A Vertebrate-type Ferredoxin Domain in the Na+-translocating NADH Dehydrogenase from Vibrio cholerae

Electrostatics and water occlusion regulate covalently-bound flavin mononucleotide cofactors of Vibrio cholerae respiratory complex NQR

Proteins like NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (NQR), an essential enzyme and ion pump in the physiology of several pathogenic bacteria, tightly regulate the redox properties of their cofactors. Although flavin mononucleotide (FMN) is fully reduced in aqueous solution, FMN in subunits B and C of NQR exclusively undergo one-electron transitions during its catalytic cycle. Here, we perform ab initio calculations and molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate the redox state of FMN in NQR. QM/MM calculations show that binding site electrostatics disfavor anionic forms of FMNH₂ , but permit a neutral form of the fully reduced flavin. The potential energy surface is unaffected by covalent bonding between FMN and threonine. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the FMN binding sites are inaccessible by water, suggesting that further reductions of the cofactors are limited or prohibited by the availability of water and other proton donors. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the mechanisms used by NQR to regulate electron transfer through the cofactors and perform its physiologic role. They also provide the first, to our knowledge, evidence of the simple concept that proteins regulate flavin redox states via water occlusion.

Flavin transferase: the maturation factor of flavin-containing oxidoreductases

Flavins, cofactors of many enzymes, are often covalently linked to these enzymes; for instance, flavin adenine mononucleotide (FMN) can form a covalent bond through either its phosphate or isoalloxazine group. The prevailing view had long been that all types of covalent attachment of flavins occur as autocatalytic reactions; however, in 2013, the first flavin transferase was identified, which catalyzes phosphoester bond formation between FMN and Na⁺-translocating NADH:quinone oxidoreductase in certain bacteria. Later studies have indicated that this post-translational modification is widespread in prokaryotes and is even found in some eukaryotes. Flavin transferase can occur as a separate ∼40 kDa protein or as a domain within the target protein and recognizes a degenerate DgxtsAT/S motif in various target proteins. The purpose of this review was to summarize the progress already achieved by studies of the structure, mechanism, and specificity of flavin transferase and to encourage future research on this topic. Interestingly, the flavin transferase gene (apbE) is found in many bacteria that have no known target protein, suggesting the presence of yet unknown flavinylation targets.

Oxidant-induced formation of a neutral flavosemiquinone in the Na+-translocating NADH:Quinone oxidoreductase (Na+-NQR) from Vibrio cholerae

The Na(+)-translocating NADH:quinone oxidoreductase (Na(+)-NQR) from the human pathogen Vibrio cholerae is a respiratory flavo-FeS complex composed of the six subunits NqrA-F. The Na(+)-NQR was produced as His(6)-tagged protein by homologous expression in V. cholerae. The isolated complex contained near-stoichiometric amounts of non-covalently bound FAD (0.78 mol/mol Na(+)-NQR) and riboflavin (0.70 mol/mol Na(+)-NQR), catalyzed NADH-driven Na(+) transport (40 nmol Na(+)min(-1) mg(-1)), and was inhibited by 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide. EPR spectroscopy showed that Na(+)-NQR as isolated contained very low amounts of a neutral flavosemiquinone (10(-3) mol/mol Na(+)-NQR). Reduction with NADH resulted in the formation of an anionic flavosemiquinone (0.10 mol/mol Na(+)-NQR). Subsequent oxidation of the Na(+)-NQR with ubiquinone-1 or O(2) led to the formation of a neutral flavosemiquinone (0.24 mol/mol Na(+)-NQR). We propose that the Na(+)-NQR is fully oxidized in its resting state, and discuss putative schemes of NADH-triggered redox transitions.

The Na+-translocating NADH:quinone oxidoreductase (Na+-NQR) from Vibrio cholerae enhances insertion of FeS in overproduced NqrF subunit

The Na+-translocating NADH:quinone oxidoreductase (Na+-NQR) from Vibrio cholerae is a membrane-bound, respiratory Na+ pump. Its NqrF subunit contains one FAD and a [2Fe-2S] cluster and catalyzes the initial oxidation of NADH. A soluble variant of NqrF lacking its hydrophobic, N-terminal helix (NqrF') was produced in V. cholerae wild type and nqr deletion strain. Under identical conditions of growth and induction, the yield of NqrF' increased by 30% in the presence of the Na+-NQR. FAD-containing NqrF' species with or without the FeS cluster were observed, indicating that assembly of the FeS center, but not insertion of the flavin cofactor, was limited during overproduction in V. cholerae. A comparison of these distinct NqrF' species with regard to specific NADH dehydrogenase activity, pH dependence of activity and thermal inactivation showed that NqrF' lacking the [2Fe-2S] cluster was less stable, partially unfolded, and therefore prone to proteolytic degradation in V. cholerae. We conclude that the overall yield of NqrF' critically depends on the amount of fully assembled, FeS-containing NqrF' in the V. cholerae host cells. The Na+-NQR is proposed to increase the stability of NqrF' by stimulating the maturation of FeS centers.

The three families of respiratory NADH dehydrogenases

Most reducing equivalents extracted from foodstuffs during oxidative metabolism are fed into the respiratory chains of aerobic bacteria and mitochondria by NADH:quinone oxidoreductases. Three families of enzymes can perform this task and differ remarkably in their complexity and role in energy conversion. Alternative or NDH-2-type NADH dehydrogenases are simple one subunit flavoenzymes that completely dissipate the redox energy of the NADH/quinone couple. Sodium-pumping NADH dehydrogenases (Nqr) that are only found in procaryotes contain several flavins and are integral membrane protein complexes composed of six different subunits. Proton-pumping NADH dehydrogenases (NDH-1 or complex I) are highly complicated membrane protein complexes, composed of up to 45 different subunits, that are found in bacteria and mitochondria. This review gives an overview of the origin, structural and functional properties and physiological significance of these three types of NADH dehydrogenase.

Quinone reduction by the Na+-translocating NADH dehydrogenase promotes extracellular superoxide production in Vibrio cholerae

The pathogenicity of Vibrio cholerae is influenced by sodium ions which are actively extruded from the cell by the Na(+)-translocating NADH:quinone oxidoreductase (Na(+)-NQR). To study the function of the Na(+)-NQR in the respiratory chain of V. cholerae, we examined the formation of organic radicals and superoxide in a wild-type strain and a mutant strain lacking the Na(+)-NQR. Upon reduction with NADH, an organic radical was detected in native membranes by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy which was assigned to ubisemiquinones generated by the Na(+)-NQR. The radical concentration increased from 0.2 mM at 0.08 mM Na(+) to 0.4 mM at 14.7 mM Na(+), indicating that the concentration of the coupling cation influences the redox state of the quinone pool in V. cholerae membranes. During respiration, V. cholerae cells produced extracellular superoxide with a specific activity of 10.2 nmol min(-1) mg(-1) in the wild type compared to 3.1 nmol min(-1) mg(-1) in the NQR deletion strain. Raising the Na(+) concentration from 0.1 to 5 mM increased the rate of superoxide formation in the wild-type V. cholerae strain by at least 70%. Rates of respiratory H(2)O(2) formation by wild-type V. cholerae cells (30.9 nmol min(-1) mg(-1)) were threefold higher than rates observed with the mutant strain lacking the Na(+)-NQR (9.7 nmol min(-1) mg(-1)). Our study shows that environmental Na(+) could stimulate ubisemiquinone formation by the Na(+)-NQR and hereby enhance the production of reactive oxygen species formed during the autoxidation of reduced quinones.