A GrpE mutant containing the NH(2)-terminal "tail" region is able to displace bound polypeptide substrate from DnaK.

A key feature to the dimeric structure for the GrpE heat shock protein is the pair of long helices at the NH(2)-terminal end followed by a presumable extended segment of about 30 amino acids from each monomer. We have constructed a GrpE deletion mutant protein that contains only the unique tail portion (GrpE1-89) and another that is missing this region (GrpE88-197). Circular dichroism analysis shows that the GrpE1-89 mutant still contains one-third percent alpha-helical secondary structure. Using an assay that measures bound peptide to DnaK we show that the GrpE1-89 is able to lower the amount of bound peptide, whereas GrpE88-197 has no effect. Additionally, when the same peptide binding assay is carried out with the COOH-terminal domain of DnaK, the full-length GrpE and the two GrpE deletion mutants show little to no effect on peptide release. Furthermore, the GrpE88-197 mutant is able to enhance the off-rate of nucleotide from DnaK and the 1-89 mutant has no effect on the nucleotide release. Similar results of nucleotide release are observed with the NH(2)-terminal ATPase domain mutant of DnaK. The results presented show directly that there is interaction between the GrpE protein's "tail" region and the substrate COOH-terminal peptide binding domain of DnaK, although the effect is only fully manifest with an intact full-length DnaK molecule.

DnaJ dramatically stimulates ATP hydrolysis by DnaK: insight into targeting of Hsp70 proteins to polypeptide substrates.

Most, if not all, of the cellular functions of Hsp70 proteins require the assistance of a DnaJ homologue, which accelerates the weak intrinsic ATPase activity of Hsp70 and serves as a specificity factor by binding and targeting specific polypeptide substrates for Hsp70 action. We have used pre-steady-state kinetics to investigate the interaction of the Escherichia coli DnaJ and DnaK proteins, and the effects of DnaJ on the ATPase reaction of DnaK. DnaJ accelerates hydrolysis of ATP by DnaK to such an extent that ATP binding by DnaK becomes rate-limiting for hydrolysis. At high concentrations of DnaK under single-turnover conditions, the rate-limiting step is a first-order process, apparently a change of DnaK conformation, that accompanies ATP binding and proceeds at 12-15 min-1 at 25 degrees C and 1-1.5 min-1 at 5 degrees C. By prebinding ATP to DnaK and subsequently adding DnaJ, the effects of this slow step may be bypassed, and the maximal rate-enhancement of DnaJ on the hydrolysis step is approximately 15 000-fold at 5 degrees C. The interaction of DnaJ with DnaK.ATP is likely a rapid equilibrium relative to ATP hydrolysis, and is relatively weak, with a KD of approximately 20 microM at 5 degrees C, and weaker still at 25 degrees C. In the presence of saturating DnaJ, the maximal rate of ATP hydrolysis by DnaK is similar to previously reported rates for peptide release from DnaK.ATP. This suggests that when DnaK encounters a DnaJ-bound polypeptide or protein complex, a significant fraction of such events result in ATP hydrolysis by DnaK and concomitant capture of the polypeptide substrate in a tight complex with DnaK.ADP. Furthermore, a broadly applicable kinetic mechanism for DnaJ-mediated specificity of Hsp70 action arises from these observations, in which the specificity arises largely from the acceleration of the hydrolysis step itself, rather than by DnaJ-dependent modulation of the affinity of Hsp70 for substrate polypeptides.

Characterization of the covalent enzyme intermediates formed during pyruvate phosphate dikinase catalysis.

The intermediacy of a pyrophosphorylenzyme (E-PP) and phosphorylenzyme (E-P) in the Clostridium symbiosum pyruvate phosphate dikinase catalyzed interconversion of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), orthophosphate (Pi), and pyruvate with adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP), inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) was examined using transient kinetic techniques. Single-turnover experiments with [gamma-32P]ATP or [14C]ATP and PPDK were carried out in the presence and absence of Pi to test for pyrophosphorylenzyme and AMP formation, respectively. Formation of the E-PP.AMP complex was found to be followed by Pi binding and the formation of the E-P.AMP.PPi complex. The level of pyrophosphorylenzyme accumulated during a single turnover was found to be dependent on the divalent metal cofactor used (Mn2+ > Co2+ > Mg2+). Single-turnover experiments with [32P]PEP and PPDK were carried out in the presence and absence of PPi and pyruvate to test for phosphorylenzyme formation in the reverse, ATP-forming direction of the reaction. Phosphorylenzyme formed from the reaction of the E.PEP complex was converted in the presence of AMP and PPi to free enzyme at a rate exceeding the steady-state turnover rate. The reaction sequence for pyruvate phosphate dikinase was determined to be [formula see text] 31P NMR analysis of the phosphorylenzyme in the native (-4.0 ppm) and denatured form (-3.9 ppm) revealed a 3-N-phosphohistidine residue. Complexation of Mg2+ resulted in a 0.3 ppm upfield shift of the phosphorus resonance from native phosphorylenzyme while Mn2+ complexation lead to extensive line broadening, indicative of metal cofactor binding in close vicinity to the phosphoryl group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)