Assignment of the heme axial ligand(s) for the ferric myoglobin (H93G) and heme oxygenase (H25A) cavity mutants as oxygen donors using magnetic circular dichroism

UV-visible absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) data are reported for the cavity mutants of sperm whale H93G myoglobin and human H25A heme oxygenase in their ferric states at 4 degreesC. Detailed spectral analyses of H93G myoglobin reveal that its heme coordination structure has a single water ligand at pH 5.0, a single hydroxide ligand at pH 10.0, and a mixture of species at pH 7.0 including five-coordinate hydroxide-bound, and six-coordinate structures. The five-coordinate aquo structure at pH 5 is supported by spectral similarity to acidic horseradish peroxidase (pH 3.1), whose MCD data are reported herein for the first time, and acidic myoglobin (pH 3.4), whose structures have been previously assigned by resonance Raman spectroscopy. The five-coordinate hydroxide structure at pH 10.0 is supported by MCD and resonance Raman data obtained here and by comparison with those of other known five-coordinate oxygen donor complexes. In particular, the MCD spectrum of alkaline ferric H93G myoglobin is strikingly similar to that of ferric tyrosinate-ligated human H93Y myoglobin, whose MCD data are reported herein for the first time, and that of the methoxide adduct of ferric protoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester (FeIIIPPIXDME). Analysis of the spectral data for ferric H25A heme oxygenase at neutral pH in the context of the spectra of other five-coordinate ferric heme complexes with proximal oxygen donor ligands, in particular the p-nitrophenolate and acetate adducts of FeIIIPPIXDME, is most consistent with ligation by a carboxylate group of a nearby glutamyl (or aspartic) acid residue.

The Arabidopsis thaliana HY1 locus, required for phytochrome-chromophore biosynthesis, encodes a protein related to heme oxygenases

The hy1 mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana fail to make the phytochrome-chromophore phytochromobilin and therefore are deficient in a wide range of phytochrome-mediated responses. Because this defect can be rescued by feeding seedlings biliverdin IXalpha, it is likely that the mutations affect an enzyme that converts heme to this phytochromobilin intermediate. By a combination of positional cloning and candidate-gene isolation, we have identified the HY1 gene and found it to be related to cyanobacterial, algal, and animal heme oxygenases. Three independent alleles of hy1 contain DNA lesions within the HY1 coding region, and a genomic sequence spanning the HY1 locus complements the hy1-1 mutation. HY1 is a member of a gene family and is expressed in a variety of A. thaliana tissues. Based on its homology, we propose that HY1 encodes a higher-plant heme oxygenase, designated AtHO1, responsible for catalyzing the reaction that opens the tetrapyrrole ring of heme to generate biliverdin IXalpha.

Arsenic binding proteins from human lymphoblastoid cells

Arsenic is a ubiquitous contaminant of drinking water and food. The mechanisms of the toxic action of inorganic arsenic are unknown. We report the isolation of proteins having a high affinity for arsenic in the +3 oxidation state that are induced by arsenite (AsIII) in human lymphoblastoid cells. The arsenic-binding proteins were isolated using a p-aminophenylarsine oxide affinity column. At least four proteins of 50, 42, 38.5 and 19.5 kDa were isolated by elution with 10 or 100 mM 2-mercaptoethanol. Two proteins were tentatively identified as tubulin and actin on the basis of their molecular weights and previously reported affinity for the arsenic column. The identities of the remaining proteins are unknown. Heme oxygenase 1 was induced by AsIII but did not bind to the arsenic affinity column. We conclude that AsIII induces multiple proteins that have variable affinities for arsenic in the +3 state as judged by the concentration of 2-mercaptoethanol required for their elution. The arsenic binding motif of these proteins may involve three thiol groups arranged 3-6 A apart by the tertiary structure of the protein as suggested by others. These proteins may serve as high affinity binding sites for AsIII and may be involved in the biological action of AsIII.

Replacement of the proximal histidine iron ligand by a cysteine or tyrosine converts heme oxygenase to an oxidase

The H25C and H25Y mutants of human heme oxygenase-1 (hHO-1), in which the proximal iron ligand is replaced by a cysteine or tyrosine, have been expressed and characterized. Resonance Raman studies indicate that the ferric heme complexes of these proteins, like the complex of the H25A mutant but unlike that of the wild type, are 5-coordinate high-spin. Labeling of the iron with 54Fe confirms that the proximal ligand in the ferric H25C protein is a cysteine thiolate. Resonance-enhanced tyrosinate modes in the resonance Raman spectrum of the H25Y.heme complex provide direct evidence for tyrosinate ligation in this protein. The H25C and H25Y heme complexes are reduced to the ferrous state by cytochrome P450 reductase but do not catalyze alpha-meso-hydroxylation of the heme or its conversion to biliverdin. Exposure of the ferrous heme complexes to O2 does not give detectable ferrous-dioxy complexes and leads to the uncoupled reduction of O2 to H2O2. Resonance Raman studies show that the ferrous H25C and H25Y heme complexes are present in both 5-coordinate high-spin and 4-coordinate intermediate-spin configurations. This finding indicates that the proximal cysteine and tyrosine ligand in the ferric H25C and H25Y complexes, respectively, dissociates upon reduction to the ferrous state. This is confirmed by the spectroscopic properties of the ferrous-CO complexes. Reduction potential measurements establish that reduction of the mutants by NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase, as observed, is thermodynamically allowed. The two proximal ligand mutations thus destabilize the ferrous-dioxy complex and uncouple the reduction of O2 from oxidation of the heme group. The proximal histidine ligand, for geometric or electronic reasons, is specifically required for normal heme oxygenase catalysis.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies on the water soluble form of rat heme oxygenase-1 in complex with heme

The water-soluble portion of rat heme oxygenase-1 which lacks 22 hydrophobic amino-acid residues at the C-terminus was expressed in E. coli and crystallized in the form of a complex with heme by the vapor-diffusion method using polyethylene glycol 4000 as the precipitant. The crystals belong to the tetragonal space group P41212 or P43212, with unit-cell dimensions of a = b = 56.7, c = 186. 7 A. The crystal contains one heme-heme oxygenase-1 complex in an asymmetric unit and diffracts X-rays beyond 3.0 A resolution with a conventional X-ray source.

Crystallization of recombinant human heme oxygenase-1

Heme oxygenase catalyzes the NADPH, O2, and cytochrome P450 reductase dependent oxidation of heme to biliverdin and carbon monoxide. One of two primary isozymes, HO-1, is anchored to the endoplasmic reticulum membrane via a stretch of hydrophobic residues at the C-terminus. While full-length human HO-1 consists of 288 residues, a truncated version with residues 1-265 has been expressed as a soluble active enzyme in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme crystallized from ammonium sulfate solutions but the crystals were not of sufficient quality for diffraction studies. SDS gel analysis indicated that the protein had undergone proteolytic degradation. An increase in the use of protease inhibitors during purification eliminated proteolysis, but the intact protein did not crystallize. N-terminal sequencing and mass spectral analysis of dissolved crystals indicated that the protein had degraded to two major species consisting of residues 1-226 and 1-237. Expression of the 1-226 and 1-233 versions of human HO-1 provided active enzyme that crystallizes in a form suitable for diffraction studies. These crystals belong to space group P2(1), with unit cell dimensions a = 79.3 A, b = 56.3 A, c = 112.8 A, and beta = 101.5 degrees.

Phytobilin biosynthesis: cloning and expression of a gene encoding soluble ferredoxin-dependent heme oxygenase from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

The phytobilin chromophores of phycobiliproteins and phytochromes are biosynthesized from heme in a pathway that begins with the opening of the tetrapyrrole macrocycle of protoheme to form biliverdin IX alpha, in a reaction catalyzed by heme oxygenase. A gene containing an open reading frame with a predicted polypeptide that has a sequence similar to that of a conserved region of animal microsomal heme oxygenases was identified in the published genomic sequence of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. This gene, named ho1, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli under the control of the lacZ promoter. Cells expressing the gene became green colored due to the accumulation of biliverdin IX alpha. The size of the expressed protein was equal to the predicted size of the Synechocystis gene product, named HO1. Heme oxygenase activity was assayed in incubations containing extract of transformed E. coli cells. Incubations containing extract of induced cells, but not those containing extract of uninduced cells, had ferredoxin-dependent heme oxygenase activity. With mesoheme as the substrate, the reaction product was identified as mesobiliverdin IX alpha by spectrophotometry and reverse-phase HPLC. Heme oxygenase activity was not sedimented by centrifugation at 100, 000 g. Expression of HO1 increased several-fold during incubation of the cells for 72 h in iron-deficient medium.

Heme oxygenase active-site residues identified by heme-protein cross-linking during reduction of CBrCl3

The reduction of CBrCl3 by the heme-heme oxygenase complex forms dissociable and covalently bound heme products. No such products are formed with mesoheme in which the heme vinyl substituents are replaced by ethyl groups. The dissociable heme products are chromatographically similar but not identical to those obtained in the analogous reaction with myoglobin. Tryptic digestion of the heme-protein adduct and Edman sequencing and mass spectrometric analysis of the heme-linked peptide identify His-25, the proximal iron ligand, as the alkylated residue. Reaction of CBrCl3 with the heme complexes of the T135V mutant and a Delta221 C-terminal truncated protein yields heme-linked peptides in addition to that from the wild-type reaction. The sequence of the principal labeled peptide from the T135V reaction, 205TAFLLNIQLFEELQELLTHDTK226 , and the lability of the adduct suggest the heme is attached to one of the carboxylic acid residues. A carboxylic acid residue is probably also labeled in the modified peptide 49LVMASLYHIYVALEEEIER67 from the Delta221 truncated protein. Thus, addition of the reductively generated trichloromethyl radical to a heme vinyl group produces a species that alkylates active-site residues. The changes in the alkylated residue caused by the Thr-135 mutation or truncation of the protein places residues in the sequences 49-67 and 205-226 within the active site. Furthermore, this is the first demonstration that heme oxygenase, like cytochrome P450, may catalyze the reductive metabolism of halocarbons and thus contribute to the toxicity of these agents.

The heme oxygenase gene (pbsA) in the red alga Rhodella violacea is discontinuous and transcriptionally activated during iron limitation

Heme oxygenase (HO) catalyzes the opening of the heme ring with the release of iron in both plants and animals. In cyanobacteria, red algae, and cryptophyceae, HO is a key enzyme in the synthesis of the chromophoric part of the photosynthetic antennae. In an attempt to study the regulation of this key metabolic step, we cloned and sequenced the pbsA gene encoding this enzyme from the red alga Rhodella violacea. The gene is located on the chloroplast genome, split into three distant exons, and is presumably expressed by a trans-splicing mechanism. The deduced polypeptide sequence is homologous to other reported HOs from organisms containing phycobilisomes (Porphyra purpurea and Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803) and, to a lesser extent, to vertebrate enzymes. The expression is transcriptionally activated under iron deprivation, a stress condition frequently encountered by algae, suggesting a second role for HO as an iron-mobilizing agent in photosynthetic organisms.

Heme oxygenase-1, intermediates in verdoheme formation and the requirement for reduction equivalents

Conversion of heme to verdoheme by heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is thought to involve alpha-meso-hydroxylation and elimination of the meso-carbon as CO, a reaction supported by both H2O2 and NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase/O2. Anaerobic reaction of the heme-HO-1 complex with 1 eq of H2O2 produces an enzyme-bound intermediate identified by spectroscopic methods as alpha-meso-hydroxyheme. This is the first direct evidence for HO-1-catalyzed formation of alpha-meso-hydroxyheme. alpha-meso-Hydroxyheme exists as a mixture of Fe(III) phenolate, Fe(III) keto anion, and Fe(II) keto pi neutral radical resonance structures. EPR shows that complexation with CO enhances the Fe(II) pi neutral radical component. Reaction of the alpha-meso-hydroxyheme-HO-1 complex with O2 generates Fe(III) verdoheme, which can be reduced in the presence of CO to the Fe(II) verdoheme-CO complex. Thus, conversion of alpha-meso-hydroxyheme to Fe(III) verdoheme, in contrast to a previous report (Matera, K. M., Takahashi, S., Fujii, H., Zhou, H., Ishikawa, K., Yoshimura, T., Rousseau, D. L., Yoshida, T., and Ikeda-Saito, M. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 6618-6624), does not require a reducing equivalent. An electron is only required to reduce ferric to ferrous verdoheme in the first step of its conversion to biliverdin.

Resonance Raman spectroscopic characterization of alpha-hydroxyheme and verdoheme complexes of heme oxygenase

Heme oxygenase (HO) is the microsomal enzyme that catalyzes the oxidative degradation of protoheme (iron protoporphyrin IX) and the generation of carbon monoxide. The enzyme converts protoheme into biliverdin through two known heme derivatives, alpha-hydroxyheme and verdoheme. To gain insight into the degradation mechanisms of the two intermediates, the resonance Raman spectra were observed for alpha-hydroxyheme and verdoheme complexes of HO and compared with those of apomyoglobin (apo-Mb) complexes. The ferrous alpha-hydroxyheme complexed with both HO and apo-Mb shows a resonance Raman spectral pattern similar to that of the protoheme complexes. On the contrary, the ferric alpha-hydroxyheme and ferrous verdoheme complexes of HO and apo-Mb show atypical Raman patterns, which are interpreted as the result of the symmetry lowering of the porphyrin-conjugated pi-electron system. The comparison of the resonance Raman spectra of the verdoheme complexed with HO and apo-Mb with those of the five- and six-coordinate model complexes of verdoheme shows that the ferrous forms of the verdoheme-protein complexes are six-coordinate. The Fe-CO and Fe-CN stretching frequencies of ferrous verdoheme compounds are distinct from those of ferrous heme compounds. It is inferred that the positive charge of the verdoheme ring possesses some of the charge density on the iron atom, causing unique characteristics of the iron ligand stretching vibrations and altered ligand binding properties.

The heme oxygenase system: a regulator of second messenger gases

The heme oxygenase (HO) system consists of two forms identified to date: the oxidative stress-inducible protein HO-1 (HSP32) and the constitutive isozyme HO-2. These proteins, which are different gene products, have little in common in primary structure, regulation, or tissue distribution. Both, however, catalyze oxidation of heme to biologically active molecules: iron, a gene regulator; biliverdin, an antioxidant; and carbon monoxide, a heme ligand. Finding the impressive heme-degrading activity of brain led to the suggestion that "HO in brain has functions aside from heme degradation" and to subsequent exploration of carbon monoxide as a promising and potentially significant messenger molecule. There is much parallelism between the biological actions and functions of the CO- and NO-generating systems; and their regulation is intimately linked. This review highlights the current information on molecular and biochemical properties of HO-1 and HO-2 and addresses the possible mechanisms for mutual regulatory interactions between the CO- and NO-generating systems.

Ligation of the iron in the heme-heme oxygenase complex: X-ray absorption, electronic absorption and magnetic circular dichroism studies

Heme oxygenase (HO) catalyzes the first steps in the breakdown of heme to biliverdin and carbon monoxide. It is a membrane-bound protein that has been shown to exist in two isoforms, HO-1 and HO-2. Recently, a soluble, truncated form of rat HO-1 (rHO) lacking the 23 amino-acid membrane anchor has been expressed in E. coli. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data on ferric rHO and its fluoride derivative support assignment of the axial iron ligands as oxygen and/or nitrogen donors having distances similar to ferric myoglobin. The electronic absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of the ferric and ferrous protoheme complexes of rHO as well as various ligand adducts are very similar to the corresponding spectra of myoglobin. The present study is the first investigation of the heme-heme oxygenase complex with EXAFS and MCD spectroscopy and establishes that the proximal ligand to the heme in rHO is histidine. Furthermore, the close similarity between the electronic absorption and MCD spectra of ferric rHO and myoglobin over the pH range 6 to 10 is consistent with distal heme ligation of ferric rHO as a water molecule or hydroxide ion, depending on pH. Taken together and in conjunction with the results of earlier studies, EXAFS, electronic absorption, and MCD spectroscopy solidly establish that the ligands to the heme in rHO are identical to those in myoglobin, namely, histidine/H2O at low pH and histidine/OH at high pH.

Oxygen and one reducing equivalent are both required for the conversion of alpha-hydroxyhemin to verdoheme in heme oxygenase

Heme oxygenase is a central enzyme of heme degradation and associated carbon monoxide biosynthesis. We have prepared the alpha-hydroxyheme-heme oxygenase complex, which is the first intermediate in the catalytic reaction. The active site structure of the complex was examined by optical absorption, EPR, and resonance Raman spectroscopies. In the ferric form of the enzyme complex, the heme iron is five coordinate high spin and the alpha-hydroxyheme group in the complex assumes a structure of an oxophlorin where the alpha-meso hydroxy group is deprotonated. In the ferrous form, the alpha-hydroxy group is protonated and consequently the prosthetic group assumes a porphyrin structure. The alpha-hydroxyheme group undergoes a redox-linked conversion between a keto and an enol form. The ferric alpha-hydroxyheme reacts with molecular oxygen to form a radical species. Reaction of the radical species with a reducing equivalent yields the verdoheme-heme oxygenase complex. Reaction of the ferrous alpha-hydroxyheme-heme oxygenase complex with oxygen also yields the verdoheme-enzyme complex. We conclude that the catalytic conversion of ferric alpha-hydroxyheme to verdoheme by heme oxygenase requires molecular oxygen and one reducing equivalent.

Heme oxygenase (HO-1): His-132 stabilizes a distal water ligand and assists catalysis

His-25 and His-132 are the primary candidates for the proximal heme iron ligand in heme oxygenase isozyme-1 (HO-1). The unambiguous spectroscopic demonstration that His-25 is the proximal iron ligand leaves the role of His-132 uncertain. Absorption and resonance Raman spectroscopy are used here to establish that mutation of His-132 to an alanine, glycine, or serine does not alter the histidine-iron bond, but results in the loss of the water molecule coordinated to the distal side of the iron in the wild-type enzyme-substrate complex. The His-132 mutations also (a) destabilize the ferrous-O2 complex with respect to autoxidation, which should result in partial uncoupling of NADPH consumption from heme oxidation, and (b) decrease the affinity of the enzyme for heme. The catalytic activity of the protein is decreased but not suppressed by these mutations: the H132G and H132A mutants retain 40-50% and the H132S mutant 20% of the activity of the wild-type protein. His-132, however, is required for catalytic turnover of the protein with H2O2. These results place His-132 close to the iron on the distal side of the heme pocket and indicate that His-132 facilitates, but is not absolutely required for, the catalytic turnover of HO-1.

Depletion and replacement of protein metal ligands

Recently, site-directed mutagenesis has been applied to protein-derived metal ligands in a way that permits the replacement in trans of protein ligands. The chemical diversity of ligands available using this method far exceeds that attainable using standard mutagenesis. Non-conservative ligand replacement can yield novel metalloproteins with altered ligand-binding, enzymatic activities, and spectroscopic properties. Conservative ligand substitution, or 'ligand detachment', allows the structural and functional effects of the covalent linkage between the ligand and the protein to be evaluated; this linkage is often proposed to play a critical role in modulating the structure and reactivity of the metal center. Furthermore, this method can be exploited to study the details of molecular recognition at the structural, thermodynamic, and dynamic levels.

Expression and characterization of truncated human heme oxygenase (hHO-1) and a fusion protein of hHO-1 with human cytochrome P450 reductase

A human heme oxygenase (hHO-1) gene without the sequence coding for the last 23 amino acids has been expressed in Escherichia coli behind the pho A promoter. The truncated enzyme is obtained in high yields as a soluble, catalytically-active protein, making it available for the first time for detailed mechanistic studies. The purified, truncated hHO-1/heme complex is spectroscopically indistinguishable from that of the rat enzyme and converts heme to biliverdin when reconstituted with rat liver cytochrome P450 reductase. A self-sufficient heme oxygenase system has been obtained by fusing the truncated hHO-1 gene to the gene for human cytochrome P450 reductase without the sequence coding for the 20 amino acid membrane binding domain. Expression of the fusion protein in pCWori+ yields a protein that only requires NADPH for catalytic turnover. The failure of exogenous cytochrome P450 reductase to stimulate turnover and the insensitivity of the catalytic rate toward changes in ionic strength establish that electrons are transferred intramolecularly between the reductase and heme oxygenase domains of the fusion protein. The Vmax for the fusion protein is 2.5 times higher than that for the reconstituted system. Therefore, either the covalent tether does not interfere with normal docking and electron transfer between the flavin and heme domains or alternative but equally efficient electron transfer pathways are available that do not require specific docking.

Corticosterone has a permissive effect on expression of heme oxygenase-1 in CA1-CA3 neurons of hippocampus in thermal-stressed rats

Activity of the stress protein, heme oxygenase-1 (hsp32; HO-1), produces carbon monoxide (CO), the potential messenger molecule for excitatory N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated events, in the hippocampus. Long-term stress caused by elevated adrenocorticoids induces pathological changes in CA1-CA3 neurons of the hippocampus; the adrenal hormones also exacerbate damage from stress. In rats chronically treated with corticosterone, we examined expression of HO-1 and its response to thermal stress in the hippocampus. An unprecedented appearance of scattered immunoreactive astrocytes marked the molecular layer of the hippocampus in corticosterone-treated rats. Steroid treatment showed no discernible effect on whole-brain HO-1 mRNA. When these rats were subjected to hyperthermia, neurons in the CA1-CA3 area, including pyramidal cells, exhibited intense immunoreactivity for the oxygenase and a pronounced increase (approximately 10-fold) in number. HO-1 is essentially undetectable in this area when rats are exposed to chronic corticosterone alone or thermal stress by itself, or in control rats. In contrast, similar analysis of hilar neurons showed no apparent effect on either the number or relative intensity of HO-1-immunostained cells after treatment. Corticosterone treatment also intensified the stress response of cerebellum, including Purkinje cells and Bergmann glia in the molecular layer. In brain, despite a pronounced reduction in NO synthase activity in corticosterone-treated and/or heat-stressed animals, the level of cyclic GMP was not significantly reduced. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that responsiveness to environmental stress of CA1-CA3 neurons brought about by chronic elevation in circulating adrenocorticoids results in an increased excitatory neuronal activity and eventual hippocampal degeneration. Moreover, these findings yield further support for a role of CO in the production of cyclic GMP in the brain.

Heme oxygenase-2. Properties of the heme complex of the purified tryptic fragment of recombinant human heme oxygenase-2

Recombinant human microsomal heme oxygenase-2 was expressed in Escherichia coli. Tryptic digestion of the membrane fraction, in which the wild-type enzyme was localized, yielded a soluble tryptic peptide of 28 kDa, which retained the ability to accept electrons from NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase and the enzymatic activity for conversion of heme to biliverdin. The tryptic fragment, when purified to apparent homogeneity, bound one equivalent of heme to form a substrate-enzyme complex that had spectroscopic properties characteristic of heme proteins, such as myoglobin and hemoglobin. Optical absorption, Raman scattering, and EPR studies of the heme-tryptic fragment complex revealed that the ferric heme was six coordinate high spin at neutral pH and six coordinate low spin at alkaline pH, with a pK alpha value of 8.5. EPR and Raman scattering studies indicated that a neutral imidazole of a histidine residue served as the proximal ligand in the heme-heme oxygenase-2 fragment complex. The reaction with hydrogen peroxide converted the heme of the heme oxygenase-2 fragment complex into a verdoheme-like intermediate, while the reaction with m-chloroperbenzoic acid yielded a oxoferryl species. These spectroscopic properties are similar to those obtained for heme oxygenase-1, and thus the catalytic mechanism of heme oxygenase-2 appears to be similar to that of heme oxygenase-1.

Demonstration that histidine 25, but not 132, is the axial heme ligand in rat heme oxygenase-1

A truncated, soluble rat heme oxygenase-1 lacking its C-terminal, membrane-anchoring segment, and its His25-->Ala and His132-->Ala mutants have been prepared by site-directed mutagenesis and expression in Escherichia coli. We found that wild-type enzyme can degrade heme to biliverdin, but its specific activity was about one-fifth that of the native, full-length enzyme, suggesting that the C-terminal segment is important for accepting electrons from NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase. His132-->Ala mutant had an enzyme activity comparable to that of the wild-type enzyme; hence, the highly conserved His132 is not essential for the display of the heme oxygenase activity. In contrast, His25-->Ala mutation completely abolished the enzyme's catalytic activity. A five-coordinate type ferrous NO EPR spectrum was observed for the heme-heme oxygenase H25A complex. Hence, we conclude that His25 is the proximal axial ligand of the heme iron and is essential for the heme degradation activity of the enzyme.

Heme oxygenase (HO-1). Evidence for electrophilic oxygen addition to the porphyrin ring in the formation of alpha-meso-hydroxyheme

Previous studies have established that reaction of the rat heme-heme oxygenase complex with H2O2 proceeds normally to give verdoheme, whereas reaction of the complex with meta-chloroperbenzoic acid yields a ferryl (FeIV = O) species and a protein radical but no verdoheme. The heme-heme oxygenase complex is shown here to react regiospecifically with ethyl hydroperoxide to give alpha-meso-ethoxyheme. Formation of this product exactly parallels the formation of alpha-meso-hydroxyheme in the normal reaction supported by cytochrome P450 reductase/NADPH or H2O2. These results rule out a nucleophilic mechanism for the alpha-meso-hydroxylation catalyzed by heme oxygenase and indicate that it involves electrophilic (or possibly radical) addition of the distal oxygen of iron-bound peroxide (FeIII-OOH) to the porphyrin ring.

Interaction of Fe-protoporphyrin IX and heme analogues with purified recombinant heme oxygenase-2, the constitutive isozyme of the brain and testes

Heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2) is the predominant form of heme oxygenase in the brain and testes. The enzyme is not readily amenable to isolation from mammalian tissues and has not been characterized for its kinetic properties and interaction with metalloporphyrins. Presently a rat HO-2 cDNA (Rotenberg, M.O., and Maines, M. D. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 7501-7506) was used to generate a construct with a neutral hydrophobicity profile at its COOH terminus for expression of nearly full-length HO-2 protein in Escherichia coli. The procedures used for HO-1 were of no utility in purification of HO-2. A multistep protocol developed for isolation of HO-2 resulted in a homogeneous protein with a specific activity up to 6,500 nmol of bilirubin/mg/h. Based on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analyses, the protein had an apparent molecular mass of approximately 34 kDa. HO-2 binds Fe-protoporphyrin (heme) at near molar unity to give a complex with the absorption maximum at 403 nm. The Soret band has a blue shift to 430 nm when heme iron is reduced, with distinct alpha and beta bands at 485 and 550 nm, respectively. The Soret band of the CO complex of ferrous heme.HO-2 is at 420 nm, and alpha and beta bands are at 540 and 572 nm, respectively. The apparent Km for Fe-protoporphyrin is 0.33 microM, with a Vmax of 0.45 nmol of bilirubin/mg/h. Zn-protoporphyrin is a strong mixed inhibitor of enzyme activity, whereas Co-protoporphyrin is a poor competitive inhibitor of activity. When HO-2 was preincubated (10 min at 4 degrees C) with Fe-protoporphyrin, the cobalt complex did not inhibit enzyme activity, whereas the Zn-protoporphyrin effectively inhibited activity. Calorimetric measurements suggest that HO-2/heme interaction involves one type of association producing a single heat absorption peak upon melting of the complex and that the unfolding is not reversible. The association increases the enthalpy of HO-2 (130 kcal/mol versus 184 kcal/mol) and increases the stability to heat denaturation by 9 degrees C. Heat duration of zinc complex involves at least two stages of unfolding.

Proton NMR investigation of substrate-bound heme oxygenase: evidence for electronic and steric contributions to stereoselective heme cleavage

The substrate-bound form of the enzyme heme oxygenase (HO), which catalyzed the stereospecific alpha-meso bridge cleavage of hemin to yield biliverdin IX alpha, has been investigated by 1H NMR in both its primarily high-spin and its cyanide-inhibited low-spin forms. Both derivatives yield 1H NMR spectra indicative of extensive heterogeneity that is largely resolved when a 2-fold-symmetric hemin substrate is bound. The structural origin of the heterogeneity is shown to result from approximately 1:1 isomeric binding of the native hemin substrate in the binding pocket. The substrate orientational disorder is about the alpha,gamma-meso axis, as established on the basis of 2D NMR experiments that identify characteristic aromatic van der Waals contact in the substrate binding pocket. The isomeric substrate-HO complexes exhibit differential cyanide affinity, and the ratio of isomers is sensitive to the hemin 2,4-substituents. The assignment of hemin signals by isotopic labeling and 2D NMR methods reveals a contact shift pattern that reflects an unusual hemin electronic structure that is characterized by large differences in delocalized spin density for the two positions within a given pyrrole, rather than the more conventional large differences between adjacent pyrroles. This pattern of spin density delocalized primarily to the pyrrole positions adjacent to the alpha,gamma-meso axis can be rationalized by postulating a direct electronic perturbation of the hemin by the protein matrix in the form of an anionic side chain close to the alpha-meso carbon. Similar influences on hemin electronic structure, in the form of chemical substitution of the meso positions, have been observed in iron porphyrin compounds and successfully modeled by simple molecular orbital theory (Tan et al., 1994). This is interpreted as evidence for a direct electronic effect by HO to activate the alpha-meso position for electrophilic rather than nucleophilic attack. The unique contact shift pattern is present to different degrees for the two hemin orientations, is strongly pH dependent, and is largely abolished at acidic pH. Portions of several heme pocket residues are located and it is shown that the pattern of the dipolar shifts for these residues, which likely reflects the distal steric influence on the tilt of the coordinated cyanide, differs significantly for the two substrate orientations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Heme-heme oxygenase complex: structure and properties of the catalytic site from resonance Raman scattering

The resonance Raman spectra of ferric and ferrous forms of the heme-heme oxygenase (HO) complex (isoform 1) clarify several structural features of the catalytic active site. Isotopic substitution studies of the central iron atom of the heme demonstrate that the line at 218 cm-1 in the ferrous ligand-free form of the complex originates from the iron-histidine stretching mode. The presence of a Raman line at this frequency confirms that the fifth ligand coordinating to the heme is a neutral imidazole from a histidine residue. The modes associated with CO in the carboxy derivative of the ferrous enzyme complex have typical frequencies of histidine-bound heme proteins such as myoglobin. In the ferric form of the complex, at alkaline pH, hydroxide is identified as the bound exogenous ligand, and at neutral pH we infer that water is bound. Thus, the coordination of the heme-HO complex is the same as that in myoglobin. However, in a comparison of the low-frequency vibrational modes in the resonance Raman spectrum of the heme-HO complex to those of myoglobin, the spectra are found to be very different, indicating that the interactions between the heme and its amino acid pocket in these two proteins are quite different. The neutral imidazole may play several important roles in the physiological function of the heme-HO complex.

Heme-heme oxygenase complex. Structure of the catalytic site and its implication for oxygen activation

Heme oxygenase, a central monooxygenase enzyme of the heme catabolism and the associated generation of carbon monoxide, forms a 1:1 stoichiometric complex with iron protoporphyrin IX, which is a prosthetic active center and at the same time the substrate of the enzyme. By using EPR, resonance Raman, and optical absorption spectroscopic techniques, we have determined the axial ligand coordination of the enzyme-heme complex. The ferric heme iron in the heme-enzyme complex at neutral pH is six-coordinate high spin, while at alkaline pH (pKa 7.6), the complex becomes low spin. Spectra of ferrous forms of the complex indicate that histidine serves as the iron proximal axial ligand and that the residue is in its neutral imidazole rather than its imidazolate protonation state. Thus, the active site of the heme-heme oxygenase complex has a myoglobin-like structure rather than an active site similar to the large cytochrome P-450 class of monooxygenases. As a consequence, the activated form of the heme-heme oxygenase complex, a peroxo intermediate, is different from that of the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenases, in which the activated form is an oxo intermediate. The overall catalytic mechanism is probably more closely related to that of other monooxygenases with myoglobin-like active sites, such as secondary amine monooxygenase.

Resonance Raman and EPR spectroscopic studies on heme-heme oxygenase complexes

The binding of ferrous and ferric hemes and manganese(II)- and manganese(III)-substituted hemes to heme oxygenase has been investigated by optical absorption, resonance Raman, and EPR spectroscopy. The results are consistent with the presence of a six-coordinate heme moiety ligated to an essential histidine ligand and a water molecule. The latter ionizes with a pKa approximately 8.0 to give a mixture of high-spin and low-spin six-coordinate hydroxo adducts. Addition of excess cyanide converts the heme to a hexacoordinate low-spin species. The resonance Raman spectrum of the ferrous heme-heme oxygenase complex and that of the Mn(II)protoporphyrin-heme oxygenase complex shows bands at 216 and 212 cm-1, respectively, that are assigned to the metal-histidine stretching mode. The EPR spectrum of the oxidized heme-heme oxygenase complex has a strongly axial signal with g parallel of approximately 6 and g perpendicular approximately 2. 14NO and 15NO adducts of ferrous heme-heme oxygenase exhibit EPR hyperfine splittings of approximately 20 and approximately 25 Gauss, respectively. In addition, both nitrosyl complexes show additional superhyperfine splittings of approximately 7 Gauss from spin-spin interaction with the proximal histidine nitrogen. The heme environment in the heme-heme oxygenase enzyme-substrate complex has spectroscopic properties similar to those of the heme in myoglobin. Hence, there is neither a strongly electron-donating fifth (proximal) ligand nor an electron-withdrawing network on the distal side of the heme moiety comparable to that for cytochromes P-450 and peroxidases. This observation has profound implications about the nature of the oxygen-activating process in the heme-->biliverdin reaction that are discussed in this paper.

Biliverdin reductase is heat resistant and coexpressed with constitutive and heat shock forms of heme oxygenase in brain

Two heme oxygenase (HO) isozymes--HO-1, which is a heat shock protein (HSP32), and HO-2--catalyze the isomer-specific production of biliverdin IX alpha and carbon monoxide. The latter has the potential of functioning as a neurotransmitter, whereas the reduced form of biliverdin, bilirubin, has potent antioxidant activity. Formation of bilirubin is catalyzed by biliverdin reductase (BVR). The reductase is a unique enzyme in being dual pyridine nucleotide and dual pH dependent. Here, we show that the reductase is resistant to thermal stress at both the protein and message level. We further demonstrate that the reductase is coexpressed in cells that display HO-1 and/or HO-2 under normal conditions, as well as in regions and cell types that have the potential to express heat shock-inducible HO-1 protein. Exposure of male rats to 42 degrees C for 20 min did not decrease brain BVR activity, but caused a slight increase in NADPH- and NADH-dependent activities at 1 and 6 h following hyperthermia. High levels of the approximately 1.5-kb BVR mRNA were detected in control brain; it too displayed thermal tolerance. Similarly, the pattern of multiplicity of net charge variants of the enzyme purified from brain of heat-shocked rats did not differ from the control pattern. Immunochemical localization of BVR protein in normal brain correlated well with the presence of HO-1 and/or HO-2 throughout the forebrain, diencephalon, cerebellum, and brainstem regions. There were select neuronal and nonneuronal cells in the substantia nigra and cerebellum that did express the reductase under normal conditions, wherein no HO isozymes could be detected.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The proximal promoter region of the human heme oxygenase gene contains elements involved in stimulation of transcriptional activity by a variety of agents including oxidants

The rate of transcription of the heme oxygenase gene is enhanced by a variety of agents including oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide and UVA (320-380 nm) radiation and the sulfhydryl reagent, sodium arsenite. To further analyze the inducible response, we have isolated genomic clones of the human heme oxygenase gene. A 1.44 kb fragment corresponding to a region extending from 1416 bp upstream of the mRNA cap site to 24 bp into the 5' untranslated region of the mRNA has been further subcloned and sequenced and used as the basis for the construction of recombinant CAT transient expression vectors. By deleting large portions of this fragment, we have established that elements within 121 bp of sequence immediately upstream of the mRNA cap site respond to various agents (sodium arsenite, hydrogen peroxide, hemin, cadmium chloride and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate) to give a 3- to 5-fold enhancement in transient expression of the reporter gene. Under the assay conditions employed, induction can only be detected when a SV40 enhancer element is present upstream of the promoter sequence. However, control experiments show that the SV40 sequences serve to amplify the response and are not directly involved in the induction itself. Only a small induction occurs when the entire 1.44 kb fragment is present. The results are consistent with the possibility that additional inducible enhancer elements lie outside of the sequence under study and that a silencer or negative regulatory element occurs upstream of the mRNA cap site within the 1.44 kb fragment.

Nucleotide sequence of cDNA for porcine heme oxygenase and its expression in Escherichia coli

The nucleotide sequence of a cDNA for porcine heme oxygenase was determined. The open reading frame encoded a polypeptide of 288 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 33,074 Da. A prokaryotic expression plasmid carrying porcine heme oxygenase cDNA was constructed and transfected into Escherichia coli cells. The full-length heme oxygenase expressed was localized in the bacterial membranes. Two small-sized heme oxygenases with no membrane-bound properties were also detected, suggesting that in E. coli cells a considerable amount of the enzyme expressed was degraded.

Immunochemical studies of haem oxygenase. Preparation and characterization of antibodies to chick liver haem oxygenase and their use in detecting and quantifying amounts of haem oxygenase protein

Monospecific polyclonal rabbit antibodies to a purified form of haem oxygenase of chick liver, showing sequence similarity to mammalian haem oxygenase-1, were raised and used to study characteristics of the oxygenase. The antibodies inhibited activity of the purified oxygenase, but not other enzyme components (NADPH:cytochrome reductase and biliverdin reductase) of the standard assay mixture of haem oxygenase. In addition, the antibodies inhibited activity of haem oxygenase in microsomes (microsomal fractions) from Cd(2+)-treated chick liver, spleen, testis and brain. Western (immuno-) blots of microsomal proteins of selected organs from chick, rat and man, and homogenates of chick-embryo liver-cell cultures, probed with the antibodies, showed a major protein with a molecular mass of 33-34 kDa and a lower-molecular-mass protein (28-29 kDa) of variable intensity. Studies with trypsin and selected proteinase inhibitors established that the smaller peptide was a proteolytic product of the larger. Treatment of chick-embryo liver-cell cultures with CdCl2, a potent inducer of haem oxygenase, increased the degree of proteinase-mediated cleavage of the 33 kDa protein to the lower-molecular-mass form. These results indicate that, under at least some conditions, such cultures should be homogenized in the presence of trypsin inhibitor to prevent proteolytic degradation of the enzyme and allow maximal expression of haem oxygenase activity. The antibodies also reacted with haem oxygenase from spleen, testis and brain of both chicks and rats, and the spleen of humans. A method for quantifying the amount of haem oxygenase protein was developed with use of slot-blots and laser densitometry; linearity was observed from 0 to 5 ng of haem oxygenase protein per slot, and the method was applied to sonicated cultured chick-embryo liver cells treated with Cd2+ (0.3 mM) or iron plus glutethimide. In both cases, increases in enzyme activity were of similar magnitude to increases in amounts of enzyme protein. Approximate amounts of haem oxygenase protein in microsomes of several organs from intact animals could also be estimated by the use of slot-blot-laser densitometry, and the amounts measured were increased by the addition of purified haem oxygenase to the microsomal preparations. Results of these studies indicated that haem oxygenase-1 could be detected in microsomes from all chick or rat organs studied, including testis and brain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Rapid induction of heme oxygenase 1 mRNA and protein by hyperthermia in rat brain: heme oxygenase 2 is not a heat shock protein

Catalytic activity of heme oxygenase (heme, hydrogen-donor:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.14.99.3) isozymes, HO-1 and HO-2, permits production of physiologic isomers of bile pigments. In turn, bile pigments biliverdin and bilirubin are effective antioxidants in biological systems. In the rat brain we have identified only the HO-1 isozyme of heme oxygenase as a heat shock protein and defined hyperthermia as a stimulus that causes an increase in brain HO-1 protein. Exposure of male rats to 42 degrees C for 20 min caused a rapid and marked increase in brain 1.8-kilobase HO-1 mRNA. Specifically, a 33-fold increase in brain HO-1 mRNA was observed within 1 h and sustained for at least 6 h posttreatment. In contrast, the two HO-2 homologous transcripts (1.3 and 1.9 kilobases) did not respond to heat shock; neither the ratio nor the level of the two messages differed from that of the control when measured either at 1, 6, or 24 h after hyperthermia. The induction of a 1.8-kilobase HO-1 mRNA resulted in a pronounced increase in HO-1 protein 6 h after hyperthermia, as detected by both Western immunoblot and RIA. Immunocytochemistry of rat brain showed discrete localization of HO-1-like protein only in neurons of select brain regions. Six hours after heat shock, an intense increase in HO-1-like protein was observed in both Purkinje cells of the cerebellum and epithelial cells lining the cerebral aqueduct of the brain. We suggest that the increase in HO-1 protein, hence increased capacity to form bile pigments, represents a neuronal defense mechanism against heat shock stress.

Structural studies on bovine spleen heme oxygenase. Immunological and structural diversity among mammalian heme oxygenase enzymes

Heme oxygenase is an Mr 32,000 microsomal enzyme which catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the oxidative catabolism of heme to yield equimolar quantities of biliverdin IX alpha, carbon monoxide, and iron. In the present investigation, evidence is presented suggesting that immunochemical and structural differences exist between bovine spleen heme oxygenase and heme oxygenase enzymes from other mammalian species. Using an antibody directed against bovine spleen heme oxygenase, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Western blotting experiments, and cell-free translation immunoprecipitation studies showed that bovine spleen heme oxygenase is only weakly immunochemically related to heme oxygenase from rat spleen. This observation was supported by the fact that a rat spleen heme oxygenase cDNA probe did not hybridize significantly to bovine spleen heme oxygenase mRNA in Northern analyses nor to restriction fragments containing the bovine heme oxygenase gene in Southern analyses. Tryptic peptides were prepared from bovine spleen heme oxygenase and the amino acid sequences of nine peptides comprising 94 amino acid residues were determined, providing the first information on the primary structure of bovine spleen heme oxygenase. Comparison of the sequences of these tryptic peptides with regions of the deduced amino acid sequences of rat spleen and human macrophage heme oxygenase revealed sequence similarities ranging from 55 to 100%. Several peptides displaying the highest degree of sequence similarity were found to occur in regions of the heme oxygenase molecule postulated to contain the heme binding site, indicating that despite the immunochemical and apparent structural differences between bovine spleen heme oxygenase and the rat and human enzymes, functionally important amino acid residues have been conserved in the evolution of mammalian heme oxygenase genes.