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Textbook Metalloenzymes in Denitrification Applications and Environmental Impacts Isabel Moura Ebook All Chapter PDF
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Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP001
Metalloenzymes in Denitrification
Applications and Environmental Impacts
View Online
Editor-in-Chief:
Professor C. David Garner, University of Nottingham, UK
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP001
Series Editors:
Professor Hongzhe Sun, University of Hong Kong, China
Professor Anthony Wedd, University of Melbourne, Australia
Professor Stefano L. Ciurli, University of Bologna, Italy
Editorial Advisor:
Professor Alison Butler, University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Metalloenzymes in Denitrification
Applications and Environmental Impacts
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP001
Edited by
Isabel Moura
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
Email: isabel.moura@fct.unl.pt
José J. G. Moura
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
Email: jose.moura@fct.unl.pt
Sofia R. Pauleta
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
Email: srp@fct.unl.pt
and
Luisa B. Maia
Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
Email: luisa.maia@fct.unl.pt
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP001 View Online
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of research for non-commercial purposes or for
private study, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988 and the Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003, this publication may
not be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior
permission in writing of The Royal Society of Chemistry or the copyright owner, or in
the case of reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright
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appropriate Reproduction Rights Organization outside the UK. Enquiries concerning
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Chemistry at the address printed on this page.
The RSC is not responsible for individual opinions expressed in this work.
The authors have sought to locate owners of all reproduced material not in their
own possession and trust that no copyrights have been inadvertently infringed.
Printed in the United Kingdom by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY, UK
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP005
Preface
The choice of the topic for this book was the easiest part. By itself,
denitrification is a very important topic due to its wide range of applications
and impacts. The topic has been also a key driver of the editors’ research
groups and we were aware of a need for an overview of new discoveries and
results.
The book itself would not have been possible without the generous efforts
of our co-authors. All of us are involved in a ‘multitasking’ world, and agreeing
to sum up, share and reveal this new knowledge was an enormous effort that
will improve our understanding of this enormous puzzle. We hope to reach
a wide range of people and that the collected information will be useful not
only for research, but also for pedagogic purposes.
A final word for a colleague who left us during this process: Simon DeVries,
a long-time friend and a generous and imaginative scientist. He was unable
to finish his assigned Chapter 6, but Yoshitsugu Shiro was able, at short
notice, to step in and complete the assignment.
Scientific life involves groups of people researching in faraway places.
During the preparation of this book, we were very impressed by the range of
scientific information gathered and the competence and cooperation of our
co-authors. We value, most of all, the friendship of this group of people.
Isabel Moura, José J. G. Moura, Sofia R. Pauleta and Luisa B. Maia.
v
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP007
Contents
1.1 I ntroduction 1
1.2 The Nitrogen Cycle 2
1.3 Classic and New Pathways 2
1.3.1 Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to
Ammonium and Nitrification 3
1.3.2 Anaerobic Oxidation of Ammonium to
Dinitrogen 4
1.3.3 Anaerobic Reduction of Nitrate to
Dinitrogen—Denitrification 4
1.3.4 New Avenues/New Challenges 5
1.4 Book Outlook 6
Acknowledgements 7
References 7
vii
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viii Contents
2.4 N itrate Reduction to Ammonia in the Periplasm of
Gram-Negative Bacteria 18
2.5 Regulation of Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia by
Enteric Bacteria 19
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP007
3.1 I ntroduction 39
3.2 Structural and Spectroscopic Properties of
Respiratory Nars 43
3.2.1 The Catalytic Subunit NarG 44
3.2.2 The ET Subunit NarH 46
3.2.3 The QH2-Oxidising Subunit NarI 47
3.3 Gene Expression Control and Maturation of
Respiratory Nars 49
3.3.1 Regulation at the Transcriptional and
Translational Levels 49
3.3.2 NarGHI Maturation and
Assembly 50
3.4 Metabolic Role 51
3.5 Catalytic Mechanism 52
Acknowledgements 52
References 53
View Online
Contents ix
Chapter 4 Nitrite Reductase – Cytochrome cd1 59
Serena Rinaldo, Giorgio Giardina and Francesca Cutruzzolá
5.1 I ntroduction 91
5.2 The T1Cu Site 93
5.3 Electron Transfer 98
5.3.1 Intramolecular ET 98
5.3.2 Intermolecular ET 100
5.4 The T2Cu Site and Nitrite Reduction 106
Acknowledgements 109
References 110
x Contents
6.4.2 Electron Transfer 120
6.4.3 Proton Transfer 122
6.5 Functional Characterisation Based on the Crystal
Structures of NORs 123
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP007
Contents xi
8.2.4 Model Chemistry Using Dithiolene Ligands 178
8.3 Problems, Strategies and Future Scope 182
References 183
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xii Contents
Chapter 11 Electron Transfer and Molecular Recognition in
Denitrification and Nitrate Dissimilatory Pathways 252
Rui M. Almeida, Simone Dell’ Acqua, Isabel Moura, Sofia R.
Pauleta and José J. G. Moura
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP007
Contents xiii
12.3.2 T he Formate/Nitrite Transporter Family
of Ion Channels/Transporters 298
12.3.3 The Nitrite Channel NirC 299
12.3.4 The Transport Mechanism of NirC 300
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP007
xiv Contents
Chapter 15 Denitrification and Non-Denitrifier Nitrous Oxide
Emission in Gram-Positive Bacteria 349
Yi-Hua Sun, Paul De Vos and Kim Heylen
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP007
Contents xv
16.3.4 F actors Affecting AnAmmOx 382
16.3.5 Modelling the AnAmmOx Processes 384
16.3.6 Autotrophic Nitrogen Removal by
AnAmmOx 384
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP007
xvi Contents
17.3 N
itrate Reduction to Signalling NO in the Context
of the Nitrogen Cycle 428
Acknowledgements 430
References 430
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-FP007
Chapter 1
1.1 Introduction
Nitrate and nitrite are key players in the broad nitrogen biogeochemical cycle
that is fundamental for life processes. These oxo-anions are involved in key
pathways and in the turnover/recycling of nitrogen in the atmosphere, hydro-
sphere and geosphere. From a human perspective, nitrite and nitrate have a
“Janus face”: they are important as food preservatives,1 but are also implied in
oncogenic problems due to the formation of N-nitrosamines.2–6 On the other
hand, nitrite is now considered to be beneficial to health, whether formed
endogenously or added therapeutically. The chapter will identify all of the
components that are involved and put into context all of the diverse pathways
that contribute to the nitrogen biogeochemical cycle (Figure 1.1). Empha-
sis will be given to the denitrification pathway—the actors, the mechanisms
1
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2 Chapter 1
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-00001
Figure 1.1
Biochemical cycle of nitrogen. Denitrification, blue arrows; dinitrogen
fixation, yellow arrow; assimilatory ammonification, orange arrows;
“organic nitrogen pool”, pink arrows; dissimilatory nitrate reduction
to ammonium, green arrows; nitrification, black arrows; anaerobic
ammonium oxidation, grey arrows.
4 Chapter 1
Nitrite oxidation is a relevant step of the nitrification pathway and probably
the main source of nitrate under aerobic conditions. However, as described
below, nitrite is also oxidised through other pathways.
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-00001
(1.1)
NO2− + e− + 2H+ → •NO + H2O (1.2)
2•NO + 2e− + 2H+ → N2O + H2O (1.3)
N2O + 2e− + 2H+ → N2 + H2O (1.4)
Global reaction: 2NO3− + 10e− + 12H+ → N2 + 6H2O (1.5)
The four sequential steps involve three one-oxygen atom abstractions (eqn
(1.1), (1.2) and (1.4)) and a one-oxygen atom transfer coupled with N–N bond
formation (eqn (1.3)). Each step is catalysed by specific metalloenzymes
whose 3D structures have all been determined.54,59
The metal diversity detected in this pathway is acknowledged, being a
delight in bioinorganic chemistry. A dependence upon molybdenum, iron
and copper is observed. Two different types of nitrite reductases (eqn (1.2))
can be found: an iron-dependent enzyme, featuring c-type and d1-type haem
centres (cd1 haem-containing nitrite reductase) and a copper-dependent
enzyme (copper-containing nitrite reductase).54,57,58,61,62 The initial step of
nitrate transformation to nitrite (eqn (1.1)) is carried out by nitrate reductase,
which is part of the bis-pyranopterin guanosine dinucleotide-containing fam-
ily of mononuclear molybdo-enzymes.63 The last two steps of denitrification
use exquisite machineries. NO reductase (eqn (1.3)) contains both haem iron
and non-haem iron, building up an active site that resembles cytochrome
c oxidase (i.e., is copper/iron dependent).64–66 Nitrous oxide reductase (eqn
(1.4)), the last enzyme of this pathway, contains a novel tetranuclear copper
centre (CuZ), which is a unique and challenging structure in biology.67,68
All of the diverse pathways interact and close the nitrogen biogeochemical
cycle (Figure 1.1). The fixed nitrogen is eventually lost to the atmosphere,
soils, crust and oceans.
6 Chapter 1
Relation to the Nitrogen Cycle, by Isabel Moura, Luisa Maia, Sofia R. Pauleta
and José J. G. Moura; and Chapter 2—Nitric Oxide Production, Damage and
Management During Anaerobic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia, by Jeffrey A.
Cole) will provide a general overview of the subject, placing the denitrifica-
tion pathway in the nitrogen cycle and connecting some of its substrates and
products, such as nitrate and nitrite, with the other pathways of the nitrogen
cycle. The role of NO as a by-product of these enzymes, and its role as a sig-
nalling molecule, as well as the new functions of proteins such as Hcp and
YtfE, is reviewed.
The following chapters will cover the key enzymes and bioinorganic aspects
of denitrification, including nitrate reductase (Chapter 3—Structure, Func-
tion and Mechanisms of Respiratory Nitrate Reductases, by Pablo J. Gonzalez,
Maria G. Rivas and José J. G. Moura), iron-dependent nitrite reductase (Chapter
4—Nitrite Reductase—Cytochrome cd1, by Serena Rinaldo, Giorgio Giardina
and Francesca Cutruzzolà), copper-dependent nitrite reductase (Chapter 5—
Structure and Function of Copper Nitrite Reductase, by Masaki Nojiri), NO
reductase (Chapter 6—Structure and Function of Nitric Oxide Reductases, by
Takehiko Tosha and Yoshitsugu Shiro) and nitrous oxide reductase (Chapter
7—Insights into Nitrous Oxide Reductase, by Sofia R. Pauleta, Cíntia Car-
reira and Isabel Moura). The book will also cover the efforts that have been
made to model the active sites and the reactions involved (Chapter 8—Model
Compounds for Molybdenum Nitrate Reductases, by Amit Majumdar and
Sabyasachi Sarkar; Chapter 9—Model Compounds for Nitric Oxide Reduc-
tase, by Abhishek Dey and Somdatta Ghosh Dey; and Chapter 10—Model
Compounds of Copper-Containing Enzymes Involved in Bacterial Denitrifi-
cation, by Brittany J. Johnson and Neal P. Mankad). Electron transfer and
molecular recognition in denitrification and nitrate dissimilatory pathways
will be addressed in Chapter 11 by Rui M. Almeida, Simone Dell’Acqua, Sofia
R. Pauleta, Isabel Moura and José J. G. Moura. Aspects on nitrate and nitrite
transport will also be covered (Chapter 12—Channels and Transporters for
Nitrogen Cycle Intermediates, by Susana L. A. Andrade and Oliver Einsle), as
well as the regulation of denitrification (Chapter 13—Regulation of Denitri-
fication, by Stephen Spiro). The denitrification pathway in fungi and Gram-
positive bacteria will also be addressed (Chapter 14—Denitrification in Fungi,
by Hirofumi Shoun and Shinya Fushinobu; and Chapter 15—Denitrification
and Non-Denitrifier Nitrous Oxide Emission in Gram-Positive Bacteria, by
Yi-hua Sun, Paul De Vos and Kim Heylen). Emphasis will also be given to
the environmental impact, water treatment (biotechnology) and modelling/
mitigating of its negative impacts (Chapter 16—Denitrification Processes for
Wastewater Treatment, by Bing-Jie Ni, Yuting Pan, Jianhua Guo, Bernardino
Virdis, Shihu Hu, Xueming Chen and Zhiguo Yuan). Finally, the novel human
View Online
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Unidade de Ciências Biomoleculares Apli-
cadas—UCIBIO, which is financed by national funds from FCT/MEC (UID/
Multi/04378/2013) and co-financed by the ERDF under the PT2020 Part-
nership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007728). LBM thanks Fundacão
para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), MEC, for a fellowship grant (SFRH/
BPD/111404/2015, which is financed by national funds and co-financed by
FSE). SRP is an IF fellow also supported by FCT, and IM thanks the financial
support provided by FCT through PTDC/QUI-BIQ/116481/2010 and PTDC/
BBB-BQB/0129/2014.
References
1. E. F. Binkerd and O. E. Kolari, Food Cosmet. Toxicol., 1975, 13, 661.
2. S. R. Tannenbaum, A. J. Sisnkey, M. Weisman and W. J. Bishop, Cancer
Inst., 1974, 53, 79.
3. V. M. Craddock, Nature, 1983, 306, 638.
4. H. Bartsch and R. Montesano, Carcinogenesis, 1984, 5, 1381.
5. D. Forman, S. Al-Dabbagh and R. Doll, Nature, 1985, 313, 620.
6. M. H. Ward, T. M. deKok, P. Levallois, J. Brender, G. Gulis, B. T. Nolan and
J. VanDerslice, Environ. Health Perspect., 2005, 113, 1607.
7. J. J. R. Fraústo da Silva and R. J. P. Williams, The Biological Chemistry of
the Elements: The Inorganic Chemistry of Life, Oxford University Press,
Oxford, 2001.
8. D. J. Richardson and N. J. Watmough, Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol., 1999, 3,
207.
9. J. N. Galloway, F. J. Dentener, D. G. Capone, E. W. Boyer, R. W. Howarth,
S. P. Seitzinger, G. P. Asner, C. C. Cleveland, P. A. Green, E. A. Holland, D.
M. Karl, A. F. Michaels, J. H. Porter, A. R. Townsend and C. J. Vorosmarty,
Biogeochemistry, 2004, 70, 153.
10. H. Bothe, S. J. Ferguson and W. E. Newton, Biology of the nitrogen cycle,
Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2007.
11. D. E. Canfield, A. N. Glazer and P. G. Falkowski, Science, 2010, 330, 192.
12. R. M. Martínez-Espinosa, J. A. Cole, D. J. Richardson and N. J. Watmough,
Biochem. Soc. Trans., 2011, 39, 175.
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8 Chapter 1
13. B. M. Hoffman, D. Lukoyanov, Z. Y. Yang, D. R. Dean and L. C. Seefeldt,
Chem. Rev., 2014, 114, 4041.
14. Y. Hu and M. W. Ribbe, JBIC, J. Biol. Inorg. Chem., 2015, 20, 435.
15. R. Bjornsson, F. Neese, R. R. Schrock, O. Einsle and S. DeBeer, JBIC, J. Biol.
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10 Chapter 1
59. O. Einsle and P. M. Kroneck, J. Biol. Chem., 2004, 385, 875.
60. A. Vázquez-Torres and A. J. Bäumler, Curr. Opin. Microbiol., 2015, 29, 1.
61. N. Lehnert, T. C. Berto, M. G. I. Galinato and L. E. Goodrich, The Hand-
book of Porphyrin Science, World Scientific, New Jersey, 2011.
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-00001
Chapter 2
11
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12 Chapter 2
less energy is conserved in this process. As six electrons are required to
reduce nitrite to ammonia, but only one is required to convert it to NO, nitrite
reduction to ammonia provides a selective advantage compared to denitrifi-
cation when electron donors are abundant but electron acceptors are scarce.
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-00011
This situation occurs typically, but not exclusively, during anaerobic growth.
Thus, its primary physiological function is to maintain redox balance during
the oxidation of reduced carbon substrates and to optimise their oxidation to
a level that enables them to be used to support growth. Until recently, there
were no examples of anaerobic bacteria that catalyse both denitrification and
nitrate reduction to ammonia. However, as documented below, the genomics
era has provided at least one exception to this dogma.
We can blame the Kuenen laboratory in Delft for exposing the next layers
of complexity in the denitrification story! Before 1984, almost all of the
literature had focused on the membrane-bound nitrate reductase, now
referred to as NarG. Controversies had focused on whether the active site
was located in the cytoplasm or in the periplasm,5–9 the stoichiometry of
energy conservation10,11 and the functions of the NarH, NarJ and NarI sub-
units.12 Robertson and Kuenen13 then upset the denitrification commu-
nity by showing that some bacteria, in particular what was then known as
Thiosphaera pantotrophus, could denitrify in the presence of excess oxygen.
Ferguson, Richardson and their colleagues confirmed this new heresy,14–16
showing that in some bacteria the nitrate reductase is a soluble protein
located in the periplasm of Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, no proton
motive force is generated during electron transfer from the quinol pool to
the periplasmic nitrate reductase. Twenty years later, diehards were still
maintaining that denitrification was a purely anaerobic process, despite
excellent data to the contrary even in the original paper, as well as subse-
quent reports.13
The next seminal advance from the Kuenen laboratory was the discovery
of AnAmmOx: the anaerobic oxidation of ammonia by nitrite in a process
in which almost (but not quite) all of the nitrogen is released as N2, with
water and small quantities of nitrate being the other final products.17 Subse-
quently, the Jetten laboratory beautifully demonstrated the biochemistry and
diversity of this process, a fascinating story that is beyond the scope of this
chapter. However, its relevance to denitrification is two-fold: first, the final
product is N2, so it is another process in which “fixed” nitrogen is removed
from the biosphere; second, as in denitrification, NO is an obligate interme-
diate in the biochemical pathway.18
NO also features as an intermediate in another process that was doc-
umented either by the Jetten laboratory or by former students who were
involved in these seminal studies. This was anaerobic oxidation of methane
by nitrate or by nitrite. This research resulted in the remarkable demonstra-
tion that some strictly anaerobic bacteria can generate their own oxygen
from NO.19 The nitrogen atoms from two molecules of NO are released as
dinitrogen, and it has been suggested that this reaction predates oxygenic
photosynthesis as the original source of oxygen in the atmosphere.19
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14 Chapter 2
Published on 08 November 2016 on http://pubs.rsc.org | doi:10.1039/9781782623762-00011
Figure 2.1
Major differences between denitrification and the dissimilatory reduc-
tion of nitrate to ammonia. The y-axis shows the redox state of the
nitrogen in the various species involved. This highly simplified figure
is designed to emphasise: (i) that similar nitrate reductases located in
either or both the cytoplasmic membrane or in the periplasm catalyse
the two-electron reduction of nitrate to nitrite; (ii) that there are two
complete pathways for nitrate and nitrite reduction to ammonia, but
only a single denitrification pathway; and (iii) that denitrification
of nitrite involves a series of three one-electron reduction reactions,
whereas the six-electron reduction of nitrite to ammonia occurs in a sin-
gle step without the stoichiometric production of intermediate species.
Clicking on the footnote numbers below will take you to the index
entries that reference these footnotes.]
194. Though not included in this list, all sweet puddings are served as entremets,
except they replace the roasts of the second course.
195. Fish is not usually served as an entrée in a common English dinner; it is,
however, very admissible, either in fillets, or scallops, in a currie, or in a vol-
au-vent. Various circumstances must determine much of the general
arrangement of a dinner, the same dishes answering at times for different
parts of the service. For example, a fowl may be served as the roast for a
small company, and for a large one as an entrée. For a plain family dinner,
too, many dishes may be served in a different order to that which is set
down.
BIOGRAPHICAL WORKS.