The Crystal Structure of a Bacterial l-Arabinonate Dehydratase Contains a [2Fe-2S] Cluster.

We present a novel crystal structure of the IlvD/EDD family enzyme, l-arabinonate dehydratase from Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii (RlArDHT, EC 4.2.1.25), which catalyzes the conversion of l-arabinonate to 2-dehydro-3-deoxy-l-arabinonate. The enzyme is a tetramer consisting of a dimer of dimers, where each monomer is composed of two domains. The active site contains a catalytically important [2Fe-2S] cluster and Mg2+ ion and is buried between two domains, and also at the dimer interface. The active site Lys129 was found to be carbamylated. Ser480 and Thr482 were shown to be essential residues for catalysis, and the S480A mutant structure showed an unexpected open conformation in which the active site was more accessible for the substrate. This structure showed the partial binding of l-arabinonate, which allowed us to suggest that the alkoxide ion form of the Ser480 side chain functions as a base and the [2Fe-2S] cluster functions as a Lewis acid in the elimination reaction.

Structural and functional features of the NAD(P) dependent Gfo/Idh/MocA protein family oxidoreductases.

The Gfo/Idh/MocA protein family contains a number of different proteins, which almost exclusively consist of NAD(P)-dependent oxidoreductases that have a diverse set of substrates, typically pyranoses. In this study, to clarify common structural features that would contribute to their function, the available crystal structures of the members of this family have been analyzed. Despite a very low sequence identity, the central features of the three-dimensional structures of the proteins are surprisingly similar. The members of the protein family have a two-domain structure consisting of a N-terminal nucleotide-binding domain and a C-terminal α/ß-domain. The C-terminal domain contributes to the substrate binding and catalysis, and contains a ßα-motif with a central α-helix carrying common essential amino acid residues. The ß-sheet of the α/ß-domain contributes to the oligomerization in most of the proteins in the family.

Structure and function of Caulobacter crescentus aldose-aldose oxidoreductase.

Aldose-aldose oxidoreductase (Cc AAOR) is a recently characterized enzyme from the bacterial strain Caulobacter crescentus CB15 belonging to the glucose-fructose oxidoreductase/inositol dehydrogenase/rhizopine catabolism protein (Gfo/Idh/MocA) family. Cc AAOR catalyses the oxidation and reduction of a panel of aldose monosaccharides using a tightly bound NADP(H) cofactor that is regenerated in the catalytic cycle. Furthermore, Cc AAOR can also oxidize 1,4-linked oligosaccharides. In the present study, we present novel crystal structures of the dimeric Cc AAOR in complex with the cofactor and glycerol, D-xylose, D-glucose, maltotriose and D-sorbitol determined to resolutions of 2.0, 1.8, 1.7, 1.9 and 1.8 Å (1 Å=0.1 nm), respectively. These complex structures allowed for a detailed analysis of the ligand-binding interactions. The structures showed that the C1 carbon of a substrate, which is either reduced or oxidized, is close to the reactive C4 carbon of the nicotinamide ring of NADP(H). In addition, the O1 hydroxy group of the substrate, which is either protonated or deprotonated, is unexpectedly close to both Lys(104) and Tyr(189), which may both act as a proton donor or acceptor. This led us to hypothesize that this intriguing feature could be beneficial for Cc AAOR to catalyse the reduction of a linear form of a monosaccharide substrate and the oxidation of a pyranose form of the same substrate in a reaction cycle, during which the bound cofactor is regenerated.

Structure and function of a decarboxylating Agrobacterium tumefaciens keto-deoxy-d-galactarate dehydratase.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens (At) strain C58 contains an oxidative enzyme pathway that can function on both d-glucuronic and d-galacturonic acid. The corresponding gene coding for At keto-deoxy-d-galactarate (KDG) dehydratase is located in the same gene cluster as those coding for uronate dehydrogenase (At Udh) and galactarolactone cycloisomerase (At Gci) which we have previously characterized. Here, we present the kinetic characterization and crystal structure of At KDG dehydratase, which catalyzes the next step, the decarboxylating hydrolyase reaction of KDG to produce α-ketoglutaric semialdehyde (α-KGSA) and carbon dioxide. The crystal structures of At KDG dehydratase and its complexes with pyruvate and 2-oxoadipic acid, two substrate analogues, were determined to 1.7 Å, 1.5 Å, and 2.1 Å resolution, respectively. Furthermore, mass spectrometry was used to confirm reaction end-products. The results lead us to propose a structure-based mechanism for At KDG dehydratase, suggesting that while the enzyme belongs to the Class I aldolase protein family, it does not follow a typical retro-aldol condensation mechanism.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a novel keto-deoxy-D-galactarate (KDG) dehydratase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

D-galacturonic acid is the main component of pectin. It could be used to produce affordable renewable fuels, chemicals and materials through biotechnical conversion. Keto-deoxy-D-galactarate (KDG) dehydratase is an enzyme in the oxidative pathway of D-galacturonic acid in Agrobacterium tumefaciens (At). It converts 3-deoxy-2-keto-L-threo-hexarate to α-ketoglutaric semialdehyde. At KDG dehydratase was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 169.1, b = 117.8, c = 74.3 Å, ß = 112.4° and an asymmetric unit of four monomers. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 1.9 Šresolution using synchrotron radiation. The three-dimensional structure of At KDG dehydratase will provide valuable information on the function of the enzyme and will allow it to be engineered for biorefinery-based applications.

Crystal structure of uronate dehydrogenase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Uronate dehydrogenase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens (AtUdh) belongs to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily and catalyzes the oxidation of D-galacturonic acid and D-glucuronic acid with NAD(+) as a cofactor. We have determined the crystal structures of an apo-form of AtUdh, a ternary form in complex with NADH and product (substrate-soaked structure), and an inactive Y136A mutant in complex with NAD(+). The crystal structures suggest AtUdh to be a homohexamer, which has also been observed to be the major form in solution. The monomer contains a Rossmann fold, essential for nucleotide binding and a common feature of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family enzymes. The ternary complex structure reveals a product, D-galactaro-1,5-lactone, which is bound above the nicotinamide ring. This product rearranges in solution to D-galactaro-1,4-lactone as verified by mass spectrometry analysis, which agrees with our previous NMR study. The crystal structure of the mutant with the catalytic residue Tyr-136 substituted with alanine shows changes in the position of Ile-74 and Ser-75. This probably altered the binding of the nicotinamide end of NAD(+), which was not visible in the electron density map. The structures presented provide novel insights into cofactor and substrate binding and the reaction mechanism of AtUdh. This information can be applied to the design of efficient microbial conversion of D-galacturonic acid-based waste materials.

Crystal structures of Melanocarpus albomyces cellobiohydrolase Cel7B in complex with cello-oligomers show high flexibility in the substrate binding.

Cellobiohydrolase from Melanocarpus albomyces (Cel7B) is a thermostable, single-module, cellulose-degrading enzyme. It has relatively low catalytic activity under normal temperatures, which allows structural studies of the binding of unmodified substrates to the native enzyme. In this study, we have determined the crystal structure of native Ma Cel7B free and in complex with three different cello-oligomers: cellobiose (Glc(2)), cellotriose (Glc(3)), and cellotetraose (Glc(4)), at high resolution (1.6-2.1 A). In each case, four molecules were found in the asymmetric unit, which provided 12 different complex structures. The overall fold of the enzyme is characteristic of a glycoside hydrolase family 7 cellobiohydrolase, where the loops extending from the core beta-sandwich structure form a long tunnel composed of multiple subsites for the binding of the glycosyl units of a cellulose chain. The catalytic residues at the reducing end of the tunnel are conserved, and the mechanism is expected to be retaining similarly to the other family 7 members. The oligosaccharides in different complex structures occupied different subsite sets, which partly overlapped and ranged from -5 to +2. In four cellotriose and one cellotetraose complex structures, the cello-oligosaccharide also spanned over the cleavage site (-1/+1). There were surprisingly large variations in the amino acid side chain conformations and in the positions of glycosyl units in the different cello-oligomer complexes, particularly at subsites near the catalytic site. However, in each complex structure, all glycosyl residues were in the chair (4C(1)) conformation. Implications in relation to the complex structures with respect to the reaction mechanism are discussed.

Preliminary X-ray analysis of cellobiohydrolase Cel7B from Melanocarpus albomyces.

Cellobiohydrolases are enzymes that cleave off cellobiose units from cellulose chains in a processive manner. Melanocarpus albomyces Cel7B is a thermostable single-module cellobiohydrolase that has relatively low activity on small soluble substrates at room temperature. It belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 7, which includes endo-beta-1,4-glucanases and cellobiohydrolases. Cel7B was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method and streak-seeding. The crystals belonged to space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 50.9, b = 94.5, c = 189.8 A, beta = 90.0 degrees and four monomers in the asymmetric unit. Analysis of the intensity statistics showed that the crystals were pseudo-merohedrally twinned, with a twinning fraction of 0.37. X-ray diffraction data were collected at 1.6 A resolution using synchrotron radiation.

Crystal structures of an enantioselective fab-fragment in free and complex forms.

Enantioselective antibodies can separate the enantiomers of a chiral compound in a highly specific manner. We have recently reported the cloning and applications of a recombinant Fab-fragment, ENA11His, in the enantioseparation of a drug candidate, finrozole, which contains two chiral centers. Here, the crystal structures of this enantioselective antibody Fab-fragment are determined in the absence of the hapten at a resolution of 2.75 A, and in the presence of the hapten at 2.05 A resolution. The conformation of the protein was found to be similar in both free and complex forms. The hapten molecule was tightly bound in a deep cleft between the light and heavy chains of the Fab-fragment. The complex structure also allowed us to describe the molecular basis for enantioselectivity and to deduce the absolute configurations of all the four different stereoisomers (a-d) of finrozole. The ENA11His antibody fragment selectively binds the SR (a) enantiomer from the racemic mixture of a and d-enantiomers, thus allowing separation from the pharmacologically most active RS enantiomer (d). In particular, Asp95 and Asn35 of the H-chain in the ENA11 His antibody seem to provide this specificity through hydrogen bonding.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a novel Trichoderma reesei xylanase IV belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 5.

Xylanase IV (XYN IV) is a new recently characterized xylanase from Trichoderma reesei. It is able to degrade several different xylans, mainly producing xylose. XYN IV has been crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method, using PEG 6000 as a precipitant. The crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 86.3, b = 137.5, c = 196.1 A, alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees. Assuming a molecular weight of 50.3 kDa, the V(M) values indicate there to be four XYN IV monomers in an asymmetric unit and the solvent content of the crystals to be 57%. Based on dynamic light-scattering measurements, XYN IV is a dimer in solution. A native data set to 2.8 A resolution has been collected at a home laboratory and a data set to 2.2 A resolution has been collected using synchrotron radiation.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray characterization of Trichoderma reesei hydrophobin HFBII.

Hydrophobins are small proteins found in filamentous fungi and characterized by their ability to change the character of a surface by spontaneous self-assembly on a hydrophobic-hydrophilic interface. Hydrophobin HFBII from Trichoderma reesei was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 293 K. Two crystal forms were obtained: a native form and a form crystallized in the presence of manganese chloride. The native crystals were of high symmetry, cubic I23, but only diffracted to 3.25 A. The crystals grown in the presence of manganese were monoclinic and diffracted to 1.0 A with a synchrotron-radiation source. The anomalous difference Patterson map calculated from the home laboratory data showed a strong single peak, possibly caused by manganese present in the crystallization solution.

Engineering the substrate specificity of xylose isomerase.

Xylose isomerase (XI) catalyzes the isomerization and epimerization of hexoses, pentoses and tetroses. In order to clarify the reasons for the low reaction efficiency of a pentose sugar, L-arabinose, we determined the crystal structure of Streptomyces rubiginosus XI complexed with L-arabinose. The crystal structure revealed that, when compared with D-xylose and D-glucose, L-arabinose binds to the active site in a partially different position, in which the ligand has difficulties in binding the catalytic metal M2. Lys183 has been thought to stabilize the open substrate conformation by hydrogen bonding to oxygen O1. Our results with L-arabinose showed that the substrate stays in a linear form even without a hydrogen bond between Lys183 and oxygen O1. We engineered mutations to the active site of Actinoplanes missouriensis XI to improve the reaction efficiency with L-arabinose. The mutation F26W was intended to shift the position of oxygen O1 of L-arabinose closer to the catalytic metal M2. This effect of F26W was modeled by free energy perturbation simulations. In line with this, F26W increased 2-fold the catalytic efficiency of XI with L-arabinose; the increase was seen mainly in kcat. The mutation Q256D was outside the sphere of the catalytic residues and probably modified the electrostatic properties of the active site. It improved 3-fold the catalytic efficiency of XI with L-arabinose; this increase was seen in both Km and kcat. This study showed that it is possible to engineer the substrate specificity of XI.

Atomic resolution structure of the HFBII hydrophobin, a self-assembling amphiphile.

Hydrophobins are proteins specific to filamentous fungi. Hydrophobins have several important roles in fungal physiology, for example, adhesion, formation of protective surface coatings, and the reduction of the surface tension of water, which allows growth of aerial structures. Hydrophobins show remarkable biophysical properties, for example, they are the most powerful surface-active proteins known. To this point the molecular basis of the function of this group of proteins has been largely unknown. We have now determined the crystal structure of the hydrophobin HFBII from Trichoderma reesei at 1.0 A resolution. HFBII has a novel, compact single domain structure containing one alpha-helix and four antiparallel beta-strands that completely envelop two disulfide bridges. The protein surface is mainly hydrophilic, but two beta-hairpin loops contain several conserved aliphatic side chains that form a flat hydrophobic patch that makes the molecule amphiphilic. The amphiphilicity of the HFBII molecule is expected to be a source for surface activity, and we suggest that the behavior of this surfactant is greatly enhanced by the self-assembly that is favored by the combination of size and rigidity. This mechanism of function is supported by atomic force micrographs that show highly ordered arrays of HFBII at the air water interface. The data presented show that much of the current views on structure function relations in hydrophobins must be re-evaluated.