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In a natural geochemical cycle, manganese-oxide minerals (MnO x ) are principally formed through a microbial process, where a putative multicopper oxidase MnxG plays an essential role. Recent success in isolating the approximately 230 kDa, enzymatically active MnxEFG protein complex, has advanced our understanding of biogenic MnO x mineralization. Here, the kinetics of MnO x formation catalyzed by MnxEFG are examined using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and the first electrochemical characterization of the MnxEFG complex is reported using Fourier transformed alternating current voltammetry. The voltammetric studies undertaken using near-neutral solutions (pH 7.8) establish the apparent reversible potentials for the Type 2 Cu sites in MnxEFG immobilized on a carboxy-terminated monolayer to be in the range 0.36-0.40 V versus a normal hydrogen electrode. Oxidative priming of the MnxEFG protein complex substantially enhances the enzymatic activity, as found by in situ electrochemical QCM analysis. The biogeochemical significance of this enzyme is clear, although the role of an oxidative priming of catalytic activity might be either an evolutionary advantage or an ancient relic of primordial existence., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Multicopper oxidases (MCOs) catalyze the oxidation of a diverse group of metal ions and organic substrates by successive single-electron transfers to O2 via four bound Cu ions. MnxG, which catalyzes MnO2 mineralization by oxidizing both Mn(II) and Mn(III), is unique among multicopper oxidases in that it carries out two energetically distinct electron transfers and is tightly bound to accessory proteins. There are two of these, MnxE and MnxF, both approximately 12kDa. Although their sequences are similar to those found in the genomes of several Mn-oxidizing Bacillus species, they are dissimilar to those of proteins with known function. Here, MnxE and MnxF are co-expressed independent of MnxG and are found to oligomerize into a higher order stoichiometry, likely a hexamer. They bind copper and heme, which have been characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and UV-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometry. Cu is found in two distinct type 2 (T2) copper centers, one of which appears to be novel; heme is bound as a low-spin species, implying coordination by two axial ligands. MnxE and MnxF do not oxidize Mn in the absence of MnxG and are the first accessory proteins to be required by an MCO. This may indicate that Cu and heme play roles in electron transfer and/or Cu trafficking., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Reactive Mn(IV) oxide minerals are ubiquitous in the environment and control the bioavailability and distribution of many toxic and essential elements and organic compounds. Their formation is thought to be dependent on microbial enzymes, because spontaneous Mn(II) to Mn(IV) oxidation is slow. Several species of marine Bacillus spores oxidize Mn(II) on their exosporium, the outermost layer of the spore, encrusting them with Mn(IV) oxides. Molecular studies have identified the mnx (Mn oxidation) genes, including mnxG, encoding a putative multicopper oxidase (MCO), as responsible for this two-electron oxidation, a surprising finding because MCOs only catalyze single-electron transfer reactions. Characterization of the enzymatic mechanism has been hindered by the lack of purified protein. By purifying active protein from the mnxDEFG expression construct, we found that the resulting enzyme is a blue (absorption maximum 590 nm) complex containing MnxE, MnxF, and MnxG proteins. Further, by analyzing the Mn(II)- and (III)-oxidizing activity in the presence of a Mn(III) chelator, pyrophosphate, we found that the complex facilitates both electron transfers from Mn(II) to Mn(III) and from Mn(III) to Mn(IV). X-ray absorption spectroscopy of the Mn mineral product confirmed its similarity to Mn(IV) oxides generated by whole spores. Our results demonstrate that Mn oxidation from soluble Mn(II) to Mn(IV) oxides is a two-step reaction catalyzed by an MCO-containing complex. With the purification of active Mn oxidase, we will be able to uncover its mechanism, broadening our understanding of Mn mineral formation and the bioinorganic capabilities of MCOs.

Global cycling of environmental manganese requires catalysis by bacteria and fungi for MnO(2) formation, since abiotic Mn(II) oxidation is slow under ambient conditions. Genetic evidence from several bacteria indicates that multicopper oxidases (MCOs) are required for MnO(2) formation. However, MCOs catalyze one-electron oxidations, whereas the conversion of Mn(II) to MnO(2) is a two-electron process. Trapping experiments with pyrophosphate (PP), a Mn(III) chelator, have demonstrated that Mn(III) is an intermediate in Mn(II) oxidation when mediated by exosporium from the Mn-oxidizing bacterium Bacillus SG-1. The reaction of Mn(II) depends on O(2) and is inhibited by azide, consistent with MCO catalysis. We show that the subsequent conversion of Mn(III) to MnO(2) also depends on O(2) and is inhibited by azide. Thus, both oxidation steps appear to be MCO-mediated, likely by the same enzyme, which is indicated by genetic evidence to be the MnxG gene product. We propose a model of how the manganese oxidase active site may be organized to couple successive electron transfers to the formation of polynuclear Mn(IV) complexes as precursors to MnO(2) formation.

Micro-organisms capable of oxidizing the redox-active transition metal manganese play an important role in the biogeochemical cycle of manganese. In the present mini-review, we focus specifically on Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria. The mechanisms by which bacteria oxidize Mn(II) include a two-electron oxidation reaction catalysed by a novel multicopper oxidase that produces Mn(IV) oxides as the primary product. Bacteria also produce organic ligands, such as siderophores, that bind to and stabilize Mn(III). The realization that this stabilized Mn(III) is present in many environments and can affect the redox cycles of other elements such as sulfur has made it clear that manganese and the bacteria that oxidize it profoundly affect the Earth's biogeochemistry.

In a natural geochemical cycle, manganese-oxide minerals (MnOx ) are principally formed through a microbial process, where a putative multicopper oxidase MnxG plays an essential role. Recent success in isolating the approximately 230 kDa, enzymatically active MnxEFG protein complex, has advanced our understanding of biogenic MnOx mineralization. Here, the kinetics of MnOx formation catalyzed by MnxEFG are examined using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and the first electrochemical characterization of the MnxEFG complex is reported using Fourier transformed alternating current voltammetry. The voltammetric studies undertaken using near-neutral solutions (pH 7.8) establish the apparent reversible potentials for the Type 2 Cu sites in MnxEFG immobilized on a carboxy-terminated monolayer to be in the range 0.36-0.40 V versus a normal hydrogen electrode. Oxidative priming of the MnxEFG protein complex substantially enhances the enzymatic activity, as found by in situ electrochemical QCM analysis. The biogeochemical significance of this enzyme is clear, although the role of an oxidative priming of catalytic activity might be either an evolutionary advantage or an ancient relic of primordial existence.

The dynamics of manganese solid formation (as MnOx) by the multicopper oxidase (MCO)-containing Mnx protein complex were examined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Continuous-wave (CW) EPR spectra of samples of Mnx, prepared in atmosphere and then reacted with Mn(II) for times ranging from 7 to 600 s, indicate rapid oxidation of the substrate manganese (with two-phase pseudo-first-order kinetics modeled using rate coefficients of: k(1obs) = 0.205 ± 0.001 s(-1) and k(2obs) = 0.019 ± 0.001 s(-1)). This process occurs on approximately the same time scale as in vitro solid MnOx formation when there is a large excess of Mn(II). We also found CW and pulse EPR spectroscopic evidence for at least three classes of Mn(II)-containing species in the reaction mixtures: (i) aqueous Mn(II), (ii) a specifically bound mononuclear Mn(II) ion coordinated to the Mnx complex by one nitrogenous ligand, and (iii) a weakly exchange-coupled dimeric Mn(II) species. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of manganese mineralization.