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Beraldo C, Traverso E, Boschin M, Cendron L, Morosinotto T, Alboresi A. Physcomitrium patens flavodiiron proteins form heterotetrametric complexes. J Biol Chem 2024:107643. [PMID: 39122005 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Flavodiiron proteins (FLVs) catalyze the reduction of oxygen to water by using electrons from Photosystem I (PSI). In several photosynthetic organisms such as cyanobacteria, green algae, mosses and gymnosperms, FLV-dependent electron flow protects PSI from over-reduction and consequent damage especially under fluctuating light conditions. In this work we investigated biochemical and structural properties of FLVA and FLVB from the model moss Physcomitrium patens. The two proteins, expressed and purified from Escherichia coli, bind both iron and flavin cofactors and show NAD(P)H oxidase activity as well as oxygen reductase capacities. Moreover, the co-expression of both FLVA and FLVB, coupled to a tandem affinity purification procedure with two different affinity tags, enabled the isolation of the stable and catalytically active FLVA/B hetero tetrameric protein complex with cooperative nature. The multimeric organization was shown to be stabilized by inter-subunit disulfide bonds. This investigation provides valuable new information on the biochemical properties of FLVs, with new insights into their in vivo activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Beraldo
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58B, Padova 35121, Italy
| | - Eleonora Traverso
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58B, Padova 35121, Italy
| | - Marco Boschin
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58B, Padova 35121, Italy
| | - Laura Cendron
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58B, Padova 35121, Italy
| | - Tomas Morosinotto
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58B, Padova 35121, Italy
| | - Alessandro Alboresi
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58B, Padova 35121, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Center, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy.
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2
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Kochanowsky R, Carothers K, Roxas BAP, Anwar F, Viswanathan VK, Vedantam G. Clostridioides difficile superoxide reductase mitigates oxygen sensitivity. J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0017524. [PMID: 38953644 PMCID: PMC11270899 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00175-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile causes a serious diarrheal disease and is a common healthcare-associated bacterial pathogen. Although it has a major impact on human health, the mechanistic details of C. difficile intestinal colonization remain undefined. C. difficile is highly sensitive to oxygen and requires anaerobic conditions for in vitro growth. However, the mammalian gut is not devoid of oxygen, and C. difficile tolerates moderate oxidative stress in vivo. The C. difficile genome encodes several antioxidant proteins, including a predicted superoxide reductase (SOR) that is upregulated upon exposure to antimicrobial peptides. The goal of this study was to establish SOR enzymatic activity and assess its role in protecting C. difficile against oxygen exposure. Insertional inactivation of sor rendered C. difficile more sensitive to superoxide, indicating that SOR contributes to antioxidant defense. Heterologous C. difficile sor expression in Escherichia coli conferred protection against superoxide-dependent growth inhibition, and the corresponding cell lysates showed superoxide scavenging activity. Finally, a C. difficile SOR mutant exhibited global proteome changes under oxygen stress when compared to the parent strain. Collectively, our data establish the enzymatic activity of C. difficile SOR, confirm its role in protection against oxidative stress, and demonstrate SOR's broader impacts on the C. difficile vegetative cell proteome.IMPORTANCEClostridioides difficile is an important pathogen strongly associated with healthcare settings and capable of causing severe diarrheal disease. While considered a strict anaerobe in vitro, C. difficile has been shown to tolerate low levels of oxygen in the mammalian host. Among other well-characterized antioxidant proteins, the C. difficile genome encodes a predicted superoxide reductase (SOR), an understudied component of antioxidant defense in pathogens. The significance of the research reported herein is the characterization of SOR's enzymatic activity, including confirmation of its role in protecting C. difficile against oxidative stress. This furthers our understanding of C. difficile pathogenesis and presents a potential new avenue for targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Kochanowsky
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Katelyn Carothers
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Bryan Angelo P. Roxas
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Farhan Anwar
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - V. K. Viswanathan
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- BIO5 Institute for Collaborative Research, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Gayatri Vedantam
- School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- BIO5 Institute for Collaborative Research, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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3
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Martins MC, Alves CM, Teixeira M, Folgosa F. The flavodiiron protein from Syntrophomonas wolfei has five domains and acts both as an NADH:O 2 or an NADH:H 2 O 2 oxidoreductase. FEBS J 2024; 291:1275-1294. [PMID: 38129989 DOI: 10.1111/febs.17040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Flavodiiron proteins (FDPs) are a family of enzymes with a significant role in O2 /H2 O2 and/or NO detoxification through the reduction of these species to H2 O or N2 O, respectively. All FDPs contain a minimal catalytic unit of two identical subunits, each one having a metallo-β-lactamase-like domain harboring the catalytic diiron site, and a flavodoxin-like domain. However, more complex and diverse arrangements in terms of domains are found in this family, of which the class H enzymes are among the most complex. One of such FDPs is encoded in the genome of the anaerobic bacterium Syntrophomonas wolfei subsp. wolfei str. Goettingen G311. Besides the core domains, this protein is predicted to have three additional ones after the flavodoxin core domain: two short-chain rubredoxins and a NAD(P)H:rubredoxin oxidoreductase-like domain. This enzyme, FDP_H, was produced and characterized and the presence of the predicted cofactors was investigated by a set of biochemical and spectroscopic methodologies. Syntrophomonas wolfei FDP_H exhibited a remarkable O2 reduction activity with a kcat = 52.0 ± 1.2 s-1 and a negligible NO reduction activity (~ 100 times lower than with O2 ), with NADH as an electron donor, that is, it is an oxygen-selective FDP. In addition, this enzyme showed the highest turnover value for H2 O2 reduction (kcat = 19.1 ± 2.2 s-1 ) ever observed among FDPs. Kinetic studies of site-directed mutants of iron-binding cysteines at the two rubredoxin domains demonstrated the essential role of these centers since their absence leads to a significant decrease or even abolishment of O2 and H2 O2 reduction activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C Martins
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Catarina M Alves
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Miguel Teixeira
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Filipe Folgosa
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
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Okabe S, Ye S, Lan X, Nukada K, Zhang H, Kobayashi K, Oshiki M. Oxygen tolerance and detoxification mechanisms of highly enriched planktonic anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:45. [PMID: 37137967 PMCID: PMC10156729 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00251-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Oxygen is a key regulatory factor of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox). Although the inhibitory effect of oxygen is evident, a wide range of oxygen sensitivities of anammox bacteria have been reported so far, which makes it difficult to model the marine nitrogen loss and design anammox-based technologies. Here, oxygen tolerance and detoxification mechanisms of four genera of anammox bacteria; one marine species ("Ca. Scalindua sp.") and four freshwater anammox species ("Ca. Brocadia sinica", "Ca. Brocadia sapporoensis", "Ca. Jettenia caeni", and "Ca. Kuenenia stuttgartiensis") were determined and then related to the activities of anti-oxidative enzymes. Highly enriched planktonic anammox cells were exposed to various levels of oxygen, and oxygen inhibition kinetics (50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) and upper O2 limits (DOmax) of anammox activity) were quantitatively determined. A marine anammox species, "Ca. Scalindua sp.", exhibited much higher oxygen tolerance capability (IC50 = 18.0 µM and DOmax = 51.6 µM) than freshwater species (IC50 = 2.7-4.2 µM and DOmax = 10.9-26.6 µM). The upper DO limit of "Ca. Scalindua sp." was much higher than the values reported so far (~20 µM). Furthermore, the oxygen inhibition was reversible even after exposed to ambient air for 12-24 h. The comparative genome analysis confirmed that all anammox species commonly possess the genes considered to function for reduction of O2, superoxide anion (O2•-), and H2O2. However, the superoxide reductase (Sor)-peroxidase dependent detoxification system alone may not be sufficient for cell survival under microaerobic conditions. Despite the fact that anaerobes normally possess no or little superoxide dismutase (Sod) or catalase (Cat), only Scalindua exhibited high Sod activity of 22.6 ± 1.9 U/mg-protein with moderate Cat activity of 1.6 ± 0.7 U/mg-protein, which was consistent with the genome sequence analysis. This Sod-Cat dependent detoxification system could be responsible for the higher O2 tolerance of Scalindua than other freshwater anammox species lacking the Sod activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Okabe
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North-13, West-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8628, Japan.
| | - Shaoyu Ye
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North-13, West-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8628, Japan
| | - Xi Lan
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North-13, West-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8628, Japan
| | - Keishi Nukada
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North-13, West-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8628, Japan
| | - Haozhe Zhang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North-13, West-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8628, Japan
| | - Kanae Kobayashi
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North-13, West-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8628, Japan
- Super-cutting-edge Grand and Advanced Research (SUGAR) Program, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan
| | - Mamoru Oshiki
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North-13, West-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8628, Japan
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5
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Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Nitrite Are Highly Dependent on Nitrate Reductase in the Microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23169412. [PMID: 36012676 PMCID: PMC9409008 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a powerful greenhouse gas and an ozone-depleting compound whose synthesis and release have traditionally been ascribed to bacteria and fungi. Although plants and microalgae have been proposed as N2O producers in recent decades, the proteins involved in this process have been only recently unveiled. In the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, flavodiiron proteins (FLVs) and cytochrome P450 (CYP55) are two nitric oxide (NO) reductases responsible for N2O synthesis in the chloroplast and mitochondria, respectively. However, the molecular mechanisms feeding these NO reductases are unknown. In this work, we use cavity ring-down spectroscopy to monitor N2O and CO2 in cultures of nitrite reductase mutants, which cannot grow on nitrate or nitrite and exhibit enhanced N2O emissions. We show that these mutants constitute a very useful tool to study the rates and kinetics of N2O release under different conditions and the metabolism of this greenhouse gas. Our results indicate that N2O production, which was higher in the light than in the dark, requires nitrate reductase as the major provider of NO as substrate. Finally, we show that the presence of nitrate reductase impacts CO2 emissions in both light and dark conditions, and we discuss the role of NO in the balance between CO2 fixation and release.
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6
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Abdulaziz EN, Bell TA, Rashid B, Heacock ML, Begic T, Skinner OS, Yaseen MA, Chao LH, Mootha VK, Pierik AJ, Cracan V. A natural fusion of flavodiiron, rubredoxin, and rubredoxin oxidoreductase domains is a self-sufficient water-forming oxidase of Trichomonas vaginalis. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102210. [PMID: 35780837 PMCID: PMC9364112 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Microaerophilic pathogens such as Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, and Trichomonas vaginalis have robust oxygen consumption systems to detoxify oxygen and maintain intracellular redox balance. This oxygen consumption results from H2O-forming NADH oxidase (NOX) activity of two distinct flavin-containing systems: H2O-forming NOXes and multicomponent flavodiiron proteins (FDPs). Neither system is membrane bound, and both recycle NADH into oxidized NAD+ while simultaneously removing O2 from the local environment. However, little is known about the specific contributions of these systems in T. vaginalis. In this study, we use bioinformatics and biochemical analyses to show that T. vaginalis lacks a NOX-like enzyme and instead harbors three paralogous genes (FDPF1-3), each encoding a natural fusion product between the N-terminal FDP, central rubredoxin (Rb), and C-terminal NADH:Rb oxidoreductase domains. Unlike a "stand-alone" FDP that lacks Rb and oxidoreductase domains, this natural fusion protein with fully populated flavin redox centers directly accepts reducing equivalents of NADH to catalyze the four-electron reduction of oxygen to water within a single polypeptide with an extremely high turnover. Furthermore, using single-particle cryo-EM, we present structural insights into the spatial organization of the FDP core within this multidomain fusion protein. Together, these results contribute to our understanding of systems that allow protozoan parasites to maintain optimal redox balance and survive transient exposure to oxic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evana N Abdulaziz
- Redox Biology and Metabolism Laboratory, Scintillon Institute, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Tristan A Bell
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bazlur Rashid
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Mina L Heacock
- Redox Biology and Metabolism Laboratory, Scintillon Institute, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Tarik Begic
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Owen S Skinner
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mohammad A Yaseen
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Luke H Chao
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Vamsi K Mootha
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Antonio J Pierik
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Valentin Cracan
- Redox Biology and Metabolism Laboratory, Scintillon Institute, San Diego, California, USA; Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA.
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7
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Bioenergetics and Reactive Nitrogen Species in Bacteria. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23137321. [PMID: 35806323 PMCID: PMC9266656 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23137321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The production of reactive nitrogen species (RNS) by the innate immune system is part of the host’s defense against invading pathogenic bacteria. In this review, we summarize recent studies on the molecular basis of the effects of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite on microbial respiration and energy conservation. We discuss possible molecular mechanisms underlying RNS resistance in bacteria mediated by unique respiratory oxygen reductases, the mycobacterial bcc-aa3 supercomplex, and bd-type cytochromes. A complete picture of the impact of RNS on microbial bioenergetics is not yet available. However, this research area is developing very rapidly, and the knowledge gained should help us develop new methods of treating infectious diseases.
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8
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Defenses of multidrug resistant pathogens against reactive nitrogen species produced in infected hosts. Adv Microb Physiol 2022; 80:85-155. [PMID: 35489794 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ampbs.2022.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial pathogens have sophisticated systems that allow them to survive in hosts in which innate immunity is the frontline of defense. One of the substances produced by infected hosts is nitric oxide (NO) that together with its derived species leads to the so-called nitrosative stress, which has antimicrobial properties. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on targets and protective systems that bacteria have to survive host-generated nitrosative stress. We focus on bacterial pathogens that pose serious health concerns due to the growing increase in resistance to currently available antimicrobials. We describe the role of nitrosative stress as a weapon for pathogen eradication, the detoxification enzymes, protein/DNA repair systems and metabolic strategies that contribute to limiting NO damage and ultimately allow survival of the pathogen in the host. Additionally, this systematization highlights the lack of available data for some of the most important human pathogens, a gap that urgently needs to be addressed.
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9
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Lehnert N, Kim E, Dong HT, Harland JB, Hunt AP, Manickas EC, Oakley KM, Pham J, Reed GC, Alfaro VS. The Biologically Relevant Coordination Chemistry of Iron and Nitric Oxide: Electronic Structure and Reactivity. Chem Rev 2021; 121:14682-14905. [PMID: 34902255 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule that is involved in a wide range of physiological and pathological events in biology. Metal coordination chemistry, especially with iron, is at the heart of many biological transformations involving NO. A series of heme proteins, nitric oxide synthases (NOS), soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), and nitrophorins, are responsible for the biosynthesis, sensing, and transport of NO. Alternatively, NO can be generated from nitrite by heme- and copper-containing nitrite reductases (NIRs). The NO-bearing small molecules such as nitrosothiols and dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) can serve as an alternative vehicle for NO storage and transport. Once NO is formed, the rich reaction chemistry of NO leads to a wide variety of biological activities including reduction of NO by heme or non-heme iron-containing NO reductases and protein post-translational modifications by DNICs. Much of our understanding of the reactivity of metal sites in biology with NO and the mechanisms of these transformations has come from the elucidation of the geometric and electronic structures and chemical reactivity of synthetic model systems, in synergy with biochemical and biophysical studies on the relevant proteins themselves. This review focuses on recent advancements from studies on proteins and model complexes that not only have improved our understanding of the biological roles of NO but also have provided foundations for biomedical research and for bio-inspired catalyst design in energy science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolai Lehnert
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Eunsuk Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Hai T Dong
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Jill B Harland
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Andrew P Hunt
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Elizabeth C Manickas
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Kady M Oakley
- Department of Chemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - John Pham
- Department of Chemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Garrett C Reed
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
| | - Victor Sosa Alfaro
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1055, United States
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10
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Kint N, Morvan C, Martin-Verstraete I. Oxygen response and tolerance mechanisms in Clostridioides difficile. Curr Opin Microbiol 2021; 65:175-182. [PMID: 34896836 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2021.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
While the gut is typically thought of as anoxic, there are two intersecting and decreasing oxygen gradients that are observed in the gut: oxygen decreases from the small to the large intestine and from the intestinal epithelium toward the colon lumen. Gut oxygen levels also increase following antibiotic induced-dysbiosis. While dysbiosis favors growth of Clostridioides difficile, the oxygen increase also causes stress to this anaerobic enteropathogen. To circumvent oxygen threat, C. difficile has developed efficient strategies: sporulation, biofilm formation, the rerouting of central metabolism and the production of oxygen detoxification enzymes. Especially, reverse rubrerythrins and flavodiiron proteins involved in oxygen reduction are crucial in C. difficile ability to tolerate and survive the oxygen concentrations encountered in the gastrointestinal tract. Two regulators, σB and PerR, play pivotal role in the mastering of these adaptive responses by controlling the various systems that protect cells from oxidative damages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Kint
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, UMR CNRS 2001, Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Claire Morvan
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, UMR CNRS 2001, Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Martin-Verstraete
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, UMR CNRS 2001, Laboratoire Pathogenèse des Bactéries Anaérobies, F-75015 Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France, France.
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11
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Weiss A, Lopez CA, Beavers WN, Rodriguez J, Skaar EP. Clostridioides difficile strain-dependent and strain-independent adaptations to a microaerobic environment. Microb Genom 2021; 7:000738. [PMID: 34908523 PMCID: PMC8767335 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridium difficile) colonizes the gastrointestinal tract following disruption of the microbiota and can initiate a spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic to life-threatening colitis. Following antibiotic treatment, luminal oxygen concentrations increase, exposing gut microbes to potentially toxic reactive oxygen species. Though typically regarded as a strict anaerobe, C. difficile can grow at low oxygen concentrations. How this bacterium adapts to a microaerobic environment and whether those responses to oxygen are conserved amongst strains is not entirely understood. Here, two C. difficile strains (630 and CD196) were cultured in 1.5% oxygen and the transcriptional response to long-term oxygen exposure was evaluated via RNA-sequencing. During growth in a microaerobic environment, several genes predicted to protect against oxidative stress were upregulated, including those for rubrerythrins and rubredoxins. Transcription of genes involved in metal homeostasis was also positively correlated with increased oxygen levels and these genes were amongst the most differentially transcribed. To directly compare the transcriptional landscape between C. difficile strains, a 'consensus-genome' was generated. On the basis of the identified conserved genes, basal transcriptional differences as well as variations in the response to oxygen were evaluated. While several responses were similar between the strains, there were significant differences in the abundance of transcripts involved in amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism. Furthermore, intracellular metal concentrations significantly varied both in an oxygen-dependent and oxygen-independent manner. Overall, these results indicate that C. difficile adapts to grow in a low oxygen environment through transcriptional changes, though the specific strategy employed varies between strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Weiss
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Christopher A. Lopez
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Sacramento, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - William N. Beavers
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jhoana Rodriguez
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Sacramento, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Eric P. Skaar
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- *Correspondence: Eric P. Skaar,
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12
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Morvan C, Folgosa F, Kint N, Teixeira M, Martin-Verstraete I. Responses of Clostridia to oxygen: from detoxification to adaptive strategies. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:4112-4125. [PMID: 34245087 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Clostridia comprise bacteria of environmental, biotechnological and medical interest and many commensals of the gut microbiota. Because of their strictly anaerobic lifestyle, oxygen is a major stress for Clostridia. However, recent data showed that these bacteria can cope with O2 better than expected for obligate anaerobes through their ability to scavenge, detoxify and consume O2 . Upon O2 exposure, Clostridia redirect their central metabolism onto pathways less O2 -sensitive and induce the expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in O2 -reduction and in the repair of oxidized damaged molecules. While Faecalibacterium prausnitzii efficiently consumes O2 through a specific extracellular electron shuttling system requiring riboflavin, enzymes such as rubrerythrins and flavodiiron proteins with NAD(P)H-dependent O2 - and/or H2 O2 -reductase activities are usually encoded in other Clostridia. These two classes of enzymes play indeed a pivotal role in O2 tolerance in Clostridioides difficile and Clostridium acetobutylicum. Two main signalling pathways triggering O2 -induced responses have been described so far in Clostridia. PerR acts as a key regulator of the O2 - and/or reactive oxygen species-defence machinery while in C. difficile, σB , the sigma factor of the general stress response also plays a crucial role in O2 tolerance by controlling the expression of genes involved in O2 scavenging and repair systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Morvan
- Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, F-75015, France
| | - Filipe Folgosa
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, Oeiras, 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Nicolas Kint
- Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, F-75015, France
| | - Miguel Teixeira
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, Oeiras, 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Isabelle Martin-Verstraete
- Laboratoire Pathogenèses des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, F-75015, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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The Amino Acids Motif -32GSSYN36- in the Catalytic Domain of E. coli Flavorubredoxin NO Reductase Is Essential for Its Activity. Catalysts 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/catal11080926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Flavodiiron proteins (FDPs) are a family of modular and soluble enzymes endowed with nitric oxide and/or oxygen reductase activities, producing N2O or H2O, respectively. The FDP from Escherichia coli, which, apart from the two core domains, possesses a rubredoxin-like domain at the C-terminus (therefore named flavorubredoxin (FlRd)), is a bona fide NO reductase, exhibiting O2 reducing activity that is approximately ten times lower than that for NO. Among the flavorubredoxins, there is a strictly conserved amino acids motif, -G[S,T]SYN-, close to the catalytic diiron center. To assess its role in FlRd’s activity, we designed several site-directed mutants, replacing the conserved residues with hydrophobic or anionic ones. The mutants, which maintained the general characteristics of the wild type enzyme, including cofactor content and integrity of the diiron center, revealed a decrease of their oxygen reductase activity, while the NO reductase activity—specifically, its physiological function—was almost completely abolished in some of the mutants. Molecular modeling of the mutant proteins pointed to subtle changes in the predicted structures that resulted in the reduction of the hydration of the regions around the conserved residues, as well as in the elimination of hydrogen bonds, which may affect proton transfer and/or product release.
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14
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Abstract
Although the gastrointestinal tract is regarded as mainly anoxic, low O2 tension is present in the gut and tends to increase following antibiotic-induced disruption of the host microbiota. Two decreasing O2 gradients are observed, a longitudinal one from the small to the large intestine and a second one from the intestinal epithelium toward the colon lumen. Thus, O2 concentration fluctuations within the gastrointestinal tract are a challenge for anaerobic bacteria such as C. difficile. This enteropathogen has developed efficient strategies to detoxify O2. In this work, we identified reverse rubrerythrins and flavodiiron proteins as key actors for O2 tolerance in C. difficile. These enzymes are responsible for the reduction of O2 protecting C. difficile vegetative cells from associated damages. Original and complex detoxification pathways involving O2-reductases are crucial in the ability of C. difficile to tolerate O2 and survive to O2 concentrations encountered in the gastrointestinal tract. Clostridioides difficile is a major cause of diarrhea associated with antibiotherapy. After germination of C. difficile spores in the small intestine, vegetative cells are exposed to low oxygen (O2) tensions. While considered strictly anaerobic, C. difficile is able to grow in nonstrict anaerobic conditions (1 to 3% O2) and tolerates brief air exposure indicating that this bacterium harbors an arsenal of proteins involved in O2 detoxification and/or protection. Tolerance of C. difficile to low O2 tensions requires the presence of the alternative sigma factor, σB, involved in the general stress response. Among the genes positively controlled by σB, four encode proteins likely involved in O2 detoxification: two flavodiiron proteins (FdpA and FdpF) and two reverse rubrerythrins (revRbr1 and revRbr2). As previously observed for FdpF, we showed that both purified revRbr1 and revRbr2 harbor NADH-linked O2- and H2O2-reductase activities in vitro, while purified FdpA mainly acts as an O2-reductase. The growth of a fdpA mutant is affected at 0.4% O2, while inactivation of both revRbrs leads to a growth defect above 0.1% O2. O2-reductase activities of these different proteins are additive since the quadruple mutant displays a stronger phenotype when exposed to low O2 tensions compared to the triple mutants. Our results demonstrate a key role for revRbrs, FdpF, and FdpA proteins in the ability of C. difficile to grow in the presence of physiological O2 tensions such as those encountered in the colon.
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15
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Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, an Algal Model in the Nitrogen Cycle. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9070903. [PMID: 32708782 PMCID: PMC7412212 DOI: 10.3390/plants9070903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is an essential constituent of all living organisms and the main limiting macronutrient. Even when dinitrogen gas is the most abundant form of N, it can only be used by fixing bacteria but is inaccessible to most organisms, algae among them. Algae preferentially use ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3−) for growth, and the reactions for their conversion into amino acids (N assimilation) constitute an important part of the nitrogen cycle by primary producers. Recently, it was claimed that algae are also involved in denitrification, because of the production of nitric oxide (NO), a signal molecule, which is also a substrate of NO reductases to produce nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas. This review is focused on the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as an algal model and its participation in different reactions of the N cycle. Emphasis will be paid to new actors, such as putative genes involved in NO and N2O production and their occurrence in other algae genomes. Furthermore, algae/bacteria mutualism will be considered in terms of expanding the N cycle to ammonification and N fixation, which are based on the exchange of carbon and nitrogen between the two organisms.
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16
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Martins MC, Romão CV, Folgosa F, Borges PT, Frazão C, Teixeira M. How superoxide reductases and flavodiiron proteins combat oxidative stress in anaerobes. Free Radic Biol Med 2019; 140:36-60. [PMID: 30735841 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2019.01.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Microbial anaerobes are exposed in the natural environment and in their hosts, even if transiently, to fluctuating concentrations of oxygen and its derived reactive species, which pose a considerable threat to their anoxygenic lifestyle. To counteract these stressful conditions, they contain a multifaceted array of detoxifying systems that, in conjugation with cellular repairing mechanisms and in close crosstalk with metal homeostasis, allow them to survive in the presence of O2 and reactive oxygen species. Some of these systems are shared with aerobes, but two families of enzymes emerged more recently that, although not restricted to anaerobes, are predominant in anaerobic microbes. These are the iron-containing superoxide reductases, and the flavodiiron proteins, endowed with O2 and/or NO reductase activities, which are the subject of this Review. A detailed account of their physicochemical, physiological and molecular mechanisms will be presented, highlighting their unique properties in allowing survival of anaerobes in oxidative stress conditions, and comparing their properties with the most well-known detoxifying systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C Martins
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Célia V Romão
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Filipe Folgosa
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Patrícia T Borges
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Carlos Frazão
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Miguel Teixeira
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal.
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17
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The σBsignalling activation pathway in the enteropathogenClostridioides difficile. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:2852-2870. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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