Download MendeleySubunit fusion unlocks rapid in vitro maturation for slowly activating heterodimeric [FeFe]-hydrogenases.
Jaenecke, J., Bikbaev, K., Malagnini, M., Bronold, J., Yadav, S., Apfel, U.P., Leger, C., Birrell, J.A., Span, I., Plumere, N., Winkler, M.(2026) Chem Sci 17: 7678-7689
- PubMed: 41756151 Search on PubMedSearch on PubMed Central
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sc07299a
- Primary Citation Related Structures:
9GBU, 9GNK, 9QD6 - PubMed Abstract:
Hydrogenases offer a sustainable alternative to noble metals for catalyzing H 2 -oxidation and H 2 -production. The heterodimeric [FeFe]-hydrogenase of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans ATCC 7757 ( Dd HydAB) is most promising due to its exceptional catalytic activity and high-yield heterologous expression of its apo-form. Scalable production of the holo-form relies on in vitro maturation of the apo-enzyme using a chemically synthesized 2Fe H cofactor mimic. However, the unusually slow in vitro maturation of Dd HydAB raises mechanistic questions and limits its scalability. Through structural and sequence analysis, we identified the cause of this slow maturation and redesigned the enzyme via subunit fusion, inserting short peptide linkers near the active site. This modification facilitates the rearrangement of a critical locking element after cofactor uptake, increasing the maturation rate by up to 41-fold without compromising catalytic performance. Our findings elucidate a key step in the plug-lock-lid mechanism underlying maturation and promote the industrial applicability of Dd HydAB.
- Professorship for Electrobiotechnology, Technical University of Munich, Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability Uferstrasse 53 94315 Straubing Germany martin-h.winkler@tum.de nicolas.plumere@tum.de.
Organizational Affiliation:
