Ligand and Redox Partner Binding Generates a New Conformational State in Cytochrome P450cam (CYP101A1)

Adrenodoxin allosterically alters human cytochrome P450 11B enzymes to accelerate substrate binding and decelerate release

Two human mitochondrial membrane CYP11B enzymes play a pivotal role in steroidogenesis. CYP11B1 generates the major glucocorticoid cortisol, while CYP11B2 catalysis yields the primary mineralocorticoid aldosterone. Catalysis by both requires electron delivery by a soluble iron-sulfur adrenodoxin redox partner. However recent studies have shown that adrenodoxin/CYP11B interaction alone allosterically increases substrate and inhibitor affinity as exhibited by decreased dissociation constant (K d) values. The current study moves beyond such equilibrium studies, by defining adrenodoxin effects on the rates of P450 ligand binding and release separately. Stopped-flow data clearly demonstrate that adrenodoxin interaction with the P450 proximal surfaces increases ligand binding in both P450 CYP11B active sites by increasing the on rate constant and decreasing the off rate constant. As substrate entry and exit from the sequestered P450 active site requires conformational changes on the distal side of the P450 enzyme, a likely explanation is that adrenodoxin binding allosterically modulates CYP11B conformational changes. The 93% identical CYP11B enzymes can bind and hydroxylate each other's native substrates differing only by a hydroxyl. However, CYP11B1 exhibits monophasic substrate binding and CYP11B2 biphasic substrate binding, even when the substrates are swapped. This indicates that small differences in amino acid sequence between human CYP11B1 and CYP11B2 enzymes are more functionally important in ligand binding and could suggest avenues for more selective inhibition of these drug targets. Both protein/protein interactions and protein/substrate interactions are most likely to act by modulating CYP11B conformational dynamics.

3site Multisubstrate-Bound State of Cytochrome P450cam

We identified a multisubstrate-bound state, hereby referred as a 3site state, in cytochrome P450cam via integrating molecular dynamics simulation with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) pseudocontact shift measurements. The 3site state is a result of simultaneous binding of three camphor molecules in three locations around P450cam: (a) in a well-established "catalytic" site near heme, (b) in a kink-separated "waiting" site along channel-1, and (c) in a previously reported "allosteric" site at E, F, G, and H helical junctions. These three spatially distinct binding modes in the 3site state mutually communicate with each other via homotropic allostery and act cooperatively to render P450cam functional. The 3site state shows a significantly superior fit with NMR pseudo contact shift (PCS) data with a Q-score of 0.045 than previously known bound states and consists of D251 free of salt-bridges with K178 and R186, rendering the enzyme functionally primed. To date, none of the reported cocomplex of P450cam with its redox partner putidaredoxin (pdx) has been able to match solution NMR data and controversial pdx-induced opening of P450cam's channel-1 remains a matter of recurrent discourse. In this regard, inclusion of pdx to the 3site state is able to perfectly fit the NMR PCS measurement with a Q-score of 0.08 and disfavors the pdx-induced opening of channel-1, reconciling previously unexplained remarkably fast hydroxylation kinetics with a koff of 10.2 s-1. Together, our findings hint that previous experimental observations may have inadvertently captured the 3site state as an in vitro solution state, instead of the catalytic state alone, and provided a distinct departure from the conventional understanding of cytochrome P450.

Redox partner recognition and selectivity of cytochrome P450lin (CYP111A1)

The strict requirement of cytochrome P450cam for its native ferredoxin redox partner, putidaredoxin (Pdx), is not exhibited by any other known cytochrome P450 (CYP) system and the molecular details of redox partner selectivity are still not completely understood. We therefore examined the selectivity of a related Pseudomonas cytochrome P450, P450lin, by testing its activity with non-native redox partners. We found that P450lin could utilize Arx, the native redox partner of CYP101D1, to enable turnover of its substrate, linalool, while Pdx showed limited activity. Arx exhibited a higher sequence similarity to P450lins native redox partner, linredoxin (Ldx) than Pdx, including several residues that are believed to be at the interface of the two proteins, based on the P450cam-Pdx complex structure. We therefore mutated Pdx to resemble Ldx and Arx and found that a double mutant, D38L/∆106, displayed higher activity than Arx. In addition, Pdx D38L/∆106 does not induce a low-spin shift in linalool bound P450lin but does destabilize the P450lin-oxycomplex. Together our results suggest that P450lin and its redox partners may form a similar interface to P450cam-Pdx, but the interactions that allow for productive turnover are different.

Cooperative Substrate Binding Controls Catalysis in Bacterial Cytochrome P450terp (CYP108A1)

Despite being one of the most well-studied aspects of cytochrome P450 chemistry, important questions remain regarding the nature and ubiquity of allosteric regulation of catalysis. The crystal structure of a bacterial P450, P450terp, in the presence of substrate reveals two binding sites, one above the heme in position for regioselective hydroxylation and another in the substrate access channel. Unlike many bacterial P450s, P450terp does not exhibit an open to closed conformational change when substrate binds; instead, P450terp uses the second substrate molecule to hold the first substrate molecule in position for catalysis. Spectral titrations clearly show that substrate binding to P450terp is cooperative with a Hill coefficient of 1.4 and is supported by isothermal titration calorimetry. The importance of the allosteric site was explored by a series of mutations that weaken the second site and that help hold the first substrate in position for proper catalysis. We further measured the coupling efficiency of both the wild-type (WT) enzyme and the mutant enzymes. While the WT enzyme exhibits 97% efficiency, each of the variants showed lower catalytic efficiency. Additionally, the variants show decreased spin shifts upon binding of substrate. These results are the first clear example of positive homotropic allostery in a class 1 bacterial P450 with its natural substrate. Combined with our recent results from P450cam showing complex substrate allostery and conformational dynamics, our present study with P450terp indicates that bacterial P450s may not be as simple as once thought and share complex substrate binding properties usually associated with only mammalian P450s.

Investigating the Active Oxidants Involved in Cytochrome P450 Catalyzed Sulfoxidation Reactions

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) heme-thiolate monooxygenases catalyze the hydroxylation of the C-H bonds of organic molecules. This reaction is initiated by a ferryl-oxo heme radical cation (Cpd I). These enzymes can also catalyze sulfoxidation reactions and the ferric-hydroperoxy complex (Cpd 0) and the Fe(III)-H₂ O₂ complex have been proposed as alternative oxidants for this transformation. To investigate this, the oxidation of 4-alkylthiobenzoic acids and 4-methoxybenzoic acid by the CYP199A4 enzyme from Rhodopseudomonas palustris HaA2 was compared using both monooxygenase and peroxygenase pathways. By examining mutants at the mechanistically important, conserved acid alcohol-pair (D251N, T252A and T252E) the relative amounts of the reactive intermediates that would form in these reactions were disturbed. Substrate binding and X-ray crystal structures helped to understand changes in the activity and enabled an attempt to evaluate whether multiple oxidants can participate in these reactions. In peroxygenase reactions the T252E mutant had higher activity towards sulfoxidation than O-demethylation but in the monooxygenase reactions with the WT enzyme the activity of both reactions was similar. The peroxygenase activity of the T252A mutant was greater for sulfoxidation reactions than the WT enzyme, which is the reverse of the activity changes observed for O-demethylation. The monooxygenase activity and coupling efficiency of sulfoxidation and oxidative demethylation were reduced by similar degrees with the T252A mutant. These observations infer that while Cpd I is required for O-dealkylation, another oxidant may contribute to sulfoxidation. Based on the activity of the CYP199A4 mutants it is proposed that this is the Fe(III)-H₂ O₂ complex which would be more abundant in the peroxide-driven reactions.

Hydroxylation Regiochemistry Is Robust to Active Site Mutations in Cytochrome P450cam (CYP101A1)

Cytochrome P450_cam (CYP101A1) catalyzes the hydroxylation of d-camphor by molecular oxygen. The enzyme-catalyzed hydroxylation exhibits a high degree of regioselectivity and stereoselectivity, with a single major product, d-5-exo-hydroxycamphor, suggesting that the substrate is oriented to facilitate this specificity. In previous work, we used an elastic network model and perturbation response scanning to show that normal deformation modes of the enzyme structure are highly responsive not only to the presence of a substrate but also to the substrate orientation. This work examines the effects of mutations near the active site on substrate localization and orientation. The investigated mutations were designed to promote a change in substrate orientation and/or location that might give rise to different hydroxylation products, while maintaining the same carbon and oxygen atom balances as in the wild type (WT) enzyme. Computational experiments and parallel in vitro site-directed mutations of CYP101A1 were used to examine reaction products and enzyme activity. ¹H-¹⁵N TROSY-HSQC correlation maps were used to compare the computational results with detectable perturbations in the enzyme structure and dynamics. We found that all of the mutant enzymes retained the same regio- and stereospecificity of hydroxylation as the WT enzyme, with varying degrees of efficiency, which suggests that large portions of the enzyme have been subjected to evolutionary pressure to arrive at the appropriate sequence-structure combination for efficient 5-exo hydroxylation of camphor.

Structural Insights on the Conversion of Cytochrome P450 to P420

A characteristic feature of cytochromes P450* is that the complex formed between the ferrous heme iron and carbon monoxide generates an intense absorption band at 450 nm. This unique feature of P450s is due to the proximal thiolate Cys ligand coordinated to the heme iron. Various harsh treatments shift this band to 420 nm, thereby giving P420 which is most often associated with an inactive form of the enzyme. Various explanations have been put forward to explain the P450-to-P420 change ranging from protonation of the Cys heme ligand, displacement of the Cys ligand, or replacement of the Cys ligand with His. There are two crystal structures of the well-studied cytochrome P450cam that have a high fraction of P420. In one, P450cam is cross-linked to its redox partner, putidaredoxin (Pdx), and the second is P450cam crystallized in the absence of substrate. In both of these structures, a significant part of the substrate pocket is disordered and the poor quality of the electron density for the substrate indicates substantial disorder. However, in both structures there is no detectable change in the Cys-iron ligation or surrounding structure. These results indicate that the P450-to-P420 switch is due primarily to an opening and disordering around the substrate binding pocket and not ligand displacement or ligand swapping. Since it remains a possibility that ligand swapping could be responsible for P420 in some cases, we mutated to Gln the 3 His residues (352, 355, and 361) close enough to the proximal side of the heme that could possibly serve as heme ligands. The triple variant forms P420 which indicates that swapping Cys for His is not a requirement for the P450-to-P420 switch.

Updating the Paradigm: Redox Partner Binding and Conformational Dynamics in Cytochromes P450

This Account summarizes recent findings centered on the role that redox partner binding, allostery, and conformational dynamics plays in cytochrome P450 proton coupled electron transfer. P450s are one of Nature's largest enzyme families and it is not uncommon to find a P450 wherever substrate oxidation is required in the formation of essential molecules critical to the life of the organism or in xenobiotic detoxification. P450s can operate on a remarkably large range of substrates from the very small to the very large, yet the overall P450 three-dimensional structure is conserved. Given this conservation of structure, it is generally assumed that the basic catalytic mechanism is conserved. In nearly all P450s, the O₂ O-O bond must be cleaved heterolytically enabling one oxygen atom, the distal oxygen, to depart as water and leave behind a heme iron-linked O atom as the powerful oxidant that is used to activate the nearby substrate. For this process to proceed efficiently, externally supplied electrons and protons are required. Two protons must be added to the departing O atom while an electron is transferred from a redox partner that typically contains either a Fe₂S₂ or FMN redox center. The paradigm P450 used to unravel the details of these mechanisms has been the bacterial CYP101A1 or P450cam. P450cam is specific for its own Fe₂S₂ redox partner, putidaredoxin or Pdx, and it has long been postulated that Pdx plays an effector/allosteric role by possibly switching P450cam to an active conformation. Crystal structures, spectroscopic data, and direct binding experiments of the P450cam-Pdx complex provide some answers. Pdx shifts the conformation of P450cam to a more open state, a transition that is postulated to trigger the proton relay network required for O₂ activation. An essential part of this proton relay network is a highly conserved Asp (sometimes Glu) that is known to be critical for activity in a number of P450s. How this Asp and proton delivery networks are connected to redox partner binding is quite simple. In the closed state, this Asp is tied down by salt bridges, but these salt bridges are ruptured when Pdx binds, leaving the Asp free to serve its role in proton transfer. An alternative hypothesis suggests that a specific proton relay network is not really necessary. In this scenario, the Asp plays a structural role in the open/close transition and merely opening the active site access channel is sufficient to enable solvent protons in for O₂ protonation. Experiments designed to test these various hypotheses have revealed some surprises in both P450cam and other bacterial P450s. Molecular dynamics and crystallography show that P450cam can undergo rather significant conformational gymnastics that result in a large restructuring of the active site requiring multiple cis/trans proline isomerizations. It also has been found that X-ray driven substrate hydroxylation is a useful tool for better understanding the role that the essential Asp and surrounding residues play in catalysis. Here we summarize these recent results which provide a much more dynamic picture of P450 catalysis.

Nanopore-based measurement of the interaction of P450cam monooxygenase and putidaredoxin at the single-molecule level

Protein-protein interactions occur in a wide range of biological processes and are of great significance to life function. Characterization of transient protein-protein interactions remains a significant barrier to our understanding of cellular processes. Nanopores provide unique nanoscale environments that accommodate single molecules from the surrounding bulk solution. This method permits label-free sensing at the single-molecule level with extremely high sensitivity. Herein, the interaction between a single P450cam monooxygenase and its redox partner putidaredoxin (Pdx) was monitored via transient ionic current by using functionalized glass nanopores. Results show that the volume of P450cam determines the blockage current while the interactions between the P450cam and Pdx give a long blockage duration. Our glass nanopore sensor with adjustable diameter could be applied for real-time sensing of protein-protein interactions between individual proteins with a wide range of molecular weight.

Partial Opening of Cytochrome P450cam (CYP101A1) Is Driven by Allostery and Putidaredoxin Binding

Cytochrome P450cam (CYP101A1) catalyzes the regio- and stereo-specific 5-exo-hydroxylation of camphor via a multistep catalytic cycle that involves two-electron transfer steps, with an absolute requirement that the second electron be donated by the ferrodoxin, putidaredoxin (Pdx). Whether P450cam, once camphor has bound to the active site and the substrate entry channel has closed, opens up upon Pdx binding, during the second electron transfer step, or it remains closed is still a matter of debate. A potential allosteric site for camphor binding has been identified and postulated to play a role in the binding of Pdx. Here, we have revisited paramagnetic NMR spectroscopy data and determined a heterogeneous ensemble of structures that explains the data, provides a complete representation of the P450cam/Pdx complex in solution, and reconciles alternative hypotheses. The allosteric camphor binding site is always present, and the conformational changes induced by camphor binding to this site facilitates Pdx binding. We also determined that the state to which Pdx binds comprises an ensemble of structures that have features of both the open and closed state. These results demonstrate that there is a finely balanced interaction between allosteric camphor binding and the binding of Pdx at high camphor concentrations.

Two β-Lactamase Variants with Reduced Clavulanic Acid Inhibition Display Different Millisecond Dynamics

The β-lactamase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, BlaC, is susceptible to inhibition by clavulanic acid. The ability of this enzyme to escape inhibition through mutation was probed using error-prone PCR combined with functional screening in Escherichia coli. The variant that was found to confer the most inhibitor resistance, K234R, as well as variant G132N that was found previously were characterized using X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation experiments to probe structural and dynamic properties. The G132N mutant exists in solution in two almost equally populated conformations that exchange with a rate of ca. 88 s-1. The conformational change affects a broad region of the enzyme. The crystal structure reveals that the Asn132 side chain forces the peptide bond between Ser104 and Ile105 in a cis-conformation. The crystal structure suggests multiple conformations for several side chains (e.g., Ser104 and Ser130) and a short loop (positions 214 to 216). In the K234R mutant, the active-site dynamics are significantly diminished with respect to the wild-type enzyme. These results show that multiple evolutionary routes are available to increase inhibitor resistance in BlaC and that active-site dynamics on the millisecond time scale are not required for catalytic function.

Active Site Hydrogen Bonding Induced in Cytochrome P450cam by Effector Putidaredoxin

Cytochrome P450s are diverse and powerful catalysts that can activate molecular oxygen to oxidize a wide variety of substrates. Catalysis relies on effective uptake of two electrons and two protons. For cytochrome P450cam, an archetypal member of the superfamily, the second electron must be supplied by the redox partner putidaredoxin (Pdx). Pdx also plays an effector role beyond electron transfer, but after decades the mechanism remains under investigation. We applied infrared spectroscopy to heme-ligated CN^- to examine the influence of Pdx binding. The results indicate that Pdx induces the population of a conformation wherein the CN^- ligand forms a strong hydrogen bond to a solvent water molecule, experimentally corroborating the formation of a proposed proton delivery network. Further, characterization of T252A P450cam implicates the side chain of Thr252 in regulating the population equilibrium of hydrogen-bonded states within the P450cam/Pdx complex, which could underlie its role in directing activated oxygen toward product formation and preventing reaction uncoupling through peroxide release.

Dynamics underlying hydroxylation selectivity of cytochrome P450cam

Structural heterogeneity and the dynamics of the complexes of enzymes with substrates can determine the selectivity of catalysis; however, fully characterizing how remains challenging as heterogeneity and dynamics can vary at the spatial level of an amino acid residue and involve rapid timescales. We demonstrate the nascent approach of site-specific two-dimensional infrared (IR) spectroscopy to investigate the archetypical cytochrome P450, P450cam, to better delineate the mechanism of the lower regioselectivity of hydroxylation of the substrate norcamphor in comparison to the native substrate camphor. Specific locations are targeted throughout the enzyme by selectively introducing cyano groups that have frequencies in a spectrally isolated region of the protein IR spectrum as local vibrational probes. Linear and two-dimensional IR spectroscopy were applied to measure the heterogeneity and dynamics at each probe and investigate how they differentiate camphor and norcamphor recognition. The IR data indicate that the norcamphor complex does not fully induce a large-scale conformational change to a closed state of the enzyme adopted in the camphor complex. Additionally, a probe directed at the bound substrate experiences rapidly interconverting states in the norcamphor complex that explain the hydroxylation product distribution. Altogether, the study reveals large- and small-scale structural heterogeneity and dynamics that could contribute to selectivity of a cytochrome P450 and illustrates the approach of site-selective IR spectroscopy to elucidate protein dynamics.

Kinetic Evidence for an Induced Fit Mechanism in the Binding of the Substrate Camphor by Cytochrome P450cam

Bacterial cytochrome P450 (P450) 101A1 (P450cam) has served as a prototype among the P450 enzymes and has high catalytic activity towards its cognate substrate, camphor. X-ray crystallography and NMR and IR spectroscopy have demonstrated the existence of multiple conformations of many P450s, including P450cam. Kinetic studies have indicated that substrate binding to several P450s is dominated by a conformational selection process, in which the substrate binds an individual conformer(s) of the unliganded enzyme. P450cam was found to differ in that binding of the substrate camphor is dominated by an induced fit mechanism, in which the enzyme binds camphor and then changes conformation, as evidenced by the equivalence of binding eigenvalues observed when varying both camphor and P450cam concentrations. The accessory protein putidaredoxin had no effect on substrate binding. Estimation of the rate of dissociation of the P450cam·camphor complex (15 s-1) and fitting of the data yield a minimal kinetic mechanism in which camphor binds (1.5 × 107 M-1 s-1) and the initial P450cam•camphor complex undergoes a reversible equilibrium (k forward 112 s-1, k reverse 28 s-1) to a final complex. This induced fit mechanism differs from those reported for several mammalian P450s and bacterial P450BM-3, indicative of the diversity of how P450s recognize multiple substrates. However, similar behavior was not observed with the alternate substrates (+)-α-pinene and 2-adamantanone, which probably utilize a conformational selection process.

A dynamic understanding of cytochrome P450 structure and function through solution NMR

Many economically important biosyntheses incorporate regiospecific and stereospecific oxidations at unactivated carbons. Such oxidations are commonly catalyzed by cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, heme-containing enzymes that activate molecular oxygen while selectively binding and orienting the substrate for reaction. Despite the plethora of P450-catalyzed reactions, the P450 fold is highly conserved, and static structures are often insufficient for characterizing conformational states that contribute to specificity. High-resolution solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) offers insights into dynamic processes and conformational changes that are required of a P450 in order to attain the combination of specificity and efficiency required for these reactions.

Unexpected Differences between Two Closely Related Bacterial P450 Camphor Monooxygenases

The bacterial cytochrome P450cam catalyzes the oxidation of camphor to 5-exo-hydroxycamphor as the first step in the oxidative assimilation of camphor as a carbon/energy source. CYP101D1 is another bacterial P450 that catalyzes the same reaction. A third P450 (P450tcu) has recently been discovered that has ≈86% sequence identity to P450cam as well as very similar enzymatic properties. P450tcu, however, exhibits three unusual features not found in P450cam. First, we observe product in at least two orientations in the X-ray structure that indicates that, unlike the case for P450cam, X-ray-generated reducing equivalents can drive substrate hydroxylation in crystallo. We postulate, on the basis of molecular dynamics simulations, that greater flexibility in P450tcu enables easier access of protons to the active site and, together with X-ray driven reduction, results in O₂ activation and substrate hydroxylation. Second, the characteristic low-spin to high-spin transition when camphor binds occurs immediately with P450cam but is very slow in P450tcu. Third, isothermal titration calorimetry shows that in P450cam substrate binding is entropically driven with a ΔH of >0 while in P450tcu with a ΔH of <0 with a more modest change in -TΔS. These results indicate that despite nearly identical structures and enzymatic properties, these two P450s exhibit quite different properties most likely related to differences in conformational dynamics.

A requirement for an active proton delivery network supports a compound I-mediated C-C bond cleavage in CYP51 catalysis

CYP51 enzymes (sterol 14α-demethylases) are cytochromes P450 that catalyze multistep reactions. The CYP51 reaction occurs in all biological kingdoms and is essential in sterol biosynthesis. It removes the 14α-methyl group from cyclized sterol precursors by first forming an alcohol, then an aldehyde, and finally eliminating formic acid with the introduction of a Δ14-15 double bond in the sterol core. The first two steps are typical hydroxylations, mediated by an electrophilic compound I mechanism. The third step, C-C bond cleavage, has been proposed to involve either compound I (i.e. FeO₃ ⁺) or, alternatively, a proton transfer-independent nucleophilic ferric peroxo anion (compound 0, i.e. Fe₃ ⁺O₂ ^-). Here, using comparative crystallographic and biochemical analyses of WT human CYP51 (CYP51A1) and its D231A/H314A mutant, whose proton delivery network is destroyed (as evidenced in a 1.98-Å X-ray structure in complex with lanosterol), we demonstrate that deformylation of the 14α-carboxaldehyde intermediate requires an active proton relay network to drive the catalysis. These results indicate a unified, compound I-based mechanism for all three steps of the CYP51 reaction, as previously established for CYP11A1 and CYP19A1. We anticipate that our approach can be applied to mechanistic studies of other P450s that catalyze multistep reactions, such as C-C bond cleavage.

Spontaneous Ligand Access Events to Membrane-Bound Cytochrome P450 2D6 Sampled at Atomic Resolution

The membrane-anchored enzyme Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is involved in the metabolism of around 25% of marketed drugs and its metabolic performance shows a high interindividual variation. While it was suggested that ligands access the buried active site of the enzyme from the membrane, no proof from unbiased simulations has been provided to support this hypothesis. Laboratory experiments fail to capture the access process which is suspected to influence binding kinetics. Here, we applied unbiased molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the access of ligands to wild-type CYP2D6, as well as the allelic variant CYP2D6*53. In multiple simulations, substrates accessed the active site of the enzyme from the protein-membrane interface to ultimately adopt a conformation that would allow a metabolic reaction. We propose the necessary steps for ligand access and the results suggest that the increased metabolic activity of CYP2D6*53 might be caused by a facilitated ligand uptake.

Proton relay network in P450cam formed upon docking of putidaredoxin

Cytochromes P450 are versatile heme-based enzymes responsible for vital life processes. Of these, P450cam (substrate camphor) has been most studied. Despite this, precise mechanisms of the key O─O cleavage step remain partly elusive to date; effects observed in various enzyme mutants remain partly unexplained. We have carried out extended (to 1000 ns) MM-MD and follow-on quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics computations, both on the well-studied FeOO state and on Cpd(0) (compound 0). Our simulations include (all camphor-bound): (a) WT (wild type), FeOO state. (b) WT, Cpd(0). (c) Pdx (Putidaredoxin, redox partner of P450)-docked-WT, FeOO state. (d) Pdx-docked WT, Cpd(0). (e) Pdx-docked T252A mutant, Cpd(0). Among our key findings: (a) Effect of Pdx docking appears to go far beyond that indicated in prior studies: it leads to specific alterations in secondary structure that create the crucial proton relay network. (b) Specific proton relay networks we identify are: FeOO(H)⋯T252⋯nH ₂ O⋯D251 in WT; FeOO(H)⋯nH ₂ O⋯D251 in T252A mutant; both occur with Pdx docking. (c) Direct interaction of D251 with -FeOOH is, respectively, rare/frequent in WT/T252A mutant. (d) In WT, T252 is in the proton relay network. (e) Positioning of camphor appears significant: when camphor is part of H-bonding network, second protonation appears to be facilitated.

What Your Crystal Structure Will Not Tell You about Enzyme Function

Enzyme function requires that enzyme structures be dynamic. Substrate binding, product release, and transition state stabilization typically involve different enzyme conformers. Furthermore, in multistep enzyme-catalyzed reactions, more than one enzyme conformation may be important for stabilizing different transition states. While X-ray crystallography provides the most detailed structural information of any current methodology, X-ray crystal structures of enzymes capture only those conformations that fit into the crystal lattice, which may or may not be relevant to function. Solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods can provide an alternative approach to characterizing enzymes under nonperturbing and controllable conditions, allowing one to identify and localize dynamic processes that are important to function. However, many enzymes are too large for standard approaches to making sequential resonance assignments, a critical first step in analyzing and interpreting the wealth of information inherent in NMR spectra.

This Account describes our long-standing NMR-based research into structural and dynamic aspects of function in the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase superfamily. These heme-containing enzymes typically catalyze the oxidation of unactivated C–H and C=C bonds in a multitude of substrates, often with complete regio- and stereospecificity. Over 600 000 genes in GenBank have been assigned to P450s, yet all known P450 structures exhibit a highly conserved and unique fold. This combination of functional and structural conservation with a vast substrate clientele, each substrate having multiple possible sites for oxidation, makes the P450s a unique target for understanding the role of enzyme structure and dynamics in determining a particular substrate–product combination. P450s are large by solution NMR standards, requiring us to develop specialized approaches for making sequential resonance assignments and interpreting the spectral changes that occur as a function of changing conditions (e.g., oxidation and spin state changes, ligand, substrate or effector binding). Solution conformations are characterized by the fitting of residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) measured for sequence-specifically assigned amide N–H correlations to alignment tensors optimized in the course of restrained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The conformational ensembles obtained by such RDC-restrained simulations, which we call “soft annealing”, are then tested by site-directed mutation and spectroscopic and activity assays for relevance. These efforts have gained us insights into cryptic conformational changes associated with substrate and redox partner binding that were not suspected from crystal structures, but were shown by subsequent work to be relevant to function. Furthermore, it appears that many of these changes can be generalized to P450s besides those that we have characterized, providing guidance for enzyme engineering efforts. While past research was primarily directed at the more tractable prokaryotic P450s, our current efforts are aimed at medically relevant human enzymes, including CYP17A1, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4.

Conformational selection dominates binding of steroids to human cytochrome P450 17A1

Cytochrome P450 (P450, CYP) enzymes are the major catalysts involved in the oxidation of steroids as well as many other compounds. Their versatility has been explained in part by flexibility of the proteins and complexity of the binding mechanisms. However, whether these proteins bind their substrates via induced fit or conformational selection is not understood. P450 17A1 has a major role in steroidogenesis, catalyzing the two-step oxidations of progesterone and pregnenolone to androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone, respectively, via 17α-hydroxy (OH) intermediates. We examined the interaction of P450 17A1 with its steroid substrates by analyzing progress curves (UV-visible spectroscopy), revealing that the rates of binding of any of these substrates decreased with increasing substrate concentration, a hallmark of conformational selection. Further, when the concentration of 17α-OH pregnenolone was held constant and the P450 concentration increased, the binding rate increased, and such opposite patterns are also diagnostic of conformational selection. Kinetic simulation modeling was also more consistent with conformational selection than with an induced-fit mechanism. Cytochrome b ₅ partially enhances P450 17A1 lyase activity by altering the P450 17A1 conformation but did not measurably alter the binding of 17α-OH pregnenolone or 17α-OH progesterone, as judged by the apparent K_d and binding kinetics. The P450 17A1 inhibitor abiraterone also bound to P450 17A1 in a multistep manner, and modeling indicated that the selective inhibition of the two P450 17A1 steps by the drug orteronel can be rationalized only by a multiple-conformation model. In conclusion, P450 17A1 binds its steroid substrates via conformational selection.

An Intermediate Conformational State of Cytochrome P450cam-CN in Complex with Putidaredoxin

Cytochrome P450cam is an archetypal example of the vast family of heme monooxygenases and serves as a model for an enzyme that is highly specific for both its substrate and reductase. During catalysis, it undergoes significant conformational changes of the F and G helices upon binding its substrate and redox partner, putidaredoxin (Pdx). Recent studies have shown that Pdx binding to the closed camphor-bound form of ferric P450cam results in its conversion to a fully open state. However, during catalytic turnover, it remains unclear whether this same conformational change also occurs or whether it is coupled to the formation of the critical compound I intermediate. Here, we have examined P450cam bound simultaneously by camphor, CN^-, and Pdx as a mimic of the catalytically competent ferrous oxy-P450cam-Pdx state. The combined use of double electron-electron resonance and molecular dynamics showed direct observation of intermediate conformational states of the enzyme upon CN^- and subsequent Pdx binding. This state is coupled to the movement of the I helix and residues at the active site, including Arg-186, Asp-251, and Thr-252. These movements enable occupation of a water molecule that has been implicated in proton delivery and peroxy bond cleavage to give compound I. These findings provide a detailed understanding of how the Pdx-induced conformational change may sequentially promote compound I formation followed by product release, while retaining stereoselective hydroxylation of the substrate of this highly specific monooxygenase.