The detection and subsequent volume optimization of biological nanocrystals.

Identifying and then optimizing initial crystallization conditions is a prerequisite for macromolecular structure determination by crystallography. Improved technologies enable data collection on crystals that are difficult if not impossible to detect using visible imaging. The application of second-order nonlinear imaging of chiral crystals and ultraviolet two-photon excited fluorescence detection is shown to be applicable in a high-throughput manner to rapidly verify the presence of nanocrystals in crystallization screening conditions. It is noted that the nanocrystals are rarely seen without also producing microcrystals from other chemical conditions. A crystal volume optimization method is described and associated with a phase diagram for crystallization.

The crystal structure and activity of a putative trypanosomal nucleoside phosphorylase reveal it to be a homodimeric uridine phosphorylase.

Purine nucleoside phosphorylases (PNPs) and uridine phosphorylases (UPs) are closely related enzymes involved in purine and pyrimidine salvage, respectively, which catalyze the removal of the ribosyl moiety from nucleosides so that the nucleotide base may be recycled. Parasitic protozoa generally are incapable of de novo purine biosynthesis; hence, the purine salvage pathway is of potential therapeutic interest. Information about pyrimidine biosynthesis in these organisms is much more limited. Though all seem to carry at least a subset of enzymes from each pathway, the dependency on de novo pyrimidine synthesis versus salvage varies from organism to organism and even from one growth stage to another. We have structurally and biochemically characterized a putative nucleoside phosphorylase (NP) from the pathogenic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei and find that it is a homodimeric UP. This is the first characterization of a UP from a trypanosomal source despite this activity being observed decades ago. Although this gene was broadly annotated as a putative NP, it was widely inferred to be a purine nucleoside phosphorylase. Our characterization of this trypanosomal enzyme shows that it is possible to distinguish between PNP and UP activity at the sequence level based on the absence or presence of a characteristic UP-specificity insert. We suggest that this recognizable feature may aid in proper annotation of the substrate specificity of enzymes in the NP family.

Understanding the physical properties that control protein crystallization by analysis of large-scale experimental data.

Crystallization is the most serious bottleneck in high-throughput protein-structure determination by diffraction methods. We have used data mining of the large-scale experimental results of the Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium and experimental folding studies to characterize the biophysical properties that control protein crystallization. This analysis leads to the conclusion that crystallization propensity depends primarily on the prevalence of well-ordered surface epitopes capable of mediating interprotein interactions and is not strongly influenced by overall thermodynamic stability. We identify specific sequence features that correlate with crystallization propensity and that can be used to estimate the crystallization probability of a given construct. Analyses of entire predicted proteomes demonstrate substantial differences in the amino acid-sequence properties of human versus eubacterial proteins, which likely reflect differences in biophysical properties, including crystallization propensity. Our thermodynamic measurements do not generally support previous claims regarding correlations between sequence properties and protein stability.

Establishing a training set through the visual analysis of crystallization trials. Part I: approximately 150,000 images.

Structural crystallography aims to provide a three-dimensional representation of macromolecules. Many parts of the multistep process to produce the three-dimensional structural model have been automated, especially through various structural genomics projects. A key step is the production of crystals for diffraction. The target macromolecule is combined with a large and chemically diverse set of cocktails with some leading ideally, but infrequently, to crystallization. A variety of outcomes will be observed during these screening experiments that typically require human interpretation for classification. Human interpretation is neither scalable nor objective, highlighting the need to develop an automatic computer-based image classification. As a first step towards automated image classification, 147,456 images representing crystallization experiments from 96 different macromolecular samples were manually classified. Each image was classified by three experts into seven predefined categories or their combinations. The resulting data where all three observers are in agreement provides one component of a truth set for the development and rigorous testing of automated image-classification systems and provides information about the chemical cocktails used for crystallization. In this paper, the details of this study are presented.

Establishing a training set through the visual analysis of crystallization trials. Part II: crystal examples.

In the automated image analysis of crystallization experiments, representative examples of outcomes can be obtained rapidly. However, while the outcomes appear to be diverse, the number of crystalline outcomes can be small. To complement a training set from the visual observation of 147 456 crystallization outcomes, a set of crystal images was produced from 106 and 163 macromolecules under study for the North East Structural Genomics Consortium (NESG) and Structural Genomics of Pathogenic Protozoa (SGPP) groups, respectively. These crystal images have been combined with the initial training set. A description of the crystal-enriched data set and a preliminary analysis of outcomes from the data are described.

Structures of substrate- and inhibitor-bound adenosine deaminase from a human malaria parasite show a dramatic conformational change and shed light on drug selectivity.

Plasmodium and other apicomplexan parasites are deficient in purine biosynthesis, relying instead on the salvage of purines from their host environment. Therefore, interference with the purine salvage pathway is an attractive therapeutic target. The plasmodial enzyme adenosine deaminase (ADA) plays a central role in purine salvage and, unlike mammalian ADA homologs, has a further secondary role in methylthiopurine recycling. For this reason, plasmodial ADA accepts a wider range of substrates, as it is responsible for deamination of both adenosine and 5'-methylthioadenosine. The latter substrate is not accepted by mammalian ADA homologs. The structural basis for this natural difference in specificity between plasmodial and mammalian ADA has not been well understood. We now report crystal structures of Plasmodium vivax ADA in complex with adenosine, guanosine, and the picomolar inhibitor 2'-deoxycoformycin. These structures highlight a drastic conformational change in plasmodial ADA upon substrate binding that has not been observed for mammalian ADA enzymes. Further, these complexes illuminate the structural basis for the differential substrate specificity and potential drug selectivity between mammalian and parasite enzymes.

Structure of a Trypanosoma brucei alpha/beta-hydrolase fold protein with unknown function.

The structure of a structural genomics target protein, Tbru020260AAA from Trypanosoma brucei, has been determined to a resolution of 2.2 A using multiple-wavelength anomalous diffraction at the Se K edge. This protein belongs to Pfam sequence family PF08538 and is only distantly related to previously studied members of the alpha/beta-hydrolase fold family. Structural superposition onto representative alpha/beta-hydrolase fold proteins of known function indicates that a possible catalytic nucleophile, Ser116 in the T. brucei protein, lies at the expected location. However, the present structure and by extension the other trypanosomatid members of this sequence family have neither sequence nor structural similarity at the location of other active-site residues typical for proteins with this fold. Together with the presence of an additional domain between strands beta6 and beta7 that is conserved in trypanosomatid genomes, this suggests that the function of these homologs has diverged from other members of the fold family.

Efficient optimization of crystallization conditions by manipulation of drop volume ratio and temperature.

An efficient optimization method for the crystallization of biological macromolecules has been developed and tested. This builds on a successful high-throughput technique for the determination of initial crystallization conditions. The optimization method takes an initial condition identified through screening and then varies the concentration of the macromolecule, precipitant, and the growth temperature in a systematic manner. The amount of sample and number of steps is minimized and no biochemical reformulation is required. In the current application a robotic liquid handling system enables high-throughput use, but the technique can easily be adapted in a nonautomated setting. This method has been applied successfully for the rapid optimization of crystallization conditions in nine representative cases.

The structure of Plasmodium vivax phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein suggests a functional motif containing a left-handed helix.

The structure of a putative Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) homolog from the eukaryotic parasite Plasmodium vivax has been studied to a resolution of 1.3 A using multiple-wavelength anomalous diffraction at the Se K edge. This protozoan protein is topologically similar to previously studied members of the phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) sequence family, but exhibits a distinctive left-handed alpha-helical region at one side of the canonical phospholipid-binding site. Re-examination of previously determined PEBP structures suggests that the P. vivax protein and yeast carboxypeptidase Y inhibitor may represent a structurally distinct subfamily of the diverse PEBP-sequence family.

Using fragment cocktail crystallography to assist inhibitor design of Trypanosoma brucei nucleoside 2-deoxyribosyltransferase.

The 1.8 A resolution de novo structure of nucleoside 2-deoxyribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.6) from Trypanosoma brucei (TbNDRT) has been determined by SADa phasing in an unliganded state and several ligand-bound states. This enzyme is important in the salvage pathway of nucleoside recycling. To identify novel lead compounds, we exploited "fragment cocktail soaks". Out of 304 compounds tried in 31 cocktails, four compounds could be identified crystallographically in the active site. In addition, we demonstrated that very short soaks of approximately 10 s are sufficient even for rather hydrophobic ligands to bind in the active site groove, which is promising for the application of similar soaking experiments to less robust crystals of other proteins.

Structure of ribose 5-phosphate isomerase from Plasmodium falciparum.

The structure of ribose 5-phosphate isomerase from Plasmodium falciparum, PFE0730c, has been determined by molecular replacement at 2.09 angstroms resolution. The enzyme, which catalyzes the isomerization reaction that interconverts ribose 5-phosphate and ribulose 5-phosphate, is a member of the pentose phosphate pathway. The P. falciparum enzyme belongs to the ribose 5-phosphate isomerase A family, Pfam family PF06562 (DUF1124), and is structurally similar to other members of the family.

Structure of Lmaj006129AAA, a hypothetical protein from Leishmania major.

The gene product of structural genomics target Lmaj006129 from Leishmania major codes for a 164-residue protein of unknown function. When SeMet expression of the full-length gene product failed, several truncation variants were created with the aid of Ginzu, a domain-prediction method. 11 truncations were selected for expression, purification and crystallization based upon secondary-structure elements and disorder. The structure of one of these variants, Lmaj006129AAH, was solved by multiple-wavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD) using ELVES, an automatic protein crystal structure-determination system. This model was then successfully used as a molecular-replacement probe for the parent full-length target, Lmaj006129AAA. The final structure of Lmaj006129AAA was refined to an R value of 0.185 (Rfree = 0.229) at 1.60 A resolution. Structure and sequence comparisons based on Lmaj006129AAA suggest that proteins belonging to Pfam sequence families PF04543 and PF01878 may share a common ligand-binding motif.

Structure of the conserved hypothetical protein MAL13P1.257 from Plasmodium falciparum.

The structure of a conserved hypothetical protein, PlasmoDB sequence MAL13P1.257 from Plasmodium falciparum, Pfam sequence family PF05907, has been determined as part of the structural genomics effort of the Structural Genomics of Pathogenic Protozoa consortium. The structure was determined by multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion at 2.17 A resolution. The structure is almost entirely beta-sheet; it consists of 15 beta-strands and one short 3(10)-helix and represents a new protein fold. The packing of the two monomers in the asymmetric unit indicates that the biological unit may be a dimer.

Crystal structure of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Plasmodium falciparum at 2.25 A resolution reveals intriguing extra electron density in the active site.

The crystal structure of D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (PfGAPDH) from the major malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is solved at 2.25 A resolution. The structure of PfGAPDH is of interest due to the dependence of the malaria parasite in infected human erythrocytes on the glycolytic pathway for its energy generation. Recent evidence suggests that PfGAPDH may also be required for other critical activities such as apical complex formation. The cofactor NAD(+) is bound to all four subunits of the tetrameric enzyme displaying excellent electron densities. In addition, in all four subunits a completely unexpected large island of extra electron density in the active site is observed, approaching closely the nicotinamide ribose of the NAD(+). This density is most likely the protease inhibitor AEBSF, found in maps from two different crystals. This putative AEBSF molecule is positioned in a crucial location and hence our structure, with expected and unexpected ligands bound, can be of assistance in lead development and design of novel antimalarials.

Crystal structures and proposed structural/functional classification of three protozoan proteins from the isochorismatase superfamily.

We have determined the crystal structures of three homologous proteins from the pathogenic protozoans Leishmania donovani, Leishmania major, and Trypanosoma cruzi. We propose that these proteins represent a new subfamily within the isochorismatase superfamily (CDD classification cd004310). Their overall fold and key active site residues are structurally homologous both to the biochemically well-characterized N-carbamoylsarcosine-amidohydrolase, a cysteine hydrolase, and to the phenazine biosynthesis protein PHZD (isochorismase), an aspartyl hydrolase. All three proteins are annotated as mitochondrial-associated ribonuclease Mar1, based on a previous characterization of the homologous protein from L. tarentolae. This would constitute a new enzymatic activity for this structural superfamily, but this is not strongly supported by the observed structures. In these protozoan proteins, the extended active site is formed by inter-subunit association within a tetramer, which implies a distinct evolutionary history and substrate specificity from the previously characterized members of the isochorismatase superfamily. The characterization of the active site is supported crystallographically by the presence of an unidentified ligand bound at the active site cysteine of the T. cruzi structure.

Automatic classification of sub-microlitre protein-crystallization trials in 1536-well plates.

A technique for automatically evaluating microbatch (400 nl) protein-crystallization trials is described. This method addresses analysis problems introduced at the sub-microlitre scale, including non-uniform lighting and irregular droplet boundaries. The droplet is segmented from the well using a loopy probabilistic graphical model with a two-layered grid topology. A vector of 23 features is extracted from the droplet image using the Radon transform for straight-edge features and a bank of correlation filters for microcrystalline features. Image classification is achieved by linear discriminant analysis of its feature vector. The results of the automatic method are compared with those of a human expert on 32 1536-well plates. Using the human-labeled images as ground truth, this method classifies images with 85% accuracy and a ROC score of 0.84. This result compares well with the experimental repeatability rate, assessed at 87%. Images falsely classified as crystal-positive variously contain speckled precipitate resembling microcrystals, skin effects or genuine crystals falsely labeled by the human expert. Many images falsely classified as crystal-negative variously contain very fine crystal features or dendrites lacking straight edges. Characterization of these misclassifications suggests directions for improving the method.

A deliberate approach to screening for initial crystallization conditions of biological macromolecules.

A method to rationally predict crystallization conditions for a previously uncrystallized macromolecule has not yet been developed. One way around this problem is to determine initial crystallization conditions by casting a wide net, surveying a large number of chemical and physical conditions to locate crystallization leads. A facility that executes the rapid survey of crystallization lead conditions is described in detail. Results and guidelines for the initial screening of crystallization conditions, applicable to both manual and robotic setups, are discussed.