Crystal structure of quinohemoprotein alcohol dehydrogenase from Comamonas testosteroni - Structural basis for substrate oxidation and electron transfer

Quinoprotein alcohol dehydrogenases are redox enzymes that participate in distinctive catabolic pathways that enable bacteria to grow on various alcohols as the sole source of carbon and energy. The x-ray structure of the quinohemoprotein alcohol dehydrogenase from Comamonas testosteroni has been determined at 1.44 Angstrom resolution. It comprises two domains. The N-terminal domain has a beta-propeller fold and binds one pyrrolo-quinoliue quinone cofactor and one calcium ion in the active site. A tetrahydrofuran-2-carboxylic acid molecule is present in the substrate-binding cleft. The position of this oxidation product provides valuable information on the amino acid residues involved in the reaction mechanism and their function. The C-terminal domain is an a-helical type I cytochrome c with His(608) and Met(647) as heme-iron ligands. This is the first reported structure of an electron transfer system between a quinoprotein alcohol dehydrogenase and cytochrome c. The shortest distance between pyrroloquinoline quinone and heme c is 12.9 Angstrom, one of the longest physiological edge-to-edge distances yet determined between two redox centers. A highly unusual disulfide bond between two adjacent cysteines bridges the redox centers. It appears essential for electron transfer. A water channel delineates a possible pathway for proton transfer from the active site to the solvent.