Glutaconate CoA-transferase from Acidaminococcus fermentans: the crystal structure reveals homology with other CoA-transferases

β-hydroxybutyrate serves as a regulator in ketone body metabolism through lysine β-hydroxybutyrylation

β-hydroxybutyrate (β-HB; 3-hydroxybutyric acid) may serve as a signaling metabolite in many physiological processes beyond a fuel source for tissues. However, whether and how it is involved in ketone body metabolism is still unknown. The present study aims to investigate the role of lysine β-hydroxybutyrylation (Kbhb) modification mediated by β-HB in regulating ketone body metabolic homeostasis both in vivo and in vitro. The starvation ketosis and type 1 diabetes mouse models were introduced to evaluate the influence of β-HB on Kbhb modification in mice. The Kbhb modifications of 3-oxoacid CoA-transferase 1 (OXCT1) and HMG-CoA synthase 2, two rate-limiting enzymes involved in ketogenesis and utilization, showed a positive correlation with the level of β-HB both in vitro and in vivo. The modification levels of the enzymes increased during fasting but decreased after refeeding. However, the Kbhb modification level in all detected tissues showed minor change since the blood ketone body increased nonsignificantly in the type 1 diabetes mouse model. The in vitro experiments further indicated that mutation at the Kbhb modification site significantly inhibited the enzymatic activity of OXCT1 but not HMG-CoA synthase 2. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and CREB-binding protein (CBP) were identified both in vitro and in vivo as potential Kbhb dehydrogenase and transferase for OXCT1, respectively. Kbhb modification at lysine 421 of OXCT1 increases its enzyme activity during β-HB accumulation, accelerating the utilization of the ketone body and finally maintaining metabolism homeostasis. Our present study proposes a new ketone body metabolic regulatory mode primarily mediated by Kbhb modifications of OXCT1 during β-HB accumulation.

Schizophrenia and antipsychotic medications present distinct and shared gut microbial composition: A meta-analysis

There are some conflicting results regarding alterations of gut microbial composition in schizophrenia (SZ), even a few meta-analysis studies have addressed this field. Ignoring of antipsychotic medication effects may cause the large heterogeneity and impact on study results. This study is a meta-analysis to systematically evaluate composition of gut microbiota in patients with SZ, to elucidate the impact of antipsychotic use and reveal distinct and shared gut bacteria in SZ and antipsychotic medications. We re-analyzed the publicly available 16S rRNA-gene amplicon datasets by a standardized pipeline in QIIME2, used the natural log of response ratios as an effect index to directly and quantitatively compare composition of gut microbiota by random-effects meta-analysis with resampling tests in Metawin, ultimately to evaluate distinct abundance of gut bacteria. A total of 19 studies with 1968 participants (1067 patients with SZ and 901 healthy controls (HCs)) were included in this meta-analysis. The alterations of alpha diversity indices occurred in SZ on antipsychotics but not in drug-naïve or -free patients, while variation of beta diversity metrics appeared in SZ regardless of antipsychotic use. After antipsychotic treatment, reversed Simpson index, decreased observed species index and significant difference of Bray-Curtis distance were observed in patients. Especially, risperidone treatment increased the Shannon and Simpson indices. Noteworthy, three differed genera, including Lactobacillus, Roseburia and Dialister, were identified in both states of antipsychotic use. This meta-analysis is to provide a novel insight that SZ and antipsychotic medications present distinct and shared gut microbial composition.

Acyltransferase families that act on thioesters: Sequences, structures, and mechanisms

Acyltransferases (AT) are enzymes that catalyze the transfer of acyl group to a receptor molecule. This review focuses on ATs that act on thioester-containing substrates. Although many ATs can recognize a wide variety of substrates, sequence similarity analysis allowed us to classify the ATs into fifteen distinct families. Each AT family is originated from enzymes experimentally characterized to have AT activity, classified according to sequence similarity, and confirmed with tertiary structure similarity for families that have crystallized structures available. All the sequences and structures of the AT families described here are present in the thioester-active enzyme (ThYme) database. The AT sequences and structures classified into families and available in the ThYme database could contribute to enlightening the understanding acyl transfer to thioester-containing substrates, most commonly coenzyme A, which occur in multiple metabolic pathways, mostly with fatty acids.

OXCT1 functions as a succinyltransferase, contributing to hepatocellular carcinoma via succinylating LACTB

Metabolic reprogramming is an important feature of cancers that has been closely linked to post-translational protein modification (PTM). Lysine succinylation is a recently identified PTM involved in regulating protein functions, whereas its regulatory mechanism and possible roles in tumor progression remain unclear. Here, we show that OXCT1, an enzyme catalyzing ketone body oxidation, functions as a lysine succinyltransferase to contribute to tumor progression. Mechanistically, we find that OXCT1 functions as a succinyltransferase, with residue G424 essential for this activity. We also identified serine beta-lactamase-like protein (LACTB) as a main target of OXCT1-mediated succinylation. Extensive succinylation of LACTB K284 inhibits its proteolytic activity, resulting in increased mitochondrial membrane potential and respiration, ultimately leading to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. In summary, this study establishes lysine succinyltransferase function of OXCT1 and highlights a link between HCC prognosis and LACTB K284 succinylation, suggesting a potentially valuable biomarker and therapeutic target for further development.

Structural Basis for a Cork-Up Mechanism of the Intra-Molecular Mesaconyl-CoA Transferase

Mesaconyl-CoA transferase (Mct) is one of the key enzymes of the 3-hydroxypropionate (3HP) bi-cycle for autotrophic CO₂ fixation. Mct is a family III/Frc family CoA transferase that catalyzes an unprecedented intra-molecular CoA transfer from the C1-carboxyl group to the C4-carboxyl group of mesaconate at catalytic efficiencies >10⁶ M^-1 s^-1. Here, we show that the reaction of Mct proceeds without any significant release of free CoA or the transfer to external acceptor acids. Mct catalyzes intra-molecular CoA transfers at catalytic efficiencies that are at least more than 6 orders of magnitude higher compared to inter-molecular CoA transfers, demonstrating that the enzyme exhibits exquisite control over its reaction. To understand the molecular basis of the intra-molecular CoA transfer in Mct, we solved crystal structures of the enzyme from Chloroflexus aurantiacus in its apo form, as well as in complex with mesaconyl-CoA and several covalently enzyme-bound intermediates of CoA and mesaconate at the catalytically active residue Asp165. Based on these structures, we propose a reaction mechanism for Mct that is similar to inter-molecular family III/Frc family CoA transferases. However, in contrast to the latter that undergo opening and closing cycles during the reaction to exchange substrates, the central cavity of Mct remains sealed ("corked-up") by the CoA moiety, strongly favoring the intra-molecular CoA transfer between the C1 and the C4 position of mesaconate.

Redefining the coenzyme A transferase superfamily with a large set of manually-annotated proteins

The coenzyme A (CoA) transferases are a superfamily of proteins central to the metabolism of acetyl-CoA and other CoA thioesters. They are diverse group, catalyzing over a hundred biochemical reactions and spanning all three domains of life. A deeply rooted idea, proposed two decades ago, is these enzymes fall into three families (I, II, III). Here we find they fall into different families, which we achieve by analyzing all CoA transferases characterized to date. We manually annotated 94 CoA transferases with functional information (including rates of catalysis for 208 reactions) from 97 publications. This represents all enzymes we could find in the primary literature, and it is double the number annotated in four protein databases (BRENDA, KEGG, MetaCyc, UniProt). We found family I transferases are not closely related to each other in terms of sequence, structure, and reactions catalyzed. This family is not even monophyletic. These problems are solved by regrouping the three families into six, including one family with many non-CoA transferases. The problem (and solution) became apparent only by analyzing our large set of manually-annotated proteins. It would have been missed if we had used the small number of proteins annotated in UniProt and other databases. Our work is important to understanding the biology of CoA transferases. It also warns investigators doing phylogenetic analyses of proteins to go beyond information in databases. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Butyryl/Caproyl-CoA:Acetate CoA-transferase: cloning, expression and characterization of the key enzyme involved in medium-chain fatty acid biosynthesis

Coenzyme A transferases (CoATs) are important enzymes involved in carbon chain elongation, contributing to medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) biosynthesis. For example, butyryl-CoA:acetate CoA transferase (BCoAT) is responsible for the final step of butyrate synthesis from butyryl-CoA. However, little is known about caproyl-CoA:acetate CoA-transferase (CCoAT), which is responsible for the final step of caproate synthesis from caproyl-CoA. In the present study, two CoAT genes from Ruminococcaceae bacterium CPB6 and Clostridium tyrobutyricum BEY8 were identified by gene cloning and expression analysis. Enzyme assays and kinetic studies were carried out using butyryl-CoA or caproyl-CoA as the substrate. CPB6-CoAT can catalyze the conversion of both butyryl-CoA into butyrate and caproyl-CoA into caproate, but its catalytic efficiency with caproyl-CoA as the substrate was 3.8-times higher than that with butyryl-CoA. In contrast, BEY8-CoAT had only BCoAT activity, not CCoAT activity. This demonstrated the existence of a specific CCoAT involved in chain elongation via the reverse β-oxidation pathway. Comparative bioinformatics analysis showed the presence of a highly conserved motif (GGQXDFXXGAXX) in CoATs, which is predicted to be the active center. Single point mutations in the conserved motif of CPB6-CoAT (Asp³⁴⁶ and Ala³⁵¹) led to marked decreases in the activity for butyryl-CoA and caproyl-CoA, indicating that the conserved motif is the active center of CPB6-CoAT and that Asp³⁴⁶ and Ala³⁵¹ have a significant impact on the enzymatic activity. This work provides insight into the function of CCoAT in caproic acid biosynthesis and improves understanding of the chain elongation pathway for MCFA production.

IpdAB, a virulence factor in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a cholesterol ring-cleaving hydrolase

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) grows on host-derived cholesterol during infection. IpdAB, found in all steroid-degrading bacteria and a determinant of pathogenicity, has been implicated in the hydrolysis of the last steroid ring. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that IpdAB orthologs form a clade of CoA transferases (CoTs). In a coupled assay with a thiolase, IpdAB transformed the cholesterol catabolite (R)-2-(2-carboxyethyl)-3-methyl-6-oxocyclohex-1-ene-1-carboxyl-CoA (COCHEA-CoA) and CoASH to 4-methyl-5-oxo-octanedioyl-CoA (MOODA-CoA) and acetyl-CoA with high specificity (k_cat/K_m = 5.8 ± 0.8 × 10⁴ M^-1⋅s^-1). The structure of MOODA-CoA was consistent with IpdAB hydrolyzing COCHEA-CoA to a β-keto-thioester, a thiolase substrate. Contrary to characterized CoTs, IpdAB exhibited no activity toward small CoA thioesters. Further, IpdAB lacks the catalytic glutamate residue that is conserved in the β-subunit of characterized CoTs and a glutamyl-CoA intermediate was not trapped during turnover. By contrast, Glu105^A, conserved in the α-subunit of IpdAB, was essential for catalysis. A crystal structure of the IpdAB·COCHEA-CoA complex, solved to 1.4 Å, revealed that Glu105^A is positioned to act as a catalytic base. Upon titration with COCHEA-CoA, the E105A^A variant accumulated a yellow-colored species (λ_max = 310 nm; K_d = 0.4 ± 0.2 μM) typical of β-keto enolates. In the presence of D₂O, IpdAB catalyzed the deuteration of COCHEA-CoA adjacent to the hydroxylation site at rates consistent with k_cat Based on these data and additional IpdAB variants, we propose a retro-Claisen condensation-like mechanism for the IpdAB-mediated hydrolysis of COCHEA-CoA. This study expands the range of known reactions catalyzed by the CoT superfamily and provides mechanistic insight into an important determinant of Mtb pathogenesis.

Crystal structure of a Pseudomonas malonate decarboxylase holoenzyme hetero-tetramer

Pseudomonas species and other aerobic bacteria have a biotin-independent malonate decarboxylase that is crucial for their utilization of malonate as the sole carbon and energy source. The malonate decarboxylase holoenzyme contains four subunits, having an acyl-carrier protein (MdcC subunit) with a distinct prosthetic group, as well as decarboxylase (MdcD–MdcE) and acyl-carrier protein transferase (MdcA) catalytic activities. Here we report the crystal structure of a Pseudomonas malonate decarboxylase hetero-tetramer, as well as biochemical and functional studies based on the structural information. We observe a malonate molecule in the active site of MdcA and we also determine the structure of malonate decarboxylase with CoA in the active site of MdcD–MdcE. Both structures provide molecular insights into malonate decarboxylase catalysis. Mutations in the hetero-tetramer interface can abolish holoenzyme formation. Mutations in the hetero-tetramer interface and the active sites can abolish Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth in a defined medium with malonate as the sole carbon source.

Some aerobic bacteria contain a biotin-independent malonate decarboxylase (MDC), which allows them to use malonate as the sole carbon source. Here, the authors present the crystal structure of a Pseudomonas MDC and give insights into its catalytic mechanism and function.

AibA/AibB Induces an Intramolecular Decarboxylation in Isovalerate Biosynthesis by Myxococcus xanthus

Isovaleryl coenzyme A (IV-CoA) is an important precursor for iso-fatty acids and lipids. It acts in the development of myxobacteria, which can produce this compound from acetyl-CoA through alternative IV-CoA biosynthesis (aib). A central reaction of aib is catalyzed by AibA/AibB, which acts as a cofactor-free decarboxylase despite belonging to the family of CoA-transferases. We developed an efficient expression system for AibA/AibB that allowed the determination of high-resolution crystal structures in complex with different ligands. Through mutational studies, we show that an active-site cysteine previously proposed to be involved in decarboxylation is not required for activity. Instead, AibA/AibB seems to induce an intramolecular decarboxylation by binding its substrate in a hydrophobic cavity and forcing it into a bent conformation. Our study opens opportunities for synthetic biology studies, since AibA/AibB may be suitable for the production of isobutene, a precursor of biofuels and chemicals.

Catabolism of the Last Two Steroid Rings in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Other Bacteria

Most mycolic acid-containing actinobacteria and some proteobacteria use steroids as growth substrates, but the catabolism of the last two steroid rings has yet to be elucidated. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, this pathway includes virulence determinants and has been proposed to be encoded by the KstR2-regulated genes, which include a predicted coenzyme A (CoA) transferase gene (ipdAB) and an acyl-CoA reductase gene (ipdC). In the presence of cholesterol, ΔipdC and ΔipdAB mutants of either M. tuberculosis or Rhodococcus jostii strain RHA1 accumulated previously undescribed metabolites: 3aα-H-4α(carboxyl-CoA)-5-hydroxy-7aβ-methylhexahydro-1-indanone (5-OH HIC-CoA) and (R)-2-(2-carboxyethyl)-3-methyl-6-oxocyclohex-1-ene-1-carboxyl-CoA (COCHEA-CoA), respectively. A ΔfadE32 mutant of Mycobacterium smegmatis accumulated 4-methyl-5-oxo-octanedioic acid (MOODA). Incubation of synthetic 5-OH HIC-CoA with purified IpdF, IpdC, and enoyl-CoA hydratase 20 (EchA20), a crotonase superfamily member, yielded COCHEA-CoA and, upon further incubation with IpdAB and a CoA thiolase, yielded MOODA-CoA. Based on these studies, we propose a pathway for the final steps of steroid catabolism in which the 5-member ring is hydrolyzed by EchA20, followed by hydrolysis of the 6-member ring by IpdAB. Metabolites accumulated by ΔipdF and ΔechA20 mutants support the model. The conservation of these genes in known steroid-degrading bacteria suggests that the pathway is shared. This pathway further predicts that cholesterol catabolism yields four propionyl-CoAs, four acetyl-CoAs, one pyruvate, and one succinyl-CoA. Finally, a ΔipdAB M. tuberculosis mutant did not survive in macrophages and displayed severely depleted CoASH levels that correlated with a cholesterol-dependent toxicity. Our results together with the developed tools provide a basis for further elucidating bacterial steroid catabolism and virulence determinants in M. tuberculosis.

Bacteria are the only known steroid degraders, but the pathway responsible for degrading the last two steroid rings has yet to be elucidated. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, this pathway includes virulence determinants. Using a series of mutants in M. tuberculosis and related bacteria, we identified a number of novel CoA thioesters as pathway intermediates. Analysis of the metabolites combined with enzymological studies establishes how the last two steroid rings are hydrolytically opened by enzymes encoded by the KstR2 regulon. Our results provide experimental evidence for novel ring-degrading enzymes, significantly advance our understanding of bacterial steroid catabolism, and identify a previously uncharacterized cholesterol-dependent toxicity that may facilitate the development of novel tuberculosis therapeutics.

Anaerobic Degradation of Benzene and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are very slowly degraded without molecular oxygen. Here, we review the recent advances in the elucidation of the first known degradation pathways of these environmental hazards. Anaerobic degradation of benzene and PAHs has been successfully documented in the environment by metabolite analysis, compound-specific isotope analysis and microcosm studies. Subsequently, also enrichments and pure cultures were obtained that anaerobically degrade benzene, naphthalene or methylnaphthalene, and even phenanthrene, the largest PAH currently known to be degradable under anoxic conditions. Although such cultures grow very slowly, with doubling times of around 2 weeks, and produce only very little biomass in batch cultures, successful proteogenomic, transcriptomic and biochemical studies revealed novel degradation pathways with exciting biochemical reactions such as for example the carboxylation of naphthalene or the ATP-independent reduction of naphthoyl-coenzyme A. The elucidation of the first anaerobic degradation pathways of naphthalene and methylnaphthalene at the genetic and biochemical level now opens the door to studying the anaerobic metabolism and ecology of anaerobic PAH degraders. This will contribute to assessing the fate of one of the most important contaminant classes in anoxic sediments and aquifers.

Proteomic analysis of ofloxacin-mono resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates

Drug resistance particularly, multi drug resistance tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has emerged as a major problem in the chemotherapy of tuberculosis. Ofloxacin (OFX) has been used as second-line drug against MDR-TB. The principal target of the OFX is DNA gyrase encoded by gyrA and gyrB genes. Many explanations have been proposed for drug resistance to OFX but still some mechanisms are unknown. As proteins manifest most of the biological processes, these are attractive targets for developing drugs and diagnostics/therapeutics. We examined the OFX resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates by proteomic approach (2DE-MALDI-TOF-MS) and bioinformatic tools under OFX induced conditions. Our study showed fourteen proteins (Rv0685, Rv0363c, Rv2744c, Rv3803c, Rv2534c, Rv2140c, Rv1475c, Rv0440, Rv2245, Rv1436, Rv3551, Rv0148, Rv2882c and Rv0733) with increased intensities in OFX resistant and OFX induced as compared to susceptible isolates. Bioinformatic analysis of hypothetical proteins (Rv2744c, Rv2140c, Rv3551 and Rv0148) revealed the presence of conserved motifs and domains. Molecular docking showed proper interaction of OFX with residues of conserved motifs. These proteins might be involved in the OFX modulation/neutralization and act as novel resistance mechanisms as well as potential for diagnostics and drug targets against OFX resistance. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Proteomics in India.

Evolutionary and structural analyses of heterodimeric proteins composed of subunits with same fold

Heterodimeric proteins with homologous subunits of same fold are involved in various biological processes. The objective of this study is to understand the evolution of structural and functional features of such heterodimers. Using a non-redundant dataset of 70 such heterodimers of known 3D structure and an independent dataset of 173 heterodimers from yeast, we note that the mean sequence identity between interacting homologous subunits is only 23-24% suggesting that, generally, highly diverged paralogues assemble to form such a heterodimer. We also note that the functional roles of interacting subunits/domains are generally quite different. This suggests that, though the interacting subunits/domains are homologous, the high evolutionary divergence characterize their high functional divergence which contributes to a gross function for the heterodimer considered as a whole. The inverse relationship between sequence identity and RMSD of interacting homologues in heterodimers is not followed. We also addressed the question of formation of homodimers of the subunits of heterodimers by generating models of fictitious homodimers on the basis of the 3D structures of the heterodimers. Interaction energies associated with these homodimers suggests that, in overwhelming majority of the cases, such homodimers are unlikely to be stable. Majority of the homologues of heterodimers of known structures form heterodimers (51.8%) and a small proportion (14.6%) form homodimers. Comparison of 3D structures of heterodimers with homologous homodimers suggests that interfacial nature of residues is not well conserved. In over 90% of the cases we note that the interacting subunits of heterodimers are co-localized in the cell.

Potential mechanism of action of meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid on Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv

The isolation and characterization of the lignan meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (MDGA) from Larrea tridentata and its activity against Mycobacterial tuberculosis has been demonstrated, but no information regarding its mechanism of action has been documented. Therefore, in this study we carry out the gene expression from total RNA obtained from M. tuberculosis H37Rv treated with MDGA using microarray technology, which was validated by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. Results showed that the alpha subunit of coenzyme A transferase of M. tuberculosis H37Rv is present in both geraniol and 1-and 2-methylnaphthalene degradation pathways, which are targeted by MDGA. This assumption was supported by molecular docking which showed stable interaction between MDGA with the active site of the enzyme. We propose that inhibition of coenzyme A transferase of M. tuberculosis H37Rv results in the accumulation of geraniol and 1-and 2-methylnaphtalene inside bacteria, causing membrane destabilization and death of the pathogen. The natural product MDGA is thus an attractive template to develop new anti-tuberculosis drugs, because its target is different from those of known anti-tubercular agents.

Structure of succinyl-CoA:3-ketoacid CoA transferase from Drosophila melanogaster

Succinyl-CoA:3-ketoacid CoA transferase (SCOT) plays a crucial role in ketone-body metabolism. SCOT from Drosophila melanogaster (DmSCOT) was purified and crystallized. The crystal structure of DmSCOT was determined at 2.64 Å resolution and belonged to space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a=76.638, b=101.921, c=122.457 Å, α=β=γ=90°. Sequence alignment and structural analysis identified DmSCOT as a class I CoA transferase. Compared with Acetobacter aceti succinyl-CoA:acetate CoA transferase, DmSCOT has a different substrate-binding pocket, which may explain the difference in their substrate specificities.

Characterization of propionate CoA-transferase from Ralstonia eutropha H16

In this study, a propionate CoA-transferase (H16_A2718; EC 2.8.3.1) from Ralstonia eutropha H16 (Pct(Re)) was characterized in detail. Glu342 was identified as catalytically active amino acid residue via site-directed mutagenesis. Activity of Pct(Re) was irreversibly lost after the treatment with NaBH₄ in the presence of acetyl-CoA as it is shown for all CoA-transferases from class I, thereby confirming the formation of the covalent enzyme-CoA intermediate by Pct(Re). In addition to already known CoA acceptors for Pct Re such as 3-hydroxypropionate, 3-hydroxybutyrate, acrylate, succinate, lactate, butyrate, crotonate and 4-hydroxybutyrate, it was found that glycolate, chloropropionate, acetoacetate, valerate, trans-2,3-pentenoate, isovalerate, hexanoate, octanoate and trans-2,3-octenoate formed also corresponding CoA-thioesters after incubation with acetyl-CoA and Pct(Re). Isobutyrate was found to be preferentially used as CoA acceptor amongst other carboxylates tested in this study. In contrast, no products were detected with acetyl-CoA and formiate, bromopropionate, glycine, pyruvate, 2-hydroxybutyrate, malonate, fumarate, itaconate, β-alanine, γ-aminobutyrate, levulate, glutarate or adipate as potential CoA acceptor. Amongst CoA donors, butyryl-CoA, crotonyl-CoA, 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, isobutyryl-CoA, succinyl-CoA and valeryl-CoA apart from already known propionyl-CoA and acetyl-CoA could also donate CoA to acetate. The highest rate of the reaction was observed with 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA (2.5 μmol mg⁻¹ min⁻¹). K(m) values for propionyl-CoA, acetyl-CoA, acetate and 3-hydroxybutyrate were 0.3, 0.6, 4.5 and 4.3 mM, respectively. The rather broad substrate range might be a good starting point for enzyme engineering approaches and for the application of Pct(Re) in biotechnological polyester production.

A propionate CoA-transferase of Ralstonia eutropha H16 with broad substrate specificity catalyzing the CoA thioester formation of various carboxylic acids

In this study, we have investigated a propionate CoA-transferase (Pct) homologue encoded in the genome of Ralstonia eutropha H16. The corresponding gene has been cloned into the vector pET-19b to yield a histidine-tagged enzyme which was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). After purification, high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) analyses revealed that the enzyme exhibits a broad substrate specificity for carboxylic acids. The formation of the corresponding CoA-thioesters of acetate using propionyl-CoA as CoA donor, and of propionate, butyrate, 3-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxypropionate, crotonate, acrylate, lactate, succinate and 4-hydroxybutyrate using acetyl-CoA as CoA donor could be shown. According to the substrate specificity, the enzyme can be allocated in the family I of CoA-transferases. The apparent molecular masses as determined by gel filtration and detected by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were 228 and 64 kDa, respectively, and point to a quaternary structure of the native enzyme (α4). The enzyme exhibited similarities in sequence and structure to the well investigated Pct of Clostridium propionicum. It does not contain the typical conserved (S)ENG motif, but the derived motif sequence EXG with glutamate 342 to be, most likely, the catalytic residue. Due to the homo-oligomeric structure and the sequence differences with the subclasses IA-C of family I CoA-transferases, a fourth subclass of family I is proposed, comprising - amongst others - the Pcts of R. eutropha H16 and C. propionicum. A markerless precise-deletion mutant R. eutropha H16∆pct was generated. The growth and accumulation behaviour of this mutant on gluconate, gluconate plus 3,3'-dithiodipropionic acid (DTDP), acetate and propionate was investigated but resulted in no observable phenotype. Both, the wild type and the mutant showed the same growth and storage behaviour with these carbon sources. It is probable that R. eutropha H16 is upregulating other CoA-transferase(s) or CoA-synthetase(s), thereby compensating for the lacking Pct. The ability of R. eutropha H16 to substitute absent enzymes by isoenzymes has been already shown in different other studies in the past.

Crystal structures of Acetobacter aceti succinyl-coenzyme A (CoA):acetate CoA-transferase reveal specificity determinants and illustrate the mechanism used by class I CoA-transferases

Coenzyme A (CoA)-transferases catalyze transthioesterification reactions involving acyl-CoA substrates, using an active-site carboxylate to form covalent acyl anhydride and CoA thioester adducts. Mechanistic studies of class I CoA-transferases suggested that acyl-CoA binding energy is used to accelerate rate-limiting acyl transfers by compressing the substrate thioester tightly against the catalytic glutamate [White, H., and Jencks, W. P. (1976) J. Biol. Chem. 251, 1688-1699]. The class I CoA-transferase succinyl-CoA:acetate CoA-transferase is an acetic acid resistance factor (AarC) with a role in a variant citric acid cycle in Acetobacter aceti. In an effort to identify residues involved in substrate recognition, X-ray crystal structures of a C-terminally His(6)-tagged form (AarCH6) were determined for several wild-type and mutant complexes, including freeze-trapped acetylglutamyl anhydride and glutamyl-CoA thioester adducts. The latter shows the acetate product bound to an auxiliary site that is required for efficient carboxylate substrate recognition. A mutant in which the catalytic glutamate was changed to an alanine crystallized in a closed complex containing dethiaacetyl-CoA, which adopts an unusual curled conformation. A model of the acetyl-CoA Michaelis complex demonstrates the compression anticipated four decades ago by Jencks and reveals that the nucleophilic glutamate is held at a near-ideal angle for attack as the thioester oxygen is forced into an oxyanion hole composed of Gly388 NH and CoA N2″. CoA is nearly immobile along its entire length during all stages of the enzyme reaction. Spatial and sequence conservation of key residues indicates that this mechanism is general among class I CoA-transferases.

Biochemical, structural and molecular dynamics analyses of the potential virulence factor RipA from Yersinia pestis

Human diseases are attributed in part to the ability of pathogens to evade the eukaryotic immune systems. A subset of these pathogens has developed mechanisms to survive in human macrophages. Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of the bubonic plague, is a predominately extracellular pathogen with the ability to survive and replicate intracellularly. A previous study has shown that a novel rip (required for intracellular proliferation) operon (ripA, ripB and ripC) is essential for replication and survival of Y. pestis in postactivated macrophages, by playing a role in lowering macrophage-produced nitric oxide (NO) levels. A bioinformatics analysis indicates that the rip operon is conserved among a distally related subset of macrophage-residing pathogens, including Burkholderia and Salmonella species, and suggests that this previously uncharacterized pathway is also required for intracellular survival of these pathogens. The focus of this study is ripA, which encodes for a protein highly homologous to 4-hydroxybutyrate-CoA transferase; however, biochemical analysis suggests that RipA functions as a butyryl-CoA transferase. The 1.9 Å X-ray crystal structure reveals that RipA belongs to the class of Family I CoA transferases and exhibits a unique tetrameric state. Molecular dynamics simulations are consistent with RipA tetramer formation and suggest a possible gating mechanism for CoA binding mediated by Val227. Together, our structural characterization and molecular dynamic simulations offer insights into acyl-CoA specificity within the active site binding pocket, and support biochemical results that RipA is a butyryl-CoA transferase. We hypothesize that the end product of the rip operon is butyrate, a known anti-inflammatory, which has been shown to lower NO levels in macrophages. Thus, the results of this molecular study of Y. pestis RipA provide a structural platform for rational inhibitor design, which may lead to a greater understanding of the role of RipA in this unique virulence pathway.

Crystal structure of the complex between 4-hydroxybutyrate CoA-transferase from Clostridium aminobutyricum and CoA

Clostridium aminobutyricum ferments 4-aminobutyrate (γ-aminobutyrate, GABA) to ammonia, acetate and butyrate via 4-hydroxybutyrate that is activated to the CoA-thioester catalyzed by 4-hydroxybutyrate CoA-transferase. Then, 4-hydroxybutyryl-CoA is dehydrated to crotonyl-CoA, which disproportionates to butyryl-CoA and acetyl-CoA. Cocrystallization of the CoA-transferase with the alternate substrate butyryl-CoA yielded crystals with non-covalently bound CoA and two water molecules at the active site. Most likely, butyryl-CoA reacted with the active site Glu238 to CoA and the mixed anhydride, which slowly hydrolyzed during crystallization. The structure of the CoA is similar but less stretched than that of the CoA-moiety of the covalent enzyme-CoA-thioester in 4-hydroxybutyrate CoA-transferase from Shewanella oneidensis. In contrast to the structures of the apo-enzyme and enzyme-CoA-thioester, the structure described here has a closed conformation, probably caused by a flip of the active site loop (residues 215-219). During turnover, the closed conformation may protect the anhydride intermediate from hydrolysis and CoA from dissociation from the enzyme. Hence, one catalytic cycle changes conformation of the enzyme four times: free enzyme-open conformation, CoA+ anhydride 1-closed, enzyme-CoA-thioester-open, CoA + anhydride-2-closed, free enzyme-open.

Substrate specificity of 2-hydroxyglutaryl-CoA dehydratase from Clostridium symbiosum: toward a bio-based production of adipic acid

Expression of six genes from two glutamate fermenting clostridia converted Escherichia coli into a producer of glutaconate from 2-oxoglutarate of the general metabolism (Djurdjevic, I. et al. 2010, Appl. Environ. Microbiol.77, 320-322). The present work examines whether this pathway can also be used to reduce 2-oxoadipate to (R)-2-hydroxyadipic acid and dehydrate its CoA thioester to 2-hexenedioic acid, an unsaturated precursor of the biotechnologically valuable adipic acid (hexanedioic acid). 2-Hydroxyglutaryl-CoA dehydratase from Clostridium symbiosum, the key enzyme of this pathway and a potential radical enzyme, catalyzes the reversible dehydration of (R)-2-hydroxyglutaryl-CoA to (E)-glutaconyl-CoA. Using a spectrophotometric assay and mass spectrometry, it was found that (R)-2-hydroxyadipoyl-CoA, oxalocrotonyl-CoA, muconyl-CoA, and butynedioyl-CoA, but not 3-methylglutaconyl-CoA, served as alternative substrates. Hydration of butynedioyl-CoA most likely led to 2-oxosuccinyl-CoA, which spontaneously hydrolyzed to oxaloacetate and CoASH. The dehydratase is not specific for the CoA-moiety because (R)-2-hydroxyglutaryl-thioesters of N-acetylcysteamine and pantetheine served as almost equal substrates. Whereas the related 2-hydroxyisocaproyl-CoA dehydratase generated the stable and inhibitory 2,4-pentadienoyl-CoA radical, the analogous allylic ketyl radical could not be detected with muconyl-CoA and 2-hydroxyglutaryl-CoA dehydratase. With the exception of (R)-2-hydroxyglutaryl-CoA, all mono-CoA-thioesters of dicarboxylates used in this study were synthesized with glutaconate CoA-transferase from Acidaminococcus fermentans. The now possible conversion of (R)-2-hydroxyadipate via (R)-2-hydroxyadipoyl-CoA and 2-hexenedioyl-CoA to 2-hexenedioate paves the road for a bio-based production of adipic acid.

Nonactin biosynthesis: unexpected patterns of label incorporation from 4,6-dioxoheptanoate show evidence of a degradation pathway for levulinate through propionate in Streptomyces griseus

The polyketide nonactin, a polyketide possessing antitumor and antibacterial activity, is produced by an unusual biosynthesis pathway in Streptomyces griseus that uses both enantiomers of the nonactin precursor, nonactic acid. Despite many studies with labeled precursors, much of the biosynthesis pathway remains unconfirmed, particularly the identity of the last achiral intermediate in the pathway, which is believed to be 4,6-diketoheptanoyl-CoA. We set out to confirm the latter hypothesis with feeding studies employing [4,5-(13)C(2)]-, [5,6-(13)C(2)]-, and [6,7-(13)C(2)]-4,6-diketoheptanoate thioester derivatives. In each case the isotopic label was incorporated efficiently into nonactin; however, at positions inconsistent with the currently accepted biosynthesis pathway. To resolve the discrepancy, we conducted additional feeding studies with a [3,4-(13)C(2)]levulinate thioester derivative and again observed efficient label incorporation. The latter result was intriguing, as levulinate is not an obvious precursor to nonactin. Levulinate, however, is known to be efficiently degraded into propionate even though the pathway for the conversion is not known. On the basis of both our levulinate and diketoheptanoate isotope incorporation data we can now postulate a pathway from levulinate to propionate that can also account for the conversion of 4,6-diketoheptanoate into levulinate in S. griseus.

Catalytic role of the conformational change in succinyl-CoA:3-oxoacid CoA transferase on binding CoA

Catalysis by succinyl-CoA:3-oxoacid CoA transferase proceeds through a thioester intermediate in which CoA is covalently linked to the enzyme. To determine the conformation of the thioester intermediate, crystals of the pig enzyme were grown in the presence of the substrate acetoacetyl-CoA. X-ray diffraction data show the enzyme in both the free form and covalently bound to CoA via Glu305. In the complex, the protein adopts a conformation in which residues 267-275, 280-287, 357-373, and 398-477 have shifted toward Glu305, closing the enzyme around the thioester. Enzymes provide catalysis by stabilizing the transition state relative to complexes with substrates or products. In this case, the conformational change allows the enzyme to interact with parts of CoA distant from the reactive thiol while the thiol is covalently linked to the enzyme. The enzyme forms stabilizing interactions with both the nucleotide and pantoic acid portions of CoA, while the interactions with the amide groups of the pantetheine portion are poor. The results shed light on how the enzyme uses the binding energy for groups remote from the active center of CoA to destabilize atoms closer to the active center, leading to acceleration of the reaction by the enzyme.

The high-resolution structure of pig heart succinyl-CoA:3-oxoacid coenzyme A transferase

The enzyme succinyl-CoA:3-oxoacid coenzyme A transferase (SCOT) participates in the metabolism of ketone bodies in extrahepatic tissues. It catalyses the transfer of coenzyme A (CoA) from succinyl-CoA to acetoacetate with a classical ping-pong mechanism. There is biochemical evidence that the enzyme undergoes conformational changes during the reaction, but no domain movements have been reported in the available crystal structures. Here, a structure of pig heart SCOT refined at 1.5 A resolution is presented, showing that one of the four enzyme subunits in the crystallographic asymmetric unit has a molecule of glycerol bound in the active site; the glycerol molecule is hydrogen bonded to the conserved catalytic glutamate residue and is likely to occupy the cosubstrate-binding site. The binding of glycerol is associated with a substantial relative movement (a 13 degrees rotation) of two previously undefined domains that close around the substrate-binding site. The binding orientation of one of the cosubstrates, acetoacetate, is suggested based on the glycerol binding and the possibility that this dynamic domain movement is of functional importance is discussed.

On the thermodynamic equilibrium between (R)-2-hydroxyacyl-CoA and 2-enoyl-CoA

A combined experimental and computational approach has been applied to investigate the equilibria between several alpha-hydroxyacyl-CoA compounds and their 2-enoyl-CoA derivatives. In contrast to those of their beta, gamma and delta counterparts, the equilibria for the alpha-compounds are relatively poorly characterized, but qualitatively they appear to be unusually sensitive to substituents. Using a variety of techniques, we have succeeded in measuring the equilibrium constants for the reactions beginning from 2-hydroxyglutaryl-CoA and lactyl-CoA. A complementary computational evaluation of the equilibrium constants shows quantitative agreement with the measured values. By examining the computational results, we arrive at an explanation of the substituent sensitivity and provide a prediction for the, as yet unmeasured, equilibrium involving 2-hydroxyisocaproyl-CoA.

Crystal structure of 4-hydroxybutyrate CoA-transferase from Clostridium aminobutyricum

4-Hydroxybutyrate CoA-transferases (4-HB-CoAT) takes part in the fermentation of 4-aminobutyrate to ammonia, acetate, and butyrate in anaerobic bacteria such as Clostridium aminobutyricum and Porphyromonas gingivalis or facultative anaerobic bacteria such as Shewanella oneidensis. Site-directed mutagenesis of the highly active enzyme has identified the catalytic glutamate residue as E238. Crystal structure of this enzyme has been determined at a resolution of 1.85 A. The 438-amino acid residue polypeptide chain folds into two topologically similar domains with an open alpha/beta-fold, which is also found in other CoAT family I and family II members. The data indicate that the members of CoAT families I and II are closely related; the latter only lacking the catalytic glutamate residue. A putative co-substrate binding site for the 4-HB-CoAT was identified, in which a 4-hydroxybutyrate molecule has been modeled. This site is also responsible for binding the acetyl group of acetyl-CoA or the succinyl group of succinyl-CoA in succinyl-CoA:3-oxoacid CoA-transferase from mammalian mitochondria. Mutations of relevant active site amino acid residues have been produced and their activities tested to corroborate the proposed structural model for substrate binding. 4-HB-CoAT from C. aminobutyricum represents the only functionally characterized 4-HB-CoAT present in the structural database.

Acetate formation in the energy metabolism of parasitic helminths and protists

Formation and excretion of acetate as a metabolic end product of energy metabolism occurs in many protist and helminth parasites, such as the parasitic helminths Fasciola hepatica, Haemonchus contortus and Ascaris suum, and the protist parasites, Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, Trichomonas vaginalis as well as Trypanosoma and Leishmania spp. In all of these parasites acetate is a main end product of their energy metabolism, whereas acetate formation does not occur in their mammalian hosts. Acetate production might therefore harbour novel targets for the development of new anti-parasitic drugs. In parasites, acetate is produced from acetyl-CoA by two different reactions, both involving substrate level phosphorylation, that are catalysed by either a cytosolic acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) or an organellar acetate:succinate CoA-transferase (ASCT). The ACS reaction is directly coupled to ATP synthesis, whereas the ASCT reaction yields succinyl-CoA for ATP formation via succinyl-CoA synthetase (SCS). Based on recent work on the ASCTs of F. hepatica, T. vaginalis and Trypanosoma brucei we suggest the existence of three subfamilies of enzymes within the CoA-transferase family I. Enzymes of these three subfamilies catalyse the ASCT reaction in eukaryotes via the same mechanism, but the subfamilies share little sequence homology. The CoA-transferases of the three subfamilies are all present inside ATP-producing organelles of parasites, those of subfamily IA in the mitochondria of trypanosomatids, subfamily IB in the mitochondria of parasitic worms and subfamily IC in hydrogenosome-bearing parasites. Together with the recent characterisation among non-parasitic protists of yet a third route of acetate formation involving acetate kinase (ACK) and phosphotransacetylase (PTA) that was previously unknown among eukaryotes, these recent developments provide a good opportunity to have a closer look at eukaryotic acetate formation.

Alteration of oligomeric state and domain architecture is essential for functional transformation between transferase and hydrolase with the same scaffold

Transferases and hydrolases catalyze different chemical reactions and express different dynamic responses upon ligand binding. To insulate the ligand molecule from the surrounding water, transferases bury it inside the protein by closing the cleft, while hydrolases undergo a small conformational change and leave the ligand molecule exposed to the solvent. Despite these distinct ligand-binding modes, some transferases and hydrolases are homologous. To clarify how such different catalytic modes are possible with the same scaffold, we examined the solvent accessibility of ligand molecules for 15 SCOP superfamilies, each containing both transferase and hydrolase catalytic domains. In contrast to hydrolases, we found that nine superfamilies of transferases use two major strategies, oligomerization and domain fusion, to insulate the ligand molecules. The subunits and domains that were recruited by the transferases often act as a cover for the ligand molecule. The other strategies adopted by transferases to insulate the ligand molecule are the relocation of catalytic sites, the rearrangement of secondary structure elements, and the insertion of peripheral regions. These findings provide insights into how proteins have evolved and acquired distinct functions with a limited number of scaffolds.

Comparative proteomic analysis of Helicobacter pylori animal model adapted SS1 and its original strain

AIM: To analyze the protein profiles of mouse-adapted H pylori SS1 and its initial strain 10700 and to find out the proteins associated with enhanced adhesive ability of SS1.

METHODS: Three sets of cellular proteins of SS1 and 10 700 were prepared independently. The samples were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) technique, and the gels were scanned and recorded as digitalized images with high-resolution scanner. The images were analyzed by Image Master 2D software. Spots on gels were paired between 10 700 and SS1. Differently expressed proteins in all three sets were cut for in-gel digestion and identified by MALDI-TOF-TOF/MS. Peptide mass fingerprints were searched in the NCBI and Swiss-Prot database.

RESULTS: Eleven down-regulated spots presented with ten proteins. Four were related to anti-oxidation, namely, catalase, thioredoxin reductase, superoxide dismutase and thioredoxin. Five were enzymes associated with metabolism, including proline peptidase, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, inorganic pyrophosphatase, 3-oxoacid CoA-transferase subunit B and Elongation factor P. Another one was a putative protein HPAG0942.

CONCLUSION: In the course of mouse-adapted, H pylori strain SS1 may increase its adhesive ability by decreasing metabolism and anti-oxidative level measurably.

Promiscuous anaerobes: new and unconventional metabolism in methanogenic archaea

The development of an oxygenated atmosphere on earth resulted in the polarization of life into two major groups, those that could live in the presence of oxygen and those that could not-the aerobes and the anaerobes. The evolution of aerobes from the earliest anaerobic prokaryotes resulted in a variety of metabolic adaptations. Many of these adaptations center on the need to sustain oxygen-sensitive reactions and cofactors to function in the new oxygen-containing atmosphere. Still other metabolic pathways that were not sensitive to oxygen also diverged. This is likely due to the physical separation of the organisms, based on their ability to live in the presence of oxygen, which allowed for the independent evolution of the pathways. Through the study of metabolic pathways in anaerobes and comparison to the more established pathways from aerobes, insight into metabolic evolution can be gained. This, in turn, can allow for extra- polation to those metabolic pathways occurring in the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA). Some of the unique and uncanonical metabolic pathways that have been identified in the archaea with emphasis on the biochemistry of an obligate anaerobic methanogen, Methanocaldococcus jannaschii are reviewed.

New vectors for co-expression of proteins: structure of Bacillus subtilis ScoAB obtained by high-throughput protocols

The Bacillus subtilis genes scoA and scoB encode subunits of the heteromeric enzyme ScoAB, a putative succinyl-CoA:acetoacetate coenzyme A transferase. High-throughput, ligation-independent cloning (LIC) vectors used extensively for production and purification of single proteins were modified to allow simultaneous expression of interacting proteins and selective purification of functional complexes. Transfer of the LIC region of vector pMCSG7 (L. Stols, M. Gu, L. Dieckman, R. Raffen, F.R. Collart, M.I. Donnelly. A new vector for high-throughput, ligation-independent cloning encoding a tobacco etch virus protease cleavage site. Protein Expr. Purif. (2002) 25, 8-15) into commercial vectors with alternative, compatible origins of replication allowed introduction of standard LIC PCR products into the vectors by uniform protocols. Replacement of the His-tag encoding region of pMCSG7 with a sequence encoding the S-tag enabled selective purification of interacting proteins based on the His-tag associated with one member of the complex. When expressed separately and mixed, the ScoAB subunits failed to interact productively; no transferase activity was detected, and S-tagged ScoB failed to co-purify with His-tagged ScoA. Co-expression, in contrast, generated active transferase that catalyzed the predicted reaction. The ScoAB complex was purified by standard high-throughput metal-ion affinity chromatography procedures, crystallized robotically, and its structure was determined by molecular replacement.

Two-dimensional blue native/SDS gel electrophoresis of multiprotein complexes from Helicobacter pylori

The study of protein interactions constitutes an important domain to understand the physiology and pathogenesis of microorganisms. The two-dimensional blue native/SDS-PAGE was initially reported to analyze membrane protein complexes. In this study, both cytoplasmic and membrane complexes of a bacterium, the strain J99 of the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori, were analyzed by this method. It was possible to identify 34 different proteins grouped in 13 multiprotein complexes, 11 from the cytoplasm and two from the membrane, either previously reported partially or totally in the literature. Besides complexes involved in H. pylori physiology, this method allowed the description of interactions involving known pathogenic factors such as (i) urease with the heat shock protein GroEL or with the putative ketol-acid reductoisomerase IlvC and (ii) the cag pathogenicity island CagA protein with the DNA gyrase GyrA as well as insight on the partners of TsaA, a peroxide reductase/stress-dependent molecular chaperone. The two-dimensional blue native/SDS-PAGE combined with mass spectrometry is a potential tool to study the differences in complexes isolated in various situations and also to study the interactions between bacterial and eucaryotic cell proteins.

Properties of succinyl-coenzyme A:D-citramalate coenzyme A transferase and its role in the autotrophic 3-hydroxypropionate cycle of Chloroflexus aurantiacus

The phototrophic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus uses the 3-hydroxypropionate cycle for autotrophic CO(2) fixation. This cycle starts with acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) and produces glyoxylate. Glyoxylate is an unconventional cell carbon precursor that needs special enzymes for assimilation. Glyoxylate is combined with propionyl-CoA to beta-methylmalyl-CoA, which is converted to citramalate. Cell extracts catalyzed the succinyl-CoA-dependent conversion of citramalate to acetyl-CoA and pyruvate, the central cell carbon precursor. This reaction is due to the combined action of enzymes that were upregulated during autotrophic growth, a coenzyme A transferase with the use of succinyl-CoA as the CoA donor and a lyase cleaving citramalyl-CoA to acetyl-CoA and pyruvate. Genomic analysis identified a gene coding for a putative coenzyme A transferase. The gene was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and shown to code for succinyl-CoA:d-citramalate coenzyme A transferase. This enzyme, which catalyzes the reaction d-citramalate + succinyl-CoA --> d-citramalyl-CoA + succinate, was purified and studied. It belongs to class III of the coenzyme A transferase enzyme family, with an aspartate residue in the active site. The homodimeric enzyme composed of 44-kDa subunits was specific for succinyl-CoA as a CoA donor but also accepted d-malate and itaconate instead of d-citramalate. The CoA transferase gene is part of a cluster of genes which are cotranscribed, including the gene for d-citramalyl-CoA lyase. It is proposed that the CoA transferase and the lyase catalyze the last two steps in the glyoxylate assimilation route.

Sodium ion pumps and hydrogen production in glutamate fermenting anaerobic bacteria

Anaerobic bacteria ferment glutamate via two different pathways to ammonia, carbon dioxide, acetate, butyrate and molecular hydrogen. The coenzyme B12-dependent pathway in Clostridium tetanomorphum via 3-methylaspartate involves pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase and a novel enzyme, a membrane-bound NADH:ferredoxin oxidoreductase. The flavin- and iron-sulfur-containing enzyme probably uses the energy difference between reduced ferredoxin and NADH to generate an electrochemical Na+ gradient, which drives transport processes. The other pathway via 2-hydroxyglutarate in Acidaminococcus fermentans and Fusobacterium nucleatum involves glutaconyl-CoA decarboxylase, which uses the free energy of decarboxylation to generate also an electrochemical Na+ gradient. In the latter two organisms, similar membrane-bound NADH:ferredoxin oxidoreductases have been characterized. We propose that in the hydroxyglutarate pathway these oxidoreductases work in the reverse direction, whereby the reduction of ferredoxin by NADH is driven by the Na+ gradient. The reduced ferredoxin is required for hydrogen production and the activation of radical enzymes. Further examples show that reduced ferredoxin is an agent, whose reducing energy is about 1 ATP 'richer' than that of NADH.

Diversification of catalytic activities and ligand interactions in the protein fold shared by the sugar isomerases, eIF2B, DeoR transcription factors, acyl-CoA transferases and methenyltetrahydrofolate synthetase

Evolution of diverse catalytic and ligand-binding activities in a given protein fold is a widely observed phenomenon in the protein-domain universe. However, the details of this evolutionary process, general principles, if any, and implications for origins of particular catalytic mechanisms are poorly understood in many common protein folds. Taking advantage of the wealth of currently available protein structure and sequence data, we explore these issues in the context of a large assemblage of biochemically diverse protein domains sharing a common origin, namely the sugar isomerases, translation factor eIF2B, ligand-binding domains of the DeoR-family transcription factors, acetyl-CoA transferases and methenyltetrahydrofolate synthetase. We show that in at least three independent instances, including the sugar-binding domains of the DeoR family transcription factors, this domain has been used as small molecule sensor coupled to helix-turn-helix DNA-binding domains. In at least two of these instances the domain functions as a non-catalytic sensor of ligands. We provide evidence that the ancestral version of this fold was a distinct version of the Rosmann-like folds, which probably possessed two distinct ligand-binding areas that were differentially utilized in different descendents. Analyzing the sequences and structures of proteins in this fold we show that there are two principal factors related to the origin of catalytic diversity in this fold. Firstly, specific inserts and extension added to the core domain on multiple occasions in evolution have affected the access to the active site regions, and thereby allowed for different substrates and allosteric regulators. The second major factor appears to be the emergence of considerable diversity of family-specific residues with important biochemical roles. Interestingly, proteins of this fold, which catalyze similar reactions on similar substrates, might possess very distinctive sets of active residues required for substrate binding catalysis. In particular, different sugar isomerases or acyl transferases in this fold might show distinct constellations of active site residues. These findings suggest that whereas ligand-binding, and even generic catalytic ability emerged early in the evolution of the fold, the specific catalytic mechanisms appear to have independently emerged on multiple occasions in the generic precursors of this fold.

Crystallographic trapping of the glutamyl-CoA thioester intermediate of family I CoA transferases

Coenzyme A transferases are involved in a broad range of biochemical processes in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and exhibit a diverse range of substrate specificities. The YdiF protein from Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an acyl-CoA transferase of unknown physiological function, and belongs to a large sequence family of CoA transferases, present in bacteria to humans, which utilize oxoacids as acceptors. In vitro measurements showed that YdiF displays enzymatic activity with short-chain acyl-CoAs. The crystal structures of YdiF and its complex with CoA, the first co-crystal structure for any Family I CoA transferase, have been determined and refined at 1.9 and 2.0 A resolution, respectively. YdiF is organized into tetramers, with each monomer having an open alpha/beta structure characteristic of Family I CoA transferases. Co-crystallization of YdiF with a variety of CoA thioesters in the absence of acceptor carboxylic acid resulted in trapping a covalent gamma-glutamyl-CoA thioester intermediate. The CoA binds within a well defined pocket at the N- and C-terminal domain interface, but makes contact only with the C-terminal domain. The structure of the YdiF complex provides a basis for understanding the different catalytic steps in the reaction of Family I CoA transferases.

The enzymes of oxalate metabolism: unexpected structures and mechanisms

Oxalate degrading enzymes have a number of potential applications, including medical diagnosis and treatments for hyperoxaluria and other oxalate-related diseases, the production of transgenic plants for human consumption, and bioremediation of the environment. This review seeks to provide a brief overview of current knowledge regarding the major classes of enzymes and related proteins that are employed in plants, fungi, and bacteria to convert oxalate into CO(2) and/or formate. Not only do these enzymes employ intriguing chemical strategies for cleaving the chemically unreactive C-C bond in oxalate, but they also offer the prospect of providing new insights into the molecular processes that underpin the evolution of biological catalysts.

Dehydration of (R)-2-hydroxyacyl-CoA to enoyl-CoA in the fermentation of alpha-amino acids by anaerobic bacteria

Several clostridia and fusobacteria ferment alpha-amino acids via (R)-2-hydroxyacyl-CoA, which is dehydrated to enoyl-CoA by syn-elimination. This reaction is of great mechanistic interest, since the beta-hydrogen, to be eliminated as proton, is not activated (pK 40-50). A mechanism has been proposed, in which one high-energy electron acts as cofactor and transiently reduces the electrophilic thiol ester carbonyl to a nucleophilic ketyl radical anion. The 2-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratases are two-component systems composed of an extremely oxygen-sensitive component A, an activator, and component D, the actual dehydratase. Component A, a homodimer with one [4Fe-4S]cluster, transfers an electron to component D, a heterodimer with 1-2 [4Fe-4S]clusters and FMN, concomitant with hydrolysis of two ATP. From component D the electron is further transferred to the substrate, where it facilitates elimination of the hydroxyl group. In the resulting enoxyradical the beta-hydrogen is activated (pK14). After elimination the electron is handed-over to the next incoming substrate without further hydrolysis of ATP. The helix-cluster-helix architecture of component A forms an angle of 105 degrees, which probably opens to 180 degrees upon binding of ATP resembling an archer shooting arrows. Therefore we designated component A as 'Archerase'. Here, we describe 2-hydroxyglutaryl-CoA dehydratase from Acidaminococcus fermentans, Clostridium symbiosum and Fusobacterium nucleatum, 2-phenyllactate dehydratase from Clostridium sporogenes, 2-hydroxyisocaproyl-CoA dehydratase from Clostridium difficile, and lactyl-CoA dehydratase from Clostridium propionicum. A relative of the 2-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratases is benzoyl-CoA reductase from Thauera aromatica. Analogous but unrelated archerases are the iron proteins of nitrogenase and bacterial protochlorophyllide reductase. In anaerobic organisms, which do not oxidize 2-oxo acids, a second energy-driven electron transfer from NADH to ferredoxin, the electron donor of component A, has been established. The transfer is catalysed by a membrane-bound NADH-ferredoxin oxidoreductase driven by an electrochemical Na(+)-gradient. This enzyme is related to the Rnf proteins involved in Rhodobacter capsulatus nitrogen fixation.

Crystal structure of yeast Ypr118w, a methylthioribose-1-phosphate isomerase related to regulatory eIF2B subunits

Ypr118w is a non-essential, low copy number gene product from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It belongs to the PFAM family PF01008, which contains the alpha-, beta-, and delta-subunits of eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF2B, as well as proteins of unknown function from all three kingdoms. Recently, one of those latter proteins from Bacillus subtilis has been characterized as a 5-methylthioribose-1-phosphate isomerase, an enzyme of the methionine salvage pathway. We report here the crystal structure of Ypr118w, which reveals a dimeric protein with two domains and a putative active site cleft. The C-terminal domain resembles ribose-5-phosphate isomerase from Escherichia coli with a similar location of the active site. In vivo, Ypr118w protein is required for yeast cells to grow on methylthioadenosine in the absence of methionine, showing that Ypr118w is involved in the methionine salvage pathway. The crystal structure of Ypr118w reveals for the first time the fold of a PF01008 member and allows a deeper discussion of an enzyme of the methionine salvage pathway, which has in the past attracted interest due to tumor suppression and as a target of aniprotozoal drugs.

A 49 kDa microtubule cross-linking protein from Artemia franciscana is a coenzyme A-transferase

Embryos and larvae of the brine shrimp, Artemia franciscana, were shown previously to possess a protein, now termed p49, which cross-links microtubules in vitro. Molecular characteristics of p49 were described, but the protein's identity and its role in the cell were not determined. Degenerate oligonucleotide primers designed on the basis of peptide sequence obtained by Edman degradation during this study were used to generate p49 cDNAs by RT-PCR and these were cloned and sequenced. Comparison with archived sequences revealed that the deduced amino acid sequence of p49 resembled the Drosophila gene product CG7920, as well as related proteins encoded in the genomes of Anopheles and Caenorhabditis. Similar proteins exist in several bacteria but no evident homologues were found in vertebrates and plants, and only very distant homologues resided in yeast. When evolutionary relationships were compared, p49 and the homologues from Drosophila, Anopheles and Caenorhabditis formed a distinct subcluster within phylogenetic trees. Additionally, the predicted secondary structures of p49, 4-hydroxybutyrate CoA-transferase from Clostridium aminobutyricum and glutaconate CoA-transferase from Acidaminococcus fermentans were similar and the enzymes may possess related catalytic mechanisms. The purified Artemia protein exhibited 4-hydroxybutyrate CoA-transferase activity, thereby establishing p49 as the first crustacean CoA-transferase to be characterized. Probing of Western blots with an antibody against p49 revealed a cross-reactive protein in Drosophila that associated with microtubules, but to a lesser extent than did p49 from Artemia.

Formyl-CoA transferase encloses the CoA binding site at the interface of an interlocked dimer

Formyl-CoA transferase catalyses transfer of CoA from formate to oxalate in the first step of oxalate degradation by Oxalobacter formigenes, a bacterium present in the intestinal flora which is implicated in oxalate catabolism in mammals. Formyl-CoA transferase is a member of a family of CoA-transferases for which no structural information is available. We now report the three-dimensional structure of O.formigenes formyl-CoA transferase, which reveals a novel fold and a very striking assembly of the homodimer. The subunit is composed of a large and a small domain where residues from both the N- and C-termini of the subunit are part of the large domain. The linkers between the domains give the subunit a circular shape with a hole in the middle. The enzyme monomers are tightly interacting and are interlocked. This fold requires drastic rearrangement of approximately 75 residues at the C-terminus for formation of the dimer. The structure of a complex of formyl-CoA transferase with CoA is also reported and sets the scene for a mechanistic understanding of enzymes of this family of CoA-transferases.

Biochemical and evolutionary aspects of anaerobically functioning mitochondria

Mitochondria are usually considered to be the powerhouses of the cell and to be responsible for the aerobic production of ATP. However, many eukaryotic organisms are known to possess anaerobically functioning mitochondria, which differ significantly from classical aerobically functioning mitochondria. Recently, functional and phylogenetic studies on some enzymes involved clearly indicated an unexpected evolutionary relationship between these anaerobically functioning mitochondria and the classical aerobic type. Mitochondria evolved by an endosymbiotic event between an anaerobically functioning archaebacterial host and an aerobic alpha-proteobacterium. However, true anaerobically functioning mitochondria, such as found in parasitic helminths and some lower marine organisms, most likely did not originate directly from the pluripotent ancestral mitochondrion, but arose later in evolution from the aerobic type of mitochondria after these were already adapted to an aerobic way of life by losing their anaerobic capacities. This review will focus on some biochemical and evolutionary aspects of these fermentative mitochondria, with special attention to fumarate reductase, the synthesis of the rhodoquinone involved, and the enzymes involved in acetate production (acetate : succinate CoA-transferase and succinyl CoA-synthetase).