Agaricus bisporus metapotyrosinase: preparation, characterization, and conversion to mixed-metal derivatives of the binuclear site

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Abstract
The .alpha., .beta., and .gamma. isozymes of Agaricus bisporus tyrosinase undergo inactivation in the presence of oxalate. The inactivation rate law is first order in enzyme and second order in oxalate. On a more rapid time scale than inactivation, oxalate acts as a competitive inhibitor of the catecholase reaction of tyrosinase. After removal of oxalate by dialysis, the inactivated enzyme is found to contain 50% of the original copper, all of which is present as paramagnetic, mononuclear copper sites. The ESR parameters of this copper indicate a tetragonal environment with nitrogen or nitrogen and oxygen ligands. The product of oxalate inactivation has lost one copper from each binuclear site and is thus a metapo derivative. Addition of Cu(II) to metapotyrosinase results in complete recovery of copper and catalytic activity. Prolonged storage of metapotyrosinase, in the absence of any additional Cu(II), results in copper migration, producing a 50% recovery of the original specific activity, expressed on a protein basis. Copper migration converts metapo sites into equal numbers of reconstituted, holo sites and fully apo sites. Both copper migration and copper reconstitution follow apparent first-order kinetics and are pH dependent. The involvement of two ionizable groups accounts for the observed pH dependence of each process. For copper migration pKa values of 6.0 and 8.8 were found, while for copper reconstitution the pKa values were 5.4 and 6.9. Addition of either Co(II) or Zn(II) to metapotyrosinase results in the formation of enzymatically inactive, mixed-metal derivatives of the binuclear copper site having one Cu(II) and one Co(II) or Zn(II) ion. These derivatives cannot be made by direct displacement of Cu(II) from native tyrosinase. The relative affinity of metal ions for the vacant metal binding site of metapotyrosinase is Cu(II) > Co(II) > Zn(II).