Electron paramagnetic resonance and water proton relaxation rate studies of formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase-manganous ion complexes. Evidence for involvement of substrates in the promotion of a catalytically competent active site.

Conformational properties of the active site of formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase from Clostridium cylindrosorum have been examined by EPR spectroscopy and by solvent proton relaxation rate (PPR) studies of manganous complexes with the enzyme. Ternary enzyme-Mn-nucleotide complexes give EPR spectra which are very similar to those for the binary Mn-nucleotide complexes. However, upon addition of tetrahydrofolate to form the quaternary complexes, enzyme-MnADP-tetrahydrofolate and enzyme MnATP-tetrahydrofolate the EPR line shapes are changed substantially. Spectra for the quaternary complexes exhibit narrow line widths, and the splitting patterns are characteristic of a slightly asymmetric electronic environment for the bound Mn(II). Addition of formate to the ADP quatenary complex induces a further significant narrowing of the EPR line widths, although in the absence of tetrahydrofolate, formate does not influence the EPR spectrum for the enzyme-MnADP species. Both Pi and nitrate cause changes in the EPR patterns for the higher complexes of the enzyme which involve both ADP and tetrahydololate. However, the Pi effect is not influenced by the presence of formate whereas the characteristic effect of nitrate is potentiated only when formate is present. EPR sectra for the thernary complex with the beta, gamma-methylene analog of ATP App(CH2)p differ significantly from spectra for the binary App(CH)p complex is not influenced by further additions of tetrahydrofolate and of tetrahydorfolate and formate. The failure of spectra for the App(CH)p complex to respond to additions of the other substrates for the reaction is in marked contrast to the behavior found for the natural nucleotide substrates and is tentatively attributed to the lack of a protein-mediated interaction between the nucleotide and tetrahydrofolate binding sites in the analog complex. The frequency dependence of solvent PRR in the presence of the various complexes allows an estimate of the correlation times for electron-nuclear dipolar interaction and thereby the extent of hydration of the bound Mn(II) among the various complexes..