Insights into the Interaction Landscape of the EVH1 Domain of Mena.

The Enabled/VASP homology 1 (EVH1) domain is a small module that interacts with proline-rich stretches in its ligands and is found in various signaling and scaffolding proteins. Mena, the mammalian homologue of Ena, is involved in diverse actin-associated events, such as membrane dynamics, bacterial motility, and tumor intravasation and extravasation. Two-dimensional (2D) 1H-15N HSQC NMR was used to study Mena EVH1 binding properties, defining the amino acids involved in ligand recognition for the physiological ligands ActA and PCARE, and a synthetic polyproline-inspired small molecule (hereafter inhibitor 6c). Chemical shift perturbations indicated that proline-rich segments bind in the conserved EVH1 hydrophobic cleft. The PCARE-derived peptide elicited more perturbations compared to the ActA-derived peptide, consistent with a previous report of a structural alteration in the solvent-exposed ß7-ß8 loop. Unexpectedly, EVH1 and the proline-rich segment of PTP1B did not exhibit NMR chemical shift perturbations; however, the high-resolution crystal structure implicated the conserved EVH1 hydrophobic cleft in ligand recognition. Intrinsic steady-state fluorescence and fluorescence polarization assays indicate that residues outside the proline-rich segment enhance the ligand affinity for EVH1 (Kd = 3-8 µM). Inhibitor 6c displayed tighter binding (Kd ∼ 0.3 µM) and occupies the same EVH1 cleft as physiological ligands. These studies revealed that the EVH1 domain enhances ligand affinity through recognition of residues flanking the proline-rich segments. Additionally, a synthetic inhibitor binds more tightly to the EVH1 domain than natural ligands, occupying the same hydrophobic cleft.

An essential bifunctional enzyme in Mycobacterium tuberculosis for itaconate dissimilation and leucine catabolism.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the etiological agent of tuberculosis. One-fourth of the global population is estimated to be infected with Mtb, accounting for ∼1.3 million deaths in 2017. As part of the immune response to Mtb infection, macrophages produce metabolites with the purpose of inhibiting or killing the bacterial cell. Itaconate is an abundant host metabolite thought to be both an antimicrobial agent and a modulator of the host inflammatory response. However, the exact mode of action of itaconate remains unclear. Here, we show that Mtb has an itaconate dissimilation pathway and that the last enzyme in this pathway, Rv2498c, also participates in l-leucine catabolism. Our results from phylogenetic analysis, in vitro enzymatic assays, X-ray crystallography, and in vivo Mtb experiments, identified Mtb Rv2498c as a bifunctional ß-hydroxyacyl-CoA lyase and that deletion of the rv2498c gene from the Mtb genome resulted in attenuation in a mouse infection model. Altogether, this report describes an itaconate resistance mechanism in Mtb and an l-leucine catabolic pathway that proceeds via an unprecedented (R)-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) stereospecific route in nature.

Anti-CTLA-4 therapy requires an Fc domain for efficacy.

Ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody that recognizes cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen (CTLA)-4, was the first approved "checkpoint"-blocking anticancer therapy. In mouse tumor models, the response to antibodies against CTLA-4 depends entirely on expression of the Fcγ receptor (FcγR), which may facilitate antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis, but the contribution of simple CTLA-4 blockade remains unknown. To understand the role of CTLA-4 blockade in the complete absence of Fc-dependent functions, we developed H11, a high-affinity alpaca heavy chain-only antibody fragment (VHH) against CTLA-4. The VHH H11 lacks an Fc portion, binds monovalently to CTLA-4, and inhibits interactions between CTLA-4 and its ligand by occluding the ligand-binding motif on CTLA-4 as shown crystallographically. We used H11 to visualize CTLA-4 expression in vivo using whole-animal immuno-PET, finding that surface-accessible CTLA-4 is largely confined to the tumor microenvironment. Despite this, H11-mediated CTLA-4 blockade has minimal effects on antitumor responses. Installation of the murine IgG2a constant region on H11 dramatically enhances its antitumor response. Coadministration of the monovalent H11 VHH blocks the efficacy of a full-sized therapeutic antibody. We were thus able to demonstrate that CTLA-4-binding antibodies require an Fc domain for antitumor effect.

A Binary Arginine Methylation Switch on Histone H3 Arginine 2 Regulates Its Interaction with WDR5.

Histone H3 arginine 2 (H3R2) is post-translationally modified in three different states by "writers" of the protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) family. H3R2 methylarginine isoforms include PRMT5-catalyzed monomethylation (me1) and symmetric dimethylation (me2s) and PRMT6-catalyzed me1 and asymmetric dimethylation (me2a). WD-40 repeat-containing protein 5 (WDR5) is an epigenetic "reader" protein that interacts with H3R2. Previous studies suggested that H3R2me2s specified a high-affinity interaction with WDR5. However, our prior biological data prompted the hypothesis that WDR5 may also interact with H3R2me1. Here, using highly accurate quantitative binding analysis combined with high-resolution crystal structures of WDR5 in complex with unmodified (me0) and me1/me2s l-arginine amino acids and in complex with the H3R2me1 peptide, we provide a rigorous biochemical study and address long-standing discrepancies of this important biological interaction. Despite modest structural differences at the binding interface, our study supports an interaction model regulated by a binary arginine methylation switch: H3R2me2a prevents interaction with WDR5, whereas H3R2me0, -me1, and -me2s are equally permissive.

Functional assignment of multiple catabolic pathways for D-apiose.

Colocation of the genes encoding ABC, TRAP, and TCT transport systems and catabolic pathways for the transported ligand provides a strategy for discovering novel microbial enzymes and pathways. We screened solute-binding proteins (SBPs) for ABC transport systems and identified three that bind D-apiose, a branched pentose in the cell walls of higher plants. Guided by sequence similarity networks (SSNs) and genome neighborhood networks (GNNs), the identities of the SBPs enabled the discovery of four catabolic pathways for D-apiose with eleven previously unknown reactions. The new enzymes include D-apionate oxidoisomerase, which catalyzes hydroxymethyl group migration, as well as 3-oxo-isoapionate-4-phosphate decarboxylase and 3-oxo-isoapionate-4-phosphate transcarboxylase/hydrolase, which are RuBisCO-like proteins (RLPs). The web tools for generating SSNs and GNNs are publicly accessible ( http://efi.igb.illinois.edu/efi-est/ ), so similar 'genomic enzymology' strategies for discovering novel pathways can be used by the community.

Structural basis for cancer immunotherapy by the first-in-class checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab.

Rational modulation of the immune response with biologics represents one of the most promising and active areas for the realization of new therapeutic strategies. In particular, the use of function blocking monoclonal antibodies targeting checkpoint inhibitors such as CTLA-4 and PD-1 have proven to be highly effective for the systemic activation of the human immune system to treat a wide range of cancers. Ipilimumab is a fully human antibody targeting CTLA-4 that received FDA approval for the treatment of metastatic melanoma in 2011. Ipilimumab is the first-in-class immunotherapeutic for blockade of CTLA-4 and significantly benefits overall survival of patients with metastatic melanoma. Understanding the chemical and physical determinants recognized by these mAbs provides direct insight into the mechanisms of pathway blockade, the organization of the antigen-antibody complexes at the cell surface, and opportunities to further engineer affinity and selectivity. Here, we report the 3.0 Å resolution X-ray crystal structure of the complex formed by ipilimumab with its human CTLA-4 target. This structure reveals that ipilimumab contacts the front ß-sheet of CTLA-4 and intersects with the CTLA-4:Β7 recognition surface, indicating that direct steric overlap between ipilimumab and the B7 ligands is a major mechanistic contributor to ipilimumab function. The crystallographically observed binding interface was confirmed by a comprehensive cell-based binding assay against a library of CTLA-4 mutants and by direct biochemical approaches. This structure also highlights determinants responsible for the selectivity exhibited by ipilimumab toward CTLA-4 relative to the homologous and functionally related CD28.

Structure-guided discovery of the metabolite carboxy-SAM that modulates tRNA function.

The identification of novel metabolites and the characterization of their biological functions are major challenges in biology. X-ray crystallography can reveal unanticipated ligands that persist through purification and crystallization. These adventitious protein-ligand complexes provide insights into new activities, pathways and regulatory mechanisms. We describe a new metabolite, carboxy-S-adenosyl-l-methionine (Cx-SAM), its biosynthetic pathway and its role in transfer RNA modification. The structure of CmoA, a member of the SAM-dependent methyltransferase superfamily, revealed a ligand consistent with Cx-SAM in the catalytic site. Mechanistic analyses showed an unprecedented role for prephenate as the carboxyl donor and the involvement of a unique ylide intermediate as the carboxyl acceptor in the CmoA-mediated conversion of SAM to Cx-SAM. A second member of the SAM-dependent methyltransferase superfamily, CmoB, recognizes Cx-SAM and acts as a carboxymethyltransferase to convert 5-hydroxyuridine into 5-oxyacetyl uridine at the wobble position of multiple tRNAs in Gram-negative bacteria, resulting in expanded codon-recognition properties. CmoA and CmoB represent the first documented synthase and transferase for Cx-SAM. These findings reveal new functional diversity in the SAM-dependent methyltransferase superfamily and expand the metabolic and biological contributions of SAM-based biochemistry. These discoveries highlight the value of structural genomics approaches in identifying ligands within the context of their physiologically relevant macromolecular binding partners, and in revealing their functions.

Structures of the L27 Domain of Disc Large Homologue 1 Protein Illustrate a Self-Assembly Module.

Disc large 1 (Dlg1) proteins, members of the MAGUK protein family, are linked to cell polarity via their participation in multiprotein assemblies. At their N-termini, Dlg1 proteins contain a L27 domain. Typically, the L27 domains participate in the formation of obligate hetero-oligomers with the L27 domains from their cognate partners. Among the MAGUKs, Dlg1 proteins exist as homo-oligomers, and the oligomerization is solely dependent on the L27 domain. Here we provide biochemical and structural evidence of homodimerization via the L27 domain of Dlg1 from Drosophila melanogaster. The structure reveals that the core of the dimer is formed by a distinctive six-helix assembly, involving all three conserved helices from each subunit (monomer). The homodimer interface is extended by the C-terminal tail of the L27 domain of Dlg1, which forms a two-stranded antiparallel ß-sheet. The structure reconciles and provides a structural context for a large body of available mutational data. From our analyses, we conclude that the observed L27 homodimerization is most likely a feature unique to the Dlg1 orthologs within the MAGUK family.

Mechanism and Structure of γ-Resorcylate Decarboxylase.

γ-Resorcylate decarboxylase (γ-RSD) has evolved to catalyze the reversible decarboxylation of 2,6-dihydroxybenzoate to resorcinol in a nonoxidative fashion. This enzyme is of significant interest because of its potential for the production of γ-resorcylate and other benzoic acid derivatives under environmentally sustainable conditions. Kinetic constants for the decarboxylation of 2,6-dihydroxybenzoate catalyzed by γ-RSD from Polaromonas sp. JS666 are reported, and the enzyme is shown to be active with 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate, 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzoate, and 2,6-dihydroxy-4-methylbenzoate. The three-dimensional structure of γ-RSD with the inhibitor 2-nitroresorcinol (2-NR) bound in the active site is reported. 2-NR is directly ligated to a Mn2+ bound in the active site, and the nitro substituent of the inhibitor is tilted significantly from the plane of the phenyl ring. The inhibitor exhibits a binding mode different from that of the substrate bound in the previously determined structure of γ-RSD from Rhizobium sp. MTP-10005. On the basis of the crystal structure of the enzyme from Polaromonas sp. JS666, complementary density functional calculations were performed to investigate the reaction mechanism. In the proposed reaction mechanism, γ-RSD binds 2,6-dihydroxybenzoate by direct coordination of the active site manganese ion to the carboxylate anion of the substrate and one of the adjacent phenolic oxygens. The enzyme subsequently catalyzes the transfer of a proton to C1 of γ-resorcylate prior to the actual decarboxylation step. The reaction mechanism proposed previously, based on the structure of γ-RSD from Rhizobium sp. MTP-10005, is shown to be associated with high energies and thus less likely to be correct.

Substrate Profile of the Phosphotriesterase Homology Protein from Escherichia coli.

The phosphotriesterase homology protein (PHP) from Escherichia coli is a member of a family of proteins that is related to phosphotriestrase (PTE), a bacterial enzyme from cog1735 with unusual substrate specificity toward the hydrolysis of synthetic organic phosphates and phosphonates. PHP was cloned, purified to homogeneity, and functionally characterized. The three-dimensional structure of PHP was determined at a resolution of 1.84 Å with zinc and phosphate in the active site. The protein folds as a distorted (ß/α)8-barrel and possesses a binuclear metal center in the active site. The catalytic function and substrate profile of PHP were investigated using a structure-guided approach that combined bioinformatics, computational docking, organic synthesis, and steady-state enzyme kinetics. PHP was found to catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphorylated glyceryl acetates. The best substrate was 1,2-diacetyl glycerol-3-phosphate with a kcat/ Km of 4.9 × 103 M-1 s-1. The presence of a phosphate group in the substrate was essential for enzymatic hydrolysis by the enzyme. It was surprising, however, to find that PHP was unable to hydrolyze any of the lactones tested as potential substrates, unlike most of the other enzymes from cog1735.

Comparison of Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius o-Succinylbenzoate Synthase to Its Promiscuous N-Succinylamino Acid Racemase/ o-Succinylbenzoate Synthase Relatives.

Studying the evolution of catalytically promiscuous enzymes like those from the N-succinylamino acid racemase/ o-succinylbenzoate synthase (NSAR/OSBS) subfamily can reveal mechanisms by which new functions evolve. Some enzymes in this subfamily have only OSBS activity, while others catalyze OSBS and NSAR reactions. We characterized several NSAR/OSBS subfamily enzymes as a step toward determining the structural basis for evolving NSAR activity. Three enzymes were promiscuous, like most other characterized NSAR/OSBS subfamily enzymes. However, Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius OSBS (AaOSBS) efficiently catalyzes OSBS activity but lacks detectable NSAR activity. Competitive inhibition and molecular modeling show that AaOSBS binds N-succinylphenylglycine with moderate affinity in a site that overlaps its normal substrate. On the basis of possible steric conflicts identified by molecular modeling and sequence conservation within the NSAR/OSBS subfamily, we identified one mutation, Y299I, that increased NSAR activity from undetectable to 1.2 × 102 M-1 s-1 without affecting OSBS activity. This mutation does not appear to affect binding affinity but instead affects kcat, by reorienting the substrate or modifying conformational changes to allow both catalytic lysines to access the proton that is moved during the reaction. This is the first site known to affect reaction specificity in the NSAR/OSBS subfamily. However, this gain of activity was obliterated by a second mutation, M18F. Epistatic interference by M18F was unexpected because a phenylalanine at this position is important in another NSAR/OSBS enzyme. Together, modest NSAR activity of Y299I AaOSBS and epistasis between sites 18 and 299 indicate that additional sites influenced the evolution of NSAR reaction specificity in the NSAR/OSBS subfamily.

X-ray and EPR Characterization of the Auxiliary Fe-S Clusters in the Radical SAM Enzyme PqqE.

The Radical SAM (RS) enzyme PqqE catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of the bacterial cofactor pyrroloquinoline quinone, forming a new carbon-carbon bond between two side chains within the ribosomally synthesized peptide substrate PqqA. In addition to the active site RS 4Fe-4S cluster, PqqE is predicted to have two auxiliary Fe-S clusters, like the other members of the SPASM domain family. Here we identify these sites and examine their structure using a combination of X-ray crystallography and Mössbauer and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies. X-ray crystallography allows us to identify the ligands to each of the two auxiliary clusters at the C-terminal region of the protein. The auxiliary cluster nearest the RS site (AuxI) is in the form of a 2Fe-2S cluster ligated by four cysteines, an Fe-S center not seen previously in other SPASM domain proteins; this assignment is further supported by Mössbauer and EPR spectroscopies. The second, more remote cluster (AuxII) is a 4Fe-4S center that is ligated by three cysteine residues and one aspartate residue. In addition, we examined the roles these ligands play in catalysis by the RS and AuxII clusters using site-directed mutagenesis coupled with EPR spectroscopy. Lastly, we discuss the possible functional consequences that these unique AuxI and AuxII clusters may have in catalysis for PqqE and how these may extend to additional RS enzymes catalyzing the post-translational modification of ribosomally encoded peptides.

Stilbene epoxidation and detoxification in a Photorhabdus luminescens-nematode symbiosis.

Members of the gammaproteobacterial Photorhabdus genus share mutualistic relationships with Heterorhabditis nematodes, and the pairs infect a wide swath of insect larvae. Photorhabdus species produce a family of stilbenes, with two major components being 3,5-dihydroxy-4-isopropyl-trans-stilbene (compound 1) and its stilbene epoxide (compound 2). This family of molecules harbors antimicrobial and immunosuppressive activities, and its pathway is responsible for producing a nematode "food signal" involved in nematode development. However, stilbene epoxidation biosynthesis and its biological roles remain unknown. Here, we identified an orphan protein (Plu2236) from Photorhabdus luminescens that catalyzes stilbene epoxidation. Structural, mutational, and biochemical analyses confirmed the enzyme adopts a fold common to FAD-dependent monooxygenases, contains a tightly bound FAD prosthetic group, and is required for the stereoselective epoxidation of compounds 1 and 2. The epoxidase gene was dispensable in a nematode-infective juvenile recovery assay, indicating the oxidized compound is not required for the food signal. The epoxide exhibited reduced cytotoxicity toward its producer, suggesting this may be a natural route for intracellular detoxification. In an insect infection model, we also observed two stilbene-derived metabolites that were dependent on the epoxidase. NMR, computational, and chemical degradation studies established their structures as new stilbene-l-proline conjugates, prolbenes A (compound 3) and B (compound 4). The prolbenes lacked immunosuppressive and antimicrobial activities compared with their stilbene substrates, suggesting a metabolite attenuation mechanism in the animal model. Collectively, our studies provide a structural view for stereoselective stilbene epoxidation and functionalization in an invertebrate animal infection model and provide new insights into stilbene cellular detoxification.

Structural Insights into Thioether Bond Formation in the Biosynthesis of Sactipeptides.

Sactipeptides are ribosomally synthesized peptides that contain a characteristic thioether bridge (sactionine bond) that is installed posttranslationally and is absolutely required for their antibiotic activity. Sactipeptide biosynthesis requires a unique family of radical SAM enzymes, which contain multiple [4Fe-4S] clusters, to form the requisite thioether bridge between a cysteine and the α-carbon of an opposing amino acid through radical-based chemistry. Here we present the structure of the sactionine bond-forming enzyme CteB, from Clostridium thermocellum ATCC 27405, with both SAM and an N-terminal fragment of its peptidyl-substrate at 2.04 Å resolution. CteB has the (ß/α)6-TIM barrel fold that is characteristic of radical SAM enzymes, as well as a C-terminal SPASM domain that contains two auxiliary [4Fe-4S] clusters. Importantly, one [4Fe-4S] cluster in the SPASM domain exhibits an open coordination site in absence of peptide substrate, which is coordinated by a peptidyl-cysteine residue in the bound state. The crystal structure of CteB also reveals an accessory N-terminal domain that has high structural similarity to a recently discovered motif present in several enzymes that act on ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs), known as a RiPP precursor peptide recognition element (RRE). This crystal structure is the first of a sactionine bond forming enzyme and sheds light on structures and mechanisms of other members of this class such as AlbA or ThnB.

Determinants of the CmoB carboxymethyl transferase utilized for selective tRNA wobble modification.

Enzyme-mediated modifications at the wobble position of tRNAs are essential for the translation of the genetic code. We report the genetic, biochemical and structural characterization of CmoB, the enzyme that recognizes the unique metabolite carboxy-S-adenosine-L-methionine (Cx-SAM) and catalyzes a carboxymethyl transfer reaction resulting in formation of 5-oxyacetyluridine at the wobble position of tRNAs. CmoB is distinctive in that it is the only known member of the SAM-dependent methyltransferase (SDMT) superfamily that utilizes a naturally occurring SAM analog as the alkyl donor to fulfill a biologically meaningful function. Biochemical and genetic studies define the in vitro and in vivo selectivity for Cx-SAM as alkyl donor over the vastly more abundant SAM. Complementary high-resolution structures of the apo- and Cx-SAM bound CmoB reveal the determinants responsible for this remarkable discrimination. Together, these studies provide mechanistic insight into the enzymatic and non-enzymatic feature of this alkyl transfer reaction which affords the broadened specificity required for tRNAs to recognize multiple synonymous codons.

Loss of quaternary structure is associated with rapid sequence divergence in the OSBS family.

The rate of protein evolution is determined by a combination of selective pressure on protein function and biophysical constraints on protein folding and structure. Determining the relative contributions of these properties is an unsolved problem in molecular evolution with broad implications for protein engineering and function prediction. As a case study, we examined the structural divergence of the rapidly evolving o-succinylbenzoate synthase (OSBS) family, which catalyzes a step in menaquinone synthesis in diverse microorganisms and plants. On average, the OSBS family is much more divergent than other protein families from the same set of species, with the most divergent family members sharing <15% sequence identity. Comparing 11 representative structures revealed that loss of quaternary structure and large deletions or insertions are associated with the family's rapid evolution. Neither of these properties has been investigated in previous studies to identify factors that affect the rate of protein evolution. Intriguingly, one subfamily retained a multimeric quaternary structure and has small insertions and deletions compared with related enzymes that catalyze diverse reactions. Many proteins in this subfamily catalyze both OSBS and N-succinylamino acid racemization (NSAR). Retention of ancestral structural characteristics in the NSAR/OSBS subfamily suggests that the rate of protein evolution is not proportional to the capacity to evolve new protein functions. Instead, structural features that are conserved among proteins with diverse functions might contribute to the evolution of new functions.

Histone H2A and H4 N-terminal tails are positioned by the MEP50 WD repeat protein for efficient methylation by the PRMT5 arginine methyltransferase.

The protein arginine methyltransferase PRMT5 is complexed with the WD repeat protein MEP50 (also known as Wdr77 or androgen coactivator p44) in vertebrates in a tetramer of heterodimers. MEP50 is hypothesized to be required for protein substrate recruitment to the catalytic domain of PRMT5. Here we demonstrate that the cross-dimer MEP50 is paired with its cognate PRMT5 molecule to promote histone methylation. We employed qualitative methylation assays and a novel ultrasensitive continuous assay to measure enzyme kinetics. We demonstrate that neither full-length human PRMT5 nor the Xenopus laevis PRMT5 catalytic domain has appreciable protein methyltransferase activity. We show that histones H4 and H3 bind PRMT5-MEP50 more efficiently compared with histone H2A(1-20) and H4(1-20) peptides. Histone binding is mediated through histone fold interactions as determined by competition experiments and by high density histone peptide array interaction studies. Nucleosomes are not a substrate for PRMT5-MEP50, consistent with the primary mode of interaction via the histone fold of H3-H4, obscured by DNA in the nucleosome. Mutation of a conserved arginine (Arg-42) on the MEP50 insertion loop impaired the PRMT5-MEP50 enzymatic efficiency by increasing its histone substrate Km, comparable with that of Caenorhabditis elegans PRMT5. We show that PRMT5-MEP50 prefers unmethylated substrates, consistent with a distributive model for dimethylation and suggesting discrete biological roles for mono- and dimethylarginine-modified proteins. We propose a model in which MEP50 and PRMT5 simultaneously engage the protein substrate, orienting its targeted arginine to the catalytic site.

Substrate Distortion and the Catalytic Reaction Mechanism of 5-Carboxyvanillate Decarboxylase.

5-Carboxyvanillate decarboxylase (LigW) catalyzes the conversion of 5-carboxyvanillate to vanillate in the biochemical pathway for the degradation of lignin. This enzyme was shown to require Mn(2+) for catalytic activity and the kinetic constants for the decarboxylation of 5-carboxyvanillate by the enzymes from Sphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6 (kcat = 2.2 s(-1) and kcat/Km = 4.0 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1)) and Novosphingobium aromaticivorans (kcat = 27 s(-1) and kcat/Km = 1.1 × 10(5) M(-1) s(-1)) were determined. The three-dimensional structures of both enzymes were determined in the presence and absence of ligands bound in the active site. The structure of LigW from N. aromaticivorans, bound with the substrate analogue, 5-nitrovanillate (Kd = 5.0 nM), was determined to a resolution of 1.07 Å. The structure of this complex shows a remarkable enzyme-induced distortion of the nitro-substituent out of the plane of the phenyl ring by approximately 23°. A chemical reaction mechanism for the decarboxylation of 5-carboxyvanillate by LigW was proposed on the basis of the high resolution X-ray structures determined in the presence ligands bound in the active site, mutation of active site residues, and the magnitude of the product isotope effect determined in a mixture of H2O and D2O. In the proposed reaction mechanism the enzyme facilitates the transfer of a proton to C5 of the substrate prior to the decarboxylation step.

Cas5d processes pre-crRNA and is a member of a larger family of CRISPR RNA endonucleases.

Small RNAs derived from clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) loci in bacteria and archaea are involved in an adaptable and heritable gene-silencing pathway. Resistance to invasive genetic material is conferred by the incorporation of short DNA sequences derived from this material into the genome as CRISPR spacer elements separated by short repeat sequences. Processing of long primary transcripts (pre-crRNAs) containing these repeats by a CRISPR-associated (Cas) RNA endonuclease generates the mature effector RNAs that target foreign nucleic acid for degradation. Here we describe functional studies of a Cas5d ortholog, and high-resolution structural studies of a second Cas5d family member, demonstrating that Cas5d is a sequence-specific RNA endonuclease that cleaves CRISPR repeats and is thus responsible for processing of pre-crRNA. Analysis of the structural homology of Cas5d with the previously characterized Cse3 protein allows us to model the interaction of Cas5d with its RNA substrate and conclude that it is a member of a larger family of CRISPR RNA endonucleases.

Divergent evolution of ligand binding in the o-succinylbenzoate synthase family.

Thermobifida fusca o-succinylbenzoate synthase (OSBS), a member of the enolase superfamily that catalyzes a step in menaquinone biosynthesis, has an amino acid sequence that is 22 and 28% identical with those of two previously characterized OSBS enzymes from Escherichia coli and Amycolatopsis sp. T-1-60, respectively. These values are considerably lower than typical levels of sequence identity among homologous proteins that have the same function. To determine how such divergent enzymes catalyze the same reaction, we determined the structure of T. fusca OSBS and identified amino acids that are important for ligand binding. We discovered significant differences in structure and conformational flexibility between T. fusca OSBS and other members of the enolase superfamily. In particular, the 20s loop, a flexible loop in the active site that permits ligand binding and release in most enolase superfamily proteins, has a four-amino acid deletion and is well-ordered in T. fusca OSBS. Instead, the flexibility of a different region allows the substrate to enter from the other side of the active site. T. fusca OSBS was more tolerant of mutations at residues that were critical for activity in E. coli OSBS. Also, replacing active site amino acids found in one protein with the amino acids that occur at the same place in the other protein reduces the catalytic efficiency. Thus, the extraordinary divergence between these proteins does not appear to reflect a higher tolerance of mutations. Instead, large deletions outside the active site were accompanied by alteration of active site size and electrostatic interactions, resulting in small but significant differences in ligand binding.