Issue 41, 2023

Molecular basis of sulfolactate synthesis by sulfolactaldehyde dehydrogenase from Rhizobium leguminosarum

Abstract

Sulfolactate (SL) is a short-chain organosulfonate that is an important reservoir of sulfur in the biosphere. SL is produced by oxidation of sulfolactaldehyde (SLA), which in turn derives from sulfoglycolysis of the sulfosugar sulfoquinovose, or through oxidation of 2,3-dihydroxypropanesulfonate. Oxidation of SLA is catalyzed by SLA dehydrogenases belonging to the aldehyde dehydrogenase superfamily. We report that SLA dehydrogenase RlGabD from the sulfoglycolytic bacterium Rhizobium leguminsarum SRDI565 can use both NAD+ and NADP+ as cofactor to oxidize SLA, and indicatively operates through a rapid equilibrium ordered mechanism. We report the cryo-EM structure of RlGabD bound to NADH, revealing a tetrameric quaternary structure and supporting proposal of organosulfonate binding residues in the active site, and a catalytic mechanism. Sequence based homology searches identified SLA dehydrogenase homologs in a range of putative sulfoglycolytic gene clusters in bacteria predominantly from the phyla Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. This work provides a structural and biochemical view of SLA dehydrogenases to complement our knowledge of SLA reductases, and provide detailed insights into a critical step in the organosulfur cycle.

Graphical abstract: Molecular basis of sulfolactate synthesis by sulfolactaldehyde dehydrogenase from Rhizobium leguminosarum

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
27 Mar 2023
Accepted
25 Aug 2023
First published
25 Sep 2023
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2023,14, 11429-11440

Molecular basis of sulfolactate synthesis by sulfolactaldehyde dehydrogenase from Rhizobium leguminosarum

J. Li, M. Sharma, R. Meek, A. Alhifthi, Z. Armstrong, N. M. Soler, M. Lee, E. D. Goddard-Borger, J. N. Blaza, G. J. Davies and S. J. Williams, Chem. Sci., 2023, 14, 11429 DOI: 10.1039/D3SC01594G

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