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Specific inhibition of proton pumping by the T315V mutation in the K channel of cytochrome ba 3 from Thermus thermophilus. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2021; 1862:148450. [PMID: 34022199 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2021.148450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cytochrome ba3 from Thermus thermophilus belongs to the B family of heme-copper oxidases and pumps protons across the membrane with an as yet unknown mechanism. The K channel of the A family heme-copper oxidases provides delivery of a substrate proton from the internal water phase to the binuclear heme-copper center (BNC) during the reductive phase of the catalytic cycle, while the D channel is responsible for transferring both substrate and pumped protons. By contrast, in the B family oxidases there is no D-channel and the structural equivalent of the K channel seems to be responsible for the transfer of both categories of protons. Here we have studied the effect of the T315V substitution in the K channel on the kinetics of membrane potential generation coupled to the oxidative half-reaction of the catalytic cycle of cytochrome ba3. The results suggest that the mutated enzyme does not pump protons during the reaction of the fully reduced form with molecular oxygen in a single turnover. Specific inhibition of proton pumping in the T315V mutant appears to be a consequence of inability to provide rapid (τ ~ 100 μs) reprotonation of the internal transient proton donor(s) of the K channel. In contrast to the A family, the K channel of the B-type oxidases is necessary for the electrogenic transfer of both pumped and substrate protons during the oxidative half-reaction of the catalytic cycle.
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Andersson R, Safari C, Dods R, Nango E, Tanaka R, Yamashita A, Nakane T, Tono K, Joti Y, Båth P, Dunevall E, Bosman R, Nureki O, Iwata S, Neutze R, Brändén G. Serial femtosecond crystallography structure of cytochrome c oxidase at room temperature. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4518. [PMID: 28674417 PMCID: PMC5495810 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04817-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytochrome c oxidase catalyses the reduction of molecular oxygen to water while the energy released in this process is used to pump protons across a biological membrane. Although an extremely well-studied biological system, the molecular mechanism of proton pumping by cytochrome c oxidase is still not understood. Here we report a method to produce large quantities of highly diffracting microcrystals of ba3-type cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus suitable for serial femtosecond crystallography. The room-temperature structure of cytochrome c oxidase is solved to 2.3 Å resolution from data collected at an X-ray Free Electron Laser. We find overall agreement with earlier X-ray structures solved from diffraction data collected at cryogenic temperature. Previous structures solved from synchrotron radiation data, however, have shown conflicting results regarding the identity of the active-site ligand. Our room-temperature structure, which is free from the effects of radiation damage, reveals that a single-oxygen species in the form of a water molecule or hydroxide ion is bound in the active site. Structural differences between the ba3-type and aa3-type cytochrome c oxidases around the proton-loading site are also described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecka Andersson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Cecilia Safari
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Robert Dods
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Eriko Nango
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan.,Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Rie Tanaka
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
| | - Ayumi Yamashita
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
| | - Takanori Nakane
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - Kensuke Tono
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5198, Japan
| | - Yasumasa Joti
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5198, Japan
| | - Petra Båth
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Elin Dunevall
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Robert Bosman
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Osamu Nureki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan
| | - So Iwata
- RIKEN Spring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan.,Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Richard Neutze
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Gisela Brändén
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-40530, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Poiana F, von Ballmoos C, Gonska N, Blomberg MRA, Ädelroth P, Brzezinski P. Splitting of the O-O bond at the heme-copper catalytic site of respiratory oxidases. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:e1700279. [PMID: 28630929 PMCID: PMC5473675 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2017] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Heme-copper oxidases catalyze the four-electron reduction of O2 to H2O at a catalytic site that is composed of a heme group, a copper ion (CuB), and a tyrosine residue. Results from earlier experimental studies have shown that the O-O bond is cleaved simultaneously with electron transfer from a low-spin heme (heme a/b), forming a ferryl state (PR ; Fe4+=O2-, CuB2+-OH-). We show that with the Thermus thermophilus ba3 oxidase, at low temperature (10°C, pH 7), electron transfer from the low-spin heme b to the catalytic site is faster by a factor of ~10 (τ ≅ 11 μs) than the formation of the PR ferryl (τ ≅110 μs), which indicates that O2 is reduced before the splitting of the O-O bond. Application of density functional theory indicates that the electron acceptor at the catalytic site is a high-energy peroxy state [Fe3+-O--O-(H+)], which is formed before the PR ferryl. The rates of heme b oxidation and PR ferryl formation were more similar at pH 10, indicating that the formation of the high-energy peroxy state involves proton transfer within the catalytic site, consistent with theory. The combined experimental and theoretical data suggest a general mechanism for O2 reduction by heme-copper oxidases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Poiana
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Nathalie Gonska
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Margareta R. A. Blomberg
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pia Ädelroth
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peter Brzezinski
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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Funatogawa C, Li Y, Chen Y, McDonald W, Szundi I, Fee JA, Stout CD, Einarsdóttir Ó. Role of the Conserved Valine 236 in Access of Ligands to the Active Site of Thermus thermophilus ba3 Cytochrome Oxidase. Biochemistry 2016; 56:107-119. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chie Funatogawa
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States
| | - Yang Li
- Department
of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Institute, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Ying Chen
- Department
of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Institute, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - William McDonald
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States
| | - Istvan Szundi
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States
| | - James A. Fee
- Department
of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Institute, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - C. David Stout
- Department
of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Institute, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Ólöf Einarsdóttir
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States
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5
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The cytochrome ba3 oxidase from Thermus thermophilus does not generate a tryptophan radical during turnover: Implications for the mechanism of proton pumping. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2015; 1847:1093-100. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2015.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2014] [Revised: 04/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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6
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Egawa T, Haber J, Fee JA, Yeh SR, Rousseau DL. Interactions of Cu(B) with Carbon Monoxide in Cytochrome c Oxidase: Origin of the Anomalous Correlation between the Fe-CO and C-O Stretching Frequencies. J Phys Chem B 2015; 119:8509-20. [PMID: 26056844 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b04444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In heme-copper oxidases, the correlation curve between the iron-CO and C-O stretching vibrational modes (ν(Fe-CO) and ν(C-O), respectively) is anomalous as compared to the correlation in other heme proteins. To extend the correlation curve, the resonance Raman (RR) and infrared (IR) spectra of the CO adducts of cytochrome ba3 (ba3) from Thermus thermophilus were measured. The RR spectrum has two strong ν(Fe-CO) lines (508 and 515 cm(-1)) and a very weak line at 526 cm(-1), and the IR spectrum has three ν(C-O) lines (1966, 1973, and 1981 cm(-1)), indicating the presence of multiple conformers. Employing photodissociation methods, the ν(Fe-CO) RR and ν(C-O) IR lines were assigned to each conformer, enabling the establishment of a reliable inverse correlation curve for the ν(Fe-CO) versus the ν(C-O) stretching frequencies. To determine the molecular basis of the correlation, a series of DFT calculations on 6-coordinate porphyrin-CO compounds and a model of the binuclear center of the heme-copper oxidases were carried out. The calculations demonstrated that the copper unit model caused significant mixing among porphyrin-CO molecular orbitals (MOs) that contribute to the Fe-C and C-O bonding interactions, and also indicated the presence of mixing between the d(z)(2) orbital of the copper and MOs that are responsible for the ν(Fe-CO) vs ν(C-O) inverse correlation. Together, the spectroscopic and DFT results clarify the origin of the anomaly of ν(Fe-CO) and ν(C-O) frequencies in the heme-copper oxidases, a long-standing issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Egawa
- †Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, United States
| | - Jonah Haber
- †Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, United States
| | - James A Fee
- ‡Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Syun-Ru Yeh
- †Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, United States
| | - Denis L Rousseau
- †Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, United States
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McDonald W, Funatogawa C, Li Y, Chen Y, Szundi I, Fee JA, Stout CD, Einarsdóttir O. Conserved glycine 232 in the ligand channel of ba3 cytochrome oxidase from Thermus thermophilus. Biochemistry 2014; 53:4467-75. [PMID: 24937405 PMCID: PMC4216187 DOI: 10.1021/bi500289h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Knowing how the protein environment modulates ligand pathways and redox centers in the respiratory heme-copper oxidases is fundamental for understanding the relationship between the structure and function of these enzymes. In this study, we investigated the reactions of O2 and NO with the fully reduced G232V mutant of ba3 cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus (Tt ba3) in which a conserved glycine residue in the O2 channel of the enzyme was replaced with a bulkier valine residue. Previous studies of the homologous mutant of Rhodobacter sphaeroides aa3 cytochrome c oxidase suggested that the valine completely blocked the access of O2 to the active site [Salomonsson, L., et al. (2004) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 101, 11617-11621]. Using photolabile O2 and NO carriers, we find by using time-resolved optical absorption spectroscopy that the rates of O2 and NO binding are not significantly affected in the Tt ba3 G232V mutant. Classical molecular dynamics simulations of diffusion of O2 to the active site in the wild-type enzyme and G232V mutant show that the insertion of the larger valine residue in place of the glycine appears to open up other O2 and NO exit/entrance pathways that allow these ligands unhindered access to the active site, thus compensating for the larger valine residue.
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Affiliation(s)
- William McDonald
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California , Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States
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8
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A third subunit in ancestral cytochrome c-dependent nitric oxide reductases. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 80:4871-8. [PMID: 24907324 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00790-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Reduction of NO to N2O by denitrifiying bacteria is catalyzed either by a monomeric quinol-nitric oxide reductase (qNor) or by a heterodimeric cytochrome c-dependent nitric oxide reductase (cNor). In ancient thermophilic bacteria belonging to the Thermales and Aquificales phylogenetic groups, the cluster encoding the cNor includes a small third gene (norH), in addition to those encoding homologues to the subunits of a typical cNor (norC and norB). We show in Thermus thermophilus that the three genes are cotranscribed in a single mRNA from an inducible promoter. The isolation of individual nor mutants and the production in vivo of His-tagged NorH protein followed by immobilized-metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) allowed us to conclude that NorH constitutes a third subunit of the cNor from T. thermophilus, which is involved in denitrification in vivo, likely allowing more efficient electron transport to cNor.
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Smirnova I, Chang HY, von Ballmoos C, Ädelroth P, Gennis RB, Brzezinski P. Single mutations that redirect internal proton transfer in the ba3 oxidase from Thermus thermophilus. Biochemistry 2013; 52:7022-30. [PMID: 24004023 DOI: 10.1021/bi4008726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The ba3-type cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus is a membrane-bound proton pump. Results from earlier studies have shown that with the aa3-type oxidases proton uptake to the catalytic site and "pump site" occurs simultaneously. However, with ba3 oxidase the pump site is loaded before proton transfer to the catalytic site because the proton transfer to the latter is slower than that with the aa3 oxidases. In addition, the timing of formation and decay of catalytic intermediates is different in the two types of oxidases. In the present study, we have investigated two mutant ba3 CytcOs in which residues of the proton pathway leading to the catalytic site as well as the pump site were exchanged, Thr312Val and Tyr244Phe. Even though ba3 CytcO uses only a single proton pathway for transfer of the substrate and "pumped" protons, the amino-acid residue substitutions had distinctly different effects on the kinetics of proton transfer to the catalytic site and the pump site. The results indicate that the rates of these reactions can be modified independently by replacement of single residues within the proton pathway. Furthermore, the data suggest that the Thr312Val and Tyr244Phe mutations interfere with a structural rearrangement in the proton pathway that is rate limiting for proton transfer to the catalytic site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Smirnova
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University , SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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McDonald W, Funatogawa C, Li Y, Szundi I, Chen Y, Fee JA, Stout CD, Einarsdóttir Ó. Ligand access to the active site in Thermus thermophilus ba(3) and bovine heart aa(3) cytochrome oxidases. Biochemistry 2013; 52:640-52. [PMID: 23282175 DOI: 10.1021/bi301358a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge of the structure and dynamics of the ligand channel(s) in heme-copper oxidases is critical for understanding how the protein environment modulates the functions of these enzymes. Using photolabile NO and O(2) carriers, we recently found that NO and O(2) binding in Thermus thermophilus (Tt) ba(3) is ~10 times faster than in the bovine enzyme, indicating that inherent structural differences affect ligand access in these enzymes. Using X-ray crystallography, time-resolved optical absorption measurements, and theoretical calculations, we investigated ligand access in wild-type Tt ba(3) and the mutants, Y133W, T231F, and Y133W/T231F, in which tyrosine and threonine in the O(2) channel of Tt ba(3) are replaced by the corresponding bulkier tryptophan and phenylalanine, respectively, present in the aa(3) enzymes. NO binding in Y133W and Y133W/T231F was found to be 5 times slower than in wild-type ba(3) and the T231F mutant. The results show that the Tt ba(3) Y133W mutation and the bovine W126 residue physically impede NO access to the binuclear center. In the bovine enzyme, there is a hydrophobic "way station", which may further slow ligand access to the active site. Classical simulations of diffusion of Xe to the active sites in ba(3) and bovine aa(3) show conformational freedom of the bovine F238 and the F231 side chain of the Tt ba(3) Y133W/T231F mutant, with both residues rotating out of the ligand channel, resulting in no effect on ligand access in either enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- William McDonald
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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Luna VM, Fee JA, Deniz AA, Stout CD. Mobility of Xe atoms within the oxygen diffusion channel of cytochrome ba(3) oxidase. Biochemistry 2012; 51:4669-76. [PMID: 22607023 DOI: 10.1021/bi3003988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We use a form of "freeze-trap, kinetic crystallography" to explore the migration of Xe atoms away from the dinuclear heme a(3)/Cu(B) center in Thermus thermophilus cytochrome ba(3) oxidase. This enzyme is a member of the heme-copper oxidase superfamily and is thus crucial for dioxygen-dependent life. The mechanisms involved in the migration of oxygen, water, electrons, and protons into and/or out of the specialized channels of the heme-copper oxidases are generally not well understood. Pressurization of crystals with Xe gas previously revealed a O(2) diffusion channel in cytochrome ba(3) oxidase that is continuous, Y-shaped, 18-20 Å in length and comprised of hydrophobic residues, connecting the protein surface within the bilayer to the a(3)-Cu(B) center in the active site. To understand movement of gas molecules within the O(2) channel, we performed crystallographic analysis of 19 Xe laden crystals freeze-trapped in liquid nitrogen at selected times between 0 and 480 s while undergoing outgassing at room temperature. Variation in Xe crystallographic occupancy at five discrete sites as a function of time leads to a kinetic model revealing relative degrees of mobility of Xe atoms within the channel. Xe egress occurs primarily through the channel formed by the Xe1 → Xe5 → Xe3 → Xe4 sites, suggesting that ingress of O(2) is likely to occur by the reverse of this process. The channel itself appears not to undergo significant structural changes during Xe migration, thereby indicating a passive role in this important physiological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Mitch Luna
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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Radzi Noor M, Soulimane T. Bioenergetics at extreme temperature: Thermus thermophilus ba(3)- and caa(3)-type cytochrome c oxidases. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2012; 1817:638-49. [PMID: 22385645 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2011.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2011] [Revised: 08/11/2011] [Accepted: 08/12/2011] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Seven years into the completion of the genome sequencing projects of the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus strains HB8 and HB27, many questions remain on its bioenergetic mechanisms. A key fact that is occasionally overlooked is that oxygen has a very limited solubility in water at high temperatures. The HB8 strain is a facultative anaerobe whereas its relative HB27 is strictly aerobic. This has been attributed to the absence of nitrate respiration genes from the HB27 genome that are carried on a mobilizable but highly-unstable plasmid. In T. thermophilus, the nitrate respiration complements the primary aerobic respiration. It is widely known that many organisms encode multiple biochemically-redundant components of the respiratory complexes. In this minireview, the presence of the two cytochrome c oxidases (CcO) in T. thermophilus, the ba(3)- and caa(3)-types, is outlined along with functional considerations. We argue for the distinct evolutionary histories of these two CcO including their respective genetic and molecular organizations, with the caa(3)-oxidase subunits having been initially 'fused'. Coupled with sequence analysis, the ba(3)-oxidase crystal structure has provided evolutionary and functional information; for example, its subunit I is more closely related to archaeal sequences than bacterial and the substrate-enzyme interaction is hydrophobic as the elevated growth temperature weakens the electrostatic interactions common in mesophiles. Discussion on the role of cofactors in intra- and intermolecular electron transfer and proton pumping mechanism is also included.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Radzi Noor
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
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Liu B, Zhang Y, Sage JT, Soltis SM, Doukov T, Chen Y, Stout CD, Fee JA. Structural changes that occur upon photolysis of the Fe(II)(a3)-CO complex in the cytochrome ba(3)-oxidase of Thermus thermophilus: a combined X-ray crystallographic and infrared spectral study demonstrates CO binding to Cu(B). BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2012; 1817:658-65. [PMID: 22226917 PMCID: PMC3294259 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2011.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2011] [Revised: 12/09/2011] [Accepted: 12/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of the work was to provide a crystallographic demonstration of the venerable idea that CO photolyzed from ferrous heme-a(3) moves to the nearby cuprous ion in the cytochrome c oxidases. Crystal structures of CO-bound cytochrome ba(3)-oxidase from Thermus thermophilus, determined at ~2.8-3.2Å resolution, reveal a Fe-C distance of ~2.0Å, a Cu-O distance of 2.4Å and a Fe-C-O angle of ~126°. Upon photodissociation at 100K, X-ray structures indicate loss of Fe(a3)-CO and appearance of Cu(B)-CO having a Cu-C distance of ~1.9Å and an O-Fe distance of ~2.3Å. Absolute FTIR spectra recorded from single crystals of reduced ba(3)-CO that had not been exposed to X-ray radiation, showed several peaks around 1975cm(-1); after photolysis at 100K, the absolute FTIR spectra also showed a significant peak at 2050cm(-1). Analysis of the 'light' minus 'dark' difference spectra showed four very sharp CO stretching bands at 1970cm(-1), 1977cm(-1), 1981cm(-1), and 1985cm(-1), previously assigned to the Fe(a3)-CO complex, and a significantly broader CO stretching band centered at ~2050cm(-1), previously assigned to the CO stretching frequency of Cu(B) bound CO. As expected for light propagating along the tetragonal axis of the P4(3)2(1)2 space group, the single crystal spectra exhibit negligible dichroism. Absolute FTIR spectrometry of a CO-laden ba(3) crystal, exposed to an amount of X-ray radiation required to obtain structural data sets before FTIR characterization, showed a significant signal due to photogenerated CO(2) at 2337cm(-1) and one from traces of CO at 2133cm(-1); while bands associated with CO bound to either Fe(a3) or to Cu(B) in "light" minus "dark" FTIR difference spectra shifted and broadened in response to X-ray exposure. In spite of considerable radiation damage to the crystals, both X-ray analysis at 2.8 and 3.2Å and FTIR spectra support the long-held position that photolysis of Fe(a3)-CO in cytochrome c oxidases leads to significant trapping of the CO on the Cu(B) atom; Fe(a3) and Cu(B) ligation, at the resolutions reported here, are otherwise unaltered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Liu
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Physics and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems, Northeastern University, 110 Forsyth St., Boston MA 02115
| | - J. Timothy Sage
- Department of Physics and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Complex Systems, Northeastern University, 110 Forsyth St., Boston MA 02115
| | - S. Michael Soltis
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park CA 94025
| | - Tzanko Doukov
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park CA 94025
| | - Ying Chen
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - C. David Stout
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - James A. Fee
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037
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Exploring the proton pump and exit pathway for pumped protons in cytochrome ba3 from Thermus thermophilus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:5259-64. [PMID: 22431640 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1107345109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The heme-copper oxygen reductases are redox-driven proton pumps. In the current work, the effects of mutations in a proposed exit pathway for pumped protons are examined in the ba(3)-type oxygen reductase from Thermus thermophilus, leading from the propionates of heme a(3) to the interface between subunits I and II. Recent studies have proposed important roles for His376 and Asp372, both of which are hydrogen-bonded to propionate-A of heme a(3), and for Glu126(II) (subunit II), which is hydrogen-bonded to His376. Based on the current results, His376, Glu126(II), and Asp372 are not essential for either oxidase activity or proton pumping. In addition, Tyr133, which is hydrogen-bonded to propionate-D of heme a(3), was also shown not to be essential for function. However, two mutations of the residues hydrogen-bonded to propionate-A, Asp372Ile and His376Asn, retain high electron transfer activity and normal spectral features but, in different preparations, either do not pump protons or exhibit substantially diminished proton pumping. It is concluded that either propionate-A of heme a(3) or possibly the cluster of groups centered about the conserved water molecule that hydrogen-bonds to both propionates-A and -D of heme a(3) is a good candidate to be the proton loading site.
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15
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Egawa T, Chen Y, Fee JA, Yeh SR, Rousseau DL. The rate-limiting step in O(2) reduction by cytochrome ba(3) from Thermus thermophilus. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2011; 1817:666-71. [PMID: 22138627 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2011.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2011] [Revised: 11/10/2011] [Accepted: 11/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Cytochrome ba(3) (ba(3)) of Thermus thermophilus (T. thermophilus) is a member of the heme-copper oxidase family, which has a binuclear catalytic center comprised of a heme (heme a(3)) and a copper (Cu(B)). The heme-copper oxidases generally catalyze the four electron reduction of molecular oxygen in a sequence involving several intermediates. We have investigated the reaction of the fully reduced ba(3) with O(2) using stopped-flow techniques. Transient visible absorption spectra indicated that a fraction of the enzyme decayed to the oxidized state within the dead time (~1ms) of the stopped-flow instrument, while the remaining amount was in a reduced state that decayed slowly (k=400s(-1)) to the oxidized state without accumulation of detectable intermediates. Furthermore, no accumulation of intermediate species at 1ms was detected in time resolved resonance Raman measurements of the reaction. These findings suggest that O(2) binds rapidly to heme a(3) in one fraction of the enzyme and progresses to the oxidized state. In the other fraction of the enzyme, O(2) binds transiently to a trap, likely Cu(B), prior to its migration to heme a(3) for the oxidative reaction, highlighting the critical role of Cu(B) in regulating the oxygen reaction kinetics in the oxidase superfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Egawa
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
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16
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Tiefenbrunn T, Liu W, Chen Y, Katritch V, Stout CD, Fee JA, Cherezov V. High resolution structure of the ba3 cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus in a lipidic environment. PLoS One 2011; 6:e22348. [PMID: 21814577 PMCID: PMC3141039 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2011] [Accepted: 06/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The fundamental chemistry underpinning aerobic life on Earth involves reduction of dioxygen to water with concomitant proton translocation. This process is catalyzed by members of the heme-copper oxidase (HCO) superfamily. Despite the availability of crystal structures for all types of HCO, the mode of action for this enzyme is not understood at the atomic level, namely how vectorial H+ and e- transport are coupled. Toward addressing this problem, we report wild type and A120F mutant structures of the ba3-type cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus at 1.8 Å resolution. The enzyme has been crystallized from the lipidic cubic phase, which mimics the biological membrane environment. The structures reveal 20 ordered lipid molecules that occupy binding sites on the protein surface or mediate crystal packing interfaces. The interior of the protein encloses 53 water molecules, including 3 trapped in the designated K-path of proton transfer and 8 in a cluster seen also in A-type enzymes that likely functions in egress of product water and proton translocation. The hydrophobic O2-uptake channel, connecting the active site to the lipid bilayer, contains a single water molecule nearest the CuB atom but otherwise exhibits no residual electron density. The active site contains strong electron density for a pair of bonded atoms bridging the heme Fea3 and CuB atoms that is best modeled as peroxide. The structure of ba3-oxidase reveals new information about the positioning of the enzyme within the membrane and the nature of its interactions with lipid molecules. The atomic resolution details provide insight into the mechanisms of electron transfer, oxygen diffusion into the active site, reduction of oxygen to water, and pumping of protons across the membrane. The development of a robust system for production of ba3-oxidase crystals diffracting to high resolution, together with an established expression system for generating mutants, opens the door for systematic structure-function studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Tiefenbrunn
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Ying Chen
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Vsevolod Katritch
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences and San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - C. David Stout
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - James A. Fee
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (VC); (JF)
| | - Vadim Cherezov
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (VC); (JF)
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17
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Dyuba AV, Arutyunyan AM, Vygodina TV, Azarkina NV, Kalinovich AV, Sharonov YA, Konstantinov AA. Circular dichroism spectra of cytochrome c oxidase. Metallomics 2011; 3:417-32. [DOI: 10.1039/c0mt00099j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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18
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Smirnova I, Reimann J, von Ballmoos C, Chang HY, Gennis RB, Fee JA, Brzezinski P, Adelroth P. Functional role of Thr-312 and Thr-315 in the proton-transfer pathway in ba3 Cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus. Biochemistry 2010; 49:7033-9. [PMID: 20677778 DOI: 10.1021/bi100749p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cytochrome ba(3) from Thermus thermophilus is a member of the family of B-type heme-copper oxidases, which have a low degree of sequence homology to the well-studied mitochondrial-like A-type enzymes. Recently, it was suggested that the ba(3) oxidase has only one pathway for the delivery of protons to the active site and that this pathway is spatially analogous to the K-pathway in the A-type oxidases [Chang, H.-Y., et al. (2009) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 106, 16169-16173]. This suggested pathway includes two threonines at positions 312 and 315. In this study, we investigated the time-resolved reaction between fully reduced cytochrome ba(3) and O(2) in variants where Thr-312 and Thr-315 were modified. While in the A-type oxidases this reaction is essentially unchanged in variants with the K-pathway modified, in the Thr-312 --> Ser variant in the ba(3) oxidase both reactions associated with proton uptake from solution, the P(R) --> F and F --> O transitions, were slowed compared to those of wild-type ba(3). The observed time constants were slowed approximately 3-fold (for P(R) --> F, from 60 to approximately 170 mus in the wild type) and approximately 30-fold (for F --> O, from 1.1 to approximately 40 ms). In the Thr-315 --> Val variant, the F --> O transition was approximately 5-fold slower (5 ms) than for the wild-type oxidase, whereas the P(R) --> F transition displayed an essentially unchanged time constant. However, the uptake of protons from solution was a factor of 2 slower and decoupled from the optical P(R) --> F transition. Our results thus show that proton uptake is significantly and specifically inhibited in the two variants, strongly supporting the suggested involvement of T312 and T315 in the transfer of protons to the active site during O(2) reduction in the ba(3) oxidase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Smirnova
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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19
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A novel heme a insertion factor gene cotranscribes with the Thermus thermophilus cytochrome ba3 oxidase locus. J Bacteriol 2010; 192:4712-9. [PMID: 20622059 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00548-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying the biogenesis of the Thermus thermophilus cytochrome ba(3) oxidase, we analyze heme a cofactor insertion into this membrane protein complex. Only three proteins linked to oxidase maturation have been described for this extreme thermophile, and in particular, no evidence for a canonical Surf1 homologue, required for heme a insertion, is available from genome sequence data. Here, we characterize the product of an open reading frame, cbaX, in the operon encoding subunits of the ba(3)-type cytochrome c oxidase. CbaX shares no sequence identity with any known oxidase biogenesis factor, and CbaX homologues are found only in the Thermaceae group. In a series of cbaX deletion and complementation experiments, we demonstrate that the resulting ba(3) oxidase complexes, affinity purified via an internally inserted His tag located in subunit I, are severely affected in their enzymatic activities and heme compositions in both the low- and high-spin sites. Thus, CbaX displays typical features of a generic Surf1 factor essential for binding and positioning the heme a moiety for correct assembly into the protein scaffold of oxidase subunit I.
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20
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The cytochrome ba3 oxygen reductase from Thermus thermophilus uses a single input channel for proton delivery to the active site and for proton pumping. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:16169-73. [PMID: 19805275 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0905264106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The heme-copper oxygen reductases are redox-driven proton pumps that generate a proton motive force in both prokaryotes and mitochondria. These enzymes have been divided into 3 evolutionarily related groups: the A-, B- and C-families. Most experimental work on proton-pumping mechanisms has been performed with members of the A-family. These enzymes require 2 proton input pathways (D- and K-channels) to transfer protons used for oxygen reduction chemistry and for proton pumping, with the D-channel transporting all pumped protons. In this work we use site-directed mutagenesis to demonstrate that the ba(3) oxygen reductase from Thermus thermophilus, a representative of the B-family, does not contain a D-channel. Rather, it utilizes only 1 proton input channel, analogous to that of the A-family K-channel, and it delivers protons to the active site for both O2 chemistry and proton pumping. Comparison of available subunit I sequences reveals that the only structural elements conserved within the oxygen reductase families that could perform these functions are active-site components, namely the covalently linked histidine-tyrosine, the Cu(B) and its ligands, and the active-site heme and its ligands. Therefore, our data suggest that all oxygen reductases perform the same chemical reactions for oxygen reduction and comprise the essential elements of the proton-pumping mechanism (e.g., the proton-loading and kinetic-gating sites). These sites, however, cannot be located within the D-channel. These results along with structural considerations point to the A-propionate region of the active-site heme and surrounding water molecules as the proton-loading site.
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21
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Liu B, Chen Y, Doukov T, Soltis SM, Stout CD, Fee JA. Combined microspectrophotometric and crystallographic examination of chemically reduced and X-ray radiation-reduced forms of cytochrome ba3 oxidase from Thermus thermophilus: structure of the reduced form of the enzyme. Biochemistry 2009; 48:820-6. [PMID: 19140675 DOI: 10.1021/bi801759a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Three paths for obtaining crystals of reduced (II-E4Q/I-K258R) cytochrome ba(3) are described, and the structures of these are reported at approximately 2.8-3.0 A resolution. Microspectrophotometry of single crystals of Thermus ba(3) oxidase at 100 K was used to show that crystals of the oxidized enzyme are reduced in an intense X-ray (beam line 7-1 at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory), being nearly complete in 1 min. The previously reported structures of ba(3) (Protein Data Bank entries 1EHK and 1XME ), having a crystallographically detectable water between the Cu(B) and Fe(a3) metals of the dinuclear center, actually represent the X-ray radiation-reduced enzyme. Dithionite-reduced crystals or crystals formed from dithionite-reduced enzyme revealed the absence of the above-mentioned water and an increase in the Cu(B)-Fe(a3) distance of approximately 0.3 A. The new structures are discussed in terms of enzyme function. An unexpected optical absorption envelope at approximately 590 nm is also reported. This spectral feature is tentatively thought to arise from a five-coordinate, low-spin, ferrous heme a(3) that is trapped in the frozen crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Liu
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
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22
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Hayashi T, Lin MT, Ganesan K, Chen Y, Fee JA, Gennis RB, Moënne-Loccoz P. Accommodation of two diatomic molecules in cytochrome bo: insights into NO reductase activity in terminal oxidases. Biochemistry 2009; 48:883-90. [PMID: 19187032 DOI: 10.1021/bi801915r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial heme-copper terminal oxidases react quickly with NO to form a heme-nitrosyl complex, which, in some of these enzymes, can further react with a second NO molecule to produce N(2)O. Previously, we characterized the heme a(3)-NO complex formed in cytochrome ba(3) from Thermus thermophilus and the product of its low-temperature illumination. We showed that the photolyzed NO group binds to Cu(B)(I) to form an end-on NO-Cu(B) or a side-on copper-nitrosyl complex, which is likely to represent the binding characteristics of the second NO molecule at the heme-copper active site. Here we present a comparative study with cytochrome bo(3) from Escherichia coli. Both terminal oxidases are shown to catalyze the same two-electron reduction of NO to N(2)O. The EPR and resonance Raman signatures of the heme o(3)-NO complex are comparable to those of the a(3)-NO complex. However, low-temperature FTIR experiments reveal that photolysis of the heme o(3)-NO complex does not produce a Cu(B)-nitrosyl complex, but that instead, the NO remains unbound in the active-site cavity. Additional FTIR photolysis experiments on the heme-nitrosyl complexes of these terminal oxidases, in the presence of CO, demonstrate that an [o(3)-NO.OC-Cu(B)] tertiary complex can form in bo(3) but not in ba(3). We assign these differences to a greater iron-copper distance in the reduced form of bo(3) compared to that of ba(3). Because this difference in metal-metal distance does not appear to affect the NO reductase activity, our results suggest that the coordination of the second NO to Cu(B) is not an essential step of the reaction mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Hayashi
- Department of Science and Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, 20,000 NW Walker Road, Beaverton, Oregon 97006-8921, USA
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23
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Electron and proton transfer in the ba(3) oxidase from Thermus thermophilus. J Bioenerg Biomembr 2008; 40:281-7. [PMID: 18752061 DOI: 10.1007/s10863-008-9157-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2008] [Accepted: 07/30/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The ba(3)-type cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus is phylogenetically very distant from the aa(3)-type cytochrome c oxidases. Nevertheless, both types of oxidases have the same number of redox-active metal sites and the reduction of O(2) to water is catalysed at a haem a(3)-Cu(B) catalytic site. The three-dimensional structure of the ba(3) oxidase reveals three possible proton-conducting pathways showing very low homology compared to those of the mitochondrial, Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Paracoccus denitrificans aa(3) oxidases. In this study we investigated the oxidative part of the catalytic cycle of the ba( 3 )-cytochrome c oxidase using the flow-flash method. After flash-induced dissociation of CO from the fully reduced enzyme in the presence of oxygen we observed rapid oxidation of cytochrome b (k congruent with 6.8 x 10(4) s(-1)) and formation of the peroxy (P(R)) intermediate. In the next step a proton was taken up from solution with a rate constant of approximately 1.7 x 10(4) s(-1), associated with formation of the ferryl (F) intermediate, simultaneous with transient reduction of haem b. Finally, the enzyme was oxidized with a rate constant of approximately 1,100 s(-1), accompanied by additional proton uptake. The total proton uptake stoichiometry in the oxidative part of the catalytic cycle was approximately 1.5 protons per enzyme molecule. The results support the earlier proposal that the P(R) and F intermediate spectra are similar (Siletsky et al. Biochim Biophys Acta 1767:138, 2007) and show that even though the architecture of the proton-conducting pathways is different in the ba(3) oxidases, the proton-uptake reactions occur over the same time scales as in the aa(3)-type oxidases.
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24
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Luna VM, Chen Y, Fee JA, Stout CD. Crystallographic studies of Xe and Kr binding within the large internal cavity of cytochrome ba3 from Thermus thermophilus: structural analysis and role of oxygen transport channels in the heme-Cu oxidases. Biochemistry 2008; 47:4657-65. [PMID: 18376849 DOI: 10.1021/bi800045y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Cytochrome ba3 is a cytochrome c oxidase from the plasma membrane of Thermus thermophilus and is the preferred terminal enzyme of cellular respiration at low dioxygen tensions. Using cytochrome ba 3 crystals pressurized at varying conditions under Xe or Kr gas, and X-ray data for six crystals, we identify the relative affinities of Xe and Kr atoms for as many as seven distinct binding sites. These sites track a continuous, Y-shaped channel, 18-20 A in length, lined by hydrophobic residues, which leads from the surface of the protein where two entrance holes, representing the top of the Y, connect the bilayer to the a3-CuB center at the base of the Y. Considering the increased affinity of O2 for hydrophobic environments, the hydrophobic nature of the channel, its orientation within the bilayer, its connection to the active site, its uniform diameter, its virtually complete occupation by Xe, and its isomorphous presence in the native enzyme, we infer that the channel is a diffusion pathway for O2 into the dinuclear center of cytochrome ba3. These observations provide a basis for analyzing similar channels in other oxidases of known structure, and these structures are discussed in terms of mechanisms of O2 transport in biological systems, details of CO binding to and egress from the dinuclear center, the bifurcation of the oxygen-in and water-out pathways, and the possible role of the oxygen channel in aerobic thermophily.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Mitch Luna
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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25
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Liu B, Luna VM, Chen Y, Stout CD, Fee JA. An unexpected outcome of surface engineering an integral membrane protein: improved crystallization of cytochrome ba(3) from Thermus thermophilus. Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun 2007; 63:1029-34. [PMID: 18084085 PMCID: PMC2344090 DOI: 10.1107/s1744309107054176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2007] [Accepted: 10/29/2007] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Past work has shown that it is feasible to mutate surface residues of soluble proteins and to a lesser extent membrane proteins in order to improve their crystallization behavior. Described here is a successful application of this approach to the integral membrane protein Thermus thermophilus cytochrome ba(3) oxidase. Two mutant forms of this enzyme (I-K258R and I-K258R/II-E4Q) were created in which symmetrical crystal contacts within crystals of wild-type enzyme were modified. These mutant proteins had greatly shortened crystallization times, decreasing from approximately 30 d for the wild type to 1-3 d for the mutants, and crystallization was highly reproducible. Native-like proteins crystallize in space group P4(3)2(1)2, whereas the mutant proteins crystallize in space group P4(1)2(1)2 with a different packing arrangement. Crystals of the P4(3)2(1)2 form occasionally diffracted to 2.4-2.3 A resolution following controlled dehydration, while those of the P4(1)2(1)2 form routinely diffracted to between 3.0 and 2.6 A for crystals that had been cryoprotected but not dehydrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Liu
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla CA 92037, USA
| | - V. Mitch Luna
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla CA 92037, USA
| | - Ying Chen
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla CA 92037, USA
| | - C. David Stout
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla CA 92037, USA
| | - James A. Fee
- The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Molecular Biology, MB-8, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla CA 92037, USA
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Hayashi T, Lin IJ, Chen Y, Fee JA, Moënne-Loccoz P. Fourier transform infrared characterization of a CuB-nitrosyl complex in cytochrome ba3 from Thermus thermophilus: relevance to NO reductase activity in heme-copper terminal oxidases. J Am Chem Soc 2007; 129:14952-8. [PMID: 17997553 DOI: 10.1021/ja074600a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The two heme-copper terminal oxidases of Thermus thermophilus have been shown to catalyze the two-electron reduction of nitric oxide (NO) to nitrous oxide (N2O) [Giuffre, A.; Stubauer, G.; Sarti, P.; Brunori, M.; Zumft, W. G.; Buse, G.; Soulimane, T. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1999, 96, 14718-14723]. While it is well-established that NO binds to the reduced heme a3 to form a low-spin heme {FeNO}7 species, the role CuB plays in the binding of the second NO remains unclear. Here we present low-temperature FTIR photolysis experiments carried out on the NO complex formed by addition of NO to fully reduced cytochrome ba3. Low-temperature UV-vis, EPR, and RR spectroscopies confirm the binding of NO to the heme a3 and the efficiency of the photolysis at 30 K. The nu(NO) modes from the light-induced FTIR difference spectra are isolated from other perturbed vibrations using 15NO and 15N18O. The nu(N-O)a3 is observed at 1622 cm-1, and upon photolysis, it is replaced by a new nu(N-O) at 1589 cm-1 assigned to a CuB-nitrosyl complex. This N-O stretching frequency is more than 100 cm-1 lower than those reported for Cu-NO models with three N-ligands and for CuB+-NO in bovine aa3. Because the UV-vis and RR data do not support a bridging configuration between CuB and heme a3 for the photolyzed NO, we assign the exceptionally low nu(NO) to an O-bound (eta1-O) or a side-on (eta2-NO) CuB-nitrosyl complex. From this study, we propose that, after binding of a first NO molecule to the heme a3 of fully reduced Tt ba3, the formation of an N-bound {CuNO}11 is prevented, and the addition of a second NO produces an O-bond CuB-hyponitrite species bridging CuB and Fea3. In contrast, bovine cytochrome c oxidase is believed to form an N-bound CuB-NO species; the [{FeNO}7{CuNO}11] complex is suggested here to be an inhibitory complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Hayashi
- Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
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27
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Abstract
A series of metalloprotein complexes embedded in a mitochondrial or bacterial membrane utilize electron transfer reactions to pump protons across the membrane and create an electrochemical potential (DeltamuH+). Current understanding of the principles of electron-driven proton transfer is discussed, mainly with respect to the wealth of knowledge available from studies of cytochrome c oxidase. Structural, experimental, and theoretical evidence supports the model of long-distance proton transfer via hydrogen-bonded water chains in proteins as well as the basic concept that proton uptake and release in a redox-driven pump are driven by charge changes at the membrane-embedded centers. Key elements in the pumping mechanism may include bound water, carboxylates, and the heme propionates, arginines, and associated water above the hemes. There is evidence for an important role of subunit III and proton backflow, but the number and nature of gating mechanisms remain elusive, as does the mechanism of physiological control of efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan P. Hosler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi 39216;
| | - Shelagh Ferguson-Miller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824; ,
| | - Denise A. Mills
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824; ,
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28
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Farver O, Chen Y, Fee JA, Pecht I. Electron transfer among the CuA-, heme b- and a3-centers of Thermus thermophilus cytochrome ba3. FEBS Lett 2006; 580:3417-21. [PMID: 16712843 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2006.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2006] [Revised: 04/27/2006] [Accepted: 05/03/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The 1-methyl-nicotinamide radical (MNA(*)), produced by pulse radiolysis has previously been shown to reduce the Cu(A)-site of cytochromes aa(3), a process followed by intramolecular electron transfer (ET) to the heme a but not to the heme a(3) [Farver, O., Grell, E., Ludwig, B., Michel, H. and Pecht, I. (2006) Rates and equilibrium of CuA to heme a electron transfer in Paracoccus denitrificans cytochrome c oxidase. Biophys. J. 90, 2131-2137]. Investigating this process in the cytochrome ba(3) of Thermus thermophilus (Tt), we now show that MNA(*) also reduces Cu(A) with a subsequent ET to the heme b and then to heme a(3), with first-order rate constants 11200 s(-1), and 770 s(-1), respectively. The results provide clear evidence for ET among the three spectroscopically distinguishable centers and indicate that the binuclear a(3)-Cu(B) center can be reduced in molecules containing a single reduction equivalent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ole Farver
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, The Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Albers SV, Jonuscheit M, Dinkelaker S, Urich T, Kletzin A, Tampé R, Driessen AJM, Schleper C. Production of recombinant and tagged proteins in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus. Appl Environ Microbiol 2006; 72:102-11. [PMID: 16391031 PMCID: PMC1352248 DOI: 10.1128/aem.72.1.102-111.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Many systems are available for the production of recombinant proteins in bacterial and eukaryotic model organisms, which allow us to study proteins in their native hosts and to identify protein-protein interaction partners. In contrast, only a few transformation systems have been developed for archaea, and no system for high-level gene expression existed for hyperthermophilic organisms. Recently, a virus-based shuttle vector with a reporter gene was developed for the crenarchaeote Sulfolobus solfataricus, a model organism of hyperthermophilic archaea that grows optimally at 80 degrees C (M. Jonuscheit, E. Martusewitsch, K. M. Stedman, and C. Schleper, Mol. Microbiol. 48:1241-1252, 2003). Here we have refined this system for high-level gene expression in S. solfataricus with the help of two different promoters, the heat-inducible promoter of the major chaperonin, thermophilic factor 55, and the arabinose-inducible promoter of the arabinose-binding protein AraS. Functional expression of heterologous and homologous genes was demonstrated, including production of the cytoplasmic sulfur oxygenase reductase from Acidianus ambivalens, an Fe-S protein of the ABC class from S. solfataricus, and two membrane-associated ATPases potentially involved in the secretion of proteins. Single-step purification of the proteins was obtained via fused His or Strep tags. To our knowledge, these are the first examples of the application of an expression vector system to produce large amounts of recombinant and also tagged proteins in a hyperthermophilic archaeon.
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Affiliation(s)
- S-V Albers
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Haren, The Netherlands
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