Theoretical Studies of the Active-Site Structure, Spectroscopic and Thermodynamic Properties, and Reaction Mechanism of Multicopper Oxidases

In this article, we review recent theoretical work that has complemented the extensive experimental data available for multicopper oxidases (MCO) and led to the elucidation of the reaction mechanism of this class of enzymes. The MCOs couple four one-electron oxidations of substrates at the mononuclear type 1 copper (Cu-T1) site with the four-electron reduction of dioxygen at the trinuclear copper cluster (TNC). The TNC consists of three copper ions arranged in a unique triangular fashion. In its oxidised form and in some experimentally observed intermediates (the peroxy and native intermediates), this leads to a magnetic coupling of the unpaired electrons of the three copper ions, resulting in unusual spectroscopic features. By correlating experimental and theoretical data, an unambiguous mapping between the structural, energetic and spectroscopic properties of the various intermediates in the MCO reaction cycle can be established. In terms of theory, these studies involved quantum mechanics (QM; density-functional theory and multi-reference self-consistent field) calculations, combined QM and molecular mechanics (QM/MM) modelling, ranging from standard QM/MM optimisations to the combination of QM/MM optimisation with EXAFS spectroscopy and QM/MM free-energy perturbations to accurately address phenomena such as the Cu-T1 → TNC electron transfer, as well as the reduction potentials and acid constants of all the putative intermediates in the MCO reaction cycle. In summary, we try to demonstrate in this review that the MCOs are not only an attractive playground for theoretical methods, but the results of the calculations (when carefully correlated with and benchmarked against experimental data) can also be used to draw unambiguous conclusions about MCO structure and reactivity

Reductive cleavage of the O-O bond in multicopper oxidases: a QM/MM and QM study

The key step in the reaction mechanism of multicopper oxidases (MCOs)-the cleavage of the O-O bond in O-2-has been investigated using combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods. This process represents a reaction pathway from the peroxy intermediate after it accepts one electron from the nearby type-1 Cu site to the experimentally-observed native intermediate, which is the only fully oxidised catalytically relevant state in MCOs. Scans of the QM(DFT)/MM potential energy surface have allowed us to obtain estimates of the activation energies. Furthermore, vacuum calculations on a smaller model of the active site have allowed us to estimate the entropy contributions to the barrier height and to obtain further insight into the reaction by comparing the small cluster model with the QM/MM model, which includes the entire protein. Owing to the complicated electronic structure of these low-spin exchange coupled systems, multireference quantum chemical calculations at the complete-active space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) were used in an attempt to benchmark the barrier heights obtained at the DFT(B3LYP) level. Our best estimate of the activation barrier is Delta G = 60-65 kJ mol(-1), in good agreement with the experimental barrier of similar to 55 kJ mol(-1), which can be inferred from the experimental rate constant of k > 350 s(-1). It has also been shown that the reaction involves protonation of the O-2 moiety before bond cleavage. The proton likely comes from a nearby carboxylate residue which was recently suggested by the experiments

Catalytic Cycle of Multicopper Oxidases Studied by Combined Quantum- and Molecular-Mechanical Free-Energy Perturbation Methods.

We have used combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical free-energy perturbation methods in combination with explicit solvent simulations to study the reaction mechanism of the multicopper oxidases, in particular, the regeneration of the reduced state from the native intermediate. For 52 putative states of the trinuclear copper cluster, differing in the oxidation states of the copper ions and the protonation states of water- and O2-derived ligands, we have studied redox potentials, acidity constants, isomerization reactions, as well as water- and O2 binding reactions. Thereby, we can propose a full reaction mechanism of the multicopper oxidases with atomic detail. We also show that the two copper sites in the protein communicate so that redox potentials and acidity constants of one site are affected by up to 0.2 V or 3 pKa units by a change in the oxidation state of the other site

On the Possibility of Uphill Intramolecular Electron Transfer in Multicopper Oxidases: Electrochemical and Quantum Chemical Study of Bilirubin Oxidase

The catalytic cycle of multicopper oxidases (MCOs) involves intramolecular electron transfer (IET) from the Cu-T1 copper ion, which is the primary site of the one-electron oxidations of the substrate, to the trinuclear copper cluster (TNC), which is the site of the four-electron reduction of dioxygen to water. In this study we report a detailed characterization of the kinetic and electrochemical properties of bilirubin oxidase (BOx) a member of the MCO family. The experimental results strongly indicate that under certain conditions, e.g. in alkaline solutions, the IET can be the rate-limiting step in the BOx catalytic cycle. The data also suggest that one of the catalytically relevant intermediates (most likely characterized by an intermediate oxidation state of the TNC) formed during the catalytic cycle of BOx has a redox potential close to 0.4 V, indicating an uphill IET process from the T1 copper site (0.7 V) to the Cu-T23. These suggestions are supported by calculations of the IET rate, based on the experimentally observed Gibbs free energy change and theoretical estimates of reorganization energy obtained by combined quantum and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) calculations

Solution structure of an alternate conformation of helix27 from Escherichia coli 16S rRNA

Helix (H)27 of 16S ribosomal (r)RNA from Escherichia coli was dubbed the “switch helix” when mutagenesis suggested that two alternative base pair registers may have distinct functional roles in the bacterial ribosome. Although more recent genetic analyses suggest that H27 conformational switching is not required for translation, previous solution studies demonstrated that the isolated E. coli H27 can dynamically convert between the 885 and 888 conformations. Here, we have solved the nuclear magnetic resonance solution structure of a locked 888 conformation. NOE and residual dipolar coupling restraints reveal an architecture that markedly differs from that of the 885 conformation found in crystal structures of the bacterial ribosome. In place of the loop E motif that characterizes the 885 conformer and that the 888 conformer cannot adopt, we find evidence for an asymmetrical A‐rich internal loop stabilized by stacking interactions among the unpaired A's. Comparison of the isolated H27 888 solution structure with the 885 crystal structure within the context of the ribosome suggests a difference in overall length of H27 that presents one plausible reason for the absence of H27 conformational switching within the sterically confining ribosome. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 95: 653–668, 2011.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86980/1/21626_ftp.pd

Structural basis for the specialization of Nur, a nickel-specific Fur homolog, in metal sensing and DNA recognition

Nur, a member of the Fur family, is a nickel-responsive transcription factor that controls nickel homeostasis and anti-oxidative response in Streptomyces coelicolor. Here we report the 2.4-Å resolution crystal structure of Nur. It contains a unique nickel-specific metal site in addition to a nonspecific common metal site. The identification of the 6-5-6 motif of the Nur recognition box and a Nur/DNA complex model reveals that Nur mainly interacts with terminal bases of the palindrome on complex formation. This contrasts with more distributed contacts between Fur and the n-1-n type of the Fur-binding motif. The disparity between Nur and Fur in the conformation of the S1-S2 sheet in the DNA-binding domain can explain their different DNA-recognition patterns. Furthermore, the fact that the specificity of Nur in metal sensing and DNA recognition is conferred by the specific metal site suggests that its introduction drives the evolution of Nur orthologs in the Fur family

New Insight into the Transcarbamylase Family: The Structure of Putrescine Transcarbamylase, a Key Catalyst for Fermentative Utilization of Agmatine

Transcarbamylases reversibly transfer a carbamyl group from carbamylphosphate (CP) to an amine. Although aspartate transcarbamylase and ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) are well characterized, little was known about putrescine transcarbamylase (PTC), the enzyme that generates CP for ATP production in the fermentative catabolism of agmatine. We demonstrate that PTC (from Enterococcus faecalis), in addition to using putrescine, can utilize L-ornithine as a poor substrate. Crystal structures at 2.5 Å and 2.0 Å resolutions of PTC bound to its respective bisubstrate analog inhibitors for putrescine and ornithine use, N-(phosphonoacetyl)-putrescine and δ-N-(phosphonoacetyl)-L-ornithine, shed light on PTC preference for putrescine. Except for a highly prominent C-terminal helix that projects away and embraces an adjacent subunit, PTC closely resembles OTCs, suggesting recent divergence of the two enzymes. Since differences between the respective 230 and SMG loops of PTC and OTC appeared to account for the differential preference of these enzymes for putrescine and ornithine, we engineered the 230-loop of PTC to make it to resemble the SMG loop of OTCs, increasing the activity with ornithine and greatly decreasing the activity with putrescine. We also examined the role of the C-terminal helix that appears a constant and exclusive PTC trait. The enzyme lacking this helix remained active but the PTC trimer stability appeared decreased, since some of the enzyme eluted as monomers from a gel filtration column. In addition, truncated PTC tended to aggregate to hexamers, as shown both chromatographically and by X-ray crystallography. Therefore, the extra C-terminal helix plays a dual role: it stabilizes the PTC trimer and, by shielding helix 1 of an adjacent subunit, it prevents the supratrimeric oligomerizations of obscure significance observed with some OTCs. Guided by the structural data we identify signature traits that permit easy and unambiguous annotation of PTC sequences

Pore-opening mechanism in trimeric P2X receptor channels

The opening of ion channels in response to ligand binding, voltage or membrane stretch underlies electrical and chemical signalling throughout biology. Two structural classes of pore-opening mechanisms have been established, including bending of pore-lining helices in the case of tetrameric cation channels, or tilting of such helices in mechanosensitive channels. In this paper, we explore how the structure of the pore changes during opening in P2X receptors by measuring the modification of introduced cysteine residues in transmembrane helices by thiol-reactive reagents, and by engineering metal bridges. Our results are consistent with the X-ray structure of the closed state, and demonstrate that expansion of the gate region in the external pore is accompanied by a significant narrowing of the inner pore, indicating that pore-forming helices straighten on ATP binding to open the channel. This unique pore-opening mechanism has fundamental implications for the role of subunit interfaces in the gating mechanism of P2X receptors and points to a role of the internal pore in ion permeation

Free Energy Simulations of a GTPase: GTP and GDP Binding to Archaeal Initiation Factor 2

International audienceArchaeal initiation factor 2 (aIF2) is a protein involved in the initiation of protein biosynthesis. In its GTP-bound, "ON" conformation, aIF2 binds an initiator tRNA and carries it to the ribosome. In its GDP-bound, "OFF" conformation, it dissociates from tRNA. To understand the specific binding of GTP and GDP and its dependence on the ON or OFF conformational state of aIF2, molecular dynamics free energy simulations (MDFE) are a tool of choice. However, the validity of the computed free energies depends on the simulation model, including the force field and the boundary conditions, and on the extent of conformational sampling in the simulations. aIF2 and other GTPases present specific difficulties; in particular, the nucleotide ligand coordinates a divalent Mg(2+) ion, which can polarize the electronic distribution of its environment. Thus, a force field with an explicit treatment of electronic polarizability could be necessary, rather than a simpler, fixed charge force field. Here, we begin by comparing a fixed charge force field to quantum chemical calculations and experiment for Mg(2+):phosphate binding in solution, with the force field giving large errors. Next, we consider GTP and GDP bound to aIF2 and we compare two fixed charge force fields to the recent, polarizable, AMOEBA force field, extended here in a simple, approximate manner to include GTP. We focus on a quantity that approximates the free energy to change GTP into GDP. Despite the errors seen for Mg(2+):phosphate binding in solution, we observe a substantial cancellation of errors when we compare the free energy change in the protein to that in solution, or when we compare the protein ON and OFF states. Finally, we have used the fixed charge force field to perform MDFE simulations and alchemically transform GTP into GDP in the protein and in solution. With a total of about 200 ns of molecular dynamics, we obtain good convergence and a reasonable statistical uncertainty, comparable to the force field uncertainty, and somewhat lower than the predicted GTP/GDP binding free energy differences. The sign and magnitudes of the differences can thus be interpreted at a semiquantitative level, and are found to be consistent with the experimental binding preferences of ON- and OFF-aIF2