Determination of enzyme mechanisms by molecular dynamics: studies on quinoproteins, methanol dehydrogenase, and soluble glucose dehydrogenase.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been carried out to study the enzymatic mechanisms of quinoproteins, methanol dehydrogenase (MDH), and soluble glucose dehydrogenase (sGDH). The mechanisms of reduction of the orthoquinone cofactor (PQQ) of MDH and sGDH involve concerted base-catalyzed proton abstraction from the hydroxyl moiety of methanol or from the 1-hydroxyl of glucose, and hydride equivalent transfer from the substrate to the quinone carbonyl carbon C5 of PQQ. The products of methanol and glucose oxidation are formaldehyde and glucolactone, respectively. The immediate product of PQQ reduction, PQQH- [-HC5(O-)-C4(=O)-] and PQQH [-HC5(OH)-C4(=O)-] converts to the hydroquinone PQQH2 [-C5(OH)=C4(OH)-]. The main focus is on MD structures of MDH * PQQ * methanol, MDH * PQQH-, MDH * PQQH, sGDH * PQQ * glucose, sGDH * PQQH- (glucolactone, and sGDH * PQQH. The reaction PQQ-->PQQH- occurs with Glu 171-CO2- and His 144-Im as the base species in MDH and sGDH, respectively. The general-base-catalyzed hydroxyl proton abstraction from substrate concerted with hydride transfer to the C5 of PQQ is assisted by hydrogen-bonding to the C5=O by Wat1 and Arg 324 in MDH and by Wat89 and Arg 228 in sGDH. Asp 297-COOH would act as a proton donor for the reaction PQQH(-)-->PQQH, if formed by transfer of the proton from Glu 171-COOH to Asp 297-CO2- in MDH. For PQQH-->PQQH2, migration of H5 to the C4 oxygen may be assisted by a weak base like water (either by crystal water Wat97 or bulk solvent, hydrogen-bonded to Glu 171-CO2- in MDH and by Wat89 in sGDH).