The F₄₂₀-reducing [NiFe]-hydrogenase complex from Methanothermobacter marburgensis, the first X-ray structure of a group 3 family member.

The reversible redox reaction between coenzyme F420 and H2 to F420H2 is catalyzed by an F420-reducing [NiFe]-hydrogenase (FrhABG), which is an enzyme of the energy metabolism of methanogenic archaea. FrhABG is a group 3 [NiFe]-hydrogenase with a dodecameric quaternary structure of 1.25MDa as recently revealed by high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy.

A reversed genetic approach reveals the coenzyme specificity and other catalytic properties of three enzymes putatively involved in anaerobic oxidation of methane with sulfate.

Consortia of anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME) archaea and delta-proteobacteria anaerobically oxidize methane coupled to sulfate reduction to sulfide. The metagenome of ANME-1 archaea contains genes homologous to genes otherwise only found in methanogenic archaea, and transcription of some of these genes in ANME-1 cells has been shown. We now have heterologously expressed three of these genes in Escherichia coli, namely those homologous to genes for formylmethanofuran : tetrahydromethanopterin formyltransferase, methenyltetrahydromethanopterin cyclohydrolase (Mch) and coenzyme F420 -dependent methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase (Mtd), and have characterized the overproduced enzymes with respect to their coenzyme specificity and other catalytic properties.

Structure and catalytic mechanism of N(5),N(10)-methenyl-tetrahydromethanopterin cyclohydrolase.

Methenyltetrahydromethanopterin (methenyl-H(4)MPT(+)) cyclohydrolase (Mch) catalyzes the interconversion of methenyl-H(4)MPT(+) and formyl-H(4)MPT in the one-carbon energy metabolism of methanogenic, methanotrophic, and sulfate-reducing archaea and of methylotrophic bacteria. To understand the catalytic mechanism of this reaction, we kinetically characterized site-specific variants of Mch from Archaeoglobus fulgidus (aMch) and determined the X-ray structures of the substrate-free aMch(E186Q), the aMch:H(4)MPT complex, and the aMch(E186Q):formyl-H(4)MPT complex. (Formyl-)H(4)MPT is embedded inside a largely preformed, interdomain pocket of the homotrimeric enzyme with the pterin and benzyl rings being oriented nearly perpendicular to each other.

Electron bifurcation involved in the energy metabolism of the acetogenic bacterium Moorella thermoacetica growing on glucose or H2 plus CO2.

Moorella thermoacetica ferments glucose to three acetic acids. In the oxidative part of the fermentation, the hexose is converted to 2 acetic acids and 2 CO(2) molecules with the formation of 2 NADH and 2 reduced ferredoxin (Fd(red)(2-)) molecules. In the reductive part, 2 CO(2) molecules are reduced to acetic acid, consuming the 8 reducing equivalents generated in the oxidative part.

Coupling of ferredoxin and heterodisulfide reduction via electron bifurcation in hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaea.

In methanogenic archaea growing on H(2) and CO(2) the first step in methanogenesis is the ferredoxin-dependent endergonic reduction of CO(2) with H(2) to formylmethanofuran and the last step is the exergonic reduction of the heterodisulfide CoM-S-S-CoB with H(2) to coenzyme M (CoM-SH) and coenzyme B (CoB-SH). We recently proposed that in hydrogenotrophic methanogens the two reactions are energetically coupled via the cytoplasmic MvhADG/HdrABC complex. It is reported here that the purified complex from Methanothermobacter marburgensis catalyzes the CoM-S-S-CoB-dependent reduction of ferredoxin with H(2).

NADP+ reduction with reduced ferredoxin and NADP+ reduction with NADH are coupled via an electron-bifurcating enzyme complex in Clostridium kluyveri.

It was recently found that the cytoplasmic butyryl-coenzyme A (butyryl-CoA) dehydrogenase-EtfAB complex from Clostridium kluyveri couples the exergonic reduction of crotonyl-CoA to butyryl-CoA with NADH and the endergonic reduction of ferredoxin with NADH via flavin-based electron bifurcation. We report here on a second cytoplasmic enzyme complex in C. kluyveri capable of energetic coupling via this novel mechanism.

Structural basis of the hydride transfer mechanism in F(420)-dependent methylenetetrahydromethanopterin dehydrogenase.

F(420)-dependent methylenetetrahydromethanopterin (methylene-H(4)MPT) dehydrogenase (Mtd) of Methanopyrus kandleri is an enzyme of the methanogenic energy metabolism that catalyzes the reversible hydride transfer between methenyl-H(4)MPT(+) and methylene-H(4)MPT using coenzyme F(420) as hydride carrier. We determined the structures of the Mtd-methylene-H(4)MPT, Mtd-methenyl-H(4)MPT(+), and the Mtd-methenyl-H(4)MPT(+)-F(420)H(2) complexes at 2.1, 2.