Mol Non-heme Iron Research Articles

Molecular and Catalytic Properties of 2,4′-Dihydroxyacetophenone Dioxygenase fromBurkholderiasp. AZ11

The gene dad encoding 2,4'-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP) dioxygenase was cloned from Burkholderia sp. AZ11. The initiation codon GTG was converted to ATG for high-level expression of the enzyme in Escherichia coli. The enzyme was moderately thermostable, and the recombinant enzyme was briefly purified. The enzyme (M(r)=90 kDa) was a homotetramer with a subunit M(r) of 23 kDa. It contained 1.69 mol of non-heme iron, and had a dark gray color. On anaerobic incubation of it with DHAP, the absorption at around 400 nm increased due to the formation of an enzyme-DHAP complex. Multiple sequence alignment suggested that His77, His79, His115, and Glu96 in the cupin fold were possible metal ligands. The apparent K(m) for DHAP and the apparent V(max) were estimated to be 1.60 µM and 6.28 µmol/min/mg respectively. 2-Hydroxyacetophenone was a poor substrate. CuCl(2) and HgCl(2) strongly inhibited the enzyme, while FeSO(4) weakly activated it.

The tungsten-containing formate dehydrogenase from Methylobacterium extorquens AM1: purification and properties.

NAD-dependent formate dehydrogenase (FDH1) was isolated from the alpha-proteobacterium Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 under oxic conditions. The enzyme was found to be a heterodimer of two subunits (alpha1beta1) of 107 and 61 kDa, respectively. The purified enzyme contained per mol enzyme approximately 5 mol nonheme iron and acid-labile sulfur, 0.6 mol noncovalently bound FMN, and approximately 1.8 mol tungsten. The genes encoding the two subunits of FDH1 were identified on the M. extorquens AM1 chromosome next to each other in the order fdh1B, fdh1A. Sequence comparisons revealed that the alpha-subunit harbours putative binding motifs for the molybdopterin cofactor and at least one iron-sulfur cluster. Sequence identity was highest to the catalytic subunits of the tungsten- and selenocysteine-containing formate dehydrogenases characterized from Eubacterium acidaminophilum and Moorella thermoacetica (Clostridium thermoaceticum). The beta-subunit of FDH1 contains putative motifs for binding FMN and NAD, as well as an iron-sulfur cluster binding motif. The beta-subunit appears to be a fusion protein with its N-terminal domain related to NuoE-like subunits and its C-terminal domain related to NuoF-like subunits of known NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductases.

Structure of the F420H2:quinone oxidoreductase of Archaeoglobus fulgidus identification and overproduction of the F420H2-oxidizing subunit.

The F420H2:quinone oxidoreductase from the sulfate-reducing archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus is encoded by the fqo gene cluster which comprises 11 genes (fqo J, K, M, L, N, A, BC, D, H, I, F). The last gene of the cluster, fqoF, was overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified subunit was able to oxidize reduced cofactor F420 using the electron-acceptor system methyl viologen plus metronidazole. The specific activity at 78 degrees C was 64 micromol F420H2 oxidized. min-1.(mg protein)-1. The purified polypeptide contained 10.6 mol non-heme iron, 7.2 mol acid-labile sulfur and 0.7 mol FAD per mol protein. With the exception of fqoF, the deduced amino-acid sequences of all other genes show homologies to distinct subunits of NADH-quinone oxidoreductases from prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Thus, it is concluded that the F420H2-dependent and the NADH-dependent enzyme are functional equivalents. Both proteins are the initial enzymes of membrane-bound electron-transport systems and are involved in energy conservation. In parallel with bacterial complex I, the F420H2:quinone oxidoreductase may be composed of three subcomplexes. FqoF functions as the input device adjusted to the oxidation of reduced cofactor F420H2, thereby replacing subunits of the input module of complex I that are not present in A. fulgidus. The subunits FqoB, FqoCD and FqoI may form the membrane-associated module and transfer electrons to the membrane-integral module. It is most likely that the last subcomplex is composed of FqoA, FqoH, FqoJ, FqoK, FqoL, FqoM and FqoN. All subunits are highly hydrophobic and are probably involved in the reduction of a special menaquinone with a fully reduced isoprenoid side chain present in the cytoplasmic membrane of A. fulgidus.

Thiol:fumarate reductase (Tfr) from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum--identification of the catalytic sites for fumarate reduction and thiol oxidation.

Most methanogenic Archaea contain an unusual cytoplasmic fumarate reductase which catalyzes the reduction of fumarate with coenzyme M (CoM-S-H) and coenzyme B (CoB-S-H) as electron donors forming succinate and CoM-S-S-CoB as products. We report here on the purification and characterization of this thiol:fumarate reductase (Tfr) from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (strain Marburg). The purified enzyme, which was composed of two different subunits with apparent molecular masses of 58 kDa (TfrA) and 50 kDa (TfrB), was found to catalyze the following reactions: (a) the reduction of fumarate with CoM-S-H and CoB-S-H (150 U/mg); (b) the reduction of fumarate with reduced benzyl viologen (620 U/mg); (c) the oxidation of CoM-S-H and CoB-S-H to CoM-S-S-CoB with methylene blue (95 U/mg); and (d) the reduction of CoM-S-S-CoB with reduced benzyl viologen (250 U/mg). The flavoprotein contained 12 mol non-heme iron and approximately the same amount of acid-labile sulfur/mol heterodimer. The genes encoding TfrA and TfrB were cloned and sequenced. Sequence comparisons with fumarate reductases and succinate dehydrogenases from Bacteria and Eucarya and with heterodisulfide reductases from M. thermoautotrophicum and Methanosarcina barkeri revealed that TfrA harbors FAD-binding motifs and the catalytic site for fumarate reduction and that TfrB harbors one [2Fe-2S] cluster and two [4Fe-4S] clusters and the catalytic site for CoM-S-H and CoB-S-H oxidation.

Purification and characterization of the HndA subunit of NADP-reducing hydrogenase from Desulfovibrio fructosovorans overproduced in Escherichia coli.

Based on the DNA sequence of its structural genes, clustered in the hnd operon, the NADP-reducing hydrogenase of Desulfovibrio fructosovorans is thought to be a heterotetrameric complex in which HndA and HndC constitute the NADP-reducing unit and HndD constitutes the hydrogenase unit, respectively. The weak representativity of the enzyme among cell proteins has prevented its purification. This paper discusses the purification and characterization of the HndA subunit of this unique tetrameric iron hydrogenase overproduced in Escherichia coli. The purified subunit contains 1.7 mol of non-heme iron and 1.7 mol of acid-labile sulfide/mol. EPR analysis of the reduced form of HndA indicates that it contains a single binuclear [2Fe-2S] cluster. This cluster exhibits a spectrum of rhombic symmetry with values of gx, gy, and gz equal to 1.915, 1.950, and 2. 000, respectively, and a midpoint redox potential of -395 mV. The UV-visible and EPR spectra of the [2Fe-2S] cluster indicate that HndA belongs to the [2Fe-2S] family typified by the Clostridium pasteurianum [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin. The C-terminal sequence of HndA shows 27% identity with the C-terminal sequence of the 25-kDa subunit of NADH: quinone oxidoreductase from Paracoccus denitrificans, 33% identity with the C-terminal sequence of the 24-kDa subunit from Bos taurus complex I, and 32% identity with the entire sequence of C. pasteurianum [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin. The four cysteine residues involved in HndA cluster binding have been tentatively identified on the basis of sequence identity considerations. Evidence of a HndA organization based on two independent structural domains is discussed.

Succinate:quinone oxidoreductase (complex II) containing a single heme b in facultative alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. strain YN-2000.

Succinate:quinone oxidoreductase (EC 1.3.5.1) was first purified from the facultative alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. strain YN-2000 in the presence of Triton X-100. The isolated enzyme showed high succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity at pH 8.5. The Km for ubiquinone 1 and the Vmax of the enzyme were determined to be about 5 microM and 48 micromol of ubiquinone 1 per min per mg, respectively. The catalytic activity of the enzyme was 50% inhibited by 9 microM 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone or 0.8 microM 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline- N-oxide. The enzyme consisted of three kinds of subunits with molecular masses of 66, 26, and 15 kDa, respectively, and contained 1.28 mol of covalently bound flavin adenine dinucleotide, 0.9 mol of heme b, 1.35 mol of menaquinone, 8.3 mol of nonheme iron, and 7.5 mol of inorganic sulfide per mol of enzyme. The enzyme showed symmetrical alpha absorption peaks at 556.5 and 554 nm in the reduced state at room temperature and 77 K, respectively. The potentiometric analysis of the enzyme yielded an Em,7 of heme b of about -64 mV (n = 1). Furthermore, the content of the enzyme was increased up to fivefold when the bacterium was grown at pH 10 compared with pH 7. These results indicate that the succinate:quinone oxidoreductase with a single heme b is involved in the respiratory chain of the alkaliphile at a very alkaline pH.

Biochemical Characterization of the 8‐hydroxy‐5‐deazaflavin‐reactive Hydrogenase from Methanosarcina barkeri Fusaro

The membrane-associated coenzyme F420-reactive hydrogenase of the anaerobic methanogenic archaeon Methanosarcina barkeri Fusaro has been purified 95-fold to apparent homogeneity. A new purification procedure and altered storage conditions gave substantially higher yield (13.4% versus 4.3%) and specific coenzyme F420-reducing activity (82.8 mumol.min-1.mg protein-1 versus 11.5 mumol.min-1.mg protein-1) than reported previously [Fiebig, K. & Friedrich, B. (1989) Eur. J. Biochem. 184, 79-88]. The predominant coenzyme F420-reactive form of the hydrogenase has an apparent molecular mass of 198 kDa and is composed of three non-identical subunits with apparent molecular masses of 48 (alpha), 33 (beta), and 30 kDa (gamma), apparently in a stoichiometry of alpha 2 beta 2 gamma 1. This minimal coenzyme F420-reducing hydrogenase formed aggregates with apparent molecular masses of approximately 845 kDa. 1 mol of the 198-kDa form of hydrogenase contained 2 mol FAD, 2 mol nickel, 28-32 mol non-heme iron, and 34 mol acid-labile sulfur; in addition, 0.2 mol selenium was detected. The isoelectric point was 5.30. The amino acid sequence PXXRXEGH, where X is any amino acid, was found to be conserved in the N-termini of the putative nickel-binding subunits of most [NiFe]- and [NiFeSe]hydrogenases of methanogenic Archaea and Bacteria. However, this motif was not detected in the protein sequences of [Fe]hydrogenases. Maximal coenzyme F420-reducing activity was obtained with reductively reactivated enzyme at 55 degrees C in the pH range 6.5-7.25. The Km values of the purified enzyme for H2 with coenzyme F420 or methylviologen as electron acceptor were extremely low, namely 3 microM and 4 microM. The catalytic efficiency coefficients (kcat/Km) for H2 with both reducible cosubstrates were high: 2.5 x 10(7) M-1.s-1 with coenzyme F420 and 6.9 x 10(7) M-1.s-1 with methylviologen.

Activation of (R)-2-hydroxyglutaryl-CoA Dehydratase from Acidaminococcus fermentans

(R)-2-Hydroxyglutaryl-CoA dehydratase (HgdAB) from Acidaminococcus fermentans catalyses the reversible dehydration of its substrate to glutaconyl-CoA. The enzyme has to be activated by ATP, MgCl2, and Ti(III)citrate by an activator protein (HgdC) that is present in the organism at very low concentrations. Cell-free extracts of a recombinant Escherichia coli strain, in which hgdC was expressed, contained the activator with a specific activity of up to 45 U'/mg protein (1 U' is the amount of activator required to generate 1 U dehydratase activity under standard assay conditions). The recombinant protein was purified 44-fold to a specific activity of 2000 U'/mg. It is a homodimer (gamma 2, 54 kDa) and contains 4 mol non-heme iron and 3 mol inorganic sulfur. Under air, the activator has a half-life of seconds and even under strict anaerobic conditions it is very unstable. The amino acid sequence of the activator shows similarities to the ATP-binding motifs of several kinases. The dehydratase component was purified from its natural source revealing a heterodimer (alpha beta, 100 kDa) that contains 4 mol non-heme iron, 4 mol inorganic sulfur, 0.3 mol riboflavin, and 1 mol FMN. A mechanism is proposed in which an iron-sulfur cluster or a flavin donates one electron to the thiolester of the substrate (R)-2-hydroxyglutaryl-CoA. The resulting ketyl may eliminate the adjacent hydroxyl group yielding an enoxy radical from which the beta-hydrogen is abstracted as a proton leading to the ketyl of glutaconyl-CoA. In the final step, the latter is oxidized to the product, whereby the reduced enzyme is regenerated. It is suggested that during the activation step, the electron of this cycle is fed into the enzyme by Ti(III)citrate and energized by hydrolysis of ATP; both functions are apparently catalysed by the activator. The enzyme remains in this activated state for several turnovers, which may explain the requirement of only catalytic amounts of ATP and substoichiometric amounts of activator (dehydratase/activator ratio approximately 200:1). The oxidants 4-nitrobenzoate, 2-nitrophenol, 3-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, carbonyl cyanide 4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone or chloramphenicol (all at concentrations greater than or equal to 1 microM) may trap this electron resulting in a reversible, transient inactivation of the dehydratase.

F420H2: quinone oxidoreductase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus. Characterization of a membrane-bound multisubunit complex containing FAD and iron-sulfur clusters.

Archaeoglobus fulgidus, a hyperthermophilic sulfate-reducing archaeon, was found to contain a membrane-bound F420H2: quinone oxidoreductase complex presumed to be involved in energy conservation during growth on lactate plus sulfate. After solubilization with dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside the complex was purified 32-fold with a yield of 24%. Using both gel filtration and native PAGE, an apparent molecular mass of approximately 270 kDa was determined. SDS/PAGE revealed the presence of at least seven polypeptides with apparent molecular masses 56, 45, 41, 39, 37, 33, and 32 kDa. The purified complex contained 1.6 mol FAD, 9 mol non-heme iron and 7 mol acid-labile sulfur/mol complex. It did not contain cytochromes, which were, however, present in the membrane fraction of A. fulgidus (3 nmol/mg membrane protein). The purified F420H2: quinone oxidoreductase complex catalyzed the reduction of 2,3-dimethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (apparent Km 190 microM) with reduced coenzyme F420 (apparent Km 50 microM) exhibiting a specific activity of 500 U/mg (apparent Vmax) at pH 8.0 (pH optimum) and 65 degrees C (temperature optimum). 2-Methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (menadione), 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, 1,4-naphthoquinone, 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-1,4- benzoquinone, and 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decyl-1,4-benzoquinone (decyl-ubiquinone) were also reduced with F420H2, albeit with lower rates. The physiological electron acceptor of the F420H2: quinone oxidoreductase complex is most likely the menaquinone found in the membrane fraction of A. fulgidus.

Purification of a two-subunit cytochrome-b-containing heterodisulfide reductase from methanol-grown Methanosarcina barkeri.

Heterodisulfide reductase catalyzes the terminal step in the energy-conserving electron-transport chain in methanogenic Archaea. The heterodisulfide reductase activity of the membrane fraction of methanol-grown Methanosarcina barkeri was solubilized by Chaps. Chromatography on Q-Sepharose and Superdex-200 yielded a high-molecular-mass fraction (> 700 kDa) which was dissociated by dodecyl beta-D-maltoside. After chromatography on Q-Sepharose, an active heterodisulfide reductase preparation was obtained which was composed of only two different subunits of apparent molecular masses 46 kDa and 23 kDa. For each 69 kDa, the enzyme contained 0.6 mol cytochrome b, 0.2 mol FAD, 20 mol non-heme iron and 20 mol acid-labile sulfur. The 23-kDa subunit possessed heme-derived peroxidase activity, showing that this polypeptide is the cytochrome b. The purified enzyme contained the cytochrome b in the reduced form. Upon addition of the heterodisulfide of coenzyme M and N-7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine phosphate the cytochrome was instantaneously oxidized, indicating that the cytochrome b served as electron donor for heterodisulfide reduction.

Tungstate can substitute for molybdate in sustaining growth of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. Identification and characterization of a tungsten isoenzyme of formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase.

Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (strain Marburg) was found to grow on media supplemented with tungstate rather than with molybdate. The Archaeon then synthesized a tungsten iron-sulfur isoenzyme of formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase. The isoenzyme was purified to apparent homogeneity and shown to be composed of four different subunits of apparent molecular masses 65 kDa, 53 kDa, 31 kDa, and 15 kDa and to contain per mol 0.4 mol tungsten, < 0.05 mol molybdenum, 8 mol non-heme iron, 8 mol acid-labile sulfur and molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide. Its molecular and catalytic properties were significantly different from those of the molybdenum isoenzyme characterized previously. The two isoenzymes also differed in their metal specificity: the active molybdenum isoenzyme was only synthesized when molybdenum was available during growth whereas the active tungsten isoenzyme was also generated during growth of the cells on molybdate medium. Under the latter conditions the tungsten isoenzyme was synthesized containing molybdenum rather than tungsten.

H2: heterodisulfide oxidoreductase complex from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. Composition and properties.

The reduction of the heterodisulfide (CoM-S-S-HTP) of coenzyme M (H-S-CoM) and N-7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine phosphate (H-S-HTP) with H2 is an energy-conserving step in most methanogenic Archaea. In this study, we show that in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (strain Marburg) this reaction is catalyzed by a stable H2-heterodisulfide oxidoreductase complex of F420-non-reducing hydrogenase and heterodisulfide reductase. This complex, which was loosely associated with the cytoplasmic membrane, was purified 17-fold with 80% yield to apparent homogeneity. The purified complex was composed of six different subunits of apparent molecular masses 80, 51, 41, 36, 21 and 17 kDa, and 1 mol complex, with apparent molecular mass 250 kDa, contained approximately 0.6 mol nickel, 0.9 mol FAD, 26 mol non-heme iron and 22 mol acid-labile sulfur. In 25 mM Chaps, the complex partially dissociated into two subcomplexes. The first subcomplex was was composed of the 51-, 41- and 17-kDa subunits; 1 mol trimer contained 0.7 mol nickel, 10 mol non-heme iron and 9 mol acid-labile sulfur and exhibited F420-non-reducing hydrogenase activity. The other subcomplex was composed of the 80-, 36- and 21-kDa subunits; 1 mol trimer contained 0.8 mol FAD, 22 mol non-heme iron and 15 mol acid-labile sulfur and exhibited heterodi-sulfide-reductase activity. The stimulatory effects of potassium phosphate, a membrane component, uracil derivatives and coenzyme F430 on the H2:heterodisulfide-oxidoreductase activity of the purified complex are described.

Expression of the 25-kilodalton iron-sulfur subunit of the energy-transducing NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase of Paracoccus denitrificans

The energy-transducing NADH-ubiquinone (Q) oxidoreductase of Paracoccus denitrificans is composed of 14 dissimilar subunits and contains at least four iron-sulfur clusters [Yagi, T. (1993) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1141, 1-17]. The complete DNA sequence of the gene cluster encoding the energy-transducing NADH-Q oxidoreductase of P. denitrificans has been determined. This paper reports the expression of the 25-kilodalton (kDa) (NQO2) subunit of the P. denitrificans enzyme complex in Escherichia coli and the characterization of the iron-sulfur cluster bound to the expressed subunit. The 25-kDa subunit was expressed in the cytoplasmic phase but not in the membrane fraction of E. coli cells and then purified using an affinity nickel chelation column. The purified subunit contains 1.44 mol of non-heme iron and 1.33 mol of acid-labile sulfide/mol of subunit. EPR analysis of the reduced form of this subunit indicates that the expressed subunit contains a single binuclear [2Fe-2S] cluster. This cluster exhibits a spectrum of rhombic symmetry with g values of gx,y,z = 1.913, 1.942, and 1.996, which is very similar to the spectrum of the [2Fe-2S] cluster in the resolved flavoprotein II subfraction (subunit 24 + 9 kDa) of bovine heart complex I [Ragan, C. I., Galante, Y. M., Hatefi, Y., & Ohnishi, T. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 590-594; Ohnishi, T., Ragan, C. I., & Hatefi, Y. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 2782-2788]. The assignment of the binuclear iron-sulfur cluster of the 25-kDa subunit to an EPR-visible iron-sulfur cluster in the Paracoccus NADH-Q oxidoreductase in situ is discussed.

A molybdenum and a tungsten isoenzyme of formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase in the thermophilic archaeon Methanobacterium wolfei.

We have recently reported that the thermophilic archaeon Methanobacterium wolfei contains two formylmethanofuran dehydrogenases, I and II. Formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase II, which is preferentially expressed in tungsten-grown cells, has been purified and shown to be a tungsten-iron-sulfur protein. We have now purified and characterized formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase I from molybdenum-grown cells and shown that it is a molybdenum-iron-sulfur protein. The purified enzyme, with a specific activity of 27 U/mg protein, was found to be composed of three subunits of apparent molecular mass 64 kDa, 51 kDa, and 31 kDa and to contain per mol 146-kDa molecule approximately 0.23 mol molybdenum, 0.46 mol molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide, and 6.6 mol non-heme iron but no tungsten (< 0.01 mol). The molybdenum enzyme differed from the tungsten enzyme (8 U/mg) in that it catalyzed the oxidation of N-furfurylformamide and formate and was inactivated by cyanide. The two enzymes also differed significantly in the pH optimum, in the apparent Km for the electron acceptor, and in the chromatographic behaviour. The molybdenum enzyme and the tungsten enzyme were similar, however, in that the N-terminal amino acid sequences determined for the alpha and beta subunits were identical up to residue 23, indicating that the two proteins are isoenzymes. The molybdenum enzyme, as isolated, was found to display an EPR signal derived from molybdenum as evidenced by isotope substitution.

Characterization of the flavins and the iron-sulfur centers of glutamate synthase from Azospirillum brasilense by absorption, circular dichroism, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies.

Azospirillum brasilense glutamate synthase has been studied by absorption, electron paramagnetic resonance, and circular dichroism spectroscopies in order to determine the type and number of iron-sulfur centers present in the enzyme alpha beta protomer and to gain information on the role of the flavin and iron-sulfur centers in the catalytic mechanism. The FMN and FAD prosthetic groups are demonstrated to be non-equivalent with respect to their reactivities with sulfite. Sulfite reacts with only one of the two flavins forming an N(5)-sulfite adduct with a Kd of approximately 1 mM. The enzyme-sulfite complex is reduced by NADPH, and the complexed sulfite is competitively displaced by 2-oxoglutarate, which suggests the reactive flavin to be at the imine-reducing site. These data are in agreement with the two-site model of the enzyme active center proposed on the basis of kinetic studies [Vanoni, M.A., Nuzzi, L., Rescigno, M., Zanetti, G., & Curti, B. (1991) Eur. J. Biochem. 202, 181-189]. Each enzyme protomer was found, by chemical analysis, to contain 12.1 +/- 0.5 mol of non-heme iron. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic studies on the oxidized and reduced forms of glutamate synthase demonstrated the presence of three distinct iron-sulfur centers per enzyme protomer. The oxidized enzyme exhibits an axial spectrum with g values at 2.03 and 1.97, which is highly temperature-dependent and integrates to 1.1 +/- 0.2 spin/protomer. This signal is assigned to a [3Fe-4S]1+ cluster (Fe-S)I. Reduction of the enzyme with an NADPH-regenerating system results in reduction of the [3Fe-4S]1+ center to a species with a g approximately 12 signal characteristic of the S = 2 spin state of a [3Fe-4S]0 cluster. The NADPH-reduced enzyme also exhibits an [Fe-S] signal at g values of 1.98, 1.95, and 1.88, which integrates to 0.9 spin/protomer and is due to a second cluster (Fe-S)II. Reduction of the enzyme with the light/deazaflavin method results in a signal characteristic of [Fe-S] clusters with g values of 2.03, 1.92, and 1.86 and an integrated intensity of 1.9 spin/protomer. This signal arises from reduction of the (Fe-S)II center and from that of the third, lower potential iron-sulfur center (Fe-S)III. Circular dichroism spectral data on the oxidized and reduced forms of the enzyme are more consistent with the assignment of (Fe-S)II and (Fe-S)III as [4Fe-4S] clusters rather than [2Fe-2S] centers.

Molybdopterin adenine dinucleotide and molybdopterin hypoxanthine dinucleotide in formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (Marburg)

Formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum was purified to apparent homogeneity and found to contain per mol (apparent molecular mass 110 kDa) 0.6 mol molybdenum, 4 mol non-heme iron, 4 mol acid-labile sulfur, in addition, 0.7 mol of a pterin-containing co-factor (apparent molecular mass 800 Da) which has been characterized. The pterin material was extracted after alkylation by iodoacetamide and the extract subjected to HPLC on Lichrospher 100 RP-18. Three pterin compounds were resolved. On the basis of their UV/visible spectra and of the products formed after cleavage by nucleotide pyrophosphatase and alkaline phosphatase they were identified as the [di(carboxamidomethyl)]-derivatives of molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide (MGD) of molybdopterin adenine dinucleotide (MAD), and of molybdopterin hypoxanthine dinucleotide (MHD). The three pterin dinucleotides were present in the proportions 1:0,4:0.1.

The molybdoenzyme formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase from Methanosarcina barkeri contains a pterin cofactor

Recently formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase from the archaebacterium Methanosarcina barkeri has been shown to be a novel molybdo-iron-sulfur protein. We report here that the enzyme contains one mol of a bound pterin cofactor/mol molybdenum, similar but not identical to the molybdopterin of milk xanthine oxidase. The two pterins, after oxidation with I2 at pH 2.5, showed identical fluorescence spectra and, after oxidation with permanganate at pH 13, yielded pterin 6-carboxylic acid. They differed, however, in their apparent molecular mass: the pterin of formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase was 400 Da larger than that of milk xanthine oxidase, a property also exhibited by the pterin cofactor of eubacterial molybdoenzymes. A homogeneous formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase preparation was used for these investigations. The enzyme, with a molecular mass of 220 kDa, contained 0.5-0.8 mol molybdenum, 0.6-0.9 mol pterin, 28 +/- 2 mol non-heme iron and 28 +/- 2 mol acid-labile sulfur/mol based on a protein determination with bicinchoninic acid. The specific activity was 175 mumol.min-1.mg-1 (kcat = 640 s-1) assayed with methylviologen (app. Km = 0.02 mM) as artificial electron acceptor. The apparent Km for formylmethanofuran was 0.02 mM.

Purification and properties of glutamate synthase from Nocardia mediterranei.

Glutamate synthase was purified about 250-fold from Nocardia mediterranei U32 and characterized. The native enzyme has a molecular weight of 195,000 +/- 5,000 and is composed of two nonidentical subunits with molecular weights of 145,000 +/- 5,000 and 55,000 +/- 3,000. This enzyme is a complex of iron-sulfur flavoproteins with absorption maxima at 278, 375, 410, and 440 nm. It contains 1.1 mol of flavin adenine dinucleotide, 1.0 mol of flavin mononucleotide, 7.5 mol of nonheme iron, and 7.2 mol of acid-labile sulfur per 200,000 g of protein. Km values for L-glutamine, alpha-ketoglutarate, and NADPH were 77, 53, and 110 microM, respectively. The activity of this glutamate synthase is inhibited by its products (i.e., glutamate and NADP), several amino acids, and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates.

Porphobilinogen oxygenase. Purification and evidence of its hemoprotein structure.

Porphobilinogen oxygenase oxidizes porphobilinogen to 2-hydroxy-5-oxo-porphobilinogen. This enzyme isolated from wheat germ has been purified to homogeneity, as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under both nondenaturing and denaturing conditions. The molecular weight of the enzyme formed from two identical (or very similar) polypeptide chains is 70,000. It has a pI of 9.0 indicating its cationic nature. The pure enzyme contains 1 mol of high-spin heme and 2 mol of non-heme iron. It requires both of these as well as molecular O2 and a reducing agent for catalytic activity. Although the enzyme has many characteristics of a peroxidase, hydrogen peroxide cannot substitute for oxygen and dithionite for catalysis. The catalytic reaction is not affected by catalase, superoxide dismutase, or by hydroxyl radical scavengers. A comparison between porphobilinogen oxygenase and a commercial preparation of horseradish peroxidase was made. The latter also catalyzes aerobic porphobilinogen oxidation, with dithionite as electron donor. Here the oxidation of porphobilinogen is inhibited by superoxide dismutase and was not affected by catalase.

Solubilization, purification, and characterization of succinate dehydrogenase from membranes of Mycobacterium phlei.

Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) was solubilized from membranes of Mycobacterium phlei by Triton X-100 with a recovery of about 90%. The solubilized SDH was purified about 90-fold by Sephacryl S-300, DEAE-cellulose, hydroxylapatite, and isoelectric focusing in the presence of Triton X-100 with a 20% recovery. SDH was homogeneous, as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in nondenaturing gels containing Triton X-100. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the enzyme revealed two subunits with molecular weights of 62,000 and 26,000. SDH is a flavoprotein containing 1 mol of flavin adenine dinucleotide, 7 to 8 mol of nonheme iron, and 7 to 8 mol of acid-labile sulfide per mol of protein. Using phenazine methosulfate and 2,6-dichloroindophenol as electron acceptors, the enzyme had an apparent Km of 0.12 mM succinate. SDH exhibited a sigmoidal relationship of rate to succinate concentration, indicating cooperativity. The enzyme was competitively inhibited by fumarate with a Ki of 0.15 mM. In the absence of Triton X-100, the enzyme aggregated, retained 50% of the activity, and could be resolubilized with Triton X-100 with full restoration of activity. Cardiolipin had no effect on the enzyme activity in the absence of Triton X-100, but it stimulated the activity by about 30% in the presence of 0.1% Triton X-100 in the assay mixture. Menaquinone-9(2H), isolated from M. phlei, had no effect on the enzyme activity either in the presence or absence of Triton X-100.