Crystal structure of Escherichia coli UDPMurNAc-tripeptide d-alanyl-d-alanine-adding enzyme (MurF) at 2.3 A resolution

MurF is required to catalyze the final step in the synthesis of the cytoplasmic precursor of the bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan, rendering it an attractive target for antibacterial drug development. The crystal structure of the MurF apo-enzyme has been determined using the multiwavelength anomalous dispersion method and refined to 2.3 A resolution. It contains three consecutive open alpha/beta-sheet domains. In comparison with the complex crystal structures of MurD and its substrates, The topology of the N-terminal domain of MurF is unique, while its central and C-terminal domains exhibit similar mononucleotide and dinucleotide-binding folds, respectively. The apo-enzyme of MurF crystal structure reveals an open conformation with the three domains juxtaposed in a crescent-like arrangement creating a wide-open space where substrates are expected to bind. As such, catalysis is not feasible and significant domain closure is expected upon substrate binding.     

Three-dimensional structure of aspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli at 2.8 A resolution

The crystal structure of aspartate aminotransferase of Escherichia coli was determined by X-ray structure analysis at 2.8 A resolution. The structure was solved by the molecular replacement method and refined to an R-factor of 0.27, and it was found that the overall structure of AspAT of E. coli is similar to that of those of higher animals.     

Crystal structure of thioredoxin from Escherichia coli at 1.68 A resolution

The crystal structure of thioredoxin from Escherichia coli has been refined by the stereochemically restrained least-squares procedure to a crystallographic R-factor of 0.165 at 1.68 A resolution. In the final model, the root-mean-square deviation from ideality for bond distances is 0.015 A and for angle distances 0.035 A. The structure contains 1644 protein atoms from two independent molecules, two Cu2+, 140 water molecules and seven methylpentanediol molecules. Ten residues have been modeled in two alternative conformations. E. coli thioredoxin is a compact molecule with 90% of its residues in helices, beta-strands or reverse turns. The molecule consists of two conformational domains, beta alpha beta alpha beta and beta beta alpha, connected by a single-turn alpha-helix and a 3(10) helix. The beta-sheet forms the core of the molecule packed on either side by clusters of hydrophobic residues. Helices form the external surface. The active site disulfide bridge between Cys32 and Cys35 is located at the amino terminus of the second alpha-helix. The positive electrostatic field due to the helical dipole is probably important for stabilizing the anionic intermediate during the disulfide reductase function of the protein. The more reactive cysteine, Cys32, has its sulfur atom exposed to solvent and also involved in a hydrogen bond with a backbone amide group. Residues 29 to 37, which include the active site cysteine residues, form a protrusion on the surface of the protein and make relatively fewer interactions with the rest of the structure. The disulfide bridge exhibits a right-handed conformation with a torsion angle of 81 degrees and 72 degrees about the S-S bond in the two molecules. Twenty-five pairs of water molecules obey the noncrystallographic symmetry. Most of them are involved in establishing intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions between protein atoms and thus serve as integral parts of the folded protein structure. Methylpentanediol molecules often pack against the loops and stabilize their structure. Cu2+ used for crystallization exhibit a distorted octahedral square bipyramid co-ordination and provide essential packing interactions in the crystal. The two independent protein molecules are very similar in conformation but distinctly different in atomic detail (root-mean-square = 0.94 A). The differences, which may be related to the crystal contacts, are localized mostly to regions far from the active site.     

Crystal structure of the malic enzyme from Ascaris suum complexed with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide at 2.3 A resolution

The structure of the Ascaris suum mitochondrial NAD-malic enzyme in binary complex with NAD has been solved to a resolution of 2.3 A by X-ray crystallography. The structure resembles that of the human mitochondrial enzyme determined in complex with NAD [Xu, Y., Bhargava, G., Wu, H., Loeber, G., and Tong, L. (1999) Structure 7, 877-889]. The enzyme is a tetramer comprised of subunits possessing four domains organized in an "open" structure typical of the NAD-bound form. The subunit organization, as in the human enzyme, is a dimer of dimers. The Ascaris enzyme contains 30 additional residues at its amino terminus relative to the human enzyme. These residues significantly increase the interactions that promote tetramer formation and give rise to different subunit-subunit interactions. Unlike the mammalian enzyme, the Ascaris malic enzyme is not regulated by ATP, and no ATP binding site is observed in this structure. Although the active sites of the two enzymes are similar, residues interacting with NAD differ between the two. The structure is discussed in terms of the mechanism and particularly with respect to previously obtained kinetic and site-directed mutagenesis experiments.     

Three-dimensional structures of aspartate aminotransferase from Escherichia coli and its mutant enzyme at 2.5 A resolution

The structure of Escherichia coli aspartate aminotransferase complex with the inhibitor 2-methylaspartate, and that of the mutant enzyme in which an arginine was substituted for a lysine residue thereby forming a Schiff base with the coenzyme pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, were determined at 2.5 A resolution, by the molecular replacement method using the known structure of pig cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase. The enzyme catalyzes the reversible transamination between L-aspartate and alpha-ketoglutarate, and forms a dimeric structure of two identical subunits. Each subunit comprises two domains, a small and a large one. Although, in general, the overall and secondary structure of E. coli enzyme are similar to those of higher animals, some differences of enzymatic action between the enzyme from E. coli and those from higher animals could be explained on the basis of the X-ray structures and molecular mechanics calculation based on them.     

Crystal structure of Escherichia coli ketopantoate reductase at 1.7 A resolution and insight into the enzyme mechanism.

Ketopantoate reductase (KPR, EC 1.1.1.169) catalyzes the NADPH-dependent reduction of ketopantoate to pantoate on the pantothenate (vitamin B(5)) biosynthetic pathway. The Escherichia coli panE gene encoding KPR was cloned and expressed at high levels as the native and selenomethionine-substituted (SeMet) proteins. Both native and SeMet recombinant proteins were purified by three chromatographic steps, to yield pure proteins. The wild-type enzyme was found to have a K(M)(NADPH) of 20 microM, a K(M)(ketopantoate) of 60 microM, and a k(cat) of 40 s(-1). Regular prismatic KPR crystals were prepared using the hanging drop technique. They belonged to the tetragonal space group P4(2)2(1)2, with cell parameters: a = b = 103.7 A and c = 55.7 A, accommodating one enzyme molecule per asymmetric unit. The structure of KPR was determined by the multiwavelength anomalous dispersion method using the SeMet protein, for which data were collected to 2.3 A resolution. The native data were collected to 1.7 A resolution and used to refine the final structure. The secondary structure comprises 12 alpha-helices, three 3(10)-helices, and 11 beta-strands. The enzyme is monomeric and has two domains separated by a cleft. The N-terminal domain has an alphabeta-fold of the Rossmann type. The C-terminal domain (residues 170-291) is composed of eight alpha-helices. KPR is shown to be a member of the 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase C-terminal domain-like superfamily. A model for the ternary enzyme-NADPH-ketopantoate ternary complex provides a rationale for kinetic data reported for specific site-directed mutants.     

Crystal structure of glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase from Escherichia coli at 3.0 A resolution. A target enzyme for chemotherapy.

The atomic structure of glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase, an essential enzyme in purine biosynthesis, has been determined at 3.0 A resolution. The last three C-terminal residues and a sequence stretch of 18 residues (residues 113 to 130) are not visible in the electron density map. The enzyme forms a dimer in the crystal structure. Each monomer is divided into two domains, which are connected by a central mainly parallel seven-stranded beta-sheet. The N-terminal domain contains a Rossmann type mononucleotide fold with a phosphate ion bound to the C-terminal end of the first beta-strand. A long narrow cleft stretches from the phosphate to a conserved aspartic acid, Asp144, which has been suggested as an active-site residue. The cleft is lined by a cluster of residues, which are conserved between bacterial, yeast, avian and human enzymes, and likely represents the binding pocket and active site of the enzyme. GAR Tfase binds a reduced folate cofactor and glycinamide ribonucleotide for the catalysis of one of the initial steps in purine biosynthesis. Folate analogs and multi-substrate inhibitors of the enzyme have antineoplastic effects and the structure determination of the unliganded enzyme and enzyme-inhibitor complexes will aid the development of anti-cancer drugs.     

Structure of glutathione reductase from Escherichia coli at 1.86 A resolution: comparison with the enzyme from human erythrocytes.

The crystal structure of the dimeric flavoenzyme glutathione reductase from Escherichia coli was determined and refined to an R-factor of 16.8% at 1.86 A resolution. The molecular 2-fold axis of the dimer is local but very close to a possible crystallographic 2-fold axis; the slight asymmetry could be rationalized from the packing contacts. The 2 crystallographically independent subunits of the dimer are virtually identical, yielding no structural clue on possible cooperativity. The structure was compared with the well-known structure of the homologous enzyme from human erythrocytes with 52% sequence identity. Significant differences were found at the dimer interface, where the human enzyme has a disulfide bridge, whereas the E. coli enzyme has an antiparallel beta-sheet connecting the subunits. The differences at the glutathione binding site and in particular a deformation caused by a Leu-Ile exchange indicate why the E. coli enzyme accepts trypanothione much better than the human enzyme. The reported structure provides a frame for explaining numerous published engineering results in detail and for guiding further ones.     

Crystal structure of phosphoserine phosphatase from Methanococcus jannaschii, a hyperthermophile, at 1.8 A resolution

BACKGROUND: D-Serine is a co-agonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype of glutamate receptors, a major neurotransmitter receptor family in mammalian nervous systems. D-Serine is converted from L-serine, 90% of which is the product of the enzyme phosphoserine phosphatase (PSP). PSP from M. jannaschii (MJ) shares significant sequence homology with human PSP. PSPs and P-type ATPases are members of the haloacid dehalogenase (HAD)-like hydrolase family, and all members share three conserved sequence motifs. PSP and P-type ATPases utilize a common mechanism that involves Mg(2+)-dependent phosphorylation and autodephosphorylation at an aspartyl side chain in the active site. The strong resemblance in sequence and mechanism implies structural similarity among these enzymes. RESULTS: The PSP crystal structure resembles the NAD(P) binding Rossmann fold with a large insertion of a four-helix-bundle domain and a beta hairpin. Three known conserved sequence motifs are arranged next to each other in space and outline the active site. A phosphate and a magnesium ion are bound to the active site. The active site is within a closed environment between the core alpha/beta domain and the four-helix-bundle domain. CONCLUSIONS: The crystal structure of MJ PSP was determined at 1.8 A resolution. Critical residues were assigned based on the active site structure and ligand binding geometry. The PSP structure is in a closed conformation that may resemble the phosphoserine bound state or the state after autodephosphorylation. Compared to a P-type ATPase (Ca(2+)-ATPase) structure, which is in an open state, this PSP structure appears also to be a good model for the closed conformation of P-type ATPase.     

Crystal structure of Escherichia coli cystathionine gamma-synthase at 1.5 A resolution.

The transsulfuration enzyme cystathionine gamma-synthase (CGS) catalyses the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent gamma-replacement of O-succinyl-L-homoserine and L-cysteine, yielding L-cystathionine. The crystal structure of the Escherichia coli enzyme has been solved by molecular replacement with the known structure of cystathionine beta-lyase (CBL), and refined at 1.5 A resolution to a crystallographic R-factor of 20.0%. The enzyme crystallizes as an alpha4 tetramer with the subunits related by non-crystallographic 222 symmetry. The spatial fold of the subunits, with three functionally distinct domains and their quaternary arrangement, is similar to that of CBL. Previously proposed reaction mechanisms for CGS can be checked against the structural model, allowing interpretation of the catalytic and substrate-binding functions of individual active site residues. Enzyme-substrate models pinpoint specific residues responsible for the substrate specificity, in agreement with structural comparisons with CBL. Both steric and electrostatic designs of the active site seem to achieve proper substrate selection and productive orientation. Amino acid sequence and structural alignments of CGS and CBL suggest that differences in the substrate-binding characteristics are responsible for the different reaction chemistries. Because CGS catalyses the only known PLP-dependent replacement reaction at Cgamma of certain amino acids, the results will help in our understanding of the chemical versatility of PLP.     

Crystal structure of human purine nucleoside phosphorylase at 2.3A resolution

Purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) catalyzes the phosphorolysis of the N-ribosidic bonds of purine nucleosides and deoxynucleosides. In human, PNP is the only route for degradation of deoxyguanosine and genetic deficiency of this enzyme leads to profound T-cell mediated immunosuppression. PNP is therefore a target for inhibitor development aiming at T-cell immune response modulation and its low resolution structure has been used for drug design. Here we report the structure of human PNP solved to 2.3A resolution using synchrotron radiation and cryocrystallographic techniques. This structure allowed a more precise analysis of the active site, generating a more reliable model for substrate binding. The higher resolution data allowed the identification of water molecules in the active site, which suggests binding partners for potential ligands. Furthermore, the present structure may be used in the new structure-based design of PNP inhibitors.     

Crystal structure of Escherichia coli malate dehydrogenase. A complex of the apoenzyme and citrate at 1.87 A resolution.

The crystal structure of malate dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli has been determined with a resulting R-factor of 0.187 for X-ray data from 8.0 to 1.87 A. Molecular replacement, using the partially refined structure of porcine mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase as a probe, provided initial phases. The structure of this prokaryotic enzyme is closely homologous with the mitochondrial enzyme but somewhat less similar to cytosolic malate dehydrogenase from eukaryotes. However, all three enzymes are dimeric and form the subunit-subunit interface through similar surface regions. A citrate ion, found in the active site, helps define the residues involved in substrate binding and catalysis. Two arginine residues, R81 and R153, interacting with the citrate are believed to confer substrate specificity. The hydroxyl of the citrate is hydrogen-bonded to a histidine, H177, and similar interactions could be assigned to a bound malate or oxaloacetate. Histidine 177 is also hydrogen-bonded to an aspartate, D150, to form a classic His.Asp pair. Studies of the active site cavity indicate that the bound citrate would occupy part of the site needed for the coenzyme. In a model building study, the cofactor, NAD, was placed into the coenzyme site which exists when the citrate was converted to malate and crystallographic water molecules removed. This hypothetical model of a ternary complex was energy minimized for comparison with the structure of the binary complex of porcine cytosolic malate dehydrogenase. Many residues involved in cofactor binding in the minimized E. coli malate dehydrogenase structure are homologous to coenzyme binding residues in cytosolic malate dehydrogenase. In the energy minimized structure of the ternary complex, the C-4 atom of NAD is in van der Waals' contact with the C-3 atom of the malate. A catalytic cycle involves hydride transfer between these two atoms.     

Crystal structure of the Escherichia coli peptide methionine sulphoxide reductase at 1.9 A resolution

BACKGROUND: Peptide methionine sulphoxide reductases catalyze the reduction of oxidized methionine residues in proteins. They are implicated in the defense of organisms against oxidative stress and in the regulation of processes involving peptide methionine oxidation/reduction. These enzymes are found in numerous organisms, from bacteria to mammals and plants. Their primary structure shows no significant similarity to any other known protein. RESULTS: The X-ray structure of the peptide methionine sulphoxide reductase from Escherichia coli was determined at 3 A resolution by the multiple wavelength anomalous dispersion method for the selenomethionine-substituted enzyme, and it was refined to 1.9 A resolution for the native enzyme. The 23 kDa protein is folded into an alpha/beta roll and contains a large proportion of coils. Among the three cysteine residues involved in the catalytic mechanism, Cys-51 is positioned at the N terminus of an alpha helix, in a solvent-exposed area composed of highly conserved amino acids. The two others, Cys-198 and Cys-206, are located in the C-terminal coil. CONCLUSIONS: Sequence alignments show that the overall fold of the peptide methionine sulphoxide reductase from E. coli is likely to be conserved in many species. The characteristics observed in the Cys-51 environment are in agreement with the expected accessibility of the active site of an enzyme that reduces methionine sulphoxides in various proteins. Cys-51 could be activated by the influence of an alpha helix dipole. The involvement of the two other cysteine residues in the catalytic mechanism requires a movement of the C-terminal coil. Several conserved amino acids and water molecules are discussed as potential participants in the reaction.     

Crystal structure of Escherichia coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase at 2.5 Å resolution

Native methionyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli (a dimer of molecular weight 172,000) can be converted by mild proteolysis into a well-defined monomeric fragment of molecular weight 64,000. This fragment retains full specificity towards methionine and tRNA^Met, and has unimpaired activity in both the activation and aminoacylation reactions.This paper describes the structure of the active fragment, as determined by an X-ray crystallographic study at 2.5 Å resolution using five heavy-atom derivatives. The elongated molecule (90 Å × 52 Å × 44 Å) contains several α-helices, which account for 43% of the residues. Three domains can be distinguished in the structure: (1) a central core beginning at the N-terminus, consisting of a five-stranded parallel pleated sheet with α-helices connecting the β-strands; (2) a second domain with less-ordered structure, inserted between the third and fourth strand of the central sheet; (3) a C-terminal domain, beginning after the fifth parallel strand, very rich in α-helices.These three domains are organized in a biglobular structure; one globule contains the first and the second domain (N-terminal globule), the other the third domain. The two globules, linked together by a single chain, are separated by a large cleft.The most salient feature of the structure is the presence, in the N-terminal domain, of a “nucleotide binding fold” similar to that first observed in dehydrogenases. This makes methionyl-tRNA synthetase, and possibly all aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, a new member of this family of nucleotide binding proteins possessing the characteristic “Rossmann fold”.     

Crystal structure of Escherichia coli CheY refined at 1.7-A resolution

The three-dimensional structure of wild-type CheY from Escherichia coli has been refined by stereochemically restrained least squares minimization to a crystallographic R-factor of 15.1% at 1.7-A resolution. The structure contains 1165 atoms, including all atoms of the protein, 147 water molecules, and three sulfate ions. The final model has root mean square deviations of 0.018 and 0.049 A from idealized bond lengths and angle distances, respectively. Seven amino acid side chains have been modeled in dual conformations. CheY folds as a compact (beta/alpha)5 globular protein, with the phosphorylation region contained in a cavity on one face of the molecule. This active site area is bordered by the carboxyl termini of the three central beta-strands, by alpha 1, and by the loop connecting beta 5 to alpha 5. The Lys-109 side chain of this loop extends into the active site by virtue of its cis peptide bond conformation preceding Pro-110. The epsilon-amino group of Lys-109 is in close bonding contact with the carboxyl group of Asp-57, the residue that is phosphorylated in the activation process of CheY. The details of the hydrogen bonding network in the phosphorylation region indicate that structural rearrangements must accompany the phosphorylation of Asp-57.     

Crystal structure of the molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis protein MobA from Escherichia coli at near-atomic resolution

BACKGROUND: All mononuclear molybdoenzymes bind molybdenum in a complex with an organic cofactor termed molybdopterin (MPT). In many bacteria, including Escherichia coli, molybdopterin can be further modified by attachment of a GMP group to the terminal phosphate of molybdopterin to form molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide (MGD). This modification reaction is required for the functioning of many bacterial molybdoenzymes, including the nitrate reductases, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) reductases, and formate dehydrogenases. The GMP attachment step is catalyzed by the cellular enzyme MobA. RESULTS: The crystal structure of the 21.6 kDa E. coli MobA has been determined by MAD phasing with selenomethionine-substituted protein and subsequently refined at 1. 35 A resolution against native data. The structure consists of a central, predominantly parallel beta sheet sandwiched between two layers of alpha helices and resembles the dinucleotide binding Rossmann fold. One face of the molecule bears a wide depression that is lined by a number of strictly conserved residues, and this feature suggests that this is where substrate binding and catalysis take place. CONCLUSIONS: Through comparisons with a number of structural homologs, we have assigned plausible functions to several of the residues that line the substrate binding pocket. The enzymatic mechanism probably proceeds via a nucleophilic attack by MPT on the GMP donor, most likely GTP, to produce MGD and pyrophosphate. By analogy with related enzymes, this process is likely to require magnesium ions.     

Three-dimensional structure of the bifunctional enzyme phosphoribosylanthranilate isomerase: indoleglycerolphosphate synthase from Escherichia coli refined at 2.0 A resolution.

The three-dimensional structure of the monomeric bifunctional enzyme N-(5'-phosphoribosyl)anthranilate isomerase:indole-3-glycerol-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli has been refined at 2.0 A resolution, using oscillation film data obtained from synchrotron radiation. The model includes the complete protein (452 residues), two phosphate ions and 628 water molecules. The final R-factor is 17.3% for all observed data between 15 and 2 A resolution. The root-mean-square deviations from ideal bond lengths and bond angles are 0.010 A and 3.2 degrees, respectively. The structure of N-(5'-phosphoribosyl)anthranilate isomerase: indole-3-glycerol-phosphate synthase from E. coli comprises two beta/alpha-barrel domains that superimpose with a root-mean-square deviation of 2.03 A for 138 C alpha-pairs. The C-terminal domain (residues 256 to 452) catalyses the PRAI reaction and the N-terminal domain (residues 1 to 255) catalyses the IGPS reaction, two sequential steps in tryptophan biosynthesis. The enzyme has the overall shape of a dumb-bell, resulting in a surface area that is considerably larger than normally observed for monomeric proteins of this size. The active sites of the PRAI and the IGPS domains, both located at the C-terminal side of the central beta-barrel, contain equivalent binding sites for the phosphate moieties of the substrates N-(5'-phosphoribosyl) anthranilate and 1-(o-carboxyphenylamino)-1-deoxyribulose-5-phosphate. These two phosphate binding sites are identical with respect to their positions within the tertiary structure of the beta/alpha-barrel, the conformation of the residues involved in phosphate binding and the hydrogen-bonding network between the phosphate ions and the protein. The active site cavities of both domains contain similar hydrophobic pockets that presumably bind the anthranilic acid moieties of the substrates. These similarities of the tertiary structures and the active sites of the two domains provide evidence that N-(5'-phosphoribosyl)anthranilate isomerase:indole-3-glycerol-phosphate synthase from E. coli results from a gene duplication event of a monomeric beta/alpha-barrel ancestor.