urea-induced unfolding, unfolding proceeds in at least three stages.The first transition, occurring between 0 and 1 M urea, gives rise to a partially active dimeric species that binds pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. The second equilibrium transition involving dimer dissociation, release of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and loss of lyase activity leads to the formation of a monomeric equilibrium intermediate. It is a partially unfolded molecule that retains most of the native-state secondary structure, binds significant amounts of 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (a probe for exposed hydro-phobic surfaces) and tends to self-associate. The self-associated aggregates predominate at urea concentrations of 24 M for holoMalY. The third step represents the complete unfolding of the enzyme. Both holo-and apo-MalY can be successfully refolded into the active enzyme with an 85% yield. Large misfolded soluble aggregates cannot be refolded and can be responsible for the incomplete reactivation |
Escherichia coli |