Campylobacter jejuni, the leading cause of human gastroenteritis, expresses a ferric binding protein ( cFbpA) that in many pathogenic bacteria functions to acquire iron as part of their virulence repertoire. Recombinant cFbpA is isolated with ferric iron bound from Escherichia coli. The crystal structure of cFbpA reveals unprecedented iron coordination by only five protein ligands. The histidine and one tyrosine are derived from the N-terminal domain, whereas the three remaining tyrosine ligands are from the C-terminal domain. Surprisingly, a synergistic anion present in all other characterized ferric transport proteins is not observed in the cFbpA iron-binding site, suggesting a novel role for this protein in iron uptake. Furthermore, cFbpA is shown to bind iron with high affinity similar to Neisserial FbpA and exhibits an unusual preference for ferrous iron ( oxidized subsequently to the ferric form) or ferric iron chelated by oxalate. Sequence and structure analyses reveal that cFbpA is a member of a new class of ferric binding proteins that includes homologs from invasive and intracellular bacteria as well as cyanobacteria. Overall, six classes are defined based on clustering within the tree and by their putative iron coordination. The absence of a synergistic anion in the iron coordination sphere of cFbpA also suggests an alternative model of evolution for FbpA homologs involving an early iron-binding ancestor instead of a requirement for a preexisting anion-binding ancestor.

A lanthanide complex, named CLaNP (caged lanthanide NMR probe) has been developed for the characterisation of proteins by paramagnetic NMR spectroscopy. The probe consists of a lanthanide chelated by a derivative of DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) with two thiol reactive functional groups. The CLaNP molecule is attached to a protein by two engineered, surface-exposed, Cys residues in a bidentate manner. This drastically limits the dynamics of the metal relative to the protein and enables measurements of pseudocontact shifts. NMR spectroscopy experiments on a diamagnetic control and the crystal structure of the probe-protein complex demonstrate that the protein structure is not affected by probe attachment. The probe is able to induce pseudocontact shifts to at least 40 A from the metal and causes residual dipolar couplings due to alignment at a high magnetic field. The molecule exists in several isomeric forms with different paramagnetic tensors; this provides a fast way to obtain long-range distance restraints.

ABSTRACT The fbpABC operon in Neisseria gonorrhoeae encodes an ATP-binding cassette transporter required for iron uptake from the host ferric binding proteins. The gene for the nucleotide-binding domain ( fbpC ) expressed in Escherichia coli has intrinsic ATPase activity (0.5 mmol/min/mg) uncoupled from the iron transport process. The FbpC E164D mutant is found to have a 10-fold reduction in specific activity. FbpC is covalently modified by 8-azido-[γ 32 P]ATP, indicating that FbpC is a functional ATPase that likely combines with FbpB to form a ferric iron transporter.

Ferric binding protein in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (nFbpA) transports iron from outer membrane receptors for host proteins across the periplasm to a permease in an alternative pathway to the use of siderophores in some pathogenic bacteria. Phosphate and nitrilotriacetate, both at pH 8, and vanadate at pH 9 are shown to be synergistic in promoting ferric binding to nFbpA, in contrast to carbonate and sulfate. Interestingly, only phosphate produces the fully closed conformation of nFbpA as defined by native electrophoresis. The role of phosphate was probed by constructing three mutants: Q58E, Q58R, and G140H. The anion and iron binding properties of the Q58E mutant are similar to the wild-type protein, implying that one phosphate oxygen is a hydrogen bond donor and may in part define the specificity of nFbpA for phosphate over sulfate. Phosphate is a weakly synergistic anion in the Q58R and G140H mutants, and these mutants do not form completely closed structures. Ferric binding was investigated by both isothermal titration and differential scanning calorimetry. The apparent affinity of nFbpA for iron in a solution of 30 mM citrate is 1 order of magnitude larger in the presence (K-app = 1.7 x 10(5) M-1) of phosphate than in its absence (K-app = 1.6 x 10(4) M-1) at pH 7. Similar results were obtained at pH 8. This increase in affinity with phosphate as well as the formation of closed structure allows nFbpA to compete for free ferric ions in solution and suggests that ferric binding to nFbpA is regulated by the synergistic phosphate anion at sites of iron uptake.

A copper-nitrosyl intermediate forms during the catalytic cycle of nitrite reductase, the enzyme that mediates the committed step in bacterial denitrification. The crystal structure of a type 2 copper-nitrosyl complex of nitrite reductase reveals an unprecedented side-on binding mode in which the nitrogen and oxygen atoms are nearly equidistant from the copper cofactor. Comparison of this structure with a refined nitrite-bound crystal structure explains how coordination can change between copper-oxygen and copper-nitrogen during catalysis. The side-on copper-nitrosyl in nitrite reductase expands the possibilities for nitric oxide interactions in copper proteins such as superoxide dismutase and prions.

Variants of the copper-containing nitrite reductase (NiR) of Alcaligenes faecalis S6 were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis, by which the C-terminal histidine ligand (His145) of the Cu in the type-1 site was replaced by an alanine or a glycine. The type-1 sites in the NiR variants as isolated, are in the reduced form, but can be oxidized in the presence of external ligands, like (substituted) imidazoles and chloride. The reduction potential of the type-1 site of NiR-H145A reconstituted with imidazole amounts to 505 mV vs NHE (20 degrees C, pH 7, 10 mM imidazole), while for the native type-1 site it amounts to 260 mV. XRD data on crystals of the reduced and oxidized NiR-H145A variant show that in the reduced type-1 site the metal is 3-coordinated, but in the oxidized form takes up a ligand from the solution. With the fourth (exogenous) ligand in place the type-1 site is able to accept electrons at about the same rate as the wt NiR, but it is unable to pass the electron onto the type-2 site, leading to loss of enzymatic activity. It is argued that the uptake of an electron by the mutated type-1 site is accompanied by a loss of the exogenous ligand and a concomitant rise of the redox potential. This rise effectively traps the electron in the type-1 site.

Unlike the heme cd(1)-based nitrite reductase enzymes, the molecular mechanism of copper-containing nitrite reductases remains controversial. A key source of controversy is the productive binding mode of nitrite in the active site. To identify and characterize the molecular determinants associated with nitrite binding, we applied a combinatorial mutagenesis approach to generate a small library of six variants at position 257 in nitrite reductase from Alcaligenes faecalis S-6. The activities of these six variants span nearly two orders of magnitude with one variant, I257V, the only observed natural substitution for Ile257, showing greater activity than the native enzyme. High-resolution (> 1.8 A) nitrite-soaked crystal structures of these variants display different modes of nitrite binding that correlate well with the altered activities. These studies identify for the first time that the highly conserved Ile257 in the native enzyme is a key molecular determinant in directing a catalytically competent mode of nitrite binding in the active site. The O-coordinate bidentate binding mode of nitrite observed in native and mutant forms with high activity supports a catalytic model distinct from the heme cd(1) NiRs. (The atomic coordinates for I257V[NO(2)(-)], I257L[NO(2)(-)], I257A[NO(2)(-)], I257T[NO(2)(-)], I257M[NO(2)(-)] and I257G[NO(2)(-)] AfNiR have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank [PDB identification codes are listed in Table 2].)

The major anaerobically induced outer membrane protein (AniA) from pathogenic Neisseria gonorrhoeae is essential for cell growth under oxygen limiting conditions in the presence of nitrite and is protective against killing by human sera. A phylogenic analysis indicates that AniA is a member of a new class of copper-containing nitrite reductases. Expression of the soluble domain of AniA yields a protein capable of reducing nitrite with specific activity of 160 units/mg, approximately 50 % of that measured for the nitrite reductase from the strong soil denitrifier Alcaligenes faecalis S-6. The crystal structure of the soluble domain of AniA was solved by molecular replacement and sixfold averaging to a resolution of 2.4 Å. The nitrite soaked AniA crystal structure refined to 1.95 Å reveals a bidentate mode of substrate binding to the type II copper. Despite low sequence identity (∼30 %), the core cupredoxin fold of AniA is similar to that found in copper-containing nitrite reductases from soil bacteria. The main structural differences are localized to two attenuated surface loops that map to deletions in the sequence alignment. In soil nitrite reductases, one of these surface loops is positioned near the type I copper site and contributes residues to the docking surface for proteaceous electron donors. In AniA, the attenuation of this loop results in a restructured hydrophobic binding surface that may be required to interact with a lipid anchored azurin. The second attenuated loop is positioned on the opposite side of AniA and may facilitate a more intimate interaction with the lipid membrane. A unique combination of structural effectors surrounding the type I copper site of sAnia contribute to a unusual visible absorption spectra with components observed previously in either green or blue type I copper sites.

High-resolution nitrite soaked oxidized and reduced crystal structures of two active site mutants, D98N and H255N, of nitrite reductase (NIR) from Alcaligenes faecalis S-6 were determined to better than 2.0 A resolution. In the oxidized D98N nitrite-soaked structures, nitrite is coordinated to the type II copper via its oxygen atoms in an asymmetric bidentate manner; however, elevated B-factors and weak electron density indicate that both nitrite and Asn98 are less ordered than in the native enzyme. This disorder likely results from the inability of the N delta 2 atom of Asn98 to form a hydrogen bond with the bound protonated nitrite, indicating that the hydrogen bond between Asp98 and nitrite in the native NIR structure is essential in anchoring nitrite in the active site for catalysis. In the oxidized nitrite soaked H255N crystal structure, nitrite does not displace the ligand water and is instead coordinated in an alternative mode via a single oxygen to the type II copper. His255 is clearly essential in defining the nitrite binding site despite the lack of direct interaction with the substrate in the native enzyme. The resulting pentacoordinate copper site in the H255N structure also serves as a model for a proposed transient intermediate in the catalytic mechanism consisting of a hydroxyl and nitric oxide molecule coordinated to the copper. The formation of an unusual dinuclear type I copper site in the reduced nitrite soaked D98N and H255N crystal structures may represent an evolutionary link between the mononuclear type I copper centers and dinuclear Cu(A) sites.

An electron-spin-echo-detected electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study has been performed for the type 1 copper site of the green nitrite reductase of Alcaligenes faecalis. Accurate g values and principal directions of the g tensor have been obtained. The z principal axis of the g tensor makes an angle of 60 degrees with the direction from copper to the S delta of the axial methionine. The direction of this axis is compared with that of the blue type 1 proteins azurin and M121Q azurin and of the green type 1 protein M121H azurin, and interpreted in terms of the d orbital at copper in the wave function of the unpaired electron. This d orbital is oriented such that the overlap with the lone-pair orbitals of the ligands is maximum. The relation between the absorption spectrum in the visible, the copper-thiolate interaction, and the rhombicity of the EPR spectrum of type 1 proteins is discussed in terms of the trigonal and tetragonal character of the copper sites and the position and strength of the axial ligand.

To probe the active site of copper-containing nitrite reductase (NiR), the carbonyl derivatives of the wildtype enzyme and the Asp98Asn variant were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. CO bound to wild-type NiR exhibits a single absorption band at 2050 cm(-1) (Delta nu = similar to 11 cm(-1)) arising from the C-O stretching mode. This band is not significantly affected by pH change (pH less than or equal to 8.0) or by H/D exchange. Interestingly, CO bound to the Asp98Asn variant exhibits two C-O stretching frequencies, one located at 2060 cm(-1) (A(1)) and the other at 2041 cm(-1) (A(2)). These two bands are both temperature and pH dependent, and the equilibrium constant K-298 (1.01), DeltaH degrees (-14(1) kJ/mol), and DeltaS degrees (-45(4) J/mol) for the A(1) - A(2) equilibrium (pH 7.0) were determined. In addition, H/D exchange results in a similar to2 cm(-1) shift of CO to the red for Az but not Al. On the basis of these results and the X-ray crystal structure of NiR, we conclude that the single band at 2050 cm(-1) observed in wild-type NiR is a single, non-hydrogen-bonded C-O stretching mode. The doublet band observed in the Asp98Asn variant indicates that the bound CO occupies two orientations and suggests that the orientation corresponding to band A? participates in hydrogen bonding. These results indicate a role for Asp98 in controlling the orientation and dynamics of ligand binding to the copper center. Implications concerning previous mechanistic arguments arising from analysis of the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme are discussed.

Two active site residues, Asp-98 and His-255, of copper-containing nitrite reductase (NIR) from Alcaligenes faecalis have been mutated to probe the catalytic mechanism. Three mutations at these two sites (D98N, H255D, and H255N) result in large reductions in activity relative to native NIR, suggesting that both residues are involved intimately in the reaction mechanism. Crystal structures of these mutants have been determined using data collected to better than 1. 9-A resolution. In the native structure, His-255 Nepsilon2 forms a hydrogen bond through a bridging water molecule to the side chain of Asp-98, which also forms a hydrogen bond to a water or nitrite oxygen ligated to the active site copper. In the D98N mutant, reorientation of the Asn-98 side chain results in the loss of the hydrogen bond to the copper ligand water, consistent with a negatively charged Asp-98 directing the binding and protonation of nitrite in the native enzyme. An additional solvent molecule is situated between residues 255 and the bridging water in the H255N and H255D mutants and likely inhibits nitrite binding. The interaction of His-255 with the bridging water appears to be necessary for catalysis and may donate a proton to reaction intermediates in addition to Asp-98.

The X‐ray crystallographic structures of two mutants (K206Q and H207E) of the N‐lobe of human transferrin (hTF/2N) have been determined to high resolution (1.8 and 2.0 Å, respectively). Both mutant proteins bind iron with greater affinity than native hTF/2N. The structures of the K206Q and H207E mutants show interactions (both H‐bonding and electrostatic) that stabilize the interaction of Lys296 in the closed conformation, thereby stabilizing the iron bound forms.

The ferric form of the N-lobe of human serum transferrin (Fe(III)-hTF/2N) has been expressed at high levels in Pichia pastoris. The Fe(III)-hTF/2N was crystallized in the space group P41212, and X-ray crystallography was used to solve the structure of the recombinant protein at 2.5 A resolution. This represents only the second P. pastoris-derived protein structure determined to date, and allows the comparison of the structures of recombinant Fe(III)-hTF/2N expressed in P. pastoris and mammalian cells with serum-derived transferrin. The polypeptide folding pattern is essentially identical in all of the three proteins. Mass spectroscopic analyses of P. pastoris- hTF/2N and proteolytically derived fragments revealed glycosylation of Ser-32 with a single hexose. This represents the first localization of an O-linked glycan in a P. pastoris-derived protein. Because of its distance from the iron-binding site, glycosylation of Ser-32 should not affect the iron-binding properties of hTF/2N expressed in P. pastoris, making this an excellent expression system for the production of hTF/2N.

The N-lobe of human serum transferrin (hTF/2N) has been expressed in baby hamster kidney cells and crystallized in both orthorhombic (P212121) and tetragonal (P41212) space groups. Both crystal forms diffract to high resolution (1.6 and 1.8 A, respectively) and have been solved by molecular replacement. Subsequent refinement resulted in final models for the structure of hTF/2N that had crystallographic R-factors of 18.1 and 19.7% for the two crystal forms, respectively; these models represent the highest-resolution transferrin structures determined to date. The hTF/2N polypeptide has a folding pattern similar to those of other transferrins, including the presence of a deep cleft that contains the metal-binding site. In contrast to other transferrins, both crystal forms of hTF/2N display disorder at the iron-binding site; model building suggests that this disorder consists of alternative conformations of the synergistically bound carbonate anion, the side chain for Arg-124, and several solvent molecules. Subsequent refinement revealed that conformation A has an occupancy of 0.63-0. 65 and corresponds to the structure of the iron-binding site found in other transferrins. The alternative conformation B has an occupancy of 0.35-0.37; in this structure, the carbonate has rotated 30 degrees relative to the iron and the side chain for Arg-124 has moved to accommodate the new carbonate position. Several water molecules appear to stabilize the carbonate anion in the two conformations. These structures are consistent with the protonation of the carbonate and resulting partial removal of the anion from the metal; these events would occur prior to cleft opening and metal release.

We have solved the crystal structure of FRase I, the major NAD(P)H:FMN oxidoreductase of Vibrio fischeri, by the multiple isomorphous replacement method (MIR) at 1.8 A resolution with the conventional R factor of 0.187. The crystal structure of FRase I complexed with its competitive inhibitor, dicoumarol, has also been solved at 2.2 A resolution with the conventional R factor of 0.161. FRase I is a homodimer, having one FMN cofactor per subunit, which is situated at the interface of two subunits. The overall fold can be divided into two domains; 80% of the residues form a rigid core and the remaining, a small flexible domain. The overall core folding is similar to those of an NADPH-dependent flavin reductase of Vibrio harveyi (FRP) and the NADH oxidase of Thermus thermophilus (NOX) in spite of the very low identity in amino acid sequences (10% with FRP and 21% with NOX). 56% of alpha-carbons of FRase I core residues could be superposed onto NOX counterparts with an r.m.s. distance of 1.2 A. The remaining residues have relatively high B-values and may be essential for defining the substrate specificity. Indeed, one of them, Phe124, was found to participate in the binding of dicoumarol through stacking to one of the rings of dicoumarol. Upon binding of dicoumarol, most of the exposed re-face of the FMN cofactor is buried, which is consistent with the ping pong bi bi catalytic mechanism.

The structures of oxidized, reduced, nitrite-soaked oxidized and nitrite-soaked reduced nitrite reductase from Alcaligenes faecalis have been determined at 1.8-2.0 Angstrom resolution using data collected at -160 degrees C. The active site at cryogenic temperature, as at room temperature, contains a tetrahedral type II copper site liganded by three histidines and a water molecule. The solvent site is empty when crystals are reduced with ascorbate. A fully occupied oxygen-coordinate nitrite occupies the solvent site in crystals soaked in nitrite. Ascorbate-reduced crystals soaked in a glycerol-methanol solution and nitrite at -40 degrees C remain colorless at -160 degrees C but turn amber-brown when warmed, suggesting that NO is released. Nitrite is found at one-half occupancy. Five new solvent sites in the oxidized nitrite bound form exhibit defined but different occupancies in the other three forms. These results support a previously proposed mechanism by which nitrite is bound primarily by a single oxygen atom that is protonable, and after reduction and cleavage of that N-O bond, NO is released leaving the oxygen atom bound to the Cu site as hydroxide or water.

The three-dimensional structures of the copper-containing enzymes ascorbate oxidase, ceruloplasmin, and nitrite reductase, comprised of multiple domains with a cupredoxin fold, are consistent with having evolved from a common ancestor. The presence or absence of copper sites has complicated ascertaining the structural and evolutionary relationship among these and related proteins. Simultaneous structural superposition of the enzyme domains and their known cupredoxin relatives shows clearly that there are at least six cupredoxin classes, and that the evolution of the conserved core of these domains is independent of the presence or absence of copper sites. Relationships among the variable loops in these structures show that the two-domain ancestor of the blue oxidases contained a trinuclear-copper interface but could not have functioned in a monomeric state. Comparison of the sequence of the copper-containing, iron-regulating protein. Ferrous transport (Fet3) from yeast to the structurally defined core and loop residues of the cupredoxins suggests specific residues that could be involved in the ferroxidase activity of Fet3.