Crystal structure of a membrane stomatin-specific protease in complex with a substrate peptide

Membrane-bound proteases are involved in various regulatory functions. A previous report indicated that the N-terminal region of PH1510p (1510-N) from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii is a serine protease with a catalytic Ser-Lys dyad (Ser97 and Lys138) and specifically cleaves the C-terminal hydrophobic region of the p-stomatin PH1511p. In humans, an absence of stomatin is associated with a form of hemolytic anemia known as hereditary stomatocytosis. Here, the crystal structure of 1510-N K138A in complex with a peptide substrate was determined at 2.25 ? resolution. In the structure, a 1510-N dimer binds to one peptide. The six central residues (VIVLML) of the peptide are hydrophobic and in a pseudopalindromic structure and therefore favorably fit into the hydrophobic active tunnel of the 1510-N dimer, although 1510-N degrades the substrate at only one point. A comparison with unliganded 1510-N K138A revealed that the binding of the substrate causes a large rotational and translational displacement between protomers and produces a tunnel suitable for binding the peptide. When the peptide binds, the flexible L2 loop of one protomer forms β-strands, whereas that of the other protomer remains in a loop form, indicating that one protomer binds to the peptide more tightly than the other protomer. The Ala138 residues of the two protomers are located very close together (the distance between the two Cβ atoms is 3.6 ?). Thus, in wild-type 1510-N, the close positioning of the catalytic Ser97 and Lys138 residues may be induced by electrostatic repulsion of the two Lys138 side chains of the protomers.     

A novel thermostable membrane protease forming an operon with a stomatin homolog from the hyperthermophilic archaebacterium Pyrococcus horikoshii

Membrane-bound proteases play several important roles in protein quality control and regulation. In the genome of the hyperthermophilic archaebacterium Pyrococcus horikoshii, the open reading frames PH1510 and PH1511 are homologous to the genes nfed (nodulation formation efficiency D) and stomatin, respectively, and probably form an operon. The nfed proteins are putative membrane proteins, and the N-terminal region shows homology to ClpP-type serine proteases. Stomatin is one of the major integral membrane proteins of human erythrocytes, and its absence is associated with the hemolytic anemia known as hereditary stomatocytosis. Thus, the N-terminal region of PH1510 (1510-N, residues 16-236) was expressed and purified. From activity staining and SDS-PAGE analysis using fluorescein isothiocyanate-casein, 1510-N was identified as a thermostable endo-type protease. From site-directed mutagenesis, the conserved Ser-97 and Lys-138 are involved in proteolysis and, therefore, PH1510 is probably a serine protease with a catalytic Ser-Lys dyad. The sites of cleavage by 1510-N are rich in hydrophobic residues. The site P1 (position -1 relative to the cleavage site) is mainly leucine. P4 and P4' are mainly hydrophobic residues. Interestingly, the 1510-N protease cleaves the C-terminal hydrophobic region of PH1511. From this result and the probability of an operon, PH1510 probably functions in cooperation with PH1511. It is hypothesized that the cleavage of the stomatin-homolog PH1511 by the PH1510 protease causes an ion channel to open.     

Crystal structure of a bacterial signal Peptide peptidase

Signal peptide peptidase (Spp) is the enzyme responsible for cleaving the remnant signal peptides left behind in the membrane following Sec-dependent protein secretion. Spp activity appears to be present in all cell types, eukaryotic, prokaryotic and archaeal. Here we report the first structure of a signal peptide peptidase, that of the Escherichia coli SppA (SppA_EC). SppA_EC forms a tetrameric assembly with a novel bowl-shaped architecture. The bowl has a dramatically hydrophobic interior and contains four separate active sites that utilize a Ser/Lys catalytic dyad mechanism. Our structural analysis of SppA reveals that while in many Gram-negative bacteria as well as characterized plant variants, a tandem duplication in the protein fold creates an intact active site at the interface between the repeated domains, other species, particularly Gram-positive and archaeal organisms, encode half-size, unduplicated SppA variants that could form similar oligomers to their duplicated counterparts, but using an octamer arrangement and with the catalytic residues provided by neighboring monomers. The structure reveals a similarity in the protein fold between the domains in the periplasmic Ser/Lys protease SppA and the monomers seen in the cytoplasmic Ser/His/Asp protease ClpP. We propose that SppA may, in addition to its role in signal peptide hydrolysis, have a role in the quality assurance of periplasmic and membrane-bound proteins, similar to the role that ClpP plays for cytoplasmic proteins.     

Clustering of OB-fold domains of the partner protease complexed with trimeric stomatin from Thermococcales

The C-terminal soluble domain of stomatin operon partner protein (STOPP) of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii has an oligonucleotide binding-fold (OB-fold). STOPP lacks the conserved surface residues necessary for binding to DNA/RNA. A tryptophan (W) residue is conserved instead at the molecular surface. Solvent-accessible W residues are often found at interfaces of protein–protein complexes, which suggested the possibility of self-assembling of STOPP. Protein–protein interactions among the C-terminal soluble domains of STOPP PH1510 (1510-C) were then analyzed by chemical linking and blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE) methods. These results suggest that the soluble domains of STOPP could assemble into homo-oligomers. Since hexameric subcomplex I from archaeal proteasome consists of coiled-coil segments and OB-fold domains, molecular modeling of 1510-C was performed using hexameric subcomplex I as a template. Although 1510-C is a comparatively small polypeptide consisting of approximately 60 residues, numerous salt bridges and hydrophobic interactions were observed in the predicted hexamer of 1510-C, suggesting the stability of the homo-oligomeric structure. This oligomeric property of STOPP may be favorable for triplicate proteolysis of the trimer of prokaryotic stomatin.     

Crystal structure at 1.9A of E. coli ClpP with a peptide covalently bound at the active site

ClpP, the proteolytic component of the ATP-dependent ClpAP and ClpXP chaperone/protease complexes, has 14 identical subunits organized in two stacked heptameric rings. The active sites are in an interior aqueous chamber accessible through axial channels. We have determined a 1.9 A crystal structure of Escherichia coli ClpP with benzyloxycarbonyl-leucyltyrosine chloromethyl ketone (Z-LY-CMK) bound at each active site. The complex mimics a tetrahedral intermediate during peptide cleavage, with the inhibitor covalently linked to the active site residues, Ser97 and His122. Binding is further stabilized by six hydrogen bonds between backbone atoms of the peptide and ClpP as well as by hydrophobic binding of the phenolic ring of tyrosine in the S1 pocket. The peptide portion of Z-LY-CMK displaces three water molecules in the native enzyme resulting in little change in the conformation of the peptide binding groove. The heptameric rings of ClpP-CMK are slightly more compact than in native ClpP, but overall structural changes were minimal (rmsd approximately 0.5 A). The side chain of Ser97 is rotated approximately 90 degrees in forming the covalent adduct with Z-LY-CMK, indicating that rearrangement of the active site residues to a active configuration occurs upon substrate binding. The N-terminal peptide of ClpP-CMK is stabilized in a beta-hairpin conformation with the proximal N-terminal residues lining the axial channel and the loop extending beyond the apical surface of the heptameric ring. The lack of major substrate-induced conformational changes suggests that changes in ClpP structure needed to facilitate substrate entry or product release must be limited to rigid body motions affecting subunit packing or contacts between ClpP rings.     

Catalytic sites of medicinal leech enzyme destabilase-lysozyme (Mldl). Structure-functional correlation

Based on three-dimensional model of the bifunctional enzyme Destabilase-Lysozyme (mlDL-Ds2) in complex with trimer of N-acetylglucosoamine (NAG)3 the functional role of the stereochemically based group of amino acids (Glu14, Asp26, Ser 29, Ser31, Lys38, His92), in manifestation of glycosidase and isopeptidase activities has been elucidated. By method of site-directed mutagenesis it has been shown that mlDL glycosidase active site includes catalytic Glu14 and Asp26, and isopeptidase site functions as Ser/Lys dyad presented by catalytic residues Lys38 and Ser29. Thus, among the invertebrate lysozymes mlDL presents first example of the bifunctional enzyme with identified position of the isopeptidase active site and localization of the corresponding catalytic residues.     

Human milk lactoferrin is a serine protease that cleaves Haemophilus surface proteins at arginine-rich sites

Lactoferrin is a member of the lactotransferrin family of non-haem, iron-binding glycoproteins and is found at high concentrations in all human secretions, where it plays a major role in mucosal defence. In recent work, we observed that lactoferrin has proteolytic activity and attenuates the pathogenic potential of Haemophilus influenzae by cleaving and removing two putative colonization factors, namely the IgA1 protease protein and the Hap adhesin. Experiments with protease inhibitors further suggested that lactoferrin may belong to a serine protease family. In the present study we explored the mechanism of lactoferrin protease activity and discovered that mutation of either Ser259 or Lys73 results in a dramatic decrease in proteolysis. Examination of the crystal structure revealed that these two residues are located in the N-terminal lobe of the protein, adjacent to a 12-15 A cleft that separates the N-lobe and the C-lobe and that can readily accommodate large polypeptide substrates. In additional work, we found that lactoferrin cleaves IgA1 protease at an arginine-rich region defined by amino acids 1379-1386 (RRSRRSVR) and digests Hap at an arginine-rich sequence between amino acids 1016 and 1023 (VRSRRAAR). Based on our results, we conclude that lactoferrin is a serine protease capable of cleaving arginine-rich sequences. We speculate that Ser259 and Lys73 form a catalytic dyad, reminiscent of a number of bacterial serine proteases. In addition, we speculate that lactoferrin may cleave arginine-rich sequences in a variety of microbial virulence proteins, contributing to its long-recognized antimicrobial properties.     

Catalytic sites of medicinal leech enzyme destabilase-lysozyme (mlDL): Structure-function relationship

Based on the three-dimensional model of the bifunctional enzyme destabilase-lysozyme of the medicinal leech (mlDL) in complex with trimer of N-acetylglucosamine (NAG)₃ by site-directed mutagenesis method, the functional role of the group of amino acids (Glu14, Asp26, Ser29, Ser31, Lys38, His92) in manifestation of lysozyme (glycosidase, muramidase) and isopeptidase activities has been investigated by site-directed mutagenesis. The results obtained go well with hypothesis, that lysozyme active site of mlDL includes catalytic Glu14 and Asp26 residues, and isopeptidase site functions as Ser/Lys catalytic dyad presented by catalytic residues Ser29 and Lys38. Thus, among the invertebrate lysozymes, mlDL presents the first example of a bifunctional enzyme with identified position of the isopeptidase active site and localization of the corresponding catalytic residues.     

Identification of active-site amino acid residues in the Chiba virus 3C-like protease

The 3C-like protease of the Chiba virus, a Norwalk-like virus, is one of the chymotrypsin-like proteases. To identify active-site amino acid residues in this protease, 37 charged amino acid residues and a putative nucleophile, Cys139, within the GDCG sequence were individually replaced with Ala in the 3BC precursor, followed by expression in Escherichia coli, where the active 3C-like protease would cleave 3BC into 3B (VPg) and 3C (protease). Among 38 Ala mutants, 7 mutants (R8A, H30A, K88A, R89A, D138A, C139A, and H157A) completely or nearly completely lost the proteolytic activity. Cys139 was replaceable only with Ser, suggesting that an SH or OH group in the less bulky side chain was required for the side chain of the residue at position 139. His30, Arg89, and Asp138 could not be replaced with any other amino acids. Although Arg8 was also not replaceable for the 3B/3C cleavage and the 3C/3D cleavage, the N-terminal truncated mutant devoid of Arg8 significantly cleaved 3CD into 3C and 3D (polymerase), indicating that Arg8 itself was not directly involved in the proteolytic cleavage. As for position 88, a positively charged residue was required because the Arg mutant showed significant activity. As deduced by the X-ray structure of the hepatitis A virus 3C protease, Arg8, Lys88, and Arg89 are far away from the active site, and the side chain of Asp138 is directed away from the active site. Therefore, these are not catalytic residues. On the other hand, all of the mutants of His157 in the S1 specificity pocket tended to retain very slight activity, suggesting a decreased level of substrate recognition. These results, together with a sequence alignment with the picornavirus 3C proteases, indicate that His30 and Cys139 are active-site residues, forming a catalytic dyad without a carboxylate directly participating in the proteolysis.     

The catalytic triad in Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase: pH, temperature and molecular modelling studies

Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase belongs to the short chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family which lack metal ions in their active site. In this family, it appears that the three amino acid residues, Ser138, Tyr151 and Lys155 have a similar function as the catalytic zinc in medium chain dehydrogenases. The present work has been performed in order to obtain information about the function of these residues. To obtain this goal, the pH and temperature dependence of various kinetic coefficients of the alcohol dehydrogenase from Drosophila lebanonensis was studied and three-dimensional models of the ternary enzyme-coenzyme-substrate complexes were created from the X-ray crystal coordinates of the D. lebanonensis ADH complexed with either NAD(+) or the NAD(+)-3-pentanone adduct. The kon velocity for ethanol and the ethanol competitive inhibitor pyrazole increased with pH and was regulated through the ionization of a single group in the binary enzyme-NAD(+) complex, with a DeltaHion value of 74(+/-4) kJ/mol (18(+/-1) kcal/mol). Based on this result and the constructed three-dimensional models of the enzyme, the most likely candidate for this catalytic residue is Ser138. The present kinetic study indicates that the role of Lys155 is to lower the pKa values of both Tyr151 and Ser138 already in the free enzyme. In the binary enzyme-NAD(+) complex, the positive charge of the nicotinamide ring in the coenzyme further lowers the pKa values and generates a strong base in the two negatively charged residues Ser138 and Tyr151. With the OH group of an alcohol close to the Ser138 residue, an alcoholate anion is formed in the ternary enzyme NAD(+) alcohol transition state complex. In the catalytic triad, along with their effect on Ser138, both Lys155 and Tyr151 also appear to bind and orient the oxidized coenzyme.     

Crystal structure and site-directed mutagenesis studies of N-carbamoyl-D-amino-acid amidohydrolase from Agrobacterium radiobacter reveals a homotetramer and insight into a catalytic cleft

The N-carbamoyl-D-amino-acid amidohydrolase (D-NCAase) is used on an industrial scale for the production of D-amino acids. The crystal structure of D-NCAase was solved by multiple isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering using xenon and gold derivatives, and refined to 1.95 A resolution, to an R-factor of 18.6 %. The crystal structure shows a four-layer alpha/beta fold with two six-stranded beta sheets packed on either side by two alpha helices. One exterior layer faces the solvent, whereas the other one is buried and involved in the tight intersubunit contacts. A long C-terminal fragment extends from a monomer to a site near a dyad axis, and associates with another monomer to form a small and hydrophobic cavity, where a xenon atom can bind. Site-directed mutagenesis of His129, His144 and His215 revealed strict geometric requirements of these conserved residues to maintain a stable conformation of a putative catalytic cleft. A region located within this cleft involving Cys172, Glu47, and Lys127 is proposed for D-NCAase catalysis and is similar to the Cys-Asp-Lys site of N-carbamoylsarcosine amidohydrolase. The homologous active-site framework of these enzymes with distinct structures suggests convergent evolution of a common catalytic mechanism.     

The solution structure of the C-terminal domain of NfeD reveals a novel membrane-anchored OB-fold

Nodulation formation efficiency D (NfeD) is a member of a class of membrane-anchored ClpP-class proteases. There is a second class of NfeD homologs that lack the ClpP domain. The genes of both NfeD classes usually are part of an operon that also contains a gene for a prokaryotic homolog of stomatin. (Stomatin is a major integral-membrane protein of mammalian erythrocytes.) Such NfeD/stomatin homolog gene pairs are present in more than 290 bacterial and archaeal genomes, and their protein products may be part of the machinery used for quality control of membrane proteins. Herein, we report the structure of the isolated C-terminal domain of PH0471, a Pyrococcus horikoshii NfeD homolog, which lacks the ClpP domain. This C-terminal domain (termed NfeDC) contains a five-strand beta-barrel, which is structurally very similar to the OB-fold (oligosaccharide/oligonucleotide-binding fold) domain. However, there is little sequence similarity between it and previously characterized OB-fold domains. The NfeDC domain lacks the conserved surface residues that are necessary for the binding of an OB-fold domain to DNA/RNA, an ion. Instead, its surface is composed of residues that are uniquely conserved in NfeD homologs and that form the structurally conserved surface turns and beta-bulges. There is also a conserved tryptophan present on the surface. We propose that, in general, NfeDC domains may interact with other spatially proximal membrane proteins and thereby regulate their activities.     

Cyanuric acid hydrolase: evolutionary innovation by structural concatenation

The cyanuric acid hydrolase, AtzD, is the founding member of a newly identified family of ring‐opening amidases. We report the first X‐ray structure for this family, which is a novel fold (termed the ‘Toblerone’ fold) that likely evolved via the concatenation of monomers of the trimeric YjgF superfamily and the acquisition of a metal binding site. Structures of AtzD with bound substrate (cyanuric acid) and inhibitors (phosphate, barbituric acid and melamine), along with mutagenesis studies, allowed the identification of the active site. The AtzD monomer, active site and substrate all possess threefold rotational symmetry, to the extent that the active site possesses three potential Ser–Lys catalytic dyads. A single catalytic dyad (Ser85–Lys42) is hypothesized, based on biochemical evidence and crystallographic data. A plausible catalytic mechanism based on these observations is also presented. A comparison with a homology model of the related barbiturase, Bar, was used to infer the active‐site residues responsible for substrate specificity, and the phylogeny of the 68 AtzD‐like enzymes in the database were analysed in light of this structure–function relationship.     

Characterization of bacterial NMN deamidase as a Ser/Lys hydrolase expands diversity of serine amidohydrolases

NMN deamidase (PncC) is a bacterial enzyme involved in NAD biosynthesis. We have previously demonstrated that PncC is structurally distinct from other known amidohydrolases. Here, we extended PncC characterization by mutating all potential catalytic residues and assessing their individual roles in catalysis through kinetic analyses. Inspection of these residues’ spatial arrangement in the active site, allowed us to conclude that PncC is a serine-amidohydrolase, employing a Ser/Lys dyad for catalysis. Analysis of the PncC structure in complex with a modeled NMN substrate supported our conclusion, and enabled us to propose the catalytic mechanism.     

Cloning and overexpression of a thermostable signal peptide peptidase (SppA) from Thermoplasma volcanium GSS1 in E. coli

In this study, a gene coding for thermophilic serine protease of the ClpP class from the thermoacidophilic archaeon Thermoplasma volcanium (Tpv) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The primary sequence and domain analysis of this enzyme showed similarities (50–60% similarity) to signal peptide peptidases (SppA) of bacteria and other archaea. An increase of about tenfold in the activity was achieved by overexpression of Tpv SppA in E. coli, as detected by enzyme assays conducted using Ala-Ala-Phe-pNa and N-Suc-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA as substrates. The recombinant enzyme, purified using an anion exchange column chromatography, displayed an apparent molecular mass of 26 kDa on SDS-PAGE analysis. Purified Tpv SppA was active in a broad range of pH and temperature with maximal activity at 60°C and between pH 7.5 and pH 8.0. The activity of the enzyme was strongly inhibited by inhibitors typical for serine proteases, i.e., chymostatin and PMSF. The activity of the Tpv SppA and the stability at high temperature were significantly enhanced in the presence of 5 mM Ca²⁺ ions. Our multiple sequence alignment data revealed a conserved Ser/Lys catalytic dyad in Tpv SppA that comprised Ser76 (nucleophile) and Lys128 (general base) residues. A search for a transmembrane domain using automated programs did not predict any signal peptide associated with the Tpv SppA and, therefore, suggested a cytoplasmic location for this enzyme.     

Solution structure of the mature HIV-1 protease monomer: insight into the tertiary fold and stability of a precursor

We present the first solution structure of the HIV-1 protease monomer spanning the region Phe1-Ala95 (PR1-95). Except for the terminal regions (residues 1-10 and 91-95) that are disordered, the tertiary fold of the remainder of the protease is essentially identical to that of the individual subunit of the dimer. In the monomer, the side chains of buried residues stabilizing the active site interface in the dimer, such as Asp25, Asp29, and Arg87, are now exposed to solvent. The flap dynamics in the monomer are similar to that of the free protease dimer. We also show that the protease domain of an optimized precursor flanked by 56 amino acids of the N-terminal transframe region is predominantly monomeric, exhibiting a tertiary fold that is quite similar to that of PR1-95 structure. This explains the very low catalytic activity observed for the protease prior to its maturation at its N terminus as compared with the mature protease, which is an active stable dimer under identical conditions. Adding as few as 2 amino acids to the N terminus of the mature protease significantly increases its dissociation into monomers. Knowledge of the protease monomer structure and critical features of its dimerization may aid in the screening and design of compounds that target the protease prior to its maturation from the Gag-Pol precursor.     

Dynamics of the ClpP serine protease: A model for self-compartmentalized proteases

Abstract

ClpP is a highly conserved serine protease present in most bacterial species and in the mitochondria of mammalian cells. It forms a cylindrical tetradecameric complex arranged into two stacked heptamers. The two heptameric rings of ClpP enclose a roughly spherical proteolytic chamber of about 51 Å in diameter with 14 Ser–His–Asp proteolytic active sites. ClpP typically forms complexes with unfoldase chaperones of the AAA+ superfamily. Chaperones dock on one or both ends of the ClpP double ring cylindrical structure. Dynamics in the ClpP structure is critical for its function. Polypeptides targeted for degradation by ClpP are initially recognized by the AAA+ chaperones. Polypeptides are unfolded by the chaperones and then translocated through the ClpP axial pores, present on both ends of the ClpP cylinder, into the ClpP catalytic chamber. The axial pores of ClpP are gated by dynamic axial loops that restrict or allow substrate entry. As a processive protease, ClpP degrades substrates to generate peptides of about 7–8 residues. Based on structural, biochemical and theoretical studies, the exit of these polypeptides from the proteolytic chamber is proposed to be mediated by the dynamics of the ClpP oligomer. The ClpP cylinder has been found to exist in at least three conformations, extended, compact and compressed, that seem to represent different states of ClpP during its proteolytic functional cycle. In this review, we discuss the link between ClpP dynamics and its activity. We propose that such dynamics also exist in other cylindrical proteases such as HslV and the proteasome.     

Structural insights into the conformational diversity of ClpP from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus subtilis</Emphasis>

ClpP is a cylindrical protease that is tightly regulated by Clp-ATPases. The activation mechanism of ClpP using acyldepsipeptide antibiotics as mimics of natural activators showed enlargement of the axial entrance pore for easier processing of incoming substrates. However, the elimination of degradation products from inside the ClpP chamber remains unclear since there is no exit pore for releasing these products in all determined ClpP structures. Here we report a new crystal structure of ClpP from Bacillus subtilis, which shows a significantly compressed shape along the axial direction. A portion of the handle regions comprising the heptameric ring-ring contacts shows structural transition from an ordered to a disordered state, which triggers the large conformational change from an extended to an overall compressed structure. Along with this structural change, 14 side pores are generated for product release and the catalytic triad adopts an inactive orientation. We have also determined B. subtilis ClpP inhibited by diisopropylfluoro-phosphate and analyzed the active site in detail. Structural information pertaining to several different conformational steps such as those related to extended, ADEP-activated, DFP-inhibited and compressed forms of ClpP from B. subtilis is available. Structural comparisons suggest that functionally important regions in the ClpP-family such as N-terminal segments for the axial pore, catalytic triads, and handle domains for the product releasing pore exhibit intrinsically dynamic and unique structural features. This study provides valuable insights for understanding the enigmatic cylindrical degradation machinery of ClpP as well as other related proteases such as HslV and the 20S proteasome.     

Identification of essential acidic residues of outer membrane protease OmpT supports a novel active site

Escherichia coli outer membrane protease OmpT has previously been classified as a serine protease with Ser(99) and His(212) as active site residues. The recently solved X-ray structure of the enzyme was inconsistent with this classification, and the involvement of a nucleophilic water molecule was proposed. Here, we substituted all conserved aspartate and glutamate residues by alanines and measured the residual enzymatic activities of the variants. Our results support the involvement of a nucleophilic water molecule that is activated by the Asp(210)/His(212) catalytic dyad. Activity is also strongly dependent on Asp(83) and Asp(85). Both may function in binding of the water molecule and/or oxyanion stabilization. The proposed mechanism implies a novel proteolytic catalytic site.