High-resolution structure of the heat-stable form-IAq RuBisCO from the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum
Abstract Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) catalyzes the initial carbon fixation reaction in the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle. Among the many forms of RuBisCOs, form-I—a protein complex containing 8 large and 8 small subunits—is the most common, representing over 90% of all kn...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| author | Shenghai Chang Weiwei Wang Michael T. Madigan Long-Jiang Yu Haichun Gao Zheng‑Yu Wang‑Otomo Xing Zhang Jing-Hua Chen |
| author_facet | Shenghai Chang Weiwei Wang Michael T. Madigan Long-Jiang Yu Haichun Gao Zheng‑Yu Wang‑Otomo Xing Zhang Jing-Hua Chen |
| author_sort | Shenghai Chang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) catalyzes the initial carbon fixation reaction in the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle. Among the many forms of RuBisCOs, form-I—a protein complex containing 8 large and 8 small subunits—is the most common, representing over 90% of all known RuBisCOs. Although many form-I RuBisCO structures have been determined, no structure has been reported for a form-IAq RuBisCO. Here, we detail the structure of the heat-stable form-IAq RuBisCO from the thermophilic and anaerobic purple bacterium Thermochromatium (Tch.) tepidum at 1.55 Å resolution. The overall structure of the Tch. tepidum form-IAq RuBisCO resembles both a form-IAc RuBisCO from a chemolithotrophic sulfur bacterium and a synthetic form-I RuBisCO reconstructed from ancestral sequences. However, the Tch. tepidum enzyme shows significantly greater interactions between adjacent small subunits through their extended N-terminal domains that contain a characteristic six-residue insertion unique to form-IAq RuBisCOs. Structural differences of Tch. tepidum RuBisCO from its mesophilic relative Allochromatium vinosum, and key substitutions on the hydrophilic surface of the small subunits suggests the mechanisms of its enhanced thermostability. Our structure represents the first structure of a form-IAq RuBisCO, providing fresh clues for unraveling the evolutionary history of RuBisCO and new details for how this key enzyme remains active at elevated temperatures. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-791d2ee22ca9401890d11f1c494ca85a |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-791d2ee22ca9401890d11f1c494ca85a2025-08-20T03:38:12ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111110.1038/s41598-025-07081-8High-resolution structure of the heat-stable form-IAq RuBisCO from the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidumShenghai Chang0Weiwei Wang1Michael T. Madigan2Long-Jiang Yu3Haichun Gao4Zheng‑Yu Wang‑Otomo5Xing Zhang6Jing-Hua Chen7Department of Biophysics, Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineCollege of Life Sciences, Zhejiang UniversitySchool of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Southern Illinois UniversityPhotosynthesis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesCollege of Life Sciences, Zhejiang UniversityFaculty of Science, Ibaraki UniversityDepartment of Biophysics, Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineCollege of Life Sciences, Zhejiang UniversityAbstract Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) catalyzes the initial carbon fixation reaction in the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle. Among the many forms of RuBisCOs, form-I—a protein complex containing 8 large and 8 small subunits—is the most common, representing over 90% of all known RuBisCOs. Although many form-I RuBisCO structures have been determined, no structure has been reported for a form-IAq RuBisCO. Here, we detail the structure of the heat-stable form-IAq RuBisCO from the thermophilic and anaerobic purple bacterium Thermochromatium (Tch.) tepidum at 1.55 Å resolution. The overall structure of the Tch. tepidum form-IAq RuBisCO resembles both a form-IAc RuBisCO from a chemolithotrophic sulfur bacterium and a synthetic form-I RuBisCO reconstructed from ancestral sequences. However, the Tch. tepidum enzyme shows significantly greater interactions between adjacent small subunits through their extended N-terminal domains that contain a characteristic six-residue insertion unique to form-IAq RuBisCOs. Structural differences of Tch. tepidum RuBisCO from its mesophilic relative Allochromatium vinosum, and key substitutions on the hydrophilic surface of the small subunits suggests the mechanisms of its enhanced thermostability. Our structure represents the first structure of a form-IAq RuBisCO, providing fresh clues for unraveling the evolutionary history of RuBisCO and new details for how this key enzyme remains active at elevated temperatures.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07081-8PhotosynthesisRuBisCOThermochromatium tepidumCryo-EM |
| spellingShingle | Shenghai Chang Weiwei Wang Michael T. Madigan Long-Jiang Yu Haichun Gao Zheng‑Yu Wang‑Otomo Xing Zhang Jing-Hua Chen High-resolution structure of the heat-stable form-IAq RuBisCO from the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum Scientific Reports Photosynthesis RuBisCO Thermochromatium tepidum Cryo-EM |
| title | High-resolution structure of the heat-stable form-IAq RuBisCO from the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum |
| title_full | High-resolution structure of the heat-stable form-IAq RuBisCO from the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum |
| title_fullStr | High-resolution structure of the heat-stable form-IAq RuBisCO from the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum |
| title_full_unstemmed | High-resolution structure of the heat-stable form-IAq RuBisCO from the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum |
| title_short | High-resolution structure of the heat-stable form-IAq RuBisCO from the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum |
| title_sort | high resolution structure of the heat stable form iaq rubisco from the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium thermochromatium tepidum |
| topic | Photosynthesis RuBisCO Thermochromatium tepidum Cryo-EM |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07081-8 |
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