1
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Plant microbiomes harbor potential to promote nutrient turnover in impoverished substrates of a Brazilian biodiversity hotspot. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:354-370. [PMID: 36536072 PMCID: PMC9938248 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01345-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The substrates of the Brazilian campos rupestres, a grassland ecosystem, have extremely low concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen, imposing restrictions to plant growth. Despite that, this ecosystem harbors almost 15% of the Brazilian plant diversity, raising the question of how plants acquire nutrients in such a harsh environment. Here, we set out to uncover the taxonomic profile, the compositional and functional differences and similarities, and the nutrient turnover potential of microbial communities associated with two plant species of the campos rupestres-dominant family Velloziaceae that grow over distinct substrates (soil and rock). Using amplicon sequencing data, we show that, despite the pronounced composition differentiation, the plant-associated soil and rock communities share a core of highly efficient colonizers that tend to be highly abundant and is enriched in 21 bacterial families. Functional investigation of metagenomes and 522 metagenome-assembled genomes revealed that the microorganisms found associated to plant roots are enriched in genes involved in organic compound intake, and phosphorus and nitrogen turnover. We show that potential for phosphorus transport, mineralization, and solubilization are mostly found within bacterial families of the shared microbiome, such as Xanthobacteraceae and Bryobacteraceae. We also detected the full repertoire of nitrogen cycle-related genes and discovered a lineage of Isosphaeraceae that acquired nitrogen-fixing potential via horizontal gene transfer and might be also involved in nitrification via a metabolic handoff association with Binataceae. We highlight that plant-associated microbial populations in the campos rupestres harbor a genetic repertoire with potential to increase nutrient availability and that the microbiomes of biodiversity hotspots can reveal novel mechanisms of nutrient turnover.
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2
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Abendroth J, Buchko GW, Liew FN, Nguyen JN, Kim HJ. Structural Characterization of Cytochrome c'β-Met from an Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacterium. Biochemistry 2022; 61:563-574. [PMID: 35315646 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea expresses two cytochromes in the P460 superfamily that are predicted to be structurally similar. In one, cytochrome (cyt) P460, the substrate hydroxylamine (NH2OH) is converted to nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) requiring a unique heme-lysyl cross-link in the catalytic cofactor. In the second, cyt c'β-Met, the cross-link is absent, and the cytochrome instead binds H2O2 forming a ferryl species similar to compound II of peroxidases. Here, we report the 1.80 Å crystal structure of cyt c'β-Met─a well-expressed protein in N. europaea with a lysine to a methionine replacement at the cross-linking position. The structure of cyt c'β-Met is characterized by a large β-sheet typical of P460 members; however, several localized structural differences render cyt c'β-Met distinct. This includes a large lasso-like loop at the "top" of the cytochrome that is not observed in other structurally characterized members. Active site variation is also observed, especially in comparison to its closest homologue cyt c'β from the methane-oxidizing Methylococcus capsulatus Bath, which also lacks the cross-link. The phenylalanine "cap" which is presumed to control small ligand access to the distal heme iron is replaced with an arginine, reminiscent of the strictly conserved distal arginine in peroxidases and to the NH2OH-oxidizing cytochromes P460. A critical proton-transferring glutamate residue required for NH2OH oxidation is nevertheless missing in the active site. This in part explains the inability of cyt c'β-Met to oxidize NH2OH. Our structure also rationalizes the absence of a methionyl cross-link, although the side chain's spatial position in the structure does not eliminate the possibility that it could form under certain conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Abendroth
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Diseases, Seattle, Washington 98105, United States.,UCB Biosciences, Bainbridge Island, Washington 98110, United States
| | - Garry W Buchko
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Diseases, Seattle, Washington 98105, United States.,Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 98354, United States.,School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Fong Ning Liew
- Division of Physical Sciences, Chemistry, University of Washington-Bothell, Bothell, Washington 98011, United States
| | - Joline N Nguyen
- Division of Physical Sciences, Chemistry, University of Washington-Bothell, Bothell, Washington 98011, United States
| | - Hyung J Kim
- Division of Physical Sciences, Chemistry, University of Washington-Bothell, Bothell, Washington 98011, United States
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3
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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: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.7] [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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4
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Abstract
Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) convert ammonia (NH3) to nitrite (NO2-) as their primary metabolism and thus provide a blueprint for the use of NH3 as a chemical fuel. The first energy-producing step involves the homotrimeric enzyme hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO), which was originally reported to oxidize hydroxylamine (NH2OH) to NO2-. HAO uses the heme P460 cofactor as the site of catalysis. This heme is supported by seven other c hemes in each monomer that mediate electron transfer. Heme P460 cofactors are c-heme-based cofactors that have atypical protein cross-links between the peptide backbone and the porphyrin macrocycle. This cofactor has been observed in both the HAO and cytochrome (cyt) P460 protein families. However, there are differences; specifically, HAO uses a single tyrosine residue to form two covalent attachments to the macrocycle whereas cyt P460 uses a lysine residue to form one. In Nitrosomonas europaea, which expresses both HAO and cyt P460, these enzymes achieve the oxidation of NH2OH and were both originally reported to produce NO2-. Each can inspire means to effect controlled release of chemical energy.Spectroscopically studying the P460 cofactors of HAO is complicated by the 21 non-P460 heme cofactors, which obscure the active site. However, monoheme cyt P460 is more approachable biochemically and spectroscopically. Thus, we have used cyt P460 to study biological NH2OH oxidation. Under aerobic conditions substoichiometric production of NO2- was observed along with production of nitrous oxide (N2O). Under anaerobic conditions, however, N2O was the exclusive product of NH2OH oxidation. We have advanced our understanding of the mechanism of this enzyme and have showed that a key intermediate is a ferric nitrosyl that can dissociate the bound nitric oxide (NO) molecule and react with O2, thus producing NO2- abiotically. Because N2O was the true product of one P460 cofactor-containing enzyme, this prompted us to reinvestigate whether NO2- is enzymatically generated from HAO catalysis. Like cyt P460, we showed that HAO does not produce NO2- enzymatically, but unlike cyt P460, its final product is NO, establishing it as an intermediate of nitrification. More broadly, NO can be recognized as a molecule common to the primary metabolisms of all organisms involved in nitrogen "defixation".Delving deeper into cyt P460 yielded insights broadly applicable to controlled biochemical redox processes. Studies of an inactive cyt P460 from Nitrosomonas sp. AL212 showed that this enzyme was unable to oxidize NH2OH because it lacked a glutamate residue in its secondary coordination sphere that was present in the active N. europaea cyt P460 variant. Restoring the Glu residue imbued activity, revealing that a second-sphere base is Nature's key to controlled oxidation of NH2OH. A key lesson of bioinorganic chemistry is reinforced: the polypeptide matrix is an essential part of dictating function. Our work also exposed some key functional contributions of noncanonical heme-protein cross-links. The heme-Lys cross-link of cyt P460 enforces the relative position of the cofactor and second-sphere residues. Moreover, the cross-link prevents the dissociation of the axial histidine residue, which stops catalysis, emphasizing the importance of this unique post-translational modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael E. Coleman
- Baker Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Kyle M. Lancaster
- Baker Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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5
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Shukla S, Rajta A, Setia H, Bhatia R. Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification by phosphate accumulating microorganisms. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 36:151. [PMID: 32924078 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-020-02926-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Nitrogen and phosphorous are important inorganic water pollutants that pose a major threat to the environment and health of both humans and animals. The physical and chemical ways to remove these pollutants from water and soil are expensive and harsh, so biological removal becomes the method of choice to alleviate the problem without any side effects. The identification of microorganisms capable of simultaneous heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification has greatly simplified the sequestration of nitrogen from ammonium (NH4+) into dinitrogen (N2). Further, the discovery of phosphorous accumulating organisms offers greater economic benefits because these organisms can favourably and simultaneously remove both nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewaters hence reducing the nutrient burden. The stability of the system and removal efficiency of inorganic pollutants can be enhanced by the use of immobilized organisms. However, limited work has been done so far in this direction and there is a need to further the efforts towards refining process efficiency by testing low-cost substrates and diverse microbial populations for the total eradication of these contaminants from wastewaters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivani Shukla
- Department of Biotechnology, University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Ankita Rajta
- Department of Biotechnology, University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Hema Setia
- Department of Biotechnology, University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Ranjana Bhatia
- Department of Biotechnology, University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
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6
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Ferousi C, Majer SH, DiMucci IM, Lancaster KM. Biological and Bioinspired Inorganic N-N Bond-Forming Reactions. Chem Rev 2020; 120:5252-5307. [PMID: 32108471 PMCID: PMC7339862 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The metallobiochemistry underlying the formation of the inorganic N-N-bond-containing molecules nitrous oxide (N2O), dinitrogen (N2), and hydrazine (N2H4) is essential to the lifestyles of diverse organisms. Similar reactions hold promise as means to use N-based fuels as alternative carbon-free energy sources. This review discusses research efforts to understand the mechanisms underlying biological N-N bond formation in primary metabolism and how the associated reactions are tied to energy transduction and organismal survival. These efforts comprise studies of both natural and engineered metalloenzymes as well as synthetic model complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Ferousi
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Sean H Majer
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Ida M DiMucci
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Kyle M Lancaster
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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7
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Liew FN, Brandys MA, Biswas S, Nguyen JN, Rahmawati M, Nevala M, Elmore BO, Hendrich MP, Kim HJ. Cytochrome c' β-Met Is a Variant in the P460 Superfamily Lacking the Heme-Lysyl Cross-Link: A Peroxidase Mimic Generating a Ferryl Intermediate. Biochemistry 2020; 59:704-716. [PMID: 31887031 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A defining characteristic of bacterial cytochromes (cyt's) in the P460 family is an unusual cross-link connecting the heme porphyrin to the side chain of a lysyl residue in the protein backbone. Here, via proteomics of the periplasmic fraction of the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (AOB) Nitrosomonas europaea, we report the identification of a variant member of the P460 family that contains a methionyl residue in place of the cross-linking lysine. We formally designate this protein cytochrome "c'β-Met" to distinguish it from other members bearing different residues at this position (e.g., cyt c'β-Phe from the methane-oxidizing Methylococcus capsulatus Bath). As isolated, the monoheme cyt c'β-Met is high-spin (S = 5/2). Optical spectroscopy suggests that a cross-link is absent. Hydroxylamine, the substrate for the cross-linked cyt P460 from N. europaea, did not appreciably alter the optical spectrum of cyt c'β with up to 1000-fold excess at pH 7.5. Cyt c'β-Met did however bind 1 equiv of H2O2, and with a slight excess, Mössbauer spectroscopy indicated the formation of a semistable ferryl (FeIV═O) Compound II-like species. The corresponding electron paramagnetic resonance showed a very low intensity signal indicative of a radical at g = 2.0. Furthermore, cyt c'β-Met exhibited guaiacol-dependent peroxidase activity (kcat = 20.0 ± 1.2 s-1; KM = 2.6 ± 0.4 mM). Unlike cyt c'β-Met, cyt P460 showed evidence of heme inactivation in the presence of 2 equiv of H2O2 with no appreciable guaiacol-dependent peroxidase activity. Mutagenesis of the cross-linking lysyl residue to an alanine in cyt P460, however, reversed this lack of activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fong Ning Liew
- Division of Physical Sciences, Chemistry , University of Washington Bothell , Bothell , Washington 98012 , United States
| | - Marisa A Brandys
- Division of Physical Sciences, Chemistry , University of Washington Bothell , Bothell , Washington 98012 , United States
| | - Saborni Biswas
- Department of Chemistry , Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15213 , United States
| | - Joline N Nguyen
- Division of Physical Sciences, Chemistry , University of Washington Bothell , Bothell , Washington 98012 , United States
| | - Mustika Rahmawati
- Division of Physical Sciences, Chemistry , University of Washington Bothell , Bothell , Washington 98012 , United States
| | - Michael Nevala
- Division of Physical Sciences, Chemistry , University of Washington Bothell , Bothell , Washington 98012 , United States.,Veolia Nuclear Solutions Federal Solutions , Richland , Washington 99354 , United States
| | - Bradley O Elmore
- Newport Laboratories , Worthington , Minnesota 56187 , United States
| | - Michael P Hendrich
- Department of Chemistry , Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15213 , United States
| | - Hyung J Kim
- Division of Physical Sciences, Chemistry , University of Washington Bothell , Bothell , Washington 98012 , United States
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8
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Petersen LAH, Lieven C, Nandy SK, Villadsen J, Jørgensen SB, Christensen I, Gernaey KV. Dynamic investigation and modeling of the nitrogen cometabolism in
Methylococcus capsulatus
(
Bath
). Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:2884-2895. [DOI: 10.1002/bit.27113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leander A. H. Petersen
- Process and Systems Engineering Center (PROSYS), Department of Chemical and Biochemical EngineeringTechnical University of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
- Unibio A/S Odense Denmark
| | - Christian Lieven
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for BiosustainabilityTechnical University of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
| | | | - John Villadsen
- Center for Combustion and Harmful Emission Control (CHEC), Department of Chemical and Biochemical EngineeringTechnical University of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
| | - Sten B. Jørgensen
- Process and Systems Engineering Center (PROSYS), Department of Chemical and Biochemical EngineeringTechnical University of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
| | | | - Krist V. Gernaey
- Process and Systems Engineering Center (PROSYS), Department of Chemical and Biochemical EngineeringTechnical University of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
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Adams HR, Krewson C, Vardanega JE, Fujii S, Moreno-Chicano T, Moreno T, Chicano, Sambongi Y, Svistunenko D, Paps J, Andrew CR, Hough MA. One fold, two functions: cytochrome P460 and cytochrome c'-β from the methanotroph Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath). Chem Sci 2019; 10:3031-3041. [PMID: 30996884 PMCID: PMC6427953 DOI: 10.1039/c8sc05210g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Nature is adept at utilising highly similar protein folds to carry out very different functions, yet the mechanisms by which this functional divergence occurs remain poorly characterised. In certain methanotrophic bacteria, two homologous pentacoordinate c-type heme proteins have been identified: a cytochrome P460 (cyt P460) and a cytochrome c'-β (cyt cp-β). Cytochromes P460 are able to convert hydroxylamine to nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas. This reactivity is similar to that of hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO), which is a key enzyme in nitrifying and methanotrophic bacteria. Cyt P460 and HAO both have unusual protein-heme cross-links, formed by a Tyr residue in HAO and a Lys in cyt P460. In contrast, cyts cp-β (the only known cytochromes c' with a β-sheet fold) lack this crosslink and appears to be optimized for binding non-polar molecules (including NO and CO) without enzymatic conversion. Our bioinformatics analysis supports the proposal that cyt cp-β may have evolved from cyt P460 via a gene duplication event. Using high-resolution X-ray crystallography, UV-visible absorption, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and resonance Raman spectroscopy, we have characterized the overall protein folding and active site structures of cyt cp-β and cyt P460 from the obligate methanotroph, Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath). These proteins display a similar β-sheet protein fold, together with a pattern of changes to the heme pocket regions and localised tertiary structure that have converted a hydroxylamine oxidizing enzyme into a gas-binding protein. Structural comparisons provide insights relevant to enzyme redesign for synthetic enzymology and engineering of gas sensor proteins. We also show the widespread occurrence of cyts cp-β and characterise their phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah R Adams
- School of Biological Sciences , University of Essex , Wivenhoe Park , Colchester , Essex CO4 3SQ , UK .
| | - Callie Krewson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Eastern Oregon University , La Grande , Oregon 97850 , USA .
| | - Jenny E Vardanega
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Eastern Oregon University , La Grande , Oregon 97850 , USA .
| | - Sotaro Fujii
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science , Hiroshima University , Kagamiyama 1-4-4, Higashi-Hiroshima , Hiroshima , 739-8528 , Japan
| | | | - Tadeo Moreno
- School of Biological Sciences , University of Essex , Wivenhoe Park , Colchester , Essex CO4 3SQ , UK .
| | - Chicano
- School of Biological Sciences , University of Essex , Wivenhoe Park , Colchester , Essex CO4 3SQ , UK .
| | - Yoshihiro Sambongi
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science , Hiroshima University , Kagamiyama 1-4-4, Higashi-Hiroshima , Hiroshima , 739-8528 , Japan
| | - Dimitri Svistunenko
- School of Biological Sciences , University of Essex , Wivenhoe Park , Colchester , Essex CO4 3SQ , UK .
| | - Jordi Paps
- School of Biological Sciences , University of Essex , Wivenhoe Park , Colchester , Essex CO4 3SQ , UK .
| | - Colin R Andrew
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , Eastern Oregon University , La Grande , Oregon 97850 , USA .
| | - Michael A Hough
- School of Biological Sciences , University of Essex , Wivenhoe Park , Colchester , Essex CO4 3SQ , UK .
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10
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Akberdin IR, Collins DA, Hamilton R, Oshchepkov DY, Shukla AK, Nicora CD, Nakayasu ES, Adkins JN, Kalyuzhnaya MG. Rare Earth Elements Alter Redox Balance in Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum 20Z R. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2735. [PMID: 30542328 PMCID: PMC6277846 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Rare Earth Elements (REEs) control methanol utilization in both methane- and methanol-utilizing microbes. It has been established that the addition of REEs leads to the transcriptional repression of MxaFI-MeDH [a two-subunit methanol dehydrogenase (MeDH), calcium-dependent] and the activation of XoxF-MeDH (a one-subunit MeDH, lanthanum-dependent). Both enzymes are pyrroquinoline quinone-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases and show significant homology; however, they display different kinetic properties and substrate specificities. This study investigates the impact of the MxaFI to XoxF switch on the behavior of metabolic networks at a global scale. Results: In this study we investigated the steady-state growth of Methylomicrobium alcaliphilum 20ZR in media containing calcium (Ca) or lanthanum (La, a REE element). We found that cells supplemented with La show a higher growth rate compared to Ca-cultures; however, the efficiency of carbon conversion, estimated as biomass yield, is higher in cells grown with Ca. Three complementary global-omics approaches–RNA-seq transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics–were applied to investigate the mechanisms of improved growth vs. carbon conversion. Cells grown with La showed the transcriptional activation of the xoxF gene, a homolog of the formaldehyde-activating enzyme (fae2), a putative transporter, genes for hemin-transport proteins, and nitrate reductase. In contrast, genes for mxaFI and associated cytochrome (mxaG) expression were downregulated. Proteomic profiling suggested additional adjustments of the metabolic network at the protein level, including carbon assimilation pathways, electron transport systems, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Discord between gene expression and protein abundance changes points toward the possibility of post-transcriptional control of the related systems including key enzymes of the TCA cycle and a set of electron-transport carriers. Metabolomic data followed proteomics and showed the reduction of the ribulose-monophosphate (RuMP) pathway intermediates and the increase of the TCA cycle metabolites. Conclusion: Cells exposed to REEs display higher rates of growth but have lower carbon conversion efficiency compared to cells supplemented with Ca. The most plausible explanation for these physiological changes is an increased conversion of methanol into formate by XoxF-MeDH, which further stimulates methane oxidation but limits both the supply of reducing power and flux of formaldehyde into the RuMP pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya R Akberdin
- Biology Department, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States.,Institute of Cytology and Genetics SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - David A Collins
- Biology Department, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Richard Hamilton
- Biology Department, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | | | - Anil K Shukla
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Carrie D Nicora
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Ernesto S Nakayasu
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Joshua N Adkins
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Marina G Kalyuzhnaya
- Biology Department, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
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12
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Yang Y, Lin E, Huang S. Heterotrophic nitrogen removal in Bacillus sp. K5: involvement of a novel hydroxylamine oxidase. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2017; 76:3461-3467. [PMID: 29236024 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2017.510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
An aerobic denitrifying bacterium isolated from a bio-trickling filter treating NOx, Bacillus sp. K5, is able to convert ammonium to nitrite, in which hydroxylamine oxidase (HAO) plays a critical role. In the present study, the performance for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification was investigated with batch experiments and an HAO was purified by an anion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography from strain K5. The purified HAO's molecular mass was determined by SDS-PAGE and its activity by measuring the change in the concentration of ferricyanide, the electron acceptor. Results showed that as much as 87.8 mg L-1 ammonium-N was removed without nitrite accumulation within 24 hours in the sodium citrate medium at C/N of 15. The HAO isolated from the strain K5 was approximately 71 KDa. With hydroxylamine (NH2OH) as a substrate and potassium ferricyanide as an electron acceptor, the enzyme was capable of oxidizing NH2OH to nitrite in vitro when the pH varied from 7 to 9 and temperature ranged from 25 °C to 40 °C. This is the first time that an HAO has been purified from the Bacillus genus, and the findings revealed that it is distinctive in its molecular mass and enzyme properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Yang
- College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Ershu Lin
- College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shaobin Huang
- The Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Eco-Remediation of Guangdong Regular Higher Education Institutions, Guangzhou 510006, China and School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China E-mail:
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13
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Vilbert AC, Caranto JD, Lancaster KM. Influences of the heme-lysine crosslink in cytochrome P460 over redox catalysis and nitric oxide sensitivity. Chem Sci 2017; 9:368-379. [PMID: 29629106 PMCID: PMC5872139 DOI: 10.1039/c7sc03450d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ammonia (NH3)-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) derive total energy for life from the multi-electron oxidation of NH3 to nitrite (NO2-). One obligate intermediate of this metabolism is hydroxylamine (NH2OH), which can be oxidized to the potent greenhouse agent nitrous oxide (N2O) by the AOB enzyme cytochrome (cyt) P460. We have now spectroscopically characterized a 6-coordinate (6c) {FeNO}7 intermediate on the NH2OH oxidation pathway of cyt P460. This species has two fates: it can either be oxidized to the {FeNO}6 that then undergoes attack by NH2OH to ultimately generate N2O, or it can lose its axial His ligand, thus generating a stable, off-pathway 5-coordinate (5c) {FeNO}7 species. We show that the wild type (WT) cyt P460 exhibits a slow nitric oxide (NO)-independent conversion (kHis-off = 2.90 × 10-3 s-1), whereas a cross-link-deficient Lys70Tyr cyt P460 mutant protein underwent His dissociation via both a NO-independent (kHis-off = 3.8 × 10-4 s-1) and a NO-dependent pathway [kHis-off(NO) = 790 M-1 s-1]. Eyring analyses of the NO-independent pathways for these two proteins revealed a significantly larger (ca. 27 cal mol-1 K-1) activation entropy (ΔS‡) in the cross-link-deficient mutant. Our results suggest that the Lys-heme cross-link confers rigidity to the positioning of the heme P460 cofactor to avoid the fast NO-dependent His dissociation pathway and subsequent formation of the off-pathway 5c {FeNO}7 species. The relevance of these findings to NO signaling proteins such as heme-nitric oxide/oxygen binding (H-NOX) is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avery C Vilbert
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , Baker Laboratory , Cornell University , Ithaca , NY 14853 , USA .
| | - Jonathan D Caranto
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , Baker Laboratory , Cornell University , Ithaca , NY 14853 , USA .
| | - Kyle M Lancaster
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , Baker Laboratory , Cornell University , Ithaca , NY 14853 , USA .
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Nitric oxide is an obligate bacterial nitrification intermediate produced by hydroxylamine oxidoreductase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:8217-8222. [PMID: 28716929 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1704504114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 192] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ammonia (NH3)-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) emit substantial amounts of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O), both of which contribute to the harmful environmental side effects of large-scale agriculture. The currently accepted model for AOB metabolism involves NH3 oxidation to nitrite (NO2-) via a single obligate intermediate, hydroxylamine (NH2OH). Within this model, the multiheme enzyme hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO) catalyzes the four-electron oxidation of NH2OH to NO2- We provide evidence that HAO oxidizes NH2OH by only three electrons to NO under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. NO2- observed in HAO activity assays is a nonenzymatic product resulting from the oxidation of NO by O2 under aerobic conditions. Our present study implies that aerobic NH3 oxidation by AOB occurs via two obligate intermediates, NH2OH and NO, necessitating a mediator of the third enzymatic step.
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15
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Is there a pathway for N2O production from hydroxylamine oxidoreductase in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria? Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:14474-14476. [PMID: 27965392 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1617953114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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16
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Nitrosomonas europaea cytochrome P460 is a direct link between nitrification and nitrous oxide emission. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:14704-14709. [PMID: 27856762 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1611051113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are major contributors to the emission of nitrous oxide (N2O). It has been proposed that N2O is produced by reduction of NO. Here, we report that the enzyme cytochrome (cyt) P460 from the AOB Nitrosomonas europaea converts hydroxylamine (NH2OH) quantitatively to N2O under anaerobic conditions. Previous literature reported that this enzyme oxidizes NH2OH to nitrite ([Formula: see text]) under aerobic conditions. Although we observe [Formula: see text] formation under aerobic conditions, its concentration is not stoichiometric with the NH2OH concentration. By contrast, under anaerobic conditions, the enzyme uses 4 oxidizing equivalents (eq) to convert 2 eq of NH2OH to N2O. Enzyme kinetics coupled to UV/visible absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies support a mechanism in which an FeIII-NH2OH adduct of cyt P460 is oxidized to an {FeNO}6 unit. This species subsequently undergoes nucleophilic attack by a second equivalent of NH2OH, forming the N-N bond of N2O during a bimolecular, rate-determining step. We propose that [Formula: see text] results when nitric oxide (NO) dissociates from the {FeNO}6 intermediate and reacts with dioxygen. Thus, [Formula: see text] is not a direct product of cyt P460 activity. We hypothesize that the cyt P460 oxidation of NH2OH contributes to NO and N2O emissions from nitrifying microorganisms.
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Larsen Ø, Karlsen OA. Transcriptomic profiling of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) during growth with two different methane monooxygenases. Microbiologyopen 2016; 5:254-67. [PMID: 26687591 PMCID: PMC4831470 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Revised: 11/04/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) is a methanotroph that possesses both a membrane-embedded (pMMO) and a soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO). The expression of these two MMO's is tightly controlled by the availability of copper in the growth medium, but the underlying mechanisms and the number of genes involved in this switch in methane oxidation is not yet fully elucidated. Microarray analyses were used to assess the transcriptome in cells producing either pMMO or sMMO. A total of 137 genes were differentially expressed, with 87 genes showing a significant up-regulation during sMMO production. The majority of the differentially expressed genes could be assigned to functional roles in the energy metabolism and transport. Furthermore, three copper responding gene clusters were discovered, including an extended cluster that also harbors the genes for sMMO. Our data also indicates that major changes takes place in the respiratory chain between pMMO- and sMMO-producing cells, and that quinone are predominantly used as the electron donors for methane oxidation by pMMO. Intriguingly, a large proportion of the differentially expressed genes between pMMO- and sMMO-producing cells encode c-type cytochromes. By combining microarray- and mass spectrometry data, a total of 35 c-type cytochromes are apparently expressed in M. capsulatus when grown in nitrate mineral salt medium with methane as sole energy and carbon source, and the expression of 21 of these respond to the availability of copper. Interestingly, several of these c-type cytochromes are recovered from the cell surface, suggesting that extracellular electron transfers may occur in M. capsulatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Øivind Larsen
- Uni Research EnvironmentThormøhlensgate 49bBergen5006Norway
| | - Odd A. Karlsen
- Department of Molecular BiologyUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
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18
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Dam B, Dam S, Blom J, Liesack W. Genome analysis coupled with physiological studies reveals a diverse nitrogen metabolism in Methylocystis sp. strain SC2. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74767. [PMID: 24130670 PMCID: PMC3794950 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2013] [Accepted: 07/28/2013] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Methylocystis sp. strain SC2 can adapt to a wide range of methane concentrations. This is due to the presence of two isozymes of particulate methane monooxygenase exhibiting different methane oxidation kinetics. To gain insight into the underlying genetic information, its genome was sequenced and found to comprise a 3.77 Mb chromosome and two large plasmids. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We report important features of the strain SC2 genome. Its sequence is compared with those of seven other methanotroph genomes, comprising members of the Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia. While the pan-genome of all eight methanotroph genomes totals 19,358 CDS, only 154 CDS are shared. The number of core genes increased with phylogenetic relatedness: 328 CDS for proteobacterial methanotrophs and 1,853 CDS for the three alphaproteobacterial Methylocystaceae members, Methylocystis sp. strain SC2 and strain Rockwell, and Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b. The comparative study was coupled with physiological experiments to verify that strain SC2 has diverse nitrogen metabolism capabilities. In correspondence to a full complement of 34 genes involved in N2 fixation, strain SC2 was found to grow with atmospheric N2 as the sole nitrogen source, preferably at low oxygen concentrations. Denitrification-mediated accumulation of 0.7 nmol (30)N2/hr/mg dry weight of cells under anoxic conditions was detected by tracer analysis. N2 production is related to the activities of plasmid-borne nitric oxide and nitrous oxide reductases. CONCLUSIONS/PERSPECTIVES Presence of a complete denitrification pathway in strain SC2, including the plasmid-encoded nosRZDFYX operon, is unique among known methanotrophs. However, the exact ecophysiological role of this pathway still needs to be elucidated. Detoxification of toxic nitrogen compounds and energy conservation under oxygen-limiting conditions are among the possible roles. Relevant features that may stimulate further research are, for example, absence of CRISPR/Cas systems in strain SC2, high number of iron acquisition systems in strain OB3b, and large number of transposases in strain Rockwell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bomba Dam
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Somasri Dam
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jochen Blom
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Werner Liesack
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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19
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Cedervall P, Hooper AB, Wilmot CM. Structural Studies of Hydroxylamine Oxidoreductase Reveal a Unique Heme Cofactor and a Previously Unidentified Interaction Partner. Biochemistry 2013; 52:6211-8. [DOI: 10.1021/bi400960w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peder Cedervall
- Department
of Biochemistry,
Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Alan B. Hooper
- Department
of Biochemistry,
Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Carrie M. Wilmot
- Department
of Biochemistry,
Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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20
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Cedervall PE, Hooper AB, Wilmot CM. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of a new crystal form of hydroxylamine oxidoreductase from Nitrosomonas europaea. Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun 2009; 65:1296-8. [PMID: 20054133 PMCID: PMC2802885 DOI: 10.1107/s1744309109046119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2009] [Accepted: 11/02/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO) from Nitrosomonas europaea is a homotrimeric protein that catalyzes the oxidation of hydroxylamine to nitrite. Each monomer, with a molecular weight of 67.1 kDa, contains seven c-type hemes and one heme P460, the porphyrin ring of which is covalently linked to a tyrosine residue from an adjacent subunit. HAO was first crystallized and structurally characterized at a resolution of 2.8 A in 1997. The structure was solved in space group P6(3) and suffered from merohedral twinning. Here, a crystallization procedure is presented that yielded untwinned crystals belonging to space group P2(1)2(1)2, which diffracted to 2.25 A resolution and contained one trimer in the asymmetric unit. The unit-cell parameters were a = 140.7, b = 142.6, c = 107.4 A.
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21
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Poret-Peterson AT, Graham JE, Gulledge J, Klotz MG. Transcription of nitrification genes by the methane-oxidizing bacterium, Methylococcus capsulatus strain Bath. ISME JOURNAL 2008; 2:1213-20. [PMID: 18650926 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2008.71] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Methylococcus capsulatus strain Bath, a methane-oxidizing bacterium, and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) carry out the first step of nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite, through the intermediate hydroxylamine. AOB use hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO) to produce nitrite. M. capsulatus Bath was thought to oxidize hydroxylamine with cytochrome P460 (cytL), until the recent discovery of an hao gene in its genome. We used quantitative PCR analyses of cDNA from M. capsulatus Bath incubated with CH(4) or CH(4) plus 5 mM (NH(4))(2)SO(4) to determine whether cytL and hao transcript levels change in response to ammonia. While mRNA levels for cytL were not affected by ammonia, hao mRNA levels increased by 14.5- and 31-fold in duplicate samples when a promoter proximal region of the transcript was analyzed, and by sixfold when a region at the distal end of the transcript was analyzed. A conserved open reading frame, orf2, located 3' of hao in all known AOB genomes and in M. capsulatus Bath, was cotranscribed with hao and showed increased mRNA levels in the presence of ammonia. These data led to designating this gene pair as haoAB, with the role of haoB still undefined. We also determined mRNA levels for additional genes that encode proteins involved in N-oxide detoxification: cytochrome c'-beta (CytS) and nitric oxide (NO) reductase (NorCB). Whereas cytS mRNA levels increased in duplicate samples by 28.5- and 40-fold in response to ammonia, the cotranscribed norC-norB mRNA did not increase. Our results strongly suggest that M. capsulatus Bath possesses a functional, ammonia-responsive HAO involved in nitrification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amisha T Poret-Peterson
- Evolutionary and Genomic Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
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22
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Pearson AR, Elmore BO, Yang C, Ferrara JD, Hooper AB, Wilmot CM. The crystal structure of cytochrome P460 of Nitrosomonas europaea reveals a novel cytochrome fold and heme-protein cross-link. Biochemistry 2007; 46:8340-9. [PMID: 17583915 PMCID: PMC2527454 DOI: 10.1021/bi700086r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We have determined the 1.8 A X-ray crystal structure of a monoheme c-type cytochrome, cytochrome P460, from Nitrosomonas europea. The chromophore possesses unusual spectral properties analogous to those of the catalytic heme P460 of hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO), the only known heme in biology to withdraw electrons from an iron-coordinated substrate. The analysis reveals a homodimeric structure and elucidates a new c-type cytochrome fold that is predominantly beta-sheet. In addition to the two cysteine thioether links to the porphyrin typical of c-type hemes, there is a third proteinaceous link involving a conserved lysine. The covalent bond is between the lysine side-chain nitrogen and the 13'-meso carbon of the heme, which, following cross-link formation, is sp3-hybridized, demonstrating the loss of conjugation at this position within the porphyrin. The structure has implications for the analogous tyrosine-heme meso carbon cross-link observed in HAO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arwen R. Pearson
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, U. S. A
| | - Bradley O. Elmore
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, U. S. A
| | - Cheng Yang
- Rigaku Americas Corp. 9009 New Trails Drive, The Woodlands, TX, 77381, U. S. A
| | - Joseph D. Ferrara
- Rigaku Americas Corp. 9009 New Trails Drive, The Woodlands, TX, 77381, U. S. A
| | - Alan B. Hooper
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, U. S. A
| | - Carrie M. Wilmot
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, U. S. A
- Corresponding Author: Carrie M. Wilmot, e-mail: , tel: +1-612-624-2406, fax: +1-612-624-5121
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23
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Elmore BO, Bergmann DJ, Klotz MG, Hooper AB. Cytochromes P460 andc′-beta; A new family of high-spin cytochromesc. FEBS Lett 2007; 581:911-6. [PMID: 17292891 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2007.01.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2007] [Revised: 01/24/2007] [Accepted: 01/25/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Cytochromes-P460 of Nitrosomonas europaea and Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath), and the cytochrome c' of M. capsulatus, believed to be involved in binding or transformation of N-oxides, are shown to represent an evolutionarily related new family of monoheme, approximately 17kDa, cytochromes c found in the genomes of diverse Proteobacteria. All members of this family have a predicted secondary structure predominantly of beta-sheets in contrast to the predominantly alpha-helical cytochromes c' found in photoheterotrophic and denitrifying Proteobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley O Elmore
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
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24
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Klotz MG, Arp DJ, Chain PSG, El-Sheikh AF, Hauser LJ, Hommes NG, Larimer FW, Malfatti SA, Norton JM, Poret-Peterson AT, Vergez LM, Ward BB. Complete genome sequence of the marine, chemolithoautotrophic, ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosococcus oceani ATCC 19707. Appl Environ Microbiol 2006; 72:6299-315. [PMID: 16957257 PMCID: PMC1563620 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00463-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The gammaproteobacterium Nitrosococcus oceani (ATCC 19707) is a gram-negative obligate chemolithoautotroph capable of extracting energy and reducing power from the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite. Sequencing and annotation of the genome revealed a single circular chromosome (3,481,691 bp; G+C content of 50.4%) and a plasmid (40,420 bp) that contain 3,052 and 41 candidate protein-encoding genes, respectively. The genes encoding proteins necessary for the function of known modes of lithotrophy and autotrophy were identified. Contrary to betaproteobacterial nitrifier genomes, the N. oceani genome contained two complete rrn operons. In contrast, only one copy of the genes needed to synthesize functional ammonia monooxygenase and hydroxylamine oxidoreductase, as well as the proteins that relay the extracted electrons to a terminal electron acceptor, were identified. The N. oceani genome contained genes for 13 complete two-component systems. The genome also contained all the genes needed to reconstruct complete central pathways, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnass and pentose phosphate pathways. The N. oceani genome contains the genes required to store and utilize energy from glycogen inclusion bodies and sucrose. Polyphosphate and pyrophosphate appear to be integrated in this bacterium's energy metabolism, stress tolerance, and ability to assimilate carbon via gluconeogenesis. One set of genes for type I ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase was identified, while genes necessary for methanotrophy and for carboxysome formation were not identified. The N. oceani genome contains two copies each of the genes or operons necessary to assemble functional complexes I and IV as well as ATP synthase (one H(+)-dependent F(0)F(1) type, one Na(+)-dependent V type).
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin G Klotz
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, 139 Life Science Building, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
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25
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Elmore BO, Pearson AR, Wilmot CM, Hooper AB. Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction of a novel Nitrosomonas europaea cytochrome, cytochrome P460. Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun 2006; 62:395-8. [PMID: 16582494 PMCID: PMC2222571 DOI: 10.1107/s1744309106008785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2006] [Accepted: 03/08/2006] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Cytochrome P460 from Nitrosomonas europaea, a novel mono-heme protein containing an unusual cross-link between a conserved lysine and the porphyrin ring, has been recombinantly expressed and purified from Escherichia coli. The protein crystallizes readily and diffraction to 1.7 angstroms has been obtained in-house. The crystals belong to the trigonal space group P3(1/2)21, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 53.3, c = 127.1 angstroms, and contain one monomer in the asymmetric unit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley O. Elmore
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Arwen R. Pearson
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Carrie M. Wilmot
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Alan B. Hooper
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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26
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Bergmann DJ, Hooper AB. Cytochrome P460 of Nitrosomonas europaea. Formation of the heme-lysine cross-link in a heterologous host and mutagenic conversion to a non-cross-linked cytochrome c'. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 2003; 270:1935-41. [PMID: 12709052 DOI: 10.1046/j.1432-1033.2003.03550.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The heme of cytochrome P460 of Nitrosomonas europaea, which is covalently crosslinked to two cysteines of the polypeptide as with all c-type cytochromes, has an additional novel covalent crosslink to lysine 70 of the polypeptide [Arciero, D.M. & Hooper, A.B. (1997) FEBS Lett.410, 457-460]. The protein can catalyze the oxidation of hydroxylamine. The gene for this protein, cyp, was expressed in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO lacI, resulting in formation of a holo-cytochrome P460 which closely resembled native cytochrome P460 purified from N. europaea in its UV-visible spectroscopic, ligand binding and catalytic properties. Mutant versions of cytochrome P460 of N. europaea in which Lys70 70 was replaced by Arg, Ala, or Tyr, retained ligand-binding ability but lost catalytic ability and differed in optical spectra which, instead, closely resembled those of cytochromes c'. Tryptic fragments containing the c-heme joined only by two thioether linkages were observed by MALDI-TOF for the mutant cytochromes P460 K70R and K70A but not in wild-type cytochrome P460, consistent with the structural modification of the c-heme only in the wild-type cytochrome. The present observations support the hypothesized evolutionary relationship between cytochromes P460 and cytochromes c' in N. europaea and M. capsulatus[Bergmann, D.J., Zahn, J.A., & DiSpirito, A.A. (2000) Arch. Microbiol. 173, 29-34], confirm the importance of a heme-crosslink to the spectroscopic properties and catalysis and suggest that the crosslink might form auto-catalytically.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Bergmann
- Department of Biology, Black Hills State University, Spearfish, SD, USA
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27
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Sutka RL, Ostrom NE, Ostrom PH, Gandhi H, Breznak JA. Nitrogen isotopomer site preference of N2O produced by Nitrosomonas europaea and Methylococcus capsulatus Bath. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2003; 17:738-745. [PMID: 12661029 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The relative importance of individual microbial pathways in nitrous oxide (N(2)O) production is not well known. The intramolecular distribution of (15)N in N(2)O provides a basis for distinguishing biological pathways. Concentrated cell suspensions of Methylococcus capsulatus Bath and Nitrosomonas europaea were used to investigate the site preference of N(2)O by microbial processes during nitrification. The average site preference of N(2)O formed during hydroxylamine oxidation by M. capsulatus Bath (5.5 +/- 3.5 per thousand) and N. europaea (-2.3 +/- 1.9 per thousand) and nitrite reduction by N. europaea (-8.3 +/- 3.6 per thousand) differed significantly (ANOVA, f((2,35)) = 247.9, p = 0). These results demonstrate that the mechanisms for hydroxylamine oxidation are distinct in M. capsulatus Bath and N. europaea. The average delta(18)O-N(2)O values of N(2)O formed during hydroxylamine oxidation for M. capsulatus Bath (53.1 +/- 2.9 per thousand) and N. europaea (-23.4 +/- 7.2 per thousand) and nitrite reduction by N. europaea (4.6 +/- 1.4 per thousand) were significantly different (ANOVA, f((2,35)) = 279.98, p = 0). Although the nitrogen isotope value of the substrate, hydroxylamine, was similar in both cultures, the observed fractionation (delta(15)N) associated with N(2)O production via hydroxylamine oxidation by M. capsulatus Bath and N. europaea (-2.3 and 26.0 per thousand, respectively) provided evidence that differences in isotopic fractionation were associated with these two organisms. The site preferences in this study are the first measured values for isolated microbial processes. The differences in site preference are significant and indicate that isotopomers provide a basis for apportioning biological processes producing N(2)O.
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Affiliation(s)
- R L Sutka
- Department of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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28
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Bothe H, Jost G, Schloter M, Ward BB, Witzel K. Molecular analysis of ammonia oxidation and denitrification in natural environments. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2000; 24:673-90. [PMID: 11077158 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2000.tb00566.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
This review summarizes aspects of the current knowledge about the ecology of ammonia-oxidizing and denitrifying bacteria. The development of molecular techniques has contributed enormously to the rapid recent progress in the field. Different techniques for doing so are discussed. The characterization of ammonia-oxidizing and -denitrifying bacteria by sequencing the genes encoding 16S rRNA and functional proteins opened the possibility of constructing specific probes. It is now possible to monitor the occurrence of a particular species of these bacteria in any habitat and to get an estimate of the relative abundance of different types, even if they are not culturable as yet. These data indicate that the composition of nitrifying and denitrifying communities is complex and apparently subject to large fluctuations, both in time and in space. More attempts are needed to enrich and isolate those bacteria which dominate the processes, and to characterize them by a combination of physiological, biochemical and molecular techniques. While PCR and probing with nucleotides or antibodies are primarily used to study the structure of nitrifying and denitrifying communities, studies of their function in natural habitats, which require quantification at the transcriptional level, are currently not possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Bothe
- Botanical Institute, University of Cologne, Germany
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Lontoh S, DiSpirito AA, Krema CL, Whittaker MR, Hooper AB, Semrau JD. Differential inhibition in vivo of ammonia monooxygenase, soluble methane monooxygenase and membrane-associated methane monoxygenase by phenylacetylene. Environ Microbiol 2000; 2:485-94. [PMID: 11233157 DOI: 10.1046/j.1462-2920.2000.00130.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Phenylacetylene was investigated as a differential inhibitor of ammonia monooxygenase (AMO), soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) and membrane-associated or particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) in vivo. At phenylacetylene concentrations > 1 microM, whole-cell AMO activity in Nitrosomonas europaea was completely inhibited. Phenylacetylene concentrations above 100 microM inhibited more than 90% of sMMO activity in Methylococcus capsulatus Bath and Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b. In contrast, activity of pMMO in M. trichosporium OB3b, M. capsulatus Bath, Methylomicrobium album BG8, Methylobacter marinus A45 and Methylomonas strain MN was still measurable at phenylacetylene concentrations up to 1,000 microM. AMO of Nitrosococcus oceanus has more sequence similarity to pMMO than to AMO of N. europaea. Correspondingly, AMO in N. oceanus was also measurable in the presence of 1,000 microM phenylacetylene. Measurement of oxygen uptake indicated that phenylacetylene acted as a specific and mechanistic-based inhibitor of whole-cell sMMO activity; inactivation of sMMO was irreversible, time dependent, first order and required catalytic turnover. Corresponding measurement of oxygen uptake in whole cells of methanotrophs expressing pMMO showed that pMMO activity was inhibited by phenylacetylene, but only if methane was already being oxidized, and then only at much higher concentrations of phenylacetylene and at lower rates compared with sMMO. As phenylacetylene has a high solubility and low volatility, it may prove to be useful for monitoring methanotrophic and nitrifying activity as well as identifying the form of MMO predominantly expressed in situ.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Lontoh
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-2125, USA
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Mandernack KW, Kinney CA, Coleman D, Huang YS, Freeman KH, Bogner J. The biogeochemical controls of N2O production and emission in landfill cover soils: the role of methanotrophs in the nitrogen cycle. Environ Microbiol 2000; 2:298-309. [PMID: 11200431 DOI: 10.1046/j.1462-2920.2000.00106.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Emissions of N2O from cover soils of both abandoned (> 30 years) and active landfills greatly exceed the maximum fluxes previously reported for tropical soils, suggesting high microbial activities for N2O production. Low soil matrix potentials (<-0.7 MPa) indicate that nitrification was the most likely mechanism of N2O formation during most of the time of sampling. Soil moisture had a strong influence on N2O emissions. The production of N2O was stimulated by as much as 20 times during laboratory incubations, when moisture was increased from -2.0 MPa to -0.6 MPa. Additional evidence from incubation experiments and delta13C analyses of fatty acids (18:1) diagnostic of methanotrophs suggests that N2O is formed in these soils by nitrification via methanotrophic bacteria. In a NH3(g)-amended landfill soil, the rate of N2O production was significantly increased when incubated with 100 ppmv methane compared with 1.8 ppmv (atmospheric) methane. Preincubation of a landfill soil with 1% CH4 for 2 weeks resulted in higher rates of N2O production when subsequently amended with NH3(g) relative to a control soil preincubated without CH4. At one location, at the soil depth (9-16 cm) of maximum methane consumption and N2O production, we observe elevated concentrations of organic carbon and nitrogen and distinct minima in delta15N (+1.0%) and delta13C (-33.8%) values for organic nitrogen and organic carbon respectively. A delta13C value of -39.3% was measured for 18:1 carbon fatty acids in this soil, diagnostic of type II methanotrophs. The low delta15N value for organic nitrogen is consistent with N2 fixation by type II methanotrophs. These observations all point to a methanotrophic origin for the organic matter at this depth. The results of this study corroborate previous reports of methanotrophic nitrification and N2O formation in aqueous and soil environments and suggest a predominance of type II rather than type I or type X methanotrophs in this landfill soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- K W Mandernack
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine 92717, USA.
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Bergmann DJ, Zahn JA, DiSpirito AA. High-molecular-mass multi-c-heme cytochromes from Methylococcus capsulatus bath. J Bacteriol 1999; 181:991-7. [PMID: 9922265 PMCID: PMC93468 DOI: 10.1128/jb.181.3.991-997.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The polypeptide and structural gene for a high-molecular-mass c-type cytochrome, cytochrome c553O, was isolated from the methanotroph Methylococcus capsulatus Bath. Cytochrome c553O is a homodimer with a subunit molecular mass of 124,350 Da and an isoelectric point of 6. 0. The heme c concentration was estimated to be 8.2 +/- 0.4 mol of heme c per subunit. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum showed the presence of multiple low spin, S = 1/2, hemes. A degenerate oligonucleotide probe synthesized based on the N-terminal amino acid sequence of cytochrome c553O was used to identify a DNA fragment from M. capsulatus Bath that contains occ, the gene encoding cytochrome c553O. occ is part of a gene cluster which contains three other open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1 encodes a putative periplasmic c-type cytochrome with a molecular mass of 118, 620 Da that shows approximately 40% amino acid sequence identity with occ and contains nine c-heme-binding motifs. ORF3 encodes a putative periplasmic c-type cytochrome with a molecular mass of 94, 000 Da and contains seven c-heme-binding motifs but shows no sequence homology to occ or ORF1. ORF4 encodes a putative 11,100-Da protein. The four ORFs have no apparent similarity to any proteins in the GenBank database. The subunit molecular masses, arrangement and number of hemes, and amino acid sequences demonstrate that cytochrome c553O and the gene products of ORF1 and ORF3 constitute a new class of c-type cytochrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Bergmann
- Department of Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
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Bergmann DJ, Zahn JA, Hooper AB, DiSpirito AA. Cytochrome P460 genes from the methanotroph Methylococcus capsulatus bath. J Bacteriol 1998; 180:6440-5. [PMID: 9851984 PMCID: PMC107742 DOI: 10.1128/jb.180.24.6440-6445.1998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
P460 cytochromes catalyze the oxidation of hydroxylamine to nitrite. They have been isolated from the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea (R. H. Erickson and A. B. Hooper, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 275:231-244, 1972) and the methane-oxidizing bacterium Methylococcus capsulatus Bath (J. A. Zahn et al., J. Bacteriol. 176:5879-5887, 1994). A degenerate oligonucleotide probe was synthesized based on the N-terminal amino acid sequence of cytochrome P460 and used to identify a DNA fragment from M. capsulatus Bath that contains cyp, the gene encoding cytochrome P460. cyp is part of a gene cluster that contains three open reading frames (ORFs), the first predicted to encode a 59,000-Da membrane-bound polypeptide, the second predicted to encode a 12, 000-Da periplasmic protein, and the third (cyp) encoding cytochrome P460. The products of the first two ORFs have no apparent similarity to any proteins in the GenBank database. The overall sequence similarity of the P460 cytochromes from M. capsulatus Bath and N. europaea was low (24.3% of residues identical), although short regions of conserved residues are present in the two proteins. Both cytochromes have a C-terminal, c-heme binding motif (CXXCH) and a conserved lysine residue (K61) that may provide an additional covalent cross-link to the heme (D. M. Arciero and A. B. Hooper, FEBS Lett. 410:457-460, 1997). Gene probing using cyp indicated that a cytochrome P460 similar to that from M. capsulatus Bath may be present in the type II methanotrophs Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b and Methylocystis parvus OBBP but not in the type I methanotrophs Methylobacter marinus A45, Methylomicrobium albus BG8, and Methylomonas sp. strains MN and MM2. Immunoblot analysis with antibodies against cytochrome P460 from M. capsulatus Bath indicated that the expression level of cytochrome P460 was not affected either by expression of the two different methane monooxygenases or by addition of ammonia to the culture medium.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Bergmann
- Department of Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
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Crossman LC, Moir JWB, Enticknap JJ, Richardson DJ, Spiro S. Heterologous expression of heterotrophic nitrification genes. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 1997; 143 ( Pt 12):3775-3783. [PMID: 9421902 DOI: 10.1099/00221287-143-12-3775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Paracoccus denitrificans is a heterotrophic organism capable of oxidizing ammonia to nitrite during growth on an organic carbon and energy source. This pathway, termed heterotrophic nitrification, requires the concerted action of an ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) and hydroxylamine oxidase (HAO). The genes required for heterotrophic nitrification have been isolated by introducing a Pa. denitrificans genomic library into Pseudomonas putida and screening for the accumulation of nitrite. In contrast to the situation in chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizers, the genes encoding AMO and HAO are present in single linked copies in the genome of Pa. denitrificans. AMO from Pa. denitrificans expressed in Ps. putida is capable of oxidizing ethene (ethylene) to epoxyethane (ethylene oxide), which is indicative of a relaxed substrate specificity. Further, when expressed in the methylotroph Methylobacterium extorquens AM1, the AMO endows on this organism the ability to grow on ethene and methane. Thus, the Pa. denitrificans AMO is capable of oxidizing methane to methanol, as is the case for the AMO from Nitrosomonas europaea. The heterotrophic nitrification genes are moderately toxic in M. extorquens, more toxic in Ps. putida, and non-toxic in Escherichia coli. Toxicity is due to the activity of the gene products in M. extorquens, and both expression and activity in Ps. putida. This is the first time that the genes encoding an active AMO have been expressed in a heterologous host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa C Crossman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | | | | | - David J Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Stephen Spiro
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
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Anderson RC, Rasmussen MA, DiSpirito AA, Allison MJ. Characteristics of a nitropropanol-metabolizing bacterium isolated from the rumen. Can J Microbiol 1997; 43:617-24. [PMID: 9246740 DOI: 10.1139/m97-088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
We report some characteristics of a ruminal bacterium (strain NPOH1) that metabolizes 3-nitropropanol, the toxic principle of various milk vetchs that are distributed worldwide. The gram-positive bacterium was nonmotile and did not produce spores. Growth of strain NPOH1 occurred under anaerobic conditions and was supported by the electron acceptors 3-nitropropanol, 3-nitropropionate, nitrate, 2-nitropropanol, nitroethane, nitroethanol, or 3-nitro-1-propyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (miserotoxin). Other potential electron acceptors, namely sulfate, sulfite, azide, chlorate, perchlorate, nitrite, fumarate, 2-nitrobutane, or nitrobenzene, did not support growth. Formate, lactate, and H2 stimulated growth of strain NPOH1 in the presence of the appropriate nitrocompound, whereas a variety of other potential H2 donors did not. When grown in medium containing both nitrate and either 3-nitropropanol or 3-nitropropionate, nitrate was the preferred acceptor. Strain NPOH1 reduced nitrate to nitrite and, when grown with excess reductant, nitrite was further reduced to ammonia. The products formed during the metabolism of 3-nitropropanol and 3-nitropropionate by mixed ruminal populations, 3-aminopropanol and beta-alanine, were not found in culture fluids of strain NPOH1. Analysis of total cellular fatty acid profiles and of the mole percent guanine plus cytosine suggests that strain NPOH1 is a novel bacterium. The capacity of strain NPOH1 to metabolize 3-nitropropanol suggests that this organism may play an important role in detoxification of 3-nitropropanol in the rumen.
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Affiliation(s)
- R C Anderson
- National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA 50010, USA
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Wehrfritz J, Carter JP, Spiro S, Richardson DJ. Hydroxylamine oxidation in heterotrophic nitrate-reducing soil bacteria and purification of a hydroxylamine-cytochrome c oxidoreductase from a Pseudomonas species. Arch Microbiol 1996; 166:421-4. [PMID: 9082922 DOI: 10.1007/bf01682991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Hydroxylamine oxidation was measured in four recently isolated heterotrophic nitrate-reducing bacteria belonging to the genera Pseudomonas, Moraxella, Arthrobacter and Aeromonas. A hydroxylamine-cytochrome c oxidoreductase activity was detected in periplasmic fractions of the Pseudomonas and Aeromonas spp. and in total soluble fractions of the Arthrobacter sp. A monomeric 19-kDa non-haem iron hydroxylamine-cytochrome c oxidoreductase was purified from the Pseudomonas species and shown to be similar to hydroxylamine-cytochrome c oxidoreductase of Paracoccus denitrificans.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Wehrfritz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
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Zahn JA, Arciero DM, Hooper AB, DiSpirito AA. Evidence for an iron center in the ammonia monooxygenase from Nitrosomonas europaea. FEBS Lett 1996; 397:35-8. [PMID: 8941709 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-5793(96)01116-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Binding of the ligand, nitric oxide, in the presence of reductant was used to identify a ferrous S = 3/2 signal, characteristic of a ferrous nitrosyl complex, and a g= 2.03 copper or iron signal in membranes of the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium, Nitrosomonas europaea. The same ferrous S = 3/2 signal is thought to be a component of the membrane-associated methane monooxygenase (pMMO) of Methylococcus capsulatus Bath, since it is seen in the membrane fraction of cells expressing pMMO and in the purified enzyme, but not in the membrane fraction of cells expressing the soluble MMO [Zahn, J.A. and DiSpirito, A.A. (1996) J. Bacteriol. 178, 1018-1029]. Treatment of resting membranes or cells of N. europaea with nitrapyrin, 2-chloro,6-trichloromethylpyridine, resulted in the increase in magnitude of a g = 6, high-spin ferric iron signal. In the presence of NO and reductant, nitrapyrin prevented the formation of the S = 3/2 nitrosyl-iron complex while increasing the intensity of the g = 6 signal. Nitrapyrin is a specific inhibitor of, and is reduced by, the ammonia monoxygenase (AMO) [Bédard, C. and Knowles, R. (1989) Microbiol. Rev. 53, 68-83]. Taken together the data suggest that iron capable of forming the S = 3/2 complex is a catalytic component of AMO of N. europaea, possibly a part of the oxygen-activating center. Inactivation of the membrane-associated AMO with acetylene did not diminish the S = 3/2 nitrosyl-iron signal, the g = 6 signal, or the g = 6 signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Zahn
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames 50011, USA
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Zahn JA, Arciero DM, Hooper AB, Dispirito AA. Cytochrome c' of Methylococcus capsulatus Bath. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 1996; 240:684-91. [PMID: 8856071 DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1996.0684h.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Cytochrome c' was isolated from the obligate methylotroph Methylococcus capsulatus Bath. The native and subunit molecular masses of the cytochrome were 34.9 kDa and 16.2 kDa, respectively, with an isoelectric pH of 7.0. The amino acid composition and N-terminal amino acid sequence were consistent with identification of the protein as a cytochrome c'. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum of the monoheme cytochrome indicated the presence of a high spin, S = 5/2, heme center that is diagnostic of cytochromes c'. The optical absorption spectra of ferric or ferrous cytochrome c' were also characteristic of cytochromes c'. The ferrocytochrome bound carbon monoxide and nitric oxide, but not isocyanide, cyanide, or azide. Changes in physical properties due to binding of CO or NO to some other c'-type cytochromes have been interpreted as an indication of dimer dissociation. In the case of cytochrome c' from M. capsulatus Bath, analytical ultracentrifugation of the ferricytochrome, the ferrocytochrome, and the ferrocytochrome-CO complex indicate that the changes induced by binding of CO are conformational and are not consistent with dimer dissociation. EPR spectra show that cytochrome c' was reduced in the presence of hydroxylamine only when in a complex with cytochrome P-460. The value of the midpoint potential, Em 7.0, was -250 mV for cytochrome c' from M. capsulatus Bath, which is well below the range of values reported for other cytochromes c'. The values of midpoint potentials for cytochrome P-460 (Em 7.0 = -300 mV to -380 mV) and cytochrome C555 (Em 7.0 = +175 mV to +195 mV) are less than and greater than, respectively, the value for cytochrome c' and suggest the possibility that the latter may function as an electron shuttle between cytochrome P-460 and cytochrome C555.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Zahn
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Iowa 50011-3211, USA
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Abstract
Methane-utilizing bacteria (methanotrophs) are a diverse group of gram-negative bacteria that are related to other members of the Proteobacteria. These bacteria are classified into three groups based on the pathways used for assimilation of formaldehyde, the major source of cell carbon, and other physiological and morphological features. The type I and type X methanotrophs are found within the gamma subdivision of the Proteobacteria and employ the ribulose monophosphate pathway for formaldehyde assimilation, whereas type II methanotrophs, which employ the serine pathway for formaldehyde assimilation, form a coherent cluster within the beta subdivision of the Proteobacteria. Methanotrophic bacteria are ubiquitous. The growth of type II bacteria appears to be favored in environments that contain relatively high levels of methane, low levels of dissolved oxygen, and limiting concentrations of combined nitrogen and/or copper. Type I methanotrophs appear to be dominant in environments in which methane is limiting and combined nitrogen and copper levels are relatively high. These bacteria serve as biofilters for the oxidation of methane produced in anaerobic environments, and when oxygen is present in soils, atmospheric methane is oxidized. Their activities in nature are greatly influenced by agricultural practices and other human activities. Recent evidence indicates that naturally occurring, uncultured methanotrophs represent new genera. Methanotrophs that are capable of oxidizing methane at atmospheric levels exhibit methane oxidation kinetics different from those of methanotrophs available in pure cultures. A limited number of methanotrophs have the genetic capacity to synthesize a soluble methane monooxygenase which catalyzes the rapid oxidation of environmental pollutants including trichloroethylene.
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Affiliation(s)
- R S Hanson
- Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
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Ono Y, Makino N, Hoshino Y, Shoji K, Yamanaka T. An iron dioxygenase from Alcaligenes faecalis catalyzing the oxidation of pyruvic oxime to nitrite. FEMS Microbiol Lett 1996; 139:103-8. [PMID: 8674977 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1996.tb08187.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
An enzyme which participated in the oxidation of hydroxylamine to nitrite from was partially purified Alcaligenes faecalis, and some of its properties were studied. The enzyme oxidized aerobically pyruvic oxime to nitrite in the presence of hydroxylamine or ascorbate. As molecular oxygen equimolar to nitrite formed was consumed in the enzymatic oxidation of pyruvic oxime to nitrite, the enzyme was thought to be a dioxygenase. It was an iron protein, and a reducing reagent was required to keep the iron in the ferrous state for the action of the enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Ono
- Department of Industrial Chemistry, College of Science and Technology, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan
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Zahn JA, DiSpirito AA. Membrane-associated methane monooxygenase from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath). J Bacteriol 1996; 178:1018-29. [PMID: 8576034 PMCID: PMC177761 DOI: 10.1128/jb.178.4.1018-1029.1996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
An active preparation of the membrane-associated methane monooxygenase (pMMO) from Methylococcus capsulatus Bath was isolated by ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography using dodecyl beta-D-maltoside as the detergent. The active preparation consisted of three major polypeptides with molecular masses of 47,000, 27,000, and 25,000 Da. Two of the three polypeptides (those with molecular masses of 47,000 and 27,000 Da) were identified as the polypeptides induced when cells expressing the soluble MMO are switched to culture medium in which the pMMO is expressed. The 27,000-Da polypeptide was identified as the acetylene-binding protein. The active enzyme complex contained 2.5 iron atoms and 14.5 copper atoms per 99,000 Da. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum of the enzyme showed evidence for a type 2 copper center (g perpendicular = 2.057, g parallel = 2.24, and magnitude of A parallel = 172 G), a weak high-spin iron signal (g = 6.0), and a broad low-field (g = 12.5) signal. Treatment of the pMMO with nitric oxide produced the ferrous-nitric oxide derivative observed in the membrane fraction of cells expressing the pMMO. When duroquinol was used as a reductant, the specific activity of the purified enzyme was 11.1 nmol of propylene oxidized.min-1.mg of protein-1, which accounted for approximately 30% of the cell-free propylene oxidation activity. The activity was stimulated by ferric and cupric metal ions in addition to the cytochrome b-specific inhibitors myxothiazol and 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Zahn
- Department of Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames 50011, USA
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Roy R, Knowles R. Differential inhibition by allylsulfide of nitrification and methane oxidation in freshwater sediment. Appl Environ Microbiol 1995; 61:4278-83. [PMID: 16535183 PMCID: PMC1388648 DOI: 10.1128/aem.61.12.4278-4283.1995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Addition of nitrapyrin, allylthiourea, C(inf2)H(inf2), and CH(inf3)F to freshwater sediment slurries inhibited CH(inf4) oxidation and nitrification to similar extents. Dicyandiamide and allylsulfide were less inhibitory for CH(inf4) oxidation than for nitrification. Allylsulfide was the most potent inhibitor of nitrification, and the estimated 50% inhibitory concentrations for this process and CH(inf4) oxidation were 0.2 and 121 (mu)M, respectively. At a concentration of 2 (mu)M allylsulfide, growth and CH(inf4) oxidation activity of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b were not inhibited. Allylsulfide at 200 (mu)M inhibited the growth of M. trichosporium by approximately 50% but did not inhibit CH(inf4) oxidation activity. Nitrite production by cells of M. trichosporium was not significantly affected by allylsulfide, except at a concentration of 2 mM, when growth and CH(inf4) oxidation were also inhibited by about 50%. Methane monooxygenase activity present in soluble fractions of M. trichosporium was not inhibited significantly by allylsulfide at either 200 (mu)M or 2 mM. These results suggest that the partial inhibition of CH(inf4) oxidation in sediment slurries by high allylsulfide concentrations may be caused by an inhibition of the growth of methanotrophs rather than an inhibition of methane monooxygenase activity specifically. We conclude that allylsulfide is a promising tool for the study of interactions of methanotrophs and nitrifiers in N cycling and CH(inf4) turnover in natural systems.
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