Chromatin topology is coupled to Polycomb group protein subnuclear organization.

The genomes of metazoa are organized at multiple scales. Many proteins that regulate genome architecture, including Polycomb group (PcG) proteins, form subnuclear structures. Deciphering mechanistic links between protein organization and chromatin architecture requires precise description and mechanistic perturbations of both.

Sulfonation of glycopeptide antibiotics by sulfotransferase StaL depends on conformational flexibility of aglycone scaffold.

Although glycopeptide antibiotics (GPAs), including vancomycin and teicoplanin, represent the most important class of anti-infective agents in the treatment of serious gram-positive bacterial infections, their usefulness is threatened by the emergence of resistant strains. GPAs are complex natural products consisting of a heptapeptide skeleton assembled via nonribosomal peptide synthesis and constrained through multiple crosslinks, with diversity resulting from enzymatic modifications by a variety of tailoring enzymes, which can be used to produce GPA analogues that could overcome antibiotic resistance. GPA-modifying sulfotransferases are promising tools for generating the unique derivatives.

Structure of hydrogenase maturation protein HypF with reaction intermediates shows two active sites.

[NiFe]-hydrogenases are multimeric proteins. The large subunit contains the NiFe(CN)(2)CO bimetallic active center and the small subunit contains Fe-S clusters. Biosynthesis and assembly of the NiFe(CN)(2)CO active center requires six Hyp accessory proteins.

Crystal structures of apo and metal-bound forms of the UreE protein from Helicobacter pylori: role of multiple metal binding sites.

The crystal structure of the urease maturation protein UreE from Helicobacter pylori has been determined in its apo form at 2.1 A resolution, bound to Cu(2+) at 2.7 A resolution, and bound to Ni(2+) at 3.

Specificity of Campylobacter jejuni adhesin PEB3 for phosphates and structural differences among its ligand complexes.

PEB3 is a glycoprotein adhesin from Campylobacter jejuni whose structure suggested a role in transport. We have investigated potential ligands for PEB3 and characterized their binding properties using biophysical methods in solution and by X-ray crystallography. A thermal aggregation assay of PEB3 with a library of physiological compounds identified three possible ligands [3-phosphoglycerate (3-PG), phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), and aconitate], which stabilized wild-type PEB3 but did not stabilize either a PEB3 form containing two mutations at the ligand-binding site, T138A/S139A, or a second PEB3 mutant, K135E, at a site approximately 14 A away.

Molecular dynamics-solvated interaction energy studies of protein-protein interactions: the MP1-p14 scaffolding complex.

Using the MP1-p14 scaffolding complex from the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway as model system, we explored a structure-based computational protocol to probe and characterize binding affinity hot spots at protein-protein interfaces. Hot spots are located by virtual alanine-scanning consensus predictions over three different energy functions and two different single-structure representations of the complex. Refined binding affinity predictions for select hot-spot mutations are carried out by applying first-principle methods such as the molecular mechanics generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) and solvated interaction energy (SIE) to the molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories for mutated and wild-type complexes.

Bacterial polysaccharide co-polymerases share a common framework for control of polymer length.

The chain length distribution of complex polysaccharides present on the bacterial surface is determined by polysaccharide co-polymerases (PCPs) anchored in the inner membrane. We report crystal structures of the periplasmic domains of three PCPs that impart substantially different chain length distributions to surface polysaccharides. Despite very low sequence similarities, they have a common protomer structure with a long central alpha-helix extending 100 A into the periplasm.

Structure of [NiFe] hydrogenase maturation protein HypE from Escherichia coli and its interaction with HypF.

Hydrogenases are enzymes involved in hydrogen metabolism, utilizing H2 as an electron source. [NiFe] hydrogenases are heterodimeric Fe-S proteins, with a large subunit containing the reaction center involving Fe and Ni metal ions and a small subunit containing one or more Fe-S clusters. Maturation of the [NiFe] hydrogenase involves assembly of nonproteinaceous ligands on the large subunit by accessory proteins encoded by the hyp operon.

Structural context for protein N-glycosylation in bacteria: The structure of PEB3, an adhesin from Campylobacter jejuni.

Campylobacter jejuni is unusual among bacteria in possessing a eukaryotic-like system for N-linked protein glycosylation at Asn residues in sequons of the type Asp/Glu-Xaa-Asn-Xaa-Ser/Thr. However, little is known about the structural context of the glycosylated sequons, limiting the design of novel recombinant glycoproteins. To obtain more information on sequon structure, we have determined the crystal structure of the PEB3 (Cj0289c) dimer.

The architecture of the multisubunit TRAPP I complex suggests a model for vesicle tethering.

Transport protein particle (TRAPP) I is a multisubunit vesicle tethering factor composed of seven subunits involved in ER-to-Golgi trafficking. The functional mechanism of the complex and how the subunits interact to form a functional unit are unknown. Here, we have used a multidisciplinary approach that includes X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, biochemistry, and yeast genetics to elucidate the architecture of TRAPP I.

Crystal structure of TDP-fucosamine acetyltransferase (WecD) from Escherichia coli, an enzyme required for enterobacterial common antigen synthesis.

Enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) is a polysaccharide found on the outer membrane of virtually all gram-negative enteric bacteria and consists of three sugars, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, N-acetyl-d-mannosaminuronic acid, and 4-acetamido-4,6-dideoxy-d-galactose, organized into trisaccharide repeating units having the sequence -->3)-alpha-d-Fuc4NAc-(1-->4)-beta-d-ManNAcA-(1-->4)-alpha-d-GlcNAc-(1-->. While the precise function of ECA is unknown, it has been linked to the resistance of Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 to organic acids and the resistance of Salmonella enterica to bile salts. The final step in the synthesis of 4-acetamido-4,6-dideoxy-d-galactose, the acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA)-dependent acetylation of the 4-amino group, is carried out by TDP-fucosamine acetyltransferase (WecD).

Biochemical and crystallographic studies reveal a specific interaction between TRAPP subunits Trs33p and Bet3p.

Transport protein particle (TRAPP) comprises a family of two highly related multiprotein complexes, with seven common subunits, that serve to target different classes of transport vesicles to their appropriate compartments. Defining the architecture of the complexes will advance our understanding of the functional differences between these highly related molecular machines. Genetic analyses in yeast suggested a specific interaction between the TRAPP subunits Bet3p and Trs33p.

The structure of the MAPK scaffold, MP1, bound to its partner, p14. A complex with a critical role in endosomal map kinase signaling.

Scaffold proteins of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway have been proposed to form an active signaling module and enhance the specificity of the transduced signal. Here, we report a 2-A resolution structure of the MAPK scaffold protein MP1 in a complex with its partner protein, p14, that localizes the complex to late endosomes. The structures of these two proteins are remarkably similar, with a five-stranded beta-sheet flanked on either side by a total of three helices.