Farnesyl diphosphate synthase; regulation of product specificity

Farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS) is a key enzyme in isoprenoid biosynthesis which supplies sesquiterpene precursors for several classes of essential metabolites including sterols, dolichols, ubiquinones and carotenoids as well as substrates for farnesylation and geranylgeranylation of proteins. It catalyzes the sequential head-to-tail condensation of two molecules of isopentenyl diphosphate with dimethylallyl diphosphate. The enzyme is a homodimer of subunits, typically having two aspartate-rich motifs with two sets of substrate binding sites for an allylic diphosphate and isopentenyl diphosphate per homodimer. The synthase amino-acid residues at the 4th and 5th positions before the first aspartate rich motif mainly determine product specificity. Hypothetically, type I (eukaryotic) and type II (eubacterial) FPPSs evolved from archeal geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase by substitutions in the chain length determination region. FPPS belongs to enzymes encoded by gene families. In plants this offers the possibility of differential regulation in response to environmental changes or to herbivore or pathogen attack.     

The importance of the Q motif in the ATPase activity of a viral helicase

NS3 proteins of flaviviruses contain motifs which indicate that they possess protease and helicase activities. The helicases are members of the DExD/H box helicase superfamily and NS3 proteins from some flaviviruses have been shown to possess ATPase and helicase activities in vitro. The Q motif is a recently recognised cluster of nine amino acids common to most DExD/H box helicases which is proposed to regulate ATP binding and hydrolysis. In addition a conserved residue occurs 17 amino acids upstream of the Q motif ('+17'). We have analysed full-length and truncated NS3 proteins from Powassan virus (a tick-borne flavivirus) to investigate the role that the Q motif plays in the hydrolysis of ATP by a viral helicase. The Q motif appears to be essential for the activity of Powassan virus NS3 ATPase, however NS3 deletion mutants that contain the Q motif but lack the '+17' amino acid have ATPase activity albeit at a reduced level.     

Homodimerization via a leucine zipper motif is required for enzymatic activity of quiescent cell proline dipeptidase

Quiescent cell proline dipeptidase (QPP) is an intracellular serine protease that is also secreted upon cellular activation. This enzyme cleaves N-terminal Xaa-Pro dipeptides from proteins, an unusual substrate specificity shared with dipeptidyl peptidase IV (CD26/DPPIV). QPP is a 58-kDa protein that elutes as a 120-130-kDa species from gel filtration, indicating that it forms a homodimer. We analyzed this dimerization with in vivo co-immunoprecipitation assays. The amino acid sequence of QPP revealed a putative leucine zipper motif, and mutational analyses indicated that this leucine zipper is required for homodimerization. The leucine zipper mutants showed a complete lack of enzymatic activity, suggesting that homodimerization is important for QPP function. On the other hand, an enzyme active site mutant retained its ability to homodimerize. These data are the first to demonstrate a role for a leucine zipper motif in a proteolytic enzyme and suggest that leucine zipper motifs play a role in mediating dimerization of a diverse array of proteins.     

Evolution of Chloroplast J Proteins

Hsp70 chaperones are involved in multiple biological processes and are recruited to specific processes by designated J domain-containing cochaperones, or J proteins. To understand the evolution and functions of chloroplast Hsp70s and J proteins, we identified the Arabidopsis chloroplast J protein constituency using a combination of genomic and proteomic database searches and individual protein import assays. We show that Arabidopsis chloroplasts have at least 19 J proteins, the highest number of confirmed J proteins for any organelle. These 19 J proteins are classified into 11 clades, for which cyanobacteria and glaucophytes only have homologs for one clade, green algae have an additional three clades, and all the other 7 clades are specific to land plants. Each clade also possesses a clade-specific novel motif that is likely used to interact with different client proteins. Gene expression analyses indicate that most land plant-specific J proteins show highly variable expression in different tissues and are down regulated by low temperatures. These results show that duplication of chloroplast Hsp70 in land plants is accompanied by more than doubling of the number of its J protein cochaperones through adding new J proteins with novel motifs, not through duplications within existing families. These new J proteins likely recruit chloroplast Hsp70 to perform tissue specific functions related to biosynthesis rather than to stress resistance.     

Thiol dioxygenases: unique families of cupin proteins

Proteins in the cupin superfamily have a wide range of biological functions in archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes. Although proteins in the cupin superfamily show very low overall sequence similarity, they all contain two short but partially conserved cupin sequence motifs separated by a less conserved intermotif region that varies both in length and amino acid sequence. Furthermore, these proteins all share a common architecture described as a six-stranded β-barrel core, and this canonical cupin or “jelly roll” β-barrel is formed with cupin motif 1, the intermotif region, and cupin motif 2 each forming two of the core six β-strands in the folded protein structure. The recently obtained crystal structures of cysteine dioxygenase (CDO), with contains conserved cupin motifs, show that it has the predicted canonical cupin β-barrel fold. Although there had been no reports of CDO activity in prokaryotes, we identified a number of bacterial cupin proteins of unknown function that share low similarity with mammalian CDO and that conserve many residues in the active-site pocket of CDO. Putative bacterial CDOs predicted to have CDO activity were shown to have similar substrate specificity and kinetic parameters as eukaryotic CDOs. Information gleaned from crystal structures of mammalian CDO along with sequence information for homologs shown to have CDO activity facilitated the identification of a CDO family fingerprint motif. One key feature of the CDO fingerprint motif is that the canonical metal-binding glutamate residue in cupin motif 1 is replaced by a cysteine (in mammalian CDOs) or by a glycine (bacterial CDOs). The recent report that some putative bacterial CDO homologs are actually 3-mercaptopropionate dioxygenases suggests that the CDO family may include proteins with specificities for other thiol substrates. A paralog of CDO in mammals was also identified and shown to be the other mammalian thiol dioxygenase, cysteamine dioxygenase (ADO). A tentative fingerprint motif for ADOs, or DUF1637 family members, is proposed. In ADOs, the conserved glutamate residue in cupin motif 1 is replaced by either glycine or valine. Both ADOs and CDOs appear to represent unique clades within the cupin superfamily.     

The tomato terpene synthase gene family

Compounds of the terpenoid class play numerous roles in the interactions of plants with their environment, such as attracting pollinators and defending the plant against pests. We show here that the genome of cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) contains 44 terpene synthase (TPS) genes, including 29 that are functional or potentially functional. Of these 29 TPS genes, 26 were expressed in at least some organs or tissues of the plant. The enzymatic functions of eight of the TPS proteins were previously reported, and here we report the specific in vitro catalytic activity of 10 additional tomato terpene synthases. Many of the tomato TPS genes are found in clusters, notably on chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 8, and 10. All TPS family clades previously identified in angiosperms are also present in tomato. The largest clade of functional TPS genes found in tomato, with 12 members, is the TPS-a clade, and it appears to encode only sesquiterpene synthases, one of which is localized to the mitochondria, while the rest are likely cytosolic. A few additional sesquiterpene synthases are encoded by TPS-b clade genes. Some of the tomato sesquiterpene synthases use z,z-farnesyl diphosphate in vitro as well, or more efficiently than, the e,e-farnesyl diphosphate substrate. Genes encoding monoterpene synthases are also prevalent, and they fall into three clades: TPS-b, TPS-g, and TPS-e/f. With the exception of two enzymes involved in the synthesis of ent-kaurene, the precursor of gibberellins, no other tomato TPS genes could be demonstrated to encode diterpene synthases so far.     

Intersubunit location of the active site of farnesyl diphosphate synthase: reconstruction of active enzymes by hybrid-type heteromeric dimers of site-directed mutants

Farnesyl diphosphate synthase is a homodimer of subunits having typically two aspartate-rich motifs with two sets of substrate binding sites for an allylic diphosphate and isopentenyl diphosphate per molecule of a homodimeric enzyme. To determine whether each subunit contains an independent active site or whether the active sites are created by intersubunit interaction, we constructed several expression plasmids that overproduce hybrid-type heterodimers of Bacillus stearothermophilus FPP synthases constituting different types of mutated monomers, which exhibit little catalytic activity as homodimers, by combining two tandem fps genes for the manipulated monomer subunit with a highly efficient promoter trc within an overexpression pTrc99A plasmid. A heterodimer of a combination of subunits of the wild type and of R98E, a mutant subunit which exhibits little enzymatic activity as a dimer form (R98E)(2), exhibited 78% of the activity of the wild-type homodimer enzyme, (WT)(2). Moreover, when a hybrid-type heterodimeric dimer of FPP synthase mutant subunits (R98E/F220A) was prepared, the FPP synthase activity was 18- and 390-fold of that of each of the almost inactive mutants as a dimeric enzymes, (R98E)(2) and (F220A)(2) [Koyama, T., et al. (1995) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 212, 681-686], respectively. These results suggest that the subunits of the FPP synthase interact with each other to form a shared active site in the homodimer structure rather than an independent active site in each subunit.     

Mutagenesis and biochemical studies on AuaA confirmed the importance of the two conserved aspartate-rich motifs and suggested difference in the amino acids for substrate binding in membrane-bound prenyltransferases

AuaA is a membrane-bound farnesyltransferase from the myxobacterium Stigmatella aurantiaca involved in the biosynthesis of aurachins. Like other known membrane-bound aromatic prenyltransferases, AuaA contains two conserved aspartate-rich motifs. Several amino acids in the first motif NXxxDxxxD were proposed to be responsible for prenyl diphosphate binding via metal ions like Mg(2+). Site-directed mutagenesis experiments demonstrated in this study that asparagine, but not the arginine residue in NRxxDxxxD, is important for the enzyme activity of AuaA, differing from the importance of NQ or ND residues in the NQxxDxxxD or NDxxDxxxD motifs observed in some membrane-bound prenyltransferases. The second motif of known membrane-bound prenyltransferases was proposed to be involved in the binding of their aromatic substrates. KDIxDxEGD, also found in AuaA, had been previously speculated to be characteristic for binding of flavonoids or homogenisate. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments with AuaA showed that KDIxDxEGD was critical for the enzyme activity. However, this motif is very likely not specific for flavonoid or homogenisate prenyltransferases, because none of the tested flavonoids was accepted by AuaA or its mutant R53A in the presence of farnesyl, geranyl or dimethylallyl diphosphate.     

Refined NrfA Phylogeny Improves PCR-Based nrfA Gene Detection

Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) and denitrification are contrasting microbial processes in the terrestrial nitrogen (N) cycle, in that the former promotes N retention and the latter leads to N loss (i.e., the formation of gaseous products). The nitrite reductase NrfA catalyzes nitrite reduction to ammonium, the enzyme associated with respiratory nitrite ammonification and the key step in DNRA. Although well studied biochemically, the diversity and phylogeny of this enzyme had not been rigorously analyzed. A phylogenetic analysis of 272 full-length NrfA protein sequences distinguished 18 NrfA clades with robust statistical support (>90% Bayesian posterior probabilities). Three clades possessed a CXXCH motif in the first heme-binding domain, whereas all other clades had a CXXCK motif in this location. The analysis further identified a KXRH or KXQH motif between the third and fourth heme-binding motifs as a conserved and diagnostic feature of all pentaheme NrfA proteins. PCR primers targeting a portion of the heme-binding motifs that flank this diagnostic region yielded the expected 250-bp-long amplicons with template DNA from eight pure cultures and 16 new nrfA-containing isolates. nrfA amplicons obtained with template DNA from two geomorphically distinct agricultural soils could be assigned to one of the 18 NrfA clades, providing support for this expanded classification. The extended NrfA phylogeny revealed novel diagnostic features of DNRA populations and will be useful to assess nitrate/nitrite fate in natural and engineered ecosystems.     

Two motifs within a transmembrane domain, one for homodimerization and the other for heterodimerization

Protein assembly is a critical process involved in a wide range of cellular events and occurs through extracellular and/or transmembrane domains (TMs). Previous studies demonstrated that a GXXXG motif is crucial for homodimer formation. Here we selected the TMs of ErbB1 and ErbB2 as a model since these receptors function both as homodimers and as heterodimers. Both TMs contain two GXXXG-like motifs located at the C and N termini. The C-terminal motifs were implicated previously in homodimer formation, but the role of the N-terminal motifs was not clear. We used the ToxR system and expressed the TMs of both ErbB1 and ErbB2 containing only the N-terminal GXXXG motifs. The data revealed that the ErbB2 but not the ErbB1 construct formed homodimers. Importantly, a synthetic ErbB1 TM peptide was able to form a heterodimer with ErbB2, by displacing the ErbB2 TM homodimer. The specificity of the interaction was demonstrated by using three controls: (i) Two single mutations within the GXXXG-like motif of the ErbB1 peptide reduced or preserved its activity, in agreement with similar mutations in glycophorin A. (ii) A TM peptide of the bacterial Tar receptor did not assemble with the ErbB2 construct. (iii) The ErbB1 peptide had no effect on the dimerization of a construct containing the TM-1 domain of the Tar receptor. Fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that all the peptides localized on the membrane. Furthermore, incubation with the peptides had no effect on bacterial growth and protein expression levels. Our results suggest that the N-terminal GXXXG-like motif of the ErbB1 TM plays a role in heterodimerization with the ErbB2 transmembrane domain. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a transmembrane domain with two distinct recognition motifs, one for homodimerization and the other for heterodimerization.     

Predicted structure and phyletic distribution of the RNA-binding protein Hfq

Hfq, a bacterial RNA-binding protein, was recently shown to contain the Sm1 motif, a characteristic of Sm and LSm proteins that function in RNA processing events in archaea and eukaryotes. In this report, comparative structural modeling was used to predict a three-dimensional structure of the Hfq core sequence. The predicted structure aligns with most major features of the Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum LSm protein structure. Conserved residues in Hfq are positioned at the same structural locations responsible for subunit assembly and RNA interaction in Sm proteins. A highly conserved portion of Hfq assumes a structural fold similar to the Sm2 motif of Sm proteins. The evolution of the Hfq protein was explored by conducting a BLAST search of microbial genomes followed by phylogenetic analysis. Approximately half of the 140 complete or nearly complete genomes examined contain at least one gene coding for Hfq. The presence or absence of Hfq closely followed major bacterial clades. It is absent from high-level clades and present in the ancient Thermotogales-Aquificales clade and all proteobacteria except for those that have undergone major reduction in genome size. Residues at three positions in Hfq form signatures for the beta/gamma proteobacteria, alpha proteobacteria and low GC Gram-positive bacteria groups.     

A guanosine diphosphatase enriched in Golgi vesicles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Purification and characterization

We have recently described a luminal guanosine diphosphatase activity in Golgi-like vesicles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Abeijon, C., Orlean, P., Robbins, P. W., and Hirschberg, C. B. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 86, 6935-6939). The presumed in vivo role of this enzyme is to convert GDP into GMP. GDP is a reaction product following outer-chain mannosylation of luminal proteins and a known inhibitor of mannosyltransferases. It is hypothesized that GMP then returns to the cytosol. We have purified this enzyme to apparent homogeneity. Following solubilization from a membrane pellet using a buffer containing Triton X-100, the enzyme was purified on a concanavalin A-Sepharose column followed by Mono Q fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) and Superose-12 FPLC columns. After treatment with endoglycosidase H, the deglycosylated active enzyme was applied to a second Mono Q FPLC column and a phenyl-Superose FPLC column. The final enzyme activity was enriched 6500-fold over that of the Triton X-100 extract. The apparant molecular mass of the deglycosylated enzyme is 47 kDa. The purified enzyme is highly specific for guanosine diphosphate, requires Ca2+ for maximal activity, and has a broad pH optimum between 7.4 and 8.2. The apparent Km for GDP is 0.1 mM; the Vmax is 4.9 mmol/min/mg of protein. An enzyme activity with similar substrate specificity has also been detected in membranes of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.     

Biosynthesis of marine natural products: isolation and characterization of a myrcene synthase from cultured tissues of the marine red alga Ochtodes secundiramea

The acyclic monoterpene myrcene is the likely progenitor of the unusual cytotoxic halogenated monoterpenes that are found in marine algae and that function as feeding deterrents to herbivores. Myrcene synthase was isolated from suspension cultures of the marine red alga Ochtodes secundiramea, representing the first enzyme of this type from a marine organism. The algal myrcene synthase produces exclusively myrcene from the natural substrate geranyl diphosphate (GDP), utilizes Mg(+2) as the required divalent metal ion cofactor, has a molecular mass of about 69 kDa, and exhibits a pH optimum near 7.2. These features are similar to those of monoterpene synthases from terrestrial organisms. When incubated with neryl diphosphate (the cis-isomer of GDP), the O. secundiramea myrcene synthase produces the cyclic monoterpene limonene, whereas incubation with (+/-)linalyl diphosphate (the tertiary allylic isomer of geranyl diphosphate) yields both acyclic and cyclic monoterpenes. These results suggest that the enzyme is incapable of isomerizing geranyl diphosphate to linalyl diphosphate, a feature common to all monoterpene cyclases from terrestrial sources. The limited catalytic capability of the myrcene synthase may reflect the ancient evolutionary origin of the producing organism. The ability to assay this enzyme in cultured algae, grown under strictly defined conditions, provides an unparalleled opportunity to delineate factors eliciting the biosynthesis of this class of secondary metabolites, to investigate the metabolic pathway leading to the halogenated monoterpenes, and to determine their role in the chemical ecology of marine algae.     

D2 dopamine receptor activation of potassium channels is selectively decoupled by Galpha-specific GoLoco motif peptides

The GoLoco motif is a short polypeptide sequence found in G-protein signaling regulators such as regulator of G-protein signaling proteins type 12 and 14 and activator of G-protein signaling protein type 3. A unique property of the GoLoco motifs from these three proteins is their preferential interaction with guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-bound Galpha(i1), Galpha(i3) and, sometimes, Galpha(i2) subunits over Galpha(o) subunits. This interaction prevents both spontaneous guanine nucleotide release and reassociation of Galpha(i)-GDP with Gbetagamma. We utilized this property of the GoLoco motif to examine dopamine (D2 and D3) and somatostatin receptor coupling to G-protein-regulated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels in mouse AtT20 cells. GoLoco motif peptides had no effect on either basal channel activity or the initial responses to agonists, suggesting that the GoLoco motif cannot disrupt pre-formed G-protein heterotrimers. GoLoco motif peptides did, however, interfere with human D2((short)) receptor coupling to GIRK channels as demonstrated by the progressively diminished responses after repeated agonist application. This behavior is consistent with some form of compartmentalization of D2 receptors and GIRK channels such that Gbetagamma subunits, freed by local receptor activation and prevented from reforming a heterotrimeric complex, are not functionally constrained within the receptor-channel complex and thus are unable to exert a persistent activating effect. In contrast, GoLoco motif peptides had no effect on either D3 or somatostatin coupling to GIRK channels. Our results suggest that GoLoco motif-based peptides will be useful tools in examining the specificity of G-protein-coupled receptor-effector coupling.     

Identification and characterization of Piwi subfamily in insects

As a subfamily of Argonaute proteins, Piwi is poorly understood compared with Ago subfamily until recent discovery of Piwi protein interacting with piRNA. We did a large scale screening of insect genomes to identify piwi-like genes. Full or partial cDNA sequences were obtained by EST elongation and GENSCAN. We found that the exon numbers were totally different between vertebrates and invertebrates, approximately 20 exons in mammals but only 6-9 exons in insects. This infers either intron insertion or loss occurred during evolution. Characterized PAZ, c-terminal PIWI domains exist in almost all predicted Piwi-like proteins. We found six conserved motifs, which contain active catalytic triad "Asp-Asp-His/Lys" required for slicer activity. The expression of siwi1 and siwi2 in Bombyx mori were verified with RT-PCR. Phylogenetic tree inferred by Bayesian algorithm indicates invertebrate Piwi-like proteins are classified into three clades, of which Ago3 clade is closer to mammalian Piwi proteins.