JBC, Vol. 250, Issue 13, 5041-5048, Jul, 1975
The oxygenated complexes of the two catalytically active oxidation-reduction states of L-tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase
F. O. Brady and P. Feigelson
The oxygenated complexes of the two catalytically active forms of
pseudomonad and rat liver L-tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.11) have
been studied. As was previously reported (ISHIMURA, Y., NORZAKI, M.,
HAYAISHI, O., TAMURA, M., AND YAMAZAK-I I. (1970) J. Biol. Chem. 245,
3593-3602), we observe that the fully reduced form of pseudomonad
tryptophan oxygenase during steady state catalysis exists predominantly as
the L-tryptophan ferroheme-O2 enzyme complex (lambdamax = 415 nm, 540 nm,
570 nm). However, during steady state catalysis by a half-reduced form of
both the pseudomonad and hepatic enzymes, the predominant species present
manifest absorption spectra indicative of ternary complexes in which all
the heme exists as ferriheme (Soret, 407 nm), there being no trace of a
ferroheme-O2 complex. Carbon monoxide is a competitive inhibitor with
respect to molecular oxygen of catalysis by either the half-reduced or
fully reduced forms of pseudomonad tryptophan oxygenase. During steady
state catalysis in the presence of CO, the fully reduced form of the enzyme
exists as a mixture of the oxyferroheme (Soret = 415 nm) and
carboxyferroheme (Soret = 421 nm) enzyme complexes. However, if the same
experiment is repeated with the half-reduced form of the pseudomonad
enzyme, all of the enzyme is in the ferriheme state, even though CO is
inhibiting this form of the enzyme to the same degree as it does the fully
reduced form. We conclude that for the half-reduced form of pseudomonad
tryptophan oxygenase the substrate, O2, and the inhibitor, CO, are not
binding to the heme moieties, but are bound elsewhere, presumably to the
Cu(I) moieties. Examination of the kinetic mechanisms of the half-reduced
and fully reduced forms of pseudomonad tryptophan oxygenase using the
inhibitors carbon monoxide and 5-fluorotryptophan confirmed that the fully
reduced enzyme binds L-tryptophan before O2 (FORMAN, H., AND FEIGELSON, P.
(1971) Biochemistry 10, 760-763) and that for the half-reduced enzyme O2
binds first. In the presence of 5-fluorotryptophan a relatively stable
oxyferroheme enzyme complex was generated with the fully reduced form of
pseudomonad tryptophan oxygenase. Thus, saturation of the catalytic site
alone either with the substrate, L-tryptophan, or the competitive
inhibitor, 5-fluorotryptophan, enhances binding of O2 to the ferroheme
moieties of the enzyme. The resistance of this complex to photolysis
indicates that the bound molecular oxygen is predominantly present as
superoxide, O2-minus.