Spectroscopic Characterization of the Leu513His Variant of Fungal Laccase: Effect of Increased Axial Ligand Interaction on the Geometric and Electronic Structure of the Type 1 Cu Site

A variety of spectroscopic techniques, combined with density functional calculations, are used to describe the electronic structure of the Leu513His variant of the type 1 Cu site in Myceliophthora thermophila laccase. This mutation changes the type 1 Cu from a blue to a green site. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), optical absorption, circular dichroism, and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopies reveal that, relative to the trigonal planar blue type 1 Cu site in wild-type fungal laccase, the covalency and the ligand field strength at the Leu513His green type 1 Cu center decrease. Additionally, there is a significant reorientation of the d(x^2-y^2) singly occupied MO, such that the overlap with the Cys sulfur valence orbital changes from (pi) to (sigma). A density functional study in which internal coordinates are systematically altered reveals that these changes are due to the increased strength of the axial ligand (none to His), leading to a tetragonal distortion and elongation of the equatorial Cu-ligand bonds. These calculations provide insight into the experimental differences in the EPR parameters, charge-transfer absorption spectrum, and ligand-field MCD spectrum between the axial-His variant and blue Cu centers (plastocyanin and the type 1 site in fungal laccase). There are also significant differences between the green site in the Leu513His variant and other naturally occurring, green type 1 Cu sites such as in nitrite reductase, which have short axial Cu-S(Met) bonds. The large difference in EPR parameters between these green type 1 sites derives from a change in ligand field excitation energies observed by MCD, which reflects a decrease in ligand field strength. This is associated with different steric interactions of a His vs an axial Met ligand in a tetragonally distorted type 1 site. Changes in the electronic structure of the Cu site correlate with the difference in reactivity of the green His variant relative to blue wild-type fungal laccase.