Iron nitrite reductases

V. COPPER VERSUS IRON NITRITE REDUCTASES FINAL COMMENTS... 

In 1973, the first naturally occurring isobacteriochlorin, iron-containing siroheme, was isolated1 from a sulfite reductase of Escherichia coli. Later it was also discovered in sulfite and nitrite reductases of numerous bacteria and plants.2 Iron-free sirohydrochlorins (also called factor II) were discovered in vitamin B12 producing bacteria.3-4 Together with factor III. a sirohydrochlorin methylated in the 20-position, the reduced forms of factor II and factor III were identified as biosynthetic intermediates in the biosynthesis of vitamin B12.5... 

Figure 2.7 (a) A front view of the nitrite reductase dimer with the five haems in each monomer in white, a bound Ca2+ ion in grey and Lys-133, which coordinates the active site iron of haem 1, in yellow, (b) The haem arrangement. The overall orientation corresponds to (a), with the active site located at haem 1. Reprinted with permission from Einsle et al., 1999. Copyright (1999), Macmillan Magazines Limited. 

Fig. 6.9 The catalysts for denitrification. Nitrate is reduced by a molybdenum enzyme while nitrite and oxides of nitrogen are reduced today mainly by copper enzymes. However, there are alternatives, probably earlier iron enzymes. The electron transfer bct complex is common to that in oxidative phosphorylation and similar to the bf complex of photosynthesis, while cytochrome c2 is to be compared with cytochrome c of oxidative phosphorylation. These four processes are linked in energy capture via proton (H+) gradients see Figure 6.8(a) and (b) and the lower parts of Fig. 6.9 which show separately the active site of the all iron NO-reductase, and the active site of cytochrome oxidase (02 reductase).

The NO/NO+ and NO/NO- self-exchange rates are quite slow (42). Therefore, the kinetics of nitric oxide electron transfer reactions are strongly affected by transition metal complexes, particularly by those that are labile and redox active which can serve to promote these reactions. Although iron is the most important metal target for nitric oxide in mammalian biology, other metal centers might also react with NO. For example, both cobalt (in the form of cobalamin) (43,44) and copper (in the form of different types of copper proteins) (45) have been identified as potential NO targets. In addition, a substantial fraction of the bacterial nitrite reductases (which catalyze reduction of NO2 to NO) are copper enzymes (46). The interactions of NO with such metal centers continue to be rich for further exploration. 

Fe Cytochrome oxidase reduction of oxygen to water Cytochrome P-450 0-insertion from O2, and detoxification Cytochromes b and c electron transport in respiration and photosynthesis Cytochrome f photosynthetic electron transport Ferredoxin electron transport in photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation Iron-sulfur proteins electron transport in respiration and photosynthesis Nitrate and nitrite reductases reduction to ammonium... 

Fe atoms. It had been anticipated that the c-type cytochrome center would have His/Met coordination, but His/His is observed. The former is the more usual coordination, especially at the high potential end E° > +200 mV) ofthe typical bacterial electron transfer chain to which the nitrite reductase is connected (Fig. 2) (7). The second curious feature is that the di heme iron is also six-coordinate thus, the enzyme does not offer a substrate-binding site at either heme. In addition to an expected axial histidine ligand there was an axial tyrosine (residue 25) ligand to the d heme (Fig. 4a). Each monomer is organized into two domains. 

The bis-hydroxylamine adduct [Fe (tpp)(NH20H)2] is stable at low temperatures, but decomposes to [Fe(tpp)(NO)] at room temperature. [Fe(porphyrin)(NO)] complexes can undergo one-and two-electron reduction the nature of the one-electron reduction product has been established by visible and resonance Raman spectroscopy. Reduction of [Fe(porphyrin)(NO)] complexes in the presence of phenols provides model systems for nitrite reductase conversion of coordinated nitrosyl to ammonia (assimilatory nitrite reduction), while further relevant information is available from the chemistry of [Fe (porphyrin)(N03)]. Iron porphyrin complexes with up to eight nitro substituents have been prepared and shown to catalyze oxidation of hydrocarbons by hydrogen peroxide and the hydroxylation of alkoxybenzenes. ... 

Nitrite reductase (NAD(P)H) [EC 1.6.6.4] catalyzes the reaction of three NAD(P)H with nitrite to yield three NAD(P)+, NH4OH, and water. Cofactors for this enzyme include FAD, non-heme iron, and siroheme. (2) Nitrite reductase (cytochrome) [EC 1.7.2.1] is a copper-depen-dent system that catalyzes the reaction of nitric oxide with two ferricytochrome c and water to produce nitrite and two ferrocytochrome c. (3) Ferredoxin-nitrite reductase [EC 1.7.7.1], a heme- and iron-dependent enzyme, catalyzes the reaction of ammonia with three oxidized ferredoxin to produce nitrite and three reduced ferredoxin. (4) Nitrite reductase [EC 1.7.99.3] is a copper- and FAD-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the reaction of two nitric oxide with an acceptor substrate and two water to produce two nitrite and the reduced acceptor. 

R)-2-METHYLMALATE DEHYDRATASE NICOTINATE DEHYDROGENASE NITRATE REDUCTASE NITRITE REDUCTASE PHENYLALANINE MONOOXYGENASE PROLYL 3-HYDROXYLASE PROLYL 4-HYDROXYLASE PROTOCATECHUATE 3,4-DIOXYGENASE PROTOCATECHUATE 4,5-DIOXYGENASE RIESKE IRON-SULFUR PROTEIN RUBREDOXIN... 

Based on crystallographic observations it was suggested that the HA intermediate is bound to the cytochrome reductase via the iron atom, Fe(II)—NH2OH, and undergoes subsequent reduction to produce the NH3 that then dissociates from the protein ". It is of interest that the specific activity of cytochrome c-nitrite reductase from S. deleyianum in the conversion of N02 to NH3 is only 2-fold greater than that recorded for the conversion of HA to ammonia by the same enzyme, an observation that strongly supports the involvement of HA as an intermediate in the catalytic reduction of nitrite to NH3 . 

With M. gryphiswaldense, Schuler and Bauerlein (1996) recorded an Fe uptake rate from Fe " citrate of 0.86 nmol min mg dry weight and suggested that the major portion of Fe is taken up in an energy-dependent process possibly by a reductive step (Schuler, 1999). Fukumori et al. (1997) proposed that the dissimilatory nitrite reductase of M. magnetotacticum may function as an Fe" oxidizing enzyme. Later, Fuko-mori (2000) suggested an Fe "quinate complex as the source of Fe which is subsequently reduced in the cell in a microaerobic environment at about neutral pH by the iron reductase NADH (an assimilatory enzyme). 

Nitric oxide and iron nitrosyl complexes have been observed in the reduction of nitrite by bacterial nitrite reductases, which contain iron chlorin or iron isobac-terichlorin [151]. A specific nitric oxide reductase also exists to convert NO to nitrous oxide [9]. Iron complexes of chlorins, isobacteriochlorins, and porphyrins, as well as ruthenium and osmium polypyridines, and cobalt and nickel... 

Nitrite reductase and sulfite reductase are enzymes found in choroplasts and in prokaryotes that reduce nitrite to ammonia and sulfite to sulfide (Scott et al., 1978). Sulfite reductase also catalyzes reduction of nitrite at a lower rate. Both enzymes contain a siroheme prosthetic group linked to an iron-sulfur cluster. In siroheme, the porphyrinoid moiety is present in the more reduced chlorin form. Because NO lies between nitrite and ammonia in oxidation state, it is a potential intermediate. 

Vega, J. M., and Kamin, H. (1977). Spinach nitrite reductase. Purification and properties of a siroheme-containing iron-sulfur enzyme. J. Biol. Chem. 252, 896-909. 

Iron-sulfur clusters are found in flavoproteins such as NADH dehydrogenase (Chapter 18) and trimethylamine dehydrogenase (Fig. 15-9) and in the siroheme-containing sulfite reductases and nitrite reductases.312 These two reductases are found both in bacteria and in green plants. 

The J50 values for siroheme in E. coli sulfite reductase and spinach nitrite reductase are -345 and -50 mV respectively, compatible with direct roles for siroheme in the reductions. Treatment of sulfite reductase with cyanide or carbon monoxide prevents binding of sulfite. Several other arguments indicate that the substrate may bind to the siroheme at or close to the iron centre. 

The nitrite reductases from Neurospora crassa1S20 and spinach1521 also contain siroheme and iron-sulfur clusters. Mossbauer spectra suggest that the siroheme and [4Fe-4S] centres in spinach nitrite reductase are also spin coupled.152... 

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