Kinetically controlled folding of the serpin plasminogen activator inhibitor 1.
The serpin plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) folds into an active structure and then converts slowly to a more stable, but low-activity, "latent" conformation [Hekman, C. M., & Loskutoff, D. J. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 11581-11587]. Thus, the folding of PAI-1 is apparently under kinetic control. We have determined the urea denaturation and refolding transitions of both latent and active PAI-1 proteins by using intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence. While folding of active PAI-1 is reversible, the denaturation and refolding of latent PAI-1 are not. Instead, denatured latent PAI-1 refolds in lower concentrations of urea to give the active protein. Thus, the high-stability latent conformation is kinetically inaccessible over a range of urea concentrations. Complete denaturation of latent PAI-1 occurs at 5.5 M urea [delta G(H2O) approximately 21 kcal] whereas active PAI-1 denatures in only 3.8 M urea [delta G(H2O) approximately 12 kcal]. The fluorescence emission profile, as a function of urea of both the active and latent forms of the protein, reveals intermediates with partial structure. Circular dichroism measurements and limited protease digestion with Lys-C suggest that the intermediate in the denaturation of latent PAI-1 retains most of the secondary structure of the fully folded protein, whereas the intermediate in the denaturation of active PAI-1 exhibits significant loss of secondary structure. The Lys-C digestion patterns show that the active protein is more susceptible to proteolysis near sheet A than is the latent form. The studies suggest a model for the kinetically controlled folding pathway of PAI-1.
Wang
Z
Z
Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas 75235-9050, USA.
Mottonen
J
J
Goldsmith
E J
EJ
D001665:Binding Sites; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D017510:Protein Folding; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013816:Thermodynamics
D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D011994:Recombinant Proteins