Purification, overproduction, and partial characterization of beta-RFAP synthase, a key enzyme in the methanopterin biosynthesis pathway

Purine nucleoside antibiotics: recent synthetic advances harnessing chemistry and biology

Covering: 2019 to 2023Nucleoside analogues represent one of the most important classes of small molecule pharmaceuticals and their therapeutic development is successfully established within oncology and for the treatment of viral infections. However, there are currently no nucleoside analogues in clinical use for the management of bacterial infections. Despite this, a significant number of clinically recognised nucleoside analogues are known to possess some antibiotic activity, thereby establishing a potential source for new therapeutic discovery in this area. Furthermore, given the rise in antibiotic resistance, the discovery of new clinical candidates remains an urgent global priority and natural product-derived nucleoside analogues may also present a rich source of discovery space for new modalities. This Highlight, covering work published from 2019 to 2023, presents a current perspective surrounding the synthesis of natural purine nucleoside antibiotics. By amalgamating recent efforts from synthetic chemistry with advances in biosynthetic understanding and the use of recombinant enzymes, prospects towards different structural classes of purines are detailed.

Highlighting the Unique Roles of Radical S-Adenosylmethionine Enzymes in Methanogenic Archaea

Radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) enzymes catalyze an impressive variety of difficult biochemical reactions in various pathways across all domains of life. These metalloenzymes employ a reduced [4Fe-4S] cluster and SAM to generate a highly reactive 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical that is capable of initiating catalysis on otherwise unreactive substrates. Interestingly, the genomes of methanogenic archaea encode many unique radical SAM enzymes with underexplored or completely unknown functions. These organisms are responsible for the yearly production of nearly 1 billion tons of methane, a potent greenhouse gas as well as a valuable energy source. Thus, understanding the details of methanogenic metabolism and elucidating the functions of essential enzymes in these organisms can provide insights into strategies to decrease greenhouse gas emissions as well as inform advances in bioenergy production processes. This minireview provides an overview of the current state of the field regarding the functions of radical SAM enzymes in methanogens and discusses gaps in knowledge that should be addressed.

Open Issues for Protein Function Assignment in Haloferax volcanii and Other Halophilic Archaea

Background: Annotation ambiguities and annotation errors are a general challenge in genomics. While a reliable protein function assignment can be obtained by experimental characterization, this is expensive and time-consuming, and the number of such Gold Standard Proteins (GSP) with experimental support remains very low compared to proteins annotated by sequence homology, usually through automated pipelines. Even a GSP may give a misleading assignment when used as a reference: the homolog may be close enough to support isofunctionality, but the substrate of the GSP is absent from the species being annotated. In such cases, the enzymes cannot be isofunctional. Here, we examined a variety of such issues in halophilic archaea (class Halobacteria), with a strong focus on the model haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii. Results: Annotated proteins of Hfx. volcanii were identified for which public databases tend to assign a function that is probably incorrect. In some cases, an alternative, probably correct, function can be predicted or inferred from the available evidence, but this has not been adopted by public databases because experimental validation is lacking. In other cases, a probably invalid specific function is predicted by homology, and while there is evidence that this assigned function is unlikely, the true function remains elusive. We listed 50 of those cases, each with detailed background information, so that a conclusion about the most likely biological function can be drawn. For reasons of brevity and comprehension, only the key aspects are listed in the main text, with detailed information being provided in a corresponding section of the Supplementary Materials. Conclusions: Compiling, describing and summarizing these open annotation issues and functional predictions will benefit the scientific community in the general effort to improve the evaluation of protein function assignments and more thoroughly detail them. By highlighting the gaps and likely annotation errors currently in the databases, we hope this study will provide a framework for experimentalists to systematically confirm (or disprove) our function predictions or to uncover yet more unexpected functions.

Single-Cell Genomics of Novel Actinobacteria With the Wood-Ljungdahl Pathway Discovered in a Serpentinizing System

Serpentinite-hosted systems represent modern-day analogs of early Earth environments. In these systems, water-rock interactions generate highly alkaline and reducing fluids that can contain hydrogen, methane, and low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons-potent reductants capable of fueling microbial metabolism. In this study, we investigated the microbiota of Hakuba Happo hot springs (∼50°C; pH∼10.5-11), located in Nagano (Japan), which are impacted by the serpentinization process. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequences revealed that the bacterial community comprises Nitrospirae (47%), "Parcubacteria" (19%), Deinococcus-Thermus (16%), and Actinobacteria (9%), among others. Notably, only 57 amplicon sequence variants (ASV) were detected, and fifteen of these accounted for 90% of the amplicons. Among the abundant ASVs, an early-branching, uncultivated actinobacterial clade identified as RBG-16-55-12 in the SILVA database was detected. Ten single-cell genomes (average pairwise nucleotide identity: 0.98-1.00; estimated completeness: 33-93%; estimated genome size: ∼2.3 Mb) that affiliated with this clade were obtained. Taxonomic classification using single copy genes indicates that the genomes belong to the actinobacterial class-level clade UBA1414 in the Genome Taxonomy Database. Based on metabolic pathway predictions, these actinobacteria are anaerobes, capable of glycolysis, dissimilatory nitrate reduction and CO₂ fixation via the Wood-Ljungdahl (WL) pathway. Several other genomes within UBA1414 and two related class-level clades also encode the WL pathway, which has not yet been reported for the Actinobacteria phylum. For the Hakuba actinobacterium, the energy metabolism related to the WL pathway is likely supported by a combination of the Rnf complex, group 3b and 3d [NiFe]-hydrogenases, [FeFe]-hydrogenases, and V-type (H⁺/Na⁺ pump) ATPase. The genomes also harbor a form IV ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) complex, also known as a RubisCO-like protein, and contain signatures of interactions with viruses, including clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) regions and several phage integrases. This is the first report and detailed genome analysis of a bacterium within the Actinobacteria phylum capable of utilizing the WL pathway. The Hakuba actinobacterium is a member of the clade UBA1414/RBG-16-55-12, formerly within the group "OPB41." We propose to name this bacterium 'Candidatus Hakubanella thermoalkaliphilus.'

Purification, kinetic characterization, and site-directed mutagenesis of Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus RFAP Synthase Produced in Escherichia coli

Methane-producing archaea are among a select group of microorganisms that utilize tetrahydromethanopterin (H₄MPT) as a one-carbon carrier instead of tetrahydrofolate. In H₄MPT biosynthesis, β-ribofuranosylaminobenzene 5'-phosphate (RFAP) synthase catalyzes the production of RFAP, CO₂, and pyrophosphate from p-aminobenzoic acid (pABA) and phosphoribosyl-pyrophosphate (PRPP). In this work, to gain insight into amino acid residues required for substrate binding, RFAP synthase from Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus was produced in Escherichia coli, and site-directed mutagenesis was used to alter arginine 26 (R26) and aspartic acid 19 (D19), located in a conserved sequence of amino acids resembling the pABA binding site of dihydropteroate synthase. Replacement of R26 with lysine increased the K_M for pABA by an order of magnitude relative to wild-type enzyme without substantially altering the K_M for PRPP. Although replacement of D19 with alanine produced inactive enzyme, asparagine substitution allowed retention of some activity, and the K _M for pABA increased about threefold relative to wild-type enzyme. A molecular model developed by threading RFAP synthase onto the crystal structure of homoserine kinase places R26 in the proposed active site. In the static model, D19 is located close to the active site, yet appears too far away to influence ligand binding directly. This may be indicative of the protein conformational change predicted previously in the Bi-Ter kinetic mechanism and/or formation of the active site at the interface of two subunits. Due to the vital role of RFAP synthase in H₄MPT biosynthesis, insights into the mode of substrate binding and mechanism could be beneficial for developing RFAP synthase inhibitors designed to reduce the production of methane as a greenhouse gas.

Substrate Specificity Analysis of Dihydrofolate/Dihydromethanopterin Reductase Homologs in Methylotrophic α-Proteobacteria

Methane-producing archaea and methylotrophic bacteria use tetrahydromethanopterin (H₄MPT) and/or tetrahydrofolate (H₄F) as coenzymes in one-carbon (C1) transfer pathways. The α-proteobacterium Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 contains a dihydromethanopterin reductase (DmrA) and two annotated dihydrofolate reductases (DfrA and DfrB). DmrA has been shown to catalyze the final step of H₄MPT biosynthesis; however, the functions of DfrA and DfrB have not been examined biochemically. Moreover, sequence alignment (BLAST) searches have recognized scores of proteins that share up to 99% identity with DmrA but are annotated as diacylglycerol kinases (DAGK). In this work, we used bioinformatics and enzyme assays to provide insight into the phylogeny and substrate specificity of selected Dfr and DmrA homologs. In a phylogenetic tree, DmrA and homologs annotated as DAGKs grouped together in one clade. Purified histidine-tagged versions of the annotated DAGKs from Hyphomicrobium nitrativorans and M. nodulans (respectively, sharing 69 and 84% identity with DmrA) showed only low activity in phosphorylating 1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycerol when compared with a commercial DAGK from Escherichia coli. However, the annotated DAGKs successfully reduced a dihydromethanopterin analog (dihydrosarcinapterin, H₂SPT) with kinetic values similar to those determined for M. extorquens AM1 DmrA. DfrA and DfrB showed little or no ability to reduce H₂SPT under the conditions studied; however, both catalyzed the NADPH-dependent reduction of dihydrofolate. These results provide the first evidence that DfrA and DfrB function as authentic dihydrofolate reductases, while DAGKs with greater than 69% identity to DmrA may be misannotated and are likely to function in H₄MPT biosynthesis.

Phosphoribosyl Diphosphate (PRPP): Biosynthesis, Enzymology, Utilization, and Metabolic Significance

Phosphoribosyl diphosphate (PRPP) is an important intermediate in cellular metabolism. PRPP is synthesized by PRPP synthase, as follows: ribose 5-phosphate + ATP → PRPP + AMP. PRPP is ubiquitously found in living organisms and is used in substitution reactions with the formation of glycosidic bonds. PRPP is utilized in the biosynthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, the amino acids histidine and tryptophan, the cofactors NAD and tetrahydromethanopterin, arabinosyl monophosphodecaprenol, and certain aminoglycoside antibiotics. The participation of PRPP in each of these metabolic pathways is reviewed. Central to the metabolism of PRPP is PRPP synthase, which has been studied from all kingdoms of life by classical mechanistic procedures. The results of these analyses are unified with recent progress in molecular enzymology and the elucidation of the three-dimensional structures of PRPP synthases from eubacteria, archaea, and humans. The structures and mechanisms of catalysis of the five diphosphoryltransferases are compared, as are those of selected enzymes of diphosphoryl transfer, phosphoryl transfer, and nucleotidyl transfer reactions. PRPP is used as a substrate by a large number phosphoribosyltransferases. The protein structures and reaction mechanisms of these phosphoribosyltransferases vary and demonstrate the versatility of PRPP as an intermediate in cellular physiology. PRPP synthases appear to have originated from a phosphoribosyltransferase during evolution, as demonstrated by phylogenetic analysis. PRPP, furthermore, is an effector molecule of purine and pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis, either by binding to PurR or PyrR regulatory proteins or as an allosteric activator of carbamoylphosphate synthetase. Genetic analyses have disclosed a number of mutants altered in the PRPP synthase-specifying genes in humans as well as bacterial species.

Proteogenomic analyses indicate bacterial methylotrophy and archaeal heterotrophy are prevalent below the grass root zone

Annually, half of all plant-derived carbon is added to soil where it is microbially respired to CO₂. However, understanding of the microbiology of this process is limited because most culture-independent methods cannot link metabolic processes to the organisms present, and this link to causative agents is necessary to predict the results of perturbations on the system. We collected soil samples at two sub-root depths (10–20 cm and 30–40 cm) before and after a rainfall-driven nutrient perturbation event in a Northern California grassland that experiences a Mediterranean climate. From ten samples, we reconstructed 198 metagenome-assembled genomes that represent all major phylotypes. We also quantified 6,835 proteins and 175 metabolites and showed that after the rain event the concentrations of many sugars and amino acids approach zero at the base of the soil profile. Unexpectedly, the genomes of novel members of the Gemmatimonadetes and Candidate Phylum Rokubacteria phyla encode pathways for methylotrophy. We infer that these abundant organisms contribute substantially to carbon turnover in the soil, given that methylotrophy proteins were among the most abundant proteins in the proteome. Previously undescribed Bathyarchaeota and Thermoplasmatales archaea are abundant in deeper soil horizons and are inferred to contribute appreciably to aromatic amino acid degradation. Many of the other bacteria appear to breakdown other components of plant biomass, as evidenced by the prevalence of various sugar and amino acid transporters and corresponding hydrolyzing machinery in the proteome. Overall, our work provides organism-resolved insight into the spatial distribution of bacteria and archaea whose activities combine to degrade plant-derived organics, limiting the transport of methanol, amino acids and sugars into underlying weathered rock. The new insights into the soil carbon cycle during an intense period of carbon turnover, including biogeochemical roles to previously little known soil microbes, were made possible via the combination of metagenomics, proteomics, and metabolomics.

Parallel and Divergent Evolutionary Solutions for the Optimization of an Engineered Central Metabolism in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1

Bioengineering holds great promise to provide fast and efficient biocatalysts for methanol-based biotechnology, but necessitates proven methods to optimize physiology in engineered strains. Here, we highlight experimental evolution as an effective means for optimizing an engineered Methylobacterium extorquens AM1. Replacement of the native formaldehyde oxidation pathway with a functional analog substantially decreased growth in an engineered Methylobacterium, but growth rapidly recovered after six hundred generations of evolution on methanol. We used whole-genome sequencing to identify the basis of adaptation in eight replicate evolved strains, and examined genomic changes in light of other growth and physiological data. We observed great variety in the numbers and types of mutations that occurred, including instances of parallel mutations at targets that may have been "rationalized" by the bioengineer, plus other "illogical" mutations that demonstrate the ability of evolution to expose unforeseen optimization solutions. Notably, we investigated mutations to RNA polymerase, which provided a massive growth benefit but are linked to highly aberrant transcriptional profiles. Overall, we highlight the power of experimental evolution to present genetic and physiological solutions for strain optimization, particularly in systems where the challenges of engineering are too many or too difficult to overcome via traditional engineering methods.

Structure of the methanofuran/methanopterin-biosynthetic enzyme MJ1099 from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii

Prior studies have indicated that MJ1099 from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii has roles in the biosynthesis of tetrahydromethanopterin and methanofuran, two key cofactors of one-carbon (C1) metabolism in diverse organisms including the methanogenic archaea. Here, the structure of MJ1099 has been solved to 1.7 Å resolution using anomalous scattering methods. The results indicate that MJ1099 is a member of the TIM-barrel superfamily and that it is a homohexamer. Bioinformatic analyses identified a potential active site that is highly conserved among MJ1099 homologs and the key amino acids involved were identified. The results presented here should guide further studies of MJ1099 including mechanistic studies and possibly the development of inhibitors that target the methanogenic archaea in the digestive tracts of humans and that are a source of the greenhouse gas methane.

Identification of a unique radical S-adenosylmethionine methylase likely involved in methanopterin biosynthesis in Methanocaldococcus jannaschii

Methanopterin (MPT) and its analogs are coenzymes required for methanogenesis and methylotrophy in specialized microorganisms. The methyl groups at C-7 and C-9 of the pterin ring distinguish MPT from all other pterin-containing natural products. However, the enzyme(s) responsible for the addition of these methyl groups has yet to be identified. Here we demonstrate that a putative radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) enzyme superfamily member encoded by the MJ0619 gene in the methanogen Methanocaldococcus jannaschii is likely this missing methylase. When MJ0619 was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, various methylated pterins were detected, consistent with MJ0619 catalyzing methylation at C-7 and C-9 of 7,8-dihydro-6-hydroxymethylpterin, a common intermediate in both folate and MPT biosynthesis. Site-directed mutagenesis of Cys77 present in the first of two canonical radical SAM CX₃CX₂C motifs present in MJ0619 did not inhibit C-7 methylation, while mutation of Cys102, found in the other radical SAM amino acid motif, resulted in the loss of C-7 methylation, suggesting that the first motif could be involved in C-9 methylation, while the second motif is required for C-7 methylation. Further experiments demonstrated that the C-7 methyl group is not derived from methionine and that methylation does not require cobalamin. When E. coli cells expressing MJ0619 were grown with deuterium-labeled acetate as the sole carbon source, the resulting methyl group on the pterin was predominantly labeled with three deuteriums. Based on these results, we propose that this archaeal radical SAM methylase employs a previously uncharacterized mechanism for methylation, using methylenetetrahydrofolate as a methyl group donor.

Biochemical fossils of the ancient transition from geoenergetics to bioenergetics in prokaryotic one carbon compound metabolism

The deep dichotomy of archaea and bacteria is evident in many basic traits including ribosomal protein composition, membrane lipid synthesis, cell wall constituents, and flagellar composition. Here we explore that deep dichotomy further by examining the distribution of genes for the synthesis of the central carriers of one carbon units, tetrahydrofolate (H4F) and tetrahydromethanopterin (H4MPT), in bacteria and archaea. The enzymes underlying those distinct biosynthetic routes are broadly unrelated across the bacterial-archaeal divide, indicating that the corresponding pathways arose independently. That deep divergence in one carbon metabolism is mirrored in the structurally unrelated enzymes and different organic cofactors that methanogens (archaea) and acetogens (bacteria) use to perform methyl synthesis in their H4F- and H4MPT-dependent versions, respectively, of the acetyl-CoA pathway. By contrast, acetyl synthesis in the acetyl-CoA pathway - from a methyl group, CO2 and reduced ferredoxin - is simpler, uniform and conserved across acetogens and methanogens, and involves only transition metals as catalysts. The data suggest that the acetyl-CoA pathway, while being the most ancient of known CO2 assimilation pathways, reflects two phases in early evolution: an ancient phase in a geochemically confined and non-free-living universal common ancestor, in which acetyl thioester synthesis proceeded spontaneously with the help of geochemically supplied methyl groups, and a later phase that reflects the primordial divergence of the bacterial and archaeal stem groups, which independently invented genetically-encoded means to synthesize methyl groups via enzymatic reactions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: 18th European Bioenergetic Conference.

Discovery and characterization of the first archaeal dihydromethanopterin reductase, an iron-sulfur flavoprotein from Methanosarcina mazei

The microbial production of methane by methanogenic archaea is dependent on the synthesis of the pterin-containing cofactor tetrahydromethanopterin (H4MPT). The enzyme catalyzing the last step of H4MPT biosynthesis (dihydromethanopterin reductase) has not previously been identified in methane-producing microorganisms. Previous complementation studies with the methylotrophic bacterium Methylobacterium extorquens have indicated that an uncharacterized archaeal-flavoprotein-like flavoprotein (AfpA) from Methylobacillus flagellatus or Burkholderia xenovorans can replace the activity of a phylogenetically unrelated bacterial dihydromethanopterin reductase (DmrA). We propose that MM1854, a homolog of AfpA from Methanosarcina mazei, catalyzes the last step of H4MPT biosynthesis in methane-producing microorganisms. To test this hypothesis, a six-histidine (His6)-tagged version of MM1854 was produced. Bioinformatic analysis revealed the presence of one flavin mononucleotide (FMN)-binding site and two iron-sulfur cluster sites, consistent with an oxidoreductase enzyme. Purified His6-MM1854 occurred as a homodimer of 29-kDa subunits, and the UV-visible spectrum of the purified protein showed absorbance peaks at 380 and 460 nm, characteristic of oxidized FMN. NAD(P)H was incapable of directly reducing the flavin cofactor, but dithionite eliminated the FMN peaks, indicating successful electron transfer to MM1854. An electron transfer system of NADPH, spinach NADPH-ferredoxin oxidoreductase, and ferredoxin could also reduce the FMN peaks. A newly developed assay indicated that dithiothreitol-reduced MM1854 could transfer electrons to dihydromethanopterin. This assay was also effective with a heat-stable DmrX analog from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii (MJ0208). These results provide the first biochemical evidence that MM1854 and MJ0208 function as archaeal dihydromethanopterin reductases (DmrX) and that ferredoxin may serve as an electron donor.

Evolution after introduction of a novel metabolic pathway consistently leads to restoration of wild-type physiology

Organisms cope with physiological stressors through acclimatizing mechanisms in the short-term and adaptive mechanisms over evolutionary timescales. During adaptation to an environmental or genetic perturbation, beneficial mutations can generate numerous physiological changes: some will be novel with respect to prior physiological states, while others might either restore acclimatizing responses to a wild-type state, reinforce them further, or leave them unchanged. We examined the interplay of acclimatizing and adaptive responses at the level of global gene expression in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 engineered with a novel central metabolism. Replacing central metabolism with a distinct, foreign pathway resulted in much slower growth than wild-type. After 600 generations of adaptation, however, eight replicate populations founded from this engineered ancestor had improved up to 2.5-fold. A comparison of global gene expression in wild-type, engineered, and all eight evolved strains revealed that the vast majority of changes during physiological adaptation effectively restored acclimatizing processes to wild-type expression states. On average, 93% of expression perturbations from the engineered strain were restored, with 70% of these occurring in perfect parallel across all eight replicate populations. Novel changes were common but typically restricted to one or a few lineages, and reinforcing changes were quite rare. Despite this, cases in which expression was novel or reinforced in parallel were enriched for loci harboring beneficial mutations. One case of parallel, reinforced changes was the pntAB transhydrogenase that uses NADH to reduce NADP⁺ to NADPH. We show that PntAB activity was highly correlated with the restoration of NAD(H) and NADP(H) pools perturbed in the engineered strain to wild-type levels, and with improved growth. These results suggest that much of the evolved response to genetic perturbation was a consequence rather than a cause of adaptation and that physiology avoided “reinventing the wheel” by restoring acclimatizing processes to the pre-stressed state.

Acclimatizing and adaptive (evolutionary) processes allow organisms to thrive despite cellular and environmental perturbations. Our work examined whether adaptation restores stress responses towards wild-type (pre-stressed) versus novel physiological states during adaptation by studying a bacterium (Methylobacterium extorquens AM1) that was experimentally engineered and evolved with a novel central metabolism. The engineered strain was much slower and less fit than wild-type, but eight replicate populations evolved for six hundred generations showed substantial improvements. We found that changes in gene expression during adaptation consistently restored acclimatizing processes to the wild-type state, often in 8/8 evolved lines. Novel changes were common and largely restricted to one lineage; however, highly parallel novel changes revealed loci harboring beneficial mutations. Even rarer were reinforced changes, such as pntAB transhydrogenase, which increased beyond immediate acclimation during evolution to restore NAD(P)(H) metabolism and improve growth. Overall, a few novel or reinforcing changes drove the mass-restoration of physiology back to wild-type.

Elucidation of the role of the methylene-tetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase MtdA in the tetrahydromethanopterin-dependent oxidation pathway in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1

The methylotroph Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 oxidizes methanol and methylamine to formaldehyde and subsequently to formate, an intermediate that serves as the branch point between assimilation (formation of biomass) and dissimilation (oxidation to CO₂). The oxidation of formaldehyde to formate is dephosphotetrahydromethanopterin (dH₄MPT) dependent, while the assimilation of carbon into biomass is tetrahydrofolate (H₄F) dependent. This bacterium contains two different enzymes, MtdA and MtdB, both of which are dehydrogenases able to use methylene-dH₄MPT, an intermediate in the oxidation of formaldehyde to formate. Unique to MtdA is a second enzymatic activity with methylene-H₄F. Since methylene-H₄F is the entry point into the biomass pathways, MtdA plays a key role in assimilatory metabolism. However, its role in oxidative metabolism via the dH₄MPT-dependent pathway and its apparent inability to replace MtdB in vivo on methanol growth are not understood. Here, we have shown that an mtdB mutant is able to grow on methylamine, providing a system to study the role of MtdA. We demonstrate that the absence of MtdB results in the accumulation of methenyl-dH₄MPT. Methenyl-dH₄MPT is shown to be a competitive inhibitor of the reduction of methenyl-H₄F to methylene-H₄F catalyzed by MtdA, with an estimated Ki of 10 μM. Thus, methenyl-dH₄MPT accumulation inhibits H₄F-dependent assimilation. Overexpression of mch in the mtdB mutant strain, predicted to reduce methenyl-dH₄MPT accumulation, enhances growth on methylamine. Our model proposes that MtdA regulates carbon flux due to differences in its kinetic properties for methylene-dH₄MPT and for methenyl-H₄F during growth on single-carbon compounds.

Comparative genomics guided discovery of two missing archaeal enzyme families involved in the biosynthesis of the pterin moiety of tetrahydromethanopterin and tetrahydrofolate

C-1 carriers are essential cofactors in all domains of life, and in Archaea, these can be derivatives of tetrahydromethanopterin (H₄-MPT) or tetrahydrofolate (H₄-folate). Their synthesis requires 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin diphosphate (6-HMDP) as the precursor, but the nature of pathways that lead to its formation were unknown until the recent discovery of the GTP cyclohydrolase IB/MptA family that catalyzes the first step, the conversion of GTP to dihydroneopterin 2′,3′-cyclic phosphate or 7,8-dihydroneopterin triphosphate [El Yacoubi, B.; et al. (2006) J. Biol. Chem., 281, 37586–37593 and Grochowski, L. L.; et al. (2007) Biochemistry46, 6658–6667]. Using a combination of comparative genomics analyses, heterologous complementation tests, and in vitro assays, we show that the archaeal protein families COG2098 and COG1634 specify two of the missing 6-HMDP synthesis enzymes. Members of the COG2098 family catalyze the formation of 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin from 7,8-dihydroneopterin, while members of the COG1634 family catalyze the formation of 6-HMDP from 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin. The discovery of these missing genes solves a long-standing mystery and provides novel examples of convergent evolutions where proteins of dissimilar architectures perform the same biochemical function.

Recovering from a bad start: rapid adaptation and tradeoffs to growth below a threshold density

BACKGROUND

Bacterial growth in well-mixed culture is often assumed to be an autonomous process only depending upon the external conditions under control of the investigator. However, increasingly there is awareness that interactions between cells in culture can lead to surprising phenomena such as density-dependence in the initiation of growth.

RESULTS

Here I report the unexpected discovery of a density threshold for growth of a strain of Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 used to inoculate eight replicate populations that were evolved in methanol. Six of these populations failed to grow to the expected full density during the first couple transfers. Remarkably, the final cell number of six populations crashed to levels 60- to 400-fold smaller than their cohorts. Five of these populations recovered to full density soon after, but one population remained an order of magnitude smaller for over one hundred generations. These variable dynamics appeared to be due to a density threshold for growth that was specific to both this particular ancestral strain and to growth on methanol. When tested at full density, this population had become less fit than its ancestor. Simply increasing the initial dilution 16-fold reversed this result, revealing that this population had more than a 3-fold advantage when tested at this lower density. As this population evolved and ultimately recovered to the same final density range as the other populations this low-density advantage waned.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate surprisingly strong tradeoffs during adaptation to growth at low absolute densities that manifest over just a 16-fold change in density. Capturing laboratory examples of transitions to and from growth at low density may help us understand the physiological and evolutionary forces that have led to the unusual properties of natural bacteria that have specialized to low-density environments such as the open ocean.

The conversion of a phenol to an aniline occurs in the biochemical formation of the 1-(4-aminophenyl)-1-deoxy-D-ribitol moiety in methanopterin

Recent work has demonstrated that 4-hydroxybenzoic acid is the in vivo precursor to the 1-(4-aminophenyl)-1-deoxy-D-ribitol (APDR) moiety present in the C(1) carrier coenzyme methanopterin present in the methanogenic archaea. For this transformation to occur, the hydroxyl group of the 4-hydroxybenzoic acid must be replaced with an amino group at some point in the biosynthetic pathway. Using stable isotopically labeled precursors and liquid chromatography with electrospray-ionization mass spectroscopy, the first step of this transformation in Methanocaldococcus jannaschii occurs by the reaction of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid with phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) to form 4-(β-d-ribofuranosyl)hydroxybenzene 5'-phosphate (β-RAH-P). The β-RAH-P then condenses with l-aspartate in the presence of ATP to form 4-(β-d-ribofuranosyl)-N-succinylaminobenzene 5'-phosphate (β-RFSA-P). Elimination of fumarate from β-RFSA-P produces 4-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)aminobenzene 5'-phosphate (β-RFA-P), the known precursor to the APDR moiety of methanopterin [White, R. H. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 3447-3456]. This work represents the first biochemical example of the conversion of a phenol to an aniline.

Fast growth increases the selective advantage of a mutation arising recurrently during evolution under metal limitation

Understanding the evolution of biological systems requires untangling the molecular mechanisms that connect genetic and environmental variations to their physiological consequences. Metal limitation across many environments, ranging from pathogens in the human body to phytoplankton in the oceans, imposes strong selection for improved metal acquisition systems. In this study, we uncovered the genetic and physiological basis of adaptation to metal limitation using experimental populations of Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 evolved in metal-deficient growth media. We identified a transposition mutation arising recurrently in 30 of 32 independent populations that utilized methanol as a carbon source, but not in any of the 8 that utilized only succinate. These parallel insertion events increased expression of a novel transporter system that enhanced cobalt uptake. Such ability ensured the production of vitamin B₁₂, a cobalt-containing cofactor, to sustain two vitamin B₁₂–dependent enzymatic reactions essential to methanol, but not succinate, metabolism. Interestingly, this mutation provided higher selective advantages under genetic backgrounds or incubation temperatures that permit faster growth, indicating growth-rate–dependent epistatic and genotype-by-environment interactions. Our results link beneficial mutations emerging in a metal-limiting environment to their physiological basis in carbon metabolism, suggest that certain molecular features may promote the emergence of parallel mutations, and indicate that the selective advantages of some mutations depend generically upon changes in growth rate that can stem from either genetic or environmental influences.

Effects of mutations can change under different genetic backgrounds or environmental factors, also known as epistasis and genotype-by-environment interactions (G×E), respectively. Though epistasis and G×E are traditionally treated as distinct phenomena, our study of a beneficial mutation highlights their commonality. This mutation resulted from insertion of the same transposable element upstream of a novel cobalt transport system in 30 of 32 independent populations during evolution in metal-limited media. The resulting increased cobalt uptake provided a selective benefit that depended upon two environmental factors: cobalt limitation and growth substrates whose metabolism requires a particular vitamin B₁₂ (which contains cobalt) -dependent biochemical pathway. Furthermore, this mutation exhibited epistatic and G×E interactions with other cellular processes in a generic way, such that its selective advantage increased as cells were able to grow faster. This growth-rate dependence accords with a simple model: the slowest of multiple physiological processes needed for growth exerts the greatest control over an organism's growth rate. It suggests that as growth results from the performance of the entire physiological system, genes or environmental factors that affect distinct physiological processes may thus interact through their convergent effects on growth phenotypes.

Development of a broad-host-range sacB-based vector for unmarked allelic exchange

Background

Although genome sequences are available for an ever-increasing number of bacterial species, the availability of facile genetic tools for physiological analysis have generally lagged substantially behind traditional genetic models.

Results

Here I describe the development of an improved, broad-host-range "in-out" allelic exchange vector, pCM433, which permits the generation of clean, marker-free genetic manipulations. Wild-type and mutant alleles were reciprocally exchanged at three loci in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 in order to demonstrate the utility of pCM433.

Conclusion

The broad-host-range vector for marker-free allelic exchange described here, pCM433, has the advantages of a high copy, general Escherichia coli replicon for easy cloning, an IncP oriT enabling conjugal transfer, an extensive set of restriction sites in its polylinker, three antibiotic markers, and sacB (encoding levansucrase) for negative selection upon sucrose plates. These traits should permit pCM433 to be broadly applied across many bacterial taxa for marker-free allelic exchange, which is particularly important if multiple manipulations or more subtle genetic manipulations such as point mutations are desired.

Identification of a complete methane monooxygenase operon from soil by combining stable isotope probing and metagenomic analysis

Stable isotope probing (SIP) allows the isolation of nucleic acids from targeted metabolically active organisms in environmental samples. In previous studies, DNA-SIP has been performed with the one-carbon growth substrates methane and methanol to study methylotrophic organisms. The methylotrophs that incorporated the labelled substrate were identified with polymerase chain reaction and sequencing of 16S rRNA and 'functional genes' for methanotrophs (mxaF, pmoA, mmoX). In this study, a SIP experiment was performed using a forest soil sample incubated with (13)CH(4), and the (13)C-DNA was purified and cloned into a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) plasmid. A library of 2300 clones was generated and most of the clones contained inserts between 10 and 30 kb. The library was probed for key methylotrophy genes and a 15.2 kb clone containing a pmoCAB operon, encoding particulate methane monooxygenase, was identified and sequenced. Analysis of the pmoA sequence suggested that the clone was most similar to that of a Methylocystis sp. previously detected in this forest soil. Twelve other open reading frames were identified on the clone, including the gene encoding beta-ribofuranosylaminobenzene 5'-phosphate synthase, which is involved in the biosynthesis of the 'archaeal' C(1)-carrier, tetrahydromethanopterin, which is also found in methylotrophs. This study demonstrates that relatively large DNA fragments from uncultivated organisms can be readily isolated using DNA-SIP, and cloned into a vector for metagenomic analysis.

Modeling methanogenesis with a genome-scale metabolic reconstruction of Methanosarcina barkeri

We present a genome-scale metabolic model for the archaeal methanogen Methanosarcina barkeri. We characterize the metabolic network and compare it to reconstructions from the prokaryotic, eukaryotic and archaeal domains. Using the model in conjunction with constraint-based methods, we simulate the metabolic fluxes and resulting phenotypes induced by different environmental and genetic conditions. This represents the first large-scale simulation of either a methanogen or an archaeal species. Model predictions are validated by comparison to experimental growth measurements and phenotypes of M. barkeri on different substrates. The predicted growth phenotypes for wild type and mutants of the methanogenic pathway have a high level of agreement with experimental findings. We further examine the efficiency of the energy-conserving reactions in the methanogenic pathway, specifically the Ech hydrogenase reaction, and determine a stoichiometry for the nitrogenase reaction. This work demonstrates that a reconstructed metabolic network can serve as an analysis platform to predict cellular phenotypes, characterize methanogenic growth, improve the genome annotation and further uncover the metabolic characteristics of methanogenesis.

Methylotrophic metabolism is advantageous for Methylobacterium extorquens during colonization of Medicago truncatula under competitive conditions

Facultative methylotrophic bacteria of the genus Methylobacterium are commonly found in association with plants. Inoculation experiments were performed to study the importance of methylotrophic metabolism for colonization of the model legume Medicago truncatula. Competition experiments with Methylobacterium extorquens wild-type strain AM1 and methylotrophy mutants revealed that the ability to use methanol as a carbon and energy source provides a selective advantage during colonization of M. truncatula. Differences in the fitness of mutants defective in different stages of methylotrophic metabolism were found; whereas approximately 25% of the mutant incapable of oxidizing methanol to formaldehyde (deficient in methanol dehydrogenase) was recovered, 10% or less of the mutants incapable of oxidizing formaldehyde to CO2 (defective in biosynthesis of the cofactor tetrahydromethanopterin) was recovered. Interestingly, impaired fitness of the mutant strains compared with the wild type was found on leaves and roots. Single-inoculation experiments showed, however, that mutants with defects in methylotrophy were capable of plant colonization at the wild-type level, indicating that methanol is not the only carbon source that is accessible to Methylobacterium while it is associated with plants. Fluorescence microscopy with a green fluorescent protein-labeled derivative of M. extorquens AM1 revealed that the majority of the bacterial cells on leaves were on the surface and that the cells were most abundant on the lower, abaxial side. However, bacterial cells were also found in the intercellular spaces inside the leaves, especially in the epidermal cell layer and immediately underneath this layer.

Archaea-like genes for C1-transfer enzymes in Planctomycetes: phylogenetic implications of their unexpected presence in this phylum

The unexpected presence of archaea-like genes for tetrahydromethanopterin (H4MPT)-dependent enzymes in the completely sequence geiome of the aerobic marine planctomycete Pirellula sp. strain 1 ("Rhodopirellula baltica") and in the currently sequenced genome of the aerobic freshwater planctomycete Gemmata obscuriglobus strain UQM2246 revives the discussion on the origin of these genes in the bacterial domain. We compared the genomic arrangement of these genes in Planctomyetes and methylotrophic proteobacteria and perormed a phylogenetic analysis of the encoded protein sequences to address the question whether the genes have been present in the common ancestor of Bacteria and Archaea or were transferred laterally from the archaeal to the bacterial domain and herein. Although this question could not be solved using the data presented here, some constraints on the evolution of the genes involved in archaeal and )acterial H4MPT-dependent C1-transfer may be proposed: (i) lateral gene transfer (LGT) from Archea to a common ancestor of Proteobacteria and Planctomycetes seems more likely than the presence of the genes in the common ancestor of Bacteria and Archaea; (ii) a single event of interdomain LGT can e favored over two independent events; and (iii) the irchacal donor of the genes might have been a repesentative of the Methanosarcinales. In the bacterial domain, the acquired genes evolved according to distinct environmental and metabolic constraints, reflected by specific rearrangements of gene order, gene recruitment, and gene duplication, with subsequent functional specialization. During the course of evolution, genes were lost from some planctomycete genomes or replaced by orthologous genes from proteobacterial lineages.

Novel dephosphotetrahydromethanopterin biosynthesis genes discovered via mutagenesis in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1

Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 was used to explore the genetics of dephosphotetrahydromethanopterin (dH(4)MPT) biosynthesis. Strains with mutations in eight "archaeal-type" genes linked on the chromosome of M. extorquens AM1 were analyzed for the ability to synthesize dH(4)MPT, and six were found to be dH(4)MPT negative. Putative functions of these genes in dH(4)MPT biosynthesis are discussed.

Surface exposed amino acid differences between mesophilic and thermophilic phosphoribosyl diphosphate synthase

The amino acid sequence of 5-phospho-alpha-D-ribosyl 1-diphosphate synthase from the thermophile Bacillus caldolyticus is 81% identical to the amino acid sequence of 5-phospho-alpha-D-ribosyl 1-diphosphate synthase from the mesophile Bacillus subtilis. Nevertheless the enzyme from the two organisms possesses very different thermal properties. The B. caldolyticus enzyme has optimal activity at 60-65 degrees C and a half-life of 26 min at 65 degrees C, compared to values of 46 degrees C and 60 s at 65 degrees C, respectively, for the B. subtilis enzyme. Chemical cross-linking shows that both enzymes are hexamers. Vmax is determined as 440 micromol.min(-1).mg protein(-1) and Km values for ATP and ribose 5-phosphate are determined as 310 and 530 microM, respectively, for the B. caldolyticus enzyme. The enzyme requires 50 mM Pi as well as free Mg2+ for maximal activity. Manganese ion substitutes for Mg2+, but only at 30% of the activity obtained with Mg2+. ADP and GDP inhibit the B. caldolyticus enzyme in a cooperative fashion with Hill coefficients of 2.9 for ADP and 2.6 for GDP. Ki values are determined as 113 and 490 microm for ADP and GDP, respectively. At low concentrations ADP inhibition is linearly competitive with respect to ATP. A predicted structure of the B. caldolyticus enzyme based on homology modelling with the structure of B. subtilis 5-phospho-alpha-D-ribosyl 1-diphosphate synthase shows 92% of the amino acid differences to be on solvent exposed surfaces in the hexameric structure.

Tetrahydrofolate-specific enzymes in Methanosarcina barkeri and growth dependence of this methanogenic archaeon on folic acid or p-aminobenzoic acid

Methanogenic archaea are generally thought to use tetrahydromethanopterin or tetrahydrosarcinapterin (H4SPT) rather than tetrahydrofolate (H4F) as a pterin C1 carrier. However, the genome sequence of Methanosarcina species recently revealed a cluster of genes, purN, folD, glyA and metF, that are predicted to encode for H4F-specific enzymes. We show here for folD and glyA from M. barkeri that this prediction is correct: FolD (bifunctional N5,N10-methylene-H4F dehydrogenase/N5,N10-methenyl-H4F cyclohydrolase) and GlyA (serine:H4F hydroxymethyltransferase) were heterologously overproduced in Escherichia coli, purified and found to be specific for methylene-H4F and H4F, respectively (apparent Km below 5 microM). Western blot analyses and enzyme activity measurements revealed that both enzymes were synthesized in M. barkeri. The results thus indicate that M. barkeri should contain H4F, which was supported by the finding that growth of M. barkeri was dependent on folic acid and that the vitamin could be substituted by p-aminobenzoic acid, a biosynthetic precursor of H4F. From the p-aminobenzoic acid requirement, an intracellular H4F concentration of approximately 5 M was estimated. Evidence is presented that the p-aminobenzoic acid taken up by the growing cells was not required for the biosynthesis of H4SPT, which was found to be present in the cells at a concentration above 3 mM. The presence of both H4SPT and H4F in M. barkeri is in agreement with earlier isotope labeling studies indicating that there are two separate C1 pools in these methanogens.

Mechanism of 4-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)aminobenzene 5'-phosphate synthase, a key enzyme in the methanopterin biosynthetic pathway

The first committed step in methanopterin biosynthesis is catalyzed by 4-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)aminobenzene 5'-phosphate (RFA-P) synthase. Unlike all known phosphoribosyltransferases, beta-RFA-P synthase catalyzes the unique formation of a C-riboside instead of an N-riboside in the condensation of p-aminobenzoic acid (pABA) and 5-phospho-alpha-D-ribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) to produce 4-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)aminobenzene 5'-phosphate (beta-RFA-P), CO(2), and inorganic pyrophosphate (PP(i)). Here we report the successful cloning, active overexpression in Escherichia coli, and purification of this homodimeric enzyme containing two 36.2-kDa subunits from the methanogen Methanococcus jannaschii. Steady-state initial velocity and product inhibition kinetic studies indicate an ordered Bi-Ter mechanism involving binding of PRPP, then pABA, followed by release of the products CO(2), then beta-RFA-P, and finally PP. The Michaelis parameters are as follows: K(m)pABA, 0.15 mm; K(m)PRPP, 1.50 mm; V(max), 375 nmol/min/mg; k(cat), 0.23 s(-1). CO(2) showed uncompetitive inhibition, K(i) = 0.990 mm, under varied PRPP and saturated pABA, and a mixed type of inhibition, K(1) = 1.40 mm and K = 3.800 mm, under varied pABA and saturated PRPP. RFA-P showed uncompetitive inhibition, K(i) = 0.210 mm, under varied PRPP and saturated pABA, and again uncompetitive, K(i) = 0.300 mm, under saturated PRPP and varied pABA. PP(i) exhibits competitive inhibition, K(i) = 0.320 mm, under varied PRPP and saturated pABA, and a mixed type of inhibition, K(1) = 0.60 mm and K(2) = 1.900 mm, under saturated PRPP and varied pABA. Synthase lacks any chromogenic cofactor, and the presence of pyridoxal phosphate and the mechanistically related pyruvoyl cofactors has been strictly excluded.

Targeting methanopterin biosynthesis to inhibit methanogenesis

This paper describes the design, synthesis, and successful employment of inhibitors of 4-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)aminobenzene-5'-phosphate (RFA-P) synthase, which catalyzes the first committed step in the biosynthesis of methanopterin, to specifically halt the growth of methane-producing microbes. RFA-P synthase catalyzes the first step in the synthesis of tetrahydromethanopterin, a key cofactor required for methane formation and for one-carbon transformations in methanogens. A number of inhibitors, which are N-substituted derivatives of p-aminobenzoic acid (pABA), have been synthesized and their inhibition constants with RFA-P synthase have been determined. Based on comparisons of the inhibition constants among various inhibitors, we propose that the pABA binding site in RFA-P synthase has a relatively large hydrophobic pocket near the amino group. These enzyme-targeted inhibitors arrest the methanogenesis and growth of pure cultures of methanogens. Supplying pABA to the culture relieves the inhibition, indicating a competitive interaction between pABA and the inhibitor at the cellular target, which is most likely RFAP synthase. The inhibitors do not adversely affect the growth of pure cultures of the bacteria (acetogens) that play a beneficial role in the rumen. Inhibitors added to dense ruminal fluid cultures (artificial rumena) halt methanogenesis; however, they do not inhibit volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and, in some cases, VFA levels are slightly elevated in the methanogenesis-inhibited cultures. We suggest that inhibiting methanopterin biosynthesis could be considered in strategies to decrease anthropogenic methane emissions, which could have an environmental benefit since methane is a potent greenhouse gas.

Biochemical characterization of a dihydromethanopterin reductase involved in tetrahydromethanopterin biosynthesis in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1

During growth on one-carbon (C1) compounds, the aerobic alpha-proteobacterium Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 synthesizes the tetrahydromethanopterin (H4MPT) derivative dephospho-H4MPT as a C1 carrier in addition to tetrahydrofolate. The enzymes involved in dephospho-H4MPT biosynthesis have not been identified in bacteria. In archaea, the final step in the proposed pathway of H4MPT biosynthesis is the reduction of dihydromethanopterin (H2MPT) to H4MPT, a reaction analogous to the reaction of the bacterial dihydrofolate reductase. A gene encoding a dihydrofolate reductase homolog has previously been reported for M. extorquens and assigned as the putative H2MPT reductase gene (dmrA). In the present work, we describe the biochemical characterization of H2MPT reductase (DmrA), which is encoded by dmrA. The gene was expressed with a six-histidine tag in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant protein was purified by nickel affinity chromatography and gel filtration. Purified DmrA catalyzed the NAD(P)H-dependent reduction of H2MPT with a specific activity of 2.8 micromol of NADPH oxidized per min per mg of protein at 30 degrees C and pH 5.3. Dihydrofolate was not a substrate for DmrA at the physiological pH of 6.8. While the existence of an H2MPT reductase has been proposed previously, this is the first biochemical evidence for such an enzyme in any organism, including archaea. Curiously, no DmrA homologs have been identified in the genomes of known methanogenic archaea, suggesting that bacteria and archaea produce two evolutionarily distinct forms of dihydromethanopterin reductase. This may be a consequence of different electron donors, NAD(P)H versus reduced F420, used, respectively, in bacteria and methanogenic archaea.

Characterization of two methanopterin biosynthesis mutants of Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 by use of a tetrahydromethanopterin bioassay

An enzymatic assay was developed to measure tetrahydromethanopterin (H(4)MPT) levels in wild-type and mutant cells of Methylobacterium extorquens AM1. H(4)MPT was detectable in wild-type cells but not in strains with a mutation of either the orf4 or the dmrA gene, suggesting a role for these two genes in H(4)MPT biosynthesis. The protein encoded by orf4 catalyzed the reaction of ribofuranosylaminobenzene 5'-phosphate synthase, the first committed step of H(4)MPT biosynthesis. These results provide the first biochemical evidence for H(4)MPT biosynthesis genes in bacteria.

Outcomes of a research-driven laboratory and literature course designed to enhance undergraduate contributions to original research

This work describes outcomes of a research-driven advanced microbiology laboratory and literature research course intended to enhance undergraduate preparation for and contributions to original research. The laboratory section was designed to teach fundamental biochemistry and molecular biology techniques in the context of an original research project. Site-directed mutants of a gene of interest were constructed, and the effects of mutations on the resulting enzymes were analyzed. Students were also introduced to the literature surrounding their project, electronic literature databases, and preparation of computer-generated slides for oral presentations. Student progress was evaluated through a laboratory report written as scientific manuscript, an oral presentation, a 10-page written review, and an essay examination. In the semester following the laboratory course, four of the 14 undergraduates joined the host laboratory to continue their projects as individual undergraduate researchers. Quantifiable outcomes of the course and subsequent undergraduate research included i) production of eight new site-directed mutants and preliminary characterization of the corresponding enzymes, ii) training of four individual undergraduate researchers prior to joining the laboratory, iii) publication of a manuscript with results from two undergraduate researchers, and iv) presentation of two posters with undergraduate co-authors at a national meeting. This research-driven approach may be applicable to enhance undergraduate contributions to other original research projects that have defined goals achievable within the timeframe of a single semester.

Formaldehyde-detoxifying role of the tetrahydromethanopterin-linked pathway in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1

The facultative methylotroph Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 possesses two pterin-dependent pathways for C(1) transfer between formaldehyde and formate, the tetrahydrofolate (H(4)F)-linked pathway and the tetrahydromethanopterin (H(4)MPT)-linked pathway. Both pathways are required for growth on C(1) substrates; however, mutants defective for the H(4)MPT pathway reveal a unique phenotype of being inhibited by methanol during growth on multicarbon compounds such as succinate. It has been previously proposed that this methanol-sensitive phenotype is due to the inability to effectively detoxify formaldehyde produced from methanol. Here we present a comparative physiological characterization of four mutants defective in the H(4)MPT pathway and place them into three different phenotypic classes that are concordant with the biochemical roles of the respective enzymes. We demonstrate that the analogous H(4)F pathway present in M. extorquens AM1 cannot fulfill the formaldehyde detoxification function, while a heterologously expressed pathway linked to glutathione and NAD(+) can successfully substitute for the H(4)MPT pathway. Additionally, null mutants were generated in genes previously thought to be essential, indicating that the H(4)MPT pathway is not absolutely required during growth on multicarbon compounds. These results define the role of the H(4)MPT pathway as the primary formaldehyde oxidation and detoxification pathway in M. extorquens AM1.

Application of a Colorimetric Assay to Identify Putative Ribofuranosylaminobenzene 5'-Phosphate Synthase Genes Expressed with Activity in Escherichia coli

Tetrahydromethanopterin (H(4)MPT) is a tetrahydrofolate analog originally discovered in methanogenic archaea, but later found in other archaea and bacteria. The extent to which H(4)MPT occurs among living organisms is unknown. The key enzyme which distinguishes the biosynthetic pathways of H(4)MPT and tetrahydrofolate is ribofuranosylaminobenzene 5'-phosphate synthase (RFAP synthase). Given the importance of RFAP synthase in H(4)MPT biosynthesis, the identification of putative RFAP synthase genes and measurement of RFAP synthase activity would provide an indication of the presence of H(4)MPT in untested microorganisms. Investigation of putative archaeal RFAP synthase genes has been hampered by the tendency of the resulting proteins to form inactive inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. The current work describes a colorimetric assay for measuring RFAP synthase activity, and two modified procedures for expressing recombinant RFAP synthase genes to produce soluble, active enzyme. By lowering the incubation temperature during expression, RFAP synthase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus was produced in E. coli and purified to homogeneity. The production of active RFAP synthase from Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus was achieved by coexpression of the gene MTH0830 with a molecular chaperone. This is the first direct biochemical identification of a methanogen gene that codes for an active RFAP synthase.