A quick solution: ab initio structure determination of a 19 kDa metalloproteinase using ACORN.

A data set from the metalloproteinase deuterolysin was collected at atomic resolution (1.0 A) with synchrotron radiation. The high resolution allowed the structure to be solved with the new direct-methods program ACORN using the coordinates of the Zn atom as a starting point. The phases obtained from ACORN were of sufficient quality to allow automated building to be carried out in ARP/wARP. Minimal manual rebuilding of the model was required and the structure determination was completed using the maximum-likelihood refinement program REFMAC. The whole process, starting from the processed and merged data and ending with a refined model, required less than 6 h of computational time.

A new transcriptional activator for amylase genes in Aspergillus.

We have cloned a regulatory gene for amylase synthesis in Aspergillus oryzae. This gene, amyR, encodes a 604-amino acid transcriptional activator with a Cys6 zinc cluster, that shows extensive homology to the DNA binding domain of GAL4 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The DNA binding domain of amyR binds to two types of sequences found in a number of promoters from Aspergillus genes coding for starch-degrading enzymes. One type of binding site is characterized by two CGG triplets separated by eight nucleotides. The other type has only one CGG triplet, which is followed by the sequence AAATTTAA.

Glucoamylase mutants in the conserved active-site segment Trp170-Tyr175 located at a distance from the site of catalysis.

To mimic the structure of the 1.8-fold more active (k(cat)) Rhizopus oryzae glucoamylase (GA), Aspergillus niger GA was subjected to site-directed mutagenesis in the Trp170-Tyr175 segment of the third of the six well-conserved alpha-->alpha connecting loops of the catalytic (alpha/alpha)6-barrel. While the Trp170-->Phe, Gln172-->Asn and Tyr175-->Phe mutants showed an up to 1.7-fold increased k(cat) and Gly174-->Cys GA and approximately 2-fold reduced k(cat) towards maltotriose and longer substrates, Asn171-->Ser, Thr173-->Gly and A.niger wild-type GA had very similar kcat and K(m) values for the hydrolysis of isomaltose and the malto-oligosaccharides of DP 2-7. Crystal structures of pseudotetrasaccharide inhibitor complexes of Aspergillus awamori var. X100 GA, which is 94% identical to A.niger GA, indicate that Tyr175 is located at binding subsite 4, while the preceding target residues and the high-mannose type unit on Asn171 are at a larger distance from the site of catalysis. The mutations had a modest effect on thermostability; the temperature for 50% inactivation, Tm, was thus unchanged for Tyr175 -->Phe GA and reduced by 0.2-2.9 degrees C for the other mutants. The deletion of the N-linked high-mannose unit-in Asn171 -->Ser and Thr173-->Gly GAs-appeared to be of minor importance for enzyme activity and thermostability, and did not increase the sensitivity to proteolysis.

Mutational analysis of the roles in catalysis and substrate recognition of arginines 54 and 305, aspartic acid 309, and tryptophan 317 located at subsites 1 and 2 in glucoamylase from Aspergillus niger.

The mutants Arg54-->Leu, Arg54-->Lys, Arg305-->Lys, Asp309-->Glu, and Trp317-->Phe, located at subsites 1 and 2 in glucoamylase from Aspergillus niger, provide insight into the importance of specific hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions in substrate recognition, catalytic mechanism, and stability. As suggested from the crystal structure of a closely related glucoamylase [Aleshin, A. E., Firsov, L. M., & Honzatko, R. B. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 15631-15639], Arg54 in subsite 1 hydrogen bonds to the key polar group 4'-OH of maltose. The two mutants of Arg54 display losses in transition-state stabilization of 16-21 kJ mol-1 in the hydrolysis of different maltooligodextrins, which originate from a [(1.2-1.8) x 10(3)]-fold reduction in kcat and changes in Km ranging from 25% to 300% of the wild-type values. Arg305 similarly hydrogen bonds to 2'-OH and 3-OH, located at subsites 1 and 2, respectively. Arg305-->Lys glucoamylase is not saturated at concentrations of maltose or maltoheptaose of 400- and 40-fold, respectively, the Km of the wild-type enzyme. This mutant also has highly reduced kcat. On the other hand, for the alpha-1,6-linked isomaltose, the Lys305 mutant surprisingly has the same Km as the wild-type enzyme, while kcat is 10(3)-fold reduced. Arg305 is thus an important determinant in the distinction of the alpha-1,4 to alpha-1,6 substrate specificity. Arg305 interacts electrostatically and hydrophobically with the side chains of Asp309 and Trp317.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Isolation and characterisation of genes for sulphate activation and reduction in Aspergillus nidulans: implications for evolution of an allosteric control region by gene duplication.

A region of the Aspergillus nidulans genome carrying the sA and sC genes, encoding PAPS reductase and ATP sulphurylase, respectively, was isolated by transformation of an sA mutant with a cosmid library. The genes were subcloned and their functions confirmed by retransformation and complementation of A. nidulans strains carrying sA and sC mutations. The physical distance of 2 kb between the genes corresponds to a genetic distance of 1 cM. While the deduced amino acid sequence of the sA gene product shows homology with the equivalent MET16 gene product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the sC gene product resembles the equivalent MET3 yeast gene product at the N-terminal end, but differs markedly from it at the C-terminal end, showing homology to the APS kinases of several microorganisms. It is proposed that this C-terminal region does not encode a functional APS kinase, but is responsible for allosteric regulation by PAPS of the sulphate assimilation pathway in A. nidulans, and that the ATP sulphurylase encoding-gene (sC) of filamentous ascomycetes may have evolved from a bifunctional gene similar to the nodQ gene of Rhizobium meliloti.

Site-directed mutagenesis of the catalytic base glutamic acid 400 in glucoamylase from Aspergillus niger and of tyrosine 48 and glutamine 401, both hydrogen-bonded to the gamma-carboxylate group of glutamic acid 400.

Replacement of the catalytic base Glu400 by glutamine in glucoamylase from Aspergillus niger affects both substrates ground-state binding and transition-state stabilization. Compared to those of the wild-type enzyme, Km values for maltose and maltoheptaose are 12- and 3-fold higher for the Glu400-->Gln mutant, with kcat values 35- and 60-fold lower, respectively, for the same substrates. This unusually high residual activity for a glycosylase mutant at a putative catalytic group is tentatively explained by a reorganization of the hydrogen bond network, using the crystal structure of the related Aspergillus awamori var. X100 glucoamylase in complex with 1-deoxynojirimycin [Harris, E. M. S., Aleshin, A. E., Firsov, L. M., & Honzatko, R. B. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 1618-1626]. Supposedly Gln400 in the mutant hydrogen bonds to the invariant Tyr48, as does Glu400 in the wild-type enzyme. For Tyr48-->Trp A. niger glucoamylase kcat is reduced 80-100-fold, while Km is increased only 2-3-fold. Gln401 also hydrogen bonds to Glu400, but its mutation to glutamic acid has only a minor effect on activity. The Tyr48-->Trp and Glu400-->Gln glucoamylases share particular features in displaying unusually high activity below pH 4.0-which reflects lack of the wild-type catalytic base function- and unusually low binding affinity at subsite 2. Both mutants have lost 13-16 kJ mol-1 in transition-state stabilization energy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A cDNA clone encoding a 10.8 kDa photosystem I polypeptide of barley.

A cDNA clone encoding the barley photosystem I polypeptide which migrates with an apparent molecular mass of 16 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gels has been isolated. The 634 bp sequence of this clone has been determined and contains one large open reading frame coding for a 15,457 Da precursor polypeptide. The molecular mass of the mature polypeptide is 10,821 Da. The amino acid sequence of the transit peptide indicates that the polypeptide is routed towards the stroma side of the thylakoid membrane. The hydropathy plot of the polypeptide shows no membrane-spanning regions.

Sequence of two genes in pea chloroplast DNA coding for 84 and 82 kD polypeptides of the photosystem I complex.

The genes encoding the two P700 chlorophyll a-apoproteins of the photosystem I complex were localized on the pea (Pisum sativum) chloroplast genome. The nucleotide sequence of the genes and the flanking regions has been determined. The genes are separated by 25 bp and are probably cotranscribed. The 5' terminal gene (psaA1) codes for a 761-residue protein (MW 84.1 kD) and the 3' terminal gene (psaA2) for a 734-residue protein (MW 82.4 kD). Both proteins are highly hydrophobic and contain eleven putative membrane-spanning domains. The homology to the corresponding polypeptides from maize are 89% and 95% for psaA1 and psaA2, respectively. A putative promoter has been identified for the psaA1 gene, and potential ribosome binding sites are present before both genes.