Binding sites of pyridine in cytochrome P-450cam.

Careful titration of oxidized cytochrome P-450cam from Pseudomonas putida with pyridine revealed deviations of the Eadie plot from linearity in the substrate-bound as well as in the substrate-free protein. A binding model which assumes two binding sites for pyridine--the iron and the camphor binding site--is able to describe completely the nonlinear Eadie plot.

The high-spin/low-spin equilibrium in cytochrome P-450--a new method for determination of the high-spin content.

A new method for determination of the population of the high-spin state (high-spin content) in ferric cytochrome P-450 is presented. Based on curve fitting the electronic absorption spectra with a linear combination of gaussian bands analytical functions for the pure high-spin and pure low-spin states were constructed. These functions were used to fit the high-spin/low-spin mixed spectra. A good fit of the absorption spectra of six different cytochrome P-450 proteins in the presence and absence of substrates was found, indicating a similar pi-electron structure of the porphyrin and a similar chemical nature of the nearest coordination sphere of the iron in all cytochrome P-450 proteins.

The proton activity at cryogenic temperatures--a possible influence on the spin state of the heme iron of cytochrome P-450cam in supercooled buffered solutions.

The electronic absorption spectra for camphor-bound cytochrome P-450cam have been analysed in the temperature range between 78 K and 298 K. The well-known high-spin/low-spin equilibrium has been detected between 298 K and 220 K. Depending on the cooling rate, below 220 K a new species was found in the absorption spectra. In contrast, the electronic absorption spectra for camphor-free cytochrome P-450cam between 78 K and 295 K show no significant spectral changes. The conversion between the spin states of camphor-bound cytochrome P-450cam and the appearance of the new species do not correspond to the temperature-induced change in the paH value of the aqueous glycerol mixture containing phosphate or cacodylate buffer (paH 7.0). For this study a spectroscopic procedure for the determination of the temperature dependence of the paH value of the solvent for the range 78-295 K is presented using dyes as pH-indicators. It is shown that the state of the acid-base equilibrium frozen in is strongly dependent on the cooling rate of the mixture.

Evidence for the existence of a low spin complex in acidic methemoglobin: its structure and formation.

By means of electron spin resonance and magneto-optical rotation, specific low spin complexes in acidic methemoglobin are obtained. The formation of these complexes is explained by a specific stereochemical arrangement of the distal histidine in the absence of allosteric effectors inducing the formation of a low spin ligand at room temperature. At low temperature, however, the distal histidine is directly bound to the heme iron. As the formation of the low spin complexes depends on allosteric effectors it is suggested that via the distal histidine the affinity of heme iron ligands is modified.

Quantitative analysis of the spin equilibrium of cytochrome P-450 LM-2 fraction from rabbit liver microsomes.

The LM-2 fraction of cytochrome P-450 from rabbits in the presence and in the absence of substrate (benzphetamine) is shown to be a thermal mixture of a high spin (S = 5/2) and a low spin (S = 1/2) form each of which exhibiting its individual optical basic spectrum with the Soret maxima at 387 nm and 417 nm for the high spin form and the low spin form, respectively. The equilibrium constants and thermodynamic parameters describing the spin transition and the substrate binding have been evaluated from the temperature and substrate difference spectra, respectively. These two interacting equilibria are presented in terms of a thermodynamic model, which provides a clear quantitative description of the properties of the cytochrome P-450 substrate system. From the thermodynamic model also the cause of the substrate difference spectra can be explained. The importance of the spin shift in the presence of substrate with respect to the reduction rate is discussed.

Haem accessibility in cytochrome P-450 from rabbit liver. A proton magnetic relaxation study by stereochemical probes.

Cytochrome P-450 was solubilized from phenobarbital induced rabbit liver and purified by affinity chromatography. The longitudinal proton magnetic relaxation rates of this ferric, low-spin sample (as confirmed by ESR) in 20% glycerol aqueous solution are very large compared with low-spin methaemoglobin and myoglobin derivatives. Similarly high rates were measured in a deuterated solution using the aliphatic protons of glycerol as stereochemical markers, which strongly suggests that the haem iron in cytochrome P-450 is much more accessible to the solvent than in harmoglobin or myoglobin. Type I substate (Spasman) produced small but significant increases in NMR rates both in the H2O and in the 2H2O solution, while binding of aniline (Type II substrate) doubled the rates.

Chemical modification of cytochrome P-450 LM4. Identification of functionally linked tyrosine residues.

Cytochrome P-450 LM4 (RH, reduced flavoprotein:oxygen oxidoreductase (RH-hydroxylating), EC 1.14.14.1) from rabbit liver microsomes was chemically modified with tetranitromethane. Nitration of two tyrosine residues inhibits the p-nitrophenetole O-deethylase activity of the enzyme by about 80%. Sequencing the 3-nitrotyrosine-containing peptides after HPLC tryptic peptide mapping reveals that mainly Tyr-243 and Tyr-271 are nitrated, whereas Tyr-71, Tyr-188 and Tyr-365 are modified to a lower extent. Nitration of tyrosine residues affects the complex formation with p-nitrophenetole, alpha-naphthoflavone and metyrapone as indicated by an increased affinity towards p-nitrophenetole and by a decreased affinity for the latter compounds. Furthermore, nitration interferes with the electron transfer from NADPH-cytochrome P-450-reductase to cytochrome P-450 LM4 resulting in a slowed down reduction reaction. The results suggest that Tyr-243 and Tyr-271 of cytochrome P-450 LM4 are functionally involved in the interaction with NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase.

Conformational stability of adrenodoxin mutant proteins.

Adrenodoxin and the mutants at the positions T54, H56, D76, Y82, and C95, as well as the deletion mutants 4-114 and 4-108, were studied by high-sensitivity scanning microcalorimetry, limited proteolysis, and absorption spectroscopy. The mutants show thermal transition temperatures ranging from 46 to 56 degrees C, enthalpy changes from 250 to 370 kJ/mol, and heat capacity change delta Cp = 7.28 +/- 0.67 kJ/mol/K, except H56R. The amino acid replacement H56R produces substantial local changes in the region around positions 56 and Y82, as indicated by reduced heat capacity change (delta Cp = 4.29 +/- 0.37 kJ/mol/K) and enhanced fluorescence. Deletion mutant 4-108 is apparently more stable than the wild type, as judged by higher specific denaturation enthalpy and resistance toward proteolytic degradation. No simple correlation between conformational stability and functional properties could be found.

Time-resolved Fourier-transform infrared studies of the cytochrome P-450cam carbonmonoxide complex bound with (1R)-camphor and (1S)-camphor substrate.

The CO-binding reaction of cytochrome P-450cam bound with (1R)-camphor and (1S)-camphor are compared in the temperature region of 210-260 K using time-resolved Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy with the CO stretch vibration as spectroscopic probe. For (1S)-camphor as substrate the association of CO is slowed down by a factor of 2, while the dissociation is accelerated by a factor of 3. The CO complex for the (1S)-camphor-bound P-450 is less stabilized (deltaG=-22 kJ/mol) compared to the natural substrate (1R)-camphor (deltaG=-30 kJ/mol). The data are interpreted by a smaller change of the mobility of the (1S)-camphor due to CO binding as compared to (1R)-camphor, which would indicate a higher mobility of (1S)-camphor already in the CO free reduced form of P-450cam. The higher mobility of (1S)-camphor in the heme pocket might explain the increased uncoupling rate (hydrogen peroxide formation) of 11% [Maryniak et al. (1993) Tetrahedron 49, 9373-9384] during the P-450cam catalyzed hydroxylation compared to 3% for the conversion of (1R)-camphor.

Correlations between spin equilibrium shift, reduction rate, and N-demethylation activity in liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 and a series of benzphetamine analogues as substrates.

Cytochrome P-450 forms a thermal ferric spin equilibrium which is significantly shifted by substrate binding. Within a series of benzphetamine analogues the liver microsomal enzyme system exhibits a close correlation of the substrate induced spin equilibrium shift towards the high spin state and both the rate of P-450 reduction, and of substrate turnover, as well. The spin equilibrium regulates the first electron transfer by favoured high spin state reduction and rapid pre-equilibration with respect to the low spin fraction.

Analysis of protein self-association under conditions of the thermodynamic non-ideality.

Analysis of protein-protein interactions in highly concentrated solutions requires a consideration of the non-ideality in such solutions which is expressed by the virial coefficients. Different equations are presented to estimate effects of the thermodynamic non-ideality on the macromolecular interaction of self-associating proteins in sedimentation equilibrium experiments. Usually the influence of thermodynamic non-ideal behavior are described by concentration power series. The convergence of such power series is limited at high solute concentration. When expressing the thermodynamic non-ideality by an activity power series this disadvantage can be minimized. The developed centrifuge equations are the basis for a global analysis to estimate equilibrium constants and the corresponding thermodynamic activities of the reactants. Based on fit analysis of synthetic concentration profiles it was established that marked deviations from the expected association constants are observed for proteins with strong association forces between solute molecules. Considerable differences were also observed in weakly interacting systems. This was due to the excluded volume of the protein which is similar in magnitude to the binding constant. For interactions with moderate affinities values extremely close to the true binding values were obtained, as confirmed by experimental results with concanavalin A.

Analysis of the thermodynamic non-ideality of proteins by sedimentation equilibrium experiments.

This paper presents a modified method to determine experimentally the second virial coefficient of protein solutions by sedimentation equilibrium experiments. The improvement is based on the possibility of fitting simultaneously up to seven radial concentration distribution curves of solutions with different loading concentrations. The possibility of precise determination of the second virial coefficient allows estimation of the net charge and the excluded volume of a monomeric protein. Application of the method is demonstrated for lysozyme and ovalbumin. In 0.1 M sodium acetate buffer, pH 4.5, the second virial coefficient of hen egg white lysozyme amounts to 24 +/- 1 ml/g. Analysis based on spherical particle theory yield an excluded volume of 3.5 ml/g and a charge dependent value of 20.5 ml/g which is induced by a net charge number of 14.1 +/- 1. Under low salt conditions self-association processes on lysozyme are unfavorable due to electrostatic repulsion. To overcome these repulsive contributions, either a shift to neutral pH or addition of at least 2% NaCl is necessary. In this way the charge dependent contribution decreases below the value responsible for the excluded volume and allows crystallization of the protein. Similar effects can be observed with ovalbumin. The high virial coefficient observed at pH 8.5 is induced by the high net charge number of 27 +/- 1.

An improved approximate solution of the Lamm equation for the simultaneous estimation of sedimentation and diffusion coefficients from sedimentation velocity experiments.

Sedimentation and diffusion coefficients are important parameters to describe size and shape of macromolecules in solution. The data can be obtained from sedimentation velocity experiments by a nonlinear fitting procedure using approximate solutions for the Lamm equation. Here, we present a modification of such a model function that was originally proposed by Fujita [H. Fujita, Mathematical Theory of Sedimentation Analysis, Wiley, New York, 1962]. The extended model function is well suitable to study low molecular mass compounds. The improvement of this solution given here is based on using an adjustable value for the explicit integration variable, z, the reduced radius. This modification leads to more accurate sedimentation and diffusion coefficients compared to using a constant value of 0.5 as used by Fujita. The advantage of our modification was demonstrated by the analysis of noise-free curves calculated using the finite element method, as well as experimental curves obtained for the peptides angiotensin I and II. The relatively low sedimentation and diffusion coefficients found for both substances indicate that the peptides exist as extended chains of about 3.65 nm (angiotensin I) or 3.04 nm length (angiotensin II) in solution. The lack of higher-order structure of the peptides that was derived also from CD spectra might facilitate receptor binding, and could be one reason for the fast proteolytic digestion of the free peptides.

Demethylation of tertiary amines by a reconstituted cytochrome P-450 enzyme system: kinetics of oxygen consumption and hydrogen peroxide formation.

Initial reaction rates of oxygen consumption and hydrogen peroxide formation in a cytochrome P-450 catalyzed reaction are practically independent of the nature of tertiary amines that were used as substrates. From the kinetic studies and the substrate conversion results that the amount of water formed in a side reaction is determined by the substrate specificity. Both hydrogen peroxide and water formation lower the efficiency of the monooxygenatic activity of cytochrome P-450.

Spin state control of cytochrome P-450 reduction and catalytic activity in a reconstituted P-450 LM2 system as induced by a series of benzphetamine analogues.

Reconstituted liposomal cytochrome P-450 LM2 was reacted with a series of benzphetamine analogues as substrates. Based on the thermodynamical model of Ristau et al. (Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 536 (1978) 226-234) the free enthalpy of substrate binding to the high spin form of the enzyme was shown to correlate with the total high spin content of the respective enzyme substrate complex. Reduction and substrate N-demethylation rates as well have been evidenced to linearly correlate with the substrate-induced spin shift delta alpha and moreover with the spin content alpha. The data obtained provide further experimental support for the spin state regulation of the reduction and conversion rate of cytochrome P-450 LM2.

Quantitation of interaction between cytochrome P-450scc and adrenodoxin--analysis in the median UV-region by second derivative spectroscopy.

Interaction between the essential protein components of the bovine adrenal mitochondrial enzyme system (cytochrome P-450scc, adrenodoxin and adrenodoxin reductase) were studied in the median UV-region utilizing second derivative difference spectroscopy. Complex formation of cytochrome P-450scc with adrenodoxin induces a signal in the second derivative difference spectrum which can be attributed to tyrosine due to its minimum at 283 nm. Based on this signal cytochrome P-450scc was titrated with adrenodoxin in dependence on different effectors (reductase, phospholipid, cholesterol). The dissociation constants (Kd) of the P-450scc/adrenodoxin complexes derived therefrom revealed an increasing affinity between both components starting from titrations in buffer solution without additional components up to the completely reconstituted system. A high affinity between P-450scc and adrenodoxin corresponds to a high turnover rate of cholesterol. Dissociation constants of the P-450scc/adrenodoxin complex were also derived from spectral changes in the Soret region. But these data do not correlate with the substrate turnover.