1
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Belyaeva J, Elgeti M. Exploring protein structural ensembles: Integration of sparse experimental data from electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy with molecular modeling methods. eLife 2024; 13:e99770. [PMID: 39283059 PMCID: PMC11405019 DOI: 10.7554/elife.99770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Under physiological conditions, proteins continuously undergo structural fluctuations on different timescales. Some conformations are only sparsely populated, but still play a key role in protein function. Thus, meaningful structure-function frameworks must include structural ensembles rather than only the most populated protein conformations. To detail protein plasticity, modern structural biology combines complementary experimental and computational approaches. In this review, we survey available computational approaches that integrate sparse experimental data from electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy with molecular modeling techniques to derive all-atom structural models of rare protein conformations. We also propose strategies to increase the reliability and improve efficiency using deep learning approaches, thus advancing the field of integrative structural biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Belyaeva
- Institute for Drug Discovery, Leipzig University Medical School, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Leipzig University Medical School, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Elgeti
- Institute for Drug Discovery, Leipzig University Medical School, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Leipzig University Medical School, Leipzig, Germany
- Integrative Center for Bioinformatics, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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2
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Fatima S, Olshansky L. Conformational control over proton-coupled electron transfer in metalloenzymes. Nat Rev Chem 2024:10.1038/s41570-024-00646-7. [PMID: 39223400 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-024-00646-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
From the reduction of dinitrogen to the oxidation of water, the chemical transformations catalysed by metalloenzymes underlie global geochemical and biochemical cycles. These reactions represent some of the most kinetically and thermodynamically challenging processes known and require the complex choreography of the fundamental building blocks of nature, electrons and protons, to be carried out with utmost precision and accuracy. The rate-determining step of catalysis in many metalloenzymes consists of a protein structural rearrangement, suggesting that nature has evolved to leverage macroscopic changes in protein molecular structure to control subatomic changes in metallocofactor electronic structure. The proton-coupled electron transfer mechanisms operative in nitrogenase, photosystem II and ribonucleotide reductase exemplify this interplay between molecular and electronic structural control. We present the culmination of decades of study on each of these systems and clarify what is known regarding the interplay between structural changes and functional outcomes in these metalloenzyme linchpins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saman Fatima
- Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Lisa Olshansky
- Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Materials Research Laboratory, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
- The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
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3
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Bogdanov A, Frydman V, Seal M, Rapatskiy L, Schnegg A, Zhu W, Iron M, Gronenborn AM, Goldfarb D. Extending the Range of Distances Accessible by 19F Electron-Nuclear Double Resonance in Proteins Using High-Spin Gd(III) Labels. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:6157-6167. [PMID: 38393979 PMCID: PMC10921402 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c13745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Fluorine electron-nuclear double resonance (19F ENDOR) has recently emerged as a valuable tool in structural biology for distance determination between F atoms and a paramagnetic center, either intrinsic or conjugated to a biomolecule via spin labeling. Such measurements allow access to distances too short to be measured by double electron-electron resonance (DEER). To further extend the accessible distance range, we exploit the high-spin properties of Gd(III) and focus on transitions other than the central transition (|-1/2⟩ ↔ |+1/2⟩), that become more populated at high magnetic fields and low temperatures. This increases the spectral resolution up to ca. 7 times, thus raising the long-distance limit of 19F ENDOR almost 2-fold. We first demonstrate this on a model fluorine-containing Gd(III) complex with a well-resolved 19F spectrum in conventional central transition measurements and show quantitative agreement between the experimental spectra and theoretical predictions. We then validate our approach on two proteins labeled with 19F and Gd(III), in which the Gd-F distance is too long to produce a well-resolved 19F ENDOR doublet when measured at the central transition. By focusing on the |-5/2⟩ ↔ |-3/2⟩ and |-7/2⟩ ↔ |-5/2⟩ EPR transitions, a resolution enhancement of 4.5- and 7-fold was obtained, respectively. We also present data analysis strategies to handle contributions of different electron spin manifolds to the ENDOR spectrum. Our new extended 19F ENDOR approach may be applicable to Gd-F distances as large as 20 Å, widening the current ENDOR distance window.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Bogdanov
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Physics, The
Weizmann Institute of Science, P.O. Box 26, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Veronica Frydman
- Department
of Chemical Research Support, The Weizmann
Institute of Science, P.O. Box 26, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Manas Seal
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Physics, The
Weizmann Institute of Science, P.O. Box 26, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Leonid Rapatskiy
- Max
Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, 34-36 Stiftstraße, Mülheim an der Ruhr, 45470, Germany
| | - Alexander Schnegg
- Max
Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, 34-36 Stiftstraße, Mülheim an der Ruhr, 45470, Germany
| | - Wenkai Zhu
- Department
of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Mark Iron
- Department
of Chemical Research Support, The Weizmann
Institute of Science, P.O. Box 26, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Angela M. Gronenborn
- Department
of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Daniella Goldfarb
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Physics, The
Weizmann Institute of Science, P.O. Box 26, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
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4
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Schumann SL, Kotnig S, Kutin Y, Drosou M, Stratmann LM, Streltsova Y, Schnegg A, Pantazis DA, Clever GH, Kasanmascheff M. Structure and Flexibility of Copper-Modified DNA G-Quadruplexes Investigated by 19 F ENDOR Experiments at 34 GHz. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202302527. [PMID: 37602522 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202302527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
DNA G-quadruplexes (GQs) are of great interest due to their involvement in crucial biological processes such as telomerase maintenance and gene expression. Furthermore, they are reported as catalytically active DNAzymes and building blocks in bio-nanotechnology. GQs exhibit remarkable structural diversity and conformational heterogeneity, necessitating precise and reliable tools to unravel their structure-function relationships. Here, we present insights into the structure and conformational flexibility of a unimolecular GQ with high spatial resolution via electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) experiments combined with Cu(II) and fluorine labeling. These findings showcase the successful application of the 19 F-ENDOR methodology at 34 GHz, overcoming the limitations posed by the complexity and scarcity of higher-frequency spectrometers. Importantly, our approach retains both sensitivity and orientational resolution. This integrated study not only enhances our understanding of GQs but also expands the methodological toolbox for studying other macromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon L Schumann
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Simon Kotnig
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Yury Kutin
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Maria Drosou
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Lukas M Stratmann
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Yana Streltsova
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Alexander Schnegg
- Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Energiekonversion, Stiftstraße 34-36, 45470, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Dimitrios A Pantazis
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Guido H Clever
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Müge Kasanmascheff
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 6, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
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5
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Asanbaeva NB, Novopashina DS, Rogozhnikova OY, Tormyshev VM, Kehl A, Sukhanov AA, Shernyukov AV, Genaev AM, Lomzov AA, Bennati M, Meyer A, Bagryanskaya EG. 19F electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy for distance measurements using trityl spin labels in DNA duplexes. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:23454-23466. [PMID: 37609874 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp02969g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
The combination of fluorine labeling and pulsed electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) is emerging as a powerful technique for obtaining structural information about proteins and nucleic acids. In this work, we explored the capability of Mims 19F ENDOR experiments on reporting intermolecular distances in trityl- and 19F-labeled DNA duplexes at three electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) frequencies (34, 94, and 263 GHz). For spin labeling, we used the hydrophobic Finland trityl radical and hydrophilic OX063 trityl radical. Fluorine labels were introduced into two positions of a DNA oligonucleotide. The results indicated that hyperfine splittings visible in the ENDOR spectra are consistent with the most populated interspin distances between 19F and the trityl radical predicted from molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. Moreover, for some cases, ENDOR spectral simulations based on MD results were able to reproduce the conformational distribution reflected in the experimental ENDOR line broadening. Additionally, MD simulations provided more detailed information about the melting of terminal base pairs of the oligonucleotides and about the configuration of the trityls relative to a DNA end.
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Affiliation(s)
- N B Asanbaeva
- N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry SB RAS, 9 Pr. Ak. Lavrentjeva, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
| | - D S Novopashina
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, 8 Pr. Ak. Lavrentjeva, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - O Yu Rogozhnikova
- N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry SB RAS, 9 Pr. Ak. Lavrentjeva, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
| | - V M Tormyshev
- N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry SB RAS, 9 Pr. Ak. Lavrentjeva, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
| | - A Kehl
- Research Group EPR Spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - A A Sukhanov
- Zavoisky Physical-Technical Institute, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, 10/7 Sibirsky Tract, Kazan 420029, Russia
| | - A V Shernyukov
- N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry SB RAS, 9 Pr. Ak. Lavrentjeva, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
| | - A M Genaev
- N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry SB RAS, 9 Pr. Ak. Lavrentjeva, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
| | - A A Lomzov
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine SB RAS, 8 Pr. Ak. Lavrentjeva, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - M Bennati
- Research Group EPR Spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Georg August University of Göttingen, Tammannstr.6, Göttingen, Germany
| | - A Meyer
- Research Group EPR Spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Georg August University of Göttingen, Tammannstr.6, Göttingen, Germany
| | - E G Bagryanskaya
- N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry SB RAS, 9 Pr. Ak. Lavrentjeva, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
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6
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Nguyen RC, Stagliano C, Liu A. Structural insights into the half-of-sites reactivity in homodimeric and homotetrameric metalloenzymes. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2023; 75:102332. [PMID: 37269676 PMCID: PMC10528533 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.102332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Half-of-sites reactivity in many homodimeric and homotetrameric metalloenzymes has been known for half a century, yet its benefit remains poorly understood. A recently reported cryo-electron microscopy structure has given some clues on the less optimized reactivity of Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase with an asymmetric association of α2β2 subunits during catalysis. Moreover, nonequivalence of enzyme active sites has been reported in many other enzymes, possibly as a means of regulation. They are often induced by substrate binding or caused by a critical component introduced from a neighboring subunit in response to substrate loadings, such as in prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthase, cytidine triphosphate synthase, glyoxalase, tryptophan dioxygenase, and several decarboxylases or dehydrogenases. Overall, half-of-sites reactivity is likely not an act of wasting resources but rather a method devised in nature to accommodate catalytic or regulatory needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romie C Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA
| | - Cassadee Stagliano
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA
| | - Aimin Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA.
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7
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Wiechers H, Kehl A, Hiller M, Eltzner B, Huckemann SF, Meyer A, Tkach I, Bennati M, Pokern Y. Bayesian optimization to estimate hyperfine couplings from 19F ENDOR spectra. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE (SAN DIEGO, CALIF. : 1997) 2023; 353:107491. [PMID: 37301045 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2023.107491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
ENDOR spectroscopy is a fundamental method to detect nuclear spins in the vicinity of paramagnetic centers and their mutual hyperfine interaction. Recently, site-selective introduction of 19F as nuclear labels has been proposed as a tool for ENDOR-based distance determination in biomolecules, complementing pulsed dipolar spectroscopy in the range of angstrom to nanometer. Nevertheless, one main challenge of ENDOR still consists of its spectral analysis, which is aggravated by a large parameter space and broad resonances from hyperfine interactions. Additionally, at high EPR frequencies and fields (⩾94 GHz/3.4 Tesla), chemical shift anisotropy might contribute to broadening and asymmetry in the spectra. Here, we use two nitroxide-fluorine model systems to examine a statistical approach to finding the best parameter fit to experimental 263 GHz 19F ENDOR spectra. We propose Bayesian optimization for a rapid, global parameter search with little prior knowledge, followed by a refinement by more standard gradient-based fitting procedures. Indeed, the latter suffer from finding local rather than global minima of a suitably defined loss function. Using a new and accelerated simulation procedure, results for the semi-rigid nitroxide-fluorine two and three spin systems lead to physically reasonable solutions, if minima of similar loss can be distinguished by DFT predictions. The approach also delivers the stochastic error of the obtained parameter estimates. Future developments and perspectives are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Wiechers
- Felix-Bernstein-Institute for Mathematical Statistics in the Biosciences, Georgia-Augusta-University, Goldschmidtstr. 7, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - A Kehl
- Research Group EPR Spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - M Hiller
- Research Group EPR Spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - B Eltzner
- Research Group Computational Biomolecular Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - S F Huckemann
- Felix-Bernstein-Institute for Mathematical Statistics in the Biosciences, Georgia-Augusta-University, Goldschmidtstr. 7, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - A Meyer
- Research Group EPR Spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany; Institute of Physical Chemistry, Georgia-Augusta-University, Tammanstr. 6, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - I Tkach
- Research Group EPR Spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - M Bennati
- Research Group EPR Spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany; Institute of Physical Chemistry, Georgia-Augusta-University, Tammanstr. 6, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Y Pokern
- Department of Statistical Science, University College London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
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8
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Cui C, Song DY, Drennan CL, Stubbe J, Nocera DG. Radical Transport Facilitated by a Proton Transfer Network at the Subunit Interface of Ribonucleotide Reductase. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:5145-5154. [PMID: 36812162 PMCID: PMC10561588 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c11483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) play an essential role in the conversion of nucleotides to deoxynucleotides in all organisms. The Escherichia coli class Ia RNR requires two homodimeric subunits, α and β. The active form is an asymmetric αα'ββ' complex. The α subunit houses the site for nucleotide reduction initiated by a thiyl radical (C439•), and the β subunit houses the diferric-tyrosyl radical (Y122•) that is essential for C439• formation. The reactions require a highly regulated and reversible long-range proton-coupled electron transfer pathway involving Y122•[β] ↔ W48?[β] ↔ Y356[β] ↔ Y731[α] ↔ Y730[α] ↔ C439[α]. In a recent cryo-EM structure, Y356[β] was revealed for the first time and it, along with Y731[α], spans the asymmetric α/β interface. An E52[β] residue, which is essential for Y356 oxidation, allows access to the interface and resides at the head of a polar region comprising R331[α], E326[α], and E326[α'] residues. Mutagenesis studies with canonical and unnatural amino acid substitutions now suggest that these ionizable residues are important in enzyme activity. To gain further insights into the roles of these residues, Y356• was photochemically generated using a photosensitizer covalently attached adjacent to Y356[β]. Mutagenesis studies, transient absorption spectroscopy, and photochemical assays monitoring deoxynucleotide formation collectively indicate that the E52[β], R331[α], E326[α], and E326[α'] network plays the essential role of shuttling protons associated with Y356 oxidation from the interface to bulk solvent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Cui
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - David Y. Song
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Catherine L. Drennan
- Department of Chemistr, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - JoAnne Stubbe
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Department of Chemistr, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Daniel G. Nocera
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
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Zhong J, Reinhardt CR, Hammes-Schiffer S. Direct Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer between Interfacial Tyrosines in Ribonucleotide Reductase. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:4784-4790. [PMID: 36802630 PMCID: PMC10344599 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c13615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) regulates DNA synthesis and repair in all organisms. The mechanism of Escherichia coli RNR requires radical transfer over a proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) pathway spanning ∼32 Å across two protein subunits. A key step along this pathway is the interfacial PCET reaction between Y356 in the β subunit and Y731 in the α subunit. Herein, this PCET reaction between two tyrosines across an aqueous interface is explored with classical molecular dynamics and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) free energy simulations. The simulations suggest that the water-mediated mechanism involving double proton transfer through an intervening water molecule is thermodynamically and kinetically unfavorable. The direct PCET mechanism between Y356 and Y731 becomes feasible when Y731 is flipped toward the interface and is predicted to be approximately isoergic with a relatively low free energy barrier. This direct mechanism is facilitated by the hydrogen bonding of water to both Y356 and Y731. These simulations provide fundamental insights into radical transfer across aqueous interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayun Zhong
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
| | - Clorice R. Reinhardt
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
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10
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Pastore AJ, Montoya A, Kamat M, Basso KB, Italia JS, Chatterjee A, Drosou M, Pantazis DA, Angerhofer A. Selective incorporation of 5-hydroxytryptophan blocks long range electron transfer in oxalate decarboxylase. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4537. [PMID: 36482787 PMCID: PMC9801070 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Oxalate decarboxylase from Bacillus subtilis is a binuclear Mn-dependent acid stress response enzyme that converts the mono-anion of oxalic acid into formate and carbon dioxide in a redox neutral unimolecular disproportionation reaction. A π-stacked tryptophan dimer, W96 and W274, at the interface between two monomer subunits facilitates long-range electron transfer between the two Mn ions and plays an important role in the catalytic mechanism. Substitution of W96 with the unnatural amino acid 5-hydroxytryptophan leads to a persistent EPR signal which can be traced back to the neutral radical of 5-hydroxytryptophan with its hydroxyl proton removed. 5-Hydroxytryptophan acts as a hole sink preventing the formation of Mn(III) at the N-terminal active site and strongly suppresses enzymatic activity. The lower boundary of the standard reduction potential for the active site Mn(II)/Mn(III) couple can therefore be estimated as 740 mV against the normal hydrogen electrode at pH 4, the pH of maximum catalytic efficiency. Our results support the catalytic importance of long-range electron transfer in oxalate decarboxylase while at the same time highlighting the utility of unnatural amino acid incorporation and specifically the use of 5-hydroxytryptophan as an energetic sink for hole hopping to probe electron transfer in redox proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alvaro Montoya
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Manasi Kamat
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Kari B. Basso
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - James S. Italia
- Department of ChemistryBoston CollegeChestnut HillMassachusettsUSA
| | | | - Maria Drosou
- Max‐Planck‐Institut für KohlenforschungMülheim an der RuhrGermany
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