A model theoretical study on ligand exchange reactions of CooA

Rr-CooA is a CO-sensor heme protein, where binding of CO with the heme group stimulates a transcriptional activator activity of CooA. In this process, the heme undergoes a series of ligand exchanges. In the ferric form, the heme has Cys75 and Pro2 as the axial ligands. In the reduced ferrous form, the heme has His77 instead of Cys75 as an axial ligand with Pro2. Only in the reduced form, CooA can bind CO that replaces Pro2. Model calculations are carried out to elucidate the ligand exchange reactions of CooA. The coordinated proline is found to be the neutral, protonated form. The ligand exchange of cysteine for histidine is reproduced by a relatively small model. This exchange would be mainly due to difference in stability of the non-bonding sulfur p-orbital in Cys75 between the ferric and ferrous states. The selectivity of gas molecules among CO, NO, and O2 in the proteins is explained by the relative stability of products for Rr-CooA. This is also the case for Ch-CooA, where the amino group of the N-terminus and a histidine are coordinated to the iron ion both in the ferric and ferrous states. The ability to bind the gas molecules is a little stronger in Rr-CooA than in Ch-CooA. In the ferric form of Rr-CooA, heme is deformed to a ruffled form whereas heme is planar in the ferrous form, which leads to a red-shifted Q-band in the former.