Voltammetric Studies of 3-Nitro-tyrosine Electro-oxidation at Solid Electrodes and its Interaction with DNA
ELECTROANALYSIS
Authors: Nascimento, Jose A. M.; Nascimento, Maysa L.; Mendes, Carlos H. S.; Oliveira, Severino Carlos B.
Abstract
The electrochemical oxidation of 3-nitro-tyrosine (3-NO2-Tyr) was studied in aqueous media at metallic electrodes (platinum and gold), using voltammetric techniques. The interaction between 3-NO2-Tyr and double helix DNA (dsDNA) in a physiological medium was also investigated. Electro-oxidation of 3-NO2-Tyr occurs in one single irreversible pH-dependent step with the transfer of one electron and one proton from the phenolic group to the formation of radicals, which preferably dimerize, fouling the electrode surfaces. The differential pulse voltammetry and gel electrophoresis results clearly demonstrated a strong interaction of 3-NO2-Tyr with the dsDNA for the formation of a stable 3-NO2-Tyr-dsDNA complex.
Trapping conformational states of a flavin-dependentN-monooxygenasein crystalloreveals protein and flavin dynamics
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
Authors: Campbell, Ashley C.; Stiers, Kyle M.; Martin Del Campo, Julia S.; Mehra-Chaudhary, Ritcha; Sobrado, Pablo; Tanner, John J.
Abstract
The siderophore biosynthetic enzyme A (SidA) ornithine hydroxylase fromAspergillus fumigatusis a fungal disease drug target involved in the production of hydroxamate-containing siderophores, which are used by the pathogen to sequester iron. SidA is anN-monooxygenase that catalyzes the NADPH-dependent hydroxylation ofl-ornithine through a multistep oxidative mechanism, utilizing a C4a-hydroperoxyflavin intermediate. Here we present four new crystal structures of SidA in various redox and ligation states, including the first structure of oxidized SidA without NADP(H) orl-ornithine bound (resting state). The resting state structure reveals a newoutactive site conformation characterized by large rotations of the FAD isoalloxazine around the C1-' C2 ' and N10-C1 ' bonds, coupled to a 10-angstrom movement of the Tyr-loop. Additional structures show that either flavin reduction or the binding of NADP(H) is sufficient to drive the FAD to theinconformation. The structures also reveal protein conformational changes associated with the binding of NADP(H) andl-ornithine. Some of these residues were probed using site-directed mutagenesis. Docking was used to explore the active site of theoutconformation. These calculations identified two potential ligand-binding sites. Altogether, our results provide new information about conformational dynamics in flavin-dependent monooxygenases. Understanding the different active site conformations that appear during the catalytic cycle may allow fine-tuning of inhibitor discovery efforts.