The binding of inorganic vanadate (Vi) to rabbit muscle phosphoglycerate mutase (PGM), studied by using 51V nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, shows a sigmoidal dependence on vanadate concentration with a stoichiometry of four vanadium atoms per PGM molecule at saturating [Vi]. The data are consistent with binding of one divanadate ion to each of the two subunits of PGM in a noncooperative manner with an intrinsic dissociation constant of 4 X 10(-6) M. The relevance of this result to other studies which have shown that the Vi-stimulated 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) phosphatase activity of PGM has a sigmoidal dependence on [Vi] with a Hill coefficient of 2.0 is discussed. At pH 7.0, inorganic phosphate has little effect on the 2,3-DPG phosphatase activity of PGM, even at concentrations as high as 50 mM. Similarly, 25 microM Vi has little effect on the phosphatase activity. However, in the presence of 25 microM Vi, a phosphate concentration of 20 mM increases the phosphatase activity by more than 3-fold. This behavior is rationalized in terms of activation of the phosphatase activity by a phosphate/vanadate mixed anhydride. This interpretation is supported by the observation of strong activation of the phosphatase activity by inorganic pyrophosphate. A molecular mechanism for the observed effects of vanadate is proposed, and the relevance of this study to the possible use of vanadate as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of sickle cell anemia is discussed.
Diphosphoglycerate mutase has been purified to homogeneity from outdated human erythrocytes. The native enzyme has a molecular weight of 57 000 as determined by equilibrium centrifugation and exclusion chromatography. Disc gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate yields a single protein band with a molecular weight of about 26 500, indicating that diphosphoglycerate mutase is comprised of two subunits of similar mass. The enzyme exhibits the following intrinsic activities: diphosphoglyceratemutase, monophosphoglycerate mutase, and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate phosphatase. The latter activity is enhanced in the presence of either organic or inorganic anions. Glycolate-2-P, particularly, has a profound activating effect. Nonspecific phosphatase and enolase activities are absent. The enzyme has an extinction coefficient at 280 nm of 1.65 cm2/mg. The amino acid composition of the homogeneous protein has been determined.
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