title: Active site modifications quench intrinsic fluorescence of rhodanese by different mechanisms.
abstract: Beef liver rhodanese can be modified covalently at the active site (Cys-247) either reversibly or irreversibly by sulfur, selenium, iodoacetate, and hydrogen peroxide. Each derivative shows an intrinsic fluorescence lower than that of the free enzyme. The reaction of rhodanese with iodoacetate or hydrogen peroxide is time-dependent and accompanied by enzyme inactivation, by the loss of one or two sulfhydryl groups, respectively, by quenching and bathochromic shift of fluorescence, and by an absorbance perturbation in the near UV. The latter findings are indicative for a displacement of some tryptophyl side chains from hydrophobic to hydrophilic environment. The fluorescence decays of the various rhodanese derivatives can be fitted by a double-exponential function with two lifetimes: a shorter one of 1-1.7 ns and a longer one of 2.8-4.6 ns. The S-loaded and Se-loaded rhodanese samples have proportionally shorter lifetimes and lower quantum yields. No such proportionality was observed for the iodoacetate-treated and for the hydrogen peroxide treated enzyme. These findings indicate that two different quenching mechanisms are operating in rhodanese derivatives, a long-range energy transfer from tryptophan to persulfide (or sulfoselenide) group and a static quenching accompanying a conformational change of the protein after modification of the active site.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cannella
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Berni
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rosato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Finazzi-Agrò
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002417:Cattle; D003545:Cysteine; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007461:Iodoacetates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019807:Iodoacetic Acid; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D012643:Selenium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D013455:Sulfur / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013466:Sulfurtransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013884:Thiosulfate Sulfurtransferase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007461:Iodoacetates; D013455:Sulfur; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D013466:Sulfurtransferases; D013884:Thiosulfate Sulfurtransferase; D012643:Selenium; D003545:Cysteine; D019807:Iodoacetic Acid