Does pressure antagonize anesthesia? Opposite effects on specific and nonspecific inhibitors of firefly luciferase.

Ueda and Suzuki (1998. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1380:313-319; 1998. Biophys. J. 75:1052-1057) reported that myristic acid inhibited firefly luciferase in microM range in competition with luciferin, whereas anesthetics inhibited it in millimeter ranges noncompetitively with luciferin. Myristate increased, whereas anesthetics decreased, the thermal denaturation temperature. The present study showed that high pressure increased the steady-state light intensity of the halothane-doped firefly luciferase but decreased that of the myristate-doped firefly luciferase. The steady-state light intensity showed a maximum at 19.1 degrees C. At 19.1 degrees C, high pressure did not affect the light intensity in the absence of the inhibitors. In the presence of 0.5 mM halothane, however, 25 MPa pressure (maximum effect) increased the light intensity to 106.0% of the control without the inhibitor. In the presence of 2.5 microM myristate, 40 MPa pressure decreased the light intensity to 90.9% of the control. When the temperature was 25 degrees C in the absence of inhibitors, 40 MPa pressure increased the light intensity 119.2% of the ambient value. At 0.5 mM halothane, 40 MPa pressure further increased the light intensity to 106.1% above the control 40 MPa value. At 2.5 microM myristate, 40 MPa pressure decreased the light intensity to 90.1% of the control 40 MPa value. From the pressure dependence of the light intensity, the volume change DeltaV of the enzyme was estimated at 25 degrees C: 0.5 mM halothane increased DeltaV = +3.93 cm3 mol-1, whereas 2.5 microM myristate decreased DeltaV = -7.66 cm3 mol-1. Present results show that there are distinct differences between the specific and nonspecific ligands in their response to high pressure. Myristate, which competes with luciferin, decreased the protein volume and stabilized the conformation against thermal perturbation. Halothane, which does not compete with the substrate, increased the protein volume and destabilized the conformation.