The sensor region of the ubiquitous cytosolic sensor kinase, PdtaS, contains PAS and GAF domain sensing modules.

Two-component systems, a sensor histidine kinase (HK) and a response regulator (RR), are ubiquitous signaling systems that allow prokaryotes to respond to external challenges. HKs normally have sensing modules and highly conserved cytosolic histidine kinase and ATPase domains. The interaction between the activated phosphohistidine and the cognate RR allows an external signal to be passed from the exterior of gram-positive bacteria (GPB) to the cytoplasm. Orthologs of the PdtaS/PdtaR regulatory system, found in most GPB phyla, are unusual in two respects. The HK is not membrane anchored, and the RR acts at the level of transcriptional antitermination. The structure of the complete sensor region of the cytosolic HK, PdtaS, from Mycobacterium tuberculosis consists of closely linked GAF and PAS domains. The structure and sequence analysis suggest that the PdtaS/PdtaR regulatory system is structurally equivalent to the EutW/EutV system regulating ethanolamine catabolism in some phyla but that the effector for the PAS domain is not ethanolamine in the Actinobacteria.

Structure and genetic analysis of the arterivirus nonstructural protein 7alpha.

Arterivirus replicase polyproteins are cleaved into at least 13 mature nonstructural proteins (nsps), and in particular the nsp5-to-nsp8 region is subject to a complex processing cascade. The function of the largest subunit from this region, nsp7, which is further cleaved into nsp7α and nsp7ß, is unknown. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we determined the solution structure of nsp7α of equine arteritis virus, revealing an interesting unique fold for this protein but thereby providing little clue to its possible functions. Nevertheless, structure-based reverse genetics studies established the importance of nsp7/nsp7α for viral RNA synthesis, thus providing a basis for future studies.

Single isomorphous replacement phasing of selenomethionine-containing proteins using UV-induced radiation damage.

The most commonly used heavy-atom derivative, selenium, requires the use of a tunable beamline to access the Se K edge for experimental phasing using anomalous diffraction methods, whereas X-ray diffraction experiments for selenium-specific ultraviolet radiation-damage-induced phasing can be performed on fixed-wavelength beamlines or even using in-house X-ray sources. Several nonredundant X-ray diffraction data sets were collected from three different selenomethionine (Mse) derivatized protein crystals at energies far below the absorption edge before and after exposing the crystal to ultraviolet (UV) radiation using 266 nm lasers of flux density 1.7 × 10¹5 photons s⁻¹â€…mm⁻² for 10-50 min. A detailed analysis revealed that significant changes in diffracted intensities were induced by ultraviolet irradiation whilst retaining crystal isomorphism. These intensity changes allowed the crystal structures to be solved by the radiation-damage-induced phasing (RIP) technique. Inspection of the crystal structures and electron-density maps demonstrated that covalent bonds between selenium and carbon at all sites located in the core of the proteins or in a hydrophobic environment were much more susceptible to UV radiation-induced cleavage than other bonds typically present in Mse proteins. The rapid UV radiation-induced bond cleavage opens a reliable new paradigm for phasing when no tunable X-ray source is available. The behaviour of Mse derivatives of various proteins provides novel insights and an initial basis for understanding the mechanism of selenium-specific UV radiation damage.

On the routine use of soft X-rays in macromolecular crystallography. Part V. Molecular replacement and anomalous scattering.

Currently, about two thirds of all new macromolecular structures are determined by molecular replacement. In general the method works reliably, but it reaches its limits when the search model differs too much from the target structure in terms of coordinate deviations or completeness. Since anomalously scattering substructures are better conserved than the overall structure, these substructures and the corresponding anomalous intensity differences can be utilized to enhance the performance of molecular-replacement approaches. It is demonstrated that the combined and concomitant use of structure-factor amplitudes and anomalous differences constitutes a promising approach to push the limits of molecular replacement and to make more structures amenable to structure solution by this technique.

Additional phase information from UV damage of selenomethionine labelled proteins.

Currently, selenium is the most widely used phasing vehicle for experimental phasing, either by single anomalous scattering or multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) procedures. The use of the single isomorphous replacement anomalous scattering (SIRAS) phasing procedure with selenomethionine containing proteins is not so commonly used, as it requires isomorphous native data. Here it is demonstrated that isomorphous differences can be measured from intensity changes measured from a selenium labelled protein crystal before and after UV exposure. These can be coupled with the anomalous signal from the dataset collected at the selenium absorption edge to obtain SIRAS phases in a UV-RIPAS phasing experiment. The phasing procedure for two selenomethionine proteins, the feruloyl esterase module of xylanase 10B from Clostridium thermocellum and the Mycobacterium tuberculosis chorismate synthase, have been investigated using datasets collected near the absorption edge of selenium before and after UV radiation. The utility of UV radiation in measuring radiation damage data for isomorphous differences is highlighted and it is shown that, after such measurements, the UV-RIPAS procedure yields comparable phase sets with those obtained from the conventional MAD procedure. The results presented are encouraging for the development of alternative phasing approaches for selenomethionine proteins in difficult cases.

Papain-like protease 1 from transmissible gastroenteritis virus: crystal structure and enzymatic activity toward viral and cellular substrates.

Coronaviruses encode two classes of cysteine proteases, which have narrow substrate specificities and either a chymotrypsin- or papain-like fold. These enzymes mediate the processing of the two precursor polyproteins of the viral replicase and are also thought to modulate host cell functions to facilitate infection. The papain-like protease 1 (PL1(pro)) domain is present in nonstructural protein 3 (nsp3) of alphacoronaviruses and subgroup 2a betacoronaviruses. It participates in the proteolytic processing of the N-terminal region of the replicase polyproteins in a manner that varies among different coronaviruses and remains poorly understood. Here we report the first structural and biochemical characterization of a purified coronavirus PL1(pro) domain, that of transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV). Its tertiary structure is compared with that of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus PL2(pro), a downstream paralog that is conserved in the nsp3's of all coronaviruses. We identify both conserved and unique structural features likely controlling the interaction of PL1(pro) with cofactors and substrates, including the tentative mapping of substrate pocket residues. The purified recombinant TGEV PL1(pro) was shown to cleave a peptide mimicking the cognate nsp2|nsp3 cleavage site. Like its PL2(pro) paralogs from several coronaviruses, TGEV PL1(pro) was also found to have deubiquitinating activity in an in vitro cleavage assay, implicating it in counteracting ubiquitin-regulated host cell pathways, likely including innate immune responses. In combination with the prior characterization of PL2(pro) from other alphacoronaviruses, e.g., human coronaviruses 229E and NL63, our results unequivocally establish that these viruses employ two PL(pro)s with overlapping specificities toward both viral and cellular substrates.

Fatty acid- and retinoid-binding proteins have distinct binding pockets for the two types of cargo.

Parasitic nematodes cause serious diseases in humans, animals, and plants. They have limited lipid metabolism and are reliant on lipid-binding proteins to acquire these metabolites from their hosts. Several structurally novel families of lipid-binding proteins in nematodes have been described, including the fatty acid- and retinoid-binding protein family (FAR). In Caenorhabditis elegans, used as a model for studying parasitic nematodes, eight C. elegans FAR proteins have been described. The crystal structure of C. elegans FAR-7 is the first structure of a FAR protein, and it exhibits a novel fold. It differs radically from the mammalian fatty acid-binding proteins and has two ligand binding pockets joined by a surface groove. The first can accommodate the aliphatic chain of fatty acids, whereas the second can accommodate the bulkier retinoids. In addition to demonstrating lipid binding by fluorescence spectroscopy, we present evidence that retinol binding is positively regulated by casein kinase II phosphorylation at a conserved site near the bottom of the second pocket. far-7::GFP (green fluorescent protein) expression shows that it is localized in the head hypodermal syncytia and the excretory cell but that this localization changes under starvation conditions. In conclusion, our study provides the basic structural and functional information for investigation of inhibitors of lipid binding by FAR proteins.

The AAA+ superfamily--a myriad of motions.

ATPases associated with various cellular activities are aptly named. They are the engines that drive processes such as protein degradation, protein refolding, sigma(54)-dependent transcriptional activation, DNA helicase activity, DNA replication initiation, and cellular cargo transport. Recent structural information derived from biochemical studies, electron microscopy (EM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and X-ray crystallography are beginning to show how, at an atomic level, some of these systems use the conformational changes generated during the ATP hydrolysis cycle. Structural highlights in the processes mentioned are provided by work on ClpX and p97, ClpB, PspF and NtrC, RuvBL1, DnaA and the papillomavirus E1 initiator protein and dynein. The results emphasize the versatility of the AAA+ core domain.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of the measles virus hemagglutinin in complex with the CD46 receptor.

The measles virus (MV) hemagglutinin (MV-H) mediates the attachment of MV particles to cell-surface receptors for entry into host cells. MV uses two receptors for attachment to host cells: the complement-control protein CD46 and the signalling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM). The MV-H glycoprotein from an Edmonston MV variant and the MV-binding fragment of the CD46 receptor were overproduced in mammalian cells and used to crystallize an MV-H-CD46 complex. Well diffracting crystals containing two complexes in the asymmetric unit were obtained and the structure of the complex was solved by the molecular-replacement method.

On the combination of molecular replacement and single-wavelength anomalous diffraction phasing for automated structure determination.

A combination of molecular replacement and single-wavelength anomalous diffraction phasing has been incorporated into the automated structure-determination platform Auto-Rickshaw. The complete MRSAD procedure includes molecular replacement, model refinement, experimental phasing, phase improvement and automated model building. The improvement over the standard SAD or MR approaches is illustrated by ten test cases taken from the JCSG diffraction data-set database. Poor MR or SAD phases with phase errors larger than 70 degrees can be improved using the described procedure and a large fraction of the model can be determined in a purely automatic manner from X-ray data extending to better than 2.6 A resolution.

Structure of the X (ADRP) domain of nsp3 from feline coronavirus.

The structure of the X (or ADRP) domain of a pathogenic variant of feline coronavirus (FCoV) has been determined in tetragonal and cubic crystal forms to 3.1 and 2.2 A resolution, respectively. In the tetragonal crystal form, glycerol-3-phosphate was observed in the ADP-ribose-binding site. Both crystal forms contained large solvent channels and had a solvent content of higher than 70%. Only very weak binding of this domain to ADP-ribose was detected in vitro. However, the structure with ADP-ribose bound was determined in the cubic crystal form at 3.9 A resolution. The structure of the FCoV X domain had the expected macro-domain fold and is the first structure of this domain from a coronavirus belonging to subgroup 1a.

Structure of the C-terminal domain of nsp4 from feline coronavirus.

Coronaviruses are a family of positive-stranded RNA viruses that includes important pathogens of humans and other animals. The large coronavirus genome (26-31 kb) encodes 15-16 nonstructural proteins (nsps) that are derived from two replicase polyproteins by autoproteolytic processing. The nsps assemble into the viral replication-transcription complex and nsp3, nsp4 and nsp6 are believed to anchor this enzyme complex to modified intracellular membranes. The largest part of the coronavirus nsp4 subunit is hydrophobic and is predicted to be embedded in the membranes. In this report, a conserved C-terminal domain ( approximately 100 amino-acid residues) has been delineated that is predicted to face the cytoplasm and has been isolated as a soluble domain using library-based construct screening. A prototypical crystal structure at 2.8 A resolution was obtained using nsp4 from feline coronavirus. Unmodified and SeMet-substituted proteins were crystallized under similar conditions, resulting in tetragonal crystals that belonged to space group P4(3). The phase problem was initially solved by single isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering (SIRAS), followed by molecular replacement using a SIRAS-derived composite model. The structure consists of a single domain with a predominantly alpha-helical content displaying a unique fold that could be engaged in protein-protein interactions.

Purification, crystallization and X-ray diffraction analysis of pavine N-methyltransferase from Thalictrum flavum.

A cDNA from the plant Thalictrum flavum encoding pavine N-methyltransferase, an enzyme belonging to a novel class of S-adenosylmethionine-dependent N-methyltransferases specific for benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, has been heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme was purified using affinity and gel-filtration chromatography and was crystallized in space group P2(1). The structure was solved at 2.0 A resolution using a xenon derivative and the single isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering method.

Structural and functional aspects of the sensor histidine kinase PrrB from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

We describe the solution structures of two- and three-domain constructs of the sensor histidine kinase PrrB from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which allow us to locate the HAMP linker relative to the ATP binding and dimerization domains. We show that the three-domain construct is active both for autophosphorylation and for phosphotransfer to the cognate response regulator, PrrA. We also describe the high-resolution crystal structure of the catalytic domain alone, and we show that, in solution, it binds ATP. The conformational flexibility of this domain is discussed and related to other structural information.

Structure-based approaches to drug discovery against tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis has become one of the deadliest global emergencies due to the widespread existence of multiple drug resistance strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the increase of immuno-compromised populations in large parts of the world. Although the complete genome of M. tuberculosis became available in 1998, opening unprecedented opportunities for target-specific drug development, the progress since then has been slow, mainly due to a lack of a sufficiently strong interest by pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. One of the most promising tools for future drug discovery lies in the elucidation of the molecular structures of potential drug targets from the M. tuberculosis proteome. During the last five years, the structures of about 200 unique targets have already been determined, which comprise about 5% of the entire M. tuberculosis proteome. As an example, we present the approach and some of the key achievements of the X-MTB consortium based in Germany. We summarize and discuss some recent highlights of potential drug targets of M. tuberculosis involved in lipid metabolism, protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation and amino acid biosynthesis. The achievements of several structural genomics consortia that focus on targets from the M. tuberculosis proteome are now providing a solid framework to support coordinated international approaches for future structure-based drug discovery programs at the interface between industrial enterprises and academic research. One of the objectives will be to focus on target complexes, in addition to single targets that dominate the present repository of structures from the M. tuberculosis proteome.

Two-component systems of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: structure-based approaches.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis contains few two-component systems compared to many other bacteria, possibly because it has more serine/threonine signaling pathways. Even so, these two-component systems appear to play an important role in early intracellular survival of the pathogen as well as in aspects of virulence. In this chapter, we discuss what has been learned about the mycobacterial two-component systems, with particular emphasis on knowledge gained from structural genomics projects.

Structural insight into the stereoselective inhibition of MMP-8 by enantiomeric sulfonamide phosphonates.

Potent and selective inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a family of zinc proteases that can degrade all the components of the extracellular matrix, could be useful for treatment of diseases such as cancer and arthritis. The most potent MMP inhibitors are based on hydroxamate as zinc-binding group (ZBG). alpha-Arylsulfonylamino phosphonates incorporate a particularly favorable combination of phosphonate as ZBG and arylsulfonylamino backbone so that their affinity exceptionally attains the nanomolar strength frequently observed for hydroxamate analogues. The detailed mode of binding of [1-(4'-methoxybiphenyl-4-sulfonylamino)-2-methylpropyl]phosphonate has been clarified by the crystal structures of the complexes that the R- and S-enantiomers respectively form with MMP-8. The reasons for the preferential MMP-8 inhibition by the R-phosphonate are underlined and the differences in the mode of binding of analogous alpha-arylsulfonylamino hydroxamates and carboxylates are discussed.

The crystal and solution structure of a putative transcriptional antiterminator from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

We describe the crystal structure of Rv1626 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis at 1.48 A resolution and the corresponding solution structure determined from small angle X-ray scattering. The N-terminal domain shows structural homology to the receiver domains found in bacterial two-component systems. The C-terminal domain has high structural homology to a recently discovered RNA binding domain involved in transcriptional antitermination. The molecule in solution was found to be monomeric as it is in the crystal, but in solution it undergoes a conformational change that is triggered by changes in ionic strength. This is the first structure that links the phosphorylation cascade of the two-component systems with the antitermination event in the transcriptional machinery. Rv1626 belongs to a family of proteins, which we propose calling phosphorylation-dependent transcriptional antitermination regulators, so far only found in bacteria, and includes NasT, a protein from the assimilatory nitrate/nitrite reductase operon of Azetobacter vinelandii.

A novel two-component system found in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

We report the identification of a novel two-component system in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We show that the putative histidine kinase with the genomic locus tag Rv3220c is able to self-phosphorylate in the presence of Mg2+/ATP and subsequently transfer the phosphoryl group to a novel response regulator PdtaR. This creates a biochemical link between the two proteins and establishes a newly identified two component system, which acts at the level of transcriptional antitermination. We also suggest that this system has potential for the development of lead compounds for inhibition of phosphotransfer.

Structure of a Drosophila sigma class glutathione S-transferase reveals a novel active site topography suited for lipid peroxidation products.

Insect glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) are grouped in three classes, I, II and recently III; class I (Delta class) enzymes together with class III members are implicated in conferring resistance to insecticides. Class II (Sigma class) GSTs, however, are poorly characterized and their exact biological function remains elusive. Drosophila glutathione S-transferase-2 (GST-2) (DmGSTS1-1) is a class II enzyme previously found associated specifically with the insect indirect flight muscle. It was recently shown that GST-2 exhibits considerable conjugation activity for 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), a lipid peroxidation product, raising the possibility that it has a major anti-oxidant role in the flight muscle. Here, we report the crystal structure of GST-2 at 1.75A resolution. The GST-2 dimer shows the canonical GST fold with glutathione (GSH) ordered in only one of the two binding sites. While the GSH-binding mode is similar to other GST structures, a distinct orientation of helix alpha6 creates a novel electrophilic substrate-binding site (H-site) topography, largely flat and without a prominent hydrophobic-binding pocket, which characterizes the H-sites of other GSTs. The H-site displays directionality in the distribution of charged/polar and hydrophobic residues creating a binding surface that explains the selectivity for amphipolar peroxidation products, with the polar-binding region formed by residues Y208, Y153 and R145 and the hydrophobic-binding region by residues V57, A59, Y211 and the C-terminal V249. A structure-based model of 4-HNE binding is presented. The model suggest that residues Y208, R145 and possibly Y153 may be key residues involved in catalysis.