Rho GTPase Recognition by C3 Exoenzyme Based on C3-RhoA Complex Structure

C3 exoenzyme is a mono-ADP-ribosyltransferase (ART) that catalyzes transfer of an ADP-ribose moiety from NAD⁺ to Rho GTPases. C3 has long been used to study the diverse regulatory functions of Rho GTPases. How C3 recognizes its substrate and how ADP-ribosylation proceeds are still poorly understood. Crystal structures of C3-RhoA complex reveal that C3 recognizes RhoA via the switch I, switch II, and interswitch regions. In C3-RhoA(GTP) and C3-RhoA(GDP), switch I and II adopt the GDP and GTP conformations, respectively, which explains why C3 can ADP-ribosylate both nucleotide forms. Based on structural information, we successfully changed Cdc42 to an active substrate with combined mutations in the C3-Rho GTPase interface. Moreover, the structure reflects the close relationship among Gln-183 in the QXE motif (C3), a modified Asn-41 residue (RhoA) and NC1 of NAD(H), which suggests that C3 is the prototype ART. These structures show directly for the first time that the ARTT loop is the key to target protein recognition, and they also serve to bridge the gaps among independent studies of Rho GTPases and C3.     

Enzymatic properties of cytochrome P450 catalyzing 3′-hydroxylation of naringenin from the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium

We cloned full-length cDNAs of more than 130 cytochrome P450s (P450s) derived from Phanerochaete chrysosporium, and successfully expressed 70 isoforms using a co-expression system of P. chrysosporium P450 and yeast NADPH-P450 reductase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Of these P450s, a microsomal P450 designated as PcCYP65a2 consists of 626 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 68.3 kDa. Sequence alignment of PcCYP65a2 and human CYP1A2 revealed a unique structure of PcCYP65a2. Functional analysis of PcCYP65a2 using the recombinant S. cerevisiae cells demonstrated that this P450 catalyzes 3′-hydroxylation of naringenin to yield eriodictyol, which has various biological and pharmacological properties. In addition, the recombinant S. cerevisiae cells expressing PcCYP65a2 metabolized such polyaromatic compounds as dibenzo-p-dioxin (DD), 2-monochloroDD, biphenyl, and naphthalene. These results suggest that PcCYP65a2 is practically useful for both bioconversion and bioremediation.