Computational Insights into the Catalysis of the pH Dependence of Bromite Decomposition Catalyzed by Chlorite Dismutase from Dechloromonas aromatica ( Da Cld).

The heme-containing chlorite dismutases catalyze the rapid and efficient decomposition of chlorite (ClO 2 - ) to yield Cl - and O 2 , and the catalytic efficiency of chlorite dismutase from Dechloromonas aromatica ( Da Cld) in catalyzing the decomposition of bromite (BrO 2 - ) was dependent on pH, which was supposed to be caused by the conversion of active Cpd I to the inactive Cpd II by proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) from the pocket Tyr118 to the propionate side chain of heme at high pH. However, the direct evidence of PCET and how the pH affects the efficiency of Da Cld, as well as whether Cpd II is really inactive, are still poorly understood. Here, on the basis of the high-resolution crystal structures, the computational models in both acidic (pH 5.0) and alkaline (pH 9.0) environments were constructed, and a series of quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical calculations were performed. On the basis of our calculation results, the O-Br bond cleavage of BrO 2 - always follows the homolytic mode to generate Cpd II rather than Cpd I. It is different from the O-O cleavage of O 2 /H 2 O 2 or peracetic acid catalyzed by the other heme-containing enzymes. Thus, in the subsequent O-O rebound reaction, it is the Fe(IV)═O in Cpd II that combines with the O-Br radical. Because the porphyrin ring in Cpd II does not bear an unpaired electron, the previously suggested PCET from Tyr118 to the propionate side chain of heme was not theoretically recognized in an alkaline environment. In addition, the O-O rebound step in an alkaline solution corresponds to an energy barrier that is larger than that in an acidic environment, which can well explain the pH dependence of the activity of Da Cld. In addition, the protonation state of the propionic acid side chains of heme and the surrounding hydrogen bond networks were calculated to have a significant impact on the barriers of the O-O rebound step, which is mainly achieved by affecting the reactivity of the Fe(IV)═O group in Cpd II. In an acidic environment, the relatively weaker coordination of the O2 atom to Fe leads to its higher reactivity toward the O-O rebound reaction. These observations may provide useful information for understanding the catalysis of chlorite dismutases.