Transhydrogenase undergoes conformational changes to couple the redox reaction between NAD(H) and NADP(H) to proton translocation across a membrane. The protein comprises three components: dI, which binds NAD(H); dIII, which binds NADP(H); and dII, which spans the membrane. Experiments using isothermal titration calorimetry, analytical ultracentrifugation, and small angle x-ray scattering show that, as in the crystalline state, a mixture of recombinant dI and dIII from Rhodospirillum rubrum transhydrogenase readily forms a dI 2 dIII 1 heterotrimer in solution, but we could find no evidence for the formation of a dI 2 dIII 2 tetramer using these techniques. The asymmetry of the complex suggests that there is an alternation of conformations at the nucleotidebinding sites during proton translocation by the complete enzyme. The characteristics of nucleotide interaction with the isolated dI and dIII components and with the dI 2 dIII 1 heterotrimer were investigated. (a) The rate of release of NADP ؉ from dIII was decreased 5-fold when the component was incorporated into the heterotrimer. (b) The binding affinity of one of the two nucleotide-binding sites for NADH on the dI dimer was decreased about 17-fold in the dI 2 dIII 1 complex; the other binding site was unaffected. These observations lend strong support to the alternating-site mechanism.Transhydrogenase, found in the cytoplasmic membranes of bacteria, and in the inner membranes of animal mitochondria, couples the redox reaction between NAD(H) and NADP(H) to the translocation of protons.Its function in energy metabolism, biosynthesis, and detoxification has been discussed at length (1, 2). In different organisms (and possibly in different tissues of the same organism) transhydrogenase can either utilize the proton electrochemical gradient (⌬p) to drive reduction of NADP ϩ by NADH, or it can use NADPH oxidation by NAD ϩ to augment ⌬p formation. Energy coupling in transhydrogenase is indirect. In the forward direction (Reaction 1), protein conformational changes accompanying proton translocation bring together the nicotinamide rings of the bound nucleotides to allow the redox reaction (3). This "binding-change mechanism" may share common features with energy coupling in some ion-translocating ATPases. More generally, transhydrogenase has a number of properties that make it an excellent model for understanding the principles of operation of conformationally linked pumps in biology.The polypeptide organization of transhydrogenases varies between species, but the arrangement of the three components, dI, dII, and dIII, is essentially the same in all (Fig. 1). NAD(H) binds to dI, and NADP(H) binds to dIII; these two components protrude from the membrane (into the bacterial cytoplasm or mitochondrial matrix). The dII component spans the membrane, probably in 13 or 14 transmembrane helices (reviewed in Ref. 4). There is cross-linking and hydrodynamic evidence that both the bovine (5, 6) and Escherichia coli (7) transhydrogenases have two copies each of dI, dII, and dIII...

Transhydrogenase couples the reduction of NADP؉ by NADH to inward proton translocation across mitochondrial and bacterial membranes. The coupling reactions occur within the protein by long distance conformational changes. In intact transhydrogenase and in complexes formed from the isolated, nucleotide-binding components, thio-NADP(H) is a good analogue for NADP(H), but thio-NAD(H) is a poor analogue for NAD(H). Crystal structures of the nucleotide-binding components show that the twists of the 3-carbothiamide groups of thio-NADP ؉ and of thio-NAD ؉ (relative to the planes of the pyridine rings), which are defined by the dihedral, X am , are altered relative to the twists of the 3-carboxamide groups of the physiological nucleotides. The finding that thio-NADP ؉ is a good substrate despite an increased X am value shows that approach of the NADH prior to hydride transfer is not obstructed by the S atom in the analogue. That thio-NAD(H) is a poor substrate appears to be the result of failure in the conformational change that establishes the ground state for hydride transfer. This might be a consequence of restricted rotation of the 3-carbothiamide group during the conformational change.Transhydrogenase is found in the inner membrane of animal mitochondria and in the cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria. The enzyme provides NADPH for biosynthesis and for reduction of glutathione, and in some mammalian tissues, it probably participates in the regulation of flux through the tricarboxylic acid cycle (1, 2). Under most physiological conditions transhydrogenase is driven in the "forward" direction by the proton electrochemical gradient (⌬p) generated by respiratory (or photosynthetic) electron transport.There is general agreement that coupling between the redox reaction and proton translocation is mediated by changes in protein conformation, although the character of these conformational changes is not known (reviewed in Refs. 3-5). Coupling mechanisms that involve large conformational changes operating over considerable distances are emerging as a common feature in proteins that translocate solutes/ions across membranes, and the amenable properties of transhydrogenase make it an attractive model in the search for fundamental principles. The enzyme has three components. The dI component, which binds NAD ϩ and NADH, and the dIII component, which binds NADP ϩ and NADPH, are extrinsic proteins protruding from the membrane (on the matrix side in mitochondria and on the cytoplasmic side in bacteria), and dII spans the membrane. The enzyme is essentially a "dimer" of two dI-dIIdIII "monomers," although the polypeptide composition is variable among species. Crystal structures of Rhodospirillum rubrum dI (6, 7), bovine dIII (8), human dIII (9, 10), and R. rubrum dI 2 dIII 1 complex (11,12), and an NMR structure of R. rubrum dIII (13) have recently been published. Studies on the transient state kinetics of transhydrogenation reveal that the redox reaction between the two nucleotides is direct (14,15). Thus, the nicotinamide and dihydr...

Transhydrogenase couples the transfer of hydride-ion equivalents between NAD(H) and NADP(H) to proton translocation across a membrane. The enzyme has three components: dI binds NAD(H), dIII binds NADP(H) and dII spans the membrane. Coupling between transhydrogenation and proton translocation involves changes in the binding of NADP(H). Mixtures of isolated dI and dIII from Rhodospirillum rubrum transhydrogenase catalyse a rapid, single-turnover burst of hydride transfer between bound nucleotides; subsequent turnover is limited by NADP(H) release. Stopped-flow experiments showed that the rate of the hydride transfer step is decreased at low pH. Single Trp residues were introduced into dIII by site-directed mutagenesis. Two mutants with similar catalytic properties to those of the wild-type protein were selected for a study of nucleotide release. The way in which Trp fluorescence was affected by nucleotide occupancy of dIII was different in the two mutants, and hence two different procedures for determining the rate of nucleotide release were developed. The apparent first-order rate constants for NADP 1 release and NADPH release from isolated dIII increased dramatically at low pH. It is concluded that a single ionisable group in dIII controls both the rate of hydride transfer and the rate of nucleotide release. The properties of the protonated and unprotonated forms of dIII are consistent with those expected of intermediates in the NADP(H)-binding-change mechanism. The ionisable group might be a component of the proton-translocation pathway in the complete enzyme.Keywords: transhydrogenase; proton translocation; ion pumps; nucleotide binding; Rhodosprillum rubrum.Transhydrogenase is found in the inner mitochondrial membrane of animal cells, and in the cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria. It couples the transfer of reducing equivalents (hydride ion equivalents) between NAD(H) and NADP(H) to the translocation of protons across the membrane.Under most physiological conditions, transhydrogenase is driven from left to right (Eqn 1) by the proton electrochemical gradient (Dp) generated by respiratory (or sometimes photosynthetic) electron transport. In bacteria, this provides NADPH for biosynthesis and for glutathione reduction Although, in different species, the protein is expressed as one, two or three polypeptides, transhydrogenase always has a tripartite subunit composition. The dI component and the dIII component, which bind NAD(H) and NADP(H), respectively, protrude from the membrane (on the matrix side in mitochondria, and on the cytoplasmic side in bacteria), and the dII component spans the membrane (reviewed in [3]). The high-resolution structures of isolated dI from Rhodospirillum rubrum [4], and isolated dIII from Homo sapiens [5,6], Bos taurus [7] and R. rubrum [8] were recently determined. The dI component is dimeric; each polypeptide has two domains, separated by a cleft, and linked by two long helices; NAD 1 binds with its nicotinamide ring exposed in the cleft. The dIII component is monomeric and comprises a...

Transhydrogenase couples the reduction of NADP(+) by NADH to inward proton translocation across the bacterial (or mitochondrial) membrane. Conformational changes in the NADP(H)-binding component of the enzyme (dIII) are central to the coupling mechanism. In the "open" state, NADP(H) bound to dIII can readily exchange with nucleotides in the solvent but hydride transfer [to/from NAD(H) bound to dI] is prevented. In the "occluded" state, bound NADP(H) cannot exchange with solvent nucleotides but the hydride transfer reaction is permitted. It was previously found that the conformational state of isolated, recombinant dIII is pH dependent. At neutral pH, the protein adopts a conformation resembling the occluded state, and at low pH, it adopts a conformation resembling the open state. The crystal structure of dIII indicates that the loop E "lid" might be largely responsible for the very high affinity of the protein for NADP(H). In this paper we show, using fluorescence resonance energy transfer, that the distance between the apex of loop E of isolated dIII, and the core of the protein, increases when the solution pH is lowered. This is consistent with the view that the lid is retracted to permit NADPH release during turnover of the complete enzyme.

The serial dilution of compounds to establish potency against target enzymes or receptors can at times be a rate-limiting step in project progression. We have investigated the possibility of running 50% inhibitory concentration experiments in an interplate format, with dose ranges constructed across plates. The advantages associated with this format include a faster reformatting time for the compounds while also increasing the number of doses that can be potentially generated. These two factors, in particular, would lend themselves to a higher-throughput and more timely testing of compounds, while also maximizing chances to capture fully developed dose-response curves. The key objective from this work was to establish a strategy to assess the feasibility of an interplate format to ensure that the quality of data generated would be equivalent to historical formats used. A three-stage approach was adopted to assess and validate running an assay in an interplate format, compared to an intraplate format. Although the three-stage strategy was tested with two different assay formats, it would be necessary to investigate the feasibility for other assay types. The recommendation is that the three-stage experimental strategy defined here is used to assess feasibility of other assay formats used.