How Lanthanide Ions Affect the Addition-Elimination Step of Methanol Dehydrogenases

The recently discovered methanol dehydrogenase, XoxF, is a widespread enzyme used by methylotrophic bacteria to oxidize methanol for carbon and energy, and requires lanthanide ions for its activity. This enzyme represents an essential component of methanol utilization by both methanol- and methane-utilizing bacteria. The present investigation looks on the electronic, energetic and geometrical behavior of the methanol dehydrogenase from Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV, which is strictly dependent on early lanthanide metals with +3 oxidation states, by examining enzyme-substrate complexes of all the lanthanides. We focus on the catalytic reaction mechanism of two methanol dehydrogenases having as cofactor europium and ytterbium belonging to the mid- and later- series of lanthanides, in comparison with the methanol dehydrogenase containing the cerium, one early lanthanide. Our results provide evidence for the influence of the lanthanide contraction effect in all the elementary steps of the catalytic reaction mechanism. This indication may prove useful for developing new catalytic machineries of enzymes that adopt new-to-nature transformations.