Membrane-Associated Methane Monooygenase from Type X and Type I Methanotrophs

Membrane-Associated Methane Monooxygenases from Type X and Type I Methanotrophs A.A. DiSirito and W.E. Antholine Project Number: DE-FG02-00ER15446 Final project report

Membrane-Associated Methane Monooygenase from Type X and Type I Methanotrophs

Membrane-Associated Methane Monooxygenases from Type X and Type I Methanotrophs A.A. DiSirito and W.E. Antholine Project Number: DE-FG02-00ER15446 Final project report

The cupric site in nitrous oxide reductase contains a mixed-valence [Cu(II),Cu(I)] binuclear center: A multifrequency electron paramagnetic resonance investigation

AbstractMultifrequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of the Cu(II) site in nitrous oxide reductase (N2OR) from Pseudomonas stutzeri confirm the assignment of the low field g value at 2.18 consistent with the seven line pattern observed at 9.31 GHz, 10 K. S-band spectra at 20 K are better resolved than the X-band spectra recorded at 10 K. The features observed at 2.4, 3.4, 9.31 and 35 GHz are explained by a mixed-valence [Cu(1.5)..Cu(1.5)] S= 1/2 species with the unpaired electron delocalized between two equivalent Cu nuclei. The resemblance of the N2OR S-band spectra to the spectra for the EPR-detectable Cu of cytochrome c oxidase suggests that the S-band spectrum for cytochrome c oxidase measured below 30 K may also contain hyperfine splittings from two approximately equivalent Cu nuclei

The Membrane-Associated Methane Monooxygenase (pMMO) and pMMO-NADH:Quinone Oxidoreductase Complex from Methylococcus capsulatus Bath

Improvements in purification of membrane-associated methane monooxygenase (pMMO) have resulted in preparations of pMMO with activities more representative of physiological rates: i.e., >130 nmol · min(−1) · mg of protein(−1). Altered culture and assay conditions, optimization of the detergent/protein ratio, and simplification of the purification procedure were responsible for the higher-activity preparations. Changes in the culture conditions focused on the rate of copper addition. To document the physiological events that occur during copper addition, cultures were initiated in medium with cells expressing soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) and then monitored for morphological changes, copper acquisition, fatty acid concentration, and pMMO and sMMO expression as the amended copper concentration was increased from 0 (approximately 0.3 μM) to 95 μM. The results demonstrate that copper not only regulates the metabolic switch between the two methane monooxygenases but also regulates the level of expression of the pMMO and the development of internal membranes. With respect to stabilization of cell-free pMMO activity, the highest cell-free pMMO activity was observed when copper addition exceeded maximal pMMO expression. Optimization of detergent/protein ratios and simplification of the purification procedure also contributed to the higher activity levels in purified pMMO preparations. Finally, the addition of the type 2 NADH:quinone oxidoreductase complex (NADH dehydrogenase [NDH]) from M. capsulatus Bath, along with NADH and duroquinol, to enzyme assays increased the activity of purified preparations. The NDH and NADH were added to maintain a high duroquinol/duroquinone ratio