Direct observation of intermediates in the SufS cysteine desulfurase reaction reveals functional roles of conserved active-site residues.

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are necessary for the proper functioning of numerous metalloproteins. Fe-S cluster (Isc) and sulfur utilization factor (Suf) pathways are the key biosynthetic routes responsible for generating these Fe-S cluster prosthetic groups in Escherichia coli Although Isc dominates under normal conditions, Suf takes over during periods of iron depletion and oxidative stress. Sulfur acquisition via these systems relies on the ability to remove sulfur from free cysteine using a cysteine desulfurase mechanism. In the Suf pathway, the dimeric SufS protein uses the cofactor pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) to abstract sulfur from free cysteine, resulting in the production of alanine and persulfide. Despite much progress, the stepwise mechanism by which this PLP-dependent enzyme operates remains unclear. Here, using rapid-mixing kinetics in conjunction with X-ray crystallography, we analyzed the pre-steady-state kinetics of this process while assigning early intermediates of the mechanism. We employed H123A and C364A SufS variants to trap Cys-aldimine and Cys-ketimine intermediates of the cysteine desulfurase reaction, enabling direct observations of these intermediates and associated conformational changes of the SufS active site. Of note, we propose that Cys-364 is essential for positioning the Cys-aldimine for Cα deprotonation, His-123 acts to protonate the Ala-enamine intermediate, and Arg-56 facilitates catalysis by hydrogen bonding with the sulfhydryl of Cys-aldimine. Our results, along with previous SufS structural findings, suggest a detailed model of the SufS-catalyzed reaction from Cys binding to C-S bond cleavage and indicate that Arg-56, His-123, and Cys-364 are critical SufS residues in this C-S bond cleavage pathway.

Changes in Protein Dynamics in Escherichia coli SufS Reveal a Possible Conserved Regulatory Mechanism in Type II Cysteine Desulfurase Systems.

In the Suf Fe-S cluster assembly pathway, the activity of the cysteine desulfurase, SufS, is regulated by interactions with the accessory sulfotransferase protein, SufE. SufE has been shown to stimulate SufS activity, likely by inducing conformational changes in the SufS active site that promote the desulfurase step and by acting as an efficient persulfide acceptor in the transpersulfuration step. Previous results point toward an additional level of regulation through a "half-sites" mechanism that affects the stoichiometry and affinity for SufE as the dimeric SufS shifts between desulfurase and transpersulfuration activities. Investigation of the covalent persulfide intermediate of SufS by backbone amide hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry identified two active site peptides (residues 225-236 and 356-366) and two peptides at the dimer interface of SufS (residues 88-100 and 243-255) that exhibit changes in deuterium uptake upon formation of the intermediate. Residues in these peptides are organized to form a conduit between the two active sites upon persulfide formation and include key cross-monomer interactions, suggesting they may play a role in the half-sites regulation. Three evolutionarily conserved residues at the dimer interface (R92, E96, and E250) were investigated by alanine scanning mutagenesis. Two of the substituted enzymes (E96A and E250A SufS) resulted in 6-fold increases in the value of KSufE, confirming a functional role. Re-examination of the dimer interface in reported crystal structures of SufS and the SufS homologue CsdA identified previously unnoticed residue mobility at the dimer interface. The identification of conformational changes at the dimer interface by hydrogen-deuterium exchange confirmed by mutagenesis and structural reports provides a physical mechanism for active site communication in the half-sites regulation of SufS activity. Given the conservation of the interface interactions, this mechanism may be broadly applicable to type II cysteine desulfurase systems.

SufE D74R Substitution Alters Active Site Loop Dynamics To Further Enhance SufE Interaction with the SufS Cysteine Desulfurase.

Many essential metalloproteins require iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster cofactors for their function. In vivo persulfide formation from l-cysteine is a key step in the biogenesis of Fe-S clusters in most organisms. In Escherichia coli, the SufS cysteine desulfurase mobilizes persulfide from l-cysteine via a PLP-dependent ping-pong reaction. SufS requires the SufE partner protein to transfer the persulfide to the SufB Fe-S cluster scaffold. Without SufE, the SufS enzyme fails to efficiently turn over and remains locked in the persulfide-bound state. Coordinated protein-protein interactions mediate sulfur transfer from SufS to SufE. Multiple studies have suggested that SufE must undergo a conformational change to extend its active site Cys loop during sulfur transfer from SufS. To test this putative model, we mutated SufE Asp74 to Arg (D74R) to increase the dynamics of the SufE Cys51 loop. Amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) analysis of SufE D74R revealed an increase in solvent accessibility and dynamics in the loop containing the active site Cys51 used to accept persulfide from SufS. Our results indicate that the mutant protein has a stronger binding affinity for SufS than that of wild-type SufE. In addition, SufE D74R can still enhance SufS desulfurase activity and did not show saturation at higher SufE D74R concentrations, unlike wild-type SufE. These results show that dynamic changes may shift SufE to a sulfur-acceptor state that interacts more strongly with SufS.