<p>Microorganisms that degrade lignocellulose play an important role in maintaining the global carbon cycle. Under cellulolytic conditions, the fungus <i>Phanerochaete chrysosporium</i> produces an extracellular flavocytochrome, cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH), with a proposed role in lignocellulose degradation. CDH consists of 755 amino acids including a C-terminal flavodehydrogenase linked by a peptide hinge to an N-terminal <i>b</i>-type cytochrome. The enzyme catalyses the oxidation of cellobiose to cellobiono-1,5-lactone, followed by transfer of electrons to an electron acceptor, either directly by the flavodehydrogenase domain, or via the cytochrome domain. This thesis presents a structural study on the individual domains of <i>P. chrysosporium</i> cellobiose dehydrogenase.</p><p>The crystal structure of the cytochrome was determined at 1.9 Å resolution. It folds as a β-sandwich with the topology of the antibody Fab V(H) domain, and the haem iron is ligated by Met65 and His163. This is only the second example of a <i>b</i>-type cytochrome with this ligation. The haem propionates are surface exposed to facilitate interdomain electron transfer.</p><p>The structure of a cytochrome Met65His mutant was determined at 1.9 Å resolution. In the mutant, the iron is ligated by the histidyl δ and ε nitrogens, rather than the usual N-ε/N-εligation. This is the first example of a <i>bis</i>-His N-ε/N-δ coordinated protoporphyrin IX iron. The structure of the flavoprotein domain was determined at 1.5 Å resolution. 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 α-helices. Furthermore, the structure of the flavoprotein with the inhibitor cellobiono-1,5-lactam at 1.8 Å resolution lends support to a hydride-transfer mechanism for the reductive-half reaction of CDH although a radical mechanism cannot be excluded.</p>

Microorganisms that degrade lignocellulose play an important role in maintaining the global carbon cycle. Under cellulolytic conditions, the fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium produces an extracellular flavocytochrome, cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH), with a proposed role in lignocellulose degradation. CDH consists of 755 amino acids including a C-terminal flavodehydrogenase linked by a peptide hinge to an N-terminal b-type cytochrome. The enzyme catalyses the oxidation of cellobiose to cellobiono-1,5-lactone, followed by transfer of electrons to an electron acceptor, either directly by the flavodehydrogenase domain, or via the cytochrome domain. This thesis presents a structural study on the individual domains of P. chrysosporium cellobiose dehydrogenase. The crystal structure of the cytochrome was determined at 1.9 Å resolution. It folds as a β-sandwich with the topology of the antibody Fab V(H) domain, and the haem iron is ligated by Met65 and His163. This is only the second example of a b-type cytochrome with this ligation. The haem propionates are surface exposed to facilitate interdomain electron transfer. The structure of a cytochrome Met65His mutant was determined at 1.9 Å resolution. In the mutant, the iron is ligated by the histidyl δ and ε nitrogens, rather than the usual N-ε/N-εligation. This is the first example of a bis-His N-ε/N-δ coordinated protoporphyrin IX iron. The structure of the flavoprotein domain was determined at 1.5 Å resolution. 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 α-helices. Furthermore, the structure of the flavoprotein with the inhibitor cellobiono-1,5-lactam at 1.8 Å resolution lends support to a hydride-transfer mechanism for the reductive-half reaction of CDH although a radical mechanism cannot be excluded.

Nowadays, the modern chemical industry has to deal with increasing environmental concerns, including the disposal of waste and its economic impact, or the diminution of important worldwide resources such as transition metals. In this Ph.D. thesis, we aimed to bring improvement in this area by the development of green processes, based on the use of recyclable heterogeneous catalysts. By combining the catalytic properties of several metal cations with the properties of solid catalysts such as polyoxometalates or zeolites, we were able to set up new tools for organic synthesis. Silver-doped polyoxometalates proved to be very efficient catalysts in the rearrangement of alkynyloxiranes to furans. Acetals and spiroketals were synthetized by dihydroalkoxylation of alkynediols under catalysis with silver-zeolites. As a perspective, we highlighted the potential applications of such green procedures in the total synthesis of more complex molecules. The first results suggested that these environmental friendly processes should gain increasing interest in the future.

Nature uses sunlight either as energy source or as information carrier. Photoreception is achieved by two groups of specialised proteins: photo-enzymes that catalyse photoreactions and photosensors that initiate physiological functions. In the present work mechanistic studies were conducted on one representative of each group by using site-directed mutagenesis as well as stationary and time-resolved spectroscopy. The photo-enzyme NADPH:Protochlorophyllide Oxidoreductase (POR) catalyses the light-dependent C17-C18 double bond reduction of protochlorophyllide, including a hydride and a proton transfer, to produce chlorophyllide, the immediate precursor of chlorophyll. POR provides a unique opportunity to study the hydride transfer mechanism in detail. Three distinct intermediates, prior to product formation, were observed that were interpreted as electron and proton-coupled electron transfer reactions from NADPH indicating a sequential hydride transfer mechanism. An active-site mutant, POR-C226S, yields distinct different intermediates compared to POR wild type but ends in the same chlorophyllide stereoisomer most likely due to an altered protochlorophyllide binding. This work provides the first direct observation of a stepwise hydride transfer mechanism in a biological system. Cryptochromes (CRY) are so far defined as flavoprotein blue-light photosensors that regulate the circadian clock throughout nature and are suggested as the candidate magnetoreceptor in animals. Animal CRY are subdivided into two classes of proteins: the light-responsive Type I (invertebrates) and the light-independent Type II (mainly vertebrates). The molecular basis of their different roles in the circadian clock is still unknown. Animal Type I CRY are suggested to undergo conformational changes - required for induction of subsequent signalling cascades - induced by the change in the FAD redox state due to light absorption. The study shows that in contrast to Type I animal Type II CRY do not bind tightly FAD as a cofactor due to the lack of structural features and therefore provide the molecular basis for their different biological roles ruling out a direct photomagnetoreceptor function. Further, detailed studies on a fruit fly (Dm)CRY reveal that it does not undergo a photocycle as FAD release and Trp decomposition were observed. Thus, it is suggested that light is a negative regulator of DmCRY stability linking the initial photochemistry to subsequent dark processes leading to signal transduction on a molecular level.

De nos jours, l’industrie chimique est de plus en plus confrontée à la question de son impact environnemental. Dans le même temps, elle doit faire face à la diminution des ressources de matières premières importantes tels que les métaux de transition, tout en respectant des contraintes économiques. Ces travaux de thèse avaient pour but de tenter de répondre à ces exigences, par le développement de méthodologies de synthèse basées sur l’utilisation de catalyseurs hétérogènes recyclables. En combinant les propriétés catalytiques de certains ions métalliques avec les propriétés de catalyseurs solides tels que les polyoxométallates ou les zéolithes, nous avons pu mettre au point de nouveaux outils pour la synthèse organique. Les polyoxométallates dopés à l’argent ont démontré leur efficacité dans le réarrangement d’alcynyloxiranes en furanes. La synthèse de spiroacétals et d’acétals par dihydroalkoxylation d’alcyne diols a été effectuée pour la première fois en catalyse à l’argent, via l’utilisation de zéolithes. En perspective, nous avons mis en évidence les applications potentielles de ces procédés verts dans la synthèse totale de molécules plus complexes. Les premiers résultats suggèrent que de telles synthèses plus respectueuses de l’environnement ont tout intérêt à être davantage utilisées à l’avenir. / Nowadays, the modern chemical industry has to deal with increasing environmental concerns, including the disposal of waste and its economic impact, or the diminution of important worldwide resources such as transition metals. In this Ph.D. thesis, we aimed to bring improvement in this area by the development of green processes, based on the use of recyclable heterogeneous catalysts. By combining the catalytic properties of several metal cations with the properties of solid catalysts such as polyoxometalates or zeolites, we were able to set up new tools for organic synthesis. Silver-doped polyoxometalates proved to be very efficient catalysts in the rearrangement of alkynyloxiranes to furans. Acetals and spiroketals were synthetized by dihydroalkoxylation of alkynediols under catalysis with silver-zeolites. As a perspective, we highlighted the potential applications of such green procedures in the total synthesis of more complex molecules. The first results suggested that these environmental friendly processes should gain increasing interest in the future.

This thesis, largely describing diverse studies in organic synthesis, is divided into three parts. Part I, titled ‘Heterocycles’, describes in two chapters studies directed towards elaborating certain thiazole and oxazole derivatives as useful synthons. Part II, titled ‘Hydride transfers’, describes in two chapters synthetic and some mechanistic studies involving the Cannizzaro and Tishchenko reactions, apart from work with chirally-modified alumino and borohydride reagents. Finally, Part III, titled ‘Miscellaneous studies’, describes structural studies on cyclic carbonates. (For structural formula see the abstract.pdf file.)