PubMed Health⌕ Search
Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 11356137

Lignin peroxidase structure and function.

K Piontek·A T Smith·W Blodig
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Lignin peroxidase (LiP) plays a central role in the biodegradation of the plant cell wall constituent lignin. LiP is able to oxidize aromatic compounds with redox potentials higher than 1.4 V (NHE) by single electron abstraction, but the exact redox mechanism is still poorly understood. The finding in our laboratory that the Cbeta-atom of Trp171 carries a unique modification led us to initiate experiments to investigate the role of this residue. These experiments, employing crystallography, site-directed mutagenesis, protein chemistry, spin-trapping and spectroscopy, yielded the following results: (i) Trp171 is stereospecifically hydroxylated at its Cbeta-atom as the result of an auto-catalytic process, which occurs under turnover conditions in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. (ii) Evidence for the formation of a Trp171 radical intermediate has been obtained using spin-trapping, in combination with peptide mapping and protein crystallography. (iii) Trp171 is very likely to be involved in electron transfer from natural substrates to the haem cofactor via LRET. (iv) Mutagenetic substitution of Trp171 abolishes completely the oxidation activity for veratryl alcohol, but not for artificial substrates. (v) Structural changes in response to the mutation are marginal. Therefore the lack of activity is due to the absence of the redox active indole side chain.

Explore related subjects

FungiHemeHydroxylationLigninModels, MolecularOxidation-ReductionPeroxidasesPlantsProtein ConformationRecombinant ProteinsStructure-Activity RelationshipTryptophanJournal ArticleReview

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

K Piontek, A T Smith, W Blodig. 2001. Lignin peroxidase structure and function.. https://doi.org/10.1042/0300-5127%3A0290111

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2026

Deep subsurface organic-rich shale supports abundant, diverse, and novel fungi.

As Earth's principal reservoir of organic carbon and microbial biomass, the deep subsurface hosts microorganisms capable of mobilizing this once-sequestered carbon. Contrary to standard assumptions of eukaryotic scarcity, this study documents abundant fungal communities, ranging from 4.2 × 103 to 6.8 × 103 fungal cells ml-1, across a methane-producing organic-rich shale 247-556 meters below the surface. Although fungal:bacterial cell ratios ranged from 1:7028 to 1:713, application of biomass conversion factors developed for oceanic systems yielded a median fungal:bacterial biomass ratio of 1:4.7. 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene amplicons revealed bacterial and archaeal communities mirroring those found in well-characterized extremophilic, carbon-degrading environments, while sequencing of 18S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer rRNA spacer amplicons collectively identified a eukaryotic hotspot with 689 fungal operational taxonomic units across six phyla. The dominant fungal classes, Agaricomycetes and Dothideomycetes, are well-established degraders of recalcitrant carbon compounds at the surface, suggesting they may similarly contribute to organic matter degradation and ecosystem maintenance in the subsurface. Cultivation and isolation efforts yielded 205 fungal strains, including 13 candidate novel taxa, underscoring the deep subsurface as an underexplored eukaryotic habitat. Stable carbon isotopes indicate methane is predominantly generated via microbial conversion of the fossil carbon, while water isotopes suggest in situ geochemical conditions have been relatively stable since the Late Pleistocene, with subglacial recharge as a plausible mechanism for microbial introduction. Collectively, these findings suggest that fungi are underrecognized contributors to organic matter transformation and functional diversity in the deep biosphere, revealing a critical gap in our understanding of deep subsurface ecosystem processes.

Fungi↗
PubMed2002

A molecular marker diagnostic of a specific isolate of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Gigaspora margarita.

To investigate the auto-ecology of a strain of Gigaspora margarita in a commercial inoculum, we found a pair of PCR primers amplifying a sequence of 235 bp diagnostic of the isolate. We designed an oligonucleotide probe based on the DNA sequence. The combination of PCR and the probing successfully detected the diagnostic sequence from both DNA preparations of single spores and colonized roots. This protocol enabled us to distinguish the isolate among several isolates from Japan, Nepal and the USA.

Fungi↗
PubMed2002

Effect of two vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the growth of micropropagated potato plantlets and on the extent of disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani.

Two micropropagated potato cultivars, Goldrush and LP89221, were inoculated into sowing trays with either Glomus etunicatum or G. intraradices in a greenhouse. After 2 weeks, plantlets were transplanted into pots and roots were challenged 7 days later with Rhizoctonia solani. At different times after R. solani infection, disease severity, mortality rate, root colonization levels, various growth parameters, and shoot mineral content were evaluated. In Goldrush, only inoculation with G. etunicatum led to a significant reduction in disease severity, ranging between 60.2% and 71.2%, on both shoot and crown. This decrease was not observed in LP89221. Compared with the control plantlets, inoculation of Goldrush with G. etunicatum or G. intraradices reduced significantly the mortality rate by 77% and 26%, respectively, whereas vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi did not significantly influence the mortality rate in LP89221. In Goldrush, inoculation with G. etunicatum significantly increased shoot fresh weight, root dry weight and the number of tubers produced per plant, whereas G. intraradices only significantly increased the number of tubers. Tuber and root fresh weights of both potato cultivars were significantly reduced by R. solani infection. However, R. solani-infected plantlets of both Goldrush and LP89221, inoculated with G. etunicatum, produced significantly greater tuber fresh weight than non-VAM plantlets. In R. solani-infected plantlets of Goldrush but not LP89221, G. etunicatum and G. intraradices increased root fresh weight by approximately 140.3% and 76.5%, respectively, compared with non-VAM plants. The potato cultivars Goldrush and LP89221 responded differently to VAM fungal inoculation and to R. solani infection in terms of shoot mineral content.

Fungi↗