PNNL

Abstract

The recently sequenced genome of the diurnal cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. PCC 51142 (contig 83.1_1_243_746) contains the sequence for an hypothetical protein that falls into the DUF683 family. As observed for the other 54 DUF683 proteins currently listed in the GenBank database, this 78-residue (9.0 kDa) protein in Cyanothece is also found in a nitrogen fixation gene cluster suggesting that it is involved in the process. To date no structural information exists for any of the proteins in the DUF683 family. In an effort to elucidate the biochemical role DUF683 may play in nitrogen fixation and to obtain structural information for a member of the DUF683 protein family, a construct containing DUF683 from Cyanothece 51142 was generated, expressed, purified, and the solution properties characterized. A total rotational correlation time (tc) of 17.1 ns was estimated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy suggesting a molecular weight of ~ 40 kDa, an observation dictating that DUF683 is a tetramer in solution. Using triple-labeled (2H, 13C, 15N) and residue-specific 15N-labeled amino acids (L, K, V, and E/Q) samples, most of the backbone and side chain resonances for DUF683 were assigned. The 13C alpha chemical shifts and NOESY NMR data indicate that the protein is helical from K18-E75.