An alternative reaction for heme degradation catalyzed by the Escherichia coli O157:H7 ChuS protein: Release of hematinic acid, tripyrrole and Fe(III).

As part of the machinery to acquire, internalize and utilize heme as a source of iron from the host, some bacteria possess a canonical heme oxygenase, where heme plays the dual role of substrate and cofactor, the later catalyzing the cleavage of the heme moiety using O2 and electrons, and resulting in biliverdin, carbon monoxide and ferrous non-heme iron. We have previously reported that the Escherichia coli O157:H7 ChuS protein, which is not homologous to heme oxygenases, can bind and degrade heme in a reaction that releases carbon monoxide. Here, we have pursued a detailed characterization of such heme degradation reaction using stopped-flow UV-visible absorption spectrometry, the characterization of the intermediate species formed in such reaction by EPR spectroscopy and the identification of reaction products by NMR spectroscopy and Mass spectrometry. We show that hydrogen peroxide (in molar equivalent) is the key player in the degradation reaction, at variance to canonical heme oxygenases. While the initial intermediates of the reaction of ChuS with hydrogen peroxide (a ferrous keto π neutral radical and ferric verdoheme, both identified by EPR spectroscopy) are in common with heme oxygenases, a further and unprecedented reaction step, involving the cleavage of the porphyrin ring at adjacent meso-carbons, results in the release of hematinic acid (a monopyrrole moiety identified by NMR spectroscopy), a tripyrrole product (identified by Mass spectrometry) and non-heme iron in the ferric oxidation state (identified by EPR spectroscopy). Overall, the unprecedented reaction of E. coli O157:H7 ChuS provides evidence for a novel heme degradation activity in a Gram-negative bacterium.

Ligand binding to truncated hemoglobin N from Mycobacterium tuberculosis is strongly modulated by the interplay between the distal heme pocket residues and internal water.

The survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis requires detoxification of host *NO. Oxygenated Mycobacterium tuberculosis truncated hemoglobin N catalyzes the rapid oxidation of nitric oxide to innocuous nitrate with a second-order rate constant (k'(NOD) approximately 745 x 10(6) m(-1) x s(-1)), which is approximately 15-fold faster than the reaction of horse heart myoglobin. We ask what aspects of structure and/or dynamics give rise to this enhanced reactivity. A first step is to expose what controls ligand/substrate binding to the heme. We present evidence that the main barrier to ligand binding to deoxy-truncated hemoglobin N (deoxy-trHbN) is the displacement of a distal cavity water molecule, which is mainly stabilized by residue Tyr(B10) but not coordinated to the heme iron. As observed in the Tyr(B10)/Gln(E11) apolar mutants, once this kinetic barrier is lowered, CO and O(2) binding is very rapid with rates approaching 1-2 x 10(9) m(-1) x s(-1). These large values almost certainly represent the upper limit for ligand binding to a heme protein and also indicate that the iron atom in trHbN is highly reactive. Kinetic measurements on the photoproduct of the *NO derivative of met-trHbN, where both the *NO and water can be directly followed, revealed that water rebinding is quite fast (approximately 1.49 x 10(8) s(-1)) and is responsible for the low geminate yield in trHbN. Molecular dynamics simulations, performed with trHbN and its distal mutants, indicated that in the absence of a distal water molecule, ligand access to the heme iron is not hindered. They also showed that a water molecule is stabilized next to the heme iron through hydrogen-bonding with Tyr(B10) and Gln(E11).

Reactions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis truncated hemoglobin O with ligands reveal a novel ligand-inclusive hydrogen bond network.

Truncated hemoglobin O (trHbO) is one of two trHbs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Remarkably, trHbO possesses two novel distal residues, in addition to the B10 tyrosine, that may be important in ligand binding. These are the CD1 tyrosine and G8 tryptophan. Here we investigate the reactions of trHbO and mutants using stopped-flow spectrometry, flash photolysis, and UV-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy. A biphasic kinetic behavior is observed for combination and dissociation of O(2) and CO that is controlled by the B10 and CD1 residues. The rate constants for combination (<1.0 microM(-1) s(-1)) and dissociation (<0.006 s(-1)) of O(2) are among the slowest known, precluding transport or diffusion of O(2) as a major function. Mutation of CD1 tyrosine to phenylalanine shows that this group controls ligand binding, as evidenced by 25- and 77-fold increases in the combination rate constants for O(2) and CO, respectively. In support of a functional role for G8 tryptophan, UV resonance Raman indicates that the chi((2,1)) dihedral angle for the indole ring increases progressively from approximately 93 degrees to at least 100 degrees in going sequentially from the deoxy to CO to O(2) derivative, demonstrating a significant conformational change in the G8 tryptophan with ligation. Remarkably, protein modeling predicts a network of hydrogen bonds between B10 tyrosine, CD1 tyrosine, and G8 tryptophan, with the latter residues being within hydrogen bonding distance of the heme-bound ligand. Such a rigid hydrogen bonding network may thus represent a considerable barrier to ligand entrance and escape. In accord with this model, we found that changing CD1 or B10 tyrosine for phenylalanine causes only small changes in the rate of O(2) dissociation, suggesting that more than one hydrogen bond must be broken at a time to promote ligand escape. Furthermore, trHbO-CO cannot be photodissociated under conditions where the CO derivative of myoglobin is extensively photodissociated, indicating that CO is constrained near the heme by the hydrogen bonding network.