Entropic Comparison of Atomic-Resolution Electron Tomography of Crystals and Amorphous Materials.

Electron tomography bears promise for widespread determination of the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in solids. However, it remains unclear whether methods successful for crystals are optimal for amorphous solids. Here, we explore the relative difficulty encountered in atomic-resolution tomography of crystalline and amorphous nanoparticles. We define an informational entropy to reveal the inherent importance of low-entropy zone-axis projections in the reconstruction of crystals. In turn, we propose considerations for optimal sampling for tomography of ordered and disordered materials.

Fast imaging of laboratory core floods using 3D compressed sensing RARE MRI.

Three-dimensional (3D) imaging of the fluid distributions within the rock is essential to enable the unambiguous interpretation of core flooding data. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been widely used to image fluid saturation in rock cores; however, conventional acquisition strategies are typically too slow to capture the dynamic nature of the displacement processes that are of interest. Using Compressed Sensing (CS), it is possible to reconstruct a near-perfect image from significantly fewer measurements than was previously thought necessary, and this can result in a significant reduction in the image acquisition times. In the present study, a method using the Rapid Acquisition with Relaxation Enhancement (RARE) pulse sequence with CS to provide 3D images of the fluid saturation in rock core samples during laboratory core floods is demonstrated. An objective method using image quality metrics for the determination of the most suitable regularisation functional to be used in the CS reconstructions is reported. It is shown that for the present application, Total Variation outperforms the Haar and Daubechies3 wavelet families in terms of the agreement of their respective CS reconstructions with a fully-sampled reference image. Using the CS-RARE approach, 3D images of the fluid saturation in the rock core have been acquired in 16min. The CS-RARE technique has been applied to image the residual water saturation in the rock during a water-water displacement core flood. With a flow rate corresponding to an interstitial velocity of vi=1.89±0.03ftday(-1), 0.1 pore volumes were injected over the course of each image acquisition, a four-fold reduction when compared to a fully-sampled RARE acquisition. Finally, the 3D CS-RARE technique has been used to image the drainage of dodecane into the water-saturated rock in which the dynamics of the coalescence of discrete clusters of the non-wetting phase are clearly observed. The enhancement in the temporal resolution that has been achieved using the CS-RARE approach enables dynamic transport processes pertinent to laboratory core floods to be investigated in 3D on a time-scale and with a spatial resolution that, until now, has not been possible.

Blood feeding on large grazers affects the transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato by Ixodes ricinus.

The presence of Ixodes ricinus and their associated Borrelia infections on large grazers was investigated. Carcases of freshly shot red deer, mouflon and wild boar were examined for the presence of any stage of I. ricinus. Questing ticks were collected from locations where red deer and wild boar are known to occur. Presence of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. DNA was examined in a fraction of the collected ticks. Larvae, nymphs and adult ticks were found on the three large grazers. Red deer had the highest tick burden, with many of the nymphs and adult females attached for engorgement. Most larvae had not attached. The mean number of ticks on the animals varied from 13 to 67. Ticks were highly aggregated amongst the animals: some animals had no ticks, while others had high numbers. Larvae and nymphs were mostly found on the ears, while adult ticks were attached to the axillae. The Borrelia infection rate of questing nymphs was 8.5%. Unengorged wandering nymphs on deer had a Borrelia infection rate of 12.5%, while only 0.9% of feeding nymphs carried a Borrelia infection. The infection rate of unengorged adult male ticks was 4.5%, and that of feeding female ticks was 0.7%. The data suggest that ticks feeding on red deer and wild boar lose their Borrelia infections. The implications of the results are discussed with respect to Borrelia epidemiology and maintenance of a Borrelia reservoir as well as the role of reproductive hosts for Ixodes ricinus.

Histidine 90 function in 4-chlorobenzoyl-coenzyme a dehalogenase catalysis.

4-chlorobenzoyl-coenzyme A (4-CBA-CoA) dehalogenase catalyzes the hydrolytic dehalogenation of 4-CBA-CoA by attack of Asp145 on the C4 of the substrate benzoyl ring to form a Meisenheimer intermediate (EMc), followed by expulsion of chloride ion to form an arylated enzyme intermediate (EAr) and, finally, ester hydrolysis in EAr to form 4-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA (4-HBA-CoA). This study examines the contribution of the active site His90 to catalysis of this reaction pathway. The His90 residue was replaced with glutamine by site-directed mutagenesis. X-ray crystallographic analysis of H90Q dehalogenase complexed with 4-HBA-CoA revealed that the positions of the catalytic groups are unchanged from those observed in the structure of the 4-HBA-CoA-wild-type dehalogenase complex. The one exception is the Gln90 side chain, which is rotated away from the position of the His90 side chain. The vacated His90 site is occupied by two water molecules. Kinetic techniques were used to evaluate ligand binding and catalytic turnover rates in the wild-type and H90Q mutant dehalogenases. The rate constants for 4-CBA-CoA (both 7 microM(-1) x s(-1)) and 4-HBA-CoA (33 and 11 microM(-1) x s(-1)) binding to the two dehalogenases are similar in value. For wild-type dehalogenase, the rate constant for a single turnover is 2.3 s(-1) while that for multiple turnovers is 0.7 s(-1). For H90Q dehalogenase, these rate constants are 1.6 x 10(-2) and 2 x 10(-4) s(-1). The rate constants for EMc formation in wild-type and mutant dehalogenase are approximately 200 s(-1) while the rate constants for EAr formation are 40 and 0.3 s(-1), respectively. The rate constant for hydrolysis of EAr in wild-type dehalogenase is 20 s(-1) and in the H90Q mutant, 0.13 s(-1). The 133-fold reduction in the rate of EAr formation in the mutant may be the result of active site hydration, while the 154-fold reduction in the rate EAr hydrolysis may be the result of lost general base catalysis. Substitution of the His90 with Gln also introduces a rate-limiting step which follows catalysis, and may involve renewing the catalytic site through a slow conformational change.

High resolution X-ray structures of different metal-substituted forms of phosphotriesterase from Pseudomonas diminuta.

Phosphotriesterase, isolated from the soil-dwelling bacterium Pseudomonas diminuta, catalyzes the detoxification of organophosphate-based insecticides and chemical warfare agents. The enzyme has attracted significant research attention in light of its possible employment as a bioremediation tool. As naturally isolated, the enzyme is dimeric. Each subunit contains a binuclear zinc center that is situated at the C-terminal portion of a "TIM" barrel motif. The two zincs are separated by approximately 3.4 A and coordinated to the protein via the side chains of His 55, His 57, His 201, His 230, Asp 301, and a carboxylated Lys 169. Both Lys 169 and a water molecule (or hydroxide ion) serve to bridge the two zinc ions together. Interestingly, these metals can be replaced with cadmium or manganese ions without loss of enzymatic activity. Here we describe the three-dimensional structures of the Zn(2+)/Zn(2+)-, Zn(2+)/Cd(2+)-, Cd(2+)/Cd(2+)-, and Mn(2+)/Mn(2+)-substituted forms of phosphotriesterase determined and refined to a nominal resolution of 1.3 A. In each case, the more buried metal ion, referred to as the alpha-metal, is surrounded by ligands in a trigonal bipyramidal ligation sphere. For the more solvent-exposed or beta-metal ion, however, the observed coordination spheres are either octahedral (in the Cd(2+)/Cd(2+)-, Mn(2+)/Mn(2+)-, and the mixed Zn(2+)/Cd(2+)-species) or trigonal bipyramidal (in the Zn(2+)/Zn(2+)-protein). By measuring the anomalous X-ray data from crystals of the Zn(2+)/Cd(2+)-species, it has been possible to determine that the alpha-metal ion is zinc and the beta-site is occupied by cadmium.

The crotonase superfamily: divergently related enzymes that catalyze different reactions involving acyl coenzyme a thioesters.

Synergistic investigations of the reactions catalyzed by several members of an enzyme superfamily provide a more complete understanding of the relationships between structure and function than is possible from focused studies of a single enzyme alone. The crotonase (or enoyl-CoA hydratase) superfamily is such an example whereby members catalyze a wide range of metabolic reactions but share a common structural solution to a mechanistic problem. Some enzymes in the superfamily have been shown to display dehalogenase, hydratase, and isomerase activities. Others have been implicated in carbon-carbon bond formation and cleavage as well as the hydrolysis of thioesters. While seemingly unrelated mechanistically, the common theme in this superfamily is the need to stabilize an enolate anion intermediate derived from an acyl-CoA substrate. This apparently is accomplished by two structurally conserved peptidic NH groups that provide hydrogen bonds to the carbonyl moieties of the acyl-CoA substrates and form an "oxyanion hole".

The binding of substrate analogs to phosphotriesterase.

Phosphotriesterase (PTE) from Pseudomonas diminuta catalyzes the detoxification of organophosphates such as the widely utilized insecticide paraoxon and the chemical warfare agent sarin. The three-dimensional structure of the enzyme is known from high resolution x-ray crystallographic analyses. Each subunit of the homodimer folds into a so-called TIM barrel, with eight strands of parallel beta-sheet. The two zinc ions required for activity are positioned at the C-terminal portion of the beta-barrel. Here, we describe the three-dimensional structure of PTE complexed with the inhibitor diisopropyl methyl phosphonate, which serves as a mimic for sarin. Additionally, the structure of the enzyme complexed with triethyl phosphate is also presented. In the case of the PTE-diisopropyl methyl phosphonate complex, the phosphoryl oxygen of the inhibitor coordinates to the more solvent-exposed zinc ion (2.5 A), thereby lending support to the presumed catalytic mechanism involving metal coordination of the substrate. In the PTE-triethyl phosphate complex, the phosphoryl oxygen of the inhibitor is positioned at 3.4 A from the more solvent-exposed zinc ion. The two structures described in this report provide additional molecular understanding for the ability of this remarkable enzyme to hydrolyze such a wide range of organophosphorus substrates.

New reactions in the crotonase superfamily: structure of methylmalonyl CoA decarboxylase from Escherichia coli.

The molecular structure of methylmalonyl CoA decarboxylase (MMCD), a newly defined member of the crotonase superfamily encoded by the Escherichia coli genome, has been solved by X-ray crystallographic analyses to a resolution of 1.85 A for the unliganded form and to a resolution of 2.7 A for a complex with an inert thioether analogue of methylmalonyl CoA. Like two other structurally characterized members of the crotonase superfamily (crotonase and dienoyl CoA isomerase), MMCD is a hexamer (dimer of trimers) with each polypeptide chain composed of two structural motifs. The larger N-terminal domain contains the active site while the smaller C-terminal motif is alpha-helical and involved primarily in trimerization. Unlike the other members of the crotonase superfamily, however, the C-terminal motif is folded back onto the N-terminal domain such that each active site is wholly contained within a single subunit. The carboxylate group of the thioether analogue of methylmalonyl CoA is hydrogen bonded to the peptidic NH group of Gly 110 and the imidazole ring of His 66. From modeling studies, it appears that Tyr 140 is positioned within the active site to participate in the decarboxylation reaction by orienting the carboxylate group of methylmalonyl CoA so that it is orthogonal to the plane of the thioester carbonyl group. Surprisingly, while the active site of MMCD contains Glu 113, which is homologous to the general acid/base Glu 144 in the active site of crotonase, its carboxylate side chain is hydrogen bonded to Arg 86, suggesting that it is not directly involved in catalysis. The new constellation of putative functional groups observed in the active site of MMCD underscores the diversity of function in this superfamily.

The structure of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase determined to 2.1 A resolution.

Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase catalyzes the formation of carbamoyl phosphate from one molecule of bicarbonate, two molecules of Mg2+ATP and one molecule of glutamine or ammonia depending upon the particular form of the enzyme under investigation. As isolated from Escherichia coli, the enzyme is an alpha,beta-heterodimer consisting of a small subunit that hydrolyzes glutamine and a large subunit that catalyzes the two required phosphorylation events. Here the three-dimensional structure of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase from E. coli refined to 2.1 A resolution with an R factor of 17.9% is described. The small subunit is distinctly bilobal with a catalytic triad (Cys269, His353 and Glu355) situated between the two structural domains. As observed in those enzymes belonging to the alpha/beta-hydrolase family, the active-site nucleophile, Cys269, is perched at the top of a tight turn. The large subunit consists of four structural units: the carboxyphosphate synthetic component, the oligomerization domain, the carbamoyl phosphate synthetic component and the allosteric domain. Both the carboxyphosphate and carbamoyl phosphate synthetic components bind Mn2+ADP. In the carboxyphosphate synthetic component, the two observed Mn2+ ions are both octahedrally coordinated by oxygen-containing ligands and are bridged by the carboxylate side chain of Glu299. Glu215 plays a key allosteric role by coordinating to the physiologically important potassium ion and hydrogen bonding to the ribose hydroxyl groups of ADP. In the carbamoyl phosphate synthetic component, the single observed Mn2+ ion is also octahedrally coordinated by oxygen-containing ligands and Glu761 plays a similar role to that of Glu215. The carboxyphosphate and carbamoyl phosphate synthetic components, while topologically equivalent, are structurally different, as would be expected in light of their separate biochemical functions.

The three-dimensional structure of 4-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA thioesterase from Pseudomonas sp. Strain CBS-3.

The soil-dwelling microbe, Pseudomonas sp. strain CBS-3, has attracted recent attention due to its ability to survive on 4-chlorobenzoate as its sole carbon source. The biochemical pathway by which this organism converts 4-chlorobenzoate to 4-hydroxybenzoate consists of three enzymes: 4-chlorobenzoyl-CoA ligase, 4-chlorobenzoyl-CoA dehalogenase, and 4-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA thioesterase. Here we describe the three-dimensional structure of the thioesterase determined to 2.0-A resolution. Each subunit of the homotetramer is characterized by a five-stranded anti-parallel beta-sheet and three major alpha-helices. While previous amino acid sequence analyses failed to reveal any similarity between this thioesterase and other known proteins, the results from this study clearly demonstrate that the molecular architecture of 4-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA thioesterase is topologically equivalent to that observed for beta-hydroxydecanoyl thiol ester dehydrase from Escherichia coli. On the basis of the structural similarity between these two enzymes, the active site of the thioesterase has been identified and a catalytic mechanism proposed.

Structure of the bis(Mg2+)-ATP-oxalate complex of the rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase at 2.1 A resolution: ATP binding over a barrel.

Pyruvate kinase from rabbit muscle has been cocrystallized as a complex with MgIIATP, oxalate, Mg2+, and either K+ or Na+. Crystals with either Na+ or K+ belong to the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), and the asymmetric units contain two tetramers. The structures were solved by molecular replacement and refined to 2.1 (K+) and 2.35 A (Na+) resolution. The structures of the Na+ and K+ complexes are virtually isomorphous. Each of the eight subunits within the asymmetric unit contains MgIIoxalate as a bidentate complex linked to the protein through coordination of Mg2+ to the carboxylates of Glu 271 and Asp 295. Six of the subunits also contain an alpha,beta,gamma-tridentate complex of MgIIATP, and the active-site cleft, located between domains A and B, is closed in these subunits. In the remaining two subunits MgIIATP is missing, and the active-site cleft is open. Closure of the active-site cleft in the fully liganded subunits includes a rotation of 41 degrees of the B domain relative to the A domain. alpha-Carbons of residues in the B domain undergo movements of up to 17.8 A (Lys 124) in the cleft closure. Lys 206, Arg 119, and Asp 177 from the B domain move several angstroms from their positions in the open conformation to contact the MgIIATP complex in the active site. The gamma-phosphate of ATP coordinates to both magnesium ions and to the monovalent cation, K+ or Na+. A Mg2+-coordinated oxygen from the MgIIoxalate complex lies 3.0 A from Pgamma of ATP, and this oxygen is positioned for an in-line attack on the phosphorus. The side chains of Lys 269 and Arg 119 are positioned to provide leaving-group activation in the forward and reverse directions. There is no obvious candidate for the acid/base catalyst near the 2-si face of the prospective enolate of the normal substrate. A functional group linked through solvent and side-chain hydroxyls may function in a proton relay.

Ligand-induced domain movement in pyruvate kinase: structure of the enzyme from rabbit muscle with Mg2+, K+, and L-phospholactate at 2.7 A resolution.

The structure of rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase crystallized as a complex with Mg2+, K+, and L-phospholactate (L-P-lactate) has been solved and refined to 2.7 A resolution. The crystals, grown from solutions of polyethylene glycol 8000 at pH 7.5, belong to the space group P2(1) and have unit cell parameters a = 144.4 A, b = 112.6 A, c = 171.2 A, and beta = 93.7 degrees. The asymmetric unit contains two tetramers. The crystal structure reveals that the eight subunits within the asymmetric unit adopt several different conformations. These conformations are characterized by differences in the relative positions of protein domains A and B, resulting in different degrees of closure of the active site cleft that occupies the interface between these two domains. The global conformational differences may be described as rotations of the B domain with respect to the (beta/alpha)8-barrel of the A domain. Carbon atoms of the backbone in domain B rotate >20 degrees from the most open to the most closed subunit. The different conformations among subunits within the asymmetric unit are accompanied by 3-3.8 A shifts in the position of Mg2+ and a significant change in the orientation of the phenyl ring of Phe 243. In all of the subunits, Mg2+ coordinates to the protein through the carboxylate side chains of Glu 271 and Asp 295. In the subunit having the most closed conformation, Mg2+ also coordinates to the carboxylate oxygen, the bridging ester oxygen, and a nonbridging phosphoryl oxygen of L-P-lactate. Mg2+ to L-P-lactate coordination is missing in subunits exhibiting a more open conformation. K+ coordinates to four protein ligands and to a phosphoryl oxygen of the L-P-lactate. The position and liganding of K+ are unaffected by the different conformations of the subunits. The side chain of Arg 72, Mg2+, and K+ provides a locus of positive charge for the phosphate moiety of the analog in the closed subunit.

Structure-function relationships in Anabaena ferredoxin: correlations between X-ray crystal structures, reduction potentials, and rate constants of electron transfer to ferredoxin:NADP+ reductase for site-specific ferredoxin mutants.

A combination of structural, thermodynamic, and transient kinetic data on wild-type and mutant Anabaena vegetative cell ferredoxins has been used to investigate the nature of the protein-protein interactions leading to electron transfer from reduced ferredoxin to oxidized ferredoxin:NADP+ reductase (FNR). We have determined the reduction potentials of wild-type vegetative ferredoxin, heterocyst ferredoxin, and 12 site-specific mutants at seven surface residues of vegetative ferredoxin, as well as the one- and two-electron reduction potentials of FNR, both alone and in complexes with wild-type and three mutant ferredoxins. X-ray crystallographic structure determinations have been carried out for six of the ferredoxin mutants. None of the mutants showed significant structural changes in the immediate vicinity of the [2Fe-2S] cluster, despite large decreases in electron-transfer reactivity (for E94K and S47A) and sizable increases in reduction potential (80 mV for E94K and 47 mV for S47A). Furthermore, the relatively small changes in Calpha backbone atom positions which were observed in these mutants do not correlate with the kinetic and thermodynamic properties. In sharp contrast to the S47A mutant, S47T retains electron-transfer activity, and its reduction potential is 100 mV more negative than that of the S47A mutant, implicating the importance of the hydrogen bond which exists between the side chain hydroxyl group of S47 and the side chain carboxyl oxygen of E94. Other ferredoxin mutations that alter both reduction potential and electron-transfer reactivity are E94Q, F65A, and F65I, whereas D62K, D68K, Q70K, E94D, and F65Y have reduction potentials and electron-transfer reactivity that are similar to those of wild-type ferredoxin. In electrostatic complexes with recombinant FNR, three of the kinetically impaired ferredoxin mutants, as did wild-type ferredoxin, induced large (approximately 40 mV) positive shifts in the reduction potential of the flavoprotein, thereby making electron transfer thermodynamically feasible. On the basis of these observations, we conclude that nonconservative mutations of three critical residues (S47, F65, and E94) on the surface of ferredoxin have large parallel effects on both the reduction potential and the electron-transfer reactivity of the [2Fe-2S] cluster and that the reduction potential changes are not the principal factor governing electron-transfer reactivity. Rather, the kinetic properties are most likely controlled by the specific orientations of the proteins within the transient electron-transfer complex.

Iron-sulfur cluster cysteine-to-serine mutants of Anabaena -2Fe-2S- ferredoxin exhibit unexpected redox properties and are competent in electron transfer to ferredoxin:NADP+ reductase.

The reduction potentials and the rate constants for electron transfer (et) to ferredoxin:NADP+ reductase (FNR) are reported for site-directed mutants of the [2Fe-2S] vegetative cell ferredoxin (Fd) from Anabaena PCC 7120, each of which has a cluster ligating cysteine residue mutated to serine (C41S, C46S, and C49S). The X-ray crystal structure of the C49S mutant has also been determined. The UV-visible optical and CD spectra of the mutants differ from each other and from wild-type (wt) Fd. This is a consequence of oxygen replacing one of the ligating cysteine sulfur atoms, thus altering the ligand --> Fe charge transfer transition energies and the chiro-optical properties of the chromophore. Each mutant is able to rapidly accept an electron from deazariboflavin semiquinone (dRfH.) and to transfer an electron from its reduced form to oxidized FNR although all are somewhat less reactive (30-50%) toward FNR and are appreciably less stable in solution than is wt Fd. Whereas the reduction potential of C46S (-381 mV) is not significantly altered from that of wt Fd (-384 mV), the potential of the C49S mutant (-329 mV) is shifted positively by 55 mV, demonstrating that the cluster potential is sensitive to mutations made at the ferric iron in reduced [2Fe-2S] Fds with localized valences. Despite the decrease in thermodynamic driving force for et from C49S to FNR, the et rate constant is similar to that measured for C46S. Thus, the et reactivity of the mutants does not correlate with altered reduction potentials. The et rate constants of the mutants also do not correlate with the apparent binding constants of the intermediate (Fdred:FNRox) complexes or with the ability of the prosthetic group to be reduced by dRfH.. Furthermore, the X-ray crystal structure of the C49S mutant is virtually identical to that of wt Fd. We conclude from these data that cysteine sulfur d-orbitals are not essential for et into or out of the iron atoms of the cluster and that the decreased et reactivity of these Fd mutants toward FNR may be due to small changes in the mutual orientation of the proteins within the intermediate complex and/or alterations in the electronic structure of the [2Fe-2S] cluster.

Molecular structure of a high potential cytochrome c2 isolated from Rhodopila globiformis.

Unlike their mitochondrial counterparts, the c-type cytochromes typically isolated from photosynthetic nonsulfur purple bacteria display a wide range of oxidation-reduction potentials. Here we describe the X-ray crystallographic analysis of the cytochrome c2 isolated from Rhodopila globiformis. This particular c-type cytochrome was selected for study because of its anomalously high redox potential of +450 mV. Crystals employed in the investigation belonged to the space group I4(1) with unit cell dimensions of a = b = 79.2 A, c = 75.2 A, and two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The structure was solved by the techniques of multiple isomorphous replacement with two heavy-atom derivatives and electron density modification procedures. Least-squares refinement of the model reduced the R-factor to 18.7% for all measured X-ray data from 30.0 to 2.2 A. The overall structural motif of the protein is composed of five alpha-helices, one type I turn, and six type II turns. As in other cytochromes c, there are two conserved water molecules located in the heme-binding pocket. Overall, the three-dimensional structure of the R. globiformis molecule is more similar to the eukaryotic c-type cytochromes than to other bacterial proteins.

Long-term changes in open field behaviour following a single social defeat in rats can be reversed by sleep deprivation.

The long-term consequences of a single social defeat on open field behaviour in rats were studied, with special emphasis on the time course of stress-induced changes. Animals were subjected to social defeat by placing them into the territory of an aggressive male conspecific for 1 h. After the defeat session experimental animals were returned to their home cage and their own room, receiving no further cues from the resident. Other animals serving as controls were placed in a clean and empty cage for 1 h. Five-minute open field tests were performed on days 1, 2, 7, 14, and 28 after defeat, with independent groups of rats. Locomotion of the animals was recorded and analyzed with an automated video system. Social defeat resulted in a strong subsequent reduction in open field activity, which lasted till at least 7 days after the conflict. Differences in total travelled distance were no longer significant 2 weeks after the conflict. The latency for moving to the outer ring of the open field arena after the start of the test was still significantly longer 4 weeks after defeat. The stress-induced reduction in open field locomotion could be reversed by 12-h sleep deprivation during the resting phase, an intervention known to have antidepressant effects in humans. Possible relevance of the present findings with respect to human affective disorders is discussed.

Structure of 4-chlorobenzoyl coenzyme A dehalogenase determined to 1.8 A resolution: an enzyme catalyst generated via adaptive mutation.

Here we describe the three-dimensional structure of 4-chlorobenzoyl-CoA dehalogenase from Pseudomonas sp. strain CBS-3. This enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of 4-chlorobenzoyl-CoA to 4-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA. The molecular structure of the enzyme/4-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA complex was solved by the techniques of multiple isomorphous replacement, solvent flattening, and molecular averaging. Least-squares refinement of the protein model reduced the crystallographic R factor to 18.8% for all measured X-ray data from 30 to 1.8 A resolution. The crystallographic investigation of this dehalogenase revealed that the enzyme is a trimer. Each subunit of the trimer folds into two distinct motifs. The larger, N-terminal domain is characterized by 10 strands of beta-pleated sheet that form two distinct layers which lie nearly perpendicular to one another. These layers of beta-sheet are flanked on either side by alpha-helices. The C-terminal domain extends away from the body of the molecule and is composed of three amphiphilic alpha-helices. This smaller domain is primarily involved in trimerization. The two domains of the subunit are linked together by a cation, most likely a calcium ion. The 4-hydroxybenzoyl-CoA molecule adopts a curved conformation within the active site such that the 4-hydroxybenzoyl and the adenosine moieties are buried while the pantothenate and pyrophosphate groups of the coenzyme are more solvent exposed. From the three-dimensional structure it is clear that Asp 145 provides the side-chain carboxylate group that adds to form the Meisenheimer intermediate and His 90 serves as the general base in the subsequent hydrolysis step. Many of the structural principles derived from this investigation may be directly applicable to other related enzymes such as crotonase.

Three-dimensional structure of the zinc-containing phosphotriesterase with the bound substrate analog diethyl 4-methylbenzylphosphonate.

Phosphotriesterase from Pseudomonas diminuta catalyzes the hydrolysis of paraoxon and related acetylcholinesterase inhibitors with rate enhancements that approach 10(12). The enzyme requires a binuclear metal center for activity and as isolated contains 2 equiv of zinc per subunit. Here we describe the three-dimensional structure of the Zn2+/Zn2+-substituted enzyme complexed with the substrate analog diethyl 4-methylbenzylphosphonate. Crystals employed in the investigation belonged to the space group C2 with unit cell dimensions of a = 129.6 A, b = 91.4 A, c = 69.4 A, beta = 91.9 degrees, and two subunits in the asymmetric unit. The model was refined by least-squares analysis to a nominal resolution of 2.1 A and a crystallographic R-factor of 15.4% for all measured X-ray data. As in the previously reported structure of the cadmium-containing enzyme, the bridging ligands are a carbamylated lysine residue (Lys 169) and a hydroxide. The zinc ions are separated by 3.3 A. The more buried zinc ion is surrounded by His 55, His 57, Lys 169, Asp 301, and the bridging hydroxide in a trigonal bipyramidal arrangement as described for the cadmium-substituted enzyme. Unlike the octahedral coordination observed for the more solvent-exposed cadmium ion, however, the second zinc is tetrahedrally ligated to Lys 169, His 201, His 230, and the bridging hydroxide. The diethyl 4-methylbenzylphosphonate occupies a site near the binuclear metal center with the phosphoryl oxygen of the substrate analog situated at 3.5 A from the more solvent-exposed zinc ion. The aromatic portion of the inhibitor binds in a fairly hydrophobic pocket. A striking feature of the active site pocket is the lack of direct electrostatic interactions between the inhibitor and the protein. This most likely explains the broad substrate specificity exhibited by phosphotriesterase. The position of the inhibitor within the active site suggests that the nucleophile for the hydrolysis reaction is the metal-bound hydroxide.

Somatostatin analogue octreotide and inhibition of tumour growth in metastatic endocrine gastroenteropancreatic tumours.

Antiproliferative treatment of patients with metastatic endocrine gastroenteropancreatic tumours (GEP) is based mainly on chemotherapeutic protocols whereby drug toxicity is a major handicap. Octreotide is the first choice in the control of hormone mediated symptoms. From retrospective and a few prospective studies it has been suggested that octreotide exhibits antiproliferative properties. The prospective German Sandostatin multicentre phase II trial investigated the effects of 200 micrograms octreotide thrice daily for one year on tumour growth and endocrine abnormalities in 103 patients. Octreotide treatment was continued in those patients responding to the drug until tumour progression occurred. In 28 of those with tumour progression during 200 micrograms thrice daily octreotide dose was increased to 500 micrograms thrice daily. The study sample consisted of 52 patients with computed tomography confirmed tumour progression and 13 patients with stable disease before octreotide treatment, whereas no preobservation period was available in 38 patients. Nineteen patients (36.5%) with computed tomography confirmed tumour progression experienced stabilisation of tumour growth lasting for at least three months. Median duration of stable disease was 18 months. At month 12, stable disease continued in 12 patients, declined after 24 months to nine patients, and after 36 months to five patients. Tumour regression has not been seen in this or other subgroups. In the subgroup with stable disease before octreotide, stable disease continued in 53.8% of patients over 12 months. Increase of octreotide dose to 500 micrograms thrice daily did not influence progression seen during the lower dose with the exception of one patient in whom tumour progression changed to stable disease. No association of tumour size response and patients' characteristics could be detected. The results suggest that octreotide inhibits tumour growth in patients with metastasised endocrine GEP tumours. The antiproliferative effect is, at least in some patients, longlasting. Currently, octreotide can only be recommended as an antiproliferative drug if patients with clearly progressive disease show stabilisation after treatment for three to six months.

Structural investigation of the antibiotic and ATP-binding sites in kanamycin nucleotidyltransferase.

Kanamycin nucleotidyltransferase (KNTase) is a plasmid-coded enzyme responsible for some types of bacterial resistance to aminoglycosides. The enzyme deactivates various antibiotics by transferring a nucleoside monophosphate group from ATP to the 4'-hydroxyl group of the drug. Detailed knowledge of the interactions between the protein and the substrates may lead to the design of aminoglycosides less susceptible to bacterial deactivation. Here we describe the structure of KNTase complexed with both the nonhydrolyzable nucleotide analog AMPCPP and kanamycin. Crystals employed in the investigation were grown from poly(ethylene glycol) solutions and belonged to the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit cell dimensions of a = 57.3 A, b = 102.2 A, c = 101.8 A, and one dimer in the asymmetric unit. Least-squares refinement of the model at 2.5 A resolution reduced the crystallographic R factor to 16.8%. The binding pockets for both the nucleotide and the antibiotic are extensively exposed to the solvent and are composed of amino acid residues contributed by both subunits in the dimer. There are few specific interactions between the protein and the adenine ring of the nucleotide; rather the AMPCPP molecule is locked into position by extensive hydrogen bonding between the alpha-, beta-, and gamma-phosphates and protein side chains. This, in part, may explain the observation that the enzyme can utilize other nucleotides such as GTP and UTP. The 4'-hydroxyl group of the antibiotic is approximately 5 A from the alpha-phosphorus of the nucleotide and is in the proper orientation for a single in-line displacement attack at the phosphorus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)