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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Determination and analysis of sex ratios in heme oxygenase 1 gene targeted mouse embryos

Abstract Heme oxygenase 1 or Hmox1 enzyme is involved in catalyzing the first and rate‐limiting step in heme breakdown reactions. Many studies have reported a partial lethality of Hmox1 knockout mice obtained from heterozygous breeding pairs. Similar results were obtained in our transgenic mice colony and a sex specific bias was observed in the favor of males in the adult mice. Hmox1 independent factors which could have caused this bias were initially analyzed and it was found that those factors were not a reason behind this anomaly. Certain studies involving gene knockout hinted toward a prenatal or neonatal lethality of female knockout mice embryos or pups, respectively. In order to check if this bias was occurring in embryonic stages, that is, either if mutant female embryos were dying or if heterozygous mothers were not carrying embryos to term, we analyzed the sex‐ratios in mid‐ and late‐gestational ages (9.5–13.5 dpc and 14.5–18.5 dpc, respectively). Our results did not indicate any significant difference in the sex ratios in embryonic stages; hence, it was concluded that females are not dying in embryonic stages. It can be speculated that these deaths were probably occurring at neonatal age. More studies are required to confirm that the lack of Hmox1 gene products is the sole reason for this female lethality.

Jain, Sidhant↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spectroscopy and crystallography define carotenoid oxygenases as a new subclass of mononuclear non-heme Fe II enzymes

Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) are non-heme Fe II enzymes that catalyze the oxidative cleavage of alkene bonds in carotenoids, stilbenoids, and related compounds. How these enzymes control the reaction of dioxygen (O 2 ) with their alkene substrates is unclear. Here, we apply spectroscopy in conjunction with X-ray crystallography to define the iron coordination geometry of a model CCD, CAO1 (Neurospora crassa carotenoid oxygenase 1), in its resting state and following substrate binding and coordination sphere substitutions. Resting CAO1 exhibits a five-coordinate (5C), square pyramidal Fe II center that undergoes steric distortion toward a trigonal bipyramidal geometry in the presence of piceatannol. Titrations with the O 2 -analog, nitric oxide, show a >100-fold increase in iron–nitric oxide affinity upon substrate binding, defining a crucial role for the substrate in activating the Fe II site for O 2 reactivity. The importance of the 5C Fe II structure for reactivity was probed through mutagenesis of the second-sphere Thr151 residue of CAO1, which occludes ligand binding at the sixth coordination position. A T151G substitution resulted in the conversion of the iron center to a six-coordinate state and a 135-fold reduction in apparent catalytic efficiency toward piceatannol compared with the wildtype enzyme. Substrate complexation resulted in partial six-coordinate to 5C conversion, indicating solvent dissociation from the iron center. Additional substitutions at this site demonstrated a general functional importance of the occluding residue within the CCD superfamily. Taken together, these data suggest an ordered mechanism of CCD catalysis occurring via substrate-promoted solvent replacement by O 2 . CCDs thus represent a new class of mononuclear non-heme Fe II enzymes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Can ferric-oxyl excited states explain elongated iron-oxygen bonds in heme peroxidase catalytic intermediates?

The use of X-ray structures to determine and interpret the ferryl iron-oxygen bond order in molecular oxygen-activating heme enzymes has, in the past, been controversial. This has mainly stemmed from the susceptibility of ferryl species to X-ray-induced electronic state changes. In this work we establishe using time-resolved serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography (tr-SFX) on a dye-decolourising peroxidase that the ferryl intermediate species (Compounds I and II) captured following in situ mixing of microcrystals with H 2 O 2 have single, rather than the double bond character expected. X-ray emission validated tr-SFX data with quantum refinement, time-dependent-DFT calculations and QM/MM geometry optimizations together support the concept that the single iron-oxygen bond character is not an indication of ferryl reduction or a protonated form (Fe IV -OH) but is instead attributed to the existence of accessible excited states possessing ferric-oxyl (Fe III –O •– ) character. Such states offer insight into the nature of ferryl heme.

Williams, Lewis J. [University of Essex, Colcheste↗
DOE OSTI2022

Heme compound II models in chemoselectivity and disproportionation reactions

Heme compound II models bearing electron-deficient and -rich porphyrins, [Fe IV (O)(TPFPP)(Cl)] – (1a) and [Fe IV (O)(TMP)(Cl)] – (2a), respectively, are synthesized, spectroscopically characterized, and investigated in chemoselectivity and disproportionation reactions using cyclohexene as a mechanistic probe. Interestingly, cyclohexene oxidation by 1a occurs at the allylic C–H bonds with a high kinetic isotope effect (KIE) of 41, yielding 2-cyclohexen-1-ol product; this chemoselectivity is the same as that of nonheme iron(IV)-oxo intermediates. In contrast, as observed in heme compound I models, 2a yields cyclohexene oxide product with a KIE of 1, demonstrating a preference for C=C epoxidation. The latter result is interpreted as 2a disproportionating to form [Fe IV (O)(TMP+˙)] + (2b) and Fe III (OH)(TMP), and 2b becoming the active oxidant to conduct the cyclohexene epoxidation. In contrast to 2a, 1a does not disproportionate under the present reaction conditions. DFT calculations confirm that compound II models prefer C–H bond hydroxylation and that disproportionation of compound II models is controlled thermodynamically by the porphyrin ligands. Other aspects, such as acid and base effects on the disproportionation of compound II models, have been discussed as well.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Identification of a secretory heme‐binding protein from Nocardia seriolae involved in cell apoptosis

Abstract According to the whole‐genome bioinformatics analysis, a heme‐binding protein from Nocardia seriolae (HBP) was found. HBP was predicted to be a bacterial secretory protein, located at mitochondrial membrane in eukaryotic cells and have a similar protein structure with the heme‐binding protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis , Rv0203. In this study, HBP was found to be a secretory protein and co‐localized with mitochondria in FHM cells. Quantitative analysis of mitochondrial membrane potential value, caspase‐3 activity, and transcription level of apoptosis‐related genes suggested that overexpression of HBP protein can induce cell apoptosis. In conclusion, HBP was a secretory protein which may target to mitochondria and involve in cell apoptosis in host cells. This research will promote the function study of HBP and deepen the comprehension of the virulence factors and pathogenic mechanisms of N. seriolae .

Wen, Yiming↗
DOE OSTI2023

Tetrapyrrole biosynthesis and signaling (chlorophyll, heme, and bilins)

Chlamydomonas utilizes the cyclic tetrapyrroles chlorophyll, heme, siroheme, vitamin B12 and linear tetrapyrrole (bilin) metabolites as cofactors for photosynthetic light harvesting, electron transport, redox reactions, mitigating oxidative stress and signaling. Furthermore, with the exception of vitamin B12, Chlamydomonas can synthesize and degrade all of these tetrapyrroles. In this chapter, we review what is currently known about how Chlamydomonas biosynthesizes and metabolizes tetrapyrroles, how these processes are regulated and the various functions of tetrapyrroles in Chlamydomonas.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

A Chemoselective and Stereodivergent Platform of Heme‐Nitrene Transferases to Access Chiral Aryl‐β‐Amino Esters and An Investigation of the Sequence‐Activity Landscape

Engineered biocatalysts can utilize nitrene precursors to access enantioenriched amination products, yet they have not been applied to produce valuable, enantiomerically enriched noncanonical β-amino esters. Current approaches to synthesizing β-amino acids rely on pre-oxidized precursors and multistep synthetic approaches involving various protecting groups. We engineered a platform of heme enzymes for stereoselective C–H bond amination of readily available carboxylic ester derivatives to install primary amines. A directed evolution campaign coupled with sequencing of over 1000 variants enabled us to develop engineered variants that use either O-pivaloylhydroxylamine triflic acid (PONT) or hydroxylamine hydrochloride (H 2 NOH∙HCl) as aminating reagents. An analysis of the resulting sequence–activity dataset revealed additional improvements that could be made to the final variant, highlighting the utility of sequencing data to guide future steps in directed evolution campaigns. Furthermore, the evolved nitrene transferases expand the scope of accessible chiral β-amino acid building blocks for peptidomimetic applications and provide new starting points for the design and synthesis of enantioenriched β-amino acid motifs.

amino ester building blocks↗
DOE OSTI2022

X-ray Emission Spectroscopy of Single Protein Crystals Yields Insights into Heme Enzyme Intermediates

Enzyme reactivity is often enhanced by changes in oxidation state, spin state, and metal-ligand covalency of associated metallocofactors. The development of spectroscopic methods for studying these processes coincidentally with structural rearrangements is essential for elucidating metalloenzyme mechanisms. Herein, we demonstrate the feasibility of collecting X-ray emission spectra of metalloenzyme crystals at a third-generation synchrotron source. In particular, we report the development of a von Hamos spectrometer for the collection of Fe Kβ emission optimized for analysis of dilute biological samples. Here, we further showcase its application in crystals of the immunosuppressive heme-dependent enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. Spectra from protein crystals in different states were compared with relevant reference compounds. Complementary density functional calculations assessing covalency support our spectroscopic analysis and identify active site conformations that correlate to high- and low-spin states. These experiments validate the suitability of an X-ray emission approach for determining spin states of previously uncharacterized metalloenzyme reaction intermediates.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Defining the Mechanism of Proton Pumping in Heme-Copper Oxidases

During this award, progress was made in two distinct areas of science, one was within the context of bioinorganic chemistry and another in the context of biomimetic, small molecule chemistry. The overarching goals of this work was to understand the fundamental mechanistic drivers for biological reactions specifically, proton transfer reactions. In the biochemical sphere, this goal was investigated through investigation of the bacterial proton pump, ubiquinol oxidase (UbO). Further work in the bioinorganic space was completed in collaboration with the Bandarian group on a novel natural peptide product. While in the biomimetic space, this work was explored through a computational collaborative study with the Riordan group relating to proton coupled electron transfers in iron complexes as relating to the heme active site in proton pumping enzymes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Discovery, characterization, and metabolic engineering of Rieske non-heme iron monooxygenases for guaiacol O-demethylation

Aryl-O-demethylation is a common rate-limiting step in the catabolism of lignin-related compounds, including guaiacol. In this work, we used randomly barcoded transposon insertion sequencing (RB-TnSeq) in the bacterium Novosphingobium aromaticivorans to identify a Rieske-type guaiacol O-demethylase, GdmA. Similarity searches identified GdmA homologs in other bacteria, along with candidate reductase partners, denoted GdmB. GdmAB combinations were biochemically characterized for activity with several lignin-related substrates. Structural and sequence comparisons of vanillate- and guaiacol-specific O-demethylase active sites revealed conserved hallmarks of substrate specificity. GdmAB combinations were also evaluated in Pseudomonas putida KT2440, which does not natively utilize guaiacol. GdmAB from Cupriavidus necator N-1 demonstrated the highest rate of guaiacol turnover in vitro and in engineered P. putida strains and notably higher catalytic efficiency than a cytochrome P450 system (GcoAB) and the vanillate Rieske-type O-demethylase from P. putida (VanAB). The GdmAB O-demethylases described here expand the suite of options for microbial conversion of a model lignin-derived substrate.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗