Chemical modification of prostaglandin H synthase with diethyl pyrocarbonate

The role of histidine in catalysis by prostaglandin H synthase has been investigated using chemical modification with diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC), an agent that has been found to rather selectively derivatize histidine residues in proteins under mild conditions. Incubation of the synthase apoprotein with DEPC at pH 7.2 resulted in a progressive loss of the capacity for both cyclooxygenase and peroxidase catalytic activities. The kinetics of inactivation of the cyclooxygenase activity were dependent on the concentration of DEPC; a second-order rate constant of 680 M-1 min-1 was estimated for reaction of the apoenzyme at pH 7.2 and 0 degrees C. The kinetics of inactivation of the cyclooxygenase by DEPC exhibited a sigmoidal dependence on the pH, indicating that deprotonation of a group with a pKa of 6.3 was required for inactivation. The presence of the heme prosthetic group slowed, but did not prevent, inactivation by DEPC. The stoichiometry of histidine modification of apoenzyme during inactivation determined from absorbance increases at 242 nm agreed well with the overall stoichiometry of derivatized residues determined with [14C]DEPC, indicating that modification by DEPC was quite selective for histidine residues on the synthase. Although modification of several histidine residues by DEPC was observed, only one of the histidine residues was essential for cyclooxygenase activity. Modification of the holoenzyme with DEPC altered the EPR signal of the hydroperoxide-induced tyrosyl free radical from the wide doublet (35 G, peak-to-trough) found with the native synthase to a narrower singlet (28 G, peak-to-trough) quite like that found in the indomethacin-synthase complex. Reaction of the indomethacin-synthase complex with DEPC was found to increase the cyclooxygenase velocity by 9 times its initial value, to about one-third of the uninhibited value, without displacement of the indomethacin; the peroxidase was significantly inactivated under the same conditions. Histidyl residues in the synthase are thus likely to have important roles not only in cyclooxygenase and peroxidase catalysis but also in the interaction of the synthase with indomethacin.