Anion- and pH-dependent activation of the soluble form of dopamine beta-hydroxylase

The present study presents evidence for the conclusion that the catalytic activity of dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH; dopamine β-mono-oxygenase, EC 1.14.17.1) is regulated independently by pH and by anions. In the absence of activating anions (i.e. in 50mM Mes buffer) the activity was essentially zero at low pH (5.1—5.3) when assayed with the artificial electron donors ferrocyanide (0.25mM), N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD, 2mM) or N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (1mM) and tyramine (8mM) as the substrate to be hydroxylated. However, in the presence of activating anions (e.g. 0.05—0.6M Cl^- in 50mM Mes buffer, 0.1M phosphate buffer or 0.2M acetate buffer) a high catalytic activity was observed at pH5.1—5.3. The pronounced effect of anions at this pH may be related to the postulated anion-induced conformational change of DBH [Syvertsen, Mel⊘ and Ljones (1987) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 914, 6—18] resulting in a facilitated access of the substrates to the active site(s). The anion-activated DBH was inhibited when assayed with ferrocyanide and activated when assayed with TMPD as electron donors by increasing the pH (5.1 to 6.0). By contrast, in the absence of anions the activity increased from essentially zero at pH5.1—5.3 to high values at pH6.0, irrespective of the electron donor used. The data suggest that the conformational change induced by anion activation exposes a negatively charged group at or near the electron-donor-binding site(s) imposing an electrostatic repulsion towards ferrocyanide (four negative charges) and an electrostatic attraction towards the positively charged TMPD, thus explaining the different pH-activity curves obtained for the two electron donors. In contrast to the artificial electron donors, the physiological donor ascorbate [Terland and Flatmark (1975) FEBS Lett. 59, 52—56] supports hydroxylation of tyramine at low pH also in the absence of Cl^-, acetate or phosphate, confirming that ascorbate also functions as an anion activator.