Profiling the active site of a copper enzyme through its far-infrared fingerprint.

Vibrations of the metal active site of the Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase enzyme were analyzed by far-infrared difference spectroscopy and theoretical normal mode calculation. Both electrochemically triggered Cu(I) and Cu(II) redox states show well-defined infrared vibrational modes, notably modes of the histidine ligands, the Cu(II)-His(61)-Zn(II) bridge and of the water pseudo-ligand.

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the 4R and 4S diastereomers of spiroiminodihydantoin 2'-deoxyribonucleosides: absolute configuration and conformational features.

The present study was aimed at gaining further insights into stereochemical and conformational features of the 4R and 4S diastereomers of spiroiminodihydantoin 2'-deoxyribonucleosides that have been shown to be the predominant singlet oxygen oxidation products of 2'-deoxyguanosine in aqueous solutions. It may be added that spiroiminodihydantoin derivatives are efficiently generated by one-electron and singlet oxygen oxidation of the 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine moiety of several nucleic acid components including nucleosides, nucleotides, and oligonucleotides. The reported structural data on the pair of diastereomeric spiroiminodihydantoin 2'-deoxyribonucleosides 1 and 2 are mostly inferred from extensive (1)H and (13)C NMR analyses including two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect measurements performed in both D(2)O and dimethyl sulfoxide. This approach that has been shown previously to be suitable to assign the stereochemistry of the base moiety of oxidized pyrimidine nucleosides was completed by molecular modeling and quantum mechanics studies. Thus, application of these two complementary approaches together with the consideration of the results of a recent relevant quantum mechanic study has allowed the assignment of the absolute stereoconfiguration of the C-4 carbon of diastereomers 1 and 2. In addition, information is provided on the conformational features of the 2-deoxyribose moiety and the orientation of the base around the N-glycosidic bond of both 2'-deoxyribonucleosides 1 and 2.

Electrochemically induced FTIR difference spectroscopy in the mid- to far infrared (200 microm) domain: a new setup for the analysis of metal-ligand interactions in redox proteins.

We report the setup of an electrochemical cell with chemical-vapor deposition diamond windows and the use of a Bruker 66 SX FTIR spectrometer equipped with DTGS and Si-bolometer detectors and KBr and mylar beam splitters, to record on the same sample, FTIR difference spectra corresponding to the structural changes associated with the change in redox state of active sites in proteins in the whole 1800-50 cm(-1) region. With cytochrome c we show that reliable reduced-minus-oxidized FTIR difference spectra are obtained, which correspond to single molecular vibrations. Redox-sensitive IR modes of the cytochrome c are detected until 140 cm(-1) with a good signal to noise. This new setup is promising to analyze the infrared spectral region where metal-ligand vibrations are expected to contribute and to extend the analysis of vibrational properties to metal sites or redox states not accessible to (resonance) Raman spectroscopy.

Long distance charge redistribution upon Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase reduction: significance for dismutase function.

Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD) is a ubiquitous enzyme with an essential role in antioxidant defense. To better understand structural factors at the origin of the highly efficient superoxide dismutation mechanism, we analyzed the consequence of copper reduction on the electronic properties of the backbone and individual amino acids by using electrochemistry coupled to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Comparison of data recorded with bovine erythrocyte and recombinant chloroplastic Cu,Zn-SOD from Lycopersicon esculentum, expressed as a functional tetramer in Escherichia coli and (14)N- or fully (15)N-labeled, demonstrated that the infrared changes were dominated by reorganizations of peptide bonds and histidine copper ligands. Two main infrared modes of histidine side chain, markers of metal coordination, were identified by using Cu- and Zn-methylimidazole models: the nu(C(4)C(5))at 1605-1594 cm(-1) or approximately 1586 cm(-1) for Ntau or Npi coordination, and the nu(C(5)Ntau) at approximately 1113-1088 cm(-1). These modes, also identified in Cu,Zn-SOD by using (15)N labeling, showed that the electronic properties of the histidine Ntau ligands of copper are mostly affected upon copper reduction. A striking conclusion of this work is that peptide groups from loops and beta-sheet largely participate in charge redistribution upon copper reduction, and in contrast, electronic properties of polar and charged amino acids of the superoxide access channel remain unaffected. This is notably shown for the strictly conserved Arg-143 by site-directed mutagenesis on chloroplastic Cu,Zn-SOD. Charge compensation by the peptide backbone and preserved electronic properties of the superoxide access channel and docking site upon copper reduction may be the determinant factors for the high reaction kinetics of superoxide with both reduced and oxidized Cu,Zn-SOD.

Redox-dependent structural changes in the superoxide reductase from Desulfoarculus baarsii and Treponema pallidum: a FTIR study.

The redox-induced structural changes at the active site of the superoxide reductase (SOR) from Desulfoarculus baarsii and Treponema pallidum have been monitored by means of FTIR difference spectroscopy coupled to electrochemistry. With this technique, the structure and interactions formed by individual amino acids at a redox site can be detected. The infrared data on wild-type, Glu47Ala, and Lys48Ile mutants of the SOR from D. baarsii provide experimental support for the conclusion that the two different coordination motifs observed in the three-dimensional structure of the SOR from Pyrococcus furiosus [Yeh, A. P., Hu, Y., Jenney, F. E., Adams, M. W. W., and Rees, D. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 2499-2508] correspond to the two redox forms of the SOR iron center. We extend this result to the center II iron of SOR of the desulfoferrodoxin type. Similar structural changes are also observed upon iron oxidation in the SOR of T. pallidum. In D. baarsii, the IR modes of the Glu47 side chain support that it provides a monodentate ligand to the oxidized iron, while it does not interact with Fe(2+). Structural changes at the level of peptide bond(s) observed upon iron oxidation in wild-type are suppressed in the Glu47Ala mutant. We propose that the presence of the Glu side chain plays an important role for the structural reorganization accompanying iron oxidation. We identified the infrared modes of the Lys48 side chain and found that a change in its environment occurs upon iron oxidation. The lack of other structural changes upon the Lys48Ile mutation shows that the catalytic role of Lys, as evidenced by pulse radiolysis experiments [Lombard, M., Houée-Levin, C., Touati, D., Fontecave, M., and Nivière, V. (2001) Biochemistry 40, 5032-5040], is purely electrostatic, guiding superoxide toward the reduced iron.