A stable mercury-containing complex of the organomercurial lyase MerB: catalysis, product release, and direct transfer to MerA

Biochemistry
Gregory C BenisonJames G Omichinski

Abstract

Bacteria isolated from organic mercury-contaminated sites have developed a system of two enzymes that allows them to efficiently convert both ionic and organic mercury compounds to the less toxic elemental mercury. Both enzymes are encoded on the mer operon and require sulfhydryl-bound substrates. The first enzyme is an organomercurial lyase (MerB), and the second enzyme is a mercuric ion reductase (MerA). MerB catalyzes the protonolysis of the carbon-mercury bond, resulting in the formation of a reduced carbon compound and inorganic ionic mercury. Of several mercury-containing MerB complexes that we attempted to prepare, the most stable was a complex consisting of the organomercurial lyase (MerB), a mercuric ion, and a molecule of the MerB inhibitor dithiothreitol (DTT). Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy of the MerB/Hg/DTT complex have shown that the ligands to the mercuric ion in the complex consist of both sulfurs from the DTT molecule and one cysteine ligand, C96, from the protein. The stability of the MerB/Hg/DTT complex, even in the presence of a large excess of competing cysteine, has been demonstrated by NMR and dialysis. We used an enzyme buffering t...Continue Reading

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Citations

Sep 1, 2005·Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology·Simon Silver, Le T Phung
Apr 10, 2010·Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP·Xichen LiGuangju Chen
Jul 14, 2007·Science·Jonathan G Melnick, Gerard Parkin
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Jun 15, 2010·Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering·Mei-Fang ChienGinro Endo
Oct 21, 2005·American Journal of Physiology. Cell Physiology·Gerhard J WeberJohn N Forrest
Apr 28, 2019·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Swapneeta S DateAlexander Johs
Feb 24, 2019·Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences : PJBS· FatimawaliTrina Ekawati Tallei
Jun 15, 2018·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Jing YangRyuji Yanase
Sep 22, 2019·Journal of Hazardous Materials·Patricia GiovanellaLara D Sette
May 10, 2020·The Science of the Total Environment·Prakriti Sharma GhimireShichang Kang
Sep 28, 2017·Inorganic Chemistry·Ramesh KarriGouriprasanna Roy
Jul 14, 2007·Science·James G Omichinski

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