Anhydrase Shuttling the Protons

Lysozyme Mode of Action of an Enzyme 1092 THE CHEMISTRY OF... Carbonic Anhydrase Shuttling the Protons 1094... 

Compounds which enhance the catalytic activities of the CAs are known as activators. Activators of carbonic anhydrases are less studied because CA is one of the most efficient enzymes known. Carbonic anhydrase II activation by phosphorylation in the presence of protein kinase and cAMP has been reported (195,196). Also some anions are activators for CA III (197,198) the catalytic effect is due to the proton shuttling capacities of such activators. Histamine, a well known activator, for native and Co(II)-substituted isoenzymes I and II CA is reported by Briganti et al. (199). Amines [Ar-CH(R3)CH(R2)NH(R1) Ar =Aromatic/heterocyclic group R1 =R2 = H, Me R3 = H, OH, COOH] and amino acids are efficient activators for CA I—III (200-207). These amines possess a bulky aromatic/heterocyclic moiety in their molecular structure and act as proton acceptor (204-207). 

The molecular components of many buffers are too large to reach the active site of carbonic anhydrase. Carbonic anhydrase II has evolved a proton shuttle to allow buffer components to participate in the reaction from solution. The primary component of this shuttle is histidine 64. This residue transfers protons from the zinc-bound water molecule to the protein surface and then to the buffer (Figure 9.30). Thus, catalytic function has been enhanced through the evolution of an apparatus for controlling proton transfer from and to the active site. Because protons participate in many biochemical reactions, the manipulation of the proton inventory within active sites is crucial to the function of many enzymes and explains the prominence of acid-base catalysis. 

Carbonic anhydrases catalyze the reaction of water with carbon dioxide to generate carbonic acid. The catalysis can be extremely fast molecules of some carbonic anhydrases hydrate carbon dioxide at rates as high as 1 million times per second. A tightly bound zinc ion is a crucial component of the active sites of these enzymes. Each zinc ion binds a water molecule and promotes its deprotonation to generate a hydroxide ion at neutral pH. This hydroxide attacks carbon dioxide to form bicarbonate ion, HCO3 ". Because of the physiological roles of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate ions, speed is of the essence for this enzyme. To overcome limitations imposed by the rate of proton transfer from the zinc-bound water molecule, the most active carbonic anhydrases have evolved a proton shuttle to transfer protons to a buffer. 

Conditional results. In carbonic anhydrase II, mutation of the proton-shuttle residue His 64 to Ala was expected to result in a decrease in the maximal catalytic rate. However, in buffers such as imidazole with relatively small molecular components, no rate reduction was observed. In buffers with larger molecular components, significant rate reductions were observed. Propose an explanation. 

A structure-function study of a proton pathway in the y-class carbonic anhydrase from Methanosarcina thermophila was conducted in the work of Tripp and Ferry (2000). Four enzyme glutamate residues were characterized by site-directed mutagenesis. It was shown that Glu 84 and an active site residue, Glu 89, are important for CO2 hydration activity, while external loop residues, Glu 88 and Glu 89 are less important. Glu 84 can be substituted for other ionizable residues with similar pKa values and, therefore, participates in the enzyme catalysis not as a chemical reagent but as a proton shuttle. 

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