Rhodospirillum rubrum hydrogenase

Maness P. C. and Weaver P. F. (2001) Evidence for three distinct hydrogenase activities in Rhodospirillum rubrum. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 57(5-6), 751-756. 

Table 1 summarizes the general characteristics of representative urease, hydrogenase and CODHs. As it will be further discussed below, the X-ray structures of only two Ni-containing proteins, urease and hydrogenase, are known [16, 17]. The former has the well known triose phosphate isomerase (TIM) barrel topology (Fig. 1) whereas the latter displays a so far unique folding (Fig. 2). The next challenge will be the elucidation of the crystal structures of the CODH/ACS enzyme of Clostridium thermoaceticum and of the simpler CODH from Rhodospirillum rubrum. 

Maness, P.-C. and Weaver, P.F. "Evidence for Three Distinct Hydrogenase Activities in Rhodospirillum rubrum." Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 57, pp. 751-756 (2001). 

For example, incorporation of nickel into carbon monoxide dehydrogenase of Rhodospirillum rubrum requires the prior reduction of an Fe-S cluster. Structural studies of this protein reveal that the added Ni completes a unique [lNi-4Fe-4S] center that is required for activity.Another example of a reductive activation step occurs during NiFe-hydrogenase biosynthesis, perhaps involving participation of the Fe-S cluster in HypD. Yet a third example from the Ni-enzyme literature involves the synthesis of methyl-X-coenzyme M reductase, a methanogen enzyme that contains the Ni-tetrapyrrole cofactor F43q. Formation of active enzyme requires both the reduction of Ni + to NF+ and reduction of a C=N bond in the organic macrocycle. 

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