Determining enzyme kinetics via isothermal titration calorimetry.

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) has emerged as a powerful tool for determining the thermodynamic properties of chemical or physical equilibria such as protein-protein, ligand-receptor, and protein-DNA binding interactions. The utility of ITC for determining kinetic information, however, has not been fully recognized. Methods for collecting and analyzing data on enzyme kinetics are discussed here.

Calibration of nanowatt isothermal titration calorimeters with overflow reaction vessels.

Obtaining accurate results with nanowatt titration calorimeters with overflow cells requires mass calibration of the buret injection volume, chemical calibration of the reaction vessel effective volume, and chemical calibration of the calorimetric factor used to convert the measured electrical signal to heat rate. Potential errors in electrical calibration of power compensation calorimeters require validation of the calorimetric factor with chemical reactions with accurately known stoichiometries and enthalpy changes. The effective volume of the reaction vessel can be determined from the endpoint of a quantitative reaction with known stoichiometries.

Direct binding of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase to telomeric DNA protects telomeres against chemotherapy-induced rapid degradation.

Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a glycolytic enzyme that displays several non-glycolytic activities, including the maintenance and/or protection of telomeres. In this study, we determined the molecular mechanism and biological role of the interaction between GAPDH and human telomeric DNA. Using gel-shift assays, we show that recombinant GAPDH binds directly with high affinity (K(d)=45 nM) to a single-stranded oligonucleotide comprising three telomeric DNA repeats, and that nucleotides T1, G5, and G6 of the TTAGGG repeat are essential for binding.