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Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) depletion has been postulated as a contributor to the severity of COVID-19; however, no study has prospectively characterized NAD + and its metabolites in relation to disease severity in patients with COVID-19. We measured NAD + and its metabolites in 56 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and in two control groups without COVID-19: (1) 31 age- and sex-matched adults with comorbidities, and (2) 30 adults without comorbidities. Blood NAD + concentrations in COVID-19 group were only slightly lower than in the control groups (p < 0.05); however, plasma 1-methylnicotinamide concentrations were significantly higher in patients with COVID-19 (439.7 ng/mL, 95% CI: 234.0, 645.4 ng/mL) than in age- and sex-matched controls (44.5 ng/mL, 95% CI: 15.6, 73.4) and in healthy controls (18.1 ng/mL, 95% CI 15.4, 20.8; p < 0.001 for each comparison). Plasma nicotinamide concentrations were also higher in COVID-19 group and in controls with comorbidities than in healthy control group. Plasma concentrations of 2-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide (2-PY), but not NAD + , were significantly associated with increased risk of death (HR = 3.65; 95% CI 1.09, 12.2; p = 0.036) and escalation in level of care (HR = 2.90, 95% CI 1.01, 8.38, p = 0.049). RNAseq and RTqPCR analyses of PBMC mRNA found upregulation of multiple genes involved in NAD + synthesis as well as degradation, and dysregulation of NAD + -dependent processes including immune response, DNA repair, metabolism, apoptosis/autophagy, redox reactions, and mitochondrial function. Blood NAD + concentrations are modestly reduced in COVID-19; however, NAD + turnover is substantially increased with upregulation of genes involved in both NAD + biosynthesis and degradation, supporting the rationale for NAD+ augmentation to attenuate disease severity., (© 2024 The Author(s). Aging Cell published by Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Chemotherapy induced ovarian failure and infertility is an important concern in female cancer patients of reproductive age or younger, and non-invasive, pharmacological approaches to maintain ovarian function are urgently needed. Given the role of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) as an essential cofactor for drug detoxification, we sought to test whether boosting the NAD(P) + metabolome could protect ovarian function. We show that pharmacological or transgenic strategies to replenish the NAD + metabolome ameliorates chemotherapy induced female infertility in mice, as measured by oocyte yield, follicle health, and functional breeding trials. Importantly, treatment of a triple-negative breast cancer mouse model with the NAD + precursor nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) reduced tumour growth and did not impair the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs in vivo or in diverse cancer cell lines. Overall, these findings raise the possibility that NAD + precursors could be a non-invasive strategy for maintaining ovarian function in cancer patients, with potential benefits in cancer therapy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a progressive disorder caused by insufficient expression of frataxin, which plays a critical role in assembly of iron-sulfur centers in mitochondria. Individuals are cognitively normal but display a loss of motor coordination and cardiac abnormalities. Many ultimately develop heart failure. Administration of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-positive (NAD+) precursors has shown promise in human mitochondrial myopathy and rodent models of heart failure, including mice lacking frataxin in cardiomyocytes. We studied mice with systemic knockdown of frataxin (shFxn), which display motor deficits and early mortality with cardiac hypertrophy. Hearts in these mice do not "fail" per se but become hyperdynamic with small chamber sizes. Data from an ongoing natural history study indicate that hyperdynamic hearts are observed in young individuals with FRDA, suggesting that the mouse model could reflect early pathology. Administering nicotinamide mononucleotide or riboside to shFxn mice increases survival, modestly improves cardiac hypertrophy, and limits increases in ejection fraction. Mechanistically, most of the transcriptional and metabolic changes induced by frataxin knockdown are insensitive to NAD+ precursor administration, but glutathione levels are increased, suggesting improved antioxidant capacity. Overall, our findings indicate that NAD+ precursors are modestly cardioprotective in this model of FRDA and warrant further investigation.

Although previous inquiry into resistance to the polio vaccines in northern Nigeria has been launched from several disciplines, inquiry has been limited to the 2003 revolt and has rarely been informed by theory. This study drew on the culture-centered approach to health communication to argue that the exclusion of marginalized communities from decision-making by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) resulted in a vaccine resistance which found expression in health activism that engaged the local news media. To recover the excluded voices, this study examined community members' narratives of resistance to the vaccines in Nigerian news from 2012 to 2018. Upon providing a backdrop for these narratives through a chronology of GPEI milestones in northern Nigeria developed from Nigerian newspapers, the study then engaged with 168 speech acts of resistance in Nigerian news to co-construct alternative meanings of health. Drawing on a local cultural meaning of the vaccines as covertly carrying out a Western family-planning agenda, narrators negligibly associated "family planning" with health. Narrators further articulated health as access to foods and as religious practice. These findings have implications for the inclusion of voices from sub-Saharan Africa in GPEI decision-making.

The oxidation of IMP to XMP is the rate-limiting step in the de novo synthesis of guanine ribonucleotides. This NAD-dependent reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH). Based upon the recent structural determination of IMPDH complexed to oxidized IMP (XMP*) and the potent uncompetitive inhibitor mycophenolic acid (MPA), we have selected active site residues and prepared mutants of human type II IMPDH. The catalytic parameters of these mutants were determined. Mutations G326A, D364A, and the active site nucleophile C331A all abolish enzyme activity to less than 0.1% of wild type. These residues line the IMP binding pocket and are necessary for correct positioning of the substrate, Asp364 serving to anchor the ribose ring of the nucleotide. In the MPA/NAD binding site, significant loss of activity was seen by mutation of any residue of the triad Arg322, Asn303, Asp274 which form a hydrogen bonding network lining one side of this pocket. From a model of NAD bound to the active site consistent with the mutational data, we propose that these resides are important in binding the ribose ring of the nicotinamide substrate. Additionally, mutations in the pair Thr333, Gln441, which lies close to the xanthine ring, cause a significant drop in the catalytic activity of IMPDH. It is proposed that these residues serve to deliver the catalytic water molecule required for hydrolysis of the cysteine-bound XMP* intermediate formed after oxidation by NAD.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a costimulatory factor for interferongamma (IFNgamma) production. Processing of pro-IL-18 by IL-1beta-converting enzyme (ICE) leads to the release of bioactive IL-18. Compared with wild-type (WT) mice, splenocytes from ICE-deficient mice produced low IFNgamma after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or zymosan (50% and 80% reduction). In contrast, IFNgamma production was unimpaired in ICE-deficient mice using Concanavalin A (Con A). Comparable results were obtained when endogenous IL-18 was blocked with a neutralizing antibody. LPS-induced IFNgamma was also reduced by an ICE inhibitor. Exogenous IL-18 augmented zymosan-induced IFNgamma production in WT mice. In ICE-deficient cells, IFNgamma production was only partially restored by IL-18. The reduced levels of IFNgamma in ICE-deficient mice were not due to a lack of IL-12, because zymosan induced IL-12 equally in WT and in ICE-deficient mice. IFNgamma is an important regulator of cell proliferation. In accordance, splenocytes from ICE-deficient mice proliferated more when stimulated with LPS, but not with Con A. Furthermore, in ovalbumin-sensitized ICE-deficient mice, proliferation of lymph node cells in response to the specific antigen was not altered. Exogenous IFNgamma inhibited, whereas blockade of endogenous IFNgamma or IL-18 increased, LPS induced splenocyte proliferation both in WT and in ICE-deficient mice. Our results show that IL-18 is an IL-12-independent regulator of IFNgamma production and of cell proliferation induced by microbial stimuli. However, ICE-dependent processing of IL-18 is not needed for response to mitogens or antigens.

VX-478 (141W94), a potent inhibitor of HIV protease, is in late stage clinical trials for the treatment of HIV infection and AIDS. Resistant viruses were raised in vitro by passage of HIV-1IIIB in the presence of increasing concentrations of VX-478 and the related hydroxyethylamino sulfonamide inhibitor VB-11,328. By direct PCR analysis of selected viruses, a number of mutations were identified (L10F, M46I, I47V, I50V and I84V) in the protease gene. These mutations were introduced into recombinant HIV-1 protease and the mutant enzymes assayed against a panel of inhibitors of diverse chemical structure. For VX-478, significant increases in IC90 and Ki were observed for virus or protease, respectively, containing I50V single mutation or an M46I/I47V/I50V triple mutation. The mutant proteases were also characterized for their kinetic competence to process substrates representing cleavage sites of gag-pol viral polypeptide. The kinetic data were interpreted with the aid of molecular modeling to understand the effect of mutations on inhibitor binding and processing of the gag-pol polypeptide to generate infective virions.

The immunophilin FKBP12 is one of the most abundant and conserved proteins in biology. It is the primary receptor for the immunosuppressant actions of the drug FK506 in whose presence FKBP12 binds to and inhibits calcineurin, disrupting interleukin formation in lymphocytes. The physiologic functions of FKBP12 are less clear, although the protein has been demonstrated to physiologically interact with the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R), the ryanodine receptor, and the type 1 transforming growth factor beta receptor. We now report that FKBP12 binds the IP3R at residues 1400-1401, a leucyl-prolyl dipeptide epitope that structurally resembles FK506. We further demonstrate that binding to IP3R at this site enables FKBP12 to interact with calcineurin, presumably to anchor the phosphatase to IP3R and modulate the receptor's phosphorylation status. We propose that FK506 promotes an FKBP12-calcineurin interaction by mimicking structurally similar dipeptide epitopes present within proteins that use FKBP12 to anchor calcineurin to the appropriate physiologic substrates.

IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta bind to receptors termed the type I and type II IL-1 receptors. The type I IL-1 receptor is responsible for specific signaling, while the type II IL-1 receptor functions as a nonsignaling decoy receptor. To determine the effect of a defect in IL-1-mediated signaling, mice have been produced with a genetically disrupted type I IL-1 receptor gene. Mice lacking type I IL-1 receptors are of normal vigor and exhibit no overt phenotype. B cells from type I IL-1R-/- mice activated in vitro with anti-IgM do not proliferate in response to IL-1, but do so in response to IL-4. Injection of murine IL-1 alpha does not induce detectable serum IL-6 levels in type I IL-1R-/- mice, but equivalent levels are produced in response to LPS. Type I IL-1R-/- mice have normal serum Ig levels and generate equivalent primary and secondary Ab responses as wild-type mice. In response to LPS, acute phase protein mRNA induction are equivalent in type I IL-1R-/- and wild-type mice. Type I IL-1R-/- mice do not differ from control mice in susceptibility to either a lethal challenge with D-galactosamine plus LPS or high dose LPS. Interestingly, ICE-/-/type I IL-1R-/- double mutant mice are resistant to high dose LPS. Type I IL-1R-/- mice backcrossed to the C57BL/6 background were as equally resistant as wild-type mice to Listeria monocytogenes.

Infection by hepatitis C viruses (HCVs) is a serious medical problem with no broadly effective treatment available for the progression of chronic hepatitis. The catalytic activity of a viral serine protease located in the N-terminal one-third of nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) is required for polyprotein processing at four site-specific junctions. The three-dimensional crystal structure of the NS3-NS4A co-complex [Kim, J. L., Morgenstern, K. A., Lin, C., Fox, T., Dwyer, M. D., Landro, J. A., Chambers, S. P., Markland, W., Lepre, C. A., O'Malley, E. T., Harbeson, S. L., Rice, C. M., Murcko, M. A., Caron, P. R., & Thomson, J. A. (1996) Cell 87, 343-355] delineates a small hydrophobic region within the 54-residue NS4A protein that intercalates with and makes extensive contacts to the core of the protease. The current investigation addresses the mechanism of NS3 protease catalytic activation by NS4A utilizing a small synthetic NS4A peptide (residues 1678-1691 of the virus polyprotein sequence) and the recombinantly expressed protease domain of NS3. The addition of NS4A dramatically increased NS3 kcat and kcat/Km catalytic parameters when measured against small peptide substrates representing the different site-specific junctions of the polyprotein. The catalytic effect of natural and non-natural amino acid substitutions at the P1 position in a 5A/5B peptide substrate was investigated. NS3-NS4A demonstrated a marked catalytic preference for the cysteine residue commonly found in authentic substrates. The pH dependence of the NS3 hydrolysis reaction is not affected by the presence of NS4A. This result suggests that NS4A does not change the pKa values of the active site residues of NS3 protease. A steady state kinetic analysis was performed and indicated that the binding of NS4A and the peptide substrate occurs in an ordered fashion during the catalytic cycle, with NS4A binding first. Two distinct kinetic classes of peptidyl inhibitors based upon the 5A/5B cleavage site were identified. An NS4A-independent class is devoid of prime residues. A second class of inhibitors is NS4A-dependent and contains a natural or non-natural cyclic amino acid substituted for the commonly found P1' residue serine. These inhibitors display an up to 80-fold increase in affinity for NS3 protease in the presence of NS4A. Sequential truncation of prime and P residues from this inhibitor class demonstrated the fact that the P4' and P1' residues are crucial for potent inhibition. The selectivity of this NS4A effect is interpreted using a model of the 5A/5B decapeptide substrate bound to the active site of the NS3-NS4A structure.

Interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme (ICE) is a novel cysteine protease responsible for the cleavage of pre-interleukin-1beta (pre-IL-1beta) to the mature cytokine and a member of a family of related proteases (the caspases) that includes the Caenorhabditis elegans cell death gene product, CED-3. In addition to their sequence homology, these cysteine proteases display an unusual substrate specificity for peptidyl sequences with a P1 aspartate residue. We have examined the kinetics of processing pre-IL-1beta to the mature form by ICE and three of its homologs, TX, CPP-32, and CMH-1. Of the ICE homologs, only TX processes pre-IL-1beta, albeit with a catalytic efficiency 250-fold less than ICE itself. We also investigated the ability of these four proteases to process poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, a DNA repair enzyme that is cleaved within minutes of the onset of apoptosis. Every caspase examined cleaves PARP, with catalytic efficiencies ranging from 2.3 x 10(6) M-1 s-1 for CPP32 to 1.0 x 10(3) M-1 s-1 for TX. In addition, we report kinetic constants for several reversible inhibitors and irreversible inactivators, which have been used to implicate one or more caspases in the apoptotic proteolysis cascade. Ac-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp aldehyde (DEVD-CHO) is a potent inhibitor of CPP-32 with a Ki value of 0.5 nM, but is also potent as inhibitor of CMH-1 (Ki = 35 nM) and ICE (Ki = 15 nM). The x-ray crystal structure of DEVD-CHO complexed to ICE presented here reveals electrostatic interactions not present in the Ac-YVAD-CHO co-complex structure (Wilson, K. P., Black, J.-A. F., Thomson, J. A., Kim, E. E., Griffith, J. P., Navia, M. A., Murcko, M. A., Chambers, S. P., Aldape, R. A., Raybuck, S. A., and Livingston, D. J. (1994) Nature 370, 270-275), accounting for the surprising potency of this inhibitor against ICE.

IL-1 beta-converting enzyme (ICE) cleaves pro-IL-1 beta to the mature, released form. Although other proteases can process pro-IL-1 beta, ICE-deficient (ICE -/-) mice do not release mature IL-1 beta in response to endotoxin. The purpose of our study was to investigate the response of ICE -/- mice in two models of local inflammation, turpentine-induced tissue damage and zymosan-induced peritonitis. No differences were observed in the development of the systemic acute phase response after turpentine administration between wild-type and ICE -/- mice, but this response was completely impaired in IL-1 beta -/- mice. Accordingly, the levels of mature IL-1 beta produced in response to turpentine did not differ between wild-type and ICE -/- mice. In contrast, following zymosan-induced peritonitis, the levels of mature IL-1 beta were significantly lower in ICE -/- mice. This was associated with a 50% decrease in cellular infiltrate in ICE -/- mice compared with that in wild-type controls. The reduced production of zymosan-induced mature IL-1 beta in ICE -/- mice was also observed from cultured peritoneal or spleen cells. Our results demonstrate that in turpentine-induced tissue necrosis, precursor IL-1 beta is processed by non-ICE proteases, but in complement-mediated inflammation, ICE participates in the processing of the IL-1 beta precursor.

The interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) converting enzyme (ICE) processes the inactive IL-1beta precursor to the proinflammatory cytokine. ICE was also shown to cleave the precursor of interferon-gamma inducing factor (IGIF) at the authentic processing site with high efficiency, thereby activating IGIF and facilitating its export. Lipopolysaccharide-activated ICE-deficient (ICE-/-) Kupffer cells synthesized the IGIF precursor but failed to process it into the active form. Interferon-gamma and IGIF were diminished in the sera of ICE-/- mice exposed to Propionibacterium acnes and lipopolysaccharide. The lack of multiple proinflammatory cytokines in ICE-/- mice may account for their protection from septic shock.

Interleukin-1 beta-converting enzyme (ICE) is a cysteine protease responsible for proteolytic activation of the biologically inactive interleukin-1 beta precursor to the proinflammatory cytokine. ICE and homologous proteases also appear to mediate intracellular protein degradation during programmed cell death. Inhibition of ICE is a new antiinflammatory strategy being explored by the design of both reversible inhibitors and irreversible inactivators of the enzyme. Such compounds are capable of blocking release of interleukin-1 beta from human monocytes. ICE inhibitors that cross react against multiple ICE homologs can also block apoptosis in diverse cell types. ICE inhibitors impart protection in vivo from endotoxin-induced sepsis and collagen-induced polyarthritis in rodent models. Further optimization of the current generation of peptidyl ICE inhibitors will be required to produce agents suitable for administration in chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.

Passage of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) in T-lymphocyte cell lines in the presence of increasing concentrations of the hydroxylethylamino sulfonamide inhibitor VX-478 or VB-11328 results in sequential accumulation of mutations in HIV-1 protease. We have characterized recombinant HIV-1 proteases that contain these mutations either individually (L10F, M46I, I47V, I50V) or in combination (the double mutant L10F/I50V and the triple mutant M46I/I47V/I50V). The catalytic properties and affinities for sulfonamide inhibitors and other classes of inhibitors were determined. For the I50V mutant, the efficiency (kcat/Km) of processing peptides designed to mimic cleavage junctions in the HIV-1 gag-pol polypeptide was decreased up to 25-fold. The triple mutant had a 2-fold higher processing efficiency than the I50V single mutant for peptide substrates with Phe/Pro and Tyr/Pro cleavage sites, suggesting that the M46I and I47V mutations are compensatory. The effects of mutation on processing efficiency were used in conjunction with the inhibition constant (Ki) to evaluate the advantage of the mutation for viral replication in the presence of drug. These analyses support the virological observation that the addition of M46I and I47V mutations on the I50V mutant background enables increased survival of the HIV-1 virus as it replicates in the presence of VX-478. Crystal structures and molecular models of the active site of the HIV-1 protease mutants suggest that changes in the active site can selectively affect the binding energy of inhibitors with little corresponding change in substrate binding.

The ability of time-averaged restrained molecular dynamics (TARMD) to escape local low-energy conformations and explore conformational space is compared with conventional simulated-annealing methods. Practical suggestions are offered for performing TARMD calculations with ligand-receptor systems, and are illustrated for the complex of the immunosuppressant FK506 bound to Q50R,A95H,K98I triple mutant FKBP-13. The structure of (13)C-labeled FK506 bound to triple-mutant FKBP-13 was determined using a set of 87 NOE distance restraints derived from HSQC-NOESY experiments. TARMD was found to be superior to conventional simulated-annealing methods, and produced structures that were conformationally similar to FK506 bound to wild-type FKBP-12. The individual and combined effects of varying the NOE restraint force constant, using an explicit model for the protein binding pocket, and starting the calculations from different ligand conformations were explored in detail.

The objective of this work was to contribute to the understanding of mechanisms for IMPDH inhibition. We over-expressed hamster type II IMPDH in Escherichia coli, purified the protein to apparent homogeneity, and used capillary electrophoresis to quantify enzyme turnover events accompanying inhibition by mycophenolic acid (MPA). We dissected two convergent pathways leading to MPA-inhibition; a rapid "forward" pathway beginning with substrates and linked to enzyme catalysis, and a slower "reverse" pathway apparently not involving catalysis. MPA-inhibition occurred rapidly in the forward direction by interrupting the enzyme turnover cycle, after IMP and NAD+ binding, after hydride transfer, and after NADH release. Slow inhibition, without substrate turnover, was achieved by incubating free enzyme with excess XMP and MPA. We propose that mycophenolic acid inhibits IMPDH by trapping a transient covalent product of the hydride transfer reaction (IMPDH approximately XMP*) before a final hydrolysis step that precedes XMP and enzyme release in the forward reaction pathway. Understanding the ligand occupancy of the protein has also proven important for producing homogeneous, chemically defined complexes for structural studies. IMPDH samples inhibited by MPA in the forward and reverse pathways yielded similar, high-quality crystals that are currently undergoing X-ray diffraction analyses.

To IL-1 beta is a principal mediator in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disease. The IL-1 beta-converting enzyme (ICE), a novel cysteine protease, is required for processing of the 31 kDa IL-1 beta precursor to generate the 17 kDa proinflammatory mature form. We investigated the effect of two irreversible peptidyl ICE inhibitors, VE-13,045 and VE-16,084, on IL-1 production in vitro and in vivo in acute and chronic inflammatory disease models. In vitro, VE-13,045 and VE-16084 inhibited IL-1 beta secretion by LPS-stimulated human adherent mononuclear cells (IC50's of 0.4 microM and 2.0 microM, respectively) and murine splenic monocytes (IC50's of 10 microM and 1.3 microM, respectively). Both VE-13,045 and VE-16,084 also inhibited LPS stimulated IL-1 alpha secretion, although with reduced potency. In vivo, a single intraperitoneal dose of VE-13,045 (50 mg/kg) administered to mice 60 to 75 minutes after a 40 mg/kg LPS challenge significantly reduced IL-1 beta serum levels by 50 to 70%. In the DBA/1J mouse model of Type II collagen-induced arthritis, prophylactic treatment with VE-13,045 (50 and 100 mg/kg/day) significantly delayed the onset of inflammation, with a 60% overall reduction in disease severity. VE-13,045 was more effective than either indomethacin (2 mg/kg/day) or methyl prednisolone (10 mg/kg/day). VE-13,045 was also effective in reducing inflammation and progression of arthritis when administered to mice with established disease. Histological analysis of wrist joints showed a reduction in synovial membrane damage, inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis, and cartilage erosion in VE-13,045-treated animals. This is the first demonstration of efficacy for an ICE inhibitor in a chronic disease model and suggests that ICE is an important target for design of anti-inflammatory or disease modifying drugs.

The 12 kDa FK506-binding protein FKBP12 is a cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerase that binds the macrolides FK506 and rapamycin. We have examined the role of the binding pocket residues of FKBP12 in protein-ligand interactions by making conservative substitutions of 12 of these residues by site-directed mutagenesis. For each mutant FKBP12, we measured the affinity for FK506 and rapamycin and the catalytic efficiency in the cis-frans peptidyl-prolyl isomerase reaction. The mutation of Trp59 or Phe99 generates an FKBP12 with a significantly lower affinity for FK506 than wild-type protein. Tyr26 and Tyr82 mutants are enzymatically active, demonstrating that hydrogen bonding by these residues is not required for catalysis of the cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerase reaction, although these mutations alter the substrate specificity of the enzyme. We conclude that hydrophobic interactions in the active site dominate in the stabilization of FKBP12 binding to macrolide ligands and to the twisted-amide peptidyl-prolyl substrate intermediate.

The proteolytic cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is an early biochemical event, which occurs during apoptosis. A recent study suggested that PARP cleavage can be mediated by a novel cytosolic protease (prICE) that resembles interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme (ICE), but cannot be mediated by ICE itself (Lazebnik, Y.A., Kaufmann, S.H., Desnoyers, S., Poirier, G.G., and Earnshaw, W.C. (1994) Nature 371, 346-347). We have used a COS cell co-transfection assay to investigate if ICE or any known ICE-like protease is active in PARP cleavage within the cell. Here we report that co-expression of human PARP with human ICE, or the ICE homologs TX and Nedd-2, resulted in a cleavage of PARP identical to that observed in apoptotic cells. Experiments with purified recombinant human ICE indicated that PARP polypeptide can be specifically cleaved in vitro by ICE in a time- and enzyme concentration-dependent manner. PARP cleavage, however, requires a 50-100-fold higher ICE concentration than does processing of the interleukin-1 beta precursor at an equivalent substrate concentration. The abilities of ICE, TX, and Nedd-2, when expressed at high intracellular concentrations, to cleave PARP are consistent with their induction of apoptosis in transfected cells.

The 12- and 13-kDa FK506 binding proteins (FKBP12 and FKBP13) are cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerases that bind the macrolides FK506 (Tacrolimus) and rapamycin (Sirolimus). The FKBP12.FK506 complex is immunosuppressive, acting as an inhibitor of the protein phosphatase calcineurin. We have examined the role of the key surface residues of FKBP12 and FKBP13 in calcineurin interactions by generating substitutions at these residues by site-directed mutagenesis. All mutants are active catalysts of the prolyl isomerase reaction, and bind FK506 or rapamycin with high affinity. Mutations at FKBP12 residues Asp-37, Arg-42, His-87, and Ile-90 decrease calcineurin affinity of the mutant FKBP12.FK506 complex by as much as 2600-fold in the case of I90K. Replacement of three FKBP13 surface residues (Gln-50, Ala-95, and Lys-98) with the corresponding homologous FKBP12 residues (Arg-42, His-87, and Ile-90) generates an FKBP13 variant that is equivalent to FKBP12 in its affinity for FK506, rapamycin, and calcineurin. These results confirm the role of two loop regions of FKBP12 (residues 40-44 and 84-91) as part of the effector face that interacts with calcineurin.

Enzyme-based assays are commonly employed in clinical and pharmaceutical laboratories to aid in quantitation of organic substances. Many enzyme assays are tedious, requiring the addition of reagents at multiple time intervals. The HPLC-based analysis of reaction products requires an additional step of vialing the samples and placing them in the autosampler. Such time-consuming, repetitive procedures are ideally suited for automation. We automated an HIV protease assay for the purposes of screening compounds as inhibitors of HIV protease and determining inhibition constants. Automation was accomplished by interfacing a robotic sample processor from a Gilson Model 232/401 biocompatible automatic sample processor and injector, with a Hewlett Packard HPLC. We used this configuration to automate the following steps: (a) preparation of serial dilutions of inhibitor, (b) enzyme assay setup, and (c) quantitation of products of enzyme assays. The resulting automated method produced inhibition constants that were of comparable accuracy and precision to those determined by manual methods.

We have synthesized a series of non-macrocyclic ligands to FKBP12 that are comparable in binding potency and peptidyl prolyl isomerase (PPIase) inhibition to FK506 itself. We have also solved the structure of one of these ligands in complex with FKBP12, and have compared that structure to the FK506-FKBP12 complex. Consistent with the observed inhibitory equipotency of these compounds, we observe a strong similarity in the conformation of the two ligands in the region of the protein that mediates PPIase activity. Our compounds, however, are not immunosuppressive. In the FKBP12-FK506 complex, a significant portion of the FK506 ligand, its 'effector domain', projects beyond the envelope of the binding protein in a manner that is suggestive of a potential interaction with a second protein, the calcium-dependent phosphatase, calcineurin, whose inhibition by the FKBP 12-FK506 complex interrupts the T-cell activation events leading to immunosuppression. In contrast, our compounds bind within the surface envelope of FKBP12, and induce significant changes in the structure of the FKBP12 protein which may also affect calcineurin binding indirectly.

Interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme (ICE) is composed of 10' (p10) and 20 kDa (p20) subunits, which are derived from a common 45 kDa precursor. Recent crystallographic studies have shown that ICE exists as a tetramer (p20/p10)2 in the crystal lattice. We provide evidence that the p10 and p20 subunits of ICE associate as oligomers in transfected COS cells. Using intragenic complementation, we show that the activity of a p10/p10 interface mutant defective in autoprocessing can be restored by co-expression with active site ICE mutants. Different active site mutants can also complement each other by oligomerization to form active ICE. These studies indicate that ICE precursor polypeptides may associate in different quaternary structures and that oligomerization is required for autoprocessing. Furthermore, integenic complementation of active site mutants of ICE and an ICE homolog restores autoprocessing activity, suggesting that hetero-oligomerization occurs between ICE homologs.

The interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) converting enzyme (ICE) processes the inactive IL-1 beta precursor to the proinflammatory cytokine. Adherent monocytes from mice harboring a disrupted ICE gene (ICE-/-) did not export IL-1 beta or interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide. Export of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 (IL-6) from these cells was also diminished. Thymocytes from ICE-/- mice were sensitive to apoptosis induced by dexamethasone or ionizing radiation, but were resistant to apoptosis induced by Fas antibody. Despite this defect in apoptosis, ICE-/- mice proceed normally through development.

The binding of the FK506/FKBP-12 complex to calcineurin (CN), its putative target for immunosuppression, involves recognition of solvent-exposed regions of the ligand as well as FKBP-12 residues near the active site. The R42K, H87V double mutation of FKBP-12 decreases the CN affinity of the complex by 550-fold [Aldape, R. A., Futer, O., DeCenzo, M. T., Jarrett, B. P., Murcko, M. A., & Livingston, D. J. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 16029-16032]. This work reports the solution structure of 13C-labeled FK506 bound to R42K, H87V FKBP-12. Assignments and NOE measurements at three mixing times were made from inverse-detected 1H-13C NMR experiments. Structures were calculated by several different methods, including distance geometry, restrained molecular dynamics, and molecular dynamics with time-averaged restraints. The NMR structures of the ligand are very well defined by the NOE restraints and differ slightly from the X-ray structure in regions that are involved in crystal packing. Comparison with the NMR structure of FK506 bound to wild-type FKBP-12 reveals that the R42K, H87V mutation causes the ligand backbone near C16 to move by 2.5 to 4.5 A, reorients 15-MeO by 90 degrees, and shifts 13-MeO by approximately 1.5 A. FK506 appears to undergo a concerted, mutationally induced shift in the binding pocket, with the greatest changes occurring in the effector region of the drug. The altered effector conformation of mutant-bound FK506 may perturb interactions between the drug and CN, thus accounting for the effect of the double mutation upon the CN inhibitory activity of the complex.

Parallel measurements of the thermodynamics (free-energy, enthalpy, entropy and heat-capacity changes) of ligand binding to FK506 binding protein (FKBP-12) in H2O and D2O have been performed in an effort to probe the energetic contributions of single protein-ligand hydrogen bonds formed in the binding reactions. Changing tyrosine-82 to phenylalanine in FKBP-12 abolishes protein-ligand hydrogen bond interactions in the FKBP-12 complexes with tacrolimus or rapamycin and leads to a large apparent enthalpic stabilization of binding in both H2O and D2O. High-resolution crystallographic analysis reveals that two water molecules bound to the tyrosine-82 hydroxyl group in unliganded FKBP-12 are displaced upon formation of the protein-ligand complexes. A thermodynamic analysis is presented that suggests that the removal of polar atoms from water contributes a highly unfavorable enthalpy change to the formation of C=O...HO hydrogen bonds as they occur in the processes of protein folding and ligand binding. Despite the less favorable enthalpy change, the entropic advantage of displacing two water molecules upon binding leads to a slightly more favorable free-energy change of binding in the reactions with wild-type FKBP-12.

It has been previously proposed that the rabbit p59-HBI (Heat shock protein Binding Immunophilin) or rFKBP59 (FK506 Binding Protein), found associated with the 90 kDa heat shock protein in nontransformed steroid receptor complexes, has three domains structurally related to hFKBP12 (Callebaut, I., Renoir, J.M., Lebeau, M.C., Massol, N., Burny, A., Baulieu, E.E. and Mornon, J.P. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 89, 6270-6274). Here we report the overexpression, as fusion proteins in E. coli, of the full length p59-HBI and a series of p59-HBI mutants delimiting these domains and their respective peptidyl prolyl cis trans isomerase (PPlase) activity. The PPlase activity of p59-HBI is comparable to that of hFKBP12 and is due to domain p59-HBI I which displays the highest homology with this immunophilin. The residual enzymatic activity found in domain p59-HBI II is discussed.

Calcineurin, a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase, has recently been identified as a common target for cyclophilin A-cyclosporin A and FK506 binding protein 12-FK506 complexes. This study has examined the structure activity relationships of cyclosporin A (CsA) and three functionally distinct analogues, [MeBm2t]1-CsA, D-diaminobutyryl-8-CsA (Dab8-CsA), and D-diaminopropyl-8-CsA (Dap8-CsA). Immunosuppressive potency in T cell activation models, NF kappa B activation, and IL-2 mRNA transcription has been compared with analogue affinity for cyclophilin A and inhibition of calcineurin phosphatase activity. CsA, Dap8-CsA, and Dab8-CsA bind to cyclophilin A with a similar affinity (Ki 4 to 5 nM as measured by inhibition of prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity), however, Dap8-CsA and Dab8-CsA inhibit T cell activation less than CsA. Although [MeBm2t]-CsA has weak affinity for cyclophilin A (Ki 540 nM), its immunosuppressive potency is similar to that of CsA. Both cyclophilin A-CsA and cyclophilin A-[MeBm2t]1-CsA complexes inhibit calcineurin phosphatase activity in vitro (Ki 114 and 67 nM, respectively). In Jurkat cells exposed to CsA or the analogues for 2 h, endogenous calcineurin phosphatase activity in cell lysates was inhibited by CsA and [MeBm2t]1-CsA (drug concentrations causing 50% reduction in 32PO4 release of 8 and 55 nM, respectively) in proportion to inhibition of T cell activation, IL-2 mRNA transcription, and NF kappa B activation. Dap8-CsA and Dab8-CsA had a minimal effect on endogenous calcineurin phosphatase activity in Jurkat cell lysates. These findings correlate the functional activity of CsA and structural analogues with calcineurin phosphatase activity and support calcineurin as a target for drug action. The Dap8 and Dab8 modifications of CsA, occurring in residue 8, which is exposed to solvent in the cyclophilin A-CsA complex, appears to significantly alter complex affinity for calcineurin.

Using an FK506 affinity column to identify mammalian immunosuppressant-binding proteins, we identified an immunophilin with an apparent M(r) approximately 55,000, which we have named FKBP52. We used chemically determined peptide sequence and a computerized algorithm to search GenPept, the translated GenBank data base, and identified two cDNAs likely to encode the murine FKBP52 homolog. We amplified a murine cDNA fragment, used it to select a human FKBP52 (hFKBP52) cDNA clone, and then used the clone to deduce the hFKBP52 sequence (calculated M(r) 51,810) and to express hFKBP52 in Escherichia coli. Recombinant hFKBP52 has peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity that is inhibited by FK506 and rapamycin and an FKBP12-like consensus sequence that probably defines the immunosuppressant-binding site. FKBP52 is apparently common to several vertebrate species and associates with the 90-kDa heat shock protein (hsp90) in untransformed mammalian steroid receptor complexes. The putative immunosuppressant-binding site is probably distinct from the hsp90-binding site, and we predict that FKBP52 has different structural domains to accommodate these functions. hFKBP52 contains 12 protein kinase phosphorylation-site motifs and a potential calmodulin-binding site, implying that posttranslational phosphorylation could generate multiple isoforms of the protein and that calmodulin and intracellular Ca2+ levels could affect FKBP52 function. FKBP52 transcripts are present in a variety of human tissues and could vary in abundance and/or stability.

The mechanism of FK506 immunosuppression has been proposed to proceed by formation of a tight-binding complex with the intracellular 12-kDa FK506-binding protein (FKBP12). The FK506-FKBP12 complex then acts as a specific high-affinity inhibitor of the intracellular protein phosphatase PP2B (calcineurin), interrupting downstream dephosphorylation events required for T-cell activation. Site-directed mutagenesis of many of the surface residues of FKBP12 has no significant effect on its affinity for calcineurin. We have identified, however, three FKBP12 surface residues (Asp-37, Arg-42, and His-87) proximal to a solvent-exposed segment of bound FK506 that may be direct contacts in the calcineurin complex. Site-directed mutagenesis of two of these residues decreases the affinity of FKBP12-FK506 for calcineurin (Ki) from 6 nM for wild-type FKBP12 to 3.7 microM for a R42K/H87V double mutant, without affecting the peptidylprolyl isomerase activity or FK506 affinity of the mutant protein. These FKBP12 mutations along with several substitutions on FK506 known to affect calcineurin binding form a roughly 100-A2 region of the FKBP12-FK506 complex surface that is likely to be within the calcineurin binding site.

FK506-binding protein (FKBP) catalyzes the cis-trans isomerization of the peptidyl-prolyl amide bond (the PPIase reaction) and is the major intracellular receptor for the immunosuppressive drugs FK506 and rapamycin. One mechanism proposed for catalysis of the PPIase reaction requires attack of an enzyme nucleophile on the carbonyl carbon of the isomerized peptide bond. An alternative mechanism requires conformational distortion of the peptide bond with or without assistance by an enzyme hydrogen bond donor. We have determined the kinetic parameters of the human FKBP-catalyzed PPIase reaction. At 5 degrees C, the isomerization of Suc-Ala-Leu-Pro-Phe-pNA proceeds in 2.5% trifluorethanol with kcat = 600 s-1, Km = 0.5 mM and kcat/Km = 1.2 x 10(6) M-1s-1. The kcat/Km shows little pH dependence between 5 and 10. A normal secondary deuterium isotope effect is observed on both kcat and kcat/Km. To investigate dependence on enzyme nucleophiles and proton donors, we have replaced eight potential catalytic residues with alanine by site-directed mutagenesis. Each FKBP variant efficiently catalyzes the PPIase reaction. Taken together, these data support an unassisted conformational twist mechanism with rate enhancement due in part to desolvation of the peptide bond at the active site. Fluorescence quenching of the buried tryptophan 59 residue by peptide substrate suggests that isomerization occurs in a hydrophobic environment.

Pharmacokinetics of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) produced in mouse C127 cells (t-PA(C127] and Chinese hamster ovary cells (t-PA(CHO] was investigated in chimpanzees. rt-PA was administered via a constant rate i.v. infusion for 60 min, and t-PA concentration and activity in plasma were measured during and after infusion. The noncompartmental parameters were calculated according to the moment analysis method, and a population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed to obtain the mean and interindividual variability of the pharmacokinetic parameters. The mean residence time of t-PA(C127) was significantly longer and the total body clearance was significantly less than that of t-PA(CHO). t-PA(C127) has an alpha-galactosyl moiety in its carbohydrate chains, whereas such a structure is not found in t-PA(CHO). These results demonstrate that two preparations of rt-PA's with different carbohydrate structures show different pharmacokinetics, and suggest that the carbohydrate structure can affect the efficiency of hepatic uptake of t-PA. A possible mechanism is an interaction of t-PA(C127) with the natural anti-alpha-galactosyl antibody. The anti-alpha-galactosyl antibody level in plasma decreased in association with the plasma levels of t-PA(C127) but was unaffected by t-PA(CHO) levels.

Steady-state kinetic parameters have been obtained for the pure 8-hydroxy-5-deazaflavin-reducing hydrogenase. With H2 and 8-hydroxy-5-deazariboflavin (F0) as substrates, Km (H2) = 12 microM, Km (F0) = 26 microM, and Kcat = 225 s-1. In the back-direction, F0H2 is reoxidized (anaerobically) at 225 s-1. Initial velocity patterns, product inhibition patterns, dead-end inhibition by carbon monoxide, and transhydrogenation to Procion Red HE-3B suggest a two-site hybrid ping-pong mechanism. A kinetic derivation for the rate equation is provided in the Appendix. Studies with D2 and with D2O reveal that no steps involving D transfer are substantially rate determining. Further, D2 yields F0H2 with no deuterium at C5 while in D2O a 5-monodeuterio F0H2 product is formed, indicating complete exchange of hydrogens from H2 with solvent before final transfer of a hydride ion out from reduced enzyme to C5 of F0.

The interactions between tPA domains that are important for catalysis are poorly understood. We have probed the function of interdomain interactions by generating tPA variants in which domains are duplicated or rearranged. The proteins were expressed in a transient mammalian expression system and tested in vitro for their ability to activate plasminogen, induce fibrinolysis and bind to a forming fibrin clot. Duplication of the heavy chain domains of tPA produced enzymatically active tPA variants, many of which demonstrated similar in vitro amidolytic and fibrinolytic activity and similar fibrin affinity to the parent molecule. Zymographic analysis of the domain duplication tPA variants showed one major active species for each variant. Selection of the residues duplicated and the interdomain spacing were found to be critical considerations in the design of tPA variants with duplicated domains. We also rearranged the domains of tPA such that kringle 1 replaced the second kringle domain and vice versa. An analysis of these variants indicates that the first kringle domain can confer fibrin affinity to a tPA variant and function in place of kringle 2. Therefore, in wild-type tPA, the functions of kringle 1 and kringle 2 must be dependent partially on their orientation within the heavy chain of the protein. The functional autonomy of the heavy and light chains of tPA is demonstrated by the activity of a tPA variant in which the order of the heavy and light chains was reversed.

The 8-hydroxy-5-deazaflavin (coenzyme F420) reducing hydrogenase from the obligate anaerobe Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum delta H has been purified 41-fold to apparent homogeneity. The major active enzyme form is a high molecular weight aggregate of Mr ca. 800,000, composed of three subunits, alpha (Mr 47K), beta (Mr 31K), and gamma (Mr 26K). The hydrogenase is purified aerobically in reversibly inhibited form, and conditions for anaerobic reductive activation with H2, high salt, thiols, and electron acceptors have been defined. The minimal species transferring electrons from H2 to coenzyme F420 appears to be an alpha beta delta (Mr 115K) complex. The tightly associated redox cofactors per 115K species are 0.6-0.7 nickel atom, 0.8-0.9 flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), and 13-14 iron atoms in iron-sulfur centers. The subunits have been separated by denaturing gel electrophoresis, which has permitted determination of amino acid composition, subunit N-terminal sequencing, and preparation of subunit-directed antibodies. There is iron associated with the alpha-subunit, but placement of the nickel and FAD has not been established.

Proton NMR spectra of met-aquo-myoglobin have been recorded in whole dark muscle from yellowfin tuna for the first time; in addition, spectra of the met-aquo, met-cyano, and deoxy forms were recorded in solution. The number of resolved methyl resonances in the met-aquo and met-cyano derivatives of the purified protein indicates a molecular heterogeneity, with the two species present in a ratio of approximately 3:2. These same two species, in very similar environments, are found in whole muscle. Upon reconstitution of the protein, the ratio of the two species is approximately 1:1. Specific isotope labeling in the met-cyano form reveals an interchange of 5-methyl and 8-methyl environments that is characteristic of heme orientational disorder about the alpha, gamma-meso axis. Incubation of the met-cyano protein at 37 degrees C shows that the two species are interconvertible, with the minor component declining to about one-eighth of that of the major component. This indicates that one of the two orientations is favored thermodynamically. The rate of equilibration for the met-aquo protein is exceedingly slow (half-life greater than 30 days), some 10(2) slower than for the analogous sperm whale derivative. The "reversed" heme orientation is therefore present in muscle as a kinetically trapped or metastable species, suggesting that the last step in the biosynthesis of myoglobin is similar to that of in vitro reconstitution. The presence of both heme orientations in myoglobin in whole muscle proves that heme orientational disorder is a physiological phenomenon.

We undertook a structure--function analysis of human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) using linker-scanning and deletion mutagenesis. Synthetic oligonucleotide linkers were introduced into the tPA cDNA at pre-existing restriction enzyme sites. This generated a series of tPA variants which contained small primary sequence alterations consisting of point mutations, deletions or insertions. The majority of the linker-insertion variants demonstrate a significant reduction in amidolytic and fibrinolytic activity in comparison to wild-type tPA. The exceptions are the variants with linker-inserts placed at the BglII(115) and StyI(277) sites of the tPA cDNA (4SLEG5 and 57LEA58 respectively), which encode insertions at the boundaries of the finger domain. The variants with linker-inserts in the light chain (protease domain) of tPA are the lowest in enzymatic activity. Particularly sensitive to mutation are highly conserved amino acids. Heavy chain deletion variants were constructed from point mutants at the domain boundaries of tPA. Deletion of the kringle domains lowers the fibrinolytic activity to a greater extent than deletion of the finger or growth factor domains. We conclude that alterations in any domain of the tPA molecule, and particularly in the highly conserved residues within these domains, can affect fibrinolytic activity.

The rotational mobility of myoglobin in situ was determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance line width measurements of a characteristic myoglobin resonance observed in bovine heart muscle spectra. The protein diffuses intracellularly at nearly half the rate observed in dilute solution. This high mobility allows the oxygenated form of myoglobin to contribute significantly to the overall diffusive flux of oxygen in respiring heart muscle.

Muscarinic agonist binding has been studied by the indirect method of competition between binding of agonist and 3H-antagonist. Studies of 3H-agonist binding have either been complicated by high levels of nonspecific binding or have been carried out at low concentrations of agonist, which bind only to high affinity sites. A new assay for binding of the muscarinic agonist, [3H]cismethyldioxolane, allows measurement of binding at concentrations up to 1000 nM with a high degree of specificity (92% at 18 nM, 50% at 1000 microM). Using this new binding method, it is possible not only to directly establish the validity of those observations made using competition binding studies, but also to obtain new insight into the mechanism of interaction of receptor agonist and guanine nucleotide. Specifically, data have been presented which demonstrate: 1) that binding of agonist to the high and low affinity forms of the muscarinic receptor involves two independent parallel reactions, and, in the absence of guanine nucleotides, agonist binding alone does not mediate the interconversion of the receptor from one affinity state to another, thus suggesting that high affinity receptors are present in chick heart membranes and do not require agonist binding for their formation; 2) that the interaction of agonist and guanine nucleotide with the receptor-guanine nucleotide-binding protein complex involves formation of an intermediate state in which both agonist and guanine nucleotide are bound to the receptor-guanine nucleotide-binding protein complex; and, finally, 3) that the order of binding of agonist and guanine nucleotide during formation of this intermediate state is random.

Metmyoglobin (metMb) reduction by metMb reductase from heart muscle requires cytochrome b5 as electron-transfer mediator. The existence of a metMb-ferrous cytochrome b5 complex is demonstrated by mutual perturbation of the proteins' respective electrophoretic titration curves between pH 4 and 7. The same technique shows a preferential binding of cytochrome b5 over metMb by the enzyme. The paramagnetic hyperfine shifts in the cytochrome b5 1H NMR spectrum are perturbed by metMb, indicating the formation of a specific bimolecular complex with a 1:1 stoichiometry and a binding constant estimated to be less than 10 microM. The resonances assigned to the cytochrome b5 heme 6-propionate methylene group exhibit the largest complexation shifts. Computer modeling implicates lysines 47, 50, and 98 of metMb as contact points with cytochrome b5 carboxylate residues 43, 44, 60, and heme 6-propionate. The mechanism of the enzymatic reduction establishes metMb reductase as an NADH-cytochrome b5 oxidoreductase. Cytochrome b5 is reduced at near diffusion-controlled rates by the enzyme with a turnover number of 1000 min-1 X Km for the cytochrome is 0.9 microM versus 100 microM reported for the erythrocyte enzyme. Ferrous cytochrome b5 then reduces metMb nonenzymatically with an apparent rate constant of 4.9 X 10(4) M-1 min-1 X Acetylation of metMb, which does not affect its oxygen affinity or chemical reduction, renders it a poor substrate for enzymatic reduction. This study suggests a function for the three exterior lysine residues conserved in all mammalian myoglobin sequences: they are contact points for complexation with cytochrome b5.

The isolation, purification, and characterization of metmyoglobin reductase from yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) is described. The enzyme has been purified 120-fold. Characterization of the enzyme includes molecular weight, isoelectric point, substrate specificity, enzyme kinetics, chromatographic behavior, and sensitivity to inhibitors. The physical and catalytic properties of the tuna enzyme are compared to those of bovine and blue-white dolphin metmyoglobin reductase.

Thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the oxygenation and autoxidation reactions were determined for yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), Pacific green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas caranigra), and sperm whale myoglobin. These proteins have quite similar heme contact residues, but vary in residues which are involved in globin stabilization and in postulated ligand paths to the heme iron. Oxygen equilibria measurements from 10 to 40 degrees C reveal that green sea turtle myoglobin has a lower oxygen affinity and lower enthalpy and entropy for oxygen-binding than the other proteins. Yellowfin tuna myoglobin has the most rapid oxygen dissociation rate and the highest susceptibility to autoxidation under all conditions studied. However, the dependence of the autoxidation rate on ionic strength is the same for the three proteins, despite substantial differences in their dynamic stabilities. These results suggest that the autoxidation reaction is more dependent on ligand accessibility than on the dynamic stability of the myoglobin.