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The crystal structure of leishmania triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) complexed with 2-(N-formyl-N-hydroxy)-aminoethyl phosphonate (IPP) highlights the importance of Asn11 for binding and catalysis. IPP is an analogue of the substrate D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, and it is observed to bind with its aldehyde oxygen in an oxyanion hole formed by ND2 of Asn11 and NE2 of His95. Comparison of the mode of binding of IPP and the transition state analogue phosphoglycolohydroxamate (PGH) suggests that the Glu167 side chain, as well as the triose part of the substrate, adopt different conformations as the catalysed reaction proceeds. Comparison of the TIM-IPP and the TIM-PGH structures with other liganded and unliganded structures also highlights the conformational flexibility of the ligand and the active site, as well as the conserved mode of ligand binding.

The amino acid sequence of Leishmania mexicana triose phosphate isomerase is unique in having at position 65 a glutamic acid instead of a glutamine. The stability properties of LmTIM and the E65Q mutant were investigated by pH and guanidinium chloride-induced unfolding. The crystal structure of E65Q was determined. Three important observations were made: (a) there are no structural rearrangements as the result of the substitution; (b) the mutant is more stable than the wild-type; and (c) the stability of the wild-type enzyme shows strong pH dependence, which can be attributed to the ionization of Glu65. Burying of the Glu65 side chain in the uncharged environment of the dimer interface results in a shift in pKa of more than 3 units. The pH-dependent decrease in overall stability is due to weakening of the monomer-monomer interactions (in the dimer). The E65Q substitution causes an increase in stability as the result of the formation of an additional hydrogen bond in each subunit (DeltaDeltaG degrees of 2 kcal.mol-1 per monomer) and the elimination of a charged group in the dimer interface (DeltaDeltaG degrees of at least 9 kcal.mol-1 per dimer). The computated shift in pKa and the stability of the dimer calculated from the charge distribution in the protein structure agree closely with the experimental results. The guanidinium chloride dependence of the unfolding constant was smaller than expected from studies involving monomeric model proteins. No intermediates could be identified in the unfolding equilibrium by combining fluorescence and CD measurements. Study of a stable monomeric triose phosphate isomerase variant confirmed that the phenomenon persists in the monomer.

The gene that encodes for triosephosphate isomerase from Trypanosoma cruzi was cloned and sequenced. In T. cruzi, there is only one gene for triosephosphate isomerase. The enzyme has an identity of 72% and 68% with triosephosphate isomerase from Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania mexicana, respectively. The active site residues are conserved: out of the 32 residues that conform the interface of dimeric triosephosphate isomerase from T. brucei, 29 are conserved in the T. cruzi enzyme. The enzyme was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. Data from electrophoretic analysis under denaturing techniques and filtration techniques showed that triosephosphate isomerase from T. cruzi is a homodimer. Some of its structural and kinetic features were determined and compared to those of the purified enzymes from T. brucei and L. mexicana. Its circular dichroism spectrum was almost identical to that of triosephosphate isomerase from T. brucei. Its kinetic properties and pH optima were similar to those of T. brucei and L. mexicana, although the latter exhibited a higher Vmax with glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate as substrate. The sensitivity of the three enzymes to the sulfhydryl reagent methylmethane thiosulfonate (MeSO2-SMe) was determined; the sensitivity of the T. cruzi enzyme was about 40 times and 200 times higher than that of the enzymes from T. brucei and L. mexicana, respectively. Triosephosphate isomerase from T. cruzi and L. mexicana have the three cysteine residues that exist in the T. brucei enzyme (positions 14, 39, 126, using the numbering of the T. brucei enzyme); however, they also have an additional residue (position 117). These data suggest that regardless of the high identity of the three trypanosomatid enzymes, there are structural differences in the disposition of their cysteine residues that account for their different sensitivity to the sulfhydryl reagent. The disposition of the cysteine in triosephosphate isomerase from T. cruzi appears to make it unique for inhibition by modification of its cysteine.

The possibility of using non-conserved amino acid residues to produce selective inhibition of homologous enzymes from different species has been further explored with triosephosphate isomerase. S-phenyl-p-toluenethiosulfonate (MePhSO2-SPh), which produces phenyl disulfides with accessible Cys residues, inhibits the activity of rabbit triosephosphate isomerase. The inhibition is due to derivatization of one of the five Cys residues of rabbit triosephosphate isomerase. The effect of MePhSO2-SPh on triosephosphate isomerase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Escherichia coli, chicken and Schizosaccharomyces pombe was also determined. MePhSO2-SPh did not affect the activity of triosephosphate isomerase from S. cerevisiae and E. coli but it inhibited triosephosphate isomerase from chicken and S. pombe. From an analysis of the Cys content of the various triosephosphate isomerases, it was evident that amongst the ones studied only those that have a Cys in position 217 (or in an equivalent position) were sensitive to MePhSO2-SPh. Methyl metanethiosulfonate (MeSO2-SMe), which produces methyl disulfides, had no effect on triosephosphate isomerases that lack Cys217 (S. cerevisiae and E. coli). In triosephosphate isomerases that have Cys217, MeSO2-SMe inhibited by 40-50% the activity of that from S. pombe, 20-25% that from rabbit but had no effect on the chicken enzyme. In the three latter triosephosphate isomerases, MeSO2-SMe protected against the strong inhibiting action of MePhSO2-SPh. The latter observations suggest that MeSO2-SMe and MePhSO2-SPh derivatize the same Cys and that significant inhibition of activity requires perturbation by the relatively large phenyl group. The intrinsic fluorescence of rabbit triosephosphate isomerase that had been derivatized to a phenyl disulfide was almost identical to that of the native enzyme. Thus, modification of Cys217 did not produce gross structural alterations, albeit it brought about important kinetic alterations, i.e. a nearly fivefold increase in the K(m) for glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and a 65% decrease in Vmax. The effect of derivatizating Cys217 differs markedly from that produced by derivatization of Cys14 (another non-conserved cysteine). The differences may be explained from their position in the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme.

The gene of triose-phosphate isomerase in Leishmania mexicana has been cloned and characterized. The gene encodes a polypeptide of 251 amino acids, with a calculated molecular mass of 27,561 Da and a net charge of +2. Only one gene could be detected, although the enzyme is present in two different compartments of the cell, in microbody-like organelles called glycosomes and in the cytosol. The primary structure of the enzyme has many features in common with that of triose-phosphate isomerase in the related organism Trypanosoma brucei. Their sequences are 68% identical. The residues constituting the subunit interface are highly conserved between the enzyme of L. mexicana and T. brucei, but are mostly different from those in the enzyme of other organisms. One major substitution was detected in the interface region of the L. mexicana protein: a glutamate was found at position 66, instead of glutamine in all other available 20 sequences. The glutamine is thought to be important for the stability of the dimeric enzyme. L. mexicana triose-phosphate isomerase has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli. Growth conditions were established to obtain high levels of soluble and active protein. The enzyme has been purified to near homogeneity. It appears a stable dimeric protein with a specific activity of 5500 units/mg protein, a subunit mass of 28 kDa and an isoelectric point of 9.0. The enzyme has also been partially purified from glycosomes of cultured L. mexicana promastigotes. Some kinetic properties of the recombinant protein have been compared with those of the promastigote enzyme and with the values previously reported for the T. brucei enzyme. The kinetics of the different enzyme preparations were very similar. For the recombinant enzyme the following values were measured: with glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate as substrate Km = 0.30 +/- 0.05 mM and kcat = 2.5 x 10(5) min-1; with dihydroxyacetone phosphate as substrate Km = 1.3 +/- 0.3 mM and kcat = 2.8 x 10(4) min-1.

In this paper, the successful expression of trypanosomal triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) from Trypanosoma brucei brucei to high yield in Escherichia coli, using a T7-polymerase-based expression system, is described. Overexpressed trypanosomal TIM is fully active. The measured physicochemical properties of this recombinant TIM and TIM purified from trypanosomes are indistinguishable. Crystals of recombinant TIM have been grown in the presence of 2.4 M ammonium sulphate under the same conditions as for trypanosomally expressed TIM. The recombinant TIM crystal structure has been refined at 0.23 nm resolution; no differences were detected between this structure and the original crystal structure. A TIM mutant was made in which a unique dimer-interface histidine residue (His47) was changed into an asparagine. This variant ([H47N]TIM) could be expressed and purified to homogeneity by a procedure which was somewhat different from the purification of recombinant wild-type TIM. It is shown that the [H47N]TIM dimer is considerably less stable than wild-type trypanosomal TIM. The catalytic activity of [H47N]TIM is concentration dependent. The dilution-dependent inactivation is reversible. His47 is involved in a water-mediated hydrogen bond with Asp385 of the other subunit. The lower stability of the [H47N]TIM dimer implies that this water-mediated hydrogen bond is important for the stability of the TIM dimer.

The reactivation of the homodimeric enzyme triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) was studied in reverse micelles. The enzyme was denatured in conventional aqueous mixtures with guanidine hydrochloride and transferred to reverse micelles formed with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, hexanol, n-octane and water. In the transfer step, denatured TPI monomers distributed in single micelles, and guanidine hydrochloride was diluted more than 100 times. Under optimal reactivation conditions, 100% of the enzyme activity could be recovered. The rate of appearance of the catalytic activity increased with the concentration of protein, which indicated that catalysis required the formation of the dimer. The rate of TPI reactivation also increased with increasing protein concentration in the system with denatured TPI covalently derivatized at the catalytic site with the substrate analogue 3-chloroacetol phosphate. Thus, reactivation could take place via the formation of dimers composed of an inactive and an active subunit. Reactivation critically depended on the amount of water in the reverse micelles. The plot of the extent of reactivation versus the amount of water (2.5-7.0%) was markedly sigmoidal. Less than 20% reactivation took place with water concentrations below 3.5%, due to the formation (in less than 30 s) of stable inactive structures. The results indicate that reverse micelles provide a useful system to probe the events involved in the transformation of unfolded monomers to polymeric enzymes.

1. The rate equation for a generalized Michaelian type of enzymic reaction mechanism has been analyzed in order to establish how the mechanism should be kinetically designed in order to optimize the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme for a given average magnitude of true and apparent first-order rate constants in the mechanism at given concentrations of enzyme, substrate and product. 2. As long as on-velocity constants for substrate and product binding to the enzyme have not reached the limiting value for a diffusion-controlled association process, the optimal state of enzyme operation will be characterized by forward (true and apparent) first-order rate constants of equal magnitude and reverse rate constants of equal magnitude. The drop in free energy driving the catalysed reaction will occur to an equal extent for each reaction step in the mechanism. All internal equilibrium constants will be of equal magnitude and reflect only the closeness of the catalysed reaction to equilibrium conditions. 3. When magnitudes of on-velocity constants for substrate and product binding have reached their upper limits, the optimal kinetic design of the reaction mechanism becomes more complex and has to be established by numerical methods. Numerical solutions, calculated for triosephosphate isomerase, indicate that this particular enzyme may or may not be considered to exhibit close to maximal efficiency, depending on what value is assigned to the upper limit for a ligand association rate constant. 4. Arguments are presented to show that no useful information on the evolutionary optimization of the catalytic efficiency of enzymes can be obtained by previously taken approaches that are based on the application of linear free-energy relationships for rate and equilibrium constants in the reaction mechanism.

The steady-state reactant levels of triose-phosphate isomerase and the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase/phosphoglycerate kinase system were examined in guinea-pig cardiac muscle. Key glycolytic intermediates, including glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate were directly measured and compared with those of creatine kinase. Non-working Langendorff hearts as well as isolated working hearts were perfused with 5 mM glucose (plus insulin) under normoxia conditions to maintain lactate dehydrogenase near-equilibrium. The cytosolic phosphorylation potential ([ATP]/([ADP].[Pi])) was derived from creatine kinase and the free [NAD+]/([NADH].[H+]) ratio from lactate dehydrogenase. In Langendorff hearts glycolysis was varied from near-zero flux (hyperkalemic cardiac arrest) to higher than normal flux (normal and maximum catecholamine stimulation). The triose-phosphate isomerase was near-equilibrium only in control or potassium-arrested Langendorff hearts as well as in postischemic 'stunned' hearts. However, when glycolytic flux increased due to norepinephrine or due to physiological pressure-volume work the enzyme was displaced from equilibrium. The alternative phosphorylation ratio [ATP]'/([ADP]).[Pi]) was derived from the magnesium-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase/phosphoglycerate kinase system assigning free magnesium different values in the physiological range (0.1-2.0 mM). As predicted, [ATP]/([ADP].[Pi]) and [ATP]'/([ADP]'.[Pi]') were in excellent agreement when glycolysis was virtually halted by hyperkalemic arrest (flux approximately 0.2 mumol C3.min-1.g dry mass-1). However, the equality between the two phosphorylation ratios was not abolished upon resumption of spontaneous beating and also not during adrenergic stimulation (flux approximately 5-14 mumol C3.min-1.g dry mass-1). In contrast, when flux increased due to transition from no-work to physiological pressure-volume work (rate increase from approximately 3 to 11 mumol C3.min-1.g dry mass-1), the two ratios were markedly different indicating disequilibrium of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase/phosphoglycerate kinase. Only during adrenergic stimulation or postischemic myocardial 'stunning', not due to hydraulic work load per se, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate levels increased from about 4 microM to greater than or equal to 16 microM. Thus the guinea-pig cardiac glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase/phosphoglycerate kinase system can realize the potential for near-equilibrium catalysis at significant flux provided glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate levels rise, e.g., due to 'stunning' or adrenergic hormones.

We have explored the degree of independence of the two catalytic centers, interactions between the catalytic centers and the subunit-subunit contact sites, and different conformations of triosephosphate isomerase (TPI), by simultaneously employing irreversibly (covalent) and reversibly binding substrate analogues and monitoring their 31P-NMR resonances. 3-Chloroacetol phosphate (CAP) was bound to the active site by reaction with Glu165. The resulting, inactive (CAP-TPI)2 complex exhibited two distinct 31P-NMR resonances which were independent of pH and represent two conformational forms of the enzyme. Dissociation in guanidine hydrochloride followed by redimerization resulted in a single conformation. This was observed with the enzyme from chicken, rabbit and yeast. The inactive (CAP-TPI)2 dimer was mixed with native TPI, and dissociated/reassociated to form heterodimers (CAP-TPI)(TPI) in which one subunit contained the CAP label and the other subunit was unmodified. This hybrid migrated intermediate between the native and CAP-modified enzyme on nondenaturing PAGE. The heterodimer exhibited 50% the activity of the native dimer, but kinetic properties were otherwise indistinguishable. The reversibly binding transition state analogue, 2-phosphoglycolate (PGA), was used to probe the remaining vacant active site of the heterodimer. Bound PGA exhibited a pH-independent 31P-NMR resonance which was readily distinguishable from resonances of CAP-TPI and free PGA. No differences were observed in the binding of PGA to the vacant subunit of the heterodimer or the native dimer, further pointing to the independent nature of the two catalytic centers. However, the (CAP-TPI)(TPI) heterodimer was more susceptible to subunit dissociation in guanidine hydrochloride than the native dimer. Thus, it appears that the two active sites function completely independently of each other, but that the binding of CAP at the active center loosens the subunit-subunit contact. In addition, the two forms of the enzyme-inhibitor complex trapped by reaction with CAP may represent conformations with the hinged lid or flexible loop (residues 166-176) in the open and closed positions.

The three-dimensional structure of triosephosphate isomerase complexed with the competitive inhibitor SO-4(2) was determined by X-ray crystallography to a resolution of 0.24 nm. A comparison with the native crystal structure, where SO-4(2) is bound, revealed five changes: (a) a 0.10-nm shift of the anion-binding site; (b) a further closing of the flexible loop of the enzyme; (c) a 'swinging in' of the side chain of the catalytic Glu, that is chi 1 changes from (+) to (-) synclinal; (d) an altered water structure; (e) a disappearance of the conformational heterogeneity at the C-terminus of strand beta 7. Some of these changes may be related to the different hydrogen-bond pattern about the two different anions. However, the distance of 0.10 nm between the sulphur and phosphorus positions is unexpected and remains intriguing.

1. The idea is advanced that an evolutionary pressure in the direction of increased metabolic fluxes should lead to the selection at any evolutionary stage of enzymes which are optimally efficient considering the total evolutionary effort which has been spent on their improvement as catalysts. Relationships are derived which may be used for determination of the optimal state of operation of a Michaelian enzyme at a given total evolutionary effort as measured, for instance, by the mean magnitude of variable rate constants in the reaction mechanism. These relationships are applied to characterize the dependence on the total evolutionary effort of the optimal value of the equilibrium constant (Kint) for the conversion of enzyme-bound substrate into enzyme-bound product. 2. The results show that the optimal value of Kint reflects primarily the magnitude of the overall equilibrium constant for the catalysed reaction, whether or not the enzyme operates close to equilibrium. When the total evolutionary effort tends towards infinitely high values, Kint approaches unity, regardless of the magnitude of the overall equilibrium constant and of the concentrations of substrate and product. Concomitantly, the enzyme approaches its ultimate state of catalytic perfection where all variable rate constants in the mechanism tend towards infinitely high values. 3. It is concluded from previously reported kinetic data that triosephosphate isomerase has been subjected to such a low total evolutionary effort that the enzyme cannot possibly have reached (or even significantly approached) the ultimate state of perfection where the Kint value necessarily becomes close to unity. The reason why this enzyme exhibits a Kint value relatively close to unity is that it catalyses a reaction with an equilibrium constant relatively close to unity. Evidence is presented to show that similar considerations may apply for other enzymes operating by the examined reaction mechanism. 4. Analytical data are reported which indicate that Kint ultimately approaches unity because forward and reverse rate constants for the interconversion of enzyme-bound substrate and product are equivalent with regard to the evolutionary effort required to increase their magnitude.

The relative concentration of the aldolase x fructose-bisphosphate and of the aldolase x dihydroxy-acetone-phosphate complexes is regulated, in the steady state, by the nature of the accompanying glycolytic enzymes. Particularly in the presence of triose phosphate isomerase, the aldolase x dihydroxyactone-phosphate complexes are largely prevalent. This situation is very likely to hold in rabbit muscle in vivo. Aldolase and gyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase slowly form a complex; however, no evidence has been found for the direct transfer of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate between the two enzymes.

The possibility that the glycosomes present in the bloodstream form of Trypanosoma brucei [Opperdoes, F. R. and Borst, P. (1977) FEBS Lett. 80, 360--364] constitute a separate pool of glycolytic intermediates within the cell was investigated. In titrations of intact cells with digitonin, a differential activation of glycolytic enzymes was observed. Enolase, pyruvate kinase and the cell-sap marker alanine aminotransferase were activated at 0.05 mg digitonin per mg protein. The nine glycosomal enzymes involved in the conversion of glucose and glycerol into 3-phosphoglycerate were activated only at digitonin concentrations between 0.7 and 9.8 mg/mg protein. In subcellular fractions the activities of the latter enzymes were all latent between 70 and 92%. Latency was abolished by addition of 0.1% Triton X-100 or partly by five cycles of freezing and thawing. We conclude that the glycosomal enzymes are surrounded by a membrane, which forms a permeability barrier to intermediates and co-factors of glycolysis. The concentrations of glycolytic intermediates and of adenine nucleotides were measured under aerobic conditions as well as in the presence of 1 mM salicylhydroxamic acid, a respiratory inhibitor. Addition of salicylhydroxamic acid caused the following changes: (a) The levels of almost all glycolytic intermediates measured decreased. Glycerol-3-phosphate, however, increased fourfold. (b) The phosphate potential was drastically lowered from 2900 to 450 M-1. (c) The trypanosomes became more reduced, as monitored by a change in the apparent redox state of the NADH/NAD+ courple from E'h = -189 to E'h = -219 mV. From the high levels of metabolite concentrations found and from comparison of the apparent mass-action ratios calculated for the separate glycolytic reactions with those for other organisms, we conclude that in bloodstream form T. brucei the glycolytic intermediates are present in the glycosomes as well as in the cytosol and that the two pools of intermediates equilibrate with each other, despite the presence of the glycosomal membrane.

A steady-state kinetic analysis of the coupled reactions catalysed by the three-enzyme system, aldolase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and triosephosphate isomerase, was performed. The kinetic parameters of the progress curves of end-product formation calculated for noninteracting enzymes were compared with those measured in the two-enzyme and three-enzyme systems. Changes in the fluorescence anisotropy of labelled dehydrogenase upon addition of aldolase and/or isomerase were also measured. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate oxidation catalysed by glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in the presence of isomerase (which ensures rapid equilibration of the triosephosphates) follows single first-order kinetics. The rate constant depends simply on the concentration of the dehydrogenase, indicating no kinetically significant isomerase-dehydrogenase interaction. Fluorescence anisotropy measurements also fail to reveal complex formation between the two enzymes. The steady-state velocity of 3-phosphoglycerate formation from fructose 1, 6-bisphosphate in the reactions catalysed by aldolase and dehydrogenase is not increased twofold on addition of the isomerase, even though a 1:2 stoichiometry of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate/glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate is expected. In fact, by increasing the concentration of the isomerase, the steady-state velocity actually decreases. This effect of the isomerase may be a kinetic consequence of an aldolase-isomerase interaction, which results in a decrease of aldolase activity. Furthermore, the fluorescence anisotropy of labelled dehydrogenase, measured at different aldolase concentrations, is significantly lower when the sample contains isomerase. The decrease in the steady-state velocity of the consecutive reactions caused by the elevation of isomerase concentration could be negated by increasing the dehydrogenase concentrations in the three-enzyme system. All of these observations fit the assumption that the amount of aldolase-dehydrogenase complex is reduced due to competition of isomerase with dehydrogenase. The alternate binding of dehydrogenase and isomerase to aldolase may regulate the flux rate of glycolysis.

The kinetic properties of Trypanosoma brucei brucei triose-phosphate isomerase are compared with those of the commercially available rabbit muscle and yeast enzymes and with published data on the chicken muscle enzyme. With glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate as substrate Km = 0.25 +/- 0.05 mM and kcat = 3.7 X 10(5) min-1. With dihydroxyacetone phosphate as substrate Km = 1.2 +/- 0.1 mM and kcat = 6.5 X 10(4) min-1. The pH dependence of Km and Vmax at 0.1 M ionic strength is in agreement with the results published for the yeast and chicken muscle enzymes. At ionic strength below 0.05 M the effect of a charged group specific for the trypanosomal enzyme and absent from the yeast and rabbit muscle enzymes becomes detectable. This effect significantly increases Km whereas Vmax becomes slightly higher. Trypanosomal triose-phosphate isomerase is inhibited by sulphate, phosphate and arsenate ions, by 2-phosphoglycolate and a number of documented inhibitors in the same concentration range as are the other triose-phosphate isomerases. The trypanocidal drug, Suramin inhibits T. brucei and rabbit muscle triose-phosphate isomerase to the same extent while leaving the yeast enzyme relatively unaffected.