Crystal structure of lignin peroxidase.

The crystal structure of lignin peroxidase (LiP) from the basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium has been determined to 2.6 A resolution by usine multiple isomorphous replacement methods and simulated annealing refinement. Of the 343 residues, residues 3-335 have been accounted for in the electron density map, including four disulfide bonds. The overall three-dimensional structure is very similar to the only other peroxidase in this group for which a high-resolution crystal structure is available, cytochrome c peroxidase, despite the fact that the sequence identity is only approximately 20%, LiP has four disulfide bonds, while cytochrome c peroxidase has none, and LiP is larger (343 vs. 294 residues). The basic helical fold and connectivity defined by 11 helical segments with the heme sandwiched between the distal and proximal helices found in cytochrome c peroxidase is maintained in LiP. Both enzymes have a histidine as a proximal heme ligand, which is hydrogen bonded to a buried aspartic acid side chain. The distal or peroxide binding pocket also is similar, including the distal arginine and histidine. The most striking difference is that, whereas cytochrome c peroxidase has tryptophans contacting the distal and proximal heme surfaces, LiP has phenylalanines. This in part explains why, in the reaction with peroxides, cytochrome c peroxidase forms an amino acid-centered free radical, whereas LiP forms a porphyrin pi cation radical.