The first step in the respiratory reduction of nitrate to dinitrogen in Paracoccus pantotrophus is catalyzed by the quinol-nitrate oxidoreductase NarGHI. This membrane-anchored protein directs electrons from quinol oxidation at the membrane anchor, NarI, to the site of nitrate reduction in the membrane extrinsic [Fe-S] cluster and Mo-bis-MGD containing dimer, NarGH. Liberated from the membrane, NarGH retains its nitrate reductase activity and forms films on graphite and gold electrodes within which direct and facile exchange of electrons between the electrode and the enzyme occurs. Protein film voltammetry has been used to define the catalytic behavior of NarGH in the potential domain and a complex pattern of reversible, nitrate concentration dependent modulation of activity has been resolved. At low nitrate concentrations the local maximum observed in the catalytic current-potential profile reveals how NarGH can catalyze nitrate reduction via two pathways having distinct specificity constants, k(obs)(cat)/K(obs)(M). Catalysis is directed to occur via one of the pathways by an electrochemical event within NarGH. On increasing the nitrate concentration, the local maximum in the catalytic current becomes less distinct, and the catalytic waveform adopts an increasingly sigmoidal form. A pattern of voltammetry similar to that observed during nitrate reduction is observed during reduction of the stereochemically distinct substrate chlorate. Centers whose change of oxidation state may define the novel catalytic voltammetry of NarGH have been identified by EPR-monitored potentiometric titrations and mechanisms by which the electrochemistry of Mo-bis-MGD or [Fe-S] clusters can account for the observed behavior are discussed.

Bacterial cytoplasmic assimilatory nitrate reductases are the least well characterized of all of the subgroups of nitrate reductases. In the present study the ferredoxindependent nitrate reductase NarB of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 was analyzed by spectropotentiometry and protein film voltammetry. Metal and acid-labile sulfide analysis revealed nearest integer values of 4:4:1 (iron/sulfur/molybdenum)/molecule of NarB. Analysis of dithionite-reduced enzyme by low temperature EPR revealed at 10 K the presence of a signal that is characteristic of a [4Fe-4S] 1؉ cluster. EPRmonitored potentiometric titration of NarB revealed that this cluster titrated as an n ‫؍‬ 1 Nernstian component with a midpoint redox potential (E m ) of ؊190 mV. EPR spectra collected at 60 K revealed a Mo(V) signal termed "very high g" with g av ‫؍‬ 2.0047 in air-oxidized enzyme that accounted for only 10 -20% of the total molybdenum. This signal disappeared upon reduction with dithionite, and a new "high g" species (g av ‫؍‬ 1.9897) was observed. In potentiometric titrations the high g Mo(V) signal developed over the potential range of ؊100 to ؊350 mV (E m Mo 6؉/5؉ ‫؍‬ ؊150 mV), and when fully developed, it accounted for 1 mol of Mo(V)/mol of enzyme. Protein film voltammetry of NarB revealed that activity is turned on at potentials below ؊200 mV, where the cofactors are predominantly [4Fe-4S] 1؉ and Mo 5؉ . The data suggests that during the catalytic cycle nitrate will bind to the Mo 5؉ state of NarB in which the enzyme is minimally two-electron-reduced. Comparison of the spectral properties of NarB with those of the membranebound and periplasmic respiratory nitrate reductases reveals that it is closely related to the periplasmic enzyme, but the potential of the molybdenum center of NarB is tuned to operate at lower potentials, consistent with the coupling of NarB to low potential ferredoxins in the cell cytoplasm.Nitrate is a widely used and readily available source of inorganic nitrogen for plants and microorganisms (1). Fixed inorganic nitrogen is mainly supplied to natural environments either from human agricultural or industrial activities or from biological nitrogen fixation. Most of it is converted to nitrate by nitrifying bacteria, and the nitrate then serves as a nitrogen source for assimilation or as a respiratory electron acceptor. Bacterial nitrate reductases are molybdoenzymes that can catalyze the two-electron reduction of nitrate to nitrite and can be classified into three groups according to their localization and function (2). Respiratory membrane-bound nitrate reductases are generally integral membrane protein complexes with the active site located on the cytoplasmic face of the cytoplasmic membrane and are constituted by subunits (e.g. NarI and NarH) that mediate electron transfer from the quinol pool to the catalytic subunit, NarG, which contains a bismolybdopterin guanine dinucleotide (bis-Mo-MGD) 1 cofactor and a [4Fe-4S] cluster (3, 4). These membrane-bound nitrate reductases couple quinol oxidation b...

Protein film voltammetry of Paracoccus pantotrophus respiratory nitrate reductase (NarGH) and Synechococcus elongatus assimilatory nitrate reductase (NarB) shows that reductive activation of these enzymes may be required before steady state catalysis is observed. For NarGH complementary spectroscopic studies suggest a structural context for the activation. Catalytic protein film voltammetry at a range of temperatures has allowed quantitation of the activation energies for nitrate reduction. For NarGH with an operating potential of ca. 0.05 V the activation energy of ca. 35 kJ mol-1 is over twice that measured for NarB whose operating potential is ca. -0.35 V.

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