Crystal structure of Thermotoga maritima 4-alpha-glucanotransferase and its acarbose complex: implications for substrate specificity and catalysis

4-alpha-Glucanotransferase (GTase) is an essential enzyme in alpha-1,4-glucan metabolism in bacteria and plants. It catalyses the transfer of maltooligosaccharides from an 1,4-alpha-D-glucan molecule to the 4-hydroxyl group of an acceptor sugar molecule. The crystal structures of Thermotoga maritima GTase and its complex with the inhibitor acarbose have been determined at 2.6A and 2.5A resolution, respectively. The GTase structure consists of three domains, an N-terminal domain with the (beta/alpha)(8) barrel topology (domain A), a 65 residue domain, domain B, inserted between strand beta3 and helix alpha6 of the barrel, and a C-terminal domain, domain C, which forms an antiparallel beta-structure. Analysis of the complex of GTase with acarbose has revealed the locations of five sugar-binding subsites (-2 to +3) in the active-site cleft lying between domain B and the C-terminal end of the (beta/alpha)(8) barrel. The structure of GTase closely resembles the family 13 glycoside hydrolases and conservation of key catalytic residues previously identified for this family is consistent with a double-displacement catalytic mechanism for this enzyme. A distinguishing feature of GTase is a pair of tryptophan residues, W131 and W218, which, upon the carbohydrate inhibitor binding, form a remarkable aromatic "clamp" that captures the sugar rings at the acceptor-binding sites +1 and +2. Analysis of the structure of the complex shows that sugar residues occupying subsites from -2 to +2 engage in extensive interactions with the protein, whereas the +3 glucosyl residue makes relatively few contacts with the enzyme. Thus, the structure suggests that four subsites, from -2 to +2, play the dominant role in enzyme-substrate recognition, consistent with the observation that the smallest donor for T.maritima GTase is maltotetraose, the smallest chain transferred is a maltosyl unit and that the smallest residual fragment after transfer is maltose. A close similarity between the structures of GTase and oligo-1,6-glucosidase has allowed the structural features that determine differences in substrate specificity of these two enzymes to be analysed.     

Unique metal dependency of cytosolic alpha-mannosidase from Thermotoga maritima,a hyperthermophilic bacterium

A putative cytosolic alpha-mannosidase gene from a hyperthermophilic marine bacterium Thermotoga maritima was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant enzyme appeared to be a homodimer of a 110-kDa subunit. The enzyme showed metal-dependent ability to hydrolyze p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside. In the absence of a metal, the enzyme was inactive. Cobalt and cadmium supported high activity (60 U/mg at 70 degrees C), while the activity with zinc and chromium was poor. Cobalt (0.8 mol) bound to 1 mol monomer with a K(d) of 70 microM. The optimum pH and temperature were 6.0 and 80 degrees C, respectively. The activity was inhibited by swainsonine, but not by 1-deoxymannojirimycin, which is in agreement with the features of cytosolic alpha-mannosidase.     

Cloning expression and characterization of a thermostable exopolygalacturonase from Thermotoga maritima

A gene encoding for a thermostable exopolygalacturonase (exo-PG) from hyperthermophilic Thermotoga maritima has been cloned into a T7 expression vector and expressed in Escherichia coli. The gene encoded a polypeptide of 454 residues with a molecular mass of 51,304 Da. The recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity by heat treatment and nickel affinity chromatography. The thermostable enzyme had maximum of hydrolytic activity for polygalacturonate at 95 degrees C, pH 6.0 and retains 90% of activity after heating at 90 degrees C for 5 h. Study of the catalytic activity of the exopolygalacturonase, investigated by means of 1H NMR spectroscopy revealed an inversion of configuration during hydrolysis of alpha-(1-->4)-galacturonic linkage.     

High-resolution structure of shikimate dehydrogenase from Thermotoga maritima reveals a tightly closed conformation

Shikimate dehydrogenase (SDH), which catalyses the NADPH-dependent reduction of 3-dehydroshikimate to shikimate in the shikimate pathway, is an attractive target for the development of herbicides and antimicrobial agents. Structural analysis of a SDH from Thermotoga maritima encoded by the Tm0346 gene was performed to facilitate further structural comparisons between the various shikimate dehydrogenases. The crystal structure of SDH from T. maritima was determined at 1.45 Å by molecular replacement. SDH from T. maritima showed a monomeric architecture. The overall structure of SDH from T. maritima comprises the N-terminal α/β sandwich domain for substrate binding and the C-terminal domain for NADP binding. When the T. maritima SDH structure was compared with those of the SDHs from other species, the SDH from T. maritima was in a tightly closed conformation, which should be open for catalysis. Notably, α7 moves toward the active site (∼5 Å), which forces the SDH of T. maritima in a more closed form. Four ammonium sulfate (AMS) ions were identified in the structure. They were located in the active site and appeared to mimic the role of the substrate in terms of the enzyme activity and stability. The new high resolution structural information reported in this study, including the AMS binding sites as a potent inhibitor binding site of SDHs, is expected to supplement the existing structural data and will be useful for structure-based antibacterial discovery against SDHs.     

Thermotoga maritima IscU. Structural characterization and dynamics of a new class of metallochaperone

Members of the IscU family of proteins are among the most conserved of all protein groups, extending across all three kingdoms of life. IscU serves as a scaffold for the assembly of intermediate iron-sulfur cluster centers and further mediates delivery to apo protein targets. Several proteins that mediate delivery of single metal ions to apo targets (termed metallochaperones) have recently been characterized structurally. Each displays a ferredoxin-like betaalphabetabetaalphabeta motif as a structural core. Assembly and delivery of a polynuclear iron-sulfur cluster is, however, a more complex pathway and presumably would demand a distinctive protein mediator. Here, we demonstrate Thermotoga maritima IscU (Tm IscU) to display unique structural and motional characteristics that distinguish it from other members of this class of proteins. In particular, IscU adopts a mobile, physiologically relevant, molten globule-like state that is vastly different from the previously identified ferredoxin-like fold that has thus far been characterized for other metallochaperones. The secondary structural content of Tm IscU is consistent with previous circular dichroism measurements on apo and holo protein, consisting of six alpha-helices and three beta-strands, the latter forming an anti-parallel beta-sheet. Extensive dynamics studies are consistent with a protein that has reasonably well defined secondary structural elements, but with a tertiary structure that is fluxional among widely different conformational arrangements. Analogous conformational flexibility does not exist in other structurally characterized metallochaperones; however, such a dynamic molecule may account for the lack of long-range NOEs, and allow both for the flexibility that is necessary for the multiple roles of Fe-S cluster assembly, and recognition and delivery of that cluster to a target protein. Additionally, the fluxionality of IscU is unique in that the protein appears to be more compact (based on 1H/2H exchange, R1, R2, and NOE data) but yet more fluid (lack of long-range NOEs) than typical molten globule proteins.     

A universal type IA topoisomerase fold

A class of enzymes, called DNA topoisomerases, is responsible for controlling the topological state of cellular DNA. Among these, type IA topoisomerases form a vast family that is present in all living organisms, including higher eukaryotes, in which they play important roles in genome stability. The known 3D structures of three of these enzymes indicate that they share a common toroidal architecture. We previously showed that the toroidal structure could be split off from the core enzyme of Thermotoga maritima topoisomerase I by limited proteolysis. This structure is produced by the association of two tandemly repeated elementary folds in a head-to-tail orientation. By using a combination of structural and sequence data analysis, we show that the elementary fold of about 150 amino acid residues, referred to as the topofold, is likely to be present in the whole topoisomerase IA family. Within each enzyme, the successive topofolds share two conserved sequence motifs located at the base of the ring, and referred to as the MI and MII motifs. However, the overall sequences of the folds have largely diverged. By contrast, secondary and tertiary structures appear remarkably conserved. We suggest that this twofold repeat has evolved by gene duplication/fusion from an ancestral topofold.     

NMR structure of the conserved hypothetical protein TM0487 from Thermotoga maritima: implications for 216 homologous DUF59 proteins

The NMR structure of the conserved hypothetical protein TM0487 from Thermotoga maritima represents an alpha/beta-topology formed by the regular secondary structures alpha1-beta1-beta2-alpha2-beta3-beta4-alpha3- beta5-3(10)-alpha4, with a small anti-parallel beta-sheet of beta-strands 1 and 2, and a mixed parallel/anti-parallel beta-sheet of beta-strands 3-5. Similar folds have previously been observed in other proteins, with amino acid sequence identity as low as 3% and a variety of different functions. There are also 216 sequence homologs of TM0487, which all have the signature sequence of domains of unknown function 59 (DUF59), for which no three-dimensional structures have as yet been reported. The TM0487 structure thus presents a platform for homology modeling of this large group of DUF59 proteins. Conserved among most of the DUF59s are 13 hydrophobic residues, which are clustered in the core of TM0487. A putative active site of TM0487 consisting of residues D20, E22, L23, T51, T52, and C55 is conserved in 98 of the 216 DUF59 sequences. Asp20 is buried within the proposed active site without any compensating positive charge, which suggests that its pK(a) value may be perturbed. Furthermore, the DUF59 family includes ORFs that are part of a conserved chromosomal group of proteins predicted to be involved in Fe-S cluster metabolism.     

Exopolygalacturonate lyase from Thermotoga maritima: cloning,characterization and organic synthesis application

A new exopolygalacturonate lyase (Pel) gene of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli cells. A 42 kDa monomeric Pel was shown to undergo N-terminal processing by cleavage at a putative site between alanine and serine residues. The enzyme catalyzes selectively a beta-4,5 elimination at the third galacturonic unit from the reducing end of polygalacturonic acid by producing (4-deoxy-alpha-L-threo-hex-4-enopyranosyluronic acid)-(1-->4)-(alpha-D-galactopyranosyluronic acid)-(1-->4)-alpha-D-galactopyranuronic acid (3) with a 60% yield. The optimum activity of the enzyme was detected at pH 9.5 and T> or=95 degrees C. The highly thermostable enzyme constitutes a useful catalyst for a simplified synthesis of 4,5-unsaturated trigalacturonic acid 3, a trisaccharide which is extremely difficult to obtain via chemical synthesis.     

Structural insight into the low affinity between Thermotoga maritima CheA and CheB compared to their Escherichia coli/Salmonella typhimurium counterparts

CheA-mediated CheB phosphorylation and the subsequent CheB-mediated demethylation of the chemoreceptors are important steps required for the bacterial chemotactic adaptation response. Although Escherichia coli CheB has been reported to interact with CheA competitively against CheY, we have observed that Thermotoga maritima CheB has no detectable CheA-binding. By determining the CheY-like domain crystal structure of T. maritima CheB, and comparing against the T. maritima CheY and Salmonella typhimurium CheB structures, we propose that the two consecutive glutamates in the β4/α4 loop of T. maritima CheB that is absent in T. maritima CheY and in E. coli/S. typhimurium CheB may be one factor contributing to the low CheA affinity.     

Comparative characterization of deletion derivatives of the modular xylanase XynA of Thermotoga maritima

The modular Xylanase XynA from Thermotoga maritima consists of five domains (A1-A2-B-C1-C2). Two similar N-terminal domains (A1-A2-) are family 22 carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs), followed by the catalytic domain (-B-) belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 10, and the C-terminal domains (-C1-C2), which are members of family 9 of CBMs. The gradual deletion of the non-catalytic domains resulted in deletion derivatives (XynAΔC; XynAΔA1C and XynAΔNC) with increased maximum activities (V _max) at 75°C, pH 6.2. Furthermore, these deletions led to a shift of the optimal NaCl concentration for xylan hydrolysis from 0.25 (XynA) to 0.5 M (XynAΔNC). In the presence of the family 22 CBMs, the catalytic domain retained more activity in the acidic range of the pH spectrum than without these domains. In addition to the deletion derivatives of XynA, the N-terminal domains A1 and A2 were produced recombinantly, purified, and investigated in binding studies. For soluble xylan preparations, linear β-1,4-glucans and mixed-linkage β-1,3-1,4-glucans, only the A2 domain mediated binding, not the A1 domain, in accordance with previous observations. The XynA deletion enzymes lacking the C domains displayed low affinity also to hydroxyethylcellulose and carboxymethylcellulose. With insoluble oat spelt xylan and birchwood xylan as the binding substrates, the highest affinity was observed with XynAΔC and the lowest affinity with XynAΔNC. Although the domain A1 did not bind to soluble xylan preparations, the insoluble oat spelt xylan-binding data suggest that this domain does play a role in substrate binding in that it improves the binding to insoluble xylans.     

A novel member of the YchN-like fold: solution structure of the hypothetical protein Tm0979 from Thermotoga maritima

We report herein the NMR structure of Tm0979, a structural proteomics target from Thermotoga maritima. The Tm0979 fold consists of four beta/alpha units, which form a central parallel beta-sheet with strand order 1234. The first three helices pack toward one face of the sheet and the fourth helix packs against the other face. The protein forms a dimer by adjacent parallel packing of the fourth helices sandwiched between the two beta-sheets. This fold is very interesting from several points of view. First, it represents the first structure determination for the DsrH family of conserved hypothetical proteins, which are involved in oxidation of intracellular sulfur but have no defined molecular function. Based on structure and sequence analysis, possible functions are discussed. Second, the fold of Tm0979 most closely resembles YchN-like folds; however the proteins that adopt these folds differ in secondary structural elements and quaternary structure. Comparison of these proteins provides insight into possible mechanisms of evolution of quaternary structure through a simple mechanism of hydrophobicity-changing mutations of one or two residues. Third, the Tm0979 fold is found to be similar to flavodoxin-like folds and beta/alpha barrel proteins, and may provide a link between these very abundant folds and putative ancestral half-barrel proteins.     

A novel amylolytic enzyme from Thermotoga maritima,resembling cyclodextrinase and alpha-glucosidase,that liberates glucose from the reducing end of the substrates

The gene previously designated as putative cyclodextrinase from Thermotoga maritima (TMG) was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant TMG was partially purified and its enzymatic characteristics on various substrates were examined. The enzyme hydrolyzes various maltodextrins including maltotriose to maltoheptaose and cyclomaltodextrins (CDs) to mainly glucose and maltose. Although TMG could not degrade pullulan, it rapidly hydrolyzes acarbose, a strong amylase and glucosidase inhibitor, to acarviosine and glucose. Also, TMG initially hydrolyzes p-nitrophenyl-alpha-pentaoside to give maltopentaose and p-nitrophenol, implying that the enzyme specifically cleaves a glucose unit from the reducing end of maltooligosaccharides unlike to other glucosidases. Since its enzymatic activity is negligible if alpha-methylglucoside is present in the reducing end, the type of the residue at the reducing end of the substrate is important for the TMG activity. These results support the fact that TMG is a novel exo-acting glucosidase possessing the characteristics of both CD-/pullulan hydrolyzing enzyme and alpha-glucosidase.     

Inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis topoisomerase I by m-AMSA,a eukaryotic type II topoisomerase poison

m-AMSA, an established inhibitor of eukaryotic type II topoisomerases, exerts its cidal effect by binding to the enzyme–DNA complex thus inhibiting the DNA religation step. The molecule and its analogues have been successfully used as chemotherapeutic agents against different forms of cancer. After virtual screening using a homology model of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis topoisomerase I, we identified m-AMSA as a high scoring hit. We demonstrate that m-AMSA can inhibit the DNA relaxation activity of topoisomerase I from M. tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis. In a whole cell assay, m-AMSA inhibited the growth of both the mycobacteria.     

Crystal structure of a putative type I restriction-modification S subunit from Mycoplasma genitalium

The crystal structure of the eubacteria Mycoplasma genitalium ORF MG438 polypeptide, determined by multiple anomalous dispersion and refined at 2.3 A resolution, reveals the organization of S subunits from the Type I restriction and modification system. The structure consists of two globular domains, with about 150 residues each, separated by a pair of 40 residue long antiparallel alpha-helices. The globular domains correspond to the variable target recognition domains (TRDs), as previously defined for S subunits on sequence analysis, while the two helices correspond to the central (CR1) and C-terminal (CR2) conserved regions, respectively. The structure of the MG438 subunit presents an overall cyclic topology with an intramolecular 2-fold axis that superimposes the N and the C-half parts, each half containing a globular domain and a conserved helix. TRDs are found to be structurally related with the small domain of the Type II N6-adenine DNA MTase TaqI. These relationships together with the structural peculiarities of MG438, in particular the presence of the intramolecular quasi-symmetry, allow the proposal of a model for S subunits recognition of their DNA targets in agreement with previous experimental results. In the crystal, two subunits of MG438 related by a crystallographic 2-fold axis present a large contact area mainly involving the symmetric interactions of a cluster of exposed hydrophobic residues. Comparison with the recently reported structure of an S subunit from the archaea Methanococcus jannaschii highlights the structural features preserved despite a sequence identity below 20%, but also reveals important differences in the globular domains and in their disposition with respect to the conserved regions.     

Purification and characterization of Thermotoga maritima homoserine transsuccinylase indicates it is a transacetylase

The methionine biosynthetic pathway found in bacteria is controlled at the first step, acylation of the γ-hydroxyl of homoserine. This reaction is catalyzed by one of two unique enzymes, homoserine transacetylase or homoserine transsuccinylase, which have no amino acid sequence similarity. We cloned, expressed, and purified homoserine transsuccinylase from the thermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima. Substrate specificity experiments demonstrated that acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) is the preferred acyl donor and is used at least 30-fold more efficiently than succinyl-CoA. Steady-state kinetic experiments confirm that the enzyme utilizes a ping-pong kinetic mechanism in which the acetate group of acetyl-CoA is initially transferred to an enzyme nucleophile before subsequent transfer to homoserine. The maximal velocity, V/K _acetyl-CoA and V/K _homoserine, all exhibited bell-shaped pH curves with apparent pKs of 6.0–6.9 and 8.2–8.8. The enzyme was inactivated by iodoacetamide in a pH-dependent manner, with an apparent pK of 6.3, suggesting the presence of an active-site cysteine residue which forms an acetyl-enzyme thioester intermediate during catalytic turnover, similar to observations with other transsuccinylases. In addition, the enzyme is highly stable at elevated temperatures, maintaining full activity at 70°C. Taken together, these data suggest that the T. maritima enzyme functions biochemically as a transacetylase, despite having the sequence of a transsuccinylase.     

Crystal structure of a lectin from Canavalia maritima (ConM) in complex with trehalose and maltose reveals relevant mutation in ConA-like lectins

The crystal structure of Canavalia maritima lectin (ConM) complexed with trehalose and maltose revealed relevant point mutations in ConA-like lectins. ConM with the disaccharides and other ConA-like lectins complexed with carbohydrates demonstrated significant differences in the position of H-bonds. The main difference in the ConM structure is the replacement of Pro202 by Ser202, a residue that promotes the approximation of Tyr12 to the carbohydrate-binding site. The O-6' of the second glucose ring in maltose interacts with Tyr12, while in trehalose the interaction is established by the O-2' and Tyr12, explaining the higher affinity of ConM for disaccharides compared to monosaccharides.     

NMR characterisation of inulin-type fructooligosaccharides as the major water-soluble carbohydrates from Matricaria maritima (L.)

By use of 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy including 2D 1H,1H DQF-COSY/TOCSY and 1H,13C HMQC/HMBC experiments, the main water-soluble carbohydrate components extracted from leaves of Matricaria maritima were identified as oligofructans composed of a linear chain of (2-->1)-linked beta-D-fructofuranosyl residues specifying an inulin-type structure. Alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->2)-[beta-D-Fruf-(2-->1)-beta-D-Frucf]n-(2-->1)-beta-D-Fruf.     

Functional and structural characterization of a thermostable acetyl esterase from Thermotoga maritima

TM0077 from Thermotoga maritima is a member of the carbohydrate esterase family 7 and is active on a variety of acetylated compounds, including cephalosporin C. TM0077 esterase activity is confined to short‐chain acyl esters (C2–C3), and is optimal around 100°C and pH 7.5. The positional specificity of TM0077 was investigated using 4‐nitrophenyl‐β‐D ‐xylopyranoside monoacetates as substrates in a β‐xylosidase‐coupled assay. TM0077 hydrolyzes acetate at positions 2, 3, and 4 with equal efficiency. No activity was detected on xylan or acetylated xylan, which implies that TM0077 is an acetyl esterase and not an acetyl xylan esterase as currently annotated. Selenomethionine‐substituted and native structures of TM0077 were determined at 2.1 and 2.5 Å resolution, respectively, revealing a classic α/β‐hydrolase fold. TM0077 assembles into a doughnut‐shaped hexamer with small tunnels on either side leading to an inner cavity, which contains the six catalytic centers. Structures of TM0077 with covalently bound phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and paraoxon were determined to 2.4 and 2.1 Å, respectively, and confirmed that both inhibitors bind covalently to the catalytic serine (Ser188). Upon binding of inhibitor, the catalytic serine adopts an altered conformation, as observed in other esterase and lipases, and supports a previously proposed catalytic mechanism in which Ser hydroxyl rotation prevents reversal of the reaction and allows access of a water molecule for completion of the reaction. Proteins 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Crystal structure of TM1457 from Thermotoga maritima

The crystal structure of a hypothetical protein, TM1457, from Thermotoga maritima has been determined at 2.0A resolution. TM1457 belongs to the DUF464 family (57 members) for which there is no known function. The structure shows that it is composed of two helices in contact with one side of a five-stranded beta-sheet. Two identical monomers form a pseudo-dimer in the asymmetric unit. There is a large cleft between the first alpha-helix and the second beta-strand. This cleft may be functionally important, since the two highly conserved motifs, GHA and VCAXV(S/T), are located around the cleft. A structural comparison of TM1457 with known protein structures shows the best hit with another hypothetical protein, Ybl001C from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, though they share low structural similarity. Therefore, TM1457 still retains a unique topology and reveals a novel fold.