Search

Ni-Fe clusters are inserted into the large subunit of [NiFe] hydrogenases by maturation proteins such as the Ni chaperone HypA via an unknown mechanism. We determined crystal structures of an immature large subunit HyhL complexed with HypA from Thermococcus kodakarensis Structure analysis revealed that the N-terminal region of HyhL extends outwards and interacts with the Ni-binding domain of HypA. Intriguingly, the C-terminal extension of immature HyhL, which is cleaved in the mature form, adopts a β-strand adjacent to its N-terminal β-strands. The position of the C-terminal extension corresponds to that of the N-terminal extension of a mature large subunit, preventing the access of endopeptidases to the cleavage site of HyhL. These findings suggest that Ni insertion into the active site induces spatial rearrangement of both the N- and C-terminal tails of HyhL, which function as a key checkpoint for the completion of the Ni-Fe cluster assembly., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Chitinase D (designated as Pc-ChiD) was found in a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus chitonophagus (previously described as Thermococcus chitonophagus), that was isolated from media containing only chitin as carbon source. Pc-ChiD displays chitinase activity and is thermostable at temperatures up to 95°C, suggesting its potential for industrial use. Pc-ChiD has a secretion signal peptide and two chitin-binding domains (ChBDs) in the N-terminal domain. However, the C-terminal domain shares no sequence similarity with previously identified saccharide-degrading enzymes and does not contain the DXDXE motif conserved in the glycoside hydrolase (GH) 18 family chitinases. To elucidate its overall structure and reaction mechanism, we determined the first crystal structures of Pc-ChiD, both in the ligand-free form and in complexes with substrates. Structure analyses revealed that the C-terminal domain of Pc-ChiD, Pc-ChiD(ΔBD), consists of a third putative substrate-binding domain, which cannot be predicted from the amino acid sequence, and a catalytic domain structurally similar to that found in not the GH18 family but the GH23 family. Based on the similarity with GH23 family chitinase, the catalytic residues of Pc-ChiD were predicted and confirmed by mutagenesis analyses. Moreover, the specific C-terminal 100 residues of Pc-ChiD are important to fix the putative substrate-binding domain next to the catalytic domain, contributing to the structure stability as well as the long chitin chain binding. Our findings reveal the structure of a unique archaeal chitinase that is distinct from previously known members of the GH23 family.

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) plays a central role in carbon dioxide fixation on our planet. Rubisco from a hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis (Tk-Rubisco) shows approximately twenty times the activity of spinach Rubisco at high temperature, but only one-eighth the activity at ambient temperature. We have tried to improve the activity of Tk-Rubisco at ambient temperature, and have successfully constructed several mutants which showed higher activities than the wild-type enzyme both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we designed new Tk-Rubisco mutants based on its three-dimensional structure and a sequence comparison of thermophilic and mesophilic plant Rubiscos. Four mutations were introduced to generate new mutants based on this strategy, and one of the four mutants, T289D, showed significantly improved activity compared to that of the wild-type enzyme. The crystal structure of the Tk-Rubisco T289D mutant suggested that the increase in activity was due to mechanisms distinct from those involved in the improvement in activity of Tk-Rubisco SP8, a mutant protein previously reported to show the highest activity at ambient temperature. Combining the mutations of T289D and SP8 successfully generated a mutant protein (SP8-T289D) with the highest activity to date both in vitro and in vivo. The improvement was particularly pronounced for the in vivo activity of SP8-T289D when introduced into the mesophilic, photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris, which resulted in a strain with nearly two-fold higher specific growth rates compared to that of a strain harboring the wild-type enzyme at ambient temperature. Proteins 2016; 84:1339-1346. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

A [NiFe] hydrogenase maturation protease HybD from Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1 (TkHybD) is involved in the cleavage of the C-terminal residues of [NiFe] hydrogenase large subunits by Ni recognition. Here, we report the crystal structure of TkHybD at 1.82 Å resolution to better understand this process. TkHybD exhibits an α/β/α sandwich fold with conserved residues responsible for the Ni recognition. Comparisons of TkHybD with homologous proteins also reveal that they share a common overall architecture, suggesting that they have similar catalytic functions. Our results including metal binding site prediction provide insight into the substrate recognition and catalysis mechanism of TkHybD. Proteins 2016; 84:1321-1327. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Coenzyme A (CoA) plays essential roles in a variety of metabolic pathways in all three domains of life. The biosynthesis pathway of CoA is strictly regulated by feedback inhibition. In bacteria and eukaryotes, pantothenate kinase is the target of feedback inhibition by CoA. Recent biochemical studies have identified ketopantoate reductase (KPR), which catalyzes the NAD(P)H-dependent reduction of 2-oxopantoate to pantoate, as a target of the feedback inhibition by CoA in archaea. However, the mechanism for recognition of CoA by KPR is still unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of KPR from Thermococcus kodakarensis in complex with CoA and 2-oxopantoate. CoA occupies the binding site of NAD(P)H, explaining the competitive inhibition by CoA. Our structure reveals a disulfide bond between CoA and Cys84 that indicates an irreversible inhibition upon binding of CoA. The structure also suggests the cooperative binding of CoA and 2-oxopantoate that triggers a conformational closure and seems to facilitate the disulfide bond formation. Our findings provide novel insights into the mechanism that regulates biosynthesis of CoA in archaea., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

AMP phosphorylase (AMPpase), ribose-1,5-bisphosphate (R15P) isomerase, and type III ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) have been proposed to constitute a novel pathway involved in AMP metabolism in the Archaea. Here we performed a biochemical examination of AMPpase and R15P isomerase from Thermococcus kodakarensis. R15P isomerase was specific for the α-anomer of R15P and did not recognize other sugar compounds. We observed that activity was extremely low with the substrate R15P alone but was dramatically activated in the presence of AMP. Using AMP-activated R15P isomerase, we reevaluated the substrate specificity of AMPpase. AMPpase exhibited phosphorylase activity toward CMP and UMP in addition to AMP. The [S]-v plot (plot of velocity versus substrate concentration) of the enzyme toward AMP was sigmoidal, with an increase in activity observed at concentrations higher than approximately 3 mM. The behavior of the two enzymes toward AMP indicates that the pathway is intrinsically designed to prevent excess degradation of intracellular AMP. We further examined the formation of 3-phosphoglycerate from AMP, CMP, and UMP in T. kodakarensis cell extracts. 3-Phosphoglycerate generation was observed from AMP alone, and from CMP or UMP in the presence of dAMP, which also activates R15P isomerase. 3-Phosphoglycerate was not formed when 2-carboxyarabinitol 1,5-bisphosphate, a Rubisco inhibitor, was added. The results strongly suggest that these enzymes are actually involved in the conversion of nucleoside monophosphates to 3-phosphoglycerate in T. kodakarensis.