Biodesign for bioenergetics –the design and engineering of electron transfer cofactors, proteins and protein networks

Respiratory Membrane Protein Complexes Convert Chemical Energy

The invention of a biological membrane which is used as energy storage system to drive the metabolism of a primordial, unicellular organism represents a key event in the evolution of life. The innovative, underlying principle of this key event is respiration. In respiration, a lipid bilayer with insulating properties is chosen as the site for catalysis of an exergonic redox reaction converting substrates offered from the environment, using the liberated Gibbs free energy (ΔG) for the build-up of an electrochemical H⁺ (proton motive force, PMF) or Na⁺ gradient (sodium motive force, SMF) across the lipid bilayer. Very frequently , several redox reactions are performed in a consecutive manner, with the first reaction delivering a product which is used as substrate for the second redox reaction, resulting in a respiratory chain. From today's perspective, the (mostly) unicellular bacteria and archaea seem to be much simpler and less evolved when compared to multicellular eukaryotes. However, they are overwhelmingly complex with regard to the various respiratory chains which permit survival in very different habitats of our planet, utilizing a plethora of substances to drive metabolism. This includes nitrogen, sulfur and carbon compounds which are oxidized or reduced by specialized, respiratory enzymes of bacteria and archaea which lie at the heart of the geochemical N, S and C-cycles. This chapter gives an overview of general principles of microbial respiration considering thermodynamic aspects, chemical reactions and kinetic restraints. The respiratory chains of Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae are discussed as models for PMF- versus SMF-generating processes, respectively. We introduce main redox cofactors of microbial respiratory enzymes, and the concept of intra-and interelectron transfer. Since oxygen is an electron acceptor used by many respiratory chains, the formation and removal of toxic oxygen radicals is described. Promising directions of future research are respiratory enzymes as novel bacterial targets, and biotechnological applications relying on respiratory complexes.

Directed assembly of defined oligomeric photosynthetic reaction centres through adaptation with programmable extra-membrane coiled-coil interfaces

A challenge associated with the utilisation of bioenergetic proteins in new, synthetic energy transducing systems is achieving efficient and predictable self-assembly of individual components, both natural and man-made, into a functioning macromolecular system. Despite progress with water-soluble proteins, the challenge of programming self-assembly of integral membrane proteins into non-native macromolecular architectures remains largely unexplored. In this work it is shown that the assembly of dimers, trimers or tetramers of the naturally monomeric purple bacterial reaction centre can be directed by augmentation with an α-helical peptide that self-associates into extra-membrane coiled-coil bundle. Despite this induced oligomerisation the assembled reaction centres displayed normal spectroscopic properties, implying preserved structural and functional integrity. Mixing of two reaction centres modified with mutually complementary α-helical peptides enabled the assembly of heterodimers in vitro, pointing to a generic strategy for assembling hetero-oligomeric complexes from diverse modified or synthetic components_. Addition of two coiled-coil peptides per reaction centre monomer was also tolerated despite the challenge presented to the pigment-protein assembly machinery of introducing multiple self-associating sequences. These findings point to a generalised approach where oligomers or longer range assemblies of multiple light harvesting and/or redox proteins can be constructed in a manner that can be genetically-encoded, enabling the construction of new, designed bioenergetic systems in vivo or in vitro.

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Reaction centre monomers are engineered to assemble as oligomers in vivo.

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A fused coiled coil bundle programs dimer, trimer and tetramer formation.

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Assembled oligomeric reaction centres are structurally and functionally intact.

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Coiled coils can be used to assemble reaction centre hetero-oligomers in vitro.

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Addition of two coiled-coil peptides per reaction centre monomer is tolerated.