Carbohydrate-binding modules recognize fine substructures of cellulose

Competition isotherms are used to identify the set of cellulose substructures to which cellulose binding modules (CBMs) from families 2a, 3, 4, 9, and 17 bind. The experiments are based on coupling a unique fluorescent tag to each CBM in a manner that does not alter the natural binding properties of the CBM and therefore allows the surface and solution concentrations of each CBM to be monitored as a function of time and composition. Adsorption and surface exchange of like or competing CBMs are monitored using a range of cellulose preparations varying in both crystallinity and provenance. CBMs from families 2a, 3, 4, 9, and 17 are shown to recognize different physical forms of prepared cellulose. The demonstration of the very fine binding specificity of cellulose-specific CBMs implies that the polysaccharide targets of CBMs extend down to the resolution of cellulose microstructures.     

Specificity of the synergistic anion for iron binding by ferric binding protein from Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Ferric binding protein in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (nFbpA) transports iron from outer membrane receptors for host proteins across the periplasm to a permease in an alternative pathway to the use of siderophores in some pathogenic bacteria. Phosphate and nitrilotriacetate, both at pH 8, and vanadate at pH 9 are shown to be synergistic in promoting ferric binding to nFbpA, in contrast to carbonate and sulfate. Interestingly, only phosphate produces the fully closed conformation of nFbpA as defined by native electrophoresis. The role of phosphate was probed by constructing three mutants: Q58E, Q58R, and G140H. The anion and iron binding properties of the Q58E mutant are similar to the wild-type protein, implying that one phosphate oxygen is a hydrogen bond donor and may in part define the specificity of nFbpA for phosphate over sulfate. Phosphate is a weakly synergistic anion in the Q58R and G140H mutants, and these mutants do not form completely closed structures. Ferric binding was investigated by both isothermal titration and differential scanning calorimetry. The apparent affinity of nFbpA for iron in a solution of 30 mM citrate is 1 order of magnitude larger in the presence (K(app)= 1.7 x 10(5) M(-1)) of phosphate than in its absence (K(app) = 1.6 x 10(4) M(-1)) at pH 7. Similar results were obtained at pH 8. This increase in affinity with phosphate as well as the formation of closed structure allows nFbpA to compete for free ferric ions in solution and suggests that ferric binding to nFbpA is regulated by the synergistic phosphate anion at sites of iron uptake.