Thermodynamics of binding to native alpha-chymotrypsin and to forms of alpha-chymotrypsin in which catalytically essential residues are modified; a study of "productive" and "nonproductive" associations.

The standard free energy (deltaG degrees), enthalpy (deltaH degrees), and entropy (deltaS degrees) of association for proflavin and D- and L-N-AcTrp have been obtained at pH 7.8 for native alpha-chymotrypsin (Cht) and for forms of Cht in which essential catalytic residues of the active site are modified. The modified Cht forms studied are dehydroalaninyl-195-alpha-Cht and N-methylhistidinyl-57-alpha-Cht. Associations to native Cht (pH 7.8) are characterized by negative deltaH degrees and deltaS degrees values (i.e., for L-AcTrp deltaH degrees = -9.1 kcal/mol and deltaS degrees = -21 eu at T = 25 degreesC). In contrast, we found associations to modified Chts to be characterized by an enthalpy near zero and a positive entropy of association, the values of the deltaH degrees and deltaS degrees for association to the modified Cht forms being similar to those expected for transfer of small aromatic molecules from water to a nonpolar solvent phase. Differences in deltaH degrees and deltaS degrees observed for binding of substrate analogues and inhibitors to modified and native Cht (pH 7.8) are approximately + 10 kcal/mol and +30 eu, respectively. Data from D. D. F. Shiao ((1970), Biochemistry 9, 1083) similarly show differences of comparable magnitude between binding of substrate analogues to active alpha-Cht (pH 7.8) and the His-57 protonated form of alpha-Cht (pH 5.6). The negative deltaH degrees and deltaS degrees values of associations for binding to active alpha-Cht indicate that a substrate-induced conformational change occurs on substrate association with the primary binding site (S1), which does not occur in Ser-195 and His-57 modified Cht. From these differences we infer a linkage between binding of substrate into S1 and the catalytic residues in the nucleophilic subsite (S1-S1'). Our data also show that associations of substrate analogues into potentially productive Michaelis complexes S1 cannot be easily differentiated from associations that are nonproductive (i.e., nonactivated) from their deltaG degrees obsd, but may be differentiated by their respective deltaH degrees obsd and deltaS degrees obsd for association. Accordingly, it is indicated that the probable substrate association-activation process, characterized thermodynamically in this work, occurs in the substrate binding step and leads to lowered free energies of activation in catalytic steps succeeding binding however, the process does not influence the observed strength of substrate binding.