Sugar transport by the bacterial phosphotransferase system. Studies on the molecular weight and association of enzyme I.

Studies were conducted on the physical properties of Enzyme I, the first protein in the Salmonella typhimurium phosphoenolpyruvate:glycose phosphotransferase system. Since values lower than those previously reported for the monomer molecular weight were obtained, experiments were performed to determine whether Enzyme I had been partially degraded during isolation of homogeneous protein. Crude extracts and partially purified and homogeneous protein preparations exhibited identical behavior in crossed immunoelectrophoresis analyses, indicating that the isolated protein represented native, intact Enzyme I. The monomeric subunit of Enzyme I is globular, with a frictional ratio of about 1. Sedimentation equilibrium experiments provided a monomer molecular weight of 57,700 +/- 3,400, and gel filtration studies under denaturing conditions gave a comparable value of 57,000. The values previously obtained from polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analyses in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate varied with the conditions used, but under one set of conditions agreed with those given above. The sedimentation equilibrium studies were conducted at 8 degrees C, in the absence of substrates and cofactor (phosphoenolpyruvate, pyruvate, Mg2+). Under these conditions Enzyme I self-associates, but the association is weak, favoring primarily monomer. Because of solubility limitations, the sedimentation experiments were performed with Enzyme I at an initial concentration of 0.5 mg/ml, providing a concentration distribution of 0.1 to 2 mg/ml. Computer analysis of the results showed that within this concentration range it was not possible to distinguish between two modes of self-association, monomer-dimer and isodesmic. The physiological significance of the results is discussed.