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World-wide introduction of high throughput screening (HTS) methods in drug discovery research did not result in the increased number of novel medications on the market. We discuss novel trends in drug discovery that came from the understanding that majority of diseases are multifactorial and that one enzyme has many protein substrates. Hence, new approaches are focused on development of drugs, which (1) trigger survival pathways to return the organism to homeostatic balance, and (2) inhibit enzymes modifying histones or transcription factors not at the active site, but by displacement of protein substrates from the enzyme complexes. A good example for both approaches comes from the development of activators of antioxidant defense. We analyze and illustrate problems of commonly used in vitro HTS assays, and briefly discuss advantages and limitations of small animal models. The novel approaches are complementary to the standard HTS and do not substitute for testing in mammals. Development of transgenic reporter mice to monitor drug effects by means of in vivo imaging is extremely promising to select proper dosage and administration regimes for full-range PK studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attempts to elucidate the mechanism of the hypoxic activation of erythropoietin synthesis lead to the discovery of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) and its stability regulation via HIF prolyl hydroxylase, iron, and α-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenase. Enzyme inhibitors mimic the action of hypoxia; however, they are far more specific. Comparative transcriptomic microanalysis of various types of the enzyme inhibitors versus hypoxia at short incubation times demonstrates the potency of inhibitors and points to the primary targets of HIF transcription factor. The power of inhibitors evaluated in the transcriptomic analysis matches the ranking of enzyme inhibitors based on the values of their half-activation constants in the HIF1 ODD-luc reporter assay. Neuradapt is 15–20 times more potent than roxadustat, and in addition, it is much more specific for the target enzyme than roxadustat and dimethyl oxalylglycine, which probably act also on other enzymes of the same family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevation of intracellular Zn2+ following ischemia contributes to cell death by affecting mitochondrial function. Zn2+ is a differential regulator of the mitochondrial enzyme lipoamide dehydrogenase (LADH) at physiological concentrations (Ka = 0.1 µM free zinc), inhibiting lipoamide and accelerating NADH dehydrogenase activities. These differential effects have been attributed to coordination of Zn2+ by LADH active-site cysteines. A detailed kinetic mechanism has now been developed for the diaphorase (NADH-dehydrogenase) reaction catalyzed by pig heart LADH using 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol (DCPIP) as a model quinone electron acceptor. Anaerobic stopped-flow experiments show that two-electron reduced LADH is 15-25-fold less active towards DCPIP reduction than four-electron reduced enzyme, or Zn2+-modified reduced LADH (the corresponding values of the rate constants are (6.5 ± 1.5) × 103 M–1·s–1, (9 ± 2) × 104 M–1·s–1, and (1.6 ± 0.5) × 105 M–1·s–1, respectively). Steady-state kinetic studies with different diaphorase substrates show that Zn2+ accelerates reaction rates exclusively for two-electron acceptors (duroquinone, DCPIP), but not for one-electron acceptors (benzoquinone, ubiquinone, ferricyanide). This implies that the two-electron reduced form of LADH, prevalent at low NADH levels, is a poor two-electron donor compared to the four-electron reduced or Zn2+-modified reduced LADH forms. These data suggest that zinc binding to the active-site thiols switches the enzyme from one- to two-electron donor mode. This zinc-activated switch has the potential to alter the ratio of superoxide and H2O2 generated by the LADH oxidase activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reporter vectors expressing of amino acid residues 16–96 and 16–85 from Neh2-domain of Nrf2 transcription factor fused to firefly luciferase have been constructed. Cell lines stably expressing the above reporter constructs as well as an earlier developed Neh2-luc fusion reporter have been generated using HeLa cells. Comparative analysis of all three reporter lines has been performed using a well-known Nrf2 activator, nordihydroguaiaretic acid. The reporter expressing the minimal fragment of Neh2-domain containing 16–85 aa sequence exhibits a 2-fold higher amplitude of activation compared to Neh2-luc reporter, and thus can be recommended for high throughput screening for Nrf2 activators. A likely reason for the improved response of the above reporter could be ubiquitination of N-terminal lysine residues (7, 10, 11) of luciferase protein adjacent to the ubiquitinated Neh2 sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell-based reporters expressing luciferase fusions with transcription factors or their protein stability domains can be considered as microbioreactors providing a way to directly monitor the stability of the luciferase labeled transcription factor or its domain in real-time. To understand principal advantages and/or limitations of these systems for the purposes of applied and fundamental research one needs to develop a quantitative description of their performance based on the determination of actual intracellular concentrations of the fusion proteins and rates of their production. In this work, the experimental data generated by means of luciferase activity calibration were used to calculate the steady-state intracellular concentrations of luciferase fusions in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell lines stably expressing HIF1 ODD-luc and Neh2-luc proteins. For both reporters, the concentration of fusion proteins was determined as 60–80 nM, the values close to those for Michaelis constants for HIF prolyl hydroxylase (10–100 nM HIF) and the dissociation constant for Keap1-Nrf2 complex (50 nM), the parameters controlling rate-limiting steps of HIF1 ODD-luc and Neh2-luc reporter performance, respectively. New data allowed us to calculate the production rates and maximum concentrations for the fusion proteins under the conditions of irreversible activation and protein stabilization. The quantitative analysis of the Neh2-luc reporter performance employing the newly generated parameters explains the multi-order shift in the apparent activation constant versus the "real" dissociation constant determined for a known Nrf2 displacement activator using fluorescent polarization homogeneous assay with recombinant Keap1 and labeled Nrf2 peptide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural optimization of adaptaquin, viz., 7-(4-chlorophenyl)[(3-hydroxypyridin-2-yl)amino]methylquinolin-8-ol, a HIF (hypoxia inducible factor) prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor, was carried out. This was done by cell-based screening using cell lines stably expressing a reporter construct consisting of the fusion protein of HIF oxygen-dependent domain and firefly luciferase (HIF1 ODD-luc). More than 100 structural analogs of adaptaquin were screened and the structures active in the submicromolar range were selected. The highest activity was found for analogs containing isobutyl, isopropyl, trifluoromethyl, and nitro group or halogen atom in the para-position of the benzene ring, but not a dimethylamino group or more bulky substituents. The lack of dependence on the donor-acceptor properties of substituents attests to predominance of the steric effect. The presence of methyl group in positions 3 and 5 of the pyridine ring provides additional activation. The 2-methyl group present in the hydroxyquinoline scaffold (50 compounds in the set) prevents coordination of the inhibitor in the active site and significantly reduces the activation. According to the real-time PCR results, the newly improved adaptaquin analog induces HIF target genes 15-times more efficiently than the FG-4592 inhibitor developed by Fibrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reporters expressing fusion proteins of HIF2 and HIF3 C-terminal oxygen degradable domain (ODD) with the firefly luciferase, HIF2 ODD-luc and HIF3 ODD-luc, were constructed and briefly characterized. Stable neuroblastoma cell lines expressing either reporter were generated, and their response to the known HIF prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors: dimethyloxalylglycine, ciclopirox, and adaptaquin, was studied and compared with the HIF1 ODD-luc reporter. The HIF2 ODD-luc reporter exhibited the highest sensitivity: its response in absolute luminescence value was almost an order of magnitude higher than that of the HIF1 ODD-luc reporter. The new reporter can be used for a fine discrimination of enzyme inhibitors stabilizing HIF2, and further structural optimization of adaptaquin discovered earlier by using the HIF1 ODD-luc reporter. The higher sensitivity of HIF2 ODD-luc reporter could be most likely explained by the lower affinity of the endogenous enzyme for this HIF isoform in comparison with the two others, which also resulted in the increased efficiency of inhibitors under the reporter assay conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation of antihypoxic program under the action of a number of transition and heavy metals has been studied using cell-based HIF1 ODD-luc and HRE-luc reporters. It has been demonstrated that Au3+, Pb2+, Sn2+, Hg2+ are weak HIF1 ODD-luc activators, likely reflecting their weak competition for the ironbinding site in the active center of HIF prolyl hydroxylase. Metals capable of replacing iron-Mn2+, Zn2+, Cu2+ и Ni2+-activate at high submillimolar concentrations, which indicates low permeability of the cell membrane for transition metals. The highest activation is observed for Co2+ and Cd2+, however, Cd2+ is highly toxic even at 10 μM, in contrast to Co2+, which activates both reporters without toxicity signs up to 25 μM for 24 h. A significant activation by Co2+ is observed already in low micromolar range of concentrations, which can be recommended for use in hypoxia mimicking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An organism naturally responds to hypoxia via stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). There are three isoforms of HIFα subunits whose stability is regulated by three isozymes of HIF prolyl hydroxylase (PHD1-3). Despite intense studies on recombinant enzyme isoforms using homogeneous activity assay, there is no consensus on the PHD iso-form preference for the HIF isoform as a substrate. This work provides a new approach to the problem of substrate specificity using cell-based reporters expressing the enzyme and luciferase-labeled substrate pair encoded in the same expression vector. The cell is used as a microbioreactor for running the reaction between the overexpressed enzyme and substrate. Using this novel approach, no PHD3 activity toward HIF3 was demonstrated, indirectly pointing to the hydroxylation of the second proline in 564PYIP567 (HIF1) catalyzed by this isozyme. The use of 'paired' enzyme-substrate reporters to evaluate the potency of 'branched tail' oxyquinoline inhibitors of HIF PHD allows higher precision in revealing the optimal structural motif for each enzyme isoform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The screening of the library containing 320 drugs and biologically active compounds was carried out. The library was created for testing potent agents on Rett syndrome models (SMART library) using new-generation luciferase reporters to identify stabilizers of transcription factors triggering genetic programs for defense against hypoxia and oxidative stress (HIF1 and Nrf2, respectively). Nine compounds proved to be activators of HIF1, and 18 compounds were shown to activate Nrf2. A histone deacetylase inhibitor (oxamflatin) and a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (ethamide) were found to be the most powerful Nrf2 activators, which are equipotent or superior to sulforaphane and quercetin. Oxamflatin was also shown to activate HIF with potency comparable or superior to the commercial HIF activators developed by Fibrogen (USA) and GlaxoSmithKline (UK), but it was a significantly weaker activator than branched tail oxyquinolines, developed in our previous studies. The structural motif identified in oxamflatin can be used in the future design of branched oxyquinolines having higher activity and/or more specific against individual isoforms of HIF prolyl hydroxylase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptaquin, 7-{(4-chlorophenyl)[(3-hydroxypyridin-2-yl)amino]methyl}quinolin-8-ol (1), was identified in our earlier study as a hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor by high-throughput screening of cell lines, which stably express the reporter construct encoding a fusion protein composed of the HIF oxygen degradable domain and firefly luciferase (HIF1 ODD-luc). Adaptaquin is a specific inhibitor of this enzyme and exhibits neuroprotective properties in cell models of oxidative stress and in vivo models of hemorrhagic stroke. The role of the chiral carbon atom in the inhibitor molecule was studied in order to further improve the adaptaquin structure. The separation into two enantiomers was performed. Both enantiomers were shown to equally activate the HIF1 ODD-luc reporter. The adaptaquin structure can be significantly modified and made more sophisticated in order to improve specificity toward this group of enzymes and subsequently toward individual isozymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzimidazoles are drugs which target tubulin and are widely used to treat intestinal parasites. Four benzimidazoles are tested with the well-characterized and commercially available bacterial p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PHBH), which belongs to the group of Class A FAD-monooxygenases, which also includes such enzymes as the FAD-monooxygenase domain of MICAL. PHBH is shown to be competitively inhibited by all four benzimidazoles (mebendazole, albendazole, fenbendazole, and oxibendazole) in the micromolar range in the hydroxylase reaction, but not in the non-physiological NADPH-dehydrogenase reaction of ferricyanide reduction. The inhibition pattern is consistent with benzimidazoles competing with p-hydroxybenzoate for the resting state of the enzyme, indirectly indicating the ordered mechanism of substrate binding. Modeling studies support the conclusions derived from steady-state kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) prolyl hydroxylases (PHD) belong to α-ketoglutarate-dependent non-heme iron dioxygenases catalyzing hydroxylation of HIF prolines. The catalytic domains of all three enzyme isoforms (PHD1-3) were expressed in E.coli with the highest expression level being observed for the PHD2 isoform. In all cases, the recombinant portion of protein was mainly expressed as insoluble inclusion bodies. PHD was reactivated by refolding from inclusion bodies. To optimize the refolding procedure, a novel continuous assay based on measurement of ferrocyanide oxidation activity in the presence of HIF peptide or protein was developed. The comparison between the purified soluble enzyme samples and the PHD2 samples reactivated from inclusion bodies showed a 4-5-fold higher specific activity of the latter (5 mol min vol) in the α-ketoglutarate consumption determined by fluorescence detection of ketoglutarate- o-phenylene diamine adduct. The PHD2 isoform is highly hydrophobic, has to be handled in high-molarity buffer solutions to prevent aggregation and precipitation, and is inactivated rapidly in the absence of dithiothreitol (DTT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flavin adenine dinucleotide-containing domain of the protein MICAL (molecule interacting with CasL) is a monooxygenase. This protein plays an important role in the regulation of axonal guidance. However, the mechanism of this process has been unknown until recently. Only two years ago, F-actin was found to be the physiological substrate. The oxidation of methionine residues of this substrate is catalyzed by MICAL, resulting in the depolymerization of actin. A year ago it was shown that methionine sulfoxide reductase (MSR) catalyzes the reverse reaction of reduction of oxidized actin methionines. Therefore, this couple of proteins is currently a target for manipulation of the ability of neurons to regenerate their axons. The present study deals with different approaches to the regulation of the activity of MICAL and MSR and the design of inhibitors of the former enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco anionic peroxidase (TOP) mutant Ile37Met was produced by site-directed mutagenesis to mimic soybean peroxidase (SBP), in which Met37 is responsible for increased thermal stability. TOP Ile37Met was expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) CodonPlus in the form of bodies. The expression level of the constructed enzyme was approximately 40% of the total E. coli protein. The enzyme was reactivated into an active and soluble form via a refolding procedure that was earlier developed for wild-type TOP. The substrate specificity, catalytic activity, and thermal stability of TOP Ile37Met were investigated. It was shown that the introduction of the Ile37Met mutation does not increases the stability of the enzyme; on the contrary, it leads to a reduction in the catalytic properties of the enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review describes the catalytic mechanism, substrate specificity, and structural peculiarities of alpha-ketoglutarate dependent nonheme iron dioxygenases catalyzing prolyl hydroxylation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). Distinct localization and regulation of three isoforms of HIF prolyl hydroxylases suggest their different roles in cells. The recent identification of novel substrates other than HIF, namely β2-adrenergic receptor and the large subunit of RNA polymerase II, places these enzymes in the focus of drug development efforts aimed at development of isoform-specific inhibitors. The challenges and prospects of designing isoform-specific inhibitors are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of testing a new enzyme, anionic tobacco peroxidase (TOP), in various amperometric biosensors are summarized. The biochemical and electrochemical properties of the enzyme are briefly characterized. As compared to the commonly used cationic peroxidase from horseradish roots, TOP exhibits a wider optimum stability pH range, higher stability to inactivation with hydrogen peroxide, and higher efficiency in direct electron-transfer processes. The enzyme immobilized by adsorption on graphite is effective in determining aminophenols and aromatic diamines under flow conditions with a detection limit of 10 nM. Upon immobilization on graphite by incorporation into a gel of a redox-active polymer (crosslinked polyvinylimidazole with osmium 4,4′-dimethylbipyridinium chloride), TOP exhibited sensitivity and stability comparable to those of horseradish peroxidase and a wider linearity range. Upon immobilization on a self-assembled thiol monolayer at a gold electrode, TOP was much superior to horseradish peroxidase in the sensitivity of determining hydrogen peroxide, regardless of the charge of the monolayer. Prospects for the further use of the native enzyme and its genetically engineered unglycosylated form are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coding DNA of the tobacco anionic peroxidase gene was cloned in pET40b vector. The problem of 11 arginine codons, rare in procaryotes, in the tobacco peroxidase gene was solved using E. coli BL21(DE3) Codon Plus strain. The expression level of the tobacco apo-peroxidase in the above strain was ∼40% of the total E. coli protein. The tobacco peroxidase refolding was optimized based on the earlier developed protocol for horseradish peroxidase. The reactivation yield of recombinant tobacco enzyme was about 7% with the specific activity of 1100-1200 U/mg towards 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS). It was shown that the reaction of ABTS oxidation by hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by recombinant tobacco peroxidase proceeds via the ping-pong kinetic mechanism as for the native enzyme. In the presence of calcium ions, the recombinant peroxidase exhibits a 2.5-fold decrease in the second order rate constant for hydrogen peroxide and 1.5-fold decrease for ABTS. Thus, calcium ions have an inhibitory effect on the recombinant enzyme like that observed earlier for the native tobacco peroxidase. The data demonstrate that the oligosaccharide part of the enzyme has no effect on the kinetic properties and calcium inhibition of tobacco peroxidase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant conformational differences between native and recombinant horseradish peroxidase have been shown by tritium planigraphy, which includes a method of thermal activation of tritium followed by amino acid analysis of the protein preparation. Comparison of radioactivity distribution among the amino acid residues with the theoretical (calculated) accessibility shows that the recombinant enzyme is characterized by high hydrophobicity and compactness of folding. The protective role of oligosaccharides in native enzyme has been confirmed. An unexpected result of the study is a finding on high accessibility of a catalytic histidine residue in solution. An effect of low dose (3 Gy) of irradiation on the accessibility of amino acid residues has been unequivocally demonstrated. The data can be interpreted as swelling of the compact folding and increase in the surface hydrophilicity of the recombinant enzyme. In the case of native enzyme, irradiation does not cause remarkable changes in the accessibility of amino acid residues indicating the possible extensive radical modification of the native enzyme in the life-course of the cell. The catalytic histidine is an exception. It becomes inaccessible after the enzyme irradiation, while its accessibility in the recombinant enzyme increases. An additional observation of a 5-fold decrease in the rate constant towards hydrogen peroxide points to the destructive effect of irradiation on the hydrogen bond network in the distal domain of the native enzyme molecule and partial collapse of the active site pocket. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quantitative approach for estimation of the non-enzymatic interaction between ammonium 2,2"-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) oxidation product and a poorly oxidized substrate was developed using a system including tobacco peroxidase, a mediator substrate (ABTS), and a second substrate. The approach is based on the establishment of a pseudo-steady-state concentration of the ABTS oxidation product in the course of co-oxidation with a poor substrate. A mathematical description of the experimental curve shape has been proposed to linearize the kinetic data and estimate the rate constant for such non-enzymatic interaction. The rate constants calculated from the steady-state kinetics for the non-enzymatic interaction of ABTS oxidation product with phenol and resorcinol were 360 ± 40 and 770 ± 60 M–1·sec–1, respectively. The values obtained have the same order of magnitude as the rate constant for ABTS oxidation product interaction with veratryl alcohol, calculated from electrochemical measurements (170 M–1·sec–1) by Donal Leech's group. However, the kinetic curves for co-oxidation of ABTS and veratryl alcohol catalyzed by tobacco peroxidase exhibit a pronounced lagperiod, which either points to the high rate of the non-enzymatic interaction between ABTS oxidation product and veratryl alcohol and thus, contradicts the electrochemical calculations, or indicates an enzymatic nature of the co-oxidation phenomenon in this particular case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radioenzymology was used to study the recombinant and mutant forms of horseradish peroxidase, namely, F221W, Q176E, Q176A, S35K, E64P, E64S, S35A, and S35KQ176E. Both removal of the Trp residue and introduction of an additional one result in a simpler dose response; the insertion of polar residues stabilizes the enzyme molecule through realization of a more closed conformation. The greatest oscillation changes were found for the replacement by Ala. It was assumed that the binding site of guaiacol as a substrate is located near the residue 64, which is structurally related to the residue 176 and the heme. A scheme of formation of the intermediate through rotation of the Trp aromatic ring was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of recombinant wild-type horseradish peroxidase and its tryptophan-less mutant Trp117Phe toward γ-radiation was studied. The absence of tryptophan in the enzyme molecule results in a certain stabilization, which is manifested as the absence of the initial drop in activity and appearance of a lag period for doses of up to 45 Gy. Contrary to the wild-type enzyme, the dose response of the mutant is almost independent of the nature of the substrate used to measure the catalytic activity; this indirectly indicates that Trp117 participates in the oxidation of substrates. Pretreatment of the wild-type recombinant enzyme with hydrogen peroxide destabilizes the enzyme towards irradiation, while the same procedure for the mutant enzyme has virtually no effect on the dose response curve. This suggests the modification of Trp117 in the oxidation of the native enzyme with H2O2 in the absence of electron-donor substrates, which is the modification of Trp171 in the recombinant lignin peroxidase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inactivation of native and recombinant horseradish peroxidase in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and under ionizing radiation was studied. The types of peroxidase activity differ in sensitivity towards the inactivating effect of HO: the activity in relation to the iodide ion is more stable than the activity in relation to ammonium 2,2′-azinobis(3ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) and o-phenylenediamine. Similar inactivation was observed in the course of the radiolysis of peroxidase. It was assumed that the initial period of peroxidase inactivation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide has a radical nature and is related to the generation of Superoxide radicals, which modify the protein moiety, resulting in the destruction of heme. The R-670 compound was not formed under the conditions studied. However, the E → EI transition occurred, depending on the radiation dose and the enzyme concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The homogeneous recombinant horseradish peroxidase preparation from E. coli inclusion bodies exhibits higher specific activity towards ammonium 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) than the native one. The differences in substrate specificity can be assigned to the native enzyme inactivation in the course of metabolic reactions in living plant cells, while the recombinant enzyme reconstructed in vitro completely realizes the original catalytic abilities. Application of the method of radiation-induced inactivation demonstrates the existence of different binding sites for the iodide anion. ABTS, phenol, and guaiacol and allows one to assume a common character of the binding sites of phenol and o-phenylenediamine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative studies of the inactivation of native and recombinant horseradish peroxidase in the course of an enzymatic reaction, at elevated temperatures and in a wide range of radiation doses, have been performed. The protective effect of the carbohydrate component of the native peroxidase providing for stabilization of the enzyme against various inactivating factors was demonstrated. It was proposed that radioactive inactivation is related to dysfunction in heme interaction with the protein component and to an increase in the conformational mobility around the active site of the enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recombinant horseradish peroxidase and its single-point F41H mutant have been reactivated from E. coli inclusion bodies. The influence of the mutation on the heme entrapment, stability and activity of the enzyme was demonstrated. The catalytic rate constants for HO cleavage and ammonium 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate (ABTS) oxidation decrease by two and one orders of magnitude, respectively. Unlike the wild-type recombinant horseradish peroxidase, the elimination of the ABTS oxidation product is not a rate-determining step for the mutant. The F41H replacement results in significant changes of kinetics of iodide ion oxidation. The reaction rate is linear to the concentrations of iodide, HO, and the enzyme. The results suggest the direct interaction of iodide with the porphyrin ring of the heme. The decrease in ABTS oxidation activity accompanied by retention of activity in iodide oxidation in the course of low-dosage radiolysis of the F41H mutant is additional evidence of the direct electron transfer from iodide to the heme, in contrast to ABTS oxidation, in which the electron transfer chain in the protein molecule is involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]