Characterization of a bifunctional archaeal acyl coenzyme A carboxylase

Structural basis of a bi-functional malonyl-CoA reductase (MCR) from the photosynthetic green non-sulfur bacterium Roseiflexus castenholzii

Malonyl-CoA reductase (MCR) is a NADPH-dependent bi-functional enzyme that performs alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase (CoA-acylating) activities in the N- and C-terminal fragments, respectively. It catalyzes the two-step reduction of malonyl-CoA to 3-hydroxypropionate (3-HP), a key reaction in the autotrophic CO2 fixation cycles of Chloroflexaceae green non-sulfur bacteria and the archaea Crenarchaeota. However, the structural basis underlying substrate selection, coordination, and the subsequent catalytic reactions of full-length MCR is largely unknown. For the first time, we here determined the structure of full-length MCR from the photosynthetic green non-sulfur bacterium Roseiflexus castenholzii (RfxMCR) at 3.35 Å resolution. Furthermore, we determined the crystal structures of the N- and C-terminal fragments bound with reaction intermediates NADP+ and malonate semialdehyde (MSA) at 2.0 Å and 2.3 Å, respectively, and elucidated the catalytic mechanisms using a combination of molecular dynamics simulations and enzymatic analyses. Full-length RfxMCR was a homodimer of two cross-interlocked subunits, each containing four tandemly arranged short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) domains. Only the catalytic domains SDR1 and SDR3 incorporated additional secondary structures that changed with NADP+-MSA binding. The substrate, malonyl-CoA, was immobilized in the substrate-binding pocket of SDR3 through coordination with Arg1164 and Arg799 of SDR4 and the extra domain, respectively. Malonyl-CoA was successively reduced through protonation by the Tyr743-Arg746 pair in SDR3 and the catalytic triad (Thr165-Tyr178-Lys182) in SDR1 after nucleophilic attack from NADPH hydrides. IMPORTANCE The bi-functional MCR catalyzes NADPH-dependent reduction of malonyl-CoA to 3-HP, an important metabolic intermediate and platform chemical, from biomass. The individual MCR-N and MCR-C fragments, which contain the alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase (CoA-acylating) activities, respectively, have previously been structurally investigated and reconstructed into a malonyl-CoA pathway for the biosynthetic production of 3-HP. However, no structural information for full-length MCR has been available to illustrate the catalytic mechanism of this enzyme, which greatly limits our capacity to increase the 3-HP yield of recombinant strains. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of full-length MCR for the first time and elucidate the mechanisms underlying substrate selection, coordination, and catalysis in the bi-functional MCR. These findings provide a structural and mechanistic basis for enzyme engineering and biosynthetic applications of the 3-HP carbon fixation pathways.

Enzymatic Conversion of CO2: From Natural to Artificial Utilization

Enzymatic carbon dioxide fixation is one of the most important metabolic reactions as it allows the capture of inorganic carbon from the atmosphere and its conversion into organic biomass. However, due to the often unfavorable thermodynamics and the difficulties associated with the utilization of CO2, a gaseous substrate that is found in comparatively low concentrations in the atmosphere, such reactions remain challenging for biotechnological applications. Nature has tackled these problems by evolution of dedicated CO2-fixing enzymes, i.e., carboxylases, and embedding them in complex metabolic pathways. Biotechnology employs such carboxylating and decarboxylating enzymes for the carboxylation of aromatic and aliphatic substrates either by embedding them into more complex reaction cascades or by shifting the reaction equilibrium via reaction engineering. This review aims to provide an overview of natural CO2-fixing enzymes and their mechanistic similarities. We also discuss biocatalytic applications of carboxylases and decarboxylases for the synthesis of valuable products and provide a separate summary of strategies to improve the efficiency of such processes. We briefly summarize natural CO2 fixation pathways, provide a roadmap for the design and implementation of artificial carbon fixation pathways, and highlight examples of biocatalytic cascades involving carboxylases. Additionally, we suggest that biochemical utilization of reduced CO2 derivates, such as formate or methanol, represents a suitable alternative to direct use of CO2 and provide several examples. Our discussion closes with a techno-economic perspective on enzymatic CO2 fixation and its potential to reduce CO2 emissions.

Genome-wide identification of biotin carboxyl carrier subunits of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in Brassica and their role in stress tolerance in oilseed Brassica napus

Background

Biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP) is a subunit of Acetyl CoA-carboxylase (ACCase) which catalyzes the conversion of acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA in a committed step during the de novo biosynthesis of fatty acids. Lipids, lipid metabolites, lipid-metabolizing and -modifying enzymes are known to play a role in biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in plants. In this regard, an understanding of the Brassica napus BCCP genes will aid in the improvement of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in canola.

Results

In this study, we identified 43 BCCP genes in five Brassica species based on published genome data. Among them, Brassica rapa, Brassica oleracea, Brassica nigra, Brassica napus and Brassica juncea had six, seven, seven, 10 and 13 BCCP homologs, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis categorized them into five classes, each with unique conserved domains. The promoter regions of all BCCP genes contained stress-related cis-acting elements as determined by cis-element analysis. We identified four and three duplicated gene pairs (segmental) in B. napus and B. juncea respectively, indicating the role of segmental duplication in the expansion of this gene family. The Ka/Ks ratios of orthologous gene pairs between Arabidopsis thaliana and five Brassica species were mostly less than 1.0, implying that purifying selection, i.e., selective removal of deleterious alleles, played a role during the evolution of Brassica genomes. Analysis of 10 BnaBCCP genes using qRT-PCR showed a different pattern of expression because of exposure of the plants to biotic stresses, such as clubroot and sclerotinia diseases, and abiotic stresses such as drought, low temperature and salinity stresses.

Conclusions

The identification and functional analysis of the Brassica BCCPs demonstrated that some of these genes might play important roles in biotic and abiotic stress responses. Results from this study could lay the foundation for a better understanding of these genes for the improvement of Brassica crops for stress tolerance.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08920-y.

(S)-3-Hydroxybutyryl-CoA Dehydrogenase From the Autotrophic 3-Hydroxypropionate/4-Hydroxybutyrate Cycle in Nitrosopumilus maritimus

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are among the most abundant organisms that exert primary control of oceanic and soil nitrification and are responsible for a large part of dark ocean primary production. They assimilate inorganic carbon via an energetically efficient version of the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle. In this cycle, acetyl-CoA is carboxylated to succinyl-CoA, which is then converted to two acetyl-CoA molecules with 4-hydroxybutyrate as the key intermediate. This conversion includes the (S)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase reaction. Here, we heterologously produced the protein Nmar_1028 catalyzing this reaction in thaumarchaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus, characterized it biochemically and performed its phylogenetic analysis. This NAD-dependent dehydrogenase is highly active with its substrate, (S)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, and its low K_m value suggests that the protein is adapted to the functioning in the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle. Nmar_1028 is homologous to the dehydrogenase domain of crotonyl-CoA hydratase/(S)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase that is present in many Archaea. Apparently, the loss of the dehydratase domain of the fusion protein in the course of evolution was accompanied by lateral gene transfer of 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA dehydratase/crotonyl-CoA hydratase from Bacteria. Although (S)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase studied here is neither unique nor characteristic for the HP/HB cycle, Nmar_1028 appears to be the only (S)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase in N. maritimus and is thus essential for the functioning of the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle and for the biology of this important marine archaeon.

Structural insights into the inhibition properties of archaeon citrate synthase from Metallosphaera sedula

Metallosphaera sedula is a thermoacidophilic archaeon and has an incomplete TCA/glyoxylate cycle that is used for production of biosynthetic precursors of essential metabolites. Citrate synthase from M. sedula (MsCS) is an enzyme involved in the first step of the incomplete TCA/glyoxylate cycle by converting oxaloacetate and acetyl-CoA into citrate and coenzyme A. To elucidate the inhibition properties of MsCS, we determined its crystal structure at 1.7 Å resolution. Like other Type-I CS, MsCS functions as a dimer and each monomer consists of two distinct domains, a large domain and a small domain. The oxaloacetate binding site locates at the cleft between the two domains, and the active site was more closed upon binding of the oxaloacetate substrate than binding of the citrate product. Interestingly, the inhibition kinetic analysis showed that, unlike other Type-I CSs, MsCS is non-competitively inhibited by NADH. Finally, amino acids and structural comparison of MsCS with other Type-II CSs, which were reported to be non-competitively inhibited by NADH, revealed that MsCS has quite unique NADH binding mode for non-competitive inhibition.

Crystal structure and biochemical properties of msed_0281, the citrate synthase from Metallosphaera sedula

Metallosphaera sedula is a thermoacidophilic archaeon that has carbon fixation ability using the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate(3-HP/4-HB) cycle, and has an incomplete TCA cycle to produce necessary biosynthetic precursors. The citrate synthase from M. sedula (MsCS) is an enzyme involved in the first step of the incomplete TCA cycle, catalyzing the conversion of oxaloacetate and acetyl-CoA into citrate and coenzyme A. To investigate the molecular mechanism of MsCS, we determined its crystal structure at 1.8 Å resolution. As other known CSs, MsCS functions as a dimer, and each monomer consists of two domains, a large domain and a small domain. We also determined the structure of the complex with acetyl-CoA and revealed the acetyl-CoA binding mode of MsCS. Structural comparison of MsCS with another CS in complex with oxaloacetate enabled us to predict the oxaloacetate binding site. Moreover, we performed inhibitory kinetic analyses of MsCS, and showed that the protein is inhibited by citrate and ATP by competitive and non-competitive inhibition modes, respectively, but not by NADH. Based on these results, we suggest that MsCS belongs to the type-I CS with structural and biochemical properties similar to those of CSs involved in the conventional TCA cycle.

Structural Insight into Substrate Specificity of 3-Hydroxypropionyl-Coenzyme A Dehydratase from Metallosphaera sedula

Metallosphaera sedula is a thermoacidophilic autotrophic archaeon known to utilize the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle (3-HP/4-HB cycle) as carbon fixation pathway. 3-Hydroxypropionyl-CoA dehydratase (3HPCD) is an enzyme involved in the 3-HP/4-HB cycle by converting 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA to acryloyl-CoA. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of 3HPCD from M. sedula (Ms3HPCD), we determined its crystal structure in complex with Coenzyme A (CoA). Ms3HPCD showed an overall structure and the CoA-binding mode similar to other enoyl-CoA hydratase (ECH) family enzymes. However, compared with the other ECHs, Ms3HPCD has a tightly formed α3 helix near the active site, and bulky aromatic residues are located at the enoyl-group binding site, resulting in the enzyme having an optimal substrate binding site for accepting short-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA as a substrate. Moreover, based on the phylogenetic tree analysis, we propose that the 3HPCD homologues from the phylum Crenarchaeota have an enoyl-group binding pocket similar to that of bacterial short-chain ECHs.

Wholly Rickettsia! Reconstructed Metabolic Profile of the Quintessential Bacterial Parasite of Eukaryotic Cells

Reductive genome evolution has purged many metabolic pathways from obligate intracellular Rickettsia (Alphaproteobacteria; Rickettsiaceae). While some aspects of host-dependent rickettsial metabolism have been characterized, the array of host-acquired metabolites and their cognate transporters remains unknown. This dearth of information has thwarted efforts to obtain an axenic Rickettsia culture, a major impediment to conventional genetic approaches. Using phylogenomics and computational pathway analysis, we reconstructed the Rickettsia metabolic and transport network, identifying 51 host-acquired metabolites (only 21 previously characterized) needed to compensate for degraded biosynthesis pathways. In the absence of glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway, cell envelope glycoconjugates are synthesized from three imported host sugars, with a range of additional host-acquired metabolites fueling the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Fatty acid and glycerophospholipid pathways also initiate from host precursors, and import of both isoprenes and terpenoids is required for the synthesis of ubiquinone and the lipid carrier of lipid I and O-antigen. Unlike metabolite-provisioning bacterial symbionts of arthropods, rickettsiae cannot synthesize B vitamins or most other cofactors, accentuating their parasitic nature. Six biosynthesis pathways contain holes (missing enzymes); similar patterns in taxonomically diverse bacteria suggest alternative enzymes that await discovery. A paucity of characterized and predicted transporters emphasizes the knowledge gap concerning how rickettsiae import host metabolites, some of which are large and not known to be transported by bacteria. Collectively, our reconstructed metabolic network offers clues to how rickettsiae hijack host metabolic pathways. This blueprint for growth determinants is an important step toward the design of axenic media to rescue rickettsiae from the eukaryotic cell.IMPORTANCE A hallmark of obligate intracellular bacteria is the tradeoff of metabolic genes for the ability to acquire host metabolites. For species of Rickettsia, arthropod-borne parasites with the potential to cause serious human disease, the range of pilfered host metabolites is unknown. This information is critical for dissociating rickettsiae from eukaryotic cells to facilitate rickettsial genetic manipulation. In this study, we reconstructed the Rickettsia metabolic network and identified 51 host metabolites required to compensate patchwork Rickettsia biosynthesis pathways. Remarkably, some metabolites are not known to be transported by any bacteria, and overall, few cognate transporters were identified. Several pathways contain missing enzymes, yet similar pathways in unrelated bacteria indicate convergence and possible novel enzymes awaiting characterization. Our work illuminates the parasitic nature by which rickettsiae hijack host metabolism to counterbalance numerous disintegrated biosynthesis pathways that have arisen through evolution within the eukaryotic cell. This metabolic blueprint reveals what a Rickettsia axenic medium might entail.

Requirements for Carnitine Shuttle-Mediated Translocation of Mitochondrial Acetyl Moieties to the Yeast Cytosol

In many eukaryotes, the carnitine shuttle plays a key role in intracellular transport of acyl moieties. Fatty acid-grown Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells employ this shuttle to translocate acetyl units into their mitochondria. Mechanistically, the carnitine shuttle should be reversible, but previous studies indicate that carnitine shuttle-mediated export of mitochondrial acetyl units to the yeast cytosol does not occur in vivo. This apparent unidirectionality was investigated by constitutively expressing genes encoding carnitine shuttle-related proteins in an engineered S. cerevisiae strain, in which cytosolic acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) synthesis could be switched off by omitting lipoic acid from growth media. Laboratory evolution of this strain yielded mutants whose growth on glucose, in the absence of lipoic acid, was l-carnitine dependent, indicating that in vivo export of mitochondrial acetyl units to the cytosol occurred via the carnitine shuttle. The mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex was identified as the predominant source of acetyl-CoA in the evolved strains. Whole-genome sequencing revealed mutations in genes involved in mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis (MCT1), nuclear-mitochondrial communication (RTG2), and encoding a carnitine acetyltransferase (YAT2). Introduction of these mutations into the nonevolved parental strain enabled l-carnitine-dependent growth on glucose. This study indicates intramitochondrial acetyl-CoA concentration and constitutive expression of carnitine shuttle genes as key factors in enabling in vivo export of mitochondrial acetyl units via the carnitine shuttle.

This study demonstrates, for the first time, that Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be engineered to employ the carnitine shuttle for export of acetyl moieties from the mitochondria and, thereby, to act as the sole source of cytosolic acetyl-CoA. Further optimization of this ATP-independent mechanism for cytosolic acetyl-CoA provision can contribute to efficient, yeast-based production of industrially relevant compounds derived from this precursor. The strains constructed in this study, whose growth on glucose depends on a functional carnitine shuttle, provide valuable models for further functional analysis and engineering of this shuttle in yeast and other eukaryotes.

Regulation and structure of the heteromeric acetyl-CoA carboxylase

The enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) catalyzes the committed step of the de novo fatty acid biosynthesis (FAS) pathway by converting acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA. Two forms of ACCase exist in nature, a homomeric and heteromic form. The heteromeric form of this enzyme requires four different subunits for activity: biotin carboxylase; biotin carboxyl carrier protein; and α- and β-carboxyltransferases. Heteromeric ACCases (htACCase) can be found in prokaryotes and the plastids of most plants. The plant htACCase is regulated by diverse mechanisms reflected by the biochemical and genetic complexity of this multienzyme complex and the plastid stroma where it resides. In this review we summarize the regulation of the plant htACCase and also describe the structural characteristics of this complex from both prokaryotes and plants. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Plant Lipid Biology edited by Kent D. Chapman and Ivo Feussner.

Biocatalysis for the application of CO2 as a chemical feedstock

Biocatalysts, capable of efficiently transforming CO2 into other more reduced forms of carbon, offer sustainable alternatives to current oxidative technologies that rely on diminishing natural fossil-fuel deposits. Enzymes that catalyse CO2 fixation steps in carbon assimilation pathways are promising catalysts for the sustainable transformation of this safe and renewable feedstock into central metabolites. These may be further converted into a wide range of fuels and commodity chemicals, through the multitude of known enzymatic reactions. The required reducing equivalents for the net carbon reductions may be drawn from solar energy, electricity or chemical oxidation, and delivered in vitro or through cellular mechanisms, while enzyme catalysis lowers the activation barriers of the CO2 transformations to make them more energy efficient. The development of technologies that treat CO2-transforming enzymes and other cellular components as modules that may be assembled into synthetic reaction circuits will facilitate the use of CO2 as a renewable chemical feedstock, greatly enabling a sustainable carbon bio-economy.

Malonic semialdehyde reductase from the archaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus is involved in the autotrophic 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle

The recently described ammonia-oxidizing archaea of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are highly abundant in marine, geothermal, and terrestrial environments. All characterized representatives of this phylum are aerobic chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizers assimilating inorganic carbon via a recently described thaumarchaeal version of the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle. Although some genes coding for the enzymes of this cycle have been identified in the genomes of Thaumarchaeota, many other genes of the cycle are not homologous to the characterized enzymes from other species and can therefore not be identified bioinformatically. Here we report the identification and characterization of malonic semialdehyde reductase Nmar_1110 in the cultured marine thaumarchaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus. This enzyme, which catalyzes the reduction of malonic semialdehyde with NAD(P)H to 3-hydroxypropionate, belongs to the family of iron-containing alcohol dehydrogenases and is not homologous to malonic semialdehyde reductases from Chloroflexus aurantiacus and Metallosphaera sedula. It is highly specific to malonic semialdehyde (Km, 0.11 mM; Vmax, 86.9 μmol min(-1) mg(-1) of protein) and exhibits only low activity with succinic semialdehyde (Km, 4.26 mM; Vmax, 18.5 μmol min(-1) mg(-1) of protein). Homologues of N. maritimus malonic semialdehyde reductase can be found in the genomes of all Thaumarchaeota sequenced so far and form a well-defined cluster in the phylogenetic tree of iron-containing alcohol dehydrogenases. We conclude that malonic semialdehyde reductase can be regarded as a characteristic enzyme for the thaumarchaeal version of the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle.

Unfamiliar metabolic links in the central carbon metabolism

The central carbon metabolism of all organisms is considered to follow a well established fixed scheme. However, recent studies of autotrophic carbon fixation in prokaryotes revealed unfamiliar metabolic links. A new route interconnects acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) via 3-hydroxypropionate with succinyl-CoA. Succinyl-CoA in turn may be metabolized via 4-hydroxybutyrate to two molecules of acetyl-CoA; a reversal of this route would result in the assimilation of two molecules of acetyl-CoA into C4 compounds. C5-dicarboxylic acids are a rather neglected class of metabolites; yet, they play a key role not only in one of the CO2 fixation cycles, but also in two acetate assimilation pathways that replace the glyoxylate cycle. C5 compounds such as ethylmalonate, methylsuccinate, methylmalate, mesaconate, itaconate and citramalate or their CoA esters are thereby linked to the acetyl-CoA, propionyl-CoA, glyoxylate and pyruvate pools. A novel carboxylase/reductase converts crotonyl-CoA into ethylmalonyl-CoA; similar reductive carboxylations apply to other alpha-beta-unsaturated carboxy-CoA thioesters. These unfamiliar metabolic links may provide useful tools for metabolic engineering.

Conversion of 4-hydroxybutyrate to acetyl coenzyme A and its anapleurosis in the Metallosphaera sedula 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate carbon fixation pathway

The extremely thermoacidophilic archaeon Metallosphaera sedula (optimum growth temperature, 73°C, pH 2.0) grows chemolithoautotrophically on metal sulfides or molecular hydrogen by employing the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate (3HP/4HB) carbon fixation cycle. This cycle adds two CO2 molecules to acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) to generate 4HB, which is then rearranged and cleaved to form two acetyl-CoA molecules. Previous metabolic flux analysis showed that two-thirds of central carbon precursor molecules are derived from succinyl-CoA, which is oxidized to malate and oxaloacetate. The remaining one-third is apparently derived from acetyl-CoA. As such, the steps beyond succinyl-CoA are essential for completing the carbon fixation cycle and for anapleurosis of acetyl-CoA. Here, the final four enzymes of the 3HP/4HB cycle, 4-hydroxybutyrate-CoA ligase (AMP forming) (Msed_0406), 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydratase (Msed_1321), crotonyl-CoA hydratase/(S)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase (Msed_0399), and acetoacetyl-CoA β-ketothiolase (Msed_0656), were produced recombinantly in Escherichia coli, combined in vitro, and shown to convert 4HB to acetyl-CoA. Metabolic pathways connecting CO2 fixation and central metabolism were examined using a gas-intensive bioreactor system in which M. sedula was grown under autotrophic (CO2-limited) and heterotrophic conditions. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the importance of the 3HP/4HB pathway in supplying acetyl-CoA to anabolic pathways generating intermediates in M. sedula metabolism. The results indicated that flux between the succinate and acetyl-CoA branches in the 3HP/4HB pathway is governed by 4-hydroxybutyrate-CoA ligase, possibly regulated posttranslationally by the protein acetyltransferase (Pat)/Sir2-dependent system. Taken together, this work confirms the final four steps of the 3HP/4HB pathway, thereby providing the framework for examining connections between CO2 fixation and central metabolism in M. sedula.

Abundance and distribution of archaeal acetyl-CoA/propionyl-CoA carboxylase genes indicative for putatively chemoautotrophic Archaea in the tropical Atlantic's interior

Recently, evidence suggests that dark CO2 fixation in the pelagic realm of the ocean does not only occur in the suboxic and anoxic water bodies but also in the oxygenated meso- and bathypelagic waters of the North Atlantic. To elucidate the significance and phylogeny of the key organisms mediating dark CO2 fixation in the tropical Atlantic, we quantified functional genes indicative for CO2 fixation. We used a Q-PCR-based assay targeting the bifunctional acetyl-CoA/propionyl-CoA carboxylase (accA subunit), a key enzyme powering inter alia the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle (HP/HB) and the archaeal ammonia monooxygenase (amoA). Quantification of accA-like genes revealed a consistent depth profile in the upper mesopelagial with increasing gene abundances from subsurface layers towards the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), coinciding with an increase in archaeal amoA gene abundance. Gene abundance profiles of metabolic marker genes (accA, amoA) were correlated with thaumarchaeal 16S rRNA gene abundances as well as CO2 fixation rates to link the genetic potential to actual rate measurements. AccA gene abundances correlated with archaeal amoA gene abundance throughout the water column (r(2)  = 0.309, P < 0.0001). Overall, a substantial genetic predisposition of CO2 fixation was present in the dark realm of the tropical Atlantic in both Archaea and Bacteria. Hence, dark ocean CO2 fixation might be more widespread among prokaryotes inhabiting the oxygenated water column of the ocean's interior than hitherto assumed.

Expression of the sub-pathways of the Chloroflexus aurantiacus 3-hydroxypropionate carbon fixation bicycle in E. coli: Toward horizontal transfer of autotrophic growth

The 3-hydroxypropionate (3-HPA) bicycle is unique among CO2-fixing systems in that none of its enzymes appear to be affected by oxygen. Moreover, the bicycle includes a number of enzymes that produce novel intermediates of biotechnological interest, and the CO2-fixing steps in this pathway are relatively rapid. We expressed portions of the 3-HPA bicycle in a heterologous organism, E. coli K12. We subdivided the 3-HPA bicycle into four sub-pathways: (1) synthesis of propionyl-CoA from acetyl-CoA, (2) synthesis of succinate from propionyl-CoA, (3) glyoxylate production and regeneration of acetyl-CoA, and (4) assimilation of glyoxylate and propionyl-CoA to form pyruvate and regenerate acetyl-CoA. We expressed the novel enzymes of the 3-HPA bicycle in operon form and used phenotypic tests for activity. Sub-pathway 1 activated a propionate-specific biosensor. Sub-pathway 2, found in non-CO2-fixing bacteria, was reassembled in E. coli using genes from diverse sources. Sub-pathway 3, operating in reverse, generated succinyl-CoA sufficient to rescue a sucAD(-) double mutant of its diaminopimelic acid (DAP) auxotrophy. Sub-pathway 4 was able to reduce the toxicity of propionate and allow propionate to contribute to cell biomass in a prpC(-)(2 methylcitrate synthase) mutant strain. These results indicate that all of the sub-pathways of the 3-HPA bicycle can function to some extent in vivo in a heterologous organism, as indicated by growth tests. Overexpression of certain enzymes was deleterious to cell growth, and, in particular, expression of MMC-CoA lyase caused a mucoid phenotype. These results have implications for metabolic engineering and for bacterial evolution through horizontal gene transfer.

Structural basis for a bispecific NADP+ and CoA binding site in an archaeal malonyl-coenzyme A reductase

Autotrophic members of the Sulfolobales (crenarchaeota) use the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle to assimilate CO2 into cell material. The product of the initial acetyl-CoA carboxylation with CO2, malonyl-CoA, is further reduced to malonic semialdehyde by an NADPH-dependent malonyl-CoA reductase (MCR); the enzyme also catalyzes the reduction of succinyl-CoA to succinic semialdehyde onwards in the cycle. Here, we present the crystal structure of Sulfolobus tokodaii malonyl-CoA reductase in the substrate-free state and in complex with NADP(+) and CoA. Structural analysis revealed an unexpected reaction cycle in which NADP(+) and CoA successively occupy identical binding sites. Both coenzymes are pressed into an S-shaped, nearly superimposable structure imposed by a fixed and preformed binding site. The template-governed cofactor shaping implicates the same binding site for the 3'- and 2'-ribose phosphate group of CoA and NADP(+), respectively, but a different one for the common ADP part: the β-phosphate of CoA aligns with the α-phosphate of NADP(+). Evolution from an NADP(+) to a bispecific NADP(+) and CoA binding site involves many amino acid exchanges within a complex process by which constraints of the CoA structure also influence NADP(+) binding. Based on the paralogous aspartate-β-semialdehyde dehydrogenase structurally characterized with a covalent Cys-aspartyl adduct, a malonyl/succinyl group can be reliably modeled into MCR and discussed regarding its binding mode, the malonyl/succinyl specificity, and the catalyzed reaction. The modified polypeptide surrounding around the absent ammonium group in malonate/succinate compared with aspartate provides the structural basis for engineering a methylmalonyl-CoA reductase applied for biotechnical polyester building block synthesis.

Characterization of acetyl-CoA and propionyl-CoA carboxylases encoded by Leptospira interrogans serovar Lai: an initial biochemical study for leptospiral gluconeogenesis via anaplerotic CO(2) assimilation

Leptospira interrogans is the causative agent of leptospirosis. The in vitro growth of L. interrogans requires CO(2) and a partial 3-hydroxypropionate pathway involving two acyl-CoA carboxylases was suggested by genomic analysis to assimilate CO(2). Either set of the candidate genes heterologously co-expressed in Escherichia coli was able to demonstrate both acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and propionyl-CoA carboxylase (PCC) activities. The tri-subunit holoenzyme (LA_2736-LA_2735 and LA_3803), although failed to be purified, was designated ACC based on its substrate preference toward acetyl-CoA. The partially purified bi-subunit holoenzyme (LA_2432-LA_2433) has a considerably higher activity against propionyl-CoA as the substrate than that of acetyl-CoA, and thus, designated PCC. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that this PCC has a molecular mass of around 669 kDa, suggesting an α(4)β(4) quaternary structure and both structural homology modeling and site-directed mutagenesis analysis of its carboxyltransferase subunit (LA_2433) indicated that the A431 residue located at the bottom of the putative substrate binding pocket may play an important role in substrate specificity determination. Both transcriptomic and proteomic data indicated that enzymes involved in the suggested partial 3-hydroxypropionate pathway were expressed in vivo in addition to ACC/PCC and the homologous genes in genomes of other Leptospira species were re-annotated accordingly. However, as the in vitro detected specific activity of ACC in the crude cell extract was too low to account for the growth of the bacterium in Ellinghausen-McCullough-Johnson-Harris minimal medium, further systematic analysis is required to unveil the mechanism of gluconeogenesis via anaplerotic CO(2) assimilation in Leptospira species.

Comprehensive guide to acetyl-carboxylases in algae

Lipids from microalgae have become an important commodity in the last 20 years, biodiesel and supplementing human diets with ω-3 fatty acids are just two of the many applications. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) is a key enzyme in the lipid synthesis pathway. In general, ACCases consist of four functional domains: the biotin carboxylase (BC), the biotin carboxyl binding protein (BCCP), and α-and β-carboxyltransferases (α-and β-CT). In algae, like in plants, lipid synthesis is another function of the chloroplast. Despite being well researched in plants and animals, there is a distinct lack of information about this enzyme in the taxonomically diverse algae. In plastid-containing organisms, ACCases are present in the cytosol and the plastid (chloroplasts) and two different forms exist, the heteromeric (prokaryotic) and homomeric (eukaryotic) form. Despite recognition of the existence of the two ACCase forms, generalized published statements still list the heteromeric form as the one present in algal plastids. In this study, the authors show this is not the case for all algae. The presence of heteromeric or homomeric ACCase is dependent on the origin of plastid. The authors used ACCase amino acid sequence comparisons to show that green (Chlorophyta) and red (Rhodophyta) algae, with the exception of the green algal class Prasinophyceae, contain heteromeric ACCase in their plastids, which are of primary symbiotic origin and surrounded by two envelope membranes. In contrast, algal plastids surrounded by three to four membranes were derived through secondary endosymbiosis (Heterokontophyta and Haptophyta), as well as apicoplast containing Apicomplexa, contain homomeric ACCase in their plastids. Distinctive differences in the substrate binding regions of heteromeric and homomeric α-CT and β-CT were discovered, which can be used to distinguish between the two ACCase types. Furthermore, the acetyl-CoA binding region of homomeric α-CT can be used to distinguish between cytosolic and plastidial ACCase. The information provided here will be of fundamental importance in ACCase expression and activity research to unravel impacts of environmental and physicochemical parameters on lipid content and productivity.

Genome sequence of an ammonia-oxidizing soil archaeon, "Candidatus Nitrosoarchaeum koreensis" MY1

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea are ubiquitous microorganisms which play important roles in global nitrogen and carbon cycle on earth. Here we present the high-quality draft genome sequence of an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon, "Candidatus Nitrosopumilus koreensis" MY1, that dominated an enrichment culture of a soil sample from the rhizosphere. Its genome contains genes for survival in the rhizosphere environment as well as those for carbon fixation and ammonium oxidation to nitrite.

Early evolution of the biotin-dependent carboxylase family

Background

Biotin-dependent carboxylases are a diverse family of carboxylating enzymes widespread in the three domains of life, and thus thought to be very ancient. This family includes enzymes that carboxylate acetyl-CoA, propionyl-CoA, methylcrotonyl-CoA, geranyl-CoA, acyl-CoA, pyruvate and urea. They share a common catalytic mechanism involving a biotin carboxylase domain, which fixes a CO₂ molecule on a biotin carboxyl carrier peptide, and a carboxyl transferase domain, which transfers the CO₂ moiety to the specific substrate of each enzyme. Despite this overall similarity, biotin-dependent carboxylases from the three domains of life carrying their reaction on different substrates adopt very diverse protein domain arrangements. This has made difficult the resolution of their evolutionary history up to now.

Results

Taking advantage of the availability of a large amount of genomic data, we have carried out phylogenomic analyses to get new insights on the ancient evolution of the biotin-dependent carboxylases. This allowed us to infer the set of enzymes present in the last common ancestor of each domain of life and in the last common ancestor of all living organisms (the cenancestor). Our results suggest that the last common archaeal ancestor had two biotin-dependent carboxylases, whereas the last common bacterial ancestor had three. One of these biotin-dependent carboxylases ancestral to Bacteria most likely belonged to a large family, the CoA-bearing-substrate carboxylases, that we define here according to protein domain composition and phylogenetic analysis. Eukaryotes most likely acquired their biotin-dependent carboxylases through the mitochondrial and plastid endosymbioses as well as from other unknown bacterial donors. Finally, phylogenetic analyses support previous suggestions about the existence of an ancient bifunctional biotin-protein ligase bound to a regulatory transcription factor.

Conclusions

The most parsimonious scenario for the early evolution of the biotin-dependent carboxylases, supported by the study of protein domain composition and phylogenomic analyses, entails that the cenancestor possessed two different carboxylases able to carry out the specific carboxylation of pyruvate and the non-specific carboxylation of several CoA-bearing substrates, respectively. These enzymes may have been able to participate in very diverse metabolic pathways in the cenancestor, such as in ancestral versions of fatty acid biosynthesis, anaplerosis, gluconeogenesis and the autotrophic fixation of CO₂.

Labeling and enzyme studies of the central carbon metabolism in Metallosphaera sedula

Metallosphaera sedula (Sulfolobales, Crenarchaeota) uses the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle for autotrophic carbon fixation. In this pathway, acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) and succinyl-CoA are the only intermediates that can be considered common to the central carbon metabolism. We addressed the question of which intermediate of the cycle most biosynthetic routes branch off. We labeled autotrophically growing cells by using 4-hydroxy[1-¹⁴C]butyrate and [1,4-¹³C₁]succinate, respectively, as precursors for biosynthesis. The labeling patterns of protein-derived amino acids verified the operation of the proposed carbon fixation cycle, in which 4-hydroxybutyrate is converted to two molecules of acetyl-CoA. The results also showed that major biosynthetic flux does not occur via acetyl-CoA, except for the formation of building blocks that are directly derived from acetyl-CoA. Notably, acetyl-CoA is not assimilated via reductive carboxylation to pyruvate. Rather, our data suggest that the majority of anabolic precursors are derived from succinyl-CoA, which is removed from the cycle via oxidation to malate and oxaloacetate. These C₄intermediates yield pyruvate and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP). Enzyme activities that are required for forming intermediates from succinyl-CoA were detected, including enzymes catalyzing gluconeogenesis from PEP. This study completes the picture of the central carbon metabolism in autotrophic Sulfolobales by connecting the autotrophic carbon fixation cycle to the formation of central carbon precursor metabolites.

Study of the distribution of autotrophic CO2 fixation cycles in Crenarchaeota

Two new autotrophic carbon fixation cycles have been recently described in Crenarchaeota. The 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle using acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA)/propionyl-CoA carboxylase as the carboxylating enzyme has been identified for (micro)aerobic members of the Sulfolobales. The dicarboxylate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle using oxygen-sensitive pyruvate synthase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase as carboxylating enzymes has been found in members of the anaerobic Desulfurococcales and Thermoproteales. However, Sulfolobales include anaerobic and Desulfurococcales aerobic autotrophic representatives, raising the question of which of the two cycles they use. We studied the mechanisms of autotrophic CO2 fixation in the strictly anaerobic Stygiolobus azoricus (Sulfolobales) and in the facultatively aerobic Pyrolobus fumarii (Desulfurococcales). The activities of all enzymes of the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle were found in the anaerobic S. azoricus. In contrast, the aerobic or denitrifying P. fumarii possesses all enzyme activities of the dicarboxylate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle. We conclude that autotrophic Crenarchaeota use one of the two cycles, and that their distribution correlates with the 16S rRNA-based phylogeny of this group, rather than with the aerobic or anaerobic lifestyle.

Malonic semialdehyde reductase, succinic semialdehyde reductase, and succinyl-coenzyme A reductase from Metallosphaera sedula: enzymes of the autotrophic 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle in Sulfolobales

A 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle operates during autotrophic CO(2) fixation in various members of the Crenarchaea. In this cycle, as determined using Metallosphaera sedula, malonyl-coenzyme A (malonyl-CoA) and succinyl-CoA are reductively converted via their semialdehydes to the corresponding alcohols 3-hydroxypropionate and 4-hydroxybutyrate. Here three missing oxidoreductases of this cycle were purified from M. sedula and studied. Malonic semialdehyde reductase, a member of the 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase family, reduces malonic semialdehyde with NADPH to 3-hydroxypropionate. The latter compound is converted via propionyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA. Succinyl-CoA reduction to succinic semialdehyde is catalyzed by malonyl-CoA/succinyl-CoA reductase, a promiscuous NADPH-dependent enzyme that is a paralogue of aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase. Succinic semialdehyde is then reduced with NADPH to 4-hydroxybutyrate by succinic semialdehyde reductase, an enzyme belonging to the Zn-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase family. Genes highly similar to the Metallosphaera genes were found in other members of the Sulfolobales. Only distantly related genes were found in the genomes of autotrophic marine Crenarchaeota that may use a similar cycle in autotrophic carbon fixation.

Autotrophic carbon dioxide assimilation in Thermoproteales revisited

For Crenarchaea, two new autotrophic carbon fixation cycles were recently described. Sulfolobales use the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle, with acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA)/propionyl-CoA carboxylase as the carboxylating enzyme. Ignicoccus hospitalis (Desulfurococcales) uses the dicarboxylate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle, with pyruvate synthase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase being responsible for CO(2) fixation. In the two cycles, acetyl-CoA and two inorganic carbons are transformed to succinyl-CoA by different routes, whereas the regeneration of acetyl-CoA from succinyl-CoA proceeds via the same route. Thermoproteales would be an exception to this unifying concept, since for Thermoproteus neutrophilus, the reductive citric acid cycle was proposed as a carbon fixation mechanism. Here, evidence is presented for the operation of the dicarboxylate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle in this archaeon. All required enzyme activities were detected in large amounts. The key enzymes of the cycle were strongly upregulated under autotrophic growth conditions, indicating their involvement in autotrophic CO(2) fixation. The corresponding genes were identified in the genome. (14)C-labeled 4-hydroxybutyrate was incorporated into the central building blocks in accordance with the key position of this compound in the cycle. Moreover, the results of previous (13)C-labeling studies, which could be reconciled with a reductive citric acid cycle only when some assumptions were made, were perfectly in line with the new proposal. We conclude that the dicarboxylate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle is operating in CO(2) fixation in the strict anaerobic Thermoproteales as well as in Desulfurococcales.

The evolution of photosynthesis...again?

'Replaying the tape' is an intriguing 'would it happen again?' exercise. With respect to broad evolutionary innovations, such as photosynthesis, the answers are central to our search for life elsewhere. Photosynthesis permits a large planetary biomass on Earth. Specifically, oxygenic photosynthesis has allowed an oxygenated atmosphere and the evolution of large metabolically demanding creatures, including ourselves. There are at least six prerequisites for the evolution of biological carbon fixation: a carbon-based life form; the presence of inorganic carbon; the availability of reductants; the presence of light; a light-harvesting mechanism to convert the light energy into chemical energy; and carboxylating enzymes. All were present on the early Earth. To provide the evolutionary pressure, organic carbon must be a scarce resource in contrast to inorganic carbon. The probability of evolving a carboxylase is approached by creating an inventory of carbon-fixation enzymes and comparing them, leading to the conclusion that carbon fixation in general is basic to life and has arisen multiple times. Certainly, the evolutionary pressure to evolve new pathways for carbon fixation would have been present early in evolution. From knowledge about planetary systems and extraterrestrial chemistry, if organic carbon-based life occurs elsewhere, photosynthesis -- although perhaps not oxygenic photosynthesis -- would also have evolved.

Fingerprinting the genetic diversity of the biotin carboxylase gene (accC) in aquatic ecosystems as a potential marker for studies of carbon dioxide assimilation in the dark

We designed and tested a set of specific primers for specific PCR amplification of the biotin carboxylase subunit gene (accC) of the Acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACCase) enzyme. The primer set yielded a PCR product of c. 460 bp that was suitable for denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting followed by direct sequencing of excised DGGE bands and sequence analysis. Optimization of PCR conditions for selective amplification was carried out with pure cultures of different bacteria and archaea, and laboratory enrichments. Next, fingerprinting comparisons were done in several aerobic and anaerobic freshwater planktonic samples. The DGGE fingerprints showed between 2 and 19 bands in the different samples, and the primer set provided specific amplification in both pure cultures and natural samples. Most of the samples had sequences grouped with bacterial accC, hypothetically related to the anaplerotic fixation of inorganic carbon. Some other samples, however, yielded accC gene sequences that clustered with Crenarchaeota and were related to the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle of autotrophic crenarchaeota. Such samples came from oligotrophic high mountain lakes and the hypolimnia of a sulfide-rich lake, where crenarchaeotal populations had been previously reported by 16S rRNA surveys. This study provided a fast tool to look for presence of accC genes in natural environments as potential marker for studies of carbon dioxide assimilation in the dark. After further refinement for better specificity against archaea, the new and novel primers could be very helpful to establish a target for crenarchaeota with implications for our understanding of archaeal carbon biogeochemistry.

A 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate autotrophic carbon dioxide assimilation pathway in Archaea

The assimilation of carbon dioxide (CO2) into organic material is quantitatively the most important biosynthetic process. We discovered that an autotrophic member of the archaeal order Sulfolobales, Metallosphaera sedula, fixed CO2 with acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA)/propionyl-CoA carboxylase as the key carboxylating enzyme. In this system, one acetyl-CoA and two bicarbonate molecules were reductively converted via 3-hydroxypropionate to succinyl-CoA. This intermediate was reduced to 4-hydroxybutyrate and converted into two acetyl-CoA molecules via 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydratase. The key genes of this pathway were found not only in Metallosphaera but also in Sulfolobus, Archaeoglobus, and Cenarchaeum species. Moreover, the Global Ocean Sampling database contains half as many 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydratase sequences as compared with those found for another key photosynthetic CO2-fixing enzyme, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase. This indicates the importance of this enzyme in global carbon cycling.

3-Hydroxypropionyl-coenzyme A synthetase from Metallosphaera sedula, an enzyme involved in autotrophic CO2 fixation

A modified 3-hydroxypropionate cycle has been proposed as the autotrophic CO2 fixation pathway for the thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Metallosphaera sedula. The cycle requires the reductive conversion of 3-hydroxypropionate to propionyl-coenzyme A (propionyl-CoA). The specific activity of the 3-hydroxypropionate-, CoA-, and MgATP-dependent oxidation of NADPH in autotrophically grown cells was 0.023 micromol min(-1) mg protein(-1). The reaction sequence is catalyzed by at least two enzymes. The first enzyme, 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA synthetase, catalyzes the following reaction: 3-hydroxypropionate + ATP + CoA --> 3-hydroxypropionyl-CoA + AMP + PP(i). The enzyme was purified 95-fold to a specific activity of 18 micromol min(-1) mg protein(-1) from autotrophically grown M. sedula cells. An internal peptide sequence was determined and a gene encoding a homologous protein identified in the genome of Sulfolobus tokodaii; similar genes were found in S. solfataricus and S. acidocaldarius. The gene was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, and the His-tagged protein was purified. Both the native enzyme from M. sedula and the recombinant enzyme from S. tokodaii not only activated 3-hydroxypropionate to its CoA ester but also activated propionate, acrylate, acetate, and butyrate; however, with the exception of propionate, the affinities for these substrates were reduced. 3-Hydroxypropionyl-CoA synthetase is up-regulated eightfold in autotrophically versus heterotrophically grown M. sedula, supporting its proposed role during CO2 fixation in this archaeon and possibly other members of the Sulfolobaceae family.

Comparative genomics provides evidence for the 3-hydroxypropionate autotrophic pathway in filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria and in hot spring microbial mats

Stable carbon isotope signatures of diagnostic lipid biomarkers have suggested that Roseiflexus spp., the dominant filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria inhabiting microbial mats of alkaline siliceous hot springs, may be capable of fixing bicarbonate via the 3-hydroxypropionate pathway, which has been characterized in their distant relative, Chloroflexus aurantiacus. The genomes of three filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic Chloroflexi isolates (Roseiflexus sp. RS-1, Roseiflexus castenholzii and Chloroflexus aggregans), but not that of a non-photosynthetic Chloroflexi isolate (Herpetosiphon aurantiacus), were found to contain open reading frames that show a high degree of sequence similarity to genes encoding enzymes in the C. aurantiacus pathway. Metagenomic DNA sequences from the microbial mats of alkaline siliceous hot springs also contain homologues of these genes that are highly similar to genes in both Roseiflexus spp. and Chloroflexus spp. Thus, Roseiflexus spp. appear to have the genetic capacity for carbon dioxide reduction via the 3-hydroxypropionate pathway. This may contribute to heavier carbon isotopic signatures of the cell components of native Roseiflexus populations in mats compared with the signatures of cyanobacterial cell components, as a similar isotopic signature would be expected if Roseiflexus spp. were participating in photoheterotrophic uptake of cyanobacterial photosynthate produced by the reductive pentose phosphate cycle.

Malonyl-coenzyme A reductase in the modified 3-hydroxypropionate cycle for autotrophic carbon fixation in archaeal Metallosphaera and Sulfolobus spp

Autotrophic members of the Sulfolobales (Crenarchaeota) contain acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA)/propionyl-CoA carboxylase as the CO2 fixation enzyme and use a modified 3-hydroxypropionate cycle to assimilate CO2 into cell material. In this central metabolic pathway malonyl-CoA, the product of acetyl-CoA carboxylation, is further reduced to 3-hydroxypropionate. Extracts of Metallosphaera sedula contained NADPH-specific malonyl-CoA reductase activity that was 10-fold up-regulated under autotrophic growth conditions. Malonyl-CoA reductase was partially purified and studied. Based on N-terminal amino acid sequencing the corresponding gene was identified in the genome of the closely related crenarchaeum Sulfolobus tokodaii. The Sulfolobus gene was cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant protein was purified and studied. The enzyme catalyzes the following reaction: malonyl-CoA + NADPH + H+ --> malonate-semialdehyde + CoA + NADP+. In its native state it is associated with small RNA. Its activity was stimulated by Mg2+ and thiols and inactivated by thiol-blocking agents, suggesting the existence of a cysteine adduct in the course of the catalytic cycle. The enzyme was specific for NADPH (Km = 25 microM) and malonyl-CoA (Km = 40 microM). Malonyl-CoA reductase has 38% amino acid sequence identity to aspartate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase, suggesting a common ancestor for both proteins. It does not exhibit any significant similarity with malonyl-CoA reductase from Chloroflexus aurantiacus. This shows that the autotrophic pathway in Chloroflexus and Sulfolobaceae has evolved convergently and that these taxonomic groups have recruited different genes to bring about similar metabolic processes.

A unique biotin carboxyl carrier protein in archaeonSulfolobus tokodaii

Biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP) is one subunit or domain of biotin-dependent enzymes. BCCP becomes an active substrate for carboxylation and carboxyl transfer, after biotinylation of its canonical lysine residue by biotin protein ligase (BPL). BCCP carries a characteristic local sequence surrounding the canonical lysine residue, typically -M-K-M-. Archaeon Sulfolobus tokodaii is unique in that its BCCP has serine replaced for the methionine C-terminal to the lysine. This BCCP is biotinylated by its own BPL, but not by Escherichia coli BPL. Likewise, E. coli BCCP is not biotinylated by S. tokodaii BPL, indicating that the substrate specificity is different between the two organisms.

Assaying for the 3-hydroxypropionate cycle of carbon fixation

The 3-hydroxypropionate cycle is a novel pathway for autotrophic CO2 fixation, which has been demonstrated in the thermophilic phototrophic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus; a yet to be defined variant of this pathway occurs in autotrophic members of the Sulfolobales (Crenarchaeota). The 3-hydroxypropionate cycle consists of the conversion of acetyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA, via malonyl-CoA, 3-hydroxypropionate, propionyl-CoA, and methylmalonyl-CoA. Carboxylation of acetyl-CoA and propionyl-CoA by acetyl-CoA/propionyl-CoA carboxylase are the CO2 fixation reactions. Succinyl-CoA serves as a precursor of cell carbon and also as a precursor of the starting compound acetyl-CoA. In C. aurantiacus, the cycle is completed by converting succinyl-CoA to malyl-CoA and cleaving malyl-CoA to acetyl-CoA and glyoxylate. Glyoxylate is then converted in a second cyclic pathway to pyruvate, which serves as a universal cell carbon precursor. The fate of succinyl-CoA in Sulfolobales is at issue. Assays used to study the characteristic enzymes of this novel pathway in C. aurantiacus are reported.

Enzymatic characterization of a prokaryotic urea carboxylase

We identified the first prokaryotic urea carboxylase (UCA) from a member of the alpha subclass of the class Proteobacteria, Oleomonas sagaranensis. This enzyme (O. sagaranensis Uca) was composed of 1,171 amino acids, and its N-terminal region resembled the biotin carboxylase domains of various biotin-dependent carboxylases. The C-terminal region of the enzyme harbored the Met-Lys-Met motif found in biotin carboxyl carrier proteins. The primary structure of the enzyme was 45% identical to that of the urea carboxylase domain of urea amidolyase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. O. sagaranensis Uca did not harbor the allophanate hydrolase domain found in the yeast enzyme, but a separate gene with structural similarity was found to be adjacent to the uca gene. Purified recombinant O. sagaranensis Uca displayed ATP-dependent carboxylase activity towards urea (V(max) = 21.2 micro mol mg(-1) min(-1)) but not towards acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) and propionyl-CoA, indicating that the gene encoded a bona fide UCA and not an acetyl-CoA or propionyl-CoA carboxylase. The enzyme also exhibited high levels of activity towards acetamide and formamide. Kinetic parameters of the enzyme reaction were determined with ATP, urea, acetamide, and formamide. O. sagaranensis could grow on urea, acetamide, and formamide as sole nitrogen sources; moreover, ATP-dependent urea-degrading activity was found in cells grown with urea but not in cells grown with ammonia. The results suggest that the UCA of this organism may be involved in the assimilation of these compounds as nitrogen sources. Furthermore, orthologues of the O. sagaranensis uca gene were found to be widely distributed among Bacteria. This implies that there are two systems of urea degradation in Bacteria, a pathway catalyzed by the previously described ureases and the UCA-allophanate hydrolase pathway identified in this study.