Mapping the Initial Stages of a Protective Pathway that Enhances Catalytic Turnover by a Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenase.

Oxygenase and peroxygenase enzymes generate intermediates at their active sites which bring about the controlled functionalization of inert C-H bonds in substrates, such as in the enzymatic conversion of methane to methanol. To be viable catalysts, however, these enzymes must also prevent oxidative damage to essential active site residues, which can occur during both coupled and uncoupled turnover. Herein, we use a combination of stopped-flow spectroscopy, targeted mutagenesis, TD-DFT calculations, high-energy resolution fluorescence detection X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to study two transient intermediates that together form a protective pathway built into the active sites of copper-dependent lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs). First, a transient high-valent species is generated at the copper histidine brace active site following treatment of the LPMO with either hydrogen peroxide or peroxyacids in the absence of substrate. This intermediate, which we propose to be a CuII-(histidyl radical), then reacts with a nearby tyrosine residue in an intersystem-crossing reaction to give a ferromagnetically coupled (S = 1) CuII-tyrosyl radical pair, thereby restoring the histidine brace active site to its resting state and allowing it to re-enter the catalytic cycle through reduction. This process gives the enzyme the capacity to minimize damage to the active site histidine residues "on the fly" to increase the total turnover number prior to enzyme deactivation, highlighting how oxidative enzymes are evolved to protect themselves from deleterious side reactions during uncoupled turnover.

Mapping the protonation states of the histidine brace in an AA10 lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase using CW-EPR spectroscopy and DFT calculations.

The active site of the polysaccharide-degrading lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) enzyme features a single copper ion coordinated by a histidine brace. The primary coordination sphere of the copper contains several ligating atoms which are bonded to ionisable protons (e.g. OH2, NH2), the pKas of which are unknown. Using a combination of CW-EPR X-band spectroscopy over a range of pH values and DFT calculations, we show that the active site of a chitin-active AA10 LPMO can exist in three different protonation states (pKa1 = 8.7, pKa2 ∼ 11.5), representing the ionisation of the coordinating groups. The middle pH species (fully formed at pH ∼ 10.5) is proposed to be Cu(II)(His)2(OH)2 (N2O2 coordination) with a decoordinated R-NH3+ group at the amino terminus. This species also sees a rotation of the SOMO equatorial plane from the canonical histidine brace plane, whereby the nominal Cu d(x2 - y2)-orbital has rotated some 45° along the His-Cu(II)-His axis, driven by the elongation and decoordination of the amino group. The highest pH species (>12) is proposed to exist as a Cu(II)-azanide, in which the NH2 of the amino terminus has been deprotonated. The high pH means that this species is unlikely to be biologically relevant in the catalytic cycle of AA10 LPMOs.

Secreted pectin monooxygenases drive plant infection by pathogenic oomycetes.

The oomycete Phytophthora infestans is a damaging crop pathogen and a model organism to study plant-pathogen interactions. We report the discovery of a family of copper-dependent lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) in plant pathogenic oomycetes and its role in plant infection by P. infestans We show that LPMO-encoding genes are up-regulated early during infection and that the secreted enzymes oxidatively cleave the backbone of pectin, a charged polysaccharide in the plant cell wall. The crystal structure of the most abundant of these LPMOs sheds light on its ability to recognize and degrade pectin, and silencing the encoding gene in P. infestans inhibits infection of potato, indicating a role in host penetration. The identification of LPMOs as virulence factors in pathogenic oomycetes opens up opportunities in crop protection and food security.

C-type cytochrome-initiated reduction of bacterial lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases.

The release of glucose from lignocellulosic waste for subsequent fermentation into biofuels holds promise for securing humankind's future energy needs. The discovery of a set of copper-dependent enzymes known as lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) has galvanised new research in this area. LPMOs act by oxidatively introducing chain breaks into cellulose and other polysaccharides, boosting the ability of cellulases to act on the substrate. Although several proteins have been implicated as electron sources in fungal LPMO biochemistry, no equivalent bacterial LPMO electron donors have been previously identified, although the proteins Cbp2D and E from Cellvibrio japonicus have been implicated as potential candidates. Here we analyse a small c-type cytochrome (CjX183) present in Cellvibrio japonicus Cbp2D, and show that it can initiate bacterial CuII/I LPMO reduction and also activate LPMO-catalyzed cellulose-degradation. In the absence of cellulose, CjX183-driven reduction of the LPMO results in less H2O2 production from O2, and correspondingly less oxidative damage to the enzyme than when ascorbate is used as the reducing agent. Significantly, using CjX183 as the activator maintained similar cellulase boosting levels relative to the use of an equivalent amount of ascorbate. Our results therefore add further evidence to the impact that the choice of electron source can have on LPMO action. Furthermore, the study of Cbp2D and other similar proteins may yet reveal new insight into the redox processes governing polysaccharide degradation in bacteria.

Mechanistic basis of substrate-O2 coupling within a chitin-active lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase: An integrated NMR/EPR study.

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) have a unique ability to activate molecular oxygen for subsequent oxidative cleavage of glycosidic bonds. To provide insight into the mode of action of these industrially important enzymes, we have performed an integrated NMR/electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study into the detailed aspects of an AA10 LPMO-substrate interaction. Using NMR spectroscopy, we have elucidated the solution-phase structure of apo-BlLPMO10A from Bacillus licheniformis, along with solution-phase structural characterization of the Cu(I)-LPMO, showing that the presence of the metal has minimal effects on the overall protein structure. We have, moreover, used paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) to characterize Cu(II)-LPMO by NMR spectroscopy. In addition, a multifrequency continuous-wave (CW)-EPR and 15N-HYSCORE spectroscopy study on the uniformly isotope-labeled 63Cu(II)-bound 15N-BlLPMO10A along with its natural abundance isotopologue determined copper spin-Hamiltonian parameters for LPMOs to markedly improved accuracy. The data demonstrate that large changes in the Cu(II) spin-Hamiltonian parameters are induced upon binding of the substrate. These changes arise from a rearrangement of the copper coordination sphere from a five-coordinate distorted square pyramid to one which is four-coordinate near-square planar. There is also a small reduction in metal-ligand covalency and an attendant increase in the d(x2-y2) character/energy of the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO), which we propose from density functional theory (DFT) calculations predisposes the copper active site for the formation of a stable Cu-O2 intermediate. This switch in orbital character upon addition of chitin provides a basis for understanding the coupling of substrate binding with O2 activation in chitin-active AA10 LPMOs.