LytB1 and LytB2 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Are Not Genetically Redundant

Iron–Sulfur Clusters toward Stresses: Implication for Understanding and Fighting Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of death due to a single pathogen, accounting for 1.5 million deaths annually on the global level. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB, is persistently exposed to stresses such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), acidic conditions, starvation, and hypoxic conditions, all contributing toward inhibiting bacterial proliferation and survival. Iron–sulfur (Fe-S) clusters, which are among the most ancient protein prosthetic groups, are good targets for ROS and RNS, and are susceptible to Fe starvation. Mtb holds Fe-S containing proteins involved in essential biological process for Mtb. Fe-S cluster assembly is achieved via complex protein machineries. Many organisms contain several Fe-S assembly systems, while the SUF system is the only one in some pathogens such as Mtb. The essentiality of the SUF machinery and its functionality under the stress conditions encountered by Mtb underlines how it constitutes an attractive target for the development of novel anti-TB.

The Reductive Dehydroxylation Catalyzed by IspH, a Source of Inspiration for the Development of Novel Anti-Infectives

The non-mevalonate or also called MEP pathway is an essential route for the biosynthesis of isoprenoid precursors in most bacteria and in microorganisms belonging to the Apicomplexa phylum, such as the parasite responsible for malaria. The absence of this pathway in mammalians makes it an interesting target for the discovery of novel anti-infectives. As last enzyme of this pathway, IspH is an oxygen sensitive [4Fe-4S] metalloenzyme that catalyzes 2H⁺/2e⁻ reductions and a water elimination by involving non-conventional bioinorganic and bioorganometallic intermediates. After a detailed description of the discovery of the [4Fe-4S] cluster of IspH, this review focuses on the IspH mechanism discussing the results that have been obtained in the last decades using an approach combining chemistry, enzymology, crystallography, spectroscopies, and docking calculations. Considering the interesting druggability of this enzyme, a section about the inhibitors of IspH discovered up to now is reported as well. The presented results constitute a useful and rational help to inaugurate the design and development of new potential chemotherapeutics against pathogenic organisms.

Structure and Function of Four Classes of the 4Fe-4S Protein, IspH

IspH, (E)-1-hydroxy-2-methyl-but-2-enyl 4-diphosphate reductase, is an essential enzyme in isoprenoid biosynthesis and an important drug/herbicide target. Using X-ray crystallographic, bioinformatics, mutagenesis/kinetics/stability, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results, we show that organisms from different environments ultilize one of four main IspH classes. The classes are based on the arrangement of the aromatic residues near the 4Fe-4S cluster and the presence or absence of N- and C-terminal extensions. Class A enzymes are found primarily in anaerobic and microaerophilic bacteria. Class B enzymes are found in aerobic bacteria. Class C enzymes are found in cyanobacteria and plants. Class D enzymes are found in apicomplexan parasites. Using mutagenesis, we show that the cluster-associated aromatic groups in class A and class B IspHs enhance cluster oxidative stability. Y198A, F302A, and a C-terminal truncation mutant of the class B (Escherichia coli) IspH have catalytic activity lower than that of the wild-type protein when using methyl viologen as the electron donor, but higher activity with dithionite as the electron donor, due to ready access of the small reductant to the cluster, consistent with their increased oxygen and H2O2 sensitivity. F302A has the largest effect on the reaction rates, and EPR studies indicate this residue affects Fe-S cluster structure. Similar effects on cluster stability are seen with class A (F14A and Y98A) mutants; however, effects on ET rates are smaller, and there are no differences between the EPR spectra of mutant and wild-type proteins. Overall, the results are of general interest because they show, for the first time, that there are multiple IspH classes that have evolved to allow organisms to survive in diverse oxidative-stress environments.