Oxygen-linked equilibrium CuB-CO species in cytochrome ba3 oxidase from thermus thermophilus. Implications for an oxygen channel ar the CuB site

Discrete Ligand Binding and Electron Transfer Properties of ba3-Cytochrome c Oxidase from Thermus thermophilus: Evolutionary Adaption to Low Oxygen and High Temperature Environments

Cytochrome c oxidase (C cO) couples the oxidation of cytochrome c to the reduction of molecular oxygen to water and links these electron transfers to proton translocation. The redox-driven C cO conserves part of the released free energy generating a proton motive force that leads to the synthesis of the main biological energy source ATP. Cytochrome ba₃ oxidase is a B-type oxidase from the extremely thermophilic eubacterium Thermus thermophilus with high O₂ affinity, expressed under elevated temperatures and limited oxygen supply and possessing discrete structural, ligand binding, and electron transfer properties. The origin and the cause of the peculiar, as compared to other C cOs, thermodynamic and kinetic properties remain unknown. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and time-resolved step-scan FTIR (TRS²-FTIR) spectroscopies have been employed to investigate the origin of the binding and electron transfer properties of cytochrome ba₃ oxidase in both the fully reduced (FR) and mixed valence (MV) forms. Several independent and not easily separated factors leading to increased thermostability and high O₂ affinity have been determined. These include (i) the increased hydrophobicity of the active center, (ii) the existence of a ligand input channel, (iii) the high affinity of Cu_B for exogenous ligands, (iv) the optimized electron transfer (ET) pathways, (v) the effective proton-input channel and water-exit pathway as well the proton-loading/exit sites, (vi) the specifically engineered protein structure, and (vii) the subtle thermodynamic and kinetic regulation. We correlate the unique ligand binding and electron transfer properties of cytochrome ba₃ oxidase with the existence of an adaption mechanism which is necessary for efficient function. These results suggest that a cascade of structural factors have been optimized by evolution, through protein architecture, to ensure the conversion of cytochrome ba₃ oxidase into a high O₂-affinity enzyme that functions effectively in its extreme native environment. The present results show that ba₃-cytochrome c oxidase uses a unique structural pattern of energy conversion that has taken into account all the extreme environmental factors that affect the function of the enzyme and is assembled in such a way that its exclusive functions are secured. Based on the available data of CcOs, we propose possible factors including the rigidity and nonpolar hydrophobic interactions that contribute to the behavior observed in cytochrome ba₃ oxidase.

Reversible temperature-dependent high- to low-spin transition in the heme Fe–Cu binuclear center of cytochrome ba3 oxidase

A reversible temperature-dependent high-spin to low-spin transition with T_1/2 = −60 °C has been observed in the resonance Raman spectra of the equilibrium reduced and photoreduced heme a₃ of the thermophilic ba₃ heme–copper oxidoreductase. The transition is based on the frequency shifts of the spin-state marker bands ν₂ (C_bC_b) and ν₁₀ (C_aC_m) and is attributed to the displacement of the heme iron along the heme normal as a consequence of the Fe–Np repulsion at temperature below −40 °C which will increase the ligand field strength forcing the pairing of d electrons into the lower energy orbitals.

A reversible temperature-dependent high- to low-spin transition with T_1/2 = −60 °C has been observed in the resonance Raman spectra of the equilibrium reduced and photoreduced heme a₃ of the thermophilic ba₃ heme–copper oxidoreductase.

ns-μs Time-Resolved Step-Scan FTIR of ba₃ Oxidoreductase from Thermus thermophilus: Protonic Connectivity of w941-w946-w927

Time-resolved step-scan FTIR spectroscopy has been employed to probe the dynamics of the ba₃ oxidoreductase from Thermus thermophilus in the ns-μs time range and in the pH/pD 6–9 range. The data revealed a pH/pD sensitivity of the D372 residue and of the ring-A propionate of heme a₃. Based on the observed transient changes a model in which the protonic connectivity of w941-w946-927 to the D372 and the ring-A propionate of heme a₃ is described.

Nanosecond ligand migration and functional protein relaxation in ba3 oxidoreductase: Structures of the B0, B1 and B2 intermediate states

Nanosecond time-resolved step-scan FTIR spectroscopy (nTRS (2) -FTIR) has been applied to literally probe the active site of the carbon monoxide (CO)-bound thermophilic ba3 heme-copper oxidoreductase as it executes its function. The nTRS (2) - snapshots of the photolysed heme a3 Fe-CO/CuB species captured a "transition state" whose side chains prevent the photolysed CO to enter the docking cavity. There are three sets of ba3 photoproduct bands of docked CO with different orientation exhibiting different kinetics. The trajectories of the "docked" CO at 2122, 2129 and 2137cm(-1) is referred to in the literature as B2, B1 and B0 intermediate states, respectively. The present data provided direct evidence for the role of water in controlling ligand orientation in an intracavity protein environment.

Photobiochemical production of carbon monoxide by Thermus thermophilus ba3 -cytochrome c oxidase

We report the photobiochemical production of carbon monoxide by a terminal ba3 -cytochrome c oxidase from T. thermophilus HB8. FTIR and time-resolved step-scan FTIR spectroscopies were combined to probe this process and also monitor the concomitant binding of the produced gas to other intact ba3 molecules forming the ba3 -CO complex. The activation of this mechanism by ba3 -oxidase under visible excitation raises the question as to whether such a mechanism is physiologically relevant to the extreme environment in which it operates.

Detection of functional hydrogen-bonded water molecules with protonated/deprotonated key carboxyl side chains in the respiratory enzyme ba3-oxidoreductase

In this work we report FTIR data on the detection of functional hydrogen-bonded water molecules with protonated/deprotonated key carboxyl side chains in the respiratory enzyme ba₃-oxidoreductase.

Time-resolved infrared spectroscopic studies of ligand dynamics in the active site from cytochrome c oxidase

The catalytic site of heme-copper oxidases encompasses two close-lying ligand binding sites: the heme, where oxygen is bound and reduced and the CuB atom, which acts as ligand entry and release port. Diatomic gaseous ligands with a dipole moment, such as the signaling molecules carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxide (NO), carry clear infrared spectroscopic signatures in the different states that allow characterization of the dynamics of ligand transfer within, into and out of the active site using time-resolved infrared spectroscopy. We review the nature and diversity of these processes that have in particular been characterized with CO as ligand and which take place on time scales ranging from femtoseconds to milliseconds. These studies have advanced our understanding of the functional ligand pathways and reactivity in enzymes and more globally represent intriguing model systems for mechanisms of ligand motion in a confined protein environment. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Vibrational spectroscopies and bioenergetic systems.

The pathway of O₂to the active site in heme-copper oxidases

The route of O₂to and from the high-spin heme in heme-copper oxidases has generally been believed to emulate that of carbon monoxide (CO). Time-resolved and stationary infrared experiments in our laboratories of the fully reduced CO-bound enzymes, as well as transient optical absorption saturation kinetics studies as a function of CO pressure, have provided strong support for CO binding to CuB⁺ on the pathway to and from the high-spin heme. The presence of CO on CuB⁺ suggests that O₂binding may be compromised in CO flow-flash experiments. Time-resolved optical absorption studies show that the rate of O₂and NO binding in the bovine enzyme (1 × 10⁸M⁻¹s⁻¹) is unaffected by the presence of CO, which is consistent with the rapid dissociation (t½ = 1.5μs) of CO from CuB⁺. In contrast, in Thermus thermophilus (Tt) cytochrome ba3 the O₂and NO binding to heme a3 slows by an order of magnitude in the presence of CO (from 1 × 10⁹ to 1 × 10⁸M⁻¹s⁻¹), but is still considerably faster (~10μs at 1atm O₂) than the CO off-rate from CuB in the absence of O₂(milliseconds). These results show that traditional CO flow-flash experiments do not give accurate results for the physiological binding of O₂and NO in Tt ba3, namely, in the absence of CO. They also raise the question whether in CO flow-flash experiments on Tt ba3 the presence of CO on CuB⁺ impedes the binding of O₂to CuB⁺ or, if O₂does not bind to CuB⁺ prior to heme a3, whether the CuB⁺-CO complex sterically restricts access of O₂to the heme. Both possibilities are discussed, and we argue that O₂binds directly to heme a3 in Tt ba3, causing CO to dissociate from CuB⁺ in a concerted manner through steric and/or electronic effects. This would allow CuB⁺ to function as an electron donor during the fast (5μs) breaking of the OO bond. These results suggest that the binding of CO to CuB⁺ on the path to and from heme a3 may not be applicable to O₂and NO in all heme-copper oxidases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Vibrational spectroscopies and bioenergetic systems.

Spectroscopic and kinetic investigation of the fully reduced and mixed valence states of ba3-cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus: a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and time-resolved step-scan FTIR study

The complete understanding of a molecular mechanism of action requires the thermodynamic and kinetic characterization of different states and intermediates. Cytochrome c oxidase reduces O(2) to H(2)O, a reaction coupled to proton translocation across the membrane. Therefore, it is necessary to undertake a thorough characterization of the reduced form of the enzyme and the determination of the electron transfer processes and pathways between the redox-active centers. In this study Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and time-resolved step-scan FTIR spectroscopy have been applied to study the fully reduced and mixed valence states of cytochrome ba(3) from Thermus thermophilus. We used as probe carbon monoxide (CO) to characterize both thermodynamically and kinetically the cytochrome ba(3)-CO complex in the 5.25-10.10 pH/pD range and to study the reverse intramolecular electron transfer initiated by the photolysis of CO in the two-electron reduced form. The time-resolved step-scan FTIR data revealed no pH/pD dependence in both the decay of the transient Cu(B)(1+)-CO complex and rebinding to heme a(3) rates, suggesting that no structural change takes place in the vicinity of the binuclear center. Surprisingly, photodissociation of CO from the mixed valence form of the enzyme does not lead to reverse electron transfer from the reduced heme a(3) to the oxidized low-spin heme b, as observed in all the other aa(3) and bo(3) oxidases previously examined. The heme b-heme a(3) electron transfer is guaranteed, and therefore, there is no need for structural rearrangements and complex synchronized cooperativities. Comparison among the available structures of ba(3)- and aa(3)-cytochrome c oxidases identifies possible active pathways involved in the electron transfer processes and key structural elements that contribute to the different behavior observed in cytochrome ba(3).

Observation of ligand transfer in ba3 oxidase from Thermus thermophilus: simultaneous FTIR detection of photolabile heme a3(2+)-CN and transient Cu(B)(2+)-CN complexes

FTIR and light-minus-dark FTIR spectroscopy have been employed to investigate the reaction of oxidized and fully reduced ba(3) oxidase with cyanide. The characterization of the structures of the bound CN(-) in the binuclear heme Fe-Cu(B) center is essential, given that a central issue in the function of ba(3) oxidase is the extent to which the partially reduced substrates interact with the two metals. In the reaction of oxidized ba(3) oxidase with cyanide the initially formed heme a(3)(3+)-C≡N-Cu(B)(2+) species with ν(CN) frequency at 2152 cm(-1) was replaced by a photolabile complex with a frequency at 2075 cm(-1) characteristic of heme a(3)(2+)-CN(-). Photolysis of the heme a(3)(2+)-CN(-) adduct produced a band at 2146 cm(-1) attributed to the formation of a transient Cu(B)(2+)-CN(-) complex. All forms are pH independent between pH 5.5-9.5 and at pD 7.5 indicating the absence of ionizable groups that influence the properties of the cyanide complexes. In contrast to previous reports, our results show that CN(-) does not bind simultaneously to both heme a(3)(2+) and Cu(B)(2+) to form the mixed valence a(3)(2+)-CN·Cu(B)(2+)CN species. The photolysis products of the heme a(3)(2+)-CN(-)/Cu(B)(2+) and heme a(3)(2+)-CN(-)/Cu(B)(1+) species are different suggesting that relaxation dynamics in the binuclear center following ligand photodissociation are dependent on the oxidation state of Cu(B).

Probing protonation/deprotonation of tyrosine residues in cytochrome ba3 oxidase from Thermus thermophilus by time-resolved step-scan Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Elucidating the properties of the heme Fe-Cu(B) binuclear center and the dynamics of the protein response in cytochrome c oxidase is crucial to understanding not only the dioxygen activation and bond cleavage by the enzyme but also the events related to the release of the produced water molecules. The time-resolved step-scan FTIR difference spectra show the ν(7a)(CO) of the protonated form of Tyr residues at 1247 cm(-1) and that of the deprotonated form at 1301 cm(-1). By monitoring the intensity changes of the 1247 and 1301 cm(-1) modes as a function of pH, we measured a pK(a) of 7.8 for the observed tyrosine. The FTIR spectral changes associated with the tyrosine do not belong to Tyr-237 but are attributed to the highly conserved in heme-copper oxidases Tyr-136 and/or Tyr-133 residue (Koutsoupakis, K., Stavrakis, S., Pinakoulaki, E., Soulimane, T., and Varotsis, C. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 32860-32866). The oxygenation of CO by the mixed-valence form of the enzyme revealed the formation of the ∼607 nm P (Fe(IV)=O) species in the pH 6-9 range and the return to the oxidized form without the formation of the 580 nm F form. The data indicate that Tyr-237 is not involved in the proton transfer pathway in the oxygenation of CO by the mixed-valence form of the enzyme. The implication of these results with respect to the role of Tyr-136 and Tyr-133 in proton transfer/gating along with heme a(3) ring D propionate-H(2)O-ring A propionate-Asp-372 site to the exit/output proton channel (H(2)O pool) is discussed.

Multiple pathways guide oxygen diffusion into flavoenzyme active sites

Dioxygen (O(2)) and other gas molecules have a fundamental role in a variety of enzymatic reactions. However, it is only poorly understood which O(2) uptake mechanism enzymes employ to promote efficient catalysis and how general this is. We investigated O(2) diffusion pathways into monooxygenase and oxidase flavoenzymes, using an integrated computational and experimental approach. Enhanced-statistics molecular dynamics simulations reveal spontaneous protein-guided O(2) diffusion from the bulk solvent to preorganized protein cavities. The predicted protein-guided diffusion paths and the importance of key cavity residues for oxygen diffusion were verified by combining site-directed mutagenesis, rapid kinetics experiments, and high-resolution X-ray structures. This study indicates that monooxygenase and oxidase flavoenzymes employ multiple funnel-shaped diffusion pathways to absorb O(2) from the solvent and direct it to the reacting C4a atom of the flavin cofactor. The difference in O(2) reactivity among dehydrogenases, monooxygenases, and oxidases ultimately resides in the fine modulation of the local environment embedding the reactive locus of the flavin.

Copper-Carbon Bonds in Mechanistic and Structural Probing of Proteins as well as in Situations where Copper is a Catalytic or Receptor Site

While copper-carbon bonds are well appreciated in organometallic synthetic chemistry, such occurrences are less known in biological settings. By far, the greatest incidence of copper-carbon moieties is in bioinorganic research aimed at probing copper protein active site structure and mechanism; for example, carbon monoxide (CO) binding as a surrogate for O2. Using infrared (IR) spectroscopy, CO coordination to cuprous sites has proven to be an extremely useful tool for determining active site copper ligation (e.g., donor atom number and type). The coupled (hemocyanin, tyrosinase, catechol oxidase) and non-coupled (peptidylglycine α-hydroxylating monooxygenase, dopamine β-monooxygenase) binuclear copper proteins as well as the heme-copper oxidases (HCOs) have been studied extensively via this method. In addition, environmental changes within the vicinity of the active site have been determined based on shifts in the CO stretching frequencies, such as for copper amine oxidases, nitrite reductases and again in the binuclear proteins and HCOs. In many situations, spectroscopic monitoring has provided kinetic and thermodynamic data on CuI-CO formation and CO dissociation from copper(I); recently, processes occurring on a femtosecond timescale have been reported. Copper-cyano moieties have also been useful for obtaining insights into the active site structure and mechanisms of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, azurin, nitrous oxide reductase, and multi-copper oxidases. Cyanide is a good ligand for both copper(I) and copper(II), therefore multiple physical-spectroscopic techniques can be applied. A more obvious occurrence of a “Cu-C” moiety was recently described for a CO dehydrogenase which contains a novel molybdenum-copper catalytic site. A bacterial copper chaperone (CusF) was recently established to have a novel d-π interaction comprised of copper(I) with the arene containing side-chain of a tryptophan amino acid residue. Meanwhile, good evidence exists that a plant receptor site (ETR1) utilizes copper(I) to sense ethylene, a growth hormone. A copper olfactory receptor has also been suggested. All of the above mentioned occurrences or uses of carbon-containing substrates and/or probes are reviewed and discussed within the framework of copper proteins and other relevant systems.

Probing the Environment of CuB in Heme−Copper Oxidases

Time-resolved step-scan FTIR (TRS2-FTIR) and density functional theory have been applied to probe the structural dynamics of CuB in heme-copper oxidases at room temperature. The TRS2-FTIR data of cbb3 from Pseudomonas stutzeri indicate a small variation in the frequency of the transient CO bound to CuB in the pH/pD 7-9 range. This observation in conjunction with density functional theory calculations, in which significant frequency shifts of the nu(CO) are observed upon deprotonation and/or detachment of the CuB ligands, demonstrates that the properties of the CuB ligands including the cross-linked tyrosine, in contrast to previous reports, remain unchanged in the pH 7-9 range. We attribute the small variations in the nu(CO) of CuB to protein conformational changes in the vicinity of CuB. Consequently, the split of the heme Fe-CO vibrations (alpha-, beta-, and gamma-forms) is not due to changes in the ligation and/or protonation states of the CuB ligands or to the presence of one or more ionizable groups, as previously suggested, but the result of global protein conformational changes in the vicinity of CuB which, in turn, affect the position of CuB with respect to the heme Fe.

Molecular dioxygen enters the active site of 12/15-lipoxygenase via dynamic oxygen access channels

Cells contain numerous enzymes that use molecular oxygen for their reactions. Often, their active sites are buried deeply inside the protein, which raises the question whether there are specific access channels guiding oxygen to the site of catalysis. Choosing 12/15-lipoxygenase as a typical example for such oxygen-dependent enzymes, we determined the oxygen distribution within the protein and defined potential routes for oxygen access. For this purpose, we have applied an integrated strategy of structural modeling, molecular dynamics simulations, site-directed mutagenesis, and kinetic measurements. First, we computed the 3D free-energy distribution for oxygen, which led to identification of four oxygen channels in the protein. All channels connect the protein surface with a region of high oxygen affinity at the active site. This region is localized opposite to the nonheme iron providing a structural explanation for the reaction specificity of this lipoxygenase isoform. The catalytically most relevant path can be obstructed by L367F exchange, which leads to a strongly increased Michaelis constant for oxygen. The blocking mechanism is explained in detail by reordering the hydrogen-bonding network of water molecules. Our results provide strong evidence that the main route for oxygen access to the active site of the enzyme follows a channel formed by transiently interconnected cavities whereby the opening and closure are governed by side chain dynamics.

Spectroscopic characterization of heme iron-nitrosyl species and their role in NO reductase mechanisms in diiron proteins

Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in cell signalling and in the mammalian immune response to infection. On its own, NO is a relatively inert radical, and when it is used as a signalling molecule, its concentration remains within the picomolar range. However, at infection sites, the NO concentration can reach the micromolar range, and reactions with other radical species and transition metals lead to a broad toxicity. Under aerobic conditions, microorganisms cope with this nitrosative stress by oxidizing NO to nitrate (NO3−). Microbial hemoglobins play an essential role in this NO-detoxifying process. Under anaerobic conditions, detoxification occurs via a 2-electron reduction of two NO molecules to N2O. In many bacteria and archaea, this NO-reductase reaction is catalyzed by diiron proteins. Despite the importance of this reaction in providing microorganisms with a resistance to the mammalian immune response, its mechanism remains ill-defined. Because NO is an obligatory intermediate of the denitrification pathway, respiratory NO reductases also provide resistance to toxic concentrations of NO. This family of enzymes is the focus of this review. Respiratory NO reductases are integral membrane protein complexes that contain a norB subunit evolutionarily related to subunit I of cytochrome c oxidase (Cc O). NorB anchors one high-spin heme b3 and one non-heme iron known as FeB, i.e ., analogous to CuB in Cc O. A second group of diiron proteins with NO-reductase activity is comprised of the large family of soluble flavoprotein A found in strict and facultative anaerobic bacteria and archaea. These soluble detoxifying NO reductases contain a non-heme diiron cluster with a Fe–Fe distance of 3.4 Å and are only briefly mentioned here as a promising field of research. This article describes possible mechanisms of NO reduction to N2O in denitrifying NO-reductase (NOR) proteins and critically reviews recent experimental results. Relevant theoretical model calculations and spectroscopic studies of the NO-reductase reaction in heme/copper terminal oxidases are also overviewed.

Photoacoustic characterization of protein dynamics following CO photodetachment from fully reduced bovine cytochrome c oxidase

We report a protein conformational change following carbon monoxide photodetachment from fully reduced bovine cytochrome c oxidase that is hypothesized to be associated with changes in ligand mobility through a dioxygen access channel in the protein. Although not resolved by earlier photoacoustic or optical studies on this adduct, utilization of slightly lower temperatures revealed a process with a kinetic lifetime of about 70 ns at 10 degrees C. We measure an enthalpy change of about 8 kcal/mol in 0.050 M HEPES buffer that becomes less endothermic (DeltaH approximately 2 kcal/mol) at higher ionic strength. The volume contraction of about -0.7 mL/mol associated with the process almost doubles in higher ionic strength buffer systems. Measurements of samples in phosphate buffer systems are similar and appear to display the same subtle ionic strength dependence. Both the isolation of this photoacoustic signal component and the possible dependence on ionic strength of the thermodynamic parameters derived from its analysis appear analogous to and consistent with prior photoacoustic results monitoring CO photodetachment from the camphor complex of cytochrome P-450. Accordingly, we consider a similar model in which a conformational change results in movement of an exposed charged group or groups towards the interior of the protein, out of contact with solvent, as in the closing of a salt bridge.

Probing the Q-proton pathway of ba3-cytochrome c oxidase by time-resolved Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

In cytochrome c oxidase, the terminal respiratory enzyme, electron transfers are strongly coupled to proton movements within the enzyme. Two proton pathways (K and D) containing water molecules and hydrophobic amino acids have been identified and suggested to be involved in the proton translocation from the mitochondrial matrix or the bacterial cytoplasm into the active site. In addition to the K and D proton pathways, a third proton pathway (Q) has been identified only in ba3-cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus, and consists of residues that are highly conserved in all structurally known heme-copper oxidases. The Q pathway starts from the cytoplasmic side of the membrane and leads through the axial heme a3 ligand His-384 to the propionate of the heme a3 pyrrol ring A, and then via Asn-366 and Asp-372 to the water pool. We have applied FTIR and time-resolved step-scan Fourier transform infrared (TRS2-FTIR) spectroscopies to investigate the protonation/deprotonation events in the Q-proton pathway at ambient temperature. The photolysis of CO from heme a3 and its transient binding to CuB is dynamically linked to structural changes that can be tentatively attributed to ring A propionate of heme a3 (1695/1708 cm(-1)) and to deprotonation of Asp-372 (1726 cm(-1)). The implications of these results with respect to the role of the ring A propionate of heme a3-Asp372-H2O site as a proton carrier to the exit/output proton channel (H2O pool) that is conserved among all structurally known heme-copper oxidases, and is part of the Q-proton pathway in ba3-cytochrome c oxidase, are discussed.

Simultaneous Resonance Raman Detection of the Heme a3-Fe-CO and CuB-CO Species in CO-bound ba3-Cytochrome c Oxidase from Thermus thermophilus

Understanding of the chemical nature of the dioxygen and nitric oxide moiety of ba3-cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus is crucial for elucidation of its physiological function. In the present work, direct resonance Raman (RR) observation of the Fe-C-O stretching and bending modes and the C-O stretching mode of the CuB-CO complex unambiguously establishes the vibrational characteristics of the heme-copper moiety in ba3-oxidase. We assigned the bands at 507 and 568 cm(-1) to the Fe-CO stretching and Fe-C-O bending modes, respectively. The frequencies of these modes in conjunction with the C-O mode at 1973 cm(-1) showed, despite the extreme values of the Fe-CO and C-O stretching vibrations, the presence of the alpha-conformation in the catalytic center of the enzyme. These data, distinctly different from those observed for the caa3-oxidase, are discussed in terms of the proposed coupling of the alpha-and beta-conformations that occur in the binuclear center of heme-copper oxidases with enzymatic activity. The CuB-CO complex was identified by its nu(CO) at 2053 cm(-1) and was strongly enhanced with 413.1 nm excitation indicating the presence of a metal-to-ligand charge transfer transition state near 410 nm. These findings provide, for the first time, RR vibrational information on the EPR silent CuB(I) that is located at the O2 delivery channel and has been proposed to play a crucial role in both the catalytic and proton pumping mechanisms of heme-copper oxidases.

Time-resolved step-scan Fourier transform infrared investigation of heme-copper oxidases: implications for O2 input and H2O/H+ output channels

We have applied FTIR and time-resolved step-scan Fourier transform infrared (TRS(2)-FTIR) spectroscopy to investigate the dynamics of the heme-Cu(B) binuclear center and the protein dynamics of mammalian aa(3), Pseudomonas stutzeri cbb(3), and caa(3) and ba(3) from Thermus thermophilus cytochrome oxidases. The implications of these results with respect to (1) the molecular motions that are general to the photodynamics of the binuclear center in heme-copper oxidases, and (2) the proton pathways located in the ring A propionate of heme a(3)-Asp372-H(2)O site that is conserved among all structurally known oxidases are discussed.

Active site structure of the aa3 quinol oxidase of Acidianus ambivalens

The membrane bound aa(3)-type quinol:oxygen oxidoreductase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Acidianus ambivalens, which thrives at a pH of 2.5 and a temperature of 80 degrees C, has several unique structural and functional features as compared to the other members of the heme-copper oxygen reductase superfamily, but shares the common redox-coupled, proton-pumping function. To better understand the properties of the heme a(3)-Cu(B) catalytic site, a resonance Raman spectroscopic study of the enzyme under a variety of conditions and in the presence of various ligands was carried out. Assignments of several heme vibrational modes as well as iron-ligand stretching modes are made to serve as a basis for comparing the structure of the enzyme to that of other oxygen reductases. The CO-bound oxidase has conformations that are similar to those of other oxygen reductases. However, the addition of CO to the resting enzyme does not generate a mixed valence species as in the bovine aa(3) enzyme. The cyanide complex of the oxidized enzyme of A. ambivalens does not display the high stability of its bovine counterpart, and a redox titration demonstrates that there is an extensive heme-heme interaction reflected in the midpoint potentials of the cyanide adduct. The A. ambivalens oxygen reductase is very stable under acidic conditions, but it undergoes an earlier alkaline transition than the bovine enzyme. The A. ambivalens enzyme exhibits a redox-linked reversible conformational transition in the heme a(3)-Cu(B) center. The pH dependence and H/D exchange demonstrate that the conformational transition is associated with proton movements involving a group or groups with a pK(a) of approximately 3.8. The observed reversibility and involvement of protons in the redox-coupled conformational transition support the proton translocation model presented earlier. The implications of such conformational changes are discussed in relation to general redox-coupled proton pumping mechanisms in the heme-copper oxygen reductases.

Docking site dynamics of ba3-cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus

Ligand trajectories trapped within a docking site or within an internal cavity near the active site of proteins are important issues toward the elucidation of the mechanism of reaction of such complex systems, in which activity requires the shuttling of oriented ligands to and from their active site. The ligand motion within ba3-cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus has been investigated by measuring time-resolved step-scan Fourier transform infrared difference spectra of photodissociated CO from heme a3 at ambient temperature. Upon photodissociation, 15-20% of the CO is not covalently attached to CuB but is trapped within a docking site near the ring A of heme a3 propionate. Two trajectories of CO that are distinguished spectroscopically and kinetically (vCO = 2131 cm-1, td = 10-35 micros and vCO = 2146 cm-1, td = 85 micros) are observed. At later times (td = 110 micros) the docking site reorganizes about the CO and quickly establishes an energetic barrier that facilitates equilibration of the ligand with the protein solvent. The time-dependent shift of the CO trajectories we observe is attributed to a conformational motion of the docking site surrounding the ligand. The implications of these results with respect to the ability of the docking site to constrain ligand orientation and the reaction dynamics of the docking site are discussed herein.