J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 261, Issue 23, 10688-10694, 08, 1986
Reversible inactivation of the O2-labile hydrogenases from Azotobacter vinelandii and Rhizobium japonicum
LC Seefeldt, CA Fox and DJ Arp
Hydrogenases catalyze the reversible activation of dihydrogen. The
hydrogenases from the aerobic, N2-fixing microorganisms Azotobacter
vinelandii and Rhizobium japonicum are nickel- and iron-containing dimers
that belong to the group of O2-labile enzymes. Exposure of these
hydrogenases to O2 results in an irreversible inactivation; therefore,
these enzymes are purified anaerobically in a fully active state. We
describe in this paper an electron acceptor-requiring and pH-dependent,
reversible inactivation of these hydrogenases. These results are the first
example of an anaerobic, reversible inactivation of the O2-labile
hydrogenases. The reversible inactivation required the presence of an
electron acceptor. The rate of inactivation was first-order, with similar
rates observed for methylene blue, benzyl viologen, and
phenazine-methosulfate. The rate of inactivation was also dependent on the
pH. However, increasing the pH of the enzyme in the absence of an electron
acceptor did not result in inactivation. Thus, the reversible inactivation
was not a result of high pH alone. The inactive enzyme could not be
reactivated by H2 or other reductants at high pH. Titration of enzyme
inactivated at high pH back to low pH was also ineffective at reactivating
the enzyme. However, if reductants were present during this titration, the
enzyme could be fully reactivated. The temperature dependence of
inactivation yielded an activation energy of 44 kJ X mol-1. Gel filtration
chromatography of active and inactive hydrogenase indicated that neither
dissociation nor aggregation of the dimer hydrogenase was responsible for
this reversible inactivation. We propose a four-state model to describe
this reversible inactivation.