Characterization of metal ligand mutants of phenylalanine hydroxylase: Insights into the plasticity of a 2-histidine-1-carboxylate triad

The iron atom in the nonheme iron monooxygenase phenylalanine hydroxylase is bound on one face by His285, His290, and Glu330. This arrangement of metal ligands is conserved in the other aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase. A similar 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triad of two histidines and an acidic residue are the ligands to the iron in other nonheme iron enzymes, including the α-ketoglutarate-dependent hydroxylases and the extradiol dioxygenases. Previous studies of the effects of conservative mutations of the iron ligands in tyrosine hydroxylase established that there is some plasticity in the nature of the ligands and that the three ligands differ in their sensitivity to mutagenesis. To determine the generality of this finding for enzymes containing a 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triad, the His285, His290, and Glu330 in rat phenylalanine hydroxylase were mutated to glutamine, glutamate, and histidine. All of the mutant proteins had low but measurable activities for tyrosine formation. In general, mutation of Glu330 had the greatest effect on activity and mutation of His290 the least. All of the mutations resulted in an excess of tetrahydropterin oxidized relative to tyrosine formation, with mutation of His285 having the greatest effect on the coupling of the two partial reactions. The H285Q enzyme had the highest activity as tetrahydropterin oxidase at 20% the wild-type value. All of the mutations greatly decreased the affinity for iron, with mutation of Glu330 the most deleterious. The results complement previous results with tyrosine hydroxylase in establishing the plasticity of the individual iron ligands in this enzyme family.     

Site-directed mutagenesis and spectroscopic studies of the iron-binding site of (S)-2-hydroxypropylphosphonic acid epoxidase

(S)-2-Hydroxylpropanylphosphonic acid epoxidase (HppE) is a novel type of mononuclear non-heme iron-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the O2 coupled, oxidative epoxide ring closure of HPP to form fosfomycin, which is a clinically useful antibiotic. Sequence alignment of the only two known HppE sequences led to the speculation that the conserved residues His138, Glu142, and His180 are the metal binding ligands of the Streptomyces wedmorensis enzyme. Substitution of these residues with alanine resulted in significant reduction of metal binding affinity, as indicated by EPR analysis of the enzyme-Fe(II)-substrate-nitrosyl complex and the spectral properties of the Cu(II)-reconstituted mutant proteins. The catalytic activities for both epoxidation and self-hydroxylation were also either eliminated or diminished in proportion to the iron content in these mutants. The complete loss of enzymatic activity for the E142A and H180A mutants in vivo and in vitro is consistent with the postulated roles of the altered residues in metal binding. The H138A mutant is also inactive in vivo, but in vitro it retains 27% of the active site iron and nearly 20% of the wild-type activity. Thus, it cannot be unequivocally stated whether H138 is an iron ligand or simply facilitates iron binding due to proximity. The results reported herein provide initial evidence implicating an unusual histidine/carboxylate iron ligation in HppE. By analogy with other well-characterized enzymes from the 2-His-1-carboxylate family, this type of iron core is consistent with a mechanism in which both oxygen and HPP bind to the iron as a first step in the in the conversion of HPP to fosfomycin.     

Alteration of sperm whale myoglobin heme axial ligation by site-directed mutagenesis

Three mutant proteins of sperm whale myoglobin (Mb) that exhibit altered axial ligations were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis of a synthetic gene for sperm whale myoglobin. Substitution of distal pocket residues, histidine E7 and valine E11, with tyrosine and glutamic acid generated His(E7)Tyr Mb and Val(E11)Glu Mb. The normal axial ligand residue, histidine F8, was also replaced with tyrosine, resulting in His(F8)Tyr Mb. These proteins are analogous in their substitutions to the naturally occurring hemoglobin M mutants (HbM). Tyrosine coordination to the ferric heme iron of His(E7)Tyr Mb and His(F8)Tyr Mb is suggested by optical absorption and EPR spectra and is verified by similarities to resonance Raman spectral bands assigned for iron-tyrosine proteins. His(E7)Tyr Mb is high-spin, six-coordinate with the ferric heme iron coordinated to the distal tyrosine and the proximal histidine, resembling Hb M Saskatoon [His(beta E7)Tyr], while the ferrous iron of this Mb mutant is high-spin, five-coordinate with ligation provided by the proximal histidine. His(F8)Tyr Mb is high-spin, five-coordinate in both the oxidized and reduced states, with the ferric heme iron liganded to the proximal tyrosine, resembling Hb M Iwate [His(alpha F8)Tyr] and Hb M Hyde Park [His(beta F8)Tyr]. Val(E11)Glu Mb is high-spin, six-coordinate with the ferric heme iron liganded to the F8 histidine. Glutamate coordination to the ferric iron of this mutant is strongly suggested by the optical and EPR spectral features, which are consistent with those observed for Hb M Milwaukee [Val(beta E11)Glu]. The ferrous iron of Val(E11)Glu Mb exhibits a five-coordinate structure with the F8 histidine-iron bond intact.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Mutagenesis studies on the iron binding ligands of clavaminic acid synthase

Mutagenesis studies on conserved histidine residues identified as possible metal binding ligands in clavaminic acid synthase isozyme 2 were consistent with His-145 and His-280 acting as iron ligands, in support of crystallographic and previous mutagenesis studies. Mutagenesis of the four cysteines and a glutamine residue, conserved in both clavaminic acid synthase isozymes 1 and 2, demonstrated that none of these residues is essential for activity.     

Studies on the specificity of unprocessed and mature forms of phytanoyl-CoA 2-hydroxylase and mutation of the iron binding ligands

The mature form of phytanoyl-coenzyme A 2-hydroxylase (PAHX), a nonheme Fe(II)- and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenase, catalyzes the alpha-hydroxylation of phytanoyl-CoA within peroxisomes. Mutations in PAHX result in some forms of adult Refsum's disease. Unprocessed PAHX (pro-PAHX) contains an N-terminal peroxisomal targeting sequence that is cleaved to give mature PAHX (mat-PAHX). Previous studies have implied a difference in the substrate specificity of the unprocessed and mature forms of PAHX. We demonstrate that both forms are able to hydroxylate a range of CoA derivatives, but under the same assay conditions, the N-terminal hexa-His-tagged unprocessed form is less active than the nontagged mature form. Analyses of the assay conditions suggest a rationale for the lack of activity previously reported for some substrates (e.g. isovaleryl-CoA) for the (His)6pro-PAHX. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to support proposals for the identity of the iron binding ligands (His-175, Asp-177, His-264) of the 2-His-1-carboxylate motif of PAHX. Mutation of other histidine residues (His-213, His-220, His-259) suggested that these residues were not involved in Fe(II) binding.     

Mutations at the histidine 249 ligand profoundly alter the spectral and iron-binding properties of human serum transferrin N-lobe

Human serum transferrin is an iron-binding and -transport protein which carries iron from the blood stream into various cells. Iron is held in two deep clefts located in the N- and C-lobes by coordinating to four amino acid ligands, Asp 63, Tyr 95, Tyr 188, and His 249 (N-lobe numbering), and to two oxygens from carbonate. We have previously reported the effect on the iron-binding properties of the N-lobe following mutation of the ligands Asp 63, Tyr 95, and Tyr 188. Here we report the profound functional changes which result from mutating His 249 to Ala, Glu, or Gln. The results are consistent with studies done in lactoferrin which showed that the histidine ligand is critical for the stability of the iron-binding site [H. Nicholson, B. F. Anderson, T. Bland, S. C. Shewry, J. W. Tweedie, and E. N. Baker (1997) Biochemistry 36, 341-346]. In the mutant H249A, the histidine ligand is disabled, resulting in a dramatic reduction in the kinetic stability of the protein toward loss of iron. The H249E mutant releases iron three times faster than wild-type protein but shows significant changes in both EPR spectra and the binding of anion. This appears to be the net effect of the metal ligand substitution from a neutral histidine residue to a negative glutamate residue and the disruption of the "dilysine trigger" [MacGillivray, R. T. A., Bewley, M. C., Smith, C. A., He, Q.-Y., Mason, A. B., Woodworth, R. C., and Baker, E. N. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 1211-1216]. In the H249Q mutant, Gln 249 appears not to directly contact the iron, given the similarity in the spectroscopic properties and the lability of iron release of this mutant to the H249A mutant. Further evidence for this idea is provided by the preference of both the H249A and H249Q mutants for nitrilotriacetate rather than carbonate in binding iron, probably because NTA is able to provide a third ligation partner. An intermediate species has been identified during the kinetic interconversion between the NTA and carbonate complexes of the H249A mutant. Thus, mutation of the His 249 residue does not abolish iron binding to the transferrin N-lobe but leads to the appearance of novel iron-binding sites of varying structure and stability.     

Purification and characterization of two enantioselective alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases, RdpA and SdpA, from Sphingomonas herbicidovorans MH

Alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent (R)-dichlorprop dioxygenase (RdpA) and alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent (S)-dichlorprop dioxygenase (SdpA), which are involved in the degradation of phenoxyalkanoic acid herbicides in Sphingomonas herbicidovorans MH, were expressed and purified as His6-tagged fusion proteins from Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)(pLysS). RdpA and SdpA belong to subgroup II of the alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases and share the specific motif HXDX(24)TX(131)HX(10)R. Amino acids His-111, Asp-113, and His-270 and amino acids His-102, Asp-104, and His 257 comprise the 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triads and were predicted to be involved in iron binding in RdpA and SdpA, respectively. RdpA exclusively transformed the (R) enantiomers of mecoprop [2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)propanoic acid] and dichlorprop [2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)propanoic acid], whereas SdpA was specific for the (S) enantiomers. The apparent Km values were 99 microM for (R)-mecoprop, 164 microM for (R)-dichlorprop, and 3 microM for alpha-ketoglutarate for RdpA and 132 microM for (S)-mecoprop, 495 microM for (S)-dichlorprop, and 20 microM for alpha-ketoglutarate for SdpA. Both enzymes had high apparent Km values for oxygen; these values were 159 microM for SdpA and >230 microM for RdpA, whose activity was linearly dependent on oxygen at the concentration range measured. Both enzymes had narrow cosubstrate specificity; only 2-oxoadipate was able to replace alpha-ketoglutarate, and the rates were substantially diminished. Ferrous iron was necessary for activity of the enzymes, and other divalent cations could not replace it. Although the results of growth experiments suggest that strain MH harbors a specific 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid-converting enzyme, tfdA-, tfdAalpha-, or cadAB-like genes were not discovered in a screening analysis in which heterologous hybridization and PCR were used.     

The crystal structure of Escherichia coli heat shock protein YedU reveals three potential catalytic active sites

The mRNA of Escherichia coli yedU gene is induced 31-fold upon heat shock. The 31-kD YedU protein, also calls Hsp31, is highly conserved in several human pathogens and has chaperone activity. We solved the crystal structure of YedU at 2.2 A resolution. YedU monomer has an alpha/beta/alpha sandwich domain and a small alpha/beta domain. YedU is a dimer in solution, and its crystal structure indicates that a significant amount of surface area is buried upon dimerization. There is an extended hydrophobic patch that crosses the dimer interface on the surface of the protein. This hydrophobic patch is likely the substrate-binding site responsible for the chaperone activity. The structure also reveals a potential protease-like catalytic triad composed of Cys184, His185, and Asp213, although no enzymatic activity could be identified. YedU coordinates a metal ion using His85, His122, and Glu90. This 2-His-1-carboxylate motif is present in carboxypeptidase A (a zinc enzyme), and a number of dioxygenases and hydroxylases that utilize iron as a cofactor, suggesting another potential function for YedU.     

Identification of metal ligands in the Clostridium histolyticum ColH collagenase

A Clostridium histolyticum 116-kDa collagenase has an H415EXXH motif but not the third zinc ligand, as found in already characterized zinc metalloproteinases. To identify its catalytic site, we mutated the codons corresponding to the three conserved residues in the motif to other amino acid residues. The mutation affecting His415 or His419 abolished catalytic activity and zinc binding, while that affecting Glu416 did the former but not the latter. These results suggest that the motif forms the catalytic site. We also mutated the codons corresponding to other amino acid residues that are likely zinc ligands. The mutation affecting Glu447 decreased markedly both the enzymatic activity and the zinc content, while that affecting Glu446 or Glu451 had smaller effects on activity and zinc binding. These mutations caused a decrease in kcat but no significant change in Km. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that Glu447 is the third zinc ligand. The spacing of the three zinc ligands is the same in all known clostridial collagenases but not in other known gluzincins, indicating that they form a new gluzincin subfamily. The effects of mutations affecting Glu446 and Glu451 suggest that the two residues are also involved in catalysis, possibly through an interaction with the two zinc-binding histidine residues.     

Evaluation of the role of conserved His and Met residues among lipoxygenases by site-directed mutagenesis of recombinant human 5-lipoxygenase

The 5-, 12-, and 15-lipoxygenases contain a highly conserved sequence of the form His-(X)4-His-(X)4-His-(X)17-His-(X)8-His which represents a potential binding site for non heme iron to the protein. The importance of selected amino acids within this His cluster for the activity of human 5-lipoxygenase was investigated by site-directed mutagenesis using bacteria and insect cells expression systems. After single mutation of each of the 5 His residues at positions 363, 368, 373, 391, and 400 by Ser, Cys, or Lys, measurable levels of 5-lipoxygenase activity could be recovered in Escherichia coli only for the Ser363 and Cys363 mutants, with most amino acid substitutions causing a decrease in the levels of expression of the soluble protein. In contrast, 25-80% of soluble 5-lipoxygenase activity was recovered after the replacement of several of the hydrophobic amino acids in this region: Tyr384 by Ser or Phe; Phe394 by Trp and Val375 by Ala. Met436 could be replaced by Leu with little effect on 5-lipoxygenase activity or turnover inactivation half-time. High levels of mutant 5-lipoxygenases containing a Ser residue instead of His at each of the five positions were also expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells infected with recombinant baculovirus. The specific activity (58-75% of control) and the reaction time course of the Ser363, Ser391, and Ser400 mutants were comparable with that of native 5-lipoxygenase whereas inactive proteins were obtained for the Ser368 and Ser373 mutants. These results show that His368 and His373 residues are important for 5-lipoxygenase activity and that the other conserved His363, His391, His400, and Met436 residues are not crucial for the catalytic cycle or for the mechanism of self-inactivation of 5-lipoxygenase.     

Site-directed mutagenesis of CCR2 identified amino acid residues in transmembrane helices 1, 2, and 7 important for MCP-1 binding and biological functions

Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) binds its G-protein-coupled seven transmembrane (TM) receptor, CCR2B, and causes infiltration of monocytes/macrophages into areas of injury, infection or inflammation. To identify functionally important amino acid residues in CCR2B, we made specific mutations of nine residues selected on the basis of conservation in chemokine receptors and located TM1 (Tyr(49)), TM2 (Leu(95)), TM3 (Thr(117) and Tyr(120)), and TM7 (Ala(286), Thr(290), Glu(291), and His(297)) and in the extracellular loop 3 (Glu(278)). MCP-1 binding was drastically affected only by mutations in TM7. Reversing the charge at Glu(291) (E291K) and at His(297) (H297D) prevented MCP binding although substitution with Ala at either site had little effect, suggesting that Glu(291) and His(297) probably stabilize TM7 by their ionic interaction. E291A elicited normal Ca(2+) influx. H297A, Y49F in TM1 and L95A in TM2 that showed normal MCP-1 binding did not elicit Ca(2+) influx and elicited no adenylate cyclase inhibition at any MCP-1 concentration. MCP-1 treatment of HEK293 cells caused lamellipodia formation only when they expressed CCR2B. The mutants that showed no Ca(2+) influx and adenylate cyclase inhibition by MCP-1 treatment showed lamellipodia formation and chemotaxis. Our results show that induction of lamellipodia formation, but not Ca(2+) influx and adenylate cyclase inhibition, is necessary for chemotaxis.     

Steric interactions and the activity of fentanyl analogs at the mu-opioid receptor

Fentanyl is a highly potent and clinically widely used narcotic analgesic. The synthesis of its analogs remains a challenge in the attempt to develop highly selective mu-opioid receptor agonists with specific pharmacological properties. In this paper, the use of flexible molecular docking in a study of the formation of complexes between a series of active fentanyl analogs and the mu-opioid receptor is described. The optimal position and orientation of fourteen fentanyl analogs in the binding pocket of the mu-receptor were determined. The major receptor amino acids and the ligand functional groups participating in the complex formation were identified. Stereochemical effects on the potency and binding are explained. The proposed model of ligand-receptor binding is in agreement with point mutation experiments explaining the role of the amino acids: Asp147, Tyr148, Asn230, His297, Trp318, His319, Cys321, and Tyr326 in the complex formation. In addition, the following amino acids were identified as being important for ligand binding or receptor activation: Ile322, Gly325, Val300, Met203, Leu200, Val143, and Ile144.     

Mutation of the iron ligand His 249 to Glu in the N-lobe of human transferrin abolishes the dilysine "trigger" but does not significantly affect iron release

Serum transferrin is the major iron transport protein in humans. Its function depends on its ability to bind iron with very high affinity, yet to release this bound iron at the lower intracellular pH. Possible explanations for the release of iron from transferrin at low pH include protonation of a histidine ligand and the existence of a pH-sensitive "trigger" involving a hydrogen-bonded pair of lysines in the N-lobe of transferrin. We have determined the crystal structure of the His249Glu mutant of the N-lobe half-molecule of human transferrin and compared its iron-binding properties with those of the wild-type protein and other mutants. The crystal structure, determined at 2.4 A resolution (R-factor 19.8%, R(free) 29.4%), shows that Glu 249 is directly bound to iron, in place of the His ligand, and that a local movement of Lys 296 has broken the dilysine interaction. Despite the loss of this potentially pH-sensitive interaction, the H249E mutant is only slightly more acid-stable than wild-type and releases iron slightly faster. We conclude that the loss of the dilysine interaction does make the protein more acid stable but that this is counterbalanced by the replacement of a neutral ligand (His) by a negatively charged one (Glu), thus disrupting the electroneutrality of the binding site.     

Arg(362) and Tyr(365) of the botulinum neurotoxin type a light chain are involved in transition state stabilization

The botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) light chain (LC) acts as zinc endopeptidase. The X-ray structure of the toxin demonstrated that Zn(2+) is coordinated by His(222) and His(226) of the Zn(2+) binding motif HisGluXXHis and Glu(261), whereas Glu(223) coordinates the water molecule required for hydrolysis as the fourth ligand. Recent analysis of a cocrystal of the BoNT/B LC and its substrate synaptobrevin 2 suggested that Arg(362) and Tyr(365) of the homologous BoNT/A may be directly involved in catalysis. Their role and that of Glu(350) which is also found in the vicinity to the active site were analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis. Various replacements of Arg(362) and substitution of Tyr(365) with Phe resulted in 79- and 34-fold lower k(cat)/K(m) values, respectively. These changes were provoked by decreased catalytic rates (k(cat)) and not by alterations of ground state substrate binding as evidenced by largely unchanged K(d) and K(m) values. None of these mutations affected the overall secondary structure or zinc content of the LC. These findings suggest that the guanidino group of Arg(362) and the hydroxyl group of Tyr(365) together accomplish transition state stabilization as was proposed for thermolysin, being the prototypical member of the gluzincin superfamily of metalloproteases. Mutation of Glu(350) dramatically diminished the hydrolytic activity which must partly be attributed to an altered active site fine structure as demonstrated by an increased sensitivity toward heat-induced denaturing and a lower Zn(2+) binding affinity. Glu(350) apparently occupies a central position in the active site and presumably positions His(222) and Arg(362).     

Aspzincin, a family of metalloendopeptidases with a new zinc-binding motif. Identification of new zinc-binding sites (His(128), His(132), and Asp(164)) and three catalytically crucial residues (Glu(129), Asp(143), and Tyr(106)) of deuterolysin from Aspergillus oryzae by site-directed mutagenesis.

Deuterolysin (EC 3.4.24.39; formerly designated as neutral proteinase II) from Aspergillus oryzae, which contains 1 g atom of zinc/mol of enzyme, is a single chain of 177 amino acid residues, includes three disulfide bonds, and has a molecular mass of 19,018 Da. Active-site determination of the recombinant enzyme expressed in Escherichia coli was performed by site-directed mutagenesis. Substitutions of His(128) and His(132) with Arg, of Glu(129) with Gln or Asp, of Asp(143) with Asn or Glu, of Asp(164) with Asn, and of Tyr(106) with Phe resulted in almost complete loss of the activity of the mutant enzymes. It can be concluded that His(128), His(132), and Asp(164) provide the Zn(2+) ligands of the enzyme according to a (65)Zn binding assay. Based on site-directed mutagenesis experiments, it was demonstrated that the three essential amino acid residues Glu(129), Asp(143), and Tyr(106) are catalytically crucial residues in the enzyme. Glu(129) may be implicated in a central role in the catalytic function. We conclude that deuterolysin is a member of a family of Zn(2+) metalloendopeptidases with a new zinc-binding motif, aspzincin, defined by the "HEXXH + D" motif and an aspartic acid as the third zinc ligand.     

Stringency of the 2-His–1-Asp Active-Site Motif in Prolyl 4-Hydroxylase

The non-heme iron(II) dioxygenase family of enzymes contain a common 2-His–1-carboxylate iron-binding motif. These enzymes catalyze a wide variety of oxidative reactions, such as the hydroxylation of aliphatic C–H bonds. Prolyl 4-hydroxylase (P4H) is an α-ketoglutarate-dependent iron(II) dioxygenase that catalyzes the post-translational hydroxylation of proline residues in protocollagen strands, stabilizing the ensuing triple helix. Human P4H residues His412, Asp414, and His483 have been identified as an iron-coordinating 2-His–1-carboxylate motif. Enzymes that catalyze oxidative halogenation do so by a mechanism similar to that of P4H. These halogenases retain the active-site histidine residues, but the carboxylate ligand is replaced with a halide ion. We replaced Asp414 of P4H with alanine (to mimic the active site of a halogenase) and with glycine. These substitutions do not, however, convert P4H into a halogenase. Moreover, the hydroxylase activity of D414A P4H cannot be rescued with small molecules. In addition, rearranging the two His and one Asp residues in the active site eliminates hydroxylase activity. Our results demonstrate a high stringency for the iron-binding residues in the P4H active site. We conclude that P4H, which catalyzes an especially demanding chemical transformation, is recalcitrant to change.     

High resolution structure of an alternate form of the ferric ion binding protein from Haemophilus influenzae

The periplasmic iron binding protein of pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria performs an essential role in iron acquisition from transferrin and other iron sources. Structural analysis of this protein from Haemophilus influenzae identified four amino acids that ligand the bound iron: His(9), Glu(57), Tyr(195), and Tyr(196). A phosphate provides an additional ligand, and the presence of a water molecule is required to complete the octahedral geometry for stable iron binding. We report the 1.14-A resolution crystal structure of the iron-loaded form of the H. influenzae periplasmic ferric ion binding protein (FbpA) mutant H9Q. This protein was produced in the periplasm of Escherichia coli and, after purification and conversion to the apo form, was iron-loaded. H9Q is able to bind ferric iron in an open conformation. A surprising finding in the present high resolution structure is the presence of EDTA located at the previously determined anion ternary binding site, where phosphate is located in the wild type holo and apo structures. EDTA contributes four of the six coordinating ligands for iron, with two Tyr residues, 195 and 196, completing the coordination. This is the first example of a metal binding protein with a bound metal.EDTA complex. The results suggest that FbpA may have the ability to bind and transport iron bound to biological chelators, in addition to bare ferric iron.     

Ligand variation in the transferrin family: the crystal structure of the H249Q mutant of the human transferrin N-lobe as a model for iron binding in insect transferrins

Proteins of the transferrin (Tf) family play a central role in iron homeostasis in vertebrates. In vertebrate Tfs, the four iron-binding ligands, 1 Asp, 2 Tyr, and 1 His, are invariant in both lobes of these bilobal proteins. In contrast, there are striking variations in the Tfs that have been characterized from insect species; in three of them, sequence changes in the C-lobe binding site render it nonfunctional, and in all of them the His ligand in the N-lobe site is changed to Gln. Surprisingly, mutagenesis of the histidine ligand, His249, to glutamine in the N-lobe half-molecule of human Tf (hTf/2N) shows that iron binding is destabilized and suggests that Gln249 does not bind to iron. We have determined the crystal structure of the H249Q mutant of hTf/2N and refined it at 1.85 A resolution (R = 0.221, R(free) = 0.246). The structure reveals that Gln249 does coordinate to iron, albeit with a lengthened Fe-Oepsilon1 bond of 2.34 A. In every other respect, the protein structure is unchanged from wild-type. Examination of insect Tf sequences shows that the K206.K296 dilysine pair, which aids iron release from the N-lobes of vertebrate Tfs, is not present in the insect proteins. We conclude that substitution of Gln for His does destabilize iron binding, but in the insect Tfs this is compensated by the loss of the dilysine interaction. The combination of a His ligand with the dilysine pair in vertebrate Tfs may have been a later evolutionary development that gives more sophisticated pH-mediated control of iron release from the N-lobe of transferrins.     

Delineation of the peptide binding site of the human galanin receptor.

Galanin, a neuroendocrine peptide of 29 amino acids, binds to Gi/Go-coupled receptors to trigger cellular responses. To determine which amino acids of the recently cloned seven-transmembrane domain-type human galanin receptor are involved in the high-affinity binding of the endogenous peptide ligand, we performed a mutagenesis study. Mutation of the His264 or His267 of transmembrane domain VI to alanine, or of Phe282 of transmembrane domain VII to glycine, results in an apparent loss of galanin binding. The substitution of Glu271 to serine in the extracellular loop III of the receptor causes a 12-fold loss in affinity for galanin. We combined the mutagenesis results with data on the pharmacophores (Trp2, Tyr9) of galanin and with molecular modelling of the receptor using bacteriorhodopsin as a model. Based on these studies, we propose a binding site model for the endogenous peptide ligand in the galanin receptor where the N-terminus of galanin hydrogen bonds with Glu271 of the receptor, Trp2 of galanin interacts with the Zn2+ sensitive pair of His264 and His267 of transmembrane domain VI, and Tyr9 of galanin interacts with Phe282 of transmembrane domain VII, while the C-terminus of galanin is pointing towards the N-terminus of th     

The use of dioxygen by HIF prolyl hydroxylase (PHD1)

The hypoxic response in animals is mediated by hydroxylation of proline residues in the alpha-subunit of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF). Hydroxylation is catalysed by prolyl-4-hydroxylases (PHD isozymes in humans) which are iron(II) and 2-oxoglutarate dependent oxygenases. Mutation of the arginine proposed to bind 2-oxoglutarate and of the 2His-1-carboxylate iron(II) binding motif in PHD1 dramatically reduces its activity. The source of the oxygen of the product alcohol is (>95%) dioxygen.