J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 260, Issue 6, 3462-3468, Mar, 1985
Fluorescent phosphonate labels for serine hydrolases. Kinetic and spectroscopic properties of (7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole)aminoalkyl methylphosphonofluoridates and their conjugates with acetylcholinesterase molecular forms
HA Berman, DF Olshefski, M Gilbert and MM Decker
The synthesis, kinetic, and spectral characterization of (7-nitrobenz-2-
oxa-1,3-diazole)aminoethyl and (7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3- diazole)aminopentyl
methylphosphonofluoridate are described. These homologous organophosphorous
agents contain the environmentally sensitive 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole
chromophore. They inhibit acetylcholinesterase from Torpedo at rates
exceeding 10(7) M-1 min-1 to form long-lived conjugates with one
chromophore/80-kilodalton subunit. The intensity, position, and line width
of the absorption spectra of the conjugates and reactivation kinetics in
the presence and absence of the bisquaternary oxime
1,1'-trimethylene-bis(4-formylpyridinium bromide) dioxime indicate that
these agents form conjugates in which the NBD-aminoalkyl moieties
experience distinctive microscopic environments within the active center.
NBD-aminoethyl methylphosphono- acetylcholinesterase undergoes
oxime-induced as well as spontaneous reactivation at rates that are 3.6 and
35 times faster, respectively, than the corresponding rates measured for
the NBD-aminopentyl conjugate. Hence, reactivation exhibits a marked
dependence on structure of the methylphosphonate. Fluorescence emission at
wavelengths greater than 520 nm is highly quenched and exhibits quantum
efficiencies of less than 5%. Absorption maxima for the covalent NBD-
aminoethyl methylphosphono-acetylcholinesterase appear at 475-480 nm while
those for the corresponding NBD-aminopentyl methylphosphono-
acetylcholinesterase appear at 485-490 nm. Bandwidths of the absorption
maxima are substantially broader for the acetylcholinesterase adduct with
NBD-aminoethyl methylphosphonofluoridate (3870 cm-1) than for the enzyme
adduct with NBD-aminopentyl methylphosphonofluoridate (2870 cm- 1). The CD
spectrum of NBD-aminopentyl methylphosphono- acetylcholinesterase shows
optical activity coincident with the shape and position of the absorption
spectrum. In contrast, in addition to optically active transitions at the
absorption maxima, the CD spectrum of NBD-aminoethyl
methylphosphono-acetylcholinesterase shows intense optical activity at 430
nm, a wavelength region coincident with the region of spectral broadening.
The spectral properties of alpha- chymotrypsin conjugates formed by
reaction with the two probes are different, and the respective spectra
differ also from those observed for the acetylcholinesterase conjugates.
These results indicate that there is a reciprocal relationship between the
structure of the probe and the structure of the active center.(ABSTRACT
TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)