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At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Mechanism of reduced flavin transfer from Vibrio harveyi NADPH-FMN oxidoreductase to luciferase.

The mechanisms of reduced flavin transfer in biological systems are poorly understood at the present. The Vibrio harveyi NADPH-FMN oxidoreductase (FRP) and the luciferase pair were chosen as a model for the delineation of the reduced flavin transfer mechanism. FRP, which uses FMN as a cofactor to mediate the reduction of the flavin substrate by NADPH, exhibited a ping-pong kinetic pattern with a Km, FMN of 8 microM and a Km,NADPH of 20 microM in a single-enzyme spectrophotometric assay monitoring the NADPH oxidation. However, the kinetic mechanism of FRP was changed to a sequential pattern with a Km,FMN of 0.3 microM and a Km,NADPH of 0.02 microM in a luciferase-coupled assay measuring light emission. In contrast, the Photobacterium fischeri NAD(P)H-FMN oxidoreductase FRG showed the same ping-pong mechanism in both the single-enzyme spectrophotometric and the luciferase-coupled assays. Moreover, for the FRP, FMN at concentrations over 2 microM significantly inhibited the coupled reaction in both light intensity and quantum yield, and showed apparent noncompetitive and competitive inhibition patterns against NADPH and luciferase, respectively. No inhibition of the NADPH oxidation was detected under identical conditions. These results are consistent with a scheme that the reduced flavin cofactor of FRP is preferentially utilized by luciferase for light emission, the reduced flavin product generated by the reductase is primarily channeled into a dark oxidation, and luciferase competes against flavin substrate in reacting with the FRP reduced flavin cofactor. An FRP derivative containing 2-thioFMN as the cofactor was also used to further examine the mechanism of flavin transfer. Results again indicate a preferential utilization of the reductase reduced flavin cofactor by luciferase for the bioluminescence reaction.

Apoenzymes↗
PubMed1994

Identification of the gene encoding the major NAD(P)H-flavin oxidoreductase of the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri ATCC 7744.

The gene encoding the major NAD(P)H-flavin oxidoreductase (flavin reductase) of the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri ATCC 7744 was isolated by using synthetic oligonucleotide probes corresponding to the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme. Nucleotide sequence analysis suggested that the major flavin reductase of V. fischeri consisted of 218 amino acids and had a calculated molecular weight of 24,562. Cloned flavin reductase expressed in Escherichia coli was purified virtually to homogeneity, and its basic biochemical properties were examined. As in the major flavin reductase in crude extracts of V. fischeri, cloned flavin reductase showed broad substrate specificity and served well as a catalyst to supply reduced flavin mononucleotide (FMNH2) to the bioluminescence reaction. The major flavin reductase of V. fischeri not only showed significant similarity in amino acid sequence to oxygen-insensitive NAD(P)H nitroreductases of Salmonella typhimurium, Enterobacter cloacae, and E. coli but also was associated with a low level of nitroreductase activity. The major flavin reductase of V. fischeri and the nitroreductases of members of the family Enterobacteriaceae would thus appear closely related in evolution and form a novel protein family.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1986

Reactions of the 4a-hydroperoxide of liver microsomal flavin-containing monooxygenase with nucleophilic and electrophilic substrates.

Liver microsomal flavin-containing monooxygenase (MFMO) has been shown to exhibit a stable 4a-flavin hydroperoxide intermediate in the absence of oxygenatable substrate (Poulsen, L. L., and Ziegler, D. M. (1979) J. Biol. Chem. 254, 6449-6455; Beaty, N. B., and Ballou, D. P. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 4619-4625). The reaction of this intermediate with an assortment of substrates was studied by stopped flow techniques. The first observed spectral change is a small blue shift in the absorbance peak of the 4a-flavin intermediate. The rate of this spectral change is dependent on the concentration of the substrate. This small spectral change is succeeded by a large increase in the absorbance at 450 nm. The rate of appearance of oxidized flavin is independent of substrate concentration but does increase at higher pH. Steady state turnover rates also greater at higher pH, consistent with earlier observations that the formation of oxidized flavin is rate determining in catalysis. Upon oxygenation by MFMO, thiobenzamide and iodide each undergo a spectral change which is dependent on substrate concentration. The spectral changes corresponding to oxygenation of these substrates occur at the same rates as do the initial small spectral changes contributed by the flavin chromophore as observed with all substrates. However, no substrate tested to date shows any effect on the rate of formation of oxidized flavin. Previous work has shown MFMO to catalyze the oxygenation of a variety of nitrogen- and sulfur-containing hydrophobic compounds. Two new classes of compounds are shown here to be substrates for this enzyme. The nucleophilic anions, iodide and thiocyanate, catalyze the decomposition of the 4a-flavin hydroperoxide. Organic boronic acids (e.g. phenylboronic acid and butylboronic acid) also appear to be oxygenated with no striking differences in kinetic characteristics from those of nucleophilic substrates. These organic boronic acids are classic electrophiles and suggest that like peracids, the 4a-flavin hydroperoxide is capable of oxygenating both nucleophiles and electrophiles (Lee, J. B., and Uff, B. C. (1967) Quart. Rev. 21, 429-457).

Aniline Compounds↗
PubMed1999

Use of free energy relationships to probe the individual steps of hydroxylation of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase: studies with a series of 8-substituted flavins.

We report Hammett correlations, using 8-substituted flavins, to clarify the mechanism of hydroxylation by p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PHBH). The 8-position of the FAD isoalloxazine ring was chosen for modifications, because in PHBH it has minimal interactions with the protein, and it is accessible to solvent and away from the site of hydroxylation. Although two intermediates, a flavin-C4a-hydroperoxide and a flavin-C4a-hydroxide, are known to participate in hydroxylation, the mechanism of oxygen transfer remains controversial. Mechanisms as diverse as electrophilic aromatic substitution, diradical formation, and isoalloxazine ring opening have been proposed. In the studies reported here, it was possible to monitor spectrally each of the individual steps involved in hydroxylation, because the FAD cofactor acts as a reporter group. Thus, with PHBH, substituted separately with nine derivatives of FAD altered in the 8-position, quantitative structure-reactivity relationships (QSAR) have been applied to probe the mechanisms of formation of the flavin-C4a-hydroperoxide, the conversion to the flavin-C4a-hydroxide with concomitant oxygen transfer to the substrate, and the dehydration of the flavin-C4a-hydroxide to form oxidized FAD. The individual chemical steps in the mechanism of PHBH were not altered when using any of the modified flavins, and normal products were obtained; however, the rates of individual steps were affected, and depended on the electronic properties of the 8-substituent. Increased hydroxylation rates were observed when a more electrophilic flavin-C4a-hydroperoxide (i.e., with an electron-withdrawing substituent at the 8-position) is bound to PHBH. On the basis of QSAR analysis, we conclude that the mechanism of the hydroxylation step is best described by electrophilic aromatic substitution.

4-Hydroxybenzoate-3-Monooxygenase↗
PubMed1995

The flavin reductase activity of the flavoprotein component of sulfite reductase from Escherichia coli. A new model for the protein structure.

Sulfite reductase (SiR) from Escherichia coli has a alpha 8 beta 4 subunit structure, where alpha 8 is a flavoprotein (SiR-FP) containing both FAD and FMN as prosthetic groups. It also exhibits a NADPH:flavin oxidoreductase activity with exogenous riboflavin, FMN, and FAD serving as substrates. The flavin reductase activity may function during activation of ribonucleotide reductase or during ferrisiderophore reduction. A plasmid containing cysJ gene, coding for the alpha subunit, overexpresses flavin reductase activity by 100-fold, showing that alpha is the site of free flavin reduction. The overproducer allows a fast and simple preparation of large amounts of the flavoprotein. Kinetic studies of its flavin reductase activity demonstrates a ping-pong bisubstrate-biproduct reaction mechanism. NADP+ inhibition studies show that both substrates, NADPH and free flavins, bind to the same site. While the FAD cofactor mediates the electron transfer between NADPH and free flavins, the FMN cofactor is not essential since a FMN-depleted SiR-FP retains a large proportion of activity. In contradiction with previous reports, SiR-FP is found to contain 1.6-1.7 flavin per alpha subunit. This result, together with the sequence homology between SiR-FP and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, suggests a new model for the structure of the protein with one FMN and one FAD prosthetic group per alpha subunit.

Chromatography, DEAE-Cellulose↗
PubMed2002

Mechanism and substrate specificity of the flavin reductase ActVB from Streptomyces coelicolor.

ActVB is the NADH:flavin oxidoreductase participating in the last step of actinorhodin synthesis in Streptomyces coelicolor. It is the prototype of a whole class of flavin reductases with both sequence and functional similarities. The mechanism of reduction of free flavins by ActVB has been studied. Although ActVB was isolated with FMN bound, we have demonstrated that it is not a flavoprotein. Instead, ActVB contains only one flavin binding site, suitable for the flavin reductase activity and with a high affinity for FMN. In addition, ActVB proceeds by an ordered sequential mechanism, where NADH is the first substrate. Whereas ActVB is highly specific for NADH, it is able to catalyze the reduction of a great variety of natural and synthetic flavins, but with K(m) values ranging from 1 microm (FMN) to 69 microm (lumiflavin). We show that both the ribitol-phosphate chain and the isoalloxazine ring contribute to the protein-flavin interaction. Such properties are unique and set the ActVB family apart from the well characterized Fre flavin reductase family.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2005

Dynamics involved in catalysis by single-component and two-component flavin-dependent aromatic hydroxylases.

Flavoprotein monooxygenases are involved in a wide variety of biological processes including drug detoxification, biodegradation of aromatic compounds in the environment, biosynthesis of antibiotics and siderophores, and many others. The reactions use NAD(P)H and O2 as co-substrates and insert one atom of oxygen into the substrate. The flavin-dependent monooxygenases utilize a general cycle in which NAD(P)H reduces the flavin, and the reduced flavin reacts with O2 to form a C4a-(hydro)peroxyflavin intermediate, which is the oxygenating agent. This complicated catalytic process has diverse requirements that are difficult to be satisfied by a single site. Two general strategies have evolved to satisfy these requirements. para-Hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase, the paradigm for the single-component flavoprotein monooxygenases, is one of the most thoroughly studied of all enzymes. This enzyme undergoes significant protein and flavin dynamics during catalysis. There is an open conformation that gives access of substrate and product to solvent, and a closed or in conformation for the reaction with oxygen and the hydroxylation to occur. This closed form prevents solvent from destabilizing the hydroperoxyflavin intermediate. Finally, there is an out conformation achieved by movement of the isoalloxazine toward the solvent, which exposes its N5 for hydride delivery from NAD(P)H. The protein coordinates these dynamic events during catalysis. The second strategy uses a reductase to catalyze the reduction of the flavin and an oxygenase that uses the reduced flavin as a substrate to react with oxygen and hydroxylate the organic substrate. These two-component systems must be able to transfer reduced flavin from the reductase to the oxygenase and stabilize a C4a-peroxyflavin until a substrate binds to be hydroxylated, all before flavin oxidation and release of H2O2. Again, protein dynamics are important for catalytic success.

4-Hydroxybenzoate-3-Monooxygenase↗
PubMed2005

Kinetics of proton-linked flavin conformational changes in p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase.

p-Hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PHBH) is an FAD-dependent monooxygenase that catalyzes the hydroxylation of p-hydroxybenzoate (pOHB) to 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate in an NADPH-dependent reaction. Two structural features are coupled to control the reactivity of PHBH with NADPH: a proton-transfer network that allows protons to be passed between the sequestered active site and solvent and a flavin that adopts two positions: "in", where the flavin is near pOHB, and "out", where the flavin is near NADPH. PHBH uses the proton-transfer network to test for the presence of a suitable aromatic substrate before allowing the flavin to adopt the NADPH-accessible conformation. In this work, kinetic analysis of the His72Asn mutant, with a disrupted proton-transfer network, showed that flavin movement could occur in the presence or absence of NADPH but that NADPH stimulated movement to the reactive conformation required for hydride transfer. Substrate and solvent isotope effects on the transient kinetics of reduction of the His72Asn mutant showed that proton transfer was linked to flavin movement and that the conformational change occurred in a step separate from that of hydride transfer. Proton transfers during the reductive half-reaction were observed directly in the wild-type enzyme by performing experiments in the presence of a fluorescent pH-indicator dye in unbuffered solutions. NADPH binding caused rapid proton release from the enzyme, followed by proton uptake after flavin reduction. Solvent and substrate kinetic isotope effects showed that proton-coupled flavin movement and reduction also occurred in different steps in wild-type PHBH. These results allow a detailed kinetic scheme to be proposed for the reductive half-reaction of the wild-type enzyme. Three kinetic models considered for substrate-induced isomerization are analyzed in the Appendix.

4-Hydroxybenzoate-3-Monooxygenase↗
PubMed1979

Flavin-dependent substrate photo-oxidation as a chemical model of dehydrogenase action.

As a model of flavin-dependent biological dehydrogenation, flavin-sensitized photodehydrogenation and photodecarboxylation were studied by variation of substrate, flavin, pH and solvent. Evidence for the following rules is given. (1) When the reactive site of a photosubstrate is an alpha-carbon atom of the type CH-CO2-, decarboxylation is preferred over dehydrogenation, whereas the reverse is true for the neutral CH-CO2H. (2) Consequently these reactions do not exhibit a measurable isotope effect with C2H-CO2-, in contrast with the findings by Penzer, Radda, Taylor & Taylor [(1970) Vitam. Horm. (N.Y.) 28, 441--466], which could not be reproduced. When the substate does not contain a carboxylate group, isotope effects occur, in verification of previous reports, e.g. for benzyl alcohol C6H5-C2H20H. (3) The mechanism of flavin-sensitized substrate photodecarboxylation is assumed to consist in a primary carbanion fixation at the flavin nucleus (position 4a, 5 or 8) with concomitant liberation of CO2. This step is followed by rapid fragmentation of the adduct CH-Fl-red., provided that the substrate contains a functional and electron-donating group X, e.g. X = OH, OCH3 or NH2 (but not NH3+ !) in X CH-CO2-. (4) The minimal requirement for flavin-sensitized C-H dehydrogenation is the presence of a hydroxyl group. For example, methanol as substrate and solvent is dehydrogenated at pH sufficiently alkaline for detection of the presence of the active species CH3O-, whereas at more acidic pH substrate dehydrogenation is competing with flavin autophotolysis, which depends on the substituents in the flavin nucleus.

Carboxylic Acids↗
PubMed2006

Hydrogen-bond switching through a radical pair mechanism in a flavin-binding photoreceptor.

BLUF (blue light sensing using FAD) domains constitute a recently discovered class of photoreceptor proteins found in bacteria and eukaryotic algae, where they control a range of physiological responses including photosynthesis gene expression, photophobia, and negative phototaxis. Other than in well known photoreceptors such as the rhodopsins and phytochromes, BLUF domains are sensitive to light through an oxidized flavin rather than an isomerizable cofactor. To understand the physicochemical basis of BLUF domain photoactivation, we have applied femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy to the Slr1694 BLUF domain of Synechocystis PCC6803. We show that photoactivation of BLUF domains proceeds by means of a radical-pair mechanism, driven by electron and proton transfer from the protein to the flavin, resulting in the transient formation of anionic and neutral flavin radical species that finally result in the long-lived signaling state on a 100-ps timescale. A pronounced deuteration effect is observed on the lifetimes of the intermediate radical species, indicating that proton movements underlie their molecular transformations. We propose a photoactivation mechanism that involves a successive rupture of hydrogen bonds between a conserved tyrosine and glutamine by light-induced electron transfer from tyrosine to flavin and between the glutamine and flavin by subsequent protonation at flavin N5. These events allow a reorientation of the conserved glutamine, resulting in a switching of the hydrogen-bond network connecting the chromophore to the protein, followed by radical-pair recombination, which locks the glutamine in place. It is suggested that the redox potential of flavin generally defines the light sensitivity of flavin-binding photoreceptors.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1975

Bacterial luciferase requires one reduced flavin for light emission.

Recent reports revive a hypothesis that the bacterial bioluminescence reaction involves two reduced flavin mononucleotide molecules per enzyme turnover. A two-flavin mechanism requires that the two flavins bind simultaneously or sequentially to the same or different sites on luciferase during a catalytic cycle. Measurements using equilibrium techniques show that the luciferase dimer has only a single reduced flavin binding site. Quantum yield results demonstrate that bioluminescence requires only one reduced flavin per luciferase, ruling out mechanisms involving either two reduced flavins or one reduced flavin plus one oxidized flavin per catalytic cycle.

Flavin Mononucleotide↗
PubMed2001

Modeling of the bacterial luciferase-flavin mononucleotide complex combining flexible docking with structure-activity data.

Although the crystal structure of Vibrio harveyi luciferase has been elucidated, the binding sites for the flavin mononucleotide and fatty aldehyde substrates are still unknown. The determined location of the phosphate-binding site close to Arg 107 on the alpha subunit of luciferase is supported here by point mutagenesis. This information, together with previous structure-activity data for the length of the linker connecting the phosphate group to the isoalloxazine ring represent important characteristics of the luciferase-bound conformation of the flavin mononucleotide. A model of the luciferase-flavin complex is developed here using flexible docking supplemented by these structural constraints. The location of the phosphate moiety was used as the anchor in a flexible docking procedure performed by conformation search by using the Monte Carlo minimization approach. The resulting databases of energy-ranked feasible conformations of the luciferase complexes with flavin mononucleotide, omega-phosphopentylflavin, omega-phosphobutylflavin, and omega-phosphopropylflavin were filtered according to the structure-activity profile of these analogs. A unique model was sought not only on energetic criteria but also on the geometric requirement that the isoalloxazine ring of the active flavin analogs must assume a common orientation in the luciferase-binding site, an orientation that is also inaccessible to the inactive flavin analog. The resulting model of the bacterial luciferase-flavin mononucleotide complex is consistent with the experimental data available in the literature. Specifically, the isoalloxazine ring of the flavin mononucleotide interacts with the Ala 74-Ala 75 cis-peptide bond as well as with the Cys 106 side chain in the alpha subunit of luciferase. The model of the binary complex reveals a distinct cavity suitable for aldehyde binding adjacent to the isoalloxazine ring and flanked by other key residues (His 44 and Trp 250) implicated in the active site.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1975

Ascorbate-synthesizing system in rat liver microsomes. II. A peptide-bound flavin as the prosthetic group of L-gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase.

L-Gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase [EC 1.1.3.8] was purified 80-fold from rat liver microsomes. In confirmation of our previous finding with a cruder preparation, the purified enzyme was shown to contain an L-gulono-gamma-lactone-reducible pigment as a prosthetic group. This pigment was not liberated from the protein by acid ammonium sulfate, 10% trichloroacetic acid or 2 M area, but was effectively released by proteolytic digestion. The pigment thus released showed a reduced-minus-oxidized difference spectrum characteristic of a flavin compound. The pigment was liberated from a trichloroacetic acid-treated preparation of the enzyme by pronase digestion and purified by Florisil column chromatography and paper chromatography. The absorption spectrum as well as the fluorescence emission and excitation spectra of the purified pigment indicated that it was actually a flavin peptide. It was, however, different not only from FMN but also from flavin peptides isolated from other sources such as succinate dehydrogenase [EC 1.3.99.1] and monoamine oxidase [EC 1.4.3.4] as regards the pH dependence of fluorescence intensity and the Rf value on thin-layer chromatography. A preliminary analysis showed that the purified flavin compound contained several amino acid residues. Alkaline photolysis of the purified flavin peptide suggested that the isoalloxazine ring of the flavin is involved in its binding to the peptide. The hypsochromic shift of the absorption peak in the near-ultraviolet region suggested further that the linkage between the flavin and the peptide may be mediated by the 8-methyl group of the isoalloxazine nucleus. It can be concluded that the prosthetic group of gulonolactone oxidase is a flavin which is covalently bound to the enzyme protein.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed2001

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy of flavins and flavoenzymes: photochemical and photophysical aspects.

Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) was used to investigate the excited-state properties of flavins and flavoproteins in solution at the single molecule level. Flavin mononucleotide (FMN), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and lipoamide dehydrogenase served as model systems in which the flavin cofactor is either free in solution (FMN, FAD) or enclosed in a protein environment as prosthetic group (lipoamide dehydrogenase). Parameters such as excitation light intensity, detection time and chromophore concentration were varied in order to optimize the autocorrelation traces. Only in experiments with very low light intensity ( < 10 kW/cm2), FMN and FAD displayed fluorescence properties equivalent to those found with conventional fluorescence detection methods. Due to the high triplet quantum yield of FMN, the system very soon starts to build up a population of non-fluorescent molecules, which is reflected in an apparent particle number far too low for the concentration used. Intramolecular photoreduction and subsequent photobleaching may well explain these observations. The effect of photoreduction was clearly shown by titration of FMN with ascorbic acid. While titration of FMN with the quenching agent potassium iodide at higher concentrations ( > 50 mM of I-) resulted in quenched flavin fluorescence as expected, low concentrations of potassium iodide led to a net enhancement of the de-excitation rate from the triplet state, thereby improving the fluorescence signal. FCS experiments on FAD exhibited an improved photostability of FAD as compared to FMN: As a result of stacking of the adenine and flavin moieties, FAD has a considerably lower triplet quantum yield. Correlation curves of lipoamide dehydrogenase yielded correct values for the diffusion time and number of molecules at low excitation intensities. However, experiments at higher light intensities revealed a process which can be explained by photophysical relaxation or photochemical destruction of the enzyme. As the time constant of the process induced at higher light intensities resembles the diffusion time constant of free flavin, photodestruction with the concomitant release of the cofactor offers a reasonable explanation.

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMed1999

In vitro and in vivo inhibition of human flavin-containing monooxygenase form 3 (FMO3) in the presence of dietary indoles.

The effect of consumption of glucosinolate-containing Brussels sprouts on flavin-containing monooxygenase functional activity in humans was investigated in 10 healthy, male, non-smoking volunteers. After a 3-week run-in period, 5 volunteers continued on a glucosinolate-free diet for 3 weeks (control group), and 5 others consumed 300 g of cooked Brussels sprouts per day (sprouts group). Human flavin-containing monooxygenase activity was measured by determining the levels of urinary trimethylamine and trimethylamine N-oxide. In the control group similar trimethylamine to trimethylamine N-oxide ratios were observed, while in the sprouts group the trimethylamine to trimethylamine N-oxide ratios were increased 2.6- to 3.2-fold, and thus flavin-containing monooxygenase functional activity was decreased significantly. To investigate the molecular basis for the in vivo inhibition of functional human flavin-containing monooxygenase activity, in vitro studies were carried out examining the effect of acid condensation products of indole-3-carbinol, anticipated to be formed after transit of Brussels sprouts through the gastrointestinal system, on the prominent cDNA-expressed human flavin-containing monooxygenase form 3 enzymes. Two indole-containing materials were observed to be potent inhibitors of human flavin-containing monooxygenases, having Ki values in the low micromolar range. The results suggested that acid condensation products expected to be formed upon transit of Brussels sprouts materials through the gastrointestinal system were potent competitive inhibitors of human flavin-containing monooxygenase form 3 enzymes. The findings indicate that daily intake of Brussels sprouts may lead to a decrease in human flavin-containing monooxygenase activity, and this may have consequences for metabolism of other xenobiotics or dietary constituents.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Thiol modification and site directed mutagenesis of the flavin domain of spinach NADH:nitrate reductase.

Incubation of either Chlorella nitrate reductase or the recombinant flavin domain of spinach nitrate reductase with reagents specific for modification of cysteine residues, such as N-ethylmaleimide, resulted in a time-dependent inactivation of NADH:ferricyanide reductase activity which could be prevented by incubation in the presence of NADH. At 25 degrees C and employing a fixed enzyme:modifier ratio, the rate of inactivation for both the Chlorella and spinach enzymes followed the order p-chloromercuribenzoate > methyl methanethiosulfonate > 2-(4'-maleimidylanilino)naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid > N-ethylmaleimide. For the spinach flavin domain, inactivation by methyl methanethiosulfonate or p-chloromercuribenzoate was found to be concentration independent suggesting the absence of nonspecific modifications. Initial rate studies of the methyl methanethiosulfonate-modified flavin domain indicated a reduction in NADH:ferricyanide activity (Vmax) from 85 to 44 micromol NADH consumed/min/nmol FAD and an increase in the Km for NADH from 12 to 35 microM when compared to the native enzyme, confirming a role for cysteine residue(s) in maintaining diaphorase activity. Site-directed mutagenesis of the four individual cysteines (residues 17, 54, 62, and 240) in the recombinant spinach flavin domain resulted in mutant proteins with visible and CD spectra very similar to those of the wild-type domain. Initial rate studies indicated that only substitutions of serine for cysteine 240 decreased diaphorase activity with maximal NADH:ferricyanide activity for the C240S mutant corresponding to 51 micromol NADH consumed/min/nmol FAD with a Km for NADH of 14 microM. Mutation of C240 to Ala or Gly resulted in greater loss of activity. The thermal stability of the four serine mutants was slightly decreased compared to the wild-type domain with the C62S mutant exhibiting the greatest instability. In contrast to the effects on diaphorase activity, square wave voltammetric studies indicated changes in the oxidation-reduction midpoint potential for the FAD/FADH2 couple in the C54S (E0'= -197 mV), C62S (E0' = -226 mV), and C240S (E0' = -219 mV) mutants compared to the wild-type domain (E0' = -268 mV). These results indicate that of the four cysteine residues in the spinach nitrate reductase flavin domain, only C240 plays a role in maintaining diaphorase activity, while C54 has the greatest influence on flavin redox potential and that no correlation between changes in catalytic activity and flavin redox potential was observed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Resonance Raman study on the oxidized and anionic semiquinone forms of flavocytochrome b2 and L-lactate monooxygenase. Influence of the structure and environment of the isoalloxazine ring on the flavin function.

The oxidized and semiquinone anion radical forms of flavin mononucleotide carried by flavocytochrome b2 and L-lactate monooxygenase have been studied by resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopy. The RR spectra of their oxidized forms are compared with previously published RR data on various flavins and flavoproteins. Taking as a support available X-ray crystallographic data on flavoproteins, we have found correlations between the frequencies of RR bands II (1575-1588 cm-1), III (1534-1557 cm-1), and X (1244-1266 cm-1) and the H-bonding environment and/or the structure of the flavin ring. The present RR data provide strong evidence that the electron density, the conformation, and the H-bonding environment of the oxidized flavin mononucleotide of flavocytochrome b2 and L-lactate monooxygenase are different. As far as the anionic semiquinone form of flavoproteins is concerned, the behavior of two bands observed at 1280-1300 and 1320-1350 cm-1 suggests that they have vibrational origins similar to those of RR bands II and III of oxidized compounds. On this basis, the differences in conformation and H-bonding environment of the isoalloxazine ring, observed for the oxidized form of flavocytochrome b2 and L-lactate monooxygenase, appear to be preserved upon one-electron reduction of the flavin. For both flavoproteins, the RR spectra of the semiquinone form are affected by pyruvate binding. The data are interpreted in the frame of a change in H-bonding interaction of the C4&dbd;O carbonyl group of the flavin without significant alteration of the isoalloxazine conformation. This modification in electrostatic interaction quantitatively accounts for the pyruvate-induced changes of the oxidized/semiquinone and semiquinone/reduced redox potentials of the flavoproteins. Considering the high homology in the flavin catalytic sites of flavocytochrome b2 and L-lactate monooxygenase, the observed differences in H-bonding environment and conformation of the FMN ring are related to the different biological functions of the two flavoproteins.

Benzoquinones↗
PubMed1997

Identification of the naturally occurring flavin of nitroalkane oxidase from fusarium oxysporum as a 5-nitrobutyl-FAD and conversion of the enzyme to the active FAD-containing form.

Nitroalkane oxidase from Fusarium oxysporum catalyzes the oxidation of nitroalkanes to aldehydes with production of nitrite and hydrogen peroxide. The UV-visible absorbance spectrum of the purified enzyme shows a single absorption peak at 336 nm with an extinction coefficient of 7.4 mM-1 cm-1. Upon denaturation of the enzyme at pH 7.0, a stoichiometric amount of FAD is released. The spectral properties of the enzyme as isolated are consistent with an N(5) adduct of the flavin. This is not due to a covalent linkage with the protein, since the free flavin adduct can be isolated from the enzyme at pH 2.1. The free flavin adduct shows an absorbance spectrum with a lambdamax at 346 nm (10.7 mM-1 cm-1) and is not fluorescent. Under alkaline conditions the free adduct decays, yielding FAD; the rate of this process is pH-dependent with a pKa of 7.4. Adduct decay is also observed with the native enzyme; in this case, however, the rate of decay is 160-fold slower (at pH 8.0) and not dependent on pH. During this process a large increase in enzymatic activity ( approximately 26-fold at pH 7.0) is observed, the rate of which is equal to the rate of flavin adduct conversion to FAD. Thus, the native flavin adduct is not active but can be converted to FAD, the active form of the flavin. Maximal activation is pH- and FAD-dependent; two groups with pKa values of 5.65 +/- 0. 25 and 8.75 +/- 0.05 must be unprotonated and protonated, respectively. The m/z- of the free flavin adduct is 103.0645 higher than that of FAD, as determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This corresponds to a molecule of nitrobutane linked to FAD. A mechanism is proposed for the formation in vivo of the nitrobutyl-FAD of nitroalkane oxidase.

Circular Dichroism↗