Chemical Modification of Tryptophan Residue in Bovine Brain succinic Semlaldehyde Reductase

Incubation of an NADPH-dependent succinic semialdehyde reductase from bovine brain with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) resulted in a time-dependent loss of enzyme activity. The inactivation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics with the second-order rate constant of $6.8\times{10}^3$ $M^-1$ $min^{-1}$. The inactivation was prevented by preincubation of the enzyme with substrate succinic semialdehyde, but not with coenzyme NADPH. There was a linear relation-ship between oxindole formation and the loss of enzyme activity. Spectro-photometric studies indicated that about one oxindole group per molecule of the enzyme was formed following complete loss of enzymatic activity. It is suggested that the catalytic function of succinic semialdehyde reductase is modulated by binding of NBS to a specific tryptophan residue at or near the substrate binding site of the enzyme.