Retention of heme in axial ligand mutants of succinate-ubiquinone xxidoreductase (complex II) from Escherichia coli

Succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (SdhCDAB, complex II) from Escherichia coli is a four-subunit membrane-bound respiratory complex that catalyzes ubiquinone reduction by succinate. In the E. coli enzyme, heme b(556) is ligated between SdhC His(84) and SdhD His(71). Contrary to a previous report (Vibat, C. R. T., Cecchini, G., Nakamura, K., Kita, K., and Gennis, R. B. (1998) Biochemistry 37, 4148-4159), we demonstrate the presence of heme in both SdhC H84L and SdhD H71Q mutants of SdhCDAB. EPR spectroscopy reveals the presence of low spin heme in the SdhC H84L (g(z) = 2.92) mutant and high spin heme in the SdhD H71Q mutant (g = 6.0). The presence of low spin heme in the SdhC H84L mutant suggests that the heme b(556) is able to pick up another ligand from the protein. CO binds to the reduced form of the mutants, indicating that it is able to displace one of the ligands to the low spin heme of the SdhC H84L mutant. The g = 2.92 signal of the SdhC H84L mutant titrates with a redox potential at pH 7.0 (E(m)(,7)) of approximately +15 mV, whereas the g = 6.0 signal of the SdhD H71Q mutant titrates with an E(m)(,7) of approximately -100 mV. The quinone site inhibitor pentachlorophenol perturbs the heme optical spectrum of the wild-type and SdhD H71Q mutant enzymes but not the SdhC H84L mutant. This finding suggests that the latter residue also plays an important role in defining the quinone binding site of the enzyme. The SdhC H84L mutation also results in a significant increase in the K(m) and a decrease in the k(cat) for ubiquinone-1, whereas the SdhD H71Q mutant has little effect on these parameters. Overall, these data indicate that SdhC His(84) has an important role in defining the interaction of SdhCDAB with both quinones and heme b(556).     

Investigation of the relationship between protein-protein interaction and catalytic activity of a heme-regulated phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli (Ec DOS) by protein microarray

Ec DOS, a heme-regulated phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli, is composed of an N-terminal heme-bound PAS domain and a C-terminal phosphodiesterase domain. The heme redox state in the PAS domain regulates Ec DOS phosphodiesterase activity. Interestingly, the isolated heme-bound PAS fragment enhances phosphodiesterase activity of full-length Ec DOS. The enhancement is also regulated by the heme redox state of the isolated PAS domain. In the present study, we used a newly developed protein microarray system to examine the relationship between catalytic activity and the interaction of full-length Ec DOS and the isolated PAS fragment. Adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP), a substrate of the Ec DOS phosphodiesterase, was found to be indispensable for the interaction between Ec DOS and the PAS fragment, and two phosphodiesterase inhibitors, 3-isobutyl-methyl-xanthine and etazolate hydrochloride, hindered the interaction. In addition, an enzyme with a mutation in the putative cAMP-binding sites (H590 and H594) was unable to interact with Ec DOS and lacked enzymatic activity. These results strongly suggest a close relationship between Ec DOS phosphodiesterase activity and interaction with the isolated PAS fragment. Therefore, this study provides insights into the mechanism of how the isolated PAS domain activates Ec DOS, which has important implications for the general role of the isolated PAS domain in cells. Moreover, we found that multiple microscale analyses using the protein microarray system had several advantages over conventional affinity column methods, including the quantity of protein needed, the sensitivity, the variability of immobilized protein, and the time required for the experiment.     

Unusual cyanide bindings to a heme-regulated phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli: effect of Met95 mutations

In order to understand heme environment of a heme-regulated phosphodiesterase (Ec DOS), the binding behavior of cyanide to the Fe (III) complex was examined. Interestingly, the rate of cyanide binding to full-length Ec DOS was unusually slow with k(on)=0.0022mM(-1)s(-1), while the rate for the isolated heme domain of Ec DOS (0.045mM(-1)s(-1)) was 20-fold higher. Ala and Leu mutations at Met95, which has been suggested to be a heme axial ligand, increased the k(on) rate 11- and 8-fold, respectively, and dramatically decreased the cyanide dissociation rate from the isolated heme domain. His mutation at Met95, on the other hand, caused a 17-fold decrease in the k(on) value. We discuss the unusual cyanide binding behavior and the role of Met95 in controlling cyanide binding.     

Insights into signal transduction involving PAS domain oxygen-sensing heme proteins from the X-ray crystal structure of Escherichia coli Dos heme domain (Ec DosH)

The X-ray crystal structure of the Escherichia coli (Ec) direct oxygen sensor heme domain (Ec DosH) has been solved to 1.8 A using Fe multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD), and the positions of Met95 have been confirmed by selenomethionine ((Se)Met) MAD. Ec DosH is the sensing part of a larger two-domain sensing/signaling protein, in which the signaling domain has phosphodiesterase activity. The asymmetric unit of the crystal lattice contains a dimer comprised of two differently ligated heme domain monomers. Except for the heme ligands, the monomer heme domains are identical. In one monomer, the heme is ligated by molecular oxygen (O(2)), while in the other monomer, an endogenous Met95 with S --> Fe ligation replaces the exogenous O(2) ligand. In both heme domains, the proximal ligand is His77. Analysis of these structures reveals sizable ligand-dependent conformational changes in the protein chain localized in the FG turn, the G(beta)-strand, and the HI turn. These changes provide insight to the mechanism of signal propagation within the heme domain following initiation due to O(2) dissociation.     

Conversion of a heme-based oxygen sensor to a heme oxygenase by hydrogen sulfide: effects of mutations in the heme distal side of a heme-based oxygen sensor phosphodiesterase (Ec DOS)

The heme-based oxygen-sensor phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli (Ec DOS), is composed of an N-terminal heme-bound oxygen sensing domain and a C-terminal catalytic domain. Oxygen (O₂) binding to the heme Fe(II) complex in Ec DOS substantially enhances catalysis. Addition of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) to the heme Fe(III) complex in Ec DOS also remarkably stimulates catalysis in part due to the heme Fe(III)–SH and heme Fe(II)–O₂ complexes formed by H₂S. In this study, we examined the roles of the heme distal amino acids, M95 (the axial ligand of the heme Fe(II) complex) and R97 (the O₂ binding site in the heme Fe(II)–O₂ complex) of the isolated heme-binding domain of Ec DOS (Ec DOS-PAS) in the binding of H₂S under aerobic conditions. Interestingly, R97A and R97I mutant proteins formed an oxygen-incorporated modified heme, verdoheme, following addition of H₂S combined with H₂O₂ generated by the reactions. Time-dependent mass spectroscopic data corroborated the findings. In contrast, H₂S did not interact with the heme Fe(III) complex of M95H and R97E mutants. Thus, M95 and/or R97 on the heme distal side in Ec DOS-PAS significantly contribute to the interaction of H₂S with the Fe(III) heme complex and also to the modification of the heme Fe(III) complex with reactive oxygen species. Importantly, mutations of the O₂ binding site of the heme protein converted its function from oxygen sensor to that of a heme oxygenase. This study establishes the novel role of H₂S in modifying the heme iron complex to form verdoheme with the aid of reactive oxygen species.     

Relationships between heme incorporation, tetramer formation, and catalysis of a heme-regulated phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli: a study of deletion and site-directed mutants

The heme-regulated phosphodiesterase (PDE) from Escherichia coli (Ec DOS) is a tetrameric protein composed of an N-terminal sensor domain (amino acids 1-201) containing two PAS domains (PAS-A, amino acids 21-84, and PAS-B, amino acids 144-201) and a C-terminal catalytic domain (amino acids 336-799). Heme is bound to the PAS-A domain, and the redox state of the heme iron regulates PDE activity. In our experiments, a H77A mutation and deletion of the PAS-B domain resulted in the loss of heme binding affinity to PAS-A. However, both mutant proteins were still tetrameric and more active than the full-length wild-type enzyme (140% activity compared with full-length wild type), suggesting that heme binding is not essential for catalysis. An N-terminal truncated mutant (DeltaN147, amino acids 148-807) containing no PAS-A domain or heme displayed 160% activity compared with full-length wild-type protein, confirming that the heme-bound PAS-A domain is not required for catalytic activity. An analysis of C-terminal truncated mutants led to mapping of the regions responsible for tetramer formation and revealed PDE activity in tetrameric proteins only. Mutations at a putative metal-ion binding site (His-590, His-594) totally abolished PDE activity, suggesting that binding of Mg2+ to the site is essential for catalysis. Interestingly, the addition of the isolated PAS-A domain in the Fe2+ form to the full-length wild-type protein markedly enhanced PDE activity (>5-fold). This activation is probably because of structural changes in the catalytic site as a result of interactions between the isolated PAS-A domain and that of the holoenzyme.     

Characterization of Met95 mutants of a heme-regulated phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli. Optical absorption, magnetic circular dichroism, circular dichroism, and redox potentials.

On the basis of amino acid sequences and crystal structures of similar enzymes, it is proposed that Met95 of the heme-regulated phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli (Ec DOS) acts as a heme axial ligand. In accordance with this proposal, the Soret and visible optical absorption and magnetic circular dichroism spectra of the Fe(II) complexes of the Met95Ala and Met95Leu mutant proteins indicate that these complexes are five-coordinated high-spin, suggesting that Met95 is an axial ligand for the Fe(II) complex. However, the Fe(III) complexes of these mutants are six-coordinated low-spin, like the wild-type enzyme. The latter spectral findings are inconsistent with the proposal that the axial ligand to the Fe(III) heme is Met95. To determine the possibility of a redox-dependent ligand switch in Ec DOS, we further analyzed Soret CD spectra and redox potentials, which provide direct evidence on the environmental structure of the heme protein. CD spectra of Fe(III) Met95 mutants were all different from those of the wild-type protein, suggesting indirect coordination of Met95 to the Fe(III) wild-type heme. The redox potentials of the Met95Leu, Met95Ala and Met95His mutants were considerably lower than that of the wild-type enzyme (+70 mV) at -1, -26, and -122 mV vs. SHE, respectively. Thus, it is reasonable to speculate that water (or hydroxy anion) interacting with Met95, rather than Met95 itself, is the axial ligand to the Fe(III) heme.     

On the role of the axial ligand in heme proteins: a theoretical study

We present a systematic investigation of how the axial ligand in heme proteins influences the geometry, electronic structure, and spin states of the active site, and the energies of the reaction cycles. Using the density functional B3LYP method and medium-sized basis sets, we have compared models with His, His+Asp, Cys, Tyr, and Tyr+Arg as found in myoglobin and hemoglobin, peroxidases, cytochrome P450, and heme catalases, respectively. We have studied 12 reactants and intermediates of the reaction cycles of these enzymes, including complexes with H(2)O, OH(-), O(2-), CH(3)OH, O(2), H(2)O(2), and HO(2)(-) in various formal oxidation states of the iron ion (II to V). The results show that His gives ~0.6 V higher reduction potentials than the other ligands. In particular, it is harder to reduce and protonate the O(2) complex with His than with the other ligands, in accordance with the O(2) carrier function of globins and the oxidative chemistry of the other proteins. For most properties, the trend Cys相似文献   

Stationary and time-resolved resonance Raman spectra of His77 and Met95 mutants of the isolated heme domain of a direct oxygen sensor from Escherichia coli

The heme environments of Met(95) and His(77) mutants of the isolated heme-bound PAS domain (Escherichia coli DOS PAS) of a direct oxygen sensing protein from E. coli (E. coli DOS) were investigated with resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopy and compared with the wild type (WT) enzyme. The RR spectra of both the reduced and oxidized WT enzyme were characteristic of six-coordinate low spin heme complexes from pH 4 to 10. The time-resolved RR spectra of the photodissociated CO-WT complex had an iron-His stretching band (nu(Fe-His)) at 214 cm(-1), and the nu(Fe-CO) versus nu(CO) plot of CO-WT E. coli DOS PAS fell on the line of His-coordinated heme proteins. The photodissociated CO-H77A mutant complex did not yield the nu(Fe-His) band but gave a nu(Fe-Im) band in the presence of imidazole. The RR spectrum of the oxidized M95A mutant was that of a six-coordinate low spin complex (i.e. the same as that of the WT enzyme), whereas the reduced mutant appeared to contain a five-coordinate heme complex. Taken together, we suggest that the heme of the reduced WT enzyme is coordinated by His(77) and Met(95), and that Met(95) is displaced by CO and O(2). Presumably, the protein conformational change that occurs upon exchange of an unknown ligand for Met(95) following heme reduction may lead to activation of the phosphodiesterase domain of E. coli DOS.     

Critical roles of Leu99 and Leu115 at the heme distal side in auto-oxidation and the redox potential of a heme-regulated phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli

The heme-regulated phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli (Ec DOS), which is a heme redox-dependent enzyme, is active with a ferrous heme but inactive with a ferric heme. Global structural changes including axial ligand switching and a change in the rigidity of the FG loop accompanying the heme redox change may be related to the dependence of Ec DOS activity on the redox state. Axial ligands such as CO, NO, and O2 act as inhibitors of Ec DOS because they interact with the ferrous heme complex. The X-ray crystal structure of the isolated heme-bound domain (Ec DosH) shows that Leu99, Phe113 and Leu115 indirectly and directly form a hydrophobic triad on the heme plane and that they should be located at or near the ligand access channel of the heme iron. We generated L99T, L99F, L115T, and L115F mutants of Ec DosH and examined their physicochemical characteristics, including auto-oxidation rates, O2 and CO binding kinetics, and redox potentials. The Fe(III) complex of the L115F mutant was unstable and had a Soret absorption spectrum located 5 nm lower than those of the wild-type and other mutants. Auto-oxidation rates of the mutants (0.049-0.33 min(-1)) were much higher than that of the wild-type (0.0063 min(-1)). Furthermore, the redox potentials of the former three mutants (23.1-34.6 mV versus SHE) were also significantly lower than that of the wild-type (63.9 mV versus SHE). Interaction between O2 and the L99F mutant was different from that in the wild-type, whereas CO binding rates of the mutants were similar to those of the wild-type. Thus, it appears that Leu99 and Leu115 are critical for determining the characteristics of heme iron. Finally, we discuss the roles of these amino-acid residues in the heme electronic states.     

Histidine 20, the crucial proximal axial heme ligand of bacterial heme oxygenase Hmu O from Corynebacterium diphtheriae

The hemin complex of Hmu O, a 24-kDa soluble heme degradation enzyme in Corynebacterium diphtheriae, is coordinated axially to a neutral imidazole of a proximal histidine residue in Hmu O. To identify which of the eight histidines in Hmu O is the proximal heme ligand, we have constructed and expressed the plasmids for eight His --> Ala Hmu O mutants. Reconstituted with hemin, the active site structures and enzymatic activity of these mutants have been examined by EPR, resonance Raman, and optical absorption spectroscopy. EPR of the NO-bound ferrous heme-Hmu O mutant complexes reveals His(20) as the proximal heme ligand in Hmu O, and this is confirmed by resonance Raman results from the ligand-free ferrous heme-H20A. All eight His --> Ala mutants bind hemin stoichiometrically, proving that none of the histidines is essential for hemin-Hmu O formation. However, His(20) is crucial to Hmu O catalysis. Its absence by point mutation has inhibited the conversion of hemin to biliverdin. The ferric heme-H20A complex is pentacoordinate. Resonance Raman of the CO-bound ferrous heme-H20A corroborates this and reveals an Fe-C-O bending mode, delta(Fe-C-O), the first reported for a pentacoordinate CO-bound hemeprotein. The appearance of delta(Fe-C-O) in C. diphtheriae Hmu O H20A but not mammalian HO-1 mutant H25A indicates that the heme environment between the two heme oxygenases is different.     

Arg97 at the heme-distal side of the isolated heme-bound PAS domain of a heme-based oxygen sensor from Escherichia coli (Ec DOS) plays critical roles in autoxidation and binding to gases, particularly O2

The catalytic activity of heme-regulated phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli (Ec DOS) on cyclic di-GMP is markedly enhanced upon binding of gas molecules, such as O2 and CO, to the heme iron complex in the sensor domain. Arg97 interacts directly with O2 bound to Fe(II) heme in the crystal structure of the isolated heme-bound sensor domain with the PAS structure (Ec DOS-PAS) and may thus be critical in ligand recognition. To establish the specific role of Arg97, we generated Arg97Ala, Arg97Glu, and Arg97Ile mutant Ec DOS-PAS proteins and examined binding to O2, CO, and cyanide, as well as redox potentials. The autoxidation rates of the Arg97Ala and Arg97Glu mutant proteins were up to 2000-fold higher, while the O2 dissociation rate constant for dissociation from the Fe(II)-O2 heme complex of the Arg97Ile mutant was 100-fold higher than that of the wild-type protein. In contrast, the redox potential values of the mutant proteins were only slightly different from that of the wild type (within 10 mV). Accordingly, we propose that Arg97 plays critical roles in recognition of the O2 molecule and redox switching by stabilizing the Fe(II)-O2 complex, thereby anchoring O2 to the heme iron and lowering the autoxidation rate to prevent formation of Fe(III) hemin species not regulated by gas molecules. Arg97 mutations significantly influenced interactions with the internal ligand Met95, during CO binding to the Fe(II) complex. Moreover, the binding behavior of cyanide to the Fe(III) complexes of the Arg mutant proteins was similar to that of O2, which is evident from the Kd values, suggestive of electrostatic interactions between cyanide and Arg97.     

Roles of Arg-97 and Phe-113 in regulation of distal ligand binding to heme in the sensor domain of Ec DOS protein. Resonance Raman and mutation study

The direct oxygen sensor protein isolated from Escherichia coli (Ec DOS) is a heme-based signal transducer protein responsible for phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity. Binding of O(2), CO, or NO to a reduced heme significantly enhances the PDE activity toward 3',5'-cyclic diguanylic acid. We report stationary and time-resolved resonance Raman spectra of the wild-type and several mutants (Glu-93 --> Ile, Met-95 --> Ala, Arg-97 --> Ile, Arg-97 --> Ala, Arg-97 --> Glu, Phe-113 --> Leu, and Phe-113 --> Thr) of the heme-containing PAS domain of Ec DOS. For the CO- and NO-bound forms, both the hydrogen-bonded and non-hydrogen-bonded conformations were found, and in the former Arg-97 forms a hydrogen bond with the heme-bound external ligand. The resonance Raman results revealed significant interactions of Arg-97 and Phe-113 with a ligand bound to the sixth coordination site of the heme and profound structural changes in the heme propionates upon dissociation of CO. Mutation of Phe-113 perturbed the PDE activities, and the mutation of Arg-97 and Phe-113 significantly influenced the transient binding of Met-95 to the heme upon photodissociation of CO. This suggests that the electrostatic interaction of Arg-97 and steric interaction of Phe-113 are crucial for regulating the competitive recombination of Met-95 and CO to the heme. On the basis of these results, we propose a model for the role of the heme propionates in communicating the heme structural changes to the protein moiety.