Abstract: | 1. The reaction of myeloperoxidase with fluoride, chloride and azide has been studied by EPR. 2. Fluoride decreases the rhombicity of the high-spin heme signal of myeloperoxidase and the nuclear spin of the fluoride atom induces a splitting in g parallel of 35 G. This observation demonstrates that fluoride binds as an axial ligand to the heme iron of the enzyme. 3. Addition of chloride to the fluoride-treated enzyme increases the rhombicity of the high-spin heme signal and brings about a disappearance of the splitting at g parallel. The addition of azide to the fluoride-treated enzyme changes the spin state of the heme iron from a high-to a low-spin state (gx = 2.68, gy = 2.22 and gz = 1.80). 4. Upon addition of chloride or fluoride to low-spin azido-myeloperoxidase this compound is converted into the high-spin chlorido- or fluorido-myeloperoxidase. These observations demonstrate that these ligands compete for a binding site at or close to the heme iron of myeloperoxidase. |