Electronic Structure Rearrangements in Hybrid Ribozyme/Protein Catalysis

Abstract

We analyzed the electronic structural changes that occur in the reaction cycle of a biological catalyst composed of RNA and protein, and elucidated the dynamical rearrangements of the electronic structure that was obtained from our previous study in which ab initio quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics molecular dynamics simulations were performed. Notable results that we obtained include the generation of a reactive HOMO that is responsible for bond formation in the initial stages of the reaction, and the appearance of a reactive LUMO that is involved in the bond rupture that leads to products. We denote these changes as dynamical induction of the reactive HOMO (DIRH) and LUMO (DIRL), respectively. Interestingly, we also find that the induction of the reactive HOMO is enhanced by the formation of a low-barrier hydrogen bond (LBHB), which, to the best of our knowledge, represents a novel role for LBHBs in enzymatic systems.