Tetraheme cytochrome c3 (13 kDa) and flavodoxin (16 kDa), are small electron transfer proteins that have been used to mimic, in vitro, part of the electron-transfer chain that operates between substract electron donors and respiratory electron acceptors partners in Desulfovibrio species (Palma, N., Moura, I., LeGall, J., Van Beeumen, J., Wampler, J., Moura, J. J. G. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 6394-6407). The electron transfer between these two proteins is believed to occur through the formation of a specific complex where electrostatic interaction is the main driving force (Stewart, D., LeGall, J., Moura, I., Moura, J.J.G., Peck, H.D., Xavier, A.V., Weiner, P.K. and Wampler, J.E. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 2444-2450, Stewart, D., LeGall, J., Moura, I., Moura, J.J.G., Peck, H.D., Xavier, A.V., Weiner, P., Wampler, J. (1989) Eur. J. Biochem. 185, 695-700). In order to obtain structural information of the pre-complex, a covalent complex between the two proteins was prepared. A water-soluble carbodiimide [EDC (1-ethyl-3(3 dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride] was used for the cross linking reaction. The reaction was optimized varying a wide number of experimental parameters such as ionic strength, protein and cross linker concentration, and utilization of different cross linkers and reaction time between the crosslinker and proteins.

The crystal structure of desulforedoxin from Desulfovibrio gigas, a new homo-dimeric (2 x 36 amino acids) non-heme iron protein, has been solved by the SIRAS method using the indium-substituted protein as the single derivative. The structure was refined to a crystallographic R-factor of 16.9% at 1.8 A resolution. Native desulforedoxin crystals were grown from either PEG 4K or lithium sulfate, with cell constants a = b = 42.18 A, c = 72.22 A (for crystals grown from PEG 4K), and they belong to space group P3(2)21. The indium-substituted protein crystallized isomorphously under the same conditions. The 2-fold symmetric dimer is firmly hydrogen bonded and folds as an incomplete beta-barrel with the two iron centers placed on opposite poles of the molecule. Each iron atom is coordinated to four cysteinyl residues in a distorted tetrahedral arrangement. Both iron atoms are 16 A apart but connected across the 2-fold axis by 14 covalent bonds along the polypeptide chain plus two hydrogen bonds. Desulforedoxin and rubredoxin share some structural features but show significant differences in terms of metal environment and water structure, which account for the known spectroscopic differences between rubredoxin and desulforedoxin.

The crystal structures of the flavodoxin from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 have been determined and refined for both oxidized and semi-reduced forms to final crystallographic R-factors of 17.9% (0.8-0.205-nm resolution) and 19.4% (0.8-0.215-nm resolution) respectively. Native flavodoxin crystals were grown from ammonium sulfate with cell constants a = b = 9.59 nm, c=3.37nm (oxidized crystals) and they belong to space group P3(2)21. Semireduced crystals showed some changes in cell dimensions: a = b = 9.51 nm, c=3.35 nm. The three-dimensional structures are similar to other known flavodoxins and deviations are found essentially in the isoalloxazine ring environment. Conformational changes are observed between both redox states and a flip of the Gly61-Met62 peptide bond occurs upon one-electron reduction of the FMN group. These changes influence the redox potential of the oxidized/semiquinone couple. Modulation of the redox potentials is known to be related to the association constant of the FMN group to the protein. The flavodoxin from D. desulfuricans now studied has a large span between E2 (oxidized --> semiquinone) and E1 (semiquinone --> hydroquinone) redox potentials, both these values being substantially more positive within known flavodoxins. A comparison of their FMN environment was made in both oxidation states in order to correlate functional and structural differences.

Sulphate-reducing bacteria have a wide variety of periplasmic cytochromes involved in electron transfer from the periplasm to the cytoplasm. HmcA is a high molecular mass cytochrome of 550 amino acid residues that harbours 16 c-type heme groups. We report the crystal structure of HmcA isolated from the periplasm of Desulfovibrio gigas. Crystals were grown. using polyethylene glycol 8K and zinc acetate, and diffracted beyond 2.1 angstrom resolution. A multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion experiment at the iron absorption edge enabled us to obtain good-quality phases for structure solution and model building. DgHmcA has a V-shape architecture, already observed in HmcA isolated from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough. The presence of an oligosaccharide molecule covalently bound to an Asn residue was observed in the electron density maps of DgHmcA and confirmed by mass spectrometry. Three modified monosaccharides appear at the highly hydrophobic vertex, possibly acting as an anchor of the protein to the cytoplasmic membrane. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The crystal structure of the aldehyde oxido-reductase (Mop) from the sulfate reducing anaerobic Gram-negative bacterium Desulfovibrio gigas has been determined at 2.25 A resolution by multiple isomorphous replacement and refined. The protein, a homodimer of 907 amino acid residues subunits, is a member of the xanthine oxidase family. The protein contains a molybdopterin cofactor (Mo-co) and two different [2Fe-2S] centers. It is folded into four domains of which the first two bind the iron sulfur centers and the last two are involved in Mo-co binding. Mo-co is a molybdenum molybdopterin cytosine dinucleotide. Molybdopterin forms a tricyclic system with the pterin bicycle annealed to a pyran ring. The molybdopterin dinucleotide is deeply buried in the protein. The cis-dithiolene group of the pyran ring binds the molybdenum, which is coordinated by three more (oxygen) ligands.

Nitrite reductase from the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 is a multihaem (type c) membrane-bound enzyme that catalyzes the dissimilatory conversion of nitrite to ammonia. Crystals of the oxidized form of this enzyme were obtained using PEG and CaCl(2) as precipitants in the presence of 3--(decylmethylammonium)propane-1-sulfonate and belong to the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 78.94, b = 104.59, c = 143.18 A. A complete data set to 2.30 A resolution was collected using synchrotron radiation at the ESRF. However, the crystals may diffract to beyond 1.7 A and high-resolution data will be collected in the near future.

The gene encoding cytochrome c nitrite reductase (NrfA) from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 27774 was sequenced and the crystal structure of the enzyme was determined to 2.3-A resolution. In comparison with homologous structures, it presents structural differences mainly located at the regions surrounding the putative substrate inlet and product outlet, and includes a well defined second calcium site with octahedral geometry, coordinated to propionates of hemes 3 and 4, and caged by a loop non-existent in the previous structures. The highly negative electrostatic potential in the environment around hemes 3 and 4 suggests that the main role of this calcium ion may not be electrostatic but structural, namely in the stabilization of the conformation of the additional loop that cages it and influences the solvent accessibility of heme 4. The NrfA active site is similar to that of peroxidases with a nearby calcium site at the heme distal side nearly in the same location as occurs in the class II and class III peroxidases. This fact suggests that the calcium ion at the distal side of the active site in the NrfA enzymes may have a similar physiological role to that reported for the peroxidases.

Three multiheme c-type cytochromes--the tetraheme cytochrome c3 (molecular weight [MW] 13,500), a dodecaheme cytochrome c (MW 40,800), and a "split-Soret" cytochrome c (MW 51,540), which is a dimer with 2 hemes per subunit (MW 26,300)--were isolated from the soluble fraction of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (ATCC 27774) grown under nitrate- or sulfate-respiring conditions. Two of them, the dodecaheme and the split-Soret cytochromes, showed no similarities to any of the c-type cytochromes isolated from other sulfate-reducing bacteria, while the tetraheme cytochrome c3 appeared to be analogous to the cytochrome c3 found in other sulfate-reducing bacteria. For all three multiheme c-type cytochromes isolated, the homologous proteins from nitrate- and sulfate-grown cells were indistinguishable in amino acid composition, physical properties, and spectroscopic characteristics. It therefore appears that the same c-type cytochrome components are present when D. desulfuricans ATCC 27774 cells are grown under either condition. This is in contrast to the considerable difference found in Pseudomonas perfectomarina (Liu et al., J. Bacteriol. 154:278-286, 1983), a marine denitrifier, when the cells are grown on nitrate or oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor. In addition, two spectroscopy methods capable of revealing minute structural variations in proteins provided identical information about the tetraheme cytochrome c3 from nitrate-grown and sulfate-grown cells.

The gene encoding the non-heme iron-containing desulfoferrodoxin from Desulfovibrio vulgaris was cloned in two fragments in order to obtain polypeptides corresponding to the N- and C-terminal domains observed in the tertiary structure. These fragments were expressed in Escherichia coli, purified to homogeneity and biochemically and spectroscopically characterized. Both recombinant fragments behaved as independent metal-binding domains. The N-terminal fragment exhibited properties similar to desulforedoxin, as expected by the presence of a Fe(S-Cys)4 metal binding motif. The C-terminal fragment, which accommodates a Fe(Nepsilon-His)3(Ndelta-His)(S-Cys) center, was shown to have properties similar to neelaredoxin, except for the reaction with superoxide. The activities of desulfoferrodoxin and of the expressed C-terminal fragment were tested with superoxide in the presence and absence of cytochrome c. The results are consistent with superoxide reductase activity and a possible explanation for the low superoxide consumption in the superoxide dismutase activity assays is proposed.

Below 30 K, oxidized Desulfovibrio gigas hydrogenase presents an intense electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal centered at g = 2.02, typical of an iron-sulfur center. In addition a rhombic EPR signal, attributed to Ni(III) species, is also observed [LeGall, J., Ljungdahl, P., Moura, I., Peck, H.D., Jr, Xavier, A.V., Moura, J.J.G., Teixeira, M., Huynh, B.H., and DerVartanian, D.V. (1982) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 106, 610-616; and Cammack, R., Patil, D., Aguirre, R., and Hatchikian, E.C., (1982) FEBS Lett. 142, 289-292]. At higher temperatures (77 K) the iron-sulfur EPR signal is broader and all the EPR features of the rhombic nickel signal can easily be observed. We have now obtained additional information concerning the redox properties of these EPR active centers, using an EPR redox titration method in the presence of dye mediators at pH = 8.5. The mid-point potential was determined to be -70 mV for the Fe,S cluster and -220 mV for the Ni center. Intermediate oxidation states were obtained upon partial reduction with either dithionite or hydrogen. Although upon dithionite reduction the centers are reduced in the order of decreasing mid-point reduction potentials, under a hydrogen atmosphere the nickel center reduces preferentially. This suggests a catalytic involvement of the nickel redox center in the binding of hydrogen. Preliminary Mossbauer studies on Desulfovibrio gigas hydrogenase reveal the presence of a paramagnetic 3 Fe center and two 4 Fe centers. The 3 Fe center is responsible for the g = 2.02 EPR signal but the two 4 Fe centers have been so far undetectable by EPR.

A novel iron-sulfur protein was purified from the extract of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (ATCC 27774) to homogeneity as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified protein is a monomer of 57 kDa molecular mass. It contains comparable amounts of iron and inorganic labile sulfur atoms and exhibits an optical spectrum typical of iron-sulfur proteins with maxima at 400, 305, and 280 nm. Mossbauer data of the as-isolated protein show two spectral components, a paramagnetic and a diamagnetic, of equal intensity. Detailed analysis of the paramagnetic component reveals six distinct antiferromagnetically coupled iron sites, providing direct spectroscopic evidence for the presence of a 6Fe cluster in this newly purified protein. One of the iron sites exhibits parameters (delta EQ = 2.67 +/- 0.03 mm/s and delta = 1.09 +/- 0.02 mm/s at 140 K) typical for high spin ferrous ion; the observed large isomer shift indicates an iron environment that is distinct from the tetrahedral sulfur coordination commonly observed for the iron atoms in iron-sulfur clusters and is consistent with a penta- or hexacoordination containing N and/or O ligands. The other five iron sites are most probably high spin ferric. Three of them show parameters characteristic for tetrahedral sulfur coordination. In correlation with the EPR spectrum of the as-purified protein which shows a resonance signal at g = 15.3 and a group of signals between g = 9.8 and 5.4, this 6Fe cluster is assigned to an unusual spin state of 9/2 with zero field splitting parameters D = -1.3 cm-1 and E/D = 0.062. Other EPR signals attributable to minor impurities are also observed at the g = 4.3 and 2.0 regions. The diamagnetic Mossbauer component represents a second iron cluster, which, upon reduction with dithionite, displays an intense S = 1/2 EPR signal with g values at 2.00, 1.83, and 1.31. In addition, an EPR signal of the S = 3/2 type is also observed for the dithionite-reduced protein.

The electron-transfer kinetics between three different mediators and the hexahemic enzyme nitrite reductase isolated from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (ATCC 27774) were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and by chronoamperometry. The mediators, methyl viologen, Desulfovibrio vulgaris (Hildenborough) cytochrome c3 and D. desulfuricans (ATCC 27774) cytochrome c3 differ in structure, redox potential and charge. The reduced form of each mediator exchanged electrons with nitrite reductase. Second-order rate constants, k, were calculated on the basis of the theory for a simple catalytic mechanism and the results, obtained by cyclic voltammetry, were compared with those obtained by chronoamperometry. Values for k are in the range 10(6)-10(8) M-1 s-1 and increase in the direction D. desulfuricans cytochrome c3-->D. vulgaris cytochrome c3-->methyl viologen. An explanation is advanced on the basis of electrostatic interactions and relative orientation between the partners involved. Chronoamperometry (computer controlled) offers advantages over cyclic voltammetry in the determination of homogeneous rate constants (faster, more accurate and better reproducibility). Direct, unmediated electrochemical responses of the hexaheme nitrite reductase were also reported.

A c-type hexaheme nitrite reductase (NiR) isolated from nitrate-grown cells of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (Dd) ATCC 27774 catalyses the six-electron reduction of nitrite to ammonia. Previous electrochemical studies demonstrated that a simple electrocatalytic mechanism can be applied to this system (Moreno, C., Costa, C., Moura, I., LeGall, J., Liu, M. Y., Payne, W. J., Van Dijk, C. and Moura, J. J. G. (1992) Eur.J.Biochem. 212, 79-86). Its substrate specificity, availability and stability under ambient conditions makes this enzymatic system a promising candidate for use in a biosensor device. An electrochemical study of gel-immobilized Dd NiR on a glassy carbon electrode revealed both enzymatic activity and amperometric response to nitrite. In this study it was observed that the catalytic current density is a function of the nitrite concentration in solution and follows a characteristic Michaelis-Menten-type substrate dependence. Such a biosensor device (NiR-electrode) bears the option to be used for analytical determination of nitrite in complex media.

Membrane electrodes (ME) were constructed using gold, glassy carbon and pyrolytic graphite supports and a dialysis membrane, and used to study the electrochemical behavior of small size electron transfer proteins: monohemic cytochrome c(522) from Pseudomonas nautica and cytochrome c(533) as well as rubredoxin from Desulfovibrio vulgaris. Different electrochemical techniques were used including cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SW) and differential pulse voltammetry (DP). A direct electrochemical response was obtained in all cases except with rubredoxin where a facilitator was added to the protein solution entrapped between the membrane and the electrode surface. Formal potentials and heterogeneous charge transfer rate constants were determined from the voltammetric data. The influence of the ionic strength and the pH of the medium on the electrochemical response at the ME were analyzed. The benefits from the use of the ME in protein electrochemistry and its role in modulating the redox behavior are analyzed. A critical comparison is presented with data obtained at non-MEs. Finally, the interactions that must be established between the proteins and the electrode surfaces are discussed, thereby modeling molecular interactions that occur in biological systems. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The di-haem cytochrome c peroxidase of Paracoccus denitrificans is a calcium binding dimer of 37.5 kDa subunits. It is responsible for reduction of H(2)O(2) to H(2)O with oxidation of cytochrome c(550) and is isolated in a fully oxidised state (inactive) in which one haem (centre I) is in a high-spin/low-spin equilibrium and high potential and the other (centre II) is low-spin and low potential. The enzyme undergoes direct electron transfer (without the need for mediators) with a 4,4'-dithiodipyridine-modified gold electrode and the response of both haem groups can be observed. By combination of the cyclic and pulse voltammetric data with the established spectroscopic information, it was demonstrated that entry of one electron to the high potential haem leads (in a mechanism involving strong haem-haem interactions) to a complex change of spin states and redox potentials of both haems in order to attain a "ready state" for binding, reduction and cleavage of the hydrogen peroxide. In the absence of endogenous calcium, haem communication can be completely disconnected and is recovered only when Ca(2+) is added, an essential step for the formation of the peroxidatic site. The intricate electrochemical behaviour of this enzyme was interpreted as a mechanism involving, both reduction and oxidation of the high potential haem, an interfacial electron transfer coupled to a homogenous chemical reaction (EC mechanism). We discuss two different models for the sequence of events leading to the appearance of the active pentacoordinated peroxidatic haem.

Desulfovibrio gigas hydrogenase (EC 1.12.2.1) is a complex enzyme containing one nickel, one 3Fe, and two [Fe4S4] clusters (Teixeira, M., Moura, I., Xavier, A. V., Der Vartanian, D. V., LeGall, J., Peck, H. D., Jr., Huynh, B. H., and Moura, J. J. G. (1983) Eur. J. Biochem. 130, 481-484). This hydrogenase belongs to a class of enzymes that are inactive "as isolated" (the so-called "oxygen-stable hydrogenases") and must go through an activation process in order to express full activity. The state of characterization of the active centers of the enzyme as isolated prompted us to do a detailed analysis of the redox patterns, activation profile, and catalytic redox cycle of the enzyme in the presence of either the natural substrate (H2) or chemical reductants. The effect of natural cofactors, as cytochrome C3, was also studied. Special focus was given to the intermediate redox species generated during the catalytic cycle of the enzyme and to the midpoint redox potentials associated. The available information is discussed in terms of a "working hypothesis" for the mechanism of the [NiFe] hydrogenases from sulfate reducing organisms in the context of activation process and catalytic cycle.

A hypothetical model of the complex formed between the iron-sulfur protein rubredoxin and the tetraheme cytochrome c3 from the sulfate-reducing bacteria Desulfovibrio vulgaris (Hildenborough) has been proposed utilizing computer graphic modeling, computational methods and NMR spectroscopy. The proposed complex appears feasible on the basis of complementary electrostatic interaction and steric factors and is consistent with the data from NMR experiments. In this model, the non-heme iron atom of rubredoxin is in close proximity to heme 1 of cytochrome c3. The complex is stabilized by charge-pair interactions and hydrogen bonds. This complex is compared to the flavodoxin-cytochrome c3 complex previously proposed [Stewart, D. E., LeGall, J., Moura, I., Moura, J. J. G., Peck, H. D. Jr, Xavier, A. V., Weiner, P. K. & Wampler, J. E. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 2444-2450] and new NMR data shows that both proteins interact with the same heme group of the cytochrome as postulated.