Formation of intersubunit disulfide bonds and properties of the single histidine and cysteine residues in each subunit relative to the decameric structure of cyanase.

Reaction of the single cysteine residue in each subunit of cyanase with certain SH reagents gives an active decameric derivative that dissociates reversibly to an inactive dimer derivative (Anderson, P. M., Johnson, W. V., Korte, J. J., Xiong, X., Sung, Y.-c., and Fuchs, J. A. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 5674-5680). Reaction of mixed disulfide dimer derivatives of cyanase with dithiothreitol at 0 degree C results in formation of a disulfide bond between the subunits in the dimer. The disulfide dimer was inactive and did not associate to a decamer; the intersubunit disulfide bond could not be formed when the dimers were associated as a decamer. The two SH groups apparently are in close proximity to each other in the dissociated dimer but not when the dimer is associated to a decamer. Substitution of glycine for the cysteine residue or of tyrosine, asparagine, glycine, valine, or leucine for the single histidine residue in each subunit gave mutant enzymes that were active. However, H113N, H113Y, and C83G were unstable at low temperature and/or ionic strength, dissociating reversibly to an inactive dimer. Efficient reassociation required the presence of bicarbonate or cyanate analog. The results are consistent with a proposed single site per subunit model explaining apparent half-site binding of substrates and the requirement of decameric structure for activity.

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