Purification, characterization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a cold-active lipase (CpsLip) from the psychrophilic bacterium Colwellia psychrerythraea 34H.

The putative lipase CpsLip from the psychrophilic bacterium Colwellia psychrerythraea 34H encodes a 34,538 Da, 308-amino-acid protein. In this study, CpsLip (UniProtKB code Q486T5) was expressed as an N-terminal hexahistidine fusion protein in Escherichia coli and purified by affinity and size-exclusion chromatography. The expression and purification of CpsLip enabled characterization of the lipase enzymatic properties of the protein. The optimal activity temperature and pH of the recombinant protein were 298 K and pH 7, respectively. CpsLip maintained over 80% activity in the low-temperature range (278-288 K), thereby suggesting that CpsLip is a cold-active lipase. Substrate-specificity analysis demonstrated that CpsLip exhibits maximum activity towards the C12 acyl group. In addition, sequence-alignment results revealed that CpsLip has a highly conserved catalytic triad in the active site consisting of residues Ser111, Asp135 and His283. Moreover, purified CpsLip was successfully crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method and a complete diffraction data set was collected to 4.0 Å resolution using synchrotron radiation on the BL-5A beamline of the Photon Factory.

Crystal structure of Sus scrofa quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase in complex with nicotinate mononucleotide.

We have determined the crystal structure of porcine quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase (QAPRTase) in complex with nicotinate mononucleotide (NAMN), which is the first crystal structure of a mammalian QAPRTase with its reaction product. The structure was determined from protein obtained from the porcine kidney. Because the full protein sequence of porcine QAPRTase was not available in either protein or nucleotide databases, cDNA was synthesized using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to determine the porcine QAPRTase amino acid sequence. The crystal structure revealed that porcine QAPRTases have a hexameric structure that is similar to other eukaryotic QAPRTases, such as the human and yeast enzymes. However, the interaction between NAMN and porcine QAPRTase was different from the interaction found in prokaryotic enzymes, such as those of Helicobacter pylori and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The crystal structure of porcine QAPRTase in complex with NAMN provides a structural framework for understanding the unique properties of the mammalian QAPRTase active site and designing new antibiotics that are selective for the QAPRTases of pathogenic bacteria, such as H. pylori and M. tuberculosis.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of MinE, the cell-division topological specificity factor from Helicobacter pylori.

Cell division in Gram-negative bacteria is driven by the formation of an FtsZ ring at the division site. MinE regulates the proper placement of the FtsZ ring at mid-cell by blocking the inhibitory action of the MinCD complex. Diffraction data were collected at 2.8 A resolution from a native crystal of full-length Helicobacter pylori MinE. The crystal belonged to space group P6(4). Assuming the presence of two molecules in the asymmetric unit, the calculated Matthews coefficient was 2.58 A(3) Da(-1), which corresponds to a solvent content of 52.3%. For MAD phasing, a four-wavelength data set was collected at 3.0 A resolution.

Crystal structure of Helicobacter pylori MinE, a cell division topological specificity factor.

In Gram-negative bacteria, proper placement of the FtsZ ring, mediated by nucleoid occlusion and the activities of the dynamic oscillating Min proteins MinC, MinD and MinE, is required for correct positioning of the cell division septum. MinE is a topological specificity factor that counters the activity of MinCD division inhibitor at the mid-cell division site. Its structure consists of an anti-MinCD domain and a topology specificity domain (TSD). Previous NMR analysis of truncated Escherichia coli MinE showed that the TSD domain contains a long alpha-helix and two anti-parallel beta-strands, which mediate formation of a homodimeric alpha/beta structure. Here we report the crystal structure of full-length Helicobacter pylori MinE and redefine its TSD based on that structure. The N-terminal region of the TSD (residues 19-26), previously defined as part of the anti-MinCD domain, forms a beta-strand (betaA) and participates in TSD folding. In addition, H. pylori MinE forms a dimer through the interaction of anti-parallel betaA-strands. Moreover, we observed serial dimer-dimer interactions within the crystal packing, resulting in the formation of a multimeric structure. We therefore redefine the functional domain of MinE and propose that a multimeric filamentous structure is formed through anti-parallel beta-strand interactions.

Structural basis for asymmetric association of the betaPIX coiled coil and shank PDZ.

betaPIX (p21-activated kinase interacting exchange factor) and Shank/ProSAP protein form a complex acting as a protein scaffold that integrates signaling pathways and regulates postsynaptic structure. Complex formation is mediated by the C-terminal PDZ binding motif of betaPIX and the Shank PDZ domain. The coiled-coil (CC) domain upstream of the PDZ binding motif allows multimerization of betaPIX, which is important for its physiological functions. We have solved the crystal structure of the betaPIX CC-Shank PDZ complex and determined the stoichiometry of complex formation. The betaPIX CC forms a 76-A-long parallel CC trimer. Despite the fact that the betaPIX CC exposes three PDZ binding motifs in the C-termini, the betaPIX trimer associates with a single Shank PDZ. One of the C-terminal ends of the CC forms an extensive beta-sheet interaction with the Shank PDZ, while the other two ends are not involved in ligand binding and form random coils. The two C-terminal ends of betaPIX have significantly lower affinity than the first PDZ binding motif due to the steric hindrance in the C-terminal tails, which results in binding of a single PDZ domain to the betaPIX trimer. The structure shows canonical class I PDZ binding with a beta-sheet interaction extending to position -6 of betaPIX. The betaB-betaC loop of Shank PDZ undergoes a conformational change upon ligand binding to form the beta-sheet interaction and to accommodate the bulky side chain of Trp -5. This structural study provides a clear picture of the molecular recognition of the PDZ ligand and the asymmetric association of betaPIX CC and Shank PDZ.

Structural studies on Helicobacter pyloriATP-dependent protease, FtsH.

The ATP-dependent protease, FtsH, degrades misassembled membrane proteins for quality control like SecY, subunit a of FoF1-ATPase, and YccA, and digests short-lived soluble proteins in order to control their cellular regulation, including sigma32, LpxC and lambdacII. The FtsH protein has an N-terminal transmembrane segment and a large cytosolic region that consists of two domains, an ATPase and a protease domain. To provide a structural basis for the nucleotide-dependent domain motions and a better understanding of substrate translocation, the crystal structures of the Helicobacter pylori (Hp) FtsH ATPase domain in the nucleotide-free state and complexed with ADP, were determined. Two different structures of HpFtsH ATPase were observed, with the nucleotide-free state in an asymmetric unit, and these structures reveal the new forms and show other conformational differences between the nucleotide-free and ADP-bound state compared with previous structures. In particular, one HpFtsH Apo structure has a considerable rotation difference compared with the HpFtsH ADP complex, and this large conformational change reveals that FtsH may have the mechanical force needed for substrate translocation.

Overexpression and purification of the RyR1 pore-forming region.

Ryanodine receptor 1 (RyR1) is a large homotetrameric calcium channel that plays a pivotal role in skeletal muscle contraction. Sequence comparison and mutagenesis studies indicate that the pore architecture of RyR1, including the last two transmembrane helices and the luminal loop linking them, is similar to that of the bacterial KcsA K(+) channel. Here, we describe the overexpression and purification of the C-terminal polyhistidine-tagged RyR1 pore-forming region. The nonionic detergent lauryldimethylamine oxide (LDAO) was selected for solubilization of the protein based on its ability to extract the protein from the membrane and to maintain it in a monodisperse state. The protein was then purified using nickel-affinity chromatography and gel filtration. Gel filtration analysis confirmed that the RyR1 fragment containing the pore-forming region (amino acids 4829-5037) is sufficient to form a tetramer.

A hexokinase with broad sugar specificity from a thermophilic bacterium.

A recombinant thermophilic Thermus caldophilus GK24 hexokinase, one of the ROK-type (repressor protein, open reading frames, and sugar kinase) proteins, exists uniquely as a 120 kDa molecule with four subunits (31 kDa), in contrast to eukaryotic and bacterial sugar kinases which are monomers or dimers. The optimal temperature and pH for the enzyme reaction are 70-80 degrees C and 7.5, respectively. This enzyme shows broad specificity toward glucose, mannose, glucosamine, allose, 2-deoxyglucose, and fructose. To understand the sugar specificity at a structural level, the enzyme-ATP/Mg2+-sugar binding complex models have been constructed. It has been shown that the sugar specificity is probably dependent on the interaction energy occurred by the positional proximity of sugars bound in the active site of the enzyme, which exhibits a tolerance to modification at C2 or C3 of glucose.

An intramolecular interaction between the FHA domain and a coiled coil negatively regulates the kinesin motor KIF1A.

Motor proteins not actively involved in transporting cargoes should remain inactive at sites of cargo loading to save energy and remain available for loading. KIF1A/Unc104 is a monomeric kinesin known to dimerize into a processive motor at high protein concentrations. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying monomer stabilization and monomer-to-dimer transition are not well understood. Here, we report an intramolecular interaction in KIF1A between the forkhead-associated (FHA) domain and a coiled-coil domain (CC2) immediately following the FHA domain. Disrupting this interaction by point mutations in the FHA or CC2 domains leads to a dramatic accumulation of KIF1A in the periphery of living cultured neurons and an enhancement of the microtubule (MT) binding and self-multimerization of KIF1A. In addition, point mutations causing rigidity in the predicted flexible hinge disrupt the intramolecular FHA-CC2 interaction and increase MT binding and peripheral accumulation of KIF1A. These results suggest that the intramolecular FHA-CC2 interaction negatively regulates KIF1A activity by inhibiting MT binding and dimerization of KIF1A, and point to a novel role of the FHA domain in the regulation of kinesin motors.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase from Helicobacter pylori.

Orotic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (PyrE) (EC 2.4.2.10) is a key enzyme in de novo uridine monophosphate (UMP) biosynthesis. It catalyzes the reaction between orotic acid and 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) to yield orotidine monophosphate (OMP), which is transformed to uridine monophosphate by decarboxylation. H. pylori PyrE was crystallized at 294 +/- 1 K by the hanging drop vapor-diffusion method. The crystals belong to the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit-cell dimensions a = 95.8, b = 104.9, c = 281.1 A, alpha = beta = gamma = 90 degrees. A set of diffraction data was collected to 3.29 A resolution using synchrotron X-ray radiation.