scholarly journals The inactive MoFe protein (NifB−Kp1) of the nitrogenase from nif B mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Its interaction with FeMo-cofactor and the properties of the active MoFe protein formed

1984 ◽  
Vol 223 (3) ◽  
pp. 783-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
T R Hawkes ◽  
B E Smith
Keyword(s):  
Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽  
Signal Intensity ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Maximum Activity ◽  
Gene Products ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Activation Reaction ◽  
Mofe Protein ◽  
Femo Cofactor ◽  
Iron Molybdenum Cofactor

The inactive MoFe protein (NifB-Kp1) of nitrogenase from nifB mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae may be activated by addition of the iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) extracted from active MoFe protein (Kp1). However, when apparently saturated with FeMoco, our preparations of NifB-Kp1 yielded activated protein, Kp1-asm, with a specific activity that was at best only 40% of that expected. This was not due to degradation of Kp1-asm, NifB-Kp1 or FeMoco during the activation reaction. Nor could activation be enhanced by addition of other nif-gene products or other proteins. Whereas fully active Kp1 contains 2 FeMoco/molecule, apparent saturation of our NifB-Kp1 preparations required the binding of only 0.4-0.65 FeMoco/molecule. By using chromatography Kp1-asm could be largely resolved from NifB-Kp1 that had not been activated. However, we were unable to isolate fully active MoFe protein (i.e. Kp1-asm containing 2 FeMoco/molecule) from solutions of NifB-Kp1 activated with FeMoco. The maximum activity/ng-atom of total Mo obtained for our purified Kp1-asm was approximately half the maximum activity for FeMoco. Since all NifB-Kp1 preparations contained some Mo, we suggest that FeMoco activated only those NifB-Kp1 molecules already containing one atom of (non-FeMoco) Mo, thus forming Kp1-asm with 2 Mo but only 1 FeMoco/molecule. Kp1-asm was identical with normal Kp1 in terms of its Mr, stability, e.p.r. signals, pattern of substrate reductions, CO inhibition and ATP/2e ratio. In addition, for preparations of differing specific activity, there was a constant and identical relationship between the e.p.r. signal intensity (from FeMoco) and the activity of both Kp1 and Kp1-asm. Assuming the above hypothesis on the structure of Kp1-asm, these data demonstrate that the two FeMoco sites in wild-type Kp1 operate independently.

scholarly journals Purification and characterization of the inactive MoFe protein (NifB-Kp1) of the nitrogenase from nifB mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae

1983 ◽  
Vol 209 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
T R Hawkes ◽  
B E Smith
Keyword(s):  
Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽  
Double Mutant ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Equimolar Amount ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Purification And Characterization ◽  
Point Mutant ◽  
Mofe Protein ◽  
Iron Molybdenum Cofactor

The inactive MoFe protein of nitrogenase, NifB-Kp1, from two distinct nifB mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Kp5058 (a nifB point mutant) and UNF1718 (a nifB, nifJ double mutant) has been purified and characterized. NifB-Kp1 can be activated by reaction with the iron-molybdenum cofactor, FeMoco, extracted from active MoFe protein. NifB-Kp1 purified from either source had similar properties and was contaminated with an approximately equimolar amount of protein of mol.wt. 21 000. Like active wild-type Kp1, it was an alpha 2 beta 2 tetramer, but it was far less stable than Kp1, deteriorating rapidly at temperatures above 8 degrees C or on mild oxidation. NifB-Kp1 preparations contained 0.4-0.9 Mo and 9.0 +/- 0.9 Fe atoms . mol-1 and, when activated by FeMoco, had a specific activity of approx. 500 units . mg-1. The Mo in our preparations was not associated with the e.p.r. signal normally observed from FeMoco. All preparations exhibited a weak gav. = 1.95 e.p.r. signal which was probably not associated with activatable protein.

scholarly journals Nitrogenase from nifV mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae contains an altered form of the iron-molybdenum cofactor

1984 ◽  
Vol 217 (1) ◽  
pp. 317-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
T R Hawkes ◽  
P A McLean ◽  
B E Smith
Keyword(s):  
Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Molybdenum Cofactor ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
H2 Evolution ◽  
Mofe Protein ◽  
Fe Protein ◽  
Metal Contents ◽  
Altered Form ◽  
Iron Molybdenum Cofactor

When the iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) was extracted from the MoFe protein of nitrogenase from a nifV mutant of Klebsiella pneumoniae and combined with the FeMoco-deficient MoFe protein from a nifB mutant, the resultant MoFe protein exhibited the NifV phenotype, i.e. in combination with wild-type Fe protein it exhibited poor N2-fixation activity and its H2-evolution activity was inhibited by CO. These data provide strong evidence that FeMoco contains the active site of nitrogenase. The metal contents and e.p.r. properties of FeMoco from wild-type and nifV mutants of K. pneumoniae are very similar.

scholarly journals Nitrogenase from Klebsiella pneumoniae. An e.p.r. signal observed during enzyme turnover under ethylene is associated with the iron-molybdenum cofactor

1983 ◽  
Vol 211 (2) ◽  
pp. 495-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
T R Hawkes ◽  
D J Lowe ◽  
B E Smith
Keyword(s):  
Electron Paramagnetic Resonance ◽  
Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽  
Isotopic Substitution ◽  
Resonance Signal ◽  
Paramagnetic Resonance ◽  
Mofe Protein ◽  
Femo Cofactor ◽  
Enzyme Turnover ◽  
Iron Molybdenum Cofactor ◽  
Electron Paramagnetic

During turnover at 10 degrees C at pH 7.4 in the presence of ethylene, the MoFe protein of Klebsiella pneumoniae nitrogenase (Kp 1) exhibited an electron-paramagnetic-resonance signal with g-values at 2.12, 1.998 and 1.987. 57Fe isotopic substitution demonstrated that this signal arose from the Kp 1 FeMo-cofactor in an S = 1/2 spin state.

scholarly journals Klebsiella pneumoniae nitrogenase MoFe protein: chymotryptic proteolysis affects function by limited cleavage of the β-chain and provides high-specific-activity MoFe protein

1993 ◽  
Vol 291 (1) ◽  
pp. 309-314
Author(s):  
K Fisher ◽  
D J Lower ◽  
R N Pau
Keyword(s):  
Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Gel Filtration ◽  
High Specific Activity ◽  
Visible Spectrum ◽  
Prolonged Treatment ◽  
Beta Chain ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Alpha Chain ◽  
Mofe Protein

Proteinase treatment with chymotrypsin has been used to probe the structure of native Klebsiella pneumoniae nitrogenase MoFe protein (Kp1). Reaction with chymotrypsin did not bleach Kp1, suggesting that it did not destroy the metal centres, and the Mo and Fe contents of Kp1 were unchanged. High ratios of chymotrypsin to Kp1 (1:1 by mass) cleaved the beta-chain of Kp1 to give 44 and 14 kDa polypeptides, which N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis showed to be derived from cleavage at residue beta-Phe124. A mutant MoFe protein, Kp1Met-124, in which beta-Phe124 is replaced by methionine, was not cleaved by chymotrypsin. Under non-denaturing conditions, the ‘nicked’ beta-chain of the wild-type protein remained associated with the alpha-chain. The alpha-chain was not cleaved by the proteinase treatment. Fission of the wild-type beta-chain was accompanied by loss of enzyme activity, loss of intensity of the g = 3.7 e.p.r. signal derived from dithionite-reduced FeMoco and by changes in the visible spectrum. The e.p.r. spectra of potassium ferricyanide-oxidized native and digested Kp1 show differences in the signals between g = 1.6 and 2.0. After prolonged treatment, the final specific activity of Kp1 was about 25 +/- 5% of the initial activity. This corresponded to 25 +/- 5% of the beta-chain which was resistant to proteolytic action. Brief treatment of Kp1 with a lower concentration of chymotrypsin (chymotrypsin/Kp1 ratio = 1:10 by mass, for 10 min) preferentially cleaved high-molecular-mass polypeptides that routinely contaminate preparations of Kp1 prepared by standard procedures. Treatment with chymotrypsin followed by gel filtration to remove the proteinase and cleaved protein fragments can therefore be used to increase significantly the specific activity of Kp1 preparations and remove contaminating activities, such as the ATPase activity of myokinase.

scholarly journals Isolation and characterization of nitrogenase MoFe protein from the mutant strain pHK17 of Klebsiella pneumoniae in which the two bridging cysteine residues of the P-clusters are replaced by the non-coordinating amino acid alanine

1996 ◽  
Vol 318 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faridoon K YOUSAFZAI ◽  
Martin BUCK ◽  
Barry E. SMITH
Keyword(s):  
Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽  
Mutant Strain ◽  
Specific Activity ◽  
Relative Distribution ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Surface Charges ◽  
Ph Profile ◽  
Mofe Protein ◽  
Isolation And Characterization ◽  
Specific Activities

Nitrogenase MoFe protein (Kp1) from the mutant strain pHK17 of Klebsiella pneumoniae has been purified to give three catalytically active fractions. In this mutant, each of the two bridging cysteine ligands to the P-clusters, α-Cys-89 and β-Cys-94, has been replaced by a non-coordinating residue, alanine. SDS/PAGE and earlier native gels showed that the three fractions retained the normal α2β2 tetrameric form of wild-type Kp1; therefore we conclude that in each of the fractions the subunits are folded differently, thus resulting in different surface charges and allowing separation of the fractions on ion-exchange chromatography. Earlier EPR and magnetic CD data had shown that the mutant fractions contain P-clusters, and thus the mutated residues are not as essential for maintaining the integrity of the P-clusters as they appear from the X-ray structure. The specific activity of each of the three fractions was less than that of wild-type Kp1, the most active fraction having only 50% of wild-type activity. No change in substrate specificity or in the relative distribution of electrons to various substrates was found. The relationship between ATP hydrolysis and substrate-reducing activity, the EPR spectra of the S = 3/2 spin state of the iron–molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) and the pH profile of acetylene-reduction activities of the three fractions did not differ significantly from those exhibited by wild-type Kp1. The specific activities of the three mutant fractions and of wild-type Kp1 were linearly proportional to the intensity of the S = 3/2 EPR signal from the FeMoco centres. This implies that those molecules of the three mutant fractions and the wild-type protein that contain EPR-active FeMoco are fully active, i.e. that the Cys to Ala substitution of the P-cluster ligands does not affect the specific activity of the protein. This in turn implies that the P-clusters are not directly associated with the rate-limiting step in enzyme turnover. We conclude that the lower specific activities of the mutant fractions are observed because the fractions are mixtures of species containing a full complement of FeMoco and P-clusters and species lacking some or all of these clusters. On the basis of the Mo contents and EPR spectroscopy of the mutant fractions, we propose that the loss of the P-clusters causes (i) the physical loss or inhibition of binding of some FeMoco; (ii) the EPR and catalytic inactivation of some FeMoco; and/or (iii) the incorporation of a FeMoco-like species into the FeMoco site of the mutant molecules.

The metallo-sulphur centres of the nitrogenase MoFe protein (Kp1) from wild-type and mutant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

1993 ◽  
Vol 51 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 348
Author(s):  
B.E. Smith ◽  
M. Buck ◽  
K.Y. Faridoon ◽  
C.A. Gormal ◽  
B.D. Howes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Mofe Protein ◽  
Mutant Strains

The metallo-sulphur centres of the nitrogenase MoFe protein (Kp1) from wild-type and mutant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

1993 ◽  
Vol 51 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 357
Author(s):  
B.E. Smith ◽  
M. Buck ◽  
K.Y. Faridoon ◽  
C.A. Gormal ◽  
B.D. Howes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Mofe Protein ◽  
Mutant Strains

scholarly journals Molybdenum Nitrogenase Catalyzes the Reduction and Coupling of CO to Form Hydrocarbons

2011 ◽  
Vol 286 (22) ◽  
pp. 19417-19421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Yong Yang ◽  
Dennis R. Dean ◽  
Lance C. Seefeldt
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Partial Pressure ◽  
Small Molecules ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Fischer Tropsch ◽  
Hydrocarbon Production ◽  
Mofe Protein ◽  
Femo Cofactor ◽  
Electron Reduction ◽  
The Relationship

The molybdenum-dependent nitrogenase catalyzes the multi-electron reduction of protons and N2 to yield H2 and 2NH3. It also catalyzes the reduction of a number of non-physiological doubly and triply bonded small molecules (e.g. C2H2, N2O). Carbon monoxide (CO) is not reduced by the wild-type molybdenum nitrogenase but instead inhibits the reduction of all substrates catalyzed by nitrogenase except protons. Here, we report that when the nitrogenase MoFe protein α-Val70 residue is substituted by alanine or glycine, the resulting variant proteins will catalyze the reduction and coupling of CO to form methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), ethylene (C2H4), propene (C3H6), and propane (C3H8). The rates and ratios of hydrocarbon production from CO can be adjusted by changing the flux of electrons through nitrogenase, by substitution of other amino acids located near the FeMo-cofactor, or by changing the partial pressure of CO. Increasing the partial pressure of CO shifted the product ratio in favor of the longer chain alkanes and alkenes. The implications of these findings in understanding the nitrogenase mechanism and the relationship to Fischer-Tropsch production of hydrocarbons from CO are discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document