Kinetic studies on the peroxidase activity of selenosubtilisin

Selenosubtilisin, a semisynthetic selenoenzyme produced by chemical modification of the serine protease subtilisin, acts as a mimic of glutathione peroxidase, catalyzing the reduction of tert-butyl hydroperoxide by 3-carboxy-4-nitrobenzenethiol. To clarify the mechanism of action of this catalyst, detailed kinetic studies have been carried out. Thiol-mediated reduction converts the seleninic acid form of selenosubtilisin (ESeO2H) into a selenenyl sulfide (ESeSAr). Investigations into the reduction of ESeO2H by the aromatic thiol revealed saturation kinetics and were consistent with a significant lowering of the pKa of the seleninic acid in the enzyme active site. While the reduction of ESeO2H was slow compared with a simple model system, the reduced selenoenzyme (ESeSAr) exhibited a much greater peroxidase activity than model compounds. The enzymic selenocysteine residue was shown to be crucial for this activity, and ping-pong kinetics were observed. A catalytic cycle involving interconversion of the ESeSAr, ESeH, and ESeOH forms of the enzyme has been proposed that is consistent with all the available data. The pH-rate profile for the peroxidase activity indicates the involvement of the active site histidine (His64) in the rate-determining step, which these investigations suggest is attack of ArS- on ESeSAr. The results presented here correlated well with crystallographic and spectroscopic data and provide more detailed information about crucial interactions within the active site of selenosubtilisin.