Oscillatory Enzyme Dynamics Revealed by Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy

Enzymes move on a variety of length and time scales. While much is known about large structural fluctuations that impact binding of the substrates and release of products, little is known about faster motions of enzymes and how these motions may influence enzyme-catalyzed reactions. This Letter reports frequency fluctuations of the azide anion bound to the active site of formate dehydrogenase measured via 2D IR spectroscopy. These measurements reveal an underdamped oscillatory component to the frequency-frequency correlation function when the azide is bound to the NAD(+) ternary complex. This oscillation disappears when the reduced cofactor is added, indicating that the oscillating contributions most likely come from the charged nicotinamide ring. These oscillatory motions may be relevant to donor acceptor distance sampling of the catalyzed hydride transfer and therefore may give future insights into the dynamic behavior involved in enzyme catalysis.