Plant immunity triggered by engineered in vivo release of oligogalacturonides, damage-associated molecular patterns.

Oligogalacturonides (OGs) are fragments of pectin that activate plant innate immunity by functioning as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). We set out to test the hypothesis that OGs are generated in planta by partial inhibition of pathogen-encoded polygalacturonases (PGs). A gene encoding a fungal PG was fused with a gene encoding a plant polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) and expressed in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. We show that expression of the PGIP-PG chimera results in the in vivo production of OGs that can be detected by mass spectrometric analysis. Transgenic plants expressing the chimera under control of a pathogen-inducible promoter are more resistant to the phytopathogens Botrytis cinerea, Pectobacterium carotovorum, and Pseudomonas syringae. These data provide strong evidence for the hypothesis that OGs released in vivo act as a DAMP signal to trigger plant immunity and suggest that controlled release of these molecules upon infection may be a valuable tool to protect plants against infectious diseases. On the other hand, elevated levels of expression of the chimera cause the accumulation of salicylic acid, reduced growth, and eventually lead to plant death, consistent with the current notion that trade-off occurs between growth and defense.

Deciphering the folding transition state structure and denatured state properties of nucleophosmin C-terminal domain.

Nucleophosmin (NPM1), one of the most abundant nucleolar proteins, is a frequent target of oncogenic mutations in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Mutation-induced changes at the C-terminal domain of NPM1 (Cter-NPM1) compromise its stability and cause the aberrant translocation of NPM1 to the cytosol. Hence, this protein represents a suitable candidate to investigate the relations between folding and disease. Since Cter-NPM1 folds via a compact denatured state, stabilization of the folded state of the mutated variants demands detailed structural information on both the native and denatured states. Here, we present the characterization of the complete folding pathway of Cter-NPM1 and provide molecular details for both the transition and the denatured states. The structure of the transition state was assessed by Phi-value analysis, whereas residual structure in the denatured state was mapped by evaluating the effect of mutations as modulated by conditions promoting denatured state compaction. Data reveal that folding of Cter-NPM1 proceeds via an extended nucleus and that the denatured state retains significant malleable structure at the interface between the second and third helices. Our observations constitute the essential prerequisite for structure-based drug-design studies, aimed at identifying molecules that may rescue pathological NPM1 mutants by stabilizing the native-like state.

Integration of evolutionary and desolvation energy analysis identifies functional sites in a plant immunity protein.

Plant immune responses often depend on leucine-rich repeat receptors that recognize microbe-associated molecular patterns or pathogen-specific virulence proteins, either directly or indirectly. When the recognition is direct, a molecular arms race takes place where plant receptors continually and rapidly evolve in response to virulence factor evolution. A useful model system to study ligand-receptor coevolution dynamics at the protein level is represented by the interaction between pathogen-derived polygalacturonases (PGs) and plant polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs). We have applied codon substitution models to PGIP sequences of different eudicotyledonous families to identify putative positively selected sites and then compared these sites with the propensity of protein surface residues to interact with protein partners, based on desolvation energy calculations. The 2 approaches remarkably correlated in pinpointing several residues in the concave face of the leucine-rich repeat domain. These residues were mutated into alanine and their effect on the recognition of several PGs was tested, leading to the identification of unique hotspots for the PGIP-PG interaction. The combined approach used in this work can be of general utility in cases where structural information about a pattern-recognition receptor or resistance-gene product is available.

Nucleophosmin C-terminal leukemia-associated domain interacts with G-rich quadruplex forming DNA.

Nucleophosmin (NPM1) is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttling phosphoprotein, mainly localized at nucleoli, that plays a key role in ribogenesis, centrosome duplication, and response to stress stimuli. Mutations at the C-terminal domain of NPM1 are the most frequent genetic lesion in acute myeloid leukemia and cause the aberrant and stable translocation of the protein in the cytoplasm. The NPM1 C-terminal domain was previously shown to bind nucleic acids. Here we further investigate the DNA binding properties of the NPM1 C-terminal domain both at the protein and nucleic acid levels; we investigate the domain boundaries and identify key residues for high affinity recognition. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the NPM1 C-terminal domain has a preference for G-quadruplex forming DNA regions and induces the formation of G-quadruplex structures in vitro. Finally we show that a specific sequence found at the SOD2 gene promoter, which was previously shown to be a target of NPM1 in vivo, is indeed folded as a G-quadruplex in vitro under physiological conditions. Our data extend considerably present knowledge on the DNA binding properties of NPM1 and suggest a general role in the transcription of genes characterized by the presence of G-quadruplex forming regions at their promoters.

Folding mechanism of the C-terminal domain of nucleophosmin: residual structure in the denatured state and its pathophysiological significance.

Nucleophosmin (NPM1) is a ubiquitously expressed protein and is one of the most abundant proteins found in the nucleolus. Naturally occurring mutations in the C-terminal domain of nucleophosmin (Cter-NPM1) are found in approximately 30% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). These mutations cause changes at the C terminus of NPM1 that lead to denaturation of the protein, a critical factor in determining aberrant translocation of NPM1 to the cytosol. Hence, this protein system represents an ideal candidate to investigate the relations between folding and unfolding and disease. Here we report the characterization of the folding and unfolding kinetics of Cter-NPM1. Data reveal that this small helical domain folds via a compact denatured state, displaying a malleable residual structure. Moreover, analysis of folding rate constants measured under different experimental conditions suggests that the existence of a preorganized structure in the denatured state accelerates folding, implying a native-like residual structure. Because a major feature of Cter-NPM1 mutants responsible for AML is a reduction in stability of the protein and thus prevalence of a denatured state even under physiological conditions, our findings may pave the way to further studies with the aim of designing chemicals capable of interacting with the "pathological" mutants to stabilize the native conformation.

Structural basis for the binding of the anticancer compound 6-(7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-ylthio)hexanol to human glutathione s-transferases.

Glutathione S-transferases (GST) constitute a superfamily of enzymes with diversified functions including detoxification from xenobiotics. In many human cancers, Pi class GST (GSTP1-1) is overexpressed and contributes to multidrug resistance by conjugating chemotherapeutics. In addition, GSTP1-1 displays antiapoptotic activity by interacting with c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase, a key regulator of apoptosis. Therefore, GSTP1-1 is considered a promising target for pharmaceutical treatment. Recently, a potent inhibitor of GSTs, 6-(7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-ylthio)hexanol (NBDHEX), was identified and tested on several tumor cell lines demonstrating high antiproliferative activity. To establish the structural basis of NBDHEX activity, we determined the crystal structure of NBDHEX bound to either GSTP1-1 or GSTM2-2 (mu class). NBDHEX in both cases binds to the H-site but occupies different positions. Furthermore, the compound is covalently attached to the GSH sulfur in the GSTM2-2 crystal, forming a sigma-complex, although it is bound but not conjugated in the GSTP1-1 crystal. Several differences in the H-sites of the two isozymes determine the higher affinity of NBDHEX for GSTM2-2 with respect to GSTP1-1. One such difference is the presence of Ile(104) in GSTP1-1 close to the bound NBDHEX, whereas the corresponding position is occupied by an alanine in GSTM2-2. Mutation of Ile(104) into valine is a frequent GSTP1-1 polymorphism and we show here that the Ile(104)Val and Ile(104)Ala variants display a 4-fold higher affinity for the compound. Remarkably, the GSTP1-1/Ile(104)Ala structure in complex with NBDHEX shows a considerable shift of the compound inside the H-site. These data might be useful for the development of new anticancer compounds.