Riding the sulfur cycle – metabolism of sulfonates and sulfate esters in Gram-negative bacteria

Heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans are structurally complex polysaccharides critically engaged in a wide range of cell and tissue functions. Any structure-based approach to study their respective biological functions is facilitated by the use of select heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan-degrading enzymes with unique substrate specificities. We recently reported of one such enzyme, the ⌬4,5-glycuronidase cloned from Flavobacterium heparinum and recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli (Myette, J. R., Shriver, Z., Kiziltepe, T., McLean, M. W., Venkataraman, G., and Sasisekharan, R. (2002) Biochemistry 41, 7424 -7434). In this study, we likewise report the molecular cloning of the 2-O-sulfatase from the same bacterium and its recombinant expression as a soluble, highly active enzyme. At the protein level, the flavobacterial 2-O-sulfatase possesses considerable sequence homology to other members of a large sulfatase family, especially within its amino terminus, where the highly conserved sulfatase domain is located. Within this domain, we have identified by sequence homology the critical active site cysteine predicted to be chemically modified as a formylglycine in vivo. We also present a characterization of the biochemical properties of the enzyme as it relates to optimal in vitro reaction conditions and a kinetic description of its substrate specificity. In particular, we demonstrate that in addition to the fact that the enzyme exclusively hydrolyzes the sulfate at the 2-O-position of the uronic acid, it also exhibits a kinetic preference for highly sulfated glucosamines within each disaccharide unit, especially those possessing a 6-O-sulfate. The sulfatase also displays a clear kinetic preference for disaccharides with ␤134 linkages but is able, nevertheless, to hydrolyze unsaturated, 2-O-sulfated chondroitin disaccharides. Finally, we describe the substrate-product relationship of the 2-O-sulfatase to the ⌬4,5-glycuronidase and the analytical value of using both of these enzymes in tandem for elucidating heparin/heparan sulfate composition.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Heparin/Heparan Sulfate 2-O-Sulfatase from Flavobacterium heparinum

Myette

Shriver

Claycamp

et al. 2003

“…In humans, FGE deficiency abolishes the activity of all 17 human sulfatases, leading to the fatal disorder multiple sulfatase deficiency (6,15). Prokaryotic sulfatases have not been thoroughly investigated but are generally assumed to be used for sulfate scavenging (16). The acquisition and allocation of sulfur-containing compounds, including inorganic sulfate, are critical for many prokaryotes; the ability of M. tuberculosis to persist within human macrophages, in particular, is thought to be dependent on several sulfur-containing molecules such as mycothiol and sulfolipid-1 (17,18).…”

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confidence: 99%

Function and Structure of a Prokaryotic Formylglycine-generating Enzyme

Carlson

Ballister

Skordalakes

et al. 2008

Type I sulfatases require an unusual co-or post-translational modification for their activity in hydrolyzing sulfate esters. In eukaryotic sulfatases, an active site cysteine residue is oxidized to the aldehyde-containing C ␣ -formylglycine residue by the formylglycine-generating enzyme (FGE). The machinery responsible for sulfatase activation is poorly understood in prokaryotes. Here we describe the identification of a prokaryotic FGE from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In addition, we solved the crystal structure of the Streptomyces coelicolor FGE homolog to 2.1 Å resolution. The prokaryotic homolog exhibits remarkable structural similarity to human FGE, including the position of catalytic cysteine residues. Both biochemical and structural data indicate the presence of an oxidized cysteine modification in the active site that may be relevant to catalysis. In addition, we generated a mutant M. tuberculosis strain lacking FGE. Although global sulfatase activity was reduced in the mutant, a significant amount of residual sulfatase activity suggests the presence of FGE-independent sulfatases in this organism.Type I sulfatases are members of an expanding family of enzymes that employ novel co-or post-translationally derived cofactors to facilitate catalysis (1, 2). The formylglycine (Fgly) 4 residue positioned within the active site of type I sulfatases is thought to undergo hydration to a gem-diol, after which one of the hydroxyl groups acts as a catalytic nucleophile to initiate sulfate ester cleavage (Fig. 1a) (3). The FGly residue is located within a ϳ13-residue consensus sequence termed the sulfatase motif (4) that defines this family of enzymes and is highly conserved throughout all domains of life (Fig. 1b). Although FGly is formed from cysteine residues in eukaryotic sulfatases, either cysteine (within the core motif CX[P/A]XR) or serine (SXPXR) can be oxidized to FGly in prokaryotic type I sulfatases. The coor post-translational machineries necessary for these respective modifications appear to be different; FGE is able to activate CXPXR-type sulfatases (5-7) and anaerobic sulfatase-maturating enzyme is responsible for modifying SXPXR-type sulfatases and CXAXR-type sulfatases (8, 9). Some prokaryotes, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, have only CXPXR-type sulfatases (10), whereas other species have only SXPXR-type sulfatases or a combination of type I sulfatases (11). Some prokaryotes also contain FGly-independent sulfatases. These sulfatases function by distinct enzymatic mechanisms and are divided into two categories, Fe(II) ␣-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase sulfatases (type II sulfatases) and metallo-␤-lactamase sulfatases (type III sulfatases) (12-14). Unlike type I sulfatases, which share a high degree of sequence similarity, type II and III sulfatases have highly divergent sequences, complicating the discovery of these proteins by genomic search algorithms.In higher eukaryotes, sulfatases are involved in a variety of essential tasks, including extracellular matrix remodeling and steroid titer regu...

“…Sequential HSGAG degradation has been demonstrated in several microorganisms (11)(12)(13), which depend on these sulfated polysaccharides not only as a carbon source but often as a means of scavenging inorganic sulfate (14). The Gram-negative soil bacterium Flavobacterium heparinum (a.k.a.…”

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confidence: 99%

Heparin/Heparan Sulfate 6-O-Sulfatase from Flavobacterium heparinum

Myette

Soundararajan

Shriver

et al. 2009

Heparin and heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans (HSGAGs) comprise a chemically heterogeneous class of sulfated polysaccharides. The development of structure-activity relationships for this class of polysaccharides requires the identification and characterization of degrading enzymes with defined substrate specificity and enzymatic activity. Toward this end, we report here the molecular cloning and extensive structure-function analysis of a 6-O-sulfatase from the Gram-negative bacterium Flavobacterium heparinum. In addition, we report the recombinant expression of this enzyme in Escherichia coli in a soluble, active form and identify it as a specific HSGAG sulfatase. We further define the mechanism of action of the enzyme through biochemical and structural studies. Through the use of defined substrates, we investigate the kinetic properties of the enzyme. This analysis was complemented by homology-based molecular modeling studies that sought to rationalize the substrate specificity of the enzyme and mode of action through an analysis of the active-site topology of the enzyme including identifying key enzyme-substrate interactions and assigning key amino acids within the active site of the enzyme. Taken together, our structural and biochemical studies indicate that 6-O-sulfatase is a predominantly exolytic enzyme that specifically acts on N-sulfated or N-acetylated 6-O-sulfated glucosamines present at the non-reducing end of HSGAG oligosaccharide substrates. This requirement for the N-acetyl or N-sulfo groups on the glucosamine substrate can be explained through eliciting favorable interactions with key residues within the active site of the enzyme. These findings provide a framework that enables the use of 6-O-sulfatase as a tool for HSGAG structure-activity studies as well as expand our biochemical and structural understanding of this important class of enzymes.