The crystal structure of the catalytic domain of the site-specific recombination enzyme gamma delta resolvase at 2.7 A resolution

The crystal structure of the catalytic domain of the site-specific recombination enzyme gamma delta resolvase has been determined at 2.7 A resolution. Its first 120 amino acids form a central five-stranded, beta-pleated sheet surrounded by five alpha helices. In one of the four dyad-related dimers, the two active site Ser-10 residues are 19 A apart, perhaps close enough to contact and become covalently linked to the DNA at the recombination site. This dimer also forms the only closely packed tetramer found in the crystal. The subunit interface at a second dyad-related dimer is more extensive and more highly conserved among the homologous recombinases; however, its active site Ser-10 residues are more than 30 A apart. Side chains, identified by mutations that eliminate catalysis but not DNA binding, are located on the subunit surface near the active site serine and at the interface between a third dyad-related pair of subunits of the tetramer.     

X-ray structure of 5-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase from Escherichia coli complexed with the inhibitor levulinic acid at 2.0 A resolution

5-Aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), an early enzyme of the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway, catalyzes the dimerization of 5-aminolevulinic acid to form the pyrrole, porphobilinogen. ALAD from Escherichia coli is shown to form a homo-octameric structure with 422 symmetry in which each subunit adopts the TIM barrel fold with a 30-residue N-terminal arm. Pairs of monomers associate with their arms wrapped around each other. Four of these dimers interact, principally via their arm regions, to form octamers in which each active site is located on the surface. The active site contains two lysine residues (195 and 247), one of which (Lys 247) forms a Schiff base link with the bound substrate analogue, levulinic acid. Of the two substrate binding sites (referred to as A and P), our analysis defines the residues forming the P-site, which is where the first ALA molecule to associate with the enzyme binds. The carboxyl group of the levulinic acid moiety forms hydrogen bonds with the side chains of Ser 273 and Tyr 312. In proximity to the levulinic acid is a zinc binding site formed by three cysteines (Cys 120, 122, and 130) and a solvent molecule. We infer that the second substrate binding site (or A-site) is located between the triple-cysteine zinc site and the bound levulinic acid moiety. Two invariant arginine residues in a loop covering the active site (Arg 205 and Arg 216) appear to be appropriately placed to bind the carboxylate of the A-site substrate. Another metal binding site, close to the active site flap, in which a putative zinc ion is coordinated by a carboxyl and five solvent molecules may account for the activating properties of magnesium ions.     

Crystal structure of Aspergillus niger pH 2.5 acid phosphatase at 2. 4 A resolution.

The crystal structure of Aspergillus niger pH 2.5 acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) has been determined at 2.4 A resolution. In the crystal, two dimers form a tetramer in which the active sites are easily accessible to substrates. The main contacts in the dimer come from the N termini, each lying on the surface of the neighbouring molecule. The monomer consists of two domains, with the active site located at their interface. The active site has a highly conserved catalytic center and a charge distribution, which explains the highly acidic pH optimum and the broad substrate specificity of the enzyme.     

Crystal structure disposition of thymidylic acid tetramer in complex with ribonuclease A.

The crystal structure of ribonuclease A with bound thymidylic acid tetramer is reported at 2.5-A resolution. The diffusion of the tetramer into native orthorhombic crystals of the ribonuclease allows for the formation of a structurally stable complex where the single-stranded nucleic acid enters and leaves the enzyme's catalytic region in a persistent 5'-3' direction. The binding of the tetramer to the enzyme's surface is facilitated and mediated by electrostatic interactions between basic protein residues and nucleotide phosphates. Two pyrimidine nucleotides are bound to the enzyme's active site in a manner similar to that observed for other complexes between ribonuclease A and nucleic acid oligomers.     

Structures of D-xylose isomerase from Arthrobacter strain B3728 containing the inhibitors xylitol and D-sorbitol at 2.5 A and 2.3 A resolution, respectively

The structures of D-xylose isomerase from Arthrobacter strain B3728 containing the polyol inhibitors xylitol and D-sorbitol have been solved at 2.5 A and 2.3 A, respectively. The structures have been refined using restrained least-squares refinement methods. The final crystallographic R-factors for the D-sorbitol (xylitol) bound molecules, for 43,615 (32,989) reflections are 15.6 (14.7). The molecule is a tetramer and the asymmetric unit of the crystal contains a dimer, the final model of which, incorporates a total of 6086 unique protein, inhibitor and magnesium atoms together with 535 bound solvent molecules. Each subunit of the enzyme contains two domains: the main domain is a parallel-stranded alpha-beta barrel, which has been reported in 14 other enzymes. The C-terminal domain is a loop structure consisting of five helical segments and is involved in intermolecular contacts between subunits that make up the tetramer. The structures have been analysed with respect to molecular symmetry, intersubunit contacts, inhibitor binding and active site geometry. The refined model shows the two independent subunits to be similar apart from local deviations due to solvent contacts in the solvent-exposed helices. The enzyme is dependent on a divalent cation for catalytic activity. Two metal ions are required per monomer, and the high-affinity magnesium(II) site has been identified from the structural results presented here. The metal ion is complexed, at the high-affinity site, by four carboxylate side-chains of the conserved residues, Glu180, Glu216, Asp244 and Asp292. The inhibitor polyols are bound in the active site in an extended open chain conformation and complete an octahedral co-ordination shell for the magnesium cation via their oxygen atoms O-2 and O-4. The active site lies in a deep pocket near the C-terminal ends of the beta-strands of the barrel domain and includes residues from a second subunit. The tetrameric molecule can be considered to be a dimer of "active" dimers, the active sites being composed of residues from both subunits. The analysis has revealed the presence of several internal salt-bridges stabilizing the tertiary and quaternary structure. One of these, between Asp23 and Arg139, appears to play a key role in stabilizing the active dimer and is conserved in the known sequences of this enzyme.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Structural analysis of the 2.8 A model of Xylose isomerase from Actinoplanes missouriensis

The structure of Xylose isomerase (X.I.) from Actinoplanes missouriensis has been solved to 2.8 Angstroms resolution. Phases were determined from a single Eu3+ derivative and from the noncrystallographic 222 symmetry of the tetrameric molecule. An atomic model was built and subjected to restrained crystallographic refinement. The resulting model is shown to be closely similar to the recently reported X.I.'s structures from three other bacterial sources. Each monomer is found to be composed of an eight-stranded alpha/beta "T.I.M." barrel forming an N-terminal domain of 328 residues followed by a large loop of 66 residues embracing an adjacent subunit. Analysis of intersubunit packing shows that the X.I. tetramer is an assembly of two tight dimers. The beta barrel fits a simple hyperboloid model as other T.I.M. barrels do. The active site, identified as the binding site for the inhibitor xylitol, is located at the carboxyl end of the beta strands in the barrel next to a pair of binding sites for Eu3+ ions, which are assumed to be sites for the divalent ions involved in catalysis. Active sites in the tetramer are oriented towards the interface between dimers. It is suggested that subunit interfaces might stabilize the active site region and this might explain the oligomeric nature of other alpha/beta barrel enzymes.     

The X-ray structure of the plant like 5-aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase from Chlorobium vibrioforme complexed with the inhibitor laevulinic acid at 2.6 A resolution

5-Aminolaevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), an early enzyme of the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway, catalyses the dimerisation of 5-aminolaevulinic acid to form the pyrrole, porphobilinogen. ALAD from Chlorobium vibrioforme is shown to form a homo-octameric structure with 422 symmetry in which each subunit adopts a TIM-barrel fold with a 30 residue N-terminal arm extension. Pairs of monomers associate with their arms wrapped around each other. Four of these dimers interact principally via their arm regions to form octamers in which each active site is located on the surface. The active site contains two invariant lysine residues (200 and 253), one of which (Lys253) forms a Schiff base link with the bound substrate analogue, laevulinic acid. The carboxyl group of the laevulinic acid forms hydrogen bonds with the side-chains of Ser279 and Tyr318. The structure was examined to determine the location of the putative active-site magnesium ion, however, no evidence for the metal ion was found in the electron density map. This is in agreement with previous kinetic studies that have shown that magnesium stimulates but is not required for activity. A different site close to the active site flap, in which a putative magnesium ion is coordinated by a glutamate carboxyl and five solvent molecules may account for the stimulatory properties of magnesium ions on the enzyme.     

Hybrid tetramers reveal elements of cooperativity in Escherichia coli D-3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase

d-3-Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli is a tetramer of identical subunits that is inhibited when l-serine binds at allosteric sites between subunits. Co-expression of two genes, the native gene containing a charge difference mutation and a gene containing a mutation that eliminates serine binding, produces hybrid tetramers that can be separated by ion exchange chromatography. Activity in the hybrid tetramer with only a single intact serine binding site is inhibited by approximately 58% with a Hill coefficient of 1. Thus, interaction at a single regulatory domain interface does not, in itself, lead to the positive cooperativity of inhibition manifest in the native enzyme. Tetramers with only two intact serine binding sites purify as a mixture that displays a maximum inhibition level that is less than that of native enzyme, suggesting the presence of a population of tetramers that are unable to be fully inhibited. Differential analysis of this mixture supports the conclusion that it contains two forms of the tetramer. One form contains two intact serine binding sites at the same interface and is not fully inhibitable. The second form is a fully inhibitable population that has one serine binding site at each interface. Overall, the hybrid tetramers show that the positive cooperativity observed for serine binding is mediated across the nucleotide binding domain interface, and the negative cooperativity is mediated across the regulatory domain interface. That is, they reveal a pattern in which the binding of serine at one interface leads to negative cooperativity of binding of a subsequent serine at the same interface and positive cooperativity of binding of a subsequent serine to the opposite interface. This trend is propagated to subsequent binding sites in the tetramer such that the negative cooperativity that is originally manifest at one interface is decreased by subsequent binding of ligand at the opposite interface.     

Strong magnesium binding sites in yeast phenylalanine transfer RNA.

To ascertain the sites that are available for strong binding between magnesium ions and phosphate groups in yeast phenylalanine transfer RNA, all distances below 5.5 A separating the phosphoryl oxygens (Op) of the 76 nucleotide residues have been computed from the latest atomic coordinates for the monoclinic form of the tRNA crystallized in the presence of magnesium chloride. The 5.5 A distance is chosen as the upper limit expected for Op....Op distances involved in strong magnesium-phosphate binding, on the basis of studies on a model magnesium phosphodiester hydrate, taking into account the quoted standard deviation in the tRNA atomic coordinates. It is concluded that there are four possible sites for strong magnesium binding in the tRNA molecule, in addition to the three sites previously reported. One of the hypothetical sites: m2G10-OL, U47-OR, could be involved in the first stage of melting of the tRNA molecule, and may be relevant to tertiary structure stabilization, since it links the dihydrouridine arm with the extra (V) loop.     

The 2.2 A resolution crystal structure of influenza B neuraminidase and its complex with sialic acid.

Influenza virus neuraminidase catalyses the cleavage of terminal sialic acid, the viral receptor, from carbohydrate chains on glycoproteins and glycolipids. We present the crystal structure of the enzymatically active head of influenza B virus neuraminidase from the strain B/Beijing/1/87. The native structure has been refined to a crystallographic R-factor of 14.8% at 2.2 A resolution and its complex with sialic acid refined at 2.8 A resolution. The overall fold of the molecule is very similar to the already known structure of neuraminidase from influenza A virus, with which there is amino acid sequence homology of approximately 30%. Two calcium binding sites have been identified. One of them, previously undescribed, is located between the active site and a large surface antigenic loop. The calcium ion is octahedrally co-ordinated by five oxygen atoms from the protein and one water molecule. Sequence comparisons suggest that this calcium site should occur in all influenza A and B virus neuraminidases. Soaking of sialic acid into the crystals has enabled the mode of binding of the reaction product in the putative active site pocket to be revealed. All the large side groups of the sialic acid are equatorial and are specifically recognized by nine fully conserved active site residues. These in turn are stabilized by a second shell of 10 highly conserved residues principally by an extensive network of hydrogen bonds.     

The transthyretin-related protein: structural investigation of a novel protein family

The transthyretin-related protein (TRP) family comprises proteins predicted to be structurally related to the homotetrameric transport protein transthyretin (TTR). The function of TRPs is not yet fully established, but recent data suggest that they are involved in purine catabolism. We have determined the three-dimensional structure of the Escherichia coli TRP in two crystal forms; one at 1.65 A resolution in the presence of zinc, and the other at 2.1 A resolution in the presence of zinc and bromide. The structures revealed five zinc-ion-binding sites per monomer. Of these, the zinc ions bound at sites I and II are coordinated in tetrahedral geometries to the side chains of residues His9, His96, His98, Ser114, and three water molecules at the putative ligand-binding site. Of these four residues, His9, His98, and Ser114 are conserved. His9 and His98 bind the central zinc (site I) together with two water molecules. The side chain of His98 also binds to the zinc ion at site II. Bromide ions bind at site I only, replacing one of the water molecules coordinated to the zinc ion. The C-terminal four amino acid sequence motif Y-[RK]-G-[ST] constitutes the signature sequence of the TRP family. Two Tyr111 residues form direct hydrogen bonds to each other over the tetramer interface at the area, which in TTR constitutes the rear part of its thyroxine-binding channel. The putative substrate/ligand-binding channel of TRP is consequently shallower and broader than its counterpart in TTR.     

Crystal structure of human mitochondrial NAD(P)+-dependent malic enzyme: a new class of oxidative decarboxylases.

BACKGROUND: Malic enzymes catalyze the oxidative decarboxylation of malate to pyruvate and CO2 with the concomitant reduction of NAD(P)+ to NAD(P)H. They are widely distributed in nature and have important biological functions. Human mitochondrial NAD(P)+-dependent malic enzyme (mNAD-ME) may have a crucial role in the metabolism of glutamine for energy production in rapidly dividing cells and tumors. Moreover, this isoform is unique among malic enzymes in that it is a cooperative enzyme, and its activity is controlled allosterically. RESULTS: The crystal structure of human mNAD-ME has been determined at 2.5 A resolution by the selenomethionyl multiwavelength anomalous diffraction method and refined to 2.1 A resolution. The structure of the monomer can be divided into four domains; the active site of the enzyme is located in a deep cleft at the interface between three of the domains. Three acidic residues (Glu255, Asp256 and Asp279) were identified as ligands for the divalent cation that is required for catalysis by malic enzymes. CONCLUSIONS: The structure reveals that malic enzymes belong to a new class of oxidative decarboxylases. The tetramer of the enzyme appears to be a dimer of dimers. The active site of each monomer is located far from the tetramer interface. The structure also shows the binding of a second NAD+ molecule in a pocket 35 A away from the active site. The natural ligand for this second binding site may be ATP, an allosteric inhibitor of the enzyme.     

Five coplanar anion binding sites on one face of phospholipase A2: relationship to interface binding

We report the structures of the crystallographic dimer of porcine pancreatic IB phospholipase A(2) (PLA2) with either five sulfate or phosphate anions bound. In each structure, one molecule of a tetrahedral mimic MJ33 [1-hexadecyl-3-(trifluoroethyl)-sn-glycero-2-phosphomethanol] and the five anions are shared between the two subunits of the dimer. The sn-2-phosphate of MJ33 is bound in the active site of one subunit (A), and the alkyl chain extends into the active site slot of the second subunit (B) across the subunit-subunit interface. The two subunits are packed together with a large hydrophobic and desolvated surface buried between them along with the five anions that define a plane. The anions bind by direct contact with two cationic residues (R6 and K10) per subunit and through closer-range H-bonding interactions with other polarizable ligands. These features of the "dimer" suggest that the binding of PLA2 to the anionic groups at the anionic interface may be dominated by coordination through H-bonding with only a partial charge compensation needed. Remarkably, the plane defined by the contact surface is similar to the i-face of the enzyme [Ramirez, F., and Jain, M. K. (1991) Proteins: Struct., Funct., Genet. 9, 229-239], which has been proposed to make contact with the substrate interface for the interfacial catalytic turnover. Additionally, these structures not only offer a view of the active PLA2 complexed to an anionic interface but also provide insight into the environment of the tetrahedral intermediate in the rate-limiting chemical step of the turnover cycle. Taken together, our results offer an atomic-resolution structural view of the i-face interactions of the active form of PLA2 associated to an anionic interface.     

Structural studies of the streptavidin binding loop.

The streptavidin-biotin complex provides the basis for many important biotechnological applications and is an interesting model system for studying high-affinity protein-ligand interactions. We report here crystallographic studies elucidating the conformation of the flexible binding loop of streptavidin (residues 45 to 52) in the unbound and bound forms. The crystal structures of unbound streptavidin have been determined in two monoclinic crystal forms. The binding loop generally adopts an open conformation in the unbound species. In one subunit of one crystal form, the flexible loop adopts the closed conformation and an analysis of packing interactions suggests that protein-protein contacts stabilize the closed loop conformation. In the other crystal form all loops adopt an open conformation. Co-crystallization of streptavidin and biotin resulted in two additional, different crystal forms, with ligand bound in all four binding sites of the first crystal form and biotin bound in only two subunits in a second. The major change associated with binding of biotin is the closure of the surface loop incorporating residues 45 to 52. Residues 49 to 52 display a 3(10) helical conformation in unbound subunits of our structures as opposed to the disordered loops observed in other structure determinations of streptavidin. In addition, the open conformation is stabilized by a beta-sheet hydrogen bond between residues 45 and 52, which cannot occur in the closed conformation. The 3(10) helix is observed in nearly all unbound subunits of both the co-crystallized and ligand-free structures. An analysis of the temperature factors of the binding loop regions suggests that the mobility of the closed loops in the complexed structures is lower than in the open loops of the ligand-free structures. The two biotin bound subunits in the tetramer found in the MONO-b1 crystal form are those that contribute Trp 120 across their respective binding pockets, suggesting a structural link between these binding sites in the tetramer. However, there are no obvious signatures of binding site communication observed upon ligand binding, such as quaternary structure changes or shifts in the region of Trp 120. These studies demonstrate that while crystallographic packing interactions can stabilize both the open and closed forms of the flexible loop, in their absence the loop is open in the unbound state and closed in the presence of biotin. If present in solution, the helical structure in the open loop conformation could moderate the entropic penalty associated with biotin binding by contributing an order-to-disorder component to the loop closure.     

Crystal structure of Bacillus subtilis guanine deaminase: the first domain-swapped structure in the cytidine deaminase superfamily

Guanine deaminase, a key enzyme in the nucleotide metabolism, catalyzes the hydrolytic deamination of guanine into xanthine. The crystal structure of the 156-residue guanine deaminase from Bacillus subtilis has been solved at 1.17-A resolution. Unexpectedly, the C-terminal segment is swapped to form an intersubunit active site and an intertwined dimer with an extensive interface of 3900 A(2) per monomer. The essential zinc ion is ligated by a water molecule together with His(53), Cys(83), and Cys(86). A transition state analog was modeled into the active site cavity based on the tightly bound imidazole and water molecules, allowing identification of the conserved deamination mechanism and specific substrate recognition by Asp(114) and Tyr(156'). The closed conformation also reveals that substrate binding seals the active site entrance, which is controlled by the C-terminal tail. Therefore, the domain swapping has not only facilitated the dimerization but has also ensured specific substrate recognition. Finally, a detailed structural comparison of the cytidine deaminase superfamily illustrates the functional versatility of the divergent active sites found in the guanine, cytosine, and cytidine deaminases and suggests putative specific substrate-interacting residues for other members such as dCMP deaminases.     

Crystallographic studies on Ascaris suum NAD-malic enzyme bound to reduced cofactor and identification of an effector site

The crystal structure of the mitochondrial NAD-malic enzyme from Ascaris suum, in a quaternary complex with NADH, tartronate, and magnesium has been determined to 2.0-A resolution. The structure closely resembles the previously determined structure of the same enzyme in binary complex with NAD. However, a significant difference is observed within the coenzyme-binding pocket of the active site with the nicotinamide ring of NADH molecule rotating by 198 degrees over the C-1-N-1 bond into the active site without causing significant movement of the other catalytic residues. The implications of this conformational change in the nicotinamide ring to the catalytic mechanism are discussed. The structure also reveals a binding pocket for the divalent metal ion in the active site and a binding site for tartronate located in a highly positively charged environment within the subunit interface that is distinct from the active site. The tartronate binding site, presumably an allosteric site for the activator fumarate, shows striking similarities and differences with the activator site of the human NAD-malic enzyme that has been reported recently. Thus, the structure provides additional insights into the catalytic as well as the allosteric mechanisms of the enzyme.     

The structural basis of substrate activation in yeast pyruvate decarboxylase. A crystallographic and kinetic study.

The crystal structure of the complex of the thiamine diphosphate dependent tetrameric enzyme pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) from brewer's yeast strain with the activator pyruvamide has been determined to 2.4 A resolution. The asymmetric unit of the crystal contains two subunits, and the tetrameric molecule is generated by crystallographic symmetry. Structure analysis revealed conformational nonequivalence of the active sites. One of the two active sites in the asymmetric unit was found in an open conformation, with two active site loop regions (residues 104-113 and 290-304) disordered. In the other subunit, these loop regions are well-ordered and shield the active site from the bulk solution. In the closed enzyme subunit, one molecule of pyruvamide is bound in the active site channel, and is located in the vicinity of the thiazolium ring of the cofactor. A second pyruvamide binding site was found at the interface between the Pyr and the R domains of the subunit in the closed conformation, about 10 A away from residue C221. This second pyruvamide molecule might function in stabilizing the unique orientation of the R domain in this subunit which in turn is important for dimer-dimer interactions in the activated tetramer. No difference electron density in the close vicinity of the side chain of residue C221 was found, indicating that this residue does not form a covalent adduct with an activator molecule. Kinetic experiments showed that substrate activation was not affected by oxidation of cysteine residues and therefore does not seem to be dependent on intact thiol groups in the enzyme. The results suggest that a disorder-order transition of two active-site loop regions is a key event in the activation process triggered by the activator pyruvamide and that covalent modification of C221 is not required for this transition to occur. Based on these findings, a possible mechanism for the activation of PDC by its substrate, pyruvate, is proposed.     

Removal of the tryptophan 139 side chain in Escherichia coli D-3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase produces a dimeric enzyme without cooperative effects

Escherichia coli d-3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PGDH) is a homotetrameric enzyme whose activity is allosterically regulated by l-serine, the end-product of its metabolic pathway. Previous studies have shown that PGDH displays two modes of cooperative interaction. One is between the l-serine binding sites and the other is between the l-serine binding sites and the active sites. Tryptophan 139 participates in an intersubunit contact near the active site catalytic residues. Site-specific mutagenesis of tryptophan 139 to glycine results in the dissociation of the tetramer to a pair of dimers and in the loss of cooperativity in serine binding and between serine binding and inhibition. The results suggest that the magnitude of inhibition of activity at a particular active site is primarily dependent on serine binding to that subunit but that activity can be modulated in a cooperative manner by interaction with adjacent subunits. The disruption of the nucleotide domain interface in PGDH by mutating Trp-139 suggests the potential for a critical role of this interface in the cooperative allosteric processes in the native tetrameric enzyme.     

Crystal structure of phosphatidylglycerophosphatase (PGPase), a putative membrane-bound lipid phosphatase, reveals a novel binuclear metal binding site and two "proton wires"

Phosphatidylglycerophosphatase (PGPase), an enzyme involved in lipid metabolism, catalyzes formation of phosphatidylglycerol from phosphatidylglycerophosphate. Phosphatidylglycerol is a multifunctional phospholipid, found in the biological membranes of many organisms. Here, we report the crystal structure of Listeria monocytogenes PGPase at 1.8 A resolution. PGPase, an all-helical molecule, forms a homotetramer. Each protomer contains an independent active site with two metal ions, Ca(2+) and Mg(2+), forming a hetero-binuclear center located in a hydrophilic cavity near the surface of the molecule. The binuclear center, conserved ligands, metal-bound water molecules, and an Asp-His dyad form the active site. The catalytic mechanism of this enzyme is likely to proceed via binuclear metal activated nucleophilic water. The binuclear metal-binding active-site environment of this structure should provide insights into substrate binding and metal-dependent catalysis. A long channel with inter-linked linear water chains, termed "proton wires," is observed at the tetramer interface. Comparison of similar water chain structures in photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs), Cytochrome f, gramicidin, and bacteriorhodopsin, suggests that PGPase may conduct protons via proton wires.