Volume 63, Issue 49 e202409430
Research Article

A Cytochrome P450 TxtE Model System with Mechanistic and Theoretical Evidence for a Heme Peroxynitrite Active Species

Pritam Mondal

Pritam Mondal

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 United States

Current address: Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, Punjab, 140306 India

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Dhilanka Udukalage

Dhilanka Udukalage

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 United States

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Abubaker A. Mohamed

Abubaker A. Mohamed

Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN United Kingdom

Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL United Kingdom

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Henrik P. H. Wong

Henrik P. H. Wong

Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN United Kingdom

Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL United Kingdom

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Sam P. de Visser

Corresponding Author

Sam P. de Visser

Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7DN United Kingdom

Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL United Kingdom

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Gayan B. Wijeratne

Corresponding Author

Gayan B. Wijeratne

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 United States

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First published: 01 August 2024
Citations: 2

Graphical Abstract

Efficient modelling of the economically impactful enzyme, TxtE, has been probed, in which indole (tryptophan mimic) nitration was observed by a putative heme-peroxynitrite intermediate, resembling one of the prime enzymatic mechanistic proposals. Experimental and theoretical exploration of the mechanism reveal a unique reaction landscape dictated by NO2 radical species.

Abstract

The cytochrome P450 homolog, TxtE, efficiently catalyzes the direct and regioselective aromatic nitration of the indolyl moiety of L-tryptophan to 4-nitro-L-tryptophan, using nitric oxide (NO) and dioxygen (O2) as co-substrates. Pathways for such direct and selective nitration of heteroaromatic motifs present platforms for engineering new nitration biocatalysts for pharmacologically beneficial targets, among a medley of other pivotal industrial applications. Precise mechanistic details concerning this pathway are only weakly understood, albeit a heme iron(III)-peroxynitrite active species has been postulated. To shed light on this unique reaction landscape, we investigated the indole nitration pathway of a series of biomimetic ferric heme superoxide mimics, [(Por)FeIII(O2⋅)], in the presence of NO. Therein, our model systems gave rise to three distinct nitroindole products, including 4-nitroindole, the product analogous to that obtained with TxtE. Moreover, 15N and 18O isotope labeling studies, along with meticulously designed control experiments lend credence to a heme peroxynitrite active nitrating agent, drawing close similarities to the tryptophan nitration mechanism of TxtE. All organic and inorganic reaction components have been fully characterized using spectroscopic methods. Theoretical investigation into several mechanistic possibilities deem a unique indolyl radical based reaction pathway as the most energetically favorable, products of which, are in excellent agreement with experimental findings.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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