Studies on the reaction between reduced riboflavin and selenocystine

Abstract

Selenocysteine (Sec) is a crucial component of mammalian thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) where it serves as a nucleophile for disulfide bond rupture in thioredoxin (Trx). Generation of the reduced state of Sec in TrxR requires consecutive two electron transfer steps, namely: (i) from NADPH to flavin adenine dinucleotide, (ii) from reduced flavin to the disulfide bond Cys 59-S-S-Cys 64 , and finally (iii) from Cys 59 and Cys 64 to the selenosulfide bond Cys 497-S-Se-Sec 498. In this work, we studied the reaction between reduced riboflavin (RibH2) and selenocystine (Sec-Sec), an oxidized form of Sec. The interaction between RibH2 and Sec-Sec proceeded relatively slowly in comparison with its reverse reaction, that is, reduction of riboflavin (Rib) by Sec. The rate constant for the reaction between RibH2 and Sec-Sec was (7.9 ± 0.1) × 10 −2 M −1 s −1 (pH 7.0, 25.0 • C). The reaction between Rib and Sec proceeded via two steps, namely, a rapid reversible binding of Rib to Sec having a protonated selenol group to form a Sec-Rib complex, followed by nucleophilic attack of Sec-Rib by a second Sec molecule harboring a deprotonated selenol group. The equilibrium constant for the overall reduction process of Rib by Sec is (1.2 ± 0.1) × 10 6 M −1 (25.0 • C). The finding that the interaction of RibH2 with oxidized selenol is reversible with its equilibrium favored toward the reverse reaction provides an additional explanation for the exceptional mechanism of the mammalian Trx/TrxR system involving transient reduction of a disulfide bond.