A class C radical S-adenosylmethionine methyltransferase synthesizes 8-methylmenaquinone.

The membranous quinone/quinol pool is essential to the majority of life forms and has been widely used as an important biomarker in microbial taxonomy. In the anaerobic world, the most important quinones are menaquinone (MK) and a methylated form of MK, designated methylmenaquinone (MMK), which is anticipated to serve specifically in low-potential electron transport chains involved in anaerobic respiration. However, it has remained unclear how MMK is generated. Here, we show that a novel enzyme homologous to class C radical SAM methyltransferases (RSMTs) synthesizes MMK using MK as substrate. Such enzymes, termed either MenK or MqnK, are present in MMK-producing bacteria (and some archaea) that possess either the classical MK biosynthesis pathway (Men) or the futalosine pathway (Mqn). An mqnK deletion mutant of the model Epsilonproteobacterium Wolinella succinogenes was unable to produce MMK6 but its formation was restored upon genomic complementation using either the native mqnK gene or menK from the human gut bacterium Adlercreutzia equolifaciens or Shewanella oneidensis. Moreover, any of the menK genes enabled Escherichia coli cells to produce MMK8 and a methylated form of 2-demethylmenaquinone8 (DMK8 ). The results expand the knowledge on quinone synthesis and demonstrate an unprecedented function for a class C RSMT-type enzyme in primary cell metabolism.

Biochemical studies of Klebsiella pneumoniae NifL reduction using reconstituted partial anaerobic respiratory chains of Wolinella succinogenes.

In the diazotroph Klebsiella pneumoniae the flavoprotein NifL inhibits the activity of the nif-specific transcriptional activator NifA in response to molecular oxygen and combined nitrogen. Sequestration of reduced NifL to the cytoplasmic membrane under anaerobic and nitrogen-limited conditions impairs inhibition of cytoplasmic NifA by NifL. To analyze whether NifL is reduced by electrons directly derived from the reduced menaquinone pool, we studied NifL reduction using artificial membrane systems containing purified components of the anaerobic respiratory chain of Wolinella succinogenes. In this in vitro assay using proteoliposomes containing purified formate dehydrogenase and purified menaquinone (MK(6)) or 8-methylmenaquinone (MMK(6)) from W. succinogenes, reduction of purified NifL was achieved by formate oxidation. Furthermore, the respective reduction rates, which were determined using equal amounts of NifL, have been shown to be directly dependent on the concentration of both formate dehydrogenase and menaquinones incorporated into the proteoliposomes, demonstrating a direct electron transfer from menaquinone to NifL. When purified hydrogenase and MK(6) from W. succinogenes were inserted into the proteoliposomes, NifL was reduced with nearly the same rate by hydrogen oxidation. In both cases reduced NifL was found to be highly associated to the proteoliposomes, which is in accordance with our previous findings in vivo. On the bases of these experiments, we propose that the redox state of the menaquinone pool is the redox signal for nif regulation in K. pneumoniae by directly transferring electrons onto NifL under anaerobic conditions.

Solution structure of the 30 kDa polysulfide-sulfur transferase homodimer from Wolinella succinogenes.

The periplasmic polysulfide-sulfur transferase (Sud) protein encoded by Wolinella succinogenes is involved in oxidative phosphorylation with polysulfide-sulfur as a terminal electron acceptor. The polysulfide-sulfur is covalently bound to the catalytic Cys residue of the Sud protein and transferred to the active site of the membranous polysulfide reductase. The solution structure of the homodimeric Sud protein has been determined using heteronuclear multidimensional NMR techniques. The structure is based on NOE-derived distance restraints, backbone hydrogen bonds, and torsion angle restraints as well as residual dipolar coupling restraints for a refinement of the relative orientation of the monomer units. The monomer structure consists of a five-stranded parallel beta-sheet enclosing a hydrophobic core, a two-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet, and six alpha-helices. The dimer fold is stabilized by hydrophobic residues and ion pairs found in the contact area between the two monomers. Similar to rhodanese enzymes, Sud catalyzes the transfer of the polysulfide-sulfur to the artificial acceptor cyanide. Despite their similar functions and active sites, the amino acid sequences and structures of these proteins are quite different.

Complete genome sequence and analysis of Wolinella succinogenes.

To understand the origin and emergence of pathogenic bacteria, knowledge of the genetic inventory from their nonpathogenic relatives is a prerequisite. Therefore, the 2.11-megabase genome sequence of Wolinella succinogenes, which is closely related to the pathogenic bacteria Helicobacter pylori and Campylobacter jejuni, was determined. Despite being considered nonpathogenic to its bovine host, W. succinogenes holds an extensive repertoire of genes homologous to known bacterial virulence factors. Many of these genes have been acquired by lateral gene transfer, because part of the virulence plasmid pVir and an N-linked glycosylation gene cluster were found to be syntenic between C. jejuni and genomic islands of W. succinogenes. In contrast to other host-adapted bacteria, W. succinogenes does harbor the highest density of bacterial sensor kinases found in any bacterial genome to date, together with an elaborate signaling circuitry of the GGDEF family of proteins. Because the analysis of the W. succinogenes genome also revealed genes related to soil- and plant-associated bacteria such as the nif genes, W. succinogenes may represent a member of the epsilon proteobacteria with a life cycle outside its host.

Multifrequency cw-EPR investigation of the catalytic molybdenum cofactor of polysulfide reductase from Wolinella succinogenes.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of the molybdenum centre in polysulfide reductase (Psr) from Wolinella succinogenes with unusually high G-tensor values have been observed for the first time. Three different Mo(V) states have been generated (by the addition of the substrate polysulfide and different redox agents) and analysed by their G- and hyperfine tensors using multifrequency (S-, X- and Q-band) cw-EPR spectroscopy. The unusually high G-tensor values are attributed to a large number of sulfur ligands. Four sulfur ligands are assumed to arise from two pterin cofactors; one additional sulfur ligand was identified from mutagenesis studies to be a cysteine residue of the protein backbone. One further sulfur ligand is proposed for two of the Mo(V) states, based on the experimentally observed shift of the g(av) value. This sixth sulfur ligand is postulated to belong to the polysulfide substrate consumed within the catalytic reaction cycle of the enzyme. The influence of the co-protein sulfur transferase on the Mo(V) G-tensor supports this assignment.

PsrR, a member of the AraC family of transcriptional regulators, is required for the synthesis of Wolinella succinogenes polysulfide reductase.

Wolinella succinogenes grows by polysulfide respiration with formate or hydrogen as electron donor. Polysulfide reduction is catalyzed by the membrane-bound polysulfide reductase complex encoded by the psrABC operon. An open reading frame, designated psrR, was found in close proximity upstream of the psr operon, but oriented in the opposite direction. The deduced amino acid sequence of PsrR is similar to those of transcriptional regulators of the AraC family and includes all typical features. Polysulfide reductase is not detectable in a Delta psrR deletion mutant of W. succinogenes. Mutant cells grown with fumarate as terminal electron acceptor did not catalyze polysulfide reduction with formate or hydrogen, in contrast to the wild-type strain. The phenotype of W. succinogenes wild-type cells was restored by genomic complementation of W. succinogenes Delta psrR. The results suggest that the gene product of psrR is involved in the regulation of polysulfide reductase synthesis.

The function of methyl-menaquinone-6 and polysulfide reductase membrane anchor (PsrC) in polysulfide respiration of Wolinella succinogenes.

Wolinella succinogenes grows by oxidative phosphorylation with polysulfide as terminal electron acceptor and either H2 or formate as electron donor (polysulfide respiration). The function of the respiratory chains catalyzing these reactions was investigated. Proteoliposomes containing polysulfide reductase (Psr) and either hydrogenase or formate dehydrogenase isolated from the membrane fraction of Wolinella succinogenes catalyzed polysulfide respiration, provided that methyl-menaquinone-6 isolated from W. succinogenes was also present. The specific activities of electron transport were commensurate with those of the bacterial membrane fraction. Using site-directed mutagenesis, certain residues were substituted in PsrC, the membrane anchor of polysulfide reductase. Replacement of Y23, D76, Y159, D218, E225 or R305 caused nearly full inhibition of polysulfide respiration without affecting the activity of Psr, which was still bound to the membrane. These residues are predicted to be located in hydrophobic helices of PsrC, or next to them. Substitution of 13 other residues of PsrC either caused partial inhibition ofblankpolysulfide respiration or had no effect. The function of methyl-menaquinone-6, which is thought to be bound to PsrC, is discussed.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the membrane-bound cytochrome c nitrite reductase complex (NrfHA) from Wolinella succinogenes.

Crystals of the complex between the enzyme cytochrome c nitrite reductase (NrfA) and the membrane-bound quinol oxidase and electron carrier NrfH were grown by vapour diffusion using ammonium sulfate as a precipitant. In the epsilon-proteobacterium Wolinella succinogenes, NrfA and NrfH form a functional membrane-bound complex which catalyzes the last step in the metabolic pathway of nitrate dissimilation. NrfH represents a prototype of a large family of putative bacterial quinol oxidases, the NapC/NirT family, which have been proposed to serve as electron donors for a variety of reductases. Crystal growth of the NrfHA complex was strongly dependent on the presence of detergent; the crystals grown belonged to space group I422.