Based on the data on the transient kinetics of the bioluminescent reaction catalyzed by P. leiognathi luciferase in media with polyols and sugars, the relative quantum yield of bioluminescence in this reaction per substrate molecule was determined using mathematical modeling. It was obtained that in some media the relative quantum yield per aldehyde molecule increases compared to the value in the buffer: by 18 and 33

The study aims at revealing the mechanisms of the viscous medium effects on the kinetic features of NAD(P)H:FMN-oxidoreductase from luminous bacteria (Red), which are exhibited in a single enzyme assay and in coupling with bacterial luciferase (BLuc). Different concentrations of glycerol and sucrose were used to vary the medium viscosity. The activity of Red, alone and in the presence of BLuc, was analyzed, as well as BLuc activity in the presence of Red, whereas in the absence of BLuc, the Red activity was suppressed in viscous medium, and in the presence of BLuc, the increase in Red activity was observed at low glycerol concentrations (5-20 wt%). The interaction of glycerol and sucrose with Red substrates FMN and NADH was studied using absorption spectroscopy and molecular dynamics. Glycerol was found to form hydrogen bonds with the phosphate groups of the substrates, unlike sucrose. A mechanism for the activation of Red in the presence of BLuc in glycerol solutions through the acceleration of FMN reoxidation was proposed. Thus, it was concluded that, under the conditions used, the weakest link of the coupled enzyme system BLuc-Red in viscous medium is the FMN concentration, which depends on Red activity and the medium viscosity.

A complex heterogeneous intracellular environment seems to affect enzymatic catalysis by changing the mobility of biomolecules, their stability, and their conformational states, as well as by facilitating or hindering continuously occurring interactions. The evaluation and description of the influence of the cytoplasmic matrix components on enzymatic activity are problems that remain unsolved. In this work, we aimed to determine the mechanisms of action of two-component media with cosolvents of various molecular sizes on the complex multi-stage bioluminescent reaction catalyzed by bacterial luciferase. Kinetic and structural effects of ethylene glycol, glycerol, sorbitol, glucose, sucrose, dextran, and polyethylene glycol on bacterial luciferase were studied using stopped-flow and fluorescence spectroscopy techniques and molecular dynamics simulations. We have found that diffusion limitations in the presence of cosolvents promote the stabilization of flavin substrate and peroxyflavin intermediate of the reaction, but do not provide any advantages in bioluminescence quantum yield, because substrate binding is slowed down as well. The catalytic constant of bacterial luciferase has been found to be viscosity-independent and correlated with parameters of water-cosolvent interactions (Norrish constant, van der Waals interaction energies). Crowding agents, in contrast to low-molecular-weight cosolvents, had little effect on peroxyflavin intermediate decay and enzyme catalytic constant. We attributed specific kinetic effects to the preferential interaction of the cosolvents with enzyme surface and their penetration into the active site.

The evaluation of temperature effects on the structure and function of enzymes is necessary to understand the mechanisms underlying their adaptation to a constantly changing environment. In the current study, we investigated the influence of temperature variation on the activity, structural dynamics, thermal inactivation and denaturation of Photobacterium leiognathi and Vibrio harveyi luciferases belonging to different subfamilies, as well as the role of sucrose in maintaining the enzymes functioning and stability. We used the stopped-flow technique, differential scanning calorimetry and molecular dynamics to study the activity, inactivation rate, denaturation and structural features of the enzymes under various temperatures. It was found that P. leiognathi luciferase resembles the properties of cold-adapted enzymes with high activity in a narrow temperature range and slightly lower thermal stability than V. harveyi luciferase, which is less active, but more thermostable. Differences in activity at the studied temperatures can be associated with the peculiarities of the mobile loop conformational changes. The presence of sucrose does not provide an advantage in activity but increases the stability of the enzymes. Differential scanning calorimetry experiments showed that luciferases probably follow different denaturation schemes.

The effects of viscous media with glycerol and sucrose (10–40%) on the kinetics of the bacterial bioluminescent reaction have been investigated by stopped-flow technique. Increment of quantum yield in media with 10% of both osmolytes was shown. Higher concentrations of glycerol, up to 30–40%, were found to reduce the efficiency of the reaction, while this effect was not observed in the media with sucrose. The molecular dynamics simulation was used to study the structure of bacterial luciferase surrounded by either water molecules solely or by mixture of water with various numbers of glycerol/sucrose molecules. It was found that both cosolvents at studied concentrations did not cause a significant change in conformation of bacterial luciferase. The calculated root-mean-square fluctuation for Cα-atoms of bacterial luciferase α-subunit indicated that the higher flexibility of the enzyme mobile loop could be responsible for increment of quantum yield in the presence of 10% of both osmolytes. The active site of bacterial luciferase was found to be accessible for glycerol molecules while sucrose did not enter catalytic gorge. Moreover, at 30 and 40% concentration the glycerol molecules were found to locate in the active site of bacterial luciferase throughout the whole simulation time.

Enzymes activity in a cell is determined by many factors, among which viscosity of the microenvironment plays a significant role. Various cosolvents can imitate intracellular conditions in vitro, allowing to reduce a combination of different regulatory effects. The aim of the study was to analyze the media viscosity effects on the rate constants of the separate stages of the bacterial bioluminescent reaction. Non-steady-state reaction kinetics in glycerol and sucrose solutions was measured by stopped-flow technique and analyzed with a mathematical model developed in accordance with the sequence of reaction stages. Molecular dynamics methods were applied to reveal the effects of cosolvents on luciferase structure. We observed both in glycerol and in sucrose media that the stages of luciferase binding with flavin and aldehyde, in contrast to oxygen, are diffusion-limited. Moreover, unlike glycerol, sucrose solutions enhanced the rate of an electronically excited intermediate formation. The MD simulations showed that, in comparison with sucrose, glycerol molecules could penetrate the active-site gorge, but sucrose solutions caused a conformational change of functionally important αGlu175 of luciferase. Therefore, both cosolvents induce diffusion limitation of substrates binding. However, in sucrose media, increasing enzyme catalytic constant neutralizes viscosity effects. The activating effect of sucrose can be attributed to its exclusion from the catalytic gorge of luciferase and promotion of the formation of the active site structure favorable for the catalysis.

Исследована скорость распада интермедиата биолюминесцентной реакции бактерий 4a-гидропероксифлавина в зависимости от вязкости среды.Обнаружено, что при низких концентрациях глицерина и сахарозы (вязкость 1.1-1.3сП) скорость распада увеличивается, а дальнейший рост вязкости до 6.2 сП приводит к уменьшению скорости распада по степенному закону с показателем 0.82-0.84.Методами молекулярной динамики установлено, что в средах с глицерином и сахарозой происходит изменение подвижности аминокислотных остатков активного центра люциферазы, отвечающих за связывание флавина.Полученные результаты говорят о двух разнонаправленных эффектах вязких сред с добавлением глицерина и сахарозы: 1) дестабилизация 4a-гидропероксифлавина за счет изменения структурно-динамических свойств белка, 2) стабилизация этого интермедиата за счет снижения скорости диффузии продуктов его распада.

The effects of medium viscosity on the decay rate of the 4a-hydroperoxyflavin intermediate of the bioluminescent reaction was investigated. It was found that at low concentrations of glycerol or sucrose (viscosity 1.1–1.3 cP) the decay rate rises, whereas a further increase in viscosity to 6.2 cP leads to a decrease in the decay rate following a power function with an exponent of 0.82–0.84. Using molecular dynamics methods, it was shown that the presence of glycerol and sucrose molecules causes a change in the mobility of the amino acid residues in the active center of luciferase, particularly those responsible for binding of flavin. The results obtained are indicative of two opposite effects of viscous media with glycerol and sucrose: (1) destabilization of 4a-hydroperoxyflavin due to a change in the structural and dynamic properties of the protein and (2) stabilization of this intermediate by the decrease in the diffusion rate of its decay products.

The effects of viscous media with glycerol and sucrose (10-40%) on the kinetics of the bacterial bioluminescent reaction have been investigated by stopped-flow technique. Increment of quantum yield in media with 10% of both osmolytes was shown. Higher concentrations of glycerol, up to 30-40%, were found to reduce the efficiency of the reaction, while this effect was not observed in the media with sucrose. The molecular dynamics simulation was used to study the structure of bacterial luciferase surrounded by either water molecules solely or by mixture of water with various numbers of glycerol/sucrose molecules. It was found that both cosolvents at studied concentrations did not cause a significant change in conformation of bacterial luciferase. The calculated root mean square fluctuations for Cα-atoms of bacterial luciferase α-subunit indicated that the higher flexibility of the enzyme mobile loop could be responsible for increment of quantum yield in the presence of 10% of both osmolytes. The active site of bacterial luciferase was found to be accessible for glycerol molecules while sucrose did not enter catalytic gorge. Moreover, at 30% and 40% concentration the glycerol molecules were found to locate in the active site of bacterial luciferase throughout the whole simulation time (40 ns) and to exclude water molecules, which can explain the experimentally obtained reaction quantum yield decrease.

The present study considers a possible role of enzymatic reactions in the adaptive response of cells to the beta-emitting radionuclide tritium under conditions of low-dose exposures. Effects of tritiated water (HTO) on the reactions of bacterial luciferase and NAD(P)H:FMN-oxidoreductase, as well as a coupled system of these two reactions, were studied at radioactivity concentrations ≤ 200 MBq/L. Additionally, one of the simplest enzymatic reactions, photobiochemical proton transfer in Coelenteramide-containing Fluorescent Protein (CLM-FP), was also investigated. We found that HTO increased the activity of NAD(P)H:FMN-oxidoreductase at the initial stage of its reaction (by up to 230%); however, a rise of luciferase activity was moderate (<20%). The CLM-FP samples did not show any increase in the rate of the photobiochemical proton transfer under the exposure to HTO. The responses of the enzyme systems were compared to the 'hormetic' response of luminous marine bacterial cells studied earlier. We conclude that (1) the oxidoreductase reaction contributes significantly to the activation of the coupled enzyme system and bacterial cells by tritium, and (2) an increase in the organization level of biological systems promotes the hormesis phenomenon.

В работе исследовали возможности использования ферментных систем разной сложности в качестве биотестов для оценки степени загрязнения почв. Для этого определяли чувствительность моно-, би- и триферментной систем к пестицидам и ионам меди в воде и водных экстрактах из почв, различающихся гранулометрическим составом и содержанием гумуса. Системы включали в себя NAD(P)H:FMN-оксидоредуктазу и люциферазу светящихся бактерий, а также лактатдегидрогеназу. Для каждого тестируемого образца получали токсикологический параметр EC, отражающий предел чувствительности тест-системы к загрязнителю. Установлено, что повышение сложности системы (от моно- до триферментной) увеличивает чувствительность биотеста, в некоторых случаях на несколько порядков. Полученные результаты говорят о возможности увеличения чувствительности ферментативных биотестов к токсикантам в почве за счет удлинения цепи сопряжения ферментов. Влияние экстрактов незагрязненных почв разных типов на ферментные системы также различается, что создает возможность конструирования специализированных ферментативных биотестов.

A bioluminescent enzyme inhibition-based assay was applied to predict the potential toxicity of carbon nanomaterials (CNM) presented by single- and multi-walled nanotubes (SWCNT and MWCNT) and aqueous solutions of hydrated fullerene С60 (C60HyFn). This assay specifically detects the influence of substances on parameters of the soluble or immobilised coupled enzyme system of luminescent bacteria: NAD(P)Н:FMN-oxidoreductase+luciferase (Red+Luc). A protocol based on the optical properties of CNM for correcting the results of the bioluminescent assay was also developed. It was shown that the inhibitory activity of CNM on Red+Luc decreased in the following order: MWCNT>SWCNT>C60HyFn. The soluble enzyme system Red+Luc had high sensitivity to MWCNT and SWCNT, with values of the inhibition parameter IC50 equal to 0.012 and 0.16mg/L, respectively. The immobilised enzyme system was more vulnerable to C60HyFn than its soluble form, with an IC50 equal to 1.4mg/L. Due to its technical simplicity, rapid response time and high sensitivity, this bioluminescent method has the potential to be developed as a general enzyme inhibition-based assay for a wide variety of nanomaterials.