Structural insights into the electron/proton transfer pathways in the quinol:fumarate reductase from Desulfovibrio gigas

Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 8;8(1):14935. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-33193-5.

Abstract

The membrane-embedded quinol:fumarate reductase (QFR) in anaerobic bacteria catalyzes the reduction of fumarate to succinate by quinol in the anaerobic respiratory chain. The electron/proton-transfer pathways in QFRs remain controversial. Here we report the crystal structure of QFR from the anaerobic sulphate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio gigas (D. gigas) at 3.6 Å resolution. The structure of the D. gigas QFR is a homo-dimer, each protomer comprising two hydrophilic subunits, A and B, and one transmembrane subunit C, together with six redox cofactors including two b-hemes. One menaquinone molecule is bound near heme bL in the hydrophobic subunit C. This location of the menaquinone-binding site differs from the menaquinol-binding cavity proposed previously for QFR from Wolinella succinogenes. The observed bound menaquinone might serve as an additional redox cofactor to mediate the proton-coupled electron transport across the membrane. Armed with these structural insights, we propose electron/proton-transfer pathways in the quinol reduction of fumarate to succinate in the D. gigas QFR.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Desulfovibrio gigas / chemistry
  • Desulfovibrio gigas / metabolism*
  • Desulfovibrionaceae Infections / microbiology
  • Electron Transport
  • Humans
  • Models, Molecular
  • Oxidoreductases / chemistry
  • Oxidoreductases / metabolism*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protons
  • Substrate Specificity
  • Vitamin K 2 / metabolism

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Protons
  • Vitamin K 2
  • Oxidoreductases
  • quinol fumarate reductase