The C27-steroid hydroxylating system from bovine liver mitochondria. Isolation of ferredoxin (hepatoredoxin) by affinity chromatography on cytochrome-c-sepharose

A technique for the isolation of highly purified hepatoredoxin involving the DE-32 cellulose chromatography of post-mitochondrial supernatant, ammonium-sulfate fractionation, Sephadex G-75 gel chromatography, 1-amino-2-hydroxypropyl-Sepharose ion-exchange chromatography and cytochrome-c-Sepharose affinity chromatography is described. The protein was purified 160-fold with a yield of 19%. The synthesis of cytochrome-c-Sepharose was carried out in a way preventing modification of the lysine-containing binding domain of the cytochrome c molecule. To achieve this, free carboxyl groups were modified with histamine to introduce imidazole residues in cytochrome c and the modified protein was immobilized on bromoacetyl-Sepharose.     

Protein selectivity in immobilized metal affinity chromatography based on the surface accessibility of aspartic and glutamic acid residues

The interaction of different species variants of cytochrome c and myoglobin, as well as hen egg white lysozyme, with the hard Lewis metal ions Al³⁺, Ca²⁺, Fe³⁺, and Yb³⁺ and the borderline metal ion Cu²⁺, immobilized to iminodiacetic acid (IDA)-Sepharose CL-4B, has been investigated over the rangepH 5.5–8.0. With appropriately chosen buffer and metal ion conditions, these proteins can be bound to the immobilized M ⁿ +-IDA adsorbents via negatively charged amino acid residues accessible on the protein surface. For example, tuna heart cytochrome c, which lacks surface-accessible histidine residues, readily bound to the Fe³⁺-IDA adsorbent, while the other proteins also showed affinity toward immobilized Fe³⁺-IDA adsorbents when buffers containing 30 mM of imidazole were used. These studies document that protein selectivity can be achieved with hard-metalion immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) systems through the interaction of surfaceexposed aspartic and glutamic acid residues on the protein with the immobilized M ⁿ +-IDA complex. These investigations have also documented that the so-called soft or borderline immobilized metal ions such as the Cu²⁺-IDA adsorbent can also interact with surface-accessible aspartic and glutamic acid residues in a protein-dependent manner. A relationship is evident between the number and extent of clustering of the surfaceaccessible aspartic and glutamic acid residues and protein selectivity with these IMAC systems. The use of elution buffers which contain organic compound modifiers which replicate the carboxyl group moieties of these amino acids on the surface of proteins is also described.Abbreviations IDA iminodiacetic acid - IDA-Mⁿ⁺ iminodiacetic acid chelated to metal ion - IMAC immobilized metal affinity chromatography - DHCC dog heart cytochrome c - HHCC horse heart cytochrome c, THCC, tuna heart cytochrome c - HMYO horse skeletal muscle myoglobin - SMYO sheep skeletal muscle myoglobin - HEWL hen egg white lysozyme     

Comparative study of the C27-steroid-hydroxylating system from bovine liver mitochondria

A method for purification of C27-steroid hydroxylating cytochrome P-450 (cytochrome P-450(27)) from bovine liver mitochondria was developed. The purification procedure included enzyme extraction from submitochondrial particles with sodium cholate, ammonium sulfate fractionation and biospecific chromatography on cholate-Sepharose and adrenodoxin-Sepharose. The resulting enzyme preparation (317-fold purification, 16% yield) was not electrophoretically homogeneous but did not contain hemoprotein admixtures. The kinetic parameters of 5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha-triol 27-hydroxylation in a reconstituted system containing hepatoredoxin reductase, hepatoredoxin and cytochrome P-450(27) (Km = 23 microM, kcat = 0.3 s-1 at 25 degrees C) were determined. A reciprocal functional equivalency of hepatoredoxin reductase and adrenodoxin reductase as well as of hepatoredoxin and adrenodoxin in reconstituted systems of steroid 27-hydroxylation (liver) and cholesterol side chain cleavage (adrenal cortex) was established. This equivalency was thought to be due to the similarity in essential physico-chemical properties of reductase components which was especially well-pronounced in the case of hepatoredoxin and adrenodoxin. Estimation of the functional role of lysine, dicarboxylic acid and histidine residues in ferredoxin molecules by the chemical modification method revealed the similarity of the structural organization of their protein globules: the polar residues were shown to be essential for the maintenance of native conformation; dicarboxylic acid residues formed a binding domain for the interaction with electron transport proteins, whereas histidine residues seem to participate in electron transport. At the same time, cytochrome P-450(27) and cytochrome P-450 which split the side chain of cholesterol differ in their substrate specificity, immunochemical and catalytic properties.     

Modification of a lysine residue of adrenodoxin reductase, essential for complex formation with adrenodoxin

The NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity of NADPH-adrenodoxin reductase from NADPH to cytochrome c via adrenodoxin was inhibited by pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and other reagents that modified the lysine residues. However, the NADPH-ferricyanide reductase activity was not affected. Loss of the cytochrome c reductase activity could be prevented by adrenodoxin, but not by NADP+. One lysine residue of the adrenodoxin reductase could be protected from the modification with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate by complex formation with adrenodoxin. Loss of the NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity was not due to the conformational change of the modified adrenodoxin reductase, judging from circular dichroism spectrometric studies.     

Spin label studies on the interactions of bovine adrenodoxin with NADPH-adrenodoxin reductase and with cytochrome P-450scc.

Adrenodoxin of bovine adrenocortical mitochondria was spin-labeled with two different spin-labeling reagents, N-(2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3-carbonylpyrroline-1-oxyl)imidazole (I) and N-(1-oxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl)maleimide (II), without major loss of its activity for electron transport from NADPH to cytochrome c. The EPR spectrum of adrenodoxin spin-labeled with either of the reagents showed a pattern typical of a moderately immobilized spin label. When adrenodoxin was treated with (I), approximately two amino acid residues per molecule were spin-labeled, whereas a single residue was labeled by (II). While assition of NADPH to adrenodoxin spin-labeled with (I) did not diminish the EPR signal intensity, addition of the reductant to the labeled adrenodoxin in the presence of adrenodoxin reductase caused slow reduction of the spin label, the rate of which was dependent on the aerobicity. Addition of adrenodoxin reductase to adrenodoxin spin-labeled with (I) or (II) resulted in the appearance of a more immobilized component in the EPR spectrum. The ratio of the more immobilized component to the less immobilized component was saturated at a molar ratio of one to one. Addition of cytochrome P-450scc to adrenodoxin labeled with (I) had similar effects on the EPR spectrum.     

The involvement of carboxylate groups of putidaredoxin in the reaction with putidaredoxin reductase

Modification of carboxyl groups on putidaredoxin with 1-ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl]carbodiimide (EDC) resulted in loss of putidaredoxin reductase activity. The modification did not affect the visible absorption spectrum of putidaredoxin, indicating that the iron-sulfur center was not perturbed. In order to identify the carboxyl groups labeled by EDC, native and EDC-treated putidaredoxin were digested with a combination of trypsin and Staphylococcus aureus protease, and the resulting peptides were separated by high pressure liquid chromatography. The most heavily modified carboxyl groups were found to be those at residues 58, 65, 67, 72, and 77. These carboxyl groups are located in the same general region of the protein as those on adrenodoxin that have been shown to be involved in binding to both adrenodoxin reductase and cytochrome P-450scc. Chemical modification was also used to compare the role of lysine, arginine, and histidine residues on putidaredoxin and adrenodoxin. Modification of lysine and arginine residues had no effect on the reductase activity of either protein. The reductase activity of adrenodoxin was unaffected by labeling with 1 eq of diethyl pyrocarbonate/histidine residue, but labeling with a second equivalent completely abolished both activity and the iron-sulfur center spectrum. In contrast, modification of the 2 histidines in putidaredoxin with 1 eq each resulted in nearly complete loss of reductase activity. There was no significant activity for adrenodoxin in the putidaredoxin reductase assay or for putidaredoxin in the adrenodoxin reductase assay, demonstrating that, in spite of the structural similarity between the two proteins, they are not interchangeable functionally.     

Modification of histidine 56 in adrenodoxin with diethyl pyrocarbonate inhibited the interaction with cytochrome P-450scc and adrenodoxin reductase

Three histidine residues of bovine adrenodoxin, His-10, His-56, and His-62, were modified with diethyl pyrocarbonate. The order of the modification among the three histidines were monitored by measuring the proton NMR spectra. The modified adrenodoxin exhibited reduced affinity for adrenodoxin reductase as determined in cytochrome c reductase activity. In the presence of cholesterol, the modified adrenodoxin induced a high spin form of cytochrome P-450scc on complex formation in the same manner as native adrenodoxin. The spectral titration showed that adrenodoxin modified with diethyl pyrocarbonate exhibited a 5-fold higher Kd value than that of native adrenodoxin. These effects of the modification of adrenodoxin on the affinities for the redox partners were not proportional to the number of modified histidines determined by the optical absorbance change at 240 nm. Modification of adrenodoxin up to 2 histidine residues did not affect the affinity for the redox partners, but further modification on the third one resulted in an increase of apparent Km in cytochrome c reductase activity by 2-fold and of Kd for cytochrome P-450scc by 5-fold. The 1H NMR spectra of the modified adrenodoxin unequivocally demonstrated that histidine residues at His-10 and His-62 reacted more readily with diethyl pyrocarbonate than His-56 did, indicating that modification of His-56 was responsible for the reduction of binding affinities of adrenodoxin for redox partners. These results are consistent with the proposal that the residue of His-56 in adrenodoxin has an essential role in the electron transfer mechanism where adrenodoxin functions as a mobile shuttle.     

Selective chemical modification of cytochrome P-450SCC lysine residues. Identification of lysines involved in the interaction with adrenodoxin

Selective chemical modification of cytochrome P-450SCC has been carried out with lysine-modifying reagents. Modification of cytochrome P-450SCC with succinic anhydride was shown to result in loss of its ability to interact with intermediate electron transfer protein - adrenodoxin. To identify amino acid residues involved in charge-ion pairing with complementary carboxyl groups of adrenodoxin, cytochrome P-450SCC complex with adrenodoxin was modified with succinic anhydride. Adrenodoxin was then removed and cytochrome P-450 was additionally modified with isotopically labelled reagent. Subsequent chymotryptic hydrolysis of [14C]succinylated cytochrome P-450SCC and separation of digest obtained by combining various types of HPLC resulted in seven major radioactive peptides. The amino acid sequence of the peptides was determined by microsequencing. The major amino groups modified with radioactive succinic anhydride were found to be at Lys-73, -109, -110, -126, -145, -148 and -154 in the N-terminal sequence of cytochrome P-450SCC molecule and at Lys-267, -270, -338 and -342 in the C-terminal sequence. The role of electrostatic interactions in fixation of cytochrome P-450SCC complex with adrenodoxin is discussed.     

Adrenodoxin with a COOH-terminal deletion (des 116-128) exhibits enhanced activity

Adrenodoxin, purified from bovine adrenal cortex, was subjected to trypsin cleavage to yield a trypsin-resistant form, designated TT-adrenodoxin. Sequencing with carboxypeptidase Y identified the trypsin cleavage site as Arg-115, while Edman degradation indicated no NH2-terminal cleavage. Native adrenodoxin and TT-adrenodoxin exhibited similar affinity for adrenodoxin reductase as determined in cytochrome c reductase assays. In side chain cleavage assays using cytochrome P-450scc, however, TT-adrenodoxin demonstrated greater activity than adrenodoxin with cholesterol, (22R)-22-hydroxycholesterol, or (20R,22R)-20,22-dihydroxycholesterol as substrate. This enhanced activity is due to increased affinity of TT-adrenodoxin for cytochrome P-450scc; TT-adrenodoxin exhibits a 3.8-fold lower apparent Km for the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone. TT-Adrenodoxin was also more effective in coupling with cytochrome P-450(11) beta, exhibiting a 3.5-fold lower apparent Km for the 11 beta-hydroxylation of deoxycorticosterone. In the presence of partially saturating cholesterol, TT-adrenodoxin elicited a type I spectral shift with cytochrome P-450scc similar to that induced by adrenodoxin, and spectral titrations showed that oxidized TT-adrenodoxin exhibited a 1.5-fold higher affinity for cytochrome P-450scc. These results establish that COOH-terminal residues 116-128 are not essential for the electron transfer activity of bovine adrenodoxin, and the differential effects of truncation at Arg-115 on interactions with adrenodoxin reductase and cytochromes P-450 suggest that the residues involved in the interactions are not identical.     

Immobilized anhydrotrypsin as a biospecific affinity adsorbent for the peptides produced by trypsin-like proteases.

Various naturally occurring peptides containing l-arginine at the carboxyl termini were tightly adsorbed at pH 5 on anhydrotrypsin, a chemical derivative of bovine trypsin, immobilized on Sepharose, and desorbed by washing with 5 mm HCl. The largest of the peptides examined was Fragment 2 (“histidine-rich peptide”) with 41 amino acid residues, which had been released from bovine high-molecular-weight kininogen by plasma kallikrein. When only the carboxyl-terminal arginine was removed by carboxypeptidase B, the peptides lost their specific affinity toward the immobilized anhydrotrypsin. The peptide fragments in the tryptic digests of reduced and S-carboxymethylated erabutoxin a were also fractionated effectively by chromatography on this affinity adsorbent. The fragments containing l-lysine at the carboxyl termini showed weaker affinity for the adsorbent than those containing l-arginine at the termini.     

The covalent-sorption reconstitution of steroid hydroxylases

The effect of covalent immobilization via free amino groups on the catalytic activity of individual components of the cholesterol side-chain cleavage and 11b-steroid hydroxylation systems (adrenodoxin reductase, adrenodoxin, cytochrome P-450scc and cytochrome P-450(11)b) as well as on that of co-immobilized protein complexes. The protein complex formation at different stages of the monooxygenase cycle (i.e., reduction, oxygenation) was followed by direct spectrophotometric monitoring of the functional state of the immobilized complexes. Cholesterol side-chain cleavage was carried out in minicolumns, using various combinations of immobilized and soluble proteins. Cytochromes P-450scc and P-450(11)b were found to retain their functional activities after immobilization via free SH-groups.     

Parallel cross-reactivity patterns of 2 sets of antigenically distinct cytochrome c peptides: possible evidence for a presentational model of Ir gene function

B10.A mice were immunized with either the carboxyl terminal peptide fragment 81-104 of pigeon cytochrome c or its acetimidyl derivative and an immune response was seen with strong preference for the immunogen. Strain distribution studies and blocking with an anti-Ia monoclonal antibody indicated that the same immune response (Ir) gene and restriction element were utilized in both responses. The specificity of the responses were evaluated by restimulating in vitro with a set of cytochrome c fragments from various species. Even though the derivatized and native fragments were poorly cross-reactive, the same phylogenetic pattern was seen when pigeon cytochrome c fragment 81-104 primed cells were tested with the set of underivatized fragments and when acetimidyl pigeon cytochrome c fragment 81-104 primed cells were tested with the same set of derivatized fragments. Primed cells from a 2nd major histocompatibility complex congenic strain of mice, B10.A(5R), displayed equivalent discrimination between derivatized and native forms but showed a markedly different phylogenetic pattern of cross-reactivity. These data indicate that the immune system recognizes 2 sites on the nominal antigen. One site, which accounts for the common hierarchy and is under Ir gene control, contains residues Gln-100, and possibly other carboxyl terminal residues. The 2nd site, which effects the distinction between native and derivatized fragments, contains at least 1 lysine other than at the carboxyl terminal. The implications of these data for theories of T cell recognition and Ir gene function are discussed.     

Affinity chromatography purification of cytochrome c oxidase and b-c1 complex from beef heart mitochondria. Use of thiol-sepharose-bound Saccharomyces cerevisiae cytochrome c

A method for simultaneous purification of cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome c oxidase using a cytochrome c affinity column is presented. Cytochrome c from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was linked to an activated thiol-Sepharose gel via its Cys-102 residue located far from the lysine residues on the front side of the molecule, responsible for the interaction with the reductase and oxidase. In previously reported affinity chromatography techniques these lysine residues most probably reacted with the column. Cytochrome c oxidase and reductase from bovine heart mitochondria bind specifically to the affinity column and can be recovered separately at different ionic strength in the elution buffer. The enzymes are highly pure and active.     

Interaction of cholesterol hydroxylating cytochrome P-450 with cytochrome b5

Some new relations between cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases were discovered. Cytochrome b5, a representative of "microsomal" monooxygenases, was shown to form a highly specific complex with cytochrome P-450scc, a member of the "ferredoxin" monooxygenase family. This interaction is characterized by a dissociation constant, Kd, of 0.28 microM. The cytochrome P-450scc-cytochrome b5 complex may be cross-linked with water-soluble carbodiimide. Using proteolytic modification of cytochrome b5, it was shown that both hydrophilic and hydrophobic fragments of cytochrome b5 are involved in the interaction with cytochrome P-450scc. Cytochrome b5 immobilized via amino groups is an effective affinity matrix for cytochrome P-450scc purification. The role of some amino acid residues in cytochrome P-450scc interaction with cytochrome b5 was studied. The role and the nature of complexes in cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases as well as interrelationships between "microsomal" and "ferredoxin" monooxygenases are discussed.     

Myoglobin and cytochrome b5: a nuclear magnetic resonance study of a highly dynamic protein complex

The transient complex of bovine myoglobin and cytochrome b(5) has been investigated using a combination of NMR chemical shift mapping, (15)N relaxation data, and protein docking simulations. Chemical shift perturbations observed for cytochrome b(5) amide resonances upon complex formation with either metmyoglobin (Fe(III)) or carbon monoxide-bound myoglobin (Fe(II)) are more than 10-fold smaller than in other transient redox protein complexes. From (15)N relaxation experiments, an increase in the overall correlation time of cytochrome b(5) in the presence of myoglobin is observed, confirming that complex formation is occurring. The chemical shift perturbations of proton and nitrogen amide nuclei as well as heme protons of cytochrome b(5) titrate with increasing myoglobin concentrations, also demonstrating the formation of a weak complex with a K(a) in the inverse millimolar range. The perturbed residues map over a wide surface area of cytochrome b(5), with patches of residues located around the exposed heme 6-propionate as well as at the back of the protein. The nature of the affected residues is mostly negatively charged contrary to perturbed residues in other transient complexes, which are mainly hydrophobic or polar. Protein docking simulations using the NMR data as constraints show several docking geometries both close to and far away from the exposed heme propionates of myoglobin. Overall, the data support the emerging view that this complex consists of a dynamic ensemble of orientations in which each protein constantly diffuses over the surface of the other. The characteristic NMR features may serve as a structural tool for the identification of such dynamic complexes.     

Protein lysine‐Nζ alkylation and O‐phosphorylation mediated by DTT‐generated reactive oxygen species

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play crucial roles in physiology and pathology. In this report, we use NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS) to demonstrate that proteins (galectin-1, ubiquitin, RNase, cytochrome c, myoglobin, and lysozyme) under reducing conditions with dithiothreitol (DTT) become alkylated at lysine-N_ζ groups and O-phosphorylated at serine and threonine residues. These adduction reactions only occur in the presence of monophosphate, potassium, trace metals Fe/Cu, and oxygen, and are promoted by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated via DTT oxidation. Superoxide mediates the chemistry, because superoxide dismutase inhibits the reaction, and hydroxyl and phosphoryl radicals are also likely involved. While lysine alkylation accounts for most of the adduction, low levels of phosphorylation are also observed at some serine and threonine residues, as determined by western blotting and MS fingerprinting. The adducted alkyl group is found to be a fragment of DTT that forms a Schiff base at lysine N_ζ groups. Although its exact chemical structure remains unknown, the DTT fragment includes a SH group and a –CHOH–CH₂– group. Chemical adduction appears to be promoted in the context of a well-folded protein, because some adducted sites in the proteins studied are considerably more reactive than others and the reaction occurs to a lesser extent with shorter, unfolded peptides and not at all with small organic molecules. A structural signature involving clusters of positively charged and other polar groups appears to facilitate the reaction. Overall, our findings demonstrate a novel reaction for DTT-mediated ROS chemistry with proteins.     

Immunochemical characteristics of cholesterol-hydroxylating cytochrome P-450 from adrenal cortex mitochondria

Highly specific antibodies against hemeprotein were obtained by immunizing rabbits with a highly purified cholesterol-hydroxylating cytochrome P-450scc from adrenocortical mitochondria. The antibodies do not specifically interact with other components of the adrenocortical electron transport chain, e. g., adrenodoxin reductase and adrenodoxin. Using double immunodiffusion technique (Ouchterlony method), it was shown that the antibodies did not precipitate the microsomal cytochromes P-450 LM2 and LM4, cytochrome b5 and 11 beta-hydroxylating cytochrome P-450 from adrenocortical mitochondria. Antibodies against cytochrome P-450scc inhibited the cholesterol side chain cleavage activity of cytochrome P-450scc in a reconstituted system. Limited proteolysis with trypsin and immunoelectrophoresis in the presence of specific antibodies revealed that antigenic determinants are present of the heme-containing catalytic domain of cytochrome P-450scc (F1) as well as on the domain responsible for the interaction with the phospholipid membrane (F2).     

Evaluation of the interaction of peptides with Cu(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II) by high-performance immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography

High-performance immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography was utilized to evaluate the adsorption properties of 67 synthetic, biologically active, peptides ranging in size from 5 to 42 residues. The metal ions, Cu(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II), were immobilized by iminodiacetic acid (IDA) coupled to TSK gel 5PW (10 microns). Two types of gradient elution (imidazole and pH) were used to evaluate peptide retention by the metal ions. A decreasing pH gradient and an increasing imidazole gradient eluted the peptides in similar order. IDA-Cu(II) and IDA-Zn(II) showed very similar selectivities for the peptides analyzed; however, IDA-Zn(II) displayed a weaker affinity for the peptides. IDA-Ni(II) showed a slightly different pattern of selectivity. Peptide adsorption effects contributed by the metal-free gel matrix were found to be relatively minor. The concentration and type of salt included in the mobile phase could affect the relative affinities of the peptides for the immobilized metal ions. Retention coefficients were assigned to individual amino acid residues by multiple linear regression analysis. Histidine showed the largest positive correlation with retention, followed by aromatic amino acid residues. Modified N-terminal residues resulted in negative contributions to retention. Analyses of peptide amino acid composition alone allowed prediction of peptide retention behavior on immobilized metal ion affinity columns.     

Transient protein interactions studied by NMR spectroscopy: the case of cytochrome C and adrenodoxin

The interaction between yeast iso-1-cytochrome c (C102T) and two forms of bovine adrenodoxin, the wild type and a truncated form comprising residues 4-108, has been investigated using a combination of one- and two-dimensional heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy. Chemical shift perturbations and line broadening of amide resonances in the [(15)N,(1)H]HSQC spectrum for both (15)N-labeled cytochrome c and adrenodoxin in the presence of the unlabeled partner protein indicate the formation of a transient complex, with a K(a) of (4 +/- 1) x 10(4) M(-)(1) and a lifetime of <3 ms. The perturbed residues map over a large surface area for both proteins. For cytochrome c, the dominating effects are located around the exposed heme edge but with other areas also affected upon formation of the complex. In the case of adrenodoxin, effects are seen in both the recognition and core domains, with the largest perturbations in the recognition domain. These results indicate that the complex has a dynamic nature, with delocalized binding of cytochrome c on adrenodoxin. A comparison with other transient complexes of redox proteins places this complex between well-defined complexes such as the cytochrome c-cytochrome c peroxidase complex and entirely dynamic complexes such as the cytochrome b(5)-myoglobin complex.     

Comparative structural-functional characterization of recombinant and natural adrenodoxin. Interaction with cytochrome P450scc.

The conditions for heterologous expression of recombinant bovine adrenodoxin in E. coli have been optimized, thus reaching expression levels up to 12-14 micromoles per liter of culture medium. A highly efficient method for purification of this recombinant ferredoxin from the E. coli cells has been developed. The structural-functional properties of the highly purified recombinant protein have been characterized and compared to those of natural adrenodoxin purified from bovine adrenocortical mitochondria. In contrast to natural adrenodoxin, which is characterized by microheterogeneity, the recombinant adrenodoxin is homogeneous as judged by N- and C-terminal amino acid sequencing, and its sequence corresponds to the full-length mature form of adrenodoxin containing 128 amino acid residues. The interactions of the natural and recombinant adrenodoxins with cytochrome P450scc have been studied and compared with respect to: the efficiency of their enzymatic reduction of cytochrome P450scc in a reconstituted system; the ability of the immobilized adrenodoxins to bind cytochrome P450scc; the ability of the adrenodoxins to induce a spectral shift of cytochrome P450scc and to effect the average polarity of exposed tyrosines in the low-spin cytochrome P450scc. The recombinant adrenodoxin is functionally active and in the reduced state as well as at low ionic strength it displays higher affinity to cytochrome P450scc as compared to the natural bovine adrenocortical adrenodoxin. The possible role of the C-terminal sequence of the adrenodoxin molecule in its interaction with cytochrome P450scc as well as the advantages of using the recombinant protein instead of the natural one are discussed.