In mammals, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) has the weakest activity, being one-tenth and one-sixth as active as the inducible NOS (iNOS) and the neuronal NOS (nNOS), respectively. The basis for this weak activity is unclear. We hypothesized that a hinge element that connects the FMN module in the reductase domain but is shorter and of unique composition in eNOS may be involved. To test this hypothesis, we generated an eNOS chimera that contained the nNOS hinge and two mutants that either eliminated (P728IeNOS) or incorporated (I958PnNOS) a proline residue unique to the eNOS hinge. Incorporating the nNOS hinge into eNOS increased NO synthesis activity 4-fold, to an activity two-thirds that of nNOS. It also decreased uncoupled NADPH oxidation, increased the apparent K mO2 for NO synthesis, and caused a faster heme reduction. Eliminating the hinge proline had similar, but lesser, effects. Our findings reveal that the hinge is an important regulator and show that differences in its composition restrict the activity of eNOS relative to other NOS enzymes.electron flux ͉ heme reduction ͉ kox N itric oxide (NO) is a widespread signal molecule in biology (1, 2). Three nitric oxide synthases (NOSs) generate NO in mammals [inducible NOS (iNOS), neuronal NOS (nNOS), and endothelial NOS (eNOS)]. All three are comprised of an Nterminal heme-containing oxygenase domain, an intervening calmodulin (CaM) binding sequence, and a C-terminal reductase domain that contains FMN and FAD (3). The three NOS enzymes have different gene expression patterns, protein interactions, posttranslational modifications, and catalytic behaviors that enable specific roles in biology (4-8). Of note, the NO synthesis activity of eNOS is one-10th that of iNOS and one-sixth that of nNOS. This activity is associated with a slower heme reduction in eNOS (9, 10). Which protein features enable these differences, and why they evolved, are still unclear.Studies of eNOS and nNOS chimeras established that their NO synthesis activities and heme reduction rates are primarily a function of the reductase domain (9, 11). For example, a chimera comprised of an eNOS oxygenase domain fused to an nNOS reductase domain had an NO synthesis activity and heme reduction rate that were similar to those of wild-type nNOS. This result implies that protein structural elements within the reductase domain are largely responsible for the different catalytic behaviors of eNOS and nNOS. While addressing this issue, we became interested in two hinge elements that connect the FMN subdomain of NOS to the rest of the enzyme (Fig. 1A). During catalysis, these hinge elements position the FMN subdomain to receive electrons from the NADPH-FAD module, and then may guide its interactions with the NOS oxygenase domain for electron transfer to the heme (12-17). In this way, the hinge elements could determine the rate of heme reduction and NO synthesis activity.The hinge that connects the FMN subdomain to the rest of the nNOS reductase domain is visible in the reductase crystal structure...

Nitric-oxide synthases (NOSs) are calmodulin-dependent flavoheme enzymes that oxidize L-Arg to nitric oxide (NO) and L-citrulline. Their catalytic behaviors are complex and are determined by their rates of heme reduction (k r ), ferric heme-NO dissociation (k d ), and ferrous heme-NO oxidation (k ox ). We found that point mutation (E762N) of a conserved residue on the enzyme's FMN subdomain caused the NO synthesis activity to double compared with wild type nNOS. However, in the absence of L-Arg, NADPH oxidation rates suggested that electron flux through the heme was slower in E762N nNOS, and this correlated with the mutant having a 60% slower k r . During NO synthesis, little heme-NO complex accumulated in the mutant, compared with ϳ50 -70% of the wild-type nNOS accumulating as this complex. This suggested that the E762N nNOS is hyperactive because it minimizes buildup of an inactive ferrous heme-NO complex during NO synthesis. Indeed, we found that k ox was 2 times faster in the E762N mutant than in wild-type nNOS. The mutational effect on k ox was independent of calmodulin. Computer simulation and experimental measures both indicated that the slower k r and faster k ox of E762N nNOS combine to lower its apparent K m,O 2 for NO synthesis by at least 5-fold, which in turn increases its V/K m value and enables it to be hyperactive in steady-state NO synthesis. Our work underscores how sensitive nNOS activity is to changes in the k ox and reveals a novel means for the FMN module or protein-protein interactions to alter nNOS activity. Nitric oxide (NO)2 is a biological mediator that is produced in animals by three NO synthase isozymes (NOS, EC 1.14.13.39): inducible NOS (iNOS), neuronal NOS (nNOS), and endothelial NOS (eNOS) (1, 2). The NOS are modular enzymes composed of an N-terminal oxygenase domain and a C-terminal flavoprotein domain, with a calmodulin (CaM)-binding site connecting the two domains (3). During NO synthesis, the flavoprotein domain transfers NADPH-derived electrons through its FAD and FMN cofactors to a heme located in the oxygenase domain. The FMN-to-heme electron transfer enables hemedependent oxygen activation and a stepwise conversion of L-Arg to NO and citrulline (4, 5). Heme reduction also requires that CaM be bound to NOS and is rate-limiting for NO biosynthesis (6 -9).NOS enzymes operate under the constraint of having their newly made NO bind to the ferric heme before it can exit the enzyme (10). How this intrinsic heme-NO binding event impacts NOS catalytic cycling is shown in Fig. 1 and has previously been discussed in detail (10 -13). The L-Arg to NO biosynthetic reaction (Fe III to Fe III NO in Fig. 1) is limited by the rate of ferric heme reduction (k r ), because all biosynthetic steps downstream are faster than k r . However, once the ferric heme-NO complex forms at the end of each catalytic cycle, it can either dissociate to release NO into the medium (at a rate k d as shown in Fig. 1) or become reduced by the flavoprotein domain (at a rate kЈ r in Fig. 1; equal to k r ) to form ...

SYNOPSIS The Nitric Oxide Synthases (NOS; EC 1.14.13.39) contain a C-terminal flavoprotein domain (NOSred) that binds FAD and FMN and an N-terminal oxygenase domain that binds heme. Evidence suggests that the FMN-binding domain undergoes large conformational motions to shuttle electrons between the NADPH/FAD-binding domain (FNR) and the oxygenase domain. previously we showed that three residues on the FMN domain (Glu762, Glu816 and Glu819) that make charge-pairing interactions with the FNR help to slow electron flux through nNOSred. In this study, we show that charge neutralization or reversal at each of these residues alters the setpoint (KeqA) of the NOSred conformational equilibrium to favor of the open (FMN-deshielded) conformational state. Moreover, computer simulations of the kinetic traces of cytochrome c reduction by the mutants suggest that they have relatively larger effects on the conformational transition rates (from 1.5 to 4x faster) and the rate of interflavin electron transfer (from 1.5 to 2x faster) relative to wild type nNOSred. We conclude that the three charge-pairing residues on the FMN domain govern electron flux through nNOSred by stabilizing its closed (FMN-shielded) conformational state and by retarding the rate of conformational switching between its open and closed conformations.

Background: Two flexible hinges may control electron transfer and catalysis in NOS enzymes. Results: Shortening or extending the FMN-FAD/NADPH hinge lowered NO synthesis, altered electron transfer, and uncoupled NADPH consumption. Conclusion: Native hinge length achieves a best compromise between NADPH oxidation, electron transfer, and NO synthesis. Significance: Determining how hinge length impacts catalysis helps reveal enzyme structure-activity relationships in NOS.

NO synthase (NOS) enzymes convert L-arginine to NO in two sequential reactions whose rates (kcat1 and kcat2) are both limited by the rate of ferric heme reduction (kr). An enzyme ferric heme-NO complex forms as an immediate product complex and then undergoes either dissociation (at a rate that we denote as kd) to release NO in a productive manner, or reduction (kr) to form a ferrous heme-NO complex (FeIINO) that must react with O2 (at a rate that we denote as kox) in a NO dioxygenase reaction that regenerates the ferric enzyme. The interplay of these five kinetic parameters (kcat1, kcat2, kr, kd, and kox) determine NOS specific activity, O2 concentration response, and pulsatile versus steady-state NO generation. Here we utilized stopped-flow spectroscopy and single catalytic turnover methods to characterize the individual temperature dependencies of the five kinetic parameters of rat neuronal NOS (nNOS). We then incorporated the measured kinetic values into computer simulations of the nNOS reaction using a global kinetic model to comprehensively model its temperature-dependent catalytic behaviors. Our results provide new mechanistic insights and also reveal that the different temperature dependencies of the five kinetic parameters significantly alter nNOS catalytic behaviors and NO release efficiency as a function of temperature.