Structural basis for the magnesium-dependent activation of transketolase from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

BACKGROUND: In photosynthetic organisms, transketolase (TK) is involved in the Calvin-Benson cycle and participates to the regeneration of ribulose-5-phosphate. Previous studies demonstrated that TK catalysis is strictly dependent on thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) and divalent ions such as Mg2+. METHODS: TK from the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CrTK) was recombinantly produced and purified to homogeneity. Biochemical properties of the CrTK enzyme were delineated by activity assays and its structural features determined by CD analysis and X-ray crystallography. RESULTS: CrTK is homodimeric and its catalysis depends on the reconstitution of the holo-enzyme in the presence of both TPP and Mg2+. Activity measurements and CD analysis revealed that the formation of fully active holo-CrTK is Mg2+-dependent and proceeds with a slow kinetics. The 3D-structure of CrTK without cofactors (CrTKapo) shows that two portions of the active site are flexible and disordered while they adopt an ordered conformation in the holo-form. Oxidative treatments revealed that Mg2+ participates in the redox control of CrTK by changing its propensity to be inactivated by oxidation. Indeed, the activity of holo-form is unaffected by oxidation whereas CrTK in the apo-form or reconstituted with the sole TPP show a strong sensitivity to oxidative inactivation. CONCLUSION: These evidences indicate that Mg2+ is fundamental to allow gradual conformational arrangements suited for optimal catalysis. Moreover, Mg2+ is involved in the control of redox sensitivity of CrTK. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: The importance of Mg2+ in the functionality and redox sensitivity of CrTK is correlated to light-dependent fluctuations of Mg2+ in chloroplasts.

High-resolution crystal structure and redox properties of chloroplastic triosephosphate isomerase from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) catalyzes the interconversion of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Photosynthetic organisms generally contain two isoforms of TPI located in both cytoplasm and chloroplasts. While the cytoplasmic TPI is involved in the glycolysis, the chloroplastic isoform participates in the Calvin-Benson cycle, a key photosynthetic process responsible for carbon fixation. Compared with its cytoplasmic counterpart, the functional features of chloroplastic TPI have been poorly investigated and its three-dimensional structure has not been solved. Recently, several studies proposed TPI as a potential target of different redox modifications including dithiol/disulfide interchanges, glutathionylation, and nitrosylation. However, neither the effects on protein activity nor the molecular mechanisms underlying these redox modifications have been investigated. Here, we have produced recombinantly and purified TPI from the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Cr). The biochemical properties of the enzyme were delineated and its crystallographic structure was determined at a resolution of 1.1 Å. CrTPI is a homodimer with subunits containing the typical (ß/α)8-barrel fold. Although no evidence for TRX regulation was obtained, CrTPI was found to undergo glutathionylation by oxidized glutathione and trans-nitrosylation by nitrosoglutathione, confirming its sensitivity to multiple redox modifications.