1
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Song DY, Stubbe J, Nocera DG. Protein engineering a PhotoRNR chimera based on a unifying evolutionary apparatus among the natural classes of ribonucleotide reductases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317291121. [PMID: 38648489 PMCID: PMC11067019 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317291121] [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: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) are essential enzymes that catalyze the de novo transformation of nucleoside 5'-di(tri)phosphates [ND(T)Ps, where N is A, U, C, or G] to their corresponding deoxynucleotides. Despite the diversity of factors required for function and the low sequence conservation across RNRs, a unifying apparatus consolidating RNR activity is explored. We combine aspects of the protein subunit simplicity of class II RNR with a modified version of Escherichia coli class la photoRNRs that initiate radical chemistry with light to engineer a mimic of a class II enzyme. The design of this RNR involves fusing a truncated form of the active site containing α subunit with the functionally important C-terminal tail of the radical-generating β subunit to render a chimeric RNR. Inspired by a recent cryo-EM structure, a [Re] photooxidant is located adjacent to Y356[β], which is an essential component of the radical transport pathway in class I RNRs. Combination of this RNR photochimera with cytidine diphosphate (CDP), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and light resulted in the generation of Y356• along with production of deoxycytidine diphosphate (dCDP) and cytosine. The photoproducts reflect an active site chemistry consistent with both the consensus mechanism of RNR and chemistry observed when RNR is inactivated by mechanism-based inhibitors in the active site. The enzymatic activity of the RNR photochimera in the absence of any β metallocofactor highlights the adaptability of the 10-stranded αβ barrel finger loop to support deoxynucleotide formation and accommodate the design of engineered RNRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Y. Song
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - JoAnne Stubbe
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Daniel G. Nocera
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
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2
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Meyer A, Kehl A, Cui C, Reichardt FAK, Hecker F, Funk LM, Pan KT, Urlaub H, Tittmann K, Stubbe J, Bennati M. 19F Electron-Nuclear Double Resonance Reveals Interaction between Redox-Active Tyrosines across the α/β Interface of E. coli Ribonucleotide Reductase. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:11270-11282. [PMID: 35652913 PMCID: PMC9248007 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c02906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
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Ribonucleotide reductases
(RNRs) catalyze the reduction of ribonucleotides
to deoxyribonucleotides, thereby playing a key role in DNA replication
and repair. Escherichia coli class
Ia RNR is an α2β2 enzyme complex
that uses a reversible multistep radical transfer (RT) over 32 Å
across its two subunits, α and β, to initiate, using its
metallo-cofactor in β2, nucleotide reduction in α2. Each step is proposed to involve a distinct proton-coupled
electron-transfer (PCET) process. An unresolved step is the RT involving
Y356(β) and Y731(α) across the α/β
interface. Using 2,3,5-F3Y122-β2 with 3,5-F2Y731-α2, GDP (substrate) and TTP (allosteric effector), a Y356• intermediate was trapped and its identity was
verified by 263 GHz electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and 34 GHz
pulse electron–electron double resonance spectroscopies. 94
GHz 19F electron-nuclear double resonance spectroscopy
allowed measuring the interspin distances between Y356• and the 19F nuclei of 3,5-F2Y731 in this RNR mutant. Similar experiments with the
double mutant E52Q/F3Y122-β2 were carried out for comparison to the recently published
cryo-EM structure of a holo RNR complex. For both mutant combinations,
the distance measurements reveal two conformations of 3,5-F2Y731. Remarkably, one conformation is consistent with
3,5-F2Y731 within the H-bond distance to Y356•, whereas the second one is consistent
with the conformation observed in the cryo-EM structure. The observations
unexpectedly suggest the possibility of a colinear PCET, in which
electron and proton are transferred from the same donor to the same
acceptor between Y356 and Y731. The results
highlight the important role of state-of-the-art EPR spectroscopy
to decipher this mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Meyer
- Research group ESR spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Annemarie Kehl
- Research group ESR spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Chang Cui
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Fehmke A K Reichardt
- Research group ESR spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Fabian Hecker
- Research group ESR spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lisa-Marie Funk
- Department of structural dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Molecular Enzymology, Georg-August University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kuan-Ting Pan
- Research group bioanalytical mass spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Bioanalytics, University Medical Center, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Henning Urlaub
- Research group bioanalytical mass spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Bioanalytics, University Medical Center, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kai Tittmann
- Department of structural dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Molecular Enzymology, Georg-August University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - JoAnne Stubbe
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 20139, United States
| | - Marina Bennati
- Research group ESR spectroscopy, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, Georg-August University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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3
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Koronkiewicz B, Swierk J, Regan K, Mayer JM. Shallow Distance Dependence for Proton-Coupled Tyrosine Oxidation in Oligoproline Peptides. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:12106-12118. [PMID: 32510937 PMCID: PMC7545454 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c01429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
We have explored the kinetic effect of increasing electron transfer (ET) distance in a biomimetic, proton-coupled electron-transfer (PCET) system. Biological ET often occurs simultaneously with proton transfer (PT) in order to avoid the high-energy, charged intermediates resulting from the stepwise transfer of protons and electrons. These concerted proton-electron-transfer (CPET) reactions are implicated in numerous biological ET pathways. In many cases, PT is coupled to long-range ET. While many studies have shown that the rate of ET is sensitive to the distance between the electron donor and acceptor, extensions to biological CPET reactions are sparse. The possibility of a unique ET distance dependence for CPET reactions deserves further exploration, as this could have implications for how we understand biological ET. We therefore explored the ET distance dependence for the CPET oxidation of tyrosine in a model system. We prepared a series of metallopeptides with a tyrosine separated from a Ru(bpy)32+ complex by an oligoproline bridge of increasing length. Rate constants for intramolecular tyrosine oxidation were measured using the flash-quench transient absorption technique in aqueous solutions. The rate constants for tyrosine oxidation decreased by 125-fold with three added proline residues between tyrosine and the oxidant. By comparison, related intramolecular ET rate constants in very similar constructs were reported to decrease by 4-5 orders of magnitude over the same number of prolines. The observed shallow distance dependence for tyrosine oxidation is proposed to originate in part from the requirement for stronger oxidants, leading to a smaller hole-transfer effective tunneling barrier height. The shallow distance dependence observed here and extensions to distance-dependent CPET reactions have potential implications for long-range charge transfers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Koronkiewicz
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8107, United States
| | - John Swierk
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8107, United States
| | - Kevin Regan
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8107, United States
| | - James M Mayer
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8107, United States
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4
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Greene BL, Taguchi AT, Stubbe J, Nocera DG. Conformationally Dynamic Radical Transfer within Ribonucleotide Reductase. J Am Chem Soc 2017; 139:16657-16665. [PMID: 29037038 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b08192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ribonucleotide reductases (RNR) catalyze the reduction of nucleotides to deoxynucleotides through a mechanism involving an essential cysteine based thiyl radical. In the E. coli class 1a RNR the thiyl radical (C439•) is a transient species generated by radical transfer (RT) from a stable diferric-tyrosyl radical cofactor located >35 Å away across the α2:β2 subunit interface. RT is facilitated by sequential proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) steps along a pathway of redox active amino acids (Y122β ↔ [W48β?] ↔ Y356β ↔ Y731α ↔ Y730α ↔ C439α). The mutant R411A(α) disrupts the H-bonding environment and conformation of Y731, ostensibly breaking the RT pathway in α2. However, the R411A protein retains significant enzymatic activity, suggesting Y731 is conformationally dynamic on the time scale of turnover. Installation of the radical trap 3-amino tyrosine (NH2Y) by amber codon suppression at positions Y731 or Y730 and investigation of the NH2Y• trapped state in the active α2:β2 complex by HYSCORE spectroscopy validate that the perturbed conformation of Y731 in R411A-α2 is dynamic, reforming the H-bond between Y731 and Y730 to allow RT to propagate to Y730. Kinetic studies facilitated by photochemical radical generation reveal that Y731 changes conformation on the ns-μs time scale, significantly faster than the enzymatic kcat. Furthermore, the kinetics of RT across the subunit interface were directly assessed for the first time, demonstrating conformationally dependent RT rates that increase from 0.6 to 1.6 × 104 s-1 when comparing wild type to R411A-α2, respectively. These results illustrate the role of conformational flexibility in modulating RT kinetics by targeting the PCET pathway of radical transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon L Greene
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Alexander T Taguchi
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - JoAnne Stubbe
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Daniel G Nocera
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
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5
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Long-range proton-coupled electron transfer in the Escherichia coli class Ia ribonucleotide reductase. Essays Biochem 2017; 61:281-292. [PMID: 28487404 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20160072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2017] [Revised: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli class Ia ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) catalyzes the conversion of nucleotides to 2'-deoxynucleotides using a radical mechanism. Each turnover requires radical transfer from an assembled diferric tyrosyl radical (Y•) cofactor to the enzyme active site over 35 Å away. This unprecedented reaction occurs via an amino acid radical hopping pathway spanning two protein subunits. To study the mechanism of radical transport in RNR, a suite of biochemical approaches have been developed, such as site-directed incorporation of unnatural amino acids with altered electronic properties and photochemical generation of radical intermediates. The resulting variant RNRs have been investigated using a variety of time-resolved physical techniques, including transient absorption and stopped-flow UV-Vis spectroscopy, as well as rapid freeze-quench EPR, ENDOR, and PELDOR spectroscopic methods. The data suggest that radical transport occurs via proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) and that the protein structure has evolved to manage the proton and electron transfer co-ordinates in order to prevent 'off-pathway' reactivity and build-up of oxidised intermediates. Thus, precise design and control over the factors that govern PCET is key to enabling reversible and long-range charge transport by amino acid radicals in RNR.
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6
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Ravichandran KR, Zong AB, Taguchi AT, Nocera DG, Stubbe J, Tommos C. Formal Reduction Potentials of Difluorotyrosine and Trifluorotyrosine Protein Residues: Defining the Thermodynamics of Multistep Radical Transfer. J Am Chem Soc 2017; 139:2994-3004. [PMID: 28171730 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b11011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Redox-active tyrosines (Ys) play essential roles in enzymes involved in primary metabolism including energy transduction and deoxynucleotide production catalyzed by ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs). Thermodynamic characterization of Ys in solution and in proteins remains a challenge due to the high reduction potentials involved and the reactive nature of the radical state. The structurally characterized α3Y model protein has allowed the first determination of formal reduction potentials (E°') for a Y residing within a protein (Berry, B. W.; Martı́nez-Rivera, M. C.; Tommos, C. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2012, 109, 9739-9743). Using Schultz's technology, a series of fluorotyrosines (FnY, n = 2 or 3) was site-specifically incorporated into α3Y. The global protein properties of the resulting α3(3,5)F2Y, α3(2,3,5)F3Y, α3(2,3)F2Y and α3(2,3,6)F3Y variants are essentially identical to those of α3Y. A protein film square-wave voltammetry approach was developed to successfully obtain reversible voltammograms and E°'s of the very high-potential α3FnY proteins. E°'(pH 5.5; α3FnY(O•/OH)) spans a range of 1040 ± 3 mV to 1200 ± 3 mV versus the normal hydrogen electrode. This is comparable to the potentials of the most oxidizing redox cofactors in nature. The FnY analogues, and the ability to site-specifically incorporate them into any protein of interest, provide new tools for mechanistic studies on redox-active Ys in proteins and on functional and aberrant hole-transfer reactions in metallo-enzymes. The former application is illustrated here by using the determined α3FnY ΔE°'s to model the thermodynamics of radical-transfer reactions in FnY-RNRs and to experimentally test and support the key prediction made.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Allan B Zong
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | | | - Daniel G Nocera
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | | | - Cecilia Tommos
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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7
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Ravichandran K, Minnihan EC, Lin Q, Yokoyama K, Taguchi AT, Shao J, Nocera DG, Stubbe J. Glutamate 350 Plays an Essential Role in Conformational Gating of Long-Range Radical Transport in Escherichia coli Class Ia Ribonucleotide Reductase. Biochemistry 2017; 56:856-868. [PMID: 28103007 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b01145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli class Ia ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) is composed of two subunits that form an active α2β2 complex. The nucleoside diphosphate substrates (NDP) are reduced in α2, 35 Å from the essential diferric-tyrosyl radical (Y122•) cofactor in β2. The Y122•-mediated oxidation of C439 in α2 occurs by a pathway (Y122 ⇆ [W48] ⇆ Y356 in β2 to Y731 ⇆ Y730 ⇆ C439 in α2) across the α/β interface. The absence of an α2β2 structure precludes insight into the location of Y356 and Y731 at the subunit interface. The proximity in the primary sequence of the conserved E350 to Y356 in β2 suggested its importance in catalysis and/or conformational gating. To study its function, pH-rate profiles of wild-type β2/α2 and mutants in which 3,5-difluorotyrosine (F2Y) replaces residue 356, 731, or both are reported in the presence of E350 or E350X (X = A, D, or Q) mutants. With E350, activity is maintained at the pH extremes, suggesting that protonated and deprotonated states of F2Y356 and F2Y731 are active and that radical transport (RT) can occur across the interface by proton-coupled electron transfer at low pH or electron transfer at high pH. With E350X mutants, all RNRs were inactive, suggesting that E350 could be a proton acceptor during oxidation of the interface Ys. To determine if E350 plays a role in conformational gating, the strong oxidants, NO2Y122•-β2 and 2,3,5-F3Y122•-β2, were reacted with α2, CDP, and ATP in E350 and E350X backgrounds and the reactions were monitored for pathway radicals by rapid freeze-quench electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Pathway radicals are generated only when E350 is present, supporting its essential role in gating the conformational change(s) that initiates RT and masking its role as a proton acceptor.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Qinghui Lin
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Research Center for Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine , Hangzhou 310058, China
| | | | | | - Jimin Shao
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Key Laboratory of Disease Proteomics of Zhejiang Province, Research Center for Air Pollution and Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine , Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Daniel G Nocera
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
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8
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Kasanmascheff M, Lee W, Nick TU, Stubbe J, Bennati M. Radical transfer in E. coli ribonucleotide reductase: a NH 2Y 731/R 411A-α mutant unmasks a new conformation of the pathway residue 731. Chem Sci 2016; 7:2170-2178. [PMID: 29899944 PMCID: PMC5968753 DOI: 10.1039/c5sc03460d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) catalyze the conversion of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides in all living organisms. The catalytic cycle of E. coli RNR involves a long-range proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) from a tyrosyl radical (Y122˙) in subunit β2 to a cysteine (C439) in the active site of subunit α2, which subsequently initiates nucleotide reduction. This oxidation occurs over 35 Å and involves a specific pathway of redox active amino acids (Y122 ↔ [W48?] ↔ Y356 in β2 to Y731 ↔ Y730 ↔ C439 in α2). The mechanisms of the PCET steps at the interface of the α2β2 complex remain puzzling due to a lack of structural information for this region. Recently, DFT calculations on the 3-aminotyrosyl radical (NH2Y731˙)-α2 trapped by incubation of NH2Y731-α2/β2/CDP(substrate)/ATP(allosteric effector) suggested that R411-α2, a residue close to the α2β2 interface, interacts with NH2Y731˙ and accounts in part for its perturbed EPR parameters. To examine its role, we further modified NH2Y731-α2 with a R411A substitution. NH2Y731˙/R411A generated upon incubation of NH2Y731/R411A-α2/β2/CDP/ATP was investigated using multi-frequency (34, 94 and 263 GHz) EPR, 34 GHz pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR) and electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopies. The data indicate a large conformational change in NH2Y731˙/R411A relative to the NH2Y731˙ single mutant. Particularly, the inter-spin distance from NH2Y731˙/R411A in one αβ pair to Y122˙ in a second αβ pair decreases by 3 Å in the presence of the R411A mutation. This is the first experimental evidence for the flexibility of pathway residue Y731-α2 in an α2β2 complex and suggests a role for R411 in the stacked Y731/Y730 conformation involved in collinear PCET. Furthermore, NH2Y731˙/R411A serves as a probe of the PCET process across the subunit interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Müge Kasanmascheff
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Wankyu Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
| | - Thomas U Nick
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - JoAnne Stubbe
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
| | - Marina Bennati
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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9
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Olshansky L, Stubbe J, Nocera DG. Charge-Transfer Dynamics at the α/β Subunit Interface of a Photochemical Ribonucleotide Reductase. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 138:1196-205. [PMID: 26710997 PMCID: PMC4924928 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b09259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) catalyzes the conversion of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides to provide the monomeric building blocks for DNA replication and repair. Nucleotide reduction occurs by way of multistep proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) over a pathway of redox active amino acids spanning ∼35 Å and two subunits (α2 and β2). Despite the fact that PCET in RNR is rapid, slow conformational changes mask examination of the kinetics of these steps. As such, we have pioneered methodology in which site-specific incorporation of a [Re(I)] photooxidant on the surface of the β2 subunit (photoβ2) allows photochemical oxidation of the adjacent PCET pathway residue β-Y356 and time-resolved spectroscopic observation of the ensuing reactivity. A series of photoβ2s capable of performing photoinitiated substrate turnover have been prepared in which four different fluorotyrosines (FnYs) are incorporated in place of β-Y356. The FnYs are deprotonated under biological conditions, undergo oxidation by electron transfer (ET), and provide a means by which to vary the ET driving force (ΔG°) with minimal additional perturbations across the series. We have used these features to map the correlation between ΔG° and kET both with and without the fully assembled photoRNR complex. The photooxidation of FnY356 within the α/β subunit interface occurs within the Marcus inverted region with a reorganization energy of λ ≈ 1 eV. We also observe enhanced electronic coupling between donor and acceptor (HDA) in the presence of an intact PCET pathway. Additionally, we have investigated the dynamics of proton transfer (PT) by a variety of methods including dependencies on solvent isotopic composition, buffer concentration, and pH. We present evidence for the role of α2 in facilitating PT during β-Y356 photooxidation; PT occurs by way of readily exchangeable positions and within a relatively "tight" subunit interface. These findings show that RNR controls ET by lowering λ, raising HDA, and directing PT both within and between individual polypeptide subunits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Olshansky
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, 12 Oxford St., Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - JoAnne Stubbe
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Daniel G. Nocera
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, 12 Oxford St., Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
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