The crystal structure of chorismate lyase shows a new fold and a tightly retained product.

The enzyme chorismate lyase (CL) catalyzes the removal of pyruvate from chorismate to produce 4-hydroxy benzoate (4HB) for the ubiquinone pathway. In Escherichia coli, CL is monomeric, with 164 residues. We have determined the structure of the CL product complex by crystallographic heavy-atom methods and report the structure at 1.4-A resolution for a fully active double Cys-to-Ser mutant and at 2.0-A resolution for the wild-type. The fold involves a 6-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet with no spanning helices and novel connectivity. The product is bound internally, adjacent to the sheet, with its polar groups coordinated by two main-chain amides and by the buried side-chains of Arg 76 and Glu 155. The 4HB is completely sequestered from solvent in a largely hydrophobic environment behind two helix-turn-helix loops. The extensive product binding that is observed is consistent with biochemical measurements of slow product release and 10-fold stronger binding of product than substrate. Substrate binding and kinetically rate-limiting product release apparently require the rearrangement of these active-site-covering loops. Implications for the biological function of the high product binding are considered in light of the unique cellular role of 4HB, which is produced by cytoplasmic CL but is used by the membrane-bound enzyme 4HB octaprenyltransferase.     

Ultra-high resolution crystal structure of HIV-1 protease mutant reveals two binding sites for clinical inhibitor TMC114

TMC114 (darunavir) is a promising clinical inhibitor of HIV-1 protease (PR) for treatment of drug resistant HIV/AIDS. We report the ultra-high 0.84 A resolution crystal structure of the TMC114 complex with PR containing the drug-resistant mutation V32I (PR(V32I)), and the 1.22 A resolution structure of a complex with PR(M46L). These structures show TMC114 bound at two distinct sites, one in the active-site cavity and the second on the surface of one of the flexible flaps in the PR dimer. Remarkably, TMC114 binds at these two sites simultaneously in two diastereomers related by inversion of the sulfonamide nitrogen. Moreover, the flap site is shaped to accommodate the diastereomer with the S-enantiomeric nitrogen rather than the one with the R-enantiomeric nitrogen. The existence of the second binding site and two diastereomers suggest a mechanism for the high effectiveness of TMC114 on drug-resistant HIV and the potential design of new inhibitors.     

Crystal structure of the human B-form low molecular weight phosphotyrosyl phosphatase at 1.6-A resolution

The crystal structure of HPTP-B, a human isoenzyme of the low molecular weight phosphotyrosyl phosphatase (LMW PTPase) is reported here at a resolution of 1.6 A. This high resolution structure of the second human LMW PTPase isoenzyme provides the opportunity to examine the structural basis of different substrate and inhibitor/activator responses. The crystal packing of HPTP-B positions a normally surface-exposed arginine in a position equivalent to the tyrosyl substrate. A comparison of all deposited crystallographic coordinates of these PTPases reveals three atomic positions within the active site cavity occupied by hydrogen bond donor or acceptor atoms on bound molecules, suggesting useful design elements for synthetic inhibitors. A selection of inhibitor and activator molecules as well as small molecule and peptide substrates were tested against each human isoenzyme. These results along with the crystal packing seen in HPTP-B suggest relevant sequence elements in the currently unknown target sequence.     

Structure of human neutral endopeptidase (Neprilysin) complexed with phosphoramidon

Neutral endopeptidase is a mammalian type II integral membrane zinc-containing endopeptidase, which degrades and inactivates a number of bioactive peptides. The range of substrates cleaved by neutral endopeptidase in vitro includes the enkephalins, substance P, endothelin, bradykinin and atrial natriuretic factor. Due to the physiological importance of neutral endopeptidase in the modulation of nociceptive and pressor responses there is considerable interest in inhibitors of this enzyme as novel analgesics and anti-hypertensive agents. Here we describe the crystal structure of the extracellular domain (residues 52-749) of human NEP complexed with the generic metalloproteinase inhibitor phosphoramidon at 2.1 A resolution. The structure reveals two multiply connected folding domains which embrace a large central cavity containing the active site. The inhibitor is bound to one side of this cavity and its binding mode provides a detailed understanding of the ligand-binding and specificity determinants.     

Structure at 1.9 A resolution of a quinohemoprotein alcohol dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas putida HK5

The type II quinohemoprotein alcohol dehydrogenase of Pseudomonas putida is a periplasmic enzyme that oxidizes substrate alcohols to the aldehyde and transfers electrons first to pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) and then to an internal heme group. The 1.9 A resolution crystal structure reveals that the enzyme contains a large N-terminal eight-stranded beta propeller domain (approximately 60 kDa) similar to methanol dehydrogenase and a small C-terminal c-type cytochrome domain (approximately 10 kDa) similar to the cytochrome subunit of p-cresol methylhydoxylase. The PQQ is bound near the axis of the propeller domain about 14 A from the heme. A molecule of acetone, the product of the oxidation of isopropanol present during crystallization, appears to be bound in the active site cavity.     

Crystal structure and mechanism of human L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase: a mitochondrial enzyme involved in creatine biosynthesis.

L-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AT) catalyses the committed step in creatine biosynthesis by formation of guanidinoacetic acid, the immediate precursor of creatine. We have determined the crystal structure of the recombinant human enzyme by multiple isomorphous replacement at 1.9 A resolution. A telluromethionine derivative was used in sequence assignment. The structure of AT reveals a new fold with 5-fold pseudosymmetry of circularly arranged betabeta alphabeta-modules. These enclose the active site compartment, which is accessible only through a narrow channel. The overall structure resembles a basket with handles that are formed from insertions into the betabeta alphabeta-modules. Binding of L-ornithine, a product inhibitor, reveals a marked induced-fit mechanism, with a loop at the active site entrance changing its conformation accompanied by a shift of an alpha-helix by -4 A. Binding of the arginine educt to the inactive mutant C407A shows a similar mode of binding. A reaction mechanism with a catalytic triad Cys-His-Asp is proposed on the basis of substrate and product bound states.     

Structural evidence for a ligand coordination switch in liver alcohol dehydrogenase

The use of substrate analogues as inhibitors provides a way to understand and manipulate enzyme function. Here we report two 1 A resolution crystal structures of liver alcohol dehydrogenase in complex with NADH and two inhibitors: dimethyl sulfoxide and isobutyramide. Both structures present a dynamic state of inhibition. In the dimethyl sulfoxide complex structure, the inhibitor is caught in transition on its way to the active site using a flash-freezing protocol and a cadmium-substituted enzyme. One inhibitor molecule is partly located in the first and partly in the second coordination sphere of the active site metal. A hydroxide ion bound to the active site metal lies close to the pyridine ring of NADH, which is puckered in a twisted boat conformation. The cadmium ion is coordinated by both the hydroxide ion and the inhibitor molecule, providing structural evidence of a coordination switch at the active site metal ion. The structure of the isobutyramide complex reveals the partial formation of an adduct between the isobutyramide inhibitor and NADH. It provides evidence of the contribution of a shift from the keto to the enol tautomer during aldehyde reduction. The different positions of the inhibitors further refine the knowledge of the dynamics of the enzyme mechanism and explain how the crowded active site can facilitate the presence of a substrate and a metal-bound hydroxide ion.     

Structure-based rationalization of urease inhibition by phosphate: novel insights into the enzyme mechanism

The structure of Bacillus pasteurii urease (BPU) inhibited with phosphate was solved and refined using synchrotron X-ray diffraction data from a vitrified crystal (1.85 A resolution, 99.3% completeness, data redundancy 4.6, R-factor 17.3%, PDB code 6UBP). A distance of 3.5 A separates the two Ni ions in the active site. The binding mode of the inhibitor involves the formation of four coordination bonds with the two Ni ions: one phosphate oxygen atom symmetrically bridges the two metal ions (1.9-2.0 A), while two of the remaining phosphate oxygen atoms bind to the Ni atoms at 2.4 A. The fourth phosphate oxygen is directed into the active site channel. Analysis of the H-bonding network around the bound inhibitor indicates that phosphate is bound as the H2PO4- anion, and that an additional proton is present on the Odelta2 atom of Asp(alpha363), an active site residue involved in Ni coordination through Odelta1. The flexible flap flanking the active site cavity is in the open conformation. Analysis of the complex reveals why phosphate is a relatively weak inhibitor and why sulfate does not bind to the nickels in the active site. The implications of the results for the understanding of the urease catalytic mechanism are reviewed. A novel alternative for the proton donor is presented.     

The crystal structure of the formiminotransferase domain of formiminotransferase-cyclodeaminase: implications for substrate channeling in a bifunctional enzyme

BACKGROUND: The bifunctional enzyme formiminotransferase-cyclodeaminase (FTCD) contains two active sites at different positions on the protein structure. The enzyme binds a gamma-linked polyglutamylated form of the tetrahydrofolate substrate and channels the product of the transferase reaction from the transferase active site to the cyclodeaminase active site. Structural studies of this bifunctional enzyme and its monofunctional domains will provide insight into the mechanism of substrate channeling and the two catalytic reactions. RESULTS: The crystal structure of the formiminotransferase (FT) domain of FTCD has been determined in the presence of a product analog, folinic acid. The overall structure shows that the FT domain comprises two subdomains that adopt a novel alpha/beta fold. Inspection of the folinic acid binding site reveals an electrostatic tunnel traversing the width of the molecule. The distribution of charged residues in the tunnel provides insight into the possible mode of substrate binding and channeling. The electron density reveals that the non-natural stereoisomer, (6R)-folinic acid, binds to the protein; this observation suggests a mechanism for product release. In addition, a single molecule of glycerol is bound to the enzyme and indicates a putative binding site for formiminoglutamate. CONCLUSIONS: The structure of the FT domain in the presence of folinic acid reveals a possible novel mechanism for substrate channeling. The position of the folinic acid and a bound glycerol molecule near to the sidechain of His82 suggests that this residue may act as the catalytic base required for the formiminotransferase mechanism.     

The oligomeric structure of human granzyme A is a determinant of its extended substrate specificity

The cell death-inducing serine protease granzyme A (GzmA) has a unique disulfide-linked quaternary structure. The structure of human GzmA bound to a tripeptide CMK inhibitor, determined at a resolution of 2.4 A, reveals that the oligomeric state contributes to substrate selection by limiting access to the active site for potential macromolecular substrates and inhibitors. Unlike other serine proteases, tetrapeptide substrate preferences do not correlate well with natural substrate cleavage sequences. This suggests that the context of the cleavage sequence within a macromolecular substrate imposes another level of selection not observed with the peptide substrates. Modeling of inhibitors bound to the GzmA active site shows that the dimer also contributes to substrate specificity in a unique manner by extending the active-site cleft. The crystal structure, along with substrate library profiling and mutagenesis, has allowed us to identify and rationally manipulate key components involved in GzmA substrate specificity.     

Structures of the tricorn-interacting aminopeptidase F1 with different ligands explain its catalytic mechanism

F1 is a 33.5 kDa serine peptidase of the alpha/beta-hydrolase family from the archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum. Subsequent to proteasomal protein degradation, tricorn generates small peptides, which are cleaved by F1 to yield single amino acids. We have solved the crystal structure of F1 with multiwavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) phasing at 1.8 A resolution. In addition to the conserved catalytic domain, the structure reveals a chiefly alpha-helical domain capping the catalytic triad. Thus, the active site is accessible only through a narrow opening from the protein surface. Two structures with molecules bound to the active serine, including the inhibitor phenylalanyl chloromethylketone, elucidate the N-terminal recognition of substrates and the catalytic activation switch mechanism of F1. The cap domain mainly confers the specificity for hydrophobic side chains by a novel cavity system, which, analogously to the tricorn protease, guides substrates to the buried active site and products away from it. Finally, the structure of F1 suggests a possible functional complex with tricorn that allows efficient processive degradation to free amino acids for cellular recycling.     

Phosphofructokinase: structure and control

Phosphofructokinase from Bacillus stearothermophilus shows cooperative kinetics with respect to the substrate fructose-6-phosphate (F6P), allosteric activation by ADP, and inhibition by phosphoenolpyruvate. The crystal structure of the active conformation of the enzyme has been solved to 2.4 A resolution, and three ligand-binding sites have been located. Two of these form the active site and bind the substrates F6P and ATP. The third site binds both allosteric activator and inhibitor. The complex of the enzyme with F6P and ADP has been partly refined at 2.4 A resolution, and a model of ATP has been built into the active site by using the refined model of ADP and a 6 A resolution map of bound 5'-adenylylimidodiphosphate (AMPPNP). The gamma-phosphate of ATP is close to the 1-hydroxyl of F6P, in a suitable position for in-line phosphoryl transfer. The binding of the phosphate of F6P involves two arginines from a neighbouring subunit in the tetramer, which suggests that a rearrangement of the subunits could explain the cooperativity of substrate binding. The activatory ADP is also bound by residues from two subunits.     

Crystal structure of ATP phosphoribosyltransferase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The N-1-(5'-phosphoribosyl)-ATP transferase catalyzes the first step of the histidine biosynthetic pathway and is regulated by a feedback mechanism by the product histidine. The crystal structures of the N-1-(5'-phosphoribosyl)-ATP transferase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in complex with inhibitor histidine and AMP has been determined to 1.8 A resolution and without ligands to 2.7 A resolution. The active enzyme exists primarily as a dimer, and the histidine-inhibited form is a hexamer. The structure represents a new fold for a phosphoribosyltransferase, consisting of three continuous domains. The inhibitor AMP binds in the active site cavity formed between the two catalytic domains. A model for the mechanism of allosteric inhibition has been derived from conformational differences between the AMP:His-bound and apo structures.     

The crystal structure of PfFabZ, the unique beta-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase involved in fatty acid biosynthesis of Plasmodium falciparum

The unique beta-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase in Plasmodium falciparum, PfFabZ, is involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and catalyzes the dehydration of beta-hydroxy fatty acids linked to acyl carrier protein. The structure was solved by single anomalous dispersion (SAD) phasing using a quick-soaking experiment with potassium iodide and refined to a resolution of 2.1 A. The crystal structure represents the first structure of a Plasmodium beta-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase with broad substrate specificity. The asymmetric unit contains a hexamer that appears as a trimer of dimers. Each dimer shows the known "hot dog" fold that has been observed in only a few other protein structures. Each of the two independent active sites in the dimer is formed by equal contributions from both subunits. The active site is mainly hydrophobic and looks like an L-shaped tunnel. The catalytically important amino acids His 133 and Glu 147' (from the other subunit), together with His98', form the only hydrophilic site in this tunnel. The inner end of the active site tunnel is closed by the phenyl ring of Phe 169, which is located in a flexible, partly visible loop. In order to explain the acceptance of substrates longer than ~C-7, the phenyl ring must move away to open the tunnel. The present structure supports an enzymatic mechanism consisting of an elimination reaction catalyzed by His 133 and Glu147'. 3-decynoyl-N-acetylcysteamine, an inhibitor known to interact with the E. coli dehydratase/isomerase, turned out to interact covalently with PfFabZ. A first model of PfFabZ with this potent inhibitor is presented.     

Catalytic mechanism revealed by the crystal structure of undecaprenyl pyrophosphate synthase in complex with sulfate,magnesium, and triton

Undecaprenyl pyrophosphate synthase (UPPs) catalyzes chain elongation of farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) to undecaprenyl pyrophosphate (UPP) via condensation with eight isopentenyl pyrophosphates (IPP). UPPs from Escherichia coli is a dimer, and each subunit consists of 253 amino acid residues. The chain length of the product is modulated by a hydrophobic active site tunnel. In this paper, the crystal structure of E. coli UPPs was refined to 1.73 A resolution, which showed bound sulfate and magnesium ions as well as Triton X-100 molecules. The amino acid residues 72-82, which encompass an essential catalytic loop not seen in the previous apoenzyme structure (Ko, T.-P., Chen, Y. K., Robinson, H., Tsai, P. C., Gao, Y.-G., Chen, A. P.-C., Wang, A. H.-J., and Liang, P.-H. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 47474-47482), also became visible in one subunit. The sulfate ions suggest locations of the pyrophosphate groups of FPP and IPP in the active site. The Mg2+ is chelated by His-199 and Glu-213 from different subunits and possibly plays a structural rather than catalytic role. However, the metal ion is near the IPP-binding site, and double mutation of His-199 and Glu-213 to alanines showed a remarkable increase of Km value for IPP. Inside the tunnel, one Triton surrounds the top portion of the tunnel, and the other occupies the bottom part. These two Triton molecules may mimic the hydrocarbon moiety of the UPP product in the active site. Kinetic analysis indicated that a high concentration (>1%) of Triton inhibits the enzyme activity.     

Structure of P-protein of the glycine cleavage system: implications for nonketotic hyperglycinemia

The crystal structure of the P-protein of the glycine cleavage system from Thermus thermophilus HB8 has been determined. This is the first reported crystal structure of a P-protein, and it reveals that P-proteins do not involve the alpha(2)-type active dimer universally observed in the evolutionarily related pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzymes. Instead, novel alphabeta-type dimers associate to form an alpha(2)beta(2) tetramer, where the alpha- and beta-subunits are structurally similar and appear to have arisen by gene duplication and subsequent divergence with a loss of one active site. The binding of PLP to the apoenzyme induces large open-closed conformational changes, with residues moving up to 13.5 A. The structure of the complex formed by the holoenzyme bound to an inhibitor, (aminooxy)acetate, suggests residues that may be responsible for substrate recognition. The molecular surface around the lipoamide-binding channel shows conservation of positively charged residues, which are possibly involved in complex formation with the H-protein. These results provide insights into the molecular basis of nonketotic hyperglycinemia.     

Human DNA polymerase iota incorporates dCTP opposite template G via a G.C + Hoogsteen base pair

Human DNA polymerase iota (hPoliota), a member of the Y family of DNA polymerases, differs in remarkable ways from other DNA polymerases, incorporating correct nucleotides opposite template purines with a much higher efficiency and fidelity than opposite template pyrimidines. We present here the crystal structure of hPoliota bound to template G and incoming dCTP, which reveals a G.C + Hoogsteen base pair in a DNA polymerase active site. We show that the hPoliota active site has evolved to favor Hoogsteen base pairing, wherein the template sugar is fixed in a cavity that reduces the C1'-C1' distance across the nascent base pair from approximately 10.5 A in other DNA polymerases to 8.6 A in hPoliota. The rotation of G from anti to syn is then largely in response to this curtailed C1'-C1' distance. A G.C+ Hoogsteen base pair suggests a specific mechanism for hPoliota's ability to bypass N(2)-adducted guanines that obstruct replication.     

Crystal structure of enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (FabK) from Streptococcus pneumoniae reveals the binding mode of an inhibitor

Enoyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) reductases are critical for bacterial type II fatty acid biosynthesis and thus are attractive targets for developing novel antibiotics. We determined the crystal structure of enoyl-ACP reductase (FabK) from Streptococcus pneumoniae at 1.7 A resolution. There was one dimer per asymmetric unit. Each subunit formed a triose phosphate isomerase (TIM) barrel structure, and flavin mononucleotide (FMN) was bound as a cofactor in the active site. The overall structure was similar to the enoyl-ACP reductase (ER) of fungal fatty acid synthase and to 2-nitropropane dioxygenase (2-ND) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, although there were some differences among these structures. We determined the crystal structure of FabK in complex with a phenylimidazole derivative inhibitor to envision the binding site interactions. The crystal structure reveals that the inhibitor binds to a hydrophobic pocket in the active site of FabK, and this is accompanied by induced-fit movements of two loop regions. The thiazole ring and part of the ureido moiety of the inhibitor are involved in a face-to-face pi-pi stacking interaction with the isoalloxazine ring of FMN. The side-chain conformation of the proposed catalytic residue, His144, changes upon complex formation. Lineweaver-Burk plots indicate that the inhibitor binds competitively with respect to NADH, and uncompetitively with respect to crotonoyl coenzyme A. We propose that the primary basis of the inhibitory activity is competition with NADH for binding to FabK, which is the first step of the two-step ping-pong catalytic mechanism.     

Crystal structure of human cytochrome P450 2D6 with prinomastat bound

Human cytochrome P450 2D6 contributes to the metabolism of >15% of drugs used in clinical practice. This study determined the structure of P450 2D6 complexed with a substrate and potent inhibitor, prinomastat, to 2.85 ? resolution by x-ray crystallography. Prinomastat binding is well defined by electron density maps with its pyridyl nitrogen bound to the heme iron. The structure of ligand-bound P450 2D6 differs significantly from the ligand-free structure reported for the P450 2D6 Met-374 variant (Protein Data Bank code 2F9Q). Superposition of the structures reveals significant differences for β sheet 1, helices A, F, F', G", G, and H as well as the helix B-C loop. The structure of the ligand complex exhibits a closed active site cavity that conforms closely to the shape of prinomastat. The closure of the open cavity seen for the 2F9Q structure reflects a change in the direction and pitch of helix F and introduction of a turn at Gly-218, which is followed by a well defined helix F' that was not observed in the 2F9Q structure. These differences reflect considerable structural flexibility that is likely to contribute to the catalytic versatility of P450 2D6, and this new structure provides an alternative model for in silico studies of substrate interactions with P450 2D6.