A distinct structural region of the prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein (Pup) is recognized by the N-terminal domain of the proteasomal ATPase Mpa

The mycobacterial ubiquitin-like protein Pup is coupled to proteins, thereby rendering them as substrates for proteasome-mediated degradation. The Pup-tagged proteins are recruited by the proteasomal ATPase Mpa (also called ARC). Using a combination of biochemical and NMR methods, we characterize the structural determinants of Pup and its interaction with Mpa, demonstrating that Pup adopts a range of extended conformations with a short helical stretch in its C-terminal portion. We show that the N-terminal coiled-coil domain of Mpa makes extensive contacts along the central region of Pup leaving its N-terminus unconstrained and available for other functional interactions.

Structured summary

MINT-7262427: pup (uniprotkb:B6DAC1) binds (MI:0407) to mpa (uniprotkb:Q0G9Y7) by pull down (MI:0096) MINT-7262440: mpa (uniprotkb:Q0G9Y7) and pup (uniprotkb:B6DAC1) bind (MI:0407) by isothermal titration calorimetry (MI:0065)     

Activity of the mycobacterial proteasomal ATPase Mpa is reversibly regulated by pupylation

Pupylation is a bacterial post-translational modification of target proteins on lysine residues with prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein Pup. Pup-tagged substrates are recognized by a proteasome-interacting ATPase termed Mpa in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mpa unfolds pupylated substrates and threads them into the proteasome core particle for degradation. Interestingly, Mpa itself is also a pupylation target. Here, we show that the Pup ligase PafA predominantly produces monopupylated Mpa modified homogeneously on a single lysine residue within its C-terminal region. We demonstrate that this modification renders Mpa functionally inactive. Pupylated Mpa can no longer support Pup-mediated proteasomal degradation due to its inability to associate with the proteasome core. Mpa is further inactivated by rapid Pup- and ATPase-driven deoligomerization of the hexameric Mpa ring. We show that pupylation of Mpa is chemically and functionally reversible. Mpa regains its enzymatic activity upon depupylation by the depupylase Dop, affording a rapid and reversible activity control over Mpa function.     

原核生物类泛素蛋白Pup-蛋白酶体系统的研究进展

真核泛素-蛋白酶体系统是细胞内蛋白质降解的重要机制,参与细胞生理功能调控,因此泛素-蛋白酶体通路的机制和功能研究备受关注.20世纪80年代,人们就发现放线菌中存在原核蛋白酶体,但是对于原核蛋白酶体的功能和作用机理长期以来了解甚少.2008年,Pearce等在结核分枝杆菌中发现了原核类泛素蛋白(prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein,Pup).在Dop、PafA、Mpa等辅助因子的作用下,Pup可以共价标记多种功能蛋白,并介导被标记蛋白质通过蛋白酶体降解,Pup-蛋白酶体系统的发现揭示了原核生物中一个崭新的蛋白质降解机制.Pup-蛋白酶体系统的靶蛋白涉及物质中间代谢、信号通路、毒性和抗毒性因子、细胞壁和细胞膜组分等多个方面,并且与结核分枝杆菌的致病性相关,被认为是新的结核病治疗药物靶点.本文就原核Pup-蛋白酶体系统的作用机理及其功能的研究进展作一综述.     

Pup-蛋白酶体系统的作用机制和生物学功能

Pup-蛋白酶体系统（Pup-proteasome system,PPS）是原核生物的一种翻译后蛋白质修饰降解体系,在去酰胺酶（deamidase of Pup,Dop）和蛋白酶体辅助因子A (proteasome accessory factorA,PafA)两种酶的作用下,原核生物类泛素蛋白（prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein,Pup）可以标记靶蛋白,并介导靶蛋白经蛋白酶体降解。在分枝杆菌中PPS参与氧化应激、营养缺乏、热激、DNA损伤等多种应激反应,并在金属离子稳态调控、毒素-抗毒素系统（toxin-antitoxin system,TA system）的调节以及抵抗宿主免疫等过程中发挥作用。PPS与结核分枝杆菌（Mycobacterium tuberculosis,Mtb）的持留性和致病性直接相关,因此PPS中的PafA、Dop和蛋白酶体均是抗结核药物开发的新靶点,筛选针对PPS的小分子抑制剂将成为新型抗结核药物研发的一个新途径。此外,Paf A催化的蛋白质Pup化被应用于生物技术的研发,形成了一种新的邻近标记技术——基于Pup化的邻近标记技术...     

HAMP domain-mediated signal transduction probed with a mycobacterial adenylyl cyclase as a reporter

HAMP domains, ～55 amino acid motifs first identified in histidine kinases, adenylyl cyclases, methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins, and phosphatases, operate as signal mediators in two-component signal transduction proteins. A bioinformatics study identified a coevolving signal-accepting network of 10 amino acids in membrane-delimited HAMP proteins. To probe the functionality of this network we used a HAMP containing mycobacterial adenylyl cyclase, Rv3645, as a reporter enzyme in which the membrane anchor was substituted by the Escherichia coli chemotaxis receptor for serine (Tsr receptor) and the HAMP domain alternately with that from the protein Af1503 of the archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus or the Tsr receptor. In a construct with the Tsr-HAMP, cyclase activity was inhibited by serine, whereas in a construct with the HAMP domain from A. fulgidus, enzyme activity was not responsive to serine. Amino acids of the signal-accepting network were mutually swapped between both HAMP domains, and serine signaling was examined. The data biochemically tentatively established the functionality of the signal-accepting network. Based on a two-state gearbox model of rotation in HAMP domain-mediated signal propagation, we characterized the interaction between permanent and transient core residues in a coiled coil HAMP structure. The data are compatible with HAMP rotation in signal propagation but do not exclude alternative models for HAMP signaling. Finally, we present data indicating that the connector, which links the α-helices of HAMP domains, plays an important structural role in HAMP function.     

Aptamer from whole-bacterium SELEX as new therapeutic reagent against virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Worldwide, tuberculosis (TB) remains the most frequent and important infectious disease causing morbidity and death. One-third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), the etiologic agent of TB. Because of the global health problems of TB, the development of potent new anti-TB drugs without cross-resistance with known antimycobacterial agents is urgently needed. In this study, we have applied a Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) process to identify a single aptamer (NK2) that binds to virulent strain M. tuberculosis (H37Rv) with high affinity and specificity. We have found that this aptamer improves CD4(+)T cells to produce IFN-gamma after binding to H37Rv. The different component between H37Rv and BCG was identified as some membrane protein. Moreover, the survival rates of mice challenged with i.v. H37Rv have been prolonged after treatment with single injection of aptamer NK2. The bacterial numbers were significantly lower in the spleen of mice treated with aptamer NK2. The histopathological examination of lung biopsy specimens showed lesser pulmonary alveolar fusion and swelling in the presence of the aptamer. These results suggest that aptamer NK2 has inhibitory effects on M. tuberculosis and can be used as antimycobacterial agent.     

Potential of Mycobacterium tuberculosis resuscitation-promoting factors as antigens in novel tuberculosis sub-unit vaccines

Novel vaccines are needed to control tuberculosis (TB), the bacterial infectious disease that together with malaria and HIV is worldwide responsible for high levels of morbidity and mortality. TB can result from the reactivation of an initially controlled latent infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Mtb proteins for which a possible role in this reactivation process has been hypothesized are the five homologs of the resuscitation-promoting factor of Micrococcus luteus, namely Mtb Rv0867c (rpfA), Rv1009 (rpfB), Rv1884c (rpfC), Rv2389c (rpfD) and Rv2450c (rpfE). Analysis of the immune recognition of these 5 proteins following Mtb infection or Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccination of mice showed that Rv1009 (rpfB) and Rv2389c (rpfD) are the most antigenic in the tested models. We therefore selected rpfB and rpfD for testing their vaccine potential as plasmid DNA vaccines. Elevated cellular immune responses and modest but significant protection against intra-tracheal Mtb challenge were induced by immunization with the rpfB encoding DNA vaccine. The results indicate that rpfB is the most promising candidate of the five rpf-like proteins of Mtb in terms of its immunogenicity and protective efficacy and warrants further analysis for inclusion as an antigen in novel TB vaccines.     

Functional insights by comparison of modeled structures of 18kDa small heat shock protein and its mutant in Mycobacterium leprae

In this work we are proposing Homology modeled structures of Mycobacterium leprae 18kDa heat shock protein and its mutant. The more closely related structure of the small heat shock protein (sHSP) belonging to the eukaryotic species from wheat sHSP16.9 and 16.3kDa ACR1 protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis were used as template structures. Each model contains an N-terminal domain, alpha-crystalline domain and a C-terminal tail. The models showed that a single point mutation from serine to proline at 52^nd position causes structural changes. The structural changes are observed in N-terminal region and alpha-crystalline domains. Serine in 52^nd position is observed in β4 strand and Proline in 52^nd position is observed in loop. The number of residues contributing α helix at N-terminal region varies in both models. In 18S more number of residues is present in α helix when compared to 18P. The loop regions between β3 and β4 strands of both models vary in number of residues present in it. Number of residues contributing β4 strand in both models vary. β6 strand is absent in both models. Major functional peptide region of alpha crystalline domains of both models varies. These differences observed in secondary structures support their distinct functional roles. It also emphasizes that a point mutation can cause structural variation.     

Antibacterial and antitubercular activity of fosmidomycin, FR900098, and their lipophilic analogs

The nonmevalonate pathway (NMP) of isoprene biosynthesis is an exciting new route toward novel antibiotic development. Inhibitors against several enzymes in this pathway are currently under examination. A significant liability of many of these agents is poor cell penetration. To overcome and improve our understanding of this problem, we have synthesized a series of lipophilic, prodrug analogs of fosmidomycin and FR900098, inhibitors of the NMP enzyme Dxr. Several of these compounds show improved antibacterial activity against a panel of organisms relative to the parent compound, including activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Our results show that this strategy can be an effective way for improving whole cell activity of NMP inhibitors.     

Predicting pupylation sites in prokaryotic proteins using semi-supervised self-training support vector machine algorithm

As one important post-translational modification of prokaryotic proteins, pupylation plays a key role in regulating various biological processes. The accurate identification of pupylation sites is crucial for understanding the underlying mechanisms of pupylation. Although several computational methods have been developed for the identification of pupylation sites, the prediction accuracy of them is still unsatisfactory. Here, a novel bioinformatics tool named IMP–PUP is proposed to improve the prediction of pupylation sites. IMP–PUP is constructed on the composition of k-spaced amino acid pairs and trained with a modified semi-supervised self-training support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. The proposed algorithm iteratively trains a series of support vector machine classifiers on both annotated and non-annotated pupylated proteins. Computational results show that IMP–PUP achieves the area under receiver operating characteristic curves of 0.91, 0.73, and 0.75 on our training set, Tung's testing set, and our testing set, respectively, which are better than those of the different error costs SVM algorithm and the original self-training SVM algorithm. Independent tests also show that IMP–PUP significantly outperforms three other existing pupylation site predictors: GPS–PUP, iPUP, and pbPUP. Therefore, IMP–PUP can be a useful tool for accurate prediction of pupylation sites. A MATLAB software package for IMP–PUP is available at https://juzhe1120.github.io/.     

A variant System I for cytochrome c biogenesis in archaea and some bacteria has a novel CcmE and no CcmH

C-type cytochromes are characterized by post-translational covalent attachment of heme to thiols that occur in a Cys-Xxx-Xxx-Cys-His motif. Three distinct biogenesis systems are known for this heme attachment. Archaea are now shown to contain a significantly modified form of cytochrome c maturation System I (the Ccm system). The most notable adaptation relative to the well-studied apparatus from proteobacteria and plants is a novel form of the heme chaperone CcmE, lacking the highly conserved histidine that covalently binds heme and is essential for function in Escherichia coli. In most archaeal CcmEs this histidine, normally found in a His-Xxx-Xxx-Xxx-Tyr motif, is replaced by a cysteine residue that occurs in a Cys-Xxx-Xxx-Xxx-Tyr motif. The CcmEs from two halobacteria contain yet another form of CcmE, having HxxxHxxxH approximately corresponding in alignment to the H/CxxxY motif. The CxxxY-type of CcmE is, surprisingly, also found in some bacterial genomes (including Desulfovibrio species). All of the modified CcmEs cluster together in a phylogenetic tree, as do other Ccm proteins from the same organisms. Significantly, CcmH is absent from all of the complete archaeal genomes we have studied, and also from most of the bacterial genomes that have CxxxY-type CcmE.     

The thymus as a target for mycobacterial infections

Mycobacterial infections are among the major health threats worldwide. Ability to fight these infections depends on the host's immune response, particularly on macrophages and T lymphocytes produced by the thymus. Using the mouse as a model, and two different routes of infection (aerogenic or intravenous), we show that the thymus is consistently colonized by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium or Mycobacterium bovis BCG. When compared to organs such as the liver and spleen, the bacterial load reaches a plateau at later time-points after infection. Moreover, in contrast with organs such as the spleen and the lung no granuloma were found in the thymus of mice infected with M. tuberculosis or M. avium. Since T cell differentiation depends, to a large extent, on the antigens encountered within the thymus, infection of this organ might alter the host's immune response to infection. Therefore, from now on, the thymus should be considered in studies addressing the immune response to mycobacterial infection.     

Intracellular localization of proteasomal degradation of a viral antigen.

To better understand proteasomal degradation of nuclear proteins and viral antigens we studied mutated forms of influenza virus nucleoprotein (NP) that misfold and are rapidly degraded by proteasomes. In the presence of proteasome inhibitors, mutated NP (dNP) accumulates in highly insoluble ubiquitinated and nonubiquitinated species in nuclear substructures known as promyelocytic leukemia oncogenic domains (PODs) and the microtubule organizing center (MTOC). Immunofluorescence revealed that dNP recruits proteasomes and a selective assortment of molecular chaperones to both locales, and that a similar (though less dramatic) effect is induced by proteasome inhibitors in the absence of dNP expression. Biochemical evidence is consistent with the idea that dNP is delivered to PODs/MTOC in the absence of proteasome inhibitors. Restoring proteasome activity while blocking protein synthesis results in disappearance of dNP from PODs and the MTOC and the generation of a major histocompatibility complex class I-bound peptide derived from dNP but not NP. These findings demonstrate that PODs and the MTOC serve as sites of proteasomal degradation of misfolded dNP and probably cellular proteins as well, and imply that antigenic peptides are generated at one or both of these sites.     

Evidence for a new post-translational modification in Staphylococcus aureus: hydroxymethylation of asparagine and glutamine

Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen whose infectious capacity depends on surface proteins, which enable bacteria to colonize and invade host tissues and cells. We analyzed “trypsin-shaved” surface proteins of S. aureus cultures by high resolution LC-MS/MS at different growth stages and culture conditions. Some modified peptides were identified, with a mass shift corresponding to the addition of a CH₂O group (+ 30.0106 u). We present evidence that this shift corresponds to a hyxdroxymethylation of asparagine and glutamine residues. This known but poorly documented post-translational modification was only found in a few proteins of S. aureus grown under specific conditions. This specificity seemed to exclude the hypothesis of an artifact due to sample preparation. Altogether hydroxymethylation was observed in 35 peptides from 15 proteins in our dataset, which corresponded to 41 modified sites, 35 of them being univocally localized. While no function can currently be assigned to this post-translational modification, we hypothesize that it could be linked to modulation of virulence factors, since it was mostly found on some surface proteins of S. aureus.     

Resistome analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Identification of aminoglycoside 2'-Nacetyltransferase (AAC) as co-target for drug desigining

The emergence of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) highlights the urgent need to understand the mechanisms of resistance to the drugs and to develop a new arena of therapeutics to treat the disease. Ethambutol, isonazid, pyrazinamide, rifampicin are first line of drugs against TB, whereas aminoglycoside, polypeptides, fluoroquinolone, ethionamide are important second line of bactericidal drugs used to treat MDRTB, and resistance to one or both of these drugs are defining characteristic of extensively drug resistant TB. We retrieved 1,221 resistant genes from Antibiotic Resistance Gene Database (ARDB), which are responsible for resistance against first and second line antibiotics used in treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. From network analysis of these resistance genes, 53 genes were found to be common. Phylogenetic analysis shows that more than 60% of these genes code for acetyltransferase. Acetyltransferases detoxify antibiotics by acetylation, this mechanism plays central role in antibiotic resistance. Seven acetyltransferase (AT-1 to AT-7) were selected from phylogenetic analysis. Structural alignment shows that these acetyltransferases share common ancestral core, which can be used as a template for structure based drug designing. From STRING analysis it is found that acetyltransferase interact with 10 different proteins and it shows that, all these interaction were specific to M. tuberculosis. These results have important implications in designing new therapeutic strategies with acetyltransferase as lead co-target to combat against MDR as well as Extreme drug resistant (XDR) tuberculosis.

Abbreviations

AA - amino acid, AT - Acetyltransferase, AAC - Aminoglycoside 2''-N-acetyltransferase, XDR - Extreme drug-resistant, MDR - Multidrug-resistant, Mtb - Mycobacterium tuberculosis, TB - Tuberculosis.     

The structure of 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals a common catalytic scaffold and ancestry for type I and type II enzymes

The shikimate pathway, responsible for the biosynthesis of aromatic compounds, is essential for the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is a potential target for the design of new anti-tuberculosis drugs. The first step of this pathway is catalyzed by 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase (DAH7PS). The DAH7PSs have been classified into two apparently unrelated types and, whereas structural data have been obtained for the type I DAH7PSs, no structural information is available for their type II counterparts. The type II DAH7PS from M.tuberculosis has been expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, functionally characterized and crystallized. It is found to be metal ion-dependent and subject to feedback inhibition by phenylalanine, tryptophan, tyrosine and chorismate, with a significant synergistic effect when tryptophan is used in combination with phenylalanine. The crystal structure of M.tuberculosis DAH7PS has been determined by single-wavelength anomalous diffraction and refined at 2.3A in complex with substrate phosphoenolpyruvate and Mn(2+). The structure reveals a tightly associated dimer of (beta/alpha)(8) TIM barrels. The monomer fold, the arrangement of key residues in the active site, and the binding modes of PEP and Mn(2+), all match those of the type I enzymes, and indicate a common ancestry for the type I and type II DAH7PSs, despite their minimal sequence identity. In contrast, the structural elements that decorate the core (beta/alpha)(8) fold differ from those in the type I enzymes, consistent with their different regulatory and oligomeric properties.     

Biochemical characterization of a chromosomal toxin-antitoxin system in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

In the present paper, we report the biochemical characterization of a chromosomal toxin-antitoxin (TA) system in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, consisting of the Rv1991c gene and its upstream open reading frame (ORF) termed Rv1991a. Rv1991c was characterized as a toxin with ribonuclease activity and Rv1991a as the antitoxin against Rv1991c. Rv1991a interacted with Rv1991c to form a complex. A promoter located immediately upstream of Rv1991a was identified. Both Rv1991a and the Rv1991a-Rv1991c complex were able to bind to the promoter region of the Rv1991a-Rv1991c operon, indicating that the expression of the Rv1991a-Rv1991c operon can be autoregulated.