Crystal structure of phosphoserine phosphatase from Methanococcus jannaschii, a hyperthermophile, at 1.8 A resolution

BACKGROUND: D-Serine is a co-agonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype of glutamate receptors, a major neurotransmitter receptor family in mammalian nervous systems. D-Serine is converted from L-serine, 90% of which is the product of the enzyme phosphoserine phosphatase (PSP). PSP from M. jannaschii (MJ) shares significant sequence homology with human PSP. PSPs and P-type ATPases are members of the haloacid dehalogenase (HAD)-like hydrolase family, and all members share three conserved sequence motifs. PSP and P-type ATPases utilize a common mechanism that involves Mg(2+)-dependent phosphorylation and autodephosphorylation at an aspartyl side chain in the active site. The strong resemblance in sequence and mechanism implies structural similarity among these enzymes. RESULTS: The PSP crystal structure resembles the NAD(P) binding Rossmann fold with a large insertion of a four-helix-bundle domain and a beta hairpin. Three known conserved sequence motifs are arranged next to each other in space and outline the active site. A phosphate and a magnesium ion are bound to the active site. The active site is within a closed environment between the core alpha/beta domain and the four-helix-bundle domain. CONCLUSIONS: The crystal structure of MJ PSP was determined at 1.8 A resolution. Critical residues were assigned based on the active site structure and ligand binding geometry. The PSP structure is in a closed conformation that may resemble the phosphoserine bound state or the state after autodephosphorylation. Compared to a P-type ATPase (Ca(2+)-ATPase) structure, which is in an open state, this PSP structure appears also to be a good model for the closed conformation of P-type ATPase.     

Crystal structure of a deubiquitinating enzyme (human UCH-L3) at 1.8 A resolution.

Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolases catalyze the removal of adducts from the C-terminus of ubiquitin. We have determined the crystal structure of the recombinant human Ubiquitin C-terminal Hydrolase (UCH-L3) by X-ray crystallography at 1.8 A resolution. The structure is comprised of a central antiparallel beta-sheet flanked on both sides by alpha-helices. The beta-sheet and one of the helices resemble the well-known papain-like cysteine proteases, with the greatest similarity to cathepsin B. This similarity includes the UCH-L3 active site catalytic triad of Cys95, His169 and Asp184, and the oxyanion hole residue Gln89. Papain and UCH-L3 differ, however, in strand and helix connectivity, which in the UCH-L3 structure includes a disordered 20 residue loop (residues 147-166) that is positioned over the active site and may function in the definition of substrate specificity. Based upon analogy with inhibitor complexes of the papain-like enzymes, we propose a model describing the binding of ubiquitin to UCH-L3. The UCH-L3 active site cleft appears to be masked in the unliganded structure by two different segments of the enzyme (residues 9-12 and 90-94), thus implying a conformational change upon substrate binding and suggesting a mechanism to limit non-specific hydrolysis.     

Crystal structure of human TMDP, a testis-specific dual specificity protein phosphatase: implications for substrate specificity

The testis- and skeletal-muscle-specific dual-specificity phosphatase (TMDP) is a member of the dual-specificity phosphatase (DSP) subgroup of protein tyrosine phosphatases. TMDP has similar activities toward both tyrosine and threonine phosphorylated substrates, and is supposed to be involved in spermatogenesis. Here, we report the crystal structure of human TMDP at a resolution of 2.4 A. In spite of high sequence similarity with other DSPs, the crystal structure of TMDP shows distinct structural motifs and surface properties. In TMDP, the alpha1-beta1 loop, a substrate recognition motif is located further away from the active site loop in comparison to prototype DSP Vaccinia H1 related phophatase (VHR), which preferentially dephosphorylates tyrosine phosphorylated substrates and down-regulates MAP kinase signaling. Residues in the active site residues of TMDP are smaller in size and more hydrophobic than those of VHR. In addition, TMDP cannot be aligned with VHR in loop beta3-alpha4. These differences in the active site of TMDP result in a flat and wide pocket structure, allowing equal binding of phosphotyrosine and phosphothreonine substrates.     

Crystal structure of adenosine kinase from Toxoplasma gondii at 1.8 A resolution

Human infection with Toxoplasma gondii is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Protozoan parasites such as T. gondii are incapable of de novo purine biosynthesis and must acquire purines from their host, so the purine salvage pathway offers a number of potential targets for antiparasitic chemotherapy. In T. gondii tachyzoites, adenosine is the predominantly salvaged purine nucleoside, and thus adenosine kinase is a key enzyme in the purine salvage pathway of this parasite. The structure of T. gondii adenosine kinase was solved using molecular replacement and refined by simulated annealing at 1.8 A resolution to an R-factor of 0.214. The overall structure and the active site geometry are similar to human adenosine kinase, although there are significant differences. The T. gondii adenosine kinase has several unique features compared to the human sequence, including a five-residue deletion in one of the four linking segments between the two domains, which is probably responsible for a major change in the orientation of the two domains with respect to each other. These structural differences suggest the possibility of developing specific inhibitors of the parasitic enzyme.     

Crystal structure of human dual specificity phosphatase, JNK stimulatory phosphatase-1, at 1.5 A resolution

Human JNK stimulatory phosphatase-1 (JSP-1) is a novel member of dual specificity phosphatases. A C-terminus truncated JSP-1 was expressed in Escherichia coli and was crystallized using the sitting-drop vapor diffusion method. Thin-plate crystals obtained at 278 K belong to a monoclinic space group, C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 84.0 A, b = 49.3 A, c = 47.3 A, and beta = 119.5 degrees , and diffract up to 1.5 A resolution at 100 K. The structure of JSP-1 has a single compact (alpha/beta) domain, which consists of six alpha-helices and five beta-strands, and shows a conserved structural scaffold in regard to both DSPs and PTPs. A cleft formed by a PTP-loop at the active site is very shallow, and is occupied by one sulfonate compound, MES, at the bottom. In the binary complex structure of JSP-1 with MES, the conformations of three important segments in regard to the catalytic mechanism are not similar to those in PTP1B. JSP-1 has no loop corresponding to the Lys120-loop of PTP1B, and tryptophan residue corresponding to the substrate-stacking in PTP1B is substituted by alanine residue in JSP-1.     

Crystal structure at 1.8 A resolution of CDP-D-glucose 4,6-dehydratase from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

CDP-D-glucose 4,6-dehydratase catalyzes the conversion of CDP-D-glucose to CDP-4-keto-6-deoxyglucose in an NAD(+)-dependent manner. The product of this conversion is a building block for a variety of primary antigenic determinants in bacteria, possibly implicated directly in reactive arthritis. Here, we describe the solution of the high-resolution crystal structure of CDP-D-glucose 4,6-dehydratase from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in the resting state. This structure represents the first CDP nucleotide utilizing dehydratase of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family to be determined, as well as the first tetrameric structure of the subfamily of SDR enzymes in which NAD(+) undergoes a full reaction cycle. On the basis of a comparison of this structure with structures of homologous enzymes, a chemical mechanism is proposed in which Tyr157 acts as the catalytic base, initiating hydride transfer by abstraction of the proton from the sugar 4'-hydroxyl. Concomitant with the removal of the proton from the 4'-hydroxyl oxygen, the sugar 4'-hydride is transferred to the B face of the NAD(+) cofactor, forming the reduced cofactor and a CDP-4-keto-d-glucose intermediate. A conserved Lys161 most likely acts to position the NAD(+) cofactor so that hydride transfer is favorable and/or to reduce the pK(a) of Tyr157. Following substrate oxidation, we propose that Lys134, acting as a base, would abstract the 5'-hydrogen of CDP-4-keto-D-glucose, priming the intermediate for the spontaneous loss of water. Finally, the resulting Delta(5,6)-glucoseen intermediate would be reduced suprafacially by the cofactor, and reprotonation at C-5' is likely mediated by Lys134.     

Crystal structure of cholesterol oxidase from Brevibacterium sterolicum refined at 1.8 A resolution

Cholesterol oxidase (3 beta-hydroxysteroid oxidase, EC 1.1.3.6) is an FAD-dependent enzyme that carries out the oxidation and isomerization of steroids with a trans A : B ring junction. The crystal structure of the enzyme from Brevibacterium sterolicum has been determined using the method of isomorphous replacement and refined to 1.8 A resolution. The refined model includes 492 amino acid residues, the FAD prosthetic group and 453 solvent molecules. The crystallographic R-factor is 15.3% for all reflections between 10.0 A and 1.8 A resolution. The structure is made up of two domains: an FAD-binding domain and a steroid-binding domain. The FAD-binding domain consists of three non-continuous segments of sequence, including both the N terminus and the C terminus, and is made up of a six-stranded beta-sheet sandwiched between a four-stranded beta-sheet and three alpha-helices. The overall topology of this domain is very similar to other FAD-binding proteins. The steroid-binding domain consists of two non-continuous segments of sequence and contains a six-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet forming the "roof" of the active-site cavity. This large beta-sheet structure and the connections between the strands are topologically similar to the substrate-binding domain of the FAD-binding protein para-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase. The active site lies at the interface of the two domains, in a large cavity filled with a well-ordered lattice of 13 solvent molecules. The flavin ring system of FAD lies on the "floor" of the cavity with N-5 of the ring system exposed. The ring system is twisted from a planar conformation by an angle of approximately 17 degrees, allowing hydrogen-bond interactions between the protein and the pyrimidine ring of FAD. The amino acid residues that line the active site are predominantly hydrophobic along the side of the cavity nearest the benzene ring of the flavin ring system, and are more hydrophilic on the opposite side near the pyrimidine ring. The cavity is buried inside the protein molecule, but three hydrophobic loops at the surface of the molecule show relatively high temperature factors, suggesting a flexible region that may form a possible path by which the substrate could enter the cavity. The active-site cavity contains one charged residue, Glu361, for which the side-chain electron density suggests a high degree of mobility for the side-chain. This residue is appropriately positioned to act as the proton acceptor in the proposed mechanism for the isomerization step.     

Refined structure of alkaline phosphatase from Escherichia coli at 2.8 A resolution

The structure of alkaline phosphatase from Escherichia coli has been determined to 2.8 A resolution. The multiple isomorphous replacement electron density map of the dimer at 3.4 A was substantially improved by molecular symmetry averaging and solvent flattening. From these maps, polypeptide chains of the dimer were built using the published amino acid sequence. Stereochemically restrained least-squares refinement of this model against native data, starting with 3.4 A data and extending in steps to 2.8 A resolution, proceeded to a final overall crystallographic R factor of 0.256. Alkaline phosphatase-phosphomonoester hydrolase (EC 3.1.3.1) is a metalloenzyme that forms an isologous dimer with two reactive centers 32 A apart. The topology of the polypeptide fold of the subunit is of the alpha/beta class of proteins. Despite the similarities in the overall alpha/beta fold with other proteins, alkaline phosphatase does not have a characteristic binding cleft formed at the carboxyl end of the parallel sheet, but rather an active pocket that contains a cluster of three functional metal sites located off the plane of the central ten-stranded sheet. This active pocket is located near the carboxyl ends of four strands and the amino end of the antiparallel strand, between the plane of the sheet and two helices on the same side. Alkaline phosphatase is a non-specific phosphomonoesterase that hydrolyzes small phosphomonoesters as well as the phosphate termini of DNA. The accessibility calculations based on the refined co-ordinates of the enzyme show that the active pocket barely accommodates inorganic phosphate. Thus, the alcoholic or phenolic portion of the substrate would have to be exposed on the surface of the enzyme. Two metal sites, M1 and M2, 3.9 A apart, are occupied by zinc. The third site, M3, 5 A from site M2 and 7 A from site M1, is occupied by magnesium or, in the absence of magnesium, by zinc. As with other zinc-containing enzymes, histidine residues are ligands to zinc site M1 (three) and to zinc site M2 (one). Ligand assignment and metal preference indicate that the crystallographically found metal sites M1, M2 and M3 correspond to the spectroscopically deduced metal sites A, B and C, respectively. Arsenate, a product analog and enzyme inhibitor, binds between Ser102 and zinc sites M1 and M2. The position of the guanidinium group of Arg 166 is within hydrogen-bonding distance from the arsenate site.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Crystal structure of the alkaline proteinase Savinase from Bacillus lentus at 1.4 A resolution.

Savinase (EC3.4.21.14) is secreted by the alkalophilic bacterium Bacillus lentus and is a representative of that subgroup of subtilisin enzymes with maximum stability in the pH range 7 to 10 and high activity in the range 8 to 12. It is therefore of major industrial importance for use in detergents. The crystal structure of the native form of Savinase has been refined using X-ray diffraction data to 1.4 A resolution. The starting model was that of subtilisin Carlsberg. A comparison to the structures of the closely related subtilisins Carlsberg and BPN' and to the more distant thermitase and proteinase K is presented. The structure of Savinase is very similar to those of homologous Bacillus subtilisins. There are two calcium ions in the structure, equivalent to the strong and the weak calcium-binding sites in subtilisin Carlsberg and subtilisin BPN', well known for their stabilizing effect on the subtilisins. The structure of Savinase shows novel features that can be related to its stability and activity. The relatively high number of salt bridges in Savinase is likely to contribute to its high thermal stability. The non-conservative substitutions and deletions in the hydrophobic binding pocket S1 result in the most significant structural differences from the other subtilisins. The different composition of the S1 binding loop as well as the more hydrophobic character of the substrate-binding region probably contribute to the alkaline activity profile of the enzyme. The model of Savinase contains 1880 protein atoms, 159 water molecules and two calcium ions. The crystallographic R-factor [formula; see text].     

Crystal structure analysis of amicyanin and apoamicyanin from Paracoccus denitrificans at 2.0 A and 1.8 A resolution.

The crystal structure of amicyanin, a cupredoxin isolated from Paracoccus denitrificans, has been determined by molecular replacement. The structure has been refined at 2.0 A resolution using energy-restrained least-squares procedures to a crystallographic residual of 15.7%. The copper-free protein, apoamicyanin, has also been refined to 1.8 A resolution with residual 15.5%. The protein is found to have a beta-sandwich topology with nine beta-strands forming two mixed beta-sheets. The secondary structure is very similar to that observed in the other classes of cupredoxins, such as plastocyanin and azurin. Amicyanin has approximately 20 residues at the N-terminus that have no equivalents in the other proteins; a portion of these residues forms the first beta-strand of the structure. The copper atom is located in a pocket between the beta-sheets and is found to have four coordinating ligands: two histidine nitrogens, one cysteine sulfur, and, at a longer distance, one methionine sulfur. The geometry of the copper coordination is very similar to that in the plant plastocyanins. Three of the four copper ligands are located in the loop between beta-strands eight and nine. This loop is shorter than that in the other cupredoxins, having only two residues each between the cysteine and histidine and the histidine and methionine ligands. The amicyanin and apoamicyanin structures are very similar; in particular, there is little difference in the positions of the coordinating ligands with or without copper. One of the copper ligands, a histidine, lies close to the protein surface and is surrounded on that surface by seven hydrophobic residues. This hydrophobic patch is thought to be important as an electron transfer site.     

Crystal structure of pokeweed antiviral protein with well-defined sugars from seeds at 1.8A resolution

The crystal structure of pokeweed antiviral protein from seeds of Phytolacca americana (PAP-S) was solved at 1.8A. PAP-S is a one-chain ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) and distinctively contains three well-defined N-acetylglucosamines, each covalently linked to an asparagine residue at positions, 10, 44, and 255, respectively. The high-resolution structure clearly shows the three mono-sugars to have either an alpha- or a beta-conformation. Two of sugars are located on the same side of the molecule with the active pocket. Except one hydrogen bond, there are no intermolecular interactions between the polypeptide chain and the sugars. Instead the sugar conformations appear to be stabilized by intermolecular interactions. The sugar structure defined at high resolution provides a structural basis for understanding their possible biological activity. The structural comparisons of PAP-S with other PAPs reveal that the major disparity of these homologous molecules is the different charge distribution on the upper right side of the front side near the active pocket. Based on the available structure of the 50S ribosomal subunit, the possible interactions between PAPs and the ribosome are discussed.     

Crystal structure of an alkaline protease from Bacillus alcalophilus at 2.4 A resolution

The crystal structure of an alkaline protease from Bacillus alcalophilus has been determined by X-ray diffraction at 2.4 A resolution. The enzyme crystallizes in space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with lattice constants a = 53.7, b = 61.6, c = 75.9 A. The structure was solved by molecular replacement using the structure of subtilisin Carlsberg as search model. Refinement using molecular dynamics and restrained least squares methods results in a crystallographic R-factor of 0.185. The tertiary structure is very similar to that of subtilisin Carlsberg. The greatest structural differences occur in loops at the surface of the protein.     

Crystal structure of human annexin I at 2.5 A resolution.

cDNA coding for N-terminally truncated human annexin I, a member of the family of Ca(2+)-dependent phospholipid binding proteins, has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The expressed protein is biologically active, and has been purified and crystallized in space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with cell dimensions a = 139.36 A, b = 67.50 A, and c = 42.11 A. The crystal structure has been determined by molecular replacement at 3.0 A resolution using the annexin V core structure as the search model. The average backbone deviation between these two structures is 2.34 A. The structure has been refined to an R-factor of 17.7% at 2.5 A resolution. Six calcium sites have been identified in the annexin I structure. Each is located in the loop region of the helix-loop-helix motif. Two of the six calcium sites in annexin I are not occupied in the annexin V structure. The superpositions of the corresponding loop regions in the four domains show that the calcium binding loops in annexin I can be divided into two classes: type II and type III. Both classes are different from the well-known EF-hand motif (type I).     

Crystal structure of human serum albumin at 2.5 A resolution.

A new triclinic crystal form of human serum albumin (HSA), derived either from pool plasma (pHSA) or from a Pichia pastoris expression system (rHSA), was obtained from polyethylene glycol 4000 solution. Three-dimensional structures of pHSA and rHSA were determined at 2.5 A resolution from the new triclinic crystal form by molecular replacement, using atomic coordinates derived from a multiple isomorphous replacement work with a known tetragonal crystal form. The structures of pHSA and rHSA are virtually identical, with an r.m. s. deviation of 0.24 A for all Calpha atoms. The two HSA molecules involved in the asymmetric unit are related by a strict local twofold symmetry such that the Calpha atoms of the two molecules can be superimposed with an r.m.s. deviation of 0.28 A in pHSA. Cys34 is the only cysteine with a free sulfhydryl group which does not participate in a disulfide linkage with any external ligand. Domains II and III both have a pocket formed mostly of hydrophobic and positively charged residues and in which a very wide range of compounds may be accommodated. Three tentative binding sites for long-chain fatty acids, each with different surroundings, are located at the surface of each domain.     

Crystal structure of human alpha-lactalbumin at 1.7 A resolution

The three-dimensional X-ray structure of human alpha-lactalbumin, an important component of milk, has been determined at 1.7 A (0.17 nm) resolution by the method of molecular replacement, using the refined structure of baboon alpha-lactalbumin as the model structure. The two proteins are known to have more than 90% amino acid sequence identity and crystallize in the same orthorhombic space group, P2(1)2(1)2. The crystallographic refinement of the structure using the simulated annealing method, resulted in a crystallographic R-factor of 0.209 for the 11,373 observed reflections (F greater than or equal to 2 sigma (F)) between 8 and 1.7 A resolution. The model comprises 983 protein atoms, 90 solvent atoms and a bound calcium ion. In the final model, the root-mean-square deviations from ideality are 0.013 A for covalent bond distances and 2.9 degrees for bond angles. Superposition of the human and baboon alpha-lactalbumin structures yields a root-mean-square difference of 0.67 A for the 123 structurally equivalent C alpha atoms. The C terminus is flexible in the human alpha-lactalbumin molecule. The striking structural resemblance between alpha-lactalbumins and C-type lysozymes emphasizes the homologous evolutionary relationship between these two classes of proteins.