Control of cyclic photoinitiated electron transfer between cytochrome c peroxidase (W191F) and cytochrome c by formation of dynamic binary and ternary complexes

Tuning Radical Relay Residues by Proton Management Rescues Protein Electron Hopping

Transient tyrosine and tryptophan radicals play key roles in the electron transfer (ET) reactions of photosystem (PS) II, ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), photolyase, and many other proteins. However, Tyr and Trp are not functionally interchangeable, and the factors controlling their reactivity are often unclear. Cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP) employs a Trp191^•+ radical to oxidize reduced cytochrome c (Cc). Although a Tyr191 replacement also forms a stable radical, it does not support rapid ET from Cc. Here we probe the redox properties of CcP Y191 by non-natural amino acid substitution, altering the ET driving force and manipulating the protic environment of Y191. Higher potential fluorotyrosine residues increase ET rates marginally, but only addition of a hydrogen bond donor to Tyr191^• (via Leu232His or Glu) substantially alters activity by increasing the ET rate by nearly 30-fold. ESR and ESEEM spectroscopies, crystallography, and pH-dependent ET kinetics provide strong evidence for hydrogen bond formation to Y191^• by His232/Glu232. Rate measurements and rapid freeze quench ESR spectroscopy further reveal differences in radical propagation and Cc oxidation that support an increased Y191^• formal potential of ∼200 mV in the presence of E232. Hence, Y191 inactivity results from a potential drop owing to Y191^•+ deprotonation. Incorporation of a well-positioned base to accept and donate back a hydrogen bond upshifts the Tyr^• potential into a range where it can effectively oxidize Cc. These findings have implications for the Y_Z/Y_D radicals of PS II, hole-hopping in RNR and cryptochrome, and engineering proteins for long-range ET reactions.

MCMap-A Computational Tool for Mapping Energy Landscapes of Transient Protein-Protein Interactions

MCMap is a tool particularly well-suited for analyzing energy landscapes of transient macromolecular complexes. The program applies a Monte Carlo strategy, where the ligand moves randomly in the electrostatic field of the receptor. By applying importance sampling, the major interaction sites are mapped, resulting in a global distribution of ligand-receptor complexes. This approach displays the dynamic character of transiently interacting protein complexes where not a single complex but an ensemble of complexes better describes the protein interactions. The software provides a broad range of analysis options which allow for relating the simulations to experimental data and for interpreting them on a structural level. The application of MCMap is exemplified by the electron-transfer complex of cytochrome c peroxidase and cytochrome c from baker's yeast. The functionality of MCMap and the visualization of simulation data are in particular demonstrated by studying the dependence of the association on ionic strength and on the oxidation state of the binding partner. Furthermore, microscopically, a repulsion of a second ligand can be seen in the ternary complex upon the change of the oxidation state of the bound cytochrome c. The software is made available as open source software together with the example and can be downloaded free of charge from http://www.bisb.uni-bayreuth.de/index.php?page=downloads.

Constraints on the Radical Cation Center of Cytochrome c Peroxidase for Electron Transfer from Cytochrome c

The tryptophan 191 cation radical of cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP) compound I (Cpd I) mediates long-range electron transfer (ET) to cytochrome c (Cc). Here we test the effects of chemical substitution at position 191. CcP W191Y forms a stable tyrosyl radical upon reaction with peroxide and produces spectral properties similar to those of Cpd I but has low reactivity toward reduced Cc. CcP W191G and W191F variants also have low activity, as do redox ligands that bind within the W191G cavity. Crystal structures of complexes between Cc and CcP W191X (X = Y, F, or G), as well as W191G with four bound ligands reveal similar 1:1 association modes and heme pocket conformations. The ligands display structural disorder in the pocket and do not hydrogen bond to Asp235, as does Trp191. Well-ordered Tyr191 directs its hydroxyl group toward the porphyrin ring, with no basic residue in the range of interaction. CcP W191X (X = Y, F, or G) variants substituted with zinc-porphyrin (ZnP) undergo photoinduced ET with Cc(III). Their slow charge recombination kinetics that result from loss of the radical center allow resolution of difference spectra for the charge-separated state [ZnP(+), Cc(II)]. The change from a phenyl moiety at position 191 in W191F to a water-filled cavity in W191G produces effects on ET rates much weaker than the effects of the change from Trp to Phe. Low net reactivity of W191Y toward Cc(II) derives either from the inability of ZnP(+) or the Fe-CcP ferryl to oxidize Tyr or from the low potential of the resulting neutral Tyr radical.

Structure and Function of Transient Encounters of Redox Proteins

Many biomolecular interactions proceed via lowly populated, transient intermediates. Believed to facilitate formation of a productive complex, these short-lived species are inaccessible to conventional biophysical and structural techniques and, until recently, could only be studied by theoretical simulations. Recent development of experimental approaches sensitive to the presence of minor species--in particular paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) NMR spectroscopy--has enabled direct visualization and detailed characterization of such lowly populated states. Collectively referred to as an encounter complex, the binding intermediates are particularly important in transient protein interactions, such as those orchestrating signaling cascades or energy-generating electron transfer (ET) chains. Here I discuss encounter complexes of redox proteins mediating biological ET reactions, which are essential for many vital cellular activities including oxidative phosphorylation and photosynthesis. In particular, this Account focuses on the complex of cytochrome c (Cc) and cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP), which is a paradigm of biomolecular ET and an attractive system for studying protein binding and enzymatic catalysis. The Cc-CcP complex formation proceeds via an encounter state, consisting of multiple protein-protein orientations sampled in the search of the dominant, functionally active bound form and exhibiting a broad spatial distribution, in striking agreement with earlier theoretical simulations. At low ionic strength, CcP binds another Cc molecule to form a weak ternary complex, initially inferred from kinetics experiments and postulated to account for the measured ET activity. Despite strenuous efforts, the ternary complex could not be observed directly and remained eagerly sought for the past two decades. Very recently, we have solved its structure in solution and shown that it consists of two binding forms: the dominant, ET-inactive geometry and an ensemble of lowly populated species with short separations between Cc and CcP cofactors, which summarily account for the measured ET rate. Unlike most protein complexes, which require accurate alignment of the binding surfaces in a single, well-defined orientation to carry out their function, redox proteins can form multiple productive complexes. As fast ET will occur any time the redox centers of the binding partners are close enough to ensure efficient electron tunneling across the interface, many protein-protein orientations are expected to be ET active. The present analysis confirms that the low-occupancy states can support the functional ET activity and contribute to the stability of redox protein complexes. As illustrated here, boundaries between the dominant and the encounter forms become blurred for many dynamic ET systems, which are more aptly described by ensembles of functionally and structurally heterogeneous bound forms.

The low-affinity complex of cytochrome c and its peroxidase

The complex of yeast cytochrome c peroxidase and cytochrome c is a paradigm of the biological electron transfer (ET). Building on seven decades of research, two different models have been proposed to explain its functional redox activity. One postulates that the intermolecular ET occurs only in the dominant, high-affinity protein–protein orientation, while the other posits formation of an additional, low-affinity complex, which is much more active than the dominant one. Unlike the high-affinity interaction—extensively studied by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy—until now the binding of cytochrome c to the low-affinity site has not been observed directly, but inferred mainly from kinetics experiments. Here we report the structure of this elusive, weak protein complex and show that it consists of a dominant, inactive bound species and an ensemble of minor, ET-competent protein–protein orientations, which summarily account for the experimentally determined value of the ET rate constant.

The redox activity of cytochrome c in complex with its peroxidase has been rationalized by two possible models; a readily observable high-affinity complex and a more elusive but potentially more active low-affinity complex. Here, the authors provide an NMR-based structural mapping of this low-affinity complex.