The metal centers of particulate methane monooxygenase from Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b.

Particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) is a membrane-bound metalloenzyme that oxidizes methane to methanol in methanotrophic bacteria. The nature of the pMMO active site and the overall metal content are controversial, with spectroscopic and crystallographic data suggesting the presence of a mononuclear copper center, a dinuclear copper center, a trinuclear center, and a diiron center or combinations thereof. Most studies have focused on pMMO from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath). pMMO from a second organism, Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, has been purified and characterized by spectroscopic and crystallographic methods. Purified M. trichosporium OB3b pMMO contains approximately 2 copper ions per 100 kDa protomer. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic parameters indicate that type 2 Cu(II) is present as two distinct species. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data are best fit with oxygen/nitrogen ligands and reveal a Cu-Cu interaction at 2.52 A. Correspondingly, X-ray crystallography of M. trichosporium OB3b pMMO shows a dinuclear copper center, similar to that observed previously in the crystal structure of M. capsulatus (Bath) pMMO. There are, however, significant differences between the pMMO structures from the two organisms. A mononuclear copper center present in M. capsulatus (Bath) pMMO is absent in M. trichosporium OB3b pMMO, whereas a metal center occupied by zinc in the M. capsulatus (Bath) pMMO structure is occupied by copper in M. trichosporium OB3b pMMO. These findings extend previous work on pMMO from M. capsulatus (Bath) and provide new insight into the functional importance of the different metal centers.

The biochemistry of methane oxidation.

Methanotrophic bacteria oxidize methane to methanol in the first step of their metabolic pathway. Two forms of methane monooxygenase (MMO) enzymes catalyze this reaction: soluble MMO (sMMO) and membrane-bound or particulate MMO (pMMO). pMMO is expressed when copper is available, and its active site is believed to contain copper. Whereas sMMO is well characterized, most aspects of pMMO biochemistry remain unknown and somewhat controversial. This review emphasizes advances in the past two to three years related to pMMO and to copper uptake and copper-dependent regulation in methanotrophs. The pMMO metal centers have been characterized spectroscopically, and the first pMMO crystal structure has been determined. Significant effort has been devoted to improving in vitro pMMO activity. Proteins involved in sMMO regulation and additional copper-regulated proteins have been identified, and the Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) genome has been sequenced. Finally, methanobactin (mb), a small copper chelator proposed to facilitate copper uptake, has been characterized.

Characterization of the particulate methane monooxygenase metal centers in multiple redox states by X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

The integral membrane enzyme particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) converts methane, the most inert hydrocarbon, to methanol under ambient conditions. The 2.8-A resolution pMMO crystal structure revealed three metal sites: a mononuclear copper center, a dinuclear copper center, and a nonphysiological mononuclear zinc center. Although not found in the crystal structure, solution samples of pMMO also contain iron. We have used X-ray absorption spectroscopy to analyze the oxidation states and coordination environments of the pMMO metal centers in as-isolated (pMMO(iso)), chemically reduced (pMMO(red)), and chemically oxidized (pMMO(ox)) samples. X-ray absorption near-edge spectra (XANES) indicate that pMMO(iso) contains both Cu(I) and Cu(II) and that the pMMO Cu centers can undergo redox chemistry. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis reveals a Cu-Cu interaction in all redox forms of the enzyme. The Cu-Cu distance increases from 2.51 to 2.65 A upon reduction, concomitant with an increase in the average Cu-O/N bond lengths. Appropriate Cu2 model complexes were used to refine and validate the EXAFS fitting protocols for pMMO(iso). Analysis of Fe EXAFS data combined with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra indicates that Fe, present as Fe(III), is consistent with heme impurities. These findings are complementary to the crystallographic data and provide new insight into the oxidation states and possible electronic structures of the pMMO Cu ions.

The copper chelator methanobactin from Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b binds copper(I).

The oxidation state of copper bound to methanobactin, a small siderophore-like molecule from the methanotroph Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, was investigated. Purified methanobactin loaded with Cu(II) exhibits a weak EPR signal probably due to adventitious Cu(II). The EPR signal intensity increases significantly upon addition of the strong oxidant nitric acid. Features of the X-ray absorption near edge spectrum, including a 1s --> 4p transition at 8985 eV, further indicate the presence of Cu(I). EXAFS data were best fit using a multiple scattering model generated from previously reported crystallographic parameters. These results establish definitively that M. trichosporium OB3b methanobactin binds Cu(I) and suggest that methanobactin itself reduces Cu(II) to Cu(I).

Mechanism of two-electron oxidation of deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate by a platinum(IV) complex.

Many transition metal complexes mediate DNA oxidation in the presence of oxidizing radiation, photosensitizers, or oxidants. The final DNA oxidation products vary depending on the nature of metal complexes and the structure of DNA. Here we propose a mechanism of oxidation of a nucleotide, deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate (dGMP) by trans-d,l-1,2-diaminocyclohexanetetrachloroplatinum (trans-Pt(d,l)(1,2-(NH(2))(2)C(6)H(10))Cl(4), [Pt(IV)Cl(4)(dach)]; dach = diaminocyclohexane) to produce 7,8-dihydro-8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate (8-oxo-dGMP) stoichiometrically. The reaction was studied by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), (1)H and (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The proposed mechanism involves Pt(IV) binding to N7 of dGMP followed by cyclization via nucleophilic attack of a phosphate oxygen at C8 of dGMP. The next step is an inner-sphere, two-electron transfer to produce a cyclic phosphodiester intermediate, 8-hydroxyguanosine cyclic 5',8-(hydrogen phosphate). This intermediate slowly converts to 8-oxo-dGMP by reacting with solvent H(2)O.