Intramolecular Heme Ligation of the Cytochrome P450 2C9 R108H Mutant Demonstrates Pronounced Conformational Flexibility of the B−C Loop Region: Implications for Substrate Binding

A previous study [Dickmann, L., et al. (2004) Mol. Pharmacol. 65, 842−850] revealed some unusual properties of the R108H mutant of cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9), including elevated thermostability relative to that of CYP2C9, as well as a UV−visible absorbance spectrum that was indicative of nitrogenous ligation to the heme iron. In our study, size-exclusion chromatography and UV−visible absorbance spectroscopy of CYP2C9 R108H monomers demonstrated that nitrogen ligation is indeed intramolecular. Pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance of CYP2C9 R108H monomers showed that a histidine is most likely bound to the heme as previously hypothesized. An energy-minimized model of the R108H mutant maintained a CYP fold, despite substantial movement of several loop regions of the mutant, and, therefore, represents an extreme example of a closed conformation of the enzyme. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of CYP2C9 were performed to study the range of energetically accessible CYP2C9 conformations. These in silico studies showed that the B−C loop region of CYP2C9 moves away from the heme to a position resembling the putative open conformation described for rabbit CYP2B4. A model involving the movement of the B−C loop region and R108 between the open and closed conformations of CYP2C9 is presented, which helps to explain the enzyme’s ability to regio- and stereospecifically metabolize some ligands while allosterically activating others.