Spectroscopic characterization of the electronic changes in the active site of Streptomyces antibioticus tyrosinase upon binding of transition state analogue inhibitors.

The dinuclear copper enzyme tyrosinase (Ty) from genetically engineered Streptomyces antibioticus has been investigated in its paramagnetic half-met form [Cu(I)-Cu(II)]. The cw EPR, pulsed EPR, and hyperfine sublevel correlation spectroscopy (HYSCORE) experiments on the half-met-Ty and on its complexes with three different types of competitive inhibitor are reported. The first type includes p-nitrophenol, a very poor substrate for the monooxygenase activity of Ty. The second type comprises hydroxyquinones, such as kojic acid and l-mimosine, and the third type of inhibitor is represented by toluic acid. The electronic and structural differences of the half-met-Ty form induced at the cupric site by the different inhibitors have been determined. Probes of structural effects are the hyperfine coupling constants of the non coordinating Ndelta histidyl nitrogens. By using the available crystal structures of hemocyanin as a template in combination with the spectroscopic results, a structural model for the active site of half-met-Ty is obtained and a model for the binding modes of both mono- and diphenols could be proposed.