Resonance Raman studies of blue copper proteins: effect of temperature and isotopic substitutions. Structural and thermodynamic implications

Resonance Raman spectra of the single-copper blue proteins azurin plastocyanin and stellacyanin and the multicopper oxidases laccase ascorbate oxidase and ceruloplasmin are reported. Cryoresonance Raman observations (10-77 K) are reported for selected azurins, stellacyanin, the plastocyanins, and the laccases. Isotope studies employing /sup 63/Cu//sup 65/Cu and H/D substitution are reported for selected azurins and stellacyanin, allowing identification of modes having significant copper-ligand (Cu-L) stretch and internal ligand deformation character. Principal conclusions include the following. The only Cu-L stretching mode near 400 cm/sup -1/ is the Cu-S(Cys) stretch, and the remainder of the elementary motions near this frequency are internal ligand deformations. All the observed modes near 400 cm/sup -1/ are highly mixed, and most derive their intensity from their fractional Cu-S(Cys) stretching character. The Cu-N(His) stretching motions are best identified with the ubiquitous peak(s) near 270 cm/sup -1/, although in azurin these modes have contributions from other coordinates. Internal histidine and cysteine motions contribute to the features near 400 cm/sup -1/. This is consistent with a single resonant electronic chromophore and extremely facile vibrational dephasing or other damping processes in the electronically excited state. Temperature effects upon the spectra suggest a significant temperature-dependent structure change at the plastocyanin active site, and a more subtle one in azurin. It is shown that the Cu-S(Cys) stretching frequency is closely correlated to the electron-transfer exothermicity for several proteins, thereby indicating the reduction potential can be fine tuned by the effects of polypeptide backbone structure on the copper-sulfur bond distance and the copper-ligand field. 41 references.