Solvent-mediated proton transfer in catalysis by carbonic anhydrase

Considerable attention has been focused on proton transfer through intervening water molecules in complex macromolecules of biological interest, such as bacteriorhodopsin, cytochrome c oxidase, and many others. Proton transfer in catalysis by carbonic anhydrase provides a useful model for the study of the properties of such proton translocations. High-resolution X-ray crystallography in combination with measurements of catalysis have revealed new details of this process. A prominent proton shuttle residue His64 shows evidence of structural mobility, which appears to enhance proton transfer between the active site and bulk solvent. Moreover, the properties of the imidazole side chain of His64, including its conformations and pK(a), are finely tuned by surrounding residues of the active-site cavity. The structure of a network of ordered solvent molecules located between His64 and the active site are also sensitive to surrounding residues. These features combine to provide efficient proton-transfer rates as great as 10(6)s(-1) necessary to sustain rapid catalysis.