PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Timkovich

Publications and source records attributed to R Timkovich.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Proposed structure for the noncovalently associated heme prosthetic group of dissimilatory nitrite reductases. Configuration of substituents of acrylochlorin.

The configuration of the substituents around the macrocycle core has been determined for acrylochlorin, the reduced porphyrin that is the iron-free form of heme d1. This has been accomplished by two independent techniques. Nuclear Overhauser enhancements on the proton resonances of acrylochlorin d3-methyl ester were measured to determine nearest-neighbor substituents and mesoprotons. A lanthanide shift reagent, tris-(1,1,1,2,2,3,3-heptafluoro-7,7-dimethyloctane-4,6-di onato) europium(III), was found to bind in the vicinity of the carbonyl oxygens of the propionate and acrylate methyl esters. Differential chemical shift effects on the proton resonances of acrylochlorin provided evidence on relative distances from the lanthanide-binding site. Since the substituents are constrained along the circumference of the macrocycle, this provided information on configuration. Assuming that the dominant mechanism for spin-lattice relaxation in acrylochlorin in deuterated chloroform solution is proton dipole-dipole interaction, measured values of spin-lattice relaxation times could be interpreted as being consistent with the proposed configuration. The configuration bears sufficient similarity to that of protoporphyrin IX so that a common nomenclature may be used (Smith K. M. (ed) (1975) Porphyrins and Metalloporphyrins, pp. 3-5, Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press, Amsterdam). The deduced configuration of the acrylochlorin methyl ester is: 1-methyl, 1-hydroxymethyl, 2-methyl, 2-hydroxymethyl, 3-methyl formate, 4-methyl formate, 5-methyl, 6-methyl propionate, 7-methyl acrylate, 8-methyl. The naturally occurring heme d1 has free carboxylic acids at the 3-, 4-, 6-, and 7-positions.

Binding Sites↗

Patterns of product inhibition for bacterial nitrite reductase.

Product inhibition has been examined in the turnover kinetics of cytochrome cd1 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 19429) and from Paracoccus denitrificans1 (ATCC 13456). A common characteristic was a decrease in rate during the time course of assays that was not due to substrate depletion or irreversible inactivation. The product of nitrite reduction, nitric oxide (NO), acted as a product inhibitor in anaerobic assays with an apparent Ki of 0.2 microM, but only if the enzyme was first preincubated with NO for 15 min. The enzyme was inhibited by the oxidized form of electron donors and this could account for the decrease in rate during an assay. For the donors hydroquinone, ascorbate, TMPD, and azurin, measured values of the inhibition constant were at least ten fold lower than measured Km's. Cytochromes c as donors demonstrated a complex pattern of product inhibition by the ferric form. Although numerical values of Ki in these cases were not obtained, trends indicated that apparent values would be less than Km.

Aerobiosis↗

1H NMR spectroscopy of Paracoccus denitrificans cytochrome c-550.

The 1H NMR spectra of ferri- and ferro-cytochrome c-550 from Paracoccus denitrificans (ATCC 13543) have been investigated at 300 MHz. The ferri-cytochrome c-550 shows hyperfine-shifted heme methyl resonances at 29.90, 29.10, 16.70, and 12.95 ppm and a ligand methionyl methyl resonance at -15.80 ppm (pH 8 and 23 degrees C). Four pH-linked structural transitions were detected in spectra taken as a function of pH. The transitions have been interpreted as loss of the histidine heme ligand (pK less than or equal to 3), ionization of a buried heme propionate (pK = 6.3 +/- 0.2), displacement of the methionine heme ligand by a lysyl amino group (pK congruent to 10.5), and loss of the lysyl ligand (pK greater than or equal to 11.3). The temperature behavior of hyperfine-shifted resonances was determined. Two heme methyl resonances (at 16.70 and 12.95 ppm) showed downfield hyperfine shifts with increasing temperature. The cyanoferricytochrome had methyl resonances at 23.3, 20.1, and 19.4 ppm. NMR spectroscopy did not detect the formation of a complex with azide. The second-order rate constant for electron transfer between ferric and ferrous forms was determined to be 1.6 X 10(4) M-1 s-1. Heme proton resonances were assigned in both oxidation states by cross-saturation and nuclear Overhauser enhancement experiments. Spin-coupling patterns in the aromatic region of the ferro-cytochrome spectrum were investigated.

Cytochrome c Group↗

Proton NMR spectroscopy of cytochrome c-554 from Alcaligenes faecalis.

Cytochrome c-554 from the bacterium Alcaligenes faecalis (ATCC 8750) is a respiratory electron-transport protein homologous to other members of the cytochrome c family. Its structure has been studied by 1H NMR spectroscopy in both the ferric and ferrous states. The ferric spectrum is characterized by downfield hyperfine-shifted heme methyl resonances at 46.25, 43.60, 38.40, and 36.73 ppm (25 degrees C, pH 7.1). Chemical shifts of these resonances change with temperature opposite to expectations derived from Curie's law. The pH behavior of the hyperfine-shifted resonances titrates with a pK of 6.3 that has been interpreted as due to ionization of a heme propionate. In the ferrous state, heme methyl, meso, and thioether bridge resonances have been observed and assigned. All aromatic proteins have been assigned according to the side chain of origin, and the structural environment about the sole tryptophan residue has been examined. The electron-transfer rate between ferric and ferrous forms has been estimated to be on the order of 3 X 10(8) M-1 s-1, which is the largest such self-exchange rate yet observed for a cytochrome.

Alcaligenes↗

Proposed structure for the noncovalently associated heme prosthetic group of dissimilatory nitrite reductases. Identification of substituents.

The substituents of the noncovalently associated heme prosthetic group of the bacterial nitrite reductase-cytochrome oxidase (EC 1.9.6.1 or EC 1.9.3.2.) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 19429) and Paracoccus denitrificans (ATCC 13456) have been identified. This was accomplished by 1H NMR, infrared, visible, and mass spectroscopic techniques applied to semi-purified heme and purified methyl ester derivatives of the iron-free porphyrin. The main structural features are as follows. 1) The macrocycle is a reduced porphyrin of the chlorin type, that is, one of the pyrrole rings has been saturated so that the beta-carbons have sp3-hybridization. 2) The chlorin is a tetracarboxylic acid. 3) The substituents of the saturated pyrrole ring are two methyl groups and two hydroxymethyl groups. 4) The substituents of the unsaturated pyrrole rings are: (i) two methyl groups (ii) a propionic acid (iii) an acrylic acid, and (iv) two directly bonded formic acid groups. No firm evidence has been obtained for the relative positions of these unsaturated beta-pyrrolic substituents around the macrocyclic ring, but a proposed structure will be discussed. Several previously inexplicable chemical properties of the heme in extracts or in the intact enzyme can be now interpreted in view of the proposed structure. The trivial name "acrylochlorin" is suggested for the macrocycle.

Heme↗

Proton NMR spectroscopy of Alcaligenes cytochrome c556.

A high molecular-weight c-type cytochrome was purified from Alcaligenes faecalis ATCC 8750. Its weight was 40,000 daltons by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. Heme content was determined to be one heme per 40,000 daltons. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance-NMR-spectroscopy determined that the ferrous form is low spin. The detection of a methyl resonance at -3 ppm in the ferrous form indicated that methionine is a heme ligand in this state. The NMR spectrum of the ferric form at pH 7.2 revealed hyperfine shifted methyl resonances at 67.79, 63.17, 57.71, and 50.46 ppm. The large downfield shifts observed are indicative of high spin character. The ferric spectrum was pH-sensitive, indicating two pH-linked structural transitions with estimated pKs at 6.0 and 10.5. The first is interpreted as due to the ionization of a heme propionate. The second is interpreted as the acquisition of a strong field ligand and the subsequent conversion to a low spin ferric form. The ferricytochrome did not form complexes with cyanide, azide, or fluoride at pH 5.2 or 7.9.

Alcaligenes↗

Magnetic susceptibility measurements on Pseudomonas cytochrome cd1.

The magnetic susceptibilities of cytochrome cd1 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (American Type Culture Collection 19429) have been measured by a nuclear magnetic resonance technique. In the oxidized form both heme c and heme d1 are in the low-spin state with an average magnetic moment of 2.6 Bohr magnetons. At 25 degrees C and pH 8.0, the ascorbate-reduced cytochrome contains one low-spin and one high-spin heme per subunit. Based on previous reports in the literature, the high-spin ferrous heme has been assigned to the heme d1 group. At pH 8.0 the ascorbate-reduced heme d1 has a magnetic moment of 5.3 Bohr magnetons. This value decreases to 4.9 at pH 5.5, but is still indicative of a high-spin ferrous system. The paramagnetic susceptibility of the ferricytochrome demonstrated a temperature dependence consistent with Curie's law, but the ferrocytochrome showed an increase in paramagnetic susceptibility with increasing temperature.

Ascorbic Acid↗

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ferricytochrome cd1.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of ferricytochrome cd1 from the denitrifying bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been obtained. The normal 0-10-ppm chemical shift range shows many overlapping and nonresolvable peaks, as would be expected for a dimeric protein of molecular weight approximately 120,000. In the downfield region between 10 and 50 ppm, and in the upfield region between 0 and -20 ppm, resolvable resonances corresponding to a small number of protons are observed. The temperature and pH behavior of these resonances have been examined. For some of the resolved resonances, the pH behavior of chemical shifts and intensities indicates that the oxidized form of the enzyme undergoes a structural transition with a pK of 5.8 +/- 0.3. On the basis of several lines of evidence, some assignments are proposed in which resolvable resonances are assigned as originating from either the heme c or the heme d1 prosthetic groups of the enzyme.

Cytochrome c Group↗

Nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of nitrite reductase-substrate interaction.

Nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance (15N NMR) spectroscopy at 30.4 MHz was employed to determine the interaction of the substrate nitrite (97.2% enriched) with bacterial nitrite reductase, denoted cytochrome cd1, from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The addition of ferric enzyme to nitrite did not alter the chemical shift of the bulk nitrite resonance, nor was it possible to observe a new resonance from a hypothetical bound form. However, the spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) was lowered from 13.2 to 2.7 s, and the spin-spin relaxation time (T2) was halved. Values of T1 were measured by progressive saturation and values of T2 by line widths. Control experiments involving ferric cytochrome c and metmyoglobin demonstrated that the perturbations did not arise from the bulk paramagnetic properties of the protein solutions. Variable enzyme/substrate ratios were measured to assess the strength of interaction. The most reasonable model consistent with the data proposes a weak association between nitrite and ferric reductase with a value of 1.3 M-1 for the association constant.

Kinetics↗

Chemical modification of the haem propionate of cytochrome c.

The significance of the exposed haem edge in cytochrome c was directly probed by chemically modifying the partially exposed haem propionate in the crevice region around residues threonine-78 and threonine-49. Reaction of tuna heart cytochrome c with a water-soluble carbodi-imide at pH 3.7 in the absence of any added nucleophilic base leads to the covalent addition of substituted N-acylureas to the protein at two sites. One site has been shown to be a haem propionate by isotope-tracer and i.r.-spectral analysis of haem purified from the apoprotein. The other site is aspartial acid-62 on the back of the molecule. The modified cytochrome c demonstrates abnormal properties, including auto-oxidizability, a reduction potential of + 105mV, a reversible transition to a high-spin species below pH 5.3, no 695 nm charge-transfer band in the ferric state and abnormal binding to mitochondrial membranes. The derivative does react with cytochrome oxidase in deoxycholate-treated submitochondrial particles or in purified preparations with a specific activity of 43-65% compared with that obtained with native cytochrome c. The results are consistent with the view that an intact haem crevice is essential for normal values for physiochemical characteristics, but the significant residual enzymic activity suggests that the electron-transfer interface and/or the cytochrome oxidase-binding site cannot be localized solely in the region of the exposed haem propionate.

Amino Acids↗

Implications of the integrated rate law for the reactions of Paracoccus denitrificans nitrite reductase.

The integrated rate law for the reaction of the nitrite reductase of Paracoccus denitrificans, a cytochrome cd, has been established for turnover assays using donor ferrocytochromes c and either nitrite or molecular oxygen as the ultimate acceptor. The time course for the concentration of ferrocytochrome follows the law: formula: (see text), where S is the concentration of donor ferrocytochrome c, So is the initial concentration, t is time, and u1, u2, and u3 are empirical parameters that are constant for a given experiment but depend upon the initial substrate concentration. In particular, all the u1 increase with decreasing initial ferrocytochrome concentration. Saturation of reaction rates at high donor ferrocytochrome concentrations was not observed. The parameter u1 was proportional to the enzyme concentration while u2 and u3 were not. The form of the integrated rate law and the behavior of the u1 impose severe restrictions on possible kinetic schemes for the activity of the enzyme. Contemporary mechanisms that have been proposed for mitochondrial oxidase aa3 are examined and found to be inadequate to explain the reactivity of cytochrome cd. The simplest interpretations of the cytochrome cd data suggest that the enzyme does not bind the ferri and ferro forms of donor cytochromes c with equal affinity and that the enzyme is subject to inhibition by a product of reaction. Eucaryotic horse cytochrome c reacts with the Paracoccus cytochrome cd with 77% of the activity when Paracoccus cytochrome c550 is used as the electron donor.

Kinetics↗

Cyanide reactivity of cytochrome c derivatives.

The kinetic rates and equilibrium association constants for cyanide binding have been measured for a series of cytochrome c derivatives as a probe of heme accessibility. The series included horse and yeast cytochromes iodinated at Tyr 67 and 74, horse cytochrome formylated at Trp 59 in both a low and high redox potential form, the Met 80 sulfoxide derivative of horse cytochrome and the N-acylisourea heme propionate derivative of tuna cytochrome. Native cytochromes c are well known to bind cyanide slowly in a reaction simply first order both in cytochrome and cyanide up to at least 100 mM in cyanide. The derivative demonstrate markedly different kinetics which indicate the following conclusions. (1) In spite of chemical modification at different loci, all the derivatives have highly similar reactivity, suggesting common ligation structures and mechanisms for reaction. (2) Compared to native cytochromes, reaction rates are 10-20 fold greater. This is in accord with a more accessible heme crevice, but not a completely opened crevice. For the completely opened case, rate increases are expected to be between three and five orders of magnitude. (3) Reaction rates are either independent of cyanide concentration (zero order) or show only slight variation. A mechanism which accounts for the data over four orders of magnitude in concentration postulates a protein conformation step, opening of the heme crevice, as the rate determining step. This conformation change has a limiting rate of 6 . 10(-2) s-1.

Animals↗