Benzoate degradation by Rhodococcus opacus 1CP after dormancy: Characterization of dioxygenases involved in the process

The process of benzoate degradation by strain Rhodococcus opacus 1CP after a five-year dormancy was investigated and its peculiarities were revealed. The strain was shown to be capable of growth on benzoate at a concentration of up to 10 g L(-1). The substrate specificity of benzoate dioxygenase (BDO) during the culture growth on a medium with a low (200-250 mg L(-1)) and high (4 g L(-1)) concentration of benzoate was assessed. BDO of R. opacus 1CP was shown to be an extremely narrow specificity enzyme. Out of 31 substituted benzoates, only with one, 3-chlorobenzoate, its activity was higher than 9% of that of benzoate. Two dioxygenases, catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (Cat 1,2-DO) and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (PCA 3,4-DO), were identified in a cell-free extract, purified and characterized. The substrate specificity of Cat 1,2-DO isolated from cells of strain 1CP after the dormancy was found to differ significantly from that of Cat 1,2-DO isolated earlier from cells of this strain grown on benzoate. By its substrate specificity, the described Cat 1,2-DO was close to the Cat 1,2-DO from strain 1CP grown on 4-methylbenzoate. Neither activity nor inhibition by protocatechuate was observed during the reaction of Cat 1,2-DO with catechol, and catechol had no inhibitory effect on the reaction of PCA 3,4-DO with protocatechuate.

Influence of metal ions on bioremediation activity of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia KB2

The aim of this paper was to describe the effect of various metal ions on the activity of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia KB2. We also compared activity of different dioxygenases isolated from this strain, in the presence of metal ions, after induction by various aromatic compounds. S. maltophilia KB2 degraded 13 mM 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate, 10 mM benzoic acid and 12 mM phenol within 24 h of incubation. In the presence of dihydroxybenzoate and benzoate, the activity of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase and catechol 1,2-dioxygenase was observed. Although Fe(3+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), Co(2+), Al(3+), Cd(2+), Ni(2+) and Mn(2+) ions caused 20-80 % inhibition of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase activity, the above-mentioned metal ions (with the exception of Ni(2+)) inhibited catechol 1,2-dioxygenase to a lesser extent or even activate the enzyme. Retaining activity of at least one of three dioxygenases from strain KB2 in the presence of metal ions makes it an ideal bacterium for bioremediation of contaminated areas.

pcaH, a molecular marker for estimating the diversity of the protocatechuate-degrading bacterial community in the soil environment

Microorganisms degrading phenolic compounds play an important role in soil carbon cycling as well as in pesticide degradation. The pcaH gene encoding a key ring-cleaving enzyme of the beta-ketoadipate pathway was selected as a functional marker. Using a degenerate primer pair, pcaH fragments were cloned from two agricultural soils. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) screening of 150 pcaH clones yielded 68 RFLP families. Comparison of 86 deduced amino acid sequences displayed 70% identity to known PcaH sequences. Phylogenetic analysis results in two major groups mainly related to PcaH sequences from Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria phyla. This confirms that the developed primer pair targets a wide diversity of pcaH sequences, thereby constituting a suitable molecular marker to estimate the response of the pca community to agricultural practices.

Spectroscopic and electronic structure study of the enzyme-substrate complex of intradiol dioxygenases: substrate activation by a high-spin ferric non-heme iron site

Various mechanisms have been proposed for the initial O(2) attack in intradiol dioxygenases based on different electronic descriptions of the enzyme-substrate (ES) complex. We have examined the geometric and electronic structure of the high-spin ferric ES complex of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (3,4-PCD) with UV/visible absorption, circular dichroism (CD), magnetic CD (MCD), and variable-temperature variable-field (VTVH) MCD spectroscopies. The experimental data were coupled with DFT and INDO/S-CI calculations, and an experimentally calibrated bonding description was obtained. The broad absorption spectrum for the ES complex in the 6000-31000 cm(-1) region was resolved into at least five individual transitions, assigned as ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) from the protocatechuate (PCA) substrate and Tyr408. From our DFT calculations, all five LMCT transitions originate from the PCA and Tyr piop orbitals to the ferric dpi orbitals. The strong pi covalent donor interactions dominate the bonding in the ES complex. Using hypothetical Ga(3+)-catecholate/semiquinone complexes as references, 3,4-PCD-PCA was found to be best described as a highly covalent Fe(3+)-catecholate complex. The covalency is distributed unevenly among the four PCA valence orbitals, with the strongest interaction between the piop-sym and Fe dxz orbitals. This strong pi interaction, as reflected in the lowest energy PCA-to-Fe(3+) LMCT transition, is responsible for substrate activation for the O(2) reaction of intradiol dioxygenases. This involves a multi-electron-transfer (one beta and two alpha) mechanism, with Fe3+ acting as a buffer for the spin-forbidden two-electron redox process between PCA and O(2) in the formation of the peroxy-bridged ESO2 intermediate. The Fe ligand field overcomes the spin-forbidden nature of the triplet O(2) reaction, which potentially results in an intermediate spin state (S = 3/2) on the Fe(3+) center which is stabilized by a change in coordination along the reaction coordinate.

Deletion mutations caused by DNA strand slippage in Acinetobacter baylyi

Short nucleotide sequence repetitions in DNA can provide selective benefits and also can be a source of genetic instability arising from deletions guided by pairing between misaligned strands. These findings raise the question of how the frequency of deletion mutations is influenced by the length of sequence repetitions and by the distance between them. An experimental approach to this question was presented by the heat-sensitive phenotype conferred by pcaG1102, a 30-bp deletion in one of the structural genes for Acinetobacter baylyi protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase, which is required for growth with quinate. The original pcaG1102 deletion appears to have been guided by pairing between slipped DNA strands from nearby repeated sequences in wild-type pcaG. Placement of an in-phase termination codon between the repeated sequences in pcaG prevents growth with quinate and permits selection of sequence-guided deletions that excise the codon and permit quinate to be used as a growth substrate at room temperature. Natural transformation facilitated introduction of 68 different variants of the wild-type repeat structure within pcaG into the A. baylyi chromosome, and the frequency of deletion between the repetitions was determined with a novel method, precision plating. The deletion frequency increases with repeat length, decreases with the distance between repeats, and requires a minimum amount of similarity to occur at measurable rates. Deletions occurred in a recA-deficient background. Their frequency was unaffected by deficiencies in mutS and was increased by inactivation of recG.

Mechanism for Catechol Ring Cleavage by Non-Heme Iron Intradiol Dioxygenases: A Hybrid DFT Study

The mechanism of the catalytic reaction of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (3,4-PCD), a representative intradiol dioxygenase, was studied with the hybrid density functional method B3LYP. First, a smaller model involving only the iron first-shell ligands (His460, His462, and Tyr408) and the substrates (catechol and dioxygen) was used to probe various a priori plausible reaction mechanisms. Then, an extended model involving also the most important second-shell groups (Arg457, Gln477, and Tyr479) was used for the refinement of the preselected mechanisms. The computational results suggest that the chemical reactions constituting the catalytic cycle of intradiol dioxygenases involve: (1) binding of the substrate as a dianion, in agreement with experimental suggestions, (2) binding of dioxygen to the metal aided by an electron transfer from the substrate to O(2), (3) formation of a bridging peroxo intermediate and its conformational change, which opens the coordination site trans to His462, (4) binding of a neutral XOH ligand (H(2)O or Tyr447) at the open site, (5) proton transfer from XOH to the neighboring peroxo ligand yielding the hydroperoxo intermediate, (6) a Criegee rearrangement leading to the anhydride intermediate, and (7) hydrolysis of the anhydride to the final acyclic product. One of the most important results obtained is that the Criegee mechanism requires an in-plane orientation of the four atoms (two oxygen and two carbon atoms) mainly involved in the reaction. This orientation yields a good overlap between the two sigma orbitals involved, C-C sigma and O-O sigma, allowing an efficient electron flow between them. Another interesting result is that under some conditions, a homolytic O-O bond cleavage might compete with the Criegee rearrangement. The role of the second-shell residues and the substituent effects are also discussed.

Trigonal-Bipyramidal Geometry Induced by an External Water Ligand in a Sterically Hindered Iron Salen Complex, Related to the Active Site of Protocatechuate 3,4-Dioxygenase

A unique distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry observed for the non-heme iron center in protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (3,4-PCD) was carefully examined utilizing a sterically hindered iron salen complex, which well reproduces the endogenous His2Tyr2 donor set with water as an external ligand. X-ray crystal structures of a series of iron model complexes containing bis(3,5-dimesitylsalicylidene)-1,2-dimesitylethylenediamine indicate that a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry is achieved upon binding of water as an external ligand. The extent of a structural change of the iron center from a preferred square-pyramidal to a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry varies with the external ligand that is bound in the order Cl << EtO < H2O, which is consistent with the spectrochemical series. The distortion in the model system is not due to steric repulsions but electronic interactions between the external ligand and the iron center, as evidenced from the X-ray crystal structures of another series of iron model complexes with a less-hindered bis(3-xylylsalicylidene)-1,2-dimesitylethylenediamine ligand, as well as by density functional theory calculations. Further spectroscopic investigations indicate that a unique distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry is indeed maintained even in solution. The present model study provides a new viewpoint that a unique distorted trigonal-bipyramidal iron site might not be preorganized by a 3,4-PCD protein but could be electronically induced upon the binding of an external hydroxide ligand to the iron(III) center. The structural change induced by the external water ligand is also discussed in relation to the reaction mechanism of 3,4-PCD.

Molecular and biochemical analysis of phthalate and terephthalate degradation byRhodococcussp. strain DK17

Alkylbenzene-degrading Rhodococcus sp. strain DK17 is able to utilize phthalate and terephthalate as growth substrates. The genes encoding the transformation of phthalate and terephthalate to protocatechuate are organized as two separate operons, located 6.7kb away from each other. Interestingly, both the phthalate and terephthalate operons are induced in response to terephthalate while expression of the terephthalate genes is undetectable in phthalate-grown cells. In addition to two known plasmids (380-kb pDK1 and 330-kb pDK2), a third megaplasmid (750-kb pDK3) was newly identified in DK17. The phthalate and terephthalate operons are duplicated and are present on both pDK2 and pDK3. RT-PCR experiments, coupled with sequence analysis, suggest that phthalate and terephthalate degradation in DK17 proceeds through oxygenation at carbons 3 and 4 and at carbons 1 and 2 to form 3,4-dihydro-3,4-dihydroxyphthalate and 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxyterephthalate, respectively. The 3,4-dihydroxyphthalate pathway was further corroborated through colorometric tests. Apparently, the two dihydrodiol metabolites are subsequently dehydrogenated and decarboxylated to form protocatechuate, which is further degraded by a protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase as confirmed by a ring-cleavage enzyme assay.

Roles of the equatorial tyrosyl iron ligand of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase in catalysis

The active site Fe(III) of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (3,4-PCD) from Pseudomonas putida is ligated axially by Tyr447 and His462 and equatorially by Tyr408, His460, and OH(-). Tyr447 and OH(-) are displaced as protocatechuate (3,4-dihydroxybenzoate, PCA) chelates the iron and appear to serve as in situ bases to promote this process. The role(s) of Tyr408 is (are) explored here using mutant enzymes that exhibit less than 0.1% wild-type activity. The X-ray crystal structures of the mutants and their PCA complexes show that the new shorter residues in the 408 position cannot ligate the iron and instead interact with the iron through solvents. Moreover, PCA binds as a monodentate rather than a bidentate ligand, and Tyr447 fails to dissociate. Although the new residues at position 408 do not directly bind to the iron, large changes in the spectroscopic and catalytic properties are noted among the mutant enzymes. Resonance Raman features show that the Fe-O bond of the monodentate 4-hydroxybenzoate (4HB) inhibitor complex is significantly stronger in the mutants than in wild-type 3,4-PCD. Transient kinetic studies show that PCA and 4HB bind to 3,4-PCD in a fast, reversible step followed by a step in which coordination to the metal occurs; the latter process is at least 50-fold slower in the mutant enzymes. It is proposed that, in wild-type 3,4-PCD, the Lewis base strength of Tyr408 lowers the Lewis acidity of the iron to foster the rapid exchange of anionic ligands during the catalytic cycle. Accordingly, the increase in Lewis acidity of the iron caused by substitution of this residue by solvent tends to make the iron substitution inert. Tyr447 cannot be released to allow formation of the usual dianionic PCA chelate complex with the active site iron, and the rate of electrophilic attack by O(2) becomes rate limiting overall. The structures of the PCA complexes of these mutant enzymes show that hydrogen-bonding interactions between the new solvent ligand and the new second-sphere residue in position 408 allow this residue to significantly influence the spectroscopic and kinetic properties of the enzymes.

Key enzymes of the protocatechuate branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway for aromatic degradation in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Although the protocatechuate branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway in Gram+ bacteria has been well studied, this branch is less understood in Gram+ bacteria. In this study, Corynebacterium glutamicum was cultivated with protocatechuate, p-cresol, vanillate and 4-hydroxybenzoate as sole carbon and energy sources for growth. Enzymatic assays indicated that growing cells on these aromatic compounds exhibited protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase activities. Data-mining of the genome of this bacterium revealed that the genetic locus ncg12314-ncg12315 encoded a putative protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase. The genes, ncg12314 and ncg12315, were amplified by PCR technique and were cloned into plasmid (pET21aP34D). Recombinant Escherichia coli strain harboring this plasmid actively expressed protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase activity. Further, when this locus was disrupted in C. glutamicum, the ability to degrade and assimilate protocatechuate, p-cresol, vanillate or 4-hydroxybenzoate was lost and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase activity was disappeared. The ability to grow with these aromatic compounds and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase activity of C. glutamicum mutant could be restored by gene complementation. Thus, it is clear that the key enzyme for ring-cleavage, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase, was encoded by ncg12314 and ncg12315. The additional genes involved in the protocatechuate branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway were identified by mining the genome data publically available in the GenBank. The functional identification of genes and their unique organization in C. glutamicum provided new insight into the genetic diversity of aromatic compound degradation.

Biophysical analyses of designed and selected mutants of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase1

The catechol dioxygenases allow a wide variety of bacteria to use aromatic compounds as carbon sources by catalyzing the key ring-opening step. These enzymes use specifically either catechol or protocatechuate (2,3-dihydroxybenozate) as their substrates; they use a bare metal ion as the sole cofactor. To learn how this family of metalloenzymes functions, a structural analysis of designed and selected mutants of these enzymes has been undertaken. Here we review the results of this analysis on the nonheme ferric iron intradiol dioxygenase protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase.

Degradation of (+)-catechin by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus MTC 127

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus MTC 127 was able to grow on catechin and protocatechuic acid (PCA) as sole carbon source. Cells induced with catechin oxidized catechin and PCA at rates higher than cells of uninduced cultures. Two aromatic compounds, PCA and phloroglucinol carboxylic acid (PGCA) were isolated from culture filtrate of cells grown in catechin and characterized by infrared spectrometry and high performance thin-layer chromatography. Moreover, A. calcoaceticus MTC 127 produced high levels of PCA compared to PGCA in the degradation of catechin. Based upon these results, a pathway for the degradation of (+)-catechin in A. calcoaceticus MTC 127 is proposed. Enzymes extracted from catechin-induced culture showed catechin oxygenase (cox) and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (pcd) activities. Catechin oxygenase was purified by column chromatography and SDS-PAGE analysis showed a single band with an apparent molecular weight of 47 kDa.

Cloning of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus chromosomal region involved in catechin degradation

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus utilizes catechin as sole carbon source. The chromosomal region involved in catechin catabolism was cloned in Escherichia coli DH5alpha from the genomic DNA of A. calcoaceticus. A recombinant E. coli containing 9.2 kb DNA fragment of A. calcoaceticus inserted in pUC19 showed a halo zone around the colony in plate assays, indicating the catechin utilizing ability of the clone. Enzyme assays revealed the expression of the cloned DNA fragment of A. calcoaceticus. High performance thin layer chromatography confirmed protocatechuic acid and phloroglucinol carboxylic acid as cleavage products of catechin in A. calcoaceticus and the catechin degrading ability of the clones. A. calcoaceticus followed the beta-ketoadipate pathway for catechin degradation. The sub-clone (pASCI) of this insert was sequenced and analyzed. The sequence showed three major ORFs but only ORF 2 showed similarities to other aromatic oxygenases and the sequence of ORF 2 was submitted to GenBank (AF369935).

[Analysis of aromatic hydrocarbon catabolic genes in strains isolated from soil in Patagonia]

Seven strains belonging to genus Pseudomonas were isolated from an enrichment with hydrocarbon mixtures. Tests for enzyme activities showed that five strains used predominantly the catabolic meta-pathway for aromatic hydrocarbon degradation. Furthermore, the xylE gene which encodes a catechol 2,3-dioxygenase was amplified by PCR, and in two strains the nahAc gene, a key enzyme for naphthalene catabolism, was also found. The xylE gene might be a good marker to identify aromatic hydrocarbon degrading bacteria in soils from Patagonia.

Spectroscopic and electronic structure studies of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase: nature of tyrosinate-Fe(III) bonds and their contribution to reactivity

The geometric and electronic structure of the high-spin ferric active site of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (3,4-PCD) has been examined by absorption (Abs), circular dichroism (CD), magnetic CD (MCD), and variable-temperature-variable-field (VTVH) MCD spectroscopies. Density functional (DFT) and INDO/S-CI molecular orbital calculations provide complementary insight into the electronic structure of 3,4-PCD and allow an experimentally calibrated bonding scheme to be developed. Abs, CD, and MCD indicate that there are at least seven transitions below 35 000 cm(-1) which arise from tyrosinate ligand-to-metal-charge transfer (LMCT) transitions. VTVH MCD spectroscopy gives the polarizations of these LMCT bands in the principal axis system of the D-tensor, which is oriented relative to the molecular structure from the INDO/S-CI calculations. Three transitions are associated with the equatorial tyrosinate and four with the axial tyrosinate. This large number of transitions per tyrosinate is due to the pi and importantly the sigma overlap of the two tyrosinate valence orbitals with the metal d orbitals and is governed by the Fe-O-C angle and the Fe-O-C-C dihedral angles. The previously reported crystal structure indicates that the Fe-O-C angles are 133 degrees and 148 degrees for the equatorial and axial tyrosinate, respectively. Each tyrosinate has transitions at different energies with different intensities, which correlate with differences in geometry that reflect pseudo-sigma bonding to the Fe(III) and relate to reactivity. These factors reflect the metal-ligand bond strength and indicate that the axial tyrosinate-Fe(III) bond is weaker than the equatorial tyrosinate-Fe(III) bond. Furthermore, it is found that the differences in geometry, and hence electronic structure, are imposed by the protein. The consequences to catalysis are significant because the axial tyrosinate has been shown to dissociate upon substrate binding and the equatorial tyrosinate in the enzyme-substrate complex is thought to influence asymmetric binding of the chelated substrate moiety via a strong trans influence which activates the substrate for reaction with O2.

Diversity of the ring-cleaving dioxygenase gene pcaH in a salt marsh bacterial community

Degradation of lignin-related aromatic compounds is an important ecological process in the highly productive salt marshes of the southeastern United States, yet little is known about the mediating organisms or their catabolic pathways. Here we report the diversity of a gene encoding a key ring-cleaving enzyme of the beta-ketoadipate pathway, pcaH, amplified from bacterial communities associated with decaying Spartina alterniflora, the salt marsh grass that dominates these coastal systems, as well as from enrichment cultures with aromatic substrates (p-hydroxybenzoate, anthranilate, vanillate, and dehydroabietate). Sequence analysis of 149 pcaH clones revealed 85 unique sequences. Thirteen of the 53 amino acid residues compared were invariant in the PcaH proteins, suggesting that these residues have a required catalytic or structural function. Fifty-eight percent of the clones matched sequences amplified from a collection of 36 bacterial isolates obtained from seawater, marine sediments, or senescent Spartina. Fifty-two percent of the pcaH clones could be assigned to the roseobacter group, a marine lineage of the class alpha-Proteobacteria abundant in coastal ecosystems. Another 6% of the clones matched genes retrieved from isolates belonging to the genera Acinetobacter, Bacillus, and Stappia, and 42% of the clones could not be assigned to a cultured bacterium based on sequence identity. These results suggest that the diversity of the genes encoding a single step in aromatic compound degradation in the coastal marsh examined is high.

Cloning of the genes for a 4-sulphocatechol-oxidizing protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase from Hydrogenophaga intermedia S1 and identification of the amino acid residues responsible for the ability to convert 4-sulphocatechol

The genes for a protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (P34O-II) with the ability to oxidize 4-sulphocatechol were cloned from the 4-aminobenzenesulphonate(sulphanilate)-degrading bacterium Hydrogenophaga intermedia strain S1 (DSMZ 5680). Sequence comparisons of the deduced amino acid sequences of both subunits of the P34O-II from H. intermedia S1 (PcaH-II and PcaG-II) with those of another P34O-II, previously obtained from Agrobacterium radiobacter S2, and the corresponding sequences from the protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenases from other bacterial genera demonstrated that seven amino acid residues, which were conserved in all previously known P34Os (P34O-Is), were different in both P34O-IIs. According to previously published structural data for the P34O of Pseudomonas putida only two of these amino acid residues were located near the catalytical centre. The respective amino acid residues were mutated in the P34O-I from A. radiobacter S2 by site-specific mutagenesis, and it was found that a single amino acid exchange enabled the protocatechuate converting P34O also to oxidize 4-sulphocatechol.

The use of protocatechuate dioxygenase for maintaining anaerobic conditions in biochemical experiments

The study of redox-active systems often requires the maintenance of anaerobic conditions. The glucose oxidase system has often been used to maintain anaerobic conditions, but it has some drawbacks, such as the production of H(2)O(2) and limitations on stability. Protocatechuate dioxygenase from Burkholderia cepacia and the substrate, protocatechuate, constitute an alternate effective oxygen-scrubbing system that can be used in a wide variety of biochemical experiments. We have shown its suitability for maintaining rigorous anaerobic environments in solutions of pH 6-9, at temperatures from 4 to 35 degrees C, and for periods of time up to 15 months. The enzyme system was shown to be stable under these conditions and effective for maintaining anaerobic conditions in titrations of FAD. It is also suitable for scrubbing various types of apparatus such as stopped-flow instruments for anaerobic experiments.

Positive selection for mutations affecting bioconversion of aromatic compounds in Agrobacterium tumefaciens: analysis of spontaneous mutations in the protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase gene

A positive selection method for mutations affecting bioconversion of aromatic compounds was applied to a mutant strain of Agrobacterium tumefaciens A348. The nucleotide sequence of the A348 pcaHGB genes, which encode protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (PcaHG) and beta-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate cycloisomerase (PcaB) for the first two steps in catabolism of the diphenolic protocatechuate, was determined. An omega element was introduced into the pcaB gene of A348, creating strain ADO2077. In the presence of phenolic compounds that can serve as carbon sources, growth of ADO2077 is inhibited due to accumulation of the tricarboxylate intermediate. The toxic effect, previously described for Acinetobacter sp., affords a powerful selection for suppressor mutations in genes required for upstream catabolic steps. By monitoring loss of the marker in pcaB, it was possible to determine that the formation of deletions was minimal compared to results obtained with Acinetobacter sp. Thus, the tricarboxylic acid trick in and of itself does not appear to select for large deletion mutations. The power of the selection was demonstrated by targeting the pcaHG genes of A. tumefaciens for spontaneous mutation. Sixteen strains carrying putative second-site mutations in pcaH or -G were subjected to sequence analysis. All single-site events, their mutations revealed no particular bias toward multibase deletions or unusual patterns: five (-1) frameshifts, one (+1) frameshift, one tandem duplication of 88 bp, one deletion of 92 bp, one nonsense mutation, and seven missense mutations. PcaHG is considered to be the prototypical ferric intradiol dioxygenase. The missense mutations served to corroborate the significance of active site amino acid residues deduced from crystal structures of PcaHG from Pseudomonas putida and Acinetobacter sp. as well as of residues in other parts of the enzyme.

Key aromatic-ring-cleaving enzyme, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase, in the ecologically important marine Roseobacter lineage

Aromatic compound degradation in six bacteria representing an ecologically important marine taxon of the alpha-proteobacteria was investigated. Initial screens suggested that isolates in the Roseobacter lineage can degrade aromatic compounds via the beta-ketoadipate pathway, a catabolic route that has been well characterized in soil microbes. Six Roseobacter isolates were screened for the presence of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase, a key enzyme in the beta-ketoadipate pathway. All six isolates were capable of growth on at least three of the eight aromatic monomers presented (anthranilate, benzoate, p-hydroxybenzoate, salicylate, vanillate, ferulate, protocatechuate, and coumarate). Four of the Roseobacter group isolates had inducible protocatechuate 3, 4-dioxygenase activity in cell extracts when grown on p-hydroxybenzoate. The pcaGH genes encoding this ring cleavage enzyme were cloned and sequenced from two isolates, Sagittula stellata E-37 and isolate Y3F, and in both cases the genes could be expressed in Escherichia coli to yield dioxygenase activity. Additional genes involved in the protocatechuate branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway (pcaC, pcaQ, and pobA) were found to cluster with pcaGH in these two isolates. Pairwise sequence analysis of the pca genes revealed greater similarity between the two Roseobacter group isolates than between genes from either Roseobacter strain and soil bacteria. A degenerate PCR primer set targeting a conserved region within PcaH successfully amplified a fragment of pcaH from two additional Roseobacter group isolates, and Southern hybridization indicated the presence of pcaH in the remaining two isolates. This evidence of protocatechuate 3, 4-dioxygenase and the beta-ketoadipate pathway was found in all six Roseobacter isolates, suggesting widespread abilities to degrade aromatic compounds in this marine lineage.

Characterization of the genes for two protocatechuate 3, 4-dioxygenases from the 4-sulfocatechol-degrading bacterium Agrobacterium radiobacter strain S2

The genes for two different protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenases (P34Os) were cloned from the 4-sulfocatechol-degrading bacterium Agrobacterium radiobacter strain S2 (DSMZ 5681). The pcaH1G1 genes encoded a P34O (P34O-I) which oxidized protocatechuate but not 4-sulfocatechol. These genes were part of a protocatechuate-degradative operon which strongly resembled the isofunctional operon from the protocatechuate-degrading strain Agrobacterium tumefaciens A348 described previously by D. Parke (FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 146:3-12, 1997). The second P34O (P34O-II), encoded by the pcaH2G2 genes, was functionally expressed and shown to convert protocatechuate and 4-sulfocatechol. A comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences of PcaH-I and PcaH-II, and of PcaG-I and PcaG-II, with each other and with the corresponding sequences from the P34Os, from other bacterial genera suggested that the genes for the P34O-II were obtained by strain S2 by lateral gene transfer. The genes encoding the P34O-II were found in a putative operon together with two genes which, according to sequence alignments, encoded transport proteins. Further downstream from this putative operon, two open reading frames which code for a putative regulator protein of the IclR family and a putative 3-carboxymuconate cycloisomerase were identified.

Structure of Acinetobacter strain ADP1 protocatechuate 3, 4-dioxygenase at 2.2 A resolution: implications for the mechanism of an intradiol dioxygenase

The crystal structures of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase from the soil bacteria Acinetobacterstrain ADP1 (Ac 3,4-PCD) have been determined in space group I23 at pH 8.5 and 5.75. In addition, the structures of Ac 3,4-PCD complexed with its substrate 3, 4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (PCA), the inhibitor 4-nitrocatechol (4-NC), or cyanide (CN(-)) have been solved using native phases. The overall tertiary and quaternary structures of Ac 3,4-PCD are similar to those of the same enzyme from Pseudomonas putida[Ohlendorf et al. (1994) J. Mol. Biol. 244, 586-608]. At pH 8.5, the catalytic non-heme Fe(3+) is coordinated by two axial ligands, Tyr447(OH) (147beta) and His460(N)(epsilon)(2) (160beta), and three equatorial ligands, Tyr408(OH) (108beta), His462(N)(epsilon)(2) (162beta), and a hydroxide ion (d(Fe-OH) = 1.91 A) in a distorted bipyramidal geometry. At pH 5.75, difference maps suggest a sulfate binds to the Fe(3+) in an equatorial position and the hydroxide is shifted [d(Fe-OH) = 2.3 A] yielding octahedral geometry for the active site Fe(3+). This change in ligation geometry is concomitant with a shift in the optical absorbance spectrum of the enzyme from lambda(max) = 450 nm to lambda(max) = 520 nm. Binding of substrate or 4-NC to the Fe(3+) is bidentate with the axial ligand Tyr447(OH) (147beta) dissociating. The structure of the 4-NC complex supports the view that resonance delocalization of the positive character of the nitrogen prevents substrate activation. The cyanide complex confirms previous work that protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenases have three coordination sites available for binding by exogenous substrates. A significant conformational change extending away from the active site is seen in all structures when compared to the native enzyme at pH 8.5. This conformational change is discussed in its relevance to enhancing catalysis in protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenases.

Key enzymes for the degradation of benzoate, m- and p-hydroxybenzoate by some members of the order Actinomycetales

A preliminary screening of numerous species of the order Actinomycetales, especially of the genera Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Rhodococcus, Pseudonocardia, and Streptomyces, showed that many of them are able to metabolize benzoate (B) and p-hydroxybenzoate (pHB) as indicated by growth and change of color of the pH-indicator of an agar medium. Subsequent experiments with liquid cultures which allowed the analysis of substrate utilization by thin layer chromatography confirmed these results. The study of the degradative pathway proved that B was metabolized via catechol (C), pHB via protocatechuate (P) and m-hydroxybenzoate (mHB) via gentisate (G). The aromatic ring of C and P was subjected to an ortho-cleavage; only one strain of Noc. asteroides degraded C via a meta-cleavage, but P via an ortho-cleavage. Cell free extracts of four selected organisms exhibited activity of C-1,2-dioxygenase (C-1,2-O) and/or P-3,4-dioxygenase (P-3,4-O), depending on the growth substrate used for precultivation. In Streptomyces C-1,2-O was only found in cells grown on B, and P-3,4-O only in cells grown on pHB. On the contrary, in Rhodococcus rhodochrous B-cells oxidized C as well as P, while P-cells possessed only P-3,4-O-activity.

Utilization of quinate and p-hydroxybenzoate by actinomycetes: key enzymes and taxonomic relevance

474 strains of the actinomycete genera Streptomyces (including species of the former genera Chainia and Streptoverticillium), Pseudonocardia and Micromonospora were examined for their ability to degrade quinate (Q) and p-hydroxybenzoate (pHB); selected strains were also tested for their capacity to catabolize benzoate (B). Whereas in the case of Q (5-10 g/l of a mineral salts agar medium) the growth response signalizes assimilation, pHB has to be supplied in lower concentration (routinely 0.3 g/l together with small amounts of peptone and yeast extract in liquid broth), and its degradation has to be determined spectrophotometrically. 27% of the streptomycete strains were able to grow with Q, and 57% with pHB. The three strains of "Chainia" that were tested metabolized Q and pHB, but none of the fourty species of "Streptoverticillium" showed this ability. 80% of the 30 strains of Psn. autotrophica grew with Q, and 100% degraded pHB and B. Two of the five Micromonospora strains gave a positive response with pHB, but not with Q.-Toluene treated cells (preincubated with Q, pHB or B, respectively) gave a positive Rothera reaction with protocatechuate or catechol respectively, thus demonstrating that these organisms employed the beta-ketoadipate pathway (orthofission) for the degradation of Q, pHB and B. The assay of five relevant enzymes in cell-free extracts of nine selected organisms showed that in nocardioform actinomycetes (Pseudonocardia, Rhodococcus) all enzymes of the protocatechuate branch of the ketoadipate pathway seem to be induced by beta-ketoadipate as demonstrated here for protocatechuate-3,4-dioxygenase. In contrast, in Streptomyces this enzyme appears to be induced by its substrate, protocatechuate, whereas the regulation of the other enzymes of this pathway remains to be elucidated.

Characterization of the protocatechuic acid catabolic gene cluster from Streptomyces sp. strain 2065

Protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.3) catalyzes the ring cleavage step in the catabolism of aromatic compounds through the protocatechuate branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway. A protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase was purified from Streptomyces sp. strain 2065 grown in p-hydroxybenzoate, and the N-terminal sequences of the beta- and alpha-subunits were obtained. PCR amplification was used for the cloning of the corresponding genes, and DNA sequencing of the flanking regions showed that the pcaGH genes belonged to a 6. 5-kb protocatechuate catabolic gene cluster; at least seven genes in the order pcaIJFHGBL appear to be transcribed unidirectionally. Analysis of the cluster revealed the presence of a pcaL homologue which encodes a fused gamma-carboxymuconolactone decarboxylase/beta-ketoadipate enol-lactone hydrolase previously identified in the pca gene cluster from Rhodococcus opacus 1CP. The pcaIJ genes encoded proteins with a striking similarity to succinyl-coenzyme A (CoA):3-oxoacid CoA transferases of eukaryotes and contained an indel which is strikingly similar between high-G+C gram-positive bacteria and eukaryotes.

Substitution, insertion, deletion, suppression, and altered substrate specificity in functional protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenases

Protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase is a member of a family of bacterial enzymes that cleave the aromatic rings of their substrates between two adjacent hydroxyl groups, a key reaction in microbial metabolism of varied environmental chemicals. In an appropriate genetic background, it is possible to select for Acinetobacter strains containing spontaneous mutations blocking expression of pcaH or -G, genes encoding the alpha and beta subunits of protocatechuate 3, 4-dioxygenase. The crystal structure of the Acinetobacter oxygenase has been determined, and this knowledge affords us the opportunity to understand how mutations alter function in the enzyme. An earlier investigation had shown that a large fraction of spontaneous mutations inactivating Acinetobacter protocatechuate oxygenase are either insertions or large deletions. Therefore, the prior procedure of mutant selection was modified to isolate Acinetobacter strains in which mutations within pcaH or -G cause a heat-sensitive phenotype. These mutations affected residues distributed throughout the linear amino acid sequences of PcaH and PcaG and impaired the dioxygenase to various degrees. Four of 16 mutants had insertions or deletions in the enzyme ranging in size from 1 to 10 amino acid residues, highlighting areas of the protein where large structural changes can be tolerated. To further understand how protein structure influences function, we isolated strains in which the phenotypes of three different deletion mutations in pcaH or -G were suppressed either by a spontaneous mutation or by a PCR-generated random mutation introduced into the Acinetobacter chromosome by natural transformation. The latter procedure was also used to identify a single amino acid substitution in PcaG that conferred activity towards catechol sufficient for growth with benzoate in a strain in which catechol 1,2-dioxygenase was inactivated.

The physiological contribution of Acinetobacter PcaK, a transport system that acts upon protocatechuate, can be masked by the overlapping specificity of VanK

VanK is the fourth member of the ubiquitous major facilitator superfamily of transport proteins to be identified that, together with PcaK, BenK, and MucK, contributes to aromatic catabolism in Acinetobacter sp. strain ADP1. VanK and PcaK have overlapping specificity for p-hydroxybenzoate and, most clearly, for protocatechuate: inactivation of both proteins severely impairs growth with protocatechuate, and the activity of either protein alone can mask the phenotype associated with inactivation of its homolog. Furthermore, vanK pcaK double-knockout mutants appear completely unable to grow in liquid culture with the hydroaromatic compound quinate, although such cells on plates convert quinate to protocatechuate, which then accumulates extracellularly and is readily visible as purple staining. This provides genetic evidence that quinate is converted to protocatechuate in the periplasm and is in line with the early argument that quinate catabolism should be physically separated from aromatic amino acid biosynthesis in the cytoplasm so as to avoid potential competition for intermediates common to both pathways. Previous studies of aromatic catabolism in Acinetobacter have taken advantage of the ability to select directly strains that contain a spontaneous mutation blocking the beta-ketoadipate pathway and preventing the toxic accumulation of carboxymuconate. By using this procedure, strains with a mutation in structural or regulatory genes blocking degradation of vanillate, p-hydroxybenzoate, or protocatechuate were selected. In this study, the overlapping specificity of the VanK and PcaK permeases was exploited to directly select strains with a mutation in either vanK or pcaK. Spontaneous mutations identified in vanK include a hot spot for frameshift mutation due to contraction of a G6 mononucleotide repeat as well as point mutations producing amino acid substitutions useful for analysis of VanK structure and function. Preliminary second-site suppression analysis using transformation-facilitated PCR mutagenesis in one VanK mutant gave results similar to those using LacY, the prototypic member of the major facilitator superfamily, consistent with the two proteins having a similar mechanism of action. The selection for transport mutants described here for Acinetobacter may also be applicable to Pseudomonas putida, where the PcaK permease has an additional role in chemotaxis.

Molecular characterization of the genes pcaG and pcaH, encoding protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase, which are essential for vanillin catabolism in Pseudomonas sp. strain HR199

Pseudomonas sp. strain HR199 is able to utilize eugenol (4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol), vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde), or protocatechuate as the sole carbon source for growth. Mutants of this strain which were impaired in the catabolism of vanillin but retained the ability to utilize eugenol or protocatechuate were obtained after nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis. One mutant (SK6169) was used as recipient of a Pseudomonas sp. strain HR199 genomic library in cosmid pVK100, and phenotypic complementation was achieved with a 5.8-kbp EcoRI fragment (E58). The amino acid sequences deduced from two corresponding open reading frames (ORF) identified on E58 revealed high degrees of homology to pcaG and pcaH, encoding the two subunits of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase. Three additional ORF most probably encoded a 4-hydroxybenzoate 3-hydroxylase (PobA) and two putative regulatory proteins, which exhibited homology to PcaQ of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and PobR of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively. Since mutant SK6169 was also complemented by a subfragment of E58 that harbored only pcaH, this mutant was most probably lacking a functional beta subunit of the protocatechuate 3, 4-dioxygenase. Since this mutant was still able to grow on protocatechuate and lacked protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase and protocatechuate 2,3-dioxygenase, the degradation had to be catalyzed by different enzymes. Two other mutants (SK6184 and SK6190), which were also impaired in the catabolism of vanillin, were not complemented by fragment E58. Since these mutants accumulated 3-carboxy muconolactone during cultivation on eugenol, they most probably exhibited a defect in a step of the catabolic pathway following the ortho cleavage. Moreover, in these mutants cyclization of 3-carboxymuconic acid seems to occur by a syn absolute stereochemical course, which is normally only observed for cis, cis-muconate lactonization in pseudomonads. In conclusion, vanillin is degraded through the ortho-cleavage pathway in Pseudomonas sp. strain HR199 whereas protocatechuate could also be metabolized via a different pathway in the mutants.

The axial tyrosinate Fe3+ ligand in protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase influences substrate binding and product release: evidence for new reaction cycle intermediates

The essential active site Fe3+ of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase [3, 4-PCD, subunit structure (alphabetaFe3+)12] is bound by axial ligands, Tyr447 (147beta) and His462 (162beta), and equatorial ligands, Tyr408 (108beta), His460 (160beta), and a solvent OH- (Wat827). Recent X-ray crystallographic studies have shown that Tyr447 is dissociated from the Fe3+ in the anaerobic 3,4-PCD complex with protocatechuate (PCA) [Orville, A. M., Lipscomb, J. D., and Ohlendorf, D. H. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 10052-10066]. The importance of Tyr447 to catalysis is investigated here by site-directed mutation of this residue to His (Y447H), the first such mutation reported for an aromatic ring cleavage dioxygenase containing Fe3+. The crystal structure of Y447H (2.1 A resolution, R-factor of 0.181) is essentially unchanged from that of the native enzyme outside of the active site region. The side chain position of His447 is stabilized by a His447(N)delta1-Pro448(O) hydrogen bond, placing the Nepsilon2 atom of His447 out of bonding distance of the iron ( approximately 4.3 A). Wat827 appears to be replaced by a CO32-, thereby retaining the overall charge neutrality and coordination number of the Fe3+ center. Quantitative metal and amino acid analysis shows that Y447H binds Fe3+ in approximately 10 of the 12 active sites of 3,4-PCD, but its kcat is nearly 600-fold lower than that of the native enzyme. Single-turnover kinetic analysis of the Y447H-catalyzed reaction reveals that slow substrate binding accounts for the decreased kcat. Three new kinetically competent intermediates in this process are revealed. Similarly, the product dissociation from Y447H is slow and occurs in two resolved steps, including a previously unreported intermediate. The final E.PCA complex (ES4) and the putative E.product complex (ESO2*) are found to have optical spectra that are indistinguishable from those of the analogous intermediates of the wild-type enzyme cycle, while all of the other observed intermediates have novel spectra. Once the E.S complex is formed, reaction with O2 is fast. These results suggest that dissociation of Tyr447 occurs during turnover of 3,4-PCD and is important in the substrate binding and product release processes. Once Tyr447 is removed from the Fe3+ in the final E.PCA complex by either dissociation or mutagenesis, the O2 attack and insertion steps proceed efficiently, suggesting that Tyr447 does not have a large role in this phase of the reaction. This study demonstrates a novel role for Tyr in a biological system and allows evaluation and refinement of the proposed Fe3+ dioxygenase mechanism.

Cyanide and nitric oxide binding to reduced protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase: insight into the basis for order-dependent ligand binding by intradiol catecholic dioxygenases

EPR-silent, chemically reduced protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (Er) binds NO at the active site Fe2+ to yield an EPR-active, S = 3/2 species that blocks subsequent binding of all other exogenous ligands. In contrast, addition of NO to a preformed Er.CN- complex yields an EPR-active, S = 1/2 species [Er.(CN)x.NO] that exhibits resolved superhyperfine splitting from 13CN-, 15/14NO, and a protein-derived 14N. Simulations of the EPR spectra observed for the Er.(CN)x.NO complex formed with 12CN- and 13CN- (1:1) show that CN- binds in two iron ligand sites (x >/= 2). The two cyanides exhibit similar, but distinguishable, hyperfine coupling constants. This demonstrates unambiguously that at least three exogenous ligands (two cyanides and NO) can bind to the Fe2+ simultaneously and strongly suggests that at least one histidine ligand is retained in the complex. The Er.(CN)>/=2.NO complex readily exchanges both of the bound cyanides for the substrate analog, 2-hydroxyisonicotinic acid N-oxide (INO), to form a Er.INO.NO complex exhibiting the same S = 3/2 type EPR spectrum that is observed for this complex in the absence of CN-. Because the dead-end Er.NO complex does not accumulate during the exchange, the results suggest that Er.(CN)>/=2. NO and Er.INO.NO are in conformational states that allow facile exchange of INO and CN- but not NO. The results are interpreted in the context of the known X-ray crystal structures for the ferric form of the resting enzyme (Eox) and numerous Eox.substrate, inhibitor, and CN- complexes, all of which have a charge neutral iron center. It is proposed that the binding of one CN- causes dissociation of an anionic endogenous ligand which begins a series of conformational changes analogous to those initiated by anionic substrate binding to Eox. This results in a new unique coordination site for NO, and a new second site for CN-; both cyanide sites are utilized when the enzyme subsequently binds substrates or INO.

Crystal structures of substrate and substrate analog complexes of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase: endogenous Fe3+ ligand displacement in response to substrate binding

Protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (3,4-PCD) utilizes a ferric ion to catalyze the aromatic ring cleavage of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (PCA) by incorporation of both atoms of dioxygen to yield beta-carboxy-cis, cis-muconate. The crystal structures of the anaerobic 3,4-PCD.PCA complex, aerobic complexes with two heterocyclic PCA analogs, 2-hydroxyisonicotinic acid N-oxide (INO) and 6-hydroxynicotinic acid N-oxide (NNO), and ternary complexes of 3,4-PCD.INO.CN and 3,4-PCD. NNO.CN have been determined at 2.1-2.2 A resolution and refined to R-factors between 0.165 and 0.184. PCA, INO, and NNO form very similar, asymmetrically chelated complexes with the active site Fe3+ that result in dissociation of the endogenous axial tyrosinate Fe3+ ligand, Tyr447 (147beta). After its release from the iron, Tyr447 is stabilized by hydrogen bonding to Tyr16 (16alpha) and Asp413 (113beta) and forms the top of a small cavity adjacent to the C3-C4 bond of PCA. The equatorial Fe3+ coordination site within this cavity is unoccupied in the anaerobic 3,4-PCD.PCA complex but coordinates a solvent molecule in the 3,4-PCD.INO and 3,4-PCD.NNO complexes and CN- in the 3,4-PCD.INO.CN and 3,4-PCD.NNO.CN complexes. This shows that an O2 analog can occupy the cavity and suggests that electrophilic O2 attack on PCA is initiated from this site. Both the dissociation of the endogenous Tyr447 and the expansion of the iron coordination sphere are novel features of the 3,4-PCD. substrate complex which appear to play essential roles in the activation of substrate for O2 attack. Together, the structures presented here and in the preceding paper [Orville, A. M., Elango, N. , Lipscomb, J. D., & Ohlendorf, D. H. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 10039-10051] provide atomic models for several steps in the reaction cycle of 3,4-PCD and related Fe3+-containing dioxygenases.

Molecular cloning and homology modeling of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase from Pseudomonas marginata

The genes that encode the alpha and beta subunits of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (3,4-PCD [EC 1.13.11.3]) were cloned from a Pseudomonas marginata genomic library. These genes pcaG and pcaH, were found when screening the library for hydrolase genes. The two open reading frames of the PCD genes could be identified adjacent to an esterase gene by sequence homology. A 1.7-kb KpnI/ApaI fragment, carrying pcaG and pcaH, was subcloned and the genes were functionally expressed in Escherichia coli. The deduced amino acid sequence shows high homology to previously determined amino acid sequences of bacterial protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenases. A homology model based on the available crystal structure of the protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa shows high similarity with the binding and catalytic sites.

Purification and characterization of a novel type of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase with the ability to oxidize 4-sulfocatechol

4-Aminobenzenesulfonate is degraded via 4-sulfocatechol by a mixed bacterial culture that consists of Hydrogenophaga palleronii strain S1 and Agrobacterium radiobacter strain S2. From the 4-sulfocatechol-degrading organism A. radiobacter strain S2, a dioxygenase that converted 4-sulfocatechol to 3-sulfomuconate was purified to homogeneity. The purified enzyme also converted protocatechuate with a similar catalytic activity to 3-carboxy-cis, cis-muconate. Furthermore, the purified enzyme oxidized 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylacetate, 3,4-dihydroxycinnamate, catechol, and 3- and 4-methylcatechol. The enzyme had a mol. wt. of about 97,400 as determined by gel filtration and consisted of two different types of subunits with mol. wt. of about 23,000 and 28,500. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequences of the two subunits were determined. An isofunctional dioxygenase was partially purified from H. palleronii strain S1. A. radiobacter strain S2 also induced, after growth with 4-sulfocatechol, an rising dbl quote, "ordinary" protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase that did not oxidize 4-sulfocatechol. This enzyme was also purified to homogeneity, and its catalytic and structural characteristics were compared to the "4-sulfocatechol-dioxygenase" from the same strain.

Degradation of trans-ferulic and p-coumaric acid by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus DSM 586

Cell suspensions of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strain DSM 586 and DSM 590 were able to grow on benzoic, p-hydroxybenzoic and vanillic acid as sole carbon source. Testing the utilization of trans-ferulic and p-coumaric acid, we found that the sole A. calcoaceticus DSM 586 efficiently degraded the lignocellulose related monomers. Cells induced with trans-ferulic acid were able to oxidize trans-ferulic, p-coumaric, vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic and protocatechuic acid at rates higher than the uninduced culture. The same activity was found in the p-coumaric acid induced culture. Two aromatic compounds, vanillic and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, were isolated from culture filtrates of trans-ferulic and p-coumaric acid grown cells, respectively, and further characterized by high performance liquid chromatography. 1H- and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance and ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Cell extracts of trans-ferulic or p-coumaric acid induced cultures were shown to rapidly convert protocatechuic acid to beta-carboxymuconic acid. Moreover, A. calcoaceticus DSM 586 produced high levels of protocatechuic 3,4-dioxygenase compared to cathecol 1,2-dioxygenase and gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase in the degradation of trans-ferulic or p-coumaric acid. Based upon these results, a reaction sequence for the complete degradation of trans-ferulic and p-coumaric acid in A. calcoaceticus DSM 586 is proposed.

Structure of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 2.15 A resolution

Protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase catalyzes the aromatic ring cleavage of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate by incorporating both atoms of molecular oxygen to yield beta-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate. The structure of this metalloenzyme from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (now reclassified as P. putida) has been refined to an R-factor of 0.172 to 2.15 A resolution. The structure is a highly symmetric (alpha beta Fe3+)12 aggregate with a root-mean-square (r.m.s.) difference of 0.18 A among symmetry-related atoms. The tertiary structure of the two polypeptides (alpha and beta) are highly homologous (r.m.s. difference of 1.05 A over 127 C alpha atoms), suggesting that the ancestral enzyme was originally a homodimer with two active sites. Indeed, a non-functional, vestigial active site retains many of the properties of the functional active site but does not bind iron. The coordination geometry of the non-heme iron catalytic cofactor can best be described as trigonal bipyramidal with Tyr447 (147 beta) and His462 (162 beta) serving as axial ligands, and Tyr408 (108 beta), His460 (160 beta) and Wat837 serving as equitorial ligands. The active site environment has a number of basic residues that may promote binding of the acidic substrate. Within the putative active site cavity which is located between alpha and beta chains, five approximately coplanar solvent molecules suggest a position for the planar substrate Trp449 (149 beta), Ile491 (191 beta), defined by Gly14 (14 alpha) and Pro15 (15 alpha). In this position the guanidino group of Arg457 (157 beta) would be buried by the substrate, suggesting a functional role in catalysis.

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the Pseudomonas putida protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase genes

The genes that encode the alpha and beta subunits of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (3,4-PCD [EC 1.13.11.3]) were cloned from a Pseudomonas putida (formerly P. aeruginosa) (ATCC 23975) genomic library prepared in lambda phage. Plaques were screened by hybridization with degenerate oligonucleotides designed using known amino acid sequences. A 1.5-kb SmaI fragment from a 15-kb primary clone was subcloned, sequenced, and shown to contain two successive open reading frames, designated pcaH and pcaG, corresponding to the beta and alpha subunits, respectively, of 3,4-PCD. The amino acid sequences deduced from pcaHG matched the chemically determined sequence of 3,4-PCD in all except three positions. Cloning of pcaHG into broad-host-range expression vector pKMY319 allowed high levels of expression in P. putida strains, as well as in Proteus mirabilis after specific induction of the plasmid-encoded nahG promoter with salicylate. The recombinant enzyme was purified and crystallized from P. mirabilis, which lacks an endogenous 3,4-PCD. The physical, spectroscopic, and kinetic properties of the recombinant enzyme were indistinguishable from those of the wild-type enzyme. Moreover, the same transient enzyme intermediates were formed during the catalytic cycle. These studies establish the methodology which will allow mechanistic investigations to be pursued through site-directed mutagenesis of P. putida 3,4-PCD, the only aromatic ring-cleaving dioxygenase for which the three-dimensional structure is known.

Simultaneous binding of nitric oxide and isotopically labeled substrates or inhibitors by reduced protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase

The active site Fe3+ of protocatechuate (PCA) 3,4-dioxygenase can be nonenzymatically reduced to Fe2+, to give a colorless and EPR-silent enzyme (Er). Nitric oxide (NO) binds to Er to yield a species with EPR (S = 3/2; g = 4.341, 3.693, 1.984; E/D = 0.055) and optical absorption (lambda max = 430 nm, epsilon approximately 1870 M-1 cm-1/iron) spectra. Addition of NO to a preformed Er. PCA complex results in a new species (EPR: S = 3/2; g = 4.920, 2.988, 1.846; E/D = 0.175; optical: lambda max = 404 nm, epsilon approximately 3930 M-1 cm-1/iron). Hyperfine broadening from the substrates [17O]PCA or [17O]homoprotocatechuate (HPCA) is observed in the EPR spectra of Er.substrate.NO complexes only when the 17O (I = 5/2) is placed in the carbon-4 OH group, suggesting that only this group binds to the iron when NO is bound. Previous studies (Orville, A. M., and Lipscomb, J. D. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 8791-8801) showed that both OH groups of HPCA can bind to the Fe3+ of the oxidized enzyme. Thus, the NO may compete with the substrate carbon-3 OH group for a binding site on the Fe2+. In contrast, when either PCA or HPCA is added to a preformed Er.NO complex, no substrate binding to the Fe2+ is detected. At 2.3 K, white light photodissociates NO from the Er.NO and Er.PCA.NO complexes. The Er.NO complex is photodissociated to a greater extent than the Er.PCA.NO complex, and different NO rebinding kinetics are observed showing that the substrate strongly influences the photodissociation/reassociation process. Photodissociation of each complex results in the formation of some Fe3+, suggesting that the nitrosyl complex has at least partial Fe(3+)-NO- character. In solution at 5-10 degrees C, white light promotes conversion of preformed Er.NO plus PCA to the Er.PCA.NO complex, suggesting that formation of the latter complex requires dissociation of NO. It is proposed that initial NO binding blocks the single site for exogenous ligand binding on the iron, thereby inhibiting PCA association. In contrast, PCA binding before NO appears to evoke an enzyme conformational change that allows simultaneous NO binding in another ligand site. These results are consistent with the current model for the mechanism of intradiol dioxygenases in which a PCA-induced conformational change allows substrate to bind as an Fe3+ chelate and O2 reacts initially with the PCA rather than the Fe3+.

Degradation of non-phenolic beta-o-4 lignin substructure model compounds by Acinetobacter sp

Acinetobacter sp. utilized non-phenolic beta-o-4-model compounds, 2-methoxy-4-formylphenoxyacetic acid and veratrylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether (VGE) as sole carbon source. Vanillin, vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid and catechol were detected in the 2-methoxy-4-formylphenoxyacetic acid amended culture. Veratryl alcohol, veratraldehyde, veratric acid, vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid, catechol and guaiacol were identified from veratrylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether culture. Acinetobacter sp. produced catechol 1,2-dioxygenase and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase that cleaved catechol and protocatechuic acid, respectively.

Reaction mechanism of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase

We have observed that high SOD-like function (decomposition of superoxide anion) was observed for several iron(III) compounds with tripodal ligands and several oxovanadium(IV) compounds, and also that these compounds exhibit high catalytic activity for oxidative cleavage of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol in non-donating solvents such as dichloromethane or nitromethane. These are suggesting that the same reaction intermediate exists in reaction mixtures of both the SOD-like and catecholase-like functions of these compounds. Based on these facts, we have proposed a new reaction mechanism for the oxidative cleavage of catechol catalyzed by the native non-heme iron dioxygenases; this includes formation of an iron(III)-peroxide adduct as a reaction intermediate, which exhibits electrophilic nature.

Overproduction, purification, and characterization of chlorocatechol dioxygenase, a non-heme iron dioxygenase with broad substrate tolerance

We show here that purified chlorocatechol dioxygenase from Pseudomonas putida is able to oxygenate a wide range of substituted catechols with turnover numbers ranging from 2 to 29 s-1. This enzyme efficiently cleaves substituted catechols bearing electron-donating or multiple electron-withdrawing groups in an intradiol manner with kcat/KM values between 0.2 x 10(7) and 1.4 x 10(7) M-1 s-1. These unique catalytic properties prompted a comparison with the related but highly specific enzymes catechol 1,2-dioxygenase and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase. The chlorocatechol dioxygenase gene (clcA) from the Pseudomonas plasmid pAC27 was subcloned into the expression vector pKK223-3, allowing production of chlorocatechol dioxygenase to approximately 7-8% of total cellular protein. An average of 4 mg of purified enzyme has been obtained per gram of wet cells. Protein and iron analyses indicate an iron stoichiometry of 1 iron/57.5-kDa homodimer, alpha 2Fe. The electronic absorption spectrum contains a broad tyrosinate to iron charge transfer transition centered at 430 nm (epsilon = 3095 M-1 cm-1 based on iron concentration) which shifts to 490 nm (epsilon = 3380 M-1 cm-1) upon catechol binding. The resonance Raman spectrum of the native enzyme exhibits characteristic tyrosine ring vibrations. Electron paramagnetic resonance data for the resting enzyme (g = 4.25, 9.83) is consistent with high-spin iron (III) in a rhombic environment. This similarity between the spectroscopic properties of the Fe(III) centers in chlorocatechol dioxygenase and the more specific dioxygenases suggests a highly conserved catalytic site. We infer that the unique catalytic properties of chlorocatechol dioxygenase are due to other characteristics of its substrate binding pocket.

An EXAFS study of the interaction of substrate with the ferric active site of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase

X-ray crystallographic studies of the intradiol cleaving protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa have shown that the enzyme has a trigonal bipyramidal ferric active site with two histidines, two tyrosines, and a solvent molecule as ligands [Ohlendorf, D.H., Lipscomb, J.D., & Weber, P.C. (1988) Nature 336, 403-405]. Fe K-edge EXAFS studies of the spectroscopically similar protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase from Brevibacterium fuscum are consistent with a pentacoordinate geometry of the iron active site with 3 O/N ligands at 1.90 A and 2 O/N ligands at 2.08 A. The 2.08-A bonds are assigned to the two histidines, while the 1.90-A bonds are associated with the two tyrosines and the coordinated solvent. The short Fe-O distance for the solvent suggests that it coordinates as hydroxide rather than water. When the inhibitor terephthalate is bound to the enzyme, the XANES data indicate that the ferric site becomes 6-coordinate and the EXAFS data show a beat pattern which can only be simulated with an additional Fe-O/N interaction at 2.46 A. Together, the data suggest that the oxygens of the carboxylate group in terephthalate displace the hydroxide and chelate to the ferric site but in an asymmetric fashion. In contrast, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase remains 5-coordinate upon the addition of the slow substrate homoprotocatechuic acid (HPCA). Previous EPR data have indicated that HPCA forms an iron chelate via the two hydroxyl functions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Degradation of labelled lignins and veratrylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether by Acinetobacter sp

Acinetobacter sp. evolved 14CO2 from 14C-(ring)DHP lignin and 14C-teakwood lignin. Veratrylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether, a lignin model compound with beta-o-4 linkage was cleaved by Acinetobacter sp. Veratrylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether into 2(o-methoxyphenoxy) ethanol and veratrylalcohol 2(o-methoxyphenoxy) ethanol was degraded to guaiacol and then to catechol whereas veratrylalcohol was converted to veratraldehyde, veratric acid, vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid and catechol. Both catechol 1,2-dioxygenase and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase were detected in veratrylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether grown cultures.

Dioxygenolytic cleavage of aryl ether bonds: 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-4-carboxybenzophenone as evidence for initial 1,2-dioxygenation in 3- and 4-carboxy biphenyl ether degradation

A bacterial strain, Pseudomonas sp. POB 310, was enriched with 4-carboxy biphenyl ether as sole source of carbon and energy. Resting cells of POB 310 co-oxidize a substrate analogue, 4-carboxybenzophenone, yielding 1,2-dihydro-1,2-dihydroxy-4-carboxy-benzophenone. The ether bond of 3- and 4-carboxy biphenyl ether is cleaved analogously by initial 1,2-dioxygenation, yielding a hemiacetal which is hydrolysed to protocatechuate and phenol. These intermediates are degraded via an ortho and meta pathway, respectively. Alternative 2,3- and 3,4-dioxygenation can be ruled out as triggering steps in carboxy biphenyl ether degradation.

Molecular cloning of the protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase genes of Pseudomonas paucimobilis

We determined the nucleotide sequence of a 1.9-kilobase fragment of Pseudomonas paucimobilis SYK6 chromosomal DNA that included genes encoding protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase, the enzyme responsible for the aromatic ring fission of protocatechuate. Two open reading frames of 417 and 906 base pairs were found that had no homology with previously reported sequences, including those encoding protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase. Since both open reading frames were indispensable for the enzyme activity, they should encode the subunits of protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase. We named these genes ligA and ligB. Protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase was efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli with the aid of the lac promoter, and the polypeptides of the ligA and ligB gene products were identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and amino acid sequencing.

Binding of isotopically labeled substrates, inhibitors, and cyanide by protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase

Binding of ligands to the active site Fe3+ of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase is investigated using EPR-detected transferred hyperfine coupling from isotopically labeled substrates, inhibitors, and cyanide. Broadening is observed in EPR resonances from the anaerobic enzyme complex with homoprotocatechuate (3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate), a slow substrate, enriched with 17O (I = 5/2) in either the 3-OH or the 4-OH group. This shows that this substrate binds directly to the Fe3+ and strongly suggests that an iron chelate can be formed. Cyanide is known to bind to the enzyme in at least two steps, forming first a high spin and then a low spin complex (Whittaker, J. W., and Lipscomb, J. D. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 4487-4495). Hyperfine broadening from [13C]cyanide (I = 1/2) is observed in the EPR spectra of both complexes, showing that cyanide is an Fe3+ ligand in each case. Cyanide binding is also at least biphasic in the presence of protocatechuate (PCA). The initial high spin enzyme-PCA-cyanide complex forms rapidly and exhibits a unique EPR spectrum. Broadening from PCA enriched with 17O in either the 3-OH or the 4-OH group is detected showing that PCA binds to the iron, probably as a chelate complex. In contrast, no broadening from [13C]cyanide is detected for this complex suggesting that cyanide binds at a site away from the Fe3+. Steady state kinetic measurements of cyanide inhibition of PCA turnover are consistent with two rapidly exchanging cyanide binding sites that inhibit PCA binding and which can be simultaneously occupied. Formation of the nearly irreversible, low spin enzyme-PCA-cyanide complex is competitively inhibited by PCA. Transient kinetics of the formation of this complex are second order in cyanide implying that two cyanides bind. Broadening in the EPR spectrum of this complex is detected from [13C]cyanide, but not from [17O]PCA, suggesting that PCA is displaced. This study provides the first direct evidence for chelation of the active site Fe3+ by substrates and for a small molecule binding site away from the iron in intradiol dioxygenases.

Occurrence of two different forms of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase in a Moraxella sp

Two alternative forms of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (PCase) have been purified from Moraxella sp. strain GU2, a bacterium that is able to grow on guaiacol or various other phenolic compounds as the sole source of carbon and energy. One of these forms (PCase-P) was induced by protocatechuate and had an apparent molecular weight of 220,000. The second form (PCase-G) was induced by guaiacol or other phenolic compounds, such as 2-ethoxyphenol or 4-hydroxybenzoate. It appeared to be smaller (Mr 158,000), and its turnover number was about double that of the former enzyme. Both dioxygenases had similar properties and were built from the association of equal amounts of nonidentical subunits, alpha and beta, which were estimated to have molecular weights of 29,500 and 25,500, respectively. The (alpha beta)3 and (alpha beta)4 structures were suggested for PCases G and P, respectively. On the basis of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, the alpha and beta polypeptides of PCase-G differed from those of PCase-P. Amino acid analysis supported this conclusion. Both PCases, however, had several other properties in common. It is proposed that both isoenzymes were generated from different sets of alpha and beta subunits, and the significance of these data is discussed.

Solvent proton magnetic resonance dispersion in protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase and complexes with 3-halo-4-hydroxybenzoate inhibitors

Solvent proton nuclear magnetic dispersion studies at 25, 100, and 300 MHz have been performed on protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (PCD) and its complexes with 3-chloro-4-hydroxybenzoate and 3-fluoro-4-hydroxybenzoate. Longitudinal and transverse relaxation rates were measured for these compounds and for the apoenzyme. The paramagnetic enhancement of solvent T1 is interpreted in terms of dominant dipole-dipole relaxation of fast-exchanging solvent protons with a negligible contribution from outer sphere relaxation and an electronic spin relaxation time of 0.5 ns for the high-spin ferric ion. A discrepancy between the observed T2 at 300 MHz and that calculated by assuming the usual dipolar relaxation provides evidence for an additional Curie-spin dipolar or hyperfine interaction between the proton and iron. Quantitation of the additional relaxivity provides an estimated chemical exchange lifetime of 0.1-0.14 microseconds, which suggests proton exchange by a hydroxide ligand. Proton-to-iron distances are 2.7-3.1 A in PCD and lengthen to 3.6-4.1 A in the halohydroxybenzoate complexes.

Transition state analogs for protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase. Spectroscopic and kinetic studies of the binding reactions of ketonized substrate analogs

The binding reactions of two heterocyclic analogs of protocatechuate (PCA), 2-hydroxyisonicotinic acid N-oxide and 6-hydroxynicotinic acid N-oxide, to Brevibacterium fuscum protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase have been characterized. These analogs were synthesized as models for the ketonized tautomer of PCA which we have previously proposed as the form which reacts with O2 in the enzyme complex (Que, L., Jr., Lipscomb, J.D., Munck, E., and Wood, J.M. (1977) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 485, 60-74). Both analogs have much higher affinity for the enzyme than PCA. Repetitive scan optical spectra of each binding reaction show that at least one intermediate is formed. The spectra of the intermediates are red-shifted (lambda max = 500 nm) relative to that of native enzyme (lambda max = 435 nm) but are similar to that of the anaerobic enzyme-PCA complex. In contrast, the spectrum of the final, deadend complex formed by each analog is significantly blue-shifted (lambda max less than 340 nm) resulting in an apparent bleaching of the chromophore of the enzyme. A transient intermediate exhibiting a similar bleached spectrum has been detected in the enzyme reaction cycle immediately after O2 is added to the enzyme-PCA complex (Bull C., Ballou D.P., and Otsuka, S. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 12681-12686). Stopped flow measurements of the analog binding reactions show that a relatively weak enzyme complex is initially formed followed by at least two isomerizations leading to the bleached, high affinity complexes. EPR spectra of both the early and final complexes reveal only high spin Fe3+ with negative zero field splitting, showing that the optical bleaching is not due to Fe reduction. The studies show that the ketonized analogs are poor models for the enzyme-substrate complex but do successfully mimic many features of the first oxy complex of the reaction cycle. We propose that substrate ketonization occurs coincident with or after O2 binding and may be involved directly in the O2 insertion reaction.