Carbonic histidine residue

Figure 7. Traces of the a-carbon polypeptide backbone of domains 1 and 6 in the hCP structure. Domain 1 is shown (shaded) on the left hand side of the diagram this domain contributes four histidine residues (not shown) to the trinuclear cluster copper atoms are depicted as black spheres. Domain 6 is on the right hand side of the figure and also contributes four histidine residues to the cluster. The portion of the polypeptide chain colored black is that which is missing in the truncated enzyme. This polypeptide, residues 991 to 1046 inclusive, includes two histidine residues bound to the trinuclear copper center and three residues bound to the mononuclear copper in domain 6 these residues are depicted in black. The absence of the C-terminal polypeptide would also remove over 50% of the interdomain hydrogen-bond and iron-pair interactions observed in the intact enzyme.

Carbonic anhydrase is a metalloprotein with a co-ordinate bonded zinc atom immobilized at three histidine residues (His 94, His 96 and Hisl 19) close to the active site of the enzyme. The catalytic activity of the different isoenzymes varies but cytosolic CA II is notable for its very high turnover number (Kcat) of approximately 1.5 million reactions per second. 

The mechanism of catalysis by these enzymes has been extensively investigated (for review see ref. 10). Essentially, the active site serine via its side chain hydroxyl group performs a nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl carbon of the scissile peptide bond thus forming a tetrahedral intermediate. A histidine residue in the active site serves as a general base accepting the proton from the serine residue. The acyl enzyme thus formed is broken down via a nucleophilic attack of a water molecule to complete the hydrolysis of the peptide bond. 

Another contrast between the zinc proteases and the carbonic an-hydrases concerns the zinc coordination polyhedron. The carbonic an-hydrases ligate zinc via three histidine residues, whereas the zinc proteases ligate the metal ion through two histidine residues and a glutamate (bidentate in carboxypeptidase A, unidentate in thermolysin). Hence, the fourth ligand on each catalytic zinc ion, a solvent molecule, experiences enhanced electrostatic polarization in carbonic anhydrase II relative to carboxypeptidase A. Indeed, the zinc-bound solvent of carbonic anhydrase II is actually the hydroxide anion [via a proton transfer step mediated by His-64 (for a review see Silverman and Lindskog, 1988)]. 

The engineering of zinc-binding sites in a-helical peptides, where metal binding stabilizes protein tertiary structure, has been reported by Handel and DeGrado (1990). In these experiments zinc-binding sites are incorporated into a dimeric helix-loop—helix peptide (H3 2) and a protein composed of four helices connected by three short loop sequences (H3 4). a model of one subunit of the H3 2 dimer is found in Fig. 47. In addition to metal complexation by two histidine residues at positions n and n+4 of one a helix, the metal is coordinated by a third histidine residue of an adjacent a helix. The composition of the zinc coordination polyhedron is like that of carbonic anhydrase (i.e., Hiss), and spectroscopic results suggest that all three histidine residues are involved in zinc complexation. This work sets an important foundation... 

There are several types of -class CAs i.e., a-CA I-VII, reported in the literature, out of which the human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II), the most extensively studied carbonic anhydrase, has an exceptionally high CO2 hydration rate and a wide tissue distribution 107). The HCA II comprises a single polypeptide chain with a molecular mass of 29.3 kDa and contains one catalytic zinc ion, coordinated to three histidine residues, His 94, His 96, and His 119. A tetrahedral coordination geometry around the metal center is completed with a water molecule, which forms a hydroxide ion with a pK value of 7.0 108). Quigley and co-workers 109,110) reported that the inhibition of the synthesis of HCO3 from CO2 and OH- reduces aqueous humor formation and lowers intra-ocular pressure, which is a major risk factor for primary open-angle glaucoma. 

XH NMR data of copper-carbonic anhydrase (CuCA) complexes in the presence of different anions indicated that water is present in the coordination sphere along with the anions (137). The three histidines, the anion, and the coordinated water molecule arrange themselves to maintain essentially a SQPY. His-94 would be in the apical position of the SQPY and two other histidine residues (His-96 and His-119) along with the anion and the coordinated water are positioned in the basal plane. Most likely the anion is present in the hydrophobic pocket or in the site and the coordinated water molecule is present in the C site or the hydrophilic binding site. 

The presence of imidazole groups in the active site region of human carbonic anhydrase B has, in fact, been demonstrated by chemical modification. Thus, bromoacetate reacts specifically with the 3 -N of a histidine residue to give a partially active monocarboxymethyl enzyme (65). The reaction depends on the initial combination of the bromoacetate ion with the anion binding site (65,83). In a detailed study, Bradbury (83) has shown that the irreversible reaction at saturation with iodoacetate... 

A second histidine residue can be modified at the 3 -position in human carbonic anhydrase B with a N-chloroacetyl sulfonamide (84, 85) yielding an inactive product. 

Carbonic anhydrase II, present in human red blood cells (RBCs), catalyzes the reversible hydration of C02. It is one of the most efficient enzymes and only diffusion-limited in its turnover numbers. The catalytic Zn11 is ligated by three histidine residues and OH this ZnOH+ structure renders the zinc center an efficient nucleophile which is able to attack the C02 molecule and capture it in an adjacent hydrophobic pocket. The catalytic mechanism is shown in Figure 9.5. 

Activation reactions catalyzed by serine proteases (including kallikreins) are an example of limited proteolysis in which the hydrolysis is limited to one or two particular peptide bonds. Hydrolysis of peptide bonds starts with the oxygen atom of the hydroxyl group of the serine residue that attacks the carbonyl carbon atom of the susceptible peptide bond. At the same time, the serine transfers a proton first to the histidine residue of the catalytic triad and then to the nitrogen atom of the susceptible peptide bond, which is then cleaved and released. The other part of the substrate is now covalently bound to the serine by an ester bond. The charge that develops at this stage is partially neutralized by the third (asparate) residue of the catalytic triad. This process is followed by deacylation, in which the histidine draws a... 

By the use of a model system, Kimura et al. [17] tried to mimic the function of the two mechanistically most typical zinc(II) enzymes. Carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) catalyses the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate ion and its zinc(II) active site is bound to three histidine residues and a water molecule. Carboxypeptidase A (CPA, EC 3.4.17.1) catalyses the hydrolysis of the hydrophobic C-terminal amino acids from polypeptides, and its active-site zinc(II) is bound to two histidine residues, a glutamine residue and a water molecule which is hydrogen bound to a glutamine residue (Scheme 19). 

The uncatalysed reaction is slow(k= 9.5 x 10-2 Lmol 1s 1 at 25°C), however, in the presence of carbonic anhydrase the rate increases to 5 x 107 Lmol 1s 1 which represents 500,000 turnovers per second for each enzyme molecule. Carbonic anhydrase has a globular structure and has a mass of about 29 kDa. The single zinc ion is bound to three nitrogens (from histidine residues) and a water molecule or, as in Fig. 4.18, nearby amino acid occupies the fourth site. 

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