1,721,015 research outputs found
Structure-function studies on the iron-sulfur flavoenzyme glutamate synthase: an unexpectedly complex self-regulated enzyme
No full textGlutamate synthase (GltS) is, with glutamine synthetase, the key enzyme of ammonia assimilation in bacteria, microorganisms and plants. GltS isoforms result from the assembly and co-evolution of conserved functional domains. They share a common mechanism of reductive glutamine-dependent glutamate synthesis from 2-oxoglutarate, which takes place within the α subunit (∼150 kDa) of the NADPH-dependent bacterial enzyme and the corresponding polypeptides of other GltS forms, and involves: (i) an Ntn-type amidotransferase domain and (ii) a flavin mononucleotide-containing (β/α) 8 barrel synthase domain connected by (iii) a ∼30 Å-long intramolecular ammonia tunnel. The synthase domain harbors the [3Fe/4S] 0,+1 cluster of the enzyme, which participates in the electron transfer process from the physiological reductant: reduced ferredoxin in the plant-type enzyme or NAD(P)H in the bacterial and the non-photosynthetic eukaryotic form. The NAD(P)H-dependent GltS requires a tightly bound flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent reductase (β subunit, ∼50 kDa), also determining the presence of two low-potential [4Fe-4S] +1,+2 clusters. Structural, functional and computational data available on GltS and related enzymes show how the enzyme may control and coordinate the reactions taking place at the glutaminase and synthase sites by sensing substrate binding and cofactor redox state
B. Curti s/m l. U. Hilty z. fr. Erinnerung
No full textDedikationssilhouette nach links von Bonifaz Curti, gewidmet Johann Ulrich Hilty (1827-1906)Anonyme/r Künstler/inEs könnte sich beim Dargestellten um Bonifaz Curti aus Rapperswil handeln, der zu dieser Zeit an der Universität Zürich immatrikuliert war, vgl. die Angaben zu Curti in der Matrikeledition der Universität Zürich (www.matrikel.uzh.ch [Stand: 20.04.2017])Handschriftliche Widmung unterhalb des Bildes "B. Curti s[eine]m l[ieben] U. Hilty z[ur] fr[eundlichen] Erinnerung
Determination of the midpoint potential of the FAD and FMN flavin cofactors and of the 3Fe-4S cluster of glutamate synthase
No full textGlutamate synthase is a complex iron-sulfur flavoprotein that catalyzes the reductive transfer of the L-glutamine amide group to C(2) of 2-oxoglutarate, forming two molecules of L-glutamate. The bacterial enzyme is an alpha beta protomer, which contains one FAD ton the beta subunit, similar to 50 kDa), one FMN ton the alpha subunit, similar to 150 kDa), and three different Fe-S clusters tone 3Fe-4S center on the alpha subunit and two 4Fe-4S clusters at an unknown location). To address the problem of the intramolecular electron pathway, we have measured the midpoint potential values of the flavin cofactors and of the 3Fe-4S cluster of glutamate synthase in the isolated alpha and beta subunits and in the alpha beta holoenzyme. No detectable amounts of flavin semiquinones were observed during reductive titrations of the enzyme, indicating that the midpoint potential value of each flavin(ox)/flavin(sq) couple is, in all cases, significantly more negative than that of the corresponding flavin(sq)/flavin(hq) couple. Association of the two subunits to form the ap protomer does not alter significantly the midpoint potential value of the FMN cofactor and of the 3Fe-4S cluster (approximately -240 and -270 mV, respectively), but it makes that of FAD some 40 mV less negative (approximately -340 mV for the beta subunit and -300 mV for FAD bound to the holoenzyme). Binding of the nonreducible NADP(+) analogue, 3-aminopyridine adenine dinucleotide phosphate, made the measured midpoint potential value of the FAD cofactor approximately 30-40 mV less negative in the isolated beta subunit, but had no effect on the redox properties of the alpha beta holoenzyme. This result correlates with the formation of a stable charge-transfer complex between the reduced flavin and the oxidized pyridine nucleotide in the isolated beta subunit, but not in the alpha beta holoenzyme. Binding of L-methionine sulfone, a glutamine analogue, had no significant effect on the redox properties of the enzyme cofactors. On the contrary, 2-oxoglutarate made the measured midpoint potential value of the 3Fe-4S cluster approximately 20 mV more negative in the isolated alpha subunit, but up to 100 mV less negative in the alpha beta holoenzyme as compared to the values of the corresponding free enzyme forms, These findings are consistent with electron transfer from the entry site (FAD) to the exit site (FMN) through the 3Fe-4S center of the enzyme and the involvement of at least one of the two low-potential 4Fe-4S centers, which are present in the glutamate synthase holoenzyme, but not in the isolated subunits, Furthermore, the data demonstrate a specific role of 2-oxoglutarate in promoting electron transfer from FAD to the 3Fe-4S cluster of the glutamate synthase holoenzyme. The modulatory role of 2-oxoglutarate is indeed consistent with the recently determined three-dimensional structure of the glutamate synthase alpha subunit, in which several polypeptide stretches are suitably positioned to mediate communication between substrate binding sites and the enzyme redox centers (FMN and the 3Fe-4S cluster) to tightly control and coordinate the individual reaction steps [Binda, C,, et al. (2000) Structure 8, 1299-1308]
Activation and coupling of the glutaminase and synthase reaction of glutamate synthase is mediated by E1013 of the ferredoxin-dependent enzyme, belonging to loop 4 of the synthase domain
No full textCrystal structures of glutamate synthase suggested that a conserved glutamyl residue of the synthase domain (E1013 of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase, FdGltS) may play a key role in activating glutamine binding and hydrolysis and ammonia transfer to the synthase site in this amidotransferase, in response to the ligation and redox state of the synthase site. The E1013D, N, and A, variants of FdGltS were overproduced in Escherichia coli cells, purified, and characterized. The amino acyl substitutions had no effect on the reactivity of the synthase site nor on the interaction with ferredoxin. On the contrary, a dramatic decrease of activity was observed with the D (similar to 100-fold), N and A (similar to 10000-fold) variants, mainly due to an effect on the maximum velocity of the reaction. The E1013D variant showed coupling between glutamine hydrolysis at the glutaminase site and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent L-glutamate synthesis at the synthase site, but a sigmoid dependence of initial velocity on L-glutamine concentration. The E1013N variant exhibited hyperbolic kinetics, but the velocity of glutamine hydrolysis was twice that of glutamate synthesis from 2-oxoglutarate at the synthase site. These results are consistent with the proposed role of E1013 in signaling the presence of 2-oxoglutarate (and reducing equivalents) at the synthase site to the glutaminase site in order to activate it and to promote ammonia transfer to the synthase site through the ammonia tunnel. The sigmoid dependence of the initial velocity of the glutamate synthase reaction of the E1013D mutant on glutamine concentration provides evidence for a participation of glutamine in the activation of glutamate synthase during the catalytic cycle
A cross-linked complex between ferredoxin and ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase
No full textThe water-soluble carbodiimide, N-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide was found to effectively cross-link ferredoxin to ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase. The covalent complex has a stoichiometry of 1 mol of ferredoxin per mol of the reductase. The flavoprotein moiety of the cross-linked complex maintains most of its diaphorase activity and more interestingly has gained the capacity to catalyze the NADPH-cytochrome c reaction without addition of free ferredoxin in the assay mixture. Furthermore, the cross-linked complex binds NADP+ with a K(d) = 88 μM at an ionic strength of 0.02 M. These results show that a ternary complex among the reductase and its substrates can be formed, suggesting that the binding sites for ferredoxin and the pyridine nucleotides are distinct. The bound ferredoxin can interact with cytochrome c; the iron-sulfur cluster of the cross-linked complex is shown to be reduced under anaerobic conditions by NADPH and to be required for the catalysis of the NADPH-cytochrome c reductase reaction. The cross-linked complex, added to thylakoids inhibited by the antibody against the reductase, catalyzes the H2O-cytochrome c photoreduction, which suggests that the ferredoxin moiety of the complex can interact with its electron donor in the photosynthetic chain. Restoration of NADP+ photoreduction requires the addition of free ferredoxin
Structure-function studies of glutamate synthases: a class of self-regulated iron-sulfur flavoenzymes essential for nitrogen assimilation
No full textGlutamate synthases play with glutamine synthetase an essential role in nitrogen assimilation processes in microorganisms, plants, and lower animals by catalyzing the net synthesis of one molecule of L-glutamate from L-glutamine and 2-oxoglutarate. They exhibit a modular architecture with a common subunit or region, which is responsible for the L-glutamine-dependent glutamate synthesis from 2-oxoglutarate. Here, a PurF- (Type II- or Ntn-) type amidotransferase domain is coupled to the synthase domain, a (beta/alpha)(8) barrel containing FMN and one [3Fe-4S](0,+1) cluster, through a similar to 30 angstrom-long intramolecular tunnel for the transfer of ammonia between the sites. In bacterial and eukaryotic GltS, reducing equivalents are provided by reduced pyridine nucleotides thanks to the stable association with a second subunit or region, which acts as a FAD-dependent NAD(P)H oxidoreductase and is responsible for the formation of the two low potential [4Fe-4S](+1,+2) clusters of the enzyme. In photosynthetic cells, reduced ferredoxin is the physiological reductant. This review focus on the mechanism of cross-activation of the synthase and glutaminase reactions in response to the bound substrates and the redox state of the enzyme cofactors, as well as on recent information on the structure of the alpha beta protomer of the NADPH-dependent enzyme, which sheds light on the intramolecular electron transfer pathway between the flavin cofactors
Structural studies on the subunits of glutamate synthase from Azospirillum brasilense
No full textThe amino acid composition and the N-terminal sequences of the two dissimilar subunits of glutamate synthase from Azospirillum brasilense have been determined along with the sequences of selected CNBr peptides. Comparison of our data with those available for Escherichia coli glutamate synthase revealed an overall good homology between the enzymes from the two sources. This is more evident for the heavy subunits where the highly conserved N-terminal sequence containing Cys-1, suggests that this region may be involved in catalysis. However, it appears that the light subunits are different with respect to both their amino acid composition and their N-terminal region, suggesting that the latter may not be part of the enzyme active site. Finally, an extinction coefficient at 444 nm of 62.66 ± 4.61 mM-1 · cm-1 was determined
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
- …
