Pub Date : 2023-07-01Epub Date: 2023-06-14DOI: 10.1107/S2059798323003765
Grzegorz Chojnowski
Sequence-register shifts remain one of the most elusive errors in experimental macromolecular models. They may affect model interpretation and propagate to newly built models from older structures. In a recent publication, it was shown that register shifts in cryo-EM models of proteins can be detected using a systematic reassignment of short model fragments to the target sequence. Here, it is shown that the same approach can be used to detect register shifts in crystal structure models using standard, model-bias-corrected electron-density maps (2mFo - DFc). Five register-shift errors in models deposited in the PDB detected using this method are described in detail.
{"title":"Sequence-assignment validation in protein crystal structure models with checkMySequence.","authors":"Grzegorz Chojnowski","doi":"10.1107/S2059798323003765","DOIUrl":"10.1107/S2059798323003765","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sequence-register shifts remain one of the most elusive errors in experimental macromolecular models. They may affect model interpretation and propagate to newly built models from older structures. In a recent publication, it was shown that register shifts in cryo-EM models of proteins can be detected using a systematic reassignment of short model fragments to the target sequence. Here, it is shown that the same approach can be used to detect register shifts in crystal structure models using standard, model-bias-corrected electron-density maps (2mF<sub>o</sub> - DF<sub>c</sub>). Five register-shift errors in models deposited in the PDB detected using this method are described in detail.</p>","PeriodicalId":7116,"journal":{"name":"Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10306063/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10084388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-01DOI: 10.1107/S2059798323003832
Niamh M Mockler, Kiefer O Ramberg, Peter B Crowley
Controlled protein assembly and crystallization is necessary as a means of generating diffraction-quality crystals as well as providing a basis for new types of biomaterials. Water-soluble calixarenes are useful mediators of protein crystallization. Recently, it was demonstrated that Ralstonia solanacearum lectin (RSL) co-crystallizes with anionic sulfonato-calix[8]arene (sclx8) in three space groups. Two of these co-crystals only grow at pH ≤ 4 where the protein is cationic, and the crystal packing is dominated by the calixarene. This paper describes a fourth RSL-sclx8 co-crystal, which was discovered while working with a cation-enriched mutant. Crystal form IV grows at high ionic strength in the pH range 5-6. While possessing some features in common with the previous forms, the new structure reveals alternative calixarene binding modes. The occurrence of C2-symmetric assemblies, with the calixarene at special positions, appears to be an important result for framework fabrication. Questions arise regarding crystal screening and exhaustive searching for polymorphs.
{"title":"Protein-macrocycle polymorphism: crystal form IV of the Ralstonia solanacearum lectin-sulfonato-calix[8]arene complex.","authors":"Niamh M Mockler, Kiefer O Ramberg, Peter B Crowley","doi":"10.1107/S2059798323003832","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1107/S2059798323003832","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Controlled protein assembly and crystallization is necessary as a means of generating diffraction-quality crystals as well as providing a basis for new types of biomaterials. Water-soluble calixarenes are useful mediators of protein crystallization. Recently, it was demonstrated that Ralstonia solanacearum lectin (RSL) co-crystallizes with anionic sulfonato-calix[8]arene (sclx<sub>8</sub>) in three space groups. Two of these co-crystals only grow at pH ≤ 4 where the protein is cationic, and the crystal packing is dominated by the calixarene. This paper describes a fourth RSL-sclx<sub>8</sub> co-crystal, which was discovered while working with a cation-enriched mutant. Crystal form IV grows at high ionic strength in the pH range 5-6. While possessing some features in common with the previous forms, the new structure reveals alternative calixarene binding modes. The occurrence of C<sub>2</sub>-symmetric assemblies, with the calixarene at special positions, appears to be an important result for framework fabrication. Questions arise regarding crystal screening and exhaustive searching for polymorphs.</p>","PeriodicalId":7116,"journal":{"name":"Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10306066/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9707546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-01DOI: 10.1107/S205979832300390X
Hang Wang, Xiaomei Sun, Wataru Saburi, Saki Hashiguchi, Jian Yu, Toyoyuki Ose, Haruhide Mori, Min Yao
Mannose 2-epimerase (ME), a member of the acylglucosamine 2-epimerase (AGE) superfamily that catalyzes epimerization of D-mannose and D-glucose, has recently been characterized to have potential for D-mannose production. However, the substrate-recognition and catalytic mechanism of ME remains unknown. In this study, structures of Runella slithyformis ME (RsME) and its D254A mutant [RsME(D254A)] were determined in their apo forms and as intermediate-analog complexes [RsME-D-glucitol and RsME(D254A)-D-glucitol]. RsME possesses the (α/α)6-barrel of the AGE superfamily members but has a unique pocket-covering long loop (loopα7-α8). The RsME-D-glucitol structure showed that loopα7-α8 moves towards D-glucitol and closes the active pocket. Trp251 and Asp254 in loopα7-α8 are only conserved in MEs and interact with D-glucitol. Kinetic analyses of the mutants confirmed the importance of these residues for RsME activity. Moreover, the structures of RsME(D254A) and RsME(D254A)-D-glucitol revealed that Asp254 is vital for binding the ligand in a correct conformation and for active-pocket closure. Docking calculations and structural comparison with other 2-epimerases show that the longer loopα7-α8 in RsME causes steric hindrance upon binding to disaccharides. A detailed substrate-recognition and catalytic mechanism for monosaccharide-specific epimerization in RsME has been proposed.
甘露糖2-外聚酶(ME)是酰基氨基葡萄糖2-外聚酶(AGE)超家族的一员,催化d -甘露糖和d -葡萄糖的外聚化,最近被表征为具有生产d -甘露糖的潜力。然而,ME的底物识别和催化机制尚不清楚。在本研究中,我们以载脂蛋白形式和中间类似物[RsME- d -葡糖醇和RsME(D254A)- d -葡糖醇]的形式确定了滑叶氏Runella slithyformis ME(RsME)及其D254A突变体[RsME(D254A)]的结构。RsME具有AGE超家族成员的(α/α)6桶,但具有独特的包袋长环(环α7-α8)。rsme - d -葡糖醇结构表明,环α7-α8向d -葡糖醇移动并关闭活性袋。环α7-α8中的Trp251和Asp254仅在MEs中保守,并与d -葡糖醇相互作用。突变体的动力学分析证实了这些残基对RsME活性的重要性。此外,RsME(D254A)和RsME(D254A)- d -葡糖醇的结构表明,Asp254对于以正确的构象结合配体和活性袋闭合至关重要。对接计算和与其他2-外链酶的结构比较表明,RsME中较长的环α7-α8在与双糖结合时产生空间位阻。提出了RsME中单糖特异性外聚化的详细底物识别和催化机制。
{"title":"Structural insights into the substrate specificity and activity of a novel mannose 2-epimerase from Runella slithyformis.","authors":"Hang Wang, Xiaomei Sun, Wataru Saburi, Saki Hashiguchi, Jian Yu, Toyoyuki Ose, Haruhide Mori, Min Yao","doi":"10.1107/S205979832300390X","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1107/S205979832300390X","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mannose 2-epimerase (ME), a member of the acylglucosamine 2-epimerase (AGE) superfamily that catalyzes epimerization of D-mannose and D-glucose, has recently been characterized to have potential for D-mannose production. However, the substrate-recognition and catalytic mechanism of ME remains unknown. In this study, structures of Runella slithyformis ME (RsME) and its D254A mutant [RsME(D254A)] were determined in their apo forms and as intermediate-analog complexes [RsME-D-glucitol and RsME(D254A)-D-glucitol]. RsME possesses the (α/α)<sub>6</sub>-barrel of the AGE superfamily members but has a unique pocket-covering long loop (loop<sub>α7-α8</sub>). The RsME-D-glucitol structure showed that loop<sub>α7-α8</sub> moves towards D-glucitol and closes the active pocket. Trp251 and Asp254 in loop<sub>α7-α8</sub> are only conserved in MEs and interact with D-glucitol. Kinetic analyses of the mutants confirmed the importance of these residues for RsME activity. Moreover, the structures of RsME(D254A) and RsME(D254A)-D-glucitol revealed that Asp254 is vital for binding the ligand in a correct conformation and for active-pocket closure. Docking calculations and structural comparison with other 2-epimerases show that the longer loop<sub>α7-α8</sub> in RsME causes steric hindrance upon binding to disaccharides. A detailed substrate-recognition and catalytic mechanism for monosaccharide-specific epimerization in RsME has been proposed.</p>","PeriodicalId":7116,"journal":{"name":"Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9751643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-01DOI: 10.1107/S2059798323004175
Christos Kosinas, Anastasia Zerva, Evangelos Topakas, Maria Dimarogona
Multicopper oxidases are promiscuous biocatalysts with great potential for the production of industrial compounds. This study is focused on the elucidation of the structure-function determinants of a novel laccase-like multicopper oxidase from the thermophilic fungus Thermothelomyces thermophila (TtLMCO1), which is capable of oxidizing both ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds and thus is functionally categorized between the ascorbate oxidases and fungal ascomycete laccases (asco-laccases). The crystal structure of TtLMCO1, determined using an AlphaFold2 model due to a lack of experimentally determined structures of close homologues, revealed a three-domain laccase with two copper sites, lacking the C-terminal plug observed in other asco-laccases. Analysis of solvent tunnels highlighted the amino acids that are crucial for proton transfer into the trinuclear copper site. Docking simulations showed that the ability of TtLMCO1 to oxidize ortho-substituted phenols stems from the movement of two polar amino acids at the hydrophilic side of the substrate-binding region, providing structural evidence for the promiscuity of this enzyme.
{"title":"Structure-function studies of a novel laccase-like multicopper oxidase from Thermothelomyces thermophila provide insights into its biological role.","authors":"Christos Kosinas, Anastasia Zerva, Evangelos Topakas, Maria Dimarogona","doi":"10.1107/S2059798323004175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1107/S2059798323004175","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Multicopper oxidases are promiscuous biocatalysts with great potential for the production of industrial compounds. This study is focused on the elucidation of the structure-function determinants of a novel laccase-like multicopper oxidase from the thermophilic fungus Thermothelomyces thermophila (TtLMCO1), which is capable of oxidizing both ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds and thus is functionally categorized between the ascorbate oxidases and fungal ascomycete laccases (asco-laccases). The crystal structure of TtLMCO1, determined using an AlphaFold2 model due to a lack of experimentally determined structures of close homologues, revealed a three-domain laccase with two copper sites, lacking the C-terminal plug observed in other asco-laccases. Analysis of solvent tunnels highlighted the amino acids that are crucial for proton transfer into the trinuclear copper site. Docking simulations showed that the ability of TtLMCO1 to oxidize ortho-substituted phenols stems from the movement of two polar amino acids at the hydrophilic side of the substrate-binding region, providing structural evidence for the promiscuity of this enzyme.</p>","PeriodicalId":7116,"journal":{"name":"Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10306062/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9708363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-01Epub Date: 2023-06-14DOI: 10.1107/S2059798323004254
Simon Gäfe, Hartmut H Niemann
The flavin-dependent halogenase (FDH) AetF successively brominates tryptophan at C5 and C7 to generate 5,7-dibromotryptophan. In contrast to the well studied two-component tryptophan halogenases, AetF is a single-component flavoprotein monooxygenase. Here, crystal structures of AetF alone and in complex with various substrates are presented, representing the first experimental structures of a single-component FDH. Rotational pseudosymmetry and pseudomerohedral twinning complicated the phasing of one structure. AetF is structurally related to flavin-dependent monooxygenases. It contains two dinucleotide-binding domains for binding the ADP moiety with unusual sequences that deviate from the consensus sequences GXGXXG and GXGXXA. A large domain tightly binds the cofactor flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), while the small domain responsible for binding the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADP) is unoccupied. About half of the protein forms additional structural elements containing the tryptophan binding site. FAD and tryptophan are about 16 Å apart. A tunnel between them presumably allows diffusion of the active halogenating agent hypohalous acid from FAD to the substrate. Tryptophan and 5-bromotryptophan bind to the same site but with a different binding pose. A flip of the indole moiety identically positions C5 of tryptophan and C7 of 5-bromotryptophan next to the tunnel and to catalytic residues, providing a simple explanation for the regioselectivity of the two successive halogenations. AetF can also bind 7-bromotryptophan in the same orientation as tryptophan. This opens the way for the biocatalytic production of differentially dihalogenated tryptophan derivatives. The structural conservation of a catalytic lysine suggests a way to identify novel single-component FDHs.
{"title":"Structural basis of regioselective tryptophan dibromination by the single-component flavin-dependent halogenase AetF.","authors":"Simon Gäfe, Hartmut H Niemann","doi":"10.1107/S2059798323004254","DOIUrl":"10.1107/S2059798323004254","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The flavin-dependent halogenase (FDH) AetF successively brominates tryptophan at C5 and C7 to generate 5,7-dibromotryptophan. In contrast to the well studied two-component tryptophan halogenases, AetF is a single-component flavoprotein monooxygenase. Here, crystal structures of AetF alone and in complex with various substrates are presented, representing the first experimental structures of a single-component FDH. Rotational pseudosymmetry and pseudomerohedral twinning complicated the phasing of one structure. AetF is structurally related to flavin-dependent monooxygenases. It contains two dinucleotide-binding domains for binding the ADP moiety with unusual sequences that deviate from the consensus sequences GXGXXG and GXGXXA. A large domain tightly binds the cofactor flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), while the small domain responsible for binding the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADP) is unoccupied. About half of the protein forms additional structural elements containing the tryptophan binding site. FAD and tryptophan are about 16 Å apart. A tunnel between them presumably allows diffusion of the active halogenating agent hypohalous acid from FAD to the substrate. Tryptophan and 5-bromotryptophan bind to the same site but with a different binding pose. A flip of the indole moiety identically positions C5 of tryptophan and C7 of 5-bromotryptophan next to the tunnel and to catalytic residues, providing a simple explanation for the regioselectivity of the two successive halogenations. AetF can also bind 7-bromotryptophan in the same orientation as tryptophan. This opens the way for the biocatalytic production of differentially dihalogenated tryptophan derivatives. The structural conservation of a catalytic lysine suggests a way to identify novel single-component FDHs.</p>","PeriodicalId":7116,"journal":{"name":"Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10306068/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10084390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Over the past decade, iterative projection algorithms, an effective approach to recovering phases from a single intensity measurement, have found application in protein crystallography to directly surmount the `phase problem'. However, previous studies have always assumed that some prior knowledge constraints (i.e. a low-resolution envelope about the protein structure in the crystal cell or histogram matching requiring a similar density distribution to the target crystal) must be known for successful phase retrieval, thus hindering its widespread application. In this study, a novel phase-retrieval workflow is proposed that eliminates the need for a reference density distribution by utilizing low-resolution diffraction data in phasing algorithms. The approach involves randomly assigning one out of 12 possible phases at 30° intervals (or two for centric reflections) to produce an initial envelope, which is then refined through density modification after each run of phase retrieval. To evaluate the success of the phase-retrieval procedure, information entropy is introduced as a new metric. This approach was validated using ten protein structures with high solvent content, demonstrating its effectiveness and robustness.
{"title":"Direct phasing algorithm for protein crystals with high solvent content using low-resolution diffraction data.","authors":"Yu Meng Jiang, Han Miao, Xin Yu Pan, Qi Wang, Zheng Dong, Zhi Geng, Yu Hui Dong","doi":"10.1107/S2059798323004412","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1107/S2059798323004412","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Over the past decade, iterative projection algorithms, an effective approach to recovering phases from a single intensity measurement, have found application in protein crystallography to directly surmount the `phase problem'. However, previous studies have always assumed that some prior knowledge constraints (i.e. a low-resolution envelope about the protein structure in the crystal cell or histogram matching requiring a similar density distribution to the target crystal) must be known for successful phase retrieval, thus hindering its widespread application. In this study, a novel phase-retrieval workflow is proposed that eliminates the need for a reference density distribution by utilizing low-resolution diffraction data in phasing algorithms. The approach involves randomly assigning one out of 12 possible phases at 30° intervals (or two for centric reflections) to produce an initial envelope, which is then refined through density modification after each run of phase retrieval. To evaluate the success of the phase-retrieval procedure, information entropy is introduced as a new metric. This approach was validated using ten protein structures with high solvent content, demonstrating its effectiveness and robustness.</p>","PeriodicalId":7116,"journal":{"name":"Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9751644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-01DOI: 10.1107/S2059798323004928
Randy J Read, Edward N Baker, Charles S Bond, Elspeth F Garman, Mark J van Raaij
This editorial acknowledges the transformative impact of new machine-learning methods, such as the use of AlphaFold, but also makes the case for the continuing need for experimental structural biology.
{"title":"AlphaFold and the future of structural biology.","authors":"Randy J Read, Edward N Baker, Charles S Bond, Elspeth F Garman, Mark J van Raaij","doi":"10.1107/S2059798323004928","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1107/S2059798323004928","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This editorial acknowledges the transformative impact of new machine-learning methods, such as the use of AlphaFold, but also makes the case for the continuing need for experimental structural biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":7116,"journal":{"name":"Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9751681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-01Epub Date: 2023-06-16DOI: 10.1107/S2059798323004199
Erik Eppinger, Andreas Stolz, Marta Ferraroni
5-Nitrosalicylate 1,2-dioxygenase (5NSDO) is an iron(II)-dependent dioxygenase involved in the aerobic degradation of 5-nitroanthranilic acid by the bacterium Bradyrhizobium sp. It catalyzes the opening of the 5-nitrosalicylate aromatic ring, a key step in the degradation pathway. Besides 5-nitrosalicylate, the enzyme is also active towards 5-chlorosalicylate. The X-ray crystallographic structure of the enzyme was solved at 2.1 Å resolution by molecular replacement using a model from the AI program AlphaFold. The enzyme crystallized in the monoclinic space group P21, with unit-cell parameters a = 50.42, b = 143.17, c = 60.07 Å, β = 107.3°. 5NSDO belongs to the third class of ring-cleaving dioxygenases. Members of this family convert para-diols or hydroxylated aromatic carboxylic acids and belong to the cupin superfamily, which is one of the most functionally diverse protein classes and is named on the basis of a conserved β-barrel fold. 5NSDO is a tetramer composed of four identical subunits, each folded as a monocupin domain. The iron(II) ion in the enzyme active site is coordinated by His96, His98 and His136 and three water molecules with a distorted octahedral geometry. The residues in the active site are poorly conserved compared with other dioxygenases of the third class, such as gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase and salicylate 1,2-dioxygenase. Comparison with these other representatives of the same class and docking of the substrate into the active site of 5NSDO allowed the identification of residues which are crucial for the catalytic mechanism and enzyme selectivity.
{"title":"Crystal structure of the monocupin ring-cleaving dioxygenase 5-nitrosalicylate 1,2-dioxygenase from Bradyrhizobium sp.","authors":"Erik Eppinger, Andreas Stolz, Marta Ferraroni","doi":"10.1107/S2059798323004199","DOIUrl":"10.1107/S2059798323004199","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>5-Nitrosalicylate 1,2-dioxygenase (5NSDO) is an iron(II)-dependent dioxygenase involved in the aerobic degradation of 5-nitroanthranilic acid by the bacterium Bradyrhizobium sp. It catalyzes the opening of the 5-nitrosalicylate aromatic ring, a key step in the degradation pathway. Besides 5-nitrosalicylate, the enzyme is also active towards 5-chlorosalicylate. The X-ray crystallographic structure of the enzyme was solved at 2.1 Å resolution by molecular replacement using a model from the AI program AlphaFold. The enzyme crystallized in the monoclinic space group P2<sub>1</sub>, with unit-cell parameters a = 50.42, b = 143.17, c = 60.07 Å, β = 107.3°. 5NSDO belongs to the third class of ring-cleaving dioxygenases. Members of this family convert para-diols or hydroxylated aromatic carboxylic acids and belong to the cupin superfamily, which is one of the most functionally diverse protein classes and is named on the basis of a conserved β-barrel fold. 5NSDO is a tetramer composed of four identical subunits, each folded as a monocupin domain. The iron(II) ion in the enzyme active site is coordinated by His96, His98 and His136 and three water molecules with a distorted octahedral geometry. The residues in the active site are poorly conserved compared with other dioxygenases of the third class, such as gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase and salicylate 1,2-dioxygenase. Comparison with these other representatives of the same class and docking of the substrate into the active site of 5NSDO allowed the identification of residues which are crucial for the catalytic mechanism and enzyme selectivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":7116,"journal":{"name":"Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10306065/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9708362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-01Epub Date: 2023-05-19DOI: 10.1107/S2059798323003613
Kate Sowerby, Stefanie Freitag-Pohl, Ana Milena Murillo, Ariel Mariano Silber, Ehmke Pohl
Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, whilst leishmaniasis, which is caused by over 20 species of Leishmania, represents a group of NTDs endemic to most countries in the tropical and subtropical belt of the planet. These diseases remain a significant health problem both in endemic countries and globally. These parasites and other trypanosomatids, including T. theileri, a bovine pathogen, rely on cysteine biosynthesis for the production of trypanothione, which is essential for parasite survival in hosts. The de novo pathway of cysteine biosynthesis requires the conversion of O-acetyl-L-serine into L-cysteine, which is catalysed by cysteine synthase (CS). These enzymes present potential for drug development against T. cruzi, Leishmania spp. and T. theileri. To enable these possibilities, biochemical and crystallographic studies of CS from T. cruzi (TcCS), L. infantum (LiCS) and T. theileri (TthCS) were conducted. Crystal structures of the three enzymes were determined at resolutions of 1.80 Å for TcCS, 1.75 Å for LiCS and 2.75 Å for TthCS. These three homodimeric structures show the same overall fold and demonstrate that the active-site geometry is conserved, supporting a common reaction mechanism. Detailed structural analysis revealed reaction intermediates of the de novo pathway ranging from an apo structure of LiCS and holo structures of both TcCS and TthCS to the substrate-bound structure of TcCS. These structures will allow exploration of the active site for the design of novel inhibitors. Additionally, unexpected binding sites discovered at the dimer interface represent new potential for the development of protein-protein inhibitors.
{"title":"Cysteine synthase: multiple structures of a key enzyme in cysteine synthesis and a potential drug target for Chagas disease and leishmaniasis.","authors":"Kate Sowerby, Stefanie Freitag-Pohl, Ana Milena Murillo, Ariel Mariano Silber, Ehmke Pohl","doi":"10.1107/S2059798323003613","DOIUrl":"10.1107/S2059798323003613","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, whilst leishmaniasis, which is caused by over 20 species of Leishmania, represents a group of NTDs endemic to most countries in the tropical and subtropical belt of the planet. These diseases remain a significant health problem both in endemic countries and globally. These parasites and other trypanosomatids, including T. theileri, a bovine pathogen, rely on cysteine biosynthesis for the production of trypanothione, which is essential for parasite survival in hosts. The de novo pathway of cysteine biosynthesis requires the conversion of O-acetyl-L-serine into L-cysteine, which is catalysed by cysteine synthase (CS). These enzymes present potential for drug development against T. cruzi, Leishmania spp. and T. theileri. To enable these possibilities, biochemical and crystallographic studies of CS from T. cruzi (TcCS), L. infantum (LiCS) and T. theileri (TthCS) were conducted. Crystal structures of the three enzymes were determined at resolutions of 1.80 Å for TcCS, 1.75 Å for LiCS and 2.75 Å for TthCS. These three homodimeric structures show the same overall fold and demonstrate that the active-site geometry is conserved, supporting a common reaction mechanism. Detailed structural analysis revealed reaction intermediates of the de novo pathway ranging from an apo structure of LiCS and holo structures of both TcCS and TthCS to the substrate-bound structure of TcCS. These structures will allow exploration of the active site for the design of novel inhibitors. Additionally, unexpected binding sites discovered at the dimer interface represent new potential for the development of protein-protein inhibitors.</p>","PeriodicalId":7116,"journal":{"name":"Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10233618/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9562351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-01DOI: 10.1107/S2059798323003431
Gabriele Bongiovanni, Oliver F Harder, Jonathan M Voss, Marcel Drabbels, Ulrich J Lorenz
A microsecond time-resolved version of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has recently been introduced to enable observation of the fast conformational motions of proteins. The technique involves locally melting a cryo sample with a laser beam to allow the proteins to undergo dynamics in the liquid phase. When the laser is switched off, the sample cools within just a few microseconds and revitrifies, trapping particles in their transient configurations, in which they can subsequently be imaged. Two alternative implementations of the technique have previously been described, using either an optical microscope or performing revitrification experiments in situ. Here, it is shown that it is possible to obtain near-atomic resolution reconstructions from in situ revitrified cryo samples. Moreover, the resulting map is indistinguishable from that obtained from a conventional sample within the spatial resolution. Interestingly, it is observed that revitrification leads to a more homogeneous angular distribution of the particles, suggesting that revitrification may potentially be used to overcome issues of preferred particle orientation.
{"title":"Near-atomic resolution reconstructions from in situ revitrified cryo samples.","authors":"Gabriele Bongiovanni, Oliver F Harder, Jonathan M Voss, Marcel Drabbels, Ulrich J Lorenz","doi":"10.1107/S2059798323003431","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1107/S2059798323003431","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A microsecond time-resolved version of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has recently been introduced to enable observation of the fast conformational motions of proteins. The technique involves locally melting a cryo sample with a laser beam to allow the proteins to undergo dynamics in the liquid phase. When the laser is switched off, the sample cools within just a few microseconds and revitrifies, trapping particles in their transient configurations, in which they can subsequently be imaged. Two alternative implementations of the technique have previously been described, using either an optical microscope or performing revitrification experiments in situ. Here, it is shown that it is possible to obtain near-atomic resolution reconstructions from in situ revitrified cryo samples. Moreover, the resulting map is indistinguishable from that obtained from a conventional sample within the spatial resolution. Interestingly, it is observed that revitrification leads to a more homogeneous angular distribution of the particles, suggesting that revitrification may potentially be used to overcome issues of preferred particle orientation.</p>","PeriodicalId":7116,"journal":{"name":"Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10233619/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9617817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}