Molecular investigation of iron-sulfur cluster assembly scaffolds under stress

Biochemistry. 2014 Dec 23;53(50):7867-9. doi: 10.1021/bi5012496. Epub 2014 Dec 10.

Abstract

Fe/S biosynthesis is controlled in Escherichia coli by two machineries, the housekeeping ISC machinery and the SUF system that is functional under stress conditions. Despite many in vivo studies showing that SUF is more adapted for Fe/S assembly under stress, no molecular data supporting this concept have been provided so far. This work focuses on molecular studies of key actors in Fe/S assembly, the SufB and IscU scaffolds under oxidative stress and iron limitation. We show that the IscU Fe2S2 cluster is less stable than the SufB Fe2S2 cluster in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, oxygen, and an iron chelator.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carrier Proteins / genetics
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism*
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism*
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / genetics
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / metabolism*
  • Hydrogen Peroxide / metabolism
  • Iron-Sulfur Proteins / genetics
  • Iron-Sulfur Proteins / metabolism*
  • Oxygen / metabolism
  • Stress, Physiological / physiology*

Substances

  • Carrier Proteins
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Iron-Sulfur Proteins
  • IscU protein, E coli
  • SufB protein, E coli
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Oxygen