The Monomeric Species of the Regulatory Domain of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Has a Low Conformational Stability

Biochemistry. 2016 Jun 21;55(24):3418-31. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00135. Epub 2016 Jun 8.

Abstract

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TyrH) catalyzes the hydroxylation of tyrosine to form 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, the first step in the synthesis of catecholamine neurotransmitters. The protein contains a 159-residue regulatory domain (RD) at its N-terminus that forms dimers in solution; the N-terminal region of RDTyrH (residues 1-71) is absent in the solution structure of the domain. We have characterized the conformational stability of two species of RDTyrH (one containing the N-terminal region and another lacking the first 64 residues) to clarify how that N-terminal region modulates the conformational stability of RD. Under the conditions used in this study, the RD species lacking the first 64 residues is a monomer at pH 7.0, with a small conformational stability at 25 °C (4.7 ± 0.8 kcal mol(-1)). On the other hand, the entire RDTyrH is dimeric at physiological pH, with an estimated dissociation constant of 1.6 μM, as determined by zonal gel filtration chromatography; dimer dissociation was spectroscopically silent to circular dichroism but not to fluoresecence. Both RD species were disordered below physiological pH, but the acquisition of secondary native-like structure occurs at pHs lower than those measured for the attainment of tertiary native- and compactness-like arrangements.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Calorimetry, Differential Scanning
  • Chromatography, Gel
  • Circular Dichroism
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Models, Molecular
  • Protein Denaturation
  • Protein Folding*
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / chemistry*

Substances

  • Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase