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The periplasmic nitrate reductase from Paracoccus denitrificans is a soluble two-subunit enzyme which binds two hemes (c-type), a [4Fe-4S] center, and a bis molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide cofactor (bis-MGD). A catalytic cycle for this enzyme is presented based on a study of these redox centers using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies. The Mo(V) EPR signal of resting NAP (High g [resting]) has g(av) = 1.9898 is rhombic, exhibits low anisotropy, and is split by two weakly interacting protons which are not solvent-exchangeable. Addition of exogenous ligands to this resting state (e.g., nitrate, nitrite, azide) did not change the form of the signal. A distinct form of the High g Mo(V) signal, which has slightly lower anisotropy and higher rhombicity, was trapped during turnover of nitrate and may represent a catalytically relevant Mo(V) intermediate (High g [nitrate]). Mo K-edge EXAFS analysis was undertaken on the ferricyanide oxidized enzyme, a reduced sample frozen within 10 min of dithionite addition, and a nitrate-reoxidized form of the enzyme. The oxidized enzyme was fitted best as a di-oxo Mo(VI) species with 5 sulfur ligands (4 at 2. 43 A and 1 at 2.82 A), and the reduced form was fitted best as a mono-oxo Mo(IV) species with 3 sulfur ligands at 2.35 A. The addition of nitrate to the reduced enzyme resulted in reoxidation to a di-oxo Mo(VI) species similar to the resting enzyme. Prolonged incubation of NAP with dithionite in the absence of nitrate (i.e., nonturnover conditions) resulted in the formation of a species with a Mo(V) EPR signal that is quite distinct from the High g family and which has a g(av) = 1.973 (Low g [unsplit]). This signal resembles those of the mono-MGD xanthine oxidase family and is proposed to arise from an inactive form of the nitrate reductase in which the Mo(V) form is only coordinated by the dithiolene of one MGD. In samples of NAP that had been reduced with dithionite, treated with azide or cyanide, and then reoxidized with ferricyanide, two Mo(V) signals were detected with g(av) elevated compared to the High g signals. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that azide and cyanide displayed competitive and noncompetitive inhibition, respectively. EXAFS analysis of azide-treated samples show improvement to the fit when two nitrogens are included in the molybdenum coordination sphere at 2.52 A, suggesting that azide binds directly to Mo(IV). Based on these spectroscopic and kinetic data, models for Mo coordination during turnover have been proposed.

During selenate respiration by Thauera selenatis, the reduction of selenate results in the formation of intracellular selenium (Se) deposits that are ultimately secreted as Se nanospheres of approximately 150 nm in diameter. We report that the Se nanospheres are associated with a protein of approximately 95 kDa. Subsequent experiments to investigate the expression and secretion profile of this protein have demonstrated that it is up-regulated and secreted in response to increasing selenite concentrations. The protein was purified from Se nanospheres, and peptide fragments from a tryptic digest were used to identify the gene in the draft T. selenatis genome. A matched open reading frame was located, encoding a protein with a calculated mass of 94.5 kDa. N-terminal sequence analysis of the mature protein revealed no cleavable signal peptide, suggesting that the protein is exported directly from the cytoplasm. The protein has been called Se factor A (SefA), and homologues of known function have not been reported previously. The sefA gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant His-tagged SefA purified. In vivo experiments demonstrate that SefA forms larger (approximately 300 nm) Se nanospheres in E. coli when treated with selenite, and these are retained within the cell. In vitro assays demonstrate that the formation of Se nanospheres upon the reduction of selenite by glutathione are stabilized by the presence of SefA. The role of SefA in selenium nanosphere assembly has potential for exploitation in bionanomaterial fabrication.nanoparticles | biomineralization | anaerobic respiration

Many species of Bacteria and Archaea respire nitrate using a molybdenum-dependent membrane-bound respiratory system called Nar. Classically, the 'Bacterial' Nar system is oriented such that nitrate reduction takes place on the inside of this membrane. However, the active site subunit of the 'Archaeal' Nar systems has a twin arginine ('RR') motif, which is a suggestion of translocation to the outside of the cytoplasmic membrane. These 'Archaeal' type of nitrate reductases are part of a group of molybdoenzymes with an 'RR' motif that are predicted to have an aspartate ligand to the molybdenum ion. This group includes selenate reductases and possible sequence signatures are described that serve to distinguish the Nar nitrate reductases from the selenate reductases. The 'RR' sequences of nitrate reductases of Archaea and some that have recently emerged in Bacteria are also considered and it is concluded that there is good evidence for there being both Archaeal and Bacterial examples of Nar-type nitrate reductases with an active site on the outside of the cytoplasmic membrane. Finally, the bioenergetic consequences of nitrate reduction on the outside of the cytoplasmic membrane have been explored.

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BackgroundSelenite (SeO32−) oxyanion shows severe toxicity to biota. Different bacterial strains exist that are capable of reducing SeO32− to non-toxic elemental selenium (Se0), with the formation of Se nanoparticles (SeNPs). These SeNPs might be exploited for technological applications due to their physico-chemical and biological characteristics. The present paper discusses the reduction of selenite to SeNPs by a strain of Bacillus sp., SeITE01, isolated from the rhizosphere of the Se-hyperaccumulator legume Astragalus bisulcatus.ResultsUse of 16S rRNA and GyrB gene sequence analysis positioned SeITE01 phylogenetically close to B. mycoides. On agarized medium, this strain showed rhizoid growth whilst, in liquid cultures, it was capable of reducing 0.5 and 2.0 mM SeO32− within 12 and 24 hours, respectively. The resultant Se0 aggregated to form nanoparticles and the amount of Se0 measured was equivalent to the amount of selenium originally added as selenite to the growth medium. A delay of more than 24 hours was observed between the depletion of SeO32 and the detection of SeNPs. Nearly spherical-shaped SeNPs were mostly found in the extracellular environment whilst rarely in the cytoplasmic compartment. Size of SeNPs ranged from 50 to 400 nm in diameter, with dimensions greatly influenced by the incubation times. Different SeITE01 protein fractions were assayed for SeO32− reductase capability, revealing that enzymatic activity was mainly associated with the membrane fraction. Reduction of SeO32− was also detected in the supernatant of bacterial cultures upon NADH addition.ConclusionsThe selenite reducing bacterial strain SeITE01 was attributed to the species Bacillus mycoides on the basis of phenotypic and molecular traits. Under aerobic conditions, the formation of SeNPs were observed both extracellularly or intracellullarly. Possible mechanisms of Se0 precipitation and SeNPs assembly are suggested. SeO32− is proposed to be enzimatically reduced to Se0 through redox reactions by proteins released from bacterial cells. Sulfhydryl groups on peptides excreted outside the cells may also react directly with selenite. Furthermore, membrane reductases and the intracellular synthesis of low molecular weight thiols such as bacillithiols may also play a role in SeO32− reduction. Formation of SeNPs seems to be the result of an Ostwald ripening mechanism.

The Escherichia coli NapA (periplasmic nitrate reductase) contains a [4Fe-4S] cluster and a Mo-bis-molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide cofactor. The NapA holoenzyme associates with a di-heme c-type cytochrome redox partner (NapB). These proteins have been purified and studied by spectropotentiometry, and the structure of NapA has been determined. In contrast to the well characterized heterodimeric NapAB systems of ␣-proteobacteria, such as Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Paracoccus pantotrophus, the ␥-proteobacterial E. coli NapA and NapB proteins purify independently and not as a tight heterodimeric complex. This relatively weak interaction is reflected in dissociation constants of 15 and 32 M determined for oxidized and reduced NapAB complexes, respectively. The surface electrostatic potential of E. coli NapA in the apparent NapB binding region is markedly less polar and anionic than that of the ␣-proteobacterial NapA, which may underlie the weaker binding of NapB. The molybdenum ion coordination sphere of E. coli NapA includes two molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide dithiolenes, a protein-derived cysteinyl ligand and an oxygen atom. The Mo-O bond length is 2.6 Å , which is indicative of a water ligand. The potential range over which the Mo 6؉ state is reduced to the Mo 5؉ state in either NapA (between ؉100 and ؊100 mV) or the NapAB complex (؊150 to ؊350 mV) is much lower than that reported for R. sphaeroides NapA (midpoint potential Mo 6؉/5؉ > ؉350 mV), and the form of the Mo 5؉ EPR signal is quite distinct. In E. coli NapA or NapAB, the Mo 5؉ state could not be further reduced to Mo 4؉. We then propose a catalytic cycle for E. coli NapA in which nitrate binds to the Mo 5؉ ion and where a stable des-oxo Mo 6؉ species may participate.Bacterial nitrate reductases are molybdoenzymes that catalyze the two-electron reduction of nitrate to nitrite. They can be classified into three groups according to their localization and function, namely membrane-bound respiratory, periplasmic respiratory, or cytoplasmic assimilatory enzymes (1, 2). Bacterial respiratory membrane-bound nitrate reductases, such as Escherichia coli NarGHI, are generally integral membrane protein complexes that have an active site on the cytoplasmic face of the membrane and couple quinol oxidation by nitrate to the generation of a transmembrane proton electrochemical gradient (2). The catalytic subunit, NarG, contains a Mo-bis-molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide (Mo-bis-MGD) 3 cofactor and a [4Fe-4S] cluster (3, 4). Periplasmic nitrate reductases (Nap) are also linked to quinol oxidation in respiratory electron transport chains, but do not conserve the free energy of the QH 2 -nitrate couple. Nitrate reduction via Nap can be coupled to energy conservation if the primary quinone reductase, for example NADH dehydrogenase or formate dehydrogenase, generates a proton electrochemical gradient. Thus Nap systems have a range of physiological functions that include the disposal of reducing equivalents during aerobic growth on reduced carbon substrates and anaerob...

Bacterial cytoplasmic assimilatory nitrate reductases are the least well characterized of all of the subgroups of nitrate reductases. In the present study the ferredoxindependent nitrate reductase NarB of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 was analyzed by spectropotentiometry and protein film voltammetry. Metal and acid-labile sulfide analysis revealed nearest integer values of 4:4:1 (iron/sulfur/molybdenum)/molecule of NarB. Analysis of dithionite-reduced enzyme by low temperature EPR revealed at 10 K the presence of a signal that is characteristic of a [4Fe-4S] 1؉ cluster. EPRmonitored potentiometric titration of NarB revealed that this cluster titrated as an n ‫؍‬ 1 Nernstian component with a midpoint redox potential (E m ) of ؊190 mV. EPR spectra collected at 60 K revealed a Mo(V) signal termed "very high g" with g av ‫؍‬ 2.0047 in air-oxidized enzyme that accounted for only 10 -20% of the total molybdenum. This signal disappeared upon reduction with dithionite, and a new "high g" species (g av ‫؍‬ 1.9897) was observed. In potentiometric titrations the high g Mo(V) signal developed over the potential range of ؊100 to ؊350 mV (E m Mo 6؉/5؉ ‫؍‬ ؊150 mV), and when fully developed, it accounted for 1 mol of Mo(V)/mol of enzyme. Protein film voltammetry of NarB revealed that activity is turned on at potentials below ؊200 mV, where the cofactors are predominantly [4Fe-4S] 1؉ and Mo 5؉ . The data suggests that during the catalytic cycle nitrate will bind to the Mo 5؉ state of NarB in which the enzyme is minimally two-electron-reduced. Comparison of the spectral properties of NarB with those of the membranebound and periplasmic respiratory nitrate reductases reveals that it is closely related to the periplasmic enzyme, but the potential of the molybdenum center of NarB is tuned to operate at lower potentials, consistent with the coupling of NarB to low potential ferredoxins in the cell cytoplasm.Nitrate is a widely used and readily available source of inorganic nitrogen for plants and microorganisms (1). Fixed inorganic nitrogen is mainly supplied to natural environments either from human agricultural or industrial activities or from biological nitrogen fixation. Most of it is converted to nitrate by nitrifying bacteria, and the nitrate then serves as a nitrogen source for assimilation or as a respiratory electron acceptor. Bacterial nitrate reductases are molybdoenzymes that can catalyze the two-electron reduction of nitrate to nitrite and can be classified into three groups according to their localization and function (2). Respiratory membrane-bound nitrate reductases are generally integral membrane protein complexes with the active site located on the cytoplasmic face of the cytoplasmic membrane and are constituted by subunits (e.g. NarI and NarH) that mediate electron transfer from the quinol pool to the catalytic subunit, NarG, which contains a bismolybdopterin guanine dinucleotide (bis-Mo-MGD) 1 cofactor and a [4Fe-4S] cluster (3, 4). These membrane-bound nitrate reductases couple quinol oxidation b...