Subsite binding energies of an exo-polygalacturonase using isothermal titration calorimetry

Thermodynamic parameters for binding of a series of galacturonic acid oligomers to an exo-polygalacturonase, RPG16 from Rhizopus oryzae, were determined by isothermal titration calorimetry. Binding of oligomers varying in chain length from two to five galacturonic acid residues is an exothermic process that is enthalpically driven and results in extremely tight binding of the substrate to RPG16. Binding energies in combination with prior biochemical data suggests that RPG16 has the potential for five subsites, −1 to +4, with the greatest contribution to binding energies arising from subsite −1/+1. While the enthalpic contribution to binding decreases substantially for subsites +2 to +4, beneficial entropic effects occur in subsites +3 and +4 leading to increased total free energy as the length of oligomer increases. This information will be useful for additional studies in determining the binding contributions of specific amino acids with mutant enzymes.