Structural and functional analysis of the pyocyanin biosynthetic protein PhzM from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pyocyanin is a biologically active phenazine produced by the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is thought to endow P. aeruginosa with a competitive growth advantage in colonized tissue and is also thought to be a virulence factor in diseases such as cystic fibrosis and AIDS where patients are commonly infected by pathogenic Pseudomonads due to their immunocompromised state. Pyocyanin is also a chemically interesting compound due to its unusual oxidation-reduction activity. Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid, the precursor to the bioactive phenazines, is synthesized from chorismic acid by enzymes encoded in a seven-gene cistron in P. aeruginosa and in other Pseudomonads. Phenzine-1-carboxylic acid is believed to be converted to pyocyanin by the sequential actions of the putative S-adenosylmethionine-dependent N-methyltransferase PhzM and the putative flavin-dependent hydroxylase PhzS. Here we report the 1.8 A crystal structure of PhzM determined by single anomalous dispersion. Unlike many methyltransferases, PhzM is a dimer in solution. The 36 kDa PhzM polypeptide folds into three domains. The C-terminal domain exhibits the alpha/beta-hydrolase fold typical of small molecule methyltransferases. Two smaller N-terminal domains form much of the dimer interface. Structural alignments with known methyltransferases show that PhzM is most similar to the plant O-methyltransferases that are characterized by an unusual intertwined dimer interface. The structure of PhzM contains no ligands, and the active site is open and solvent-exposed when compared to structures of similar enzymes. In vitro experiments using purified PhzM alone demonstrate that it has little or no ability to methylate phenzine-1-carboxylic acid. However, when the putative hydroxylase PhzS is included, pyocyanin is readily produced. This observation suggests that a mechanism has evolved in P. aeruginosa that ensures efficient production of pyocyanin via the prevention of the formation and release of an unstable and potentially deleterious intermediate.     

An integrated workflow for phenazine-modifying enzyme characterization

Increasing availability of new genomes and putative biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) has extended the opportunity to access novel chemical diversity for agriculture, medicine, environmental and industrial purposes. However, functional characterization of BGCs through heterologous expression is limited because expression may require complex regulatory mechanisms, specific folding or activation. We developed an integrated workflow for BGC characterization that integrates pathway identification, modular design, DNA synthesis, assembly and characterization. This workflow was applied to characterize multiple phenazine-modifying enzymes. Phenazine pathways are useful for this workflow because all phenazines are derived from a core scaffold for modification by diverse modifying enzymes (PhzM, PhzS, PhzH, and PhzO) that produce characterized compounds. We expressed refactored synthetic modules of previously uncharacterized phenazine BGCs heterologously in Escherichia coli and were able to identify metabolic intermediates they produced, including a previously unidentified metabolite. These results demonstrate how this approach can accelerate functional characterization of BGCs.     

Crystal structure of 3-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase from Comamonas testosteroni has a large tunnel for substrate and oxygen access to the active site

The 3-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (MHBH) from Comamonas testosteroni KH122-3s is a single-component flavoprotein monooxygenase, a member of the glutathione reductase (GR) family. It catalyzes the conversion of 3-hydroxybenzoate to 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate with concomitant requirements for equimolar amounts of NADPH and molecular oxygen. The production of dihydroxy-benzenoid derivative by hydroxylation is the first step in the aerobic degradation of various phenolic compounds in soil microorganisms. To establish the structural basis for substrate recognition, the crystal structure of MHBH in complex with its substrate was determined at 1.8 A resolution. The enzyme is shown to form a physiologically active homodimer with crystallographic 2-fold symmetry, in which each subunit consists of the first two domains comprising an active site and the C-terminal domain involved in oligomerization. The protein fold of the catalytic domains and the active-site architecture, including the FAD and substrate-binding sites, are similar to those of 4-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PHBH) and phenol hydroxylase (PHHY), which are members of the GR family, providing evidence that the flavoprotein aromatic hydroxylases share similar catalytic actions for hydroxylation of the respective substrates. Structural comparison of MHBH with the homologous enzymes suggested that a large tunnel connecting the substrate-binding pocket to the protein surface serves for substrate transport in this enzyme. The internal space of the large tunnel is distinctly divided into hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. The characteristically stratified environment in the tunnel interior and the size of the entrance would allow the enzyme to select its substrate by amphiphilic nature and molecular size. In addition, the structure of the Xe-derivative at 2.5 A resolution led to the identification of a putative oxygen-binding site adjacent to the substrate-binding pocket. The hydrophobic nature of the xenon-binding site extends to the solvent through the tunnel, suggesting that the tunnel could be involved in oxygen transport.     

Crystal structures of two aromatic hydroxylases involved in the early tailoring steps of angucycline biosynthesis

Angucyclines are aromatic polyketides produced in Streptomycetes via complex enzymatic biosynthetic pathways. PgaE and CabE from S. sp PGA64 and S. sp. H021 are two related homo-dimeric FAD and NADPH dependent aromatic hydroxylases involved in the early steps of the angucycline core modification. Here we report the three-dimensional structures of these two enzymes determined by X-ray crystallography using multiple anomalous diffraction and molecular replacement, respectively, to resolutions of 1.8 A and 2.7 A. The enzyme subunits are built up of three domains, a FAD binding domain, a domain involved in substrate binding and a C-terminal thioredoxin-like domain of unknown function. The structure analysis identifies PgaE and CabE as members of the para-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (pHBH) fold family of aromatic hydroxylases. In contrast to phenol hydroxylase and 3-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase that utilize the C-terminal domain for dimer formation, this domain is not part of the subunit-subunit interface in PgaE and CabE. Instead, dimer assembly occurs through interactions of their FAD binding domains. FAD is bound non-covalently in the "in"-conformation. The active sites in the two enzymes differ significantly from those of other aromatic hydroxylases. The volumes of the active site are significantly larger, as expected in view of the voluminous tetracyclic angucycline substrates. The structures further suggest that substrate binding and catalysis may involve dynamic rearrangements of the middle domain relative to the other two domains. Site-directed mutagenesis studies of putative catalytic groups in the active site of PgaE argue against enzyme-catalyzed substrate deprotonation as a step in catalysis. This is in contrast to pHBH, where deprotonation/protonation of the substrate has been suggested as an essential part of the enzymatic mechanism.     

Effect of monovalent anions on the mechanism of phenol hydroxylase

The mechanism of phenol hydroxylase (EC 1.14.13.7) has been studied by steady state and rapid reaction kinetic techniques. Both techniques give results consistent with the Bi Uni Uni Bi ping-pong mechanism proposed for other flavin-containing aromatic hydroxylases. The enzyme binds phenolic substrate and NADPH in that order, followed by reduction of the flavin and release of NADP+. A transient charge transfer complex between reduced enzyme and NADP+ can be detected. Molecular oxygen then reacts with the reduced enzyme-substrate complex. Two to three flavin-oxygen intermediates can be detected in the oxidative half-reaction depending on the substrate, provided monovalent anions are present. Oxygen transfer is complete with the formation of the second intermediate. Based on its UV absorption spectrum and on the fact that oxygen transfer has taken place, the last of these intermediates is presumably the flavin C(4a)-hydroxide. Monovalent anions are uncompetitive inhibitors of phenol hydroxylase. The mechanistic step most affected is the dehydration of the flavin C(4a)-hydroxide to give oxidized enzyme. Chloride also kinetically stabilizes the blue flavin semiquinone of phenol hydroxylase during photoreduction. These data suggest binding of monovalent anions results in stabilization of a proton on the N(5) position of the flavin.     

Monooxygenation of aromatic compounds by flavin‐dependent monooxygenases

Many flavoenzymes catalyze hydroxylation of aromatic compounds especially phenolic compounds have been isolated and characterized. These enzymes can be classified as either single‐component or two‐component flavin‐dependent hydroxylases (monooxygenases). The hydroxylation reactions catalyzed by the enzymes in this group are useful for modifying the biological properties of phenolic compounds. This review aims to provide an in‐depth discussion of the current mechanistic understanding of representative flavin‐dependent monooxygenases including 3‐hydroxy‐benzoate 4‐hydroxylase (PHBH, a single‐component hydroxylase), 3‐hydroxyphenylacetate 4‐hydroxylase (HPAH, a two‐component hydroxylase), and other monooxygenases which catalyze reactions in addition to hydroxylation, including 2‐methyl‐3‐hydroxypyridine‐5‐carboxylate oxygenase (MHPCO, a single‐component enzyme that catalyzes aromatic‐ring cleavage), and HadA monooxygenase (a two‐component enzyme that catalyzes additional group elimination reaction). These enzymes have different unique structural features which dictate their reactivity toward various substrates and influence their ability to stabilize flavin intermediates such as C4a‐hydroperoxyflavin. Understanding the key catalytic residues and the active site environments important for governing enzyme reactivity will undoubtedly facilitate future work in enzyme engineering or enzyme redesign for the development of biocatalytic methods for the synthesis of valuable compounds.     

Structural Basis for Substrate Recognition and Specificity in Aklavinone-11-Hydroxylase from Rhodomycin Biosynthesis

In the biosynthesis of several anthracyclines, aromatic polyketides produced by many Streptomyces species, the aglycone core is modified by a specific flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)- and NAD(P)H-dependent aklavinone-11-hydroxylase. Here, we report the crystal structure of a ternary complex of this enzyme from Streptomyces purpurascens, RdmE, with FAD and the substrate aklavinone. The enzyme is built up of three domains, a FAD-binding domain, a domain involved in substrate binding, and a C-terminal thioredoxin-like domain of unknown function. RdmE exhibits structural similarity to aromatic hydroxylases from the p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase family, but unlike most other related enzymes, RdmE is a monomer. The substrate is bound in a hydrophobic pocket in the interior of the enzyme, and access to this pocket is provided through a different route than for the isoalloxazine ring of FAD—the backside of the ligand binding cleft. The architecture of the substrate binding pocket and the observed enzyme-aklavinone interactions provide a structural explanation for the specificity of the enzyme for non-glycosylated substrates with C9-R stereochemistry. The isoalloxazine ring of the flavin cofactor is bound in the “out” conformation but can be modeled in the “in” conformation without invoking large conformational changes of the enzyme. This model places the flavin ring in a position suitable for catalysis, almost perpendicular to the tetracyclic ring system of the substrate and with a distance of the C4a carbon atom of the isoalloxazine ring to the C-11 carbon atom of the substrate of 4.8 Å. The structure suggested that a Tyr224-Arg373 pair might be involved in proton abstraction at the C-6 hydroxyl group, thereby increasing the nucleophilicity of the aromatic ring system and facilitating electrophilic attack by the perhydroxy-flavin intermediate. Replacement of Tyr224 by phenylalanine results in inactive enzyme, whereas mutants at position Arg373 retain catalytic activity close to wild-type level. These data establish an essential role of residue Tyr224 in catalysis, possibly in aligning the substrate in a position suitable for catalysis.     

A novel two-protein component flavoprotein hydroxylase.

p-Hydroxyphenylacetate (HPA) hydroxylase (HPAH) was purified from Acinetobacter baumannii and shown to be a two-protein component enzyme. The small component (C1) is the reductase enzyme with a subunit molecular mass of 32 kDa. C1 alone catalyses HPA-stimulated NADH oxidation without hydroxylation of HPA. C1 is a flavoprotein with FMN as a native cofactor but can also bind to FAD. The large component (C2) is the hydroxylase component that hydroxylates HPA in the presence of C1. C2 is a tetrameric enzyme with a subunit molecular mass of 50 kDa and apparently contains no redox centre. FMN, FAD, or riboflavin could be used as coenzymes for hydroxylase activity with FMN showing the highest activity. Our data demonstrated that C2 alone was capable of utilizing reduced FMN to form the product 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate. Mixing reduced flavin with C2 also resulted in the formation of a flavin intermediate that resembled a C(4a)-substituted flavin species indicating that the reaction mechanism of the enzyme proceeded via C(4a)-substituted flavin intermediates. Based on the available evidence, we conclude that the reaction mechanism of HPAH from A. baumannii is similar to that of bacterial luciferase. The enzyme uses a luciferase-like mechanism and reduced flavin (FMNH2, FADH2, or reduced riboflavin) to catalyse the hydroxylation of aromatic compounds, which are usually catalysed by FAD-associated aromatic hydroxylases.     

Rapid purification of 2,4-dichlorophenol hydroxylase by biospecific desorption from 10-carboxydecylamino-sepharose

10-Carboxydecylamino-Sepharose, which bears a mixture of ionic and aliphatic substituent groups, adsorbs 2,4-dichlorophenol hydroxylase from Acinetobacter in a non-biospecific manner. The enzyme has been specifically desorbed by its substrate, 2,4-dichlorophenol, giving a 42-fold purification (to greater than 90% purity) in a single step. The enzyme contained 3.1 moles of FAD per mole and displayed a catalytic constant of 14.7 s(-1). Mixed-function adsorbents probably have wide applicability for biospecific desorption of proteins. The present report indicates that they may be useful in the purification of aromatic hydroxylases bearing flavin prosthetic groups that readily dissociate in conventional purification procedures employing conditions of high ionic strength.     

Role of protein flexibility in the catalytic cycle of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase elucidated by the Pro293Ser mutant

Proline 293 of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa is in a highly conserved region of the flavoprotein aromatic hydroxylases. It is thought to impart rigidity to the backbone, as it partially cradles the FAD in these hydroxylases. Thus, this residue has been substituted with serine by site-directed mutagenesis to investigate the importance of flexibility of the peptide segment in catalysis. Differential scanning calorimetry demonstrated that the mutation has decreased the stability of the folded mutant protein compared to the wild-type PHBH. The increased flexibility in the protein backbone enhanced the accessibility of the flavin hydroperoxide intermediate to the solvent, causing an increase in the elimination of H(2)O(2) from this labile intermediate and, consequently, a decrease in the efficiency of substrate hydroxylation. Additionally, the increased accessibility of this mutant form of the enzyme makes it more susceptible than the wild-type enzyme to being trapped in the hydroxyflavin intermediate form in the presence of high levels of p-hydroxybenzoate. The mutation also lowers the pK(a) of the phenolic oxygen of bound p-hydroxybenzoate, and eliminates the pH dependence of the rate constant for flavin reduction by NADPH. These experimental observations lead to a model that explains how the wild-type protein can sense the charge of the 4-substituent of the aromatic ligand and link this charge to a flavin conformational change that is required for reaction with NADPH: (i) The peptide oxygen of Pro 293 is repelled by the negative charge of the phenolic oxygen of p-hydroxybenzoate. (ii) This repulsion is transmitted through the peptide backbone, causing the movement of Asn 300. (iii) The change in the position of Asn 300 triggers the movement of the flavin from the largely buried "in" conformation to the exposed, reactive "out" conformation.     

Protein dynamics control proton transfers to the substrate on the His72Asn mutant of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase

p-Hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PHBH) hydroxylates activated benzoates using NADPH as a reductant and O(2) as an oxygenating substrate. Because the flavin, when reduced, will quickly react with oxygen in either the presence or absence of a phenolic substrate, it is important to regulate flavin reduction to prevent the uncontrolled reaction of NADPH and oxygen to form H(2)O(2). Reduction is controlled by the protonation state of the aromatic substrate p-hydroxybenzoate (pOHB), which when ionized to the phenolate facilitates the movement of flavin between two conformations, termed "in" and "out". When the hydrogen bond network that provides communication between the substrate and solvent is disrupted by changing its terminal residue, His72, to Asn, protons from solution no longer equilibrate rapidly with pOHB bound to the active site [Palfey, B. A., Moran, G. R., Entsch, B., Ballou, D. P., and Massey, V. (1999) Biochemistry 38, 1153-1158]. Thus, one population of the His72Asn enzyme reduces rapidly and has the phenolate form of pOHB bound at the active site and the flavin in the out conformation. The remaining population of the His72Asn enzyme reduces slowly and has the phenolic form of pOHB bound and the flavin in the in conformation. We have investigated the mechanisms of proton transfer between solvent and pOHB bound to the His72Asn form of the enzyme by double-mixing and single-mixing stopped-flow experiments. We find that, depending on the initial ionization state of bound pOHB and the new pH of the solution, the ionization/protonation of pOHB proceeds through the direct reaction of hydronium or hydroxide with the enzyme-ligand complex and leads to the conversion of one flavin conformation to the other. Our kinetic data indicate that the enzyme with the flavin in the in conformation reacts in two steps. Inspection of crystal structures suggests that the hydroxide ion would react at the re-face of the flavin, and its reaction with pOHB is limited by the movement of Pro293, a conserved residue in similar flavoprotein hydroxylases. We hypothesize that this type of breathing mode by the protein may have been used to compensate for the lack of an efficient proton-transfer network in ancestral hydroxylases, permitting useful catalysis prior to the emergence of specialized proton-transfer mechanisms.     

Regulation of oxidation-reduction potentials of anthranilate hydroxylase from Trichosporon cutaneum by substrate and effector binding

The pH dependence of the redox behavior of anthranilate hydroxylase from Trichosporon cutaneum in its uncomplexed and anthranilate-complexed forms, as well as the effects on the reduction potential, at pH 7.4, of enzyme in complex with 3-methylanthranilate, salicylate, 3-acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide phosphates, and azide plus anthranilate, is described. At pH 7.4 the midpoint potential of uncomplexed enzyme (EFlox/EFlredH-) is -0.229 V vs SHE, close to that of free flavin. The aromatic substrates and effector all shift the midpoint potential value in a positive direction by 0.068-0.100 V. This shift results in thermodynamically more favorable reduction of the substrate/effector-complexed enzyme by NADPH. Consistent with thermodynamic considerations, the aromatic substrates (or effector) are bound to the reduced enzyme 2-4 orders of magnitude more tightly than to the oxidized enzyme. The tighter binding of the substrate to the two-electron-reduced enzyme may be related to the double hydroxylation reaction performed by this enzyme, which is a more complex reaction than is carried out by typical flavoprotein hydroxylases. The acetylpyridine nucleotides appear to have no significant regulatory role.     

Molecular modeling reveals the possible importance of a carbonyl oxygen binding pocket for the catalytic mechanism of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase

p-Hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase catalyzes the hydroxylation of an aromatic substrate and uses flavin as a cofactor. The reaction probably occurs via a flavin 4a-hydroperoxide intermediate. In this study the crystal structure of 4a,5-epoxyethano-3-methyl-4a,5-dihydrolumiflavin, an analogue of the flavin 4a-hydroperoxide intermediate, was fitted to the active site in the crystal structure of the p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase-3,4-dihydroxybenzoate complex. This model of an important catalytic intermediate fitted very well in the active site of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase. The most striking result was that whereas with the normal flavin, the 0-4 of the flavin ring makes only poor hydrogen bonds with the protein, with the flavin 4a-hydroperoxide analogue, the same 0-4 makes strong hydrogen bonds with the NH groups of Gly-46 and Val-47. These two NH groups form a carbonyl oxygen binding pocket which has a geometry almost identical to the oxyanion hole found in several proteases. The possible consequences of this model for the reaction mechanism of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase are discussed.     

Structural similarities among enzyme pterin binding sites as demonstrated by a monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibody

BALB/c mice were immunized with a synthetic co-factor of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, 6,7-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin, conjugated to albumin. Hybridoma cell lines isolated from the immunized mice secreted monoclonal antibodies reacting specifically with the pterin molecule and monoclonal antibodies which were found to bind phenylalanine hydroxylase. Several lines of evidence were consistent with the anti-phenylalanine hydroxylase antibodies being anti-idiotype antibodies mimicking the pterin molecule and binding to the pterin binding site of phenylalanine hydroxylase. (a) An anti-idiotype monoclonal antibody, NS7, when reimmunized into mice produced anti-pterin antibodies consistent with NS7 being an internal image anti-idiotypic antibody. (b) NS7 antibody was prevented from binding to phenylalanine hydroxylase when a competitive inhibitor of phenylalanine hydroxylase enzyme activity, 6,7-dimethyl-7,8-dihydropterin, was bound to phenylalanine hydroxylase. (c) NS7 antibody was shown to bind to a wide range of pterin-requiring enzymes: phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylases, dihydropteridine reductase, dihydrofolate reductase, and sepiapterin reductase. Thus the NS7 antibody has successfully mimicked a common portion of the pterin cofactors utilized by these enzymes and demonstrated structure homology in their pterin binding sites despite their diverse function and little amino acid sequence homology except among the three aromatic amino acid hydroxylases.     

Properties of anthranilate hydroxylase (deaminating), a flavoprotein from Trichosporon cutaneum

Anthranilate hydroxylase was purified from the yeast Trichosporon cutaneum. This enzyme is a simple flavoprotein which apparently does not require any additional cofactor for the conversion of anthranilate to 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate. Anthranilate hydroxylase has Mr of approximately 95,000, with subunit Mr of 50,000; it contains 2 mol of FAD/mol of enzyme. A number of compounds in addition to anthranilate serve as substrates, or effectors, for this enzyme. Oxygen-labeling experiments show that the oxygen atom at the 3-position of the product, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate, originates from O2, while that at the 2-position is derived from H2O. A mechanism is proposed involving imine formation and hydrolysis during the reaction with the flavin hydroperoxide formed from reduced enzyme flavin and molecular oxygen. This proposal is in accord with the mechanism postulated for other flavoprotein aromatic hydroxylases.     

Reactions of anthranilate hydroxylase with salicylate, a nonhydroxylated substrate analogue. Steady state and rapid reaction kinetics

Steady state and rapid reaction kinetics of the flavoprotein anthranilate hydroxylase (EC 1.14.12.2) have been examined with the nonhydroxylated substrate analogue, salicylate. Since the reaction with salicylate does not involve events in which aromatic substrate is oxygenated, it provides a simpler model for studying the hysteresis exhibited by this enzyme. It is shown that the first turnover of the enzyme is slower than subsequent turnovers owing in part to slow initial binding reactions of salicylate with the enzyme. The reductive half-reaction of the first turnover is also slow since rapid reduction of the enzyme flavin requires bound aromatic substrate. The oxidative half-reaction involves reaction of the reduced enzyme-salicylate complex with oxygen to form a flavin C4a-hydroperoxide, which then decays to oxidized flavoenzyme and H2O2. Several lines of evidence indicate that salicylate remains bound to the enzyme at the end of the catalytic cycle so that in turnovers subsequent to the first, the slow steps involving salicylate binding are avoided.     

A monoclonal antibody to aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. Identification of the epitope.

PH8 monoclonal antibody has previously been shown to react with all three aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, being particularly useful for immunohistochemical staining of brain tissue [Haan, Jennings, Cuello, Nakata, Chow, Kushinsky, Brittingham & Cotton (1987) Brain Res. 426, 19-27]. Western-blot analysis of liver extracts showed that PH8 reacted with phenylalanine hydroxylase from a wide range of vertebrate species. The epitope for antibody PH8 has been localized to the human phenylalanine hydroxylase sequence between amino acid residues 139 and 155. This highly conserved region of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases has 11 out of 17 amino acids identical in phenylalanine hydroxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase.     

On the structure of flavin-oxygen intermediates involved in enzymatic reactions.

During the catalytic reactions of flavoprotein hydroxylases and bacterial luciferase, flavin peroxides are formed as intermediates [see Massey, V. and Hemmerich, P. (1976) in The Enzymes, 3rd edn (P. Boyer, ed.) pp. 421--505, Academic Press, New York]. These intermediates have been postulated to be C(4a) derivatives of the flavin coenzyme. To test this hypothesis, modified flavin coenzymes carrying an oxygen substituent at position C(4a) of the isoalloxazine ring were synthesized. They are tightly bound by the apoenzymes of D-amino acid oxidase, p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase and lactate oxidase; the resulting complexes show spectral properties closely similar to those of the transient oxygen adducts of the hydroxylases. The optical spectra of the lumiflavin model compounds were found to be highly dependent on the solvent environment and nature of the subsituents. Under appropriate conditions they simulate satisfactorily the spectra of the transient enzymatic oxygen adducts. The results support the proposal that the primary oxygen adducts formed with these flavoproteins on reaction of the reduced enzymes with oxygen are flavin C(4a) peroxides.     

Optical and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic studies on purine hydroxylase II from Aspergillus nidulans

Purine hydroxylase II from Aspergillus nidulans contains a molybdenum cofactor very similar to that found in a number of other molybdenum-containing hydroxylases. (A. nidulans contains two purine hydroxylases, I and II, related to each other by possession of a common cofactor and overlapping substrate specificity.) Addition of reducing substrates effects bleaching of the visible absorption spectrum of the enzyme, the decrease in absorbance at 450 nm being linearly proportional to that at 550 nm. No increase in absorption at longer wavelengths was observed during such titrations. Electron paramagnetic resonance studies of reduced samples of native and modified enzyme species showed the presence of a number of Mo(V) signals (gav = 1.97), exhibiting H hyperfine coupling, comparable to those in the corresponding enzymes from other sources. The enzyme possesses two non-heme-iron-sulfur centers, one (Fe2S2)I with gav less than 2.0 and the other (Fe2S2)II with gav greater than 2.0. The flavin radical signal observed at pH 7.8 had a linewidth of 1.5 mT, indicating it to be the anionic form FAD- . In this respect purine hydroxylase II is unique among all molybdenum-containing hydroxylases studied to date.     

p-Hydroxyphenylacetate-3-hydroxylase. A two-protein component enzyme.

p-Hydroxyphenylacetate-3-hydroxylase, an inducible enzyme isolated from the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida, catalyzes the conversion of p-hydroxyphenylacetate to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate. The enzyme requires two protein components: a flavoprotein and a colorless protein referred to as the coupling protein. The flavoprotein alone in the presence of p-hydroxyphenylacetate and substrate analogs catalyzes the wasteful oxidation of NADH with the stoichiometric generation of H2O2. A 1:1 complex of the flavoprotein and coupling protein is required for stoichiometric product formation. Such complex formation also eliminates the nonproductive NADH oxidase activity of the flavoprotein. A new assay measuring the product formation activity of the enzyme was developed using homoprotocatechuate-2,3-dioxygenase, as monitoring the oxidation of NADH was not sufficient to demonstrate enzyme activity. The coupling protein does not seem to have any redox center in it. Thus, this 2-component flavin hydroxylase resembles the other aromatic hydroxylases in that the only redox chromophore present is FAD.