Identification of histidine residues in Wolinella succinogenes hydrogenase that are essential for menaquinone reduction by H2

The cytochrome b subunit (HydC) of Wolinella succinogenes hydrogenase binds two haem B groups. This is concluded from the haem B content of the isolated hydrogenase and is confirmed by the response of its cytochrome b to redox titration. In addition, three of the four haem B ligands were identified by characterizing mutants with the corresponding histidine residues replaced by alanine or methionine. Substitution in HydC of His-25, His-67 or His-186, which are, in addition to His-200, predicted to be haem B ligands, caused the loss of quinone reactivity of the hydrogenase, while the activity of benzylviologen reduction was retained. The corresponding mutants did not grow with H₂ as electron donor and either fumarate or polysulphide as terminal electron acceptor. The mutants grown with formate and fumarate did not catalyse electron transport from H₂ to fumarate or to polysulphide, or quinone reduction by H₂, in contrast to the wild-type strain. Cytochrome b was not reduced by H₂ in the Triton X-100 extract of the mutant membranes, which contained wild-type amounts of the mutated HydC protein. Substitution in HydC of His-122, His-158 or His-187, which are predicted not to be haem B ligands, yielded mutants with wild-type properties. Substitution in HydA of His-188 or of His-305 resulted in mutants with the same properties as those lacking one of the haem B ligands of HydC. His-305 is located in the membrane-integrated C-terminal helix of HydA. His-188 of HydA is predicted to be a ligand of the distal iron–sulphur centre that may serve as the direct electron donor to the haem B groups of HydC. The results suggest that each of the three predicted haem B ligands of HydC tested (out of four) is required for electron transport from H₂ to either fumarate or polysulphide, and for quinone reactivity. This also holds true for the two conserved histidine residues of HydA.