Formylglycine-generating enzyme binds substrate directly at a mononuclear Cu(I) center to initiate O2 activation.
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ABSTRACT: The formylglycine-generating enzyme (FGE) is required for the posttranslational activation of type I sulfatases by oxidation of an active-site cysteine to C?-formylglycine. FGE has emerged as an enabling biotechnology tool due to the robust utility of the aldehyde product as a bioconjugation handle in recombinant proteins. Here, we show that Cu(I)-FGE is functional in O2 activation and reveal a high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of FGE in complex with its catalytic copper cofactor. We establish that the copper atom is coordinated by two active-site cysteine residues in a nearly linear geometry, supporting and extending prior biochemical and structural data. The active cuprous FGE complex was interrogated directly by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. These data unambiguously establish the configuration of the resting enzyme metal center and, importantly, reveal the formation of a three-coordinate tris(thiolate) trigonal planar complex upon substrate binding as furthermore supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Critically, inner-sphere substrate coordination turns on O2 activation at the copper center. These collective results provide a detailed mechanistic framework for understanding why nature chose this structurally unique monocopper active site to catalyze oxidase chemistry for sulfatase activation.
SUBMITTER: Appel MJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6431200 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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