Oxygen detoxification in the strict anaerobic archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus: superoxide scavenging by Neelaredoxin

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Abstract
Archaeoglobus fulgidus is a hyperthermophilic sulphate‐reducing archaeon. It has an optimum growth temperature of 83°C and is described as a strict anaerobe. Its genome lacks any homologue of canonical superoxide (O2·−) dismutases. In this work, we show that neelaredoxin (Nlr) is the main O2·− scavenger in A. fulgidus, by studying both the wild‐type and recombinant proteins. Nlr is a 125‐amino‐acid blue‐coloured protein containing a single iron atom/molecule, which in the oxidized state is high spin ferric. This iron centre has a reduction potential of +230 mV at pH 7.0. Nitroblue tetrazolium‐stained gel assays of cell‐soluble extracts show that Nlr is the main protein from A. fulgidus which is reactive towards O2·−. Furthermore, it is shown that Nlr is able to both reduce and dismutate O2·−, thus having a bifunctional reactivity towards O2·−. Kinetic and spectroscopic studies indicate that Nlr's superoxide reductase activity may allow the cell to eliminate O2·− quickly in a NAD(P)H‐dependent pathway. On the other hand, Nlr's superoxide dismutation activity will allow the cell to detoxify O2·− independently of the cell redox status. Its superoxide dismutase activity was estimated to be 59 U mg−1 by the xanthine/xanthine oxidase assay at 25°C. Pulse radiolysis studies with the isolated and reduced Nlr proved unambiguously that it has superoxide dismutase activity; at pH 7.1 and 83°C, the rate constant is 5 × 106 M−1 s−1. Besides the superoxide dismutase activity, soluble cell extracts of A. fulgidus also exhibit catalase and NAD(P)H/oxygen oxidoreductase activities. By putting these findings together with the entire genomic data available, a possible oxygen detoxification mechanism in A. fulgidus is discussed.

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