Malate dehydrogenase, anticooperative NADH, and L-malate binding in ternary complexes with supernatant pig heart enzyme

Abstract

Supernatant malate dehydrogenase from pig heart, a dimeric protein containing two very similar or identical subunits, shows negatively cooperative (anticooperative) interactions between NADH binding sites in the presence, but not in the absence, of 0.1 M L-malate. This behavior is observed consitently whether the technique used employs protein fluorescence quenching, NADH fluorescence enhancement, or ultrafiltration dialysis. Fluorescence titration shows that L-malate is also anticooperatively bound in the presence of saturating concentrations of NADH. The data are consistent with an "induced asymmetry" model in which conformational change accompanies the formation of the ternary complex. Two of the three chromatographically resolvable forms of the enzyme have been tested and found to have anticooperative behavior.