Susanne Fetzner

Bacterial degradation of pyridine, indole, quinoline, and their derivatives under different redox conditions

Abstract Bacteria have evolved a diverse potential to transform and even mineralize numerous organic compounds of both natural and xenobiotic origin. This article describes the occurrence of N-heteroaromatic compounds and presents a review of the bacterial degradation of pyridine and its derivatives, indole, isoquinoline, and quinoline and its derivatives. The bacterial metabolism of these compounds under different redox conditions – by aerobic, nitrate-reducing, sulfate-reducing and methanogenic bacteria – is discussed. However, in natural habitats, various environmental factors, such as sorption phenomena, also influence bacterial conversion processes. Thus, both laboratory and field studies are necessary to aid our understanding of biodegradation in natural ecosystems and assist the development of strategies for bioremediation of polluted sites. Occurring predominantly near (former) wood-treatment facilities, creosote is a frequent contaminant of soil, subsoil, groundwater, and aquifer sediments. In situ as well as withdrawal-and-treatment techniques have been designed to remediate such sites, which are polluted with complex mixtures of aromatic and heterocyclic compounds.

Ring-Cleaving Dioxygenases with a Cupin Fold

ABSTRACT Ring-cleaving dioxygenases catalyze key reactions in the aerobic microbial degradation of aromatic compounds. Many pathways converge to catecholic intermediates, which are subject to ortho or meta cleavage by intradiol or extradiol dioxygenases, respectively. However, a number of degradation pathways proceed via noncatecholic hydroxy-substituted aromatic carboxylic acids like gentisate, salicylate, 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate, or aminohydroxybenzoates. The ring-cleaving dioxygenases active toward these compounds belong to the cupin superfamily, which is characterized by a six-stranded β-barrel fold and conserved amino acid motifs that provide the 3His or 2- or 3His-1Glu ligand environment of a divalent metal ion. Most cupin-type ring cleavage dioxygenases use an FeII center for catalysis, and the proposed mechanism is very similar to that of the canonical (type I) extradiol dioxygenases. The metal ion is presumed to act as an electron conduit for single electron transfer from the metal-bound substrate anion to O2, resulting in activation of both substrates to radical species. The family of cupin-type dioxygenases also involves quercetinase (flavonol 2,4-dioxygenase), which opens up two C-C bonds of the heterocyclic ring of quercetin, a wide-spread plant flavonol. Remarkably, bacterial quercetinases are capable of using different divalent metal ions for catalysis, suggesting that the redox properties of the metal are relatively unimportant for the catalytic reaction. The major role of the active-site metal ion could be to correctly position the substrate and to stabilize transition states and intermediates rather than to mediate electron transfer. The tentative hypothesis that quercetinase catalysis involves direct electron transfer from metal-bound flavonolate to O2 is supported by model chemistry.

Cofactor-independent oxidases and oxygenases

Whereas the majority of O2-metabolizing enzymes depend on transition metal ions or organic cofactors for catalysis, a significant number of oxygenases and oxidases neither contain nor require any cofactor. Among the cofactor-independent oxidases, urate oxidase, coproporphyrinogen oxidase, and formylglycine-generating enzyme are of mechanistic as well as medical interest. Formylglycine-generating enzyme is also a promising tool for protein engineering as it can be used to equip proteins with a reactive aldehyde function. PqqC, an oxidase in the biosynthesis of the bacterial cofactor pyrroloquinoline quinone, catalyzes an eight-electron ring-closure oxidation reaction. Among bacterial oxygenases, quinone-forming monooxygenases involved in the tailoring of polyketides, the dioxygenase DpgC found in the biosynthesis of a building block of vancomycin and teicoplanin antibiotics, luciferase monooxygenase from Renilla sp., and bacterial ring-cleaving 2,4-dioxygenases active towards 3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolones have been identified as cofactor-independent enzymes. Interestingly, the 3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolone 2,4-dioxygenases as well as Renilla luciferase use an α/β-hydrolase architecture for oxygenation reactions. Cofactor-independent oxygenases and oxidases catalyze very different reactions and belong to several different protein families, reflecting their diverse origin. Nevertheless, they all may share the common mechanistic concept of initial base-catalyzed activation of their organic substrate and “substrate-assisted catalysis.”

Dioxygenase-Mediated Quenching of Quinolone-Dependent Quorum Sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2-Heptyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolone (PQS) is a quorum-sensing signal molecule used by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The structural similarity between 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4(1H)-quinolone, the natural substrate for the 2,4-dioxygenase, Hod, and PQS prompted us to investigate whether Hod quenched PQS signaling. Hod is capable of catalyzing the conversion of PQS to N-octanoylanthranilic acid and carbon monoxide. In P. aeruginosa PAO1 cultures, exogenously supplied Hod protein reduced expression of the PQS biosynthetic gene pqsA, expression of the PQS-regulated virulence determinants lectin A, pyocyanin, and rhamnolipids, and virulence in planta. However, the proteolytic cleavage of Hod by extracellular proteases, competitive inhibition by the PQS precursor 2-heptyl-4(1H)-quinolone, and PQS binding to rhamnolipids reduced the efficiency of Hod as a quorum-quenching agent. Nevertheless, these data indicate that enzyme-mediated PQS inactivation has potential as an antivirulence strategy against P. aeruginosa.

Quorum quenching enzymes

Bacteria use cell-to-cell communication systems based on chemical signal molecules to coordinate their behavior within the population. These quorum sensing systems are potential targets for antivirulence therapies, because many bacterial pathogens control the expression of virulence factors via quorum sensing networks. Since biofilm maturation is also usually influenced by quorum sensing, quenching these systems may contribute to combat biofouling. One possibility to interfere with quorum sensing is signal inactivation by enzymatic degradation or modification. Such quorum quenching enzymes are wide-spread in the bacterial world and have also been found in eukaryotes. Lactonases and acylases that hydrolyze N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) signaling molecules have been investigated most intensively, however, different oxidoreductases active toward AHLs or 2-alkyl-4(1H)-quinolone signals as well as other signal-converting enzymes have been described. Several approaches have been assessed which aim at alleviating virulence, or biofilm formation, by reducing the signal concentration in the bacterial environment. These involve the application or stimulation of signal-degrading bacteria as biocontrol agents in the protection of crop plants against soft-rot disease, the use of signal-degrading bacteria as probiotics in aquaculture, and the immobilization or entrapment of quorum quenching enzymes or bacteria to control biofouling in membrane bioreactors. While most approaches to use quorum quenching as antivirulence strategy are still in the research phase, the growing number of organisms and enzymes known to interfere with quorum sensing opens up new perspectives for the development of innovative antibacterial strategies.

Enzymes involved in the aerobic bacterial degradation of N-heteroaromatic compounds: molybdenum hydroxylases and ring-opening 2,4-dioxygenases.

N-heteroaromatic compounds are utilized by micro-organisms as a source of carbon (and nitrogen) and energy. The aerobic bacterial degradation of these growth substrates frequently involves several hydroxylation steps and subsequent dioxygenolytic cleavage of (di)hydroxy-substituted heteroaromatic intermediates to aliphatic metabolites which finally are channeled into central metabolic pathways. As a rule, the initial bacterial hydroxylation of a N-heteroaromatic compound is catalyzed by a molybdenum hydroxylase, which uses a water molecule as source of the incorporated oxygen. The enzymes redox-active centers – the active site molybdenum ion coordinated to a distinct pyranopterin cofactor, two different [2Fe2S] centers, and in most cases, flavin adenine dinucleotide – transfer electrons from the N-heterocyclic substrate to an electron acceptor, which for many molybdenum hydroxylases is still unknown. Ring-opening 2,4-dioxygenases involved in the bacterial degradation of quinaldine and 1H-4-oxoquinoline catalyze the cleavage of two carbon-carbon bonds with concomitant formation of carbon monoxide. Since they contain neither a metal center nor an organic cofactor, and since they do not show any sequence similarity to known oxygenases, these unique dioxygenases form a separate enzyme family. Quite surprisingly, however, they appear to be structurally and mechanistically related to enzymes of the α/β hydrolase fold superfamily. Microbial enzymes are a great resource for biotechnological applications. Microbial strains or their enzymes may be used for degradative (bioremediation) or synthetic (biotransformation) purposes. Modern bioremediation or biotransformation strategies may even involve microbial catalysts or strains designed by protein engineering or pathway engineering. Prerequisite for developing such modern tools of biotechnology is a comprehensive understanding of microbial metabolic pathways, of the structure and function of enzymes, and of the molecular mechanisms of biocatalysis.

Bacterial Metabolism of n‐Alkanes and Ammonia under Oxic, Suboxic and Anoxic Conditions

n-Alkanes are widespread in the biosphere. Due to the lack of functional groups, these alkanes exhibit low chemical reactivity. However, many microorganisms have evolved pathways to utilise n-alkanes as a growth substrate, and moreover, fortuitous alkane oxidation may play an important role in alkane degradation. This review discusses the ecology of n-alkane-degrading and ammonia-oxidising bacteria with a focus on alkane metabolism in the transition from oxic to anoxic conditions, the pathways of n-alkane and ammonium oxidation, and the enzymes catalysing n-alkane and ammonia activation. n-Alkane degrading bacteria occur in oxic as well as strictly anoxic environments, and they live in very diverse habitats, including marine or fresh water, soils, sediments or aquifers. Aerobic ammonium-oxidising as well as methanotrophic bacteria are often found in stratified habitats such as biofilms and sediments. Aerobic pathways involving oxygenases that catalyse the initial activation of n-alkanes and ammonium are well known. However, anaerobic ammonium oxidation as well as anaerobic utilisation of hydrocarbons have been demonstrated only in the past decade and are the subject of current research efforts. Enzyme systems that catalyse aerobic alkane oxidation involve a number of well-characterised monooxygenases such as cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, multi-component alkane monooxygenases (also known as ω-hydroxylase systems), methane monooxygenases, and ammonia monooxygenase. Alternative enzymes, for example an n-alkyl hydroperoxide-forming dioxygenase, have also been postulated, but contrary to the monooxygenases, an n-alkane oxidising dioxygenasehas not yet been biochemically characterised. The oxygenase components of soluble methane monooxygenase and alkane monooxygenase contain binuclear iron centres that mediate dioxygen activation, whereas particulate methane monooxygenase, ammonia monooxygenase, and presumably distinct butane monooxygenases are copper-containing enzymes. Little is known about the impact of the oxygen concentration on bacterial alkane degradation, and it has not yet been investigated which pathways and enzymes are active in bacteria which utilise alkanes at suboxic or even quasi-anoxic conditions. Methane monooxygenase as well as ammonia monooxygenase have low half-saturation constants for oxygen and, in addition, both have an ample substrate spectrum. Activation of n-alkanes by cooxidation has been demonstrated for both types of enzymes. In suboxic to quasi-anoxic habitats, in which alkane, ammonium and methane oxidising bacteria as well as other organotrophic microorganisms live in close vicinity, a cooperative effect with respect to n-alkane degradation may occur.

Quercetinase QueD of Streptomyces sp. FLA, a monocupin dioxygenase with a preference for nickel and cobalt

Quercetinase (QueD) of Streptomyces sp. FLA is an enzyme of the monocupin family and catalyzes the 2,4-dioxygenolytic cleavage of the flavonol quercetin. After expression of the queD gene in Escherichia coli, high specific QueD activity was found in crude cell extracts when the growth medium was supplemented with NiCl 2 or CoCl 2, but not when Mn (2+), Fe (2+), Cu (2+), or Zn (2+) was added. The metal occupancy of Ni- and Co-QueD purified from these cells was </=50%, presumably due to strong overproduction of QueD in E. coli. Circular dichroism spectroscopy indicated the same folded structure with a high content of beta-sheet for the Ni and Co protein. The apparent kinetic constants for quercetin of Ni-QueD ( k cat = 40.1 s (-1), and K m = 5.75 microM) and Co-QueD ( k cat = 7.6 s (-1), and K m = 0.96 muM) indicate similar catalytic efficiencies; however, the approximately 5-fold lower apparent K m value of Ni-QueD for dioxygen suggests that the nickel enzyme performs better under physiological conditions. The pH dependence of k cat,app indicates that an ionizable group with a p K a near 6.8 has to be deprotonated for catalysis. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of resting Co-QueD are indicative of a high-spin ( S = (3)/ 2) Co (2+) species in a tetrahedral or trigonal-bipyramidal coordination geometry. Anoxic binding of quercetin to QueD drastically altered the hyperfine pattern at g approximately 6 without changing the valence state of the Co(II) center and elicited a hypsochromic shift of UV-vis absorption band I of quercetin. On the basis of spectroscopic data, and considering the organic chemistry of flavonols, a nonredox role of the metal center in catalysis is discussed.

Bacterial Degradation of Quinoline and Derivatives—Pathways and Their Biocatalysts

A series of interesting enzymes were discovered during investigations on the degradation of quinoline by microorganisms. These include the molybdenum-containing hydroxylases that catalyze the transformation 1→2 and the unusual 2,4-dioxygenases that catalyze the reaction 3→4. The application of the hydroxylases may even be interesting in industry, because several quinoline derivatives are used as pharmaceuticals or agrochemicals.

Structural basis for cofactor-independent dioxygenation of N-heteroaromatic compounds at the α/β-hydrolase fold

Enzymatic catalysis of oxygenation reactions in the absence of metal or organic cofactors is a considerable biochemical challenge. The CO-forming 1-H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinaldine 2,4-dioxygenase (HOD) from Arthrobacter nitroguajacolicus Rü61a and 1-H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinoline 2,4-dioxygenase (QDO) from Pseudomonas putida 33/1 are homologous cofactor-independent dioxygenases involved in the breakdown of N-heteroaromatic compounds. To date, they are the only dioxygenases suggested to belong to the α/β-hydrolase fold superfamily. Members of this family typically catalyze hydrolytic processes rather than oxygenation reactions. We present here the crystal structures of both HOD and QDO in their native state as well as the structure of HOD in complex with its natural 1-H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinaldine substrate, its N-acetylanthranilate reaction product, and chloride as dioxygen mimic. HOD and QDO are structurally very similar. They possess a classical α/β-hydrolase fold core domain additionally equipped with a cap domain. Organic substrates bind in a preorganized active site with an orientation ideally suited for selective deprotonation of their hydroxyl group by a His/Asp charge-relay system affording the generation of electron-donating species. The “oxyanion hole” of the α/β-hydrolase fold, typically employed to stabilize the tetrahedral intermediate in ester hydrolysis reactions, is utilized here to host and control oxygen chemistry, which is proposed to involve a peroxide anion intermediate. Product release by proton back transfer from the catalytic histidine is driven by minimization of intramolecular charge repulsion. Structural and kinetic data suggest a nonnucleophilic general-base mechanism. Our analysis provides a framework to explain cofactor-independent dioxygenation within a protein architecture generally employed to catalyze hydrolytic reactions.