The cytochrome P450s are a superfamily of enzymes that are found in all kingdoms of living organisms, and typically catalyze the oxidative addition of atomic oxygen to an unactivated C-C or C-H bond. Over 8000 nonredundant sequences of putative and confirmed P450 enzymes have been identified, but three-dimensional structures have been determined for only a small fraction of these. While all P450 enzymes for which structures have been determined share a common global fold, the flexibility and modularity of structure around the active site account for the ability of P450 enzymes to accommodate a vast number of structurally dissimilar substrates and support a wide range of selective oxidations. In this review, known P450 structures are compared, and some structural criteria for prediction of substrate selectivity and reaction type are suggested. The importance of dynamic processes such as redox-dependent and effector-induced conformational changes in determining catalytic competence and regio-and stereoselectivity is discussed, and noncrystallographic methods for characterizing P450 structures and dynamics, in particular, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy are reviewed. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 13, 1273-1296.

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases typically catalyze the insertion of one atom of oxygen from O2 into unactivated carbon-hydrogen and carbon-carbon bonds, with concomitant reduction of the other oxygen atom to H2O by NAD(P)H. Comparison of the average structures of the camphor hydroxylase cytochrome P450cam (CYP101) obtained from residual dipolar coupling (RDC)-restrained molecular dynamics (MD) in the presence and absence of substrate camphor shows structural displacements resulting from the essential collapse of the active site upon substrate removal. This collapse has conformational consequences that extend across the protein structure, none of which were observed in analogous crystallographic structures. Mutations were made to test the involvement of the observed conformational changes in substrate binding and recognition. All of the mutations performed based upon the NMR-detected perturbations, even those remote from the active site, resulted in modified substrate selectivity, enzyme efficiency and/or haem iron spin state. The results demonstrate that solution NMR can provide insights into enzyme structure-function relationships that are difficult to obtain by other methods.

The two-protein complex between putidaredoxin (Pdx) and cytochrome P450(cam) (CYP101) is the catalytically competent species for camphor hydroxylation by CYP101. We detected a conformational change in CYP101 upon binding of Pdx that reorients bound camphor appropriately for hydroxylation. Experimental evidence shows that binding of Pdx converts a single X-proline amide bond in CYP101 from trans or distorted trans to cis. Mutation of proline 89 to isoleucine yields a mixture of both bound camphor orientations, that seen in Pdx-free and that seen in Pdx-bound CYP101. A mutation in CYP101 that destabilizes the cis conformer of the Ile 88-Pro 89 amide bond results in weaker binding of Pdx. This work provides direct experimental evidence for involvement of X-proline isomerization in enzyme function.

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The two acireductone dioxygenase (ARD) isozymes from the methionine salvage pathway of Klebsiella ATCC 8724 present an unusual case in which two enzymes with different structures and distinct activities towards their common substrates (1,2-dihydroxy-3-oxo-5-(methylthio)pent-1-ene and dioxygen) are derived from the same polypeptide chain. Structural and functional differences between the two isozymes are determined by the type of M +2 metal ion bound in the active site. The Ni +2 -bound NiARD catalyzes an off-pathway shunt from the methionine salvage pathway leading to the production of formate, methylthiopropionate and carbon monoxide, while the Fe +2 -bound FeARD' catalyzes the on-pathway formation of methionine precursor 2-keto-4-methylthiobutyrate and formate. Four potential protein-based metal ligands were identified by sequence homology and structural considerations. Based on the results of site-directed mutagenesis experiments, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and isothermal calorimetry measurements, it is concluded that the same four residues, His 96, His 98, Glu 102 and His 140, provide the protein-based ligands for the metal in both the Ni-and Fe-containing forms of the enzyme, and subtle differences in the local backbone conformations trigger the observed structural and functional differences between the FeARD' and NiARD isozymes. Furthermore, both forms of the enzyme bind their respective metals with pseudo-octahedral geometry, and both may lose a His ligand upon binding of substrate under anaerobic conditions. However, mutations at two conserved non-ligand acidic residues, Glu 95 and Glu 100, result in low metal contents for the mutant proteins as isolated, suggesting that some of the conserved charged residues may aid in transfer of metal from in vivo sources or prevent the loss of metal to stronger chelators. The Glu 100 mutant reconstitutes readily but has low activity. Mutation of Asp 101 results in an active enzyme that incorporates metal in vivo but shows evidence of mixed forms.* To whom correspondence should be addressed: pochapsk@brandeis.edu, phone 781−736−2559, fax 781−736−2516. e Current address: Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology, Brown University, 70 Ship Street, GE3, Providence, RI, 02912 f Current address: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Dr., Room 1007, Indianapolis IN 46202 g This work was supported in part by USPHS grant (R01-GM067786 TCP). Acknowledgment is made to the donors of The American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund for partial support (MJM). Trainee funding (SCC) was provided by the NIH-Chemistry Biology Interface Program, T32-GM08515. XAS data collection at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Division of Materials Sciences and Division of Chemical Sciences. Beamline X9B at NSLS is supported in part by the NIH.Supporting information available Fits for resting state and ES...