Italian Version of the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium: Evaluation of the Scale Reliability and Ability to Detect Delirium Compared to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Physicians Clinical Evaluation.

Background: Delirium is an acute brain dysfunction associated with increased length of hospitalization, mortality, and high healthcare costs especially in patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD) is a screening tool for evaluating delirium in pediatric patients. This tool has already been used and validated in other languages but not in Italian. Objectives: To test the reliability of the Italian version of the CAPD to screen PICU patients for delirium and to assess the agreement between CAPD score and PICU physician clinical evaluation of delirium. Methods: Prospective double-blinded observational cohort study of patients admitted to a tertiary academic center PICU for at least 48 h from January 2020 to August 2021. We evaluated intra- and inter-rater agreement using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). The ability of the scale to detect delirium was evaluated by comparing the nurses' CAPD assessments with the clinical evaluation of a PICU physician with expertise in analgosedation using the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Measurements and Main Results: Seventy patients were included in the study. The prevalence of pediatric delirium was 54% (38/70) when reported by a positive CAPD score and 21% (15/70) when diagnosed by the PICU physician. The CAPD showed high agreement levels both for the intra-rater (ICC 1 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97-0.99) and the inter-rater (ICC 2 0.93, 95% CI: 0.89-0.96) assessments. In patients with suspected delirium according to the CAPD scale, the observed sensitivity and specificity of the scale were 0.93 (95% CI: 0.68-1.00) and 0.56 (95% CI: 0.42-0.70), respectively. The AUC observed was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.66-0.8490). Conclusion: The Italian version of the CAPD seems a reliable tool for the identification of patients at high risk of developing delirium in pediatric critical care settings. Compared to the clinical evaluation of the PICU physician, the use of the CAPD scale avoids a possible underestimation of delirium in the pediatric population.

Development of a potent high-affinity human therapeutic antibody via novel application of recombination signal sequence-based affinity maturation.

Therapeutic antibody development requires discovery of an antibody molecule with desired specificities and drug-like properties. For toxicological studies, a therapeutic antibody must bind the ortholog antigen with a similar affinity to the human target to enable relevant dosing regimens, and antibodies falling short of this affinity design goal may not progress as therapeutic leads. Herein, we report the novel use of mammalian recombination signal sequence (RSS)-directed recombination for complementarity-determining region-targeted protein engineering combined with mammalian display to close the species affinity gap of human interleukin (IL)-13 antibody 731. This fully human antibody has not progressed as a therapeutic in part because of a 400-fold species affinity gap. Using this nonhypothesis-driven affinity maturation method, we generated multiple antibody variants with improved IL-13 affinity, including the highest affinity antibody reported to date (34 fM). Resolution of a cocrystal structure of the optimized antibody with the cynomolgus monkey (or nonhuman primate) IL-13 protein revealed that the RSS-derived mutations introduced multiple successive amino-acid substitutions resulting in a de novo formation of a π-π stacking-based protein-protein interaction between the affinity-matured antibody heavy chain and helix C on IL-13, as well as an introduction of an interface-distant residue, which enhanced the light chain-binding affinity to target. These mutations synergized binding of heavy and light chains to the target protein, resulting in a remarkably tight interaction, and providing a proof of concept for a new method of protein engineering, based on synergizing a mammalian display platform with novel RSS-mediated library generation.

AlbuCORE: an albumin-based molecular scaffold for multivalent biologics design.

As biologics have become a mainstay in the development of novel therapies, protein engineering tools to expand on their structural advantages, namely specificity, affinity, and valency are of interest. Antibodies have dominated this field as the preferred scaffold for biologics development while there has been limited exploration into the use of albumin with its unique physiological characteristics as a platform for biologics design. There has been a great deal of interest to create bispecific and more complex multivalent molecules to build on the advantages offered by protein-based therapeutics relative to small molecules. Here, we explore the use of human serum albumin (HSA) as a scaffold for the design of multispecific biologics. In particular, we describe a structure-guided approach to the design of split HSA molecules we refer to as AlbuCORE, that effectively and spontaneously forms a native albumin-like molecule, but in a heterodimeric state upon co-expression. We show that the split AlbuCORE designs allow the creation of novel fusion entities with unique alternate geometries. We also show that, apart from these AlbuCORE fusion entities, there is an opportunity to explore their albumin-like small hydrophobic molecule carrying capacity as a drug conjugate in these designs.

Benchmarking immunoinformatic tools for the analysis of antibody repertoire sequences.

SUMMARY: Antibody repertoires reveal insights into the biology of the adaptive immune system and empower diagnostics and therapeutics. There are currently multiple tools available for the annotation of antibody sequences. All downstream analyses such as choosing lead drug candidates depend on the correct annotation of these sequences; however, a thorough comparison of the performance of these tools has not been investigated. Here, we benchmark the performance of commonly used immunoinformatic tools, i.e. IMGT/HighV-QUEST, IgBLAST and MiXCR, in terms of reproducibility of annotation output, accuracy and speed using simulated and experimental high-throughput sequencing datasets.We analyzed changes in IMGT reference germline database in the last 10 years in order to assess the reproducibility of the annotation output. We found that only 73/183 (40%) V, D and J human genes were shared between the reference germline sets used by the tools. We found that the annotation results differed between tools. In terms of alignment accuracy, MiXCR had the highest average frequency of gene mishits, 0.02 mishit frequency and IgBLAST the lowest, 0.004 mishit frequency. Reproducibility in the output of complementarity determining three regions (CDR3 amino acids) ranged from 4.3% to 77.6% with preprocessed data. In addition, run time of the tools was assessed: MiXCR was the fastest tool for number of sequences processed per unit of time. These results indicate that immunoinformatic analyses greatly depend on the choice of bioinformatics tool. Our results support informed decision-making to immunoinformaticians based on repertoire composition and sequencing platforms. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: All tools utilized in the paper are free for academic use. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Improving biophysical properties of a bispecific antibody scaffold to aid developability: quality by molecular design.

While the concept of Quality-by-Design is addressed at the upstream and downstream process development stages, we questioned whether there are advantages to addressing the issues of biologics quality early in the design of the molecule based on fundamental biophysical characterization, and thereby reduce complexities in the product development stages. Although limited number of bispecific therapeutics are in clinic, these developments have been plagued with difficulty in producing materials of sufficient quality and quantity for both preclinical and clinical studies. The engineered heterodimeric Fc is an industry-wide favorite scaffold for the design of bispecific protein therapeutics because of its structural, and potentially pharmacokinetic, similarity to the natural antibody. Development of molecules based on this concept, however, is challenged by the presence of potential homodimer contamination and stability loss relative to the natural Fc. We engineered a heterodimeric Fc with high heterodimeric specificity that also retains natural Fc-like biophysical properties, and demonstrate here that use of engineered Fc domains that mirror the natural system translates into an efficient and robust upstream stable cell line selection process as a first step toward a more developable therapeutic.

Strategies for modulating the pH-dependent activity of a family 11 glycoside hydrolase.

The pH-dependent activity of wild-type Bacillus circulans xylanase (BcX) is set by the pK(a) values of its nucleophile Glu78 and general acid/base Glu172. Herein, we examined several strategies to manipulate these pK(a) values and thereby shift the pH(opt) at which BcX is optimally active. Altering the global charge of BcX through random succinylation had no significant effect. Mutation of residues near or within the active site of BcX, but not directly contacting the catalytic carboxyls, either had little effect or reduced its pH(opt), primarily by lowering the apparent pK(a) value of Glu78. However, mutations causing the largest pK(a) changes also impaired activity. Although not found as a general acid/base in naturally occurring xylanases, substitution of Glu172 with a His lowered the pH(opt) of BcX from 5.6 to 4.7 while retaining 8% activity toward a xylobioside substrate. Mutation of Asn35, which contacts Glu172, to either His or Glu also led to a reduction in pH(opt) by ~1.2 units. Detailed pK(a) measurements by NMR spectroscopy revealed that, despite the opposite charges of the introduced residues, both the N35H and N35E forms of BcX utilize a reverse protonation mechanism. In this mechanism, the pK(a) value of the general acid is lower than that of the nucleophile, and only a small population of enzyme is in a catalytically competent ionization state. However, overall activity is maintained due to the increased strength of the general acid. This study illustrates several routes for altering the pH-dependent properties of xylanases, while also providing valuable insights into complex protein electrostatics.

Structural and biochemical consequences of NF1 associated nontruncating mutations in the Sec14-PH module of neurofibromin.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common genetic disorder caused by alterations in the tumor suppressor gene NF1. Clinical manifestations include various neural crest derived tumors, pigmentation anomalies, bone deformations, and learning disabilities. NF1 encodes the Ras specific GTPase activating protein (RasGAP) neurofibromin, of which the central RasGAP related domain as well as a Sec14-like (residues 1560-1699) and a tightly interacting pleckstrin homology (PH)-like (1713-1818) domain are currently well defined. However, patient-derived nontruncating mutations have been reported along the whole NF1 gene, suggesting further essential protein functions. Focusing on the Sec14-PH module, we have engineered such nontruncating mutations and analyzed their implications on protein function and structure using lipid binding assays, CD spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. Although lipid binding appears to be preserved among most nontruncating mutants, we see major structural changes for two of the alterations. Judging from these changes and our biochemical data, we suggest the presence of an intermolecular contact surface in the lid-lock region of the protein.

Role of Met-542 as a guide for the conformational changes of Phe-601 that occur during the reaction of β-galactosidase (Escherichia coli).

The Met-542 residue of ß-galactosidase is important for the enzyme's activity because it acts as a guide for the movement of the benzyl side chain of Phe-601 between two stable positions. This movement occurs in concert with an important conformational change (open vs. closed) of an active site loop (residues 794-803). Phe-601 and Arg-599, which interact with each other via the π electrons of Phe-601 and the guanidium cation of Arg-599, move out of their normal positions and become disordered when Met-542 is replaced by an Ala residue because of the loss of the guide. Since the backbone carbonyl of Phe-601 is a ligand for Na(+), the Na(+) also moves out of its normal position and becomes disordered; the Na(+) binds about 120 times more poorly. In turn, two other Na(+) ligands, Asn-604 and Asp-201, become disordered. A substrate analog (IPTG) restored Arg-599, Phe-601, and Na(+) to their normal open-loop positions, whereas a transition state analog d-galactonolactone) restored them to their normal closed-loop positions. These compounds also restored order to Phe-601, Asn-604, Asp-201, and Na(+). Binding energy was, however, necessary to restore structure and order. The K(s) values of oNPG and pNPG and the competitive K(i) values of substrate analogs were 90-250 times higher than with native enzyme, whereas the competitive K(i) values of transition state analogs were ~3.5-10 times higher. Because of this, the E•S energy level is raised more than the E•transition state energy level and less activation energy is needed for galactosylation. The galactosylation rates (k2) of M542A-ß-galactosidase therefore increase. However, the rate of degalactosylation (k3) decreased because the E•transition state complex is less stable.

A flavin-dependent monooxygenase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis involved in cholesterol catabolism.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 have similar cholesterol catabolic pathways. This pathway contributes to the pathogenicity of Mtb. The hsaAB cholesterol catabolic genes have been predicted to encode the oxygenase and reductase, respectively, of a flavin-dependent mono-oxygenase that hydroxylates 3-hydroxy-9,10-seconandrost-1,3,5(10)-triene-9,17-dione (3-HSA) to a catechol. An hsaA deletion mutant of RHA1 did not grow on cholesterol but transformed the latter to 3-HSA and related metabolites in which each of the two keto groups was reduced: 3,9-dihydroxy-9,10-seconandrost-1,3,5(10)-triene-17-one (3,9-DHSA) and 3,17-dihydroxy-9,10-seconandrost-1,3,5(10)-triene-9-one (3,17-DHSA). Purified 3-hydroxy-9,10-seconandrost-1,3,5(10)-triene-9,17-dione 4-hydroxylase (HsaAB) from Mtb had higher specificity for 3-HSA than for 3,17-DHSA (apparent k(cat)/K(m) = 1000 +/- 100 M(-1) s(-1) versus 700 +/- 100 M(-1) s(-1)). However, 3,9-DHSA was a poorer substrate than 3-hydroxybiphenyl (apparent k(cat)/K(m) = 80 +/- 40 M(-1) s(-1)). In the presence of 3-HSA the K(m)(app) for O(2) was 100 +/- 10 microM. The crystal structure of HsaA to 2.5-A resolution revealed that the enzyme has the same fold, flavin-binding site, and catalytic residues as p-hydroxyphenyl acetate hydroxylase. However, HsaA has a much larger phenol-binding site, consistent with the enzyme's substrate specificity. In addition, a second crystal form of HsaA revealed that a C-terminal flap (Val(367)-Val(394)) could adopt two conformations differing by a rigid body rotation of 25 degrees around Arg(366). This rotation appears to gate the likely flavin entrance to the active site. In docking studies with 3-HSA and flavin, the closed conformation provided a rationale for the enzyme's substrate specificity. Overall, the structural and functional data establish the physiological role of HsaAB and provide a basis to further investigate an important class of monooxygenases as well as the bacterial catabolism of steroids.

The crystal structure of the active form of the C-terminal kinase domain of mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase 1.

Mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase 1 (MSK1) is a growth-factor-stimulated serine/threonine kinase that is involved in gene transcription regulation and proinflammatory cytokine stimulation. MSK1 is a dual kinase possessing two nonidentical protein kinase domains in one polypeptide. We present the active conformation of the crystal structures of its C-terminal kinase domain in apo form and in complex with a nonhydrolyzable ATP analogue at 2.0 A and 2.5 A resolutions, respectively. Structural analysis revealed substantial differences in the contacts formed by the C-terminal helix, which is responsible for the inactivity of other autoinhibited kinases. In the C-terminal kinase domain of MSK1, the C-terminal alphaL-helix is located in the surface groove, but forms no hydrogen bonds with the substrate-binding loop or nearby helices, and does not interfere with the protein's autophosphorylation activity. Mutational analysis confirmed that the alphaL-helix is inherently nonautoinhibitory. Overexpression of the single C-terminal kinase domain in JB6 cells resulted in tumor-promoter-induced neoplastic transformation in a manner similar to that induced by the full-length MSK1 protein. The overall results suggest that the C-terminal kinase domain of MSK1 is regulated by a novel alphaL-helix-independent mechanism, suggesting that a diverse mechanism of autoinhibition and activation might be adopted by members of a closely related protein kinase family.

Circular permutation of Bacillus circulans xylanase: a kinetic and structural study.

The 20 kDa Bacillus circulans Bcx is a well-studied endoxylanase with a beta-jellyroll fold that places its N- and C-termini in salt bridge contact. Initial experiments verified that Bcx could be circularly permuted by PCR methods to introduce new termini in loop regions while linking its native termini directly or via one or two glycines. Subsequently, a library of circular permutants, generated by random DNase cleavage of the circularized Bcx gene, was screened for xylanase activity on xylan in Congo Red-stained agar. Analysis of 35 unique active circular permutants revealed that, while many of the new termini were introduced in external loops as anticipated, a surprising number were also located within beta-strands. Furthermore, several permutations placed key catalytic residues at or near the new termini with minimal deleterious effects on activity and, in one case, a 4-fold increase. The structure of one permutant was determined by X-ray crystallography, whereas three others were probed by NMR spectroscopy. These studies revealed that the overall conformation of Bcx changed very little in response to circular permutation, with effects largely being limited to increased local mobility near the new and the linked old termini and to a decrease in global stability against thermal denaturation. This library of circularly permuted xylanases provides an excellent set of new start points for directed evolution of this commercially important enzyme, as well as valuable constructs for intein-mediated replacement of key catalytic residues with unnatural analogues. Such approaches should permit new insights into the mechanism of enzymatic glycoside hydrolysis.

Structural diversity of the active N-terminal kinase domain of p90 ribosomal S6 kinase 2.

The p90 ribosomal protein kinase 2 (RSK2) is a highly expressed Ser/Thr kinase activated by growth factors and is involved in cancer cell proliferation and tumor promoter-induced cell transformation. RSK2 possesses two non-identical kinase domains, and the structure of its N-terminal domain (NTD), which is responsible for phosphorylation of a variety of substrates, is unknown. The crystal structure of the NTD RSK2 was determined at 1.8 A resolution in complex with AMP-PNP. The N-terminal kinase domain adopted a unique active conformation showing a significant structural diversity of the kinase domain compared to other kinases. The NTD RSK2 possesses a three-stranded betaB-sheet inserted in the N-terminal lobe, resulting in displacement of the alphaC-helix and disruption of the Lys-Glu interaction, classifying the kinase conformation as inactive. The purified protein was phosphorylated at Ser227 in the T-activation loop and exhibited in vitro kinase activity. A key characteristic is the appearance of a new contact between Lys216 (betaB-sheet) and the beta-phosphate of AMP-PNP. Mutation of this lysine to alanine impaired both NTDs in vitro and full length RSK2 ex vivo activity, emphasizing the importance of this interaction. Even though the N-terminal lobe undergoes structural re-arrangement, it possesses an intact hydrophobic groove formed between the alphaC-helix, the beta4-strand, and the betaB-sheet junction, which is occupied by the N-terminal tail. The presence of a unique betaB-sheet insert in the N-lobe suggests a different type of activation mechanism for RSK2.

Studies of a ring-cleaving dioxygenase illuminate the role of cholesterol metabolism in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiological agent of TB, possesses a cholesterol catabolic pathway implicated in pathogenesis. This pathway includes an iron-dependent extradiol dioxygenase, HsaC, that cleaves catechols. Immuno-compromised mice infected with a DeltahsaC mutant of M. tuberculosis H37Rv survived 50% longer than mice infected with the wild-type strain. In guinea pigs, the mutant disseminated more slowly to the spleen, persisted less successfully in the lung, and caused little pathology. These data establish that, while cholesterol metabolism by M. tuberculosis appears to be most important during the chronic stage of infection, it begins much earlier and may contribute to the pathogen's dissemination within the host. Purified HsaC efficiently cleaved the catecholic cholesterol metabolite, DHSA (3,4-dihydroxy-9,10-seconandrost-1,3,5(10)-triene-9,17-dione; k(cat)/K(m) = 14.4+/-0.5 microM(-1) s(-1)), and was inactivated by a halogenated substrate analogue (partition coefficient<50). Remarkably, cholesterol caused loss of viability in the DeltahsaC mutant, consistent with catechol toxicity. Structures of HsaC:DHSA binary complexes at 2.1 A revealed two catechol-binding modes: bidentate binding to the active site iron, as has been reported in similar enzymes, and, unexpectedly, monodentate binding. The position of the bicyclo-alkanone moiety of DHSA was very similar in the two binding modes, suggesting that this interaction is a determinant in the initial substrate-binding event. These data provide insights into the binding of catechols by extradiol dioxygenases and facilitate inhibitor design.

Characterization of 3-ketosteroid 9{alpha}-hydroxylase, a Rieske oxygenase in the cholesterol degradation pathway of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

KshAB (3-Ketosteroid 9alpha-hydroxylase) is a two-component Rieske oxygenase (RO) in the cholesterol catabolic pathway of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although the enzyme has been implicated in pathogenesis, it has largely been characterized by bioinformatics and molecular genetics. Purified KshB, the reductase component, was a monomeric protein containing a plant-type [2Fe-2S] cluster and FAD. KshA, the oxygenase, was a homotrimer containing a Rieske [2Fe-2S] cluster and mononuclear ferrous iron. Of two potential substrates, reconstituted KshAB had twice the specificity for 1,4-androstadiene-3,17-dione as for 4-androstene-3,17-dione. The transformation of both substrates was well coupled to the consumption of O(2). Nevertheless, the reactivity of KshAB with O(2) was low in the presence of 1,4-androstadiene-3,17-dione, with a k(cat)/K(m)(O(2)) of 2450 +/- 80 m(-1) s(-1). The crystallographic structure of KshA, determined to 2.3A(,) revealed an overall fold and a head-to-tail subunit arrangement typical of ROs. The central fold of the catalytic domain lacks all insertions found in characterized ROs, consistent with a minimal and perhaps archetypical RO catalytic domain. The structure of KshA is further distinguished by a C-terminal helix, which stabilizes subunit interactions in the functional trimer. Finally, the substrate-binding pocket extends farther into KshA than in other ROs, consistent with the large steroid substrate, and the funnel accessing the active site is differently orientated. This study provides a solid basis for further studies of a key steroid-transforming enzyme of biotechnological and medical importance.

Metal requirements and phosphodiesterase activity of tRNase Z enzymes.

The endonuclease tRNase Z from A. thaliana (AthTRZ1) was originally isolated for its tRNA 3' processing activity. Here we show that AthTRZ1 also hydrolyzes the phosphodiester bond in bis(p-nitrophenyl) phosphate (bpNPP) with a kcat of 7.4 s-1 and a KM of 8.5 mM. We analyzed 22 variants of AthTRZ1 with respect to their ability to hydrolyze bpNPP. This mutational mapping identified fourteen variants that lost the ability to hydrolyze bpNPP and seven variants with reduced activity. Surprisingly, a single amino acid change (R252G) resulted in a ten times higher activity compared to the wild type enzyme. tRNase Z enzymes exist in long and short forms. We show here that in contrast to the short tRNase Z enzyme AthTRZ1, the long tRNase Z enzymes do not have bpNPP hydrolysis activity pointing to fundamental differences in substrate cleavage between the two enzyme forms. Furthermore, we determined the metal content of AthTRZ1 and analyzed the metal requirement for bpNPP hydrolysis. AthTRZ1 shows a high affinity for Zn2+ ions; even upon incubation with metal chelators, 0.76 Zn2+ ions are retained per dimer. In contrast to bpNPP hydrolysis, pre-tRNA processing requires additional metal ions, Mn2+ or Mg2+, as Zn2+ ions alone are insufficient.

The sec14 homology module of neurofibromin binds cellular glycerophospholipids: mass spectrometry and structure of a lipid complex.

Neurofibromin is the protein product of the tumor suppressor gene NF1, alterations of which are responsible for the pathogenesis of the common disorder Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1). The only well-characterized function of neurofibromin is its RasGAP activity, contained in the central GAP related domain (GRD). By solving the crystal structure of a 31 kDa fragment at the C-terminal end of the GRD we have recently identified a novel bipartite lipid-binding module composed of a Sec14 homologous and a previously undetected pleckstrin homology (PH)-like domain. Using lipid exchange assays along with mass spectrometry we show here that the Sec14-like portion binds to 1-(3-sn-phosphatidyl)-sn-glycerol (PtdGro), (3-sn-phosphatidyl)-ethanolamine (PtdEtn) and -choline (PtdCho) and to a minor extent to (3-sn-phosphatidyl)-l-serine (PtdSer) and 1-(3-sn-phosphatidyl)-d-myo-inositol (PtdIns). Phosphorylated PtdIns (PtdInsPs) are not detected as binders in the mass spectrometry assay, but their soluble inositol-phosphate headgroups and related compounds can inhibit the lipid exchange reaction. We also present here the crystal structure of this module with the Sec14 portion bound to a cellular glycerophospholipid ligand. Our structure has model character for the substrate-bound form of yeast Sec14p, of which only detergent bound structures are available so far. To assess potential regulation of the lipid exchange reaction in detail, we present a novel strategy using nanospray mass spectrometry. Ion intensities of initial phospholipids and exchanged deuterated analogues bound by the protein module allow the quantitative analysis of differences in the exchange activity under various conditions.

A novel bipartite phospholipid-binding module in the neurofibromatosis type 1 protein.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common tumour predisposition syndrome associated with numerous clinical complications. Mutations in the tumour suppressor gene NF1 are responsible for disease pathogenesis. This gene encodes the 320 kDa protein neurofibromin, the only clearly defined function of which is to act as a Ras-specific GTPase-activating protein (RasGAP). Here we report the structural discovery of a novel module in neurofibromin, composed of a Sec14p homologous segment and a previously undetected pleckstrin homology (PH)-like domain of potentially novel function. We show phospholipid binding by this bipartite module and identify residues that are involved in this activity; we also show that the PH-like domain is not sufficient for lipid binding. The unique architecture of the domain interface points to a model of how the PH-like domain may regulate binding of a ligand by the Sec14 module.

Expression, purification and preliminary crystallographic characterization of a novel segment from the neurofibromatosis type 1 protein.

Neurofibromin (MW 320 kDa) is the protein responsible for the pathogenesis of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), one of the most common genetic diseases worldwide. The neurofibromin GAP-related domain (GRD, MW 38 kDa) possess a Ras-specific GTPase-activating protein property, which is at present its only clear biochemical function. This article describes the study of the bacterial production and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of a neurofibromin fragment located at the C-terminal end of the GRD, which contains a region reported to be homologous to the yeast Sec14p lipid exchange protein. Of the three crystal variants obtained, a tetragonal form diffracted to a resolution of at least 2.3 A.

The invertase inhibitor Nt-CIF from tobacco: a highly thermostable four-helix bundle with an unusual N-terminal extension.

Plant invertases are sucrolytic enzymes essential for plant metabolism and development. Enzyme activity is regulated on a posttranslational level via inhibitory proteins, referred to as invertase inhibitors. Ectopic expression of invertase inhibitors in crop plants has high biotechnological potential. However, little biochemical and up to now no detailed structural information is available about this class of plant regulatory proteins. Here, we present the crystal structure of the cell wall-associated invertase inhibitor Nt-CIF from tobacco at a resolution of 1.87A. The structural model reveals an asymmetric four-helix bundle with an uncommon N-terminal extension that appears to be critical for the structural integrity of the protein. Structure analysis of a second crystal form grown in the presence of CdCl(2) reveals two metal binding sites. Nt-CIF is highly thermostable and retains full inhibitory activity after cooling to ambient temperatures. The structure of Nt-CIF provides the first three-dimensional information source for the posttranslational regulation of plant invertases. Based on the recently discovered sequence homology between inhibitors of invertases and pectin methylesterases, our structural model is likely to represent a scaffold also used for the regulation of the latter enzymes, which do not share sequence similarity with invertases. Thus, our structural model sets the 3D-stage for the investigation of posttranslational regulation of invertases as well as pectin methylesterases.

Structure of human NMN adenylyltransferase. A key nuclear enzyme for NAD homeostasis.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NMNAT), a member of the nucleotidyltransferase alpha/beta-phosphodiesterases superfamily, catalyzes a universal step (NMN + ATP = NAD + PP(i)) in NAD biosynthesis. Localized within the nucleus, the activity of the human enzyme is greatly altered in tumor cells, rendering it a promising target for cancer chemotherapy. By using a combination of single isomorphous replacement and density modification techniques, the human NMNAT structure was solved by x-ray crystallography to a 2.5-A resolution, revealing a hexamer that is composed of alpha/beta-topology subunits. The active site topology of the enzyme, analyzed through homology modeling and structural comparison with other NMNATs, yielded convincing evidence for a substrate-induced conformational change. We also observed remarkable structural conservation in the ATP-recognition motifs GXXXPX(T/H)XXH and SXTXXR, which we take to be the universal signature for NMNATs. Structural comparison of human and prokaryotic NMNATs may also lead to the rational design of highly selective antimicrobial drugs.