Effects of reversing the protein positive charge in the proximity of the flavin N(1) locus of choline oxidase

A protein positive charge near the flavin N(1) locus is a distinguishing feature of most flavoprotein oxidases, with mechanistic implications for the modulation of flavin reactivity. A recent study showed that in the active site of choline oxidase the protein positive charge is provided by His(466). Here, we have reversed the charge by substitution with aspartate (CHO-H466D) and, for the first time, characterized a flavoprotein oxidase with a negative charge near the flavin N(1) locus. CHO-H466D formed a stable complex with choline but lost the ability to oxidize the substrate. In contrast to the wild-type enzyme, which binds FAD covalently in a 1:1 ratio, CHO-H466D contained approximately 0.3 FAD per protein, of which 75% was not covalently bound to the enzyme. Anaerobic reduction of CHO-H466D resulted in the formation of a neutral hydroquinone, with no stabilization of the flavin semiquinone; in contrast, the anionic semiquinone and hydroquinone species were observed with the wild type and a H466A variant of the enzyme. The midpoint reduction potential for the oxidized-reduced couple in CHO-H466D was approximately 160 mV lower than that of the wild-type enzyme. Finally, CHO-H466D lost the ability to form complexes with glycine betaine or sulfite. Thus, with a reversal of the protein charge near the FAD N(1) locus, choline oxidase lost the ability to stabilize negative charges in the active site, irrespective of whether they develop on the flavin or are borne on ligands, resulting in defective flavinylation of the protein, the decreased electrophilicity of the flavin, and the consequent loss of catalytic activity.     

Avian sulfhydryl oxidase is not a metalloenzyme: adventitious binding of divalent metal ions to the enzyme

Metal- and flavin-dependent sulfhydryl oxidases catalyze the generation of disulfide bonds with reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide. The mammalian skin enzyme has been reported to be copper-dependent, but a recent protein sequence shows it belongs to the Quiescin/sulfhydryl oxidase (QSOX) flavoprotein family. This work demonstrates that avian QSOX is not a metalloenzyme, and that copper and zinc ions inhibit the oxidation of reduced pancreatic ribonuclease by the enzyme. Studies with Zn(2+), as a redox inactive surrogate for copper, show that one Zn(2+) binds to four-electron-reduced QSOX by diverting electrons away from the flavin and into two of the three redox active disulfide bridges in the enzyme. The resulting zinc complex is modestly air-stable, reverting to a spectrum of the native protein with a t(1/2) of 40 min, whereas the four-electron-reduced native QSOX is reoxidized in less than a second under comparable conditions. Using tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine hydrochloride (TCEP), an alternate substrate of QSOX that binds Zn(2+) relatively weakly (unlike dithiothreitol), allows rapid inhibition of oxidase activity to be demonstrated at low micromolar metal levels. Zinc binding was followed by rapid-scanning spectrophotometry. Copper also binds the four-electron-reduced form of QSOX with a visible spectrum suggestive of active site occupancy. In addition to interactions with the reduced enzyme, dialysis experiments show that multiple copper and zinc ions can bind to the oxidized enzyme without the perturbation of the flavin spectrum seen earlier. These data suggest that a reinvestigation of the metal content of skin sulfhydryl oxidases is warranted. The redox-modulated binding of zinc to QSOX is considered in light of evidence for a role of zinc-thiolate interactions in redox signaling and zinc mobilization.     

The 1.6 ? Crystal Structure of Pyranose Dehydrogenase from Agaricus meleagris Rationalizes Substrate Specificity and Reveals a Flavin Intermediate

Pyranose dehydrogenases (PDHs) are extracellular flavin-dependent oxidoreductases secreted by litter-decomposing fungi with a role in natural recycling of plant matter. All major monosaccharides in lignocellulose are oxidized by PDH at comparable yields and efficiencies. Oxidation takes place as single-oxidation or sequential double-oxidation reactions of the carbohydrates, resulting in sugar derivatives oxidized primarily at C2, C3 or C2/3 with the concomitant reduction of the flavin. A suitable electron acceptor then reoxidizes the reduced flavin. Whereas oxygen is a poor electron acceptor for PDH, several alternative acceptors, e.g., quinone compounds, naturally present during lignocellulose degradation, can be used. We have determined the 1.6-Å crystal structure of PDH from Agaricus meleagris. Interestingly, the flavin ring in PDH is modified by a covalent mono- or di-atomic species at the C(4a) position. Under normal conditions, PDH is not oxidized by oxygen; however, the related enzyme pyranose 2-oxidase (P2O) activates oxygen by a mechanism that proceeds via a covalent flavin C(4a)-hydroperoxide intermediate. Although the flavin C(4a) adduct is common in monooxygenases, it is unusual for flavoprotein oxidases, and it has been proposed that formation of the intermediate would be unfavorable in these oxidases. Thus, the flavin adduct in PDH not only shows that the adduct can be favorably accommodated in the active site, but also provides important details regarding the structural, spatial and physicochemical requirements for formation of this flavin intermediate in related oxidases. Extensive in silico modeling of carbohydrates in the PDH active site allowed us to rationalize the previously reported patterns of substrate specificity and regioselectivity. To evaluate the regioselectivity of D-glucose oxidation, reduction experiments were performed using fluorinated glucose. PDH was rapidly reduced by 3-fluorinated glucose, which has the C2 position accessible for oxidation, whereas 2-fluorinated glucose performed poorly (C3 accessible), indicating that the glucose C2 position is the primary site of attack.     

Catalytic and structural role of a conserved active site histidine in berberine bridge enzyme

Berberine bridge enzyme (BBE) is a paradigm for the class of bicovalently flavinylated oxidases, which catalyzes the oxidative cyclization of (S)-reticuline to (S)-scoulerine. His174 was identified as an important active site residue because of its role in the stabilization of the reduced state of the flavin cofactor. It is also strictly conserved in the family of BBE-like oxidases. Here, we present a detailed biochemical and structural characterization of a His174Ala variant supporting its importance during catalysis and for the structural organization of the active site. Substantial changes in all kinetic parameters and a decrease in midpoint potential were observed for the BBE His174Ala variant protein. Moreover, the crystal structure of the BBE His174Ala variant showed significant structural rearrangements compared to wild-type enzyme. On the basis of our findings, we propose that His174 is part of a hydrogen bonding network that stabilizes the negative charge at the N1-C2═O locus via interaction with the hydroxyl group at C2' of the ribityl side chain of the flavin cofactor. Hence, replacement of this residue with alanine reduces the stabilizing effect for the transiently formed negative charge and results in drastically decreased kinetic parameters as well as a lower midpoint redox potential.     

NikD, an unusual amino acid oxidase essential for nikkomycin biosynthesis: structures of closed and open forms at 1.15 and 1.90 A resolution

NikD is an unusual amino-acid-oxidizing enzyme that contains covalently bound FAD, catalyzes a 4-electron oxidation of piperideine-2-carboxylic acid to picolinate, and plays a critical role in the biosynthesis of nikkomycin antibiotics. Crystal structures of closed and open forms of nikD, a two-domain enzyme, have been determined to resolutions of 1.15 and 1.9 A, respectively. The two forms differ by an 11 degrees rotation of the catalytic domain with respect to the FAD-binding domain. The active site is inaccessible to solvent in the closed form; an endogenous ligand, believed to be picolinate, is bound close to and parallel with the flavin ring, an orientation compatible with redox catalysis. The active site is solvent accessible in the open form, but the picolinate ligand is approximately perpendicular to the flavin ring and a tryptophan is stacked above the flavin ring. NikD also contains a mobile cation binding loop.     

L-amino-acid oxidase from the Malayan pit viper Calloselasma rhodostoma. Comparative sequence analysis and characterization of active and inactive forms of the enzyme.

Here we report the cDNA-deduced amino-acid sequence of L-amino-acid oxidase (LAAO) from the Malayan pit viper Calloselasma rhodostoma, which shows 83% identity to LAAOs from the Eastern and Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus and Crotalus atrox, respectively). Phylogenetic comparison of the FAD-dependent ophidian LAAOs to FAD-dependent oxidases such as monoamine oxidases, D-amino-acid oxidases and tryptophan 2-monooxygenases reveals only distant relationships. Nevertheless, all LAAOs share a highly conserved dinucleotide-binding fold with monoamine oxidases, tryptophan 2-monooxygenases and various other proteins that also may have a requirement for FAD. In order to characterize Ca. rhodostoma LAAO biochemically, the enzyme was purified from snake venom to apparent homogeneity. It was found that the enzyme undergoes inactivation by either freezing or increasing the pH to above neutrality. Both inactivation processes are fully reversible and are associated with changes in the UV/visible range of the flavin absorbance spectrum. In addition, the spectral characteristics of the freeze-and pH-induced inactivated enzyme are the same, indicating that the flavin environments are similar in the two inactive conformational forms. Monovalent anions, such as Cl(-), prevent pH-induced inactivation. LAAO exhibits typical flavoprotein oxidase properties, such as thermodynamic stabilization of the red flavin semiquinone radical and formation of a sulfite adduct. The latter complex as well as the complex with the competitive substrate inhibitor, anthranilate, were only formed with the active form of the enzyme indicating diminished accessibility of the flavin binding site in the inactive form(s) of the enzyme.     

On the catalytic role of the conserved active site residue His466 of choline oxidase

The oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes is catalyzed by a number of flavin-dependent enzymes, which have been grouped in the glucose-methanol-choline oxidoreductase enzyme superfamily. These enzymes exhibit little sequence similarity in their substrates binding domains, but share a highly conserved catalytic site, suggesting a similar activation mechanism for the oxidation of their substrates. In this study, the fully conserved histidine residue at position 466 of choline oxidase was replaced with an alanine residue by site-directed mutagenesis and the biochemical, spectroscopic, and mechanistic properties of the resulting CHO-H466A mutant enzyme were characterized. CHO-H466A showed k(cat) and k(cat)/K(m) values with choline as substrate that were 60- and 1000-fold lower than the values for the wild-type enzyme, while the k(cat)/K(m) value for oxygen was unaffected, suggesting the involvement of His(466) in the oxidation of the alcohol substrate but not in the reduction of oxygen. Replacement of His(466) with alanine significantly affected the microenvironment of the flavin, as indicated by the altered behavior of CHO-H466A with sulfite and dithionite. In agreement with this conclusion, a midpoint reduction potential of +106 mV for the two-electron transfer in the catalytically competent enzyme-product complex was determined at pH 7 for CHO-H466A, which was approximately 25 mV more negative than that of the wild-type enzyme. Enzymatic activity in CHO-H466A could be partially rescued with exogenous imidazolium, but not imidazole, consistent with the protonated form of histidine exerting a catalytic role. pH profiles for glycine betaine inhibition, the deprotonation of the N(3)-flavin locus, and the k(cat)/K(m) value for choline all showed a significant shift upward in their pK(a) values, consistent with a change in the polarity of the active site. Finally, kinetic isotope effects with isotopically labeled substrate and solvent indicated that the histidine to alanine substitution affected the timing of substrate OH and CH bond cleavages, consistent with removal of the hydroxyl proton being concerted with hydride transfer in the mutant enzyme. All taken together, the results presented in this study suggest that in choline oxidase, His(466) modulates the electrophilicity of the enzyme-bound flavin and the polarity of the active site, and contributes to the stabilization of the transition state for the oxidation of choline to betaine aldehyde.     

Enzyme-catalyzed redox reactions with the flavin analogues 5-deazariboflavin, 5-deazariboflavin 5'-phosphte, and 5-deazariboflavin 5'-diphosphate, 5' leads to 5'-adenosine ester.

The ability of 5-deazaisoalloxazines to substitute for the isoalloxazine (flavin) coenzyme has been examined with several flavoenzymes. Without exception, the deazaflavin is recognized at the active site and undergoes a redox change in the presence of the specific enzyme substrate. Thus, deazariboflavin is reduced catalytically by NADH in the presence of the Beneckea harveyi NAD(P)H:(flavin) oxidoreductase, the reaction proceeding to an equilibrium with an equilibrium constant near unity. This implies an E0 of -0.310 V for the deazariboflavindihydrodeazariboflavin couple, much lower than that for isoalloxazines. With this enzyme, both riboflavin and deazariboflavin show the same stereospecificity with respect to the pyridine nucleotide, and despite a large difference in Vmax for the two, both have the same rate-determining step (hydrogen transfer). Direct transfer of the hydrogen is seen between the nicotinamide and deazariboflavin in both reaction directions. DeazaFMN reconstituted yeast NADPH: (acceptor) oxidoreductase (Old Yellow Enzyme), and deazaFAD reconstituted D-amino acid:O2 oxidoreductase and Aspergillus niger D-glucose O2 oxidoreductase are all reduced by substrate at approximately 10(-5) the rate of holoenzyme; none are reoxidized by oxygen or any of the tested artificial electron acceptors, though deazaFADH-bound to D-amino acid:O2 oxidoreductase is rapidly oxidized by the imino acid product. Direct hydrogen transfer from substrate to deazaflavin has been demonstrated for both deazaFAD-reconstituted oxidases. These data implicate deazaflavins as a unique probe of flavin catalysis, in that any mechanism for the flavin catalysis must account for the deazaflavin reactivity as well.     

Characterization of active site residues of nitroalkane oxidase

The flavoenzyme nitroalkane oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of primary and secondary nitroalkanes to the corresponding aldehydes and ketones plus nitrite. The structure of the enzyme shows that Ser171 forms a hydrogen bond to the flavin N5, suggesting that it plays a role in catalysis. Cys397 and Tyr398 were previously identified by chemical modification as potential active site residues. To more directly probe the roles of these residues, the S171A, S171V, S171T, C397S, and Y398F enzymes have been characterized with nitroethane as substrate. The C397S and Y398 enzymes were less stable than the wild-type enzyme, and the C397S enzyme routinely contained a substoichiometric amount of FAD. Analysis of the steady-state kinetic parameters for the mutant enzymes, including deuterium isotope effects, establishes that all of the mutations result in decreases in the rate constants for removal of the substrate proton by ∼5-fold and decreases in the rate constant for product release of ∼2-fold. Only the S171V and S171T mutations alter the rate constant for flavin oxidation. These results establish that these residues are not involved in catalysis, but rather are required for maintaining the protein structure.     

Activity of tocopherol oxidase in Phaseolus coccineus seedlings

In the present study, we have demonstrated that membrane-free extracts of etiolated shoots of Phaseolus coccineus seedlings show tocopherol oxidase activity. For this reaction, presence of membrane lipids, such as lecithin and mixture of plant lipids was required. The rate of the reaction was the highest for α-tocopherol and decreased in the order α ? β > γ > δ tocopherols. In the case of α-tocopherol, the main oxidation product was α-tocopherolquinone, while for the other tocopherol homologues the dominant products were other derivatives. When the enzyme activity was measured in leaves, hypocotyls and roots of etiolated seedlings of P. coccineus, the oxidase activity was the highest in extracts of leaves and decreased towards the roots where no activity was detected. The effect of hydrogen peroxide and of different inhibitors on the reaction suggest that tocopherol oxidase does not belong to peroxidases or flavin oxidases but rather to multi-copper oxidases, such as polyphenol oxidases or laccases. On the other hand, catechol, the well-known substrate of polyphenol oxidases and laccases, was not oxidized by the enzyme, indicating a high substrate specificity of the tocopherol oxidase.     

The hydroxynitrile lyase from almond: a lyase that looks like an oxidoreductase

BACKGROUND: Cyanogenesis is a defense process of several thousand plant species. Hydroxynitrile lyase, a key enzyme of this process, cleaves a cyanohydrin into hydrocyanic acid and the corresponding aldehyde or ketone. The reverse reaction constitutes an important tool in biocatalysis. Different classes of hydroxynitrile lyases have convergently evolved from FAD-dependent oxidoreductases, alpha/beta hydrolases, and alcohol dehydrogenases. The FAD-dependent hydroxynitrile lyases (FAD-HNLs) carry a flavin cofactor whose redox properties appear to be unimportant for catalysis. RESULTS: We have determined the crystal structure of a 61 kDa hydroxynitrile lyase isoenzyme from Prunus amygdalus (PaHNL1) to 1.5 A resolution. Clear electron density originating from four glycosylation sites could be observed. As concerns the overall protein fold including the FAD cofactor, PaHNL1 belongs to the family of GMC oxidoreductases. The active site for the HNL reaction is probably at a very similar position as the active sites in homologous oxidases. CONCLUSIONS: There is strong evidence from the structure and the reaction product that FAD-dependent hydroxynitrile lyases have evolved from an aryl alcohol oxidizing precursor. Since key residues implicated in oxidoreductase activity are also present in PaHNL1, it is not obvious why this enzyme shows no oxidase activity. Similarly, features proposed to be relevant for hydroxy-nitrile lyase activity in other hydroxynitrile lyases, i.e., a general base and a positive charge to stabilize the cyanide, are not obviously present in the putative active site of PaHNL1. Therefore, the reason for its HNL activity is far from being well understood at this point.     

Mechanistic studies of cyclohexanone monooxygenase: chemical properties of intermediates involved in catalysis

Cyclohexanone monooxygenase (CHMO), a bacterial flavoenzyme, carries out an oxygen insertion reaction on cyclohexanone to form a seven-membered cyclic product, epsilon-caprolactone. The reaction catalyzed involves the four-electron reduction of O2 at the expense of a two-electron oxidation of NADPH and a two-electron oxidation of cyclohexanone to form epsilon-caprolactone. Previous studies suggested the participation of either a flavin C4a-hydroperoxide or a flavin C4a-peroxide intermediate during the enzymatic catalysis [Ryerson, C. C., Ballou, D. P., and Walsh, C. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 2644-2655]. However, there was no kinetic or spectral evidence to distinguish between these two possibilities. In the present work we used double-mixing stopped-flow techniques to show that the C4a-flavin-oxygen adduct, which is formed rapidly from the reaction of oxygen with reduced enzyme in the presence of NADP, can exist in two states. When the reaction is carried out at pH 7.2, the first intermediate is a flavin C4a-peroxide with maximum absorbance at 366 nm; this intermediate becomes protonated at about 3 s(-1) to form what is believed to be the flavin C4a-hydroperoxide with maximum absorbance at 383 nm. These two intermediates can be interconverted by altering the pH, with a pK(a) of 8.4. Thus, at pH 9.0 the flavin C4a-peroxide persists mainly in the deprotonated form. Further kinetic studies also demonstrated that only the flavin C4a-peroxide intermediate could oxygenate the substrate, cyclohexanone. The requirement in catalysis of the deprotonated flavin C4a-peroxide, a nucleophile, is consistent with a Baeyer-Villiger rearrangement mechanism for the enzymatic oxygenation of cyclohexanone. In the course of these studies, the Kd for cyclohexanone to the C4a-peroxyflavin form of CHMO was determined to be approximately 1 microM. The rate-determining step in catalysis was shown to be the release of NADP from the oxidized enzyme.     

Asp-170 is crucial for the redox properties of vanillyl-alcohol oxidase

Vanillyl-alcohol oxidase is a flavoprotein containing a covalent flavin that catalyzes the oxidation of 4-(methoxymethyl)phenol to 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde. The reaction proceeds through the formation of a p-quinone methide intermediate, after which, water addition takes place. Asp-170, located near the N5-atom of the flavin, has been proposed to act as an active site base. To test this hypothesis, we have addressed the properties of D170E, D170S, D170A, and D170N variants. Spectral and fluorescence analysis, together with the crystal structure of D170S, suggests that the Asp-170 replacements do not induce major structural changes. However, in D170A and D170N, 50 and 100%, respectively, of the flavin is non-covalently bound. Kinetic characterization of the vanillyl-alcohol oxidase variants revealed that Asp-170 is required for catalysis. D170E is 50-fold less active, and the other Asp-170 variants are about 10(3)-fold less active than wild type enzyme. Impaired catalysis of the Asp-170 variants is caused by slow flavin reduction. Furthermore, the mutant proteins have lost the capability of forming a stable complex between reduced enzyme and the p-quinone methide intermediate. The redox midpoint potentials in D170E (+6 mV) and D170S (-91 mV) are considerably decreased compared with wild type vanillyl-alcohol oxidase (+55 mV). This supports the idea that Asp-170 interacts with the protonated N5-atom of the reduced cofactor, thus increasing the FAD redox potential. Taken together, we conclude that Asp-170 is involved in the process of autocatalytic flavinylation and is crucial for efficient redox catalysis.     

Glycine oxidase from Bacillus subtilis: role of histidine 244 and methionine 261

The reactions of several mutants at position 244 and 261 of bacterial glycine oxidase (GO) were studied by stopped-flow and steady-state kinetic methods. Substituting H244 with phenylalanine, glutamate, and glutamine and M261 with histidine and tyrosine did not affect the expression of GO and the physicochemical properties of bound FAD. All the H244 and M261 mutants of GO we prepared retained activity in both steady-state and stopped-flow kinetic studies, indicating they do not serve as key elements in glycine and sarcosine oxidation. We demonstrated that the substitution of H244 significantly affected the rate of flavin reduction with glycine even if this change did not modify the turnover number, which is frequently increased compared to wild-type GO. However, substitution of M261 affected the interaction with substrates/inhibitors and the rate of flavin reduction with sarcosine and resulted in a decrease in turnover number and efficiency with all the substrates tested. The considerable decrease in the rate of flavin reduction changed the conditions such that it was partially rate-limiting in the catalytic cycle compared to the wild-type GO. Our studies show some similarities, but also major differences, in the catalytic mechanism of GO and other flavooxidases also active on glycine and sarcosine and give insight into the mode of modulation of catalysis and substrate specificities.     

芽胞杆菌BSD-8肌氨酸氧化酶的纯化与性质

对一株从土壤中分离到的芽胞杆菌Bacillus sp.BSD-8菌株所产生的热稳定性较高的肌氨酸氧化酶进行纯化,并对该酶的特性进行了研究。通过硫酸铵分级沉淀、DEAE-纤维素离子交换柱、Toyopearl疏水层析柱和Sephadex G-75分子筛层析,使酶提纯25倍,比活力达到5.3U/mg。研究了纯化后的酶的生化特性,确定了该酶的主要特性:该酶为黄素蛋白,与黄素以非共价键的方式结合,由单一亚基组成,其亚基分子量为51kDa。酶的最适反应温度及pH分别为60℃与8.5。该酶在60℃及pH8.0~10.0条件下稳定。以Lineveaver-Burk作图法求得该酶米氏常数Km值为3.1mmol/L。Ag+、Hg2+、SDS及Tween80对该酶有强抑制作用,而Tween20和Triton X-100对酶活性无影响。该肌氨酸氧化酶在耐热性质上比以前所报道的肌氨酸氧化酶有很大的提高,在酶法肌酐测定应用中有明显的优势。     

Action mechanism of Escherichia coli DNA photolyase. II. Role of the chromophores in catalysis

DNA photolyase repairs pyrimidine dimers in DNA in a reaction that requires visible light. Photolyase from Escherichia coli is normally isolated as a blue protein and contains 2 chromophores: a blue FAD radical plus a second chromophore that exhibits an absorption maximum at 360 nm when free in solution. Oxidation of the FAD radical is accompanied by a reversible loss of activity which is proportional to the fraction of the enzyme flavin converted to FADox. Quantitative reduction of the radical to fully reduced FAD causes a 3-fold increase in activity. The results show that a reduced flavin is required for activity and suggest that flavin may act as an electron donor in catalysis. Comparison of the absorption spectrum calculated for the protein-bound second chromophore (lambda max = 390 nm) with fluorescence data and with the relative action spectrum for dimer repair indicates that the second chromophore is the fluorophore in photolyase and that it does act as a sensitizer in catalysis. On the other hand, enzyme preparations containing diminished amounts of the second chromophore do not exhibit correspondingly lower activity. This suggests that reduced flavin may also act as a sensitizer in catalysis. The blue color of the enzyme is lost upon reduction of the FAD radical. The fully reduced E. coli enzyme exhibits absorption and fluorescence properties very similar to yeast photolyase. This indicates that the two enzymes probably contain similar chromophores but are isolated in different forms with respect to the redox state of the flavin.     

Biochemical characterization of a flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent monooxygenase, ornithine hydroxylase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, suggests a novel reaction mechanism

Pyoverdin is the hydroxamate siderophore produced by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa under the iron-limiting conditions of the human host. This siderophore includes derivatives of ornithine in the peptide backbone that serve as iron chelators. PvdA is the ornithine hydroxylase, which performs the first enzymatic step in preparation of these derivatives. PvdA requires both flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) for activity; it was found to be a soluble monomer most active at pH 8.0. The enzyme demonstrated Michaelis-Menten kinetics in an NADPH oxidation assay, but a hydroxylation assay indicated substrate inhibition at high ornithine concentration. PvdA is highly specific for both substrate and coenzyme, and lysine was shown to be a nonsubstrate effector and mixed inhibitor of the enzyme with respect to ornithine. Chloride is a mixed inhibitor of PvdA with respect to ornithine but a competitive inhibitor with respect to NADPH, and a bulky mercurial compound (p-chloromercuribenzoate) is a mixed inhibitor with respect to ornithine. Steady-state experiments indicate that PvdA/FAD forms a ternary complex with NADPH and ornithine for catalysis. PvdA in the absence of ornithine shows slow substrate-independent flavin reduction by NADPH. Biochemical comparison of PvdA to p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PHBH, from Pseudomonas fluorescens) and flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs, from Schizosaccharomyces pombe and hog liver microsomes) leads to the hypothesis that PvdA catalysis proceeds by a novel reaction mechanism.     

Studies with substrate and cofactor analogues provide evidence for a radical mechanism in the chorismate synthase reaction

Chorismate synthase catalyzes the conversion of 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate (EPSP) to chorismate. The strict requirement for a reduced FMN cofactor and a trans-1,4-elimination are unusual. (6R)-6-Fluoro-EPSP was shown to be converted to chorismate stoichiometrically with enzyme-active sites in the presence of dithionite. This conversion was associated with the oxidation of FMN to give a stable flavin semiquinone. The IC(50) of the fluorinated substrate analogue was 0.5 and 250 microm with the Escherichia coli enzyme, depending on whether it was preincubated with the enzyme or not. The lack of dissociation of the flavin semiquinone and chorismate from the enzyme appears to be the basis of the essentially irreversible inhibition by this analogue. A dithionite-dependent transient formation of flavin semiquinone during turnover of (6S)-6-fluoro-EPSP has been observed. These reactions are best rationalized by radical chemistry that is strongly supportive of a radical mechanism occurring during normal turnover. The lack of activity with 5-deaza-FMN provides additional evidence for the role of flavin in catalysis by the E. coli enzyme.     

Functional role of the "aromatic cage" in human monoamine oxidase B: structures and catalytic properties of Tyr435 mutant proteins

Current structural results of several flavin-dependent amine oxidizing enzymes including human monoamine oxidases A and B (MAO A and MAO B) show aromatic amino acid residues oriented approximately perpendicular to the flavin ring, suggesting a functional role in catalysis. In the case of human MAO B, two tyrosyl residues (Y398 and Y435) are found in the substrate binding site on the re face of the covalent flavin ring [Binda et al. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 23973-23976]. To probe the functional significance of this structure, Tyr435 in MAO B was mutated with the amino acids Phe, His, Leu, or Trp, the mutant proteins expressed in Pichia pastoris, and purified to homogeneity. Each mutant protein contains covalent FAD and exhibits a high level of catalytic functionality. No major alterations in active site structures are detected on comparison of their respective crystal structures with that of WT enzyme. The relative k(cat)/K(m) values for each mutant enzyme show Y435 > Y435F = Y435L = Y435H > Y435W. A similar behavior is also observed with the membrane-bound forms of MAO A and MAO B (MAO A Y444 mutant enzymes are found to be unstable on membrane extraction). p-Nitrobenzylamine is found to be a poor substrate while p-nitrophenethylamine is found to be a good substrate for all WT and mutant forms of MAO B. Analysis of these kinetic and structural data suggests the function of the "aromatic cage" in MAO to include a steric role in substrate binding and access to the flavin coenzyme and to increase the nucleophilicity of the substrate amine moiety. These results are consistent with a proposed polar nucleophilic mechanism for catalytic amine oxidation.     

An essential histidine residue in the catalytic mechanism of mammalian glutathione reductase

Glutathione reductase from human erythrocytes was inactivated by ethoxyformic anhydride, and > 95% activity was lost by modification of about 1–1.5 histidine residues per flavin (or subunit), as measured by the increased absorbance at 240 nm. Full reactivation was obtained with hydroxylamine. The rate of inactivation increased with pH and an apparent pK = 5.9 was obtained for the protolytic dissociation. The modified enzyme was inactive with NADPH and GSSG as substrates, but almost fully active in catalysis of a transhydrogenase reaction involving pyridine nucleotides. The visible absorption spectrum of oxidized or two-electron-reduced enzyme was not changed, but the flavin fluorescence of oxidized enzyme increased 2-fold after the modification. NADPH or NADP⁺ did not protect the enzyme against inactivation. It is concluded that the modification affects a histidine involved in the second half-reaction of the catalysis, i.e. reduction of GSSG by the dithiol of reduced enzyme. Glutathione reductase from three additional mammalian sources was similarly inactivated, but enzyme from yeast was much less inactivated by the corresponding treatment with ethoxyformic anhydride.