Structural insight into dephosphorylation by trehalose 6-phosphate phosphatase (OtsB2) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Trehalose serves as a key structural component in the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (MtbTPP), an essential enzyme in the trehalose biosynthesis OtsAB pathway, catalyzes the dephosphorylation of trehalose-6-phosphate (trehalose-6-P) to generate trehalose, and plays a critical role in M. tuberculosis survival-associated cell wall formation and permeability. Therefore, MtbTPP (OtsB2) is considered a promising potential target for discovery of antimicrobial drugs. However, the absence of structural information of MtbTPP restrains our understanding of its underlying catalytic mechanism. Here, we report the high-resolution crystal structures of apo active MtbTPP and its trehalose-6-P bound complex. The apo structure presents a canonical haloacid dehalogenase superfamily structural fold plus an extra N-terminal domain. The catalytic center is located in a positively charged cleft between the hydrolase domain and the cap domain, demonstrating a highly conserved substrate binding pocket. The role of residues interacting with the substrate in catalysis were probed by site-directed mutagenesis. Asp147, Asp149, Asp330, and Asp331 were found to be pivotal for the enzymatic activity of MtbTPP. The MtbTPP structures reported here provide insight into a key step in the biosynthesis of trehalose, which would facilitate future development of anti-TB therapeutics.-Shan, S., Min, H., Liu, T., Jiang, D., Rao, Z. Structural insight into dephosphorylation by trehalose 6-phosphate phosphatase (OtsB2) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mechanism of dephosphorylation of glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate by a histidine phosphatase.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) synthesizes polymethylated polysaccharides that form complexes with long chain fatty acids. These complexes, referred to as methylglucose lipopolysaccharides (MGLPs), regulate fatty acid biosynthesis in vivo, including biosynthesis of mycolic acids that are essential for building the cell wall. Glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate phosphatase (GpgP, EC 5.4.2.1), encoded by Rv2419c gene, catalyzes the second step of the pathway for the biosynthesis of MGLPs. The molecular basis for this dephosphorylation is currently not understood. Here, we describe the crystal structures of apo-, vanadate-bound, and phosphate-bound MtbGpgP, depicting unliganded, reaction intermediate mimic, and product-bound views of MtbGpgP, respectively. The enzyme consists of a single domain made up of a central ß-sheet flanked by α-helices on either side. The active site is located in a positively charged cleft situated above the central ß-sheet. Unambiguous electron density for vanadate covalently bound to His(11), mimicking the phosphohistidine intermediate, was observed. The role of residues interacting with the ligands in catalysis was probed by site-directed mutagenesis. Arg(10), His(11), Asn(17), Gln(23), Arg(60), Glu(84), His(159), and Leu(209) are important for enzymatic activity. Comparison of the structures of MtbGpgP revealed conformational changes in a key loop region connecting ß1 with α1. This loop regulates access to the active site. MtbGpgP functions as dimer. L209E mutation resulted in monomeric GpgP, rendering the enzyme incapable of dephosphorylation. The structures of GpgP reported here are the first crystal structures for histidine-phosphatase-type GpgPs. These structures shed light on a key step in biosynthesis of MGLPs that could be targeted for development of anti-tuberculosis therapeutics.

Crystal structure of L-sorbose dehydrogenase, a pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent enzyme with homodimeric assembly, from Ketogulonicigenium vulgare.

The crystal structure of the L-sorbose dehydrogenase (SDH) from Ketogulonicigenium vulgare Y25 has been determined at 2.7 Å resolution using the molecular replacement method. The overall structure of SDH is similar to that of other quinoprotein dehydrogenases; consisting of an eight bladed ß-propeller PQQ domain and protrusion loops. We identified a stable homodimer in crystal and demonstrated its existence in solution by sedimentation velocity measurement. By biochemical characterization of the SDH in vitro, using L-sorbose as substrate and cytochrome c551 as electron acceptor, we revealed cytochrome c551 acting as physiological primary electron acceptor for SDH.

Crystal structure of Rv1220c, a SAM-dependent O-methyltransferase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Rv1220c from Mycobacterium tuberculosis is annotated as an O-methyltransferase (MtbOMT). Currently, no structural information is available for this protein. Here, the crystal structure of MtbOMT refined to 2.0 Šresolution is described. The structure reveals the presence of a methyltransferase fold and shows clear electron density for one molecule of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), which was apparently bound by the protein during its production in Escherichia coli. Although the overall structure of MtbOMT resembles the structures of O-methyltransferases from Cornybacterium glutamicum, Coxiella burnetti and Alfa alfa, differences are observed in the residues that make up the active site. Notably, substitution of Asp by His164 seems to abrogate metal binding by MtbOMT. A putative catalytic His-Asp pair located in the vicinity of SAM is absolutely conserved in MtbOMT homologues from all species of Mycobacterium, suggesting a conserved function for this protein.

A novel trivalent HPV 16/18/58 vaccine with anti-HPV 16 and 18 neutralizing antibody responses comparable to those induced by the Gardasil quadrivalent vaccine in rhesus macaque model.

Persistent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is a key factor in the development of precancerous lesions and invasive cervical cancer. Prophylactic vaccines to immunize against HPV are an effective approach to reducing HPV related disease burden. In this study, we investigated the immunogenicity and dosage effect of a trivalent HPV 16/18/58 vaccine (3vHPV) produced in Escherichia coli (E.coli), with Gardasil quadrivalent vaccine (4vHPV, Merck & Co.) as a positive control. Sera collected from rhesus macaques vaccinated with three dosage formulations of 3vHPV (termed low-, mid-, and high-dosage formulations, respectively), and the 4vHPV vaccine were analyzed by both Pseudovirus-Based Neutralization Assay (PBNA) and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Strong immune responses against HPV 16/18/58 were successfully elicited, and dosage-dependence was observed, with likely occurrence of immune interference between different L1-VLP antigens. HPV 16/18 specific neutralizing antibody (nAb) and total immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody responses in rhesus macaques receiving 3vHPV at the three dosages tested were generally non-inferior to those observed in rhesus macaques receiving 4vHPV throughout the study period. Particularly, HPV 18 nAb titers induced by the mid-dosage formulation that contained the same amounts of HPV 16/18 L1-VLPs as Gardasil 4vHPV were between 7.3 to 12.7-fold higher compared to the positive control arm from weeks 24-64. The durability of antibody responses specific to HPV 16/18 elicited by 3vHPV vaccines was also shown to be non-inferior to that associated with Gardasil 4vHPV.

Structural Insight into the Activation of PknI Kinase from M. tuberculosis via Dimerization of the Extracellular Sensor Domain.

Protein kinases play central roles in the survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis within host. Here we report the individual high-resolution crystal structures of the sensor domain (in both monomer and dimer forms) and the kinase domain of PknI, a transmembrane protein member of the serine/threonine protein kinases (STPKs) family. PknI is the first STPK identified whose sensor domain exists in a monomer-dimer equilibrium. Inspection of the two structures of the sensor domain (PknI_SD) revealed conformational changes upon dimerization, with an arm region of critical importance for dimer formation identified. Rapamycin-induced dimerization of unphosphorylated fusions of PknI juxtamembrane and the kinase domain, intended to mimic the dimerization effect presumably imposed by PknI_SD, was observed to be able to activate auto-phosphorylation activity of the kinase domain. In vivo experiments using an M. bovis model suggested PknI functions as a dimer in the regulation of M. tuberculosis growth.

Structural analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis ATP-binding cassette transporter subunit UgpB reveals specificity for glycerophosphocholine.

UNLABELLED: Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is one of the most devastating human diseases, and is responsible for ~ 2 million deaths worldwide each year. The nutritional requirements for the growth of mycobacteria have been extensively studied since the discovery of M. tuberculosis, but the essential nutrients for M. tuberculosis inside the human host and the identity of the corresponding transporters remain unknown. The UgpABCE transporter of M. tuberculosis is one of five putative permeases for carbohydrate uptake, and is genetically predicted to be an sn-glycerol 3-phosphate importer. We have determined the 1.5-Å crystal structure of M. tuberculosis UgpB, which has been reported to be a promising vaccine candidate against TB. M. tuberculosis UgpB showed no detectable binding activity for sn-glycerol 3-phosphate by isothermal titration calorimetry, but instead showed a preference for glycerophosphocholine (GPC). M. tuberculosis UgpB largely resembles its Escherichia coli homolog, but with the critical Trp169 in the substrate-binding site of E. coli UgpB replaced by Leu205. Mutation of Leu205 abolishes GPC binding, suggesting that Leu205 is a determinant of GPC binding. The work reported here not only contributes to our understanding of the carbon and phosphate sources utilized by M. tuberculosis inside the human host, but will also promote improvements in TB chemotherapy. DATABASE: Structural data are available in the Protein Data Bank database under the accession number PDB 4MFI.