Allosteric, effectors equilibrium

The two states have the same affinity for ATP but differ with respect to their affinity for the substrate F6P, the allosteric effector ADP and the inhibitor PEP. Because of these differences in affinity, ligand binding can shift the equilibrium between the R and T states to favor one or the other state depending on which ligand is bound. 

FIGURE 15.9 Monod-Wyman-Changeux (MWC) model for allosteric transitions. Consider a dimeric protein that can exist in either of two conformational states, R or T. Each subunit in the dimer has a binding site for substrate S and an allosteric effector site, F. The promoters are symmetrically related to one another in the protein, and symmetry is conserved regardless of the conformational state of the protein. The different states of the protein, with or without bound ligand, are linked to one another through the various equilibria. Thus, the relative population of protein molecules in the R or T state is a function of these equilibria and the concentration of the various ligands, substrate (S), and effectors (which bind at f- or Fj ). As [S] is increased, the T/R equilibrium shifts in favor of an increased proportion of R-conformers in the total population (that is, more protein molecules in the R conformational state). 

Abraham, D.J., Saeo, M.K., Boyiri, T., Danso-Danquah, R.E., Kister, J., and Poyart, C. How allosteric effectors can bind to the same protein residue and produce opposite shifts in the allosteric equilibrium. Biochemistry 1995, 34, 15006-15020. 

Various allosteric effectors influence the equilibrium between the T and R forms and thereby regulate the O2 binding behavior of hemoglobin (yellow arrows). The most important effectors are CO2, and 2,3-bisphospho-glycerate (see p. 282). 

But where there is an equilibrium among two or more conformations of the enzyme in solution, crystallization may select out only one of the conformations. a-Chymotrypsin has a substantial fraction of an inactive conformation present under the conditions of crystallization, but only the active form of the enzyme crystallizes. An allosteric effector molecule that changes the conformation of the protein in solution may have no effect on the crystalline protein, as, for example, with phosphorylase b.5A The enzyme is frozen in one conformation, with the crystal lattice forces preventing any conformational change. On the other hand, the addition of an effector to phosphorylase a causes the crystals first to crack and then to anneal, giving crystals of the enzyme in a second conformation. 

Phosphofructokinase was one of the first enzymes to which Monod and his colleagues applied the symmetry model of allosteric transitions. It contains four identical subunits, each of which has both an active site and an allosteric site. The cooperativity of the kinetics suggests that the enzyme can adopt two different conformations (T and R) that have similar affinities for ATP but differ in their affinity for fructose-6-phosphate. The binding for fructose-6-phosphate is calculated to be about 2,000 times tighter in the R conformation than in T. When fructose-6-phosphate binds to any one of the subunits, it appears to cause all four subunits to flip from the T conformation to the R conformation, just as the symmetry model specifies. The allosteric effectors ADP, GDP, and phosphoenolpyruvate do not alter the maximum rate of the reaction but change the dependence of the rate on the fructose-6-phosphate concentration in a manner suggesting that they change the equilibrium constant (L) between the T and R conformations. 

The main effect of AMP on either phosphorylase b or phosphorylase a is to decrease the Km for P,. This change can be interpreted as we have interpreted the actions of allosteric effectors on phosphofructokinase and aspartate carbamoyl transferase, on the model that the enzyme can exist in two conformational states (R and T) with different affinities for the substrate. However, phosphorylase presents the additional complexity that the equilibrium constant (L) between the two conformational states can be altered by a covalent modification of the enzyme. In the absence of substrates, [T]/[R] appears to be greater than 3,000 in phosphorylase b but to decrease to about 10 in phosphorylase a. 

Is the interaction between an allosteric effector and an allosteric enzyme always an equilibrium ... 

The monomer has a M, of 97 kDa and it is generally thought that the active form of both phosphorylase a and b is the dimer. In the case of phosphorylase b, in the absence of allosteric effectors the equilibrium lies towards the dimer at accessible protein concentrations. Phosphorylation promotes association to the tetramer by generating surface which becomes the interface of the dimer of dimers.The tetramer of phosphorylase a (and presumably phosphorylase b) is inactive and ligands have only modest effects on the association-dissociation equilibria. 

Addition of substrate, which here is synonymous to the allosteric effector, shifts the equilibrium from the low affinity T-form to the substantially more catalytically active R-form. Since one substrate molecule activates four catalytically active sites, the steep rise in enzyme activity after only a slight increase in substrate concentration is not unexpected. In this model it is important that the RT conformation is not permitted. All subunits must be in the same conformational state at one time to conserve the symmetry of the protomers. The equation given by Hill in 1913, derived from the sigmoidal absorption of oxygen by hemoglobin, is also suitable for a quantitative description of allosteric enzymes with sigmoidal behavior ... 

This shows that as Rj increases from unity (when Eg will be nonequilibrium) to large values (Eg approaches equilibrium), the value of and hence the effectiveness of X as a regulator of this flux decreases from to near zero. Consequently, in agreement with previous qualitative deductions (32), catalystic (allosteric) effectors are poor regulators of the flux unless they interact at nonequilibrium reactions. 

The basic kinetic properties of this allosteric enzyme are clearly explained by combining Monod s theory and these structural results. The tetrameric enzyme exists in equilibrium between a catalytically active R state and an inactive T state. There is a difference in the tertiary structure of the subunits in these two states, which is closely linked to a difference in the quaternary structure of the molecule. The substrate F6P binds preferentially to the R state, thereby shifting the equilibrium to that state. Since the mechanism is concerted, binding of one F6P to the first subunit provides an additional three subunits in the R state, hence the cooperativity of F6P binding and catalysis. ATP binds to both states, so there is no shift in the equilibrium and hence there is no cooperativity of ATP binding. The inhibitor PEP preferentially binds to the effector binding site of molecules in the T state and as a result the equilibrium is shifted to the inactive state. By contrast the activator ADP preferentially binds to the effector site of molecules in the R state and as a result shifts the equilibrium to the R state with its four available, catalytically competent, active sites per molecule. 

FIGURE 15.12 71 versus [S] curves for an allosteric V system. The V system fits the model of Moiiod, Wyman, and Chaiigeux, given the following conditions (1) R and T have the affinity for the substrate, S. (2) The effectors A and I have different affinities for R and T and thus can shift the relative T/R distribution. (That is, A and I change the apparent value of L.) Assume as before that A binds only to the R state and I binds only to the T state. (3) R and T differ in their catalytic ability. Assume that R is the enzymatically active form, whereas T is inactive. Because A perturbs the T/R equilibrium in favor of more R, A increases the apparent Vmax- I favors transition to the inactive T state. 

A substrate or effector that binds preferentially to the R state increases the concentration of the R state at equilibrium. This can only happen if, in the absence of substrate or effector, the enzyme is predominantly in the T state. If the enzyme were predominantly in the R state to begin with, it would already have increased affinity for the substrate and there would be no allosteric or cooperative effects. Consequently, the MWC model cannot account for negative cooperativity (but this is rare anyway). 

Substrates can affect the conformation of the other active sites. So can other molecules. Effector molecules other than the substrate can bind to specific effector sites (different from the substrate-binding site) and shift the original T-R equilibrium (see Fig. 8-9). An effector that binds preferentially to the T state decreases the already low concentration of the R state and makes it even more difficult for the substrate to bind. These effectors decrease the velocity of the overall reaction and are referred to as allosteric inhibitors. An example is the effect of ATP or citrate on the activity of phosphofructokinase. Effectors that bind specif-... 

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