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Molecular dynamics simulations of the photoactive protein nitrile hydratase.

ABSTRACT: Nitrile hydratase (NHase) is an enzyme used in the industrial biotechnological production of acrylamide. The active site, which contains nonheme iron or noncorrin cobalt, is buried in the protein core at the interface of two domains, alpha and beta. Hydrogen bonds between betaArg-56 and alphaCys-114 sulfenic acid (alphaCEA114) are important to maintain the enzymatic activity. The enzyme may be inactivated by endogenous nitric oxide (NO) and activated by absorption of photons of wavelength lambda < 630 nm. To explain the photosensitivity and to propose structural determinants of catalytic activity, differences in the dynamics of light-active and dark-inactive forms of NHase were investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) modeling. To this end, a new set of force field parameters for nonstandard NHase active sites have been developed. The dynamics of the photodissociated NO ligand in the enzyme channel was analyzed using the locally enhanced sampling method, as implemented in the MOIL MD package. A series of 1 ns trajectories of NHases shows that the protonation state of the active site affects the dynamics of the catalytic water and NO ligand close to the metal center. MD simulations support the catalytic mechanism in which a water molecule bound to the metal ion directly attacks the nitrile carbon.

SUBMITTER: Kubiak K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2367182 | biostudies-literature | 2008 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Molecular dynamics simulations of the photoactive protein nitrile hydratase.

Kubiak Karina K Nowak Wieslaw W

Biophysical journal 20080130 10

Nitrile hydratase (NHase) is an enzyme used in the industrial biotechnological production of acrylamide. The active site, which contains nonheme iron or noncorrin cobalt, is buried in the protein core at the interface of two domains, alpha and beta. Hydrogen bonds between betaArg-56 and alphaCys-114 sulfenic acid (alphaCEA114) are important to maintain the enzymatic activity. The enzyme may be inactivated by endogenous nitric oxide (NO) and activated by absorption of photons of wavelength lambda ...[more]

PMID: 18234830

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Project description:BackgroundNitrile hydratases are enzymes involved in the conversion of nitrile-containing compounds into ammonia and organic acids. Although they are widespread in prokaryotes, nitrile hydratases have only been reported in two eukaryotes: the choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicollis and the stramenopile Aureococcus anophagefferens. The nitrile hydratase gene in M. brevicollis was believed to have arisen by lateral gene transfer from a prokaryote, and is a fusion of beta and alpha nitrile hydratase subunits. Only the alpha subunit has been reported in A. anophagefferens.Methodology/principal findingsHere we report the detection of nitrile hydratase genes in five eukaryotic supergroups: opisthokonts, amoebozoa, archaeplastids, CCTH and SAR. Beta-alpha subunit fusion genes are found in the choanoflagellates, ichthyosporeans, apusozoans, haptophytes, rhizarians and stramenopiles, and potentially also in the amoebozoans. An individual alpha subunit is found in a dinoflagellate and an individual beta subunit is found in a haptophyte. Phylogenetic analyses recover a clade of eukaryotic-type nitrile hydratases in the Opisthokonta, Amoebozoa, SAR and CCTH; this is supported by analyses of introns and gene architecture. Two nitrile hydratase sequences from an animal and a plant resolve in the prokaryotic nitrile hydratase clade.Conclusions/significanceThe evidence presented here demonstrates that nitrile hydratase genes are present in multiple eukaryotic supergroups, suggesting that a subunit fusion gene was present in the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes. The absence of nitrile hydratase from several sequenced species indicates that subunits were lost in multiple eukaryotic taxa. The presence of nitrile hydratases in many other eukaryotic groups is unresolved due to insufficient data and taxon sampling. The retention and expression of the gene in distantly related eukaryotic species suggests that it plays an important metabolic role. The novel family of eukaryotic nitrile hydratases presented in this paper represents a promising candidate for research into their molecular biology and possible biotechnological applications.

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Molecular dynamics simulations of the photoactive protein nitrile hydratase.

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Molecular dynamics simulations of the photoactive protein nitrile hydratase.

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