Tracking W-Formate Dehydrogenase Structural Changes During Catalysis and Enzyme Reoxidation.

Metal-dependent formate dehydrogenases (Fdh) catalyze the reversible conversion of CO2 to formate, with unrivalled efficiency and selectivity. However, the key catalytic aspects of these enzymes remain unknown, preventing us from fully benefiting from their capabilities in terms of biotechnological applications. Here, we report a time-resolved characterization by X-ray crystallography of the Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough SeCys/W-Fdh during formate oxidation. The results allowed us to model five different intermediate structures and to chronologically map the changes occurring during enzyme reduction. Formate molecules were assigned for the first time to populate the catalytic pocket of a Fdh. Finally, the redox reversibility of DvFdhAB in crystals was confirmed by reduction and reoxidation structural studies.

Characterization of an Aldehyde Oxidoreductase From the Mesophilic Bacterium Aromatoleum aromaticum EbN1, a Member of a New Subfamily of Tungsten-Containing Enzymes.

The biochemical properties of a new tungsten-containing aldehyde oxidoreductase from the mesophilic betaproteobacterium Aromatoleum aromaticum EbN1 (AOR Aa ) are presented in this study. The enzyme was purified from phenylalanine-grown cells of an overexpressing mutant lacking the gene for an aldehyde dehydrogenase normally involved in anaerobic phenylalanine degradation. AOR Aa catalyzes the oxidation of a broad variety of aldehydes to the respective acids with either viologen dyes or NAD+ as electron acceptors. In contrast to previously known AORs, AOR Aa is a heterohexameric protein consisting of three different subunits, a large subunit containing the W-cofactor and an Fe-S cluster, a small subunit containing four Fe-S clusters, and a medium subunit containing an FAD cofactor. The presence of the expected cofactors have been confirmed by elemental analysis and spectrophotometric methods. AOR Aa has a pH optimum of 8.0, a temperature optimum of 40°C and is completely inactive at 50°C. Compared to archaeal AORs, AOR Aa is remarkably resistant against exposure to air, exhibiting a half-life time of 1 h as purified enzyme and being completely unaffected in cell extracts. Kinetic parameters of AOR Aa have been obtained for the oxidation of one aliphatic and two aromatic aldehydes, resulting in about twofold higher k cat values with benzyl viologen than with NAD+ as electron acceptor. Finally, we obtained evidence that AOR Aa is also catalyzing the reverse reaction, reduction of benzoate to benzaldehyde, albeit at very low rates and under conditions strongly favoring acid reduction, e.g., low pH and using Ti(III) citrate as electron donor of very low redox potential. AOR Aa appears to be a prototype of a new subfamily of bacterial AOR-like tungsten-enzymes, which differ from the previously known archaeal AORs mostly by their multi-subunit composition, their low sensitivity against oxygen, and the ability to use NAD+ as electron acceptor.