Abstract
Dark-operative protochlorophyllide reductase (DPOR) catalyses the reduction of protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) to chlorophyllide a, which is a key step in the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway. DPOR is a nitrogenase-like enzyme consisting of two components, BchL and BchNB, which are structurally related to nitrogenase NifH and NifDK, respectively. We determined the crystal structure of the catalytic component of DPOR, BchNB, in Pchlide-bound and Pchlide-free forms. BchNB has a novel FeS cluster (NB-cluster) coordinated uniquely by one aspartate and three cysteines. NB-cluster is located at the spatial position corresponding to an electron mediating FeS cluster, P-cluster, in nitrogenase NifDK. A Pchlide molecule found in the Pchlide-bound form is accommodated in the cavity surrounded by many hydrophobic residues. We propose a unique trans-specific reduction mechanism by comparison between the Pchlide-bound and the Pchlide-free forms. The spatial arrangement of the NB-cluster and Pchlide is almost identical to that of the P-cluster and FeMo-cofactor in nitrogenase NifDK, suggesting that a common architecture exists to reduce chemically stable multibonds of porphyrin and dinitrogen.
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