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Particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) is an integral membrane metalloenzyme that converts methane to methanol in methanotrophic bacteria. The enzyme consists of three subunits, pmoB, pmoA, and pmoC, organized in an α3β3γ3 trimer. Studies of intact pMMO and a recombinant soluble fragment of the pmoB subunit, denoted spmoB, indicate that the active site is located within the soluble region of pmoB at the site of a crystallographically modeled dicopper center. In this work, we have investigated the reactivity of pMMO and spmoB with oxidants. Upon reduction and treatment of spmoB with O2 and H2O2 or pMMO with H2O2, an absorbance feature at 345 nm is generated. The energy and intensity of this band are similar to that of the μ-η2:η2-peroxo CuII 2 species formed in several dicopper enzymes and model compounds. The feature is not observed in inactive spmoB variants in which the dicopper center is disrupted, consistent with O2 binding to the proposed active site. Reaction of the 345 nm species with CH4 results in disappearance of the spectroscopic feature, suggesting that this O2 intermediate is mechanistically relevant. Taken together, these observations provide strong new support for the identity and location of the pMMO active site.

In the initial steps of their metabolic pathway, methanotrophic bacteria oxidize methane to methanol with methane monooxygenases (MMOs) and methanol to formaldehyde with methanol dehydrogenases (MDHs). Several lines of evidence suggest that the membrane-bound or particulate MMO (pMMO) and MDH interact to form a metabolic supercomplex. To further investigate the possible existence of such a supercomplex, native MDH from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) has been purified and characterized by size exclusion chromatography with multi-angle light scattering and X-ray crystallography. M. capsulatus (Bath) MDH is primarily a dimer in solution, although an oligomeric species with a molecular mass of ∼450–560 kDa forms at higher protein concentrations. The 2.57 Å resolution crystal structure reveals an overall fold and α2β2 dimeric architecture similar to those of other MDH structures. In addition, biolayer interferometry studies demonstrate specific protein–protein interactions between MDH and M. capsulatus (Bath) pMMO as well as between MDH and the truncated recombinant periplasmic domains of M. capsulatus (Bath) pMMO (spmoB). These interactions exhibit KD values of 833 ± 409 nM and 9.0 ± 7.7 μM, respectively. The biochemical data combined with analysis of the crystal lattice interactions observed in the MDH structure suggest a model in which MDH and pMMO associate not as a discrete, stoichiometric complex but as a larger assembly scaffolded by the intracytoplasmic membranes.

Particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) catalyzes the oxidation of methane to methanol in methanotrophic bacteria. As a copper-containing enzyme, pMMO has been investigated extensively by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, but the presence of multiple copper centers has precluded correlation of EPR signals with the crystallographically identified monocopper and dicopper centers. A soluble recombinant fragment of the pmoB subunit of pMMO, spmoB, like pMMO itself, contains two distinct copper centers and exhibits methane oxidation activity. The spmoB protein, spmoB variants designed to disrupt one or the other or both copper centers, as well as native pMMO have been investigated by EPR, ENDOR, and ESEEM spectroscopies in combination with metal content analysis. The data are remarkably similar for spmoB and pMMO, validating the use of spmoB as a model system. The results indicate that one EPR-active Cu(II) ion is present per pMMO and that it is associated with the active-site dicopper center in the form of a valence localized Cu(I)Cu(II) pair; the Cu(II), however, is scrambled between the two locations within the dicopper site. The monocopper site observed in the crystal structures of pMMO can be assigned as Cu(I). 14N ENDOR and ESEEM data are most consistent with one of these dicopper-site signals involving coordination of the Cu(II) ion by residues His137 and His139, the other with Cu(II) coordinated by His33 and the N-terminal amino group. 1H ENDOR measurements indicate there is no aqua (HxO) ligand bound to the Cu(II), either terminally or as a bridge to Cu(I).

Prolyl 4-hydroxylases (P4H) catalyze the posttranslational hydroxylation of proline residues and play a role in collagen production, hypoxia response, and cell wall development. P4Hs belong to the Fe (II)/αKG oxygenases and require Fe(II), α-ketoglutarate (αKG), and O 2 for activity. We report the 1.40 Å structure of a P4H from Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, whose immunodominant exosporium protein BclA contains collagen-like repeat sequences. The structure reveals the double stranded β-helix core fold characteristic of Fe(II)/αKG oxygenases. This fold positions Fe-binding and αKG-binding residues in what is expected to be catalytically-competent orientations and is consistent with proline peptide substrate binding at the active site mouth. Comparisons of the anthrax-P4H structure with Cr-P4H-1 structures reveal similarities in a peptide surface groove. However, sequence and structural comparisons suggest differences in conformation of adjacent loops may change the interaction with peptide substrates. These differences may be the basis of substantial disparity between the K M values for the Cr-P4H-1 vs. the anthrax and human P4H enzymes. Additionally, while previous structures of P4H enzymes are monomers, Bacillus anthracis P4H forms an α 2 homodimer and suggests residues important for interactions between the α 2 subunits of the α 2 β 2 human collagen P4H. Thus the anthrax-P4H structure provides insight into the structure and function of the α subunit of human-P4H, which may aid in the development of selective inhibitors of the human-P4H enzyme involved in fibrotic disease.Prolyl 4-hydroxylase (P4H) enzymes are involved in the post-translational formation of trans-4-hydroxyproline (Hyp) from peptidyl proline. In plants, P4H enzymes act on prolines present in extensins, in proline-rich proteins, and in arabinogalactan proteins to form hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs) that stabilize plant cell walls (1,2). Vertebrates † This work was supported, in whole or in part, by National Institutes of Health Grants GM079446 (JL), 5P20 RR17708 (COBRE Center in Protein Structure and Function) (JL), and T2 GM 08454 (MAC).*Address correspondence to: Emily Scott, 1251 Wescoe Hall Dr., Lawrence, KS 66045. Tel.: 785-864-5559; Fax: 785-864-5326; eescott@ku.edu. ‡ Deceased, August 14, 2008. § This paper is dedicated in memory of Dr. Julian Limburg. This publication would not have been possible without his unlimited dedication to his students as well as his intellect and passion for science. Those of who studied under his tutelage will carry his cherished memory with us.The atomic coordinates and structure factors (code 3ITQ) have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank, Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ (http://www.rcsb.org/). SUPPORTING INFORMATIONAn alignment of the anthrax, human, and algal prolyl 4-hydroxylase amino acid sequences is provided as supplemental material. This alignment is annotated with conserved amino acids, secondary...