On the effect of a point mutation on the reactivity of CuZn superoxide dismutase: A theoretical study

In this paper, we investigate the effects of a point mutation on the enzymatic activity of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, which we recently studied in detail by means of a theoretical-computational procedure (J Phys. Chem. B 2004, 108, 16255). Comparison of the reactivity of the initial catalytic steps in this mutant (G93A mutation far from the active site) with our previous data, reveals the beautiful mechanical-dynamical architecture of the enzyme, altered by such an apparently irrelevant mutation. Finally, our results suggest a possible atomic-molecular-based explanation for the mutant-pathology correlation, in line with the most recent experimental data.