Molecular Simulations Bring New Insights into Protoporphyrinogen IX Oxidase/Protoporphyrinogen IX Interaction Modes

Protoporphyrinogen IX oxidase (PPO, EC 1.3.3.4) catalyzes the oxidation of protoporphyrinogen IX (protogen IX) to protoporphyrin IX (proto IX) in the haem/chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway. Although extensive studies of PPO have already afforded many insights into its biological function and its significance to agriculture and medicine, details of the enzymatic mechanism as well as the nature of the specific amino acids involved in substrate binding still remain largely unknown due to the lack of structural information about protogen IX binding to PPO. In this study, we carried out a detailed and systematic investigation on the binding mode of protogen IX in the Nicotiana tabacum PPO (mtPPO) by performing a computational docking followed by molecular simulations, quantum mechanics calculations, and an integrated analysis. The proposed binding mode was consistent with experimental studies, and several potential key residues that have not been investigated in previous studies, such as Thr70, Arg233, Ser235, Ser474 and Lys477, were identified. In addition, we compared the binding modes of protogen IX in mtPPO and Homo sapiens PPO, and found their differences. Considering the low sequence identity and the differences of biochemical properties among the PPOs from various species, the investigation could provide a valuable basis for the design of PPO inhibitors with high potency and species-selectivity.