Ferric Cytochrome Research Articles

Characterization of cytochrome c 6 from the cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7119

A soluble monoheme c–type cytochrome c6 has been isolated from the cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC 7119. It is a basic protein, with a molecular mass of 9.7 kDa, which accepts electrons from Anabaena ferredoxin in the ferredoxin-NADP+reductase-dependent NADPH cytochrome c reductase activity assay. The turnover of the reaction has an optimum pH at 7.5. Flavodoxin can also replace ferredoxin in this assay, but with only 20% efficiency. Plastocyanin from Anabaena PCC 7119, as well as the c6 cytochromes from the green algae Chlorella fusca and Monoraphidium braunii are also shown to accept electrons from Anabaena ferredoxin. The reduction potential of cytochrome c6 at pH 6.7 was determined to be 338 mV and is pH dependent, with pKaox=8.4±0.1 and pKared≈9.5. The ferric and ferrous cytochrome forms and their pH equilibria have been studied using visible, EPR and 1H-NMR spectroscopies. The amino acid sequence and the visible and NMR spectroscopic data indicate that the heme iron has a methionine-histidine axial coordination in the pH range 5–11. However, the EPR data for the ferricytochrome are complex and show that in this pH range five distinct forms are present. Between pH 5 and 9 the spectrum is dominated by two rhombic species, with g–values at 2.94, 2.29, 1.43 and at 2.84, 2.34, 1.56, which interconvert with a pKa of 8.4. The NMR data also show a main interconversion between two cytochrome forms at this pH, which coincides with that determined from the pH dependence of the reduction potential. Both these forms were associated with a methionine-histidine heme-iron coordination by correlation with the visible and NMR spectral data, although having crystal field parameters atypical for this type of coordination. Anabaena cytochrome c6 is one more example of a heme protein for which the widely used crystal field analysis of the EPR data (truth diagram) fails to unequivocally determine the type of heme-iron ligation.

Control of Spin State by Ring Conformation of Iron(III) Porphyrins. A Novel Model for the Quantum-Mixed Intermediate Spin State of Ferric Cytochromec‘ from Photosynthetic Bacteria

(2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-Octaethyl-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphinato)iron(III) chloride FeIII(OETPP)Cl and (2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octamethyl-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphinato)iron(III) chloride FeIII(OMTPP)Cl complexes have been synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR and X-ray crystallography. Both molecules are severely nonplanar and assume saddle shapes in solid state. Variable-temperature 1H NMR studies confirm that the conformational distortions are maintained in solution with ΔG⧧ = 15.8 and 10.1 kcal/mol for ring inversion for Fe(OETPP)Cl and Fe(OMTPP)Cl, respectively. EPR (g⊥ = 5.2−5.3 at 77 K), magnetic moments (μeff = 4.7−5.2 μB at 300 K), and structural data (Fe−Np = 2.03 A, Fe−Cl = 2.24−2.25 A) all indicate that unlike high-spin FeIII(TPP)Cl and FeIII(OEP)Cl (S = 5/2), FeIII(OETPP)Cl and FeIII(OMTPP)Cl these complexes are of the uncommon quantum-mixed S = 5/2, 3/2 intermediate-spin state. Saddle-shaped ring deformations lower the symmetries of the complexes into C2v. Other than the nonaxial symmetric E...

Cytochrome c' of Methylococcus capsulatus Bath.

Cytochrome c' was isolated from the obligate methylotroph Methylococcus capsulatus Bath. The native and subunit molecular masses of the cytochrome were 34.9 kDa and 16.2 kDa, respectively, with an isoelectric pH of 7.0. The amino acid composition and N-terminal amino acid sequence were consistent with identification of the protein as a cytochrome c'. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum of the monoheme cytochrome indicated the presence of a high spin, S = 5/2, heme center that is diagnostic of cytochromes c'. The optical absorption spectra of ferric or ferrous cytochrome c' were also characteristic of cytochromes c'. The ferrocytochrome bound carbon monoxide and nitric oxide, but not isocyanide, cyanide, or azide. Changes in physical properties due to binding of CO or NO to some other c'-type cytochromes have been interpreted as an indication of dimer dissociation. In the case of cytochrome c' from M. capsulatus Bath, analytical ultracentrifugation of the ferricytochrome, the ferrocytochrome, and the ferrocytochrome-CO complex indicate that the changes induced by binding of CO are conformational and are not consistent with dimer dissociation. EPR spectra show that cytochrome c' was reduced in the presence of hydroxylamine only when in a complex with cytochrome P-460. The value of the midpoint potential, Em 7.0, was -250 mV for cytochrome c' from M. capsulatus Bath, which is well below the range of values reported for other cytochromes c'. The values of midpoint potentials for cytochrome P-460 (Em 7.0 = -300 mV to -380 mV) and cytochrome C555 (Em 7.0 = +175 mV to +195 mV) are less than and greater than, respectively, the value for cytochrome c' and suggest the possibility that the latter may function as an electron shuttle between cytochrome P-460 and cytochrome C555.

Role of Arg112 of Cytochrome P450cam in the Electron Transfer from Reduced Putidaredoxin: ANALYSES WITH SITE-DIRECTED MUTANTS

The mechanism for the reduction of ferric cytochrome P450cam by reduced putidaredoxin, the physiological electron donor for the cytochrome, has been studied by using site-directed mutants of cytochrome P450cam, in which Arg112, an amino acid residue at the presumed binding site for putidaredoxin, was changed to several other amino acid residues. The affinity of reduced putidaredoxin for ferric cytochrome P450cam to form a diprotein complex was decreased greatly by changing Arg112 to a neutral amino acid such as Cys, Met, or Tyr. The rate of intracomplex electron transfer from putidaredoxin to cytochrome P450cam also diminished upon replacing the basic residue with neutral ones, being 42, 18, 4.0, 1.3, and 0. 16 s-1 for Arg (wild type), Lys, Cys, Met, and Tyr enzymes, respectively. Furthermore, the oxidation-reduction potential of cytochrome P450cam (Fe3+/Fe2+ couple) decreased in a similar way to the decrease in the rate of electron transfer upon amino acid substitution; the values were -138, -162, -182, -200, and -195 mV for Arg (wild type), Lys, Cys, Met, and Tyr enzymes, respectively. These results indicate that the amino acid substitution at position 112 affects the oxidation-reduction potential of the heme iron in cytochrome P450cam, thereby diminishing the rate of electron transfer between the two metal centers. The rate of electron transfer from putidaredoxin to oxyferrous cytochrome P450cam also diminished upon substitution of Arg112 with a neutral amino acid.

Azide, cyanide, fluoride, imidazole and pyridine binding to ferric and ferrous native horse heart cytochrome c and to its carboxymethylated derivative: A comparative study

Azide, cyanide, fluoride, imidazole, and pyridine binding to ferric and ferrous native horse heart cytochrome c and to its carboxymethylated derivative has been investigated, from the thermodynamic viewpoint, at pH 7.5 and 25.0°C. Ligand affinity for ferric and ferrous carboxymethylated cytochrome c is higher by about 30- and 400-fold, respectively, than that observed for the native protein. The results here reported: (i) allow the estimation, for the first time, of the ligand-independent free energy associated with the heme-iron sixth coordination bond in ferric and ferrous native cytochrome c, which turns out to be +8.4 kJ mol −1 and +14.6 kJ mol −1, at 25.0°C, respectively, and (ii) suggest an interplay between redox, structural, ligand binding, and recognition properties of cytochrome c.

Photochemical properties of systems containing cytochrome c and kojic acid

Redox reversible kojic acid anions, denoted as K − and irreversible oxalato anions (C 2O 4 2−) are bound to the positively charged protein part of ferric cytochrome c (Fe(III)cyt 7+) in basic aqueous solutions (pH 8.5). UV and visible irradiation of the ion pairs formed leads to the net photoreduction of ferric to ferrous cytochrome c (Fe(II)cyt 6+) when the ion pairs are “free” (solvated), as well as in systems containing the ion pairs Fe( III)cyt 7+-(C 2O 4 2−) n embedded inside sodium dodcylsulphate micelles. Systems containing the pairs (Fe(III)cyt 7+-(K −) n inside the micelle cage and systems with anions K − or C 2O 4 2− outside the micelles containing Fe(III)cyt do not undergo any net observable photoredox process. The quantum yields of photoreduction of Fe(III)cyt increase with increasing average number of the anions attached to the surface of Fe(III)cyt and with increasing energy of the incident radiation.

Spectroscopic characterization of nitrosylheme in nitric oxide complexes of ferric and ferrous cytochrome c′ from photosynthetic bacteria

Reactions of ferric and ferrous cytochromes c′ from four photosynthetic bacteria ( Rhodobacter capsulatus ATCC 11166, Rhodopseudomonas palustris ATCC 17001, Rhodospirillum rubrum ATCC 11170, and Chromatium uinosum ATCC 17899) with nitric oxide have been investigated by electronic absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies. The heme iron(III) of these ferric cytochromes c′ has been recently reported to be in a quantum mechanically admixed ( S = sol5 2 , 3 2 ) state [Fujii, S., Yoshimura, T., Kamada, H., Yamaguchi, K., Suzuki, S., Shidara, S. and Takakuwa, S. (1995) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1251, 161–169]. The affinity of ferric cytochromes c′ for NO among these bacterial species ( C. vinosum > Rps. palustris ∼ Rb. capsulatus ⪢ R. rubrum) was apparently related to the S = 3 2 content in the or der. In the reaction of ferrous cytochrome c′ with NO, six- and five-coordinated nitrosylhemes, which represent species with and without a ligand at the axial position trans to nitrosyl group, have been formed. The content of six-coordinated nitrosylheme in NO-ferrous cytochrome c′ has been determined to be Rb. capsulatus ∼ Rps. palustris > C. vinosum > R rubrum, suggesting that a stability of iron-to-histidine bond decreases with this order. The NO reactions of ferric and ferrous cytochromes c′ from photosynthetic bacteria have been compared with those of cytochromes c′ from denitrifying bacteria.

Probing the heme iron coordination structure of pressure-induced cytochrome P420cam.

Cytochrome P450cam was subjected to high pressures of 2.2 kbar, converting the enzyme to its inactive form P420cam. The resultant protein was characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance, magnetic circular dichroism, circular dichroism, and electronic absorption spectroscopy. A range of exogenous ligands has been employed to probe the coordination structure of P420cam. The results suggest that conversion to P420cam involves a conformational change which restricts the substrate binding site and/or alters the ligand access channel. The reduction potential of P420cam is essentially the same in the presence or absence of camphor (-211 +/- 10 and -210 +/- 15 mV, respectively). Thus, the well-documented thermodynamic regulation of enzymatic activity for P450cam in which the reduction potential is coupled to camphor binding is not found with P420cam. Further, cyanide binds more tightly to P420cam (Kd = 1.1 +/- 0.1 mM) than to P450cam (Kd = 4.6 +/- 0.2 mM), reflecting a weakened iron-sulfur ligation. Spectral evidence reported herein for P420cam as well as results from a parallel investigation of the spectroscopically related inactive form of chloroperoxidase lead to the conclusion that a sulfur-derived proximal ligand is coordinated to the heme of ferric cytochrome P420cam.

Reaction of cytochrome P450 with cumene hydroperoxide: ESR spin-trapping evidence for the homolytic scission of the peroxide O-O bond by ferric cytochrome P450 1A2.

ESR spin trapping was used to investigate the reaction of rabbit cytochrome P450 (P450) 1A2 with cumene hydroperoxide. Cumene hydroperoxide-derived peroxyl, alkoxyl, and carbon-centered radicals were formed and trapped during the reaction. The relative contributions of each radical adduct to the composite ESR spectrum were influenced by the concentration of the spin trap. Computer simulation of the experimental data obtained at various 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) concentrations was used to quantitate the contributions of each radical adduct to the composite ESR spectrum. The alkoxyl radical was the initial radical produced during the reaction. Experiments with 2-methyl-2-nitrosopropane identified the carbon-centered adducts as those of the methyl radical, hydroxymethyl radical, and a secondary carbon-centered radical. The reaction did not require NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase or NADPH. It is concluded that the reaction involves the initial homolytic scission of the peroxide O-O bond to produce the cumoxyl radical. Methyl radicals were produced from the beta-scission of the cumoxyl radical. The peroxyl adduct was not observed in the absence of molecular oxygen. We conclude that the DMPO peroxyl radical adduct detected in the presence of oxygen was due to the methylperoxyl radical formed by the reaction of the methyl radical with oxygen. At a higher P450 concentration, a protein-derived radical adduct was also detected.

The nature of the thermal equilibrium affecting the iron coordination of ferric cytochrome c.

In cytochrome c, ligation of the heme iron by the methionine-80 sulfur plays a major role in determining the structure and the thermodynamic stability of the protein. In the ferric state, this bond is reversibly broken by moderately acid or alkaline pH's (pK's 2.5 and 9.4, respectively) and by exogenous ligands. NMR studies of horse ferricytochrome c in which the Met-65 and Met-80 methyl groups were chemically enriched with 13C demonstrate that, at 59 degrees C, a temperature at which the protein is still folded, the sulfur-iron bond is already partially broken. This structural change corresponds to the reversible disappearance upon moderate heating of the 695 nm band, characteristic of the sulfur-iron coordination of this protein. The thermal effect results from a shift in the alkaline pK from 9.4 at 25 degrees C to 8.2 at 59 degrees C. The exchange rate from iron-bound to free methionine-80 at 59 degrees C is 1.8 s-1, as measured by saturation transfer experiments. The free and bound methionine-80 epsilon-methyl groups in the 1H spectrum are assigned as (1.87, 2.25) and -21.43, respectively; in the 13C spectrum they are assigned as 15.6 and 12.8, respectively (all these values are in ppm from 3-(trimethylsilyl)propionic-2,2,3,3-d4 acid, sodium salt).

Regulation of Interprotein Electron Transfer By Trp 191 of Cytochrome c Peroxidase

Cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP) reacts with peroxide to form compound I, an intermediate that has an oxy-ferryl iron center and a stable indolyl radical at Trp 191. During the normal catalytic cycle, the oxy-ferryl heme and the Trp 191 radical are reduced by sequential electron transfers from ferrous cytochrome c (Cc). To investigate the role of protein structure in these electron transfer reactions, mutagenesis was used to replace Trp 191 with Phe. The Trp 191-->Phe enzyme [CcP(MI,F191)] reacts with peroxide to form an oxy-ferryl iron center and a transient porphyrin radical. The reaction of Cc from horse and yeast with peroxide-oxidized CcP(MI,F191) was characterized under transient and steady-state conditions. The rate of ET from Cc to the oxy-ferryl heme of CcP(MI,F191) was decreased by at least 10,000-fold relative to the CcP(MI) parent. This effect was observed at 20 and 100 mM ionic strength, with both yeast and horse cytochrome c as the substrate. Thus, Trp 191 is a critical component of all pathways that permit rapid reduction of the oxy-ferryl heme by Cc under these conditions. The reaction of the porphyrin radical with Cc was difficult to characterize, owing to the short half-life of this intermediate. The oxidation of Cc by this intermediate had a maximum rate constant of 32 s-1 at pH 6.0, 25 degrees C. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the porphyrin radical is not directly reduced by Cc, but is instead reduced via a protein-based radical intermediate. The steady-state activity of the mutant enzyme was 300-600-fold lower than the CcP(MI) parent, but kcat is 7-20 times greater than the rate constant for reduction of the oxy-ferryl heme under all conditions examined. Thus, the oxy-ferryl heme is not reduced to the ferric state under steady-state conditions. Transient changes in the absorption spectrum further indicate that steady-state oxidation of Cc2+ by CcP(MI,F191) occurs via reaction of peroxide with the oxy-ferryl enzyme.

Electron paramagnetic resonance studies of ferric cytochrome c′ from photosynthetic bacteria

Electronic ground nature of ferric cytochromes c′ isolated from five photosynthetic bacteria, Chromatium vinosum ATCC 17899, Rhodobacter capsulatus ATCC 11166, Rhodopseudomonas palustris ATCC 17001, Rhodospirillum molischianum ATCC 14031, and Rhodospirillum rubrum ATCC 11170 has been investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. EPR spectra indicate that the electronic ground state of five ferric cytochromes c′ is a quantum mechanical admixed-spin state of a high spin ( S = 5 2 ) and an intermediate spin ( S = 3 2 ) at pH 7.2 and is high-spin state at pH 11.0. At physiological pH, however, the content of an intermediate spin state differs with the bacterial source of the protein: ≈ 50%, Chromatium vinosum; ≈ 40%, Rhodobacter capsulatus and Rhodopseudomonas palustris; ≈ 10%, Rhodospirillum molischianum and Rhodospirillum rubrum. Computer simulation of the spectra supports this diversity of the contribution of an intermediate spin state. Model studies of the ferric porphyrin complexes suggest that the correlation between content of an intermediate spin state and heme iron displacement from the mean heme plane. Therefore, the variation of the content of an intermediate spin state observed in the present study reflects the subtle difference in the degree of heme iron displacement among the proteins.

Mechanism of radical production from the reaction of cytochrome C with organic hydroperoxides: An ESR spin trapping investigation

The mechanism for the reaction of cytochrome c with t-butyl hydroperoxide and cumene hydroperoxide was investigated. ESR spin trapping studies using 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide were performed to demonstrate the presence of hydroperoxide-derived peroxyl, alkoxyl, and methyl radicals. Computer simulation of the experimental data obtained at various 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide concentrations was used to determine the relative contributions of each radical adduct to each composite ESR spectrum. From these analyses, it was concluded that the alkoxyl radical of the hydroperoxide was the initial radical produced, presumably by homolytic scission of the O-O bond by ferric cytochrome c. This was in contrast to a previous ESR study that proposed a heterolytic peroxidase-type mechanism for the reaction of cytochrome c with organic hydroperoxides. Methyl radicals were produced from the β-scission of the alkoxyl radical. The peroxyl radicals are shown to be secondary products formed from the reaction of oxygen with the methyl radical to produce the methyl peroxyl radical. In separate experiments, visible absorption spectroscopy revealed that the heme center was destroyed during the reaction. Both the heme destruction and production of radical adducts were inhibited by cyanide, presumably due to the formation of a cyanoheme complex.

Mechanism of Radical Production from the Reaction of Cytochrome c with Organic Hydroperoxides.: AN ESR SPIN TRAPPING INVESTIGATION

The mechanism for the reaction of cytochrome c with t-butyl hydroperoxide and cumene hydroperoxide was investigated. ESR spin trapping studies using 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide were performed to demonstrate the presence of hydroperoxide-derived peroxyl, alkoxyl, and methyl radicals. Computer simulation of the experimental data obtained at various 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide concentrations was used to determine the relative contributions of each radical adduct to each composite ESR spectrum. From these analyses, it was concluded that the alkoxyl radical of the hydroperoxide was the initial radical produced, presumably by homolytic scission of the O-O bond by ferric cytochrome c. This was in contrast to a previous ESR study that proposed a heterolytic peroxidase-type mechanism for the reaction of cytochrome c with organic hydroperoxides. Methyl radicals were produced from the beta-scission of the alkoxyl radical. The peroxyl radicals are shown to be secondary products formed from the reaction of oxygen with the methyl radical to produce the methyl peroxyl radical. In separate experiments, visible absorption spectroscopy revealed that the heme center was destroyed during the reaction. Both the heme destruction and production of radical adducts were inhibited by cyanide, presumably due to the formation of a cyanoheme complex.

The Mechanism of Electron Donation to Molecular Oxygen by Phagocytic Cytochrome b558

Phagocytic cytochrome b558 is a unique heme-containing enzyme, which catalyzes one electron reduction of molecular oxygen to produce a superoxide anion with a six-coordinated heme iron. To clarify the mechanism of the superoxide production, we have analyzed oxidation-reduction kinetics of cytochrome b558 purified from porcine neutrophils by stopped-flow and rapid-scanning spectroscopy. Reduced cytochrome b558 was rapidly reoxidized by O2 showing spectral changes with clear isosbestic points, which were also observed during the reduction of ferric cytochrome b558 with Na2S2O4 under anaerobic conditions. The single turnover rate for the reaction with O2 linearly depended on the O2 concentration but was not affected by addition of CO. The rate of the reaction decreased with an increase of pH giving a pKa of 9.7. Under complete anaerobic conditions, ferrous cytochrome b558 was oxidized by ferricyanide at a rate faster than by O2. The thermodynamic analysis shows that the enthalpic energy barriers for the reactions of cytochrome b558 are significantly lower when compared to the autoxidation of native and modified myoglobins through the formation of the iron-O2 complex. These findings are most consistent with the electron transfer from the heme to O2 by an outer-sphere mechanism.

XAFS study of CO binding to denatured cytochrome c

X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements were made of native cytochrome c, denatured cytochrome c and its CO-bonded form. Our results show that the local structure around the heme site in denatured ferrous cytochrome c is not significantly different from the one in native ferrous cytochrome c. Our results also indicate that when CO binds to denatured ferrous cytochrome c, CO takes place of the S ligand, possible unfolding the denatured ferrous cytochrome c further.

HOQNO interaction with cytochrome b in succinate:menaquinone oxidoreductase from Bacillus subtilis

2- n-Heptyl4-hydroxyquinoline- N-oxide (HOQNO) inhibits the succinate:quinone oxidoreductase activity of isolated and membrane-bound succinate:menaquinone oxidoreductase of B. subtilis. The inhibition pattern resembles closely that observed for α-thenoyltrifluoroacetone and carboxins in the mitochondrial succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductase: ca. 90% of the activity is highly sensitive to HOQNO ( K i ca. 0.2 μM for the isolated enzyme) whereas the rest 10% proves to be resistant to the inhibitor. HOQNO binding is shown to perturb the absorption spectrum of the ferrous di-heme cytochrome b of the B. subtilis succinate:quinone oxidoreductase both in the α and Soret bands. In addition, the inhibitor is shown to bring about a negative shift of E m of the low-potential heme b. It is suggested that HOQNO interacts with a menasemiquinone binding site near the low-potential heme and suppresses the MQ .−-to-MQH 2 step of the quinone reductase reaction but allows partly for the MQ-to-MQ .− transition to occur; dismutation of MQ . formed in the latter reaction to MQ and MQH 2 may account for the 10% of the enzyme activity insensitive to HOQNO.

The Mechanism of Microsomal Azoreduction: Predictions Based on Electronic Aspects of Structure-Activity Relationships

The mechanism of microsomal azoreductase is regulated by the overall Hammett sigma substituent values on each ring. A substrate dye must exhibit an overall Hammett sigma substituent value either equal or more negative than -0.37 on either ring. Dyes with Hammett sigma substituent constants less negative than -0.37 will not be reduced by microsomal cytochrome P450. Microsomal reduction of azo dyes containing only electron-donating substituents on either ring is insensitive to both oxygen and carbon monoxide. The required Hammett sigma substituent value on the opposite benzene (prime) ring for I-substrates is therefore, sigma' P < or = 0. Reduction of azo dyes containing electron-withdrawing group on opposite (prime) is sensitive to both oxygen and carbon monoxide. The required Hammett sigma substituent value on the opposite benzene (prime) ring for S-substrates is, consequently, sigma' P > 0 (Table 3). Redox Potentials. Anaerobic cyclic voltammograms of azobenzene derivatives verify the following points: A nonsubstrate azo dye will not exhibit a positive potential. (Several nonsubstrate hydrazobenzenes exhibited positive potentials, but in a low range 0.41-0.48 V. Consequently, cyclic voltammetry can distinguish between nonsubstrate azobenzenes and their nonsubstrate half-reduced hydrazo analogs.) A substrate azo dye will exhibit a positive potential in the range +1.00 to +1.50 V. I-substrate: Both negative potentials are stable in air. S-substrate: The first negative potential will immediately quench upon exposure to air. I-substrates exhibit on average potentials which are approximately 0.6 V more negative than those for S-substrates. A comparison between the oxidative and the reductive pathway of microsomal cytochrome P450 indicates a similarity in the first two steps in the reaction cycle, for example, substrate binding and uptake of the first electron by the cytochrome [76, 109, 110]. Upon reduction of the iron, ferrous cytochrome P450 may bind oxygen or carbon monoxide in a competitive manner in the oxidative cycle or may directly transfer the electrons to the substrate in a stepwise fashion in the reductive cycle [76]. Estabrook et al. [111] suggested that carbon monoxide insensitivity can occur when the formation of ferrous cytochrome P450 substrate complex is rate limiting for the overall reaction. Structure-activity relationships of azo compounds depend on (1) the electron transport component and (2) the oxidation-reduction potential of the dye, which determines its ability to accept electrons from cytochrome P-450. Nesnow et al. examined a group of 36 aryl azo dyes for their ability to be reduced by rat liver microsomal azoreductase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Electrostatic control of the substrate access channel in cytochrome P-450cam.

Camphor binding to ferric cytochrome P-450cam is a two-step process. The first step corresponds to the diffusion of camphor into the heme pocket, and the second one corresponds to an observable spin transition of the heme iron. In this paper, electrostatic interactions that may control the opening of the structure to allow substrate access to the buried and not solvent-exposed active site were examined. The electrostatic interactions occurring at the protein surface were weakened by increasing the ionic strength of the medium with sodium salts and strengthened by decreasing the dielectric constant of the medium with ethylene glycol as a cosolvent. The results obtained with the wild-type protein were compared to those obtained with the site-directed mutant of cytochrome P-450cam in which the Arg 186-Asp 251 and Lys 178-Asp 251 salt bridges, located at the entrance of the proposed access channel, were suppressed by replacing Asp 251 with an asparagine residue. Over a range of sodium chloride concentrations from 0 to 400 mM, camphor binding is favored, as seen in the variation in the first step dissociation equilibrium constant, K1d, which decreases from 49.5 to 24 microM, respectively. Addition of ethylene glycol favors the dissociation of the substrate-bound complex. The addition of sodium to the ethylene glycol-containing samples reverses the effect of the cosolvent. Removal of the Arg 186-Asp 251 and Lys 178-Asp 251 salt bridges results in an alteration in camphor binding in which K1d is equal to 34 microM without sodium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Molecular structure of redox metal centers of the cytochrome bo complex from Escherichia coli. Spectroscopic characterizations of the subunit I histidine mutant oxidases.

A site-directed mutagenesis study on the conserved subunit I histidines of the cytochrome bo complex in Escherichia coli identified ligands of the low spin heme B and CuB centers; however, the assignment of the proximal ligand of the high spin heme O was ambiguous (Minagawa, J., Mogi, T., Gennis, R. B., and Anraku, Y. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 2096-2104). We have extended this work and characterized the metal centers in the purified histidine mutant oxidases by optical, EPR, and resonance Raman spectroscopies and by biochemical analysis. We found that the H284A and H333A oxidases contain two heme B molecules, which exhibit the gz = 2.99 low spin and cyanide-sensitive g perpendicular = 6 high-spin EPR signals, whereas the H419A oxidase contains only low spin heme B, which shows the gz component in a considerably higher magnetic field at g = 2.92. The CuB center was partially retained in the H284A oxidase but was almost completely lost in the H333A and H419A oxidases. Thus, we concluded that His419 is the proximal ligand of the high spin heme O and that His284 is located at the distal side of the high spin heme O. His284 plays an indispensable role in maintaining the structure of the Feo-CuB binuclear site suitable for the exogenous ligand bindings in the reduced state, since its substitution eliminated the CO binding activity. In addition, we found that His106 and His421 are in fact the axial ligands of the low spin heme B, although the H421A mutation perturbed the binuclear metal center seriously. Based upon experimental results with isotopic substitutions on iron in the oxidases, we assigned the Raman band at 208 cm-1 to the iron-histidine stretching mode (vFc(2+)-N(His)) of the wild-type ferrous cytochrome o, which was upshifted slightly by a loss of the CuB center in the H333A oxidase. A molecular structure of the metal centers and a possible mechanism of the electron transfer-coupled proton pumping in the cytochrome bo complex are proposed on the basis of our present findings.