Complex Oxidation of Apocytochromes c during Bacterial Cytochrome c Maturation

Abstract

DsbA is a powerful oxidase that functions in the bacterial periplasm to introduce disulfide bonds in many proteins, including apocytochromes c . It has been well established that although DsbA is not essential, it plays a primary role in cytochrome c maturation, based on studies in bacteria hosting several cyts c . Here, with cyt c -rich S. oneidensis as a research model, we show that this is not always the case. Moreover, we demonstrate that DsbB is also not essential for cytochrome c maturation. These results underscore the need to identify oxidants other than DsbA/DsbB that are crucial in the oxidation of apocyts c in bacteria.