Molecular analysis of a microaerobically induced operon required for hydrogenase synthesis in Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae

The nucleotide sequence (6138 bp) of a microaerobically inducible region (hupV/VI) from the Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae hydrogenase gene cluster has been determined. Six genes, arranged as a single operon, were identified, and designated hypA, B, F, C, D and E based on the sequence similarities of all of them, except hypF, to genes from the hydrogenase pleiotropic operon (hyp) from Escherichia coli. The gene products from hypBFCDE were identified by in vivo expression analysis in E. coli, and their molecular sizes were consistent with those predicted from the nucleotide sequence. Transposon Tn5 insertions into hypB, hypF, hypD and hypE resulted in R. leguminosarum mutants that lacked any hydrogenase activity in symbiosis with peas, but still were able to synthesize the polypeptide for the hydrogenase large subunit. The gene products HypA, HypB, HypF and HypD contained CX₂C motifs characteristic of metal-binding proteins. In addition, HypB bore a long histidine-rich stretch of amino acids near the N-terminus, suggesting a possible role in nickel binding for this protein. The gene product HypF, which was translationally coupled to HypB, presented two cysteine motifs (CX₂CX₈₁CX₂C) with a capacity to form zinc finger-like structures in the N-terminal third of the protein. A role in nickel metabolism in relation to hydrogenase synthesis is postulated for proteins HypB and HypF.     

Relationship between the GTPase,metal-binding,and dimerization activities of <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis> HypB

Biosynthesis of the metallocenter in the active site of the [NiFe] hydrogenase enzyme requires the accessory protein HypB, which is a metal-binding GTPase. In this study, the interplay between the individual activities of Escherichia coli HypB was examined. The full-length protein undergoes nucleotide-responsive dimerization that is disrupted upon mutation of L242 and L246 to alanine. This mutant HypB is monomeric under all of the conditions investigated but the inability of L242A/L246A HypB to dimerize does not abolish its GTPase activity and the monomeric protein has metal-binding behavior similar to that of wild-type HypB. Furthermore, expression of L242A/L246A HypB in vivo results in hydrogenase activity that is approximately half of the activity produced by the wild-type control, suggesting that dimerization of HypB does not have a critical role in the hydrogenase maturation pathway. In contrast, the GTPase activity of HypB is modulated by metal loading of the protein. These results provide insight into the role of HypB in hydrogenase biosynthesis.     

The role of complex formation between the Escherichia coli hydrogenase accessory factors HypB and SlyD

The Escherichia coli protein SlyD is a member of the FK-506-binding protein family of peptidylprolyl isomerases. In addition to its peptidylprolyl isomerase domain, SlyD is composed of a molecular chaperone domain and a C-terminal tail rich in potential metal-binding residues. SlyD interacts with the [NiFe]-hydrogenase accessory protein HypB and contributes to nickel insertion during biosynthesis of the hydrogenase metallocenter. This study examines the HypB-SlyD complex and its significance in hydrogenase activation. Protein variants were prepared to delineate the interface between HypB and SlyD. Complex formation requires the HypB linker region located between the high affinity N-terminal Ni(II) site and the GTPase domain of the protein. In the case of SlyD, the deletion of a short loop in the chaperone domain abrogates the interaction with HypB. Mutations in either protein that disrupt complex formation in vitro also result in deficient hydrogenase production in vivo, indicating that the contact between HypB and SlyD is important for hydrogenase maturation. Surprisingly, SlyD stimulates release of nickel from the high affinity Ni(II)-binding site of HypB, an activity that is also disrupted by mutations that affect complex formation. Furthermore, a SlyD truncation lacking the C-terminal metal-binding tail still interacts with HypB but is deficient in stimulating metal release and is not functional in vivo. These results suggest that SlyD could activate metal release from HypB during metallation of the [NiFe] hydrogenase.     

Nickel-dependent reconstitution of hydrogenase apoprotein in Bradyrhizobium japonicum Hupc mutants and direct evidence for a nickel metabolism locus involved in nickel incorporation into the enzyme

A double mutant (JH103K10) was created from hydrogenase constitutive mutant (JH103) by replacement of a chromosomal 0.60 kb nickel metabolism related locus with a kanamycin resistance gene. The double mutant required 10 to 20 times more nickel (Ni) to achieve near parental strain levels of hydrogenase activity. In the absence of nickel, both JH103K10 and JH103 synthesized high levels of (inactive) hydrogenase apoprotein (large subunit, 65 kDa). With nickel, the double mutant JH103K10 synthesized the same level of hydrogenase apoenzyme (65-kDa subunit) as the JH103 parent strain; however, whole cell hydrogenase activity in JH103K10 was less than half of that in JH103, and the CPM (due to ⁶³Ni in hydrogenase) of membranes and the calculated ratio of nickel per unit of hydrogenase enzyme of the double mutant were 40% of that in JH103. Therefore, the difference in hydrogenase activities between the double mutant and the Hup^ck strain can be accounted for by different abilities of the strains to incorporate nickel into the hydrogenase apoenzyme. The addition of nickel ions to previously Ni-starved and then chloramphenicol-treated Bradyrhizobium japonicum whole cells (JH103 and JH103K10) resulted in (an in vivo) restoration of hydrogenase activity, suggesting that the apoprotein synthesized in the Ni-free cultures could be activated by addition of nickel even in the absence of protein synthesis. The extent of reconstitution of active hydrogenase by nickel was greater in the absence of chloramphenicol. Hydrogenase apoprotein could not be activated by nickel in vitro even with the addition of ATP. The successful in vivo but not in vitro results suggest that enzymatic but cell-disruption labile factors are required for Ni incorporation into hydrogenase.     

Beneficial Effects of Nickel on Pseudomonas saccharophila under Nitrogen-Limited Chemolithotrophic Conditions

Addition of nickel stimulated growth and nitrogenase activity of Pseudomonas saccharophila under nitrogen-limited chemolithotrophic conditions, apparently because of a significant increase in expression of uptake hydrogenase activity. Inhibition of hydrogenase expression by 50 μM EDTA was relieved by nickel over a wide concentration range (1 to 200 μM). Co²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mn²⁺, and Cu²⁺ stimulated expression of hydrogenase activity, but to a much lesser degree than nickel, and Fe²⁺, Mg²⁺, SeO₄²⁻, and SeO₃²⁻ did not increase expression. Nickel in individual combination with Mg²⁺, Fe²⁺, SeO₃²⁻, and SeO₄²⁻ resulted in activities that were essentially the same as that with nickel alone. Hydrogenase synthesis required the presence of nickel, and repression by O₂ was alleviated by increasing the concentration of added nickel. Cells placed under hydrogenase derepression conditions showed progressive incorporation of radioactive nickel to a much greater extent than did cells which were not derepressed.     

A role for SlyD in the Escherichia coli hydrogenase biosynthetic pathway

The [NiFe] centers at the active sites of the Escherichia coli hydrogenase enzymes are assembled by a team of accessory proteins that includes the products of the hyp genes. To determine whether any other proteins are involved in this process, the sequential peptide affinity system was used. The analysis of the proteins in a complex with HypB revealed the peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans-isomerase SlyD, a metal-binding protein that has not been previously linked to the hydrogenase biosynthetic pathway. The association between HypB and SlyD was confirmed by chemical cross-linking of purified proteins. Deletion of the slyD gene resulted in a marked reduction of the hydrogenase activity in cell extracts prepared from anaerobic cultures, and an in-gel assay was used to demonstrate diminished activities of both hydrogenase 1 and 2. Western analysis revealed a decrease in the final proteolytic processing of the hydrogenase 3 HycE protein, indicating that the metal center was not assembled properly. These deficiencies were all rescued by growth in medium containing excess nickel, but zinc did not have any phenotypic effect. Experiments with radioactive nickel demonstrated that less nickel accumulated in DeltaslyD cells compared with wild type, and overexpression of SlyD from an inducible promoter doubled the level of cellular nickel. These experiments demonstrate that SlyD has a role in the nickel insertion step of the hydrogenase maturation pathway, and the possible functions of SlyD are discussed.     

Structural basis for GTP-dependent dimerization of hydrogenase maturation factor HypB

Maturation of [NiFe]-hydrogenase requires the insertion of iron, cyanide and carbon monoxide, followed by nickel, to the catalytic core of the enzyme. Hydrogenase maturation factor HypB is a metal-binding GTPase that is essential for the nickel delivery to the hydrogenase. Here we report the crystal structure of Archeoglobus fulgidus HypB (AfHypB) in apo-form. We showed that AfHypB recognizes guanine nucleotide using Asp-194 on the G5 loop despite having a non-canonical NKxA G4-motif. Structural comparison with the GTPγS-bound Methanocaldococcus jannaschii HypB identifies conformational changes in the switch I region, which bring an invariant Asp-72 to form an intermolecular salt-bridge with another invariant residue Lys-148 upon GTP binding. Substitution of K148A abolished GTP-dependent dimerization of AfHypB, but had no significant effect on the guanine nucleotide binding and on the intrinsic GTPase activity. In vivo complementation study in Escherichia coli showed that the invariant lysine residue is required for in vivo maturation of hydrogenase. Taken together, our results suggest that GTP-dependent dimerization of HypB is essential for hydrogenase maturation. It is likely that a nickel ion is loaded to an extra metal binding site at the dimeric interface of GTP-bound HypB and transferred to the hydrogenase upon GTP hydrolysis.     

Requirement of nickel metabolism proteins HypA and HypB for full activity of both hydrogenase and urease in Helicobacter pylori

The nickel-containing enzymes hydrogenase and urease require accessory proteins in order to incorporate properly the nickel atom(s) into the active sites. The Helicobacter pylori genome contains the full complement of both urease and hydrogenase accessory proteins. Two of these, the hydrogenase accessory proteins HypA (encoded by hypA) and HypB (encoded by hypB), are required for the full activity of both the hydrogenase and the urease enzymes in H. pylori. Under normal growth conditions, hydrogenase activity is abolished in strains in which either hypA (HypA:kan) or hypB (HypB:kan) have been interrupted by a kanamycin resistance cassette. Urease activity in these strains is 40 (HypA:kan)- and 200 (HypB:kan)-fold lower than for the wild-type (wt) strain 43504. Nickel supplementation in the growth media restored urease activity to almost wt levels. Hydrogenase activity was restored to a lesser extent, as has been observed for hyp mutants in other (H(2)-oxidizing) bacteria. Expression levels of UreB (the urease large subunit) were not affected by inactivation of either hypA or hypB, as determined by immunoblotting. Urease activity was not affected by lesions in the genes for either the hydrogenase accessory proteins HypD or HypF or the hydrogenase large subunit structural gene, indicating that the urease deficiency was not caused by lack of hydrogenase activity. When crude extracts of wt, HypA:kan and HypB:kan were separated by anion exchange chromatography, the urease-containing fractions of the mutant strains contained about four (HypA:kan)- and five (HypB:kan)-fold less nickel than did the urease from wt, indicating that the lack of urease activity in these strains results from a nickel deficiency in the urease enzyme.     

Structural and biological analysis of the metal sites of Escherichia coli hydrogenase accessory protein HypB

The [NiFe]-hydrogenase protein produced by many types of bacteria contains a dinuclear metal center that is required for enzymatic activity. Assembly of this metal cluster involves the coordinated activity of a number of helper proteins including the accessory protein, HypB, which is necessary for Ni(II) incorporation into the hydrogenase proteins. The HypB protein from Escherichia coli has two metal-binding sites, a high-affinity Ni(II) site that includes ligands from the N-terminal domain and a low-affinity metal site located within the C-terminal GTPase domain. In order to determine the physiological relevance of the two separate sites, hydrogenase production was assessed in strains of E. coli expressing wild-type HypB, the isolated GTPase domain, or site-directed mutants of metal-binding residues. These experiments demonstrate that both metal sites of HypB are critical for the maturation of the hydrogenase enzymes in E. coli. X-ray absorption spectroscopy of purified proteins was used to examine the detailed coordination spheres of each nickel-loaded site. In addition, because the low-affinity metal site has a stronger preference for Zn(II) than Ni(II), the ligands and geometry for this metal were also resolved. The results from these experiments are discussed in the context of a mechanism for Ni(II) insertion into the hydrogenase protein.     

Engineering the Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae Hydrogenase System for Expression in Free-Living Microaerobic Cells and Increased Symbiotic Hydrogenase Activity

Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae UPM791 induces hydrogenase activity in pea (Pisum sativum L.) bacteroids but not in free-living cells. The symbiotic induction of hydrogenase structural genes (hupSL) is mediated by NifA, the general regulator of the nitrogen fixation process. So far, no culture conditions have been found to induce NifA-dependent promoters in vegetative cells of this bacterium. This hampers the study of the R. leguminosarum hydrogenase system. We have replaced the native NifA-dependent hupSL promoter with the FnrN-dependent fixN promoter, generating strain SPF25, which expresses the hup system in microaerobic free-living cells. SPF25 reaches levels of hydrogenase activity in microaerobiosis similar to those induced in UPM791 bacteroids. A sixfold increase in hydrogenase activity was detected in merodiploid strain SPF25(pALPF1). A time course induction of hydrogenase activity in microaerobic free-living cells of SPF25(pALPF1) shows that hydrogenase activity is detected after 3 h of microaerobic incubation. Maximal hydrogen uptake activity was observed after 10 h of microaerobiosis. Immunoblot analysis of microaerobically induced SPF25(pALPF1) cell fractions indicated that the HupL active form is located in the membrane, whereas the unprocessed protein remains in the soluble fraction. Symbiotic hydrogenase activity of strain SPF25 was not impaired by the promoter replacement. Moreover, bacteroids from pea plants grown in low-nickel concentrations induced higher levels of hydrogenase activity than the wild-type strain and were able to recycle all hydrogen evolved by nodules. This constitutes a new strategy to improve hydrogenase activity in symbiosis.     

Dual roles of Bradyrhizobium japonicum nickelin protein in nickel storage and GTP-dependent Ni mobilization

The hydrogenase accessory protein HypB, or nickelin, has two functions in the N(2)-fixing, H(2)-oxidizing bacterium Bradyrhizobium japonicum. One function of HypB involves the mobilization of nickel into hydrogenase. HypB also carries out a nickel storage/sequestering function in B. japonicum, binding nine nickel ions per monomer. Here we report that the two roles (nickel mobilization and storage) of HypB can be separated in vitro and in vivo using molecular and biochemical approaches. The role of HypB in hydrogenase maturation is completely dependent on its intrinsic GTPase activity; strains which produce a HypB protein that is severely deficient in GTPase activity but that fully retains nickel-sequestering ability cannot produce active hydrogenase even upon prolonged nickel supplementation. A HypB protein that lacks the nickel-binding polyhistidine region near the N terminus lacks only the nickel storage capacity function; it is still able to bind a single nickel ion and also retains complete GTPase activity.     

The hydrogenase gene cluster ofRhizobium leguminosarum bv.viciae contains an additional gene (hypX), which encodes a protein with sequence similarity to the N10-formyltetrahydrofolate-dependent enzyme family and is required for nickel-dependent hydrogenase processing and activity

Plasmid pAL618 contains the genetic determinants for H₂ uptake (hup) fromRhizobium leguminosarum bv.viciae, including a cluster of 17 genes namedhupSLCDEFGHIJK-hypABFCDE. A 1.7-kb segment of insert DNA located downstream ofhypE has now been sequenced, thus completing the sequence of the 20 441-bp insert DNA in plasmid pAL618. An open reading frame (designatedhypX) encoding a protein with a calculated M_r of 62 300 that exhibits extensive sequence similarity with HoxX fromAlcaligenes eutrophus (52% identity) andBradyrhizobium japonicum (57% identity) was identified 10 bp downstream ofhypE. Nodule bacteroids produced byhypX mutants in pea (Pisum sativum L.) plants grown at optimal nickel concentrations (100 µM) for hydrogenase expression, exhibited less than 5% of the wild-type levels of hydrogenase activity. These bacteroids contained wild-type levels of mRNA from hydrogenase structural genes (hupSL) but accumulated large amounts of the immature form of HupL protein. The Hup-deficient mutants were complemented for normal hydrogenase activity and nickel-dependent maturation of HupL by ahypX gene provided in trans. From expression analysis ofhypX-lacZ fusion genes, it appears thathypX gene is transcribed from the FnrN-dependenthyp promoter, thus placinghypX in thehyp operon (hypBFCDEX). Comparisons of the HypX/HoxX sequences with those in databases provided unexpected insights into their function in hydrogenase synthesis. Similarities were restricted to two distinct regions in the HypX/HoxX sequences. Region I, corresponding to a sequence conserved in N₁₀-formyltetrahydrofolate-dependent enzymes involved in transferring one-carbon units (C₁), was located in the N-terminal half of the protein, whereas region II, corresponding to a sequence conserved in enzymes of the enoyl-CoA hydratase/isomerase-family, was located in the C-terminal half. These similarities strongly suggest that HypX/HoxX have dual functions: binding of the C₁ donor N₁₀-formyl-tetrahydrofolate and transfer of the C₁ to an unknown substrate, and catalysis of a reaction involving polarization of the C=O bond of an X-CO-SCoA substrate. These results also suggest the involvement of a small organic molecule, possibly synthesized with the participation of an X-CO-SCoA precursor and of formyl groups, in the synthesis of the metal-containing active centre of hydrogenase.     

Nickel binding and [NiFe]-hydrogenase maturation by the metallochaperone SlyD with a single metal-binding site in Escherichia coli

SlyD (sensitive to lysis D) is a nickel metallochaperone involved in the maturation of [NiFe]-hydrogenases in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and specifically contributes to the nickel delivery step during enzyme biosynthesis. This protein contains a C-terminal metal-binding domain that is rich in potential metal-binding residues that enable SlyD to bind multiple nickel ions with high affinity. The SlyD homolog from Thermus thermophilus does not contain the extended cysteine- and histidine-rich C-terminal tail of the E. coli protein, yet it binds a single Ni(II) ion tightly. To investigate whether a single metal-binding motif can functionally replace the full-length domain, we generated a truncation of E. coli SlyD, SlyD155. Ni(II) binding to SlyD155 was investigated by using isothermal titration calorimetry, NMR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry measurements. This in vitro characterization revealed that SlyD155 contains a single metal-binding motif with high affinity for nickel. Structural characterization by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and NMR indicated that nickel was coordinated in an octahedral geometry with at least two histidines as ligands. Heterodimerization between SlyD and another hydrogenase accessory protein, HypB, is essential for optimal hydrogenase maturation and was confirmed for SlyD155 via cross-linking experiments and NMR titrations, as were conserved chaperone and peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activities. Although these properties of SlyD are preserved in the truncated version, it does not modulate nickel binding to HypB in vitro or contribute to the maturation of [NiFe]-hydrogenases in vivo, unlike the full-length protein. This study highlights the importance of the unusual metal-binding domain of E. coli SlyD in hydrogenase biogenesis.     

Nickel is a component of hydrogenase in Rhizobium japonicum

The derepression of H2-oxidizing activity in free-living Rhizobium japonicum does not require the addition of exogenous metal to the derepression media. However, the addition of EDTA (6 microM) inhibited derepression of H2 uptake activity by 80%. The addition of 5 microM nickel to the derepression medium overcame the EDTA inhibition. The addition of 5 microM Cu or Zn also relieved EDTA inhibition, but to a much lesser extent; 5 microM Fe, Co, Mg, or Mn did not. The kinetics of induction and magnitude of H2 uptake activity in the presence of EDTA plus Ni were similar to those of normally derepressed cells. Nickel also relieved EDTA inhibition of methylene blue-dependent Hup activity, suggesting that nickel is involved directly with the H2-activating hydrogenase enzyme. Adding nickel or EDTA to either whole cells or crude extracts after derepression did not affect the hydrogenase activity. Cells were grown in 63Ni and the hydrogenase was subsequently purified by gel electrophoresis. 63Ni comigrated with the H2-dependent methylene blue reducing activity on native polyacrylamide gels and native isoelectric focusing gels. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of the nickel-containing hydrogenase band revealed a single polypeptide with a molecular weight of ca. 67,000. We conclude that the hydrogenase enzyme in R. japonicum is a nickel-containing metalloprotein.     

Construction of a Gene Bank of Azorhizobium IRBG-46: Isolation of hup Genes

Genomic DNA from an efficient Hup⁺ Sesbania-Azorhizobium strain IRBG-46 was isolated, partially digested with EcoRI and fractionated on a 10–40% sucrose density gradient to obtain DNA fragments in the size range of 15–23 kb. In order to isolate hup genes from this strain, a gene bank was constructed in Escherichia coil HB101 using a mobilizable plasmid vector pRK290 having a EcoRI cloning site. Approximately 2x10⁴ Tc-resistant transformants were pooled to constitute the gene bank. Using 12.9 kb EcoRI fragment of cosmid pHU52 as a heterologous hup probe, a total of 2,000 clones were screened by colony hybridization. Five positive clones confirmed by secondary screening and ex planta uptake hydrogenase activity were identified. An insert size in the range of 15–22 kb was revealed by restriction analysis with EcoRI. These five recombinant plasmids containing Hup-determlnants of Azorhizobium IRBG-46 have been designated as pSRH1, pSRH2, pSRH3, pSRH4 and pSRH5. These plasm ids were transferred into Hup^- Cicer-Rhizobium strain Rcd 301 to check the expression of hup genes in the new genetic background. In the transconjugants so obtained, the hup genes were found to express under ex planta conditions, and uptake hydrogenase activity ranged from 134 to 392 nmol H₂ taken up per h per mg protein.