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Title: Formylglycine-generating enzyme binds substrate directly at a mononuclear Cu(I) center to initiate O 2 activation

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7]; ORCiD logo [6]; ORCiD logo [8]
  1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Molecular and Cell Biology; Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
  2. Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
  3. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division
  4. Univ. of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)
  5. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)
  6. Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)
  7. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division; Univ. of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)
  8. Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry, and Howard Hughes Medical Inst.

The formylglycine-generating enzyme (FGE) is required for the posttranslational activation of type I sulfatases by oxidation of an active-site cysteine to Cα-formylglycine. FGE has emerged as an enabling biotechnology tool due to the robust utility of the aldehyde product as a bioconjugation handle in recombinant proteins. Here, we show that Cu(I)–FGE is functional in O2activation and reveal a high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of FGE in complex with its catalytic copper cofactor. We establish that the copper atom is coordinated by two active-site cysteine residues in a nearly linear geometry, supporting and extending prior biochemical and structural data. The active cuprous FGE complex was interrogated directly by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. These data unambiguously establish the configuration of the resting enzyme metal center and, importantly, reveal the formation of a three-coordinate tris(thiolate) trigonal planar complex upon substrate binding as furthermore supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Critically, inner-sphere substrate coordination turns on O2 activation at the copper center. These collective results provide a detailed mechanistic framework for understanding why nature chose this structurally unique monocopper active site to catalyze oxidase chemistry for sulfatase activation.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515; R01DK031450; F32GM116240; R35CA22043; CA227942
OSTI ID:
1528783
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 116, Issue 12; ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 28 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Copper is a Cofactor of the Formylglycine-Generating Enzyme text January 2017
In Vitro Reconstitution of Formylglycine-Generating Enzymes Requires Copper(I) text January 2015
Structural Basis for Copper-Oxygen Mediated C-H Bond Activation by the Formylglycine-Generating Enzyme text January 2017
Copper is a Cofactor of the Formylglycine-Generating Enzyme text January 2017

Cited By (4)