title: Role of conserved tyrosine 343 in intramolecular electron transfer in human sulfite oxidase.
abstract: Tyrosine 343 in human sulfite oxidase (SO) is conserved in all SOs sequenced to date. Intramolecular electron transfer (IET) rates between reduced heme (Fe(II)) and oxidized molybdenum (Mo(VI)) in the recombinant wild-type and Y343F human SO were measured for the first time by flash photolysis. The IET rate in wild-type human SO at pH 7.4 is about 37% of that in chicken SO with a similar decrease in k(cat). Steady-state kinetic analysis of the Y343F mutant showed an increase in K(m)(sulfite) and a decrease in k(cat) resulting in a 23-fold attenuation in the specificity constant k(cat)/K(m)(sulfite) at the optimum pH value of 8.25. This indicates that Tyr-343 is involved in the binding of the substrate and catalysis within the molybdenum active site. Furthermore, the IET rate constant in the mutant at pH 6.0 is only about one-tenth that of the wild-type enzyme, suggesting that the OH group of Tyr-343 is vital for efficient IET in SO. The pH dependences of IET rate constants in the wild-type and mutant SO are consistent with the previously proposed coupled electron-proton transfer mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
authors.forename: Changjian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Heather L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Hurley
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hazzard
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tollin
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Rajagopalan
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Enemark
mesh_terms: D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002645:Chickens; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004579:Electron Transport; D006418:Heme / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006878:Hydroxides / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D008982:Molybdenum / Q000378:metabolism; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D050862:Oxidoreductases Acting on Sulfur Group Donors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010782:Photolysis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D014443:Tyrosine
chemical_list: D006878:Hydroxides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014443:Tyrosine; D006418:Heme; D008982:Molybdenum; D050862:Oxidoreductases Acting on Sulfur Group Donors