The effect of p-hydroxymercuribenzoate and congeners on microsomal glucose-6-phosphatase.

Iodoacetamide, N-ethylmaleimide, p-hydroxymercuribenzoate (p-MB) and HgCl2 were tested as inhibitors of microsomal glucose-6-phosphatase. Iodoacetamide had no effect at 2 mM. N-ethylmaleimide inhibited only crude, but not purified microsomal preparations (M2) or crude microsomes exposed to deoxycholate. 14C-labelled N-ethylmaleimide was not bound by the M2 protein fraction. p-MB inhibited all types of preparations and the inhibition was not counteracted by detergent. A more detailed study was carried out with the purified M2 fraction (specific activity: 2-4 mumoles Pi/min/mg protein). Glucose-6-phosphate hydrolysis was inhibited 50% by 5 X 10(-5) M p-MB. The inhibition was completely reversible by dithiothreitol except when the enzyme was pre-incubated with p-MB in the absence of substrate. Then p-MB accelerated the temperature-dependent inactivation of glucose-6-phosphatase. Binding studies showed that around 3 mumoles 14C-p-MB were incorporated into 100 mg M2 protein regardless of the concentration of mercurial in the incubation mixture. That is, over a 25 fold range of p-MB concentration, causing up to 80% inhibition of enzyme activity, no difference was seen in the amount of labelled p-MB which was irreversibly bound to M2 protein. Kinetically p-MB behaved like a reversible inhibitor and this was confirmed by dilution experiments. Several compounds, including some amino acids, antagonized the inhibition by p-MB. The order of effectiveness was EDTA greater than barbital greater than tryptophan greater than histidine greater than lysine greater than other amino acids. Glycine, Tris and urea were ineffective competitors of p-MB inhibition. Double reciprocal plots showed that the Km for glucose-6-phosphate was increased and the Vmax reduced in the presence of p-MB. HgCl2 was a more effective inhibitor than p-MB with a Ki of 6 X 10(-6) M. We conclude that a reaction of p-MB with M2 sulfhydryls does not play a part in the inhibition of enzyme activity. It is suggested that p-MB may interact with one or more amino acid side chains in such a way that enzyme conformation is altered.