A novel octameric AMP-forming acetyl-CoA synthetase from the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum

AMP-forming acetyl-CoA synthetases (ACSs) are ubiquitous in all three domains of life. Here, we report the first characterization of an ACS from a hyperthermophilic organism, from the archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum. The recombinant ACS, the gene product of ORF PAE2867, showed extremely high thermostability and thermoactivity at temperatures around 100 °C. In contrast to known monomeric or homodimeric mesophilic ACSs, the P. aerophilum ACS was a 610 kDa homooctameric protein, with a significant lower content of thermolabile (Cys, Asn, and Gln) and higher content of charged (Glu, Lys, and Arg) amino acids. Kinetic analyses revealed an unusual broad substrate spectrum for organic acids and an extremely high affinity for acetate (Km 3 μM).