Unique ligand-protein interactions in a new truncated hemoglobin from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

A new truncated hemoglobin (HbO) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been expressed and purified. Sequence alignment of HbO with other hemoglobins suggests that the proximal F8 residue is histidine and the distal E7 and the B10 positions are occupied by alanine and tyrosine, respectively. The highly conserved residue at the CD1 position, surprisingly, is tyrosine, making HbO the first exception in the hemoglobin family that does not contain phenylalanine at this position. Resonance Raman data suggest that a strong hydrogen bonding network, involving the B10 Tyr and the CD1 Tyr, stabilizes the heme-bound O2 and CO as evidenced by the relatively low frequency of the Fe-O2 stretching mode (559 cm(-1)) and the high frequency of the Fe-CO stretching mode (527 cm(-1)). The presence of this hydrogen bonding network is supported by mutagenesis studies with the B10 tyrosine or the CD1 tyrosine mutated to phenylalanine. Taken together, these data demonstrate a rigid and polar distal pocket in HbO, which is significantly different from that of HbN, the other hemoglobin from M. tuberculosis. The distinct features in the heme active site structures and the temporal expression patterns of HbO and HbN suggest that these two hemoglobins may have very different physiological functions.     

Ligand binding in the ferric and ferrous states of Paramecium hemoglobin

The unicellular protozoan Paramecium caudatum contains a monomeric hemoglobin (Hb) that has only 116 amino acid residues. This Hb shares the simultaneous presence of a distal E7 glutamine and a B10 tyrosine with several invertebrate Hbs. In the study presented here, we have used ligand binding kinetics and resonance Raman spectroscopy to characterize the effect of the distal pocket residues of Paramecium Hb in stabilizing the heme-bound ligands. In the ferric state, the high-spin to low-spin (aquo-hydroxy) transition takes place with a pK(a) of approximately 9.0. The oxygen affinity (P(50) = 0.45 Torr) is similar to that of myoglobin. The oxygen on- and off-rates are also similar to those of sperm whale myoglobin. Resonance Raman data suggest hydrogen bonding stabilization of bound oxygen, evidenced by a relatively low frequency of Fe-OO stretching (563 cm(-1)). We propose that the oxy complex is an equilibrium mixture of a hydrogen-bonded closed structure and an open structure. Oxygen will dissociate preferentially from the open structure, and therefore, the fraction of open structure population controls the rate of oxygen dissociation. In the CO complex, the Fe-CO stretching frequency at 493 cm(-1) suggests an open heme pocket, which is consistent with the higher on- and off-rates for CO relative to those in myoglobin. A high rate of ligand binding is also consistent with the observation of an Fe-histidine stretching frequency at 220 cm(-1), indicating the absence of significant proximal strain. We postulate that the function of Paramecium Hb is to supply oxygen for cellular oxidative processes.     

Unusually strong H-bonding to the heme ligand and fast geminate recombination dynamics of the carbon monoxide complex of Bacillus subtilis truncated hemoglobin

The active site of the oxygen-avid truncated hemoglobin from Bacillus subtilis has been characterized by infrared absorption and resonance Raman spectroscopies, and the dynamics of CO rebinding after photolysis has been investigated by picosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Resonance Raman experiments on the CO bound adduct revealed the presence of two Fe-CO stretching bands at 545 and 520 cm-1, respectively. Accordingly, two C-O stretching bands at 1924 and 1888 cm-1 were observed in infrared absorption and resonance Raman measurements. The very low C-O stretching frequency at 1888 cm-1 (corresponding to the extremely high RR stretching frequency at 545 cm-1) indicates unusually strong hydrogen bonding between CO and distal residues. On the basis of a comparison with other truncated hemoglobin it is envisaged that the two CO conformers are determined by specific interactions with the TrpG8 and TyrB10 residues. Mutation of TrpG8 to Leu deeply alters the hydrogen-bonding network giving rise mainly to a CO conformer characterized by a Fe-CO stretching band at 489 cm-1 and a CO stretching band at 1958 cm-1. Picosecond laser photolysis experiments carried out on the CO bound adduct revealed dynamical processes that take place within a few nanoseconds after photolysis. Picosecond dynamics is largely dominated by CO geminate rebinding and is consistent with strong H-bonding contributions of TyrB10 and TrpG8 to ligand stabilization.     

Multiple active site conformers in the carbon monoxide complexes of trematode hemoglobins

Sequence alignment of hemoglobins of the trematodes Paramphistomum epiclitum and Gastrothylax crumenifer with myoglobin suggests the presence of an unusual active site structure in which two tyrosine residues occupy the E7 and B10 helical positions. In the crystal structure of P. epiclitum hemoglobin, such an E7-B10 tyrosine pair at the putative helical positions has been observed, although the E7 Tyr is displaced toward CD region of the polypeptide. Resonance Raman data on both P. epiclitum and G. crumenifer hemoglobins show that interactions of heme-bound ligands with neighboring amino acid residues are unusual. Multiple conformers in the CO complex, termed the C, O, and N conformers, are observed. The conformers are separated by a large difference (approximately 60 cm(-1)) in the frequencies of their Fe-CO stretching modes. In the C conformer the Fe-CO stretching frequency is very high, 539 and 535 cm(-1), for the P. epiclitum and G. crumenifer hemoglobins, respectively. The Fe-CO stretching of the N conformer appears at an unusually low frequency, 479 and 476 cm(-1), respectively, for the two globins. A population of an O conformer is seen in both hemoglobins, at 496 and 492 cm(-1), respectively. The C conformer is stabilized by a strong polar interaction of the CO with the distal B10 tyrosine residue. The O conformer is similar to the ones typically seen in mutant myoglobins in which there are no strong interactions between the CO and residues in the distal pocket. The N conformer possesses an unusual configuration in which a negatively charged group, assigned as the oxygen atom of the B10 Tyr side chain, interacts with the CO. In this conformer, the B10 Tyr assumes an alternative conformation consistent with one of the conformers seen the crystal structure. Implications of the multiple configurations on the ligand kinetics are discussed.     

Distal heme pocket conformers of carbonmonoxy derivatives of Ascaris hemoglobin: evidence of conformational trapping in porous sol-gel matrices

We report the ligand dependence of the conformer distribution in the distal heme pocket of Ascaris suum hemoglobin (Hb) studied by resonance Raman spectroscopy. The heme-bound CO is used as a spectroscopic antenna to probe the original distribution of conformers in the dioxygen derivative of Ascaris Hb, by utilizing sol-gel encapsulation. The first step is to encapsulate the dioxygen derivative in the porous sol-gel and let the gel age, thus trapping the equilibrium conformational distribution of Ascaris dioxygen Hb. In the second step, the dioxygen ligand is replaced by CO. The sol-gel environment impedes any large scale movements, drastically slowing down the conformational relaxation triggered by the ligation change, essentially "locking in" the initial quaternary and even tertiary structure of the protein. Studying the Fe-CO frequencies of the latter sample allows evaluation of the distribution of the distal heme pocket conformers that was originally associated with the dioxygen derivative. Extending the study to the Ascaris mutants allows for examination of the effect of specific residues in the distal pocket on the conformational distribution. The choice of mutants was largely based on the anticipated variation in hydrogen bonding patterns. The results show that the sol-gel encapsulation can slow or prevent re-equilibration within the distal heme pocket of Ascaris Hb and that the distribution of distal heme pocket conformers for the CO derivative of Ascaris Hb in the sol-gel is highly dependent on the history of the sample. Additionally, we report a detailed study of the CO complex of the mutants in solution for assignment of the various heme pocket conformers, and we present a comparison of the sol-gel data with solution data. The results support a picture in which the dioxygen derivative biases the population strongly toward a tightly packed configuration that favors the network of strong hydrogen bonding interactions, and suggest that Ascaris Hb is uniquely designed for dioxygen capture.     

Effect of the distal residues on the vibrational modes of the Fe-CO bond in hemoglobin studied by protein engineering

Using an Escherichia coli gene expression system, we have engineered human hemoglobin (Hb) mutants having the distal histidine (E7) and valine (E11) residues replaced by other amino acids. The interaction between the mutated distal residues and bound carbon monoxide has been studied by Soret-excited resonance Raman spectroscopy. The replacement of Val-E11 by Ala, Leu, Ile, and Met has no effect on the v(C-O), v(Fe-CO) stretching or delta(Fe-C-O) bending frequencies in both the alpha and beta subunits of Hb, although some of these mutations affect the CO affinity as much as 40-fold. The strain imposed on the protein by the binding of CO is not localized in the Fe-CO bond and is probably distributed among many bonds in the globin. The replacement of His-E7 by Val or Gly brings the stretching frequencies v(Fe-CO) and v(C-O) close to those of free heme complexes. In contrast, the substitution of His-E7 by Gln, which is flexible and polar, produces no effects on the resonance Raman spectrum of either alpha- or beta-globin. The replacement of His-E7 of beta-globin by Phe shows the same effect as replacement by Gly or Val. Therefore, the steric bulk of the distal residues is not the primary determinant of the Fe-CO ligand vibrational frequencies. The ability of both histidine and glutamine to alter the v(C-O), v(Fe-CO), or delta(Fe-C-O) frequencies may be attributed to the polar nature of their side chains which can interact with bound CO in a similar manner.     

The carbon monoxide derivative of human hemoglobin carrying the double mutation LeuB10-->Tyr and HisE7-->Gln on alpha and beta chains probed by infrared spectroscopy

The fine structural properties of the distal heme pocket have been probed by infrared spectroscopy of ferrous carbon monoxy human hemoglobin mutants carrying the mutations LeuB10-->Tyr and HisE7-->Gln on the alpha, beta, and both chains, respectively. The stretching frequency of iron-bound carbon monoxide occurs as a single broad band around 1943 cm(-1) in both the alpha and the beta mutated chains. Such a frequency value indicates that no direct hydrogen bonding exists between the bound CO molecule and the TyrB10 phenolic oxygen, at variance with other naturally occurring TyrB10, GlnE7 nonvertebrate hemoglobins. The rates of carbon monoxide release have been determined for the first time by a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy stopped-flow technique that allowed us to single out the heterogeneity in the kinetics of CO release in the alpha and beta chains for the mutated proteins and for native HbA. The rates of CO release are 15- to 20-fold faster for the mutated alpha or beta chains with respect to the native ones consistent with the lack of distal stabilization on the iron-bound CO molecule. The present results demonstrate that residues in key topological positions (namely E7 and B10) for the distal steric control of the iron-bound ligand are not interchangeable among hemoglobins from different species.     

Structural characterization of cytochrome c peroxidase by resonance Raman scattering

Resonance Raman scattering studies are reported on freshly prepared and aged ferric, ligand-free ferrous, and CO-bound ferrous cytochrome c peroxidase. The ferric form of the fresh enzyme has a heme which is penta-coordinate high spin, independent of buffer over the pH range 4.3-7, as determined by well established Raman marker lines. The aged enzyme displays a mixture of spin and coordination states, but it can be stabilized in the penta-coordinate high spin form in the presence of phosphate. These results can be accounted for by considering the size of the channel (6 A wide, 11 A long) between the distal side of the heme and the outer surface of the protein. A phosphate ion may be accommodated in this channel resulting in the stabilization of the distal heme pocket. The ferrous cytochrome c peroxidase in both the ligand-free and CO-bound states has an acidic and an alkaline form. The acidic form has the characteristic spectral features of peroxidases: a high frequency iron-histidine stretching mode (248 cm-1), a high frequency Fe-CO stretching mode (537 cm-1), and a low frequency C-O stretching mode (1922 cm-1). At alkaline pH these frequencies become similar to those of hemoglobin and myoglobin, with the corresponding modes located at 227, 510, and 1948 cm-1, respectively. We attribute the acid/alkaline transition in the ferrous forms of cytochrome c peroxidase to a rearrangement mainly of the proximal side of the heme, culminating in a change of steric interactions between the proximal histidine and the heme or of the hydrogen bonding network involving the proximal histidine. The new data presented here reconcile many inconsistencies reported in the past.     

Resonance Raman and ligand binding studies of the oxygen-sensing signal transducer protein HemAT from Bacillus subtilis

HemAT-Bs is a heme-containing signal transducer protein responsible for aerotaxis of Bacillus subtilis. The recombinant HemAT-Bs expressed in Escherichia coli was purified as the oxy form in which oxygen was bound to the ferrous heme. Oxygen binding and dissociation rate constants were determined to be k(on) = 32 microm(-1) s(-1) and k(off) = 23 s(-1), respectively, revealing that HemAT-Bs has a moderate oxygen affinity similar to that of sperm whale myoglobin (Mb). The rate constant for autoxidation at 37 degrees C was 0.06 h(-1), which is also close to that of Mb. Although the electronic absorption spectra of HemAT-Bs were similar to those of Mb, HemAT-Bs showed some unique characteristics in its resonance Raman spectra. Oxygen-bound HemAT-Bs gave the nu(Fe-O(2)) band at a noticeably low frequency (560 cm(-1)), which suggests a unique hydrogen bonding between a distal amino acid residue and the proximal atom of the bound oxygen molecule. Deoxy HemAT-Bs gave the nu(Fe-His) band at a higher frequency (225 cm(-1)) than those of ordinary His-coordinated deoxy heme proteins. CO-bound HemAT-Bs gave the nu(Fe-CO) and nu(C-O) bands at 494 and 1964 cm(-1), respectively, which fall on the same nu(C-O) versus nu(Fe-CO) correlation line as that of Mb. Based on these results, the structural and functional properties of HemAT-Bs are discussed.     

Structural and functional properties of a single domain hemoglobin from the food-borne pathogen Campylobactor jejuni

Campylobacter jejuni contains two globins, a truncated hemoglobin, Ctb, and a single domain hemoglobin, Cgb. The physiological function of Ctb remains unclear, whereas Cgb has been linked to NO detoxification. With resonance Raman scattering, the iron-histidine stretching mode of Cgb was identified at 251 cm(-1). This frequency is unusually high, suggesting an imidazolate character of the proximal histidine as a result of the H-bonding network linking the catalytic triad involving the F8His, H23Glu, and G5Tyr residues. In the CO-complex, two conformers were identified with the nuC-O/nuFe-CO at 529/1914 cm(-1) and 492/1963 cm(-1). The former is assigned to a "closed" conformation, in which the heme-bound CO is stabilized by the H-bond(s) donated from the B10Tyr-E7Gln residues, whereas the latter is assigned to an "open" conformer, in which the H-bonding interaction is absent. The presence of the two alternative conformations demonstrates the plasticity of the protein matrix. In the O2-complex, the iron-O2 stretching frequency was identified at 554 cm(-1), which is unusually low, indicating that the heme-bound O2 is stabilized by strong H-bond(s) donated by the B10Tyr-E7Gln residues. This scenario is consistent with its low O2 off-rate (0.87 s(-1)). Taken together the data suggest that the NO-detoxifying activity of Cgb is facilitated by the imidazolate character of the proximal F8His and the distal positive polar environment provided by the B10Tyr-E7Gln. They may offer electronic "push" and "pull," respectively, for the O-O bond cleavage reaction required for the isomerization of the presumed peroxynitrite intermediate to the product, nitrate.     

Protonation and hydrogen-bonding state of the distal histidine in the CO complex of horseradish peroxidase as studied by ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy

Ultraviolet resonance Raman (UVRR) spectroscopy has been used to characterize the structure and hydrogen bonding state of the distal histidine (His42) in horseradish peroxidase (HRP) complexed with carbon monoxide (HRP-CO). The HRP-CO - HRP UVRR difference spectrum in D(2)O solution at pD 7.0 shows two positive peaks at 1408 and 1388 cm(-)(1), which are ascribable to medium-to-weak and strong hydrogen bonding states, respectively, of the protonated imidazolium side chain of His42 in HRP-CO. Both His42 peaks decrease in intensity with increase of pD with a midpoint of transition at pD 8.8, indicating that the pK(a) of His42 in HRP-CO is 8.8. The CO ligand exhibits two C-O stretching Raman peaks at 1932 and 1902 cm(-)(1), the latter of which diminishes at alkaline pD and is assignable to a strong hydrogen-bonded state. It is most probable that the imidazolium side chain of His42 forms a strong hydrogen bond with CO, giving a His42 peak at 1388 cm(-)(1) and a CO peak at 1902 cm(-)(1), in one conformer. The other hydrogen bonding state of His42, giving the 1408 cm(-)(1) peak, is ascribed to another conformer forming a medium-to-weak hydrogen bond with a water molecule in the distal cavity. The present finding that His42 can act as a strong proton donor to CO and decrease the CO bond order is consistent with the role of His42 as a general acid to cleave the O-O bond of hydrogen peroxide, a specific oxidizing agent, in the catalytic cycle of HRP.     

Two types of conformers with distinct Fe-C-O configuration in the ferrous CO complex of horseradish peroxidase. Resonance Raman and infarared spectroscopic studies with native and deuteroheme-substituted enzymes

The presence of at least two types of conformers in the ferrous CO complex of horseradish peroxidase has been demonstrated with the use of native and deuteroheme-substituted enzymes. Type I conformers, predominant in acidic pH, exhibited both an Fe-CO stretching and an Fe-C-O bending Raman line together with an infrared C-O stretch band below 1920 em-1. On the other hand, type II conformers, dominant species in alkaline pH, showed only an Fe-CO stretching Raman line with the C-O stretch above 1930 cm-1. They were interconvertible either by the changes in pH or by the binding of benzhydroxamate, a substrate for the enzyme. The pKa value for the pH-dependent interconversion of CO complex of deuteroheme-substituted enzyme was 8.3. These findings were interpreted to mean that the bound CO molecule in type I conformers was more tilted over the heme-plane than that in type II conformers. A steric hindrance by the bound substrate or the protonated form of a distal amino acid residue, presumably of histidine, is considered to be the cause for the isomerization. By summarizing present and previous data on the vibrational frequencies of heme-carbonyl complexes, we found that there are inverse-linear relationships between the square of Fe-CO and that of C-O stretching frequencies, while squares of Fe-CO stretching and Fe-C-O bending frequencies were linearly correlated with each other. Also found is that the dissociation rate constant of CO molecule from heme-carbonyl complexes is a linear function of the Fe-CO stretching frequency. The significance of these results is discussed.     

Reactions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis truncated hemoglobin O with ligands reveal a novel ligand-inclusive hydrogen bond network

Truncated hemoglobin O (trHbO) is one of two trHbs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Remarkably, trHbO possesses two novel distal residues, in addition to the B10 tyrosine, that may be important in ligand binding. These are the CD1 tyrosine and G8 tryptophan. Here we investigate the reactions of trHbO and mutants using stopped-flow spectrometry, flash photolysis, and UV-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy. A biphasic kinetic behavior is observed for combination and dissociation of O(2) and CO that is controlled by the B10 and CD1 residues. The rate constants for combination (<1.0 microM(-1) s(-1)) and dissociation (<0.006 s(-1)) of O(2) are among the slowest known, precluding transport or diffusion of O(2) as a major function. Mutation of CD1 tyrosine to phenylalanine shows that this group controls ligand binding, as evidenced by 25- and 77-fold increases in the combination rate constants for O(2) and CO, respectively. In support of a functional role for G8 tryptophan, UV resonance Raman indicates that the chi((2,1)) dihedral angle for the indole ring increases progressively from approximately 93 degrees to at least 100 degrees in going sequentially from the deoxy to CO to O(2) derivative, demonstrating a significant conformational change in the G8 tryptophan with ligation. Remarkably, protein modeling predicts a network of hydrogen bonds between B10 tyrosine, CD1 tyrosine, and G8 tryptophan, with the latter residues being within hydrogen bonding distance of the heme-bound ligand. Such a rigid hydrogen bonding network may thus represent a considerable barrier to ligand entrance and escape. In accord with this model, we found that changing CD1 or B10 tyrosine for phenylalanine causes only small changes in the rate of O(2) dissociation, suggesting that more than one hydrogen bond must be broken at a time to promote ligand escape. Furthermore, trHbO-CO cannot be photodissociated under conditions where the CO derivative of myoglobin is extensively photodissociated, indicating that CO is constrained near the heme by the hydrogen bonding network.     

Very high resolution structure of a trematode hemoglobin displaying a TyrB10-TyrE7 heme distal residue pair and high oxygen affinity

Monomeric hemoglobin from the trematode Paramphistomum epiclitum displays very high oxygen affinity (P(50)<0.001 mm Hg) and an unusual heme distal site containing tyrosyl residues at the B10 and E7 positions. The crystal structure of aquo-met P. epiclitum hemoglobin, solved at 1.17 A resolution via multiwavelength anomalous dispersion techniques (R-factor=0.121), shows that the heme distal site pocket residue TyrB10 is engaged in hydrogen bonding to the iron-bound ligand. By contrast, residue TyrE7 is unexpectedly locked next to the CD globin region, in a conformation unsuitable for heme-bound ligand stabilisation. Such structural organization of the E7 distal residue differs strikingly from that observed in the nematode Ascaris suum hemoglobin (bearing TyrB10 and GlnE7 residues), which also displays very high oxygen affinity. The oxygenation and carbonylation parameters of wild-type P. epiclitum Hb as well as of single- and double-site mutants, with residue substitutions at positions B10, E7 and E11, have been determined and are discussed here in the light of the protein atomic resolution crystal structure.     

Raman evidence for specific substrate-induced structural changes in the heme pocket of human cytochrome P450 aromatase during the three consecutive oxygen activation steps

Specific substrate-induced structural changes in the heme pocket are proposed for human cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom) which undergoes three consecutive oxygen activation steps. We have experimentally investigated this heme environment by resonance Raman spectra of both substrate-free and substrate-bound forms of the purified enzyme. The Fe-CO stretching mode (nu(Fe)(-)(CO)) of the CO complex and Fe(3+)-S stretching mode (nu(Fe)(-)(S)) of the oxidized form were monitored as a structural marker of the distal and proximal sides of the heme, respectively. The nu(Fe)(-)(CO) mode was upshifted from 477 to 485 and to 490 cm(-)(1) by the binding of androstenedione and 19-aldehyde-androstenedione, substrates for the first and third steps, respectively, whereas nu(Fe)(-)(CO) was not observed for P450arom with 19-hydroxyandrostenedione, a substrate for the second step, indicating that the heme distal site is very flexible and changes its structure depending on the substrate. The 19-aldehyde-androstenedione binding could reduce the electron donation from the axial thiolate, which was evident from the low-frequency shift of nu(Fe)(-)(S) by 5 cm(-)(1) compared to that of androstenedione-bound P450arom. Changes in the environment in the heme distal site and the reduced electron donation from the axial thiolate upon 19-aldehyde-androstenedione binding might stabilize the ferric peroxo species, an active intermediate for the third step, with the suppression of the formation of compound I (Fe(4+)=O porphyrin(+)(*)) that is the active species for the first and second steps. We, therefore, propose that the substrates can regulate the formation of alternative reaction intermediates by modulating the structure on both the heme distal and proximal sites in P450arom.     

Determinants of the heme-CO vibrational modes in the H-NOX family

The Heme Nitric oxide/OXygen binding (H-NOX) family of proteins have important functions in gaseous ligand signaling in organisms from bacteria to humans, including nitric oxide (NO) sensing in mammals, and provide a model system for probing ligand selectivity in hemoproteins. A unique vibrational feature that is ubiquitous throughout the H-NOX family is the presence of a high C-O stretching frequency. To investigate the cause of this spectroscopic characteristic, the Fe-CO and C-O stretching frequencies were probed in the H-NOX domain from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis (Tt H-NOX) using resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopy. Four classes of heme pocket mutants were generated to assess the changes in stretching frequency: (i) the distal H-bonding network, (ii) the proximal histidine ligand, (iii) modulation of the heme conformation via Ile-5 and Pro-115, and (iv) the conserved Tyr-Ser-Arg (YxSxR) motif. These mutations revealed important electrostatic interactions that dampen the back-donation of the Fe(II) d(π) electrons into the CO π* orbitals. The most significant change occurred upon disruption of the H-bonds between the strictly conserved YxSxR motif and the heme propionate groups, producing two dominant CO-bound heme conformations. One conformer was structurally similar to Tt H-NOX WT, whereas the other displayed a decrease in ν(C-O) of up to ～70 cm(-1) relative to the WT protein, with minimal changes in ν(Fe-CO). Taken together, these results show that the electrostatic interactions in the Tt H-NOX binding pocket are primarily responsible for the high ν(C-O) by decreasing the Fe d(π) → CO π* back-donation and suggest that the dominant mechanism by which this family modulates the Fe(II)-CO bond likely involves the YxSxR motif.     

Controlling ligand binding in myoglobin by mutagenesis.

A quadruple mutant of sperm whale myoglobin was constructed to mimic the structure found in Ascaris suum hemoglobin. The replacements include His(E7)-->Gln, Leu(B10)-->Tyr, Thr(E10)--> Arg, and Ile(G8)-->Phe. Single, double, and triple mutants were characterized to dissect out the effects of the individual substitutions. The crystal structures of the deoxy and oxy forms of the quadruple mutant were determined and compared with that of native Ascaris hemoglobin. Tyr(B10) myoglobin displays low O(2) affinity, high dissociation rate constants, and heterogeneous kinetic behavior, suggesting unfavorable steric interactions between the B10 phenol side chain and His(E7). In contrast, all mutants containing the Tyr(B10)/Gln(E7) pair show high O(2) affinity, low dissociation rate constants, and simple, monophasic kinetic behavior. Replacement of Ile(107) with Phe enhances nanosecond geminate recombination singly and in combination with the Tyr(B10)/Gln(E7)/Arg(E10) mutation by limiting access to the Xe4 site. These kinetic results and comparisons with native Ascaris hemoglobin demonstrate the importance of distal pocket cavities in governing the kinetics of ligand binding. The approximately 150-fold higher O(2) affinity of Ascaris hemoglobin compared with that for Tyr(B10)/Gln(E7)-containing myoglobin mutants appears to be the result of favorable proximal effects in the Ascaris protein, due to a staggered orientation of His(F8), the lack of a hydrogen bonding lattice between the F4, F7, and F8 residues, and the presence of a large polar Trp(G5) residue in the interior portion of the proximal heme pocket.     

Modification of the distal histidyl imidazole in myoglobin to N-tetrazole-substituted imidazole and its effects on the heme environmental structure and ligand binding properties.

The mechanism of N-tetrazole ring formation at the distal histidyl imidazole of sperm whale myoglobin (Mb) has been studied by nitrogen-15 (15N) NMR spectroscopy by utilizing 15N-labeled cyanogen bromide (BrCN) and azide ion (N3-). The 15N-NMR spectrum of BrC15N-modified Mb + N3- afforded two hyperfine-shifted 15N resonances, both of which are identical with the resonance positions of two of the three 15N resonances for BrCN-modified Mb + 15NN2-. This unusual spectral feature is due to the formation of the N-tetrazole ring attached to the distal histidyl imidazole and the scrambling of the labeled nitrogen originated from N3- or BrCN over the tetrazole ring upon coordination to the ferric heme iron. The ferric iron-bound N-tetrazole ring comes off upon reduction to the ferrous state, and the stable CO complex of tetrazole-modified Mb (tetrazole-Mb) is formed. Electronic absorption and 1H-NMR spectra of deoxy and carbonmonoxy forms of tetrazole-Mb are slightly altered from those of native Mb by the modification, while the most significant effect is exerted on the C-O stretching frequency of iron-bound CO. The C-O stretching band for tetrazole-MbCO is observed at 1966 cm-1 in contrast to 1945 cm-1 for native MbCO, suggesting that the geometry of iron-bound CO in tetrazole-Mb is relatively upright which is characteristic of the "open" conformer. This result corresponds to the 15-fold increase of the CO association rate constant by the N-tetrazole modification of the distal His. The oxy form of tetrazole-Mb is readily autoxidized to its ferric state, indicating that hydrogen bonding between the distal His and iron-bound oxygen is essential for stable O2 binding to the heme iron.     

An infrared study of carbon monoxide complexes of hemocyanins. Evidence for the structure of the co-binding site from vibrational analysis

A vibrational analysis was carried out showing that the infrared experimental data of 13C and 18O carbon monoxide complexes of hemocyanin of Fager and Alben (Biochemistry 11 (1972) 4786) are consistent with a coordination of the carbon atom of CO to one of the two copper ions in the active site. This conclusion contradicts the original interpretation of Fager and Alben in which oxygen-coordination to copper was suggested. This vibrational analysis can also be applied to the study of Alben and Caughey (Biochemistry 7 (1968) 175) with 13C and 18O carbonyl hemoglobin, in which oxygen-coordination to iron was suggested. Carbonyl hemocyanins from several sources have also been studied by infrared spectroscopy. The single stretching vibration of CO bound to arthropodal (Cancer magister) hernocyanin (nu(co)) is at 2042.5 cm(-1), while nu(CO) for gastropod (Helix pomatia of the phylum Mollusca) alpha and beta hemocyanin is at 2064.5 cm(-1)and 2062.5 cm(-1), respectively. The intensities of the CO stretching bands were all around 1.5 X 10(4) M(-1) cm(-2). Calculations show that with the present attainable accuracy it is impossible to detect hydrogen bonding of exchangeable protons to small molecules bound to proteins (for example CO), by comparing its stretching frequencies in H2O and D2O buffers.