Insight Into the High-Potential Branch of the Alternate Nad+-Dependent NADPH:Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase II (NfnII) from Pyrococcus Furiosus. Evidence for the Gating Step in Electron Bifurcation: Article No. 110615

We have investigated the rapid-reaction kinetics of the NAD+-dependent NADPH:ferredoxin oxidoreductase II (NfnII) from Pyrococcus furiosus, permitting a comparison with recent work done with the paralog NfnI from the same organism. The half-potentials of the electron-bifurcating L-FAD are highly crossed in both NfnI, meaning the potential for the quinone/semiquinone couple is significantly lower than that for the semiquinone/hydroquinone couple so that the semiquinone oxidation state is thermodynamically unstable. The same appears to be the case with NfnII on the basis of its similar behavior in transient absorption spectroscopy experiments and the absence of any evidence for FAD*- accumulation in the course of reductive titrations (which would be manifested as a transient increase in absorbance at ~380 nm)1. Reductive titrations with both the one-electron donor sodium dithionite and the obligate two-electron donor NADPH demonstrate that, in contrast to NfnI, little FADH* accumulates in the high-potential pathway of NfnII in the course of reduction, as reflected in the absence of a transient increase in absorbance in the 500-600 nm region. This indicates that the half-potentials of the S-FAD are crossed in NfnII by a minimum of 120 mV. Rapid-reaction experiments mixing oxidized NfnII with NADPH also show no evidence of S-FADH* accumulation. Furthermore, the enzyme is only partially reduced at the end of the reaction with NADPH, indicating that there is little electron transfer into the high-potential pathway of NfnII. When the reaction is carried out in the presence of the one-electron carrier ferredoxin, only approximately one equivalent of ferredoxin becomes reduced, in contrast to the maximum of three equivalents seen with NfnI. This is consistent with only a single electron bifurcation event taking place under these conditions with NfnII, with only a single high-potential electron passing into the [2Fe-2S] cluster of the high-potential pathway of NfnII but not progressing further to the S-FAD. This accounts for the observation that NfnII has greatly reduced bifurcating activity compared to NfnI. The lack of electron transfer into the S-FAD of NfnII due to its crossed half-potentials prevents successive bifurcation activity and indicates that electron transfer within the high-potential branch gates bifurcation activity in NfnI.