The peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of kyotorphins

In vitro experiments are reported showing that the dipeptides Tyr-L-Arg (kyotorphin) and Tyr-D-Arg (D-Arg-kyotorphin) can be oxidized by H2O2-horseradish peroxidase system: the products formed are characterized by absorption spectra with two peaks at 290 nm and 315 nm. The effects of substrate and enzyme concentration on the oxidation rate are described. Amino acid analysis of hydrolysates of peroxidase-treated kyotorphins provides evidence for the presence of dityrosine. The data suggest that the oxidation leads to the production of dimers with an o,o-linkage between the tyrosine residues.     

Mechanism of horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of malonaldehyde

The mechanism of malonaldehyde oxidation by horseradish peroxidase in the presence of manganese(II) and acetate was investigated. Our results show that an apparent oxygenase behavior demonstrated by peroxidase in this system can be explained in terms of normal peroxidase activity. A free radical is generated from the reaction of malonaldehyde with compounds I and II of peroxidase; this radical is scavenged by dissolved molecular oxygen to give the appearance of peroxidase acting as an oxygenase. Oxygen consumption, absorbance spectra, and kinetic results show that the reaction is initiated by autoxidation of malonaldehyde to give a free radical. The radical reacts with oxygen and through the action of manganese(II), a peroxide is generated. This peroxide drives the peroxidase cycle to generate more free radicals which propagate the oxygen consumption reaction.     

DNA damage during the peroxidase-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of isobutanal

The aerobic oxidation of isobutanal catalyzed by peroxidase, when carried out in the presence of DNA, produces alkali-sensitive bonds in this macromolecule. Neither the initial components of this reaction nor the final stable products are responsible for this effect. Since triplet acetone has been recently identified as an intermediate in this oxidation (Durán, N., Faria Oliviera, O.M.M., Haun, M. and Cilento, G. (1977) J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., 442--443), this species is a likely candidate for the entity which brings about the lesions, via transfer of its electronic energy to DNA.     

The cytochrome c peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of ferrocytochrome c by hydrogen peroxide. Steady state kinetic mechanism

Initial velocities for the cytochrome c peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of ferrocytochrome c by hydrogen peroxide have been measured as functions of both the ferrocytochrome c (0.27-104 microM) and hydrogen peroxide (0.25-200 microM) concentrations at 25 degrees C, 0.01 M ionic strength, and pH 7 in a cacodylate/KNO3 buffer system Eadie-Hofstee plots of the initial velocity as a function of ferrocytochrome c concentration at constant hydrogen peroxide are nonlinear. A mechanism is proposed which includes random addition of the two substrates to the enzyme and a single catalytically active cytochrome c binding site. The mechanism is consistent with prior studies on cytochrome c peroxidase and fits the steady state kinetic data well.     

Bactericidal agents generated by the peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of para-hydroquinones

For the three Gram-negative bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Escherichia coli, and Erwinia amylovora, p-benzoquinone was the principal bactericidal agent formed in vitro during the oxidation of hydroquinone by horseradish peroxidase, whereas no toxicity could be associated with either phenolic or oxygen-free radicals. Even the continuous generation of p-benzosemiquinone during the simultaneous reduction of p-benzoquinone by xanthine oxidase and reoxidation of hydroquinone by peroxidase was no more toxic than p-benzoquinone alone. Anaerobiosis had no effect on the toxicity of either p-benzoquinone or the peroxidase reaction and the generation of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals catalyzed by xanthine oxidase was not bactericidal. Substitutions on the p-benzoquinone ring decreased quinone toxicity in rough proportion to the decrease in quinone redox potential, suggesting that strong oxidizing potentials are important for such quinone toxicity.     

Lignin and Mn peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of phenolic lignin oligomers

The oxidation of phenolic oligomers by lignin and manganese peroxidases was studied by transient-state kinetic methods. The reactivity of peroxidase intermediates compound I and compound II was studied with the phenol guaiacol along with a beta-O-4 phenolic dimer, trimer, and tetramer. Compound I of both peroxidases is much more reactive than compound II. The rate constants for these substrates with Mn peroxidase compound I range from 1.0 x 10(5) M-1 s-1 for guaiacol to 1.1 x 10(3) M-1 s-1 for the tetramer. Reactivity is much higher with lignin peroxidase compound I with rate constants ranging from 1.2 x 10(6) M-1s-1 for guaiacol to 3.6 x 10(5) M-1 s-1 for the tetramer. Rate constants with compound II are much lower with Mn peroxidase exhibiting very little reactivity. The rate constants dramatically decreased with both peroxidases as the size of the substrate increased. The extent of the decrease was much more dramatic with Mn peroxidase, leading us to conclude that, despite its ability to oxidize phenols, Mn2+ is the only physiologically significant substrate. The rate decrease associated with increasing substrate size was more gradual with lignin peroxidase. These data indicate that whereas Mn peroxidase cannot efficiently directly oxidize the lignin polymer, lignin peroxidase is well suited for direct oxidation of polymeric lignin.     

The horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of 3,5,3',5'-tetramethylbenzidine. Free radical and charge-transfer complex intermediates

Benzidine and related compounds are well known substrates for horseradish peroxidase/H2O2 oxidation. Typically, two different colored products are formed. In this paper, we study the oxidation of 3,5,3',5'-tetramethylbenzidine. The first colored product is a blue charge-transfer complex of the parent diamine and the diimine oxidation product. This species exists in rapid equilibrium with the radical cation. The radical was observed by ESR spectroscopy, and hyperfine splitting constants were determined. Addition of equimolar hydrogen peroxide yields the yellow diimine, which is stable at acid pH. At less than equimolar peroxide, all four species (diamine, radical cation, charge-transfer complex, and diimine) exist in equilibrium. A theoretical analysis of this redox system is presented, including a determination of the extinction coefficients and equilibrium constant for the nonradical species.     

The bound auxins: Protection of indole-3-acetic acid from peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) was oxidized by horseradish peroxidase, but ester and amide conjugates of IAA were not degraded. Addition of indoleacetyl-myo-inositol, indoleacetyl-L-aspartate, indoleacetylglycine, indoleacetyl-L-alanine, indoleacetyl-D-alanine, or indoleacetyl--alanine did not affect the rate of oxidation of IAA by horseradish peroxidase. Peroxidase preparations from Pisum sativum L. and Zea mays L. behaved similarly in that they rapidly oxidized IAA, but not conjugates found in the plant from which the peroxidase was prepared. These results indicate that conjugation could affect the stability of IAA in vivo.Abbreviation IAA Indole-3-acetic acid     

Horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of indole-3-acetic acid. II. Oxygen uptake and chemiexcitation.

Light emission from the horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed aerobic or anaerobic oxidation of indole-3-acetic acid has been investigated under opposite extreme conditions of enzyme/substrate ratio. The O2-dependent chemiluminescent processes represent a minor part of the total oxygen consumption. Superoxide is involved in chemiexcitation as is evident from the observed inhibitory effect of superoxide dismutase. At high enzyme/substrate ratio, only a part of the emission is dependent on superoxide ion; at low ratio the dependence is extensive. At high ratio, some of the emission is independent of superoxide and O2. The identical quenching effects of D- and L-tryptophan are consistent with the formation of the quenching species only in bulk solution. The similarity of the emission spectra under extreme conditions indicates that the same main emitters are formed. This is also supported by the effect of quenchers. Possibly some of the emitters originate in the oxidative cleavage of the 2,3-double bond of the indole ring.     

Horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed aerobic oxidation and peroxidation of indole-3-acetic acid. I. Optical spectra.

A study of the indole-3-acetate reaction with horse-radish peroxidase, in the absence or presence of hydrogen peroxide, has been performed, employing rapid scan and conventional spectrophotometry. We present here the first clear spectral evidence, obtained on the millisecond time scale, indicating that at pH 5.0 and for high [enzyme/substrate] ratios peroxidase compound III is formed. Most, if not all, of the compound III is formed by oxygenation of the ferrous peroxidase. There is an inhibitory effect of superoxide dismutase and histidine on compound III formation which indicates the involvement of the active oxygen species superoxide and singlet oxygen. It is concluded that the oxidation of indole-3-acetate by horseradish peroxidase at pH 5.0 proceeds through compound III formation to the catalytically inactive forms P-670 and P-630. A reaction path in which the enzyme is directly reduced by indole-3-acetate might be involved as an initiation step. Rapid scan spectral data, which indicate differences in the formation and decay of enzyme intermediate compounds at pH 7.0, in comparison with those observed at pH 5.0, are also presented. At pH 7.0 compound II is a key intermediate in oxidation--peroxidation of substrate. Mechanisms of reactions consistent with the experimental data are proposed and discussed.     

Inhibition of the peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of chromogenic substrates by alkyl-substituted diphenols

A comparative kinetic study of the peroxidase oxidation of three chromogenic substrates--2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethyl-2,3-dihydrobenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), o-phenylenediamine (PDA), and 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine--inhibited by trimethylhydroquinone and six tert-butylated pyrocatechols (InH) was carried out at 20 degrees C in 0.015 M phosphate-citrate buffer (pH 6.0) containing organic cosolvents (0-10% ethanol or DMF). The inhibitors were quantitatively characterized by the inhibition constants (Ki), the duration of the lag period in the oxidation product formation (delta tau), and the stoichiometric coefficient of inhibition that specifies the number of radicals terminated by one InH molecule (f). The inhibition could be competitive, noncompetitive, mixed, or uncompetitive, which depended on the nature and structure of the chromogenic substrate-diatomic phenol pair. Various substrate-diatomic phenol pairs exhibited Ki values within the range of 11-240 microM and f values from 0.7 to 2.6. The absence of a lag period was characteristic of oxidation of the substituted o-phenylenediamine-substituted pyrocatechol. The total kinetic parameters and properties of the components allowed us to suggest six chromogenic substrate-substituted diatomic phenol pairs for use in test systems for the determination of antioxidant activity in human body fluids, natural biological preparations, and food. The English version of the paper: Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry, 2004, vol. 30, no. 5; see also http: // www.maik.ru.     

The metabolic stability of the enkephalins.

[Met⁵] and [Leu⁵]-enkephalins inhibit ³H-naloxone binding to brain opiate receptors much more effectively at 4°C than at 25°C. At 25°C several protease inhibitors potentiate the action of the enkephalins. Bacitracin is the most effective of these. In the presence of 100 μg/ml of bacitracin, the potencies of [Met⁵]- and [Leu⁵]-enkephalins are similar to those at 4°C. Some protease inhibitors, such as TLCK and TAME, are effective by themselves in inhibiting the binding of ³H-naloxone. Enkephalins with D-amino acids in the 2-position are equally effective at 0°C and at 25°C and their action is not potentiated by bacitracin. In particular, [D-Ala²]-enkephalins do not seem to be significantly degraded by the membrane enzymes which destroy the natural enkephalins.     

Mechanistic features of lignin peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of substituted phenols and 1,2-dimethoxyarenes

The steady state kinetic parameters Km and kcat for the oxidation of phenolic substrates by lignin peroxidase correlated with the presteady state kinetic parameters Kd and k for the reaction of the enzyme intermediate compound II with the substrates, indicating that the latter is the rate-limiting step in the catalytic cycle. ln Km and ln Kd values for phenolic substrates correlated with redox properties, unlike ln kcat and ln k. This finding suggests that in contrast to horseradish peroxidase, electron transfer is not the rate-limiting step during oxidation by lignin peroxidase compound II. A mechanism is proposed for lignin peroxidase compound II reactions consisting of an equilibrium electron transfer step followed by a subsequent rate-limiting step. Analysis of the correlation coefficients for linear relationships between ln Kd and ln Km and different calculated redox parameters supports a mechanism in which the acidic forms of phenols are oxidized by lignin peroxidase and electron transfer is coupled with proton transfer. 1,2-Dimethoxyarenes did not comply with the trend for phenolic substrates, which may be a result of more than one substrate binding site on lignin peroxidase and/or alternative binding modes. This behavior was supported by analogue studies with the 1,2-dimethoxyarenes veratric acid and veratryl aldehyde, both of which are not oxidized by lignin peroxidase. Inclusion of either had little effect on the rate of oxidation of phenolic substrates yet resulted in a decrease in the oxidation rate of 1,2-dimethoxyarene substrates, which was considerable for veratryl alcohol and less pronounced for 3,4-dimethoxyphenethylalcohol and 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid, in particular in the presence of veratric acid.