Heterogeneous origin of carbonic anhydrase activity of thylakoid membranes

Carbonic anhydrase activities of pea thylakoids as well as thylakoid fragments enriched either in Photosystem 1 (PS1-membranes) or Photosystem 2 (PS2-membranes) were studied. The activity of PS1-membranes if calculated on chlorophyll basis was much higher than the activity of PS2-membranes. Acetazolamide, a non-permeable inhibitor of carbonic anhydrases, increased carbonic anhydrase activity of PS2-membranes at concentrations lower than 10⁻⁶ M and suppressed this activity only at higher concentrations. A lipophilic inhibitor of carbonic anhydrases, ethoxyzolamide, effectively suppressed the carbonic anhydrase activity of PS2-membranes (I ₅₀ = 10⁻⁹ M). Carbonic anhydrase activity of PS1-membranes was suppressed alike by both inhibitors (I ₅₀ = 10⁻⁶ M). In the course of the electrophoresis of PS2-membranes treated with n-dodecyl-β-maltoside “high-molecular-mass” carbonic anhydrase activity was revealed in the region corresponding to core-complex of this photosystem. Besides, carbonic anhydrase activity in the region of low-molecular-mass proteins was discovered in the course of such an electrophoresis of both PS2-and PS1-membranes. These low-molecular-mass carbonic anhydrases eluted from corresponding gels differed in sensitivity to specific carbonic anhydrase inhibitors just the same as PS1-membranes versus PS2-membranes. The results are considered as evidence for the presence in the thylakoid membranes of three carriers of carbonic anhydrase activity. Published in Russian in Biokhimiya, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 5, pp. 651–659.     

Specific features of the system of carbonic anhydrases of alkaliphilic cyanobacteria

This review brings together our recent data on carbonic anhydrases of representatives of alkaliphilic cyanobacteria inhabiting soda lakes, which are considered as the relicts of the ancient terrestrial microbiota. The modern information about cyanobacterial carbonic anhydrases is based mainly on the study of model strains, such as Synechocystis and Synechococcus. Our results are compared with literature data. The role of carbonic anhydrases in the assimilation of inorganic carbon by cyanobacteria of soda lakes is discussed in terms of evolution of the CO₂-concentrating mechanism.     

A closer look at the active site of gamma-class carbonic anhydrases: high-resolution crystallographic studies of the carbonic anhydrase from Methanosarcina thermophila

The prototype of the gamma-class of carbonic anhydrase has been characterized from the methanogenic archaeon Methanosarcina thermophila. Previously reported kinetic studies of the gamma-class carbonic anhydrase are consistent with this enzyme having a reaction mechanism similar to that of the mammalian alpha-class carbonic anhydrase. However, the overall folds of these two enzymes are dissimilar, and apart from the zinc-coordinating histidines, the active site residues bear little resemblance to one another. The crystal structures of zinc-containing and cobalt-substituted gamma-class carbonic anhydrases from M. thermophila are reported here between 1.46 and 1.95 A resolution in the unbound form and cocrystallized with either SO(4)(2)(-) or HCO(3)(-). Relative to the tetrahedral coordination geometry seen at the active site in the alpha-class of carbonic anhydrases, the active site of the gamma-class enzyme contains additional metal-bound water ligands, so the overall coordination geometry is trigonal bipyramidal for the zinc-containing enzyme and octahedral for the cobalt-substituted enzyme. Ligands bound to the active site all make contacts with the side chain of Glu 62 in manners that suggest the side chain is likely protonated. In the uncomplexed zinc-containing enzyme, the side chains of Glu 62 and Glu 84 appear to share a proton; additionally, Glu 84 exhibits multiple conformations. This suggests that Glu 84 may act as a proton shuttle, which is an important aspect of the reaction mechanism of alpha-class carbonic anhydrases. A hydrophobic pocket on the surface of the enzyme may participate in the trapping of CO(2) at the active site. On the basis of the coordination geometry at the active site, ligand binding modes, the behavior of the side chains of Glu 62 and Glu 84, and analogies to the well-characterized alpha-class of carbonic anhydrases, a more-defined reaction mechanism is proposed for the gamma-class of carbonic anhydrases.     

Characterization of stable conformational variants of erythrocyte carbonic anhydrases.

Limiting viscosity numbers of bovine and ovine erythrocytes carbonic anhydrase variants were calculated by the objective method of comparing viscosimetric data obtained from low-activity-human erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase and its natural variant. Shifts of mobilities and isoelectric points are shown for all species variants, but variations of limiting viscosity numbers were only detected for human and bovine variants. Results of the study are consistent with the observation that variants arise by deamidation of erythrocyte carbonic anhydrases, and that deamidation is responsible for changes in structure and hydration (i. e. "conformational" modifications). Thus, all the variants so far investigated are stable conformational variants or erythrocyte carbonic anhydrases.     

The sequence of equine muscle carbonic anhydrase

The sequence of equine muscle carbonic anhydrase (CA-III) has been determined. The 2 reactive cysteines of the 5 such residues have been localized. A strong sequence homology to other mammalian carbonic anhydrases exists, and 91% of the residues in the equine and bovine muscle forms are identical.     

The active site structure of Thalassiosira weissflogii carbonic anhydrase 1

X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Zn K-edge indicates that the active site of the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii carbonic anhydrase is strikingly similar to that of mammalian alpha-carbonic anhydrase enzymes. The zinc has three histidine ligands and a single water at 1.98 A. This is quite different from the beta-carbonic anhydrases of higher plants in which zinc is coordinated by two cysteine thiolates, one histidine, and a water molecule. The diatom carbonic anhydrase shows no significant sequence similarity with other carbonic anhydrases and may represent an example of convergent evolution at the molecular level.     

Purification and properties of cyclostome carbonic anhydrase from erythrocytes of hagfish

1. Carbonic anhydrase (carbonate hydro-lyase, EC 4.2.1.1) has been purified from erythrocytes of hagfish (Myxine glutinosa). A single form with low specific CO2 hydration activity was isolated. The purified carbonic anhydrase appeared homogeneous judging from polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration experiments. The protein has a molecular weight of about 29 000, corresponding to about 260 amino acid residues. This molecular weight is in accordance with other vertebrate carbonic anhydrases with the exception of the elasmobranch enzymes, which have Mr 36 000--39 000. 2. The molecular weight obtained for hagfish carbonic anhydrase indicates that a carbonic anhydrase with Mr approx. 29 000 is the ancestral type of the vertebrate enzyme rather than, as in sharks, a heavier carbonic anhydrase molecule. 3. The circular dichroism spectrum may indicate a somewhat different structural arrangement of aromatic amino acid residues in this enzyme than in the mammalian carbonic anhydrases. 4. The enzyme is strongly inhibited by acetazolamide and also to a lesser extent by monovalent anions. 5. Zn2+, which is essential for activity, appears, contrary to other characterized carbonic anhydrases, less strongly bound in the active site of the enzyme.     

Proton transfer to residues of basic pK(a) during catalysis by carbonic anhydrase.

The maximal velocity in the hydration of CO(2) catalyzed by the carbonic anhydrases in well-buffered solutions is limited by an intramolecular proton transfer from zinc-bound water to acceptor groups of the enzyme and hence to buffer in solution. Stopped-flow spectrophotometry was used to accumulate evidence that this maximal velocity is affected by residues of basic pK(a), near 8 to above 9, in catalysis of the hydration of CO(2) by carbonic anhydrases III, IV, V, and VII. A mutant of carbonic anhydrase II containing the replacement His-64-->Ala, which removes the prominent histidine proton shuttle (with pK(a) near 7), allows better observation of these basic groups. We suggest this feature of catalysis is general for the human and animal carbonic anhydrases and is due to residues of basic pK(a), predominantly lysines and tyrosines more distant from the zinc than His-64, that act as proton acceptors. These groups supplement the well-studied proton transfer from zinc-bound water to His-64 in the most efficient of the carbonic anhydrases, isozymes II, IV, and VII.     

Affinity chromatography of carbonic anhydrase

An insoluble support for affinity chromatography of carbonic anhydrase has been prepared by coupling Sulfamylon (p-aminomethylbenzene sulfonamide) to Sepharose 4B. Carbonic anhydrase binds to Sulfamylon-Sepharose very strongly and can be eluted under mild conditions by the addition of enzyme inhibitors. The gel was used to purify carbonic anhydrase from human erythrocytes and to separate isozymes B and C. It was also employed to separate native enzyme from modified carbonic anhydrases. The apoenzyme and the carboxymethyl enzyme of human carbonic anhydrase B were both isolated by this method.     

The catalytic properties of human carbonic anhydrase IX.

Human carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) is an integral membrane protein and a member of the alpha class of carbonic anhydrases that includes the human and animal enzymes. We have prepared a truncated, recombinant form of human CA IX of 255 residues consistent with full-length human CA II, among the most efficient of the carbonic anhydrases. Catalysis by and inhibition of this form of human CA IX has been investigated using stopped-flow spectrophotometry and 18O exchange measured by mass spectrometry. In kinetic constants for the hydration of CO2, CA IX closely resembled CA II with maximal proton transfer-dependent 18O exchange near 1 micros(-1) and kcat/Km near 55 microM(-1) x s(-1). Human CA IX was very strongly inhibited by three classic sulfonamides and cyanate, with inhibition constants that are close to those for CA II.     

Post-translational modifications in tumor-associated carbonic anhydrases

Amino Acids - Human carbonic anhydrases IX (hCA IX) and XII (hCA XII) are two proteins associated with tumor formation and development. These enzymes have been largely investigated both from a...     

Structure and function of carbonic anhydrases from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Carbonic anhydrases catalyze the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide to form bicarbonate. This activity is universally required for fatty acid biosynthesis as well as for the production of a number of small molecules, pH homeostasis, and other functions. At least three different carbonic anhydrase families are known to exist, of which the alpha-class found in humans has been studied in most detail. In the present work, we describe the structures of two of the three beta-class carbonic anhydrases that have been identified in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, i.e. Rv1284 and Rv3588c. Both structures were solved by molecular replacement and then refined to resolutions of 2.0 and 1.75 A, respectively. The active site of Rv1284 is small and almost completely shielded from solvent, whereas that of Rv3588c is larger and quite open to solution. Differences in coordination of the active site metal are also observed. In Rv3588c, an aspartic acid side chain displaces a water molecule and coordinates directly to the zinc ion, thereby closing the zinc coordination sphere and breaking the salt link to a nearby arginine that is a feature of Rv1284. The two carbonic anhydrases thus exhibit both of the metal coordination geometries that have previously been observed for structures in this family. Activity studies demonstrate that Rv3588c is a completely functional carbonic anhydrase. The apparent lack of activity of Rv1284 in the present assay system is likely exacerbated by the observed depletion of zinc in the preparation.     

Comparative characterization of monoclonal antibodies to carbonic anhydrase

Monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) were generated to avian carbonic anhydrase-C and characterized; their reactivity with human, murine, bovine, chicken and fish erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase-C, and with human carbonic anhydrase-B was investigated by ELISA and electroblot techniques. Reactivity of the Mabs with native and SDS-denatured carbonic anhydrase was compared. Mabs that recognize antigenic determinants shared by all the carbonic anhydrases examined were identified. The results demonstrate the potential usefulness of these particular probes for investigating various aspects of function, evolution, development and regulation of this important, but not well understood group of enzymes.     

The purification and properties of carbonic anhydrases from guinea-pig erythrocytes and the mucosae of the gastrointestinal tract

Procedures for isolating carbonic anhydrase (EC 4.2.1.1) enzymes from the erythrocytes and the mucosae of the gastrointestinal tract of guinea pigs are described. From a haemolysate, haemoglobin was removed by the addition of ammonium sulphate, and also by two other methods, namely by gel filtration or by adsorption on DEAE-Sephadex. The crude enzyme thus obtained was resolved into the different isoenzymes by chromatography with DEAE-cellulose. From particle-free supernatants of homogenates of some gastrointestinal tissues, carbonic anhydrases were purified by ammonium sulphate fractionation, gel filtration, and ion-exchange chromatography with DEAE-cellulose. The major isoenzymes from blood, stomach, proximal colonic mucosa and caecal mucosa were homogeneous during ion-exchange chromatography, acrylamide-gel electrophoresis, and centrifugal examination. From these tissues, carbonic anhydrase was isolated as two major isoenzymes. They resemble the pairs of isoenzymes discovered in the bloods of other species. The carbon dioxide hydratase activity of one isoenzyme (;high activity' carbonic anhydrase) was 40 times that of the other isoenzyme (;low activity' carbonic anhydrase), as measured at a single substrate concentration. Two other minor components of the enzyme are also found in guinea-pig erythrocytes. All of the enzymes isolated had molecular weights of nearly 30000 (sedimentation equilibrium). ;High activity' carbonic anhydrases from blood and gastrointestinal tissues were indistinguishable according to some chemical, physical and kinetic measurements; similarly ;low activity' carbonic anhydrases from those tissues were indistinguishable. ;High activity' carbonic anhydrase was markedly different from the ;low activity' carbonic anhydrase with respect to its amino acid composition, chromatographic behaviour and isoelectric pH value. Marked differences were also found in the tissue concentrations of the major isoenzymes. It is suggested that the characteristic and selective distribution of the different forms of carbonic anhydrase in the guinea-pig tissues is related to the specific and different physiological functions of the enzymes.     

Large-scale preparation of the human carbonic anhydrases

A procedure for the large-scale preparation of human carbonic anhydrases B and C is described. The procedure has been adopted for routine use in this laboratory for preparing the large amounts of protein required for primary structural studies on both enzymes.     

Prokaryotic carbonic anhydrases

Carbonic anhydrases catalyze the reversible hydration of CO(2) [CO(2)+H(2)Oright harpoon over left harpoon HCO(3)(-)+H(+)]. Since the discovery of this zinc (Zn) metalloenzyme in erythrocytes over 65 years ago, carbonic anhydrase has not only been found in virtually all mammalian tissues but is also abundant in plants and green unicellular algae. The enzyme is important to many eukaryotic physiological processes such as respiration, CO(2) transport and photosynthesis. Although ubiquitous in highly evolved organisms from the Eukarya domain, the enzyme has received scant attention in prokaryotes from the Bacteria and Archaea domains and has been purified from only five species since it was first identified in Neisseria sicca in 1963. Recent work has shown that carbonic anhydrase is widespread in metabolically diverse species from both the Archaea and Bacteria domains indicating that the enzyme has a more extensive and fundamental role in prokaryotic biology than previously recognized. A remarkable feature of carbonic anhydrase is the existence of three distinct classes (designated alpha, beta and gamma) that have no significant sequence identity and were invented independently. Thus, the carbonic anhydrase classes are excellent examples of convergent evolution of catalytic function. Genes encoding enzymes from all three classes have been identified in the prokaryotes with the beta and gamma classes predominating. All of the mammalian isozymes (including the 10 human isozymes) belong to the alpha class; however, only nine alpha class carbonic anhydrase genes have thus far been found in the Bacteria domain and none in the Archaea domain. The beta class is comprised of enzymes from the chloroplasts of both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants as well as enzymes from phylogenetically diverse species from the Archaea and Bacteria domains. The only gamma class carbonic anhydrase that has thus far been isolated and characterized is from the methanoarchaeon Methanosarcina thermophila. Interestingly, many prokaryotes contain carbonic anhydrase genes from more than one class; some even contain genes from all three known classes. In addition, some prokaryotes contain multiple genes encoding carbonic anhydrases from the same class. The presence of multiple carbonic anhydrase genes within a species underscores the importance of this enzyme in prokaryotic physiology; however, the role(s) of this enzyme is still largely unknown. Even though most of the information known about the function(s) of carbonic anhydrase primarily relates to its role in cyanobacterial CO(2) fixation, the prokaryotic enzyme has also been shown to function in cyanate degradation and the survival of intracellular pathogens within their host. Investigations into prokaryotic carbonic anhydrase have already led to the identification of a new class (gamma) and future research will undoubtedly reveal novel functions for carbonic anhydrase in prokaryotes.     

Diversity in forms and functions of carbonic anhydrase in terrestrial higher plants

The review summarizes current data on the existence in terrestrial higher plants of several carbonic anhydrase forms differing in their properties, molecular structure, and intracellular localization. Possible functions of these carbonic anhydrases are discussed as well as specific features of carbon-concentrating mechanisms in phototrophic tissues of plants with C₃ and C₄ pathways of photosynthesis.     

Binding of human carbonic anhydrase to human hemoglobin

The ability of human carbonic anhydrases to interact with human CO-hemoglobin have been studied with the counter-current distribution technique in aqueous/aqueous biphasic systems. The experimental results show that human carbonic anhydrase II interacts with human CO-hemoglobin whereas human carbonic anhydrase I does not. THe interaction between CO-hemoglobin and carbonic anhydrase II was quantified using the theoretical model developed previously for one-to-one interacting systems. [Backman, L. and Shanbhag, V.P. (1979) J. Chromatogr. 171, 1-13]. The apparent association constant was estimated to be 4.1 x 10(5) l mol-1 at pH 8.0 and 21 degrees C for the association of carbonic anhydrase II and CO-hemoglobin.     

Indispensability of the Escherichia coli carbonic anhydrases YadF and CynT in cell proliferation at a low CO2 partial pressure

We found that a carbonic anhydrase, YadF, is essential for cell growth in the absence of another carbonic anhydrase, CynT, in Escherichia coli. However, mutant strains lacking both of them grew at high CO2 concentrations (5%), where non-enzymatic mechanisms generate HCO3-. This suggests that these carbonic anhydrases are essential because they maintain HCO3- levels at ambient CO2 concentrations.     

Crystal structure of the "cab"-type beta class carbonic anhydrase from the archaeon Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum

The structure of the "cab"-type beta class carbonic anhydrase from the archaeon Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (Cab) has been determined to 2.1-A resolution using the multiwavelength anomalous diffraction phasing technique. Cab exists as a dimer with a subunit fold similar to that observed in "plant"-type beta class carbonic anhydrases. The active site zinc is coordinated by protein ligands Cys(32), His(87), and Cys(90), with the tetrahedral coordination completed by a water molecule. The major difference between plant- and cab-type beta class carbonic anhydrases is in the organization of the hydrophobic pocket. The structure reveals a Hepes buffer molecule bound 8 A away from the active site zinc, which suggests a possible proton transfer pathway from the active site to the solvent.