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Contrasts between oxygenic and anoxygenic photoreduction of ferredoxin: Incompatibilities with prevailing concepts of photosynthetic electron transport.

An investigation by paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of the photoreduction of ferredoxin, oxygenically by water and anoxygenically by a direct electron donor to photosystem I, led to the unexpected findings that different reductive mechanisms may be involved. Ferredoxin photoreduced by water was not reoxidized in the light under aerobic conditions and, under anaerobic conditions, it was remarkably resistant to reoxidation in the dark. By contrast, ferredoxin photoreduced by a donor to photosystem I was readily reoxidized in the light by air and, under anaerobic conditions, by exposure to darkness. Furthermore, when electron transport linking photosystems I and II was inhibited by a plastoquinone antagonist, ferredoxin was photoreduced by water with no evidence for an accompanying photoreduction of the more electronegative bound iron-sulfur centers in chloroplasts. These findings are at variance with the now prevalent concepts of photosynthetic electron transport.

Journal Article↗

Is the NAD(P)H:flavin oxidoreductase from Escherichia coli a member of the ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase family?. Evidence for the catalytic role of serine 49 residue.

The NAD(P)H:flavin oxidoreductase from Escherichia coli, Fre, is a monomer of 26.1 kDa which catalyzes the reduction of free flavins by NADPH or NADH. The flavin reductase Fre is the prototype of a new class of flavin reductases able to transfer electrons with no prosthetic group. It has been suggested that the flavin reductase could belong to the ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase (FNR) family, on the basis of limited sequence homologies. A sequence, conserved within the ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase family and present in the flavin reductase, is important for recognition of the isoalloxazine ring. Within this sequence, we have mutated serine 49 of the flavin reductase into alanine or threonine. kcat value of the S49A mutant was 35-fold lower than kcat of the wild-type enzyme. Determination of real Kd values for NADPH and lumichrome, a flavin analog, showed that recognition of the flavin is strongly affected by the S49A mutation, whereas affinity for the nicotinamide cofactor is only weakly modified. This suggests that serine 49 is involved in the binding of the isoalloxazine ring. Moreover, the Kd value for 5-deazariboflavin, in which the N-5 position of the isoalloxazine ring has been changed to a carbon atom, is not affected by the serine 49 to alanine mutation. This is consistent with the concept that the N-5 position is the main site for serine 49-flavin interaction. In the ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase family, the equivalent serine residue, which has been shown to be essential for activity, is hydrogen-bonded to the N-5 of the FAD cofactor. Taken together, these data provide the first experimental support to the hypothesis that the flavin reductase Fre may belong to the ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase family.

Alanine↗

Crystal structure of paprika ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase. Implications for the electron transfer pathway.

cDNA of Capsicum annuum Yolo Wonder (paprika) has been prepared from total cellular RNA, and the complete gene encoding paprika ferredoxin-NADP(+) reductase (pFNR) precursor was sequenced and cloned from this cDNA. Fusion to a T7 promoter allowed expression in Escherichia coli. Both native and recombinant pFNR were purified to homogeneity and crystallized. The crystal structure of pFNR has been solved by Patterson search techniques using the structure of spinach ferredoxin-NADP(+) reductase as search model. The structure was refined at 2.5-A resolution to a crystallographic R-factor of 19.8% (R(free) = 26.5%). The overall structure of pFNR is similar to other members of the ferredoxin-NADP(+) reductase family, the major differences concern a long loop (residues 167-177) that forms part of the FAD binding site and some of the variable loops in surface regions. The different orientation of the FAD binding loop leads to a tighter interaction between pFNR and the adenine moiety of FAD. The physiological redox partners [2Fe-2S]-ferredoxin I and NADP(+) were modeled into the native structure of pFNR. The complexes reveal a protein-protein interaction site that is consistent with existing biochemical data and imply possible orientations for the side chain of tyrosine 362, which has to be displaced by the nicotinamide moiety of NADP(+) upon binding. A reasonable electron transfer pathway could be deduced from the modeled structures of the complexes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Phycocyanobilin:ferredoxin oxidoreductase of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Biochemical and spectroscopic.

In cyanobacteria, the biosynthesis of the phycobiliprotein and phytochrome chromophore precursor phycocyanobilin is catalyzed by the ferredoxin-dependent enzyme phycocyanobilin:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PcyA), which mediates an atypical four-electron reduction of biliverdin IXalpha. Here we describe the expression, affinity purification, and biochemical characterization of recombinant PcyA from Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. A monomeric protein with a native M(r) of 30,400 +/- 5,000, recombinant PcyA forms a tight and stable stoichiometric complex with its substrate biliverdin IXalpha. The enzyme exhibits a strong preference for plant type [2Fe-2S] ferredoxins; however, flavodoxin can also serve as an electron donor. HPLC analyses establish that catalysis proceeds via the two electron-reduced intermediate 18(1),18(2)-dihydrobiliverdin, indicating that exovinyl reduction precedes A-ring (endovinyl) reduction. Substrate specificity studies indicate that the arrangement of the A- and D-ring substituents alters the positioning of the bilin substrate within the enzyme, profoundly influencing the course of catalysis. Based on these observations and the apparent lack of a metal or small molecule cofactor, a radical mechanism for biliverdin IXalpha reduction by phycocyanobilin:ferredoxin oxidoreductase is envisaged.

Anabaena↗

Involvement of ferredoxin in desaturation of lipid-bound oleate in chloroplasts.

Intact spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts, pulse-labeled with [(14)C]acetate, desaturate newly formed fatty acids as ester groups of monogalactosyl diacylglycerol in a subsequent chase in the dark. Rupture of pulse-labeled chloroplasts by addition of a detergent solution 3-([3-cholamidopropyl]dimethylammonio)-1-propane sulfonate preserves part of this desaturation activity. Direct addition of different free fatty acids together with appropriate cofactors to detergent-ruptured chloroplasts results in fatty acid labeling of monogalactosyl diacylglycerol. During subsequent incubation these lipid-linked fatty acids are desaturated, i.e. 18:1 to 18:2 and 18:3 and to a small extent also 16:0 to 16:3. The formation of 18:2 was also observed after incorporation of 18:1 into sulfolipid and phosphatidyl choline. Density gradient centrifugation separated a membrane fraction from detergent-ruptured chloroplasts which in the presence of appropriate cofactors incorporated 18:1 and 18:2 into the above-mentioned lipids. In the light, desaturation was dependent on added ferredoxin, whereas in the dark, in addition to ferredoxin NAD(P)H was also required. Preliminary evidence for the involvement of membrane-bound ferredoxin:NADP oxidoreductase (FNR) as a third component of desaturation in the dark was obtained by inhibitor studies including antibodies against FNR. Desaturation of lipid-bound 18:1 and 18:2 resembles stearoyl-ACP desaturation with respect to its requirement of reduced ferredoxin and oxygen.

Journal Article↗

Characterization of a fourth type of 2-keto acid-oxidizing enzyme from a hyperthermophilic archaeon: 2-ketoglutarate ferredoxin oxidoreductase from Thermococcus litoralis.

Thermococcus litoralis is a strictly anaerobic archaeon (archaebacterium) that grows at temperatures up to 98 degrees C by fermenting peptides. It is known to contain three distinct ferredoxin-dependent, 2-keto acid oxidoreductases, which use pyruvate, aromatic 2-keto acids such as indolepyruvate, or branched-chain 2-keto acids such as 2-ketoisovalerate, as their primary substrates. We show here that T. litoralis also contains a fourth member of this family of enzymes, 2-ketoglutarate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (KGOR). In the presence of coenzyme A, KGOR catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of 2-ketoglutarate to succinyl coenzyme A and CO2 and reduces T. litoralis ferredoxin. The enzyme was oxygen sensitive (half-life of approximately 5 min) and was purified under anaerobic conditions. It had an M(r) of approximately 210,000 and appeared to be an octomeric enzyme (alpha2beta2gamma2delta2) with four different subunits with M(r)s of 43,000 (alpha), 29,000 (beta), 23,000 (gamma), and 10,000 (delta). The enzyme contained 0.9 mol of thiamine PPi and at least four [4Fe-4S] clusters per mol of holoenzyme as determined by metal analyses and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Significant amounts of other metals (Cu, Zn, Mo, W, and Ni) were not present (<0.1 mol/mol of holoenzyme). Pure KGOR did not utilize other 2-keto acids, such as pyruvate, indolepyruvate, or 2-ketoisovalerate, as substrates, and the apparent Km values for 2-ketoglutarate, coenzyme A, T. litoralis ferredoxin, and thiamine PPi were approximately 250, 40, 8, and 9 microM, respectively. The enzyme was virtually inactive at 25 degrees C and exhibited optimal activity above 90 degrees C (at pH 8.0) and at pH 8.0 (at 80 degrees C). KGOR was quite thermostable, with a half-life at 80 degrees C (under anaerobic conditions) of about 2 days. An enzyme analogous to KGOR has been previously purified from a mesophilic archaeon, but the molecular properties of T. litoralis KGOR more closely resemble those of the other oxidoreductases from hyperthermophiles. In contrast to these enzymes, however, KGOR appears to have a biosynthetic function rather than a role in energy conservation.

Acyl Coenzyme A↗

The Involvement of Ferredoxin-NADP Reductase in the Photosynthetic Cyclic Electron Transport.

As an inhibitor of ferredoxin-NADP reductase (FNR), heparin strongly inhibited the Fd-mediated photoreduction of NADP in spinach thylakoids at very low concentration (micromole), and also inhibited the delayed light emission induced by Fd/NADP. Under anaerobic conditions, when DCMU was present to block electron transfer from photosystem II, the Fd-mediated cyclic electron transport around photosystem I as indicated by the quenching of 9-aminoacridine can be measured. Heparin could strongly inhibit this cycle, but had no significant effect on the PMS-mediated cyclic electron transport around photosystem I. Heparin did not inhibit the electron transport from phototsystem I to ferredoxin, which was demonstrated by measuring the photoreduction of ferredoxin. The above results indicate that heparin inhibits ferredoxin-mediated cyclic electron transport by inhibiting the activity of FNR, and support the hypothesis of the involvement of FNR in cyclic electron transport.

Journal Article↗

Indolepyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. A new enzyme involved in peptide fermentation.

Pyrococcus furiosus is a strictly anaerobic archaeon that grows optimally at 100 degrees C by a fermentative-type metabolism in which complex peptide mixtures such as yeast extract and Tryptone, and also certain sugars, are oxidized to organic acids, H2 and CO2. Enzymes involved in the utilization of peptides such as proteases, aromatic amino transferases, and glutamate dehydrogenase have been previously purified from this organism. It is shown here that P. furiosus also contains significant cytoplasmic concentrations of a new enzyme termed indolepyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (IOR). This catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of aryl pyruvates, which are generated by the transamination of aromatic amino acids, to the corresponding aryl acetyl-CoA. IOR is a tetramer (alpha 2 beta 2) of two identical subunits (66,000 and 23,000 Da) with a molecular weight of 180,000. The enzyme contains one molecule of thiamine pyrophosphate and four [4Fe-4S]2+,1+ and one [3Fe-4S]0,1+ cluster, as determined by iron analyses and EPR spectroscopy. Significant amounts of other metals such as copper and zinc were not detected. IOR was virtually inactive at 25 degrees C and exhibited optimal activity above 90 degrees C (at pH 8.0) and at pH 8.5-10.5 (at 80 degrees C). The enzyme was sensitive to inactivation by O2, losing 50% of its activity after exposure to air for 20 min at 23 degrees C, and was quite thermostable, with a half-life of activity at 80 degrees C (under anaerobic conditions) of about 80 min. The Km values (in microM) for indolepyruvate, p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate, phenylpyruvate, CoASH, and P. furiosus ferredoxin, the physiological electron carrier, were 250, 110, 90, 17, and 48, respectively. IOR was inhibited by KCN (apparent Ki = 7.5 mM), but not by CO (1 atm). An enzyme analogous to IOR has not been reported previously. Curiously, it has few properties in common with the pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase of P. furiosus, even though the two enzymes catalyze virtually identical reactions. In fact, of known ketoacid oxidoreductases, the catalytic mechanism of IOR appears to be most similar to that of the pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The purification and properties of ferredoxin-NADP(+)-oxidoreductase from roots of Pisum sativum L.

A ferredoxin-NADP(+)-oxidoreductase (FNR) was purified to homogeneity from pea root plastids to a specific activity of 200 nkat.mg protein-1, following acetone precipitation and ferredoxin affinity chromatography. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 36,000 and 33,800 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and molecular exclusion chromatography, respectively. The absorption spectrum of the enzyme suggests it contains flavin as a prosthetic group. The enzyme requires NADPH and did not use NADH as an electron donor. The Km values for NADPH and ferredoxin were calculated to be 28 and 5 microM, respectively. The enzyme exhibited optimal activity at pH 8.0. Although resembling the leaf enzyme in most properties, amino terminal sequencing demonstrates clear differences between the leaf and root proteins and suggests closer homology of the pea root enzyme with the enzyme from spinach roots. A polyclonal antibody against the pea root plastid enzyme was raised by the immunization of rabbits. Judging by immunodiffusion only partial identity was observed between the root plastid and chloroplast FNR. The root plastid FNR enzyme activity was precipitated with increasing concentrations of the antibody, in contrast to the chloroplast enzyme which was not inhibited. The potential usefulness of these antibodies is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Purification and characterization of ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase encoded by Bacillus subtilis yumC.

From Bacillus subtilis cell extracts, ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase (FNR) was purified to homogeneity and found to be the yumC gene product by N-terminal amino acid sequencing. YumC is a approximately 94-kDa homodimeric protein with one molecule of non-covalently bound FAD per subunit. In a diaphorase assay with 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol as electron acceptor, the affinity for NADPH was much higher than that for NADH, with Km values of 0.57 microM vs >200 microM. Kcat values of YumC with NADPH were 22.7 s(-1) and 35.4 s(-1) in diaphorase and in a ferredoxin-dependent NADPH-cytochrome c reduction assay, respectively. The cell extracts contained another diaphorase-active enzyme, the yfkO gene product, but its affinity for ferredoxin was very low. The deduced YumC amino acid sequence has high identity to that of the recently identified Chlorobium tepidum FNR. A genomic database search indicated that there are more than 20 genes encoding proteins that share a high level of amino acid sequence identity with YumC and which have been annotated variously as NADH oxidase, thioredoxin reductase, thioredoxin reductase-like protein, etc. These genes are found notably in gram-positive bacteria, except Clostridia, and less frequently in archaea and proteobacteria. We propose that YumC and C. tepidum FNR constitute a new group of FNR that should be added to the already established plant-type, bacteria-type, and mitochondria-type FNR groups.

Bacillus subtilis↗

Interaction of ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase from Anabaena with its substrates.

The interaction of ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase from the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis with its substrates, NADP+ and ferredoxin, has been studied by difference absorption spectroscopy. Several structural analogs of NADP+ have been shown to form complexes the stabilities of which are strongly dependent on the ionic strength of the medium. In most cases the binding energy of these complexes and their difference absorption spectra are similar to those reported for the spinach enzyme. However, NADP+ perturbs the absorption spectra of the Anabaena and spinach enzymes in a different way. This difference has been shown to be related to the binding of the nicotinamide ring of NADP+ to the enzymes. These results are interpreted as being due to a different nicotinamide binding site in the two reductases. The enthalpic and entropic components of the Gibbs energy of formation of the NADP+ complex have been estimated. An increase in entropy on NADP+ binding seems to be the main source of stability for the complex. A shift of approximately 40 mV in the redox potential of the couple NADP+/NADPH has been observed to occur upon binding of NADP+ to the oxidized enzyme. This allows us to calculate the binding energy between the reductase and NADPH. The ability of the reductase, ferredoxin, and NADP+ to form a ternary complex indicates that the protein carrier binds to the reductase through a different site than that of the pyridine nucleotide.

Binding Sites↗

Identification of arginyl residues involved in the binding of ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase from Anabaena sp. PCC 7119 to its substrates.

Ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase from the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7119 was chemically modified by the alpha-dicarbonyl reagent phenylglyoxal. The studies of the inactivation by this compound, which is specific for arginyl residues, of both the diaphorase and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activities, characteristic of the enzyme, are indicative of the involvement of at least one group of this kind in the binding site of NADP+ and a second one implicated in the interaction with ferredoxin. After specific cleavage of a FNR sample incubated with [7-14C]phenylglyoxal, two major labeled peptides were identified. The peptide which exhibited the higher degree of modification corresponded to residues 208-242. It contained four arginine residues but only two of them were the target of the modification: Arg224 and Arg233. Protection studies with protein substrates and sequence comparison with other reductases allow us to propose that these residues in Anabaena sp. PCC 7119 FNR must be involved in the interaction with the pyridine nucleotide. The second peptide corresponds to residues 75-103 and although it contains three arginine residues, Arg77 is the only one that exhibits the modification. This residue seems to be a key one in the interaction of this reductase with ferredoxin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A lysyl residue at the NADP binding site of ferredoxin-NADP reductase.

Dansyl chloride, at low molar ratio, inactivates ferredoxin-NADP reductase (NADPH:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, EC 1.6.7.1). The complete protection afforded either by NADP or NADPH suggests a direct involvement of the active site. Experiments with [Me-14C] dansyl chloride showed that about 1.5 residues per flavin were dansylated: by differential labelling experiments using NADP, it has been proved that enzyme inactivation is due to dansylation of one residue. The group modified has been identified as the epsilon-amino group of a lysine. The pH-inactivation profile indicates that this essential group has an apparent pKa of 8.7. The dansylated flavoprotein seems to maintain its native conformation; it shows a fluorescent chromophore with a peak at 335 nm. The modified enzyme has lost the capacity to form a complex with NADP, nevertheless it interacts normally with ferredoxin. It is concluded that the loss of catalytic activity which parallels the dansylation of a lysyl residue occurs because this residue is essential for the binding of the pyridine nucleotide substrate. Protection experiments with a series of coenzyme analogs further indicate that this lysyl residue interacts, most likely, with the 2'-phosphate moiety of NADP(H).

Adenosine Monophosphate↗

Effect of serinate ligation at each of the iron sites of the [Fe4S4] cluster of Pyrococcus furiosus ferredoxin on the redox, spectroscopic, and biological properties.

Pyrococcus furiosus ferredoxin (Fd) contains a single [Fe(4)S(4)] cluster coordinated by three cysteine (at positions 11, 17, and 56) and one aspartate ligand (at position 14). In this study, the spectroscopic, redox, and functional consequences of D14C, D14C/C11S, D14S, D14C/C17S, and D14C/C56S mutations have been investigated. The four serine variants each contain a potential cluster coordination sphere of one serine and three cysteine residues, with serine ligation at each of the four Fe sites of the [Fe(4)S(4)] cluster. All five variants were expressed in Escherichia coli, and each contained a [Fe(4)S(4)](2+,+) cluster as shown by UV-visible absorption and resonance Raman studies of the oxidized protein and EPR and variable-temperature magnetic circular dichroism (VTMCD) studies of the as-prepared, dithionite-reduced protein. Changes in both the absorption and resonance Raman spectra are consistent with changing from complete cysteinyl cluster ligation in the D14C variant to three cysteines and one oxygenic ligand in each of the four serine variants. EPR and VTMCD studies show distinctive ground and excited state properties for the paramagnetic [Fe(4)S(4)](+) centers in each of these variant proteins, with the D14C and D14C/C11S variants having homogeneous S = (1)/(2) ground states and the D14S, D14C/C17S, and D14C/C56S variants having mixed-spin, S = (1)/(2) and (3)/(2) ground states. The midpoint potentials (pH 7.0, 23 degrees C) of the D14C/C11S and D14C/C17S variants were unchanged compared to that of the D14C variant (E(m) = -427 mV) within experimental error, but the potentials of D14C/C56S and D14S variants were more negative by 49 and 78 mV, respectively. Since the VTMCD spectra indicate the presence of a valence-delocalized Fe(2. 5+)Fe(2.5+) pair in all five variants, the midpoint potentials are interpreted in terms of Cys11 and Cys17 ligating the nonreducible valence-delocalized pair in D14C. Only the D14S variant exhibited a pH-dependent redox potential over the range of 3.5-10, and this is attributed to protonation of the serinate ligand to the reduced cluster (pK(a) = 4.75). All five variants had similar K(m) and V(m) values in a coupled assay in which Fd was reduced by pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (POR) and oxidized by ferredoxin NADP oxidoreductase (FNOR), both purified from P. furiosus. Hence, the mode of ligation at each Fe atom in the [Fe(4)S(4)] cluster appears to have little effect on the interaction and the electron transfer between Fd and FNOR.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Refined X-ray structures of the oxidized, at 1.3 A, and reduced, at 1.17 A, [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin from the cyanobacterium Anabaena PCC7119 show redox-linked conformational changes.

The chemical sequence of the [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin from the cyanobacterium AnabaenaPCC7119 (Fd7119) and its high-resolution X-ray structures in the oxidized and reduced states have been determined. The Fd7119 sequence is identical to that of the ferredoxin from the PCC7120 strain (Fd7120). X-ray diffraction data were collected at 100 K with an oxidized trigonal Fd7119 crystal, at 1.3 A resolution, and with an orthorhombic crystal, previously reduced with dithionite and flash frozen under anaerobic conditions, at 1.17 A resolution. The two molecular models were determined by molecular replacement with the [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin from the strain PCC7120 (Rypniewski, W. R., Breiter, D. R., Benning, M. M., Wesenberg, G., Oh, B.-H., Markley, J. L., Rayment, I., and Holden, H. M. (1991) Biochemistry 30, 4126-4131.) The final R-factors are 0. 140 (for the reduced crystal) and 0.138 (for the oxidized crystal). The [2Fe-2S] cluster appears as a significantly distorted lozenge in the reduced and oxidized redox states. The major conformational difference between the two redox forms concerns the peptide bond linking Cys46 and Ser47 which points its carbonyl oxygen away from the [2Fe-2S] cluster ("CO out") in the reduced molecule and toward it ("CO in") in the oxidized one. The "CO out" conformation could be the signature of the reduction of the iron atom Fe1, which is close to the molecular surface. Superposition of the three crystallographically independent molecules shows that the putative recognition site with the physiological partner (FNR) involves charged, hydrophobic residues and invariant water molecules.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

An approach based on quantum chemistry calculations and structural analysis of a [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin that reveal a redox-linked switch in the electron-transfer process to the Fd-NADP+ reductase.

[2Fe-2S] ferredoxins act as electron carriers in photosynthesis by mediating the transfer of electrons from photosystem I to various enzymes such as ferredoxin:NADP(+):reductase (FNR). We have analyzed by density functional theory the possible variations of the electronic properties of the [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin, from the cyanobacterium Anabaena, depending on the redox-linked structural changes observed by X-ray diffraction at atomic resolution (Morales, R.; et al. Biochemistry 1999, 38, 15764-15773). The present results point out a specific and concerted role of Ser47, Phe65, and Glu94 located at the molecule surface, close to the iron-sulfur cluster. These residues were already known to be crucial for efficient electron transfer to FNR (e.g., Hurley, J. K.; et al. Biochemistry 1997, 36, 11100-11117). Our calculations suggest that the Glu94 carboxylate negative charge regulates the electron charge delocalization between the Ser47 CO group and the Phe65 aromatic ring, depending on the redox state. The Glu94 carboxylate is stabilized by a strong hydrogen bond implicating a hydroxyl-containing side chain (i.e., Ser or Thr) at location 47. We propose that the Phe65 ring acts as an intermediary carrier receiving the reducing electron prior to its transfer from the reduced Fd to FNR, in view of its central role in the Fd-FNR interaction.

Anabaena↗

Chlorophyll a formation in the chlorophyll b reductase reaction requires reduced ferredoxin.

The reduction of chlorophyllide b and its analogue zinc pheophorbide b in etioplasts of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was investigated in detail. In intact etioplasts, the reduction proceeds to chlorophyllide a and zinc pheophorbide a or, if incubated together with phytyldiphosphate, to chlorophyll a and zinc pheophytin a, respectively. In lysed etioplasts supplied with NADPH, the reduction stops at the intermediate step of 7(1)-OH-chlorophyll(ide) and Zn-7(1)-OH-pheophorbide or Zn-7(1)-OH-pheophytin. However, the final reduction is achieved when reduced ferredoxin is added to the lysed etioplasts, suggesting that ferredoxin is the natural cofactor for reduction of chlorophyll b to chlorophyll a. The reduction to chlorophyll a requires ATP in intact etioplasts but not in lysed etioplasts when reduced ferredoxin is supplied. The role of ATP and the significance of two cofactors for the two steps of reduction are discussed.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and ferredoxin-NADP(H) reductase contribute to damage repair during the soxRS response of Escherichia coli.

The NADP(H)-dependent enzymes glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and ferredoxin(flavodoxin)-NADP(H) reductase (FPR), encoded by the zwf and fpr genes, respectively, are committed members of the soxRS regulatory system involved in superoxide resistance in Escherichia coli. Exposure of E. coli cells to the superoxide propagator methyl viologen (MV) led to rapid accumulation of G6PDH, while FPR was induced after a lag period of several minutes. Bacteria expressing G6PDH from a multicopy plasmid accumulated higher NADPH levels and displayed a protracted soxRS response, whereas FPR build-up had the opposite effects. Inactivation of either of the two genes resulted in enhanced sensitivity to MV killing, while further increases in the cellular content of FPR led to higher survival rates under oxidative conditions. In contrast, G6PDH accumulation over wild-type levels of expression failed to increase MV tolerance. G6PDH and FPR could act concertedly to deliver reducing equivalents from carbohydrates, via NADP(+), to the FPR acceptors ferredoxin and/or flavodoxin. To evaluate whether this electron-transport system could mediate reductive repair reactions, the pathway was reconstituted in vitro from purified components; the reconstituted system was found to be functional in reactivation of oxidatively damaged iron-sulfur clusters of hydro-lyases such as aconitase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydratase. Recovery of these activities after oxidative challenge was faster and more extensive in transformed bacteria overexpressing FPR than in wild-type cells, indicating that the reductase could sustain hydro-lyase repair in vivo. However, FPR-deficient mutants were still able to fix iron-sulfur clusters at significant rates, suggesting that back-up routes for ferredoxin and/or flavodoxin reduction might be called into action to rescue inactivated enzymes when FPR is absent.

Aconitate Hydratase↗