title: Structurally distinct active sites in the copper(II)-substituted aminopeptidases from Aeromonas proteolytica and Escherichia coli.
abstract: The aminopeptidase from Aeromonas proteolytica (AAP) was titrated with copper, which bound sequentially at two distinct sites. Both the mono- and disubstituted forms of AAP exhibited catalytic hyperactivity relative to the native dizinc enzyme. Monosubstituted AAP exhibited an axial Cu(II) EPR spectrum with slight pH dependence: at pH 6.0 g(parallel) = 2.249, g( perpendicular ) = 2.055, and A(parallel)((63/65)Cu) = 1.77 x 10(-)(2) cm(-)(1), whereas at pH 9.65 g(parallel) = 2.245, g( perpendicular ) = 2.056, and A(parallel)((63/65)Cu) = 1.77 x 10(-)(2) cm(-)(1). These data indicate oxygen and nitrogen ligation of Cu. AAP further substituted with copper exhibited a complex signal with features around g approximately 2 and 4. The features at g approximately 4 were relatively weak in the B(0) perpendicular B(1) (perpendicular) mode EPR spectrum but were intense in the B(0) parallel B(1) (parallel) mode spectrum. The g approximately 2 region of the perpendicular mode spectrum exhibited two components, one corresponding to mononuclear Cu(II) with g(parallel) = 2.218, g( perpendicular ) = 2.023, and A(parallel)((63/65)Cu) = 1.55 x 10(-)(2) cm(-)(1) and likely due to adventitious binding of Cu(II) to a site distant from the active site. Excellent simulations were obtained for the second component of the spectrum assuming that two Cu(II) ions experience dipolar coupling corresponding to an inter-copper distance of 5 A with the two Cu(II) g(z)() directions parallel to each other and at an angle of approximately 17 degrees to the inter-copper vector (H = betaB.g(CuA).S(CuA) + betaB.g(CuB).S(CuB) + [S.A.I](CuA) + [S.A.I](CuB) + [S(CuA).J.S(CuB)]; g(parallel(CuA,CuB)) = 2.218, g( perpendicular )((CuA,CuB)) = 2.060; A(parallel(CuA,CuB))((63/65)Cu) = 1.59 x 10(-)(2) cm(-)(1), J(isotropic) = 50 cm(-)(1), r(Cu)(-)(Cu) = 4.93 A, and chi = 17 degrees ). The exchange coupling between the two copper ions was found to be ferromagnetic as the signals exhibited Curie law temperature dependence. The Cu-Cu distance of approximately 5 A indicated by EPR was significantly higher than the inter-zinc distance of 3.5 A in the native enzyme, and the dicopper species therefore represents a novel dinuclear site capable of catalysis of hydrolysis. In contrast to AAP, the related methionyl aminopeptidase from Escherichia coli (EcMetAP) was found to bind only one Cu(II) ion despite possessing a dinuclear binding site motif. A further difference was the marked pH dependence of the signal in EcMetAP, suggestive of a change in ligation. The structural motifs of these two Cu(II)-substituted aminopeptidases provide important insight into the observed catalytic activity.
authors.affiliation: National Biomedical EPR Center, Biophysics Research Institute, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226-0509, USA. bbennett@mcw.edu
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Antholine
authors.forename: Ventris M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: D'souza
authors.forename: Guanjing
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ustinyuk
authors.forename: Richard C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Holz
mesh_terms: D000333:Aeromonas / Q000201:enzymology*; D000626:Aminopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001665:Binding Sites; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003300:Copper; D000626:Aminopeptidases; C038222:bacterial leucyl aminopeptidase