Search

Equilibrium dialysis of dog serum albumin (DSA) against Ni(II) in 0.1 M-N-ethylmorpholine/HCl, pH 7.53, demonstrates the absence of a specific Ni(II)-binding site in DSA. To evaluate at the molecular level the influence of the genetic substitution of L-tyrosine for L-histidine at the N-terminal of DSA, a simple model tripeptide of the N-terminal residues, glycylglycyl-L-tyrosine N-methylamide, was synthesized and its Ni(II)-binding properties studied. A comparison of the visible absorption characteristics of Ni(II)-DSA with those of Ni(II)-glycylglycyl-L-tyrosine N-methylamide reveals a similar change from octahedral to planar co-ordination as the pH is increased. Both systems exhibit a low Ni(II)-binding affinity at physiological pH, with DSA binding a greater percentage of Ni(II) owing to the availability of at least two binding sites of similar affinities. The complex equilibria between Ni(II) and glycylglycyl-L-tyrosine N-methylamide were studied by analytical potentiometry (0.15 M-NaCl, 25 degrees C). Four major complex species, MHA, MH-1A2, MH-2A2 and MH-3A [where M and A represent Ni(II) ion and anionic peptide respectively], were detected, MHA being the single species at physiological pH. There is no evidence for the involvement of the phenolic hydroxy group in the octahedral MHA complex, or within the plane of co-ordination in the high-pH species. The results provide direct evidence that the low Ni(II)-binding affinity of DSA is due to the genetic substitution of tyrosine for histidine at the N-terminal region of the protein.

Detailed studies are reported on the Ni(II)-binding site of human serum albumin (HSA) and the results are compared with those obtained from the N-terminal native-sequence peptide, l-aspartyl-l-alanyl-l-histidine N-methylamide (Asp-Ala-His-NHMe). Equilibrium dialysis of HSA and Ni(II) in 0.1m-N-ethylmorpholine/HCl buffer, pH 7.53, demonstrates a specific Ni(II)-binding site on the protein. l-Histidine, the low-molecular-weight Ni(II)-binding constituent of human serum, is shown to have a greater affinity for Ni(II) than does HSA. A small but significant amount of ternary complex HSA-Ni(II)-l-histidine is also present in the equilibrium mixture containing the three components. The log (association constant) values for the binary and ternary Ni(II) complexes are 9.57 and 16.23 respectively. The complex equilibria between Asp-Ala-His-NHMe and Ni(II) have been investigated by analytical potentiometry in aqueous solution (0.15m-NaCl, 25 degrees C). Several species, including MA, MA(2), MH(-2)A, and MH(-1)A(2) [where M and A represent Ni(II) ion and anionic peptide respectively], were detected in the system, MH(-2)A being the major complex species. Equilibrium studies involving Asp-Ala-His-NHMe, Ni(II) and l-histidine reveal the presence of a ternary complex MH(-1)AB (where B represents anionic l-histidine) at physiological pH. Detailed studies of visible-absorption spectra of HSA in the presence of Cu(II) and Ni(II) reveal that the two metal ions bind HSA at the same site. The visible-absorption spectrum of Ni(II)-HSA complex shows a highly absorbing peak at 420nm (epsilon(max.) = 137; with shoulder at 450-480nm) characteristic of a square planar or square pyramidal co-ordination arrangement about the metal ion. Similar visible-absorption characteristics were observed for the major species MH(-2)A in the Asp-Ala-His-NHMe-Ni(II) system (lambda(max.) = 420nm; epsilon(max.) = 135; with shoulder at 450-480nm). The combination of experimental results from the protein studies and the peptide analyses provides strong evidence for the structure of the Ni(II)-binding site of HSA as one that involves the alpha-amino nitrogen atom, two deprotonated peptide nitrogen atoms, the imidazole nitrogen atom and the side-chain carboxy group of the aspartic acid residue. On the basis of the results obtained from the individual ternary systems involving protein and peptide, a mechanism for the transportation of Ni(II) in the serum is proposed.

The nonspecificity of dog serum albumin (DSA) for Ni(II) is mimicked by the simplest tripeptide, glycylglycyl-L-tyrosine-N-methyl amide, which forms a planar complex at high pH. In this study, the 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) spectra of the free and complexed peptide are reported. As the pH is increased for the free peptide, the deprotonation of the terminal amino group (pKa = 7.94) is reflected most strongly by the chemical shift changes of the NH2-terminal -CH2CO- unit. Large upfield and downfield shifts for the tyrosine C xi, C epsilon and C gamma carbon resonances occur on the ionization of the phenolic hydroxyl group. The planar Ni(II) complex is in slow exchange on the nmr time scale and is of 1:1 stoichiometry. The greater chemical shift changes on Ni(II) coordination are observed from the protons nearest the peptide and amino nitrogens:amide CH3 (-0.704), Tyr(3) alpha-CH (-0.667), Gly(1) alpha-CH2 (-0.382), and Gly(2) alpha-CH2 (-0.519, -0.487). In the 13C spectrum, the Gly(1) C alpha (+7.58) is most affected. The Ni(II) ion is therefore at the center of four coordinating nitrogens. Changes in the coupling constants for the Tyr(3) -CH-CH2- moiety suggests a mainly gauche conformation with the tyrosyl ring positioned above the plane of coordination and a weak bonding interaction with the Ni(II) ion is indicated. These results provide structural information regarding the reduced affinity of DSA for Ni(II).