Effects of the location of distal histidine in the reaction of myoglobin with hydrogen peroxide.

To clarify how the location of distal histidine affects the activation process of H2O2 by heme proteins, we have characterized reactions with H2O2 for the L29H/H64L and F43H/H64L mutants of sperm whale myoglobin (Mb), designed to locate the histidine farther from the heme iron. Whereas the L29H/H64L double substitution retarded the reaction with H2O2, an 11-fold rate increase versus wild-type Mb was observed for the F43H/H64L mutant. The Vmax values for 1-electron oxidations by the myoglobins correlate well with the varied reactivities with H2O2. The functions of the distal histidine as a general acid-base catalyst were examined based on the reactions with cumene hydroperoxide and cyanide, and only the histidine in F43H/H64L Mb was suggested to facilitate heterolysis of the peroxide bond. The x-ray crystal structures of the mutants confirmed that the distal histidines in F43H/H64L Mb and peroxidase are similar in distance from the heme iron, whereas the distal histidine in L29H/H64L Mb is located too far to enhance heterolysis. Our results indicate that the proper positioning of the distal histidine is essential for the activation of H2O2 by heme enzymes.

Autocatalytic processing of heme by lactoperoxidase produces the native protein-bound prosthetic group.

The covalently bound prosthetic group of lactoperoxidase (LPO) has been obtained by hydrolysis of the protein and identified as a dihydroxylated heme. A baculovirus expression system has been developed for LPO and used to obtain protein in which the heme is only partially covalently bound. Reaction of the purified heme. apoLPO complex with H2O2 results in both autocatalytic modification of the heme and covalent attachment to the protein. Hydrolytic experiments establish that the autocatalytically incorporated heme is bound normally. Two monohydroxylated heme intermediates have been detected. The peroxidative activity of LPO increases in proportion to the extent of covalently bound heme. The LPO results provide a paradigm for autocatalytic incorporation of heme groups into the mammalian peroxidases, including myeloperoxidase and eosinophil peroxidase, all of which exhibit strong sequence similarity with LPO and have covalently-bound heme groups.

On the formation and reactivity of compound I of the His-64 myoglobin mutants.

Myoglobin (Mb) catalyzes various two-electron oxidations; however, ferryl porphyrin cation radical equivalent to peroxidase compound I has not been identified yet. Distal histidine mutants of sperm whale Mb (His-64 --> Ala, Ser, and Leu) afford an apparent intermediate followed by the formation of a ferryl heme (Mb-II) in the reaction with m-chloroperbenzoic acid. Because the intermediate exhibits characteristic absorption spectrum of compound I and bears two electron oxidizing equivalents above the ferric state, we have assigned the species as compound I of myoglobin (Mb-I). Although we have recently observed compound I of the F43H/H64L Mb mutant, F43H and wild type Mb react with m-chloroperbenzoic acid to give Mb-II without any accumulation of Mb-I. The results unambiguously indicate that His-64 plays a key role in destabilizing wild type Mb-I. Furthermore, Mb-I is found to be capable of performing two-electron oxidation of styrene, thioanisole, and H2O2.

Biosynthesis of vitamin B12. Discovery of the enzymes for oxidative ring contraction and insertion of the fourth methyl group.

In the vitamin B12 biosynthetic pathway the enzymes responsible for the conversion of precorrin-3 to precorrin-4 have been identified as the gene products of cobG and cobJ from Pseudomonas denitrificans. CobG catalyzes the oxidation of precorrin-3 to precorrin-3x (a hydroxy lactone) whereas CobJ is a SAM-dependent C-17 methyl transferase and is necessary for ring contraction. A mechanism for ring contraction is proposed.