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Rhodococcus jostii RHA1, a polychlorinated biphenyl-degrading soil bacterium whose genome has been sequenced, shows lignin degrading activity in two recently developed spectrophotometric assays. Bioinformatic analysis reveals two unannotated peroxidase genes present in the genome of R. jostii RHA1 with sequence similarity to open reading frames in other lignin-degrading microbes. They are members of the Dyp peroxidase family and were annotated as DypA and DypB, on the basis of bioinformatic analysis. Assay of gene deletion mutants using a colorimetric lignin degradation assay reveals that a ΔdypB mutant shows greatly reduced lignin degradation activity, consistent with a role in lignin breakdown. Recombinant DypB protein shows activity in the colorimetric assay and shows Michaelis-Menten kinetic behavior using Kraft lignin as a substrate. DypB is activated by Mn(2+) by 5-23-fold using a range of assay substrates, and breakdown of wheat straw lignocellulose by recombinant DypB is observed over 24-48 h in the presence of 1 mM MnCl(2). Incubation of recombinant DypB with a β-aryl ether lignin model compound shows time-dependent turnover, giving vanillin as a product, indicating that C(α)-C(β) bond cleavage has taken place. This reaction is inhibited by addition of diaphorase, consistent with a radical mechanism for C-C bond cleavage. Stopped-flow kinetic analysis of the DypB-catalyzed reaction shows reaction between the intermediate compound I (397 nm) and either Mn(II) (k(obs) = 2.35 s(-1)) or the β-aryl ether (k(obs) = 3.10 s(-1)), in the latter case also showing a transient at 417 nm, consistent with a compound II intermediate. These results indicate that DypB has a significant role in lignin degradation in R. jostii RHA1, is able to oxidize both polymeric lignin and a lignin model compound, and appears to have both Mn(II) and lignin oxidation sites. This is the first detailed characterization of a recombinant bacterial lignin peroxidase.

The soil bacterium Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 contains two dye-decolorizing peroxidases (DyPs) named according to the subfamily they represent: DypA, predicted to be periplasmic, and DypB, implicated in lignin degradation. Steady-state kinetic studies of these enzymes revealed that they have much lower peroxidase activities than C- and D-type DyPs. Nevertheless, DypA showed 6-fold greater apparent specificity for the anthraquinone dye Reactive Blue 4 (k(cat)/K(m) = 12800 ± 600 M(-1) s(-1)) than either ABTS or pyrogallol, consistent with previously characterized DyPs. By contrast, DypB showed the greatest apparent specificity for ABTS (k(cat)/K(m) = 2000 ± 100 M(-1) s(-1)) and also oxidized Mn(II) (k(cat)/K(m) = 25.1 ± 0.1 M(-1) s(-1)). Further differences were detected using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy: while both DyPs contained high-spin (S = (5)/(2)) Fe(III) in the resting state, DypA had a rhombic high-spin signal (g(y) = 6.32, g(x) = 5.45, and g(z) = 1.97) while DypB had a predominantly axial signal (g(y) = 6.09, g(x) = 5.45, and g(z) = 1.99). Moreover, DypA reacted with H(2)O(2) to generate an intermediate with features of compound II (Fe(IV)═O). By contrast, DypB reacted with H(2)O(2) with a second-order rate constant of (1.79 ± 0.06) × 10(5) M(-1) s(-1) to generate a relatively stable green-colored intermediate (t(1/2) ∼ 9 min). While the electron absorption spectrum of this intermediate was similar to that of compound I of plant-type peroxidases, its EPR spectrum was more consistent with a poorly coupled protein-based radical than with an [Fe(IV)═O Por(•)](+) species. The X-ray crystal structure of DypB, determined to 1.4 Å resolution, revealed a hexacoordinated heme iron with histidine and a solvent species occupying axial positions. A solvent channel potentially provides access to the distal face of the heme for H(2)O(2). A shallow pocket exposes heme propionates to the solvent and contains a cluster of acidic residues that potentially bind Mn(II). Insight into the structure and function of DypB facilitates its engineering for the improved degradation of lignocellulose.

Delignification, or lignin-modification, facilitates the decomposition of lignocellulose in woody plant biomass. The extant diversity of lignin-degrading bacteria and fungi is underestimated by culture-dependent methods, limiting our understanding of the functional and ecological traits of decomposers populations. Here, we describe the use of stable isotope probing (SIP) coupled with amplicon and shotgun metagenomics to identify and characterize the functional attributes of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose-degrading fungi and bacteria in coniferous forest soils from across North America. We tested the extent to which catabolic genes partitioned among different decomposer taxa; the relative roles of bacteria and fungi, and whether taxa or catabolic genes correlated with variation in lignocellulolytic activity, measured as the total assimilation of 13C-label into DNA and phospholipid fatty acids. We found high overall bacterial degradation of our model lignin substrate, particularly by gram-negative bacteria (Comamonadaceae and Caulobacteraceae), while fungi were more prominent in cellulose-degradation. Very few taxa incorporated 13C-label from more than one lignocellulosic polymer, suggesting specialization among decomposers. Collectively, members of Caulobacteraceae could degrade all three lignocellulosic polymers, providing new evidence for their importance in lignocellulose degradation. Variation in lignin-degrading activity was better explained by microbial community properties, such as catabolic gene content and community structure, than cellulose-degrading activity. SIP significantly improved shotgun metagenome assembly resulting in the recovery of several high-quality draft metagenome-assembled genomes and over 7500 contigs containing unique clusters of carbohydrate-active genes. These results improve understanding of which organisms, conditions and corresponding functional genes contribute to lignocellulose decomposition.

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Catalase-peroxidases (KatG) produced by Burkholderia pseudomallei, Escherichia coli, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis catalyze the oxidation of NADH to form NAD ؉ and either H 2 O 2 or superoxide radical depending on pH. The NADH oxidase reaction requires molecular oxygen, does not require hydrogen peroxide, is not inhibited by superoxide dismutase or catalase, and has a pH optimum of 8.75, clearly differentiating it from the peroxidase and catalase reactions with pH optima of 5.5 and 6.5, respectively, and from the NADH peroxidase-oxidase reaction of horseradish peroxidase. B. pseudomallei KatG has a relatively high affinity for NADH (K m ‫؍‬ 12 M), but the oxidase reaction is slow (k cat ‫؍‬ 0.54 min ؊1 ) compared with the peroxidase and catalase reactions. The catalase-peroxidases also catalyze the hydrazinolysis of isonicotinic acid hydrazide (INH) in an oxygen-and H 2 O 2 -independent reaction, and KatG-dependent radical generation from a mixture of NADH and INH is two to three times faster than the combined rates of separate reactions with NADH and INH alone. The major products from the coupled reaction, identified by high pressure liquid chromatography fractionation and mass spectrometry, are NAD ؉ and isonicotinoyl-NAD, the activated form of isoniazid that inhibits mycolic acid synthesis in M. tuberculosis. Isonicotinoyl-NAD synthesis from a mixture of NAD ؉ and INH is KatG-dependent and is activated by manganese ion. M. tuberculosis KatG catalyzes isonicotinoyl-NAD formation from NAD ؉ and INH more efficiently than B. pseudomallei KatG.

Background: DypB, a Dyp-type peroxidase, oxidizes Mn(II) and transforms lignin. Results: DypB forms a stable Compound I that rapidly decays to Compound II in the D153A and N246A but is undetectable in the R244L variant. Conclusion: The requirement of Arg-244 but not Asp-153 to form Compound I indicates that DyPs modulate the peroxidative cycle differently than plant peroxidase. Significance: Understanding DyPs helps harness their biotechnological potential.

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