The glutathione S-transferase enzymes (GSTs) have a tyrosine or serine residue at their active site that hydrogen bonds to and stabilizes the thiolate anion of glutathione, GS ؊ . The importance of this hydrogen bond is obvious, in light of the enhanced nucleophilicity of GS ؊ versus the protonated thiol. Several A-class GSTs contain a C-terminal segment that undergoes a ligand-dependent local folding reaction. Here, we demonstrate the effects of the Y9F substitution on binding affinity for glutathione conjugates and on rates of the order-disorder transition of the C terminus in rat GST A1-1. The equilibrium binding affinity of the glutathione conjugate, GS-NBD (NBD-Cl, 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole), was decreased from 4.09 M to 0.641 M upon substitution of Tyr-9 with Phe. This result was supported by isothermal titration calorimetry, with K d values of 1.51 M and 0.391 M for wild type and Y9F, respectively. The increase in binding affinity for the mutant is associated with dramatic decreases in rates for the C-terminal order-disorder transition, based on a stopped-flow kinetic analysis. The same effects were observed, qualitatively, for a second GSH conjugate, GSethacrynic acid. Apparently, the phenolic hydroxyl group of Tyr-9 is critical for orchestrating C-terminal dynamics and efficient product release, in addition to its role in lowering the pK a of GSH.The importance of protein dynamics and flexibility to the energetics of ligand binding is well appreciated and has been illustrated in a number of systems (1-5). In many cases, a protein-ligand interaction appears to drive a flexible segment to fold into a rigid, ligand-bound conformation (6, 7). An analogy between global protein folding and ligand binding has been only recently described (8 -11). The concept of folding funnels, where folding progresses via multiple routes rather than a single pathway, can be likened to binding where a ligand drives an ensemble of local states to a single conformation. However, the detailed mechanism of any ligand-dependent, localized folding process remains elusive and is probably less well understood than global folding (12).The glutathione S-transferase (GST) 1 isoform A1-1 provides an outstanding opportunity to dissect the mechanism of a liganddependent local folding reaction. The GSTs are a family of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes that play a critical role in the detoxication of various endogenous and exogenous compounds. The mammalian cytosolic GSTs consist of seven classes based on sequence similarity and substrate selectivity: ␣ (A), (P), (M), (T), (K), (S), and (Z) (13-17). The catalytic activity of GSTs is based on deprotonation of GSH to form the thiolate (GS Ϫ ), which is a superior nucleophile compared with the protonated thiol. X-ray crystallographic structures and site-directed mutagenesis studies illustrate that each GST contains a conserved tyrosine or serine residue that contributes to thiolate formation through a hydrogen bond (OH⅐⅐⅐⅐ Ϫ SG) and reduces the pK a of bound GSH. Although mutation a...