Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of a monooxygenase from Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) involved in the biosynthesis of the polyketide actinorhodin

How a cofactor-free protein environment lowers the barrier to O2 reactivity

Molecular oxygen (O₂)-utilizing enzymes are among the most important in biology. The abundance of O₂, its thermodynamic power, and the benign nature of its end products have raised interest in oxidases and oxygenases for biotechnological applications. Although most O₂-dependent enzymes have an absolute requirement for an O₂-activating cofactor, several classes of oxidases and oxygenases accelerate direct reactions between substrate and O₂ using only the protein environment. Nogalamycin monooxygenase (NMO) from Streptomyces nogalater is a cofactor-independent enzyme that catalyzes rate-limiting electron transfer between its substrate and O₂ Here, using enzyme-kinetic, cyclic voltammetry, and mutagenesis methods, we demonstrate that NMO initially activates the substrate, lowering its pK_a by 1.0 unit (ΔG* = 1.4 kcal mol^-1). We found that the one-electron reduction potential, measured for the deprotonated substrate both inside and outside the protein environment, increases by 85 mV inside NMO, corresponding to a ΔΔG ⁰' of 2.0 kcal mol^-1 (0.087 eV) and that the activation barrier, ΔG ^‡, is lowered by 4.8 kcal mol^-1 (0.21 eV). Applying the Marcus model, we observed that this suggests a sizable decrease of 28 kcal mol^-1 (1.4 eV) in the reorganization energy (λ), which constitutes the major portion of the protein environment's effect in lowering the reaction barrier. A similar role for the protein has been proposed in several cofactor-dependent systems and may reflect a broader trend in O₂-utilizing proteins. In summary, NMO's protein environment facilitates direct electron transfer, and NMO accelerates rate-limiting electron transfer by strongly lowering the reorganization energy.

Monooxygenase Substrates Mimic Flavin to Catalyze Cofactorless Oxygenations

Members of the antibiotic biosynthesis monooxygenase family catalyze O2-dependent oxidations and oxygenations in the absence of any metallo- or organic cofactor. How these enzymes surmount the kinetic barrier to reactions between singlet substrates and triplet O2 is unclear, but the reactions have been proposed to occur via a flavin-like mechanism, where the substrate acts in lieu of a flavin cofactor. To test this model, we monitored the uncatalyzed and enzymatic reactions of dithranol, a substrate for the nogalamycin monooxygenase (NMO) from Streptomyces nogalater As with flavin, dithranol oxidation was faster at a higher pH, although the reaction did not appear to be base-catalyzed. Rather, conserved asparagines contributed to suppression of the substrate pKa The same residues were critical for enzymatic catalysis that, consistent with the flavoenzyme model, occurred via an O2-dependent slow step. Evidence for a superoxide/substrate radical pair intermediate came from detection of enzyme-bound superoxide during turnover. Small molecule and enzymatic superoxide traps suppressed formation of the oxygenation product under uncatalyzed conditions, whereas only the small molecule trap had an effect in the presence of NMO. This suggested that NMO both accelerated the formation and directed the recombination of a superoxide/dithranyl radical pair. These catalytic strategies are in some ways flavin-like and stand in contrast to the mechanisms of urate oxidase and (1H)-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinaldine 2,4-dioxygenase, both cofactor-independent enzymes that surmount the barriers to direct substrate/O2 reactivity via markedly different means.

Comparative analysis of zygospore transcripts during early germination in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has a haplontic life cycle, and forms diploid zygotes for reproduction. The zygospore, a sporulating zygote, begins germination in response to light signals, generating haploid progenies and inducing several cell-biological events; e.g., DNA synthesis and meiotic division, successively. Their regulatory mechanisms remain largely unknown, so we focused on the early stages of germination and analyzed the dynamics of gene expression associated with the germination process. The gene expression levels of zygospores at 1 and 6h after light exposure were analyzed by a next-generation sequencing platform, the 454 GS Junior. At 6h, the photosynthesis pathway, including its antenna proteins and two methionine metabolism-related genes (methionine synthase and sulfite reductase), were up-regulated compared to 1h after light exposure. Meanwhile, three uncharacterized genes that contained an antibiotic biosynthesis monooxygenase domain and an HSP20/alpha crystallin family protein were specifically expressed at 1h after light exposure. These gene expressions were also verified by quantitative real-time PCR analysis. These results suggest that the photosynthesis and methionine synthesis pathways, both of which occur in the chloroplast, are activated in zygospores at around 6h after light exposure, and that some polyketides and/or a small heat shock protein may be related to the initiation of zygospore germination.

The crystal structure of Rv0793, a hypothetical monooxygenase from M.␣tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infects millions worldwide. The Structural Genomics Consortium for M. tuberculosis has targeted all genes from this bacterium in hopes of discovering and developing new therapeutic agents. Open reading frame Rv0793 from M. tuberculosis was annotated with an unknown function. The 3-dimensional structure of Rv0793 has been solved to 1.6 A resolution. Its structure is very similar to that of Streptomyces coelicolor ActVA-Orf6, a monooxygenase that participates in tailoring of polyketide antibiotics in the absence of a cofactor. It is also similar to the recently solved structure of YgiN, a quinol monooxygenase from Escherichia coli. In addition, the structure of Rv0793 is similar to several structures of other proteins with unknown function. These latter structures have been determined recently as a result of structural genomic projects for various bacterial species. In M. tuberculosis, Rv0793 and its homologs may represent a class of monooygenases acting as reactive oxygen species scavengers that are essential for evading host defenses. Since the most prevalent mode of attack by the host defense on M. tuberculosis is by reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species, Rv0793 may provide a novel target to combat infection by M. tuberculosis.

Structural and Biochemical Evidence for an Enzymatic Quinone Redox Cycle in Escherichia coli

Naturally synthesized quinones perform a variety of important cellular functions. Escherichia coli produce both ubiquinone and menaquinone, which are involved in electron transport. However, semiquinone intermediates produced during the one-electron reduction of these compounds, as well as through auto-oxidation of the hydroxyquinone product, generate reactive oxygen species that stress the cell. Here, we present the crystal structure of YgiN, a protein of hitherto unknown function. The three-dimensional fold of YgiN is similar to that of ActVA-Orf6 monooxygenase, which acts on hydroxyquinone substrates. YgiN shares a promoter with "modulator of drug activity B," a protein with activity similar to that of mammalian DT-diaphorase capable of reducing mendione. YgiN was able to reoxidize menadiol, the product of the "modulator of drug activity B" (MdaB) enzymatic reaction. We therefore refer to YgiN as quinol monooxygenase. Modulator of drug activity B is reported to be involved in the protection of cells from reactive oxygen species formed during single electron oxidation and reduction reactions. The enzymatic activities, together with the structural characterization of YgiN, lend evidence to the possible existence of a novel quinone redox cycle in E. coli.

The structure of ActVA-Orf6, a novel type of monooxygenase involved in actinorhodin biosynthesis

ActVA-Orf6 monooxygenase from Streptomyces coelicolor that catalyses the oxidation of an aromatic intermediate of the actinorhodin biosynthetic pathway is a member of a class of small monooxygenases that carry out oxygenation without the assistance of any of the prosthetic groups, metal ions or cofactors normally associated with activation of molecular oxygen. The overall structure is a ferredoxin-like fold with a novel dimeric assembly, indicating that the widely represented ferredoxin fold may sustain yet another functionality. The resolution (1.3 A) of the enzyme structure and its complex with substrate and product analogues allows us to visualize the mechanism of binding and activation of the substrate for attack by molecular oxygen, and utilization of two gates for the reaction components including a proton gate and an O(2)/H(2)O gate with a putative protein channel. This is the first crystal structure of an enzyme involved in the tailoring of a type II aromatic polyketide and illustrates some of the enzyme-substrate recognition features that may apply to a range of other enzymes involved in modifying a polyketide core structure.