Atypical features of Thermus thermophilus succinate:quinone reductase

Whole genome analyses for c-type cytochromes associated with respiratory chains in the extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus

In thermophilic microorganisms, c-type cytochrome (cyt) proteins mainly function in the respiratory chain as electron carriers. Genome analyses at the beginning of this century revealed a variety of genes harboring the heme c motif. Here, we describe the results of surveying genes with the heme c motif, CxxCH, in a genome database comprising four strains of Thermus thermophilus, including strain HB8, and the confirmation of 19 c-type cytochromes among 27 selected genes. We analyzed the 19 genes, including the expression of four, by a bioinformatics approach to elucidate their individual attributes. One of the approaches included an analysis based on the secondary structure alignment pattern between the heme c motif and the 6th ligand. The predicted structures revealed many cyt c domains with fewer β-strands, such as mitochondrial cyt c, in addition to the β-strand unique to Thermus inserted in cyt c domains, as in T. thermophilus cyt c552 and caa3 cyt c oxidase subunit IIc. The surveyed thermophiles harbor potential proteins with a variety of cyt c folds. The gene analyses led to the development of an index for the classification of cyt c domains. Based on these results, we propose names for T. thermophilus genes harboring the cyt c fold.

Cryo-EM structure of trimeric Mycobacterium smegmatis succinate dehydrogenase with a membrane-anchor SdhF

Diheme-containing succinate:menaquinone oxidoreductases (Sdh) are widespread in Gram-positive bacteria but little is known about the catalytic mechanisms they employ for succinate oxidation by menaquinone. Here, we present the 2.8 Å cryo-electron microscopy structure of a Mycobacterium smegmatis Sdh, which forms a trimer. We identified the membrane-anchored SdhF as a subunit of the complex. The 3 kDa SdhF forms a single transmembrane helix and this helix plays a role in blocking the canonically proximal quinone-binding site. We also identified two distal quinone-binding sites with bound quinones. One distal binding site is formed by neighboring subunits of the complex. Our structure further reveals the electron/proton transfer pathway for succinate oxidation by menaquinone. Moreover, this study provides further structural insights into the physiological significance of a trimeric respiratory complex II. The structure of the menaquinone binding site could provide a framework for the development of Sdh-selective anti-mycobacterial drugs.

Diheme-containing succinate:menaquinone oxidoreductases (Sdh) are members of the complex II superfamily. Here, the authors present the 2.8 Å cryo-EM structure of Mycobacterium smegmatis Sdh2, which reveals membrane-anchored SdhF as a component of the complex and they discuss the electron/proton transfer pathway in the Sdh2 trimer.

Redox state of flavin adenine dinucleotide drives substrate binding and product release in Escherichia coli succinate dehydrogenase

The Complex II family of enzymes, comprising respiratory succinate dehydrogenases and fumarate reductases, catalyzes reversible interconversion of succinate and fumarate. In contrast to the covalent flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor assembled in these enzymes, soluble fumarate reductases (e.g., those from Shewanella frigidimarina) that assemble a noncovalent FAD cannot catalyze succinate oxidation but retain the ability to reduce fumarate. In this study, an SdhA-H45A variant that eliminates the site of the 8α-N3-histidyl covalent linkage between the protein and FAD was examined. Variants SdhA-R286A/K/Y and -H242A/Y that target residues thought to be important for substrate binding and catalysis were also studied. The variants SdhA-H45A and -R286A/K/Y resulted in the assembly of a noncovalent FAD cofactor, which led to a significant decrease (-87 mV or more) in its reduction potential. The variant enzymes were studied by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy following stand-alone reduction and potentiometric titrations. The "free" and "occupied" states of the active site were linked to the reduced and oxidized states of FAD, respectively. Our data allow for a proposed model of succinate oxidation that is consistent with tunnel diode effects observed in the succinate dehydrogenase enzyme and a preference for fumarate reduction catalysis in fumarate reductase homologues that assemble a noncovalent FAD.

Investigating the thermostability of succinate: quinone oxidoreductase enzymes by direct electrochemistry at SWNTs-modified electrodes and FTIR spectroscopy

Succinate: quinone reductases (SQRs) are the enzymes that couple the oxidation of succinate and the reduction of quinones in the respiratory chain of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Herein, we compare the temperature-dependent activity and structural stability of two SQRs, the first from the mesophilic bacterium Escherichia coli and the second from the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus, using a combined electrochemical and infrared spectroscopy approach. Direct electron transfer was achieved with full membrane protein complexes at single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)-modified electrodes. The possible structural factors that contribute to the temperature-dependent activity of the enzymes and, in particular, to the thermostability of the Thermus thermophilus SQR are discussed.