Second Sphere Interactions in Amyloidogenic Diseases.

Amyloids are protein aggregates bearing a highly ordered cross ß structural motif, which may be functional but are mostly pathogenic. Their formation, deposition in tissues and consequent organ dysfunction is the central event in amyloidogenic diseases. Such protein aggregation may be brought about by conformational changes, and much attention has been directed toward factors like metal binding, post-translational modifications, mutations of protein etc., which eventually affect the reactivity and cytotoxicity of the associated proteins. Over the past decade, a global effort from different groups working on these misfolded/unfolded proteins/peptides has revealed that the amino acid residues in the second coordination sphere of the active sites of amyloidogenic proteins/peptides cause changes in H-bonding pattern or protein-protein interactions, which dramatically alter the structure and reactivity of these proteins/peptides. These second sphere effects not only determine the binding of transition metals and cofactors, which define the pathology of some of these diseases, but also change the mechanism of redox reactions catalyzed by these proteins/peptides and form the basis of oxidative damage associated with these amyloidogenic diseases. The present review seeks to discuss such second sphere modifications and their ramifications in the etiopathology of some representative amyloidogenic diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2Dm), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and prion diseases.

Bioinorganic Chemistry on Electrodes: Methods to Functional Modeling.

One of the major goals of bioinorganic chemistry has been to mimic the function of elegant metalloenzymes. Such functional modeling has been difficult to attain in solution, in particular, for reactions that require multiple protons and multiple electrons (nH+/ne-). Using a combination of heterogeneous electrochemistry, electrode and molecule design one may control both electron transfer (ET) and proton transfer (PT) of these nH+/ne- reactions. Such control can allow functional modeling of hydrogenases (H+ + e- → 1/2 H2), cytochrome c oxidase (O2 + 4 e- + 4 H+ → 2 H2O), monooxygenases (RR'CH2 + O2 + 2 e- + 2 H+ → RR'CHOH + H2O) and dioxygenases (S + O2 → SO2; S = organic substrate) in aqueous medium and at room temperatures. In addition, these heterogeneous constructs allow probing unnatural bioinspired reactions and estimation of the inner- and outer-sphere reorganization energy of small molecules and proteins.

Second-Sphere Hydrogen-Bond Donors and Acceptors Affect the Rate and Selectivity of Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction by Iron Porphyrins Differently.

The factors that control the rate and selectivity of 4e-/4H+ O2 reduction are important for efficient energy transformation as well as for understanding the terminal step of respiration in aerobic organisms. Inspired by the design of naturally occurring enzymes which are efficient catalysts for O2 and H2O2 reduction, several artificial systems have been generated where different second-sphere residues have been installed to enhance the rate and efficiency of the 4e-/4H+ O2 reduction. These include hydrogen-bonding residues like amines, carboxylates, ethers, amides, phenols, etc. In some cases, improvements in the catalysis were recorded, whereas in some cases improvements were marginal or nonexistent. In this work, we use an iron porphyrin complex with pendant 1,10-phenanthroline residues which show a pH-dependent variation of the rate of the electrochemical O2 reduction reaction (ORR) over 2 orders of magnitude. In-situ surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy reveals the presence of different intermediates at different pH's reflecting different rate-determining steps at different pH's. These data in conjunction with density functional theory calculations reveal that when the distal 1,10-phenanthroline is neutral it acts as a hydrogen-bond acceptor which stabilizes H2O (product) binding to the active FeII state and retards the reaction. However, when the 1,10-phenanthroline is protonated, it acts as a hydrogen-bond donor which enhances O2 reduction by stabilizing FeIII-O2.- and FeIII-OOH intermediates and activating the O-O bond for cleavage. On the basis of these data, general guidelines for controlling the different possible rate-determining steps in the complex multistep 4e-/4H+ ORR are developed and a bioinspired principle-based design of an efficient electrochemical ORR is presented.

Oxygen Reduction by Iron Porphyrins with Covalently Attached Pendent Phenol and Quinol.

Phenols and quinols participate in both proton transfer and electron transfer processes in nature either in distinct elementary steps or in a concerted fashion. Recent investigations using synthetic heme/Cu models and iron porphyrins have indicated that phenols/quinols can react with both ferric superoxide and ferric peroxide intermediates formed during O2 reduction through a proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) process as well as via hydrogen atom transfer (HAT). Oxygen reduction by iron porphyrins bearing covalently attached pendant phenol and quinol groups is investigated. The data show that both of these can electrochemically reduce O2 selectively by 4e-/4H+ to H2O with very similar rates. However, the mechanism of the reaction, investigated both using heterogeneous electrochemistry and by trapping intermediates in organic solutions, can be either PCET or HAT and is governed by the thermodynamics of these intermediates involved. The results suggest that, while the reduction of the FeIII-O2̇- species to FeIII-OOH proceeds via PCET when a pendant phenol is present, it follows a HAT pathway with a pendant quinol. In the absence of the hydroxyl group the O2 reduction proceeds via an electron transfer followed by proton transfer to the FeIII-O2̇- species. The hydrogen bonding from the pendant phenol group to FeIII-O2̇- and FeIII-OOH species provides a unique advantage to the PCET process by lowering the inner-sphere reorganization energy by limiting the elongation of the O-O bond upon reduction.

A Single Iron Porphyrin Shows pH Dependent Switch between "Push" and "Pull" Effects in Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction.

The "push-pull" effects associated with heme enzymes manifest themselves through highly evolved distal amino acid environments and axial ligands to the heme. These conserved residues enhance their reactivities by orders of magnitude relative to small molecules that mimic the primary coordination. An instance of a mononuclear iron porphyrin with covalently attached pendent phenanthroline groups is reported which exhibit reactivity indicating a pH dependent "push" to "pull" transition in the same molecule. The pendant phenanthroline residues provide proton transfer pathways into the iron site, ensuring selective 4e-/4H+ reduction of O2 to water. The protonation of these residues at lower pH mimics the pull effect of peroxidases, and a coordination of an axial hydroxide ligand at high pH emulates the push effect of P450 monooxygenases. Both effects enhance the rate of O2 reduction by orders of magnitude over its value at neutral pH while maintaining exclusive selectivity for 4e-/4H+ oxygen reduction reaction.

Characterization of the Preprocessed Copper Site Equilibrium in Amine Oxidase and Assignment of the Reactive Copper Site in Topaquinone Biogenesis.

Copper-dependent amine oxidases produce their redox active cofactor, 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanine quinone (TPQ), via the CuII-catalyzed oxygenation of an active site tyrosine. This study addresses possible mechanisms for this biogenesis process by presenting the geometric and electronic structure characterization of the CuII-bound, prebiogenesis (preprocessed) active site of the enzyme Arthrobacter globiformis amine oxidase (AGAO). CuII-loading into the preprocessed AGAO active site is slow ( kobs = 0.13 h-1), and is preceded by CuII binding in a separate kinetically favored site that is distinct from the active site. Preprocessed active site CuII is in a thermal equilibrium between two species, an entropically favored form with tyrosine protonated and unbound from the CuII site, and an enthalpically favored form with tyrosine bound deprotonated to the CuII active site. It is shown that the CuII-tyrosinate bound form is directly active in biogenesis. The electronic structure determined for the reactive form of the preprocessed CuII active site is inconsistent with a biogenesis pathway that proceeds through a CuI-tyrosyl radical intermediate, but consistent with a pathway that overcomes the spin forbidden reaction of 3O2 with the bound singlet substrate via a three-electron concerted charge-transfer mechanism.

Active-site environment of Cu bound amyloid ß and amylin peptides.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2Dm), two of the most common amyloidogenic diseases. They share a common pathological symptom, i.e., the formation of amyloid deposits comprised of amyloid ß and amylin peptides, respectively. Autopsy of brains of AD-affected patients shows the presence of abnormally high concentrations of Cu in the deposited amyloid ß plaques, while a significantly higher level of Cu is found in the serum of patients suffering from T2Dm. These invoke that Cu might play a crucial role in the onset of both AD and T2Dm. In fact, Cu is found to bind amyloid ß as well as amylin relevant to AD and T2Dm, respectively. Cu-Aß and Cu-amylin in their reduced states can generate partially reduced oxygen species (PROS) on reaction with O2 which leads to oxidative stress in the brain and in the pancreas, respectively. However, the pathway of O2 reduction is quite different for the two complexes. Moreover, the use of various spectroscopic techniques such as absorption, EPR, and CD involving native and site-directed mutants of the peptides show that their active-site environments are also dissimilar. Here, we have discussed the different aspects of Cu-Aß and Cu-amylin complexes including their pH-dependent coordination environments and their reactivity towards O2 which may be responsible for the oxidative stress associated with the two diseases. This depicts the significance of the Cu bound peptide complexes in the context of AD and T2Dm. Graphic abstract.

Active-Site Environment of Copper-Bound Human Amylin Relevant to Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2Dm) is characterized by reduced ß cell mass and amyloid deposits of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) or amylin, a 37 amino acid containing peptide around pancreatic ß cells. The interaction of copper (Cu) with amylin and its mutants has been studied in detail using absorption, circular dichroism, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. Cu binds amylin in a 1:1 ratio, and the binding domain lies within the first 19 amino acid residues of the peptide. Depending on the pH of the medium, Cu-amylin shows the formation of five pH-dependent components (component IV at pH 4.0, component III at pH 5.0, component II at pH 6.0, component I at pH 8.0, and another higher pH component above pH 9.0). The terminal amine, His18, and amidates are established as key residues in the peptide that coordinate the Cu center. The physiologically relevant components I and II can generate H2O2, which can possibly account for the enhanced toxicity of amylin in the presence of Cu, causing damage of the ß cells of the pancreas via oxidative stress.

Spectroscopic Definition of the CuZ° Intermediate in Turnover of Nitrous Oxide Reductase and Molecular Insight into the Catalytic Mechanism.

Spectroscopic methods and density functional theory (DFT) calculations are used to determine the geometric and electronic structure of CuZ°, an intermediate form of the Cu4S active site of nitrous oxide reductase (N2OR) that is observed in single turnover of fully reduced N2OR with N2O. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), absorption, and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopies show that CuZ° is a 1-hole (i.e., 3CuICuII) state with spin density delocalized evenly over CuI and CuIV. Resonance Raman spectroscopy shows two Cu-S vibrations at 425 and 413 cm-1, the latter with a -3 cm-1 O18 solvent isotope shift. DFT calculations correlated to these spectral features show that CuZ° has a terminal hydroxide ligand coordinated to CuIV, stabilized by a hydrogen bond to a nearby lysine residue. CuZ° can be reduced via electron transfer from CuA using a physiologically relevant reductant. We obtain a lower limit on the rate of this intramolecular electron transfer (IET) that is >104 faster than the unobserved IET in the resting state, showing that CuZ° is the catalytically relevant oxidized form of N2OR. Terminal hydroxide coordination to CuIV in the CuZ° intermediate yields insight into the nature of N2O binding and reduction, specifying a molecular mechanism in which N2O coordinates in a µ-1,3 fashion to the fully reduced state, with hydrogen bonding from Lys397, and two electrons are transferred from the fully reduced µ4S2- bridged tetranuclear copper cluster to N2O via a single Cu atom to accomplish N-O bond cleavage.

Characterization and Identification of Dityrosine Cross-Linked Peptides Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

The use of mass spectrometry coupled with chemical cross-linking of proteins has become a powerful tool for proteins structure and interactions studies. Unlike structural analysis of proteins using chemical reagents specific for lysine or cysteine residues, identification of gas-phase fragmentation patterns of endogenous dityrosine cross-linked peptides have not been investigated. Dityrosine cross-linking in proteins and peptides are clinical markers of oxidative stress, aging, and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. In this study, we investigated and characterized the fragmentation pattern of a synthetically prepared dityrosine cross-linked dimer of Aß(1-16) using ESI tandem mass spectrometry. We then detailed the fragmentation pattern of dityrosine cross-linked Aß(1-16), using collision induced dissociation (CID), higher-energy collision induced dissociation (HCD), electron transfer dissociation (ETD), and electron capture dissociation (ECD). Application of these generic fragmentation rules of dityrosine cross-linked peptides allowed for the identification of dityrosine cross-links in peptides of Aß and α-synuclein generated in vitro by enzymatic peroxidation. We report, for the first time, the dityrosine cross-linked residues in human hemoglobin and α-synuclein under oxidative conditions. Together these tools open up the potential for automated analysis of this naturally occurring post-translation modification in neurodegenerative diseases as well as other pathological conditions.

Significantly enhanced heme retention ability of myoglobin engineered to mimic the third covalent linkage by nonaxial histidine to heme (vinyl) in synechocystis hemoglobin.

Heme proteins, which reversibly bind oxygen and display a particular fold originally identified in myoglobin (Mb), characterize the "hemoglobin (Hb) superfamily." The long known and widely investigated Hb superfamily, however, has been enriched by the discovery and investigation of new classes and members. Truncated Hbs typify such novel classes and exhibit a distinct two-on-two α-helical fold. The truncated Hb from the freshwater cyanobacterium Synechocystis exhibits hexacoordinate heme chemistry and bears an unusual covalent bond between the nonaxial His(117) and a heme porphyrin 2-vinyl atom, which remains tightly associated with the globin unlike any other. It seems to be the most stable Hb known to date, and His(117) is the dominant force holding the heme. Mutations of amino acid residues in the vicinity did not influence this covalent linkage. Introduction of a nonaxial His into sperm whale Mb at the topologically equivalent position and in close proximity to vinyl group significantly increased the heme stability of this prototype globin. Reversed phase chromatography, electrospray ionization-MS, and MALDI-TOF analyses confirmed the presence of covalent linkage in Mb I107H. The Mb mutant with the engineered covalent linkage was stable to denaturants and exhibited ligand binding and auto-oxidation rates similar to the wild type protein. This indeed is a novel finding and provides a new perspective to the evolution of Hbs. The successful attempt at engineering heme stability holds promise for the production of stable Hb-based blood substitute.

Cytochrome c peroxidase activity of heme bound amyloid ß peptides.

Heme bound amyloid ß (Aß) peptides, which have been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), can catalytically oxidize ferrocytochrome c (Cyt c(II)) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The rate of catalytic oxidation of Cyt(II) c has been found to be dependent on several factors, such as concentration of heme(III)-Aß, Cyt(II) c, H2O2, pH, ionic strength of the solution, and peptide chain length of Aß. The above features resemble the naturally occurring enzyme cytochrome c peroxidase (CCP) which is known to catalytically oxidize Cyt(II) c in the presence of H2O2. In the absence of heme(III)-Aß, the oxidation of Cyt(II) c is not catalytic. Thus, heme-Aß complex behaves as CCP.

Peroxidase to Cytochrome b Type Transition in the Active Site of Heme-Bound Amyloid ß Peptides Relevant to Alzheimer's Disease.

Recent evidence has established the colocalization of amyloid-rich plaques and heme-rich deposits in the human cerebral cortex as a common postmortem feature in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The amyloid ß (Aß) peptides have been shown to bind heme, and the resultant heme-Aß complexes can generate toxic partially reduced oxygen species (PROS) and exhibit peroxidase activity. The heme-Aß active site exhibits a concentration-dependent equilibrium between a high-spin mono-His-bound species similar to a peroxidase-type active site and a bis-His-bound six-coordinate low-spin species similar to that of a cytochrome b type active site. The ν(Fe-His) (241 cm(-1)) vibration has been identified in the high-spin heme-Aß active site by resonance Raman spectroscopy. The formation of the low-spin heme-Aß species is promoted by the His14 and noncoordinating second-sphere Arg5 residues. The high-spin state produces more PROS than the low-spin species. Nonbiological constructs modeling different forms of Aß (oligomers, fibrils, etc.) suggest that the detrimental high-spin state is likely to dominate under most physiological conditions.

Interaction of apoNeuroglobin with heme-Aß complexes relevant to Alzheimer's disease.

Heme-Aß complexes are known to produce toxic partially reduced oxygen species (PROS), catalyze oxidation of neurotransmitters and have been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Neuroglobin (Ngb) play a crucial neuroprotective role against oxidative damage, hypoxic injuries, stroke and apoptosis of neuronal cells. In this study, the interaction of heme-Aß with apoNeuroglobin (apoNgb) has been investigated using a combination of spectroscopic techniques. Absorption and resonance Raman data confirm that apoNgb can uptake heme from heme-Aß and constitute a six-coordinate low-spin ferric heme-active site identical to that of Ngb. ApoNgb can also uptake heme from reduced heme-Aß resulting in the formation of ferrous Ngb. The rate of the heme transfer reaction has been found to be of the order of 10(6) M(-1) s(-1). The reaction is faster for oxidized heme-Aß than the reduced form. The amount of PROS formation by heme-Aß complexes has been found to diminish drastically after reaction with apoNgb. ApoNgb can also sequester ligand-bound heme from heme-Aß, e.g., the CO-bound heme from heme-Aß-CO complex resulting in the formation of Ngb-CO complex. Additionally, ApoNgb can sequester heme from self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of surface-bound heme-Aß formed over Au surface. This heme sequestration by apoNgb from heme-Aß not only diminishes heme-induced toxicity but more significantly it produces Ngb which has well-documented neuroprotective role and can thereby potentially reduce risks associated with AD.

Kinetics of serotonin oxidation by heme-Aß relevant to Alzheimer's disease.

Serotonin (5-HT) is an essential neurotransmitter for cognitive functions and formation of new memories. A deficit in 5-HT dependent neuronal activity is somewhat specific for Alzheimer's disease. Metal-mediated oxidative degradation of neurotransmitters by Aß bound to metals has been investigated. Heme-bound Aß is found to catalyze the oxidative degradation of 5-HT leading to the formation of neurotoxic products dihydroxybitryptamine and tyrptamine-4,5-dione. The catalytic degradation of 5-HT is of first order with respect to both heme-Aß and H2O2, and the maximum rate of 5-HT oxidation is obtained at physiological pH (pH 7-7.5). pH perturbation of the binding affinity of heme-Aß complex for 5-HT indicates that the binding of the substrate (5-HT) is not the rate-determining step. Arg5 acts as a second-sphere residue facilitating the O-O bond cleavage, the mutation of which leads to a decrease in the rate of 5-HT oxidation. The pull effect of the Arg5 residue tends to facilitate the generation of the active oxidant, Compound I, below neutral pH, while the ionization of the phenol group of the substrate facilitates the generation of the active substrate above neutral pH. A combination of these two opposing effects results in the highest activity at physiological pH. Apart from the Arg5 residue, the Tyr10 residue is found to play a vital role in the 5-HT oxidation by heme-Aß complexes.

Rapid autoxidation of ferrous heme-Aß complexes relevant to Alzheimer's disease.

Heme bound Aß peptides have been reported to reduce O2 by 2e- to H2O2 which may result in oxidative stress commonly encountered in Alzheimer's disease. In this study we report the first instance of rapid freeze quench trapping and characterizing the heme(III)-O2˙- intermediate involved in the heme-Aß induced formation of partially reduced oxygen species (PROS) in physiologically relevant aqueous medium using absorption and resonance Raman spectroscopy. The kinetics of this process indicates a key role of the Tyr10 residue, unique to human Aß, in the generation of H2O2 from O2.

Intermediates involved in the reduction of SO2: insight into the mechanism of sulfite reductases.

Sulfite reductases (SiRs) catalyze the reduction of SO32- to H2S in biosynthetic sulfur assimilation and dissimilation of sulfate. The mechanism of the 6e-/6H+ reduction of SO32- at the siroheme cofactor is debated, and proposed intermediates involved in this 6e- reduction are yet to be spectroscopically characterized. The reaction of SO2 with a ferrous iron porphyrin is investigated, and two intermediates are trapped and characterized: an initial Fe(III)-SO22- species, which undergoes proton-assisted S-O bond cleavage to form an Fe(III)-SO species. These species are characterized using a combination of resonance Raman (with 34S-labelled SO2), EPR and DFT calculations. Results obtained help reconcile the different proposed mechanisms for the SiRs.

Ligand-field and ligand-binding analysis of the active site of copper-bound Aß associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients show abnormally high concentrations of Cu(2+) in the amyloid ß plaques. This invokes that Cu(2+) might play a crucial role in the onset of AD. The last few decades of research have also shown that Cu(2+) plays a significant role in the aggregation of Aß plaques in the brain and the generation of oxidative stress. Because the crystal structures of Cu-Aß are yet to be obtained, there are various proposed models for the Cu(2+) coordination environment of Aß peptides. In this study, we have used the truncated hydrophilic part of the native Aß peptide to probe the Cu(2+) coordination site of the peptide, using a combination of spectroscopy and exogenous ligand-binding studies. It is evident from our study that Aß(1-16) binds 1 equiv of Cu(2+) and yet shows an equilibrium between two species with a pK(a) of ~8.1. Ligand-field analysis of absorption and circular dichroism spectroscopy data indicates five-coordinate geometry for both components. We investigate the effect of azide and 8-hydroxyquinoline binding to Cu-Aß and demonstrate the presence of a water-derived ligand and a second exchangeable ligand coordinated to copper at physiological pH, along the equatorial plane of a square-pyramidal active site.

Heme bound amylin: spectroscopic characterization, reactivity, and relevance to type 2 diabetes.

Deposition of human amylin or islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) within the ß-cells of the pancreatic islet of Langerhans is implicated in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2Dm). Accumulating evidences suggest that increased body iron stores, iron overload, and, in particular, higher heme-iron intake is significantly associated with higher risk of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2Dm) (PloS One2012, 7, e41641). Some key pathological features of T2Dm, like iron dyshomeostasis, iron accumulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress are very similar to the cytopathologies of Alzheimer's disease, which have been invoked to be due to heme complexation with amyloid ß peptides. The similar etiology and pathogenic features in both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and T2Dm indicate a common underlying mechanism, with heme playing an important role. In this study we show that hIAPP can bind heme. His18 residue of hIAPP binds heme under physiological conditions and results in an axial high-spin active site with a trans-axial water derived ligand. Arg11 is a key residue that is also essential for heme binding. Heme(Fe(2+))-hIAPP complexes are prone to produce partially reduced oxygen species (PROS). The His18 residue identified in this study is absent in rats which do not show T2Dm, implicating the significance of this residue as well as heme in the pathology of T2Dm.

Apomyoglobin sequesters heme from heme bound Aß peptides.

A combination of absorption, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and resonance Raman (rR) spectroscopy has been used to study the interaction of heme-Aß and apomyoglobin (apoMb). The absorption spectrum of oxidized heme bound Aß, characterized by a split Soret band at 364 and 394 nm, shifts to 408 nm on incubation with apoMb, characteristic of Myoglobin (Mb). The ν4, ν3, and ν2 bands in the rR spectrum of heme-Aß are observed at 1376, 1495, and 1570 cm(-1), which shift to 1371, 1482, and 1563 cm(-1), respectively on incubating with apoMb, implying formation of Mb. Similarly, heme transfer from reduced heme-Aß to apoMb resulting in the formation of deoxyMb was also observed. Thus, spectroscopic data show that apoMb can sequester heme from heme-Aß complexes both in oxidized and in reduced forms. Heme uptake by apoMb from native heme-Aß(1-40) and Aß(1-16) in both oxidized and reduced forms follow a biphasic reaction kinetics likely representing heme transfer from two dominating conformers of heme-Aß in solution. The rate constants for the two steps involved in heme uptake by apoMb from heme-Aß(1-40) are 11.5 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) and 7.5 × 10(3) M(-1) s(-1) while from heme-Aß(1-16) are 6.0 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) and 7.5 × 10(3) M(-1) s(-1). The rate constants for heme uptake by apoMb from reduced heme-Aß(1-40) are 3.7 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) and 6.8 × 10(3) M(-1) s(-1) while for reduced heme-Aß(1-16) are 2.0 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1) and 6.0 × 10(3) M(-1) s(-1). The heme uptake from heme-Aß by apoMb leads to a dramatic reduction of PROS generation by the reduced heme-Aß complexes.