Limited proteolysis of Salmonella typhimurium nicotinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase reveals ATP-linked conformational change

Nicotinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (NAPRTase; EC 2.4.2.11) couples stoichiometric ATP hydrolysis with formation of nicotinate mononucleotide (NAMN) from nicotinic acid and alpha-D-5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate (PRPP), Trypsin rapidly inactivated the ATPase and NAMN synthesis activities of NAPRTase in parallel, with cleavages at Arg-384 and Lys-374 of the 399-residue protein. ATP and PRPP each provided protection against tryptic cleavage. Limited chymotryptic proteolysis of NAPRTase exhibited very similar behavior, with specific cleavage at Phe-382 and protection by substrates. Results suggest that a solvent-exposed loop encompassing Lys-374, Phe-382, and Arg-384 is protected by ATP- or PRPP-induced conformational changes. The ability of ATP to protect even under conditions in which enzyme phosphorylation was prevented by EDTA provides evidence for a distinct ATP-induced protein conformation that acts as an intermediate in energy coupling.