Magnesium-protoporphyrin chelatase of Rhodobacter sphaeroides: reconstitution of activity by combining the products of the bchH, -I, and -D genes expressed in Escherichia coli

Molecular basis for semidominance of missense mutations in the XANTHA-H (42-kDa) subunit of magnesium chelatase

During biosynthesis of bacteriochlorophyll or chlorophyll, three protein subunits of 140, 70, and 42 kDa interact to insert Mg2+ into protoporphyrin IX. The semidominant Chlorina-125, -157, and -161 mutants in barley are deficient in this step and accumulate protoporphyrin IX after feeding on 5-aminolevulinate. Chlorina-125, -157, and -161 are allelic to the recessive xantha-h mutants and contain G559A, G806A, and C271T mutations, respectively. These mutations cause single amino acid substitutions in residues that are conserved in all known primary structures of the 42-kDa subunit. In vitro complementation and reconstitution of Mg-chelatase activity show that the 42-kDa subunits are defective in the semidominant Chlorina mutants. A mutated protein is maintained in the Chlorina plastids, unlike in the xantha-h plastids. Heterozygous Chlorina seedlings have 25-50% of the Mg-chelatase activity of wild-type seedlings. Codominant expression of active and inactive 42-kDa subunits in heterozygous Chlorina seedlings is likely to produce two types of heterodimers between the strongly interacting 42-kDa and 70-kDa subunits. Reduced Mg-chelatase activity is explained by the capacity of heterodimers consisting of mutated 42-kDa and wild-type 70-kDa protein to bind to the 140-kDa subunit. The 42-kDa subunit is similar to chaperones that refold denatured polypeptides with respect to its ATP-to-ADP exchange activity and its ability to generate ATPase activity with the 70-kDa subunit. We hypothesize that the association of the 42-kDa subunit with the 70-kDa subunit allows them to form a specific complex with the 140-kDa subunit and that this complex inserts Mg2+ into protoporphyrin IX.

Magnesium chelatase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides: initial characterization of the enzyme using purified subunits and evidence for a BchI-BchD complex

The enzyme magnesium-protoporphyrin IX chelatase (Mg chelatase) catalyses the insertion of Mg into protoporphyrin IX, the first committed step in (bacterio)chlorophyll biosynthesis. In the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides, this reaction is catalysed by the products of the bchI, bchD and bchH genes. These genes have been expressed in Escherichia coli so that the BchI, BchD and BchH proteins are produced with N-terminal His6 affinity tags, which has led to the production of large amounts of highly purified, highly active Mg chelatase subunits from a single chromatography step. Furthermore, BchD has been purifed free of contamination with the chaperone GroEL, which had proven to be a problem in the past. BchD, present largely as an insoluble protein in E. coli, was purified in 6 M urea and refolded by addition of BchI, MgCl2 and ATP, yielding highly active protein. BchI/BchD mixtures prepared in this way were used in conjunction with BchH to determine the kinetic parameters of R. sphaeroides Mg chelatase for its natural substrates. We have been able to demonstrate for the first time that BchI and BchD form a complex, and that Mg2+ and ATP are required to establish and maintain this complex. Gel filtration data suggest that BchI and BchD form a complex of molecular mass 200 kDa in the presence of Mg2+ and ATP. Our data suggest that, in vivo, BchD is only folded correctly and maintained in its correct conformation in the presence of BchI, Mg2+ and ATP.

Heterologous expression of the Rhodobacter capsulatus BchI, -D, and -H genes that encode magnesium chelatase subunits and characterization of the reconstituted enzyme

Magnesium chelatase inserts Mg2+ into protoporphyrin IX in the chlorophyll and bacteriochlorophyll biosynthetic pathways. In photosynthetic bacteria, the products of three genes, bchI, bchD, and bchH, are required for magnesium chelatase activity. These genes from Rhodobacter capsulatus were cloned separately into expression plasmids pET3a and pET15b. The pET15b constructs produced NH2-terminally His6-tagged proteins. All proteins were highly expressed and were purified to near homogeneity. The BchI and BchH proteins were soluble. BchD proteins were insoluble, inactive inclusion bodies that were renatured by rapid dilution from 6 M urea. The presence of BchI in the solution into which the urea solution of BchD was diluted increased the yield of active BchD. A molar ratio of 1 BchI:1 BchD was sufficient for maximum renaturation of BchD. All of the proteins were active in the magnesium chelatase assay except His-tagged BchI, which was inactive and inhibited in incubations containing non-His-tagged BchI. Expressed BchH proteins contained tightly bound protoporphyrin IX, and they were susceptible to inactivation by light. Maximum magnesium chelatase activity per mol of BchD occurred at a stoichiometry of 4 BchI:1 BchD. The optimum reaction pH was 8.0. The reaction exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to protoporphyrin IX and BchH.

CrtJ bound to distant binding sites interacts cooperatively to aerobically repress photopigment biosynthesis and light harvesting II gene expression in Rhodobacter capsulatus

Expression of light harvesting II genes and of bacteriochlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis genes in Rhodobacter capsulatus is repressed under aerobic growth conditions by the transcription factor CrtJ. In this study, we demonstrate that the crtA-crtI intergenic region contains divergent promoters that initiate transcription 116 base pairs apart, based on primer extension analyses. DNase I protection assays demonstrate that purified CrtJ binds to one palindrome that overlaps the crtA -10 promoter recognition sequence as well as to a second palindrome that overlaps the -35 crtI promoter recognition sequence. Similar analyses also show that the puc promoter region contains two distant CrtJ palindromes, with one near the -35 promoter recognition sequence and the other located 240 base pairs upstream. Gel mobility shift and filter retention assays indicate that CrtJ binds in a cooperative manner to these distantly separated palindromes. In vivo expression assays with puc and crtI promoter reporter plasmids further demonstrate that aerobic repression of puc and crtI expression requires both CrtJ palindromes. These in vitro and in vivo results indicate that aerobic repression of puc, crtA, and crtI expression involves cooperative interactions between CrtJ bound to distant palindromes. A DNA looping model is discussed.

Determinants of catalytic activity with the use of purified I, D and H subunits of the magnesium protoporphyrin IX chelatase from Synechocystis PCC6803

The I, D and H subunits (ChlI, ChlD and ChlH respectively) of the magnesium protoporphyrin IX chelatase from Synechocystis have been purified to homogeneity as a result of the overexpression of the encoding genes in Escherichia coli and the production of large quantities of histidine-tagged proteins. These subunits have been used in an initial investigation of the biochemical and kinetic properties of the enzyme. The availability of pure ChlI, ChlD and ChlH has allowed us to estimate the relative concentrations of the three protein components required for optimal activity, and to investigate the dependence of chelatase activity on the concentrations of MgCl2, ATP and protoporphyrin IX. It was found that, whereas ChlD and ChlH are likely to be monomeric, ChlI can aggregate in an ATP-dependent manner, changing from a dimeric to an octameric structure. Subunit titration assays suggest an optimal ratio of ChlI, ChlD and ChlH of 2:1:4 respectively. However, the dependence of chelatase activity on increasing concentrations of ChlI and ChlH with respect to ChlD suggests that these two subunits, at least in vitro, behave as substrates in their interaction with ChlD. Mg chelation could not be detected unless the Mg2+ concentration exceeded the ATP concentration, suggesting at least two requirements for Mg2+, one as a component of MgATP2-, the other as the chelated metal. The steady-state kinetic parameters were determined from continuous assays; the Km values for protoporphyrin, MgCl2 and ATP were 1.25 microM, 4.9 mM and 0.49 mM respectively. The rate dependence of Mg2+ was clearly sigmoidal with a Hill coefficient of 3, suggesting positive co-operativity. Initiating the reaction by the addition of one of the substrates in these continuous assays resulted in a significant lag period of at least 10 min before the linear production of Mg protoporphyrin. This lag was significantly decreased by preincubating ChlI and ChlD with ATP and MgCl2, and by mixing it with ChlH that had been preincubated with protoporphyrin IX, ATP and MgCl2. This suggests not only a close MgATP2--dependent interaction between ChlI and ChlD but also an interaction between ChlH and the protoporphyrin substrate that also is stimulated by ATP and MgCl2.

Reconstitution of an active magnesium chelatase enzyme complex from the bchI, -D, and -H gene products of the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium vibrioforme expressed in Escherichia coli

Magnesium-protoporphyrin chelatase, the first enzyme unique to the (bacterio)chlorophyll-specific branch of the porphyrin biosynthetic pathway, catalyzes the insertion of Mg2+ into protoporphyrin IX. Three genes, designated bchI, -D, and -H, from the strictly anaerobic and obligately phototrophic green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium vibrioforme show a significant level of homology to the magnesium chelatase-encoding genes bchI, -D, and -H and chlI, -D, and -H of Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Synechocystis strain PCC6803, respectively. These three genes were expressed in Escherichia coli; the subsequent purification of overproduced BchI and -H proteins on an Ni2+-agarose affinity column and denaturation of insoluble BchD protein in 6 M urea were required for reconstitution of Mg-chelatase activity in vitro. This work therefore establishes that the magnesium chelatase of C. vibrioforme is similar to the magnesium chelatases of the distantly related bacteria R. sphaeroides and Synechocystis strain PCC6803 with respect to number of subunits and ATP requirement. In addition, reconstitution of an active heterologous magnesium chelatase enzyme complex was obtained by combining the C. vibrioforme BchI and -D proteins and the Synechocystis strain PCC6803 ChlH protein. Furthermore, two versions, with respect to the N-terminal start of the bchI gene product, were expressed in E. coli, yielding ca. 38- and ca. 42-kDa versions of the BchI protein, both of which proved to be active. Western blot analysis of these proteins indicated that two forms of BchI, corresponding to the 38- and the 42-kDa expressed proteins, are also present in C. vibrioforme.

Genetic analysis of chlorophyll biosynthesis

During this decade, there have been major advancements in the understanding of genetic loci involved in synthesis of the family of Mg-tetrapyrroles known as chlorophylls and bacteriochlorophylls. Molecular genetic analysis of Mg-tetrapyrrole biosynthesis was initiated by the performance of detailed sequence and mutational analysis of the photosynthesis gene cluster from Rhodobacter capsulatus. These studies provided the first detailed understanding of genes involved in bacteriochlorophyll a biosynthesis. In the short time since these studies were initiated, most of the chlorophyll biosynthesis genes have been identified by virtue of their ability to complement bacteriochlorophyll a biosynthesis mutants as well as by sequence homology comparisons. This review is centered on a discussion of our current understanding of bacterial, algal, and plant genes that code for enzymes in the Mg-branch of the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway that are responsible for synthesis of chlorophylls and bacteriochlorophylls.

Isolation and characterisation of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cDNA clones encoding proteins involved in magnesium chelation into protoporphyrin IX

We have identified cDNA clones encoding the two Mg chelatase subunits CHL I and CHL H from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) by screening a cDNA library with homologous cDNA fragments from Arabidopsis thaliana. A full-length Chl I cDNA clone encodes a peptide with 426 amino acids. The entire cDNA sequence encoding 1382 amino acid long CHL H was obtained by extension of a truncated cDNA fragment using the 'rapid amplification of cDNA ends' (RACE) method. Both genes Chl I and Chl H were strongly expressed in young leaves and to a lesser extent in mature leaves. Only traces of both transcripts were found in flowering organs. Southern blot analysis suggests that CHL I is encoded by a single gene and CHL H most likely by several genes.

ATPases and phosphate exchange activities in magnesium chelatase subunits of Rhodobacter sphaeroides

Three separate proteins, BchD, BchH, and BchI, together with ATP, insert magnesium into protoporphyrin IX. An analysis of ATP utilization by the subunits revealed the following: BchH catalyzed ATP hydrolysis at the rate of 0.9 nmol per min per mg of protein. BchI and BchD, tested individually, had no ATPase activity but, when combined, hydrolyzed ATP at the rate of 117.9 nmol/min per mg of protein. Magnesium ions were required for the ATPase activities of both BchH and BchI+D, and these activities were inhibited 50% by 2 mM o-phenanthroline. BchI additionally catalyzed a phosphate exchange reaction from ATP and ADP. We conclude that ATP hydrolysis by BchI+D is required for an activation step in the magnesium chelatase reaction, whereas ATPase activity of BchH and the phosphate exchange activity of BchI participate in subsequent reactions leading to the insertion of Mg2+ into protoporphyrin IX.

Mechanism and regulation of Mg-chelatase

Mg-chelatase catalyses the insertion of Mg into protoporphyrin IX (Proto). This seemingly simple reaction also is potentially one of the most interesting and crucial steps in the (bacterio)chlorophyll (Bchl/Chl)-synthesis pathway, owing to its position at the branch-point between haem and Bchl/Chl synthesis. Up until the level of Proto, haem and Bchl/Chl synthesis share a common pathway. However, at the point of metal-ion insertion there are two choices: Mg2+ insertion to make Bchl/Chl (catalysed by Mg-chelatase) or Fe2+ insertion to make haem (catalysed by ferrochelatase). Thus the relative activities of Mg-chelatase and ferrochelatase must be regulated with respect to the organism's requirements for these end products. How is this regulation achieved? For Mg-chelatase, the recent design of an in vitro assay combined with the identification of Bchl-biosynthetic enzyme genes has now made it possible to address this question. In all photosynthetic organisms studied to date, Mg-chelatase is a three-component enzyme, and in several species these proteins have been cloned and expressed in an active form. The reaction takes place in two steps, with an ATP-dependent activation followed by an ATP-dependent chelation step. The activation step may be the key to regulation, although variations in subunit levels during diurnal growth may also play a role in determining the flux through the Bchl/Chl and haem branches of the pathway.

Molecular localisation of ferrochelatase in higher plant chloroplasts

Within the chloroplast of higher plants, a crucial branchpoint of the tetrapyrrole synthesis pathway is the chelation of either Fe2+ to make haem, or Mg2+ for chlorophyll, catalysed by ferrochelatase or magnesium chelatase, respectively. One model that has been proposed for the control of this branchpoint, based on biochemical studies, is that the two enzymes are spatially separated within the chloroplast, ferrochelatase being exclusively in the thylakoids, while magnesium chelatase is associated with the envelope [Matringe, M., Camadro, J.-M., Joyard, J. & Douce, R. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 15010-15015]. We have used a sensitive molecular method to investigate this possibility. Radiolabelled precursor proteins for ferrochelatase from Arabidopsis have been imported into isolated chloroplasts. Their distribution in the different subchloroplastic fractions have then been determined, and compared with that for light-harvesting chlorophyll protein, which is exclusively thylakoidal, and the envelope-located phosphate translocator. Clear evidence for the specific association of ferrochelatase protein with both thylakoid and envelope membranes has been obtained, thus suggesting strongly that the control of the branchpoint cannot be by spatial separation of the two chelatases.

Demonstration that the BchH protein of Rhodobacter capsulatus activates S-adenosyl-L-methionine:magnesium protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase

The bchH gene of Rhodobacter capsulatus has been cloned into an expression strain of Escherichia coli. Following induction of expression of the BchH protein, it was found that the E. coli strain also accumulated porphyrins with the fluorescence properties of protoporphyrin and zinc protoporphyrin. It was also found that the soluble BchH protein increased the activity of S-adenosyl-L-methionine:magnesium protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase, when mixed with membranes of an expression strain of E. coli into which the bchM gene (which encodes the methyltransferase) had been cloned, as well as membranes of a bchH mutant of R. capsulatus.

A role for Salmonella typhimurium cbiK in cobalamin (vitamin B12) and siroheme biosynthesis

The role of cbiK, a gene found encoded within the Salmonella typhimurium cob operon, has been investigated by studying its in vivo function in Escherichia coli. First, it was found that cbiK is not required for cobalamin biosynthesis in the presence of a genomic cysG gene (encoding siroheme synthase) background. Second, in the absence of a genomic cysG gene, cobalamin biosynthesis in E. coli was found to be dependent upon the presence of cobA(P. denitrificans) (encoding the uroporphyrinogen III methyltransferase from Pseudomonas denitrificans) and cbiK. Third, complementation of the cysteine auxotrophy of the E. coli cysG deletion strain 302delta a could be attained by the combined presence of cobA(P. denitrificans) and the S. typhimurium cbiK gene. Collectively these results suggest that CbiK can function in fashion analogous to that of the N-terminal domain of CysG (CysG(B)), which catalyzes the final two steps in siroheme synthesis, i.e., NAD-dependent dehydrogenation of precorrin-2 to sirohydrochlorin and ferrochelation. Thus, phenotypically CysG(B) and CbiK have very similar properties in vivo, although the two proteins do not have any sequence similarity. In comparison to CysG, CbiK appears to have a greater affinity for Co2+ than for Fe2+, and it is likely that cbiK encodes an enzyme whose primary role is that of a cobalt chelatase in corrin biosynthesis.

Characterization of chlorophyll a and bacteriochlorophyll a synthases by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli

Genes coding for putative chlorophyll a synthase (chlG) from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and bacteriochlorophyll a synthase (bchG) from Rhodobacter capsulatus were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and cloned into T7 RNA polymerase-based expression plasmids. In vitro enzymatic assays indicated that heterologous expression of the chlG and bchG gene products in Escherichia coli conferred chlorophyll a and bacteriochlorophyll a synthase activity, respectively. Chlorophyll a synthase utilized chlorophyllide a, but not bacteriochlorophyllide a, as a substrate, whereas bacteriochlorophyll a synthase utilized bacteriochlorophyllide a, but not chlorophyllide a. Both enzymes were also observed to exhibit a marked preference for phytyl diphosphate over geranylgeranyl diphosphate.

Expression of the chlI, chlD, and chlH genes from the Cyanobacterium synechocystis PCC6803 in Escherichia coli and demonstration that the three cognate proteins are required for magnesium-protoporphyrin chelatase activity

Magnesium-protoporphyrin chelatase catalyzes the first step unique to chlorophyll synthesis: the insertion of Mg2+ into protoporphyrin IX. Genes from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 with homology to the bchI and bchD genes of Rhodobacter sp. were cloned using degenerate oligonucleotides. The function of these genes, putatively encoding subunits of magnesium chelatase, was established by overexpression in Escherichia coli, including the overexpression of Synechocystis chlH, previously cloned as a homolog of the Rhodobacter bchH gene. The combined cell-free extracts were able to catalyze the insertion of Mg2+ into protoporphyrin IX in an ATP-dependent manner and only when the products of all three genes were present. The ChlH, ChlI, and ChlD gene products are therefore assigned to the magnesium chelatase step in chlorophyll a biosynthesis in Synechocystis PCC6803. The primary structure of the Synechocystis ChlD protein reveals some interesting features; the N-terminal half of the protein shows 40-41% identity to Rhodobacter BchI and Synechocystis ChlI, whereas the C-terminal half displays 33% identity to Rhodobacter BchD. This suggests a functional as well as an evolutionary relationship between the "I" and "D" genes.

A putative Mg chelatase subunit from Arabidopsis thaliana cv C24. Sequence and transcript analysis of the gene, import of the protein into chloroplasts, and in situ localization of the transcript and protein

We have isolated and sequenced a cDNA from Arabidopsis thaliana cv C24 that encodes a putative Mg chelatase subunit. The deduced amino acid sequence shows a very high level of identity to a gene previously characterized from Antirrhinum majus (olive and also high similarity to bchH, a bacterial gene involved in the Mg chelatase reaction of bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis. We suggest that this gene be called CHL H. Northern blot analyses were used to investigate the expression of CHL H, another putative Mg chelatase gene, ch-42, and ferrochelatase. The CHL H transcript was observed to undergo a dramatic diurnal variation, rising almost to its maximum level by the end of the dark period, then increasing slightly at the onset of the light and declining steadily to a minimum by the end of the light period; in contrast, transcripts for ch-42 and ferrochelatase remained constant. A model is proposed in which the CHL H protein plays a role in regulating the levels of chlorophyll during this cycle. In situ hybridization revealed that the transcripts are located over the surface of the chloroplasts, a feature in common with transcripts for the ch-42 gene. The CHL H protein was imported into the stromal compartment of the chloroplast and processed in an in vitro assay. Immunoblotting showed that the distribution of CHL H protein between the stroma and chloroplast membranes varies depending on the concentration of Mg+. In situ immunofluorescence was used to establish that the CHL H and CH-42 proteins are localized within the chloroplast in vivo.

The regulation of enzymes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis

All living organisms contain tetrapyrroles. In plants, chlorophyll (chlorophyll a plus chlorophyll b) is the most abundant and probably most important tetrapyrrole. It is involved in light absorption and energy transduction during photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is synthesized from the intact carbon skeleton of glutamate via the C5 pathway. This pathway takes place in the chloroplast. It is the aim of this review to summarize the current knowledge on the biochemistry and molecular biology of the C5-pathway enzymes, their regulated expression in response to light, and the impact of chlorophyll biosynthesis on chloroplast development. Particular emphasis will be placed on the key regulatory steps of chlorophyll biosynthesis in higher plants, such as 5-aminolevulinic acid formation, the production of Mg(2+)-protoporphyrin IX, and light-dependent protochlorophyllide reduction.

Structural genes for Mg-chelatase subunits in barley: Xantha-f, -g and -h

Barley mutants in the loci Xantha-f, Xantha-g and Xantha-h, when fed with 5-aminolevulinate in the dark, accumulate protoporphyrin IX. Mutant alleles at these loci that are completely blocked in protochlorophyllide synthesis are also blocked in development of prolamellar bodies in etioplasts. In contrast to wild type, the xan-f, -g and -h mutants had no detectable Mg-chelatase activity, whereas they all had methyltransferase activity for synthesis of Mg-protoporphyrin monomethyl ester. Antibodies recognising the CH42 protein of Arabidopsis thaliana and the OLIVE (OLI) protein of Antirrhinum majus immunoreacted in wild-type barley with 42 and 150 kDa proteins, respectively. The xan-h mutants lacked the protein reacting with antibodies raised against the CH42 protein. Two xan-f mutants lacked the 150 kDa protein recognised by the anti-OLI antibody. Barley genes homologous to the A. majus olive and the A. thaliana Ch-42 genes were cloned using PCR and screening of cDNA and genomic libraries. Probes for these genes were applied to Northern blots of RNA from the xantha mutants and confirmed the results of the Western analysis. The mutants xan-f27, -f40, -h56 and -h57 are defective in transcript accumulation while -h38 is defective in translation. Southern blot analysis established that h38 has a deletion of part of the gene. Mutants xan-f10 and -f41 produce both transcript and protein and it is suggested that these mutations are in the catalytic sites of the protein. It is concluded that X an-f -h genes encode two subunits of the barley Mg-chelatase and that X an-g is likely to encode a third subunit. The XAN-F protein displays 82% amino acid sequence identity to the OLI protein of Antirrhinum, 66% to the Synechocystis homologue and 34% identity to the Rhodobacter BchH subunit of Mg-chelatase. The XAN-H protein has 85% amino acid sequence identity to the Arabidopsis CH42 protein, 69% identity to the Euglena CCS protein, 70% identity to the Cryptomonas BchA and Olisthodiscus CssA proteins, as well as 49% identity to the Rhodobacter BchI subunit of Mg-chelatase. Identification of the barley X an-f and X an-h encoded proteins as subunits required for Mg-chelatase activity supports the notion that the Antirrhinum OLI protein and the Arabidopsis Ch42 protein are subunits of Mg-chelatase in these plants. The expression of both thet X an-f and -h genes in wild-type barley is light induced in leaves of greening seedlings, and in green tissue the genes are under the control of a circadian clock.

Cloning and characterization of the chlorophyll biosynthesis gene chlM from Synechocystis PCC 6803 by complementation of a bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis mutant of Rhodobacter capsulatus

A bacteriochlorophyll a biosynthesis mutant of the purple photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus was functionally complemented with a cosmid genomic library from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The complemented R. capsulatus strain contains a defined mutation in the bchM gene that codes for Mg-protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase, the enzyme which converts Mg-protoporphyrin IX to Mg-protoporphyrin IX methylester using S-adenosyl-L-methionine as a cofactor. Since chlorophyll biosynthesis also requires the same methylation reaction, the Synechocystis genome should similarly code for a Mg-protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase. Sequence analysis of the complementing Synechocystis cosmid indicates that it contains an open reading frame exhibiting 29% sequence identity to BchM. In addition, expression of the Synechocystis gene in the R. capsulatus bchM mutant via the strong R. capsulatus puc promoter was shown to support nearly wild-type levels of bacteriochlorophyll a synthesis. To our knowledge, the Synechocystis sequence thus represents the first chlorophyll biosynthesis gene homolog of bchM. The complementing Synechocystis cosmid was also shown to code for a gene product that is a member of a highly conserved family of RNA binding proteins, the function of which in cyanobacteria remains undetermined.

Three separate proteins constitute the magnesium chelatase of Rhodobacter sphaeroides

The insertion of magnesium into protoporphyrin IX is the first step unique to chlorophyll production and is catalyzed by magnesium chelatase. The Rhodobacter sphaeroides genes, bchI and bchD together, and bchH alone, were cloned and expressed with the pET3a vector in Escherichia coli strain BL21 (DE3). The 40-kDa BchI protein was synthesized in greater abundance compared to the 70-kDa BchD protein when both were expressed together from the same plasmid. The production of large amounts of the 140-kDa BchH protein in E. coli was accompanied by an accumulation of protoporphyrin IX. The accumulated protoporphyrin IX was bound specifically to BchH in an approximate molar ratio of 1:1. All three recombinant proteins were soluble; BchH was monomeric, Bchl was dimeric, while BchD appeared to be polymeric with a molecular mass of approximately 550 kDa. The BchH and BchI proteins were purified to apparent homogeneity while BchD was separated from BchI and partially purified. Magnesium was inserted into protoporphyrin IX and deuteroporphyrin by combining these three proteins in the presence of ATP. One monomer of BchH to one dimer of BchI gave the optimal magnesium chelatase activity and the activity was dependent on the amount of partially purified BchD added to the assay at the optimum BchH:BchI ratio. The reaction was dissected into two parts with an activation step requiring BchI, BchD, and Mg2+-ATP, and a metal-insertion step which in addition requires Mg2+, protoporphyrin IX, and BchH. The stoichiometric binding of protoporphyrin IX to BchH in vitro is direct evidence for BchH carrying out such a role in vivo whereas the other two proteins are involved in ATP activation and magnesium insertion.