Active site substitution A82W improves the regioselectivity of steroid hydroxylation by cytochrome P450 BM3 mutants as rationalized by spin relaxation nuclear magnetic resonance studies

Biochemistry. 2012 Jan 24;51(3):750-60. doi: 10.1021/bi201433h. Epub 2012 Jan 12.

Abstract

Cytochrome P450 BM3 from Bacillus megaterium is a monooxygenase with great potential for biotechnological applications. In this paper, we present engineered drug-metabolizing P450 BM3 mutants as a novel tool for regioselective hydroxylation of steroids at position 16β. In particular, we show that by replacing alanine at position 82 with a tryptophan in P450 BM3 mutants M01 and M11, the selectivity toward 16β-hydroxylation for both testosterone and norethisterone was strongly increased. The A82W mutation led to a ≤42-fold increase in V(max) for 16β-hydroxylation of these steroids. Moreover, this mutation improves the coupling efficiency of the enzyme, which might be explained by a more efficient exclusion of water from the active site. The substrate affinity for testosterone increased at least 9-fold in M11 with tryptophan at position 82. A change in the orientation of testosterone in the M11 A82W mutant as compared to the orientation in M11 was observed by T(1) paramagnetic relaxation nuclear magnetic resonance. Testosterone is oriented in M11 with both the A- and D-ring protons closest to the heme iron. Substituting alanine at position 82 with tryptophan results in increased A-ring proton-iron distances, consistent with the relative decrease in the level of A-ring hydroxylation at position 2β.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alanine / genetics
  • Amino Acid Substitution / genetics*
  • Bacillus megaterium / enzymology*
  • Bacillus megaterium / genetics*
  • Bacillus megaterium / metabolism
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Biotransformation / genetics
  • Catalytic Domain / genetics
  • Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / chemistry*
  • Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / genetics*
  • Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / metabolism
  • Hydroxylation / genetics
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase / chemistry*
  • NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase / genetics*
  • NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase / metabolism
  • Norethindrone / metabolism*
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
  • Testosterone / metabolism*
  • Tryptophan / genetics

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Testosterone
  • Tryptophan
  • Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System
  • NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase
  • flavocytochrome P450 BM3 monoxygenases
  • Alanine
  • Norethindrone