STEADY-STATE KINETIC MECHANISM OF BOVINE BRAIN TUBULIN - TYROSINE LIGASE

The ATP-dependent resynthesis of tubulin from tyrosine and untyrosinated tubulin was examined to establish the most probable steady-state kinetic mechanism of the tubulin: tyrosine ligase (ADP-forming). Three pair-wise sets of initial rate experiments, involving variation of two substrates pair-wise with the third substrate held at a high (but non-saturating) level, yielded convergent-line data, a behaviour that is diagnostic for sequential mechanisms. Michaelis constants were 14-mu-M, 1.9-mu-M and 17-mu-M for ATP, untyrosinated tubulin and L-tyrosine respectively, and the maximal velocity was 0.2 pm/min. AMP was a competitive inhibitor with respect to ATP, and a non-competitive inhibitor versus either tubulin or tyrosine. Likewise, L-dihydroxyphenylalanine acted competitively relative to tyrosine and non-competitively with respect to either ATP or tubulin. These findings directly support a random sequential mechanism. Product inhibition patterns with ADP were also consistent with this assignment; however, inhibition studies were not practical with either orthophosphate or tyrosinated tubulin because both were very weak inhibitors. Substrate protection of the enzyme against alkylation by N-ethylmaleimide and thermal inactivation, along with evidence of enzyme binding to ATP Sepharose and tubulin-Sepharose, also supports the idea that this three-substrate enzyme reaction exhibits a random substrate addition