Direct Interaction between Terbium Ion and Peroxidase in Horseradish at Different pH Values

Rare earth elements (REEs) entering plant cells can directly interact with peroxidase in plants, which is the structural basis for the decrease in the activity of peroxidase. Different cellular compartments have different pH values. However, little information is available regarding the direct interaction between REEs and peroxidase in plants at different pH values. Here, we investigated the charge distribution on the surface of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) molecule as well as the interaction of terbium ion (Tb3+, one type of REEs) and HRP at different pH values. Using the molecular dynamics simulation, we found that when the pH value was from 4.0 to 8.0, a large amount of negative charges were intensively distributed on the surface of HRP molecule, and thus, we speculated that Tb3+ with positive charges might directly interact with HRP at pH 4.0–8.0. Subsequently, using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, we demonstrated that Tb3+ could directly interact with HRP in the simulated physiological solution at pH 7.0 and did not interact with HRP in other solutions at pH 5.0, pH 6.0 and pH 8.0. In conclusion, we showed that the direct interaction between Tb3+ and HRP molecule depended on the pH value of cellular compartments.