Structural modeling of SoxF protein from Chlorobium tepidum: An approach to understand the molecular basis of thiosulfate oxidation (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Bacteriology, 2008
From the photosynthetic green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium tepidum (pro synon. Chlorobaculum tepidum), we have purified three factors indispensable for the thiosulfate-dependent reduction of the small, monoheme cytochrome c 554 . These are homologues of sulfur-oxidizing (Sox) system factors found in various thiosulfate-oxidizing bacteria. The first factor is SoxYZ that serves as the acceptor for the reaction intermediates. The second factor is monomeric SoxB that is proposed to catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of sulfate from the SoxYZ-bound oxidized product of thiosulfate. The third factor is the trimeric cytochrome c 551 , composed of the monoheme cytochrome SoxA, the monoheme cytochrome SoxX, and the product of the hypothetical open reading frame CT1020. The last three components were expressed separately in Escherichia coli cells and purified to homogeneity. In the presence of the other two Sox factors, the recombinant SoxA and SoxX showed a low but discernible thiosulfate-dependent cytochrome c 554 reduction activity. The further addition of the recombinant CT1020 protein greatly increased the activity, and the total activity was as high as that of the native SoxAX-CT1020 protein complex. The recombinant CT1020 protein participated in the formation of a tight complex with SoxA and SoxX and will be referred to as SAXB (SoxAX binding protein). Homologues of the SAXB gene are found in many strains, comprising roughly about one-third of the thiosulfate-oxidizing bacteria whose sox gene cluster sequences have been deposited so far and ranging over the Chlorobiaciae, Chromatiaceae, Hydrogenophilaceae, Oceanospirillaceae, etc. Each of the deduced SoxA and SoxX proteins of these bacteria constitute groups that are distinct from those found in bacteria that apparently lack SAXB gene homologues.
Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2011
The sulfur cycle enzyme sulfane dehydrogenase SoxCD is an essential component of the sulfur oxidation (Sox) enzyme system of Paracoccus pantotrophus. SoxCD catalyzes a six electron oxidation reaction within the Sox cycle. SoxCD is a α 2 β 2 heterotetrameric complex of the molybdenum cofactor-containing SoxC protein and the diheme c-type cytochrome SoxD with the heme domains D 1 and D 2 . SoxCD 1 misses the heme-2 domain D 2 and is catalytically as active as SoxCD. The crystal structure of SoxCD 1 was resolved at 1.33 Å. The substrate of SoxCD is the outer (sulfane) sulfur of Cys110-persulfide located at the C-terminal peptide swinging arm of SoxY of the SoxYZ carrier complex. The SoxCD 1 substrate funnel towards the molybdopterin is narrow and partially shielded by side chain residues of SoxD 1 . For access of the sulfane-sulfur of SoxY-Cys110 persulfide we propose that (i) the blockage by SoxD-Arg98 is opened via interaction with the carboxy terminus of SoxY and (ii) the C-terminal peptide VTIGGCGG of SoxY provides interactions with the entrance path such that the cysteine bound persulfide is optimally positioned near the molybdenum atom. The subsequent oxidation reactions of the sulfane-sulfur are initiated by the nucleophilic attack of the persulfide anion on the molybdenum atom which is, in turn, reduced. The close proximity of heme-1 to the molybdopterin allows easy acceptance of the electrons. Since SoxYZ, SoxXA and SoxB are already structurally characterized, with SoxCD 1 the structures of all key enzymes of the Sox cycle are known with atomic resolution.
Biophysical Chemistry, 2006
Microbial redox reactions involving inorganic sulfur compounds, mainly the sulfur anions, are one of the vital reactions responsible for the environmental sulfur balance. These reactions are mediated by phylogenetically diverse prokaryotes, some of which also take part in the extraction of metal ions from their sulfur containing ores. These sulfur oxidizers oxidize inorganic sulfur compounds like sulfide, thiosulfate etc. to produce reductants that are used for carbon dioxide fixation or in respiratory electron transfer chains. The sulfur oxidizing gene cluster (sox) of a-Proteobacteria comprises of at least 15 genes, forming two transcriptional units, viz., soxSR and soxVWXYZABCDEFGH. SoxV is known to be a CcdA homolog involved in the transport of reductants from cytoplasm to periplasm. SoxW and SoxS are periplasmic thioredoxins, which (SoxW) interact with SoxV and thereby help in the redox reactions. We have employed homology modeling to construct the three-dimensional structures of the SoxV, SoxW and SoxS proteins from Rhodovulum sulfidophilum. With the help of docking and molecular dynamics simulations we have identified the amino acid residues of these proteins involved in the interaction. The probable biochemical mechanism of the transport of reductants through the interactions of these proteins has also been investigated. Our study provides a rational basis to interpret the molecular mechanism of the biochemistry of sulfur anion oxidation reactions by these ecologically important organisms.
Microbial redox reactions of inorganic sulfur compounds are one of the important reactions for the recycling of sulfur to maintain the environmental sulfur balance. These reactions are carried out by phylogenetically diverse microorganisms. The sulfur oxidizing gene cluster (sox) of a-proteobacteria, Allochromatium vinosum comprises two divergently transcribed units. The central players of this process are SoxY, SoxZ and SoxL. SoxY is sulfur compound binder which binds to sulfur anions with the help of SoxZ. SoxL is a rhodanese like protein, which then cleaves off the sulfur substrate from the SoxYZ complex to recycle the SoxY and SoxZ. In the present work, homology modeling has been employed to build the three dimensional structures of SoxY, SoxZ and SoxL. With the help of docking simulations the amino acid residues of these proteins involved in the interactions have been identified. The interactions between the SoxY, SoxZ and SoxL proteins are mediated mainly through hydrogen bonding. Strong positive fields created by the SoxZ and SoxL proteins are found to be responsible for the binding and removal of the sulfur anion. The probable biochemical mechanism of sulfur anion oxidation process has been identified.
FEBS Letters, 2009
Organisms using the thiosulfate-oxidizing Sox enzyme system fall into two groups: group 1 forms sulfur globules as intermediates (Allochromatium vinosum), group 2 does not (Paracoccus pantotrophus). While several components of their Sox systems are quite similar, i.e. the proteins SoxXA, SoxYZ and SoxB, they differ by Sox(CD) 2 which is absent in sulfur globule-forming organisms. Still, the respective enzymes are partly exchangeable in vitro: P. pantotrophus Sox enzymes work productively with A. vinosum SoxYZ whereas A. vinosum SoxB does not cooperate with the P. pantotrophus enzymes. Furthermore, A. vinosum SoxL, a rhodanese-like protein encoded immediately downstream of soxXAK, appears to play an important role in recycling SoxYZ as it increases thiosulfate depletion velocity in vitro without increasing the electron yield.
Acta Crystallographica Section F-structural Biology and Crystallization Communications, 2006
The 22 kDa SoxYZ protein complex from the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium limicola f. thiosulfatophilum is a central player in the sulfuroxidizing (Sox) enzyme system of the organism by activating thiosulfate for oxidation by SoxXA and SoxB. It has been proposed that SoxYZ exists as a heterodimer or heterotetramer, but the properties and role of the individual components of the complex thus far remain unknown. Here, the heterologous expression, purification, and the crystallization of stable tetrameric SoxY are reported. Crystals of SoxY diffract to 2.15 Å resolution and belong to space group C222 1 , with unit-cell parameters a = 41.22, b = 120.11, c = 95.30 Å . MIRAS data from Pt 2+ -and Hg 2+ -derivatized SoxY crystals resulted in an interpretable electron-density map at 3 Å resolution after density modification.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2013
During chemolithoautotrophic thiosulfate oxidation, the phylogenetically diverged proteobacteria Paracoccus pantotrophus, Tetrathiobacter kashmirensis, and Thiomicrospira crunogena rendered steady enrichment of 34 S in the end product sulfate, with overall fractionation ranging between ؊4.6‰ and ؉5.8‰. The fractionation kinetics of T. crunogena was essentially similar to that of P. pantotrophus, albeit the former had a slightly higher magnitude and rate of 34 S enrichment. In the case of T. kashmirensis, the only significant departure of its fractionation curve from that of P. pantotrophus was observed during the first 36 h of thiosulfate-dependent growth, in the course of which tetrathionate intermediate formation is completed and sulfate production starts. The almost-identical 34 S enrichment rates observed during the peak sulfate-producing stage of all three processes indicated the potential involvement of identical S-S bond-breaking enzymes. Concurrent proteomic analyses detected the hydrolase SoxB (which is known to cleave terminal sulfone groups from SoxYZ-bound cysteine S-thiosulfonates, as well as cysteine S-sulfonates, in P. pantotrophus) in the actively sulfate-producing cells of all three species. The inducible expression of soxB during tetrathionate oxidation, as well as the second leg of thiosulfate oxidation, by T. kashmirensis is significant because the current Sox pathway does not accommodate tetrathionate as one of its substrates. Notably, however, no other Sox protein except SoxB could be detected upon matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry analysis of all such T. kashmirensis proteins as appeared to be thiosulfate inducible in 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Instead, several other redox proteins were found to be at least 2-fold overexpressed during thiosulfate-or tetrathionate-dependent growth, thereby indicating that there is more to tetrathionate oxidation than SoxB alone.
Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2009
SoxB is an essential component of the bacterial Sox sulfur oxidation pathway. SoxB contains a di-manganese(II) site and is proposed to catalyze the release of sulfate from a protein-bound cysteine S-thiosulfonate. A direct assay for SoxB activity is described. The structure of recombinant Thermus thermophilus SoxB was determined by X-ray crystallography to a resolution of 1.5Å. Structures were also determined for SoxB in complex with the substrate analogue thiosulfate, and in complex with the product sulfate. A mechanistic model for SoxB based on these structures is proposed.
Bioscience Biotechnology and Biochemistry, 2010
In the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobaculum tepidum, three sulfur oxidizing enzyme system (Sox) proteins, SoxAXK, SoxYZ, and SoxB (the core TOMES, thiosulfate oxidizing multi-enzyme system) are essential to in vitro thiosulfate oxidation. We purified monomeric flavoprotein SoxF from this bacterium, which had sulfide dehydrogenase activity. SoxF enhanced the thiosulfate oxidation activity of the purified core TOMES with various cytochromes as electron acceptors to different degrees without any change in the affinity for thiosulfate. The apparent reaction rates with 50 M C. tepidum cytochrome c-554 were slightly higher than with horse-heart cytochrome c, and the addition of 0.5 M SoxF increased the rate by 92%. The rates with 50 M horse-heart cytochrome c and 50 M horse-heart cytochrome c plus 0.5 M cytochrome c-554 were increased by SoxF by 31% and 120% respectively. We conclude that SoxF mediates electron transfer between the components of core TOMES and externally added cytochromes.
Structural basis for the oxidation of thiosulfate by a sulfur cycle enzyme
The EMBO Journal, 2002
Reduced inorganic sulfur compounds are utilized by many bacteria as electron donors to photosynthetic or respiratory electron transport chains. This metabolism is a key component of the biogeochemical sulfur cycle. The SoxAX protein is a heterodimeric c-type cytochrome involved in thiosulfate oxidation. The crystal structures of SoxAX from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodovulum sul®dophilum have been solved at 1.75 A Ê resolution in the oxidized state and at 1.5 A Ê resolution in the dithionite-reduced state, providing the ®rst structural insights into the enzymatic oxidation of thiosulfate. The SoxAX active site contains a haem with unprecedented cysteine persul®de (cysteine sulfane) coordination. This unusual posttranslational modi®cation is also seen in sulfurtransferases such as rhodanese. Intriguingly, this enzyme shares further active site characteristics with SoxAX such as an adjacent conserved arginine residue and a strongly positive electrostatic potential. These similarities have allowed us to suggest a catalytic mechanism for enzymatic thiosulfate oxidation. The atomic coordinates and experimental structure factors have been deposited in the PDB with the accession codes 1H31, 1H32 and 1H33.