Effect of temperature on fluorescence and circular dichroism of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase and its complexes.

Dihydrofolate reductase and its complexes have been studied by fluorescence and circular dichroism. NADPH, trimethoprim, pyrimethamine, or Methotrexate binding causes small changes in the enzyme far ultraviolet CD which possibly arise from alterations in polypeptide backbone of the enzyme; however, their effects on enzyme far ultraviolet CD are also explained as the result of ligand interactions with enzyme aromatic groups. In ternary complexes of the enzyme, fluorescence properties of bound NADPH are surprisingly sensitive to the type of inhibitor bound nearby. The effect of temperature on the enzyme and its complexes is clearly shown by changes in enzyme fluorescence and CD. At temperatures near 45 degrees C, the enzyme undergoes an irreversible denaturation, as shown by major alterations in enzyme far ultraviolet CD and by an increased rate of fluorescence quenching. Binary complexes with NADPH or Methotrexate stabilize the enzyme towards this heat denaturation, whereas bound trimethoprim and pyrimethamine do not. Ternary complexes with NADPH and any of the ligands are more stable than the enzyme itself toward heat denaturation. Fluorescence-temperature and fluorescence polarization studies show that near 30 degrees C the enzyme undergoes a reversible transition that is modified by NADPH or methotrexate.