Allosteric activation of aspartate transcarbamylase with a fluorescent nucleotide analogue: linear-benzo-ATP.

The interaction of Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamylase with linear-benzo-ATP has been investigated by means of fluorescence spectroscopy. The fluorescent nucleotide analogue activates the enzyme to the same extent as ATP. Fluorescence polarization has been used to determine the association constant of lin-benzo-ATP with aspartate transcarbamylase (ATCase) which is 5 X 10(-3) M-1 at pH 8.7, at 4 degrees C, assuming six binding sites. This association constant is similar to those previously obtained for ATP at a variety of temperatures, buffers, and pH. The fluorescence emission of lin-benzo-ATP is not quenched when bound to ATCase, which indicates absence of pi interactions between the activator and tyrosyl residues in the protein. These residues have been implicated in the stereochemical mechanism of allosteric interactions in ATCase. Furthermore, this fluorescence behavior implicates hydrogen bond formation between the amino group of lin-benzo-ATP and a nucleophilic center at the enzyme binding site. The fact that lin-benzo-ATP activates ATCase is consistent with a previously published model for nucleotide regulation of the enzyme.