Butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase from Megasphaera elsdenii. Specificity of the catalytic reaction.

The absorption coefficient of butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase from Megasphaera elsdenii at 450 nm is determined as 14.4 mM-1 X cm-1 in the CoA-free form and 14.2 mM-1 X cm-1 in the CoA-liganded form (both yellow). The latter value is considerably higher than the earlier published estimate. Phenazine ethosulphate offers great advantages over phenazine methosulphate as a coupling dye in the catalytic assay despite giving lower Vmax. values (506 min-1 as compared with 1250 min-1 under the conditions used). The phenazine ethosulphate assay is used to establish a pH optimum of 8.05 for oxidation of 100 microM-butyryl-CoA. The rates of oxidation of a range of straight-chain, branched-chain and alicyclic acyl thioesters are used to provide the following information. Only straight-chain acyl groups containing 4-6 carbon atoms are easily accommodated by the postulated hydrophobic pocket of the enzyme. C-3-substituted acyl-CoA thioesters are not oxidized at a significant rate, suggesting that the C-3 pro-S-hydrogen atom of straight-chain substrates is partially exposed to the solvent. Acyl-CoA thioesters with substitutions at C-2 are oxidized, though at a lower rate than their straight-chain counterparts. This implies that the C-2 pro-S-hydrogen atom of straight-chain substrates is partially exposed to the solvent. Saturated alicyclic carboxylic acyl-CoA thioesters with 4-7 carbon atoms in the ring are oxidized, with maximal activity for the cyclohexane derivative. This implies that optimal oxidation requires a true trans orientation of the two departing hydrogen atoms. The strain imposed by bound unsaturated alicyclic acyl thioesters strikingly perturbs the flavin visible-absorption spectrum, with the exception of the cyclohex-2-ene derivative, which forms a complex with similar spectral properties to those of the crotonyl-CoA complex. In the thiol moiety of thioester substrates the amide bond of N-acetylcysteamine is essential for both binding and catalysis. The adenosine structure contributes substantially to strong binding, but is less important in determining the catalytic rate.     

Purification and properties of the flavoenzyme D-lactate dehydrogenase from Megasphaera elsdenii.

A pyridine nucleotide independent D-lactate dehydrogenase has been purified to apparent homogeneity from the anaerobic bacterium Megasphaera elsdenii. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 105 000 by sedimentation equilibrium analysis with a subunit molecular weight of 55 000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis and is thus probably a dimer of identical subunits. It contains approximately 1 mol of FAD and 1 g-atom of Zn2+ per mol of protein subunit, and the flavin exhibits a fluorescence 1.7 times that of free FAD. An earlier purification [Brockman, H. L., & Wood, W. A. (1975 J. Bacteriol. 124, 1454--1461] results in substantial loss of the enzyme's zinc, which is required for catalytic activity. The new purification yields greater than 5 times the amount of enzyme previously isolated. The enzyme is specific for D-lactate, and no inhibition is observed with L-lactate. Surprisingly, the enzyme has a significant oxidase activity, which depends on the ionic strength. Vmax values of 190 and 530 min-1 were obtained at a gamma/2 of 0.224 and 0.442, respectively. Except for this atypically high oxygen reactivity, D-lactate dehydrogenase resembles other flavoenzyme dehydrogenases in that the flavin does not react with sulfite, the tryptophan content is low, and a neutral blue semiquinone is formed upon photochemical reduction. The enzyme flavin is reduced either by dithionite, by oxalate plus catalytic 5-deazaflavin in the presence of light, or by D-lactate. Two electrons per flavin were consumed in a dithionite titration, implyine with varying ratios of D-lactate and pyruvate, an Em7 of -0.219 +/- 0.007 V at 20 degrees C was calculated for the flavin. The enzyme requires dithiothreitol for stability. Rapid inactivation results when the enzyme is incubated with a substoichiometric level of Cu2+. This inactivation can be reversed by dithiothreitol. It is proposed that the enzyme possesses a pair of cysteine residues capable of facile disulfide formation.     

Characterization of a reserve glucan from Megasphaera elsdenii.

A reserve glucan of Megasphaera elsdenii was studied by methylation analysis before and after treatment with isoamylase. The results of this study indicate that the glucan is of the amylopectin-glycogen type.     

Purification and properties of hydrogenase from Megasphaera elsdenii

A hydrogenase has been purified to homogeneity from the soluble fraction of the rumen bacterium Megasphaera elsdenii, the overall purification is 200 times with a yield of 14%. The pure enzyme consists of a single polypeptide chain with Mr approximately 50 000 which contains 12 atoms of non-haem iron and 12 atoms of acid-labile sulphide. The enzyme is rapidly inactivated by O2 and it is therefore purified under nitrogen and in the presence of sodium dithionite. The optical spectrum of the enzyme, after removal of the dithionite with air, shows a peak at 275 nm (epsilon 275 nm = 143 mM-1 cm-1) and a shoulder between 350 nm and 400 nm (epsilon 400 nm = 46 mM-1 cm-1). The enzyme catalyses hydrogen production from sodium dithionite at a low rate. The rate is greatly enhanced by addition of the electron donors flavodoxin, ferredoxin and methyl viologen. The kinetic data with these three electron donors suggest co-operativity, but no indication of self-association of the enzyme was obtained. Sodium chloride enhances the rate of hydrogen production with methyl viologen semiquinone and changes the kinetic behaviour of the enzyme with this electron donor, but causes inhibition of the reactions mediated by ferredoxin and flavodoxin. Two kinetic models were developed which are consistent with the kinetic data of the three electron donors tested. The apparent co-operativity for the hydrogen production can be fitted with the mathematical form of those models. The identical kinetic behaviour of the hydrogenase with the one-electron donors flavodoxin and methyl viologen semiquinone monomer and the two-electron donor ferredoxin indicates that the hydrogenase accepts two electrons in two separate, independent steps and further indicates that the two (4Fe-4S) clusters of the donor ferredoxin are independent. The interpretation of the kinetic data with methyl viologen semiquinone is complicated by the fact that the semiquinone dimerises, and that the formation of the dimer is enhanced by salt. Taking into account the association of this donor, the activity of the enzyme with methyl viologen semiquinone can be described by the sum of the activities of the enzyme with methyl viologen monomer and methyl viologen dimer. The enzyme catalyses the oxidation of hydrogen gas with methyl and benzyl viologen as electron acceptors to their semiquinone forms; both electron acceptors show Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The hydrogen oxidation activity with both electron acceptors is stimulated by addition of sodium chloride. The kinetic data of the oxidation of hydrogen with the two-electron acceptors used are consistent with the porposed models, if it is assumed that the pathway followed is compulsory. At this moment no choice can be made between the models proposed.     

Redox properties of electron-transferring flavoprotein from Megasphaera elsdenii

Electron-transferring flavoprotein (ETF) from the anaerobic bacterium Megasphaera elsdenii catalyzes electron transfer from NADH or D-lactate dehydrogenase to butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase. As a basis for understanding the interactions of ETF with its substrates, we report here on the redox properties of ETF alone. ETF exhibited reversible, two-electron transfer during electrochemical reduction in the presence of mediator dyes. The midpoint redox potentials of the FAD cofactor were -0.185 V at pH 5.5, -0.259 V at pH 7.1 and -0.269 +/- 0.013 V at pH 8.4, all versus the standard hydrogen electrode In the presence of the indicator dye 1-deazariboflavin, the Nernst slopes were 0.029 V and 0.026 V at pH 5.5 and pH 7.1, respectively, compared with an expected value of 0.028 V at 10 degrees C. At pH 8.4, in the presence of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone or phenosafranine, the Nernst slope varied from 0.021 V to 0.041 V. In the experiments at pH 8.4, equilibration was very slow in the reductive direction and a difference of as much as 30 mV was observed between reductive and oxidative midpoints. ETF exhibited no thermodynamic stabilization of the radical form of the FAD cofactor during electrochemical reduction at pH 5.5, 7.1 or 8.4. However, up to 93% of kinetically stable, anionic radical was produced by dithionite titration at pH 8.5. Molar absorptivities of ETF radical were 17,000 M-1 X cm-1 at 365 nm and 5100 M-1 X cm-1 at 450 nm. The four ETF preparations used here contained less than 7% 6-OH-FAD. However, two of the preparations contained significant amounts (up to 30%) of flavin which stabilized radical and reduced at potentials 0.2 V more positive than those required for reduction of the major form of ETF. This is referred to as the B form of ETF. The proportion of ETF-FAD in the B form was increased by incubation with free FAD or by a cycle of reduction and reoxidation. These treatments caused marked changes in the absorption spectrum of oxidized ETF and decreases of 20-25% in ETF units/A450.     

Presence of lactate dehydrogenase and lactate racemase in Megasphaera elsdenii grown on glucose or lactate.

Activity of D-lactate dehydrogenase (D-LDH) was shown not only in cell extracts from Megasphaera elsdenii grown on DL-lactate, but also in cell extracts from glucose-grown cells, although glucose-grown cells contained approximately half as much D-LDH as DL-lactate-grown cells. This indicates that the D-LDH of M. elsdenii is a constitutive enzyme. However, lactate racemase (LR) activity was present in DL-lactate-grown cells, but was not detected in glucose-grown cells, suggesting that LR is induced by lactate. Acetate, propionate, and butyrate were produced similarly from both D- and L-lactate, indicating that LR can be induced by both D- and L-lactate. These results suggest that the primary reason for the inability of M. elsdenii to produce propionate from glucose is that cells fermenting glucose do not synthesize LR, which is induced by lactate.     

The hydrogen-tritium exchange activity of Megasphaera elsdenii hydrogenase.

The hydrogenase of Megasphaera elsdenii was purified to a specific activity of 350 units/mg. The hydrogen-tritium exchange assay of Hallahan et al. [Hallahan, D.L., Fernandez, V. M., Hatchikian, E. C. and Hall, D. O. (1986) Biochimie (Paris) 68, 49-54] was adapted to allow its use in the study of the M. elsdenii hydrogenase preparation. Under the assay conditions routinely employed, the enzyme's exchange activity was inhibited by Tris/HCl and MgCl2; it was stimulated by ethylene glycol. Maximal activity in this standard assay occurred at pH 7.1. The effect of the concentration of molecular hydrogen (1H2 plus 3H1H) on the exchange activity was studied. The resulting double-reciprocal plot was linear; its slope and its intercepts on the ordinate and abscissa were pH-dependent. The rate equations for a number of models of the exchange activity were derived. Each model gave rise to a linear double-reciprocal plot at constant pH, but none could explain fully the observed effects of varying pH. The experimental data corresponded most closely to the predictions of models in which protons were treated both as substrates and as regulators of the enzyme's activity.     

Characterization and heterologous expression of plasmalogen synthase MeHAD from Megasphaera elsdenii

Plasmalogens (Pls) are vinyl-ether bond-containing glycerophospholipids or glycosyl diradyl glycerols, and are of great importance in the physiological functions and stability of cell membrane. Here, we identified and characterized that the plasmalogen synthase MeHAD from anaerobic Megasphaera elsdenii was responsible for vinyl-ether bond formation. Different from the 2-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydratase (HAD) family plasmalogen synthase PlsA-PlsR which are encoded by two genes in Clostridium perfringens, the HAD homolog (MeHAD) encoded by a single gene MELS_0169 was found in M. elsdenii. By heterologous expression of the MeHAD gene into a nonplasmalogen-producing Escherichia coli strain, the expressed MeHAD was found to be located in the cell membrane region. Plasmalogens were detected in the recombinant strain using GC–MS and LC-MS, demonstrating that MeHAD was the key enzyme for plasmalogen synthesis. Moreover, the synthesized plasmalogens could enhance the oxidative stress-resistance and osmotic pressure-resistance of the recombinant strain, probably due to the ROS scavenging and decreased membrane permeability by the plasmalogens, respectively. The four-cysteine (Cys125, Cys164, Cys445 and Cys484) site-mutant of MeHAD, which were predicted binding to the [4Fe-4S] cluster, was unable to synthesize plasmalogens, indicating that the cysteines are important for the catalytic activity of MeHAD. Our results revealed the single gene encoded plasmalogen synthase in M. elsdenii and established a recombinant E. coli strain with plasmalogen production potential.     

Isolation of Acidaminococcus fermentans and Megasphaera elsdenii from Normal Human Feces

Fecal bacterial cultures from 40 normal humans yielded Megasphaera elsdenii from four individuals and Acidaminococcus fermentans from 10 individuals, with two individuals having both organisms.     

Metabolism and some characteristics of ruminal strains of Megasphaera elsdenii.

Megasphaera elsdenii belongs to the group comprising the ruminal and intestinal lactate- and sugar-fermenting species. In the present study the fermentation characteristics, metabolism of glucose and lactate, and susceptibility to antimicrobial agents of four ruminal strains were investigated. Particular attention was given to the mixed-substrate fermentation pattern and resultant fermentation acid profile. Lactate was utilized more rapidly than glucose in media with both carbon sources. Interaction of the two substrates changed the composition of fermentation end products toward more valerate and less propionate in cultures with glucose and lactate. Contrary to the indications in Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, butyrate, not caproate, was the main end product of glucose metabolism. The strains examined were rather insensitive to many antimicrobial compounds, especially to ionophores and other antimicrobial feed additives.     

13C NMR of cyanylated flavodoxin from Megasphaera elsdenii and of thiocyanate model compounds.

Both of the thiol groups of Megasphaera elsdenii flavodoxin have been cyanylated using 13C-enriched cyanide. This chemical modification increases the dissociation constant of the apoflavodoxin-flavin mononucleotide (FMN) complex from 0.4 nM to 2 microM. The thiocyanate carbons of the cyanylated cysteine residues in apoflavodoxin had 13C chemical shifts of 109.4 ppm and 112.2 ppm, which were replaced by signals at 115.5 ppm and 109.6 ppm when FMN was bound. The signals at 109.4 ppm and 112.2 ppm due to the cyanylated apoflavodoxin were unstable at 28 degrees C, and they were slowly replaced signals at 114.5 ppm and 115.3 ppm which are attributed to an inactive form of the apoprotein, which does not bind FMN. At alkaline pH values or after prolonged incubation at neutral pH, the signals at 114.5 ppm and 115.3 ppm were replaced by signals at approximately 171 ppm. On the basis of results obtained with model compounds, the signals at 171 ppm are assigned to the 2-imino carbon of the 2-iminothiazolidine ring formed by the cyclization of the appropriate thiocyanate group. After determining the chemical shift of the thiocyanate carbon of model compounds in a range of solvents, we conclude that the thiocyanate carbons will have a minimal chemical shift of approximately 109 ppm in apolar solvents which do not contain hydrogen bond donors. In water, a more polar hydrogen-bonding solvent, the chemical shift increases to approximately 115 ppm. We also conclude that the chemical shift of a thiocyanate carbon can be used as a probe of its molecular environment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Purification of electron-transferring flavoprotein from Megasphaera elsdenii and binding of additional FAD with an unusual absorption spectrum

Electron-transferring flavoprotein (ETF), its redox partner flavoproteins, i.e., D-lactate dehydrogenase and butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, and another well-known flavoprotein, flavodoxin, were purified from the same starting cell paste of an anaerobic bacterium, Megasphaera elsdenii. The purified ETF contained one mol FAD/mol ETF as the sole non-protein component and bound almost one mol of additional FAD. This preparation is a better subject for investigations of M. elsdenii ETF than the previously isolated ETF, which contains varying amounts of FAD and varying percentages of modified flavins such as 6-OH-FAD and 8-OH-FAD. The additionally bound FAD shows an anomalous absorption spectrum with strong absorption around 400 nm. This spectral change is not due to a chemical modification of the flavin ring because the flavin released by KBr or guanidine hydrochloride is normal FAD. It is also not due to unknown small molecules because the same spectrum appears when ETF is reconstituted from its guanidine-denatured subunits and FAD. A similar anomalous spectrum was observed for AMP-free pig ETF under acidic conditions, suggesting a common flavin environment between pig and M. elsdenii ETFs.     

Diverse tetracycline resistance genotypes of Megasphaera elsdenii strains selectively cultured from swine feces

A total of 30 Megasphaera elsdenii strains, selectively isolated from the feces of organically raised swine by using Me109 M medium, and one bovine strain were analyzed for tetracycline resistance genotypic and phenotypic traits. Tetracycline-resistant strains carried tet(O), tet(W), or a tet gene mosaic of tet(O) and tet(W). M. elsdenii strains carrying tet(OWO) genes exhibited the highest tetracycline MICs (128 to >256 microg/ml), suggesting that tet(O)-tet(W) mosaic genes provide the selective advantage of greater tetracycline resistance for this species. Seven tet genotypes are now known for M. elsdenii, an archetype commensal anaerobe and model for tet gene evolution in the mammalian intestinal tract.     

Diverse Tetracycline Resistance Genotypes of Megasphaera elsdenii Strains Selectively Cultured from Swine Feces

A total of 30 Megasphaera elsdenii strains, selectively isolated from the feces of organically raised swine by using Me109 M medium, and one bovine strain were analyzed for tetracycline resistance genotypic and phenotypic traits. Tetracycline-resistant strains carried tet(O), tet(W), or a tet gene mosaic of tet(O) and tet(W). M. elsdenii strains carrying tet(OWO) genes exhibited the highest tetracycline MICs (128 to >256 μg/ml), suggesting that tet(O)-tet(W) mosaic genes provide the selective advantage of greater tetracycline resistance for this species. Seven tet genotypes are now known for M. elsdenii, an archetype commensal anaerobe and model for tet gene evolution in the mammalian intestinal tract.     

Interaction of the rumen fungus Orpinomyces joyonii with Megasphaera elsdenii and Eubacterium limosum

The degradation and fermentation of microcrystalline cellulose were studied in monoculture of the polycentric anaerobic fungus Orpinomyces joyonii and in co-cultures with the rumen bacteria Megasphaera elsdenii and Eubacterium limosum. More than 25% of cellulose hydrolysis products (glucose and cellodextrins) were released by the fungus into the medium after 8 d of cultivation. These products were metabolized by bacteria in mixed cultures. In co-culture with the fungus M. elsdenii and E. limosum . increased the extent of microcrystalline cellulose degradation by 10·12% and 7·96%, respectively. Biomass yield in co-cultures was increased by 89·9% and 59·4% for M. elsdenii and E. limosum . Y_cellulose for fungus alone was 52·29 g dry matter mol^-1 glucose. These values were 64·93 and 55·92 g mol^-1 glucose unit in co-culture with M. elsdenii and E. limosum , respectively.     

A study of one of the iron-sulphur clusters in oxidized hydrogenase from Megasphaera elsdenii by magnetic-circular-dichroism spectroscopy.

The m.c.d. spectrum of the oxidized state of hydrogenase from Megasphaera elsdenii has been measured at liquid-helium temperatures. This oxidation state of the enzyme displays a characteristic rhombic e.p.r. signal with g-values of 2.101, 2.052 and 2.005 assigned previously to a [4Fe-4S]3+ cluster as in oxidized HiPIP (high-potential iron-sulphur protein) [Van Dijk, Grande, Mayhew & Veeger (1980) Eur. J. Biochem. 107, 251-261]. The low-temperature m.c.d. spectrum shows no features attributable to an oxidized four-iron cluster of the HiPIP type, but does reveal broad, positive peaks at 460 and 730 nm, which magnetize in a manner untypical of a spin S = 1/2 cluster with g-values close to 2. The m.c.d. spectrum is most closely similar to that of dye-oxidized P-clusters known in the enzyme nitrogenase. It is therefore proposed that the rhombic e.p.r. spectrum at a g-value close to 2 arises from an m.c.d.-silent radical species that may be related chemically to the cysteine persulphide species, RS-S., recently found in the hexacyanoferrate-oxidized seven-iron ferredoxin of Azotobacter vinelandii [Morgan, Stephens, Devlin, Stout, Melis & Burgess (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 1931-1935].     

An examination of potential matrices for the affinity chromatography of NADP+-linked dehydrogenases with special reference to 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase.

1. 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from sheep liver has been purified 350-fold by affinity chromatography with a final specific activity of 18 micronmol of NADP+/reduced min per mg of protein and an overall yield of greater than 40%. 2. A systematic investigation of potential ligands has been carried out: these included 6-phosphogluconate and NADP+, pyridoxal phosphate and several immobilized nucleotides. The results indicate that NADP+ is the most suitable ligand for the purification of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. 3. The effects of pH and alternative eluents have been examined in relation to the parameters known to affect the desorption phase of affinity chromatography; careful manipulation of the elution conditions permitted the separation of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glutathione reductase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from sheep liver on NADP+-Sepharose 4B. 4. A large-scale purification scheme for 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase is presented that uses the competitive inhibitors inorganic pyrophosphate and citrate as specific eluents.     

Stereospecificity of myo-inositol hexakisphosphate hydrolysis by a protein tyrosine phosphatase-like inositol polyphosphatase from Megasphaera elsdenii

Inositol polyphosphatases (IPPases), particularly those that can hydrolyze myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (Ins P₆), are of biotechnological interest for their ability to reduce the metabolically unavailable organic phosphate content of feedstuffs and to produce lower inositol polyphosphates (IPPs) for research and pharmaceutical applications. Here, the gene coding for a new protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP)-like IPPase was cloned from Megasphaera elsdenii (phyAme), and the biochemical properties of the recombinant protein were determined. The deduced amino acid sequence of PhyAme is similar to known PTP-like IPPases (29–44% identity), and the recombinant enzyme displayed strict specificity for IPP substrates. Optimal IPPase activity was displayed at an ionic strength of 250 mM, a pH of 5.0, and a temperature of 60°C. In order to elucidate its stereospecificity of Ins P₆ dephosphorylation, a combination of high-performance ion-pair chromatography and kinetic studies was conducted. PhyAme displayed a stereospecificity that is unique among enzymes belonging to this class in that it preferentially cleaved Ins P₆ at one of two phosphate positions, 1D-3 or 1D-4. PhyAme followed two distinct and specific routes of hydrolysis, predominantly degrading Ins P₆ to Ins(2)P via: (a) 1D-Ins(1,2,4,5,6)P₅, 1D-Ins(1,2,5,6)P₄, 1D-Ins(1,2,6)P₃, and 1D-Ins(1,2)P₂ (60%) and (b) 1D-Ins(1,2,3,5,6)P₅, 1D-Ins(1,2,3,6)P₄, Ins(1,2,3)P₃, and d/l-Ins(1,2)P₂ (35%).     

The purification and properties of butyryl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase from Peptostreptococcus elsdenii

Butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase prepared by a simple procedure from Peptostreptococcus elsdenii has a molecular weight of approx. 150000. The enzyme has FAD as its prosthetic group. The amino acid analysis is reported. This enzyme, like most of the corresponding mammalian ones, is green. The absorption band at 710nm can be abolished irreversibly by dithionite reduction and air reoxidation; it can be abolished reversibly by phenylmercuric acetate or potassium bromide. The enzyme as isolated appears to be a mixture of a green and a yellow form, both of which are active. This view is supported by the variable ;greenness' of different preparations and the biphasic curve obtained in anaerobic spectrophotometric titrations with dithionite. It can be calculated from the titration results that fully green enzyme would have a peak-to-peak absorption ratio (E(710)/E(430)) as great as 0.54. The green form is much less rapidly reduced by dithionite than the yellow form, but is nevertheless much more readily reduced by dithionite than the enzyme from pig liver. It is also more readily reoxidized by air and shows less tendency to form a semiquinone. Treatment with sodium borohydride produces an unusual reduced species that is probably the 3,4-dihydroflavin.