An Escherichia coli ccm (cytochrome c maturation) deletion strain substantially expresses Hydrogenobacter thermophilus cytochrome c552 in the cytoplasm: availability of haem influences cytochrome c552 maturation

Expanding flavone and flavonol production capabilities in Escherichia coli

Flavones and flavonols are important classes of flavonoids with nutraceutical and pharmacological value, and their production by fermentation with recombinant microorganisms promises to be a scalable and economically favorable alternative to extraction from plant sources. Flavones and flavonols have been produced recombinantly in a number of microorganisms, with Saccharomyces cerevisiae typically being a preferred production host for these compounds due to higher yields and titers of precursor compounds, as well as generally improved ability to functionally express cytochrome P450 enzymes without requiring modification to improve their solubility. Recently, a rapid prototyping platform has been developed for high-value compounds in E. coli, and a number of gatekeeper (2S)-flavanones, from which flavones and flavonols can be derived, have been produced to high titers in E. coli using this platform. In this study, we extended these metabolic pathways using the previously reported platform to produce apigenin, chrysin, luteolin and kaempferol from the gatekeeper flavonoids naringenin, pinocembrin and eriodictyol by the expression of either type-I flavone synthases (FNS-I) or type-II flavone synthases (FNS-II) for flavone biosynthesis, and by the expression of flavanone 3-dioxygenases (F3H) and flavonol synthases (FLS) for the production of the flavonol kaempferol. In our best-performing strains, titers of apigenin and kaempferol reached 128 mg L-1 and 151 mg L-1 in 96-DeepWell plates in cultures supplemented with an additional 3 mM tyrosine, though titers for chrysin (6.8 mg L-1) from phenylalanine, and luteolin (5.0 mg L-1) from caffeic acid were considerably lower. In strains with upregulated tyrosine production, apigenin and kaempferol titers reached 80.2 mg L-1 and 42.4 mg L-1 respectively, without the further supplementation of tyrosine beyond the amount present in the rich medium. Notably, the highest apigenin, chrysin and luteolin titers were achieved with FNS-II enzymes, suggesting that cytochrome P450s can show competitive performance compared with non-cytochrome P450 enzymes in prokaryotes for the production of flavones.

Heterologous expression and biochemical comparison of two homologous SoxX proteins of endosymbiontic Candidatus Vesicomyosocius okutanii and free-living Hydrogenovibrio crunogenus from deep-sea vent environments

Candidatus Vesicomyosocius okutanii is a currently uncultured endosymbiotic bacterium of the clam Pheragena okutanii, which lives in deep-sea vent environments. The genome of Ca. V. okutanii encodes a sulfur-oxidizing (Sox) enzyme complex, presumably generating biological energy for the host from inorganic sulfur compounds. Here, Ca. V. okutanii SoxX (VoSoxX), a mono-heme cytochrome c component of the Sox complex, was shown to be phylogenetically related to its homologous counterpart (HcSoxX) from a free-living deep-sea vent bacterium, Hydrogenovibrio crunogenus. Both proteins were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli cells with co-expressing cytochrome c maturation genes. Biochemical analysis using the recombinant proteins showed that VoSoxX had a significantly lower thermal stability than HcSoxX, possibly due to structural differences. For example, the Asn-60 residue in VoSoxX may be hydrophobically disadvantageous compared with the spatially corresponding Val-73 residue in HcSoxX. This study represents the first successful case of heterologous expression of genes from Ca. V. okutanii, suggesting that the endosymbiotic VoSoxX protein does not require stabilization, unlike the free-living HcSoxX protein.

A novel catalytic heme cofactor in SfmD with a single thioether bond and a bis-His ligand set revealed by a de novo crystal structural and spectroscopic study

SfmD is a heme-dependent enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of saframycin A. Here, we present a 1.78 Å resolution de novo crystal structure of SfmD, which unveils a novel heme cofactor attached to the protein with an unusual Hx n HxxxC motif (n ∼ 38). This heme cofactor is unique in two respects. It contains a single thioether bond in a cysteine-vinyl link with Cys317, and the ferric heme has two axial protein ligands, i.e., His274 and His313. We demonstrated that SfmD heme is catalytically active and can utilize dioxygen and ascorbate for a single-oxygen insertion into 3-methyl-l-tyrosine. Catalytic assays using ascorbate derivatives revealed the functional groups of ascorbate essential to its function as a cosubstrate. Abolishing the thioether linkage through mutation of Cys317 resulted in catalytically inactive SfmD variants. EPR and optical data revealed that the heme center undergoes a substantial conformational change with one axial histidine ligand dissociating from the iron ion in response to substrate 3-methyl-l-tyrosine binding or chemical reduction by a reducing agent, such as the cosubstrate ascorbate. The labile axial ligand was identified as His274 through redox-linked structural determinations. Together, identifying an unusual heme cofactor with a previously unknown heme-binding motif for a monooxygenase activity and the structural similarity of SfmD to the members of the heme-based tryptophan dioxygenase superfamily will broaden understanding of heme chemistry.

Assembly of a novel biosynthetic pathway for production of the plant flavonoid fisetin in Escherichia coli

Plant secondary metabolites are an underutilized pool of bioactive molecules for applications in the food, pharma and nutritional industries. One such molecule is fisetin, which is present in many fruits and vegetables and has several potential health benefits, including anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-aging activity. Moreover, fisetin has recently been shown to prevent Alzheimer's disease in mice and to prevent complications associated with diabetes type I. Thus far the biosynthetic pathway of fisetin in plants remains elusive. Here, we present the heterologous assembly of a novel fisetin pathway in Escherichia coli. We propose a novel biosynthetic pathway from the amino acid, tyrosine, utilizing nine heterologous enzymes. The pathway proceeds via the synthesis of two flavanones never produced in microorganisms before--garbanzol and resokaempferol. We show for the first time a functional biosynthetic pathway and establish E. coli as a microbial platform strain for the production of fisetin and related flavonols.

Comparative genomics of Salmonella enterica serovars Derby and Mbandaka, two prevalent serovars associated with different livestock species in the UK

Background

Despite the frequent isolation of Salmonella enterica sub. enterica serovars Derby and Mbandaka from livestock in the UK and USA little is known about the biological processes maintaining their prevalence. Statistics for Salmonella isolations from livestock production in the UK show that S. Derby is most commonly associated with pigs and turkeys and S. Mbandaka with cattle and chickens. Here we compare the first sequenced genomes of S. Derby and S. Mbandaka as a basis for further analysis of the potential host adaptations that contribute to their distinct host species distributions.

Results

Comparative functional genomics using the RAST annotation system showed that predominantly mechanisms that relate to metabolite utilisation, in vivo and ex vivo persistence and pathogenesis distinguish S. Derby from S. Mbandaka. Alignment of the genome nucleotide sequences of S. Derby D1 and D2 and S. Mbandaka M1 and M2 with Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPI) identified unique complements of genes associated with host adaptation. We also describe a new genomic island with a putative role in pathogenesis, SPI-23. SPI-23 is present in several S. enterica serovars, including S. Agona, S. Dublin and S. Gallinarum, it is absent in its entirety from S. Mbandaka.

Conclusions

We discovered a new 37 Kb genomic island, SPI-23, in the chromosome sequence of S. Derby, encoding 42 ORFS, ten of which are putative TTSS effector proteins. We infer from full-genome synonymous SNP analysis that these two serovars diverged, between 182kya and 625kya coinciding with the divergence of domestic pigs. The differences between the genomes of these serovars suggest they have been exposed to different stresses including, phage, transposons and prolonged externalisation. The two serovars possess distinct complements of metabolic genes; many of which cluster into pathways for catabolism of carbon sources.

Extracytoplasmic prosthetic group ligation to apoproteins: maturation of c-type cytochromes

In all organisms, haem is post-translationally and covalently attached to c apocytochromes to produce c holocytochromes via a process called c-type cytochromes maturation, which involves numerous components. In bacteria it was not clear which of these components catalyses the extracytoplasmic haem-apocytochrome ligation per se. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Feissner and colleagues report that a single polypeptide from Helicobacter pylori, corresponding to the fusion of two proteins found in other organisms, performs haem ligation to a coexpressed Bordetella pertussis apocytochrome c in an Escherichia coli mutant lacking its own cytochrome c maturation proteins. This simple experimental system pinpoints the components catalysing extracytoplasmic covalent haem ligation and raises intriguing issues about the requirements for delivery of haem and apocytochrome c substrates to produce c holocytochromes.

Successful recombinant production of Allochromatium vinosum cytochrome c' requires coexpression of cmm genes in heme-rich Escherichia coli JCB712

Cytochrome c' from the purple photosynthetic bacterium Allochromatium vinosum (CCP) displays a unique, reversible dimer-to-monomer transition upon binding of NO, CO, and CN(-). This small, four helix bundle protein represents an attractive model for the study of other heme protein biosensors, provided a recombinant expression system is available. Here we report the development of an efficient expression system for CCP that makes use of a maltose binding protein fusion strategy to enhance periplasmic expression and allow easy purification by affinity chromatography. Coexpression of cytochrome c maturase genes and the use of a heme-rich Escherichia coli strain were found to be necessary to obtain reasonable yields of cytochrome c'. Characterization using circular dichroism, UV-vis spectroscopy, and size-exclusion chromatography confirms the native-like properties of the recombinant protein, including its ligand-induced monomerization.

Cytochrome rC552, Formed during Expression of the Truncated, Thermus thermophilus Cytochrome c552 Gene in the Cytoplasm of Escherichia coli, Reacts Spontaneously To Form Protein-Bound 2-Formyl-4-vinyl (Spirographis) Heme,

Expression of the truncated (lacking an N-terminal signal sequence) structural gene of Thermus thermophilus cytochrome c(552) in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli yields both dimeric (rC(557)) and monomeric (rC(552)) cytochrome c-like proteins [Keightley, J. A., et al. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 12006-12016], which form spontaneously without the involvement of cytochrome c maturation factors. Cytochrome rC(557) is comprised of a dimer and has been structurally characterized [McRee, D., et al. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 6537-6544]. Unexpectedly, the monomeric rC(552) transforms spontaneously to a cytochrome-like chromophore having, in its reduced state, the Q(oo) transition (alpha-band) at 572 nm (therefore called p572). The X-ray crystallographic structure of rC(552), at 1.41 A resolution, shows that the 2-vinyl group of heme ring I is converted to a [heme-CO-CH(2)-S-CH(2)-C(alpha)] conjugate with cysteine 11. Electron density maps obtained from isomorphous crystals of p572 at 1.61 A resolution reveal that the 2-vinyl group has been oxidized to a formyl group. This explains the lower energy of the Q(oo)() transition, the presence of a new, high-frequency band in the resonance Raman spectra at 1666 cm(-1) for oxidized and at 1646 cm(-1) for reduced samples, and the greatly altered, paramagnetically shifted (1)H NMR spectrum observed for this species. The overall process defines a novel mechanism for oxidation of the 2-vinyl group to a 2-formyl group and adds to the surprising array of chemical reactions that occur in the interaction of heme with the CXXCH sequence motif in apocytochromes c.

System for the expression of recombinant hemoproteins in Escherichia coli

Expression of recombinant hemoproteins in Escherichia coli is often limited because a vast majority of the protein produced lacks the heme necessary for function. This is compounded by the fact that standard laboratory strains of E. coli have a limited capacity to withdraw heme from the extracellular environment. We are developing a new tool designed to increase the heme content of our proteins of interest by simply supplementing the expression medium with low concentrations of hemin. This hemoprotein expression (HPEX) system is based on plasmids (pHPEX1-pHPEX3) that encode an outermembrane-bound heme receptor (ChuA) from E. coli O157:H7. This heme receptor, and others like it, confers on the host the ability to more effectively internalize exogenous heme. Transformation of a standard laboratory E. coli protein expression strain (BL-21 [DE3]) with the pHPEX plasmid led to the expression of a new protein with the appropriate molecular weight for ChuA. The receptor was functional as demonstrated by the ability of the transformant to grow on iron-deficient media supplemented with hemin, an ability that the unmodified expression strain lacked. Expression of our proteins of interest, catalase-peroxidases, using this system led to a dramatic and parallel increase in heme content and activity. On a per-heme basis, the spectral and kinetic properties of HPEX-derived catalase-peroxidase were the same as those observed for catalase-peroxidases expressed in standard E. coli-based systems. We suggest that the pHPEX plasmids may be a useful addition to other E. coli expression systems and may help address a broad range of problems in hemoprotein structure and function.

A cytochrome c from a lupanine-transforming Pseudomonas putida strain is expressed in Escherichia coli during aerobic cultivation and efficiently exported and assembled in the periplasm

We have cloned, sequenced, and heterologously expressed a periplasmic cytochrome c from a lupanine-utilizing Pseudomonas putida strain. Aerobic batch cultivation of Escherichia coli TB1 harboring the cytochrome c gene placed downstream of the lac promoter in pUC9 vector resulted in significant production of the holo-cytochrome c in the periplasm ( approximately 4 mg of hemoprotein/liter of culture). The recombinant cytochrome c was purified to homogeneity and was found to be functional in accepting electrons from lupanine hydroxylase while catalyzing hydroxylation of lupanine. Comparison of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the isolated cytochrome c with that deduced from the DNA sequence indicated that the signal sequence was processed at the bond position predicted by the SigPep program. The molecular size of the cytochrome c determined by electrospray mass spectrometry (9,595) was in precise agreement with that predicted from the nucleotide sequence.

Cytochrome c maturation. The in vitro reactions of horse heart apocytochrome c and Paracoccus dentrificans apocytochrome c550 with heme

C-type cytochromes are characterized by having the heme moiety covalently attached via thioether bonds between the heme vinyl groups and the thiols of conserved cysteine residues of the polypeptide chain. Previously, we have shown the in vitro formation of Hydrogenobacter thermophilus cytochrome c(552) (Daltrop, O., Allen, J. W. A., Willis, A. C., and Ferguson, S. J. (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 99, 7872-7876). In this work we report that thioether bonds can form spontaneously in vitro between heme and the apocytochromes c from horse heart and Paracoccus denitrificans via b-type cytochrome intermediates. Both apocytochromes, but not the holo forms, bind 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate, indicating that the apoproteins each have an affinity for a hydrophobic ligand. Furthermore, for both apocytochromes c an intramolecular disulfide can form between the cysteines of the CXXCH motif that is characteristic of c-type cytochromes. In vitro reaction of these apocytochromes c with heme to yield holocytochromes c, and the tendency to form a disulfide, have implications for the different systems responsible for cytochrome c maturation in vivo in various organisms.

C-type cytochromes: diverse structures and biogenesis systems pose evolutionary problems

C-type cytochromes are a structurally diverse group of haemoproteins, which are related by the occurrence of haem covalently attached to a polypeptide via two thioether bonds formed by the vinyl groups of haem and cysteine side chains in a CXXCH peptide motif. Remarkably, three different post-translational systems for forming these cytochromes have been identified. The evolution of both the proteins themselves and the biogenesis systems poses many questions to which answers are currently being sought. In this article we review the progress that has been made in understanding the need for covalent attachment of haem to proteins in cytochromes c and the complex systems involved in their formation.

Recombinant equine cytochrome c in Escherichia coli: high-level expression, characterization, and folding and assembly mutants

To promote studies of cytochrome c (Cyt c) ranging from apoptosis to protein folding, a system for facile mutagenesis and high-level expression is desirable. This work used a generally applicable strategy for improving yields of heterologously expressed protein in Escherichia coli. Starting with the yeast Cyt c plus heme lyase construct of Pollock et al. [Pollock, W. B., Rosell, F. I., Twitchett, M. B., Dumont, M. E., and Mauk, A. G. (1998) Biochemistry 37, 6124-6131], an E. coli-based system was designed that consistently produces high yields of recombinant eucaryotic (equine) Cyt c. Systematic changes to the ribosome binding site, plasmid sequence, E. coli strain, growth temperature, and growth duration increased yields from 2 to 3 mg/L to as much as 105 mg/L. Issues related to purification, fidelity of heme insertion, equilibrium stability, and introduction and analysis of mutant forms are described. As an example, variants tailored for folding studies are discussed. These remove known pH-dependent kinetic folding barriers (His26 and His33 and N-terminus), reveal an additional kinetic trap at higher pH due to some undetermined residue(s), and show how a new barrier can be placed at different points in the folding pathway in order to trap and characterize different folding intermediates. In addition, destabilizing glycine mutants in the N-terminal helix are shown to affect the fractional yield of a heme inverted Cyt c isoform.

The Escherichia coli cytochrome c maturation (Ccm) system does not detectably attach heme to single cysteine variants of an apocytochrome c

Cytochromes c are typically characterized by the covalent attachment of heme to polypeptide through two thioether bonds with the cysteine residues of a Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Cys-His peptide motif. In many Gram-negative bacteria, the heme is attached to the polypeptide by the periplasmically functioning cytochrome c maturation (Ccm) proteins. Exceptionally, Hydrogenobacter thermophilus cytochrome c(552), which has a normal CXXCH heme-binding motif, and variants with AXXCH, CXXAH, and AXXAH motifs, can be expressed as stable holocytochromes in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli. By targeting these proteins to the periplasm using a signal peptide, with or without co-expression of the Ccm proteins, we have assessed the ability of the Ccm system to attach heme to proteins with no, one, or two cysteine residues in the heme-binding motif. Only the wild-type protein, with two cysteines, was effectively processed and thus accumulated in the periplasm as a holocytochrome. This is strong evidence for disulfide bond formation involving the two cysteine residues of apocytochrome c as an intermediate in Ccm-type Gram-negative bacterial cytochrome c biogenesis and/or that only a pair of cysteines can be recognized by the heme attachment apparatus.

Cytochrome c from a thermophilic bacterium has provided insights into the mechanisms of protein maturation, folding, and stability

Cytochrome c is widely distributed in bacterial species, from mesophiles to thermophiles, and is one of the best-characterized redox proteins in terms of biogenesis, folding, structure, function, and evolution. Experimental molecular biology techniques (gene cloning and expression) have become applicable to cytochrome c, enabling its engineering and manipulation. Heterologous expression systems for cytochromes c in bacteria, for use in mutagenesis studies, have been established by extensive investigation of the biological process by which the functional structure is formed. Mutagenesis and structure analyses based on comparative studies using a thermophile Hydrogenobacter thermophilus cytochrome c-552 and its mesophilic counterpart have provided substantial clues to the mechanism underlying protein stability at the amino-acid level. The molecular mechanisms underlying protein maturation, folding, and stability in bacterial cytochromes c are beginning to be understood.

In vitro formation of a c-type cytochrome

C-type cytochromes are essential for almost all organisms; they are characterized by the covalent attachment of heme to protein through two thioether bonds to a Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Cys-His peptide motif. Here we show, contrary to opinion of 30 years standing, that a c-type cytochrome can form from heme and apoprotein in vitro under mild conditions and in the absence of any biosynthesis apparatus. This reaction occurs provided formation of a disulfide bond within the Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Cys-His motif is avoided. There are important implications for understanding in vivo cytochrome c assembly.

The cytochrome c fold can be attained from a compact apo state by occupancy of a nascent heme binding site

NMR techniques and 8-anilino-1-napthalenesulphonate (ANS) binding studies have been used to characterize the apo state of a variant of cytochrome c(552) from Hydrogenobacter thermophilus. In this variant the two cysteines that form covalent thioether linkages to the heme group have been replaced by alanine residues (C11A/C14A). CD studies show that the apo state contains approximately 14% helical secondary structure, and measurements of hydrodynamic radii using pulse field gradient NMR methods show that it is compact (R(h), 16.6 A). The apo state binds 1 mol of ANS/mol of protein, and a linear reduction in fluorescence enhancement is observed on adding aliquots of hemin to a solution of apo C11A/C14A cytochrome c(552) with ANS bound. These results suggest that the bound ANS is located in the heme binding pocket, which would therefore be at least partially formed in the apo state. Consistent with these characteristics, the formation of the holo state of the variant cytochrome c(552) from the apo state on the addition of heme has been demonstrated using NMR techniques. The properties of the apo state of C11A/C14A cytochrome c(552) reported here contrast strongly with those of mitochondrial cytochrome c whose apo state resembles a random coil under similar conditions.

The cytochrome c domain of dimeric cytochrome cd(1) of Paracoccus pantotrophus can be produced at high levels as a monomeric holoprotein using an improved c-type cytochrome expression system in Escherichia coli

Cytochrome cd(1) nitrite reductase from Paracoccus pantotrophus is a dimer; within each monomer there is a largely alpha-helical domain that contains the c-type cytochrome centre. The structure of this domain changes significantly upon reduction of the heme iron, for which the ligands change from His17/His69 to Met106/His69. Overproduction, using an improved Escherichia coli expression system, of this c-type cytochrome domain as an independent monomer is reported here. The properties of the independent domain are compared with those when it is part of dimeric holo or semi-apo cytochrome cd(1).

Recombinant cytochrome rC557 obtained from Escherichia coli cells expressing a truncated Thermus thermophilus cycA gene. Heme inversion in an improperly matured protein

Cytochrome rC(557) is an improperly matured, dimeric cytochrome c obtained from expression of the "signal peptide-lacking" Thermus thermophilus cycA gene in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli. It is characterized by its Q(00) (or alpha-) optical absorption band at 557 nm in the reduced form (Keightley, J. A., Sanders, D., Todaro, T. R., Pastuszyn, A., and Fee, J. A. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 12006-12016). We report results of a broad ranging, biochemical and spectral characterization of this protein that reveals the presence of a free vinyl group on the porphyrin and a disulfide bond between the protomers and supports His-Met ligation in both valence states of the iron. A 3-A resolution x-ray structure shows that, in comparison with the native protein, the heme moiety is rotated 180 degrees about its alpha,gamma-axis; cysteine 14 has formed a thioether bond with the 2-vinyl of pyrrole ring I instead of the 4-vinyl of pyrrole ring II, as occurs in the native protein; and a cysteine 11 from each protomer has formed an intermolecular disulfide bond. Numerous, minor perturbations exist within the structure of rC(557) in comparison with that of native protein, which result from heme inversion and protein-protein interactions across the dimer interface. The unusual spectral properties of rC(557) are rationalized in terms of this structure.

Loss of either of the two heme-binding cysteines from a class I c-type cytochrome has a surprisingly small effect on physicochemical properties

Almost without exception, c-type cytochromes have heme covalently attached via two thioether linkages to the cysteine residues of a CXXCH motif. The reasons for the covalent attachment are not understood. Reported here is cytoplasmic expression in Escherichia coli of AXXCH and CXXAH variants of cytochrome c(552) from Hydrogenobacter thermophilus; remarkably, the single thioether bond proteins have, apart from an altered visible absorption spectrum, almost identical properties, including thermal stability and reduction potential, to the wild type CXXCH protein. In combination with previous work showing that an AXXAH variant of cytochrome c(552) is much less stable than the CXXCH form, it can be concluded that covalent attachment of heme via either of thioether bonds is sufficient to confer considerable stability and that these bonds contribute little to the setting of the reduction potential. The absence of AXXCH or CXXAH heme-binding motifs from bacterial cytochromes c may relate to the coexistence of the assembly pathway with that for formation of disulfide bonds in the bacterial periplasm.

Conversion of a c type cytochrome to a b type that spontaneously forms in vitro from apo protein and heme: implications for c type cytochrome biogenesis and folding

Cytochrome c(552) from Hydrogenobacter thermophilus, a thermophilic bacterium, has been converted into a b type cytochrome, after mutagenesis of both heme-binding cysteines to alanine and expression in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli. The b type variant is less stable, with the guanidine hydrochloride unfolding midpoint occurring at a concentration 2 M lower than for the wild-type protein. The reduction potential is 75 mV lower than that of the recombinant wild-type protein. The heme can be removed from the b type variant, thus generating an apo protein that has, according to circular dichroism spectroscopy, an alpha-helical content different from that of the holo b type protein. The latter is readily reformed in vitro by addition of heme to the apo protein. This reforming suggests that previously observed assembly of cytochrome c(552), which has the typical class I cytochrome c fold, in the E. coli cytoplasm is a consequence of spontaneous thioether bond formation after binding of heme to a prefolded polypeptide. These observations have implications for the general problem of c type cytochrome biogenesis.

Stabilization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome c(551) by systematic amino acid substitutions based on the structure of thermophilic Hydrogenobacter thermophilus cytochrome c(552)

A heterologous overexpression system for mesophilic Pseudomonas aeruginosa holocytochrome c(551) (PA c(551)) was established using Escherichia coli as a host organism. Amino acid residues were systematically substituted in three regions of PA c(551) with the corresponding residues from thermophilic Hydrogenobacter thermophilus cytochrome c(552) (HT c(552)), which has similar main chain folding to PA c(551), but is more stable to heat. Thermodynamic properties of PA c(551) with one of three single mutations (Phe-7 to Ala, Phe-34 to Tyr, or Val-78 to Ile) showed that these mutants had increased thermostability compared with that of the wild-type. Ala-7 and Ile-78 may contribute to the thermostability by tighter hydrophobic packing, which is indicated by the three dimensional structure comparison of PA c(551) with HT c(552). In the Phe-34 to Tyr mutant, the hydroxyl group of the Tyr residue and the guanidyl base of Arg-47 formed a hydrogen bond, which did not exist between the corresponding residues in HT c(552). We also found that stability of mutant proteins to denaturation by guanidine hydrochloride correlated with that against the thermal denaturation. These results and others described here suggest that significant stabilization of PA c(551) can be achieved through a few amino acid substitutions determined by molecular modeling with reference to the structure of HT c(552). The higher stability of HT c(552) may in part be attributed to some of these substitutions.