scholarly journals Asymmetric protonation of EmrE

2015 ◽  
Vol 146 (6) ◽  
pp. 445-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma A. Morrison ◽  
Anne E. Robinson ◽  
Yongjia Liu ◽  
Katherine A. Henzler-Wildman

The small multidrug resistance transporter EmrE is a homodimer that uses energy provided by the proton motive force to drive the efflux of drug substrates. The pKa values of its “active-site” residues—glutamate 14 (Glu14) from each subunit—must be poised around physiological pH values to efficiently couple proton import to drug export in vivo. To assess the protonation of EmrE, pH titrations were conducted with 1H-15N TROSY-HSQC nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. Analysis of these spectra indicates that the Glu14 residues have asymmetric pKa values of 7.0 ± 0.1 and 8.2 ± 0.3 at 45°C and 6.8 ± 0.1 and 8.5 ± 0.2 at 25°C. These pKa values are substantially increased compared with typical pKa values for solvent-exposed glutamates but are within the range of published Glu14 pKa values inferred from the pH dependence of substrate binding and transport assays. The active-site mutant, E14D-EmrE, has pKa values below the physiological pH range, consistent with its impaired transport activity. The NMR spectra demonstrate that the protonation states of the active-site Glu14 residues determine both the global structure and the rate of conformational exchange between inward- and outward-facing EmrE. Thus, the pKa values of the asymmetric active-site Glu14 residues are key for proper coupling of proton import to multidrug efflux. However, the results raise new questions regarding the coupling mechanism because they show that EmrE exists in a mixture of protonation states near neutral pH and can interconvert between inward- and outward-facing forms in multiple different protonation states.

Genetics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 156 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R H Evans ◽  
Brian A Hemmings

Abstract PP2A is a central regulator of eukaryotic signal transduction. The human catalytic subunit PP2Acα functionally replaces the endogenous yeast enzyme, Pph22p, indicating a conservation of function in vivo. Therefore, yeast cells were employed to explore the role of invariant PP2Ac residues. The PP2Acα Y127N substitution abolished essential PP2Ac function in vivo and impaired catalysis severely in vitro, consistent with the prediction from structural studies that Tyr-127 mediates substrate binding and its side chain interacts with the key active site residues His-118 and Asp-88. The V159E substitution similarly impaired PP2Acα catalysis profoundly and may cause global disruption of the active site. Two conditional mutations in the yeast Pph22p protein, F232S and P240H, were found to cause temperature-sensitive impairment of PP2Ac catalytic function in vitro. Thus, the mitotic and cell lysis defects conferred by these mutations result from a loss of PP2Ac enzyme activity. Substitution of the PP2Acα C-terminal Tyr-307 residue by phenylalanine impaired protein function, whereas the Y307D and T304D substitutions abolished essential function in vivo. Nevertheless, Y307D did not reduce PP2Acα catalytic activity significantly in vitro, consistent with an important role for the C terminus in mediating essential protein-protein interactions. Our results identify key residues important for PP2Ac function and characterize new reagents for the study of PP2A in vivo.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (20) ◽  
pp. 12721-12731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ákos Putics ◽  
Witold Filipowicz ◽  
Jonathan Hall ◽  
Alexander E. Gorbalenya ◽  
John Ziebuhr

ABSTRACT Replication of the ∼30-kb plus-strand RNA genome of coronaviruses and synthesis of an extensive set of subgenome-length RNAs are mediated by the replicase-transcriptase, a membrane-bound protein complex containing several cellular proteins and up to 16 viral nonstructural proteins (nsps) with multiple enzymatic activities, including protease, polymerase, helicase, methyltransferase, and RNase activities. To get further insight into the replicase gene-encoded functions, we characterized the coronavirus X domain, which is part of nsp3 and has been predicted to be an ADP-ribose-1"-monophosphate (Appr-1"-p) processing enzyme. Bacterially expressed forms of human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) and severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus X domains were shown to dephosphorylate Appr-1"-p, a side product of cellular tRNA splicing, to ADP-ribose in a highly specific manner. The enzyme had no detectable activity on several other nucleoside phosphates. Guided by the crystal structure of AF1521, an X domain homolog from Archaeoglobus fulgidus, potential active-site residues of the HCoV-229E X domain were targeted by site-directed mutagenesis. The data suggest that the HCoV-229E replicase polyprotein residues, Asn 1302, Asn 1305, His 1310, Gly 1312, and Gly 1313, are part of the enzyme's active site. Characterization of an Appr-1"-pase-deficient HCoV-229E mutant revealed no significant effects on viral RNA synthesis and virus titer, and no reversion to the wild-type sequence was observed when the mutant virus was passaged in cell culture. The apparent dispensability of the conserved X domain activity in vitro indicates that coronavirus replicase polyproteins have evolved to include nonessential functions. The biological significance of the novel enzymatic activity in vivo remains to be investigated.


Author(s):  
Taichi Mizobuchi ◽  
Risako Nonaka ◽  
Motoki Yoshimura ◽  
Katsumasa Abe ◽  
Shouji Takahashi ◽  
...  

Aspartate racemase (AspR) is a pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme that is responsible for D-aspartate biosynthesis in vivo. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report an X-ray crystal structure of a PLP-dependent AspR, which was resolved at 1.90 Å resolution. The AspR derived from the bivalve mollusc Scapharca broughtonii (SbAspR) is a type II PLP-dependent enzyme that is similar to serine racemase (SR) in that SbAspR catalyzes both racemization and dehydration. Structural comparison of SbAspR and SR shows a similar arrangement of the active-site residues and nucleotide-binding site, but a different orientation of the metal-binding site. Superposition of the structures of SbAspR and of rat SR bound to the inhibitor malonate reveals that Arg140 recognizes the β-carboxyl group of the substrate aspartate in SbAspR. It is hypothesized that the aromatic proline interaction between the domains, which favours the closed form of SbAspR, influences the arrangement of Arg140 at the active site.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 536-545
Author(s):  
Arun D. SHARMA ◽  
Inderjeet KAUR

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), member of corona virus family, is a positive single stranded RNA virus. Due to lack of drugs it is spreading its tentacles across the world. Being associated with cough, fever, and respiratory distress, this disease caused more than 15% mortality worldwide. Mpro/3CLpro has recently been regarded as a suitable target for drug design due to its vital role in virus replication. The current study focused on the inhibitory activity of eucalyptol (1,8 cineole), an essential oil component from eucalyptus oil, against Mpro/3CLprofrom SARS-CoV-2. Till date there is no work is undertaken on in-silico analysis of this compound against Mpro/3CLproof SARS-CoV-2. Molecular docking studies were conducted by using 1-click dock tool and Patchdock analysis. In-silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) profile were also studied. The calculated parameters such as docking score indicated effective binding of eucalyptol to COVID-19 Mpro protein. Active site prediction revealed the involvement of active site residues in ligand binding. Interactions results indicated that, Mpro/3CLpro/eucalyptol complexes forms hydrophobic interactions. ADMET studies provided guidelines and mechanistic scope for identification of potent anti-COVID 19 drug. Therefore, eucalyptol may represent potential herbal treatment to act as COVID-19 Mpro/3CLproinhibitor, a finding which must be validated in vivo.


2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (12) ◽  
pp. 4456-4464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Vidal-Ingigliardi ◽  
Shawn Lewenza ◽  
Nienke Buddelmeijer

ABSTRACT Apolipoprotein N-acyl transferase (Lnt) is an essential membrane-bound protein involved in lipid modification of all lipoproteins in gram-negative bacteria. Essential residues in Lnt of Escherichia coli were identified by using site-directed mutagenesis and an in vivo complementation assay. Based on sequence conservation and known protein structures, we predict a model for Lnt, which is a member of the CN hydrolase family. Besides the potential catalytic triad E267-K335-C387, four residues that directly affect the modification of Braun's lipoprotein Lpp are absolutely required for Lnt function. Residues Y388 and E389 are part of the hydrophobic pocket that constitutes the active site. Residues W237 and E343 are located on two flexible arms that face away from the active site and are expected to open and close upon the binding and release of phospholipid and/or apolipoprotein. Substitutions causing temperature-dependent effects were located at different positions in the structural model. These mutants were not affected in protein stability. Lnt proteins from other proteobacteria, but not from actinomycetes, were functional in vivo, and the essential residues identified in Lnt of E. coli are conserved in these proteins.


2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (14) ◽  
pp. 5265-5275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dylan Dodd ◽  
Joseph G. Reese ◽  
Craig R. Louer ◽  
Jimmy D. Ballard ◽  
M. Ashley Spies ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Glutamate racemase activity in Bacillus anthracis is of significant interest with respect to chemotherapeutic drug design, because l-glutamate stereoisomerization to d-glutamate is predicted to be closely associated with peptidoglycan and capsule biosynthesis, which are important for growth and virulence, respectively. In contrast to most bacteria, which harbor a single glutamate racemase gene, the genomic sequence of B. anthracis predicts two genes encoding glutamate racemases, racE1 and racE2. To evaluate whether racE1 and racE2 encode functional glutamate racemases, we cloned and expressed racE1 and racE2 in Escherichia coli. Size exclusion chromatography of the two purified recombinant proteins suggested differences in their quaternary structures, as RacE1 eluted primarily as a monomer, while RacE2 demonstrated characteristics of a higher-order species. Analysis of purified recombinant RacE1 and RacE2 revealed that the two proteins catalyze the reversible stereoisomerization of l-glutamate and d-glutamate with similar, but not identical, steady-state kinetic properties. Analysis of the pH dependence of l-glutamate stereoisomerization suggested that RacE1 and RacE2 both possess two titratable active site residues important for catalysis. Moreover, directed mutagenesis of predicted active site residues resulted in complete attenuation of the enzymatic activities of both RacE1 and RacE2. Homology modeling of RacE1 and RacE2 revealed potential differences within the active site pocket that might affect the design of inhibitory pharmacophores. These results suggest that racE1 and racE2 encode functional glutamate racemases with similar, but not identical, active site features.


2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (19) ◽  
pp. 7069-7076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumarin Soonsanga ◽  
Mayuree Fuangthong ◽  
John D. Helmann

ABSTRACT Bacillus subtilis OhrR is the prototype for the one-Cys family of organic peroxide-sensing regulatory proteins. Mutational analyses indicate that the high sensitivity of the active site cysteine (C15) to peroxidation requires three Tyr residues. Y29 and Y40 from the opposing subunit of the functional dimer hydrogen bond with the reactive Cys thiolate, and substitutions at these positions reduce or eliminate the ability of OhrR to respond to organic peroxides. Y19 is also critical for peroxide sensing, and the Ala substitution mutant (OhrR Y19A) is less susceptible to oxidation at the active site C15 in vivo. The Y19A protein also displays decreased sensitivity to peroxide-mediated oxidation in vitro. Y19 is in van der Waals contact with two residues critical for protein function, F16 and R23. The latter residue makes critical contact with the DNA backbone in the OhrR-operator complex. These results indicate that the high sensitivity of the OhrR C15 residue to oxidation requires interactions with the opposed Tyr residues. Oxidative modification of C15 likely disrupts the C15-Y29′-Y40′ hydrogen bond network and thereby initiates conformational changes that reduce the ability of OhrR to bind to its operator site.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (37) ◽  
pp. 23140-23147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark D. White ◽  
Laura Dalle Carbonare ◽  
Mikel Lavilla Puerta ◽  
Sergio Iacopino ◽  
Martin Edwards ◽  
...  

In higher plants, molecular responses to exogenous hypoxia are driven by group VII ethylene response factors (ERF-VIIs). These transcriptional regulators accumulate in the nucleus under hypoxia to activate anaerobic genes but are destabilized in normoxic conditions through the action of oxygen-sensing plant cysteine oxidases (PCOs). The PCOs catalyze the reaction of oxygen with the conserved N-terminal cysteine of ERF-VIIs to form cysteine sulfinic acid, triggering degradation via the Cys/Arg branch of the N-degron pathway. The PCOs are therefore a vital component of the plant oxygen signaling system, connecting environmental stimulus with cellular and physiological response. Rational manipulation of PCO activity could regulate ERF-VII levels and improve flood tolerance, but requires detailed structural information. We report crystal structures of the constitutively expressed PCO4 and PCO5 from Arabidopsis thaliana to 1.24 and 1.91 Å resolution, respectively. The structures reveal that the PCOs comprise a cupin-like scaffold, which supports a central metal cofactor coordinated by three histidines. While this overall structure is consistent with other thiol dioxygenases, closer inspection of the active site indicates that other catalytic features are not conserved, suggesting that the PCOs may use divergent mechanisms to oxidize their substrates. Conservative substitution of two active site residues had dramatic effects on PCO4 function both in vitro and in vivo, through yeast and plant complementation assays. Collectively, our data identify key structural elements that are required for PCO activity and provide a platform for engineering crops with improved hypoxia tolerance.


1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 5968-5975 ◽  
Author(s):  
C M Alarcón ◽  
J Heitman

The peptidyl-prolyl isomerase FKBP12 was originally identified as the intracellular receptor for the immunosuppressive drugs FK506 (tacrolimus) and rapamycin (sirolimus). Although peptidyl-prolyl isomerases have been implicated in catalyzing protein folding, the cellular functions of FKBP12 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other organisms are largely unknown. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we identified aspartokinase, an enzyme that catalyzes an intermediate step in threonine and methionine biosynthesis, as an in vivo binding target of FKBP12. Aspartokinase also binds FKBP12 in vitro, and drugs that bind the FKBP12 active site, or mutations in FKBP12 surface and active site residues, disrupt the FKBP12-aspartokinase complex in vivo and in vitro.fpr1 mutants lacking FKBP12 are viable, are not threonine or methionine auxotrophs, and express wild-type levels of aspartokinase protein and activity; thus, FKBP12 is not essential for aspartokinase activity. The activity of aspartokinase is regulated by feedback inhibition by product, and genetic analyses reveal that FKBP12 is important for this feedback inhibition, possibly by catalyzing aspartokinase conformational changes in response to product binding.


2001 ◽  
Vol 357 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy MYLES ◽  
Karsten SCHMIDT ◽  
David R. H. EVANS ◽  
Peter CRON ◽  
Brian A. HEMMINGS

Members of the phosphoprotein phosphatase (PPP) family of protein serine/threonine phosphatases, including protein phosphatase (PP)1, PP2A and PP2B, share invariant active-site residues that are critical for catalytic function [Zhuo, Clemens, Stone and Dixon (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 26234–26238]. Mutation of the active-site residues Asp88 or His118 within the human PP2A catalytic subunit (PP2Ac)α impaired catalytic activity in vitro; the D88N and H118N substitutions caused a 9- and 23-fold reduction in specific activity respectively, when compared with wild-type recombinant PP2Ac, indicating an important role for these residues in catalysis. Consistent with this, the D88N and H118N substituted forms failed to provide PP2A function in vivo, because, unlike wild-type human PP2Acα, neither substituted for the endogenous PP2Ac enzyme of budding yeast. Relative to wild-type PP2Ac, the active-site mutants were dramatically overexpressed in High Five® insect cells using the baculovirus system. Milligram quantities of PP2Ac were purified from 1×109 High Five cells and the kinetic constants for dephosphorylation of the peptide RRA(pT)VA (single-letter amino-acid notation) by PP2Ac (Km = 337.5μM; kcat = 170s−1) and D88N (Km = 58.4μM; kcat = 2s−1) were determined. The results show that the substitution impairs catalysis severely without a significant effect on substrate binding, consistent with the PPP catalytic mechanism. Combination of the baculovirus and yeast systems provides a strategy whereby the structure–function of PP2Ac may be fully explored, a goal which has previously proven difficult, owing to the stringent auto-regulatory control of PP2Ac protein levels in vivo.


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