Conformation and interaction of phenylalanine with the divalent cation at the active site of human recombinant tyrosine hydroxylase as determined by proton NMR.

Recombinant human tyrosine hydroxylase has been purified as a metal-free apoenzyme (apo-hTH1) which tightly binds one Fe2+, Co2+, or Zn2+ per subunit with activation only by Fe2+ and competitive inhibition by the other cations. L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine are alternative substrates for this enzyme, giving similar Vmax values, although the KM value for phenylalanine is about 8-fold greater than for tyrosine. Apo-hTH1 enhances the paramagnetic effects of Co2+ on 1/T1 and 1/T2 values of the protons of enzyme-bound phenylalanine both in the presence and in the absence of the oxidized form of the cofactor L-erythro-7,8-dihydrobiopterin (BH2), which was used as an inactive analog of the natural cofactor (6R)-1-erythro-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4). No effects of hTH1-Zn2+ on 1/T1 or 1/T2 are found. From paramagnetic effects of hTH1-Co2+ on 1/T1 of phenylalanine protons at 250 and 600 MHz, in the presence of BH2, a correlation time (tau c) of 1.8 +/- 0.1 ps was found. Using this tau c value, and assuming that only one proton of the pairs H3,H5, and H2,H6 is experiencing the total paramagnetic effect (asymmetric limiting case), distances from enzyme-bound Co2+ to phenylalanine (+/- 1.2 A) of 6.1 A (H3 or H5), 6.3 A (H2 or H6), 7.0 A (H4), 7.3 A (H alpha), > or = 7.4 A (H beta-pro-S), and > or = 7.6 A (H beta-pro-R) were calculated. The distances to H3 or H5 and to H2 or H6 are slightly increased to 6.8 and 7.0 A, respectively, if each proton of both degenerate pairs equally experiences the paramagnetic effect of Co2+ (symmetric limiting case). These distances place the aromatic ring of phenylalanine in the second coordination sphere of the metal, which would permit an Fe-bound oxy or peroxy species to approach molecular contact with C3/C4, suggesting a direct role of Fe2+ in the hydroxylation reaction. The same correlation time and similar distances were found in the absence of BH2 with H4 of phenylalanine slightly closer to the metal. In the ternary hTH1-Zn(2+).BH2.phenylalanine complex, eight interproton distances in the enzyme-bound phenylalanine were determined by NOESY spectra at 600 MHz at 35-, 50-, and 75-ms mixing times. The conformation of enzyme-bound phenylalanine, consistent with the six Co(2+)-proton distances and the eight interproton distances, is partially extended with torsional angles chi 1 = 97 degrees +/- 3 degrees and chi 2 = -78 degrees +/- 2 degrees.