Preparation and characterization of metal-substituted carotenoid cleavage oxygenases.
Sui, X., Farquhar, E.R., Hill, H.E., von Lintig, J., Shi, W., Kiser, P.D.(2018) J Biol Inorg Chem 23: 887-901
- PubMed: 29946976 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00775-018-1586-0
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
6B86, 6BIG - PubMed Abstract: 
Carotenoid cleavage oxygenases (CCO) are non-heme iron enzymes that catalyze oxidative cleavage of alkene bonds in carotenoid and stilbenoid substrates. Previously, we showed that the iron cofactor of CAO1, a resveratrol-cleaving member of this family, can be substituted with cobalt to yield a catalytically inert enzyme useful for trapping active site-bound stilbenoid substrates for structural characterization. Metal substitution may provide a general method for identifying the natural substrates for CCOs in addition to facilitating structural and biophysical characterization of CCO-carotenoid complexes under normal aerobic conditions. Here, we demonstrate the general applicability of cobalt substitution in a prototypical carotenoid cleaving CCO, apocarotenoid oxygenase (ACO) from Synechocystis. Among the non-native divalent metals investigated, cobalt was uniquely able to stably occupy the ACO metal binding site and inhibit catalysis. Analysis by X-ray crystallography and X-ray absorption spectroscopy demonstrate that the Co(II) forms of both ACO and CAO1 exhibit a close structural correspondence to the native Fe(II) enzyme forms. Hence, cobalt substitution is an effective strategy for generating catalytically inert but structurally intact forms of CCOs.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.