Sensory mechanism of oxygen sensor FixL from Rhizobium meliloti: crystallographic, mutagenesis and resonance Raman spectroscopic studies

FixL of Rhizobium meliloti (RmFixL) is a sensor histidine kinase of the two-component system, which regulates the expression of the genes related to nitrogen fixation in the root nodule in response to the O(2) levels. The crystal structure of the sensor domain of FixL (RmFixLH), which contains a heme (Fe-porphyrin) as a sensing site, was determined at 1.4 A resolution. Based on the structural and spectroscopic analyses, we propose the O(2) sensing mechanism that differs from the case proposed in BjFixLH as follows; conformational changes in the F/G loop, which are induced by steric repulsion between the bent-bound O(2) and the Ile209 side-chain, would be transmitted to the histidine kinase domain. Interaction between the iron-bound O(2) and Ile209 was also observed in the resonance Raman spectra of RmFixLH as evidenced by the fact that the Fe-O(2) and Fe-CN stretching frequencies were shifted from 575 to 570 cm(-1) (Fe-O(2)), and 504 to 499 cm(-1), respectively, as the result of the replacement of Ile209 with an Ala residue. In the I209A mutant of RmFixL, the O(2) sensing activity was destroyed, thus confirming our proposed mechanism.     

Roles of Ile209 and Ile210 on the heme pocket structure and regulation of histidine kinase activity of oxygen sensor FixL from Rhizobium meliloti

FixL is a sensor histidine kinase having a heme-containing domain as an O(2) sensing site. In the study presented here, Ile209 and Ile210 located near the heme iron of the heme domain of Rhizobium meliloti FixL (RmFixL) were mutated, and the mutational effects on the regulation of the kinase activity and the heme pocket structure were examined by the autophosphorylation assay and UV-visible absorption and resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopies. The mutation of these residues disrupted the regulation of the kinase activity by the sensor (heme) domain, indicating that Ile209 and Ile210 play important roles in the signal transduction between the heme and the kinase domains. By measurement of the resonance Raman and optical absorption spectra of Ile209 and Ile210 mutants in several oxidation, spin, and ligation states, it was found that both residues are highly flexible, and their side chains sterically interact with the O(2) ligand, when it binds to the heme iron. On the basis of the results, we propose an O(2) sensing mechanism of RmFixL; the kinase activity is regulated via conformational changes of Ile209 and Ile210 induced by the O(2) binding to the sensory center.     

A comparative resonance Raman analysis of heme-binding PAS domains: heme iron coordination structures of the BjFixL, AxPDEA1, EcDos, and MtDos proteins

The heme-PAS is a specialized domain with which a broad class of signal-transducing heme proteins detect physiological heme ligands. Such domains exhibit a wide range of ligand binding parameters, yet they are all expected to feature an alpha-beta heme binding fold and a predominantly hydrophobic heme distal pocket without a distal histidine. We have compared, for the first time, the resonance Raman spectra of several heme-PASs: the heme-binding domains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum FixL, Escherichia coli Dos, Acetobacter xylinum PDEA1, and Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum Dos. In all cases, the nu(Fe)-(CO) and nu(C-O) values of the carbonmonoxy forms were consistent with coordination of the heme iron to histidine on the proximal side and binding of the CO without electrostatic interaction with the heme distal pocket. EcDos was unusual in having predominantly hexacoordinate heme iron in the deoxy and met forms. Despite an evident lack of CO interaction with the EcDos heme pocket, relatively low Fe-O(2) (562 cm(-1)) and N-O (1576 cm(-1)) stretching frequencies indicated that strong polar interactions with that heme distal pocket are possible for highly bent ligands such as O(2) or NO. None of the newly studied NO adducts exhibited evidence of the Fe-His rupture and pentacoordination previously noted for Sinorhizobium meliloti FixL. A low Fe-His stretching frequency, formerly interpreted as a strained Fe-His bond, and the slow association of O(2) with S. meliloti FixL failed to correlate with the newly studied proteins having low association rate or low equilibrium association constants for binding of O(2). We conclude that although heme-PASs share some features, they represent distinct signal transduction mechanisms.     

Functional implications of the propionate 7-arginine 220 interaction in the FixLH oxygen sensor from Bradyrhizobium japonicum

BjFixL from Bradyrhizobium japonicum is a heme-based oxygen sensor implicated in the signaling cascade that enables the bacterium to adapt to fluctuating oxygen levels. Signal transduction is initiated by the binding of O(2) to the heme domain of BjFixL, resulting in protein conformational changes that are transmitted to a histidine kinase domain. We report structural changes of the heme and its binding pocket in the Fe(II) deoxy and Fe(III) met states of the wild-type BjFixLH oxygen sensor domain and four mutants of the highly conserved residue arginine 220. UV-visible, electron paramagnetic resonance, and resonance Raman spectroscopies all showed that the heme iron of the R220H mutant is unexpectedly six-coordinated at physiological pH in the Fe(III) state but undergoes pH- and redox-dependent coordination changes. This behavior is unprecedented for FixL proteins, but is reminiscent of another oxygen sensor from E. coli, EcDos. All mutants in their deoxy states are five-coordinated Fe(II), although we report rupture of the residue 220-propionate 7 interaction and structural modifications of the heme conformation as well as propionate geometry and flexibility. In this work, we conclude that part of the structural reorganization usually attributed to O(2) binding in the wild-type protein is in fact due to rupture of the Arg220-P7 interaction. Moreover, we correlate the structural modifications of the deoxy Fe(II) states with k(on) values and conclude that the Arg220-P7 interaction is responsible for the lower O(2) and CO k(on) values reported for the wild-type protein.     

Chimeric sensory kinases containing O2 sensor domain of FixL and histidine kinase domain from thermophile

To explore the functional mechanism of inter-domain interaction in a sensor histidine kinase, five chimeric sensory kinases were constructed. In each of these chimeric proteins (CskA254, CskA264, CskA274, CskA284, and CskA294), the sensor domain of heme-based O(2) sensor FixL, obtained from Sinorhizobium meliloti, was fused with the histidine kinase domain from a hyperthermophile, Thermotoga maritima, each at a systematically different position. The UV-visible (UV-vis), resonance Raman (RR), and circular dichroism (CD) spectral characteristics of the CskAs indicated that the secondary and heme environmental structures of all five CskAs examined are identical to those of FixL. In spite of these structural similarities, all CskAs did not exhibit O(2)-dependent regulation of autophosphorylation activity. Furthermore, their functional properties were much different from those of FixL: The O(2) binding affinity and the autophosphorylation activity for CskA254, CskA264, and CskA274 were similar to those of the truncated sensor and histidine kinase domain, whereas CskA284 and CskA294 display extremely low O(2) affinity and low autophosphorylation activity, as compared with each truncated domain. These observations indicated that the interdomain interaction was presented in those CskAs, and that interaction could be related to the O(2)-dependent regulatory interaction of FixL. In the present study, we demonstrated that the interaction in the physiological sensor histidine kinase would be strictly and finely controlled to mediate the signal ligation-dependent autophosphorylation activity in its histidine kinase domain.     

Dos, a heme-binding PAS protein from Escherichia coli, is a direct oxygen sensor

A direct sensor of O(2), the Dos protein, has been found in Escherichia coli. Previously, the only biological sensors known to respond to O(2) by direct and reversible binding were the FixL proteins of Rhizobia. A heme-binding region in Dos is 60% homologous to the O(2)-sensing PAS domain of the FixL protein, but the remainder of Dos does not resemble FixL. Specifically, the C-terminal domain of Dos, presumed to be a regulatory partner that couples to its heme-binding domain, is not a histidine kinase but more closely resembles a phosphodiesterase. The absorption spectra of Dos indicate that both axial positions of the heme iron are coordinated to side chains of the protein. Nevertheless, O(2) and CO bind to Dos with K(d) values of 13 and 10 microM, respectively, indicating a strong discrimination against CO binding. Association rate constants for binding of O(2) (3 mM(-)(1) s(-)(1)), CO (1 mM(-)(1) s(-)(1)) and even NO (2 mM(-)(1) s(-)(1)) are extraordinarily low and very similar. Displacement of an endogenous ligand, probably Met 95, from the heme iron in Dos triggers a conformational change that alters the activity of the enzymatic domain. This sensing mechanism differs from that of FixL but resembles that of the CO sensor CooA of Rhodospirillum rubrum. Overall the results provide evidence for a heme-binding subgroup of PAS-domain proteins whose working range, signaling mechanisms, and regulatory partners can vary considerably.     

Ultrahigh resolution structures of nitrophorin 4: heme distortion in ferrous CO and NO complexes

Nitrophorin 4 (NP4), a nitric oxide (NO)-transport protein from the blood-sucking insect Rhodnius prolixus, uses a ferric (Fe3+) heme to deliver NO to its victims. NO binding to NP4 induces a large conformational change and complete desolvation of the distal pocket. The heme is markedly nonplanar, displaying a ruffling distortion postulated to contribute to stabilization of the ferric iron. Here, we report the ferrous (Fe2+) complexes of NP4 with NO, CO, and H2O formed after chemical reduction of the protein and the characterization of these complexes by absorption spectroscopy, flash photolysis, and ultrahigh-resolution crystallography (resolutions vary from 0.9 to 1.08 A). The absorption spectra, both in solution and in the crystal, are typical for six-coordinated ferrous complexes. Closure and desolvation of the distal pocket occurs upon binding CO or NO to the iron regardless of the heme oxidation state, confirming that the conformational change is driven by distal ligand polarity. The degree of heme ruffling is coupled to the nature of the ligand and the iron oxidation state in the following order: (Fe3+)-NO > (Fe2+)-NO > (Fe2+)-CO > (Fe3+)-H2O > (Fe2+)-H2O. The ferrous coordination geometry is as expected, except for the proximal histidine bond, which is shorter than typically found in model compounds. These data are consistent with heme ruffling and coordination geometry serving to stabilize the ferric state of the nitrophorins, a requirement for their physiological function. Possible roles for heme distortion and NO bending in heme protein function are discussed.     

Unraveling the substrate-metal binding site of ferrochelatase: an X-ray absorption spectroscopic study

Ferrochelatase (EC 4.99.1.1), the terminal enzyme of the heme biosynthetic pathway, catalyzes the insertion of ferrous iron into the protoporphyrin IX ring. Ferrochelatases can be arbitrarily divided into two broad categories: those with and those without a [2Fe-2S] center. In this work we have used X-ray absorption spectroscopy to investigate the metal ion binding sites of murine and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) ferrochelatases, which are representatives of the former and latter categories, respectively. Co(2+) and Zn(2+) complexes of both enzymes were studied, but the Fe(2+) complex was only studied for yeast ferrochelatase because the [2Fe-2S] center of the murine enzyme interferes with the analysis. Co(2+) and Zn(2+) binding to site-directed mutants of the murine enzyme were also studied, in which the highly conserved and potentially metal-coordinating residues H207 and Y220 were substituted by residues that should not coordinate metal (i.e., H207N, H207A, and Y220F). Our experiments indicate four-coordinate zinc with Zn(N/O)(3)(S/Cl)(1) coordination for the yeast and Zn(N/O)(2)(S/Cl)(2) coordination for the wild-type murine enzyme. In contrast to zinc, a six-coordinate site for Co(2+) coordinated with oxygen or nitrogen was present in both the yeast and murine (wild-type and mutated) enzymes, with evidence of two histidine ligands in both. Like Co(2+), Fe(2+) bound to yeast ferrochelatase was coordinated by approximately six oxygen or nitrogen ligands, again with evidence of two histidine ligands. For the murine enzyme, mutation of both H207 and Y220 significantly changed the spectra, indicating a likely role for these residues in metal ion substrate binding. This is in marked disagreement with the conclusions from X-ray crystallographic studies of the human enzyme, and possible reasons for this are discussed.     

Resonance Raman study on cytochrome c peroxidase and its intermediate. Presence of the Fe(IV) = O bond in compound ES and heme-linked ionization

Resonance Raman spectra of ferrous and ferric cytochrome c peroxidase and Compound ES and their pH dependences were investigated in resonance with Soret band. The Fe(IV) = O stretching Raman line of Compound ES was assigned to a broad band around 767 cm-1, which was shifted to 727 cm-1 upon 18O substitution. The 18O-isotopic frequency shift was recognized for Compound ES derived in H218O, but not in H216O. This clearly indicated occurrence of an oxygen exchange between the Fe(IV) = O heme and bulk water. The Fe(IV) = O stretching Raman band was definitely more intense and of higher frequency in D2O than in H2O as in Compound II of horseradish peroxidase, but in contrast with this its frequency was unaltered between pH 4 and 11. The Fe(II)-histidine stretching Raman line was assigned on the basis of the frequency shift observed for 54Fe isotopic substitution. From the intensity analysis of this band, the pKa of the heme-linked ionization of ferrocytochrome c peroxidase was determined to be 7.3. The Raman spectrum of ferricytochrome c peroxidase strongly suggested that the heme is placed under an equilibrium between the 5- and 6-coordinate high-spin structures. At neutral pH it is biased to the 5-coordinate structure, but at the acidic side of the transition of pKa = 5.5 the 6-coordinate heme becomes dominant. F- was bound to the heme iron at pH 6, but Cl- was bound only at acidic pH. Acidification by HNO3, H2SO4, CH3COOH, HBr, or HI resulted in somewhat different populations of the 5- and 6-coordinate forms when they were compared at pH 4.3. Accordingly, it is inferred that a water molecule which is suggested to occupy the sixth coordination position of the heme iron is not coordinated to the heme iron at pH 6 but that protonation of the pKa = 5.5 residue induces an appreciable structural change, allowing the coordination of the water molecule to the heme iron.     

Spectroscopic, structural, and functional characterization of the alternative low-spin state of horse heart cytochrome C

The alternative low-spin states of Fe(3+) and Fe(2+) cytochrome c induced by SDS or AOT/hexane reverse micelles exhibited the heme group in a less rhombic symmetry and were characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance, UV-visible, CD, magnetic CD, fluorescence, and Raman resonance. Consistent with the replacement of Met(80) by another strong field ligand at the sixth heme iron coordination position, Fe(3+) ALSScytc exhibited 1-nm Soret band blue shift and epsilon enhancement accompanied by disappearance of the 695-nm charge transfer band. The Raman resonance, CD, and magnetic CD spectra of Fe(3+) and Fe(2+) ALSScytc exhibited significant changes suggestive of alterations in the heme iron microenvironment and conformation and should not be assigned to unfold because the Trp(59) fluorescence remained quenched by the neighboring heme group. ALSScytc was obtained with His(33) and His(26) carboxyethoxylated horse cytochrome c and with tuna cytochrome c (His(33) replaced by Asn) pointing out Lys(79) as the probable heme iron ligand. Fe(3+) ALSScytc retained the capacity to cleave tert-butylhydroperoxide and to be reduced by dithiothreitol and diphenylacetaldehyde but not by ascorbate. Compatible with a more open heme crevice, ALSScytc exhibited a redox potential approximately 200 mV lower than the wild-type protein (+220 mV) and was more susceptible to the attack of free radicals.     

Activation of heme-regulated eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha kinase by nitric oxide is induced by the formation of a five-coordinate NO-heme complex: optical absorption, electron spin resonance, and resonance raman spectral studies

Heme-regulated eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha kinase (HRI) regulates the synthesis of hemoglobin in reticulocytes in response to heme availability. HRI contains a tightly bound heme at the N-terminal domain. Earlier reports show that nitric oxide (NO) regulates HRI catalysis. However, the mechanism of this process remains unclear. In the present study, we utilize in vitro kinase assays, optical absorption, electron spin resonance (ESR), and resonance Raman spectra of purified full-length HRI for the first time to elucidate the regulation mechanism of NO. HRI was activated via heme upon NO binding, and the Fe(II)-HRI(NO) complex displayed 5-fold greater eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha kinase activity than the Fe(III)-HRI complex. The Fe(III)-HRI complex exhibited a Soret peak at 418 nm and a rhombic ESR signal with g values of 2.49, 2.28, and 1.87, suggesting coordination with Cys as an axial ligand. Interestingly, optical absorption, ESR, and resonance Raman spectra of the Fe(II)-NO complex were characteristic of five-coordinate NO-heme. Spectral findings on the coordination structure of full-length HRI were distinct from those obtained for the isolated N-terminal heme-binding domain. Specifically, six-coordinate NO-Fe(II)-His was observed but not Cys-Fe(III) coordination. It is suggested that significant conformational change(s) in the protein induced by NO binding to the heme lead to HRI activation. We discuss the role of NO and heme in catalysis by HRI, focusing on heme-based sensor proteins.     

Unusual heme iron-lipid acyl chain coordination in Escherichia coli flavohemoglobin

Escherichia coli flavohemoglobin is endowed with the notable property of binding specifically unsaturated and/or cyclopropanated fatty acids both as free acids or incorporated into a phospholipid molecule. Unsaturated or cyclopropanated fatty acid binding to the ferric heme results in a spectral change observed in the visible absorption, resonance Raman, extended x-ray absorption fine spectroscopy (EXAFS), and x-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) spectra. Resonance Raman spectra, measured on the flavohemoglobin heme domain, demonstrate that the lipid (linoleic acid or total lipid extracts)-induced spectral signals correspond to a transition from a five-coordinated (typical of the ligand-free protein) to a hexacoordinated, high spin heme iron. EXAFS and XANES measurements have been carried out both on the lipid-free and on the lipid-bound protein to assign the nature of ligand in the sixth coordination position of the ferric heme iron. EXAFS data analysis is consistent with the presence of a couple of atoms in the sixth coordination position at 2.7 A in the lipid-bound derivative (bonding interaction), whereas a contribution at 3.54 A (nonbonding interaction) can be singled out in the lipid-free protein. This last contribution is assigned to the CD1 carbon atoms of the distal LeuE11, in full agreement with crystallographic data on the lipid-free protein at 1.6 A resolution obtained in the present work. Thus, the contributions at 2.7 A distance from the heme iron are assigned to a couple of carbon atoms of the lipid acyl chain, possibly corresponding to the unsaturated carbons of the linoleic acid.     

Resonance Raman investigation of the effects of copper binding to iron-mesoporphyrin.histidine-rich glycoprotein complexes.

Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) binds both hemes and metal ions simultaneously with evidence for interaction between the two. This study uses resonance Raman and optical absorption spectroscopies to examine the heme environment of the 1:1 iron-mesoporphyrin.HRG complex in its oxidized, reduced and CO-bound forms in the absence and presence of copper. Significant perturbation of Fe(3+)-mesoporphyrin.HRG is induced by Cu2+ binding to the protein. Specifically, high frequency heme resonance Raman bands indicative of low-spin, six-coordinate iron before Cu2+ binding exhibit monotonic intensity shifts to bands representing high-spin, five-coordinate iron. The latter coordination is in contrast to that found in hemoglobin and myoglobin, and explains the Cu(2+)-induced decrease and broadening of the Fe(3+)-mesoporphyrin.HRG Soret band concomitant with the increase in the high-spin marker band at 620 nm. After dithionite reduction, the Fe(2+)-mesoporphyrin.HRG complex displays high frequency resonance Raman bands characteristic of low-spin heme and no iron-histidine stretch, which together suggest six-coordinate iron. Furthermore, the local heme environment of the complex is not altered by the binding of Cu1+. CO-bound Fe(2+)-mesoporphyrin.HRG exhibits bands in the high and low frequency regions similar to those of other CO-bound heme proteins except that the iron-CO stretch at 505 cm-1 is unusually broad with delta nu approximately 30 cm-1. The dynamics of CO photolysis and rebinding to Fe(2+)-mesoporphyrin.HRG are also distinctive. The net quantum yield for photolysis at 10 ns is low relative to most heme proteins, which may be attributed to very rapid geminate recombination. A similar low net quantum yield and broad iron-CO stretch have so far only been observed in a dimeric cytochrome c' from Chromatium vinosum. Furthermore, the photolytic transient of Fe(2+)-mesoporphyrin.HRG lacks bands corresponding to high-spin, five-coordinate iron as is found in hemoglobin and myoglobin under similar experimental conditions, suggesting iron hexacoordination before CO recombination. These data are consistent with a closely packed distal heme pocket that hinders ligand diffusion into the surrounding solvent.     

X-ray absorption spectroscopic studies of the high-spin iron(II) active site of isopenicillin N synthase: evidence for Fe-S interaction in the enzyme-substrate complex.

Isopenicillin N synthase from Cephalosporium acremonium (IPNS; M(r) 38.4K) is an Fe(2+)-requiring enzyme which catalyzes the oxidative conversion of (L-alpha-amino-delta-adipoyl)-L-cysteinyl-D-valine (ACV) to isopenicillin N, with concomitant reduction of O2 to 2H2O. Chemical and spectroscopic data have suggested that catalysis proceeds via an enzyme complex of ACV bound to the iron through its cysteinyl thiolate [Baldwin, J. E., & Abraham, E. P. (1988) Nat. Prod. Rep. 5, 129-145; Chen, V. J., Orville, A. M., Harpel, M. R., Frolik, C. A., Surerus, K. K., Münck, E., & Lipscomb, J. D. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 21677-21681; Ming, L.-J., Que, L., Jr., Kriauciunas, A., Frolik, C. A., & Chen, V. J. (1991) Biochemistry 30, 11653-11659]. Here we have employed the technique of Fe K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) to characterize the iron site and to seek direct evidence for or against the formation of an Fe-S interaction upon ACV binding. Our data collected in the absence of substrate and O2 are consistent with the iron center of IPNS being coordinated by only (N,O)-containing ligands in an approximately octahedral arrangement and with an average Fe-(N,O) distance of 2.15 +/- 0.02 A. Upon anaerobic binding of ACV, the iron coordination environment changes considerably, and the associated Fe EXAFS cannot be adequately simulated without incorporating an Fe-S interaction at 2.34 +/- 0.02 A along with four or five Fe-(N,O) interactions at 2.15 +/- 0.02 A.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Crystal structures of deoxy and CO-bound bjFixLH reveal details of ligand recognition and signaling

Rhizobia directly regulate the expression of genes required for symbiotic nitrogen fixation in response to oxygen concentration via the sensor protein FixL. The N-terminal PAS domain of FixL contains a histidine-coordinated heme and regulates the activity of its effector domain, a C-terminal histidine kinase, in response to binding of oxygen and other ligands at the heme. To further investigate ligand-induced inhibition of FixL, we have determined the crystal structures of the heme domain in both the deoxy state and bound to carbon monoxide, a weak inhibitor of FixL kinase activity. Structures collected at room temperature are presented in each state from two crystallographic space groups at 1.8 and 2 A resolution. These structures reveal displacement of the residues of the H(beta) and I(beta) strands by Leu236 upon CO binding, and this structural change propagates more than 15 A to a region of the structure implicated in signal transduction in PAS proteins. Displacement of residues Ile215, Ile216, and Gly217 in the FG loop is also evident, accompanied by the movement of heme propionate 6 upon change in iron ligation. CO binding increases the temperature factors in the FG loop of the protein and disorders the side chain of Arg206, a conserved residue involved in the FG loop switch mechanism. We relate these results to structural changes in other PAS sensor domains and their involvement in catalytic control.     

Elucidation of the heme binding site of heme-regulated eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha kinase and the role of the regulatory motif in heme sensing by spectroscopic and catalytic studies of mutant proteins

Heme-regulated eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha (eIF2alpha) kinase (HRI) functions in response to the heme iron concentration. At the appropriate heme iron concentrations under normal conditions, HRI function is suppressed by binding of the heme iron. Conversely, upon heme iron shortage, HRI autophosphorylates and subsequently phosphorylates the substrate, eIF2alpha, leading to the termination of protein synthesis. The molecular mechanism of heme sensing by HRI, including identification of the specific binding site, remains to be established. In the present study we demonstrate that His-119/His-120 and Cys-409 are the axial ligands for the Fe(III)-protoporphyrin IX complex (hemin) in HRI, based on spectral data on site-directed mutant proteins. Cys-409 is part of the heme-regulatory Cys-Pro motif in the kinase domain. A P410A full-length mutant protein displayed loss of heme iron affinity. Surprisingly, inhibitory effects of the heme iron on catalysis and changes in the heme dissociation rate constants in full-length His-119/His-120 and Cys-409 mutant proteins were marginally different to wild type. In contrast, heme-induced inhibition of Cys-409 mutants of the isolated kinase domain and N-terminal-truncated proteins was substantially weaker than that of the full-length enzyme. A pulldown assay disclosed heme-dependent interactions between the N-terminal and kinase domains. Accordingly, we propose that heme regulation is induced by interactions between heme and the catalytic domain in conjunction with global tertiary structural changes at the N-terminal domain that accompany heme coordination and not merely by coordination of the heme iron with amino acids on the protein surface.     

Anaerobic respiration using Fe(3+), S(0), and H(2) in the chemolithoautotrophic bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

The chemolithoautotrophic bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans has been known as an aerobe that respires on iron and sulfur. Here we show that the bacterium could chemolithoautotrophically grow not only on H(2)/O(2) under aerobic conditions but also on H(2)/Fe(3+), H(2)/S(0), or S(0)/Fe(3+) under anaerobic conditions. Anaerobic respiration using Fe(3+) or S(0) as an electron acceptor and H(2) or S(0) as an electron donor serves as a primary energy source of the bacterium. Anaerobic respiration based on reduction of Fe(3+) induced the bacterium to synthesize significant amounts of a c-type cytochrome that was purified as an acid-stable and soluble 28-kDa monomer. The purified cytochrome in the oxidized form was reduced in the presence of the crude extract, and the reduced cytochrome was reoxidized by Fe(3+). Respiration based on reduction of Fe(3+) coupled to oxidation of a c-type cytochrome may be involved in the primary mechanism of energy production in the bacterium on anaerobic iron respiration.     

The heme environment of mouse neuroglobin. Evidence for the presence of two conformations of the heme pocket

Neuroglobin (Ngb) is a newly discovered oxygen-binding heme protein that is primarily expressed in the brain of humans and other vertebrates. To characterize the structure/function relationships of this new heme protein, we have used resonance Raman spectroscopy to determine the structure of the heme environment in Ngb from mice. In the Fe(2+)CO complex, two conformations of the Fe-CO unit are present, one of which arises from an open conformation of the heme pocket in which the CO is not interacting with any nearby residue, and the other arises from a closed conformation where a positively charged residue near the CO group stabilizes the complex. For the Fe(2+)O(2) complex, we detect a single nu(Fe-OO) stretching mode at a frequency similar to that of oxymyoglobins and oxyhemoglobins of vertebrates (571 cm(-1)). Based on the Fe-C-O frequencies of the closed conformation of Ngb, a highly polar distal environment is indicated from which the O(2) off-rate is predicted to be lower than that of Mb. In the absence of exogenous ligands, a heme pocket residue coordinates to the heme iron, forming a six-coordinate complex, thereby predicting a low on-rate for exogenous ligands. These structural properties of the heme pocket of Ngb are discussed with respect to its proposed in vivo oxygen delivery function.