The crystal structure and oligomeric form of Escherichia colil,d-carboxypeptidase A.

Bacterial peptidoglycan is constructed by cross-linking sugar chains carrying pentapeptide building blocks with two d-alanine residues at the C-terminus. Incorporation into the polymer and subsequent breakdown of peptidoglycan releases a tetrapeptide with a single d-alanine residue. Removal of this residue is necessary for the tripeptide to receive a new D-Ala-D-Ala dipeptide in the synthetic pathway, but proteases are generally unable to work with substrates having residues of unusual chirality close to the scissile bond. Processing of the tetrapeptide is carried out by a dedicated ld-carboxypeptidase, which is of interest as a novel drug target. We describe the high resolution crystal structure of the enzyme from E. coli, and demonstrate the dimeric structure is highly conserved.

Computational design of a self-assembling symmetrical ß-propeller protein.

The modular structure of many protein families, such as ß-propeller proteins, strongly implies that duplication played an important role in their evolution, leading to highly symmetrical intermediate forms. Previous attempts to create perfectly symmetrical propeller proteins have failed, however. We have therefore developed a new and rapid computational approach to design such proteins. As a test case, we have created a sixfold symmetrical ß-propeller protein and experimentally validated the structure using X-ray crystallography. Each blade consists of 42 residues. Proteins carrying 2-10 identical blades were also expressed and purified. Two or three tandem blades assemble to recreate the highly stable sixfold symmetrical architecture, consistent with the duplication and fusion theory. The other proteins produce different monodisperse complexes, up to 42 blades (180 kDa) in size, which self-assemble according to simple symmetry rules. Our procedure is suitable for creating nano-building blocks from different protein templates of desired symmetry.

Biomineralization of a Cadmium Chloride Nanocrystal by a Designed Symmetrical Protein.

We have engineered a metal-binding site into the novel artificial ß-propeller protein Pizza. This new Pizza variant carries two nearly identical domains per polypeptide chain, and forms a trimer with three-fold symmetry. The designed single metal ion binding site lies on the symmetry axis, bonding the trimer together. Two copies of the trimer associate in the presence of cadmium chloride in solution, and very high-resolution X-ray crystallographic analysis reveals a nanocrystal of cadmium chloride, sandwiched between two trimers of the protein. This nanocrystal, containing seven cadmium ions lying in a plane and twelve interspersed chloride ions, is the smallest reported to date. Our results indicate the feasibility of using rationally designed symmetrical proteins to biomineralize nanocrystals with useful properties.

Molecular assemblies built with the artificial protein Pizza.

Recently an artificial protein named Pizza6 was reported, which possesses six identical tandem repeats and adopts a monomeric ß -propeller fold with sixfold structural symmetry. Pizza2, a truncated form that consists of a double tandem repeat, self-assembles into a trimer reconstructing the same propeller architecture as Pizza6. The ability of pizza proteins to self-assemble to form complete propellers makes them interesting building blocks to engineer larger symmetrical protein complexes such as symmetric nanoparticles. Here we have explored the self-assembly of Pizza2 fused to homo-oligomerizing peptides. In total, we engineered five different fusion proteins, of which three appeared to assemble successfully into larger complexes. Further characterization of these proteins showed one monodisperse designer protein with a structure close to the intended design. This protein was further fused to eGFP to investigate functionalization of the nanoparticle. The fusion protein was stable and could be expressed in high yield, showing that Pizza-based nanoparticles may be further decorated with functional domains.

The structure of SeviL, a GM1b/asialo-GM1 binding R-type lectin from the mussel Mytilisepta virgata.

SeviL is a recently isolated lectin found to bind to the linear saccharides of the ganglioside GM1b (Neu5Ac[Formula: see text](2-3)Gal[Formula: see text](1-3)GalNAc[Formula: see text](1-4)Gal[Formula: see text](1-4)Glc) and its precursor, asialo-GM1 (Gal[Formula: see text](1-3)GalNAc[Formula: see text](1-4)Gal[Formula: see text](1-4)Glc). The crystal structures of recombinant SeviL have been determined in the presence and absence of ligand. The protein belongs to the [Formula: see text]-trefoil family, but shows only weak sequence similarity to known structures. SeviL forms a dimer in solution, with one binding site per subunit, close to the subunit interface. Molecular details of glycan recognition by SeviL in solution were analysed by ligand- and protein-based NMR techniques as well as ligand binding assays. SeviL shows no interaction with GM1 due to steric hindrance with the sialic acid branch that is absent from GM1b. This unusual specificity makes SeviL of great interest for the detection and control of certain cancer cells, and cells of the immune system, that display asialo-GM1.

Computational design of symmetrical eight-bladed ß-propeller proteins.

ß-Propeller proteins form one of the largest families of protein structures, with a pseudo-symmetrical fold made up of subdomains called blades. They are not only abundant but are also involved in a wide variety of cellular processes, often by acting as a platform for the assembly of protein complexes. WD40 proteins are a subfamily of propeller proteins with no intrinsic enzymatic activity, but their stable, modular architecture and versatile surface have allowed evolution to adapt them to many vital roles. By computationally reverse-engineering the duplication, fusion and diversification events in the evolutionary history of a WD40 protein, a perfectly symmetrical homologue called Tako8 was made. If two or four blades of Tako8 are expressed as single polypeptides, they do not self-assemble to complete the eight-bladed architecture, which may be owing to the closely spaced negative charges inside the ring. A different computational approach was employed to redesign Tako8 to create Ika8, a fourfold-symmetrical protein in which neighbouring blades carry compensating charges. Ika2 and Ika4, carrying two or four blades per subunit, respectively, were found to assemble spontaneously into a complete eight-bladed ring in solution. These artificial eight-bladed rings may find applications in bionanotechnology and as models to study the folding and evolution of WD40 proteins.

Using the ring-shaped protein TRAP to capture and confine gold nanodots on a surface.

The cavity of the toroidal protein TRAP (trp RNA-binding attenuation protein) is modified to capture gold nanodots in solution. By engineering a titanium-binding peptide onto one surface of the ring it is also possible to bind it specifically and tightly to a TiO2 surface. TRAP bound in this way is then used to capture gold nanodots and attach them to prepared surfaces. Gold-protein complexes are observed using atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The modified TRAP is used to build gold nanodots into the SiO2 layer of a metal oxide semiconductor. This is the first use of a ring protein, rather than the more commonly used spherical protein cages, to constrain nanodots to a surface. This method is an important addition to the current range of bionanotechnology tools and may be the basis for future, multicomponent electronic devices.

Computational design of a symmetrical ß-trefoil lectin with cancer cell binding activity.

Computational protein design has advanced very rapidly over the last decade, but there remain few examples of artificial proteins with direct medical applications. This study describes a new artificial ß-trefoil lectin that recognises Burkitt's lymphoma cells, and which was designed with the intention of finding a basis for novel cancer treatments or diagnostics. The new protein, called "Mitsuba", is based on the structure of the natural shellfish lectin MytiLec-1, a member of a small lectin family that uses unique sequence motifs to bind α-D-galactose. The three subdomains of MytiLec-1 each carry one galactose binding site, and the 149-residue protein forms a tight dimer in solution. Mitsuba (meaning "three-leaf" in Japanese) was created by symmetry constraining the structure of a MytiLec-1 subunit, resulting in a 150-residue sequence that contains three identical tandem repeats. Mitsuba-1 was expressed and crystallised to confirm the X-ray structure matches the predicted model. Mitsuba-1 recognises cancer cells that express globotriose (Galα(1,4)Galß(1,4)Glc) on the surface, but the cytotoxicity is abolished.

The crystal and solution structure of YdiE from Escherichia coli.

Iron-containing porphyrins are essential for all life as electron carriers. Since iron is poorly available in an oxidizing environment, bacterial growth may be restricted by iron limitation, and this has led to the evolution of a huge variety of iron-uptake systems. Among pathogens, iron scavenging from the haemoglobin of an animal host is a common means of acquiring sufficient iron for growth. The Isd system of Staphylococcus aureus is a well studied example; the bacterium devotes considerable resources to the construction of surface proteins that deftly remove haem from haemoglobin and pass it along a chain of related proteins, eventually delivering the haem to the cytoplasm, where it can be utilized or degraded. All organisms, however, must deal with haem and related molecules, which are by their nature hydrophobic and prone to precipitate, and which tend to promote the formation of reactive oxygen species. Chaperones are an obvious solution to the problem of maintaining a pool of haem for insertion into cytochromes without allowing naked haem to cause damage. YdiE is a very small protein from Escherichia coli of only 63 residues which may play a role in haem trafficking. Here, NMR analysis and the crystal structure of the protein to high resolution are reported.

Nickel binding to NikA: an additional binding site reconciles spectroscopy, calorimetry and crystallography.

Intracellular nickel is required by Escherichia coli as a cofactor for a number of enzymes and is necessary for anaerobic respiration. However, high concentrations of nickel are toxic, so both import and export systems have evolved to control the cellular level of the metal. The nik operon in E. coli encodes a nickel-uptake system that includes the periplasmic nickel-binding protein NikA. The crystal structures of wild-type NikA both bound to nickel and in the apo form have been solved previously. The liganded structure appeared to show an unusual interaction between the nickel and the protein in which no direct bonds are formed. The highly unusual nickel coordination suggested by the crystal structure contrasted strongly with earlier X-ray spectroscopic studies. The known nickel-binding site has been probed by extensive mutagenesis and isothermal titration calorimetry and it has been found that even large numbers of disruptive mutations appear to have little effect on the nickel affinity. The crystal structure of a binding-site mutant with nickel bound has been solved and it is found that nickel is bound to two histidine residues at a position distant from the previously characterized binding site. This novel site immediately resolves the conflict between the crystal structures and other biophysical analyses. The physiological relevance of the two binding sites is discussed.