Investigation of the copper binding site and the role of histidine as a ligand in riboflavin binding protein

Inorg Chem. 2008 Aug 4;47(15):6867-72. doi: 10.1021/ic800431b. Epub 2008 Jul 1.

Abstract

Riboflavin Binding Protein (RBP) binds copper in a 1:1 molar ratio, forming a distinct well-ordered type II site. The nature of this site has been examined using X-ray absorption and pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies, revealing a four coordinate oxygen/nitrogen rich environment. On the basis of analysis of the Cambridge Structural Database, the average protein bound copper-ligand bond length of 1.96 A, obtained by extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), is consistent with four coordinate Cu(I) and Cu(II) models that utilize mixed oxygen and nitrogen ligand distributions. These data suggest a Cu-O 3N coordination state for copper bound to RBP. While pulsed EPR studies including hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy and electron nuclear double resonance show clear spectroscopic evidence for a histidine bound to the copper, inclusion of a histidine in the EXAFS simulation did not lead to any significant improvement in the fit.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Absorptiometry, Photon
  • Binding Sites
  • Copper / metabolism*
  • Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Histidine / metabolism*
  • Ligands
  • Membrane Transport Proteins / chemistry*
  • Membrane Transport Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Ligands
  • Membrane Transport Proteins
  • riboflavin-binding protein
  • Histidine
  • Copper