subunit affinity in dissociation equilibria.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

PubMed1996

Tryptophan luminescence as a probe of enzyme conformation along the O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase reaction pathway.

O-Acetylserine sulfhydrylase A (OASS-A) is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate- (PLP-) dependent enzyme that catalyzes the last step in the synthesis of L-cysteine, the beta-replacement of acetate in O-acetyl-L-serine (OAS) by sulfide. The phosphorescence properties of the two tryptophans of wild-type OASS-A, W51 and W162, and of W162 in the W51Y mutant protein have been characterized over the temperature range 170-273 K. In glasses at 170 K, the apoenzyme exhibits a phosphorescence spectrum which is the superposition of two spectra with well-resolved 0,0 vibronic bands centered at 405 and 410 nm, the blue lambda max suggesting that one of the two Trp residues in OASS-A is in a polar pocket, while the other is in a relatively hydrophobic pocket. The presence of PLP in the OASS-A holoenzyme reduces the intrinsic fluorescence by 40-45%, but the spectrum is unaltered except for the appearance of the internal Schiff base ketoenamine fluorescence band centered at 484 nm. The phosphorescence is strongly quenched by PLP, with about 70% reduction in intensity and lifetime. Further, the phosphorescence spectrum of the holoprotein exhibits a single and narrow 0,0 vibronic band centered at 405 nm and a broad band in the 450-550-nm range resulting from delayed fluorescence of the ketoenamine tautomer of the internal Schiff base, sensitized by triplet-singlet energy transfer from tryptophan to the ketoenamine tautomer of PLP. Comparison with data obtained for the W51Y mutant strongly suggests that the 405-nm phosphorescence band derives from W162, and that W51 in the wild type is entirely quenched either by singlet or triplet energy transfer to PLP or by some local group in the protein. From the rate of energy transfer, the separation between W162 and PLP is estimated to be about 25 A. Substrates other than OAS affect only the intensity of the coenzyme fluorescence band (484 nm) and the intensity of delayed fluorescence relative to that of phosphorescence, effects that are attributable to changes in fluorescence quantum yield of the ketoenamine chromophore. Addition of OAS, on the other hand, leads to a splitting of the 0,0 vibronic band in the phosphorescence spectrum of W162, yielding poorly resolved peaks at 406 and 408.5 nm, indicating thereby a change in the environment of the tryptophan residue and therefore in the conformation of the macromolecule as the internal Schiff base is converted to the alpha-aminoacrylate Schiff base. In buffer at 273 K, both the fluorescence and phosphorescence spectra relax to longer wavelengths and the phosphorescence lifetime is reduced to a few milliseconds, all indications that W162 is in a flexible region of the macromolecule, probably in close proximity to the aqueous interface. The phosphorescence lifetime in fluid medium reveals conformational heterogeneity in OASS-A and unveils important structure modulating effects of cofactor, substrates, and pH. Binding of PLP to the apoprotein increases the rigidity of the polypeptide in the region of W162 (in agreement with the greater thermal stability of the holoprotein), while OAS and L-serine have an opposite effect. Increasing the pH from 6.5 to 9 results in a 1.7-fold increase in tau av and a change in the relative amplitudes of the two lifetime components. Since the phosphorescence originates from a single tryptophan residue, the two tau components reflect distinct conformations of the subunit. In this case the conformational equilibrium (slow on the phosphorescence time scale) is governed by one or more groups in the protein with a pK around 8.

Cold Temperature↗

PubMed1994

Pressure effects on protein flexibility monomeric proteins.

Alterations in flexibility of monomeric proteins induced by hydrostatic pressure in the predenaturational range (< or = 3 kbar) were probed through the decay kinetics of tryptophan phosphorescence. With apoazurin, ribonuclease T1, wild-type and V67G mutant and phosphoglycerate kinase, pressure effects on the triplet lifetime (tau) and the amplitudes of multicomponent decays emphasize that subtle changes in conformation are ubiquitous. With apoazurin the increase in tau attests to a tightening of the protein core that is enhanced at high temperature. On the contrary, tau decreases with ribonuclease T1, wild-type and mutant, and with phosphoglycerate kinase, indicating that pressure induces a greater flexibility to protein regions in proximity to the surface of the macromolecule. For phosphoglycerate kinase the decrease in tau and the parallel increase in fluorescence intensity and red-shift of the fluorescence spectrum unveil an "unfolding" like transition with midpoint pressures of 1.1 kbar at 5 degrees C and 1.6 kbar at 25 degrees C. Evidence that unfolding of the C-domain of this protein is, however, less than complete is provided by a delta G zero that is about half of that obtained by denaturation in guanidine hydrochloride and also by the ability of this structure to undergo conformational drift. In 70% glycerol, pressure effects on tau of apoazurin are attenuated while for ribonuclease T1 there is a reversal of the tendency with a pronounced increase in tau. With phosphoglycerate kinase glycerol abolishes entirely the "unfolding" transition and all hysteresis effects. A consistent picture of these findings is provided in terms of the location of the probe and of the opposing effects that pressure exerts on protein flexibility by reducing internal cavities and increasing the hydration of the polypeptide.

Apoproteins↗

PubMed1994

Heterogeneity of protein conformation in solution from the lifetime of tryptophan phosphorescence.

The decay of Trp phosphorescence of proteins in fluid solutions was shown to provide a sensitive tool for probing the conformational homogeneity of these macromolecules in the millisecond to second time scale. Upon examination of 15 single Trp emitting proteins multiexponential decays were observed in 12 cases, a demonstration that the presence of slowly interconverting conformers in solution is more the norm rather than an exception. The amplitude of preexponential terms, from which the conformer equilibrium is derived, was found to be a sensitive function of solvent composition (buffer, pH, ionic strength and glycerol cosolvent), temperature, and complex formation with substrates and cofactors. In many cases, raising the temperature, a point is reached at which the decay becomes practically monoexponential, meaning that conformer interconversion rates have become commensurate with the triplet lifetime. Estimation of activation free energy barriers to interconversion shows that the large values of DeltaG* are rather similar among polypeptides and that the protein substates involved are sufficiently long-lived to display individual binding/catalytic properties.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1993

Tryptophan phosphorescence as a monitor of the solution structure of phosphoglycerate kinase from yeast.

The enzyme phosphoglycerate kinase from yeast possesses two tryptophan residues whose phosphorescence spectrum in low-temperature glasses is resolved into two distinct components with 0-0 vibronic bands centered at 408 and 412.5 nm. The thermal profile of the phosphorescence intensity and lifetime shows that the red (longer wavelength) component is quenched in fluid solutions so that the long-lived phosphorescence observed at ambient temperature in buffer is due entirely to the blue (shorter wavelength) component. The remarkable heterogeneity in flexibility of the two chromophores' sites inferred from the thermal behaviour, when analyzed in terms of the crystallographic structure, allows to make a straightforward assignment of the long-lived emission to internal Trp-333. Because in buffer the phosphorescence is due to only one Trp residue the biphasic nature of the decay reveals the presence of stable, slowly interconverting, conformers with profound differences in the internal fluidity of the C-domain. Further, according to the triplet lifetime, complex formation with substrates affect the protein structure in a very selective way. Thus, while 3-phosphoglycerate has practically no influence on the average lifetime, Mg ATP and Mg ADP increases tau by a factor of 1.9 and 5.3, respectively. The change in lifetime implies a remarkable stiffening of the C-domain which is partly relaxed in ternary complexes with 3-phosphoglycerate. These findings are discussed in terms of ligand-induced "closed" conformations of the protein.

Buffers↗

PubMed1992

Characterization of tryptophan phosphorescence of aspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli.

The Trp phosphorescence spectrum, intensity and decay kinetics of apo-aspartate aminotransferase, pyridoxamine-5P-aspartate-aminotransferase and pyridoxal-5P-aspartate aminotransferase were measured over a temperature range 160-273 K. The fine structure of the phosphorescence spectra in low-temperature glasses, with 0-0 vibrational bands centered at 408, 415 and 417 nm, for both apoenzyme and pyridoxamine-5P-enzyme reveals a marked heterogeneity of the chromophore environments. Only for the pyridoxal-5P form of the enzyme is the triplet emission strongly quenched and, in this case, the spectrum displays a unique 0-0 vibrational band centered at 415 nm. Concomitant to quenching, there is Trp-sensitized delayed fluorescence of the Schiff base, an indication that quenching of the excited triplet state is due, at least in part, to a process of triplet singlet energy transfer to the ketoenamine tautomer. All three forms of the enzyme are phosphorescent for temperatures up to 273 K. However, across the glass transition temperature the pyridoxal-5P enzyme shows a decrease in lifetime-normalized phosphorescence intensity, a thermal quenching that reduces even further the number of phosphorescing residues at ambient temperature. In fluid solution, the triplet decay is nonexponential and multiple lifetimes stress the heterogeneity in dynamical structure of the chromophores' sites. For the pyridoxal-5P enzyme, where only one or at most two residues are phosphorescent at 273 K, the nonexponential nature of the decay implies the presence of different conformers of the protein not interconverting in the millisecond time scale.

Apoenzymes↗

PubMed1992

Characterization of tryptophan and coenzyme luminescence in tryptophan synthase from Salmonella typhimurium.

Tryptophan synthase from Salmonella typhimurium is a bifunctional alpha 2 beta 2 complex that catalyzes the formation of L-tryptophan. We have characterized over the temperature range from 160 to 293 K the fluorescence and phosphorescence properties of the single tryptophan present at position 177 of the beta-subunit and of the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate bound through a Schiff's base in the beta-active site. The comparison between the fluorescence of the pyridoxal phosphate bound either to the protein or to valine free in solution indicates substantial protection for the coenzyme against thermal quenching and a greater intensity of the ketoenamine tautomer band. Trp-177 is highly luminescent, and its proximity to the pyridoxal moiety leads to an over 50% quenching of its fluorescence with both reduced and native coenzyme. The Trp phosphorescence spectrum possesses a narrow, well-defined, 0-0 vibrational band centered at 418.5 nm, a wavelength that indicates strong polar interactions with neighboring charges. The observation of delayed fluorescence in the native complex implies that the excited triplet state is involved in a process of triplet-singlet energy transfer to the ketoenamine tautomer. The rate of energy transfer, heterogeneous in low-temperature glasses with rate constants of 2.26 and 0.07 s-1, becomes homogeneous in fluid solutions as the coenzyme tautomer interconversion is likely faster than the phosphorescence decay. In both apo- and holo-alpha 2 beta 2, the phosphorescence from Trp-177 is long-lived even at ambient temperature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Binding Sites↗

PubMed1992

Conformational changes and subunit communication in tryptophan synthase: effect of substrates and substrate analogs.

The transmission of regulatory signals between the alpha- and beta-subunits of the tryptophan synthase alpha 2 beta 2 complex from Salmonella typhimurium has been investigated by monitoring the luminescence properties of the enzyme in the presence and in the absence of the alpha-subunit ligand DL-alpha-glycerol 3-phosphate, the alpha- and beta-subunit substrate indole, and the beta-subunit substrate analog L-histidine. The beta-subunit contains as intrinsic probes Trp-177 and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, whereas the alpha-subunit has been mutagenized by replacing Ala-129 with a Trp residue. In contrast to the inertness of L-histidine, DL-alpha-glycerol 3-phosphate was found (i) to alter the phosphorescence spectrum of Trp-129, (ii) to shift the fluorescence thermal quenching profile of both Trp-177 and coenzyme to higher temperature, (iii) to slow down the triplet decay kinetics of Trp-177 in fluid solution, and (iv) to affect the equilibrium between different conformations of the enzyme. These findings provide direct evidence that DL-alpha-glycerol 3-phosphate binding affects the structure of the alpha-subunit and, in the presence of coenzyme, induces a conformational change in the beta-subunit that leads to a considerably more rigid structure. As opposed to DL-alpha-glycerol 3-phosphate, the shortening of the phosphorescence lifetime upon indole binding suggests that this substrate increases structural fluctuations in the beta-subunit. Implications for the mechanism of the allosteric regulation between alpha- and beta-subunits are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1989

Tryptophan phosphorescence as a monitor of the structural role of metal ions in alkaline phosphatase.

The phosphorescence properties of Trp109 in alkaline phosphatase from Escherichia coli have been utilized to probe the conformation of the polypeptide following the removal of metal ions, reconstitution with Zn2+ and Cd2+ and phosphorylation. The complete removal of metal ions induces a drastic loosening of the protein structure that extends to the inner core of the macromolecule. While binding of a single metal ion/subunit (A-site occupancy) restores the holoconformer, practically no structuring effect is observed upon B-site occupancy by the second incoming metal ion. An exception to this rule occurs at alkaline pH and when the adjacent subunit in the dimer is metal-free. Under these circumstances a conformation of the subunit more compact than that of the fully saturated dimer manifests some degree of communication across the subunit interface. The binding of more than two metal ions/monomer generally destabilizes the protein, the effect being more pronounced at acid pH. Finally, the binding of inorganic phosphate restores the native-like configuration abolishing any destabilization induced by excess metal ions and acid pH. If the negative cooperativity towards metal binding to A sites in doubly metalated forms at pH 8 is in substantial agreement with 113Cd-NMR data, the equivalence in conformation between Zn2+- and Cd2+-reconstituted alkaline phosphatase emphasizes that no serious structural changes are introduced by the metal replacement.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗