Identification of Multiple Soluble Fe(III) Reductases in Gram-Positive Thermophilic BacteriumThermoanaerobacter indiensisBSB-33

Abstract

Thermoanaerobacter indiensisBSB-33 has been earlier shown to reduce Fe(III) and Cr(VI) anaerobically at 60°C optimally. Further, the Gram-positive thermophilic bacterium contains Cr(VI) reduction activity in both the membrane and cytoplasm. The soluble fraction prepared fromT. indiensiscells grown at 60°C was found to contain the majority of Fe(III) reduction activity of the microorganism and produced four distinct bands in nondenaturing Fe(III) reductase activity gel. Proteins from each of these bands were partially purified by chromatography and identified by mass spectrometry (MS) with the help ofT. indiensisproteome sequences. Two paralogous dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenases (LPDs), thioredoxin reductase (Trx), NADP(H)-nitrite reductase (Ntr), and thioredoxin disulfide reductase (Tdr) were determined to be responsible for Fe(III) reductase activity. Amino acid sequence and three-dimensional (3D) structural similarity analyses of theT. indiensisFe(III) reductases were carried out with Cr(VI) reducing proteins from other bacteria. The two LPDs and Tdr showed very significant sequence and structural identity, respectively, with Cr(VI) reducing dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase fromThermus scotoductusand thioredoxin disulfide reductase fromDesulfovibrio desulfuricans. It appears that in addition to their iron reducing activityT. indiensisLPDs and Tdr are possibly involved in Cr(VI) reduction as well.