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ABSTRACT: Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) is a tetrahydrobiopterin and non-heme iron-dependent enzyme that hydroxylates L-Phe to l-Tyr using molecular oxygen as additional substrate. A dysfunction of this enzyme leads to phenylketonuria (PKU). The conformation and distances to the catalytic iron of both L-Phe and the cofactor analogue L-erythro-7,8-dihydrobiopterin (BH2) simultaneously bound to recombinant human PAH have been estimated by (1)H NMR. The resulting bound conformers of both ligands have been fitted into the crystal structure of the catalytic domain by molecular docking. In the docked structure L-Phe binds to the enzyme through interactions with Arg270, Ser349 and Trp326. The mode of coordination of Glu330 to the iron moiety seems to determine the amino acid substrate specificity in PAH and in the homologous enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase. The pterin ring of BH2 pi-stacks with Phe254, and the N3 and the amine group at C2 hydrogen bond with the carboxylic group of Glu286. The ring also establishes specific contacts with His264 and Leu249. The distance between the O4 atom of BH2 and the iron (2.6(+/-0.3) A) is compatible with coordination, a finding that is important for the understanding of the mechanism of the enzyme. The hydroxyl groups in the side-chain at C6 hydrogen bond with the carbonyl group of Ala322 and the hydroxyl group of Ser251, an interaction that seems to have implications for the regulation of the enzyme by substrate and cofactor. Some frequent mutations causing PKU are located at residues involved in substrate and cofactor binding. The sites for hydroxylation, C4 in L-Phe and C4a in the pterin are located at a distance of 4.2 and 4.3 A from the iron moiety, respectively, and at 6.3 A from each other. These distances are adequate for the intercalation of iron-coordinated molecular oxygen, in agreement with a mechanistic role of the iron moiety both in the binding and activation of dioxygen and in the hydroxylation reaction.
Journal of Molecular Biology 12/1999; 294(3):807-23. · 4.00 Impact Factor
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Metal ions in biological systems 02/1996; 32:397-418.
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ABSTRACT: Metal ion titrations of several DNA oligonucleotides, 10 dodecamers and one decamer have been monitored by 1H NMR spectroscopy in order to elucidate metal ion binding patterns. Also, the effects of paramagnetic impurities on resonance linewidths and NOESY cross-peak intensities have been reversed by EDTA back-titration experiments. 1H 1D NMR spectra were recorded after successive additions of aliquots of different metal salts to oligonucleotide samples. Paramagnetic manganese(II) salts were used in most cases, but a few samples were also titrated with diamagnetic zinc(II). From this study, we conclude that there exists a sequence-selective metal ion binding pattern. The metal ions bind predominantly to 5'-G in the contexts 5'-GC and 5'-GA. The order of preference seems to be GG > or = GA > GT > > GC. No evidence of metal ion binding to 5'-G in 5'-GC steps or to non-G residues was found. The H6 or H8 resonances on preceding (5'-) bases were affected by the adjacent bound paramagnetic metal ion, but no effect was observed on the protons of the succeeding (3'-) base. The metal binding site in the duplexes is most likely at G-N7, as manifested by the pronounced paramagnetic line broadening or diamagnetic shift of the G-H8 signal. This sequence selectivity may be qualitatively explained by a sequence-dependent variation in the molecular electrostatic potentials of guanine residues (MEPs) along the oligonucleotide chain.
Acta Chemica Scandinavica 07/1993; 47(7):649-57.
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ABSTRACT: The interaction of the synthetic oligonucleotide d(C-G-C-G-A-A-T-T-C-G-C-G)2 with two different transition-metal ions has been investigated in aqueous solution by means of 1H NMR spectroscopy. The effects on the DNA due to the presence of manganese(II) or zinc(II) have been monitored by observing the paramagnetic broadening and diamagnetic shifts of the non-exchangeable proton resonance lines, respectively. The 1H NMR spectra acquired during the course of the manganese(II) titration show very distinct broadening effects on certain DNA resonance lines. Primarily, the H8 resonance of G4 is affected, but also the H5 and H6 resonances of C3 are clearly affected by the metal. The results imply that the binding of manganese(II) to DNA is sequence specific. The 1H spectra obtained during the zinc(II) titration reveal diamagnetic shift effects which largely conform with the paramagnetic broadening effects due to the presence of manganese(II), although this picture is somewhat more complex. The H8 resonance of G4 displays a clearly visible high-field shift, while for the other guanosine H8 protons this effect is absent. The H1' and H2' protons of C3 show an effect of similar strength, although in the opposite direction, while H5 and H6 of C3 are only slightly affected. Local differences in the structure of the DNA and the basicities of potential binding sites on different base steps in the sequence might account for the observed sequence selectivity.
Acta Chemica Scandinavica 04/1991; 45(3):219-25.
