title: Subunit coupling and kinetic co-operativity of polymeric enzymes. Amplification, attenuation and inversion effects.
abstract: The principles of structural kinetics, as applied to dimeric enzymes, allow us to understand how the strength of subunit coupling controls both substrate-binding co-operativity, under equilibrium conditions, and kinetic co-operativity, under steady state conditions. When subunits are loosely coupled, positive substrate-binding co-operativity may result in either an inhibition by excess substrate or a positive kinetic co-operativity. Alternatively, negative substrate-binding co-operativity is of necessity accompanied by negative kinetic co-operativity. Whereas the extent of negative kinetic co-operativity is attenuated with respect to the corresponding substrate-binding co-operativity, the positive kinetic co-operativity is amplified with respect to that of the substrate-binding co-operativity. Strong kinetic co-operativity cannot be generated by a loose coupling of subunits. If subunit is propagated to the other, the dimeric enzyme may display apparently surprising co-operativity effects. If the strain of the active sites generated by subunit coupling is relieved in the non-liganded and fully-liganded states, both substrate-binding co-operativity and kinetic co-operativity cannot be negative. If the strain of the active sites however, is not relieved in these states, negative substrate-binding co-operativity is accompanied by either a positive or a negative co-operativity. The possible occurrence of a reversal of kinetic co-operativity, with respect to substrate-binding co-operativity, is the direct consequence of quaternary constraints in the dimeric enzyme. Moreover, tight coupling between subunits may generate a positive kinetic co-operativity which is not associated with any substrate-binding co-operativity. In other words a dimeric enzyme may well bind the substrate in a non co-operative fashion and display a positive kinetic co-operativity generated by the strain of the active sites.
mesh_terms: D000494:Allosteric Regulation; D000495:Allosteric Site; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008433:Mathematics
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D046911:Macromolecular Substances