Cloning, expression and crystallization of heterotetrameric sarcosine oxidase from Pseudomonas maltophilia

Biodegradation of selected aminophosphonates by the bacterial isolate Ochrobactrum sp. BTU1

Aminophosphonates, like glyphosate (GS) or metal chelators such as ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonic acid) (EDTMP), are released on a large scale worldwide. Here, we have characterized a bacterial strain capable of degrading synthetic aminophosphonates. The strain was isolated from LC/MS standard solution. Genome sequencing indicated that the strain belongs to the genus Ochrobactrum. Whole-genome classification using pyANI software to compute a pairwise ANI and other metrics between Brucella assemblies and Ochrobactrum contigs revealed that the bacterial strain is designated as Ochrobactrum sp. BTU1. Degradation batch tests with Ochrobactrum sp. BTU1 and the selected aminophosphonates GS, EDTMP, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), iminodi(methylene-phosphonic) (IDMP) and ethylaminobis(methylenephosphonic) acid (EABMP) showed that the strain can use all phosphonates as sole phosphorus source during phosphorus starvation. The highest growth rate was achieved with AMPA, while EDTMP and GS were least supportive for growth. Proteome analysis revealed that GS degradation is promoted by C-P lyase via the sarcosine pathway, i.e., initial cleavage at the C-P bond. We also identified C-P lyase to be responsible for degradation of EDTMP, EABMP, IDMP and AMPA. However, the identification of the metabolite ethylenediaminetri(methylenephosphonic acid) via LC/MS analysis in the test medium during EDTMP degradation indicates a different initial cleavage step as compared to GS. For EDTMP, it is evident that the initial cleavage occurs at the C-N bond. The detection of different key enzymes at regulated levels, form the bacterial proteoms during EDTMP exposure, further supports this finding. This study illustrates that widely used and structurally more complex aminophosphonates can be degraded by Ochrobactrum sp. BTU1 via the well-known degradation pathways but with different initial cleavage strategy compared to GS.

Novel standard biodegradation test for synthetic phosphonates

Determination of biodegradation of synthetic phosphonates such as aminotris(methylenephosphonic acid) (ATMP), ethylenediamine tetra(methylenephosphonic acid) (EDTMP), or diethylenetriamine penta(methylenephosphonic acid) (DTPMP) is a great challenge. Commonly, ready biodegradability of organic substances is assessed by OECD 301 standard tests. However, due to the chemical imbalance of carbon to phosphorus synthetic phosphonates do not promote microbial growth and, thus, limiting its biodegradation. Therefore, standard OECD test methods are not always reliable to predict the real biodegradability of phosphonates. In the presented study, we report the development of a standardized batch system suitable to synthetic phosphonates such as ATMP, EDTMP, DTPMP and others. The novel standard batch test is applicable with pure strains, activated sludge from different wastewater treatment plants (i.e., municipal and industrial), and with tap water as inoculum. We optimized the required calcium and magnesium exposure levels as well as the amount of the start inoculum biomass. We demonstrated that our test also allows to determine several parameters including ortho-phosphate (o-PO43-), total phosphorus (TP), ammonium (NH4+) and total organic carbon (TOC). In addition, also LC/MS analyses of cell-free medium is applicable for determining the mother compounds and metabolites. We applied our optimized standardized batch with selected phosphonates and evidenced that the chemical structure has a major influence of the microbial growth rates. Thus, our novel batch test overcomes drawbacks of the OECD 301 test series for determination of easy biodegradability for stoichiometric imbalanced organic compounds such as phosphonates.

Molecular mechanisms underlying glyphosate resistance in bacteria

Glyphosate is a nonselective herbicide that kills weeds and other plants competing with crops. Glyphosate specifically inhibits the 5-enolpyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase, thereby depleting the cell of EPSP serving as a precursor for biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids. Glyphosate is considered to be toxicologically safe for animals and humans. Therefore, it became the most-important herbicide in agriculture. However, its intensive application in agriculture is a serious environmental issue because it may negatively affect the biodiversity. A few years after the discovery of the mode of action of glyphosate, it has been observed that bacteria evolve glyphosate resistance by acquiring mutations in the EPSP synthase gene, rendering the encoded enzyme less sensitive to the herbicide. The identification of glyphosate-resistant EPSP synthase variants paved the way for engineering crops tolerating increased amounts of the herbicide. This review intends to summarize the molecular mechanisms underlying glyphosate resistance in bacteria. Bacteria can evolve glyphosate resistance by (i) reducing glyphosate sensitivity or elevating production of the EPSP synthase, by (ii) degrading or (iii) detoxifying glyphosate and by (iv) decreasing the uptake or increasing the export of the herbicide. The variety of glyphosate resistance mechanisms illustrates the adaptability of bacteria to anthropogenic substances due to genomic alterations.

The family of sarcosine oxidases: Same reaction, different products

The subfamily of sarcosine oxidase is a set of enzymes within the larger family of amine oxidases. It is ubiquitously distributed among different kingdoms of life. The member enzymes catalyze the oxidization of an N-methyl amine bond of amino acids to yield unstable imine species that undergo subsequent spontaneous non-enzymatic reactions, forming an array of different products. These products range from demethylated simple species to complex alkaloids. The enzymes belonging to the sarcosine oxidase family, namely, monomeric and heterotetrameric sarcosine oxidase, l-pipecolate oxidase, N-methyltryptophan oxidase, NikD, l-proline dehydrogenase, FsqB, fructosamine oxidase and saccharopine oxidase have unique features differentiating them from other amine oxidases. This review highlights the key attributes of the sarcosine oxidase family enzymes, in terms of their substrate binding motif, type of oxidation reaction mediated and FAD regeneration, to define the boundaries of this group and demarcate these enzymes from other amine oxidase families.

Sarcosine Catabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Is Transcriptionally Regulated by SouR

Sarcosine (N-methylglycine) is present in many environments inhabited by pseudomonads and is likely most often encountered as an intermediate in the metabolism of choline, carnitine, creatine, and glyphosate. While the enzymology of sarcosine metabolism has been relatively well studied in bacteria, the regulatory mechanisms governing catabolism have remained largely unknown. We previously determined that the sarcosine-catabolic (sox) operon of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is induced by the AraC family regulator GbdR in response to glycine betaine and dimethylglycine. However, induction of these genes was still observed in response to sarcosine in a gbdR deletion mutant, indicating that an independent sarcosine-responsive transcription factor also acted at this locus. Our goal in this study was to identify and characterize this regulator. Using a transposon-based genetic screen, we identified PA4184, or SouR (sarcosine oxidation and utilization regulator), as the sarcosine-responsive regulator of the sox operon, with tight induction specificity for sarcosine. The souR gene is required for appreciable growth on sarcosine as a carbon and nitrogen source. We also characterized the transcriptome response to sarcosine governed by SouR using microarray analyses and performed electrophoretic mobility shift assays to identify promoters directly regulated by the transcription factor. Finally, we characterized PA3630, or GfnR (glutathione-dependent formaldehyde neutralization regulator), as the regulator of the glutathione-dependent formaldehyde detoxification system in P. aeruginosa that is expressed in response to formaldehyde released during the catabolism of sarcosine. This study expands our understanding of sarcosine metabolic regulation in bacteria through the identification and characterization of the first known sarcosine-responsive transcriptional regulator.

IMPORTANCE

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa genome encodes many diverse metabolic pathways, yet the specific transcription regulators controlling their expression remain mostly unknown. Here, we used a genetic screen to identify the sarcosine-specific regulator of the sarcosine oxidase operon, which we have named SouR. SouR is the first bacterial regulator shown to respond to sarcosine, and it is required for growth on sarcosine. Sarcosine is found in its free form and is also an intermediate in the catabolic pathways of glycine betaine, carnitine, creatine, and glyphosate. The similarity of SouR to the regulators of carnitine and glycine betaine catabolism suggests evolutionary diversification within this regulatory family to allow response to structurally similar but physiologically distinct ligands.

Utilization of glyphosate as phosphate source: biochemistry and genetics of bacterial carbon-phosphorus lyase

After several decades of use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in weed killers such as Roundup, in fields, forests, and gardens, the biochemical pathway of transformation of glyphosate phosphorus to a useful phosphorus source for microorganisms has been disclosed. Glyphosate is a member of a large group of chemicals, phosphonic acids or phosphonates, which are characterized by a carbon-phosphorus bond. This is in contrast to the general phosphorus compounds utilized and metabolized by microorganisms. Here phosphorus is found as phosphoric acid or phosphate ion, phosphoric acid esters, or phosphoric acid anhydrides. The latter compounds contain phosphorus that is bound only to oxygen. Hydrolytic, oxidative, and radical-based mechanisms for carbon-phosphorus bond cleavage have been described. This review deals with the radical-based mechanism employed by the carbon-phosphorus lyase of the carbon-phosphorus lyase pathway, which involves reactions for activation of phosphonate, carbon-phosphorus bond cleavage, and further chemical transformation before a useful phosphate ion is generated in a series of seven or eight enzyme-catalyzed reactions. The phn genes, encoding the enzymes for this pathway, are widespread among bacterial species. The processes are described with emphasis on glyphosate as a substrate. Additionally, the catabolism of glyphosate is intimately connected with that of aminomethylphosphonate, which is also treated in this review. Results of physiological and genetic analyses are combined with those of bioinformatics analyses.

Homeostasis and catabolism of choline and glycine betaine: lessons from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Most sequenced bacteria possess mechanisms to import choline and glycine betaine (GB) into the cytoplasm. The primary role of choline in bacteria appears to be as the precursor to GB, and GB is thought to primarily act as a potent osmoprotectant. Choline and GB may play accessory roles in shaping microbial communities, based on their limited availability and ability to enhance survival under stress conditions. Choline and GB enrichment near eukaryotes suggests a role in the chemical relationships between these two kingdoms, and some of these interactions have been experimentally demonstrated. While many bacteria can convert choline to GB for osmoprotection, a variety of soil- and water-dwelling bacteria have catabolic pathways for the multistep conversion of choline, via GB, to glycine and can thereby use choline and GB as sole sources of carbon and nitrogen. In these choline catabolizers, the GB intermediate represents a metabolic decision point to determine whether GB is catabolized or stored as an osmo- and stress protectant. This minireview focuses on this decision point in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which aerobically catabolizes choline and can use GB as an osmoprotectant and a nutrient source. P. aeruginosa is an experimentally tractable and ecologically relevant model to study the regulatory pathways controlling choline and GB homeostasis in choline-catabolizing bacteria. The study of P. aeruginosa associations with eukaryotes and other bacteria also makes this a powerful model to study the impact of choline and GB, and their associated regulatory and catabolic pathways, on host-microbe and microbe-microbe relationships.

Architecture and characterization of sarcosine oxidase from Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1

Sarcosine oxidase (SOX) catalyzes the oxidation of the methyl group in sarcosine and transfer of the oxidized methyl group into the one-carbon metabolic pool. Here, we separately cloned and expressed α and β subunit of SOX from Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1 (TkSOX) in Escherichia coli and the recombinant proteins were purified to homogeneity. Gel filtration chromatography and transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that the α subunit formed a dimeric structure and behaved as an NADH dehydrogenase; β subunit was a tetramer that had sarcosine oxidase and L: -proline dehydrogenase activity. The TkSOX complex assembled into the hetero-octameric (αβ)(4) form and had NADH dehydrogenase activity. Gold-label analysis indicated that α and β subunits were oriented in the alternative form. Based on these results, we suggested that TkSOX was a multifunctional enzyme and that each subunit and (αβ)(4) complex may separately exist as a function enzyme in different conditions.

Identification of a stable flavin-thiolate adduct in heterotetrameric sarcosine oxidase

Heterotetrameric sarcosine oxidase (TSOX) is a complex bifunctional flavoenzyme that contains two flavins. Most of the FMN in recombinant TSOX is present as a covalent adduct with an endogenous ligand. Enzyme denaturation disrupts the adduct, accompanied by release of a stoichiometric amount of sulfide. Enzyme containing>or=90% unmodified FMN is prepared by displacement of the endogenous ligand with sulfite, a less tightly bound competing ligand. Reaction of adduct-depleted TSOX with sodium sulfide produces a stable complex that resembles the endogenous TSOX adduct and known 4a-S-cysteinyl flavin adducts. The results provide definitive evidence for sulfide as the endogenous TSOX ligand and strongly suggest that the modified FMN is a 4a-sulfide adduct. A comparable reaction with sodium sulfide is not detected with other flavoprotein oxidases. A model of the postulated TSOX adduct suggests that it is stabilized by nearby residues that may be important in the electron transferase/oxidase function of the coenzyme.

Heterotetrameric Sarcosine Oxidase: Structure of a Diflavin Metalloenzyme at 1.85 Å Resolution

The crystal structure of heterotetrameric sarcosine oxidase (TSOX) from Pseudomonas maltophilia has been determined at 1.85 A resolution. TSOX contains three coenzymes (FAD, FMN and NAD+), four different subunits (alpha, 103 kDa; beta, 44 kDa; gamma, 21 kDa; delta, 11 kDa) and catalyzes the oxidation of sarcosine (N-methylglycine) to yield hydrogen peroxide, glycine and formaldehyde. In the presence of tetrahydrofolate, the oxidation of sarcosine is coupled to the formation of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate. The NAD+ and putative folate binding sites are located in the alpha-subunit. The FAD binding site is in the beta-subunit. FMN is bound at the interface of the alpha and beta-subunits. The FAD and FMN rings are separated by a short segment of the beta-subunit with the closest atoms located 7.4 A apart. Sulfite, an inhibitor of oxygen reduction, is bound at the FMN site. 2-Furoate, a competitive inhibitor with respect to sarcosine, is bound at the FAD site. The sarcosine dehydrogenase and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate synthase sites are 35 A apart but connected by a large internal cavity (approximately 10,000 A3). An unexpected zinc ion, coordinated by three cysteine and one histidine side-chains, is bound to the delta-subunit. The N-terminal half of the alpha subunit of TSOX (alphaA) is closely similar to the FAD-binding domain of glutathione reductase but with NAD+ replacing FAD. The C-terminal half of the alpha subunit of TSOX (alphaB) is similar to the C-terminal half of dimethylglycine oxidase and the T-protein of the glycine cleavage system, proteins that bind tetrahydrofolate. The beta-subunit of TSOX is very similar to monomeric sarcosine oxidase. The gamma-subunit is similar to the C-terminal sub-domain of alpha-TSOX. The delta-subunit shows little similarity with any PDB entry. The alphaA domain/beta-subunit sub-structure of TSOX closely resembles the alphabeta dimer of L-proline dehydrogenase, a heteroctameric protein (alphabeta)4 that shows highest overall similarity to TSOX.