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G A Reid

Publications and source records attributed to G A Reid.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Modulation of flavocytochrome b2 intraprotein electron transfer via an interdomain hinge region.

The two domains of flavocytochrome b2 are connected by a typical hinge peptide. To probe the role of the hinge in modulating the efficiency of intraprotein electron transfer between these two domains, a number of mutant enzymes with truncated hinge regions were previously constructed and characterized [Sharp, Chapman and Reid (1996) Biochemistry 35, 891-899]. In the present study two mutant enzymes with elongated hinge regions have been constructed (HI3 and HI6) to further our understanding of the controlling influence of hinge length and primary structure on intraprotein electron transfer. Modification of the hinge had little effect on the lactate dehydrogenase activity of the enzyme, as was evident from steady-state experiments using ferricyanide as electron acceptor and from pre-steady-state experiments monitoring flavin reduction. However, the hinge insertions lowered the enzyme's effectiveness as a cytochrome c reductase. This effect results from a defect at the first interdomain electron-transfer step (FMNH2 --> haem electron transfer), where the rate constants for haem reduction in HI3 and HI6 were 50- and 100-fold lower than the corresponding value for the wild-type enzyme. Preservation of structural integrity within the hinge region is apparently essential for efficient intraprotein electron transfer.

Amino Acid Sequence

New insights into the catalytic cycle of flavocytochrome b2.

Flavocytochrome b2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae couples L-lactate dehydrogenation to cytochrome c reduction in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. The catalytic cycle for this process can be described in terms of five consecutive electron-transfer events. L-Lactate dehydrogenation results in the two-electron reduction of FMN. The two electrons are individually passed to b2-heme (intramolecular electron transfer) and then onto cytochrome c (intermolecular electron transfer). At 25 degrees C, I 0.10, in the presence of saturating concentrations of ferricytochrome c and L-lactate, the catalytic cycle progresses with rate constant 104 (+/- 5) s-1 [per L-lactate oxidized; Miles, C. S., Rouviere-Fourmy, N., Lederer, F., Mathews, F. S., Reid, G. A., & Chapman, S. K. (1992) Biochem. J. 285, 187-192]. Stopped-flow spectrophotometry has been used to show that the major rate-limiting step in the catalytic cycle is electron transfer from flavin semiquinone to b2-heme. This conclusion is based on the observation that pre-steady-state flavin oxidation by ferricytochrome c takes place at 120 s-1. Although flavin oxidation involves several other electron transfer steps, these are considered too fast to contribute significantly to the rate constant. It was also shown that the reaction product, pyruvate, is able to inhibit pre-steady-state flavin oxidation (Ki = 40 +/- 17 mM) consistent with reports that it acts as a noncompetitive inhibitor in the steady state at high concentrations [Ki = 30 mM; Lederer, F. (1978) Eur. J. Biochem, 88, 425-431]. This novel way of measuring the electron transfer rate constant is directly applicable to the catalytic cycle and has enabled us to derive a self-consistent model for it, based also on data collected for enzyme reduction [Miles, C. S., Rouviere-Fourmy, N., Lederer, F., Mathews, F. S., Reid, G. A., & Chapman, S. K. (1992) Biochem. J. 285, 187-192] and its interaction with cytochrome c [Daff, S., Sharp, R. E., Short, D. M., Bell, C., White, P., Manson, F. D. C., Reid, G. A., & Chapman, S. K. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 6351-6357]. Rapid-freezing quenched-flow EPR has been used to confirm the model by demonstrating that during steady-state turnover of the enzyme approximately 75% of the flavin is in the semiquinone oxidation state.

Catalysis

Interaction of cytochrome c with flavocytochrome b2.

Flavocytochrome b2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae couples L-lactate dehydrogenation to cytochrome c reduction. At 25 degrees C, 0.10 M ionic strength, and saturating L-lactate concentration, the turnover rate is 207 s-1 [per cytochrome c reduced; Miles, C. S., Rouviere, N., Lederer, F., Mathews, F. S., Reid, G. A., Black, M. T., & Chapman, S. K. (1992) Biochem. J. 285, 187-192]. The second-order rate constant for cytochrome c reduction in the pre-steady-state has been determined by stopped-flow spectrophotometry to be 34.8 (+/- 0.9) muM-1 s-1 in the presence of 10 mM L-lactate. This rate constant has been found to be dependent entirely on the rate of complex formation, the electron-transfer rate in the pre-formed complex being in excess of 1000 s-1. Inhibition of the pre-steady-state reduction of cytochrome c by either zinc-substituted cytochrome c or ferrocytochrome c has led to the estimation of a Kd for the catalytically competent complex of 8 microM, and from this the dissociation rate constant of 280 s-1, a value much less than the actual electron-transfer rate. The inhibition observed is only partial which indicates that electron transfer from the 1:1 complex to another cytochrome c can occur and that alternative electron transfer sites exist. The cytochrome c binding site proposed by Tegoni et al. [Tegoni, M., White, S. A., Roussel, A., Mathews, F. S. & Cambillau, C. (1993) Proteins 16, 408-422] has been tested using site-directed mutagenesis. Mutations designed to affect the complex stability and putative electron-transfer pathway had little effect, suggesting that the primary cytochrome c binding site on flavocytochrome b2 lies elsewhere. The combination of tight binding and multiple electron-transfer sites gives flavocytochrome b2 a low K(m) and a high kcat, maximizing its catalytic efficiency. In the steady-state, the turnover rate is therefore largely limited by other steps in the catalytic cycle, a conclusion which is discussed in the preceding paper in this issue [Daff, S., Ingledew, W. J., Reid, G. A., & Chapman, S. K. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 6345-6350].

Base Sequence

Deletions in the interdomain hinge region of flavocytochrome b2: effects on intraprotein electron transfer.

The two distinct domains of flavocytochrome b2 (L-lactate:cytochrome c oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.2.3) are connected by a typical hinge peptide. To probe the importance of the structural integrity of the hinge region for efficient intraprotein electron transfer, three mutant enzymes have been constructed: H delta 3 [Sharp, R. E., White, P., Chapman, S. K., & Reid, G. A. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 5115-5120], H delta 6, and H delta 9 in which three, six, and nine amino acids, respectively, were deleted from the hinge region. Intraprotein electron transfer was investigated by steady-state and stopped-flow kinetic analyses. All three hinge-deletion enzymes remained good L-lactate dehydrogenases, as was evident from steady-state experiments with ferricyanide as the electron acceptor and from stopped-flow experiments monitoring flavin reduction. The global effect of these deletions is to lower the enzyme's effectiveness as a cytochrome c reductase. This property of H delta 6 and H delta 9 flavocytochromes b2 is manifested at the first interdomain electron-transfer step (fully reduced FMN-->heme electron transfer), where the rate of heme reduction is the same within experimental error as the steady-state rate of cytochrome c reduction. Thus, interdomain electron transfer is rate limiting in the case of these two hinge-deletion enzymes compared to the wild-type enzyme, where alpha H abstraction from C-2 of L-lactate still contributes substantially to rate limitation. The situation for H delta 3 is more complicated, with more than one interdomain electron-transfer step being affected. Kinetic data, along with the measured deuterium kinetic isotope effects, are discussed in the context of the flavocytochrome b2 catalytic cycle and show that complete structural integrity within the hinge region is essential for efficient interdomain communication.

Amino Acid Sequence

Isolation and characterization of the flavin-binding domain of flavocytochrome b2 expressed independently in Escherichia coli.

Flavocytochrome b2 consists of two distinct domains. The N-terminal domain contains protohaem IX and the larger, C-terminal domain contains flavin mononucleotide (FMN). We describe here the isolation of the flavin-binding domain expressed in Escherichia coli independent of the cytochrome domain. The isolated domain is an efficient lactate dehydrogenase with ferricyanide as electron acceptor but reduces cytochrome c, the physiological oxidant for flavocytochrome b2, extremely poorly; electron transfer from the flavin-binding domain to the separately expressed cytochrome domain is undetectable. FMN reduction by lactate occurs as a single exponential process in the isolated flavin-binding domain, in contrast to the biphasic kinetics observed with native flavocytochrome b2.

Base Sequence

Spectroscopic and kinetic studies of the tetraheme flavocytochrome c from Shewanella putrefaciens NCIMB400.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopic studies were carried out on the tetraheme flavocytochrome c from Shewanella putrefaciens NCIMB400. The EPR spectrum reveals two sets of g-values--gz = 2.93, gy = 2.28, and gx = 1.51; and gz = 3.58--and the MCD spectrum shows a charge-transfer band at 1510 nm. These data combined show that all four hemes are low spin and have a nitrogenous sixth ligand. Sequence comparisons with other tetraheme cytochromes, particularly that from the purple phototroph H-1-R [Ambler, R.P. (1991) Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1058, 42-47], indicate that the sixth ligands are all histidines. Both the EPR data and the previously reported heme midpoint potentials [-220 and -320 mV; Morris, C.J., Black, A.C., Pealing, S.L., Manson, F.D.C., Chapman, S.K., Reid, G.A., Gibson, D.M., & Ward, F.B. (1994) Biochem. J. 302, 587-593] indicate that the hemes fall into two pairs. Stopped-flow kinetic experiments showed that fumarate-dependent heme oxidation was biphasic (kcat[fast] = 400 +/- 20 s-1; kcat[slow] = 34 +/- 3 s-1), with each phase having the same amplitude, confirming that the hemes are functionally paired.

Amino Acid Sequence

On the lack of coordination between protein folding and flavin insertion in Escherichia coli for flavocytochrome b2 mutant forms Y254L and D282N.

Wild-type flavocytochrome b2 (L-lactate dehydrogenase) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as well as a number of its point mutants, can be expressed to a reasonable level as recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli (20-25 mg per liter culture) with a full complement of prosthetic groups. At the same expression level, active-site mutants Y254L and D282N, on the other hand, were obtained with an FMN/heme ratio significantly less than unity, which could not be raised by addition of free FMN. Evidence is provided that the flavin deficit is due to incomplete prosthetic group incorporation during biosynthesis. Flavin-free and holo-forms for both mutants could be separated on a Blue-Trisacryl M column. The far-UV CD spectra of the two forms of each mutant protein were very similar to one another and to that of the wild-type enzyme, suggesting the existence of only local conformational differences between the active holo-enzymes and the nonreconstitutable flavin-free forms. Selective proteolysis with chymotrypsin attacked the same bond for the two mutant holo-enzymes as in the wild-type one, in the protease-sensitive loop. In contrast, for the flavin-free forms of both mutants, cleavage occurred at more than a single bond. Identification of the cleaved bonds suggested that the structural differences between the mutant flavin-free and holo-forms are located mostly at the C-terminal end of the barrel, which carries the prosthetic group and the active site. Altogether, these findings suggest that the two mutations induce an alteration of the protein-folding process during biosynthesis in E. coli; as a result, the synchrony between folding and flavin insertion is lost. Finally, a preliminary kinetic characterization of the mutant holo-forms showed the Km value for lactate to be little affected; kcat values fell by a factor of about 70 for the D282N mutant and of more than 500 for the Y254L mutant, compared to the wild-type enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence

Mutation to glutamine of histidine 373, the catalytic base of flavocytochrome b2 (L-lactate dehydrogenase).

Flavocytochrome b2 catalyzes the two-electron oxidation of L-lactate. Reducing equivalents are transferred first to FMN then to heme b2 in the same subunit, finally to cytochrome c or a non-physiological acceptor. The enzyme's three-dimensional structure, when analyzed in the light of existing mechanistic knowledge, suggested that His 373 is the active site base which initiates the substrate chemical transformation by abstracting the lactate alpha-proton. We report here the properties of a mutant enzyme with glutamine substituted histidine at position 373. The mutated enzyme preparations show a 10(4)-fold decrease in catalytic activity. We find that most of this residual activity can be eliminated by treatments with: 1) fluoropyruvate, an affinity label for His 373; and 2) 2- hydroxy-3-butynoate, a suicide reagent which normally forms an adduct with FMN but in this case leaves the bulk of the prosthetic group intact. Furthermore, although spectral titrations do not detect any binding of oxalate, this reagent inhibits the mutant enzyme with the same kinetic behaviour as for the wild-type enzyme. We conclude that the enzyme preparations contain about 1 in 10(4) molecules of wild-type flavocytochrome b2; this is probably due to codon misreading during biosynthesis. Thus the H373Q enzyme displays at most 10(5)-fold less activity than the wild-type enzyme. We report values for the spectrally determined binding constants of sulfite, pyruvate and D-lactate for the mutant enzyme. Finally, we show that 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol, which is a 10-fold more sensitive routine electron acceptor than ferricyanide, accepts electrons only from heme b2 and not from the flavin.

2,6-Dichloroindophenol

Purification and properties of a novel cytochrome: flavocytochrome c from Shewanella putrefaciens.

The major soluble cytochrome isolated from microaerobically grown cells of Shewanella putrefaciens has been shown to be a novel type of flavocytochrome with fumarate reductase activity. This flavocytochrome, located in the periplasmic fraction of cell extracts, has been purified to homogeneity and shown to contain 4 mol of haem c and 1 mol of non-covalently bound FAD per mol of protein. An M(r) value of 63,800 is estimated from sequence analysis assuming 4 mol of haem/mol of protein. In the presence of the artificial electron donor, reduced methyl viologen, the flavocytochrome catalysed the reduction of fumarate but not that of nitrite, dimethylsulphoxide, trimethylamine-N-oxide or sulphite. The pH optimum was 7.4 with calculated pKa values of 6.8 and 8.0 for contributing catalytic groups. The Km and kcat. values for fumarate reduction were 21 microM and 250 s-1 respectively, whereas the corresponding values for succinate oxidation with 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol as electron carriers were 200 microM and 0.07 s-1 respectively. Mesaconic acid was a competitive inhibitor of fumarate reduction with a Ki of 2 microM. Zymogram staining of polyacrylamide gels with purified protein showed a band of fumarate reductase activity. Polyclonal antibodies, raised to the purified flavocytochrome, were shown to titrate out fumarate reductase activity. We conclude that the physiological role of this enzyme is as a fumarate reductase. Optical absorption spectra of the flavocytochrome indicated that all the haems were of the c-type and gave alpha, beta and gamma peaks at 552.3, 523 and 418 nm in the reduced spectrum with epsilon values of 30.2, 15.9 and 188.2 mM-1.cm-1 respectively. Oxidized spectra showed no 695 nm band that would be indicative of His-Met coordination. Two redox potentials were resolved at -220 mV and -320 mV. The cytochrome was reduced by formate in the presence of particulate cell fractions. The relationship of this cytochrome to other low-potential flavocytochromes c is discussed.

Amino Acids

Strategic manipulation of the substrate specificity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae flavocytochrome b2.

Flavocytochrome b2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae acts physiologically as an L-lactate dehydrogenase. Although L-lactate is its primary substrate, the enzyme is also able to utilize a variety of other (S)-2-hydroxy acids. Structural studies and sequence comparisons with several related flavoenzymes have identified the key active-site residues required for catalysis. However, the residues Ala-198 and Leu-230, found in the X-ray-crystal structure to be in contact with the substrate methyl group, are not well conserved. We propose that the interaction between these residues and a prospective substrate molecule has a significant effect on the substrate specificity of the enzyme. In an attempt to modify the specificity in favour of larger substrates, three mutant enzymes have been produced: A198G, L230A and the double mutant A198G/L230A. As a means of quantifying the overall kinetic effect of a mutation, substrate-specificity profiles were produced from steady-state experiments with (S)-2-hydroxy acids of increasing chain length, through which the catalytic efficiency of each mutant enzyme with each substrate could be compared with the corresponding wild-type efficiency. The Ala-198-->Gly mutation had little influence on substrate specificity and caused a general decrease in enzyme efficiency. However, the Leu-230-->Ala mutation caused the selectivity for 2-hydroxyoctanoate over lactate to increase by a factor of 80.

Alanine

Role of the interdomain hinge of flavocytochrome b2 in intra- and inter-protein electron transfer.

The two distinct domains of flavocytochrome b2 (L-lactate:cytochrome c oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.2.3) are connected by a hinge peptide. Kinetics experiments [White, P., Manson, F. D. C., Brunt, C. E., Chapman, S. K., & Reid, GA. (1993) Biochem. J. 291, 89-94] have illustrated the importance for efficient interdomain electron transfer of maintaining the structural integrity of the hinge. To probe the role of the hinge in a more subtle manner, we have constructed a mutant enzyme, H delta 3, which has a three amino acid deletion in the hinge region. Intra- and inter-protein electron transfer within H delta 3 flavocytochrome b2 and the H delta 3:cytochrome c redox complex was investigated by steady-state and stopped-flow kinetics analysis. The H delta 3 mutant enzyme remains a good L-lactate dehydrogenase, as is evident from steady-state experiments with ferricyanide as electron acceptor (40% less active than wild-type enzyme) and stopped-flow experiments monitoring flavin reduction (15% less active than wild-type enzyme). The global effect of the deletion is to lower the enzyme's effectiveness as a cytochrome c reductase. This property of the H delta 3 enzyme is manifested at two electron-transfer steps on the catalytic cycle of flavocytochrome b2. First, the rate of heme reduction has fallen 5-fold in H delta 3 compared with the wild-type enzyme (from 445 to 91 s-1), due to poor interdomain electron transfer from flavin to heme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence

Substrate analogues as probes of the catalytic mechanism of L-mandelate dehydrogenase from Rhodotorula graminis.

A detailed kinetic analysis of the oxidation of mono-substituted mandelates catalysed by L-(+)-mandelate dehydrogenase (L-MDH) from Rhodotorula graminis has been carried out to elucidate the role of the substrate in the catalytic mechanism. Values of Km and kcat. (25 degrees C, pH 7.5) were determined for mandelate and eight substrate analogues. Values of the activation parameters, delta H++ and delta S++ (determined over the range 5-37 degrees C), for mandelate and all substrate analogues were compensatory resulting in similar low values for free energies of activation delta G++ (approx. 60 kJ.mol-1 at 298.15 K) in all cases. A kinetic-isotope-effect value of 1.1 +/- 0.1 was observed using D,L-[2-2H]mandelate as substrate and was invariant over the temperature range studied. The logarithm of kcat. values for the enzymic oxidation of mandelate and all substrate analogues (except 4-hydroxymandelate) showed good correlation with Taft's dual substituent constant omega (where omega = omega I + 0.64 omega +R) and gave a positive reaction constant value, rho, of 0.36 +/- 0.07. This linear free-energy relationship was verified by analysing the data using isokinetic methods. These findings support the hypothesis that the enzyme-catalysed reaction proceeds via the same transition state for each substrate and indicates that this transition state is relatively nonpolar but has an electron-rich centre at the alpha-carbon position.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases