RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Molecular mechanism of the chitinolytic monocopper peroxygenase reaction JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 541292 DO 10.1101/541292 A1 Bastien Bissaro A1 Bennett Streit A1 Ingvild Isaksen A1 Vincent G.H. Eijsink A1 Gregg T. Beckham A1 Jennifer DuBois A1 Åsmund K. Røhr YR 2019 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/02/05/541292.abstract AB Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are a recently discovered class of monocopper enzymes, broadly distributed across the Tree of Life. We recently reported that LPMOs can use H2O2 as an oxidant, revealing a novel reaction pathway. Here, we aimed to elucidate the H2O2-mediated reaction mechanism with experimental and computational approaches. In silico studies suggest that a network of hydrogen bonds, involving both the enzyme and the substrate, brings H2O2 into a strained reactive conformation, and guides the derived hydroxyl radical towards formation of a copper-oxyl intermediate. The initial H2O2 homolytic cleavage and subsequent hydrogen atom abstraction from chitin by the copper-oxyl intermediate are suggested to be the main energy barriers. Under single turnover conditions, stopped-flow fluorimetry demonstrates that LPMO-Cu(II) reduction to Cu(I) is a fast process compared to the re-oxidation reactions. We found that re-oxidation of LPMO-Cu(I) is 2000-fold faster with H2O2 than with O2, the latter being several orders of magnitude slower than rates reported for other monooxygenases. In agreement with the notion of ternary complex formation, when chitin is added, re-oxidation by H2O2 is accelerated whereas that by O2 slows. Simulations indicated that Glu60, a highly-conserved residue, gates the access to the confined active site and constrains H2O2 during catalysis, and Glu60 mutations significantly decreased the enzyme performance. By providing molecular and kinetic insights into the peroxygenase activity of chitinolytic LPMOs, this study will aid the development of applications of enzymatic and synthetic copper catalysis and contribute to understanding pathogenesis, notably chitinolytic plant defenses against fungi and insects.AbbreviationsAscAAscorbic acidARAmplexRed®A2oxChitobionic acid or GlcNAcGlcNAc1AGHGlycoside hydrolasesHAAHydrogen atom abstractionHRPHorseradish peroxidaseLPMOLytic polysaccharide monooxygenasesLsAA9ALPMO9 from Lentinus similisMDMolecular dynamicsMMMolecular mechanicsNAG6Hexa-N-acetyl-chitohexaoseNEBNudged elastic bandQMQuantum mechanicsSmAA10A (or CBP21)LPMO10 from Serratia marcescensSmGH20Chitobiase from Serratia marcescensEPRElectron paramagnetic resonanceSOMOsingle occupied molecular orbitalHOMOhighest occupied molecular orbitalLUMOLowest unoccupied molecular orbital