Electrostatic effects of surface acidic amino acid residues on the oxidation-reduction potentials of the flavodoxin from Desulfovibrio vulgaris (Hildenborough).

The flavodoxin from Desulfovibrio vulgaris (Hildenborough) is a member of a family of small, acidic proteins that contain a single noncovalently bound flavin mononucleotide (FMN) cofactor. These proteins function as low-potential one-electron transferases in bacteria. A distinguishing feature of these flavoproteins is the dramatic decrease in the midpoint potential of the semiquinone/hydroquinone couple of the FMN upon binding to the apoprotein (-172 mV for FMN free in solution versus -443 mV when bound), a perturbation thought to be essential for physiological function. The structural basis of this phenomenon is not yet thoroughly understood. In this study, the contribution of six acidic residues (Asp62, Asp63, Glu66, Asp95, Glu99, and Asp106) to the perturbation of the redox properties of the cofactor has been investigated. These residues are clustered about the FMN binding site within 13 A of the N(1) atom of the cofactor. Using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, these residues were neutralized in various combinations through the substitution of asparagine for aspartate and glutamine for glutamate. Seventeen mutant flavodoxins were generated in which one to all six acidic residues were systematically neutralized, often in various spatial configurations. There was no obvious correlation between the midpoint potentials for the oxidized/semiquinone couple and general electrostatic environment, although some differences were noted. However, the midpoint potential for the semiquinone/hydroquinone couple for each of the mutants was less negative than that of the wild type. These increases are strongly correlated with the number of acid to amide substitutions, with an average contribution of about 15 mV per substitution. Collectively, the unfavorable electrostatic environment provided by these acidic residues accounts for approximately one-third of the large midpoint potential shift for the semiquinone/hydroquinone couple that typifies the flavodoxin family, apparently through the destabilization of the flavin hydroquinone anion.