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All kingdoms of life have more than 150 different forms of RNA alterations, with tRNA accounting for around 80% of them. These chemical alterations include, among others, methylation, sulfuration, hydroxylation, and acetylation. These changes are necessary for the proper codon recognition and stability of tRNA. In Escherichia coli, sulfur modification at the wobble uridine (34) of lysine, glutamic acid, and glutamine is essential for codon and anticodon binding and prevents frameshifting during translation. Two important proteins that are involved in this thiolation modification are the L-cysteine desulfurase IscS, the initial sulfur donor, and tRNA-specific 2-thiouridylase MnmA, which adenylates and finally transfers the sulfur from IscS to the tRNA. tRNA-specific 2-thiouridylases are iron–sulfur clusters (Fe-S), either dependent or independent depending on the organism. Here, we dissect the controversy of whether the E. coli MnmA protein is an Fe-S cluster-dependent or independent protein. We show that when Fe-S clusters are bound to MnmA, tRNA thiolation is inhibited, making MnmA an Fe-S cluster-independent protein. We further show that 2-thiouridylase only binds to tRNA from its own organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A minimal light‐driven approach was established for studying enzymatic CO2 conversion spectroscopically. The system consists of a photosensitizer Eosin Y, EDTA as a sacrificial electron donor and substrate source, and formate dehydrogenase from Rhodobacter capsulatus (RcFDH) as a biocatalyst. This simplified three‐component system provides a photo‐triggered control for in situ characterization of the entire catalytic reaction. Direct reduction of RcFDH by the photosensitizer without additional electron carriers was confirmed via UV‐Vis spectroscopy, while GC‐MS and IR spectroscopy were used to follow photoinduced CO2 generation from EDTA and its subsequent enzymatic reduction, yielding the product formate. Photo‐driven and in vitro, dye‐based CO2 reduction was inhibited by azide under a mixed (competitive‐non‐competitive) inhibition mode. IR spectroscopy reveals displacement of the competitively‐bound azide by CO2, reflecting an interaction of both with the active site cofactor. This work comprises a proof‐of‐concept for a new approach to employ light for regulating the reaction of formate dehydrogenases and other CO2 reductases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction is an important step by which organisms form valuable energy‐richer molecules required for further metabolic processes. The Mo‐dependent formate dehydrogenase (FDH) from Rhodobacter capsulatus catalyzes reversible formate oxidation to CO2 at a bis‐molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide (bis‐MGD) cofactor. To elucidate potential substrate binding sites relevant for the mechanism, we studied herein the interaction with the inhibitory molecules azide and cyanate, which are isoelectronic to CO2 and charged as formate. We employed infrared (IR) spectroscopy in combination with density functional theory (DFT) and inhibition kinetics. One distinct inhibitory molecule was found to bind to either a non‐competitive or a competitive binding site in the secondary coordination sphere of the active site. Site‐directed mutagenesis of key amino acid residues in the vicinity of the bis‐MGD cofactor revealed changes in both non‐competitive and competitive binding, whereby the inhibitor is in case of the latter interaction presumably bound between the cofactor and the adjacent Arg587. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gases like H2, N2, CO2, and CO are increasingly recognized as critical feedstock in "green" energy conversion and as sources of nitrogen and carbon for the agricultural and chemical sectors. However, the industrial transformation of N2, CO2, and CO and the production of H2 require significant energy input, which renders processes like steam reforming and the Haber-Bosch reaction economically and environmentally unviable. Nature, on the other hand, performs similar tasks efficiently at ambient temperature and pressure, exploiting gas-processing metalloenzymes (GPMs) that bind low-valent metal cofactors based on iron, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, and sulfur. Such systems are studied to understand the biocatalytic principles of gas conversion including N2 fixation by nitrogenase and H2 production by hydrogenase as well as CO2 and CO conversion by formate dehydrogenase, carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, and nitrogenase. In this review, we emphasize the importance of the cofactor/protein interface, discussing how second and outer coordination sphere effects determine, modulate, and optimize the catalytic activity of GPMs. These may comprise ionic interactions in the second coordination sphere that shape the electron density distribution across the cofactor, hydrogen bonding changes, and allosteric effects. In the outer coordination sphere, proton transfer and electron transfer are discussed, alongside the role of hydrophobic substrate channels and protein structural changes. Combining the information gained from structural biology, enzyme kinetics, and various spectroscopic techniques, we aim toward a comprehensive understanding of catalysis beyond the first coordination sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organometallic H-cluster of the [FeFe]-hydrogenase consists of a [4Fe–4S] cubane bridged via a cysteinyl thiolate to a 2Fe subcluster ([2Fe]H) containing CO, CN−, and dithiomethylamine (DTMA) ligands. The H-cluster is synthesized by three dedicated maturation proteins: the radical SAM enzymes HydE and HydG synthesize the non-protein ligands, while the GTPase HydF serves as a scaffold for assembly of [2Fe]H prior to its delivery to the [FeFe]-hydrogenase containing the [4Fe–4S] cubane. HydG uses L -tyrosine as a substrate, cleaving it to produce p-cresol as well as the CO and CN− ligands to the H-cluster, although there is some question as to whether these are formed as free diatomics or as part of a [Fe(CO)2(CN)] synthon. Here we show that Clostridium acetobutylicum (C.a.) HydG catalyzes formation of multiple equivalents of free CO at rates comparable to those for CN− formation. Free CN− is also formed in excess molar equivalents over protein. A g = 8.9 EPR signal is observed for C.a. HydG reconstituted to load the 5th "dangler" iron of the auxiliary [4Fe–4S][FeCys] cluster and is assigned to this "dangler-loaded" cluster state. Free CO and CN− formation and the degree of activation of [FeFe]-hydrogenase all occur regardless of dangler loading, but are increased 10–35% in the dangler-loaded HydG; this indicates the dangler iron is not essential to this process but may affect relevant catalysis. During HydG turnover in the presence of myoglobin, the g = 8.9 signal remains unchanged, indicating that a [Fe(CO)2(CN)(Cys)] synthon is not formed at the dangler iron. Mutation of the only protein ligand to the dangler iron, H272, to alanine nearly completely abolishes both free CO formation and hydrogenase activation, however results show this is not due solely to the loss of the dangler iron. In experiments with wild type and H272A HydG, and with different degrees of dangler loading, we observe a consistent correlation between free CO/CN− formation and hydrogenase activation. Taken in full, our results point to free CO/CN−, but not an [Fe(CO)2(CN)(Cys)] synthon, as essential species in hydrogenase maturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adomet enzyme HydG-catalyzed synthesis of carbon monoxide in hydrogenase maturation by using tyrosine as a substrate is demonstrated. The enzymatic synthesis provide insight into CO ligation, a common feature at the active site of the [FeFe], [NiFe], and [Fe]-only hydrogenases.

The organometallic H-cluster at the active site of [FeFe]-hydrogenases is synthesized by three accessory proteins, two of which are radical S-adenosylmethionine enzymes (HydE, HydG) and one of which is a GTPase (HydF). In this work we probed the specific role of H atom abstraction in HydG-catalyzed carbon monoxide and cyanide production from tyrosine. The isotope distributions of 5'-deoxyadenosine and p-cresol were evaluated using deuterium-labeled tyrosine substrates in H2O and D2O. The observation of multiply deuterated 5'-deoxyadenosine and deuterated S-adenosylmethionine when the reaction is carried out in D2O provides evidence for a 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical-mediated abstraction of a hydrogen atom from a solvent-exchangeable position as a reversible event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on radical s-adenosylmethionine (SAM) enzymes. It highlights their structural, biochemical and mechanistic attributes along with the syntheses of altered tetrapyrroles and complex metal cluster cofactors. An overview of the treatment of iron-sulfur cluster by strong reducing agents such as dithionite and photoreduced 5-deazariboflavin is also presented.

The radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) enzyme HydG is one of three maturase enzymes involved in [FeFe]-hydrogenase H-cluster assembly. It catalyzes L-tyrosine cleavage to yield the H-cluster cyanide and carbon monoxide ligands as well as p-cresol. Clostridium acetobutylicum HydG contains the conserved CX3CX2C motif coordinating the AdoMet binding [4Fe-4S] cluster and a C-terminal CX2CX22C motif proposed to coordinate a second [4Fe-4S] cluster. To improve our understanding of the roles of each of these iron-sulfur clusters in catalysis, we have generated HydG variants lacking either the N- or C-terminal cluster and examined these using spectroscopic and kinetic methods. We have used iron analyses, UV-visible spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of an N-terminal C96/100/103A triple HydG mutant that cannot coordinate the radical AdoMet cluster to unambiguously show that the C-terminal cysteine motif coordinates an auxiliary [4Fe-4S] cluster. Spectroscopic comparison with a C-terminally truncated HydG (ΔCTD) harboring only the N-terminal cluster demonstrates that both clusters have similar UV-visible and EPR spectral properties, but that AdoMet binding and cleavage occur only at the N-terminal radical AdoMet cluster. To elucidate which steps in the catalytic cycle of HydG require the auxiliary [4Fe-4S] cluster, we compared the Michaelis-Menten constants for AdoMet and L-tyrosine for reconstituted wild-type, C386S, and ΔCTD HydG and demonstrate that these C-terminal modifications do not affect the affinity for AdoMet but that the affinity for L-tyrosine is drastically reduced compared to that of wild-type HydG. Further detailed kinetic characterization of these HydG mutants demonstrates that the C-terminal cluster and residues are not essential for L-tyrosine cleavage to p-cresol but are necessary for conversion of a tyrosine-derived intermediate to cyanide and CO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]