Some dicopper complexes of benzimidazole-containing ligands.

Dicopper complexes of the following benzimidazole-containing ligands have been studied as possible models for the active site of hemocyanin: EDTB (N,N,N',N'-tetrakis-(2-benzimidazolylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine), EGTB (1,1,10,10-tetrakis-(2-benzimidazolylmethyl)-1,10-diaza-4,7- dioxadecane), and MEGTB (1,1,10,10-tetrakis-(1-methylbenzimidazol-2-y lmethyl)-1,10-diaza-4,7-dioxadecane). The initial oxygenation product of Cu2(EDTB)(ClO4)2 in Me2SO gives optical absorption maxima at 315 nm (epsilon = 3750 M-1 cm-1) and 690 nm (epsilon = 100 M-1 cm-1). The fluorescence emission intensities of Cu2(EDTB)(ClO4)2 at 400 and 700 nm (excitation at 350 nm) decreases rapidly on exposure to air. This suggests oxidation of Cu2(I) to Cu2(II). The x-ray absorption edge spectra suggest that both coppers in the oxygenation product, analyzed as Cu2(EDTB)(ClO4)2(O).3H2O, are Cu(II). From spectrophotometric titration of Cu2(MEGTB)Cl4 with azide, formation constant of the Cu2(MEGTB)N3Cl3 complex has been obtained. Data from cyclic voltammetry experiments suggest that in the presence of azide, Cu(II)(N3)Cu(II) species is present.     

Oxidation of histidine residues in copper-zinc superoxide dismutase by bicarbonate-stimulated peroxidase and thiol oxidase activities: pulse EPR and NMR studies

In this work, we investigated the oxidative modification of histidine residues induced by peroxidase and thiol oxidase activities of bovine copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu-ZnSOD) using NMR and pulse EPR spectroscopy. 1D NMR and 2D-NOESY were used to determine the oxidative damage at the Zn(II) and Cu(II) active sites as well as at distant histidines. Results indicate that during treatment of SOD with hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) or cysteine in the absence of bicarbonate anion (HCO(3)(-)), both exchangeable and nonexchangeable protons were affected. Both His-44 and His-46 in the Cu(II) active site were oxidized based on the disappearance of NOESY cross-peaks between CH and NH resonances of the imidazole rings. In the Zn(II) site, only His-69, which is closer to His-44, was oxidatively modified. However, addition of HCO(3)(-) protected the active site His residues. Instead, resonances assigned to the His-41 residue, 11 ? away from the Cu(II) site, were completely abolished during both HCO(3)(-)-stimulated peroxidase activity and thiol oxidase activity in the presence of HCO(3)(-) . Additionally, ESEEM/HYSCORE and ENDOR studies of SOD treated with peroxide/Cys in the absence of HCO(3)(-) revealed that hyperfine couplings to the distal and directly coordinated nitrogens of the His-44 and His-46 ligands at the Cu(II) active site were modified. In the presence of HCO(3)(-), these modifications were absent. HCO(3)(-)-mediated, selective oxidative modification of histidines in SOD may be relevant to understanding the molecular mechanism of SOD peroxidase and thiol oxidase activities.     

The Interaction of Azide with Polyphenol Oxidase II from Tobacco

Spectroscopy studies of absorption and circular dichroism of native PPO II and azide PPO II complex demonstrate two new absorptions at 375 nm and 500 nm after azide's binding with PPO II, which are assigned as the terminal azide to copper charge transfer transitions _o ^nb-to-copper and _v ^nb-to-copper charge transfer transitions respectively. FT-IR spectra also demonstrate that the azide binds in terminal geometry with one of type-3 coppers. The interaction between azide and PPO II is discussed. One terminal azide's binding with one type-3 copper improves the activity of PPO II and the other three azides' further binding in terminal geometry with the type-3 coppers decreases the activity. We theorize that steric hindrance of azides makes oxygen difficult to bind in the active site.     

Converting a maltose receptor into a nascent binuclear copper oxygenase by computational design

Computational protein design methods were used to identify mutations that are predicted to introduce a binuclear copper center coordinated by six histidines, replacing the maltose-binding site in Escherichia coli maltose-binding protein (MBP) with an oxygen-binding site. A small family of five candidate designs consisting of 9 to 10 mutations each was constructed by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis. These mutant proteins were expressed and purified, and their stability, copper- and cobalt-binding properties, and interactions of the resulting metalloprotein complexes with azide, hydrogen peroxide, and dioxygen were characterized. We identified one 10-fold mutant, MBP.Hc.E, that can form Cu(II)(2) and Co(II)(2) complexes that interact with H(2)O(2) and O(2). The Co(II)(2) protein reacts with H(2)O(2) to form a complex that is spectroscopically similar to a synthetic model that structurally mimics the oxy-hemocyanin core, whereas the Cu(II)(2) protein reacted with O(2) or H(2)O(2) does not. We postulate that the equilibrium between the open and closed conformations of MBP allows species with variable Cu-Cu distances to form, and that such species can bind ligands in geometries that are not observed in natural type III centers. Introduction of one additional mutation in the hinge region of MBP, I329F, known to favor formation of the closed state, results in a binuclear copper center that when reacted with low concentrations of H(2)O(2) mimics the spectroscopic signature of oxy-hemocyanin.     

A comparative study of the binding and inhibition of four copper-containing amine oxidases by azide: implications for the role of copper during the oxidative half-reaction

Copper amine oxidases (CuAOs) catalyze the oxidative deamination of primary amines operating through a ping-pong bi-bi mechanism. In this work, azide (an exogenous monodentate ligand) was used to probe the role of copper during the oxidative half-reaction of CuAO catalysis. The effects of azide on both the reductive and oxidative half-reactions of pea seedling amine oxidase (PSAO), the recombinant human kidney diamine oxidase (rhDAO), Arthrobacter globiformis amine oxidase (AGAO), and Pichia pastoris amine oxidase (PPLO) have been examined. For the reductive half-reaction, defined as the oxidation of amine substrate to an aldehyde, azide was discovered to exhibit either noncompetitive or competitive inhibition with respect to the amine, depending on the enzyme source. With regard to the oxidative half-reaction, defined as the reoxidation of the enzyme via reduction of O(2) to H(2)O(2), azide has been determined to exhibit competitive inhibition with respect to O(2) in PSAO with a calculated K(i) value that is in excellent agreement with the experimentally determined K(d) value for the Cu(II)-N(3)(-) complex. Azide was found to exhibit mixed-type/partially competitive inhibition with respect to substrate O(2) in rhDAO, with an apparent K(i) that is similar to the K(d) value for the Cu(II)-N(3)(-) complex. The competitive inhibition for PSAO and the partially competitive inhibition for rhDAO are consistent with O(2) interacting directly with copper during enzymatic reoxidation. For the enzymes AGAO and PPLO, pure noncompetitive and mixed-type/partially competitive inhibition is observed. K(i) values for reductive and oxidative half-reactions are equivalent and are lower than measured K(d) values for the Cu(II)-N(3)(-) complexes in oxidized and substrate-reduced forms of these enzymes. Given these observations, it appears that substantial inhibition of the reductive half-reaction occurs at the concentrations of azide used for the oxidative half-reaction experiments, thereby complicating kinetic interpretation. At this time, the data do not permit us to distinguish between two possibilities: (1) inhibition by azide with respect to O(2) is intrinsically competitive in CuAOs, but this effect cannot always be deconvolved experimentally from the effects of azide on the reductive half-reaction; or (2) CuAOs differ in some steps of their reoxidation mechanisms.     

Direct probing of copper active site and free radical formed during bicarbonate-dependent peroxidase activity of bovine and human copper, zinc-superoxide dismutases. Low-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance and electron nuclear double resonance studies

Using X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy at liquid helium temperatures, the Cu(II) coordination geometry at the active site of bovine and human copper,zinc-superoxide dismutases (bSOD1 and hSOD1) treated with H(2)O(2) and bicarbonate (HCO(3)(-)) was examined. The time course EPR of wild type human SOD1 (WT hSOD1), W32F hSOD1 mutant (tryptophan 32 substituted with phenylalanine), and bSOD1 treated with H(2)O(2) and HCO(3)(-) shows an initial reduction of active site Cu(II) to Cu(I) followed by its oxidation back to Cu(II) in the presence of H(2)O(2). However, HCO(3)(-) induced a Trp-32-derived radical from WT hSOD1 but not from bSOD1. The mutation of Trp-32 by phenylalanine totally eliminated the Trp-32 radical signal generated from W32F hSOD1 treated with HCO(3)(-) and H(2)O(2). Further characterization of the free radical was performed by UV irradiation of WT hSOD1 and bSOD1 that generated tryptophanyl and tyrosyl radicals. Both proton ((1)H) and nitrogen ((14)N) ENDOR studies of bSOD1 and hSOD1 in the presence of H(2)O(2) revealed a change in the geometry of His-46 (or His-44) and His-48 (or His-46) coordinated to Cu(II) at the active site of WT hSOD1 and bSOD1, respectively. However, in the presence of HCO(3)(-) and H(2)O(2), both (1)H and (14)N ENDOR spectra were almost identical to those derived from native bSOD1. We conclude that HCO(3)(-)-derived oxidant does not alter significantly the Cu(II) active site geometry and histidine coordination to Cu(II) in SOD1 as does H(2)O(2) alone; however, the oxidant derived from HCO(3)(-) (i.e. carbonate anion radical) reacts with surface-associated Trp-32 in hSOD1 to form the corresponding radical.     

Transport of Cu(II) from an albumin mimic peptide, GlyGlyHisGly, to histidine and penicillamine

Cu in blood has been believed to transport into cell via albumin and some amino acids. To shed light on the Cu transport process we studied the reaction of the Cu(II)-peptide with the amino acid by absorption and CD spectra. Albumin mimic peptides GlyGly-L-HisGly (GGHG) and penta-Gly(G5) formed stable 4N coordinated Cu(II) complexes, but in the reaction with histidine (His) and penicillamine (Pes) the ternary Cu(II) complex formations were observed different by the kinetic study. Cu(II)-G5 complexes reacted with Pes to form the ternary complex Cu(H(-1)G5)(Pes(-)) which was subsequently transformed to the binary complex Cu(Pes(-))(2). In the system with GGHG the Cu(II) was also transported from GGHG to Pes, but the ternary Cu(H(-1)GGHG)(Pes(-)) complex as the intermediate was detected a trace. The ternary complex would be spontaneously transformed to Cu(Pes(-))(2) upon forming, because the rate constant of the ternary complex formation k(1+)= approximately 2M(-1)s(-1) was less than k(2+)= approximately 5 x 10(2)M(-1)s(-1) for the Cu(Pes(-))(2) formation at physiological pH. In the Cu(II)-GGHG-His system the ternary Cu(H(-1)GGHG)(His) complex was also hardly identified because the formation constant K(1) and k(1+) were very small and the equilibrium existed between Cu(H(-2)GGHG) and Cu(His)(2) and its overall equilibrium constant beta(2) for Cu(His)(2) was very small to be 1.00+/-0.05 M(-1) at pH 9.0. These results indicated that the ternary complex is formed in the Cu transport process from the albumin to the amino acid, but His imidazole nitrogen in the fourth-binding site of Cu(II) strongly resists the replacement by the incoming ligand.     

Binding of nitrite and its reductive activation to nitric oxide at biomimetic copper centers

The reactivity of nitrite towards the copper(II) and copper(I) centers of a series of complexes with tridentate nitrogen donor ligands has been investigated. The ligands are bis[(1-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl)methyl]amine (1-bb), bis[2-(1-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl)ethyl]amine (2-bb), and bis[2-(3,5-dimethyl-1-pyrazolyl)ethyl]amine (ddah) and carry two terminal benzimidazole (1-bb, 2-bb) or pyrazole (ddah) rings and a central amine donor residue. While 2-bb and ddah form two adjacent six-membered chelate rings on metal coordination, 1-bb forms two smaller rings of five members. The binding affinity of nitrite and azide to the Cu(II) complexes (ClO₄ ⁻ as counterion) has been determined in solution. The association constants for the two ligands are similar, but nitrite is a slightly stronger ligand than azide when it binds as a bidentate donor. The X-ray crystal structure of the nitrite complex [Cu(ddah)(NO₂)]ClO₄ (final R=0.056) has been determined: triclinic P1ˉspace group, a=8.200(2) ?, b=9.582(3) ?, c=15.541(4) ?. It may be described as a perchlorate salt of a “supramolecular” species resulting from the assembly of two complex cations and one sodium perchlorate unit. The copper stereochemistry in the complex is intermediate between SPY and TBP, and nitrite binds to Cu(II) asymmetrically, with Cu-O distances of 2.037(2) and 2.390(3) ? and a nearly planar CuO₂N cycle. On standing, solutions of [Cu(ddah)(NO₂)]ClO₄ in methanol produce the dinuclear complex [Cu(ddah)(OMe)]₂(ClO₄)₂, containing dibridging methoxy groups. In fact the crystal structure analysis (final R=0.083) showed that the crystals are built up by dinuclear cations, arranged on a crystallographic symmetry center, and perchlorate anions. Electrochemical analysis shows that binding of nitrite to the Cu(II) complexes of 2-bb and ddah shifts the reduction potential of the Cu(II)/Cu(I) couple towards negative values by about 0.3 V. The thermodynamic parameters of the Cu(II)/Cu(I) electron transfer have also been analyzed. The mechanism of reductive activation of nitrite to nitric oxide by the Cu(I) complexes of 1-bb, 2-bb, and ddah has been studied. The reaction requires two protons per molecule of nitrite and Cu(I). Kinetic experiments show that the reaction is first order in [Cu(I)] and [H⁺] and exhibits saturation behavior with respect to nitrite concentration. The kinetic data show that [Cu(2-bb)]⁺ is more efficient than [Cu(1-bb)]⁺ and [Cu(ddah)]⁺ in reducing nitrite. Received: 19 November 1999 / Accepted: 20 January 2000     

Kinetics of the oxidation of reduced Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase by peroxymonocarbonate

Kinetic evidence is reported for the role of the peroxymonocarbonate, HOOCO(2)(-), as an oxidant for reduced Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase-Cu(I) (SOD1) during the peroxidase activity of the enzyme. The formation of this reactive oxygen species results from the equilibrium between hydrogen peroxide and bicarbonate. Recently, peroxymonocarbonate has been proposed to be a key substrate for reduced SOD1 and has been shown to oxidize SOD1-Cu(I) to SOD1-Cu(II) much faster than H(2)O(2). We have reinvestigated the kinetics of the reaction between SOD1-Cu(I) and HOOCO(2)(-) by using conventional stopped-flow spectrophotometry and obtained a second-order rate constant of k=1600±100M(-1)s(-1) for SOD1-Cu(I) oxidation by HOOCO(2)(-). Our results demonstrate that peroxymonocarbonate oxidizes SOD1-Cu(I) to SOD1-Cu(II) and is in turn reduced to the carbonate anion radical. It is proposed that the dissociation of His61 from the active site Cu(I) in SOD-Cu(I) contributes to this chemistry by facilitating the binding of larger anions, such as peroxymonocarbonate.     

Non-heme manganese catalase--the 'other' catalase

Non-heme manganese catalases are widely distributed over microbial life and represent an environmentally important alternative to heme-containing catalases in antioxidant defense. Manganese catalases contain a binuclear manganese complex as their catalytic active site rather than a heme, and cycle between Mn(2)(II,II) and Mn(2)(III,III) states during turnover. X-ray crystallography has revealed the key structural elements of the binuclear manganese active site complex that can serve as the starting point for computational studies on the protein. Four manganese catalase enzymes have been isolated and characterized, and the enzyme appears to have a broad phylogenetic distribution including both bacteria and archae. More than 100 manganese catalase genes have been annotated in genomic databases, although the assignment of many of these putative manganese catalases needs to be experimentally verified. Iron limitation, exposure to low levels of peroxide stress, thermostability and cyanide resistance may provide the biological and environmental context for the occurrence of manganese catalases.     

Inhibition of lignin peroxidase H2 by sodium azide.

The oxidation of veratryl alcohol (3,4-dimethoxybenzyl alcohol) by lignin peroxidase H2 from Phanerochaete chrysosporium and H2O2 was strongly inhibited by sodium azide. Inhibition was competitive with respect to veratryl alcohol (Ki = 1-2 microM) and uncompetitive with respect to H2O2. In contrast, sodium azide bound to the native enzyme at pH 6.0 with an apparent dissociation constant (KD) of 126 mM. Formation of azidyl radicals was detected by ESR spin trapping techniques. The enzymes is nearly completely inactivated in four turnovers. The H2O2-activated enzyme intermediate (compound I) reacted with sodium azide to form a new species rather than be reduced to the enzyme intermediate compound II. The new species has absorption maxima at 418, 540, and 570 nm, suggesting the formation of a ferrous-lignin peroxidase-NO complex. Confirmation of this assignment was obtained by low-temperature ESR spectroscopy. An identical complex could be simulated by the addition of nitrite to the reduced enzyme. The enzyme intermediate compound II is readily reduced by sodium azide to native enzyme with essentially no loss of activity.     

Irreversible inactivation of purple acid phosphatase by hydrogen peroxide and ascorbate.

Treatment of the Cu(II)-Fe(III) derivative of pig allantoic fluid acid phosphatase with hydrogen peroxide caused irreversible inactivation of the enzyme and loss of half of the intensity of the visible absorption spectrum. Phosphate, a competitive inhibitor, protected against this inactivation, suggesting that it occurred as a result of a reaction at the active site. The native Fe(II)-Fe(III) enzyme was irreversibly inactivated by H2O2 to a much smaller extent than the Cu(II)-Fe(III) derivative, whereas the Zn(II)-Fe(III) derivative was stable to H2O2 treatment. The rates of inactivation of the Cu(II)-Fe(III) and Fe(II)-Fe(III) enzymes in the presence of H2O2 were increased by addition of ascorbate. These results suggest involvement of a Fenton-type reaction, generating hydroxyl radicals which react with essential active site groups. Experiments carried out on the Fe(II)-Fe(III) enzyme showed that irreversible inactivation by H2O2 in the presence of ascorbate obeyed pseudo first-order kinetics. A plot of kobs for this reaction against H2O2 concentration (at saturating ascorbate) was hyperbolic, giving kobs(max) = 0.41 +/- 0.025 min-1 and S0.5(H2O2) = 1.16 +/- 0.18 mM. A kinetic scheme is presented to describe the irreversible inactivation, involving hydroxyl radical generation by reaction of H2O2 with Fe(II)-Fe(III) enzyme, reduction of the product Fe(III)-Fe(III) enzyme by ascorbate and reaction of hydroxyl radical with an essential group in the enzyme.     

Magnetic resonance studies on the copper site of dopamine beta-monooxygenase in the presence of cyanide and azide anions

In order to elucidate the coordination state of water molecules in the Cu(II) site of dopamine [( 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethylamine] beta-monooxygenase, measurements of the paramagnetic 1H nuclear magnetic relaxation rate of solvent water in the enzyme solution containing cyanide or azide as an exogenous ligand were carried out to obtain the values of intrinsic paramagnetic relaxation rate decrements Rp1 and Rp2 for the ligand-enzyme 1:1 and 2:1 complexes, respectively. Rp1 (percent) values were 53 (pH 5.5) and 52 (pH 7.0) for cyanide and 38 (pH 5.5) and 32 (pH 7.0) for azide, while Rp2 (percent) values were 98 (pH 5.5) and 96 (pH 7.0) for azide. Although no Rp2 values for cyanide were obtained because of its reducing power at the Cu(II) site, the Rp1 and Rp2 values obtained above prove that the Cu(II) center has two coordinated water molecules that are exchangeable for exogenous ligands at either pH. Supporting evidence was provided by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) titration, in which the enzyme solution containing cyanide-enzyme (1:1) complex in an equal proportion to uncomplexed enzyme gave an observed paramagnetic relaxation rate decrement, Rp, of 23%. Another characteristic of the Rp1 and Rp2 values was their invariability with respect to pH, indicating that the three-dimensional structure of the Cu(II) site is pH-invariant within the range examined. Binding constants of ligand to enzyme Kb1 and Kb2 for 1:1 and 2:1 complex formation, respectively, were also determined through an analysis of the Rp values; it was found that Kb1 was larger than Kb2 irrespective of pH. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Crystal structure and nuclease activity of mono(1,10-phenanthroline) copper complex

The hydroxo-bridged dinuclear copper (II)/phen complex [Cu(2)(phen)(2)(OH)(2)(H(2)O)(2)][Cu(2)(phen)(2)(OH)(2)Cl(2)]Cl(2).6H(2)O (phen=1,10-phenanthroline) has been prepared and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The coordinated area of the complex shows two distorted [CuN(2)O(2)O(w)] and [CuN(2)O(2)Cl] square-pyramidal and one strictly planar configuration CuO(2)Cu involving two O atoms of hydroxo-bridged, Cu(2+) cations, N atoms of two phen ligands and disorder solvate water and chlorine anions. In the presence of H(2)O(2), the complex of mono(1,10-phenanthroline)copper exhibits higher activity as a nuclease than bis(1,10-phenanthroline)copper.     

Oxidative DNA damage of mixed copper(II) complexes with sulfonamides and 1,10-phenanthroline. Crystal structure of [Cu(N-quinolin-8-yl-p-toluenesulfonamidate)2(1,10-phenanthroline)

Mixed coordination compounds of Cu(II) with sulfonamides and 1,10-phenanthroline as ligands have been prepared and characterised. Single crystal structural determination of the complex [Cu(N-quinolin-8-yl-p-toluenesulfonamidate)(2)(phen)] shows Cu(II) ions are located in a highly distorted octahedral environment, probably as a consequence of the Jahn-Teller effect. The FT-IR and electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra are also discussed. The mixed complexes prepared undergo an extensive DNA cleavage in the presence of ascorbate and hydrogen peroxide. Two of the complexes have higher nucleolytic efficiency than the bis(o-phenanthroline)copper(II) complex.     

Ternary Cu(II) complexes, Cu(H(-1)L)(ACys-) and Cu(H(-2)L)(ACys-); L = peptides, ACys- = N-acetyl-cysteinate. Analogous complexes to the intermediates in the transport of Cu(II) from Cu(H(-2)L) to cysteine

The Cu(II) in Cu(H(-2)L) has been postulated to be successively transported to cysteine (Cys) as follows; Cu(H(-2)L) <==> Cu(H(-2)L)(Cys*-) <==> Cu(H(-1)L)(Cys*-) --> Cu(H(-1)L)(Cys-), where Cys*- denotes the monodentate Cys-. N-acetyl-cysteinate (ACys-) complexes Cu(H(-2)L)(ACys-) and Cu(H(-1)L)(ACys-), having similar coordination modes to Cu(H(-2)L)(Cys*-) and Cu(H(-1)L)(Cys*-), respectively, exhibited the S --> Cu(II) charge transfer absorption at 325-355 nm and the d-d absorption at 530-610 nm. A linear interrelation existed between the energies of the CD and d-d absorptions. Cu(H(-2)L)(ACys-) were in rapid equilibrium with Cu(H(-1)L)(ACys-). Upon forming the ternary complex, pK(c2) of the parent Cu(H(-1)L) was raised to more than 1.0. The formation constants (K) of the Cu(H(-1)L)(ACys-) species from Cu(H(-1)L) were bigger than those of Cu(H(-2)L)(ACys-) from Cu(H(-2)L). The linear free-energy relationship existed between the free-energy change (deltaG) and the entropy change (deltaS) for the ternary complex formation. The rate constants (k1+) for the Cu(H(-1)L)(Cys-) formation closely correlated with the K values for Cu(H(-2)L)(ACys-). The ternary complexes containing ACys are considered to be analogous complexes to the intermediates in the transport of Cu(II) from peptides to cysteine.     

DNA cleavage mediated by copper superoxide dismutase via two pathways

The known action of Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu(2)Zn(2)SOD) that converts O(2)(-) to O(2) and H(2)O(2) plays a crucial role in protecting cells from toxicity of oxidative stress. However, the overproduction of Cu(2)Zn(2)SOD does not result in increased protection but rather creates a variety of unfavorable effects, suggesting that too much Cu(2)Zn(2)SOD may be injurious to the cells. The present study examined the DNA cleavage activity mediated by a Cu(n)SOD that contains 1-4 copper ions, in order to obtain an insight into the aberrant copper-mediated oxidative chemistry in the enzyme. A high SOD activity was observed upon metallation of the apo-form of Cu(2)Zn(2)SOD with Cu(II), indicating that nearly all of the Cu(II) in the Cu(n)SOD is as active as the Cu(II) in the copper site of fully active Cu(2)Zn(2)SOD. Using a supercoiled DNA as substrate, significant DNA cleavage was observed with the Cu(n)SOD in the presence of hydrogen peroxide or mercaptoethanol, whereas DNA cleavage with free Cu(II) ions can occur only <5% under the same conditions. Comparison with other proteins shows that the DNA cleavage activity is specific to some proteins including the Cu(n)SOD. The steady state study suggests that a cooperative action between the SOD protein and the Cu(II)may appear in the DNA cleavage activity, which is independent of the number of Cu(II) in the Cu(n)SOD. The kinetic study shows that a two-stage reaction was involved in DNA cleavage. The effects of various factors including EDTA, radical scavengers, bicarbonate anion, and carbon dioxide gas molecules on the Cu(n)SOD-mediated DNA cleavage activity were also investigated. It is proposed that DNA cleavage occurs via both hydroxyl radical oxidation and hydroxide ion hydrolysis pathways. This work implies that any form of the copper-containing SOD enzymes (including Cu(2)Zn(2)SOD and its mutants) might have the DNA cleavage activity.     

Investigation of Cu(I)-dependent 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanine quinone biogenesis in Hansenula polymorpha amine oxidase

Copper, a mediator of redox chemistries in biology, is often found in enzymes that bind and reduce dioxygen. Among these, the copper amine oxidases catalyze the oxidative deamination of primary amines utilizing a type(II) copper center and 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanine quinone (TPQ), a covalent cofactor derived from the post-translational modification of an active site tyrosine. Previous studies established the dependence of TPQ biogenesis on Cu(II); however, the dependence of cofactor formation on the biologically relevant Cu(I) ion has remained untested. In this study, we demonstrate that the apoform of the Hansenula polymorpha amine oxidase readily binds Cu(I) under anaerobic conditions and produces the quinone cofactor at a rate of 0.28 h(-1) upon subsequent aeration to yield a mature enzyme with kinetic properties identical to the protein product of the Cu(II)-dependent reaction. Because of the change in magnetic properties associated with the oxidation of copper, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was employed to investigate the nature of the rate-limiting step of Cu(I)-dependent cofactor biogenesis. Upon aeration of the unprocessed enzyme prebound with Cu(I), an axial Cu(II) electron paramagnetic resonance signal was found to appear at a rate equivalent to that for the cofactor. These data provide strong evidence for a rate-limiting release of superoxide from a Cu(II)(O(2)(.)) complex as a prerequisite for the activation of the precursor tyrosine and its transformation for TPQ. As copper is trafficked to intracellular protein targets in the reduced, Cu(I) state, these studies offer possible clues as to the physiological significance of the acquisition of Cu(I) by nascent H. polymorpha amine oxidase.     

The nature of O2 reactivity leading to topa quinone in the copper amine oxidase from Hansenula polymorpha and its relationship to catalytic turnover

The copper amine oxidases (CAOs) catalyze the O(2)-dependent, two-electron oxidation of amines to aldehydes at an active site that contains Cu(II) and topaquinone (TPQ) cofactor. TPQ arises from the autocatalytic, post-translational oxidation of a tyrosine side chain in the active site. Monooxygenation within the ring of tyrosine at a single Cu(II) site is unique in biology and occurs as an early step in the formation of TPQ. The mechanism of this reaction has been further examined in the CAO from Hansenula polymorpha (HPAO). When a Clark electrode fitted to a custom-made, gastight apparatus over a range of initial concentrations of O(2) was used, rates of O(2) consumption at levels greater than air are seen to be reduced relative to earlier results, yielding K(D)(apparent) = 216 microM for O(2). This is consistent with a mechanism in which O(2) binds reversibly to the active site, triggering a conformational change that promotes ligation of tyrosinate to Cu(II). The activated Cu(II)-tyrosinate species has been proposed to react with O(2) in a rate-limiting step, although it was also possible that breakdown of a putative peroxy-intermediate controlled TPQ formation. To test the latter hypothesis, Cu(II)-free HPAO was prepared with 3,5-ring-[(2)H(2)]-tyrosine incorporated throughout the primary sequence. The absence of an isotope effect on the rate of TPQ formation eliminates cleavage of this C-H bond in a proposed Cu(II)-aryl-peroxide intermediate as a rate limiting step. The role of methionine 634, previously found to moderate O(2) binding during the catalytic cycle, is shown here to serve a similar function in TPQ formation. As with catalysis, the rate of TPQ formation correlates with the volume of the hydrophobic side chain at position 634, implicating similar binding sites for O(2) during catalysis and cofactor biogenesis.