Aerobic Respiratory Chain of Escherichia Coli Is Not Allowed to Work in Fully Uncoupled Mode
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Aerobic respiratory chain of Escherichia coli is not allowed to work in fully uncoupled mode Vitaliy B. Borisova,1, Ranjani Muralib,1, Marina L. Verkhovskayac, Dmitry A. Blochc, Huazhi Hanb, Robert B. Gennisb, and Michael I. Verkhovskyc,2 aBelozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia; bDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801; and cHelsinki Bioenergetics Group, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, PB 65 (Viikinkaari 1), FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland Edited* by Pierre A. Joliot, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Paris, France, and approved August 11, 2011 (received for review May 26, 2011) Escherichia coli is known to couple aerobic respiratory catabolism to ATP synthesis by virtue of the primary generators of the proton — bo motive force NADH dehydrogenase I, cytochrome 3, and cyto- chrome bd-I. An E. coli mutant deficient in NADH dehydrogenase I, bo bd 3 and -I can, nevertheless, grow aerobically on nonfermenta- ble substrates, although its sole terminal oxidase cytochrome bd-II has been reported to be nonelectrogenic. In the current work, the ability of cytochrome bd-II to generate a proton motive force is reexamined. Absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and oxy- gen pulse methods show that in the steady-state, cytochrome Fig. 1. Scheme of the components of the E. coli aerobic respiratory bd-II does generate a proton motive force with a Hþ∕e− ratio of chain, starting with NADH as the substrate. Enzyme bioenergetic efficiency 0.94 Æ 0.18. This proton motive force is sufficient to drive ATP is indicated as the number of protons released into the periplasm per elec- tron (Hþ∕e− ratio). NDH-I and NDH-II are the coupled and uncoupled NADH: synthesis and transport of nutrients. Microsecond time-resolved, quinone oxidoreductases, respectively, and UQ-8 is ubiquinone-8. NDH-I and single-turnover electrometry shows that the molecular mechanism NDH-II transfer electrons to UQ-8 to yield reduced UQ-8. Three quinol:oxygen BIOCHEMISTRY of generating the proton motive force is identical to that in cyto- oxidoreductases, cytochromes bo3, bd-I, bd-II, oxidize reduced UQ-8 and chrome bd-I. The ability to induce cytochrome bd-II biosynthesis reduce O2 to 2 H2O. allows E. coli to remain energetically competent under a variety of environmental conditions. ginating from opposite sides of the membrane to generate water ðHþ∕e− ¼ 1Þ (5, 8–11). In addition, there are a number of erobic bacteria produce ATP via (i) oxygen-independent, substrate dehydrogenases that are not electrogenic, including Asubstrate-level phosphorylation in glycolysis and the Krebs the nonelectrogenic NADH:quinone oxidoreductase, NDH-II cycle, or (ii) oxidative phosphorylation, in which the electron ðHþ∕e− ¼ 0Þ. flow, through the aerobic respiratory electron transport chain, Under growth conditions with high aeration, cytochrome bo3 generates a proton motive force ðΔp%Þ which, in turn, drives predominates, whereas, under microaerophilic conditions, cyto- the ATP synthase. The proton motive force (Δpout-in, where it chrome bd-I is the predominant respiratory oxygen reductase that is specified that the gradient is measured “outside-minus-inside”) is present. Conditions of carbon and phosphate starvation result is equivalent to the transmembrane electrochemical proton in the induction of a third respiratory oxygen reductase, cyto- gradient and has chemical ðΔpHout-inÞ and electrical ðΔΨout-inÞ chrome bd-II encoded by appBC genes (also called cyxAB or components. At 298 K, in mV units, cbdAB) (12–14). The ability of cytochrome bd-II to generate a proton motive force is addressed in the current work. Δpout-in ¼ ΔΨout-in − 59ΔpHout-in Whereas cytochrome bo3 and cytochrome bd-I have been extensively studied, very little is known about cytochrome bd-II. For bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, grown at neutral pH, the Cytochrome bd-I is a two-subunit enzyme carrying three hemes: major component of the proton motive force is ΔΨout-in, which is b558, b595, and d (15–17). The latter two hemes are suggested positive outside and typically has a value in the range of 100 to to compose a unique di-heme site for the capture of O2 and 180 mV. Bacteria usually possess branched respiratory chains in its reduction to H2O. Heme d plays the major role in O2 binding which the different components are induced to allow the cells to and formation of oxygenated intermediates (9, 18–25). In con- adapt to various environmental conditions (1). One of the para- trast, cytochrome bd-II remains poorly studied, but it has been meters that depends on the composition of the respiratory chain shown that its spectral properties closely resemble those of cyto- is the “bioenergetic efficiency,” which can be defined as number chrome bd-I (26). The amino acid sequences of both subunits of charges driven across the membrane per electron used to of cytochrome bd-I and bd-II are also highly homologous (about reduce oxygen to water, ðq∕e−Þ. In the E. coli respiratory chain, 60% identity). the net charge transfer across the membrane is equal to the num- It has been reported recently that cytochrome bd-II does not ber of protons released into the periplasm ðHþ∕e−Þ, which can be contribute to the generation of the proton motive force ð þ∕ − ¼ 0Þ measured. H e (27). This was deduced from the growth properties The aerobic respiratory chain of E. coli (Fig. 1) contains three i enzymes that are known to generate a proton motive force: ( ) the Author contributions: V.B.B., M.L.V., D.A.B., R.B.G., and M.I.V. designed research; V.B.B., proton-pumping NADH:quinone oxidoreductase NADH dehy- R.M., M.L.V., D.A.B., H.H., and M.I.V. performed research; M.I.V. contributed new þ − drogenase I (NDH-I) ðH ∕e ¼ 2Þ (2); (ii) cytochrome bo3 reagents/analytic tools; V.B.B., R.M., M.L.V., D.A.B., H.H., R.B.G., and M.I.V. analyzed data; ðHþ∕e− ¼ 2Þ (3), the proton-pumping oxygen reductase that is and V.B.B., M.L.V., D.A.B., R.B.G., and M.I.V. wrote the paper. a member of the superfamily of heme-copper oxidoreductases The authors declare no conflict of interest. (4–7); and (iii) cytochrome bd-I, which is unable to pump protons *This Direct Submission article had a prearranged editor. but generates a proton motive force by transmembrane charge 1V.B.B. and R.M. contributed equally to this work. separation resulting from utilizing protons and electrons ori- 2To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1108217108 PNAS Early Edition ∣ 1of5 Downloaded by guest on September 23, 2021 of the strain that was genetically constructed to lack NDH-I, data show that ΔΨ across the bacterial membrane is generated cytochrome bo3 and cytochrome bd-I. The aerobic respiratory due to either turnover of the F1FO ATPase (trace 1) or by quinol chain from NADH is constrained to NDH-II → bd-II. By exam- oxidase activity (trace 2). Because the only quinol oxidase present ination of the growth of this strain under glucose-limited condi- is cytochrome bd-II, these data imply that catalytic turnover of tions in continuous culture, it was concluded that cytochrome cytochrome bd-II generates a transmembrane potential (ΔΨ) bd-II does not contribute to the proton motive force (i.e., the under steady-state conditions. aerobic respiratory chain is fully uncoupled). Shepherd et al. (28) Fig. 2B shows the responses of the dye acridine orange (AO) have proposed that under such conditions E. coli creates the under the same conditions, reporting the internal acidification proton motive force by means of consumption of intracellular in the inverted vesicles, and, therefore, formation of ΔpH. The γ protons during the synthesis of -aminobutyric acid (GABA), addition of either ATP (trace 1) or Q1 plus DTT (trace 2) results which is coupled to the electrogenic uptake of anionic glutamate in quenching of the AO fluorescence, demonstrating acidification by the glutamate/GABA antiporter. of the vesicle interior. These pH changes are abolished by grami- In this work we directly determined the ability of cytochrome cidin. The data clearly show that catalytic turnover of cytochrome bd -II to generate a proton motive force by examining intact bd-II is accompanied by the release of protons on the periplasmic cells, spheroplasts, and membrane vesicles as well as purified side of the membrane, equivalent to the inside of the inverted bd cytochrome -II. The data definitively show that the catalytic vesicles. bd turnover of cytochrome -II does generate a proton motive It is noted that the observed kinetics of the generation of ΔΨ bd force by a mechanism identical to that of cytochrome -I. A and ΔpH are different (Fig. 2). This is because ΔΨ is produced bd previous proposal (29) that the -type oxygen reductase from almost immediately, whereas ΔpH develops at a much slower rate Azotobacter vinlandii is not coupled has also been demonstrated since the membrane vesicles are loaded with concentrated buffer. not to be correct (30). It is very likely, therefore, that all members bd of the family of -type oxygen reductases generate a proton Hþ∕e− Ratio Measurement. Fig. 3B shows the change in the pH of motive force even as they may have additional roles such as an anaerobic suspension of spheroplasts from E. coli MB37 (lack- scavenging O2 or maintaining redox balance in the cytoplasm. ing NDH-I, cytochrome bo3 and cytochrome bd-I) upon addition The data presented has import in examining the bioenergetics of aliquots of O2.