Human myeloperoxidase:: Structure of a cyanide complex and its interaction with bromide and thiocyanate substrates at 1.9 Å resolution

The 1.9 Angstrom X-ray crystal structure of human myeloperoxidase complexed with cyanide (R = 0.175, R-free = 0.215) indicates that cyanide binds to the heme iron with a bent Fe-C-N angle of similar to 157 degrees, and binding is accompanied by movement of the iron atom by 0.2 Angstrom into the porphyrin plane. The bent orientation of the cyanide allows the formation of three hydrogen bonds between its nitrogen atom and the distal histidine as well as two water molecules in the distal cavity. The 1.85 Angstrom X-ray crystal structure of an inhibitory complex with thiocyanate (R = 0.178, R-free. = 0.210) indicates replacement of chloride at a proximal helix halide binding site in addition to binding in the distal cavity in an orientation parallel with the heme. The thiocyanate replaces two water molecules in the distal cavity and is hydrogen bonded to Gln 91. The 1.9 Angstrom structures of the complexes formed by bromide (R = 0.215, R-free = 0.270) and thiocyanate (R = 0.198, R-free = 0.224) with the cyanide complex of myeloperoxidase show how the presence of bound cyanide alters the binding site for bromide in the distal heme cavity, while having little effect on thiocyanate binding. These results support a model for a single common binding site for halides and thiocyanate as substrates or as inhibitors near the delta -meso carbon of the porphyrin ring in myeloperoxidase.