Broken-Symmetry DFT Computations for the Reaction Pathway of IspH, an Iron-Sulfur Enzyme in Pathogenic Bacteria

The Active-Site [4Fe-4S] Cluster in the Isoprenoid Biosynthesis Enzyme IspH Adopts Unexpected Redox States during Ligand Binding and Catalysis

(E)-4-Hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductase, or IspH (formerly known as LytB), catalyzes the terminal step of the bacterial methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway for isoprene synthesis. This step converts (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate (HMBPP) into one of two possible isomeric products, either isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) or dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). This reaction involves the removal of the C4 hydroxyl group of HMBPP and addition of two electrons. IspH contains a [4Fe-4S] cluster in its active site, and multiple cluster-based paramagnetic species of uncertain redox and ligation states can be detected after incubation with reductant, addition of a ligand, or during catalysis. To characterize the clusters in these species, 57Fe-labeled samples of IspH were prepared and studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), 57Fe electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR), and Mössbauer spectroscopies. Notably, this ENDOR study provides a rarely reported, complete determination of the 57Fe hyperfine tensors for all four Fe ions in a [4Fe-4S] cluster. The resting state of the enzyme (Ox) has a diamagnetic [4Fe-4S]2+ cluster. Reduction generates [4Fe-4S]+ (Red) with both S = 1/2 and S = 3/2 spin ground states. When the reduced enzyme is incubated with substrate, a transient paramagnetic reaction intermediate is detected (Int) which is thought to contain a cluster-bound substrate-derived species. The EPR properties of Int are indicative of a 3+ iron-sulfur cluster oxidation state, and the Mössbauer spectra presented here confirm this. Incubation of reduced enzyme with the product IPP induced yet another paramagnetic [4Fe-4S]+ species (Red+P) with S = 1/2. However, the g-tensor of this state is commonly associated with a 3+ oxidation state, while Mössbauer parameters show features typical for 2+ clusters. Implications of these complicated results are discussed.

Broken-Symmetry Density Functional Theory Analysis of the Ω Intermediate in Radical S-Adenosyl-l-methionine Enzymes: Evidence for a Near-Attack Conformer over an Organometallic Species

Radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) enzymes are found in all domains of life and catalyze a wide range of biochemical reactions. Recently, an organometallic intermediate, Ω, has been experimentally implicated in the 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical generation mechanism of the radical SAM superfamily. In this work, we employ broken-symmetry density functional theory to evaluate several structural models of Ω. The results show that the calculated hyperfine coupling constants (HFCCs) for the proposed organometallic structure of Ω are inconsistent with the experiment. In contrast, a near-attack conformer of SAM bound to the catalytic [4Fe-4S] cluster, in which the distance between the unique iron and SAM sulfur is ∼3 Å, yields HFCCs that are all within 1 MHz of the experimental values. These results clarify the structure of the ubiquitous Ω intermediate and suggest a paradigm shift reversal regarding the mechanism of SAM cleavage by members of the radical SAM superfamily.

The Reductive Dehydroxylation Catalyzed by IspH, a Source of Inspiration for the Development of Novel Anti-Infectives

The non-mevalonate or also called MEP pathway is an essential route for the biosynthesis of isoprenoid precursors in most bacteria and in microorganisms belonging to the Apicomplexa phylum, such as the parasite responsible for malaria. The absence of this pathway in mammalians makes it an interesting target for the discovery of novel anti-infectives. As last enzyme of this pathway, IspH is an oxygen sensitive [4Fe-4S] metalloenzyme that catalyzes 2H⁺/2e⁻ reductions and a water elimination by involving non-conventional bioinorganic and bioorganometallic intermediates. After a detailed description of the discovery of the [4Fe-4S] cluster of IspH, this review focuses on the IspH mechanism discussing the results that have been obtained in the last decades using an approach combining chemistry, enzymology, crystallography, spectroscopies, and docking calculations. Considering the interesting druggability of this enzyme, a section about the inhibitors of IspH discovered up to now is reported as well. The presented results constitute a useful and rational help to inaugurate the design and development of new potential chemotherapeutics against pathogenic organisms.

Biosynthesis of fluopsin C, a copper-containing antibiotic from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Metal-binding natural products contribute to metal acquisition and bacterial virulence, but their roles in metal stress response are underexplored. We show that a five-enzyme pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa synthesizes a small-molecule copper complex, fluopsin C, in response to elevated copper concentrations. Fluopsin C is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that contains a copper ion chelated by two minimal thiohydroxamates. Biosynthesis of the thiohydroxamate begins with cysteine and requires two lyases, two iron-dependent enzymes, and a methyltransferase. The iron-dependent enzymes remove the carboxyl group and the α carbon from cysteine through decarboxylation, N-hydroxylation, and methylene excision. Conservation of the pathway in P. aeruginosa and other bacteria suggests a common role for fluopsin C in the copper stress response, which involves fusing copper into an antibiotic against other microbes.

Spin-Regulated Electron Transfer and Exchange-Enhanced Reactivity in Fe4 S4 -Mediated Redox Reaction of the Dph2 Enzyme During the Biosynthesis of Diphthamide

The [4Fe-4S]-dependent radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) proteins is one of large families of redox enzymes that are able to carry a panoply of challenging transformations. Despite the extensive studies of structure-function relationships of radical SAM (RS) enzymes, the electronic state-dependent reactivity of the [4Fe-4S] cluster in these enzymes remains elusive. Using combined MD simulations and QM/MM calculations, we deciphered the electronic state-dependent reactivity of the [4Fe-4S] cluster in Dph2, a key enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of diphthamide. Our calculations show that the reductive cleavage of the S-C_(γ) bond is highly dependent on the electronic structure of [4Fe-4S]. Interestingly, the six electronic states can be classified into a low-energy and a high-energy groups, which are correlated with the net spin of Fe4 atom ligated to SAM. Due to the driving force of Fe4-C_(γ) bonding, the net spin on the Fe4 moiety dictate the shift of the opposite spin electron from the Fe1-Fe2-Fe3 block to SAM. Such spin-regulated electron transfer results in the exchange-enhanced reactivity in the lower-energy group compared with those in the higher-energy group. This reactivity principle provides fundamental mechanistic insights into reactivities of [4Fe-4S] cluster in RS enzymes.

EPR-Derived Structure of a Paramagnetic Intermediate Generated by Biotin Synthase BioB

Biotin (vitamin B7) is an enzyme cofactor required by organisms from all branches of life but synthesized only in microbes and plants. In the final step of biotin biosynthesis, a radical S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) enzyme, biotin synthase (BioB), converts the substrate dethiobiotin to biotin through the stepwise formation of two C-S bonds. Previous electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic studies identified a semistable intermediate in the formation of the first C-S bond as 9-mercaptodethiobiotin linked to a paramagnetic [2Fe-2S] cluster through one of its bridging sulfides. Herein, we report orientation-selected pulse EPR spectroscopic results that reveal hyperfine interactions between the [2Fe-2S] cluster and a number of magnetic nuclei (e.g., 57Fe, 15N, 13C, and 2H) introduced in a site-specific manner via biosynthetic methods. Combining these results with quantum chemical modeling gives a structural model of the intermediate showing that C6, the target of the second hydrogen-atom abstraction, is now in close proximity to the nascent thioether sulfur and is ideally positioned for the second C-S bond forming event.

Exceptionally high percentage of IPP synthesis by Ginkgo biloba IspH is mainly due to Phe residue in the active site

(E)-4-Hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate (HMBPP) reductase (IspH, HDR or LytB) is an Fe/S enzyme catalyzing the reductive dehydroxylation of HMBPP to isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) in the last step of methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway. The MEP pathway is known to produce 4-6:1 ratio of IPP and DMAPP mixture by the last enzyme, IspH. Plant IspH in plastids follows same catalytic mechanism as others, but GbIspH (Ginkgo biloba IspH) was reported to produce a mixture of IPP and DMAPP in a ratio of 16:1. Present catalytic mechanisms of IspH involve a common allyl anion intermediate, and the intramolecular proton transfer to the allyl moiety is considered as the key reaction step determining the product between IPP and DMAPP. The F212 residue in plant IspH was found as a potential amino acid residue that could mediate the proton transfer to the allyl anion intermediate before the product release. In this report, catalytic function of GbIspH F212 residue (H74 in E. coli), especially during the product formation in the active site, was studied by means of site-directed mutation. The product ratio of IPP/DMAPP was measured as 6.5 ± 0.1 for F212H GbIspH, and the value was close to the reported bacterial IspH having His residue on that specific position. Along with the other F212Y mutant, of which ratio was determined as 10.9 ± 0.1, the results strongly support that the Phe residue in plant IspH is the key amino acid residue that allows exclusive production of IPP in plant chloroplast.

Structure and Function of Four Classes of the 4Fe-4S Protein, IspH

IspH, (E)-1-hydroxy-2-methyl-but-2-enyl 4-diphosphate reductase, is an essential enzyme in isoprenoid biosynthesis and an important drug/herbicide target. Using X-ray crystallographic, bioinformatics, mutagenesis/kinetics/stability, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results, we show that organisms from different environments ultilize one of four main IspH classes. The classes are based on the arrangement of the aromatic residues near the 4Fe-4S cluster and the presence or absence of N- and C-terminal extensions. Class A enzymes are found primarily in anaerobic and microaerophilic bacteria. Class B enzymes are found in aerobic bacteria. Class C enzymes are found in cyanobacteria and plants. Class D enzymes are found in apicomplexan parasites. Using mutagenesis, we show that the cluster-associated aromatic groups in class A and class B IspHs enhance cluster oxidative stability. Y198A, F302A, and a C-terminal truncation mutant of the class B (Escherichia coli) IspH have catalytic activity lower than that of the wild-type protein when using methyl viologen as the electron donor, but higher activity with dithionite as the electron donor, due to ready access of the small reductant to the cluster, consistent with their increased oxygen and H2O2 sensitivity. F302A has the largest effect on the reaction rates, and EPR studies indicate this residue affects Fe-S cluster structure. Similar effects on cluster stability are seen with class A (F14A and Y98A) mutants; however, effects on ET rates are smaller, and there are no differences between the EPR spectra of mutant and wild-type proteins. Overall, the results are of general interest because they show, for the first time, that there are multiple IspH classes that have evolved to allow organisms to survive in diverse oxidative-stress environments.

IspH-RPS1 and IspH-UbiA: "Rosetta Stone" Proteins

IspH forms fusion hybrids with RPS1 as well as UbiA, examples of Rosetta stone proteins.

The protein IspH, (E)-1-hydroxy-2-methyl-but-2-enyl 4-diphosphate (HMPPP) reductase, is an essential 4Fe–4S cluster-containing protein in the methylerythritol phosphate pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis. Using a sequence similarity network we found that there are >400 IspH proteins that are about twice as large as most of the IspHs studied to date since their IspH domains are fused to either the ribosomal protein S1 (RPS1), or to a UbiA (4-hydroxybenzoate octaprenyltransferase)-like protein. Many of the IspH–RPS1 proteins are present in anaerobes found in the human gut and some, such as Clostridium botulinum, C. tetani and Fusobacterium nucleatum, are pathogens. The IspH–UbiAs are all found in sulfate-reducing anaerobes. The IspH domains in IspH–RPS1 are fused to 4 and in a few cases 6 tandem repeats in RPS1 that, in most organisms, bind to mRNA or form part of the bacterial ribosome. Mutants in which the four RPS1 domains were sequentially eliminated had similar IspH activity as wild-type protein, indicating they are not essential for IspH catalysis. Overall, the results are of interest since they represent the first isolation of a catalytically active IspH–RPS1, as well as the identification of IspH–UbiA hybrids, two “Rosetta stone” proteins that are likely to be functionally related—IspH producing the isoprenoids required for a UbiA-like prenyltransferase; the IspH–RPS1 hybrids, perhaps, being involved in the stringent response or as Fe/O₂ sensors.