J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 255, Issue 22, 10587-10590, Nov, 1980
Dihydrofolate reductases from chicken liver and Lactobacillus casei bind Cibacron blue F3GA in different modes and at different sites
S Subramanian and BT Kaufman
The binding of Cibacron blue F3GA to dihydrofolate reductase (EC 1.5.1.3)
from chicken liver an amethopterin-resistant Lactobacillus casei has been
studied by difference spectroscopy. The blue dye binds to the enzyme from
each species in a specific fashion with a 1:1 stoichiometry. However, the
mode of interaction of the dye with the enzyme and the site of interaction
on the enzyme are very different for the avian and bacterial enzymes. The
dye seems to bind in an almost totally "electrostatic mode" at the
dihydrofolate binding site to the chicken liver enzyme and is displaced
from the enzyme only by dihydrofolate, folate, or methotrexate and not at
all by NADPH. In contrast, the binding of the dye to the bacterial enzyme
is characterized by a totally "apolar interaction" at a site partially
overlapping both the NADPH site and the methotrexate/dihydrofolate site.
NADPH can displace the dye only partially and methotrexate is more
efficient than NADPH in displacing the dye. Both NADPH and methotrexate are
needed for a total displacement of the dye from the bacterial enzyme. We
propose that the blue dye is capable of binding specifically to any protein
possessing a cluster of aromatic and other apolar groups and/or
geometrically spaced positively charged groups for proper interaction with
the aromatic rings and/or sulfonate groups of the dye molecule. The
so-called specificity of the blue dye for the nucleotide binding proteins
is thus a special case of the above mentioned requirements and not
diagnostic of the "dinucleotide fold."