The crystal structure of adenosine deaminase (ADA) from bovine intestine complexed with a transition-state analogue, 6-hydroxy-1,6-dihydropurine riboside (HDPR), was solved at 2.5 A resolution by the molecular-replacement method using a homology model based on the crystal structure of mouse ADA. The final refinement converged to a crystallographic R factor of 20.7%. The C(alpha) backbone of bovine ADA is mostly superimposable on that of mouse ADA, although mouse ADA itself did not lead to a solution by molecular replacement. HDPR tightly interacts with ADA by means of six hydrogen bonds and is entirely enclosed within the active site. The lid of the envelope consists of two components: one contains two leucine residues, Leu55 and Leu59, and the other contains the backbone atoms Asp182 and Glu183. The C(delta) atoms of the two leucine residues are 3.5 A from the respective N atoms of the backbone. A weak interaction, similar to CH-pi binding, might make it possible to open the lid. Taking account of the movement and observation of this structural feature, the aim is to design novel ADA inhibitors.
The crystal structure of plastocyanin from a green alga, Ulva pertusa, has been determined at 1.6-Å resolution. At its copper site, U. pertusa plastocyanin has a distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry similar to other plastocyanins. ) bond of poplar and C. reinhardtii plastocyanins by 0.14 and 0.20 Å, respectively. As a result of structural differences, U. pertusa plastocyanin has a less distorted geometry than the other plastocyanins. Thus, the cupric geometry is finely tuned by the interactions between residues 85 and 88 and between residues 83 and 88. This result implies that the copper site is more flexible than reported formerly and that the rack mechanism would be preferable to the entatic theory. The HisMet loop may regulate the electron transfer rate within the complex between plastocyanin and cytochrome f.
The single type 1 copper protein pseudoazurin from Achromobacter cycloclastes gives reversible electrochemical behavior at a (4-pyridyl)disulfide-modified gold electrode. Measurements carried out at 25.0°C indicate a midpoint reduction potential of E1 ⁄2 ؍ 260 mV versus normal hydrogen electrode at pH 7.0 and a peakto-peak separation of ⌬E p ؍ 59 mV. The diffusion coefficient and heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant are estimated to be 2.23 ؋ 10 ؊6 cm 2 s ؊1 and 3.7 ؋ 10 ؊2 cm s ؊1 , respectively. Also, controlled potential electrolysis indicates a 1-electron transfer process and a formal reduction potential of 259 mV versus normal hydrogen electrode for the Cu(II)/Cu(I) couple. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant determined at the (4-pyridyl)disulfide-modified gold electrode at pH 4.6 is 6.7 ؋ 10 ؊3 cm s
؊1, consistent with a slower process at the positively charged electrode surface. At pH 11.3, UVvisible, EPR, and resonance Raman spectra indicate a conversion of the distorted tetrahedral copper geometry to a trigonal structure. The trigonal form has elongated axial bonding and an axial EPR spectrum. At pH 11.3, the reduction potential is further decreased, and Cu-S bands in resonance Raman spectra at 330 -460 cm ؊1 are shifted to higher energy (ϳ10 cm ؊1
New crystals of a blue copper protein, pseudoazurin from denitrifier Achromobacter cycloclastes IAM1013, have been obtained by means of vapor diffusion with ammonium sulfate as a precipitant at pH 6.0 and 4 degrees C. The crystals belong to the orthorhombic system, space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit cell dimensions of a = 56.69(2), b = 61.53(2), and c = 30.20(1) A. The asymmetric unit includes one molecule of pseudoazurin with a Vm value of 2.04 A3/Da. The crystals are so stable against X-ray irradiation that a complete data set up to 1.54 A has been collected using a single native crystal. Solution of the structure was performed by means of the Patterson search techniques, and the current crystallographic R-factor is 17.5% at 3.0 A resolution. Refinement at higher resolution is in progress.
Two azurin-type blue copper proteins, which are related to the electron-transfer processes involving methylamine/methanol oxidation, have been spectroscopically and electrochemically characterized. The obligate methylotroph Methylomonas sp. strain J gives rise to two azurins (Az-isol and Az-iso2) with methylamine dehydrogenase (MADH-Mj). The intense blue bands characteristic of Az-iso1 and Az-iso2 are observed at 621 and 616 nm in the visible absorption spectra respectively, being revealed at 620-630 nm in those of usual azurins. The EPR signal of Az-iso1, similar to usual azurins, shows axial symmetry, while the axial EPR signal of Az-iso2 involves a slightly rhombic character. The half-wave potentials (E1/2) of the two azurins and the intermolecular electron-transfer rate constants (kET) from MADH-Mj to each azurin were determined by cyclic voltammetry. The E1/2 values of Az-iso1 and Az-iso2 are +321 and +278 mV vs NHE at pH 7.0, respectively. The kET value of Az-iso2 is larger than that of Az-iso1 by a factor of 5. However, the electron-transfer rate of Az-iso2 is interestingly slower than those of the azurins from a denitrifying bacterium, Alcaligenes xylosoxidans NCIB 11015, and the amicyanin from a different methylotroph, Methylobacterium extorquens AM1. The structure of Az-iso2 has been determined and refined against 1.6 A X-ray diffraction data. The whole structure of Az-iso2 is quite similar to those of azurins reported already. The Cu(II) site of Az-iso2 is a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry like those of other azurins, but some of the Cu-ligand distances and ligand-Cu-ligand bond angle parameters are slightly different. These findings suggest that Az-iso2 is a novel azurin and perhaps functions as an electron acceptor for MADH.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.