Thioredoxin-like protein TlpA from Bradyrhizobium japonicum is a reductant for the copper metallochaperone ScoI.

TlpA and ScoI of Bradyrhizobium japonicum are membrane-anchored thioredoxin-like proteins oriented towards the periplasm. TlpA is a protein-disulfide reductase. ScoI is a copper chaperone for cytochrome oxidase biogenesis. TlpA with its negative redox potential (E(o') -256 mV) was shown here to reduce oxidized ScoI, for which we determined a less negative E(o') (-160 mV). The fast forward reaction (rate constant 9.4×10(4) M(-1) s(-1)) was typical for physiologically relevant disulfide exchange reactions. A transient TlpA-ScoI heterodisulfide formed between Cys107 of TlpA's active site (C(107)XXC(110)) and Cys78 of ScoI's copper-binding site (C(74)XXXC(78)). We conclude that TlpA recycles ScoI to the dithiol form prior to metallation.