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We have totally synthesized a gene that codes for rat hepatic cytochrome b5. The 5' flanking region was designed for efficient expression of this gene in Escherichia coli by incorporating an optimum ribosome binding site and spacer region. Both a soluble form, analogous to the protease-treated microsomal protein, as well as the complete cytochrome with hydrophobic membrane anchor, was constructed and expressed. Transformants with the gene for the soluble protein overproduce authentic cytochrome b5 to a level of 8% of the total cell protein. The complete cytochrome is expressed to a lesser extent with most of the protein found in the cell membrane fraction. This represents complete synthesis and bacterial expression of a mammalian metalloprotein gene. Cytochrome b5 is normally a six-coordinate low spin heme protein with histidine-39 and histidine-63 as axial ligands. We have replaced histidine-63 with a methionine residue by cassette mutagenesis, utilizing specific restriction enzyme sites engineered into the synthetic gene. The resultant protein has histidine-39 as sole axial ligand and is five-coordinate high spin in the ferric resting state, as indicated by optical and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The ability to generate mutant cytochrome b5 in high yield is a crucial step in understanding heme protein folding, protein-protein recognition and binding, and biological electron transfer processes.

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Azotobacter vinelandii ferredoxin I (FdI) is a small protein that contains one Fe4S4 cluster and one Fe3S4 cluster. Previous studies of FdI have shown that the redox potential of the Fe3S4 cluster and the MCD and CD spectra of the reduced Fe3S4 cluster are pH-dependent. Using Mössbauer and EPR spectroscopy, we have studied FdI in different oxidation states and at different pH values. Here, we report the spin Hamiltonian parameters of the oxidized (S = 1/2) Fe3S4 cluster at pH 7.4 and the reduced (S = 2) Fe3S4 cluster at pH 6.0 and 8.5. The pH dependence observed by MCD is also evident in the Mössbauer spectra which show a change of the magnetic hyperfine tensor for one Fe site of the valence-delocalized pair. The Fe4S4 cluster is ligated by cysteines 20, 39, 42, and 45, but not by the adjacent cysteine 24. Treatment of FdI with 3 equiv of ferricyanide alters the Fe4S4 cluster, yielding a new species, [Fe4S4]'. The S = 1/2 EPR signal of [Fe4S4]' has previously been attributed to the formation of a cysteine disulfide radical from Cys24 and cluster sulfide. Here we show that the EPR signal is broadened by 57Fe, indicating that the electronic spin is significantly coupled to the cluster iron. Consistent with this, substantial magnetic hyperfine interactions are observed by Mössbauer spectroscopy. In addition, the average isomer shift of the four Fe sites is smaller for [Fe4S4]' than for [Fe4S4]2+, indicating that the oxidation is iron-based to at least some extent. Incubation of FdI with excess ferricyanide destroys the Fe4S4 cluster but leaves the Fe3S4 cluster intact. Our studies of (3Fe)FdI show that the S = 1/2 spin of the Fe3S4 cluster interacts with another paramagnet, presumably a radical generated at the site left vacant by the removal of the Fe4S4 cluster.