Denaturation by guanidinium chloride of dimeric MM-creatine kinase and its proteinase K-nicked form: Evidence for a multiple-step process

Cytosolic MM-creatine kinase is a homodimeric protein. Each monomer can be cleaved by proteinase K at an exposed surface loop, into two fragments K1 and K2, which remain associated. The nicked protein is thus a heterotetrameric protein, named (K1K2)(2). made up of two heterodimers K1K2 linked together by their K1 subunit. In non-denaturing conditions, the cleaved protein does not present any measurable difference compared with uncleaved MM-creatine kinase, except for the loss of enzymatic activity. Comparative equilibrium denaturation of the two oligomeric proteins by guanidinium chloride indicates a multistep process with formation of either compact monomer or compact K1K2 dimer, a molten globule and a pre-molten globule state. In the case of the nicked-enzyme, the molten globule is composed of the two peptides K1 and K2, whereas in the pre-molten globule the interactions between K1 and K2 are too weak to maintain their cohesion. At low guanidinium chloride concentration, the proteinase K-nicked protein exhibits a higher accessibility of one of its tryptophan accompanied by a small decrease in its molar ellipticity suggesting a secondary structure loosening of the K1 peptide. Our results suggest that K1 and K2 are not strictly autonomous unfolding units and thus cannot be considered as independent domains.