Catalytic Thr or Ser Residue Modulates Structural Switches in 2-Cys Peroxiredoxin by Distinct Mechanisms.

Typical 2-Cys Peroxiredoxins (2-Cys Prxs) reduce hydroperoxides with extraordinary rates due to an active site composed of a catalytic triad, containing a peroxidatic cysteine (CP), an Arg, and a Thr (or Ser). 2-Cys Prx are involved in processes such as cancer; neurodegeneration and host-pathogen interactions. During catalysis, 2-Cys Prxs switch between decamers and dimers. Analysis of 2-Cys Prx structures in the fully folded (but not locally unfolded) form revealed a highly conserved, non-conventional hydrogen bond (CH-π) between the catalytic triad Thr of a dimer with an aromatic residue of an adjacent dimer. In contrast, structures of 2-Cys Prxs with a Ser in place of the Thr do not display this CH-π bond. Chromatographic and structural data indicate that the Thr (but not Ser) destabilizes the decamer structure in the oxidized state probably through steric hindrance. As a general trend, mutations in a yeast 2-Cys Prx (Tsa1) favoring the dimeric state also displayed a decreased catalytic activity. Remarkably, yeast naturally contains Thr-Ser variants (Tsa1 and Tsa2, respectively) with distinct oligomeric stabilities in their disulfide states.

Deconstructing the catalytic efficiency of peroxiredoxin-5 peroxidatic cysteine.

Human peroxiredoxin-5 (PRDX5) is a thiol peroxidase that reduces H2O2 10(5) times faster than free cysteine. To assess the influence of two conserved residues on the reactivity of the critical cysteine (C47), we determined the reaction rate constants of PRDX5, wild type (WT), T44V and R127Q with one substrate electrophile (H2O2) and a nonspecific electrophile (monobromobimane). We also studied the corresponding reactions of low molecular weight (LMW) thiolates in order to construct a framework against which we could compare our proteins. To obtain a detailed analysis of the structural and energetic changes involved in the reaction between WT PRDX5 and H2O2, we performed ONIOM quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations with a QM region including 60 atoms of substrate and active site described by the B3LYP density functional and the 6-31+G(d,p) basis set; the rest of the protein was included in the MM region. Brønsted correlations reveal that the absence of T44 can increase the general nucleophilicity of the C47 but decreases the specific reactivity toward H2O2 by a factor of 10(3). The R127Q mutation causes C47 to behave like a LMW thiolate in the two studied reactions. QM/MM results with WT PRDX5 showed that hydrogen bonds in the active site are the cornerstone of two effects that make catalysis possible: the enhancement of thiolate nucleophilicity upon substrate ingress and the stabilization of the transition state. In both effects, T44 has a central role. These effects occur in a precise temporal sequence that ensures that the selective nucleophilicity of C47 is available only for peroxide substrates.

Determination of acidity and nucleophilicity in thiols by reaction with monobromobimane and fluorescence detection.

A method based on the differential reactivity of thiol and thiolate with monobromobimane (mBBr) has been developed to measure nucleophilicity and acidity of protein and low-molecular-weight thiols. Nucleophilicity of the thiolate is measured as the pH-independent second-order rate constant of its reaction with mBBr. The ionization constants of the thiols are obtained through the pH dependence of either second-order rate constant or initial rate of reaction. For readily available thiols, the apparent second-order rate constant is measured at different pHs and then plotted and fitted to an appropriate pH function describing the observed number of ionization equilibria. For less available thiols, such as protein thiols, the initial rate of reaction is determined in a wide range of pHs and fitted to the appropriate pH function. The method presented here shows excellent sensitivity, allowing the use of nanomolar concentrations of reagents. The method is suitable for scaling and high-throughput screening. Example determinations of nucleophilicity and pK(a) are presented for captopril and cysteine as low-molecular-weight thiols and for human peroxiredoxin 5 and Trypanosoma brucei monothiol glutaredoxin 1 as protein thiols.