Uptake and binding of riboflavin by membrane vesicles of bacillus subtilis

Riboflavin uptake and membrane-associated riboflavin-binding activity have been investigated in Bacillus subtilis. The uptake and binding activity of the vitamin were found to be repressed coordinately by riboflavin present in the growth medium. The uptake of riboflavin has been shown to have properties of a carrier-mediated process, and membrane vesicles have been shown to demonstrate riboflavin counterflow and exchange. The membrane-associated binding activity for riboflavin has been solubilized with detergents, and a procedure for the partial purification of this component is described. The partially purified riboflavin-binding component has properties expected for a carrier involved in riboflavin uptake, as it shows saturation kinetics and is inhibited by riboflavin analogues. Evidence is also presented showing that reduced riboflavin binds to a greater extent than oxidized riboflavin, and the possible role of the reduced riboflavin in riboflavin uptake is discussed.     

Characterization of riboflavin (vitamin B2) transport proteins from Bacillus subtilis and Corynebacterium glutamicum

Riboflavin (vitamin B(2)) is the direct precursor of the flavin cofactors flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide, essential components of cellular biochemistry. In this work we investigated the unrelated proteins YpaA from Bacillus subtilis and PnuX from Corynebacterium glutamicum for a role in riboflavin uptake. Based on the regulation of the corresponding genes by a riboswitch mechanism, both proteins have been predicted to be involved in flavin metabolism. Moreover, their primary structures suggested that these proteins integrate into the cytoplasmic membrane. We provide experimental evidence that YpaA is a plasma membrane protein with five transmembrane domains and a cytoplasmic C terminus. In B. subtilis, riboflavin uptake was increased when ypaA was overexpressed and abolished when ypaA was deleted. Riboflavin uptake activity and the abundance of the YpaA protein were also increased when riboflavin auxotrophic mutants were grown in limiting amounts of riboflavin. YpaA-mediated riboflavin uptake was sensitive to protonophors and reduced in the absence of glucose, demonstrating that the protein requires metabolic energy for substrate translocation. In addition, we demonstrate that PnuX from C. glutamicum also is a riboflavin transporter. Transport by PnuX was not energy dependent and had high apparent affinity for riboflavin (K(m) 11 microM). Roseoflavin, a toxic riboflavin analog, appears to be a substrate of PnuX and YpaA. We propose to designate the gene names ribU for ypaA and ribM for pnuX to reflect that the encoded proteins function in riboflavin uptake and that the genes have different phylogenetic origins.     

1,2-Cyclohexanedione modification of arginine residues in egg-white riboflavin-binding protein

1. Reaction of 1,2-cyclohexanedione with arginine residues of egg white riboflavin-binding protein results in a loss of the binding activity. 2. In borate buffer pH 8.0, with 0.15 M cyclohexanedione, the inactivation proceeds with a pseudo-first-order rate constant 0.084 hr.-1. 3. At least 65% of lost riboflavin binding capacity can be recovered on 12 hr incubation in 0.5 M hydroxylamine pH 7.0. 4. All 5 arginine residues are modified, 2-3 of them seem to react much easier than others. 5. The correlation between modification of arginines and protein inactivation, as analyzed by kinetic and statistical methods, suggests that one of low-reactivity residues is "essential" for riboflavin binding. 6. In the holoprotein, one arginine residue is almost completely protected from 1,2-cyclohexanedione modification. 7. Riboflavin does not dissociate from holoprotein, even on prolongated incubation with the reagent. 8. The protected arginine residue seems to be located in the riboflavin binding pocket of protein macromolecule.     

Flavin binding to the high affinity riboflavin transporter RibU

The first biochemical and spectroscopic characterization of a purified membrane transporter for riboflavin (vitamin B(2)) is presented. The riboflavin transporter RibU from the bacterium Lactococcus lactis was overexpressed, solubilized, and purified. The purified transporter was bright yellow when the cells had been cultured in rich medium. We used a detergent-compatible matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry method (Cadene, M., and Chait, B. T. (2000) Anal. Chem. 72, 5655-5658) to show that the source of the yellow color was riboflavin that had been co-purified with the transporter. The method appears generally applicable for substrate identification of purified membrane proteins. Substrate-free RibU was produced by expressing the protein in cells cultured in chemically defined medium. Riboflavin, FMN, and roseoflavin bound to RibU with high affinity and 1:1 stoichiometry (K(d) for riboflavin is 0.6 nM), but FAD did not bind to the transporter. The absorption spectrum of riboflavin changed dramatically when the substrate bound to RibU. Well resolved bands appeared at 441, 464, and 486 nm, indicating a hydrophobic binding pocket. The fluorescence of riboflavin was almost completely quenched upon binding to RibU, and also the tryptophan fluorescence of the transporter was quenched when flavins bound. The results indicate that riboflavin is stacked with one or more tryptophan residues in the binding pocket of RibU. Mutagenesis experiments showed that Trp-68 was involved directly in the riboflavin binding. The structural properties of the binding site and mechanistic consequences of the exceptionally high affinity of RibU for its substrate are discussed in relation to soluble riboflavin-binding proteins of known structure.     

The monocarboxylate transporter homolog Mch5p catalyzes riboflavin (vitamin B2) uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Riboflavin is a water-soluble vitamin (vitamin B2) required for the production of the flavin cofactors FMN and FAD. Mammals are unable to synthesize riboflavin and need a dietary supply of the vitamin. Riboflavin transport proteins operating in the plasma membrane thus have an important role in the absorption of the vitamin. However, their sequences remained elusive, and not a single eukaryotic riboflavin transporter is known to date. Here we used a genetic approach to isolate MCH5, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene with homology to mammalian monocarboxylate transporters, and characterize the protein as a plasma membrane transporter for riboflavin. This conclusion is based on the suppression of riboflavin biosynthetic mutants (rib mutants) by overexpression of MCH5 and by synthetic growth defects caused by deletion of MCH5 in rib mutants. We also show that cellular processes in multiple compartments are affected by deletion of MCH5 and localize the protein to the plasma membrane. Transport experiments in S. cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells demonstrate that Mch5p is a high affinity transporter (Km = 17 microM) with a pH optimum at pH 7.5. Riboflavin uptake is not inhibited by protonophores, does not require metabolic energy, and operates by a facilitated diffusion mechanism. The expression of MCH5 is regulated by the cellular riboflavin content. This indicates that S. cerevisiae has a mechanism to sense riboflavin and avert riboflavin deficiency by increasing the expression of the plasma membrane transporter MCH5. Moreover, the other members of the MCH gene family appear to have unrelated functions.     

Riboflavin uptake by rat small intestinal brush border membrane vesicles: A dual mechanism involving specific membrane binding

The first step of riboflavin absorption was studied by determining the uptake of the vitamin by rat small intestinal brush border membrane vesicles. Vesicles were incubated at 25°C in the presence of [³H]-riboflavin at concentrations within the physiological intraluminal range for rat. The time course of [³H]-riboflavin uptake was unaffected by Na⁺ or K⁺ gradients. The 5 sec uptake rate plotted as a function of the initial concentration of [³H]-riboflavin in the medium (0.125 to 7.5 m) revealed the presence of a dual mechanism, with a saturable component (apparent kinetic constants: 0.12 m for K _m and 0.36 pmol · mg^-1 protein · 5 sec^-1 for J _max) prevailing at low concentrations (<2 m), and a nonsaturable component prevailing at higher concentrations. The presence of a carrier-mediated system for riboflavin was validated by counter-transport experiments. At equilibrium, uptake was almost completely accounted for by membrane binding, whereas at earlier times the transport component accounted for about 30% of total uptake. The plot of [³H]-riboflavin binding at equilibrium as a function of its concentration in the medium was quite similar to that of the 5 sec uptake rate in both intact and osmotically shocked vesicles and demonstrated the occurrence of a saturable component: binding constants were 0.07 (K _d) in m), 0.54 (B _max in pmol · mg^-1 protein), and 0.11 (K _d), 1.13 (B _max, respectively, indicating the existence of specific riboflavin binding sites. The specificity of riboflavin binding to the membrane was confirmed by preliminary studies with structural analogues. Specific binding could represent the first step of a specific riboflavin entry mechanism in enterocytes.This research was supported by grants from Italian MPI 60% (1989, 1992) and CNR n. 90, 02467 CT 04. We wish to express our gratitude to Prof. E. Perucca (Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology Unit, University of Pavia) for revising the English, and to Mrs. M. Agrati Greco and Mrs. P. Vai Gatti for secretarial assistance and excellent typing.     

Variations in riboflavin binding by human plasma: identification of immunoglobulins as the major proteins responsible

Riboflavin binding by plasma proteins from healthy human subjects was examined by equilibrium dialysis using a physiological concentration of [2-14C]riboflavin (0.04 microM). Binding ranged from 0.080 to 0.917 pmole of riboflavin/mg of protein (with a mean +/- SD of 0.274 +/- 0.206), which corresponded to 4.14 to 49.4 pmole/ml of plasma (15.5 +/- 11.0) (N = 34). Males and females yielded similar results. Upon fractionation of plasma by gel filtration, the major riboflavin-binding components eluted with albumin and gamma-globulins. Albumin was purified and found to bind riboflavin only very weakly (Kd = 3.8 to 10.4 mM), although FMN and photochemical degradation products (e.g., lumiflavine and lumichrome) were more tightly bound. Binding in the gamma-globulin fraction was attributed to IgG and IGA because the binding protein(s) and immunoglobulins copurified using various methods were removed by treatment of plasma with protein A-agarose, and were coincident upon immunoelectrophoresis followed by autoradiography to detect [2-14C]riboflavin. Differences among the plasma samples correlated with the binding recovered with the immunoglobulins. Binding was not directly related to the total IgG or IgA levels of subjects. Hence, it appears that the binding is due to a subfraction of these proteins. These findings suggest that riboflavin-binding immunoglobulins are a major cause of variations in riboflavin binding in human circulation, and may therefore affect the utilization of this micronutrient.     

The structural basis of riboflavin binding to Schizosaccharomyces pombe 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine synthase

Riboflavin is an essential cofactor in all organisms. Its direct biosynthetic precursor, 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine, is synthesised by the enzyme 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine synthase. Recently, we have found that the enzyme from Schizosaccharomyces pombe binds riboflavin, the final product of the pathway with a relatively high affinity with a KD of 1.2 microM. Here, we report on the crystal structure of lumazine synthase from S. pombe with bound riboflavin and compare the binding mode with those of the substrate analogue inhibitor 5-nitro-6-(D-ribitylamino)-2,4(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione and of the product analogue 6-carboxyethyl-7-oxo-8-ribityllumazine. In all complexes the pyrimidinedione moieties of each respective ligand bind in a very similar orientation. Binding of riboflavin additionally involves a stacking interaction of the dimethylbenzene moiety with the side-chain of His94, a highly conserved residue in all lumazine synthases. The enzyme from Bacillus subtilis showed a KD of at least 1 mM whereas the very homologous enzyme from Saccharomyces cerevisiae had a comparable KD of 3.9 microM. Structural comparison of the S. cerevisiae, the S. pombe, and the mutant enzymes suggests that fine tuning of affinity is achieved by influencing this stacking interaction.     

The structure of the N-terminal domain of riboflavin synthase in complex with riboflavin at 2.6A resolution

Riboflavin synthase of Escherichia coli is a homotrimer with a molecular mass of 70 kDa. The enzyme catalyzes the dismutation of 6,7-dimethyl-8-(1'-D-ribityl)-lumazine, affording riboflavin and 5-amino-6-ribitylamino-2,4(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedione. The N-terminal segment (residues 1-87) and the C-terminal segment (residues 98-187) form beta-barrels with similar fold and a high degree of sequence similarity. A recombinant peptide comprising amino acid residues 1-97 forms a dimer, which binds riboflavin with high affinity. Here, we report the structure of this construct in complex with riboflavin at 2.6A resolution. It is demonstrated that the complex can serve as a model for ligand-binding in the native enzyme. The structure and riboflavin-binding mode is in excellent agreement with structural information obtained from the native enzyme from Escherichia coli and riboflavin synthase from Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The implications for the binding specificity and the regiospecificity of the catalyzed reaction are discussed.     

Carrier-mediated transport of riboflavin in Ashbya gossypii

The filamentous hemiascomycete Ashbya gossypii is used for industrial riboflavin production. We examined riboflavin uptake and excretion at the plasma membrane using riboflavin auxotrophic and overproducing mutants. The riboflavin uptake system had low activity [Vmax = 20 +/- 4 nmol min(-1) g(-1) mycelial dry weight (dw)] and high affinity (KM = 40 +/- 12 microM). Inhibitor studies with the analogs FMN and FAD revealed high specificity of the uptake system. Excretion of riboflavin was not the consequence of non-specific permeability of the plasma membrane. Excretion rates in the mid-production phase were determined to be 2.5 nmol min(-1) g(-1) dw for wild-type cells and 66.7 nmol min(-1) g(-1) dw for an overproducing mutant, respectively. Inhibition of the reverse reaction, riboflavin uptake, led to an increase in apparent riboflavin efflux in the early production phase, indicating the presence of a separate excretion carrier. Riboflavin accumulation in A. gossypii vacuoles leading to product retention was found to be a secondary transport process. To address the question of whether a flux from the vacuoles back into the cytoplasm is present, we characterized efflux in hyphae in which the plasma membrane was permeabilized with digitonin. Efflux kinetics across the vacuolar membrane were unaffected by the lack of vacuolar H+ATPase activity and ATP, suggesting a passive mechanism. Based on the characterization of riboflavin transport processes in this study, the design of new production strains with improved riboflavin excretion may be possible.     

Analgos of riboflavin, lumiflavin and alloxazine derivatives. II. Effect of roseoflavin on 6,7-dimethyl-8-ribityllumazine and riboflavin synthetase synthesis and growth of Bacillus subtilis]

The replacement of 8-CH3 group in the riboflavin molecule results in the formation of specific antimetabolites. They are rozeoflavin, 7-desmethylrozeoflavin, 8-amino (nor) riboflavin, 8-ribitylamino (nor) riboflavin. Effect of rozeoflavin and other riboflavin analogues on the growth and regulatory characteristics of Bacillus subtilis strains with different genetic state of riboflavin operon is studied. Roseoflavin at a concentration of 0.05 mkg/ml inhibits DRL synthesis in rib-b110 strain. An analogue inhibits the growth of auxotrophic and prototrophic strains at concentrations of 0.5 mkg/ml and 50 mkg/ml respectively. Riboflavin (1 mkg/ml) recovers the growth of bacteria. The curve of rozeoflavin regulation of DRL and riboflavin synthetase synthesis is shifted in 100 times in the direction of lesser concentrations as compared with riboflavin and 8 amino (nor) riboflavin. 180 mutants resistant to 100 mkg/ml of rozeoflavin were selected. 150 mutants over-synthetize riboflavin.     

Effect of glucose and its derivatives on systems of riboflavin uptake and excretion in the yeast Pichia guilliermondii]

Riboflavin uptake by washed cells of riboflavin deficient mutant MS1-3 of Pichia guilliermondii yeast was strongly depressed by D-glucose, L-sorbose, alpha-methyl-D-glucoside, sucrose, trehalose, maltose and salicin but not by D-mannose, D-galactose, D-fructose or ribitol. Glucose decreased also the initial uptake rate of riboflavin analogue, 8-piperidyl-10-(1'-D-galactityl) isoalloxazine; the inhibition having a competitive character (Ki==5,7 mM). Apparently riboflavin permease is able to accept not only riboflavin and its analogues but also glucose and some of glucose derivates. Cells preloaded with riboflavin and transferred into riboflavin-free medium excreted vitamin B2 into the medium. This excretion was strongly stimulated by D-glucose, D-fructose, D-mannose but not by citrate or succinate. In contrast to riboflavin, 8-piperidyl-10-(1'-D-galactityl) isoalloxazine was not excreted into the medium even in the presence of glucose. The rate of riboflavin excretion depended on temperature and pH of incubation medium (pH optimum approximately 7.0) and was decreased in the presence of different inhibitors of energy metabolism. It seems that the exit of riboflavin from the cells is accomplished by energy-dependent specific system of excretion (excretase) which in some properties is different from that of riboflavin permease.     

Down-regulation of free riboflavin content induces hydrogen peroxide and a pathogen defense in Arabidopsis

Riboflavin mediates many bioprocesses associated with the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H?O?), a cellular signal that regulates defense responses in plants. Although plants can synthesize riboflavin, the levels vary widely in different organs and during different stages of development, indicating that changes in riboflavin levels may have physiological effects. Here, we show that changing riboflavin content affects H?O? accumulation and a pathogen defense in Arabidopsis thaliana. Leaf content of free riboflavin was modulated by ectopic expression of the turtle gene encoding riboflavin-binding protein (RfBP). The RfBP-expressing Arabidopsis thaliana (REAT) plants produced the RfBP protein that possessed riboflavin-binding activity. Compared with the wild-type plant, several tested REAT lines had >70% less flavins of free form. This change accompanied an elevation in the level of H?O? and an enhancement of plant resistance to a bacterial pathogen. All the observed REAT characters were eliminated due to RfBP silencing (RfBPi) under REAT background. When an H?O? scavenger was applied, H?O? level declined in all the plants, and REAT no longer exhibited the phenotype of resistance enhancement. However, treatment with an NADPH oxidase inhibitor diminished H?O? content and pathogen defense in wild-type and RfBPi but not in REAT. Our results suggest that the intrinsic down-regulation of free flavins is responsible for NADPH oxidase-independent H?O? accumulation and the pathogen defense.     

Effects of acetate and other short-chain fatty acids on sugar and amino acid uptake of Bacillus subtilis

Acetate and other short chain n-fatty acids (C(1)-C(6)) inhibit strongly the uptake of l-serine or other l-amino acids but inhibit only weakly that of alpha-methylglucoside or fructose, whether measured in whole cells of Bacillus subtilis or in membrane vesicles that have been energized with reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), l-alpha-glycerol phosphate, or ascorbate plus phenazine methosulfate. The acetate inhibition is noncompetitive, as was shown for l-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid uptake by whole cells and for l-serine uptake by membrane vesicles. In membrane preparations, neither NADH oxidation nor the reduction of cytochromes by NADH are affected by fatty acids. All of these effects are similar to those of 2, 4-dinitrophenol. It is concluded that the fatty acids "uncouple" the amino acid carrier proteins from the cytochrome-linked electron transport system (to which they may be coupled via protein interaction or via a cation gradient).     

Solid phase enzyme-linked competitive binding assay for riboflavin

A new solid-phase enzyme-linked assay for riboflavin (vitamin B2) is described. The assay is based on the competition between analyte vitamin molecules and a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-3-carboxymethylriboflavin conjugate for a limited number of riboflavin-binding protein sites immobilized on Sepharose particles. Significant improvements in conjugate catalytic activity and thus detectability are achieved by optimizing the reaction conditions used to covalently link 3-carboxymethylriboflavin to the enzyme. Optimization experiments include studying the effects of reaction pH and organic solvent composition. Final assay detection limits and the sensitivity of the dose-response curves are dependent on the ratio of conjugate to binding protein sites utilized in an equilibrium assay protocol. Selectivity of the method correlates well with that predicted based on the known association constants of riboflavin-binding protein with flavin analogs. The assay is shown to offer adequate detection limits and selectivity for direct measurement of riboflavin in urine, infant formula, and vitamin capsules.     

Purification and properties of the riboflavin kinase of the yeast Pichia guilliermondii]

Riboflavin kinase (E.C.2.7.1.26) was isolated from the cells of the yeast Pichia guilliermondii. The enzyme was 680-fold purified uzing ammonium sulphate fractionation, chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and CM-Sephadex C-50 and gel-filtration through Sephadex G-75. Purified enzyme preparation was free from phosphatases and FAD-synthetase. The pH optimum was 8,7, the temperature optimum-45 degrees C. The enzyme was activated by Zn2+, Mg2+ and Co2+ ions. Km for riboflavin was 1,0x10(-5) M, for ATP -- 6,7X10(-6) M. Riboflavin kinase catalyzed the phosphorylation of riboflavin analogues with the substitution of methyl groups at positions 7 and 8. UTP, GTP, ADP and CTP, besides ATP, were phosphate donors. AMP inhibited the enzyme activity. Molecular weight of the enzyme was 28000, as estimated by gel-filtration through Sephadex G-150. Purified riboflavin kinase was stable under storage.     

Brain pyridoxal kinase. Purification, substrate specificities, and sensitized photodestruction of an essential histidine.

Pyridoxal kinase has been purified 2,000-fold from pig brain. The enzyme preparation migrates as a single protein and activity band on analytical gel electrophoresis. Pyridoxal kinase, 60,000 molecular weight, catalyzes the phosphorylation of pyridoxal (Km = 2.5 x 10(-5) M) and pyridoxine (Km = 1.7 x 10(-5) M). Pyridoxamine is not a substrate of the purified kinase. Irradiation of the kinase in the presence of riboflavin leads to irreversible loss of catalytic activity. Riboflavin binds to the kinase with a KD = 5 microM as shown by fluorometric titrations. Singlet excited oxygen, generated by energy transfer from the lowest triplet of riboflavin to oxygen, acts as the oxidizing agent of approximately one histidine residue per mol of enzyme. The amino acid residues tyrosine, tryptophan, and cysteine are not photooxidized by the sensitizer bound to the enzyme. It is postulated that histidine is involved in the binding of the substrate ATP to the catalytic site of pyridoxal kinase.     

Competitive binding assays for riboflavin and riboflavin-binding protein

A competitive binding procedure that can be used to determine either riboflavin or riboflavin-binding protein has been developed. Riboflavin-binding protein from chicken egg white binds tightly to DEAE-cellulose while free riboflavin does not. Stock [2-¹⁴C]riboflavin solutions, diluted with varying amounts of a standard unlabeled riboflavin solution or an unknown sample, are mixed with aporiboflavin-binding protein and washed through small DEAE-cellulose columns. The protein-bound riboflavin is batch eluted into scintillation vials, counted, and the unknown samples compared to a standard curve. This is a simple, rapid method for assaying riboflavin by isotope dilution. By a slight modification of the incubation conditions of this procedure, the degree of saturation and amount of riboflavin-binding protein can be determined. Data from both assays can be represented by linear plots in which slopes or intercepts correspond to unknown values. The principles presented here have been extended to the assay of biotin and avidin and should apply to other vitamins and vitamin-binding proteins.     

核黄素发酵菌种改造研究进展

核黄素是一种水溶性维生素,与动植物的生长密切相关,人体不能合成核黄素,需从外部摄取,因此核黄素的生产具有重要意义。介绍了核黄素的生产发展历程和产核黄素的微生物种类。对枯草芽孢杆菌的核黄素代谢途径及其诱变育种进行了总结,重点介绍了菌种的基因重组改造方法,主要是提高核黄素操纵子表达以及提高Ru5P和GTP两种前体供应量合成途径通量,介绍了近些年新的改造方法,并对未来的发展方向进行了展望。