Publications

• The ferredoxin:sulphite reductase gene from Synechococcus PCC7942.

  Gisselmann G., Klausmeier P., Schwenn J.D.

  The structural gene of the ferredoxin:sulphite reductase (EC 1.8.7.1) from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC7942 (formerly 'Anacystis nidulans') was cloned and sequenced. The gene termed 'sir' was detected by heterologous Southern hybridisation with the structural gene cysI from Escherichia col ... >> More

  The structural gene of the ferredoxin:sulphite reductase (EC 1.8.7.1) from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus PCC7942 (formerly 'Anacystis nidulans') was cloned and sequenced. The gene termed 'sir' was detected by heterologous Southern hybridisation with the structural gene cysI from Escherichia coli encoding the iron-sulphur haemoprotein of the NADPH:sulphite reductase. The open reading frame is comprised of 1875 bp encoding for a polypeptide of M(r) 70.028. The deduced amino acid sequence is 35.6% identical with the enterobacterial iron-sulphur haemoprotein. This putative fd-dependent sulphite reductase is only distantly related to the fd-dependent nitrite reductase (binary matching coefficient SAB: 0.23) or with the NADPH-sulphite reductase (SAB: 0.32). Highly conserved residues are found within the two Cys clusters forming the reactive Fe4S4-sirohaem centre of the enzyme. Expression of the sir gene using a fusion vector gave a single gene product which is immunologically related with the fd-sulphite reductase from the wild-type bacterium. << Less

  Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1144:102-106(1993) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• The DNA-compacting protein DCP68 from soybean chloroplasts is ferredoxin:sulfite reductase and co-localizes with the organellar nucleoid.

  Chi-Ham C.L., Keaton M.A., Cannon G.C., Heinhorst S.

  The multiple copies of the chloroplast genome (plastome) are condensed and organized into nucleoids by a set of proteins. One of these, the DNA-binding protein DCP68 from soybean, has previously been shown to compact DNA and to inhibit DNA synthesis in vitro. N-terminal amino acid analysis and the ... >> More

  The multiple copies of the chloroplast genome (plastome) are condensed and organized into nucleoids by a set of proteins. One of these, the DNA-binding protein DCP68 from soybean, has previously been shown to compact DNA and to inhibit DNA synthesis in vitro. N-terminal amino acid analysis and the absorption spectrum of the purified protein suggest that DCP68 is the siroheme protein sulfite reductase, a ferredoxin-dependent enzyme that participates in sulfur assimilation for cysteine and methionine biosynthesis. The in vivo association of this protein with chloroplast nucleoids was confirmed by immuno-colocalization with antibodies against sulfite reductase from Arabidopsis thaliana. These results suggest that DCP68 is a bifunctional chloroplast protein that participates in reductive sulfur assimilation and plays a role in organellar nucleoid organization. The fact that dephosphorylation by alkaline phosphatase affects the binding of purified DCP68 to DNA in vitro might be indicative of the way the interaction of the protein with the nucleoid is regulated in vivo. << Less

  Plant Mol. Biol. 49:621-631(2002) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Analysis of reductant supply systems for ferredoxin-dependent sulfite reductase in photosynthetic and nonphotosynthetic organs of maize.

  Yonekura-Sakakibara K., Onda Y., Ashikari T., Tanaka Y., Kusumi T., Hase T.

  Sulfite reductase (SiR) catalyzes the reduction of sulfite to sulfide in chloroplasts and root plastids using ferredoxin (Fd) as an electron donor. Using purified maize (Zea mays L.) SiR and isoproteins of Fd and Fd-NADP(+) reductase (FNR), we reconstituted illuminated thylakoid membrane- and NADP ... >> More

  Sulfite reductase (SiR) catalyzes the reduction of sulfite to sulfide in chloroplasts and root plastids using ferredoxin (Fd) as an electron donor. Using purified maize (Zea mays L.) SiR and isoproteins of Fd and Fd-NADP(+) reductase (FNR), we reconstituted illuminated thylakoid membrane- and NADPH-dependent sulfite reduction systems. Fd I and L-FNR were distributed in leaves and Fd III and R-FNR in roots. The stromal concentrations of SiR and Fd I were estimated at 1.2 and 37 microM, respectively. The molar ratio of Fd III to SiR in root plastids was approximately 3:1. Photoreduced Fd I and Fd III showed a comparable ability to donate electrons to SiR. In contrast, when being reduced with NADPH via FNRs, Fd III showed a several-fold higher activity than Fd I. Fd III and R-FNR showed the highest rate of sulfite reduction among all combinations tested. NADP(+) decreased the rate of sulfite reduction in a dose-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that the participation of Fd III and high NADPH/NADP(+) ratio are crucial for non-photosynthetic sulfite reduction. In accordance with this view, a cysteine-auxotrophic Escherichia coli mutant defective for NADPH-dependent SiR was rescued by co-expression of maize SiR with Fd III but not with Fd I. << Less

  Plant Physiol. 122:887-894(2000) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Isolation and characterization of a gene for assimilatory sulfite reductase from Arabidopsis thaliana.

  Bork C., Schwenn J.D., Hell R.

  Sulfite reductase (SIR) represents a key enzyme in sulfate assimilation in higher plants. The genomic DNA sequence of the sir gene from Arabidopsis thaliana including regulatory and structural regions was isolated and characterized. The sequence of a 6 kb fragment encoding SIR revealed a coding re ... >> More

  Sulfite reductase (SIR) represents a key enzyme in sulfate assimilation in higher plants. The genomic DNA sequence of the sir gene from Arabidopsis thaliana including regulatory and structural regions was isolated and characterized. The sequence of a 6 kb fragment encoding SIR revealed a coding region of 2891 basepairs (bp) that consists of eight exons separated by seven introns between 83 and 139 bp in length. The transcription start point was determined 272 bp upstream of the translation start site. Southern analysis indicates a single locus for the sir gene that gives rise to a 2.4 (kb) mRNA in leaves and in roots. The promoter region was verified by functional expression of the gusA reporter gene in transgenic A. thaliana plants and was shown to provide correct expression in root and leaf. << Less

  Gene 212:147-153(1998) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Comparison of the electrostatic binding sites on the surface of ferredoxin for two ferredoxin-dependent enzymes, ferredoxin-NADP(+) reductase and sulfite reductase.

  Akashi T., Matsumura T., Ideguchi T., Iwakiri K., Kawakatsu T., Taniguchi I., Hase T.

  Plant-type ferredoxin (Fd), a [2Fe-2S] iron-sulfur protein, functions as an one-electron donor to Fd-NADP(+) reductase (FNR) or sulfite reductase (SiR), interacting electrostatically with them. In order to understand the protein-protein interaction between Fd and these two different enzymes, 10 ac ... >> More

  Plant-type ferredoxin (Fd), a [2Fe-2S] iron-sulfur protein, functions as an one-electron donor to Fd-NADP(+) reductase (FNR) or sulfite reductase (SiR), interacting electrostatically with them. In order to understand the protein-protein interaction between Fd and these two different enzymes, 10 acidic surface residues in maize Fd (isoform III), Asp-27, Glu-30, Asp-58, Asp-61, Asp-66/Asp-67, Glu-71/Glu-72, Asp-85, and Glu-93, were substituted with the corresponding amide residues by site-directed mutagenesis. The redox potentials of the mutated Fds were not markedly changed, except for E93Q, the redox potential of which was more positive by 67 mV than that of the wild type. Kinetic experiments showed that the mutations at Asp-66/Asp-67 and Glu-93 significantly affected electron transfer to the two enzymes. Interestingly, D66N/D67N was less efficient in the reaction with FNR than E93Q, whereas this relationship was reversed in the reaction with SiR. The static interaction of the mutant Fds with each the two enzymes was analyzed by gel filtration of a mixture of Fd and each enzyme, and by affinity chromatography on Fd-immobilized resins. The contributions of Asp-66/Asp-67 and Glu-93 were found to be most important for the binding to FNR and SiR, respectively, in accordance with the kinetic data. These results allowed us to map the acidic regions of Fd required for electron transfer and for binding to FNR and SiR and demonstrate that the interaction sites for the two enzymes are at least partly distinct. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 274:29399-29405(1999) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Characterization of the cys gene locus from Allochromatium vinosum indicates an unusual sulfate assimilation pathway.

  Neumann S., Wynen A., Truper H.G., Dahl C.

  Homologues of the genes cysB, cysI, cysH, cysD, cysN, and selD were identified in the genome of the phototrophic purple sulfur bacterium Allochromatium vinosum (formerly Chromatium vinosum). On the basis of amino acid comparisons these genes encode a ferredoxin-dependent siroheme-sulfite reductase ... >> More

  Homologues of the genes cysB, cysI, cysH, cysD, cysN, and selD were identified in the genome of the phototrophic purple sulfur bacterium Allochromatium vinosum (formerly Chromatium vinosum). On the basis of amino acid comparisons these genes encode a ferredoxin-dependent siroheme-sulfite reductase (CysI), a plant-type assimilatory APS reductase without thioredoxin domain (CysH), the two different subunits of heterodimeric ATP sulfurylase (CysDN), a transcriptional regulator (CysB) and a selenophosphate synthase (SelD). cysIHDN appear to form an operon and are preceded by cysB which is transcribed in the opposite direction. SelD is situated downstream of cysN and transcribed divergently to cysIHDN. The lack of a gene for APS kinase and presence of a gene for an assimilatory APS reductase implies that assimilatory sulfate reduction in A. vinosum proceeds along the pathway suggested for higher plants without intermediary formation of PAPS. Two completely separate pathways involving specialized enzymes are used for assimilatory sulfate reduction and dissimilatory sulfur oxidation in A. vinosum. The presence of cysB indicates that the genes for assimilatory sulfate reduction are expressed only in the absence of reduced sulfur compounds. << Less

  Mol. Biol. Rep. 27:27-33(2000) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• The mechanism of photosynthetic sulfate reduction by isolated chloroplasts.

  Schmidt A., Trebst A.

  Biochim Biophys Acta 180:529-535(1969) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Siroheme- and [Fe4-S4]-dependent NirA from Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a sulfite reductase with a covalent Cys-Tyr bond in the active site.

  Schnell R., Sandalova T., Hellman U., Lindqvist Y., Schneider G.

  The nirA gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is up-regulated in the persistent state of the bacteria, suggesting that it is a potential target for the development of antituberculosis agents particularly active against the pathogen in its dormant phase. This gene encodes a ferredoxin-dependent sulfi ... >> More

  The nirA gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is up-regulated in the persistent state of the bacteria, suggesting that it is a potential target for the development of antituberculosis agents particularly active against the pathogen in its dormant phase. This gene encodes a ferredoxin-dependent sulfite reductase, and the structure of the enzyme has been determined using x-ray crystallography. The enzyme is a monomer comprising 555 amino acids and contains a [Fe4-S4] cluster and a siroheme cofactor. The molecule is built up of three domains with an alpha/beta fold. The first domain consists of two ferredoxin-like subdomains, related by a pseudo-2-fold symmetry axis passing through the whole molecule. The other two domains, which provide much of the binding interactions with the cofactors, have a common fold that is unique to the sulfite/nitrite reductase family. The domains form a trilobal structure, with the cofactors and the active site located at the interface of all three domains in the center of the molecule. NirA contains an unusual covalent bond between the side chains of Tyr69 and Cys161 in the active site, in close proximity to the siroheme cofactor. Removal of this covalent bond by site-directed mutagenesis impairs catalytic activity, suggesting that it is important for the enzymatic reaction. These residues are part of a sequence fingerprint, able to distinguish between ferredoxin-dependent sulfite and nitrite reductases. Comparison of NirA with the structure of the truncated NADPH-dependent sulfite reductase from Escherichia coli suggests a binding site for the external electron donor ferredoxin close to the [Fe4-S4] cluster. << Less

  J. Biol. Chem. 280:27319-27328(2005) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• The 70-kDa major DNA-compacting protein of the chloroplast nucleoid is sulfite reductase.

  Sato N., Nakayama M., Hase T.

  The chloroplast nucleoid is a complex of chloroplast DNA and various, mostly uncharacterized proteins. An abundant 70-kDa protein of the isolated nucleoids of pea chloroplasts was identified as sulfite reductase by N-terminal sequence analysis as well as immunoblot analysis, spectrophotometry and ... >> More

  The chloroplast nucleoid is a complex of chloroplast DNA and various, mostly uncharacterized proteins. An abundant 70-kDa protein of the isolated nucleoids of pea chloroplasts was identified as sulfite reductase by N-terminal sequence analysis as well as immunoblot analysis, spectrophotometry and enzyme activity analysis. Recombinant maize sulfite reductase was indeed able to compact chloroplast DNA and to form nucleoid-like particles in vitro. The role of sulfite reductase in the structural organization of the nucleoid is discussed. << Less

  FEBS Lett. 487:347-350(2001) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]