Crystal structures of the CO and NOBound DosS GAF-A domain and implications for DosS signaling in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

DosS is a sensor in Mycobacterium tuberculosis that differentially responds to O2, NO, and CO, as well as to changes in the redox state of the prosthetic heme iron atom. The ferrous protein and its Fe(II)NO and Fe(II)CO complexes undergo autophosphorylation and subsequently transfer the phosphate group to DosR, a nuclear factor, to activate it. In contrast, autophosphorylation is negligible with the ferric protein and the Fe(II)O2 complex. To clarify the basis for this differential response to gases, we have determined the crystal structures of the NO and COcomplexes of the DosS GAF-A domain, which contains the heme to which the gases bind. Comparison of these crystal structures with those reported for the phosphorylation-inactive ferric GAF-A domain suggest that the GAF-A domain is in a dynamic equilibrium between active and inactive states, and that the position of Glu87 in the heme cavity, which depends on the which gas is bound, acts as a modulator of the equilibrium, and therefore of catalytic activity.

Cytochrome P450 125A4, the Third Cholesterol C-26 Hydroxylase from Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and Mycobacterium smegmatis (Msmeg) can grow on cholesterol as the sole carbon source. In Mtb the utilization of cholesterol can be initiated by CYP125A1 or CYP142A1 and in Msmeg by the orthologous CYP125A3 and CYP142A2. Double knockout of the two enzymes in Mtb prevents its growth on cholesterol, but the double knockout of Msmeg is still able to grow, albeit at a slower rate. We report here that Msmeg has a third enzyme, CYP125A4, that also oxidizes cholesterol, although it has a much higher activity for the oxidation of 7α-hydroxycholesterol. The ability of Msmeg CYP125A4 (and Mtb CYP125A1) to oxidize 7α-hydroxycholesterol is due, at least in part, to the presence of a smaller amino acid side chain facing C-7 of the sterol substrate than in CYP125A3. The ability to oxidize 7-substituted steroids broadens the range of sterol carbon sources for growth, but even more importantly in Mtb, additional biological effects are possible due to the potent immunomodulatory activity of 7α,26-dihydroxycholesterol.

Broad-spectrum allosteric inhibition of herpesvirus proteases.

Herpesviruses rely on a homodimeric protease for viral capsid maturation. A small molecule, DD2, previously shown to disrupt dimerization of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus protease (KSHV Pr) by trapping an inactive monomeric conformation and two analogues generated through carboxylate bioisosteric replacement (compounds 2 and 3) were shown to inhibit the associated proteases of all three human herpesvirus (HHV) subfamilies (α, ß, and γ). Inhibition data reveal that compound 2 has potency comparable to or better than that of DD2 against the tested proteases. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and a new application of the kinetic analysis developed by Zhang and Poorman [Zhang, Z. Y., Poorman, R. A., et al. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 15591-15594] show DD2, compound 2, and compound 3 inhibit HHV proteases by dimer disruption. All three compounds bind the dimer interface of other HHV proteases in a manner analogous to binding of DD2 to KSHV protease. The determination and analysis of cocrystal structures of both analogues with the KSHV Pr monomer verify and elaborate on the mode of binding for this chemical scaffold, explaining a newly observed critical structure-activity relationship. These results reveal a prototypical chemical scaffold for broad-spectrum allosteric inhibition of human herpesvirus proteases and an approach for the identification of small molecules that allosterically regulate protein activity by targeting protein-protein interactions.

A phage tubulin assembles dynamic filaments by an atypical mechanism to center viral DNA within the host cell.

Tubulins are essential for the reproduction of many eukaryotic viruses, but historically, bacteriophage were assumed not to require a cytoskeleton. Here, we identify a tubulin-like protein, PhuZ, from bacteriophage 201φ2-1 and show that it forms filaments in vivo and in vitro. The PhuZ structure has a conserved tubulin fold, with an unusual, extended C terminus that we demonstrate to be critical for polymerization in vitro and in vivo. Longitudinal packing in the crystal lattice mimics packing observed by EM of in-vitro-formed filaments, indicating how interactions between the C terminus and the following monomer drive polymerization. PhuZ forms a filamentous array that is required for positioning phage DNA within the bacterial cell. Correct positioning to the cell center and optimal phage reproduction only occur when the PhuZ filament is dynamic. Thus, we show that PhuZ assembles a spindle-like array that functions analogously to the microtubule-based spindles of eukaryotes.

Structurally Novel Bioconversion Products of the Marine Natural Product Sarcophine Effectively Inhibit JB6 Cell Transformation.

Sarcophytol A (1) and B (2) (see Chart 1) are cembrane-type diterpenes known to inhibit tumor promotion. Indicative of this inhibitory response, we currently report sarcophytol A (1) mediates dose-dependent diminution of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-induced transformation of JB6 cells. Moreover, a structurally related furanocembrane diterpene, sarcophine (3), isolated in good yield from the Red Sea soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum, was also found to serve as an effective inhibitor of JB6 cell transformation. This compound was subjected to preparative-scale fermentation with Absidia glauca ATCC 22752, Rhizopus arrhizus ATCC 11145, and Rhizopus stolonifer ATCC 24795, resulting in the production of 10 new metabolites (5-14) along with the known compound 7beta,8alpha-dihydroxydeepoxysarcophine (4). Structures were elucidated primarily on the basis of 2D-NMR spectroscopy, with X-ray crystallography being used to establish the relative stereochemistry of metabolite 5. When evaluated for potential to inhibit TPA-induced JB6 cell transformation, several of the metabolites mediated inhibitory responses greater than sarcophytol A (1) or sarcophine (3), most notably 7alpha-hydroxy-Delta(8(19))-deepoxysarcophine (6), which was comparable to 13-cis-retinoic acid. These studies provide a basis for further development of novel furanocembranoids as anticancer agents.