The flavoprotein domain of P450BM-3: expression, purification, and properties of the flavin adenine dinucleotide- and flavin mononucleotide-binding subdomains.

P450BM-3 is a self-sufficient fatty acid monooxygenase that can be expressed in Escherichia coli as either the holoenzyme or as the individual hemo- and flavoprotein domains. The flavoprotein domain (BMR) of P450BM-3 is soluble and contains an equimolar ratio of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and is functionally analogous to microsomal nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-P450 reductases. These reductases have been proposed to have evolved through a fusion of genes encoding simple flavin-containing electron-transport proteins [Porter, T. D. (1991) Trends Biochem. Sci. 16, 154-158]. The gene encoding BMR has been divided into the coding regions for the FAD/NADPH- and FMN-binding domains. These proteins were overexpressed in E. coli and both domains were found to contain not less than 0.9 +/- 0.05 mol of FAD or FMN/mol of protein. Compared to BMR, the electron-accepting properties of the recombinant flavin domains were mainly conserved. Titration of the FMN domain with sodium dithionite resulted in the conversion of the protein to the fully reduced FMNH2 form without accumulation of intermediate semiquinone forms; however, a similar titration of the FAD domain gave clear evidence for the presence of a neutral, blue flavin semiquinone during the reduction. Titrations of the reduced forms of the domains with artificial electron acceptors indicated that the electron-transferring properties of both the FAD- and FMN domains were also conserved. The rate constants of reoxidation of the fully reduced FAD and FMN domains by molecular oxygen at 20 degrees C were found to be 2.5 and 0.1 min-1, respectively. The cytochrome c reductase activity of BMR could be fully reconstituted with the individual domains. The data presented support the hypothesis that BMR has a discrete multidomain structure.