A left-handed parallel beta helix in the structure of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine acyltransferase.

UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 3-O-acyltransferase (LpxA) catalyzes the transfer of (R)-3-hydroxymyristic acid from its acyl carrier protein thioester to UDP-N-acetylglucosamine. LpxA is the first enzyme in the lipid A biosynthetic pathway and is a target for the design of antibiotics. The x-ray crystal structure of LpxA has been determined to 2.6 angstrom resolution and reveals a domain motif composed of parallel beta strands, termed a left-handed parallel beta helix (L beta H). This unusual fold displays repeated violations of the protein folding constraint requiring right-handed crossover connections between strands of parallel beta sheets and may be present in other enzymes that share amino acid sequence homology to the repeated hexapeptide motif of LpxA.

Crystallization of methionine aminopeptidase from Escherichia coli.

Crystals of methionine aminopeptidase from Escherichia coli have been obtained. The crystals are of space group P2(1) with unit cell dimensions a = 39.3 A, b = 62.6 A, c = 54.3 A, beta = 107.8 degrees and diffract to 2.1-A resolution. They contain one polypeptide chain in the asymmetric unit and are suitable for a high resolution crystallographic study.

The conformation of mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase derived from an electron density map at 5.3-A resolution.

A monoclinic form of crystalline porcine heart mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase has been prepared and contains two dimers in the asymmetric unit. The analysis of single crystal x-ray data shows that the two dimers are packed in the crystal lattice as a tetramer with approximate 222-point symmetry. Heavy atom derivatives using the compounds ethylmercurithiosalicylic acid and IrCl3 have been characterized and multiple isomorphous replacement methods have been used to obtain an electron density map at 5.3-A resolution. The phasing of the x-ray data was aided by including contributions from crystal forms with and without the coenzyme, NAD+. By using electron density averaging methods, the quality of the low resolution electron density map was improved to the point where it was possible to establish the overall conformation of mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase. The results confirm the proposed similarities between the mitochondrial and cytoplasmic forms of the malate dehydrogenases. Studies using x-ray data from the apo- and holo-forms of the enzyme describe the location of the active site as well as the arrangement of subunits in the tetrameric crystalline form of the enzyme.

The three-dimensional structure of porcine heart mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase at 3.0-A resolution.

In a previous study, we reported the apparent similarity between a low resolution electron density map of mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase and a model of cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase (Roderick, S. L., and Banaszak, L. J. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 11636-11642). We have since determined the polypeptide chain conformation and coenzyme binding site of crystalline porcine heart mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase by x-ray diffraction methods. The crystals from which the diffraction data was obtained contain four subunits of the enzyme arranged as a "dimer of dimers," resulting in a crystalline tetramer which possesses 222 molecular symmetry. The overall polypeptide chain conformation of the enzyme, the location of the coenzyme binding site, and the preliminary location of several catalytically important residues have confirmed the structural similarity of mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase to cytoplasmic malate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase.

Expression, purification and crystallization of enterococcus faecium streptogramin A acetyltransferase.

The streptogramin A acetyltransferase from Enterococcus faecium (SWISS-PROT P50870) has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. Crystallization conditions were screened using the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method and resulted in two distinct crystal forms. Form I crystals diffract to 2.5 A and belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 68.6, b = 102.6, c = 107.5 A. Form II crystals diffract to 2.7 A and belong to space group F222, with unit-cell parameters a = 185.8, b = 185.8, c = 186.5 A. Rotation-function and packing analyses for both crystal forms indicate that the asymmetric unit may contain one and two copies of the trimeric enzyme for crystal forms I and II, respectively.

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary x-ray data of Escherichia coli galactoside acetyltransferase.

Crystals of galactoside acetyltransferase from Escherichia coli have been prepared from solutions of ammonium sulfate containing acetyl-CoA. These crystals diffract to at least 2.7 A resolution, belong to space group C222(1) and contain one copy of the trimeric enzyme in the asymmetric unit.

Structure of the Escherichia coli GlmU pyrophosphorylase and acetyltransferase active sites.

N-Acetylglucosamine-1-PO(4) uridyltransferase (GlmU) is a trimeric bifunctional enzyme that catalyzes the last two sequential reactions in the de novo biosynthetic pathway for UDP-GlcNAc. The X-ray crystal structure of Escherichia coli GlmU in complex with UDP-GlcNAc and CoA has been determined to 2.1 A resolution and reveals a two-domain architecture that is responsible for these two reactions. The C-terminal domain is responsible for the CoA-dependent acetylation of Glc-1-PO(4) to GlcNAc-1-PO(4) and displays the longest left-handed parallel beta-helix observed to date. The acetyltransferase active site defined by the binding site for CoA makes use of residues from all three subunits and is positioned beneath an open cavity large enough to accommodate the Glc-1-PO(4) acetyl acceptor. The N-terminal domain catalyzes uridyl transfer from UTP to GlcNAc-1-PO(4) to form the final products UDP-GlcNAc and pyrophosphate. This domain is composed of a central seven-stranded beta-sheet surrounded by six alpha-helices in a Rossmann fold-like topology. A Co(2+) ion binds to just one of the two independent pyrophosphorylase active sites present in the crystals studied here, each of which nonetheless binds UDP-GlcNAc. The conformational changes of the enzyme and sugar nucleotide that accompany metal binding may provide a window into the structural dynamics that accompany catalysis.

Structure of the cobalt-dependent methionine aminopeptidase from Escherichia coli: a new type of proteolytic enzyme.

The X-ray structure of Escherichia coli methionine aminopeptidase (MAP) has been determined to 2.4-A resolution and refined to a crystallographic R-factor of 18.2%. The fold is novel and displays internal pseudo-2-fold symmetry which structurally relates the first and second halves of the polypeptide chain. The topology consists of a central antiparallel beta-sheet covered on one side by two pairs of alpha-helices and by a C-terminal loop. The other face of the beta-sheet, together with some irregular loops, forms the active site, which contains two cobalt ions 2.9 A apart. These metal ions are liganded by the side chains of Asp 97, Asp 108, Glu 204, Glu 235, and His 171 with approximate octahedral coordination. In terms of both the novel backbone fold and the constitution of the active site, MAP appears to represent a new class of proteolytic enzyme.

Purification and crystallization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa chloramphenicol acetyltransferase.

A chloramphenicol acetyltransferase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa genomic DNA has been overexpressed, refolded, purified, and crystallized. Crystals suitable for a three-dimensional x-ray structure determination were obtained from solutions of polyethyleneglycol methyl ether 2000 containing NiCl2 at pH 8.5. These crystals belong to the cubic space group P4(1/3)32 (a = 154.8 A) and diffract x-rays to approximately 3.2 A resolution.

Structural basis for the action of thermolysin.

High resolution X-ray crystallography has been used to determine the modes of binding to thermolysin of a series of different inhibitors including dipeptides, mercaptans, hydroxamates, N-carboxymethyl peptides and phosphonamidates. The interactions displayed by such inhibitors illustrate interactions that are presumed to occur between the enzyme and its substrates during catalysis. The crystallographic analysis, together with model building, suggest a detailed stereochemical mechanism of action for thermolysin and, by analogy, other zinc proteases such as carboxypeptidase A and the angiotensin converting enzyme. Analysis of a series of phosphonamidates, which are presumed to be transition-state analogues, has shown that chemically similar inhibitors can adopt dissimilar modes of binding. These different configurations provide a rationalization for large differences in the kinetics of binding that are observed for these inhibitors. Experiments with thermolysin as a test case suggest that knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of an enzyme or receptor will greatly facilitate the rational design of drugs directed at such targets.

The conformational change and active site structure of tetrahydrodipicolinate N-succinyltransferase.

Tetrahydrodipicolinate (THDP) N-succinyltransferase catalyzes the conversion of tetrahydrodipicolinate and succinyl-CoA to L-2-(succinylamino)-6-oxopimelate and CoA. This reaction represents the committed step of the succinylase branch of the diaminopimelate/L-lysine biosynthetic pathway by which many bacteria synthesize meso-diaminopimelate, a component of peptidoglycan, and L-lysine from L-aspartate. The crystal structures of THDP succinyltransferase in complex with the substrate/cofactor pairs L-2-aminopimelate/coenzyme A and L-2-amino-6-oxopimelate/coenzyme A have been determined and refined to 2.0 A resolution. The active site of the enzyme is a long narrow groove located at the interface between two left-handed parallel beta-helix (LbetaH) structural domains of the trimeric enzyme. On binding the amino acid acceptor and cofactor, this groove is covered by residues from the C-terminus of one subunit and a flexible loop excluded from the LbetaH domain of an adjacent subunit to form a tunnel. This conformational change is directly related to interactions between the enzyme and the bound amino acid substrate and cofactor and serves to shield the ligands from bulk solvent and to orient the nucleophilic amino group of the amino acid acceptor toward the mercaptoethylamine group of the cofactor.

Structure of the hexapeptide xenobiotic acetyltransferase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The crystal structure of the xenobiotic acetyltransferase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA103 (PaXAT) has been determined, as well as that of its complex with the substrate chloramphenicol and the cofactor analogue desulfo-coenzyme A. PaXAT is a member of the large hexapeptide acyltransferase family of enzymes that display tandem repeated copies of a six-residue hexapeptide repeat sequence motif encoding a left-handed parallel beta helix (L betaH) structural domain. The xenobiotic acetyltransferase class of hexapeptide acyltransferases is composed of microbial enzymes that utilize acetyl-CoA to acylate a variety of hydroxyl-bearing acceptors. The active site of trimeric PaXAT is a short tunnel into which chloramphenicol and the cofactor analogue desulfo-CoA project from opposite ends. This tunnel is formed by the flat parallel beta sheets of two separate L betaH domains and an extended 39-residue loop. His 79 of the extended loop forms hydrogen bonds from its imidazole NE2 atom to the 3-hydroxyl group of chloramphenicol and from its ND1 group to the peptide oxygen of Thr 86. The interactions of this histidine residue are similar to those found in the structurally unrelated type III chloramphenicol acetyltransferase and suggest that His 79 of PaXAT may be similarly positioned and tautomerically stabilized to serve as a general base catalyst.

Crystallization of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine O-acyltransferase from Escherichia coli.

Crystals of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine O-acyltransferase (lpxA) from Escherichia coli have been obtained from solutions of sodium/potassium phosphate and dimethylsulfoxide. These crystals belong to the cubic space group P2(1)3 (a = 99.0 A), diffract X-rays to approximately 2.5 A resolution and contain one subunit of the enzyme in the asymmetric unit.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of tetrahydrodipicolinate-N-succinyltransferase.

Crystals of tetrahydrodipicolinate-N-succinyltransferase have been obtained from solutions containing 2-propanol and polyethylene glycol 4,000. These crystals belong to the monoclinic space group P2(1), diffract X-rays to a resolution of 2.2 A, and contain one trimer per asymmetric unit.

What can structure tell us about in vivo function? The case of aminoglycoside-resistance genes.

Resistance to antibiotics used in the treatment of bacterial infections is an expanding clinical problem. Aminoglycosides, one of the oldest classes of natural product antibiotics, exert their bactericidal effect as the result of inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis by binding to the acceptor site of the 30 S ribosomal subunit. The most common mechanism of clinical resistance to aminoglycosides results from the expression of enzymes that covalently modify the aminoglycoside. We will discuss the enzymology and structure of two representative chromosomally encoded aminoglycoside N-acetyltransferases, Mycobacterium tuberculosis AAC(2')-Ic and Salmonella enterica AAC(6')-Iy, and speculate about their possible physiological function and substrates.

Three-dimensional structure of tetrahydrodipicolinate N-succinyltransferase.

The conversion of tetrahydrodipicolinate and succinyl-CoA to N-succinyltetrahydrodipicolinate and CoA is catalyzed by tetrahydrodipicolinate N-succinyltransferase and is the committed step in the succinylase pathway by which bacteria synthesize L-lysine and meso-diaminopimelate, a component of peptidoglycan. The X-ray crystal structure of THDP succinyltransferase has been determined to 2.2 A resolution and has been refined to a crystallographic R-factor of 17.0%. The enzyme is trimeric and displays the left-handed parallel beta-helix (L beta H) structural motif encoded by the "hexapeptide repeat" amino acid sequence motif [Raetz, C.R.H., & Roderick, S.L. (1995) Science 270, 997-1000]. The approximate location of the active site of THDP succinyltransferase is suggested by the proximity of binding sites for two inhibitors: p-(chloromercuri)benzenesulfonic acid and cobalt ion, both of which bind to the L beta H domain.

Protein-DNA conformational changes in the crystal structure of a lambda Cro-operator complex.

The structure of a complex of bacteriophage lambda Cro protein with a 17-base-pair operator has been determined at 3.9-A resolution. Isomorphous derivatives obtained by the synthesis of site-specific iodinated DNA oligomers were of critical importance in solving the structure. The crystal structure contains three independent Cro-operator complexes that have very similar, although not necessarily identical, conformations. In the complex, the protein dimer undergoes a large conformational change relative to the crystal structure of the free protein. One monomer rotates by about 40 degrees relative to the other, this being accomplished primarily by a twisting of the two beta-sheet strands that connect one monomer with the other. In the complex, the DNA is bent by about 40 degrees into the shape of a boomerang but maintains essentially Watson-Crick B-form. In contrast to other known protein-DNA complexes, the DNA is not stacked end-to-end. The structure confirms the general features of the model previously proposed for the interaction of Cro with DNA.

Thiorphan and retro-thiorphan display equivalent interactions when bound to crystalline thermolysin.

The three-dimensional structures of (S)-thiorphan and (R)-retro-thiorphan bound to thermolysin have been determined crystallographically and refined to residuals of 0.183 and 0.187 at 1.7-A resolution. Thiorphan [N-[(S)-2-(mercaptomethyl)-1-oxo-3-phenylpropyl]glycine] [HSCH2CH(CH2C6H5)CONHC-H2COOH] and retro-thiorphan [[[(R)-1-(mercaptomethyl)-2-phenylethyl] amino]-3-oxopropanoic acid] [HSCH2CH(CH2C6H5)NHCOCH2COOH] are isomeric thiol-containing inhibitors of endopeptidase EC 24-11 (also called "enkephalinase"). The mode of binding of thiorphan to thermolysin is similar to that of (2-benzyl-3-mercaptopropanoyl)-L-alanylglycinamide [Monzingo, A.F., & Matthews, B.W. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 3390-3394] with the inhibitor sulfur atom coordinated to the active site zinc and the peptide portion forming substrate-like interactions with the enzyme. The isomeric inhibitor retro-thiorphan, which differs from thiorphan by the inversion of an amide bond, utilizes very similar interactions with enzyme. Despite the inversion of the -CO-NH- linkage the carbonyl oxygen and amide nitrogen display very similar hydrogen bonding, as anticipated by B.P. Roques et al. [(1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 3178-3182]. These results explain why thermolysin and possibly other zinc endopeptidases such as endopeptidase EC 24-11 fail to discriminate between these retro-inverso inhibitors.

Sequence and structure comparison suggest that methionine aminopeptidase, prolidase, aminopeptidase P, and creatinase share a common fold.

Amino acid sequence comparison suggests that the structure of Escherichia coli methionine aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.11.18) and the C-terminal domain of Pseudomonas putida creatinase (EC 3.5.3.3) are related. A detailed comparison of the three-dimensional folds of the two enzymes confirms this homology: with an approximately 260-residue chain segment, 218 C alpha atoms of the structures superimpose within 2.5 A; only 41 of these overlapping positions (i.e., 19%) feature identical amino acids in the two protein chains. Notwithstanding this striking correspondence in structure, methionine aminopeptidase binds and is stimulated by Co2+, while creatinase is not a metal-dependent enzyme. Searches of protein data banks using sequence and structure-based profiles reveal other enzymes, including aminopeptidase P (EC 3.4.11.9), prolidase (EC 3.4.13.9), and agropine synthase, that likely share the same "pita-bread" fold common to creatinase and methionine aminopeptidase.

High-level expression and mutagenesis of recombinant human phosphatidylcholine transfer protein using a synthetic gene: evidence for a C-terminal membrane binding domain.

Phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PC-TP) is a 214-amino acid cytosolic protein that promotes intermembrane transfer of phosphatidylcholines, but no other phospholipid class. To probe mechanisms for membrane interactions and phosphatidylcholine binding, we expressed recombinant human PC-TP in Escherichia coli using a synthetic gene. Optimization of codon usage for bacterial protein translation increased expression of PC-TP from trace levels to >10% of the E. coli cytosolic protein mass. On the basis of secondary structure predictions of an amphipathic alpha-helix (residues 198-212) in proximity to a hydrophobic alpha-helix (residues 184-193), we explored whether the C-terminus might interact with membranes and promote binding of phosphatidylcholines. Consistent with this possibility, truncation of five residues from the C-terminus shortened the predicted amphipathic alpha-helix and decreased PC-TP activity by 50%, whereas removal of 10 residues eliminated the alpha-helix, abolished activity, and markedly decreased the level of membrane binding. Circular dichroic spectra of synthetic peptides containing one ((196-214)PC-TP) or both ((183-214)PC-TP) predicted C-terminal alpha-helices in aqueous buffer were most consistent with random coil structures. However, both peptides adopted alpha-helical configurations in the presence of trifluoroethanol or phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine small unilamellar vesicles. The helical content of (196-214)PC-TP increased in proportion to vesicle phosphatidylserine content, consistent with stabilization of the alpha-helix at the membrane surface. In contrast, the helical content of (183-214)PC-TP was not influenced by vesicle composition, implying that the more hydrophobic of the alpha-helices penetrated into the membrane bilayer. These studies suggest that tandem alpha-helices located near the C-terminus of PC-TP facilitate membrane binding and extraction of phosphatidylcholines.