Evidence is presented that the myosin subfragment-1-ADP complex, generated by the addition of Mg(2+) and ADP to subfragment 1, is an intermediate within the myosin Mg(2+)-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) turnover cycle. The existence of this species as a steady-state intermediate at pH8 and 5 degrees C is demonstrated by fluorescence measurements, but its concentration becomes too low to measure at 21 degrees C. This arises because there is a marked temperature-dependence on the rate of the process controlling ADP dissociation from subfragment 1 (rate=1.4s(-1) at 21 degrees C, 0.07s(-1) at 5 degrees C). In the ATPase pathway this reaction is in series with a relatively temperature-insensitive process, namely an isomerization of the subfragment-1-product complex (rate=0.055s(-1) at 21 degrees C, 0.036s(-1) at 5 degrees C). By means of studies on the P(i) inhibition of nucleotide-association rates, a myosin subfragment-1-P(i) complex was characterized with a dissociation equilibrium constant of 1.5mm. P(i) appears to bind more weakly to the myosin subfragment-1-ADP complex. The studies indicate that P(i) dissociates from subfragment 1 at a rate greater than 40s(-1), and substantiates the existence of a myosin-product isomerization before product release in the elementary processes of the Mg(2+)-dependent ATPase. In this ATPase mechanism Mg(2+) associates as a complex with ATP and is released as a complex with ADP. In 0.1m-KCl at pH8 1.0mol of H(+) is released/mol of subfragment 1 concomitant with the myosin-product isomerization or P(i) dissociation, and 0.23 mol of H(+) is released/mol of subfragment when ATP binds to the protein, but 0.23 mol of H(+) is taken up again from the medium when ADP dissociates. Within experimental sensitivity no H(+) is released into the medium in the step involving ATP cleavage.

Vinculin plays a dynamic role in the assembly of the actin cytoskeleton. A strong interaction between its head and tail domains that regulates binding to other cytoskeletal components is disrupted by acidic phospholipids. Here, we present the crystal structure of the vinculin tail, residues 879-1066. Five amphipathic helices form an antiparallel bundle that resembles exchangeable apolipoproteins. A C-terminal arm wraps across the base of the bundle and emerges as a hydrophobic hairpin surrounded by a collar of basic residues, adjacent to the N terminus. We show that the C-terminal arm is required for binding to acidic phospholipids but not to actin, and that binding either ligand induces conformational changes that may represent the first step in activation.

When myosin interacts with ATP there is a characteristic enhancement in tryptophan fluorescence which has been widely exploited in kinetic studies. Using Dictyostelium motor domain mutants, we show that W501, located at the end of the relay helix close to the converter region, responds to two independent conformational events on nucleotide binding. First, a rapid isomerization gives a small fluorescence quench and then a slower reversible step which controls the hydrolysis rate (and corresponds to the open-closed transition identified by crystallography) gives a large enhancement. A mutant lacking W501 shows no ATP-induced enhancement in the fluorescence, yet quenched-flow measurements demonstrate that ATP is rapidly hydrolyzed to give a products complex as in the wild-type. The nucleotide-free, open and closed states of a single tryptophan-containing construct, W501+, show distinct fluorescence spectra and susceptibilities to acrylamide quenching which indicate that W501 becomes internalized in the closed state. The open-closed transition does not require hydrolysis per se and can be induced by a nonhydrolyzable analogue. At 20 degrees C, the equilibrium may favor the open state, but with ATP as substrate, the subsequent hydrolysis step pulls the equilibrium toward the closed state such that a tryptophan mutant containing only W501 yields an overall 80% enhancement. These studies allow solution-based assays to be rationalized with the crystal structures of the myosin motor domain and show that three different states can be distinguished at the interface of the relay and converter regions.

For the simplest kinetic model the reverse rate constants (k(-1) and k(-2)) associated with ATP binding and cleavage on purified heavy meromyosin and heavy meromyosin subfragment 1 from rabbit skeletal muscle in the presence of 5mm-MgCl(2), 50mm-KCl and 20mm-Tris-HCl buffer at pH8.0 and 22 degrees C are: k(-1)<0.02s(-1) and k(-1)=16s(-1). Apparently, higher values of k(-1) and k(-2) are found with less-purified protein preparations. The values of k(-1) and k(-2) satisfy conditions required by previous (18)O-incorporation studies of H(2) (18)O into the P(i) moiety on ATP hydrolysis and suggest that the cleavage step does involve hydrolysis of ATP or formation of an adduct between ATP and water. The equilibrium constant for the cleavage step at the myosin active site is 9. If the cycle of events during muscle contraction is described by the model proposed by Lymn & Taylor (1971), the fact that there is only a small negative standard free-energy change for the cleavage step is advantageous for efficient chemical to mechanical energy exchange during muscle contraction.

At even the simplest level we can expect an ATPase mechanism to comprise the following four steps: the binding of ATP, the reaction of ATP with water on the enzyme, and the release of the products ADP and P1. So at the outset techniques are needed to investigate these four processes. The range of techniques needed is soon extended once questions are asked about the role of protons and metal ions, the possibility of a multistep hydrolytic process, multistep substrate and product binding processes, and protein–lipid or protein–protein interactions. Since ATPases and ATP synthases are almost universally involved in some form of energy transduction there is a particular need in an ATPase or ATP synthase reaction to evaluate the equilibrium constants of the steps in the mechanism and to investigate the possibility of alternate reaction pathways. The nature of the coupling process by the protein of the chemical reactions of ATP to the other energetic process, be it muscle contraction, active transport, respiration or photosynthesis, is likewise of profound interest. Finally we would like to know as much as possible about the ATPase or ATP synthase mechanism during the period when the various forms of energy transduction are occurring.