The disulfide oxidoreductase SdbA is active in Streptococcus gordonii using a single C-terminal cysteine of the CXXC motif

Lauren Davey, Alejandro Cohen, Jason Leblanc, Scott A. Halperin, Song F. Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Recently, we identified a novel disulfide oxidoreductase, SdbA, in the oral bacterium Streptococcus gordonii. Disulfide oxidoreductases form disulfide bonds in nascent proteins using a CXXC catalytic motif. Typically, the N-terminal cysteine interacts with substrates, whereas the C-terminal cysteine is buried and only reacts with the first cysteine of the motif. In this study, we investigated the SdbA C86P87D88C89 catalytic motif. In vitro, SdbA single cysteine variants at the N or C-terminal position (SdbAC86P and SdbAC89A) were active but displayed different susceptibility to oxidation, and N-terminal cysteine was prone to sulfenylation. In S. gordonii, mutants with a single N-terminal cysteine were inactive and formed unstable disulfide adducts with other proteins. Activity was partially restored by inactivation of pyruvate oxidase, a hydrogen peroxide generator. Presence of the C-terminal cysteine alone (in the SdbAC86P variant) could complement the ΔsdbA mutant and restore disulfide bond formation in recombinant and natural protein substrates. These results provide evidence that certain disulfide oxidoreductases can catalyze disulfide bond formation using a single cysteine of the CXXC motif, including the buried C-terminal cysteine. Thiol-disulfide oxidoreductases form disulfide bonds in secreted proteins using a CXXC catalytic motif. Investigation of Streptococcus gordonii oxidoreductase SdbA revealed that the enzyme could function using a single cysteine of the active site. Although the N-terminal cysteine was prone to oxidation that rendered it inactive, the C-terminal cysteine was sufficient to sustain catalytic activity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)236-253
Number of pages18
JournalMolecular Microbiology
Volume99
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 1 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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