High-resolution structures of the SARS-CoV-2 2'-O-methyltransferase reveal strategies for structure-based inhibitor design.

There are currently no antiviral therapies specific for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the global pandemic disease COVID-19. To facilitate structure-based drug design, we conducted an x-ray crystallographic study of the SARS-CoV-2 nsp16-nsp10 2'-O-methyltransferase complex, which methylates Cap-0 viral mRNAs to improve viral protein translation and to avoid host immune detection. We determined the structures for nsp16-nsp10 heterodimers bound to the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), the reaction product S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), or the SAH analog sinefungin (SFG). We also solved structures for nsp16-nsp10 in complex with the methylated Cap-0 analog m7GpppA and either SAM or SAH. Comparative analyses between these structures and published structures for nsp16 from other betacoronaviruses revealed flexible loops in open and closed conformations at the m7GpppA-binding pocket. Bound sulfates in several of the structures suggested the location of the ribonucleic acid backbone phosphates in the ribonucleotide-binding groove. Additional nucleotide-binding sites were found on the face of the protein opposite the active site. These various sites and the conserved dimer interface could be exploited for the development of antiviral inhibitors.

The crystal structure of nsp10-nsp16 heterodimer from SARS-CoV-2 in complex with S-adenosylmethionine.

SARS-CoV-2 is a member of the coronaviridae family and is the etiological agent of the respiratory Coronavirus Disease 2019. The virus has spread rapidly around the world resulting in over two million cases and nearly 150,000 deaths as of April 17, 2020. Since no treatments or vaccines are available to treat COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2, respiratory complications derived from the infections have overwhelmed healthcare systems around the world. This virus is related to SARS-CoV-1, the virus that caused the 2002-2004 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. In January 2020, the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases implemented a structural genomics pipeline to solve the structures of proteins essential for coronavirus replication-transcription. Here we show the first structure of the SARS-CoV-2 nsp10-nsp16 2'-O-methyltransferase complex with S-adenosylmethionine at a resolution of 1.80 Å. This heterodimer complex is essential for capping viral mRNA transcripts for efficient translation and to evade immune surveillance.

Structural comparison of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PobA) from Pseudomonas putida with PobA from other Pseudomonas spp. and other monooxygenases.

The crystal structure is reported of p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase (PobA) from Pseudomonas putida, a possible drug target to combat tetracycline resistance, in complex with flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). The structure was refined at 2.2 Šresolution with four polypeptide chains in the asymmetric unit. Based on the results of pairwise structure alignments, PobA from P. putida is structurally very similar to PobA from P. fluorescens and from P. aeruginosa. Key residues in the FAD-binding and substrate-binding sites of PobA are highly conserved spatially across the proteins from all three species. Additionally, the structure was compared with two enzymes from the broader class of oxygenases: 2-hydroxybiphenyl 3-monooxygenase (HbpA) from P. nitroreducens and 2-methyl-3-hydroxypyridine-5-carboxylic acid oxygenase (MHPCO) from Mesorhizobium japonicum. Despite having only 14% similarity in their primary sequences, pairwise structure alignments of PobA from P. putida with HbpA from P. nitroreducens and MHPCO from M. japonicum revealed local similarities between these structures. Key secondary-structure elements important for catalysis, such as the ßαß fold, ß-sheet wall and α12 helix, are conserved across this expanded class of oxygenases.

Cyclic AMP and AKAP-mediated targeting of protein kinase A regulates lactate dehydrogenase subunit A mRNA stability.

Expression of the lactate dehydrogenase A subunit (ldh-A) gene is controlled through transcriptional as well as post-transcriptional mechanisms. Both mechanisms involve activation of protein kinase A (PKA) into its subunits and subsequent phosphorylation and activation of several key regulatory factors. In rat C6 glioma cells, post-transcriptional gene regulation occurs through PKA-mediated stabilization of LDH-A mRNA and subsequent increase of intracellular LDH-A mRNA levels. Previous studies have demonstrated a cAMP-stabilizing region (CSR) located in the LDH-A 3'-untranslated region which, in combination with several phosphorylated CSR-binding proteins (CSR-BP), regulates the PKA-mediated stabilization of LDH-A mRNA. However, the mechanistic details of interaction of CSR with proteins as they pertain to mRNA stabilization by PKA are so far largely unknown. In this study we tested the hypothesis that ribosomal protein extracts (RSW) from glioma cells contain PKA regulatory (RII) and catalytic (C) subunits that, in combination with a protein kinase A anchoring protein (AKAP 95) and CSR-BPs participate in forming CSR-protein complexes that are responsible for mRNA stability regulation. To demonstrate the importance of CSR-protein complex formation, the PKA subunits and AKAP 95 were removed from the RSW by immunoprecipitation, and the antigen-deleted RSW were subjected to CSR binding analysis using gel mobility shift and UV cross-linking. It was shown that AKAP 95 as well as RII formed a direct linkage with CSR during CSR-protein complex formation. In contrast, the catalytic subunit formed part of the CSR-protein complex but did not bind to CSR directly in a covalent linkage. To determine whether formation of CSR complexes that included C, RII, and AKAP 95 constituted a functional event and was necessary for mRNA stabilization, cell-free decay reactions were carried out with RSW extracts, and the kinetics of decay of LDH-A mRNA was determined. Depletion of PKA subunits and AKAP 95 from RSW extracts by immunoprecipitation resulted in a marked loss of mRNA stabilization activity indicating that the presence of the PKA regulatory and catalytic subunits as well as AKAP 95 in the CSR-protein complexes was absolutely necessary to achieve LDH-A mRNA stabilization.