Structural and mechanistic insights into an extracytoplasmic copper trafficking pathway in Streptomyces lividans

Orchestrating copper binding: structure and variations on the cupredoxin fold

A large number of copper binding proteins coordinate metal ions using a shared three-dimensional fold called the cupredoxin domain. This domain was originally identified in Type 1 "blue copper" centers but has since proven to be a common domain architecture within an increasingly large and diverse group of copper binding domains. The cupredoxin fold has a number of qualities that make it ideal for coordinating Cu ions for purposes including electron transfer, enzyme catalysis, assembly of other copper sites, and copper sequestration. The structural core does not undergo major conformational changes upon metal binding, but variations within the coordination environment of the metal site confer a range of Cu-binding affinities, reduction potentials, and spectroscopic properties. Here, we discuss these proteins from a structural perspective, examining how variations within the overall cupredoxin fold and metal binding sites are linked to distinct spectroscopic properties and biological functions. Expanding far beyond the blue copper proteins, cupredoxin domains are used by a growing number of proteins and enzymes as a means of binding copper ions, with many more likely remaining to be identified.

Diversity of Cytochrome c Oxidase Assembly Proteins in Bacteria

Cytochrome c oxidase in animals, plants and many aerobic bacteria functions as the terminal enzyme of the respiratory chain where it reduces molecular oxygen to form water in a reaction coupled to energy conservation. The three-subunit core of the enzyme is conserved, whereas several proteins identified to function in the biosynthesis of the common family A1 cytochrome c oxidase show diversity in bacteria. Using the model organisms Bacillus subtilis, Corynebacterium glutamicum, Paracoccus denitrificans, and Rhodobacter sphaeroides, the present review focuses on proteins for assembly of the heme a, heme a₃, Cu_B, and Cu_A metal centers. The known biosynthesis proteins are, in most cases, discovered through the analysis of mutants. All proteins directly involved in cytochrome c oxidase assembly have likely not been identified in any organism. Limitations in the use of mutants to identify and functionally analyze biosynthesis proteins are discussed in the review. Comparative biochemistry helps to determine the role of assembly factors. This information can, for example, explain the cause of some human mitochondrion-based diseases and be used to find targets for new antimicrobial drugs. It also provides information regarding the evolution of aerobic bacteria.

YtkA (CtaK) and YozB (CtaM) function in the biogenesis of cytochrome c oxidase in Bacillus subtilis

Cytochrome c oxidase in the respiratory chain of bacteria and mitochondria couples the reduction of molecular oxygen to form water with the generation of a transmembrane proton gradient. Bacillus subtilis has two heme A-containing heme-copper oxidases: the menaquinol oxidase cytochrome aa₃ and the cytochrome c oxidase cytochrome caa₃ . By screening three collections of mutants for defective cytochrome c oxidase, we found the genes for two, new membrane-bound assembly factors in B. subtilis: ytkA and yozB (renamed ctaK and ctaM, respectively). CtaK is a lipoprotein without sequence similarity to any protein of known function. We show that CtaK functions together with Sco1 (YpmQ) in a pathway, leading to the assembly of the Cu_A center in cytochrome caa₃ and seems to be a functional analogue to proteins of the periplasmic Cu_A chaperone family (PCu_A C). CtaM is required for the activity of both cytochrome caa₃ and cytochrome aa₃ and dispensable for the insertion of heme A into these oxidases. The orthologous Bacillus anthracis protein and the distantly related Staphylococcus aureus CtaM complemented CtaM deficiency in B. subtilis, establishing a common function of CtaM in these bacteria. As the overall result of our work, 12 different proteins are known to function in the biosynthesis of cytochrome c oxidase in B. subtilis.

Structural preferences of cysteine sulfinic acid: The sulfinate engages in multiple local interactions with the peptide backbone

Cysteine sulfinic acid (Cys-SO₂^-) is a non-enzymatic oxidative post-translational modification (PTM) that has been identified in hundreds of proteins. However, the effects of cysteine sulfination are in most cases poorly understood. Cys-SO₂^- is structurally distinctive, with long sulfur-carbon and sulfur-oxygen bonds, and with tetrahedral geometry around sulfur due to its lone pair. Cys-SO₂^- thus has a unique range of potential interactions with the protein backbone which could facilitate protein structural changes. Herein, the structural effects of cysteine oxidation to the sulfinic acid were investigated in model peptides and folded proteins using NMR spectroscopy, circular dichroism, bioinformatics, and computational studies. In the PDB, Cys-SO₂^- shows a greater preference for α-helix than Cys. In addition, Cys-SO₂^- is more commonly found in structures with φ > 0, including in multiple types of β-turn. Sulfinate oxygens engage in hydrogen bonds with adjacent (i or i + 1) amide hydrogens. Over half of sulfinates have at least one hydrogen bond with an adjacent amide, and several structures have hydrogen bonds with both adjacent amides. Alternately, sulfur or either oxygen can act as an electron donor for n→π* interactions with the backbone carbonyl of the same residue, as indicated by frequent S⋯CO or O⋯CO distances below the sums of their van der Waals radii in protein structures. In peptides, Cys-SO₂^- favored α-helical structure at the N-terminus, consistent with helix dipole effects and backbone hydrogen bonds with the sulfinate promoting α-helix. Cys-SO₂^- has only modestly greater polyproline II helix propensity than Cys-SH, likely due to competition from multiple side chain-backbone interactions. Cys-SO₂^- stabilizes the i+1 position of a β-turn relative to Cys-SH. Within proteins, the range of side chain-main chain interactions available to Cys-SO₂^- compared to Cys-SH provides a basis for potential changes in protein structure and function due to cysteine oxidation to the sulfinic acid.

PCuAC domains from methane-oxidizing bacteria use a histidine brace to bind copper

Copper is critically important for methanotrophic bacteria because their primary metabolic enzyme, particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), is copper-dependent. In addition to pMMO, many other copper proteins are encoded in the genomes of methanotrophs, including proteins that contain periplasmic copper-Achaperone (PCu_AC) domains. Using bioinformatics analyses, we identified three distinct classes of PCu_AC domain-containing proteins in methanotrophs, termed PmoF1, PmoF2, and PmoF3. PCu_AC domains from other types of bacteria bind a single Cu(I) ion via an HX_nMX_21/22HXM motif, which is also present in PmoF3, but PmoF1 and PmoF2 lack this motif entirely. Instead, the PCu_AC domains of PmoF1 and PmoF2 bind only Cu(II), and PmoF1 binds additional Cu(II) ions in a His-rich extension to its PCu_AC domain. Crystal structures of the PmoF1 and PmoF2 PCu_AC domains reveal that Cu(II) is coordinated by an N-terminal histidine brace HX₁₀H motif. This binding site is distinct from those of previously characterized PCu_AC domains but resembles copper centers in CopC proteins and lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) enzymes. Bioinformatics analysis of the entire PCu_AC family reveals previously unappreciated diversity, including sequences that contain both the HX_nMX_21/22HXM and HX₁₀H motifs, and sequences that lack either set of copper-binding ligands. These findings provide the first characterization of an additional class of copper proteins from methanotrophs, further expand the PCu_AC family, and afford new insight into the biological significance of histidine brace-mediated copper coordination.

Biochemical pathway for the biosynthesis of the CuA center in bacterial cytochrome c oxidase

The di-copper center Cu_A is an essential metal cofactor in cytochrome oxidase (Cox) of mitochondria and many prokaryotes, mediating one-electron transfer from cytochrome c to the site for oxygen reduction. Cu_A is located in subunit II (CoxB) of Cox and protrudes into the periplasm of Gram-negative bacteria or the mitochondrial intermembrane space. How the two copper ions are brought together to build CoxB·Cu_A is the subject of this review. It had been known that the reductase TlpA and the metallochaperones ScoI and PcuC are required for Cu_A formation in bacteria, but the mechanism of copper transfer has emerged only recently for the Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens system. It consists of the following steps: (a) TlpA keeps the active site cysteine pair of CoxB in its dithiol state as a prerequisite for metal insertion; (b) ScoI·Cu²⁺ rapidly forms a transient complex with apo-CoxB; (c) PcuC, loaded with Cu¹⁺ and Cu²⁺ , dissociates this complex to CoxB·Cu²⁺ , and a second PcuC·Cu¹⁺ ·Cu²⁺ transfers Cu¹⁺ to CoxB·Cu²⁺ , yielding mature CoxB·Cu_A . Variants of this pathway might exist in other bacteria or mitochondria.

Biochemistry of Copper Site Assembly in Heme-Copper Oxidases: A Theme with Variations

Copper is an essential cofactor for aerobic respiration, since it is required as a redox cofactor in Cytochrome c Oxidase (COX). This ancient and highly conserved enzymatic complex from the family of heme-copper oxidase possesses two copper sites: Cu_A and Cu_B. Biosynthesis of the oxidase is a complex, stepwise process that requires a high number of assembly factors. In this review, we summarize the state-of-the-art in the assembly of COX, with special emphasis in the assembly of copper sites. Assembly of the Cu_A site is better understood, being at the same time highly variable among organisms. We also discuss the current challenges that prevent the full comprehension of the mechanisms of assembly and the pending issues in the field.

Structural basis and mechanism for metallochaperone-assisted assembly of the CuA center in cytochrome oxidase

The mechanisms underlying the biogenesis of the structurally unique, binuclear Cu^1.5+•Cu^1.5+ redox center (Cu_A) on subunit II (CoxB) of cytochrome oxidases have been a long-standing mystery. Here, we reconstituted the CoxB•Cu_A center in vitro from apo-CoxB and the holo-forms of the copper transfer chaperones ScoI and PcuC. A previously unknown, highly stable ScoI•Cu²⁺•CoxB complex was shown to be rapidly formed as the first intermediate in the pathway. Moreover, our structural data revealed that PcuC has two copper-binding sites, one each for Cu¹⁺ and Cu²⁺, and that only PcuC•Cu¹⁺•Cu²⁺ can release CoxB•Cu²⁺ from the ScoI•Cu²⁺•CoxB complex. The CoxB•Cu_A center was then formed quantitatively by transfer of Cu¹⁺ from a second equivalent of PcuC•Cu¹⁺•Cu²⁺ to CoxB•Cu²⁺. This metalation pathway is consistent with all available in vivo data and identifies the sources of the Cu ions required for Cu_A center formation and the order of their delivery to CoxB.

A cytosolic copper storage protein provides a second level of copper tolerance in Streptomyces lividans

Streptomyces lividans has a distinct dependence on the bioavailability of copper for its morphological development. A cytosolic copper resistance system is operative in S. lividans that serves to preclude deleterious copper levels. This system comprises of several CopZ-like copper chaperones and P₁-type ATPases, predominantly under the transcriptional control of a metalloregulator from the copper sensitive operon repressor (CsoR) family. In the present study, we discover a new layer of cytosolic copper resistance in S. lividans that involves a protein belonging to the newly discovered family of copper storage proteins, which we have named Ccsp (cytosolic copper storage protein). From an evolutionary perspective, we find Ccsp homologues to be widespread in Bacteria and extend through into Archaea and Eukaryota. Under copper stress Ccsp is upregulated and consists of a homotetramer assembly capable of binding up to 80 cuprous ions (20 per protomer). X-ray crystallography reveals 18 cysteines, 3 histidines and 1 aspartate are involved in cuprous ion coordination. Loading of cuprous ions to Ccsp is a cooperative process with a Hill coefficient of 1.9 and a CopZ-like copper chaperone can transfer copper to Ccsp. A Δccsp mutant strain indicates that Ccsp is not required under initial copper stress in S. lividans, but as the CsoR/CopZ/ATPase efflux system becomes saturated, Ccsp facilitates a second level of copper tolerance.

Handling of nutrient copper in the bacterial envelope

The insertion of copper into bacterial cuproenzymesin vivodoes not always require a copper-binding metallochaperone – why?

Active-site maturation and activity of the copper-radical oxidase GlxA are governed by a tryptophan residue

GlxA from Streptomyces lividans is a mononuclear copper-radical oxidase and a member of the auxiliary activity family 5 (AA5). Its domain organisation and low sequence homology make it a distinct member of the AA5 family in which the fungal galactose 6-oxidase (Gox) is the best characterised. GlxA is a key cuproenzyme in the copper-dependent morphological development of S. lividans with a function that is linked to the processing of an extracytoplasmic glycan. The catalytic sites in GlxA and Gox contain two distinct one-electron acceptors comprising the copper ion and a 3′-(S-cysteinyl) tyrosine. The latter is formed post-translationally through a covalent bond between a cysteine and a copper-co-ordinating tyrosine ligand and houses a radical. In GlxA and Gox, a second co-ordination sphere tryptophan residue (Trp288 in GlxA) is present, but the orientation of the indole ring differs between the two enzymes, creating a marked difference in the π–π stacking interaction of the benzyl ring with the 3′-(S-cysteinyl) tyrosine. Differences in the spectroscopic and enzymatic activity have been reported between GlxA and Gox with the indole orientation suggested as a reason. Here, we report a series of in vivo and in vitro studies using the W288F and W288A variants of GlxA to assess the role of Trp288 on the morphology, maturation, spectroscopic and enzymatic properties. Our findings point towards a salient role for Trp288 in the kinetics of copper loading and maturation of GlxA, with its presence essential for stabilising the metalloradical site required for coupling catalytic activity and morphological development.

The DyP-type peroxidase DtpA is a Tat-substrate required for GlxA maturation and morphogenesis in Streptomyces

The filamentous bacterium Streptomyces lividans depends on the radical copper oxidase GlxA for the formation of reproductive aerial structures and, in liquid environments, for the formation of pellets. Incorporation of copper into the active site is essential for the formation of a cross-linked tyrosyl-cysteine cofactor, which is needed for enzymatic activity. In this study, we show a crucial link between GlxA maturation and a group of copper-related proteins including the chaperone Sco and a novel DyP-type peroxidase hereinafter called DtpA. Under copper-limiting conditions, the sco and dtpA deletion mutants are blocked in aerial growth and pellet formation, similarly to a glxA mutant. Western blot analysis showed that GlxA maturation is perturbed in the sco and dtpA mutants, but both maturation and morphology can by rescued by increasing the bioavailability of copper. DtpA acts as a peroxidase in the presence of GlxA and is a substrate for the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) translocation pathway. In agreement, the maturation status of GlxA is also perturbed in tat mutants, which can be compensated for by the addition of copper, thereby partially restoring their morphological defects. Our data support a model wherein a copper-trafficking pathway and Tat-dependent secretion of DtpA link to the GlxA-dependent morphogenesis pathway.

Copper-responsive gene expression in the methanotroph Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b

Methanotrophic bacteria convert methane to methanol using methane monooxygenase (MMO) enzymes. In many strains, either an iron-containing soluble (sMMO) or a copper-containing particulate (pMMO) enzyme can be produced depending on copper availability; the mechanism of this copper switch has not been elucidated. A key player in methanotroph copper homeostasis is methanobactin (Mbn), a ribosomally produced, post-translationally modified natural product with a high affinity for copper. The Mbn precursor peptide is encoded within an operon that contains a range of putative transporters, regulators, and biosynthetic proteins, but the involvement of these genes in Mbn-related processes remains unclear. Extensive time-dependent qRT-PCR studies of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b and the constitutive sMMO-producing mutant M. trichosporium OB3b PP358 show that the Mbn operon is indeed copper-regulated, providing experimental support for its bioinformatics-based identification. Moreover, the Mbn operon is co-regulated with the sMMO operon and reciprocally regulated with the pMMO operon. Within the Mbn and sMMO operons, a subset of regulatory genes exhibits a distinct and shared pattern of expression, consistent with their proposed functions as internal regulators. In addition, genome sequencing of the M. trichosporium OB3b PP358 mutant provides new evidence for the involvement of genes adjacent to the pMMO operon in methanotroph copper homeostasis.

Developmental defect of cytochrome oxidase mutants of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)

To study the link between energy metabolism and secondary metabolism/morphological development in Streptomyces, knockout mutants were generated with regard to the subunits of the cytochrome oxidase supercomplex (CcO) in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). All mutants exhibited an identical phenotype: viable but defective in antibiotic production and cell differentiation when grown in both complex and minimal media. The growth yield of the CcO mutant was about half of that of the WT strain on glucose medium while both strains grew similarly on maltose medium. Intracellular ATP measurement demonstrated that the CcO mutant exhibited high intracellular ATP level. A similar elevation of intracellular ATP level was observed with regard to the WT strain cultured in the presence of BCDA, a copper-chelating agent. Reverse transcriptase PCR analysis demonstrated that the transcription of ATP synthase operon is upregulated in the CcO mutant. Addition of carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, an inhibitor of ATP synthesis, promoted antibiotic production and aerial mycelia formation in the CcO mutant and BCDA-treated WT cells. We hypothesize that the deficiency of CcO causes accumulation of intracellular ATP, and that the high ATP level inhibits the onset of development in S. coelicolor.

The CopC Family: Structural and Bioinformatic Insights into a Diverse Group of Periplasmic Copper Binding Proteins

The CopC proteins are periplasmic copper binding proteins believed to play a role in bacterial copper homeostasis. Previous studies have focused on CopCs that are part of seven-protein Cop or Pco systems involved in copper resistance. These canonical CopCs contain distinct Cu(I) and Cu(II) binding sites. Mounting evidence suggests that CopCs are more widely distributed, often present only with the CopD inner membrane protein, frequently as a fusion protein, and that the CopC and CopD proteins together function in the uptake of copper to the cytoplasm. In the methanotroph Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, genes encoding a CopCD pair are located adjacent to the particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) operon. The CopC from this organism (Mst-CopC) was expressed, purified, and structurally characterized. The 1.46 Å resolution crystal structure of Mst-CopC reveals a single Cu(II) binding site with coordination somewhat different from that in canonical CopCs, and the absence of a Cu(I) binding site. Extensive bioinformatic analyses indicate that the majority of CopCs in fact contain only a Cu(II) site, with just 10% of sequences corresponding to the canonical two-site CopC. Accordingly, a new classification scheme for CopCs was developed, and detailed analyses of the sequences and their genomic neighborhoods reveal new proteins potentially involved in copper homeostasis, providing a framework for expanded models of CopCD function.

Heterogeneity in the Histidine-brace Copper Coordination Sphere in Auxiliary Activity Family 10 (AA10) Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenases

Copper-dependent lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are enzymes that oxidatively deconstruct polysaccharides. The active site copper in LPMOs is coordinated by a histidine-brace. This utilizes the amino group and side chain of the N-terminal His residue with the side chain of a second His residue to create a T-shaped arrangement of nitrogen ligands. We report a structural, kinetic, and thermodynamic appraisal of copper binding to the histidine-brace in an auxiliary activity family 10 (AA10) LPMO from Streptomyces lividans (SliLPMO10E). Unexpectedly, we discovered the existence of two apo-SliLPMO10E species in solution that can each bind copper at a single site with distinct kinetic and thermodynamic (exothermic and endothermic) properties. The experimental EPR spectrum of copper-bound SliLPMO10E requires the simulation of two different line shapes, implying two different copper-bound species, indicative of three and two nitrogen ligands coordinating the copper. Amino group coordination was probed through the creation of an N-terminal extension variant (SliLPMO10E-Ext). The kinetics and thermodynamics of copper binding to SliLPMO10E-Ext are in accord with copper binding to one of the apo-forms in the wild-type protein, suggesting that amino group coordination is absent in the two-nitrogen coordinate form of SliLPMO10E. Copper binding to SliLPMO10B was also investigated, and again it revealed the presence of two apo-forms with kinetics and stoichiometry of copper binding identical to that of SliLPMO10E. Our findings highlight that heterogeneity exists in the active site copper coordination sphere of LPMOs that may have implications for the mechanism of loading copper in the cell.

The extracytoplasmic function σ factor σ(C) regulates expression of a branched quinol oxidation pathway in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Bacteria modify their expression of different terminal oxidases in response to oxygen availability. Corynebacterium glutamicum, a facultative anaerobic bacterium of the phylum Actinobacteria, possesses aa3 -type cytochrome c oxidase and cytochrome bd-type quinol oxidase, the latter of which is induced by oxygen limitation. We report that an extracytoplasmic function σ factor, σ(C) , is responsible for the regulation of this process. Chromatin immunoprecipitation with microarray analysis detected eight σ(C) -binding regions in the genome, facilitating the identification of a consensus promoter sequence for σ(C) recognition. The promoter sequences were found upstream of genes for cytochrome bd, heme a synthesis enzymes and uncharacterized membrane proteins, all of which were upregulated by sigC overexpression. However, one consensus promoter sequence found on the antisense strand upstream of an operon encoding the cytochrome bc1 complex conferred a σ(C) -dependent negative effect on expression of the operon. The σ(C) regulon was induced by cytochrome aa3 deficiency without modifying sigC expression, but not by bc1 complex deficiency. These findings suggest that σ(C) is activated in response to impaired electron transfer via cytochrome aa3 and not directly to a shift in oxygen levels. Our results reveal a new paradigm for transcriptional regulation of the aerobic respiratory system in bacteria.

Structural and Biochemical Characterization of a Copper-Binding Mutant of the Organomercurial Lyase MerB: Insight into the Key Role of the Active Site Aspartic Acid in Hg-Carbon Bond Cleavage and Metal Binding Specificity

In bacterial resistance to mercury, the organomercurial lyase (MerB) plays a key role in the detoxification pathway through its ability to cleave Hg-carbon bonds. Two cysteines (C96 and C159; Escherichia coli MerB numbering) and an aspartic acid (D99) have been identified as the key catalytic residues, and these three residues are conserved in all but four known MerB variants, where the aspartic acid is replaced with a serine. To understand the role of the active site serine, we characterized the structure and metal binding properties of an E. coli MerB mutant with a serine substituted for D99 (MerB D99S) as well as one of the native MerB variants containing a serine residue in the active site (Bacillus megaterium MerB2). Surprisingly, the MerB D99S protein copurified with a bound metal that was determined to be Cu(II) from UV-vis absorption, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and electron paramagnetic resonance studies. X-ray structural studies revealed that the Cu(II) is bound to the active site cysteine residues of MerB D99S, but that it is displaced following the addition of either an organomercurial substrate or an ionic mercury product. In contrast, the B. megaterium MerB2 protein does not copurify with copper, but the structure of the B. megaterium MerB2-Hg complex is highly similar to the structure of the MerB D99S-Hg complexes. These results demonstrate that the active site aspartic acid is crucial for both the enzymatic activity and metal binding specificity of MerB proteins and suggest a possible functional relationship between MerB and its only known structural homologue, the copper-binding protein NosL.

Structural insights into conformational switching in the copper metalloregulator CsoR from Streptomyces lividans

Copper-sensitive operon repressors (CsoRs) act to sense cuprous ions and bind them with a high affinity under copper stress in many bacteria. The binding of copper(I) leads to a conformational change in their homotetramer structure, causing disassembly of the operator DNA-CsoR complex and evoking a transcriptional response. Atomic-level structural insight into the conformational switching mechanism between the apo and metal-bound states is lacking. Here, a new X-ray crystal structure of the CsoR from Streptomyces lividans is reported and compared with a previously reported S. lividans CsoR X-ray structure crystallized under different conditions. Based on evidence from this new X-ray structure, it is revealed that the conformational switching between states centres on a concertina effect at the C-terminal end of each α2 helix in the homotetramer. This drives the Cys104 side chain, a copper(I)-ligating residue, into a position enabling copper(I) coordination and as a result disrupts the α2-helix geometry, leading to a compacting and twisting of the homotetramer structure. Strikingly, the conformational switching induces a redistribution of electrostatic surface potential on the tetrameric DNA-binding face, which in the copper(I)-bound state would no longer favour interaction with the mode of operator DNA binding.

GlxA is a new structural member of the radical copper oxidase family and is required for glycan deposition at hyphal tips and morphogenesis of Streptomyces lividans

Streptomyces lividans displays a distinct dependence on copper to fully initiate morphological development. Evidence has accumulated to implicate the participation of an extracytoplasmic cuproenzyme in morphogenesis. In the present study, we show that GlxA fulfils all criteria to be that cuproenzyme. GlxA is membrane associated and has an active site consisting of a mononuclear copper and a cross-linked Y-C cofactor. The domain organization of the tertiary structure defines GlxA as a new structural member of the mono-copper oxidase family, with copper co-ordination geometry similar to, but spectroscopically distinct from fungal galactose oxidase (Gox). EPR spectroscopy reveals that the oxidation of cupric GlxA generates a protein radical residing on the Y-C cross-link. A variety of canonical Gox substrates (including D-galactose) were tested but none were readily turned over by GlxA. A glxA null-mutant leads to loss of glycan accumulation at hyphal tips and consequently a drastically changed morphology both on solid substrates and in liquid-grown environments, a scenario similarly observed in the absence of the neighbouring glycan synthase CslA (cellulase synthase-like protein). In addition the glxA mutant has lost the stimulation of development by copper, supporting a model whereby the enzymatic action of GlxA on the glycan is required for development and morphology. From a biotechnology perspective, the open mycelium morphology observed with the glxA mutant in submerged culture has implications for use as an enzyme production host.

Copper trafficking in the CsoR regulon of Streptomyces lividans

In the actinobacterium Streptomyces lividans copper homeostasis is controlled through the action of the metalloregulator CsoR. Under copper stress, cuprous ions bind to apo-CsoR resulting in the transcriptional derepression of genes encoding for copper efflux systems involving CopZ-like copper chaperones and CopA-like P-type ATPases. Whether CsoR obtains copper via a protein-protein mediated trafficking mechanism is unknown. In this study we have characterised the copper trafficking properties of two S. lividans CopZ proteins (SLI_1317 and SLI_3079) under the transcriptional control of a CsoR (SLI_4375). Our findings indicate that both CopZ-proteins have cysteine residues in the Cu(i) binding MX1CX2X3C motif with acid-base properties that are modulated for a high cuprous ion affinity and favourable Cu(i)-exchange with a target. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays transfer of Cu(i) is shown to occur in a unidirectional manner from the CopZ to the CsoR. This transfer proceeds via a shallow thermodynamic affinity gradient and is also kinetically favoured through the modulation of the acid-base properties of the cysteine residues in the Cys2His cuprous ion binding motif of CsoR. Using RNA-seq coupled with the mechanistic insights of Cu(i) transfer between CopZ and CsoR in vitro, we propose a copper trafficking pathway for the CsoR regulon that initially involves the buffering of cytosolic copper by three CopZ chaperones followed by transfer of Cu(i) to CsoR to illicit a transcriptional response.