2 research outputs found
Another Role for CO with Nitrogenase? CO Stimulates Hydrogen Evolution Catalyzed by Variant <i>Azotobacter vinelandii</i> Mo-Nitrogenases
A likely
entry/exit path for nitrogenase substrates, products,
and/or protons involves residues α277<sup>Arg</sup>, α192<sup>Ser</sup>, and α356<sup>Gly</sup>, all of which are highly
conserved among MoFe proteins from different organisms. The α192<sup>Ser</sup> and α277<sup>Arg</sup> residues form part of a hydrogen-bonded
network that also involves α195<sup>His</sup>, which interacts
with a FeMo cofactor-based sulfide. The terminal amino groups of α277<sup>Arg</sup> are also hydrogen-bonded directly to α281<sup>Tyr</sup>, which resides at the surface of the MoFe protein. Individual amino
acid substitutions placed at position α277 or α192 resulted
in a variety of effects on the catalytic and/or spectroscopic properties
of the resulting variant MoFe protein. Of particular interest was
the effect of CO on H<sub>2</sub> evolution catalyzed by three MoFe
protein variants, α277<sup>Cys</sup>, α192<sup>Asp</sup>, and α192<sup>Glu</sup>. All three variants exhibited CO stimulation
of H<sub>2</sub> evolution under high-electron flux conditions but
not under low-electron flux conditions. This observation is best explained
by these variants being redox-compromised but only at the most reduced
redox states of the MoFe protein. Normally, these states are accessed
and operational only under high-electron flux conditions, and the
effect of added CO is to prevent access to these most reduced redox
states, resulting in a normal rate of catalysis. Furthermore, via
correlation of the effect of pH changes on H<sub>2</sub> evolution
activity for both the wild type and the α277<sup>Cys</sup> MoFe
protein variant under argon, with or without 10% CO present, likely
pathways for the delivery of a proton to the FeMo cofactor were identified
Heterologous Production and Purification of a Functional Chloroform Reductive Dehalogenase
Reductive
dehalogenases (RDases) are key enzymes involved in the
respiratory process of anaerobic organohalide respiring bacteria (ORB).
Heterologous expression of respiratory RDases is desirable for structural
and functional studies; however, there are few reports of successful
expression of these enzymes. <i>Dehalobacter</i> sp. strain
UNSWDHB is an ORB, whose preferred electron acceptor is chloroform.
This study describes efforts to express recombinant reductive dehalogenase
(TmrA), derived from UNSW DHB, using the heterologous hosts <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Bacillus megaterium</i>. Here, we report the recombinant expression of soluble and functional
TmrA, using <i>B. megaterium</i> as an expression host under
a xylose-inducible promoter. Successful incorporation of iron–sulfur
clusters and a corrinoid cofactor was demonstrated using UV–vis
spectroscopic analyses. <i>In vitro</i> dehalogenation of
chloroform using purified recombinant TmrA was demonstrated. This
is the first known report of heterologous expression and purification
of a respiratory reductive dehalogenase from an obligate organohalide
respiring bacterium