Chloromethane: tetrahydrofolate methyl transfer by two proteins from Methylobacterium chloromethanicum strain CM4.

The cmuA and cmuB genes are required for growth of Methylobacterium chloromethanicum strain CM4 with chloromethane as the sole carbon source. While CmuB was previously shown to possess methylcobalamin:tetrahydrofolate methyltransferase activity, sequence analysis indicated that CmuA represented a novel and so far unique two-domain methyltransferase/corrinoid-binding protein involved in methyl transfer from chloromethane to a corrin moiety. CmuA was purified from wild-type M.

Structure of the molybdate/tungstate binding protein mop from Sporomusa ovata.

Background: Transport of molybdenum into bacteria involves a high-affinity ABC transporter system whose expression is controlled by a repressor protein called ModE. While molybdate transport is tightly coupled to utilization in some bacteria, other organisms have molybdenum storage proteins. One class of putative molybdate storage proteins is characterized by a sequence consisting of about 70 amino acids (Mop).

Native corrinoids from Clostridium cochlearium are adeninylcobamides: spectroscopic analysis and identification of pseudovitamin B(12) and factor A.

The corrinoids from the obligate anaerobe Clostridium cochlearium were extracted as a mixture of Co(beta)-cyano derivatives. From 50 g of frozen cells, approximately 2 mg (1.5 micromol) of B(12) derivatives was obtained as a crystalline sample.

Ethanolamine ammonia-lyase has a "base-on" binding mode for coenzyme B(12).

Ethanolamine ammonia-lyase (EAL, EC 4.3.1.

Dioldehydratase Binds Coenzyme B in the "Base-On" Mode: ESR Investigations on Cob(II)alamin.

Even in the enzyme-bound state the dimethylbenzimidazole ligand in the dioldehydratase from Salmonella typhimurium remains bound to the cobalt ion in contrast to some coenzyme B -dependent enzymes. Direct, ESR spectroscopic proof for this "base-on" binding mode was obtained by using a coenzyme in which one of the nitrogen atoms of the dimethylbenzimidazole ligand was N labeled (see schematic representation on the right).

A base-off analogue of coenzyme-B12 with a modified nucleotide loop--1H-NMR structure analysis and kinetic studies with (R)-methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, glycerol dehydratase, and diol dehydratase.

(Co beta-5'-Deoxyadenosin-5'-yl)-(p-cresolyl)cobamide (Ado-PCC), an analogue of the base-off form of coenzyme-B12 (CoB12), was prepared by alkylation of (Co alpha/beta-cyano/aqua)-(p-cresolyl)cobamide (PCC) with 5'-chloro-5'-deoxyadenosine. The 500 MHz 1H-NMR spectrum of Ado-PCC in D2O at pH 7.4 was completely analyzed using COSY and NOESY two-dimensional experiments.

Anaerobic O-demethylations of methoxynaphthols, methoxyfuran, and fluoroanisols by Sporomusa ovata.

In vitro experiments with 3,4-dimethoxybenzoate-induced Sporomusa enzymes a broad O-methyl ether cleavage capacity. The O-demethylase activity hydrolized the methyl-oxygen linkages of methoxynaphtholes of the heterocycles 2-methoxyfuran or 2-methoxythiophene as well as of several dimethoxy and monomethoxy aryls under anaerobic conditions. Also, fluoro and chloro substituents of anisoles enhanced the O-demethylation rate, indicating that an electron delocalized aromatic structure supported the methyl ether activation mechanism.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of a corrinoid protein from Sporomusa ovata.

Crystals of a 40 kDa p-cresolyl-cobamide containing protein from Sporomusa ovata have been obtained from polyethyleneglycol solutions at pH 8.5 by the hanging drop technique. The crystals belong to space group C222(1) with cell dimensions a = 110.

Uptake of cobalamin by Euglena mitochondria.

Cobalamin uptake by Euglena mitochondria is a biphasic process, consisting of energy-independent cobalamin-binding to mitochondrial membranes and energy-dependent active transport. The energy-dependent phase of cobalamin uptake is not dependent on mitochondrial respiration, but on the presence of ATP within the mitochondrial matrix. The dissociation constant of the energy-independent cobalamin-binding reaction is estimated to be 0.

Recent advances in elucidation of biological corrinoid functions.

Eleven adenosylcorrinoid-dependent rearrangements and elimination reactions have been described during the last four decades of vitamin B12 research. In contrast, only the cobamide-dependent methionine synthase was well established as a corrinoid-dependent methyl transfer reaction. yet, investigations during the last few years revealed nine additional corrinoid-dependent methyltransferases.

Cloning, sequencing and immunological characterization of the corrinoid-containing subunit of the N5-methyltetrahydromethanopterin: coenzyme-M methyltransferase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum.

A 3.5-kb EcoRI fragment of the Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum chromosome contains five open reading frames, mtrA to mtrE. The deduced N-terminal amino acid sequence of mtrA is identical with 26 N-terminal amino acids of a corrinoid-containing membrane protein from Methanobacterium.

Corrinoid-Dependent Methyl Transfer Reactions Are Involved in Methanol and 3,4-Dimethoxybenzoate Metabolism by Sporomusa ovata.

Washed and air-oxidized proteins from Sporomusa ovata cleaved the C-O bond of methanol or methoxyaromatics and transferred the methyl to dl-tetrahydrofolate. The reactions strictly required a reductive activation by titanium citrate, catalytic amounts of ATP, and the addition of dl-tetrahydrofolate. Methylcorrinoid-containing proteins carried the methanol methyl, which was transferred to dl-tetrahydrofolate at a specific rate of 120 nmol h mg of protein.

Fluorinated vitamin b(12) analogs are cofactors of corrinoid-dependent enzymes: a f-labeled nuclear magnetic resonance probe for identifying corrinoid-protein interactions.

The homoacetogenic bacterium Sporomusa ovata synthesized the vitamin B(12) analog phenolyl cobamide or 4-fluorophenolyl cobamide when the methanol medium of growing cells was supplemented with 10 mM phenol or 5 mM 4-fluorophenol. Phenol and, presumably, 4-fluorophenol were specifically incorporated into these cobamides, since phenol was not metabolized significantly into amino acids or into acetic acid, the product of the catabolism. The phenol-containing cobamides contributed up to 90% of the protein-bound cobamides of the 1,300 to 1,900 nmol of corrinoid per g of dry cell material formed.

Corrinoid specificity of cytosolic cobalamin-binding protein of Euglena gracilis z.

To elucidate the corrinoid specificity of the cytosolic cobalamin-binding protein of Euglena gracilis, inhibition of the binding of radioactive cyanocobalamin to the cytosolic binding protein was studied with a variety of cobalamin analogues. The cytosolic cobalamin-binding protein showed an absolute requirement for the alpha-axial ligand (the cobalt-coordinated nucleotide) in cobalamin binding, but was not able to recognize certain differences in the base or ribose moiety. Regarding the contributions of the b-, d-, and e-propionamide side chains in the binding of cobalamin to the cytosolic protein, the order of the contributions was shown to be b > d > e; in particular the b-propionamide side chain was essential for the formation of the protein-cobalamin complex.

Evidence for the involvement of corrinoids and factor F430 in the reductive dechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane by Methanosarcina barkeri.

Cobalamin and the native and diepimeric forms of factor F430 catalyzed the reductive dechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) to ethylene or chloroethane (CA) in a buffer with Ti(III) citrate as the electron donor. Ethylene was the major product in the cobalamin-catalyzed transformation, and the ratio of ethylene to CA formed was 25:1. Native F430 and 12,13-di-epi-F430 produced ethylene and CA in ratios of about 2:1 and 1:1, respectively.

Purification and characterization of a methanol-induced cobamide-containing protein from Sporomusa ovata.

The major cobamide-containing protein from methanol-utilizing Sporomusa ovata was 8-fold enriched to apparent homogeneity. The protein exhibited a molecular mass of 40 kDa and of 38 kDa determined by gel filtration and by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, respectively. This finding indicates a monomeric protein structure.

Effect of the cobalt-N coordination on the cobamide recognition by the human vitamin B12 binding proteins intrinsic factor, transcobalamin and haptocorrin.

The binding of several corrinoids to the binding site of human intrinsic factor, transcobalamin or haptocorrin was investigated, p-Cresolyl cobamide and 2-amino-vitamin B12 are complete corrinoids, whose nucleotide at the lower face of the corrin ring is not coordinated to the cobalt. These corrinoids were greater than or equal to 10(3) times less efficiently recognized by intrinsic factor or transcobalamin than vitamin B12, which contains a Co-coordinated nucleotide. Pseudovitamin B12, with a weak Co-N coordination bond, revealed only moderate affinity to intrinsic factor.

Evidence for a super-reduced cobamide as the major corrinoid fraction in vivo and a histidine residue as a cobalt ligand of the p-cresolyl cobamide in the acetogenic bacterium Sporomusa ovata.

The redox state of cobalt in p-cresolyl cobamide and one of its axial ligands were determined by EPR spectroscopy of Sporomusa ovata as harvested. The analyses revealed that less than 2% (less than 30 nmol/g dry cells) of the total corrinoids (greater than 2400 nmol/g dry cells) were in a low-spin Co(II) complex. The amount increased to about 15% (190-450 nmol/g dry cells) upon partial oxidation by air, indicating that the original valence state of cobalt was a Co(I) prior to this treatment.

Identification of phenolyl cobamide from the homoacetogenic bacterium Sporomusa ovata.

Phenolyl cobamide was isolated from cyanide extractions of the anaerobic eubacterium Sporomusa ovata. The proposed corrinoid structure [Co alpha,Co beta-(monocyano,monoaquo)-phenolyl cobamide] has been deduced from 1H NMR, fast-atom-bombardment mass spectroscopy and ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy data. The complete corrinoid resembled p-cresolyl cobamide [Co alpha,Co beta-(monocyano,monoaquo)-p-cresolyl cobamide], which recently has been obtained from cyanide extractions of the same bacterium.

5'-Methylbenzimidazolyl-cobamides are the corrinoids from some sulfate-reducing and sulfur-metabolizing bacteria.

The sulfate-reducing bacteria Desulfobacterium autotrophicum, Desulfobulbus propionicus and Archaeoglobus fulgidus (VC-16) and the sulfur-metabolizing archaebacteria Desulfurolobus ambivalens and Thermoplasma acidophilum were found to contain considerable amounts of corrinoids, that were isolated and crystallized in their Co beta-cyano form. In three other sulfur-metabolizing archaebacteria, Thermoproteus neutrophilus, Pyrodictium occultum and Staphylothermus marinus significant amounts of corrinoids were not detected under the isolation methods used. The samples from the three sulfate-reducers were identified with Co alpha-[alpha-(5'-methylbenzimidazolyl)]-Co beta-cyanocobamide.

Diversity of corrinoids in acetogenic bacteria. P-cresolylcobamide from Sporomusa ovata, 5-methoxy-6-methylbenzimidazolylcobamide from Clostridium formicoaceticum and vitamin B12 from Acetobacterium woodii.

The Co beta-cyanocobamides obtained by cyanide extractions from several acetogenic bacteria were structurally characterized by ultraviolet/visible spectra, proton-nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectra and fast-atom-bombardment mass spectra. p-Cresolycobamide was detected as a major corrinoid from Sporomusa ovata. This 'complete' corrinoid was isolated from an organism for the first time.

Substitution of Co alpha-(5-hydroxybenzimidazolyl)cobamide (factor III) by vitamin B12 in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum.

Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum grown on mineral medium contains 120 nmol of Co alpha-(5-hydroxybenzimidazolyl)cobamides (derivatives of factor III) per g of dry cell mass as the sole cobamide. The bacterium assimilated several corrinoids and benzimidazole bases during autotrophic growth. The corrinoids were converted into factor III; however, after three transfers in 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole (200 microM)-supplemented mineral medium, derivatives of factor III were completely replaced by derivatives of vitamin B12, which is atypical for methanogens.

Isolation and analysis of bacterial cobamides by high-performance liquid chromatography.

Cyanocobamides were extracted from diverse bacterial species, purified by XAD-4 and neutral aluminum oxide column chromatography, and separated by isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Retention times are given for seven cobamide types: dicyanocobinamide (factor B), Co alpha-(alpha-benzimidazolyl)-Co beta-cyanocobamide, Co alpha-(5-hydroxybenzimidazolyl)-Co beta-cyanocobamide (factor III), Co alpha-(5-methoxybenzimidazolyl)-Co beta-cyanocobamide (factor IIIm), Co alpha-(5-methylbenzimidazolyl)-Co beta-cyanocobamide, cyanocob(III)alamin (vitamin B-12) and Co alpha-(naphthimidazolyl)-Co beta-cyanocobamide. Other Co beta-ligandyl-cobamides such as hydroxycobamide and the light-sensitive methyl-, acetyl-, propyl-, and adenosylcobamides were separated by HPLC in a gradient mode.

Biosynthetic Pathways of Vibrio succinogenes growing with fumarate as terminal electron acceptor and sole carbon source.

1. With fumarate as the terminal electron acceptor and either H2 or formate as donor, Vibrio succinogenes could grow anaerobically in a mineral medium using fumarate as the sole carbon source. Both the growth rate and the cell yield were increased when glutamate was also present in the medium.