Solute transport on the sub 100 ms scale across the lipid bilayer membrane of individual proteoliposomes.

Screening assays designed to probe ligand and drug-candidate regulation of membrane proteins responsible for ion-translocation across the cell membrane are wide spread, while efficient means to screen membrane-protein facilitated transport of uncharged solutes are sparse. We report on a microfluidic-based system to monitor transport of uncharged solutes across the membrane of multiple (>100) individually resolved surface-immobilized liposomes. This was accomplished by rapidly switching (<10 ms) the solution above dye-containing liposomes immobilized on the floor of a microfluidic channel.

Differential inhibition of homotrimeric dUTPases by the 3'-azido derivative of dideoxy-UTP.

The inhibitory effects of 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxyuridine-5'-triphosphate in complex with the Mg2+ ion (azido-ddUTP.Mg) on the dUTPases of the human, E. coli, and equine infectious anemia virus have been compared.

High-resolution x-ray structure of human aquaporin 5.

Human aquaporin 5 (HsAQP5) facilitates the transport of water across plasma membranes and has been identified within cells of the stomach, duodenum, pancreas, airways, lungs, salivary glands, sweat glands, eyes, lacrimal glands, and the inner ear. AQP5, like AQP2, is subject to posttranslational regulation by phosphorylation, at which point it is trafficked between intracellular storage compartments and the plasma membrane. Details concerning the molecular mechanism of membrane trafficking are unknown.

A double role for a strictly conserved serine: further insights into the dUTPase catalytic mechanism.

Ser72 at the active site of the Escherichia coli dUTPase has been mutated to an alanine, and the properties of the mutant have been investigated. The serine is absolutely conserved among the monomeric and trimeric dUTPases (including the bifunctional dCTP deaminase:dUTPases), and it has been proposed to promote catalysis by balancing negative charge at the oxygen that bridges the alpha- and beta-phosphorus of the substrate. In all reported complexes of dUTPases with the substrate analogue alpha,beta-imido-dUTP.

Effects of surface adsorption on catalytic activity of heavy meromyosin studied using a fluorescent ATP analogue.

Biochemical studies in solution and with myosin motor fragments adsorbed to surfaces (in vitro motility assays) are invaluable for elucidation of actomyosin function. However, there is limited understanding of how surface adsorption affects motor properties, e.g.

Mutation of the highly conserved tryptophan in the serpin breach region alters the inhibitory mechanism of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.

We have demonstrated that interactions within the conserved serpin breach region play a direct role in the critical step of the serpin reaction in which the acyl-enzyme intermediate must first be exposed to hydrolyzing water and aqueous deacylation. Substitution of the breach tryptophan in PAI-1 (Trp175), a residue found in virtually all known serpins, with phenylalanine altered the kinetics of the reaction mechanism and impeded the ability of PAI-1 to spontaneously become latent without compromising the inherent rate of cleaved loop insertion or partitioning between the final inhibited serpin-proteinase complex and hydrolyzed serpin. Kinetic dissection of the PAI-1 inhibitory mechanism using multiple target proteinases made possible the identification of a single rate-limiting intermediate step coupled to the molecular interactions within the breach region.

Resolution of Michaelis complex, acylation, and conformational change steps in the reactions of the serpin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, with tissue plasminogen activator and trypsin.

Michaelis complex, acylation, and conformational change steps were resolved in the reactions of the serpin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and trypsin by comparing the reactions of active and Ser 195-inactivated enzymes with site-specific fluorescent-labeled PAI-1 derivatives that report these events. Anhydrotrypsin or S195A tPA-induced fluorescence changes in P1'-Cys and P9-Cys PAI-1 variants labeled with the fluorophore, NBD, indicative of a substrate-like interaction of the serpin reactive loop with the proteinase active-site, with the P1' label but not the P9 label perturbing the interactions by 10-60-fold. Rapid kinetic analyses of the labeled PAI-1-inactive enzyme interactions were consistent with a single-step reversible binding process involving no conformational change.

Partitioning of serpin-proteinase reactions between stable inhibition and substrate cleavage is regulated by the rate of serpin reactive center loop insertion into beta-sheet A.

The serpin family of serine proteinase inhibitors is a mechanistically unique class of naturally occurring proteinase inhibitors that trap target enzymes as stable covalent acyl-enzyme complexes. This mechanism appears to require both cleavage of the serpin reactive center loop (RCL) by the proteinase and a significant conformational change in the serpin structure involving rapid insertion of the RCL into the center of an existing beta-sheet, serpin beta-sheet A. The present study demonstrates that partitioning between inhibitor and substrate modes of reaction can be altered by varying either the rates of RCL insertion or deacylation using a library of serpin RCL mutants substituted in the critical P(14) hinge residue and three different proteinases.

Accelerated conversion of human plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 to its latent form by antibody binding.

The serpin plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) slowly converts to an inactive latent form by inserting a major part of its reactive center loop (RCL) into its beta-sheet A. A murine monoclonal antibody (MA-33B8), raised against the human plasminogen activator (tPA).PAI-1 complex, rapidly inactivates PAI-1.

Inhibitory mechanism of serpins: loop insertion forces acylation of plasminogen activator by plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.

Serpin inhibitors are believed to form an acyl enzyme intermediate with their target proteinases which is stabilized through insertion of the enzyme-linked part of the reactive center loop (RCL) as strand 4 in beta-sheet A of the inhibitor. To test critically the role and timing of these steps in the reaction of the plasminogen activator inhibitor PAI-1, we blocked the vacant position 4 in beta-sheet A of this serpin with an octapeptide. The peptide-blocked PAI-1 was a substrate for both tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) and trypsin and was hydrolyzed at the scissile bond.

dUTPase from the retrovirus equine infectious anemia virus: specificity, turnover and inhibition.

The kinetic properties of dUTPase from equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) were investigated. K(M) (1.1 +/- 0.

Kinetic characterization of dUTPase from Escherichia coli.

The enzyme dUTPase catalyzes the hydrolysis of dUTP to dUMP and pyrophosphate, thereby preventing a deleterious incorporation of uracil into DNA. The best known dUTPase is that from Escherichia coli, which, like the human enzyme, consists of three identical subunits. In the present work, the catalytic properties of the E.

Role of the catalytic serine in the interactions of serine proteinases with protein inhibitors of the serpin family. Contribution of a covalent interaction to the binding energy of serpin-proteinase complexes.

The contribution of a covalent bond to the stability of complexes of serine proteinases with inhibitors of the serpin family was evaluated by comparing the affinities of beta-trypsin and the catalytic serine-modified derivative, beta-anhydrotrypsin, for several serpin and non-serpin (Kunitz) inhibitors. Kinetic analyses showed that anhydrotrypsin had little or no ability to compete with trypsin for binding to alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha 1PI), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), antithrombin (AT), or AT-heparin complex when present at up to a 100-fold molar excess over trypsin. By contrast, equimolar levels of anhydrotrypsin blocked trypsin binding to non-serpin inhibitors.

The acid stabilization of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 depends on protonation of a single group that affects loop insertion into beta-sheet A.

The serpin plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) spontaneously adopts an inactive or latent conformation by inserting the N-terminal part of the reactive center loop as strand 4 into the major beta-sheet (sheet A). To examine factors that may regulate reactive loop insertion in PAI-1, we determined the inactivation rate of the inhibitor in the pH range 4.5-13.

Serpin-protease complexes are trapped as stable acyl-enzyme intermediates.

The serine protease inhibitors of the serpin family are an unusual group of proteins thought to have metastable native structures. Functionally, they are unique among polypeptide protease inhibitors, although their precise mechanism of action remains controversial. Conflicting results from previous studies have suggested that the stable serpin-protease complex is trapped in either a tight Michaelis-like structure, a tetrahedral intermediate, or an acyl-enzyme.

A fluorescent probe study of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. Evidence for reactive center loop insertion and its role in the inhibitory mechanism.

A mutant recombinant plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) was created (Ser-338-->Cys) in which cysteine was placed at the P9 position of the reactive center loop. Labeling this mutant with N,N'-dimethyl-N-(acetyl)-N'-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl) ethylene diamine (NBD) provided a molecule with a fluorescent probe at that position. The NBD-labeled mutant was almost as reactive as wild type but was considerably more stable.

Mechanism of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate transfer from phosphoglycerate kinase to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

1. The kinetics of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate binding to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase have been examined by stopped-flow techniques in the absence and presence of phosphoglycerate kinase, using enzyme concentrations in the range 0.5-40 microM.

Evidence that 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate dissociation from phosphoglycerate kinase is an intrinsically rapid reaction step.

The steady-state kinetics of 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate formation through the action of phosphoglycerate kinase on 3-phosphoglycerate and ATP have been examined. The results show that initial velocities determined by the standard method of coupling bisphosphoglycerate production to NADH reduction in the presence of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase do not differ significantly from those determined in the absence of the latter enzyme. This observation invalidates the proposal that bisphosphoglycerate dissociation from phosphoglycerate kinase is much too slow to account for the high rates of phosphoglycerate turnover observed in the coupled two-enzyme system.

Mechanism of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate transfer from aldolase to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

The catalytic interaction of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase with glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate has been examined by transient-state kinetic methods. The results confirm previous reports that the apparent Km for oxidative phosphorylation of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate decreases at least 50-fold when the substrate is generated in a coupled reaction system through the action of aldolase on fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, but lend no support to the proposal that glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate is directly transferred between the two enzymes without prior release to the reaction medium. A theoretical analysis is presented which shows that the kinetic behaviour of the coupled two-enzyme system is compatible in all respects tested with a free-diffusion mechanism for the transfer of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate from the producing enzyme to the consuming one.

Kinetics of coenzyme binding to liver alcohol dehydrogenase in the pH range 10-12.

On- and off-velocity constants for NADH and NAD+ binding to liver alcohol dehydrogenase in the pH range 10-12 have been determined by stopped-flow kinetic methods. The results are consistent with previously reported equilibrium binding data and proposals attributing the main effects of pH on coenzyme binding to ionization of Lys-228 and zinc-bound water. Deprotonation of the group identified as Lys-228 decreases the NADH and NAD+ association rates by a factor exceeding 20 and has no detectable effect on the coenzyme dissociation rates in the examined pH range.

Synergism between coenzyme and alcohol binding to liver alcohol dehydrogenase.

Heterotropic cooperativity effects in the binding of alcohols and NAD+ or NADH to liver alcohol dehydrogenase have been examined by equilibrium measurements and stopped-flow kinetic studies. Equilibrium data are reported for benzyl alcohol, 2-chloroethanol, 2,2-dichloroethanol, and trifluoroethanol binding to free enzyme over the pH range 6-10. Binary-complex formation between enzyme and alcohols leads to inner-sphere coordination of the alcohol to catalytic zinc and shows a pH dependence reflecting the ionization states of zinc-bound water and the zinc-bound alcohol.

Catalytic significance of binary enzyme-aldehyde complexes in the liver alcohol dehydrogenase reaction.

The interaction of liver alcohol dehydrogenase with NADH and aldehyde substrates has been characterized with respect to ternary-complex formation by the apparently non-preferred pathway which involves intermediate formation of binary enzyme X aldehyde complexes. Rate constant estimates are reported for dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DACA) binding to free enzyme and for NADH binding to the enzyme X DACA complex. The rate of NADH (or NAD+) association to liver alcohol dehydrogenase is not detectably affected by DACA binding to the enzyme, but the NADH dissociation rate decreases approximately by a factor of 6.

Electrostatic field effects of coenzymes on ligand binding to catalytic zinc in liver alcohol dehydrogenase.

The synergism between coenzyme and anion binding to liver alcohol dehydrogenase has been examined by equilibrium measurements and transient-state kinetic methods to characterize electrostatic interactions of coenzymes with ligands which are bound to the catalytic zinc ion of the enzyme subunit. Inorganic anions typically exhibit an at least 200-fold higher affinity for the general anion-binding site than for catalytic zinc on complex formation with free enzyme. Acetate and SCN- interact more strongly with catalytic zinc in the enzyme X NAD+ complex than with the general anion-binding site in free enzyme.

Synergism between coenzyme and aldehyde binding to liver alcohol dehydrogenase.

Aldehyde binding to liver alcohol dehydrogenase in the absence and presence of coenzymes has been characterized by spectrometric equilibrium methods, using auramine O and bipyridine as reporter ligands. Free enzyme shows a significant affinity for aldehydes, and equilibrium constants for dissociation of the binary complexes formed with typical aldehyde substrates are reported. Binary-complex formation does not lead to any detectable inner-sphere coordination of aldehydes to the catalytic zinc ion of the enzyme subunit.

Synergism between coenzyme and carboxylate binding to liver alcohol dehydrogenase.

1. The interaction of decanoate and benzoate with the substrate-binding site in liver alcohol dehydrogenase has been characterized by fluorimetric equilibrium binding studies, using auramine O as a receptor ligand. 2.