Hindawi Publishing Corporation
BioMed Research International
Volume 2013, Article ID 906572, 6 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/906572
Research Article
Crystal Structure of the FAD-Containing
Ferredoxin-NADP
+
Reductase from the Plant Pathogen
Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri
María Laura Tondo,
1
Ramon Hurtado-Guerrero,
2,3
Eduardo A. Ceccarelli,
1
Milagros Medina,
3,4
Elena G. Orellano,
1
and Marta Martínez-Júlvez
3,4
1
Molecular Biology Division, Instituto de Biolog´ ıa Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR), CONICET,
Facultad de Ciencias Bioqu´ ımicas y Farmac´ euticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Suipacha 531, S2002LRK Rosario, Argentina
2
Fundaci´ on ARAID, Ediicio Pignatelli 36, 50004 Zaragoza, Spain
3
Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI), Joint Unit BIFI-Rocasolano,
Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
4
Departamento de Bioqu´ ımica y Biolog´ ıa Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Pedro Cerbuna 12,
Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Correspondence should be addressed to Marta Mart´ ınez-J´ ulvez; mmartine@unizar.es
Received 2 May 2013; Accepted 7 July 2013
Academic Editor: Stefan Knapp
Copyright © 2013 Mar´ ıa Laura Tondo et al. his is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
We have solved the structure of ferredoxin-NADP(H) reductase, FPR, from the plant pathogen Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri,
responsible for citrus canker, at a resolution of 1.5
˚
A. his structure reveals diferences in the mobility of speciic loops when
compared to other FPRs, probably unrelated to the hydride transfer process, which contributes to explaining the structural and
functional divergence between the subclass I FPRs. Interactions of the C-terminus of the enzyme with the phosphoadenosine of the
cofactor FAD limit its mobility, thus afecting the entrance of nicotinamide into the active site. his structure opens the possibility
of rationally designing drugs against the X. axonopodis pv. citri phytopathogen.
1. Introduction
Ferredoxin-NADP(H) reductases (FNRs, EC 1.18.1.2) con-
stitute a family of hydrophilic FAD-containing monomeric
enzymes that deliver NADPH or low potential one-electron
donors to redox-based metabolisms in plastids, mitochon-
dria, and bacteria [1]. In heterotrophic bacteria, this activity
provides reduced ferredoxin and lavodoxin to diverse reac-
tions involved in amino acid and nucleotide metabolisms,
biotin synthesis, and iron-sulphur cluster assembly, as well
as for the nitrogenase complex [1]. Based on phylogenetic
analysis, the FNR forms present in most prokaryotes (collec-
tively known as FPRs) have been classiied into two subclasses
represented by the Azotobacter vinelandii (subclass I) and the
Escherichia coli (subclass II) FPR prototypes [1]. Structures of
bacterial FPRs, as well as those of plastidic FNRs, are folded
in two distinct domains: the C-terminus with a binding
site for NADP(H) and the N-terminus binding the cofactor
FAD. Unlike plastidic enzymes, bacterial ones show a bent
conformation of FAD. his conformation is stabilised by an
intramolecular H-bond between the N6 atom of the adeno-
sine and the N1 atom of the isoalloxazine rings, and by
stacking of an aromatic side chain against the carboxy-
terminal extension and the adenosine moiety. he very low
turnover rates for the oxidation of NADPH exhibited by
bacterial FPRs in comparison with plastidic enzymes may
be associated with this FAD folded conformation, unlike the
extended conformation in plastidic FNRs [2] (see Table S1
in Supplementry Material available online http://dx.doi.org/
10.1155/2013/906572).
Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri is a gram-negative
bacterium responsible for citrus canker, a severe disease that