title: Effects of elemental sulfur on the metabolism of the deep-sea hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus strain ES-1: characterization of a sulfur-regulated, non-heme iron alcohol dehydrogenase.
abstract: The strictly anaerobic archaeon Thermococcus strain ES-1 was recently isolated from near a deep-sea hydrothermal vent. It grows at temperatures up to 91 degrees C by the fermentation of peptides and reduces elemental sulfur (S(o)) to H2S. It is shown here that the growth rates and cell yields of strain ES-1 are dependent upon the concentration of S(o) in the medium, and no growth was observed in the absence of S(o). The activities of various catabolic enzymes in cells grown under conditions of sufficient and limiting S(o) concentrations were investigated. These enzymes included alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH); formate benzyl viologen oxidoreductase; hydrogenase; glutamate dehydrogenase; alanine dehydrogenase; aldehyde ferredoxin (Fd) oxidoreductase; formaldehyde Fd oxidoreductase; and coenzyme A-dependent, Fd-linked oxidoreductases specific for pyruvate, indolepyruvate, 2-ketoglutarate, and 2-ketoisovalerate. Of these, changes were observed only with ADH, formate benzyl viologen oxidoreductase, and hydrogenase, the specific activities of which all dramatically increased in cells grown under S(o) limitation. This was accompanied by increased amounts of H2 and alcohol (ethanol and butanol) from cultures grown with limiting S(o). Such cells were used to purify ADH to electrophoretic homogeneity. ADH is a homotetramer with a subunit M(r) of 46,000 and contains 1 g-atom of Fe per subunit, which, as determined by electron paramagnetic resonance analyses, is present as a mixture of ferrous and ferric forms. No other metals or acid-labile sulfide was detected by colorimetric and elemental analyses. ADH utilized NADP(H) as a cofactor and preferentially catalyzed aldehyde reduction. It is proposed that, under So limitation, ADH reduces to alcohols the aldehydes that are generated by fermentation, thereby serving to dispose of excess reductant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Loessner
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heider
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Adams
mesh_terms: D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids; D001105:Archaea / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D005288:Ferredoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D005560:Formate Dehydrogenases / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006864:Hydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D008386:Marine Biology; D008667:Metalloproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D017421:Sequence Analysis; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013455:Sulfur / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D005288:Ferredoxins; D008667:Metalloproteins; D013455:Sulfur; D007501:Iron; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; D006864:Hydrogenase; D005560:Formate Dehydrogenases