Solution structure of the type I polyketide synthase Pks13 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Type I polyketide synthases (PKSs) are multifunctional enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of a group of diverse natural compounds with biotechnological and pharmaceutical interest called polyketides. The diversity of polyketides is impressive despite the limited set of catalytic domains used by PKSs for biosynthesis, leading to considerable interest in deciphering their structure-function relationships, which is challenging due to high intrinsic flexibility. Among nineteen polyketide synthases encoded by the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Pks13 is the condensase required for the final condensation step of two long acyl chains in the biosynthetic pathway of mycolic acids, essential components of the cell envelope of Corynebacterineae species. It has been validated as a promising druggable target and knowledge of its structure is essential to speed up drug discovery to fight against tuberculosis. RESULTS: We report here a quasi-atomic model of Pks13 obtained using small-angle X-ray scattering of the entire protein and various molecular subspecies combined with known high-resolution structures of Pks13 domains or structural homologues. As a comparison, the low-resolution structures of two other mycobacterial polyketide synthases, Mas and PpsA from Mycobacterium bovis BCG, are also presented. This study highlights a monomeric and elongated state of the enzyme with the apo- and holo-forms being identical at the resolution probed. Catalytic domains are segregated into two parts, which correspond to the condensation reaction per se and to the release of the product, a pivot for the enzyme flexibility being at the interface. The two acyl carrier protein domains are found at opposite sides of the ketosynthase domain and display distinct characteristics in terms of flexibility. CONCLUSIONS: The Pks13 model reported here provides the first structural information on the molecular mechanism of this complex enzyme and opens up new perspectives to develop inhibitors that target the interactions with its enzymatic partners or between catalytic domains within Pks13 itself.

Crystal structure of the enoyl-ACP reductase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (InhA) in the apo-form and in complex with the active metabolite of isoniazid pre-formed by a biomimetic approach.

InhA is an enoyl-ACP reductase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis implicated in the biosynthesis of mycolic acids, essential constituents of the mycobacterial cell wall. To date, this enzyme is considered as a promising target for the discovery of novel antitubercular drugs. In this work, we describe the first crystal structure of the apo form of the wild-type InhA at 1.80Å resolution as well as the crystal structure of InhA in complex with the synthetic metabolite of the antitubercular drug isoniazid refined to 1.40Å. This metabolite, synthesized in the absence of InhA, is able to displace and replace the cofactor NADH in the enzyme active site. This work provides a unique opportunity to enlighten the structural adaptation of apo-InhA to the binding of the NADH cofactor or of the isoniazid adduct. In addition, a differential scanning fluorimetry study of InhA, in the apo-form as well as in the presence of NAD(+), NADH and INH-NADH was performed showing that binding of the INH-NADH adduct had a strong stabilizing effect.

Structural reorganization of the antigen-binding groove of human CD1b for presentation of mycobacterial sulfoglycolipids.

The mechanisms permitting nonpolymorphic CD1 molecules to present lipid antigens that differ considerably in polar head and aliphatic tails remain elusive. It is also unclear why hydrophobic motifs in the aliphatic tails of some antigens, which presumably embed inside CD1 pockets, contribute to determinants for T-cell recognition. The 1.9-Å crystal structure of an active complex of CD1b and a mycobacterial diacylsulfoglycolipid presented here provides some clues. Upon antigen binding, endogenous spacers of CD1b, which consist of a mixture of diradylglycerols, moved considerably within the lipid-binding groove. Spacer displacement was accompanied by F' pocket closure and an extensive rearrangement of residues exposed to T-cell receptors. Such structural reorganization resulted in reduction of the A' pocket capacity and led to incomplete embedding of the methyl-ramified portion of the phthioceranoyl chain of the antigen, explaining why such hydrophobic motifs are critical for T-cell receptor recognition. Mutagenesis experiments supported the functional importance of the observed structural alterations for T-cell stimulation. Overall, our data delineate a complex molecular mechanism combining spacer repositioning and ligand-induced conformational changes that, together with pocket intricacy, endows CD1b with the required molecular plasticity to present a broad range of structurally diverse antigens.

Crystallographic studies of the structured core domain of Knr4 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The potentially structured core domain of the intrinsically disordered protein Knr4 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, comprising residues 80-340, was expressed in Escherichia coli and crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Selenomethionine-containing (SeMet) protein was also purified and crystallized. Crystals of both proteins belonged to space group P6522, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 112.44, c = 265.21 Šfor the native protein and a = b = 112.49, c = 262.21 Šfor the SeMet protein, and diffracted to 3.50 and 3.60 Šresolution, respectively. There are two molecules in the asymmetric unit related by a twofold axis. The anomalous signal of selenium was recorded and yielded an electron-density map of sufficient quality to allow the identification of secondary-structure elements.

S-adenosyl-N-decyl-aminoethyl, a potent bisubstrate inhibitor of mycobacterium tuberculosis mycolic acid methyltransferases.

S-Adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferases (AdoMet-MTs) constitute a large family of enzymes specifically transferring a methyl group to a range of biologically active molecules. Mycobacterium tuberculosis produces a set of paralogous AdoMet-MTs responsible for introducing key chemical modifications at defined positions of mycolic acids, which are essential and specific components of the mycobacterial cell envelope. We investigated the inhibition of these mycolic acid methyltransferases (MA-MTs) by structural analogs of the AdoMet cofactor. We found that S-adenosyl-N-decyl-aminoethyl, a molecule in which the amino acid moiety of AdoMet is substituted by a lipid chain, inhibited MA-MTs from Mycobacterium smegmatis and M. tuberculosis strains, both in vitro and in vivo, with IC(50) values in the submicromolar range. By contrast, S-adenosylhomocysteine, the demethylated reaction product, and sinefungin, a general AdoMet-MT inhibitor, did not inhibit MA-MTs. The interaction between Hma (MmaA4), which is strictly required for the biosynthesis of oxygenated mycolic acids in M. tuberculosis, and the three cofactor analogs was investigated by x-ray crystallography. The high resolution crystal structures obtained illustrate the bisubstrate nature of S-adenosyl-N-decyl-aminoethyl and provide insight into its mode of action in the inhibition of MA-MTs. This study has potential implications for the design of new drugs effective against multidrug-resistant and persistent tubercle bacilli.