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Biomedical subjects

D L Rousseau

Publications and source records attributed to D L Rousseau.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Axial coordination of ferric Aplysia myoglobin.

Resonance Raman spectra of ferric Aplysia myoglobin in the ligand-free and the azide-bound forms have been studied over a wide pH range to determine the coordination states of the heme iron atom. In the hydroxide form at high pH (approximately 9) the iron is six-coordinate and is in a high/low spin equilibrium. As the pH is lowered below the acid/alkaline transition (pKa = 7.5), the heme becomes five-coordinate. When the pH is lowered even further no other changes in the resonance Raman spectrum are detected; thus, the heme remains five-coordinate down to pH 4, the lowest value studied. For ferric azide-bound Aplysia myoglobin, the iron is six-coordinate in a high/low spin equilibrium at all pH values (4.8-9). These data indicate (i) that the unusual reactivity toward azide previously observed at neutral pH is indeed related to the absence of a coordinated water molecule, and (ii) that causes other than the heme coordination are responsible for the spectral differences and the ligand-binding kinetics differences observed below pH 6.

Animals↗

Evidence for a hydroxide intermediate in cytochrome c oxidase.

A transient intermediate of cytochrome c oxidase has been generated by exposing the enzyme to a laser beam in the presence of oxygen. This intermediate develops when the enzyme is simultaneously reduced photoreductively and oxidized chemically, thereby forcing it to turn over. Under these conditions a form of the enzyme is generated with a line at 477 cm-1 in the resonance Raman spectrum, which we attribute to an Fe-OH stretching mode based on oxygen and hydrogen isotopic substitution. This hydroxide intermediate relaxes back to the resting state of the enzyme upon removal from the laser beam. Hydroxide intermediates have been postulated many times in the past in proposed catalytic mechanisms. The data reported here supply the first evidence for the existence of such an intermediate and a method for stabilizing it.

Animals↗

Cytochrome c oxidase: evidence for interaction of water molecules with cytochrome a.

The resonance Raman spectra of cytochrome c oxidase in protonated buffer compared to that in deuterated buffer indicate that water molecules are near the heme of cytochrome a. Differences in widths of the heme line at 1610 cm-1, after short exposure to D2O, and, additionally, of the heme line at 1625 cm-1, after long exposure, can be accounted for by changes in resonance vibrational energy transfer between modes of cytochrome a2+ and the bending mode of water molecules in the heme pocket. On the basis of the assignment of these modes, we place one water molecule near the vinyl group and one water molecule near the formyl group of the cytochrome a heme. These water molecules may play several possible functional roles.

Animals↗

Structural characterization of cytochrome c peroxidase by resonance Raman scattering.

Resonance Raman scattering studies are reported on freshly prepared and aged ferric, ligand-free ferrous, and CO-bound ferrous cytochrome c peroxidase. The ferric form of the fresh enzyme has a heme which is penta-coordinate high spin, independent of buffer over the pH range 4.3-7, as determined by well established Raman marker lines. The aged enzyme displays a mixture of spin and coordination states, but it can be stabilized in the penta-coordinate high spin form in the presence of phosphate. These results can be accounted for by considering the size of the channel (6 A wide, 11 A long) between the distal side of the heme and the outer surface of the protein. A phosphate ion may be accommodated in this channel resulting in the stabilization of the distal heme pocket. The ferrous cytochrome c peroxidase in both the ligand-free and CO-bound states has an acidic and an alkaline form. The acidic form has the characteristic spectral features of peroxidases: a high frequency iron-histidine stretching mode (248 cm-1), a high frequency Fe-CO stretching mode (537 cm-1), and a low frequency C-O stretching mode (1922 cm-1). At alkaline pH these frequencies become similar to those of hemoglobin and myoglobin, with the corresponding modes located at 227, 510, and 1948 cm-1, respectively. We attribute the acid/alkaline transition in the ferrous forms of cytochrome c peroxidase to a rearrangement mainly of the proximal side of the heme, culminating in a change of steric interactions between the proximal histidine and the heme or of the hydrogen bonding network involving the proximal histidine. The new data presented here reconcile many inconsistencies reported in the past.

Buffers↗

Nitrosyl cytochrome c oxidase. Formation and properties of mixed valence enzyme.

We report the first resonance Raman scattering studies of NO-bound cytochrome c oxidase. Resonance Raman scattering and optical absorption spectra have been obtained on the fully reduced enzyme (a2+, a2+(3) NO) and the mixed valence enzyme (a3+, a2+(3) NO). Clear vibrational frequency shifts are detected in the lines associated with cytochrome a in comparing the two redox states. With 441.6 nm excitation the fully reduced preparation yields a spectrum similar to that of carbon monoxide-bound cytochrome c oxidase and is dominated by the spectrum of reduced cytochrome a. In contrast, in the mixed valence preparation no contributions from reduced cytochrome a are evident in the spectrum, verifying that this heme is no longer in the Fe2+ state. In the mixed valence NO-bound samples, a line appears at approximately 545 cm-1, a frequency similar to that found in NO-bound hemoglobin and myoglobin and assigned as an Fe-N-O-bending mode in those proteins. We do not detect this line in the spectrum of the fully reduced NO-bound enzyme. The carbonyl line of the cytochrome a3 heme formyl group in the fully reduced NO-bound enzyme appears at approximately equal to 1666 cm-1 in the resonance Raman spectrum. In the mixed valence NO-bound preparation the frequency of the carbonyl line increases by 1.2 cm-1 to approximately equal to 1667 cm-1. Thus, modes in cytochrome a2+(3) NO are sensitive to the redox state of the cytochrome a and/or CuA centers. We propose that the redox sensitivity of the formyl mode and the Fe-N-O mode results from an interaction between cytochrome a2+(3) (NO) and the cytochrome a-CuA pair, and is linked to the cytochrome a3 (NO) by the coupling between CuB and the NO-bound cytochrome a3 heme.

Animals↗

Photodissociated cytochrome c oxidase: cryotrapped metastable intermediates.

By freezing CO-bound cytochrome c oxidase at cryogenic temperatures, we have been able to cryotrap metastable intermediates of photodissociation. The differences in the resonance Raman spectrum between these intermediates and ligand-free reduced cytochrome oxidase at cryogenic temperatures are the same as those between the phototransient and the fully reduced preparation detected with 10-ns excitation at room temperature. The largest difference occurs in the iron-histidine stretching mode of cytochrome a3, which shifts by up to 8 cm-1 to higher frequency in the photoproduct. At 4 K the iron-histidine mode displays two unrelaxed frequencies in the photoproduct, which we attribute to two different unrelaxed structures of the heme pocket. The frequencies and intensities of the lines in the resonance Raman spectrum are sensitive to the incident laser power density in both the ligand-free fully reduced preparation and the photoproduct even at 4 K. At 77 K the carbonyl stretching mode of the formyl group in cytochrome a32+ is especially sensitive to laser power, displaying two frequencies-1666 cm-1 at low-flux density and 1674 cm-1 at high-flux density. These frequencies may reflect a change in conformation of the formyl group or a change in its interaction with the protein such as in hydrogen bonding to the carbonyl of the formyl group. The absence of immediate relaxation of the CO photoproduct must be considered when one studies the structure and kinetics of the O2 intermediates that are formed in triple trapping and flow-flash experiments following photodissociation of the CO-bound enzyme.

Animals↗

The role of water near cytochrome a in cytochrome c oxidase.

Resonance Raman scattering studies of cytochrome c oxidase reveal that two vibrational modes narrow upon placing the enzyme in D2O. This is interpreted as evidence for the presence of water molecules near cytochrome a that increase the linewidth of the heme modes due to resonance vibrational energy transfer to the H2O bending mode. From the nature of the modes in which the broadening is detected, it is deduced that the water molecules are located near the formyl and the vinyl substituents of the cytochrome a. The change in width in the formyl mode appears quickly, whereas that in the vinyl mode only develops after extended exposure of the enzyme to D2O. On the basis of these results we propose a new mechanism for proton translocation. In this hypothesis water molecules at the active site become activated and are dissociated into protons and hydroxyl groups due to changes in the pKas of residues near the heme when the redox state of the cytochrome a changes. Structural features of the protein stabilize this charge separation and allow directional migration of protons to the cytosolic side of the inner mitochondrial membrane. It is pointed out that this mechanism may be operative in all proton-translocation complexes, and it is observed that in bacteriorhodopsin, also a proton pump, water molecules are detected near the active site lending support to the generality of this mechanism.

Animals↗

Time dependence of near-infrared spectra of photodissociated hemoglobin and myoglobin.

The near-infrared charge-transfer transitions at approximately 760 nm in photodissociated hemoglobin and myoglobin display very different time dependences. In photodissociated myoglobin at room temperature the transition has fully relaxed to its deoxymyoglobin value by 10 ns. In photodissociated hemoglobin, the transition is shifted by 6 nm to longer wavelengths at 10 ns. It relaxes about halfway back to the deoxyhemoglobin value by about 100 ns but subsequently changes very slowly out to about 100 microseconds when the signal intensity becomes too small to follow any further. The intensity of this transition, present in only five-coordinate hemes, is found to follow the same time dependence as the wavelength change. Consequently, there appears to be a correlation between a structural property of the heme (as inferred from the wavelength of the charge-transfer transition) and a functional property (the CO recombination) of the protein (as inferred from the intensity of the transition). Possible origins for this correlation are considered.

Animals↗

Simulation of carboxymyoglobin photodissociation.

Computer-generated models of the structures of deoxymyoglobin and CO-bound myoglobin show that the CO molecule is not packed so tightly by the amino acid residues of the distal pocket to prevent its motion away from the iron atom upon photodissociation. A simulation of low temperature photodissociation by energy minimization techniques shows that the CO moves to a position approximately 4 A away from the iron atom due to the van der Waals forces. The final position of the CO molecule requires far larger motion of the carbon atom than the oxygen atom and thereby suggests that the isotope dependence of the molecular tunneling is a consequence of the orientation of the photodissociated CO.

Computer Simulation↗

Cryogenic stabilization of myoglobin photoproducts.

The low frequency resonance Raman spectra of photodissociated carbon monoxymyoglobin at cryogenic temperatures (4-77 K) differ from those of deoxymyoglobin. Intensity differences occur in several low frequency porphyrin modes, and intensity and frequency differences occur in the iron-histidine stretching mode. This mode appears at about 225 cm-1 in deoxymyoglobin. At the lowest temperature studied, approximately 4 K, the frequency of the iron-histidine stretching mode in the photoproduct is approximately 233 cm-1, and the intensity is very low. When the temperature of the photoproduct is increased, the intensity of the mode increases, but its frequency is unchanged. The differences between the photoproduct and the deoxy preparation persist to 77 K, the highest temperature studied, and are independent of whether samples are frozen in phosphate buffer or a 50:50 ethylene glycol/phosphate buffer mixture. It is proposed that the frequency of the iron-histidine stretching mode is governed by the tilt angle of the histidine with respect to the normal to the heme plane, and the intensity of the mode is governed by the overlap between the sigma orbital of the iron-histidine bond and the pi orbital of the porphyrin macrocycle. This model can account for differences between the resonance Raman spectra of the photoproduct and the deoxy preparations of both hemoglobin and myoglobin. Furthermore, by considering the F-helix motions in going from 6-coordinate to 5-coordinate hemoglobin and myoglobin, the heme relaxation of these proteins at room temperature with 10-ns pulses can be explained. Based on the findings reported here, low temperature relaxation pathways for both hemoglobin and myoglobin are proposed.

Animals↗

Accessibility of the cytochrome a heme in cytochrome c oxidase to exchangeable protons.

The comparison of the resonance Raman spectrum of cytochrome a2+ from cytochrome oxidase in deuterated buffers to that in protonated buffers reveals many lines that have different frequency or intensity. Some of the frequency differences are very large, e.g. on the order of 10 cm-1. From these differences in the Raman spectra, we infer that the heme pocket is readily accessible to protons and that labile groups are either on the heme or interact strongly with it. These data suggest the possibility of direct participation in proton translocation and/or oxygen protonation by the heme of cytochrome a.

Cytochrome a Group↗

Resonance Raman spectral isolation of the a and a3 chromophores in cytochrome oxidase.

Resonance Raman spectra of reduced CO-bound cytochrome oxidase obtained at two different excitation frequencies (441.6 and 413.1 nm) are compared with the spectra of the fully reduced enzyme. In the spectra of the CO-bound complex only the cytochrome a modes are strongly enhanced with 441.6 nm excitation and only the modes of the CO-bound cytochrome a3 heme are strongly enhanced with 413.1-nm excitation. In the fully reduced complex with both excitation frequencies, modes of both cytochrome a and a3 are enhanced. By subtraction we are able to uncover the complete spectrum of the fully reduced ligand-free cytochrome a3 heme. Thus, we report the discrete resonance Raman spectra of cytochromes a2+, a2+3, and a2+3 (CO). The spectra of fully reduced cytochrome a and ligand-free cytochrome a3 are very different especially in the low frequency region. Binding CO to ferrous cytochrome a3 results in electronic structure changes in the heme analogous to those in hemoglobin and myoglobin, from which we conclude that there is nothing electronically unique in the ferrous cytochrome a3 heme to account for its catalytic properties.

Animals↗

Metastable photoproducts from carbon monoxide myoglobin.

The photoproduct of carbon monoxide myoglobin generated at 4 K and lower has a resonance Raman spectrum characteristic of a high-spin heme but in which the high-frequency core size-sensitive lines are at lower frequency than those in the deoxy preparation. Such differences are not detected in the photoproduct generated at higher temperatures (50 K) or in that generated at room temperature with 10-nsec pulses. The data indicate that at the low temperature (4 K), the heme in the photoproduct is not fully relaxed, and from the data we conclude that the photoproduct has an expanded porphyrin core. We infer that the core size exceeds that in deoxymyoglobin because the rigid protein prevents the highspin iron atom from moving to its full out-of-plane displacement at the very low temperatures.

Animals↗

Spectroscopic studies of protein-heme interactions accompanying the allosteric transition in methemoglobins.

Resonance Raman, optical absorption, and circular dichroism spectroscopic techniques have been used to examine the effect of the addition of inositol hexaphosphate (IHP) to a series of carp and human methemoglobin derivatives. Markers of spin equilibrium in the high-frequency region (1450-1650 cm-1) of the resonance Raman spectrum yield high/low-spin ratios consistent with direct magnetic susceptibility measurements. Changes in the low-frequency region (100-600 cm-1) of the resonance Raman spectrum appear to correlate with the quaternary structure transition. Changes in the ultraviolet absorption spectra and the circular dichroism spectra also appear to be related to the quaternary structure change. By using the resonance Raman spin markers, we find that those derivatives of carp methemoglobin which are in spin equilibrium have a larger ratio of high-spin to low-spin populations than the corresponding derivatives of human methemoglobin. Upon the addition of IHP to the methemoglobins the spin equilibrium is shifted toward a larger high-spin population. This change in equilibrium is larger for the carp protein than for the human protein. We obtain an IHP-induced change in the free energy difference between the high-spin and low-spin states of 300 cal/mol for those human methemoglobins in which a quaternary structure change occurs and 600 cal/mol for carp methemoglobins. Our data are consistent with a quaternary structure change induced by IHP in all the carp methemoglobins studied (F-, H2O, SCN-, NO2-, N3-, and CN-) and in the F-, H2O, and SCN- derivatives of the human protein but not in the NO2-, N3-, and CN- derivatives. The Fe-CN stretching mode has been identified by isotopic substitution and found to be unchanged in frequency in carp CN- metHb when the quaternary structure is changed. On the basis of our results we conclude that the protein forces at the heme due to the addition of IHP do not significantly affect the position of the iron atom with respect to the heme plane. Rather, the changes in spin equilibrium may be caused by protein-induced changes in the orientation of the proximal histidine or tertiary structure changes in the heme pocket which affect the porphyrin macrocycle. Either of these changes, or a combination thereof, leads to changes in the iron d orbital energies and concomitant changes in the spin equilibrium.

Allosteric Regulation↗

Resonance raman spectra of CN--bound cytochrome oxidase: spectral isolation of cytochromes a2+, a3(2+), and a3(2+)(CN-).

Reduced cyanide-bound cytochrome oxidase in the absence of any oxygen gives a resonance Raman spectrum consistent with that expected for low-spin heme a. Thus, in contrast to prior reports, ligand binding of cytochrome a3 to form a six-coordinate low-spin ferrous heme does not result in any unusual electronic structure, hydrogen bonding, environment, or conformation of the formyl group. It appears unlikely that there are any changes in this group in cytochrome a3 that control the ligand affinity or redox potential in physiological forms of the ferrous enzyme. With the use of our difference spectrometer and by appropriately selecting the laser excitation frequency, we are able to isolate spectrally cytochromes a2+, a3(2+), and a3(2+)(CN-). The addition of a small amount of oxygen to a preparation of the cyanide-bound reduced enzyme results in a complex with the same Raman spectrum as that previously reported to originate from the cyanide-bound reduced complex. Any oxygen present in the sample leads to enzyme turnover resulting in a mixed valence state [a2+a3(3+)(CN-)]. The comparison between the data on the cyanide-bound reduced enzyme and the data on the CO-bound reduced enzyme illustrates that cyanide binding affects only the modes that respond to the spin state of the ferrous iron, while CO binding affects vibrational modes that respond to a pi-electron density change as well.

Animals↗

Resonance Raman evidence of chloride binding to the heme iron in myeloperoxidase.

The resonance Raman spectra of ferric derivatives of myeloperoxidase at pH 8 show ligand-dependent differences. The data are consistent with the resting enzyme and the chloride and fluoride derivatives all having 6-coordinated high-spin configurations. At pH 4 we find that the resting enzyme is susceptible to photodegradation from our low power incident laser beam. Chloride binding inhibits this denaturation. Our data support direct binding of chloride to the enzyme under physiological conditions.

Chlorides↗

Cytochrome a3 structure in carbon monoxide-bound cytochrome oxidase.

The iron-carbon monoxide stretching mode and the iron-carbon-oxygen bending mode in carbon monoxide-bound cytochrome oxidase have been assigned at 520 and 578 cm-1, respectively. The frequencies, widths, and intensities of these modes show that the Fe-C-O grouping in carbon monoxide-cytochrome a3 is linear but tilted from the normal to the heme plane; that the iron-histidine bond in both five- and six-coordinate cytochrome a3 is strained; and that the carbon monoxide and the proximal histidine each have characteristic, well-defined orientations in all molecules. These data can account for the binding affinities of carbon monoxide and dioxygen under physiological conditions.

Animals↗

Absence of cooperative energy at the heme in liganded hemoglobins.

Using resonance Raman and infrared absorption spectroscopies, we show that there are no energetically significant structural changes at the heme upon the quaternary structure transition in six-coordinate hemoglobins. These observations are at variance with the presently accepted mechanism for cooperativity, which postulates severe strain in the T quaternary structure of liganded hemoglobin. By consideration of the present results, and studies on deoxyhemoglobins and photodissociated hemoglobins, a view of the distribution of the free energy of cooperativity emerges. In five-coordinate deoxyhemoglobins the iron-histidine bond is able to respond to the protein structure, thereby accounting for a wide variation (40 cm(1] in its frequency. In contrast, when a sixth ligand is present and the iron is pulled into plane, the histidine-heme-ligand complex becomes structurally rigid, thereby preventing protein-induced changes at the heme. Instead, in liganded hemoglobin the changes in structure that occur at the subunit interface upon the quaternary structure transition are accommodated away from the heme by relatively weak bonds in the protein.

Animals↗