Role of conserved proline residues in stabilizing tryptophan synthase α subunit: Analysis by mutants with alanine or glycine

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Abstract
To study the role of Pro residues in the conformation and conformational stability of a protein, nine mutant α subunits of tryptophan synthase from Escherichia coli, in which Ala or Gly was substituted for each of six Pro residues (positions 28, 57, 62, 96, 132, and 207) that are conserved in 10 microoganisms, were constructed by means of site-directed mutagenesis. The far-ultraviolet (UV) CD spectra of five mutant α subunits with Ala in place of Pro were identical to the spectrum of the wild-type protein, the exception being the mutant at position 207 (P207A). CD values in the far-UV region were less negative for P207A, indicating that the Pro residue at position 207 plays a role in maintaining the intact structure of the α subunit. The negative CD values of the Gly mutants examined (P28G, P96G, and P132G) were also decreased. Calorimetric measurements showed that the two mutants at position 28 (P28G and P28A) gave two peaks in the excess heat capacity curve, whereas the wild type and other Pro mutants had only a single peak. The stability of each mutant protein relative to that of the wild type was about the same for P57A, less for P62A and P132A, and markedly decreased for P96A and P207A, which are substituted at less mobile positions. The changes of denaturation entropy (ΔΔdS) at the denaturation temperature of the wild-type protein (54.1 °C at pH 9.0) were positive for P57A, P62A, and P132A, but negative for P96A, P207A, and P132G. The present results do not indicate that the differences in stability (ΔdG) among Pro substitutions are caused only by an entropic factor, as might be theoretically expected. The decreases in stability for P96A and P207 were due to the considerable decrease in denaturation enthalpy, although they were partly compensated for by the decrease in entropy. Our results also suggest that Pro-28 stabilizes the interaction between two domains of the α subunit.