Viscosity-dependent relaxation significantly modulates the kinetics of CO recombination in the truncated hemoglobin TrHbN from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Kinetic traces were generated for the nanosecond and slower rebinding of photodissociated CO to trHbN in solution and in porous sol-gel matrices as a function of viscosity, conformation, and mutation. TrHbN is one of the two truncated hemoglobins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The kinetic traces were analyzed in terms of three distinct phases. These three phases are ascribed to rebinding: (i) from the distal heme pocket, (ii) from the adjacent apolar tunnel prior to conformational relaxation, and (iii) from the apolar tunnel subsequent to conformational relaxation. The fractional content of each of these phases was shown to be a function of the viscosity and, in the case of the sol-gel-encapsulated samples, sample preparation history. The observed kinetic patterns support a model consisting of the following elements: (i) the viscosity and conformation-sensitive dynamics of the Tyr(B10) side chain facilitate diffusion of the dissociated ligand from the distal heme pocket into the adjacent tunnel; (ii) the distal heme pocket architecture determines ligand access from the tunnel back to the heme iron; (iii) the distal heme pocket architecture is governed by a ligand-dependent hydrogen bonding network that limits the range of accessible side chain positions; and (iv) the apolar tunnel linking the heme site to the solvent biases the competition between water and ligand for occupancy of the vacated polar distal heme pocket greatly toward the nonpolar ligand. Implications of these finding with respect to biological function are discussed.     

Very high resolution structure of a trematode hemoglobin displaying a TyrB10-TyrE7 heme distal residue pair and high oxygen affinity

Monomeric hemoglobin from the trematode Paramphistomum epiclitum displays very high oxygen affinity (P(50)<0.001 mm Hg) and an unusual heme distal site containing tyrosyl residues at the B10 and E7 positions. The crystal structure of aquo-met P. epiclitum hemoglobin, solved at 1.17 A resolution via multiwavelength anomalous dispersion techniques (R-factor=0.121), shows that the heme distal site pocket residue TyrB10 is engaged in hydrogen bonding to the iron-bound ligand. By contrast, residue TyrE7 is unexpectedly locked next to the CD globin region, in a conformation unsuitable for heme-bound ligand stabilisation. Such structural organization of the E7 distal residue differs strikingly from that observed in the nematode Ascaris suum hemoglobin (bearing TyrB10 and GlnE7 residues), which also displays very high oxygen affinity. The oxygenation and carbonylation parameters of wild-type P. epiclitum Hb as well as of single- and double-site mutants, with residue substitutions at positions B10, E7 and E11, have been determined and are discussed here in the light of the protein atomic resolution crystal structure.     

The position 68(E11) side chain in myoglobin regulates ligand capture, bond formation with heme iron, and internal movement into the xenon cavities

After photodissociation, ligand rebinding to myoglobin exhibits complex kinetic patterns associated with multiple first-order geminate recombination processes occurring within the protein and a simpler bimolecular phase representing second-order ligand rebinding from the solvent. A smooth transition from cryogenic-like to solution phase properties can be obtained by using a combination of sol-gel encapsulation, addition of glycerol as a bathing medium, and temperature tuning (-15 --> 65 degrees C). This approach was applied to a series of double mutants, myoglobin CO (H64L/V68X, where X = Ala, Val, Leu, Asn, and Phe), which were designed to examine the contributions of the position 68(E11) side chain to the appearance and disappearance of internal rebinding phases in the absence of steric and polar interactions with the distal histidine. Based on the effects of viscosity, temperature, and the stereochemistry of the E11 side chain, the three major phases, B --> A, C --> A, and D --> A, can be assigned, respectively, to ligand rebinding from the following: (i) the distal heme pocket, (ii) the xenon cavities prior to large amplitude side chain conformational relaxation, and (iii) the xenon cavities after significant conformational relaxation of the position 68(E11) side chain. The relative amplitudes of the B --> A and C --> A phases depend markedly on the size and shape of the E11 side chain, which regulates sterically both ligand return to the heme iron atom and ligand migration to the xenon cavities. The internal xenon cavities provide a transient docking site that allows side chain relaxations and the entry of water into the vacated distal pocket, which in turn slows ligand recombination markedly.     

Disruption of an active site hydrogen bond converts human heme oxygenase-1 into a peroxidase

The crystal structure of heme oxygenase-1 suggests that Asp-140 may participate in a hydrogen bonding network involving ligands coordinated to the heme iron atom. To examine this possibility, Asp-140 was mutated to an alanine, phenylalanine, histidine, leucine, or asparagine, and the properties of the purified proteins were investigated. UV-visible and resonance Raman spectroscopy indicate that the distal water ligand is lost from the iron in all the mutants except, to some extent, the D140N mutant. In the D140H mutant, the distal water ligand is replaced by the new His-140 as the sixth iron ligand, giving a bis-histidine complex. The D140A, D140H, and D140N mutants retain a trace (<3%) of biliverdin forming activity, but the D140F and D140L mutants are inactive in this respect. However, the two latter mutants retain a low ability to form verdoheme, an intermediate in the reaction sequence. All the Asp-140 mutants exhibit a new peroxidase activity. The results indicate that disruption of the distal hydrogen bonding environment by mutation of Asp-140 destabilizes the ferrous dioxygen complex and promotes conversion of the ferrous hydroperoxy intermediate obtained by reduction of the ferrous dioxygen complex to a ferryl species at the expense of its normal reaction with the porphyrin ring.     

The crystal structures of the ferric and ferrous forms of the heme complex of HmuO, a heme oxygenase of Corynebacterium diphtheriae

Crystal structures of the ferric and ferrous heme complexes of HmuO, a 24-kDa heme oxygenase of Corynebacterium diphtheriae, have been refined to 1.4 and 1.5 A resolution, respectively. The HmuO structures show that the heme group is closely sandwiched between the proximal and distal helices. The imidazole group of His-20 is the proximal heme ligand, which closely eclipses the beta- and delta-meso axis of the porphyrin ring. A long range hydrogen bonding network is present, connecting the iron-bound water ligand to the solvent water molecule. This enables proton transfer from the solvent to the catalytic site, where the oxygen activation occurs. In comparison to the ferric complex, the proximal and distal helices move closer to the heme plane in the ferrous complex. Together with the kinked distal helix, this movement leaves only the alpha-meso carbon atom accessible to the iron-bound dioxygen. The heme pocket architecture is responsible for stabilization of the ferric hydroperoxo-active intermediate by preventing premature heterolytic O-O bond cleavage. This allows the enzyme to oxygenate selectively at the alpha-meso carbon in HmuO catalysis.     

Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that tyrosineB10 limits motions of distal histidine to regulate CO binding in soybean leghemoglobin

Myoglobin (Mb) uses strong electrostatic interaction in its distal heme pocket to regulate ligand binding. The mechanism of regulation of ligand binding in soybean leghemoglobin a (Lba) has been enigmatic and more so due to the absence of gaseous ligand bound atomic resolution three‐dimensional structure of the plant globin. While the 20‐fold higher oxygen affinity of Lba compared with Mb is required for its dual physiological function, the mechanism by which this high affinity is achieved is only emerging. Extensive mutational analysis combined with kinetic and CO‐FT‐IR spectroscopic investigation led to the hypothesis that Lba depended on weakened electrostatic interaction between distal HisE7 and bound ligand achieved by invoking B10Tyr, which itself hydrogen bonds with HisE7 thus restricting it in a single conformation detrimental to Mb‐like strong electrostatic interaction. Such theory has been re‐assessed here using CO‐Lba in silico model and molecular dynamics simulation. The investigation supports the presence of at least two major conformations of HisE7 in Lba brought about by imidazole ring flip, one of which makes hydrogen bonds effectively with B10Tyr affecting the former's ability to stabilize bound ligand, while the other does not. However, HisE7 in Lba has limited conformational freedom unlike high frequency of imidazole ring flips observed in Mb and in TyrB10Leu mutant of Lba. Thus, it appears that TyrB10 limits the conformational freedom of distal His in Lba, tuning down ligand dissociation rate constant by reducing the strength of hydrogen bonding to bound ligand, which the freedom of distal His of Mb allows. Proteins 2015; 83:1836–1848. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ligand selectivity of soluble guanylyl cyclase: effect of the hydrogen-bonding tyrosine in the distal heme pocket on binding of oxygen, nitric oxide, and carbon monoxide

Although soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) functions in an environment in which O(2), NO, and CO are potential ligands for its heme moiety, the enzyme displays a high affinity for only its physiological ligand, NO, but has a limited affinity for CO and no affinity for O(2). Recent studies of a truncated version of the sGC beta(1)-subunit containing the heme-binding domain (Boon, E. M., Huang, S H., and Marletta, M. A. (2005) Nat. Chem. Biol., 1, 53-59) showed that introduction of the hydrogen-bonding tyrosine into the distal heme pocket changes the ligand specificity of the heme moiety and results in an oxygen-binding sGC. The hypothesis that the absence of hydrogen-bonding residues in the distal heme pocket is sufficient to provide oxygen discrimination by sGC was put forward. We tested this hypothesis in a context of a complete sGC heterodimer containing both the intact alpha(1)- and beta(1)-subunits. We found that the I145Y substitution in the full-length beta-subunit of the sGC heterodimer did not produce an oxygen-binding enzyme. However, this substitution impeded the association of NO and destabilized the NO.heme complex. The tyrosine in the distal heme pocket also impeded both the binding and dissociation of the CO ligand. We propose that the mechanism of oxygen exclusion by sGC not only involves the lack of hydrogen bonding in the distal heme pocket, but also depends on structural elements from other domains of sGC.     

Spectroscopically and kinetically distinct conformational populations of sol-gel-encapsulated carbonmonoxy myoglobin. A comparison with hemoglobin

We have used sol-gel encapsulation protocols to trap kinetically and spectroscopically distinct conformational populations of native horse carbonmonoxy myoglobin. The method allows for direct comparison of functional and spectroscopic properties of equilibrium and non-equilibrium populations under the same temperature and viscosity conditions. The results implicate tertiary structure changes that include the proximal heme environment in the mechanism for population-specific differences in the observed rebinding kinetics. Differences in the resonance Raman frequency of nu(Fe-His), the iron-proximal histidine stretching mode, are attributed to differences in the positioning of the F helix. For myoglobin, the degree of separation between the F helix and the heme is assigned as the conformational coordinate that modulates both this frequency and the innermost barrier controlling CO rebinding. A comparison with the behavior of encapsulated derivatives of human adult hemoglobin indicates that these CO binding-induced conformational changes are qualitatively similar to the tertiary changes that occur within both the R and T quaternary states. Protein-specific differences in the time scale for the proposed F helix relaxation are attributed to variations in the intra-helical hydrogen bonding patterns that help stabilize the position of the F helix.     

Novel heme ligand displacement by CO in the soluble hemophore HasA and its proximal ligand mutants: implications for heme uptake and release

HasASM, a hemophore secreted by the Gram-negative bacteria Serratia marcescens, extracts heme from host hemoproteins and shuttles it to HasRSM, a specific hemophore outer membrane receptor. Heme iron in HasASM is in a six-coordinate ferric state. It is linked to the protein by the heretofore uncommon axial ligand set, His32 and Tyr75. A third residue of the heme pocket, His83, plays a crucial role in heme ligation through hydrogen bonding to Tyr75. The vibrational frequencies of coordinated carbon monoxide constitute a sensitive probe of trans ligand field, FeCO structure, and electrostatic landscape of the distal heme pockets of heme proteins. In this study, carbonyl complexes of wild-type (WT) HasASM and its heme pocket mutants His32Ala, Tyr75Ala, and His83Ala were characterized by resonance Raman spectroscopy. The CO complexes of WT HasASM, HasASM(His32Ala), and HasASM(His83Ala) exhibit similar spectral features and fall above the line that correlates nuFe-CO and nuC-O for proteins having a proximal imidazole ligand. This suggests that the proximal ligand field in these CO adducts is weaker than that for heme-CO proteins bearing a histidine axial ligand. In contrast, the CO complex of HasASM(Tyr75Ala) has resonance Raman signatures consistent with ImH-Fe-CO ligation. These results reveal that in WT HasASM, the axial ImH side chain of His32 is displaced by CO. This is in contrast to other heme proteins known to have the His/Tyr axial ligand set, wherein the phenolic side chain of the Tyr ligand dissociates upon CO addition. The displacement of His32 and its stabilization in an unbound state is postulated to be relevant to heme uptake and/or release.     

Structural and functional properties of a truncated hemoglobin from a food-borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni

Campylobacter jejuni contains two hemoglobins, Cgb and Ctb. Cgb has been suggested to perform an NO detoxification reaction to protect the bacterium against NO attack. On the other hand, the physiological function of Ctb, a class III truncated hemoglobin, remains unclear. By using CO as a structural probe, resonance Raman data show that the distal heme pocket of Ctb exhibits a positive electrostatic potential. In addition, two ligand-related vibrational modes, nu(Fe-O(2)) and nu(O-O), were identified in the oxy derivative, with frequencies at 542 and 1132 cm(-1), respectively, suggesting the presence of an intertwined H-bonding network surrounding the heme-bound ligand, which accounts for its unusually high oxygen affinity (222 microm(-1)). Mutagenesis studies of various distal mutants suggest that the heme-bound dioxygen is stabilized by H-bonds donated from the Tyr(B10) and Trp(G8) residues, which are highly conserved in the class III truncated hemoglobins; furthermore, an additional H-bond donated from the His(E7) to the Tyr(B10) further regulates these H-bonding interactions by restricting the conformational freedom of the phenolic side chain of the Tyr(B10). Taken together, the data suggest that it is the intricate balance of the H-bonding interactions that determines the unique ligand binding properties of Ctb. The extremely high oxygen affinity of Ctb makes it unlikely to function as an oxygen transporter; on the other hand, the distal heme environment of Ctb is surprisingly similar to that of cytochrome c peroxidase, suggesting a role of Ctb in performing a peroxidase or P450-type of oxygen chemistry.     

The X-ray structure determination of bovine carbonmonoxy hemoglobin at 2.1 A resoultion and its relationship to the quaternary structures of other hemoglobin crystal froms

Crystallographic studies of the intermediate states between unliganded and fully liganded hemoglobin (Hb) have revealed a large range of subtle but functionally important structural differences. Only one T state has been reported, whereas three other quaternary states (the R state, B state, and R2 or Y state) for liganded Hb have been characterized; other studies have defined liganded Hbs that are intermediate between the T and R states. The high-salt crystal structure of bovine carbonmonoxy (CO bovine) Hb has been determined at a resolution of 2.1 A and is described here. A detailed comparison with other crystallographically solved Hb forms (T, R, R2 or Y) shows that the quaternary structure of CO bovine Hb closely resembles R state Hb. However, our analysis of these structures has identified several important differences between CO bovine Hb and R state Hb. Compared with the R state structures, the beta-subunit N-terminal region has shifted closer to the central water cavity in CO bovine Hb. In addition, both the alpha- and beta-subunits in CO bovine Hb have more constrained heme environments that appear to be intermediate between the T and R states. Moreover, the distal pocket of the beta-subunit heme in CO bovine Hb shows significantly closer interaction between the bound CO ligand and the Hb distal residues Val 63(E11) and His 63(E7). The constrained heme groups and the increased steric contact involving the CO ligand and the distal heme residues relative to human Hb may explain in part the low intrinsic oxygen affinity of bovine Hb.     

Modulation of reactivity and conformation within the T-quaternary state of human hemoglobin: the combined use of mutagenesis and sol-gel encapsulation

A range of conformationally distinct functional states within the T quaternary state of hemoglobin are accessed and probed using a combination of mutagenesis and sol-gel encapsulation that greatly slow or eliminate the T --> R transition. Visible and UV resonance Raman spectroscopy are used to probe the proximal strain at the heme and the status of the alpha(1)beta(2) interface, respectively, whereas CO geminate and bimolecular recombination traces in conjunction with MEM (maximum entropy method) analysis of kinetic populations are used to identify functionally distinct T-state populations. The mutants used in this study are Hb(Nbeta102A) and the alpha99-alpha99 cross-linked derivative of Hb(Wbeta37E). The former mutant, which binds oxygen noncooperatively with very low affinity, is used to access low-affinity ligated T-state conformations, whereas the latter mutant is used to access the high-affinity end of the distribution of T-state conformations. A pattern emerges within the T state in which ligand reactivity increases as both the proximal strain and the alpha(1)beta(2) interface interactions are progressively lessened after ligand binding to the deoxy T-state species. The ligation and effector-dependent interplay between the heme environment and the stability of the Trp beta37 cluster in the hinge region of the alpha(1)beta(2) interface appears to determine the distribution of the ligated T-state species generated upon ligand binding. A qualitative model is presented, suggesting that different T quaternary structures modulate the stability of different alphabeta dimer conformations within the tetramer.     

The effect of ligand dynamics on heme electronic transition band III in myoglobin.

Band III is a near-infrared electronic transition at ~13,000 cm(-1) in heme proteins that has been studied extensively as a marker of protein conformational relaxation after photodissociation of the heme-bound ligand. To examine the influence of the heme pocket structure and ligand dynamics on band III, we have studied carbon monoxide recombination in a variety of myoglobin mutants after photolysis at 3 K using Fourier transform infrared temperature-derivative spectroscopy with monitoring in three spectral ranges, (1) band III, the mid-infrared region of (2) the heme-bound CO, and (3) the photodissociated CO. Here we present data on mutant myoglobins V68F and L29W, which both exhibit pronounced ligand movements at low temperature. From spectral and kinetic analyses in the mid-infrared, a small number of photoproduct populations can be distinguished, differing in their distal heme pocket conformations and/or CO locations. We have decomposed band III into its individual photoproduct contributions. Each photoproduct state exhibits a different "kinetic hole-burning" (KHB) effect, a coupling of the activation enthalpy for rebinding to the position of band III. The analysis reveals that the heme pocket structure and the photodissociated CO markedly affect the band III transition. A strong kinetic hole-burning effect results only when the CO ligand resides in the docking site on top of the heme group. Migration of CO away from the heme group leads to an overall blue shift of band III. Consequently, band III can be used as a sensitive tool to study ligand dynamics after photodissociation in heme proteins.     

Reactions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis truncated hemoglobin O with ligands reveal a novel ligand-inclusive hydrogen bond network

Truncated hemoglobin O (trHbO) is one of two trHbs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Remarkably, trHbO possesses two novel distal residues, in addition to the B10 tyrosine, that may be important in ligand binding. These are the CD1 tyrosine and G8 tryptophan. Here we investigate the reactions of trHbO and mutants using stopped-flow spectrometry, flash photolysis, and UV-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy. A biphasic kinetic behavior is observed for combination and dissociation of O(2) and CO that is controlled by the B10 and CD1 residues. The rate constants for combination (<1.0 microM(-1) s(-1)) and dissociation (<0.006 s(-1)) of O(2) are among the slowest known, precluding transport or diffusion of O(2) as a major function. Mutation of CD1 tyrosine to phenylalanine shows that this group controls ligand binding, as evidenced by 25- and 77-fold increases in the combination rate constants for O(2) and CO, respectively. In support of a functional role for G8 tryptophan, UV resonance Raman indicates that the chi((2,1)) dihedral angle for the indole ring increases progressively from approximately 93 degrees to at least 100 degrees in going sequentially from the deoxy to CO to O(2) derivative, demonstrating a significant conformational change in the G8 tryptophan with ligation. Remarkably, protein modeling predicts a network of hydrogen bonds between B10 tyrosine, CD1 tyrosine, and G8 tryptophan, with the latter residues being within hydrogen bonding distance of the heme-bound ligand. Such a rigid hydrogen bonding network may thus represent a considerable barrier to ligand entrance and escape. In accord with this model, we found that changing CD1 or B10 tyrosine for phenylalanine causes only small changes in the rate of O(2) dissociation, suggesting that more than one hydrogen bond must be broken at a time to promote ligand escape. Furthermore, trHbO-CO cannot be photodissociated under conditions where the CO derivative of myoglobin is extensively photodissociated, indicating that CO is constrained near the heme by the hydrogen bonding network.     

Ligand binding in the ferric and ferrous states of Paramecium hemoglobin

The unicellular protozoan Paramecium caudatum contains a monomeric hemoglobin (Hb) that has only 116 amino acid residues. This Hb shares the simultaneous presence of a distal E7 glutamine and a B10 tyrosine with several invertebrate Hbs. In the study presented here, we have used ligand binding kinetics and resonance Raman spectroscopy to characterize the effect of the distal pocket residues of Paramecium Hb in stabilizing the heme-bound ligands. In the ferric state, the high-spin to low-spin (aquo-hydroxy) transition takes place with a pK(a) of approximately 9.0. The oxygen affinity (P(50) = 0.45 Torr) is similar to that of myoglobin. The oxygen on- and off-rates are also similar to those of sperm whale myoglobin. Resonance Raman data suggest hydrogen bonding stabilization of bound oxygen, evidenced by a relatively low frequency of Fe-OO stretching (563 cm(-1)). We propose that the oxy complex is an equilibrium mixture of a hydrogen-bonded closed structure and an open structure. Oxygen will dissociate preferentially from the open structure, and therefore, the fraction of open structure population controls the rate of oxygen dissociation. In the CO complex, the Fe-CO stretching frequency at 493 cm(-1) suggests an open heme pocket, which is consistent with the higher on- and off-rates for CO relative to those in myoglobin. A high rate of ligand binding is also consistent with the observation of an Fe-histidine stretching frequency at 220 cm(-1), indicating the absence of significant proximal strain. We postulate that the function of Paramecium Hb is to supply oxygen for cellular oxidative processes.     

Monomer-dimer equilibrium and oxygen binding properties of ferrous Vitreoscilla hemoglobin

The monomer-dimer equilibrium and the oxygen binding properties of ferrous recombinant Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (Vitreoscilla Hb) have been investigated. Sedimentation equilibrium data indicate that the ferrous deoxygenated and carbonylated derivatives display low values of equilibrium dimerization constants, 6 x 10(2) and 1 x 10(2) M(-1), respectively, at pH 7.0 and 10 degrees C. The behavior of the oxygenated species, as measured in sedimentation velocity experiments, is superimposable to that of the carbonylated derivative. The kinetics of O(2) combination, measured by laser photolysis at pH 7.0 and 20 degrees C, is characterized by a second-order rate constant of 2 x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1) whereas the kinetics of O(2) release at pH 7.0 is biphasic between 10 and 40 degrees C, becoming essentially monophasic below 10 degrees C. Values of the first-order rate constants (at 20 degrees C) and of the activation energies for the fast and slow phases of the Vitreoscilla Hb deoxygenation process are 4.2 s(-1) and 19.2 kcal mol(-1) and 0.15 s(-1) and 24.8 kcal mol(-1), respectively. Thus the biphasic kinetics of Vitreoscilla Hb deoxygenation is unrelated to the association state of the protein. The observed biphasic oxygen release may be accounted for by the presence of two different conformers in thermal equilibrium within the monomer. The two conformers may be assigned to a structure in which the heme-iron-bound ligand is stabilized by direct hydrogen bonding to TyrB10 and a structure in which such interaction is absent. The slow interconversion between the two conformers may reflect a very large conformational rearrangement in the disordered distal pocket segment connecting helices C and E.     

NMR studies of the conformations of leghemoglobins from soybean and lupin

Phase-sensitive two-dimensional NMR methods have been used to obtain extensive proton resonance assignments for the carbon monoxide complexes of lupin leghemoglobins I and II and soybean leghemoglobin a. The assigned resonances provide information on the solution conformations of the proteins, particularly in the vicinity of the heme. The structure of the CO complex of lupin leghemoglobin II in solution is compared with the X-ray crystal structure of the cyanide complex by comparison of observed and calculated ring current shifts. The structures are generally very similar but significant differences are observed for the ligand contact residues, Phe30, His63 and Val67, and for the proximal His97 ligand. Certain residues are disordered and adopt two interconverting conformations in lupin leghemoglobin II in solution. The proximal heme pocket structure is closely conserved in the lupin leghemoglobins I and II but small differences in conformation in the distal heme pocket are apparent. Larger conformational differences are observed when comparisons are made with the CO complex of soybean leghemoglobin. Altered protein-heme packing is indicated on the proximal side of the heme and some conformational differences are evident in the distal heme pocket. The small conformational differences between the three leghemoglobins probably contribute to the known differences in their O2 and CO association and dissociation kinetics. The heme pocket conformations of the three leghemoglobins are more closely related to each other than to sperm whale myoglobin. The most notable differences between the leghemoglobins and myoglobin are: (a) reduced steric crowding of the ligand binding site in the leghemoglobins, (b) different orientations of the distal histidine, and (c) small but significant differences in proximal histidine coordination geometry. These changes probably contribute to the large differences in ligand binding kinetics between the leghemoglobins and myoglobin.     

Compressibility and uncoupling of cytochrome P450cam: high pressure FTIR and activity studies

The effect of the hydrostatic pressure on the CO ligand stretch vibration in cytochrome P450cam-CO bound with various substrates is studied by FTIR. The vibration frequency is linearily shifted to lower values with increasing pressure. The slope of the shift gives the isothermal compressibility of the heme pocket and is found to be related to the high-spin state content in an opposite direction to that previously observed from the pressure-induced shift of the Soret band. This opposite behaviour is explained by the dual effect of heme pocket water molecules both on the CO ligand and on electrostatic potentials produced by the protein at the distal side. The latter effect disturbs ligand-distal side contacts which are needed for a specific proton transfer in oxygen activation when dioxygen is the ligand. Their loss results in uncoupled H(2)O(2) formation.     

Tyrosine B10 triggers a heme propionate hydrogen bonding network loop with glutamine E7 moiety

Propionates, as peripheral groups of the heme active center in hemeproteins have been described to contribute in the modulation of heme reactivity and ligand selection. These electronic characteristics prompted the question of whether the presence of hydrogen bonding networks between propionates and distal amino acids present in the heme ligand moiety can modulate physiological relevant events, like ligand binding association and dissociation activities. Here, the role of these networks was evaluated by NMR spectroscopy using the hemoglobin I PheB10Tyr mutant from Lucina pectinata as model for TyrB10 and GlnE7 hemeproteins. (1)H-NMR results for the rHbICN PheB10Tyr derivative showed chemical shifts of TyrB10 OHη at 31.00ppm, GlnE7N(ε1)H/N(ε2)H at 10.66ppm/-3.27ppm, and PheE11 C(δ)H at 11.75ppm, indicating the presence of a crowded, collapsed, and constrained distal pocket. Strong dipolar contacts and inter-residues crosspeaks between GlnE7/6-propionate group, GlnE7/TyrB10 and TyrB10/CN suggest that this hydrogen bonding network loop between GlnE7, TyrB10, 6-propionate group, and the heme ligand contribute significantly to the modulation of the heme iron electron density as well as the ligand stabilization mechanism. Therefore, the network loop presented here support the fact that the electron withdrawing character of the hydrogen bonding is controlled by the interaction of the propionates and the nearby electronic environments contributing to the modulation of the heme electron density state. Thus, we hypothesize that in hemeproteins with similar electrostatic environment the flexibility of the heme-6-propionate promotes a hydrogen bonding network loop between the 6-propionate, the heme ligand and nearby amino acids, tailoring in this way the electron density in the heme-ligand moiety.     

X-ray crystal structure of the fluoride derivative of Aplysia limacina ferric myoglobin at 2.0 A resolution. Stabilization of the fluoride ion by hydrogen bonding to Arg66 (E10)

The X-ray crystal structure of the fluoride derivative of Aplysia limacina ferric myoglobin has been solved and refined at 2.0 A resolution; the crystallographic R-factor is 13.6%. The fluoride ion binds to the sixth co-ordination position of the heme iron, 2.2 A from the metal. Binding of the negatively charged ligand on the distal side of the heme pocket of this myoglobin, which lacks the distal His, is associated with a network of hydrogen bonds that includes the fluoride ion, the residue Arg66 (E10), the heme propionate III, three ordered water molecules and backbone or side-chain atoms from the CD region. A comparison of fluoride and oxygen dissociation rate constants of A. limacina myoglobin, sperm whale (Physeter catodon) myoglobin and Glycera dibranchiata monomeric hemoglobin, suggests that the conformational readjustment of Arg66 (E10) in A. limacina myoglobin may represent the molecular basis for ligand stabilization, in the absence of a hydrogen-bond donor residue at the distal E7 position.