ACE2-like carboxypeptidase B38-CAP protects from SARS-CoV-2-induced lung injury.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a receptor for cell entry of SARS-CoV-2, and recombinant soluble ACE2 protein inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection as a decoy. ACE2 is a carboxypeptidase that degrades angiotensin II, thereby improving the pathologies of cardiovascular disease or acute lung injury. Here we show that B38-CAP, an ACE2-like enzyme, is protective against SARS-CoV-2-induced lung injury. Endogenous ACE2 expression is downregulated in the lungs of SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters, leading to elevation of angiotensin II levels. Recombinant Spike also downregulates ACE2 expression and worsens the symptoms of acid-induced lung injury. B38-CAP does not neutralize cell entry of SARS-CoV-2. However, B38-CAP treatment improves the pathologies of Spike-augmented acid-induced lung injury. In SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters or human ACE2 transgenic mice, B38-CAP significantly improves lung edema and pathologies of lung injury. These results provide the first in vivo evidence that increasing ACE2-like enzymatic activity is a potential therapeutic strategy to alleviate lung pathologies in COVID-19 patients.

A trimeric structural fusion of an antagonistic tumor necrosis factor-α mutant enhances molecular stability and enables facile modification.

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) exerts its biological effect through two types of receptors, p55 TNF receptor (TNFR1) and p75 TNF receptor (TNFR2). An inflammatory response is known to be induced mainly by TNFR1, whereas an anti-inflammatory reaction is thought to be mediated by TNFR2 in some autoimmune diseases. We have been investigating the use of an antagonistic TNF mutant (TNFR1-selective antagonistic TNF mutant (R1antTNF)) to reveal the pharmacological effect of TNFR1-selective inhibition as a new therapeutic modality. Here, we aimed to further improve and optimize the activity and behavior of this mutant protein both in vitro and in vivo Specifically, we examined a trimeric structural fusion of R1antTNF, formed via the introduction of short peptide linkers, as a strategy to enhance bioactivity and molecular stability. By comparative analysis with R1antTNF, the trimeric fusion, referred to as single-chain R1antTNF (scR1antTNF), was found to retain in vitro molecular properties of receptor selectivity and antagonistic activity but displayed a marked increase in thermal stability. The residence time of scR1antTNF in vivo was also significantly prolonged. Furthermore, molecular modification using polyethylene glycol (PEG) was easily controlled by limiting the number of reactive sites. Taken together, our findings show that scR1antTNF displays enhanced molecular stability while maintaining biological activity compared with R1antTNF.

Substrate recognition of N,N'-diacetylchitobiose deacetylase from Pyrococcus horikoshii.

Enzymes of carbohydrate esterase (CE) family 14 catalyze hydrolysis of N-acetyl groups at the non-reducing end of the N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) residue of chitooligosaccharides or related compounds. N,N'-diacetylchitobiose deacetylase (Dac) belongs to the CE-14 family and plays a role in the chitinolytic pathway in archaea by deacetylating N,N'-diacetylchitobiose (GlcNAc2), which is the end product of chitinase. In this study, we revealed the structural basis of reaction specificity in CE-14 deacetylases by solving a crystal structure of Dac from Pyrococcus horikoshii (Ph-Dac) in complex with a novel reaction intermediate analog. We developed 2-deoxy-2-methylphosphoramido-d-glucose (MPG) as the analog of the tetrahedral oxyanion intermediate of the monosaccharide substrate GlcNAc. The crystal structure of Ph-Dac in complex with MPG demonstrated that Arg92, Asp115, and His152 side chains interact with hydroxyl groups of the glucose moiety of the non-reducing-end GlcNAc residue. The amino acid residues responsible for recognition of the MPG glucose moiety are spatially conserved in other CE-14 deacetylases. Molecular dynamics simulation of the structure of the Ph-Dac-GlcNAc2 complex indicated that the reducing GlcNAc residue is placed in a large intermolecular cleft and is not involved with specific interactions with the enzyme. This observation was consistent with results indicating that Ph-Dac displayed similar kinetic parameters for both GlcNAc and GlcNAc2. This study provides the structural basis of reaction-site specificity of Dac and related CE-14 enzymes.

Molecular mechanism underlying promiscuous polyamine recognition by spermidine acetyltransferase.

Spermidine acetyltransferase (SAT) from Escherichia coli, which catalyses the transfer of acetyl groups from acetyl-CoA to spermidine, is a key enzyme in controlling polyamine levels in prokaryotic cells. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of SAT in complex with spermidine (SPD) and CoA at 2.5Å resolution. SAT is a dodecamer organized as a hexamer of dimers. The secondary structural element and folding topology of the SAT dimer resemble those of spermidine/spermine N(1)-acetyltransferase (SSAT), suggesting an evolutionary link between SAT and SSAT. However, the polyamine specificity of SAT is distinct from that of SSAT and is promiscuous. The SPD molecule is also located at the inter-dimer interface. The distance between SPD and CoA molecules is 13Å. A deep, highly acidic, water-filled cavity encompasses the SPD and CoA binding sites. Structure-based mutagenesis and in-vitro assays identified SPD-bound residues, and the acidic residues lining the walls of the cavity are mostly essential for enzymatic activities. Based on mutagenesis and structural data, we propose an acetylation mechanism underlying promiscuous polyamine recognition for SAT.

Multiple crystal forms of N,N'-diacetylchitobiose deacetylase from Pyrococcus furiosus.

Native N,N'-diacetylchitobiose deacetylase from Pyrococcus furiosus (Pf-Dac) and its selenomethionine derivative (Se-Pf-Dac) were crystallized and analyzed in the presence and absence of cadmium ion. The four crystal structures fell into three different crystal-packing groups, with the cadmium-free Pf-Dac and Se-Pf-Dac belonging to the same space group, with homologous unit-cell parameters. The crystal structures in the presence of cadmium contained distorted octahedral cadmium complexes coordinated by three chlorides, two O atoms and an S or Se atom from the N-terminal methionine or selenomethionine, respectively. The N-terminal cadmium complex was involved in crystal contacts between symmetry-related molecules through hydrogen bonding to the N-termini. While all six N-termini of Se-Pf-Dac were involved in cadmium-complex formation, only two of the Pf-Dac N-termini participated in complex formation in the Cd-containing crystal, resulting in different crystal forms. These differences are discussed in light of the higher stability of the Cd-Se bond than the Cd-S bond. This work provides an example of the contribution of cadmium towards determining protein crystal quality and packing depending on the use of the native protein or the selenomethionine derivative.

Preliminary X-ray analysis of the binding domain of the soybean vacuolar sorting receptor complexed with a sorting determinant of a seed storage protein.

ß-Conglycinin is a major seed storage protein in soybeans, which are an important source of protein. The major subunits (α, α' and ß) of ß-conglycinin are sorted to protein-storage vacuoles in seed cells. Vacuolar sorting receptor (VSR) is an integral membrane protein that recognizes the sorting determinant of vacuolar proteins, including ß-conglycinin, and regulates their sorting process. Vacuolar sorting determinants of the α' and ß subunits of ß-conglycinin exist in their C-terminal peptides. Here, the preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the binding domain of soybean VSR crystallized with the peptide responsible for the sorting determinant in ß-conglycinin is reported. X-ray diffraction data were collected to a resolution of 3.5 Å. The crystals belonged to space group P3121, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 116.4, c = 86.1 Å.

Expression from engineered Escherichia coli chromosome and crystallographic study of archaeal N,N'-diacetylchitobiose deacetylase.

UNLABELLED: In order to develop a structure-based understanding of the chitinolytic pathway in hyperthermophilic Pyrococcus species, we performed crystallographic studies on N,N'-diacetylchitobiose deacetylases (Dacs) from Pyrococcus horikoshii (Ph-Dac) and Pyrococcus furiosus (Pf-Dac). Neither Ph-Dac nor Pf-Dac was expressed in the soluble fraction of Escherichia coli harboring the expression plasmid. However, insertion of the target genes into the chromosome of E. coli yielded the soluble recombinant protein. The purified Pyrococcus Dacs were active and thermostable up to 85 °C. The crystal structures of Ph-Dac and Pf-Dac were determined at resolutions of 2.0 Å and 1.54 Å, respectively. The Pyrococcus Dac forms a hexamer composed of two trimers. These Dacs are characterized by an intermolecular cleft, which is formed by two polypeptides in the trimeric assembly. In Ph-Dac, catalytic Zn situated at the end of the cleft is coordinated by three side chain ligands from His44, Asp47, and His155, and by a phosphate ion derived from the crystallization reservoir solution. We considered that the bound phosphate mimicked the tetrahedral oxyanion, which is an intermediate of hydrolysis of the N-acetyl group, and proposed an appropriate reaction mechanism. In the proposed mechanism, the N(ε) atom of His264 (from the adjacent polypeptide in the Ph-Dac sequence) is directly involved in the stabilization of the oxyanion intermediate. Mutation analysis also indicated that His264 was essential to the catalysis. These factors give the archaeal Dacs an unprecedented active site architecture a Zn-dependent deacetylases. DATABASE: Structural data are available in the Protein Data Bank database under accession numbers 3WL3, 3WL4, and 3WE7.

Structure of the human-heart fatty-acid-binding protein 3 in complex with the fluorescent probe 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulphonic acid.

Heart-type fatty-acid-binding protein (FABP3), which is a cytosolic protein abundantly found in cardiomyocytes, plays a role in trafficking fatty acids throughout cellular compartments by reversibly binding intracellular fatty acids with relatively high affinity. The fluorescent probe 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate (ANS) is extensively utilized for examining the interaction of ligands with fatty-acid-binding proteins. The X-ray structure of FABP3 was determined in the presence of ANS and revealed the detailed ANS-binding mechanism. Furthermore, four water molecules were clearly identified in the binding cavity. Through these water molecules, the bound ANS molecule forms indirect hydrogen-bond interactions with FABP3. The adipocyte-type fatty-acid-binding protein (FABP4) exhibits 67% sequence identity with FABP3 and its crystal structure is almost the same as that of FABP3. However, FABP4 can bind with a higher affinity to ANS than FABP3. To understand the difference in their ligand specificities, a structural comparison was performed between FABP3-ANS and FABP4-ANS complexes. The result revealed that the orientation of ANS binding to FABP3 is completely opposite to that of ANS binding to FABP4, and the substitution of valine in FABP4 to leucine in FABP3 may result in greater steric hindrance between the side-chain of Leu115 and the aniline ring of ANS.

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of spermidine acetyltransferase from Escherichia coli.

The spermidine acetyltransferase (SAT) from Escherichia coli catalyses the transfer of acetyl groups from acetyl-CoA to spermidine. SAT has been expressed and purified from E. coli. SAT was crystallized by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method to obtain a more detailed insight into the molecular mechanism. Preliminary X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the crystals diffracted to 2.5 Å resolution and belonged to the cubic space group P23, with unit-cell parameters a = b = c = 148.7 Å. They contained four molecules per asymmetric unit.

Structure of peroxiredoxin from the anaerobic hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii.

The crystal structure of peroxiredoxin from the anaerobic hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii (PhPrx) was determined at a resolution of 2.25 Å. The overall structure was a ring-type decamer consisting of five homodimers. Citrate, which was included in the crystallization conditions, was bound to the peroxidatic cysteine of the active site, with two O atoms of the carboxyl group mimicking those of the substrate hydrogen peroxide. PhPrx lacked the C-terminal tail that forms a 32-residue extension of the protein in the homologous peroxiredoxin from Aeropyrum pernix (ApPrx).

Crystal structure of the superfamily 1 helicase from Tomato mosaic virus.

The genomes of the Tomato mosaic virus and many other plant and animal positive-strand RNA viruses of agronomic and medical importance encode superfamily 1 helicases. Although helicases play important roles in viral replication, the crystal structures of viral superfamily 1 helicases have not been determined. Here, we report the crystal structure of a fragment (S666 to Q1116) of the replication protein from Tomato mosaic virus. The structure reveals a novel N-terminal domain tightly associated with a helicase core. The helicase core contains two RecA-like α/ß domains without any of the accessory domain insertions that are found in other superfamily 1 helicases. The N-terminal domain contains a flexible loop, a long α-helix, and an antiparallel six-stranded ß-sheet. On the basis of the structure, we constructed deletion mutants of the S666-to-Q1116 fragment and performed split-ubiquitin-based interaction assays in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with TOM1 and ARL8, host proteins that are essential for tomato mosaic virus RNA replication. The results suggested that both TOM1 and ARL8 interact with the long α-helix in the N-terminal domain and that TOM1 also interacts with the helicase core. Prediction of secondary structures in other viral superfamily 1 helicases and comparison of those structures with the S666-to-Q1116 structure suggested that these helicases have a similar fold. Our results provide a structural basis of viral superfamily 1 helicases.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of a helicase-like domain from a tomato mosaic virus replication protein.

Tomato mosaic virus belongs to the genus Tobamovirus in the alphavirus-like superfamily of positive-strand RNA viruses. The alphavirus-like superfamily includes many plant and animal viruses of agronomical and clinical importance. These viruses encode replication-associated proteins that contain a putative superfamily 1 helicase domain. No three-dimensional structures for this domain have been determined to date. Here, the crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the 130K helicase domain are reported. Diffraction data were collected and processed to 2.05 and 1.75 Å resolution from native and selenomethionine-labelled crystals, respectively. The crystals belonged to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 85.8, b = 128.3, c = 40.7 Å.