Crystal structure of the flavoprotein domain of the extracellular flavocytochrome cellobiose dehydrogenase

Cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) participates in the degradation of cellulose and lignin. The protein is an extracellular flavocytochrome with a b-type cytochrome domain (CYTcdh) connected to a flavodehydrogenase domain (DHcdh). DHcdh catalyses a two-electron oxidation at the anomeric C1 position of cellobiose to yield cellobiono-1,5-lactone, and the electrons are subsequently transferred from DHcdh to an acceptor, either directly or via CYTcdh. Here, we decribe the crystal structure of Phanerochaete chrysosporium DHcdh determined at 1.5 Å resolution. DHcdh belongs to the GMC family of oxidoreductases, which includes glucose oxidase (GOX) and cholesterol oxidase (COX); however, the sequence identity with members of the family is low. The overall fold of DHcdh is p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase-like and is similar to, but also different from, that of GOX and COX. It is partitioned into an FAD-binding subdomain of α/β type and a substrate-binding subdomain consisting of a seven-stranded β sheet and six helices. Docking of CYTcdh and DHcdh suggests that CYTcdh covers the active-site entrance in DHcdh, and that the resulting distance between the cofactors is within acceptable limits for inter-domain electron transfer. Based on docking of the substrate, cellobiose, in the active site of DHcdh, we propose that the enzyme discriminates against glucose by favouring interaction with the non-reducing end of cellobiose.