High-frequency (139.5 GHz) EPR spectroscopy of the tyrosyl radical in Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase

1993 ◽  
Vol 115 (14) ◽  
pp. 6420-6421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary J. Gerfen ◽  
Brendan F. Bellew ◽  
Sun Un ◽  
Joseph M. Bollinger ◽  
JoAnne Stubbe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Ribonucleotide Reductase ◽  
Epr Spectroscopy ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Tyrosyl Radical

scholarly journals Escherichia coli and herpes-simplex-virus ribonucleotide reductase R2 subunit. Compared reactivities of the redox centres

1993 ◽  
Vol 290 (3) ◽  
pp. 807-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Atta ◽  
N Lamarche ◽  
J P Battioni ◽  
B Massie ◽  
Y Langelier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Herpes Simplex Virus ◽  
Herpes Simplex ◽  
Ribonucleotide Reductase ◽  
Active Sites ◽  
Hydrophobic Interactions ◽  
Chemical Reactivity ◽  
Small Subunit ◽  
Tyrosyl Radical ◽  
Simplex Virus

Protein R2, the small subunit of ribonucleotide reductase, contains a diferric centre and a tyrosyl radical absolutely required for enzyme activity. The reduction of the tyrosyl radical and the mobilization of the iron centre result in the inhibition of the enzyme and thus of DNA synthesis. The chemical reactivity of the iron-radical centre of Escherichia coli and herpes simplex virus has been studied by u.v.-visible and e.p.r. spectroscopies. The tyrosyl radical is efficiently scavenged by hydroxamic acids and phenols during reactions controlled by steric hindrance and hydrophobic interactions. The reaction with o-disubstituted phenols yields the corresponding diphenoquinones. The reactivity of the bacterial radical greatly contrasts with that of the viral radical, and the iron centre in herpes-simplex-virus R2 is much more labile than that in E. coli R2, as shown from the facile mobilization of iron by chelators such as catechol. These results suggest that the active sites of the two enzymes are significantly different and might be useful for designing new antiviral agents.

Long-range proton-coupled electron transfer in the Escherichia coli class Ia ribonucleotide reductase

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Y. Reece ◽  
Mohammad R. Seyedsayamdost
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Electron Transfer ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Ribonucleotide Reductase ◽  
Unnatural Amino Acids ◽  
Radical Mechanism ◽  
Tyrosyl Radical ◽  
Proton Coupled Electron Transfer ◽  
Vis Spectroscopy

Escherichia coli class Ia ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) catalyzes the conversion of nucleotides to 2′-deoxynucleotides using a radical mechanism. Each turnover requires radical transfer from an assembled diferric tyrosyl radical (Y•) cofactor to the enzyme active site over 35 Å away. This unprecedented reaction occurs via an amino acid radical hopping pathway spanning two protein subunits. To study the mechanism of radical transport in RNR, a suite of biochemical approaches have been developed, such as site-directed incorporation of unnatural amino acids with altered electronic properties and photochemical generation of radical intermediates. The resulting variant RNRs have been investigated using a variety of time-resolved physical techniques, including transient absorption and stopped-flow UV-Vis spectroscopy, as well as rapid freeze-quench EPR, ENDOR, and PELDOR spectroscopic methods. The data suggest that radical transport occurs via proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) and that the protein structure has evolved to manage the proton and electron transfer co-ordinates in order to prevent ‘off-pathway’ reactivity and build-up of oxidised intermediates. Thus, precise design and control over the factors that govern PCET is key to enabling reversible and long-range charge transport by amino acid radicals in RNR.

scholarly journals In Vivo Assay for Low-Activity Mutant Forms of Escherichia coli Ribonucleotide Reductase

2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (4) ◽  
pp. 1167-1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Ekberg ◽  
Pernilla Birgander ◽  
Britt-Marie Sjöberg
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Ribonucleotide Reductase ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
In Vitro Assays ◽  
Tyrosyl Radical ◽  
In Vivo Assay ◽  
Radical Transfer

ABSTRACT Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) catalyzes the essential production of deoxyribonucleotides in all living cells. In this study we have established a sensitive in vivo assay to study the activity of RNR in aerobic Escherichia coli cells. The method is based on the complementation of a chromosomally encoded nonfunctional RNR with plasmid-encoded RNR. This assay can be used to determine in vivo activity of RNR mutants with activities beyond the detection limits of traditional in vitro assays. E. coli RNR is composed of two homodimeric proteins, R1 and R2. The R2 protein contains a stable tyrosyl radical essential for the catalysis that takes place at the R1 active site. The three-dimensional structures of both proteins, phylogenetic studies, and site-directed mutagenesis experiments show that the radical is transferred from the R2 protein to the active site in the R1 protein via a radical transfer pathway composed of at least nine conserved amino acid residues. Using the new assay we determined the in vivo activity of mutants affecting the radical transfer pathway in RNR and identified some residual radical transfer activity in two mutant R2 constructs (D237N and W48Y) that had previously been classified as negative for enzyme activity. In addition, we show that the R2 mutant Y356W is completely inactive, in sharp contrast to what has previously been observed for the corresponding mutation in the mouse R2 enzyme.

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