Specificity determinants revealed by the structure of glycosyltransferase Campylobacter concisus PglA.

In selected Campylobacter species, the biosynthesis of N-linked glycoconjugates via the pgl pathway is essential for pathogenicity and survival. However, most of the membrane-associated GT-B fold glycosyltransferases responsible for diversifying glycans in this pathway have not been structurally characterized which hinders the understanding of the structural factors that govern substrate specificity and prediction of resulting glycan composition. Herein, we report the 1.8 Šresolution structure of Campylobacter concisus PglA, the glycosyltransferase responsible for the transfer of N-acetylgalatosamine (GalNAc) from uridine 5'-diphospho-N-acetylgalactosamine (UDP-GalNAc) to undecaprenyl-diphospho-N,N'-diacetylbacillosamine (UndPP-diNAcBac) in complex with the sugar donor GalNAc. This study identifies distinguishing characteristics that set PglA apart within the GT4 enzyme family. Computational docking of the structure in the membrane in comparison to homologs points to differences in interactions with the membrane-embedded acceptor and the structural analysis of the complex together with bioinformatics and site-directed mutagenesis identifies donor sugar binding motifs. Notably, E113, conserved solely among PglA enzymes, forms a hydrogen bond with the GalNAc C6″-OH. Mutagenesis of E113 reveals activity consistent with this role in substrate binding, rather than stabilization of the oxocarbenium ion transition state, a function sometimes ascribed to the corresponding residue in GT4 homologs. The bioinformatic analyses reveal a substrate-specificity motif, showing that Pro281 in a substrate binding loop of PglA directs configurational preference for GalNAc over GlcNAc. This proline is replaced by a conformationally flexible glycine, even in distant homologs, which favor substrates with the same stereochemistry at C4, such as glucose. The signature loop is conserved across all Campylobacter PglA enzymes, emphasizing its importance in substrate specificity.

Decoupling deISGylating and deubiquitinating activities of the MERS virus papain-like protease.

Coronavirus papain-like proteases (PLPs or PLpro), such as the one encoded in the genome of the infectious Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, have multiple enzymatic activities that promote viral infection. PLpro acts as a protease and processes the large coronavirus polyprotein for virus replication. PLpro also functions as both a deubiquitinating (DUB) and deISGylating (deISG) enzyme and removes ubiquitin (Ub) and interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) from cellular proteins. Both DUB and deISG activities are implicated in suppressing innate immune responses; however, the precise role of each activity in this process is still unclear due in part to the difficulties in separating each activity. In this study, we determine the first structure of MERS PLpro in complex with the full-length human ISG15 to a resolution of 2.3 Å. This structure and available structures of MERS PLpro-Ub complexes were used as molecular guides to design PLpro mutants that lack either or both DUB/deISG activities. We tested 13 different PLpro mutants for protease, DUB, and deISG activitites using fluorescence-based assays. Results show that we can selectively modulate DUB activity at amino acid positions 1649 and 1653 while mutation of Val1691 or His1652 of PLpro to a positive charged residue completely impairs both DUB/deISG activities. These mutant enzymes will provide new functional tools for delineating the importance of DUB versus deISG activity in virus-infected cells and may serve as potential candidates for attenuating the MERS virus in vivo for modified vaccine design efforts.

Structural Insights into the Interaction of Coronavirus Papain-Like Proteases and Interferon-Stimulated Gene Product 15 from Different Species.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) encode multifunctional papain-like proteases (PLPs) that have the ability to process the viral polyprotein to facilitate RNA replication and antagonize the host innate immune response. The latter function involves reversing the post-translational modification of cellular proteins conjugated with either ubiquitin (Ub) or Ub-like interferon-stimulated gene product 15 (ISG15). Ub is known to be highly conserved among eukaryotes, but surprisingly, ISG15 is highly divergent among animals. The ramifications of this sequence divergence to the recognition of ISG15 by coronavirus PLPs at a structural and biochemical level are poorly understood. Therefore, the activity of PLPs from SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and mouse hepatitis virus was evaluated against seven ISG15s originating from an assortment of animal species susceptible, and not, to certain coronavirus infections. Excitingly, our kinetic, thermodynamic, and structural analysis revealed an array of different preferences among PLPs. Included in these studies is the first insight into a coronavirus PLP's interface with ISG15 via SARS-CoV PLpro in complex with the principle binding domain of human ISG15 (hISG15) and mouse ISG15s (mISG15s). The first X-ray structure of the full-length mISG15 protein is also reported and highlights a unique, twisted hinge region of ISG15 that is not conserved in hISG15, suggesting a potential role in differential recognition. Taken together, this new information provides a structural and biochemical understanding of the distinct specificities among coronavirus PLPs observed and addresses a critical gap of how PLPs can interact with ISG15s from a wide variety of species.

X-ray Structure and Enzymatic Activity Profile of a Core Papain-like Protease of MERS Coronavirus with utility for structure-based drug design.

Ubiquitin-like domain 2 (Ubl2) is immediately adjacent to the N-terminus of the papain-like protease (PLpro) domain in coronavirus polyproteins, and it may play a critical role in protease regulation and stability as well as in viral infection. However, our recent cellular studies reveal that removing the Ubl2 domain from MERS PLpro has no effect on its ability to process the viral polyprotein or act as an interferon antagonist, which involves deubiquitinating and deISGylating cellular proteins. Here, we test the hypothesis that the Ubl2 domain is not required for the catalytic function of MERS PLpro in vitro. The X-ray structure of MERS PLpro-∆Ubl2 was determined to 1.9 Å and compared to PLpro containing the N-terminal Ubl2 domain. While the structures were nearly identical, the PLpro-∆Ubl2 enzyme revealed the intact structure of the substrate-binding loop. Moreover, PLpro-∆Ubl2 catalysis against different substrates and a purported inhibitor revealed no differences in catalytic efficiency, substrate specificity, and inhibition. Further, no changes in thermal stability were observed between enzymes. We conclude that the catalytic core of MERS PLpro, i.e. without the Ubl2 domain, is sufficient for catalysis and stability in vitro with utility to evaluate potential inhibitors as a platform for structure-based drug design.

Structural basis of activity against aztreonam and extended spectrum cephalosporins for two carbapenem-hydrolyzing class D ß-lactamases from Acinetobacter baumannii.

The carbapenem-hydrolyzing class D ß-lactamases OXA-23 and OXA-24/40 have emerged worldwide as causative agents for ß-lactam antibiotic resistance in Acinetobacter species. Many variants of these enzymes have appeared clinically, including OXA-160 and OXA-225, which both contain a P → S substitution at homologous positions in the OXA-24/40 and OXA-23 backgrounds, respectively. We purified OXA-160 and OXA-225 and used steady-state kinetic analysis to compare the substrate profiles of these variants to their parental enzymes, OXA-24/40 and OXA-23. OXA-160 and OXA-225 possess greatly enhanced hydrolytic activities against aztreonam, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, and ceftriaxone when compared to OXA-24/40 and OXA-23. These enhanced activities are the result of much lower Km values, suggesting that the P → S substitution enhances the binding affinity of these drugs. We have determined the structures of the acylated forms of OXA-160 (with ceftazidime and aztreonam) and OXA-225 (ceftazidime). These structures show that the R1 oxyimino side-chain of these drugs occupies a space near the ß5-ß6 loop and the omega loop of the enzymes. The P → S substitution found in OXA-160 and OXA-225 results in a deviation of the ß5-ß6 loop, relieving the steric clash with the R1 side-chain carboxypropyl group of aztreonam and ceftazidime. These results reveal worrying trends in the enhancement of substrate spectrum of class D ß-lactamases but may also provide a map for ß-lactam improvement.